Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Publics Meet Market Democracy in Central and East Europe, 1991-1993

The revolutions of 1989 in central and east Europe raise crucial questions for the social sciences. Is it possible to build democracy and capitalism simultaneously in societies that have no real history of either system? Will democracy really take root and flourish in societies without an existing market economy? Or will the monumental task of creating a market economy strain these new democratic governments to the limit and ultimately lead to an authoritarian backlash? Since the transition to democracy from socialism is unprecedented, history can offer little useful data from which to derive well founded predictions.
Cultural Differences among Young Adult Consumers in Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea

ABSTRACT This study examines Northeast Asian consumer cultural dimensions and their differences by using Hong Kong, Japanese, and Korean college students as initial data points. While the cultural dimensions of Northeast Asia cannot be represented fully by this limited analysis, these data points provide preliminary insights toward more thoroughly mapping Northeast Asian culture. Common cultural dimensions of normativeness, communitarianism, conservatism, personality expression, and connectedness were identified in this study. Statistically significant differences were found in communitarianism (p < .01), conservatism (p < .001), and connectedness (p < .001). Specifically, Korea is higher than Japan in communitarianism, and Korea and Hong Kong are higher than Japan in conservatism. For connectedness, Japan and Hong Kong are higher than Korea. Also, differences in consumer culture are found. Japan is lower than Korea and Hong Kong in perceptions of promotion and additional values. Korea is higher than Hong Kong and Japan in emotional advertising.
Increased IgG Rheumatoid Factor-Positivity in the Asian Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Irrespective of Ethnicity

Aim of Work: Initial observations implied IgG rheumatoid factor (RF) to be common among Malaysian rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. We tested this hypothesis and used a multiethnic RA cohort (Malays, Chinese and Indians) to investigate whether the IgG RF predominance might be genetically or environmentally determined. Patients and Methods: 556 serum samples comprising 171 patients classified as RA according to the 1987 ACR criteria, 60 patients with other rheumatic diseases and 325 non-rheumatic controls were tested for IgG RF, IgM RF and anti-CCP by ELISA. The findings were then tested in a larger RA case-control cohort (n = 1844). Results: IgG RF predominated over IgM RF in all the investigated ethnic groups. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of IgG RF (55.6%, 91.2% and 80.2%, respectively) were superior compared to IgM RF, but comparable to anti-CCP. IgG RF was however, also increased in the Malaysian controls, but the IgG RF superiority over IgM RF was still apparent after cutoff adjustment according to the 1987 ACR criteria. Autoantibody levels did not differ between the three ethnic groups. The Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curves showed larger areas under the curves for IgG RF (0.826) and for anti-CCP (0.867) than for IgM RF (0.737). Review of the literature showed consistently higher sensitivity for IgG RF in studies of Asian RA patients as compared to Caucasian and African-American studies. Conclusion: Increased frequency of IgG RF-positive in RA populations with different genetic background living in Malaysia argues for an environmental factor selectively amplifying the IgG RF response.
Preschool in Three Cultures: Japan, China, and the United States . By Joseph J. Tobin, David Y. H. Wu, and Dana H. Davidson. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. x, 238 pp. $26.95.

should not be overly concerned about Chinese opposition to SDI, since the nuclear strategic balance is not central to Sino-U.S. relations. Byung-joon Ahn predicts that the strategic triangle of the U.S., the USSR, and China will become even more globalized if SDI is fully developed. According to Alex Gliksman, Japan "has focused almost exclusively" (p. 135) on the commercial opportunities and potential economic benefits of SDI, or what he calls "profits without risks" (p. 136). Gliksman characterizes the Australian attitude as "critical nonendorsement" (p. 140). Other authors examine the views from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Australia. All three volumes are worthwhile and informative background reading on the complex relations in the region, with emphasis on security. Events have moved quickly since their publication, and updating is necessary in several instances.
Phylogeography of the Two Smooth Skinks, Scincella boettgeri and S. formosensis (Squamata: Scincidae) in the Southern Ryukyus and Taiwan, as Inferred from Variation in Mitochondrial Cytochrome b Sequences

Scincella boettgeri and S. formosensis are respectively small-bodied, morphologically similar skinks, endemic to the Southern Ryukyus and Taiwan. To estimate the phylogeography of both species, we performed phylogenetic analyses using the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene sequences based on 102 individuals of S. boettgeri from 12 Southern-Ryukyu islands and 33 S. formosensis from six localities in Taiwan. A total of 67 haplotypes were recognized for S. boettgeri and 21 for S. formosensis. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the populations of Scincella spp. in the Southern Ryukyus and Taiwan are composed of three major clades, the Yonagunijima clade from Yonagunijima Island, the Southern-Ryukyu clade from the Southern Ryukyus exclusive of Yonagunijima Island, and the Taiwan clade from Taiwan. These clades showed high levels of genetic divergence, suggesting that the species have been isolated since the Early Pliocene. The Southern-Ryukyu and Taiwan clades were further divided into three and four subclades, respectively. Two of the three Southern-Ryukyu subclades are partially sympatric on two islets of the Yaeyama Group, suggesting this population represents a secondary contact subsequent to their allopatric differentiations.
Private Banking in Asia - A Survey

This survey focuses on some unique aspects of private banking and wealth management in Asia. There are a number of unique features that distinguish private banking in Asia from that business in the rest of the world. First, Asian banking tends to be more “trans-border” by nature, that is, the origin of the assets and the administration reside in different jurisdictions. Second, a disproportionately large share of clients are active entrepreneurs of the first or second generation, who are often members of minority groups in their economies. Furthermore, and third, among the service providers, there is keen competition among European based banks, North American banks and brokerages as well as domestic institutions in Hong Kong and Singapore; yet there is little evidence of consolidation and the market remains highly fragmented. Fourth are the notable differences in asset compositions of investment portfolios as well as the predominance of females among the important relationship manager population in Asia.As to any lasting effects of the financial crisis of 2008/09 on the private banking business in Asia, hard facts have yet to emerge. The fiscal problems of major and minor countries in the world have prompted a renewed push for lessening bank secrecy, not only in cases of criminal activity but also ‘ordinary’ tax avoidance. Offshore jurisdictions around the world are under pressure to provide information to foreign fiscal authorities. As to products and services, it is likely that there will be less emphasis on complex structured products, more focus on credit worthiness of the institutions offering private banking services, and, in general, less competition in terms of innovative products due to the demise of the American investment banks in global markets. However, economic growth rates in the region, in combination with high savings rates, will make Asia an area of alluring opportunity for financial institutions offering competitive private banking and wealth management services.
Detection & molecular confirmation of a focus of Plasmodium malariae in Arunachal Pradesh, India.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE During a malaria epidemiological study in Arunachal Pradesh, Plasmodium malariae like human malaria parasites were seen in blood smears from fever cases. The study was undertaken to detect the presence of P. malariae and to confirm its identity through DNA based polymerase chain reaction approach. METHODS Fever survey was carried out in 22 villages in Indo-Myanmar bordering district of Lohit, Arunachal Pradesh in 2005. Morphologically suspected P. malariae cases were confirmed using nested PCR based on 18S small subunit ribosomal DNA gene sequence. RESULTS Screening of 1,995 fever cases resulted in 9 probable cases of P. malariae based on morphological identification in Chakma tribe people residing in 2 villages. Nested PCR confirmed the identity of all probable cases of P. malariae by producing diagnostic band of 144 bp. PCR method was able to detect mixed infection of P. malariae with P. vivax and with P. falciparum. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION P. malariae may have been present in Arunachal Pradesh but most probably is being misdiagnosed due to its close resemblance with P. vivax, especially in ring forms. Estimation of actual case load of P. malariae in north-east India is, therefore, important with accurate species identification using molecular methods.
9.3.3 System Engineering Application to Knowledge Intensive Service Industry Development Strategy and Mechanism Formation

The Taiwanese government realized the fact that the service industry has reached 67.8% of the national GDP in 2003, also recognized the successful outcome such as GE and IBM companies to shift from manufacturing to knowledge intensive service business. In order to keep a good momentum of GDP growth rate for Taiwan economic development, the government has to set out for a new industry development policy through Service Industry Program, which could meet with the needs of the existing service industry. It is very crucial to enhance their capabilities with modern technology and management, encourage them to join the feasible and profitable pilot system service projects. The major purpose of this program is trying to generate higher value added and/ or new business with innovation technology and new business model to create a new system service industry, which can be duplicated in the global market.
The information content of implied volatility in the Hong Kong and Singapore covered warrants markets

This paper examines the informational content and predictive power of implied volatility over different forecasting horizons in a sample of European covered warrants traded in the Hong Kong and Singapore markets. The empirical results show that time-series-based volatility forecasts outperform implied volatility forecast as a predictor of future volatility. The finding also suggests that implied volatility is biased and informationally inefficient. The results are due to the fact in Hong Kong and Singapore the covered warrants markets are dominated by retail investors, who tend to use covered warrants’ leverage to speculate on the price movements of the underlying rather than to express their view on volatility.
In the early 1990’s, with the return of Hong Kong’s sovereignty to China in 1997 looming, the Hong Kong government expected a large number of young immigrants to come to the island from Mainland China. Public

The two studies presented in this article are a follow up to a study that was previously completed by the authors in Hong Kong, China (Oborne & Cheng Hoh, 1996). The aim of the present studies is to test a North American screening protocol based on the well-documented success associated with the authors’ work in Hong Kong in the 1990s. At the threshold of the 21st century, Hong Kong and its surrounding territories saw an unprecedented surge in teen suicide. The number of successful suicide attempts and the choice of irreversible methods of self-harm sent shock waves reverberating through the whole region (Breakthrough, 1993). Wong and Lee (2005), as well, reported the phenomenon in the following excerpt: A TEACHER-BASED CHECKLIST FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT
Sequential acquisition of human papillomavirus infection between genital and oral anatomic sites in males

Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) is associated with increasing rates of HPV‐associated oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) in men. Sequential infection from one site to another has been demonstrated at the cervix and anus. Thus, risk of an oral HPV infection after a genital infection of the same type in the HPV infection in men study was investigated. Samples from 3140 men enrolled in a longitudinal cohort were assessed for sequential genital to oral infection with one of nine HPV types (HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58); and then also sequential, same‐type oral to genital infection. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) compared rates of oral HPV among men with and without prior genital infection of the same type. Risk of sequential HPV infections were assessed using Cox proportional hazards model. Incidence of an oral HPV infection was significantly higher among men with a prior genital infection of the same type for any of the 9 HPV types (IRR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.7‐3.0). Hazard ratio of a sequential genital to oral HPV infection was 2.3 (95% CI: 1.7‐3.1) and 3.5 (95% CI: 1.9‐6.4) for oral to genital infection. Both changed minimally after adjustment for age, country, circumcision, alcohol use, lifetime sexual partners and recent oral sex partners. HPV infections at one site could elevate risk of a subsequent genital or oral HPV infection of the same type in men, emphasizing the importance of vaccination to prevent all HPV infections.
The mediating role of social recommendation in the relationship between concern over expression and social media news participation: a comparative study of six Asian societies

ABSTRACT Although social media afford users the possibility of sharing and discussing news, some users may have much concern over how others view these expressive behaviors. The recommendation features of social media indeed offer cues about others’ opinions and possible references to engage with news. We investigate the mediating role of reliance on two social recommendation features, i.e. social filtering and popularity indicators, for news selection in the relationship between concern over online expression and social media news participation in six Asian societies (Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia), using representative online survey data. Compared with Western countries, Asian societies share a more collectivistic culture and show a greater acceptance towards reticent behaviors than expressive ones. The results show a positive indirect effect of concern over expression on news participation through the reliance on social filtering across all the samples. Similarly, a positive indirect effect through the reliance on popularity indicators is observed for five of the six samples. The significant indirect effects indicate that users with much concern over expression have a greater reliance on social recommendation features, which in turn facilitates their news participation. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Android Spyware and Banking Trojan Distributed via DNS Spoofing

XLoader Android Spyware and Banking Trojan Distributed via DNS Spoofing Terms: Security Intelligence [1] Lorin Wu (Mobile Threats Analyst) We have been detecting a new wave of network attacks since early March, which, for now, are targeting Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. The attacks use Domain Name System (DNS) cache poisoning/DNS spoofing, possibly through infringement techniques [2] such as brute-force or dict ionary attacks, to distribute and install malicious Android apps. Trend Micro detects these as ANDROIDOS_XLOADER. HRX. These malware pose as legit imate Facebook or Chrome [3] applicat ions. They are distributed from polluted DNS domains that send a notificat ion to an unknowing vict im’s device. The malicious apps can steal personally identifiable and financial data and install addit ional apps. XLoader can also hijack the infected device (i.e., send SMSs) and sports self-protection/persistence mechanisms through device administrator privileges.
Disruptive selection via pollinators and seed predators on the height of flowers on a wind‐dispersed alpine herb

Premise of the study Floral stalk height is known to affect pollination and seed dispersal in wind-dispersed grassland species, but it may also affect the attractiveness of flowers and fruits in animal-pollinated and animal-dispersed plants. Stalk height may thus be responsive to selection via interactions with both mutualist pollinators and seed dispersers, but also antagonist florivors and seed predators. In this study, we aimed to determine the effect of pollinators and seed predators on selection on floral stalk height in the insect-pollinated and wind-dispersed alpine andromonoecious herb Pulsatilla alpina, whose flowers also vary in their sex allocation and thus in the resources available to both mutualists and antagonists. Methods We measured the resource status of individuals in terms of their size and the height of the vegetation surrounding plants of P. alpina at eleven sites. In one population, we recorded the dynamics of floral stalk height over the course of an entire growing season and its association with floral morphology and floral sex allocation (pistil and stamen number), and we used leaf-removal manipulations to assess the effect of herbivory on floral stalk height. Finally, in four populations we studied phenotypic selection on floral stalk height in four female components of reproductive success before seed dispersal. Key results Stalk height was positively associated with female allocation of the respective flower, the resource status of the individual, and the height of the surrounding vegetation, and negatively affected by leaf removal. Our results point to disruptive selection on stalk height in terms of both selection differentials and selection gradients for fertilization, seed predation, and seed maturation rates, and to positive selection on stalk height in terms of a selection differential for mature seed number. Conclusions Stalk height in P. alpina is a costly trait that affects female reproductive success via interactions with both mutualists and antagonists. We discuss the interplay between the resource status and selection imposed on female reproductive success and its likely role in the evolution of sex-allocation strategies, especially andromonoecy.
Refocusing health promotion for syphilis prevention: results of a case-control study of men who have sex with men on England’s south coast

Background: Prevention interventions have had little impact on syphilis outbreaks among men who have sex with men (MSM) and diagnosis rates continue to rise rapidly. Detailed studies of the determinants of syphilis transmission are needed to inform new prevention interventions. Objective: To investigate factors associated with recent syphilis diagnosis and recommend strategies for improved prevention interventions. Methods: A case-control study of MSM attending genitourinary medicine (GUM) and HIV outpatient clinics. Cases were MSM testing positive for early syphilis, based on either laboratory or microscopy results, with those testing negative being controls. All participants completed the same anonymous questionnaire covering demographics, lifestyle, sexual behaviour, and sexual partnerships. Results: 50 cases and 108 controls returned questionnaires. Syphilis diagnosis was significantly associated with sexually transmitted infection history, recent recreational drug use, receptive anal sex practices, but not insertive ones, higher numbers of oral sex partners, but not specific oral sex practices. Overall, there were no differences between HIV positive and HIV negative/untested men in reporting of sexual behaviours or partnership combinations. The use of public sex settings (backrooms, saunas, “cruising grounds,” etc) was reported by 68% of all participants and not significantly associated with syphilis diagnosis. Conclusions: Many key behavioural and partnership risk factors for syphilis are also risk behaviours for HIV transmission and point to the need for integrated strategies that tackle the two infections together. Simplified procedures for syphilis screening should be available in GUM clinical settings, along with targeted community outreach prevention interventions.
The benefits of prophylaxis in patients with hemophilia B

ABSTRACT Introduction: The health benefits of prophylactic dosing regimens for clotting factor therapy in patients with hemophilia include reduced joint damage and improved quality of life; as such, prophylaxis is recommended in treatment guidelines. However, many patients with hemophilia B are treated on demand, and prophylaxis has been utilized less frequently than in hemophilia A. Areas covered: This review discusses the opportunities and evidence for prophylaxis in hemophilia B, in the context of treatment guidelines and with regard to factor IX (FIX) replacement therapies, including long-acting recombinant FIX (rFIX). Expert commentary: Long-acting rFIX concentrates may increase uptake of and adherence to prophylaxis regimens through attainment of higher trough levels with longer dosing intervals. In this new era of hemophilia B treatment, physicians may be able to achieve better clinical outcomes for their patients and reconsider treatment goals. Maintaining higher FIX trough levels will undoubtedly have long-term benefits for patients, such as preserving joint function. The long-acting rFIX concentrates support robust prophylaxis regimens and offer physician’s flexibility in treating patients to best suit their needs, whether to enable an active lifestyle, to achieve higher trough levels for better bleed protection, or simply to decrease the burden of treatment by reducing injection frequency.