Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Traditional Journalism in Transition

Although Taiwan instituted press freedom in 1987, media professionals in the island nation continue to experience a myriad of internal and external pressures in the overcrowded market. Rather than merely conform to unethical industry expectations, some media professionals have reconstructed the rules by which they operate. The purpose of the present study is to explore how Taiwan media professionals have reshaped their work roles to make sense of their workplace realities. Results generated from 20 in-depth interviews indicate that their realities now include Internet-driven media shifts, changed reporter traits, dramatic licence due to stiff competition, departure from conventional news and reporters coping with mandatory coverage. Study participants have reconstructed the rules of the media environment to contend with the new realities.
Multi-step-ahead neural networks for flood forecasting

Abstract A reliable flood warning system depends on efficient and accurate forecasting technology. A systematic investigation of three common types of artificial neural networks (ANNs) for multi-step-ahead (MSA) flood forecasting is presented. The operating mechanisms and principles of the three types of MSA neural networks are explored: multi-input multi-output (MIMO), multi-input single-output (MISO) and serial-propagated structure. The most commonly used multi-layer feed-forward networks with conjugate gradient algorithm are adopted for application. Rainfall—runoff data sets from two watersheds in Taiwan are used separately to investigate the effectiveness and stability of the neural networks for MSA flood forecasting. The results indicate consistently that, even though the MIMO is the most common architecture presented in ANNs, it is less accurate because its multi-objectives (predicted many time steps) must be optimized simultaneously. Both MISO and serial-propagated neural networks are capable of performing accurate short-term (one- or two-step-ahead) forecasting. For long-term (more than two steps) forecasts, only the serial-propagated neural network could provide satisfactory results in both watersheds. The results suggest that the serial-propagated structure can help in improving the accuracy of MSA flood forecasts.
A statistical portrait of adolescent sex contraception and childbearing.

This document presents data from two national surveys--one of females and one of males--highlighting on teen sex contraceptive use and childbearing. Data on teen girls are obtained from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth conducted with 1396 females aged 15-19. Data on teen boys on the other hand are from Urban Institute analyses of the 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males conducted with 1729 males aged 15-19. Findings reveal that early sexual activity is closely related to family structure. Teens from intact two-parent families have lower probabilities of having sex at an early age than teens from other family backgrounds. Furthermore maternal age at first birth and mothers educational attainment have a significant impact on the onset of sexual intercourse and childbearing. Among sexually experienced teenagers 54% of males and 70% of females had one or no partners in the past year; yet sexually experienced teenage boys have more partners than sexually experienced teenage girls. In addition a significant increase in condom use was noted in the past 20 years. In 1975 only 18% of females used a condom at first sex in comparison with 54% of females in 1995. For those teenaged girls who have never had intercourse their primary reason is that having sex would be against their religious or moral values. Other reason cited include desire to avoid pregnancy fear of contracting sexually transmitted disease and not having met the appropriate partner.
Towards Illuminating a Censorship Monitor's Model to Facilitate Evasion

Censorship systems that make dynamic blocking decisions must inspect network activity on-the-fly to identify content to filter. By inferring the analysis models of such monitors we can identify their vulnerabilities to different forms of evasions that we can then exploit for circumvention. We leverage the observation that censorship monitors essentially work on the same principles as Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDS) and therefore inherit the same evasion vulnerabilities already discussed in the NIDS context for years. Using this past work as a guide, we illustrate the power of illuminating a monitor’s analysis model by conducting extensive probing to test for vulnerabilities in the Great Firewall of China. We find exploitable flaws in its TCB creation and destruction, fragment and segment reassembly, packet validation, (in)completeness of HTTP analysis, and state management.
The Pattern of Cytokine Production In Vitro Induced by Ancient and Modern Beijing Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains

It is unclear to what extent the host-responses elicited by Beijing versus non-Beijing strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) contribute to the predominance of modern Beijing strains in Taiwan and some other Asian countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the expression profiles of virulence-related genes in human monocyte-derived macrophages infected in vitro with Beijing (ancient and modern strains) and non-Beijing strains (EAI strains) of MTB that are epidemic in Taiwan. We found that modern Beijing strains induced lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, whereas EAI strains induced higher levels. Notably, the most prevalent modern Beijing sub-lineage, possessing intact RD150 and RD142 chromosomal regions, induced very low levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially interleukin-1β. Moreover, in an intracellular growth assay, the survival of the same modern Beijing strain in human monocyte-derived macrophages was significantly higher than that of an ancient Beijing strain and an EAI strain. Taken together, these results may explain why modern Beijing strains of MTB predominate in Taiwan.
Magic mantle using social VPNs against centralized social networking services

As centralized social networking services (SNSs) or online social networks (OSNs) have inherent privacy concerns, researchers are working on decentralized SNSs as alternatives for addressing these problems. However, it is very difficult to decentralize all the functions of centralized SNSs. This paper describes a decentralized SNS using social virtual private networks (VPNs) that work together with centralized SNSs. In this decentralized SNS, members can share private information with friends through the social VPNs while hiding the information from centralized SNSs. SNS members run applications and servers on their PCs, allow friends to access the contents of these servers, and have complete control of their own data. Community leader members called hub users run VPN servers and maintain group member lists. Other regular members manipulate the VPN clients easily using Web browsers. The proposed decentralized SNS federates the user authentication of the VPN servers with that of centralized SNSs. Furthermore, the SNS provides a zero sign-on feature for social Web applications running on a closed VPN. For realizing such a social VPN, the authors have extended SoftEther VPN, their fast, open-source VPN software. Experimental results show that applications including file sharing, a text chat, a Wiki program, an interactive game, and Usenet-like messaging performed well using the social VPN over a current fast Internet access line.
Consumption and Liquidity Constraints in Australia and East Asia: Does Financial Integration Matter?

One of the recurring themes in the literature on financial systems is whether financial integration – that is, openness in the domestic and international financial system – has real, structural economic effects. This paper examines the effect of financial openness on the consumption of non-durables in Australia and selected East Asian economies. A range of variables, some of which explicitly represent financial regulation, are used to proxy the shadow price of the liquidity constraint. Non-durable consumption in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand can be modelled as the outcome of constrained optimisation, in some cases with time-varying real interest rates and demographic change, while that in Australia is liquidity unconstrained, at least from the 1980s. The constraint appears constant but very weak in Hong Kong and declining in Singapore, consistent with the extent and timing of domestic and international financial reforms in these economies. It appears unchanged for Japan and Korea. For Taiwan and Thailand, there is strong evidence that domestic financial regulation and control have constrained the intertemporal optimisation of consumption, although the constraint may be expected to unwind with recent liberalisation. The experience of Australia and the selected East Asian economies suggests that the liberalisation of the capital account, combined with deregulation and expansion of the domestic financial sector, eases the constraints on consumption smoothing. Financial integration does matter. The experience of these countries also indicates that there is no simple connection between the openess of a country’s financial system and its saving and investment performance.
A COMPARISON OF DEMANDS FOR MEAT PRODUCTS IN THE PACIFIC RIM REGION

The Rotterdam model is used to obtain estimates of demand parameters for meat products in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Unlike most previous studies of demand systems, the model takes into account simultaneous-equation bias which arises due to the endogeneity of total expenditure. Beef, pork, and chicken are separable from marine products for each Pacific Rim country. However, demand elasticities for beef, pork, and chicken are different among the various Pacific Rim nations. One may not then use the elasticity estimates of a particular country and apply them to other Pacific Rim markets.
Theory of a Practical Delaunay Meshing Algorithm for a Large Class of Domains

Recently a Delaunay refinement algorithm has been proposed that can mesh domains as general as piecewise smooth complexes. These domains include polyhedra, smooth and piecewise smooth surfaces, volumes enclosed by them, and above all non-manifold spaces. The algorithm is guaranteed to capture the input topology at the expense of four tests, some of which are computationally intensive and hard to implement. The goal of this paper is to present the theory that justifies a refinement algorithm with a single disk test in place of four tests of the previous algorithm. The algorithm is supplied with a resolution parameter that controls the level of refinement. We prove that, when the resolution is fine enough (this level is reached very fast in practice), the output mesh becomes homeomorphic to the input while preserving all input features. Moreover, regardless of the refinement level, each k-manifold element in the input complex is meshed with a triangulated k-manifold. Boundary incidences among elements maintain the input structure. Implementation results reported in a companion paper corroborate our claims. Research supported by NSF, USA (CCF-0430735 and CCF-0635008) and RGC, Hong Kong, China (HKUST 6181/04E). Department of Computer Science and Engineering, HKUST, Hong Kong. Email: scheng@cse.ust. hk Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Ohio State University, Ohio, USA. Email: tamaldey@cse.ohio-state.edu Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Ohio State University, Ohio, USA. Email: levinej@cse.ohio-state.edu
Deletion of the late cornified envelope genes, LCE3C and LCE3B, is associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE The risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increased in the offspring of individuals affected with various autoimmune disorders, including psoriasis. Recently, the deletion of 2 genes from the late cornified envelope (LCE) gene cluster, LCE3C and LCE3B, has been associated with psoriasis in several populations. The purpose of this study was to assess whether this polymorphic gene deletion could also be involved in susceptibility to RA. METHODS We tested for association between the LCE3C_LCE3B copy number variant and a single-nucleotide polymorphism in strong linkage disequilibrium with this variant (rs4112788) and RA in 2 independent case-control data sets (197 and 400 samples from patients with RA, respectively, and 411 and 567 samples from control subjects, respectively), collected at 4 Spanish hospitals. All samples were directly typed for presence of the LCE3C_LCE3B deletion (LCE3C_LCE3B-del) by polymerase chain reaction, and association analysis was performed using the SNPassoc R package. RESULTS An association of homozygosity for the LCE3C_LCE3B-del and rs4112788 C allele with the risk of RA was observed in the first data set and was replicated in an independent case-control set. A combined analysis showed an overall P value of 0.0012 (odds ratio [OR] 1.45, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.16-1.81) for association of the LCE3C_LCE3B-del. When the analysis was stratified for serologic data, we observed association in anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP)-positive patients (P = 0.012, OR 1.51 [95% CI 1.09-2.13]) but not in anti-CCP-negative patients. CONCLUSION We have identified an association between the LCE3C_LCE3B-del and RA, and we have verified a pleiotropic effect of a common genetic risk factor (LCE3C_LCE3B-del) for autoimmune diseases that is involved in both psoriasis and RA.
Reforming School Governance in Taiwan and South Korea: Empowerment and Autonomization in School-Based Management.

Purpose – The article aims to use the globalization theory and the implications of democratization for social policy to analyze the school governance reforms in Taiwan and South Korea.Design/methodology/approach – The article describes the main features of decentralization policy in the school sectors in the two societies with a historical review of their democratic transition and educational reforms during the 1990s. It then classifies decentralization into two categories, namely managerial decentralization and societal decentralization, by conceptualizing their context, rationales and policy instruments. It closes by considering the implications of Taiwan's and South Korea's experiences for educational decentralization and education reforms.Findings – It is found that in Taiwan there is a comprehensive and institutionalized empowerment of teachers and parents but full institutionalization of involvement of the school community is still in progress in South Korea.Originality/value – This article reviews .
Shallow marine benthic invertebrates of the Seychelles Plateau: high diversity in a tropical oligotrophic environment

Soft sedimentary biotopes are extensive in the shallow Western Indian Ocean, especially on the Seychelles Plateau and Mascarene Ridge, yet pro rata compared with coral reefs the research effort devoted to them has been minimal. In this study we examine the benthic mollusc and polychaete worm assemblages of the shallow waters (11–62 m) around Mahé, in the Seychelles, and make direct comparisons with the temperate Irish Sea area and subtropical waters of Hong Kong, China (using identical methodology). Two assemblages were recognized, characterized by depth and sediment type. Of these, assemblage A (in shallow carbonate sands) was the most diverse, with diversity and richness measures exceeding those from the Irish Sea or Hong Kong. Hong Kong generally had the poorest fauna. Considering the Bivalvia alone, estimates of taxonomic distinctness showed this to be least for Seychelles assemblage A. The degree of conformity of the results to the concept of the latitudinal gradient in species richness and the possible underlying causes are discussed. Comparisons with other data suggest that the Seychelles support a benthic fauna at least as diverse as any other described from the tropics. A tentative examination of total bivalve species richness suggests a total of 400–500 for the Seychelles. This is in keeping with other Indian Ocean localities, but higher than known figures for continental east Africa. The findings of this paper support the case for widespread ecological and taxonomic studies of the Western Indian Ocean benthic invertebrates.
Volatility Spillovers Among the U.S. and Asian Stock Markets: A Comparison between the Periods of Asian Currency Crisis and Subprime Credit Crisis

This paper examines the changing nature of volatility spillovers among the U.S. and eight East Asian stock markets between two ﬁnancial crises: the Asian currency crisis and the U.S. subprime credit crisis. Our empirical results suggest that volatility is not always spilled over from directly aﬀected markets to surrounding markets in crisis periods. The East Asian markets who directly suffered from the Asian currency crisis are the ones to which volatility is spilled over from other markets during the Asian currency crisis period, whereas unidirectional volatility spillovers from the U.S. market to other markets are observed during both crisis periods. This difference can be explained by a predetermined hierarchy in which volatility spillovers tend to start from the U.S. market regardless of the geographical origin of the crisis. Furthermore, our results reveal that the markets in three major Asian ﬁnancial hubs, i.e., Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore, are the markets to which volatility is spilled over unidirectionally from several other countries during the subprime credit crisis period, whereas it is not true during the Asian currency crisis period. We attribute this difference to crisis-specific (currency or credit crisis), market-specific (credit derivatives market participation and foreign currency reserves), and time-specific (more integrated global market) factor.
Association of the X-Chromosomal Genes TIMP1 and IL9R with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disease with features of an autoimmune disease with female predominance. Candidate genes located on the X-chromosome were selected for a family trio-based association study. Methods. A total of 1452 individuals belonging to 3 different sample sets were genotyped for 16 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in 7 genes. The first 2 sets consisted of 100 family trios, each of French Caucasian origin, and the third of 284 additional family trios of European Caucasian origin. Subgroups were analyzed according to sex of patient and presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) autoantibodies. Results. Four SNP were associated with RA in the first sample set and were genotyped in the second set. In combined analysis of sets 1 and 2, evidence remained for association of 3 SNP in the genes UBA1, TIMP1, and IL9R. These were again genotyped in the third sample set. Two SNP were associated with RA in the joint analysis of all samples: rs6520278 (TIMP1) was associated with RA in general (p = 0.035) and rs3093457 (IL9R) with anti-CCP-positive RA patients (p = 0.037) and male RA patients (p = 0.010). A comparison of the results with data from whole-genome association studies further supports an association of RA with TIMPL The sex-specific association of rs3093457 (IL9R) was supported by the observation that men homozygous for rs3093457-CC are at a significantly higher risk to develop RA than women (risk ratio male/female = 2.98; p = 0.048). Conclusion. We provide evidence for an association of at least 2 X-chromosomal genes with RA: TIMP1 (rs6520278) and IL9R (rs3093457).
Optimal Dynamic Hedging via Copula-Threshold-GARCH Models

The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we exploit copula methodology, with two threshold GARCH models as marginals, to construct a bivariate copula-threshold-GARCH model, simultaneously capturing asymmetric nonlinear behaviour in univariate stock returns of spot and futures markets and bivariate dependency, in a flexible manner. Two elliptical copulas (Gaussian and Student's-t) and three Archimedean copulas (Clayton, Gumbel and the Mixture of Clayton and Gumbel) are utilized. Second, we employ the presenting models to investigate the hedging performance for five East Asian spot and futures stock markets: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. Compared with conventional hedging strategies, including Engle's dynamic conditional correlation GARCH model, the results show that hedge ratios constructed by a Gaussian or Mixture copula are the best-performed in variance reduction for all markets except Japan and Singapore, and provide close to the best returns on a hedging portfolio over the sample period.
“Regional Innovation Policy in Taiwan and South Korea: Impact of Science Parks on Firm-Productivity”

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of regional innovation policy creating science parks. Science parks created to support innovation and regional growth often target productivity gains associated with agglomeration economies. However, spatial proximity of firms also stimulates selection, whereby less competitive firms are forced to exit, and hence a cluster of highproductivity, surviving firms is observed at the regional level. Using firm-level data for Taiwan and South Korea, we find that the impact of agglomeration and selection is heterogeneous across firm-types. Analysis of specific industries reveals that there is a positive relationship between the technology-intensity of the production process and firm-level productivity, and the productivity gains of small and medium-sized enterprises are higher in Taiwan. Overall, the empirical evidence suggests that policy establishing science parks can generate real productivity improvements if the incentives offered are industry-specific, otherwise such incentives may end up protecting inefficient firms.