Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The reds and the yellows: a review of Asian Chrysopteron Jentink, 1910 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae: Myotis)

Abstract Chrysopteron Jentink, 1910 is 1 of the 7 subgenera of Myotis Kaup, 1829 recognized by Tate that traditionally comprises Asian and African species characterized by conspicuously parti-colored wing membranes. Definition of Myotis subgenera has long challenged taxonomists and prior to the present study the systematic status of numerous forms within Chrysopteron remained unclear. Following examination of material (including available type specimens) in 21 European, North American, and Asian collections, and using morphological (external, cranial, and dental characters) and genetic data, we evaluate the validity of the Chrysopteron subgenus, revise the taxonomy of the named Asian forms, and review their distinguishing characters, distribution, and taxonomic history. We argue that Chrysopteron is an available name for a monophyletic “Ethiopian clade” recovered with high support in our analyses, which comprises species characterized by striking reddish or yellowish dorsal fur that strongly differentiates them from congeners. We also determine that M. formosus sensu lato contains several morphologically distinct forms, some of which occur in sympatry and some in widely separated localities. A morphological key is provided for all Asian species of Chrysopteron revealed by our study: M. bartelsi Jentink, 1910 (Java and Bali), M. formosus (Hodgson, 1835) (Afghanistan, India, Nepal, China, Taiwan, and Vietnam), M. hermani Thomas, 1923 (Sumatra, Thailand, and Malaysia), M. rufoniger (Tomes, 1858) (Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Laos, and Vietnam), M. rufopictus (Waterhouse, 1845) (Philippines), and M. weberi (Jentink, 1890) (Sulawesi).
Survey of the management of patients with bronchiectasis: a pilot investigation in Asian populations

Background/Aims Although international guidelines for bronchiectasis management have been published in Western countries, there is a lack of data about their application in Asian populations including patients with different phenotypes. We aimed to investigate the current status of bronchiectasis management in Asian populations. Methods A nationwide questionnaire survey was performed of Asian respiratory specialists from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. Participants were invited by e-mail to answer a questionnaire comprising 25 questions based on international guidelines for the management of bronchiectasis. Results A total of 221 physicians participated in the survey. About half of them were Korean (50.2%), with the next most common nationalities being Japanese (23.1%), Taiwanese (13.6%), and Singaporean (7.7%). Only 18 (8.1%) responders had local guidelines for bronchiectasis. While 85 (38.5%) responders checked sputum acid-fast bacillus smear/culture about 1 to 3 times per year, only a small proportion of responders routinely performed a serum immunoglobulin test (36/221, 16.3%) or evaluated for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (41/221, 18.6%). Less than half (43.4%) of responders performed eradication treatment in patients with drug-sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection, mainly due to the limited availability of inhaled antibiotics (34.8%). In addition, 58.6% of responders considered physiotherapy such as airway clearance and pulmonary rehabilitation. Conclusions Discrepancies might exist between guideline recommendations and practice for bronchiectasis management in Asian populations, partly due to the limited availability of treatment in each country. The development of local guidelines that consider the phenotypes and situation will help to standardize and improve the management of bronchiectasis.
Multiple Origin of Amphidiploids in the Complex Species of Scilla scilloides , Asparagaceae

In the complex species of Scilla scilloides involving A and B genomes, an amphi diploid having AABB genome composition is a major one of the cytotypes and distributes throughout a growing area of the species. An origin of amphi diploids and whether amphi diploids generated in monophyly or polyphyly are unsolved. In three hybrids with defied combination of genomes a maternal inheritance of chloroplast genome was confirmed in this species. An analysis of matK sequence of chloroplast genome demonstrated that a maternal parent of all amphi diploids in Japan, Korea and Taiwan investigated was a Japanese B genome diploid (BB diploid). In the analysis of ITS1and 5S rDNA of nuclear genome and genome sizes indicated that the paternal parent of amphi diploids was different between the amphi diploid from Japan and Korea, and the amphi diploid from Taiwan. The Japanese and Korean amphi diploids would be originated by a hybridization and subsequent polyploidization between the maternal parent of Japanese BB diploid and the paternal parent of Korean A genome diploid (AA diploid). Taiwanese amphi diploids were generated between the maternal parent of Japanese BB diploid and a paternal parent of AA diploid undiscovered. An event of generation of the amphi diploids in S. scilloides occurred at least twice in the different locations with the different parents.
"Of course we had sex!": A qualitative exploration of first sex among women who have sex with women

Abstract:First sex is often defined by first penile-vaginal intercourse (PVI) among cisgender heterosexual individuals or first anal intercourse among cisgender men who have sex with men. The importance given to penetration as the marker of the transition to active partnered sexuality (TAPS) has contributed to the invisibility of women who have sex with women's (WSW) sexualities. Forty-three WSW aged 19–25 years (M = 22.90, SD = 2.17; 84% cisgender) completed a qualitative online survey wherein they described their TAPS. Directed content analysis led to the identification of (1) consensual behavioural markers and non-markers of TAPS and ambiguous behaviours; (2) contextual factors influencing WSW's understanding of TAPS; and (3) a typical course of TAPS among WSW from initiation to conclusion. Behavioural markers of TAPS include oral sex and manual-genital contact, while fondling, kissing and nudity around a partner constitute non-markers. Indirect genital contact and masturbation bear ambiguous meaning. No behavioural equivalent to PVI emerges. Contextual elements such as the role of partners or the importance given to novel sexual experiences are central to WSW's interpretations of first sex. The initiation of TAPS includes non-markers such as kissing and progresses to direct genital contact, though reciprocity or penetration are not required. Results show no consensus regarding its conclusion; TAPS is neither contingent on nor concluded by orgasm. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.
A comparative case study of the internationalization strategies of Malaysian, Singaporean and Taiwanese firms

Comparative empirical research on the internationalization strategies of Asian multinational enterprises (MNEs) from countries at different levels of development is lacking. This paper examines and analyzes the internationalization characteristics and strategies of MNEs from three Asian countries at two different levels of development. Primary data from matched sample firms from Malaysia (a fast developing economy) and Singapore and Taiwan (representing newly industrialized economies) in the textile and electronics industries are used for this study. The findings indicate some differences among the Malaysian, Singaporean and Taiwanese MNEs. These differences and their implications are examined. The empirical findings, particularly the contextual aspects of internationalization, and propositions for further research are discussed .
The Impact of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Orthodontic Patients in China: An Analysis of Posts on Weibo

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many dental care services including orthodontic practice were suspended. Orthodontic patients turned to social media platforms to communicate, share experiences, and look for solutions. Our study aimed to investigate the attitudes and perspectives of orthodontic patients during the COVID-19 epidemic in China by analyzing orthodontics-related posts on Sina Weibo (a Chinese counterpart of Twitter). Materials and Methods: Potentially eligible posts on Sina Weibo platform were collected between December 30, 2019, and April 18, 2020. Posts related to both orthodontics and COVID-19 were included and then coded and classified into specific appliances and themes. Geographic and temporal distributions of the included posts were analyzed. In addition, time-lagged cross correlation was performed to explore the association between the number of daily posts and daily new COVID-19 cases/deaths in China. Chi-square tests were employed to compare the differences between fixed appliances and aligners in problems/difficulties and feelings during the epidemic. Results: Of the 28,911 posts identified, 4,484 were included in the analysis. The most frequently mentioned themes were appointments (n = 2,621, 58.5%), negative feelings (n = 2,189, 48.8%), and problems/difficulties (n = 1,155, 25.8%). A majority of posts were tweeted in regions with high levels of economic development and population density in eastern China and from February to March. The number of daily posts had a significantly positive correlation with daily new COVID-19 cases/deaths in China (P < 0.05). Compared with clear aligners, patients with fixed appliances reported more problems/difficulties (P < 0.001) and negative feelings (P < 0.001), but fewer positive feelings (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The analysis of Weibo posts provided a timely understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on orthodontic patients. Delayed appointments were their greatest concern, and negative feelings and untreated orthodontic problems increased during the suspension of dental care services. However, patients with clear aligners reported fewer negative feelings and problems than those with fixed appliances. The findings highlighted the need to consider both treatment- and psychology-related issues of orthodontic patients and how to handle them appropriately during the epidemic.
Pharmacotherapy for schizophrenic inpatients in East Asia – Changes and challenges

Objectives: (1) to review characteristics of prescription patterns of antipsychotic medication in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, (2) to examine the changes of prescriptions brought about by the introduction of second generation psychotropic drugs (SGA) in East Asia, (3) to analyse factors contributing to the characteristic use of antipsychotics, and (4) to suggest ways and means to improve the prescription practice of antipsychotics in East Asia. Methods: Authors of this study collaborated with psychiatrists in East Asia to undertake an international survey reviewing prescription patterns of psychotropic medications in East Asia. The REAP (Research on Asian psychotropic prescription patterns) study reviewed the prescription of a large number of schizophrenic inpatients in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan in 2001 and 2004 using a unified research protocol and questionnaire. Results: Prescription patterns of antipsychotic drugs differ greatly country by country and have recently experienced rapid changes. Our survey shows second generation antipsychotics are frequently used in East Asia. The introduction of SGA resulted in the combined use of first generation psychotropic drugs (FGA) and SGA in East Asia. These changing prescription patterns have created many challenges for psychiatrists in East Asia.
Colonization of the Pharynx with Neisseria gonorrhoeae: Experience in a Clinic for Sexually Transmitted Diseases

At a clinic for treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, 1,453 patients were examined for pharyngeal colonization with Neisseria gonorrhoeae. A history of oral sex was reported by 895 (61.2%) of the patients. N. gonorrhoeae was isolated from the pharynges of 42 (2.9%) of the 1,453 patients. Twenty-seven of the 42 patients with N. gonorrhoeae-positive cultures gave histories of oral sex, and all 42 patients reported orogenital contact when questioned again at a follow-up visit. Seven patients with positive cultures had pharyngeal symptoms; all seven practiced fellatio. Eleven of the infected men were asymptomatic heterosexuals whose only orogenital contact was cunnilingus.
Organizing Effects of Sex Steroids on Brain Aromatase Activity in Quail

Preoptic/hypothalamic aromatase activity (AA) is sexually differentiated in birds and mammals but the mechanisms controlling this sex difference remain unclear. We determined here (1) brain sites where AA is sexually differentiated and (2) whether this sex difference results from organizing effects of estrogens during ontogeny or activating effects of testosterone in adulthood. In the first experiment we measured AA in brain regions micropunched in adult male and female Japanese quail utilizing the novel strategy of basing the microdissections on the distribution of aromatase-immunoreactive cells. The largest sex difference was found in the medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (mBST) followed by the medial preoptic nucleus (POM) and the tuberal hypothalamic region. A second experiment tested the effect of embryonic treatments known to sex-reverse male copulatory behavior (i.e., estradiol benzoate [EB] or the aromatase inhibitor, Vorozole) on brain AA in gonadectomized adult males and females chronically treated as adults with testosterone. Embryonic EB demasculinized male copulatory behavior, while vorozole blocked demasculinization of behavior in females as previously demonstrated in birds. Interestingly, these treatments did not affect a measure of appetitive sexual behavior. In parallel, embryonic vorozole increased, while EB decreased AA in pooled POM and mBST, but the same effect was observed in both sexes. Together, these data indicate that the early action of estrogens demasculinizes AA. However, this organizational action of estrogens on AA does not explain the behavioral sex difference in copulatory behavior since AA is similar in testosterone-treated males and females that were or were not exposed to embryonic treatments with estrogens.
Predictors of response to rituximab in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to anti-TNF agents or traditional DMARDs.

OBJECTIVES Identifying early predictors of response to biological agents is important for both the individual patient and health economics. The aim here was to identify clinical variables that are easily assessed in clinical practice which are associated with a major response to rituximab (moderate to good EULAR response, according to DAS28 values) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate response to anti-TNF agents or traditional DMARDs. METHODS Rituximab (2x1g, two weeks apart) was administered to 108 patients in four different Spanish hospitals. The primary efficacy endpoint was the percentage of patients who achieved a major response at six months. Potential predictors of a major response were identified using multivariate binary logistic regression models. RESULTS At six months of treatment 75.9% of patients achieved a major response (24% good and 52% moderate). Comparing the clinical features at baseline between patients who did or did not achieve a major response, significant differences were found in rheumatoid factor (RF) and anti-CCP positivity, as well as in the number of failed anti-TNF agents prior to rituximab. While rituximab delivers clinical benefit in seronegative patients, the presence of RF and/or anti-CCP consistently enriches clinical responses. The multivariate analysis showed that the best model for predicting a major EULAR response to rituximab was comprised of the following two variables: the anti-CCP antibody positivity (p=0.045) and the number of previous anti-TNF agents used (p=0.028). Using a cut-off level for CCP of 300 U/ml we found that patients with an anti-CCP titre >300 U/ml were 3-4 times more likely to achieve a major EULAR response [odds ratio (OR): 3.38; 95% CI: 1.025-11.17]. By contrast, those patients who had failed to respond to 2 or more anti-TNF agents had a 72.5% lower probability of achieving a moderate to good EULAR response (OR: 0.275; 95% CI: 0.087-0.871) than did patients who had only failed to respond to one such agent. CONCLUSIONS A lower number of previously-failed TNF blockers and high anti-CCP titre can help select the best candidates for RTX therapy in patients with RA.
The Social Construction of Business Systems in East Asia

Distinctive forms of business organization have become dominant and successful in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong over the past 40 years. These different business systems reflect historical patterns of authority, trust and loyalty in Japan, Korea and China. They also vary in their specialization, strategic prefer ences and patterns of inter-firm co-ordination because of significant differences in their institutional environments, especially the political and financial systems. Similar processes exist in western societies but distinctive business systems are not so sharply bounded between nation states and cultures in Europe and North America.
Computational Approach to Detecting and Predicting Occupy Protest Events

We introduce a computational approach to detecting and predicting occupy protest events over a daily timeframe. Existing methods mainly solve this problem by document clustering techniques. This paper proposes a novel graph-based occupy protest event detection framework which applies subgraph pattern mining for this task. In addition, we also use a standard linear logistic regression model to estimate the probability of an OPE occurring on a specific day. A wealth of event data about Occupy Wall Street in New York and Occupy Central in Hong Kong from the Global Data on Events, Location, and Tone (GDELT) are utilized in the work. Experimental results on these datasets show that the proposed method can achieve higher detection accuracy with 0.921 on average and MCC value 0.748. The ROC curve shows our prediction model results in very high forecasting precision with accuracy reaching 91.96%, indicating the predictive power of the proposed method.
A Feature Selection and Extraction Method for Uyghur Handwriting-Based Writer identification

This paper proposes a method for texture feature extraction by integrating Gabor filters and independent component analysis (ICA) for Uyghur handwriting based writer identification. That is, the texture image is firstly filtered by a given bank of Gabor filters, and then higher dimensional feature vectors are constructed from the filtered texture images. Next, the dimensionality of these vectors is reduced by means of principal component analysis (PCA). Finally, the independent components in the resulting vectors with dimensionality reduced are analyzed and extracted by us. Experiments were performed using KNN-5 classifier to Uyghur handwriting samples from 55 different people and promising results of 92.5% correct identification rate were achieved.
Analyzing the Great Firewall of China Over Space and Time

Abstract A nation-scale firewall, colloquially referred to as the “Great Firewall of China,” implements many different types of censorship and content filtering to control China’s Internet traffic. Past work has shown that the firewall occasionally fails. In other words, sometimes clients in China are able to reach blacklisted servers outside of China. This phenomenon has not yet been characterized because it is infeasible to find a large and geographically diverse set of clients in China from which to test connectivity. In this paper, we overcome this challenge by using a hybrid idle scan technique that is able to measure connectivity between a remote client and an arbitrary server, neither of which are under the control of the researcher performing measurements. In addition to hybrid idle scans, we present and employ a novel side channel in the Linux kernel’s SYN backlog. We show that both techniques are practical by measuring the reachability of the Tor network which is known to be blocked in China. Our measurements reveal that failures in the firewall occur throughout the entire country without any conspicuous geographical patterns.We give some evidence that routing plays a role, but other factors (such as how the GFW maintains its list of IP/port pairs to block) may also be important.
Changing governance and public policy in East Asia

Introduction: The Search for Good Governance in Asia Ka Ho Mok and Ray Forrest Part I: Changing Policy Paradigms 1. Interpreting East Asian Social Policy Development: Paradigm Shifts or Policy Steadiness Anthony Cheung 2. Redefining Development in China: Towards A New Policy Paradigm for the New Century? Kinglun Ngok 3. Public Empowerment and Policy Science of Democracy: Chinese Perspective Weiqing Guo 4. The Changing Map in Japan's Domestic Governance and its Impact on Public Policy Reforms Go Ito Part II: Changing Policy Instruments and Regulatory Regimes 5. Public Management Reforms in Hong Kong and Singapore: The Case of Public Hospitals M Ramesh 6. When Asian States Adopt Western Public Policy Instruments: Incorporation of National Universities in Asia Ka Ho Mok 7. Comparative Welfare Policy Instruments in East Asia: Embedding Trust in Policy Yeun Wen Ku 8. Regulatory Reform and Private Sector Development in China: A Case Study of Downsizing Administrative Licenses Bill Chou Part III: The Changing Role of the Private Sector in Public Policy 9. One Country, Two Capitalisms: The Challenge of Accommodating Capitalists' Interests in Hong Kong and China Ray Yep 10. Business Structure and Power in Pension Development in Japan, Korea and Taiwan Young Jun Choi 11. Social Development or Social Inequality: Comparing Private Education Policies in Hong Kong and Singapore Michael H. Lee 12. Struggling among Economic Efficiency, Social Equality and Social Stability: Housing Monetarization Reform in China Yapeng Zhu Part IV: The Challenge for Urban Governance 13. Managing the Chaotic City? New Forms of Urban Governance and Challenge for East Asia Ray Forrest 14. The Governance of Urban Renaissance in Tokyo: Post-Urbanization and Enhanced Competitiveness Yosuke Hirayama 15. Urbanization, Low-Income Housing, and Urban Governance in South Korea Seong Kyu Ha
Application of ABC in hot spring country inn

This paper implements activity-based costing (ABC) method to analyse the operational costs structure of a hot spring country inn in the Yang-Ming-Shan area of Taiwan. ABC method was used to compute the lodging, hot spring use and meal serving costs per customer. The result shows a real cost structure in B&B industry where study in this non-traditional lodging is rare in literature. In addition, we find that the major advantage of using ABC of a country inn is that it gives better insight into the customer costs for each market segment in order to offer more accurate cost information for innkeepers to make better managerial decision. Also, we compare the ABC with the traditional costing method, and conclude that the ABC method is a more suitable and appropriate tool than traditional accounting method in a country inn.
Oral cancer awareness.

It is estimated that 42,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with oral cancer in 2013. Many of these cases will not be caught until the cancer is already well advanced. According to the National Cancer Institute, over 40% of those diagnosed will die within five years. Regular screenings as part of routine dental exams are the best line of defense. In the past, this life-threatening disease primarily affected people over the age of 40 who had a history of smoking and tobacco use. Today that has changed. Exposure to the human papilloma virus (HPV) through oral sex has become the fastest growing risk factor for oral cancer – affecting unprecedented numbers of otherwise healthy young people in their twenties and thirties.