Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Construction of Internet of Things System in Coastal Aquaculture Environment

Changes in fishing industry resources has long been determined by climate and its fickleness, for changes in climate directly or indirectly result in changes in the oceanic environment. In recent years, the Taiwanese government has devoted its efforts towards developing land-based aquaculture as well as offshore aquaculture. On one hand, land-based aquaculture requires heavy demand for water resources, electricity, and labor; moreover, excessive groundwater withdrawal can cause land subsidence. On the other hand, when it comes to offshore aquaculture, typhoons and the Northeast Monsoon often damage net cages used in cage aquaculture – during a cloudburst, fish in cages bump into each other, which can lead to abrasion, injuries, and even subsequent bacterial diseases. Given the above, crucial issues in fish farming include attempts to lower farming costs and reducing losses and damages.This study utilized a coastal fish farm in the Penghu Islands for experiment and implementation. Penghu is surrounded by sea and promotes solar power generation; hence, by establishing our outdoor fish farm close to the sea, we can withdraw seawater for use in our fish pond’s water circulation and subsequently reduce costs for water resources. Additionally, solar power generation significantly reduces electricity costs and can provide power for our system’s sensors. Our study relies mainly on the Internet of Things (IoT) to reduce costs and needs in labor, electricity, and water resources. Meanwhile, considering the general phenomenon of ageing population, our proposed system keeps track of all the internal and external environmental factors in each step of the farming process as well as farming indices, and then apply self-learning so that, in the future, fish farming will be freed from the need of manual operations. These indices can help resolve future issues in technology gap. This study is divided into three sections: (1) automated farming and activation of surrounding devices, (2) the monitoring system, and (3) IoT sensor design aspects including (i) base station cluster planning, (ii) adaptability routing table, and (iii) self-updating sensor programs.
Cardiac Rehabilitation Prevents Recurrent Revascularization in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: A POPULATION-BASED COHORT STUDY IN TAIWAN

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) provided within the first 3 months of revascularization on reducing recurrent revascularization in patients with coronary heart disease in Taiwan. METHODS: In this population-based cohort study, we used the claims data of 1 million beneficiaries who were randomly selected from all beneficiaries enrolled in Taiwan's National Health Insurance program from 1996 to 2000. Between 2000 and 2007, 2838 patients underwent a first-event revascularization. Of these patients, 442 (15.6%) underwent CR within the first 3 months of admission for revascularization. The remaining 84.4% (n = 2396) served as the non-CR group. All the study patients were followed-up until the end of 2008 for any recurrent revascularization. A propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazard model was used to estimate the relative risk of recurrent revascularization associated with CR. RESULTS: During the 1- to 9-year follow-up, 69 patients (15.6%) in the CR group and 840 (35.1%) patients in the non-CR group experienced recurrent revascularization. The results of the propensity score-adjusted Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that CR was significantly associated with a reduced risk of recurrent revascularization with a hazard ratio of 0.48 (95% CI, 0.37 to −0.62). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac rehabilitation within the first 3 months of revascularization is significantly associated with a reduced risk of recurrent revascularization. This preventive effect was more pronounced in men compared with other subgroups of patients.
Int. J. Biosci

The present investigation is an attempt to isolate and identify the yeasts used by some local aborigines of Arunachal Pradesh and observe their behaviour under in-vitro conditions. Interestingly, all the isolates have shown a preference of growth at neutral pH; a character not usually observed in yeasts who generally prefer an acidic medium for growth. The results obtained in the present findings suggest that all the isolates are different in terms of their physiological or biochemical activities. One important aspect of the studies was the successful isolation of pure cultures from a consortium whose contents were previously unknown (Sarma, 2002). Protein profiling of the isolates have revealed that the isolates are indeed variants at the genetic level as was evident from expression of whole cell proteins. The isolates might therefore be mutagenic variants, which arose during segregation through time immemorial. It can be predicted that careful identification and selection of yeasts from starter cultures employed in traditional brewing in northeast India can yield industrially important and beneficial yeast strains for the exploitation and benefit of mankind. * Corresponding Author: S. C. Tiwari  sct_in@yahoo.com International Journal of Biosciences | IJB | ISSN: 2220-6655 (Print) 2222-5234 (Online) http://www.innspub. net Vol. 4, No. 1, p. 212-219, 2014
Demographic Changes and Inflation Dynamics

This study investigates the impact of demographic changes on inflation in Hong Kong, Singapore and Mainland China using the structural VAR methodology. It shows an increase in the youth population is inflationary, while an increase in the aging population is disinflationary. By affecting inflation expectations, demography directly impacts inflation, or indirectly through the interest rate channel, whereas its impact through the output gap or the wage channel is ignorable. However, the magnitude of the impact of demographic changes is small; with the variance decomposition revealing demographic shocks contribute to no more than 1% of annual inflation fluctuations over a 10-year horizon. Among the three economies, Hong Kong and Mainland China are more sensitive to demographic changes than Singapore. Although disinflation, as a consequence of an aging population, may not be the primary concern in the short term, the cumulative effect of aging on disinflation should not be ignored when the aging process persists or accelerates. Fiscal or monetary policies, in addition to measures to increase labour supply, should be taken when necessary to mitigate the effect of aging on inflation in the short-to-mid term.
Molecular Characterization of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II DQB and DRB Genes in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus and T. aduncus) from the Western Pacific

Variability of the major histocompatibility complex is very suitable for investigating a wide range of open questions in evolutionary ecology and conservation because it reflects evolutionarily relevant and adaptive processes within and between populations. Herein, we present the first full-length expressed DQB and DRB gene products in the order Cetacea from 2 species of bottlenose dolphins (genus Tursiops, family Delphinidae) of the western Pacific that differ in their diet, microflora, and habitat. These species might represent a natural model through which we can examine the immunogenetic consequences of different pathogenic and environmental influences on the MHC of mammals. Blood samples from 2 T. aduncus (from Taiwan and Indonesia) and 2 T. truncatus (from Taiwan and Japan) were used for RACE-PCR. The presence of 1 DQB locus and 2 DRB loci in this genus was revealed. The presence of Tutr-DQB, Tuad-DRB, and Tutr-DRB suggests a functional role for these molecules in pathogen-specific immune responses. However, several features do not support a traditional role for Tuad-DQB molecules in peptide binding, and further study is needed. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sequence divergence of these 2 species might reflect different selective pressures between pathogens in oceanic (T. truncatus) and coastal (T. aduncus) waters. This study provides an essential foundation for analyzing variations in MHC genes and studying infectious disease ecology in bottlenose dolphins. http://zoolstud.sinica. edu.tw/Journals/46.6/664.pdf
Artificial Neural Network Based Ensemble Approach for Multicultural Facial Expressions Analysis

Facial expressions convey exhaustive information about human emotions and the most interactive way of social collaborations, despite differences in ethnicity, culture, and geography. Due to cultural differences, the variations in facial structure, facial appearance, and facial expression representation are the main challenges to the facial expression recognition system. These variations necessitate the need for multicultural facial expression analysis. This study presents several computational algorithms to handle these variations to get high expression recognition accuracy. We propose an artificial neural network-based ensemble classifier for multicultural facial expression analysis. The facial images from the Japanese female facial expression database, Taiwanese facial expression image database, and RadBoud faces database are combined to form a multi-culture facial expression dataset. The participants in the multicultural dataset originate from four ethnic regions including Japanese, Taiwanese, Caucasians, and Moroccans. Local binary pattern, uniform local binary pattern, and principal component analysis are applied for facial feature representation. Experimental results prove that facial expressions are innate and universal across all cultures with minor variations.
MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM THE HIGH ALTITUDES OF THE WESTERN PART OF ARUNACHAL PRADESH, INDIA AND THEIR TRADE

The tremendous medicinal plant resources of Northeast India are utilized by different agencies as raw materials and/or for direct application. No proper assessment of the resources and no investigation on the extent of exploitation has been performed so far, especially in the high altitudes of Arunachal Pradesh viz., West Kameng and Tawang. That state is the richest in biodiversity, with high value medicinal and aromatic plants, as well as rare and endangered species. The medicinal plant species used in the herbal industry today are mostly extracted from the wild areas and most of them come from the high altitudes of this region. The present study gives an account on some preliminary observations about the commercial medicinal plants from the higher altitudes of Arunachal Pradesh, some of which being of immense economic value.
Between Abundance and Constraints: The Natural Resource Equation of Asia’s Diverging, Higher-Income City Models

This paper investigates how natural resource conditions impact the physical development of cities and how, once built, the urban spatial structure leads to different patterns of resource use. The point of departure for this research is the common “resource urbanisms” assumption that cities are directly affected by the availability and costs of natural resources, and that in turn, different urbanisms result in substantial differences in resource use and consequent impact on the environment. Considering extreme and divergent, higher-income urban models of Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Singapore, the paper focusses on two resources, land and energy, and the case of building cooling and transport energy demand. The research uses a mixed methods approach which includes qualitative methods such as expert interviews, analysis of planning documents and historic planning decisions, alongside quantitative methods such as remote sensing, GIS and data analysis and energy modelling. The paper suggests that land availability is a major driver of urban form while energy prices may play a secondary role. It also finds that urban form-induced energy efficiencies for transport and cooling energy diverge in the four cities by a factor of five and two, respectively.
Association Between Use of Anti-gout Preparations and Dementia: Nested Case–Control Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Objectives: Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis and was found to be independently associated with incident dementia in the elderly. However, the associations between anti-gout preparations and dementia were not well-studied. Methods: Data were collected from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). A 2005–2013 retrospective cohort study was conducted, and all investigated subjects were identified by International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification. Conditional logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds ratio of dementia in relation to different gout preparations (benzbromarone, allopurinol, sulfinpyrazone, probenecid) and number of days of anti-gout preparation use, after adjustment for potential confounding variables. Results: A total of 3,242 gout patients with and without dementia were selected from the NHIRD and included in the final analysis after 1:1 matching for age, gender, and diagnosis year of gout. In the anti-gout preparations, only use of Benzbromarone decreased the risk of dementia (adjusted OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.68–0.97). The result of the subgroup analysis revealed a trend toward a lower risk of dementia with longer use of benzbromarone. Use of benzbromarone for ≥180 days showed a significantly lower risk of dementia (adjusted OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.58–0.89). Moreover, the protective effect was more pronounced in males compared with females. Conclusion: This cohort study reveals that gout patients taking benzbromarone are at a decreased risk of developing incident dementia, especially with longer use and in male. Further prospective trials are warranted to confirm our findings.
Diagnosis And Antimicrobial Treatment Of Bacterial Of Neisseria Gonorrhea Infections: Update Review Article

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are caused by a wide spectrum of bacteria, viruses and parasites. These agents can be easily transmitted during any direct genital or oral sexual contact. Recently, World Health Organization (WHO), reported that more than 1 million STIs are acquired every day worldwide, Each year, there are an estimated 357 million new infections with 1 of 4 STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis and trichomoniasis. There are few studies and official reports published on the prevalence of STIs in most Arab countries. However, few new recent studies showed increased prevalence of certain STIs in some Arab countries.
How Great is the Great Firewall? Measuring China's DNS Censorship

The DNS filtering apparatus of China's Great Firewall (GFW) has evolved considerably over the past two decades. However, most prior studies of China's DNS filtering were performed over short time periods, leading to unnoticed changes in the GFW's behavior. In this study, we introduce GFWatch, a large-scale, longitudinal measurement platform capable of testing hundreds of millions of domains daily, enabling continuous monitoring of the GFW's DNS filtering behavior. We present the results of running GFWatch over a nine-month period, during which we tested an average of 411M domains per day and detected a total of 311K domains censored by GFW's DNS filter. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest number of domains tested and censored domains discovered in the literature. We further reverse engineer regular expressions used by the GFW and find 41K innocuous domains that match these filters, resulting in overblocking of their content. We also observe bogus IPv6 and globally routable IPv4 addresses injected by the GFW, including addresses owned by US companies, such as Facebook, Dropbox, and Twitter. Using data from GFWatch, we studied the impact of GFW blocking on the global DNS system. We found 77K censored domains with DNS resource records polluted in popular public DNS resolvers, such as Google and Cloudflare. Finally, we propose strategies to detect poisoned responses that can (1) sanitize poisoned DNS records from the cache of public DNS resolvers, and (2) assist in the development of circumvention tools to bypass the GFW's DNS censorship.
To Stop and See: Contemplative Fieldwork as Thoughtful Observation

Contemplation, or the practice of sitting still to ‘stop and see’, can expand one’s embodied awareness. This expanded awareness resembles ethnographic sensibility, a disposition practiced by researchers to generate an understanding of the ‘field’. My fieldwork on contemplative activism involves a double thoughtful observation: once as contemplation, and once as ethnographic sensitivity. How do I make sense of data as I cannot distinguish between my own embodied experiences of contemplation and my methodological practices as a fieldworker? How do I engage with ‘data’ that escape words when contemplative activism takes place in silence? Rather than making the familiar strange -as much literature on fieldwork suggests- keeping the ‘strange’ strange might be similarly productive, especially when it concerns esoteric experiences fieldworkers (perhaps) have in the field. Instead of ethnographic sensibility being about seeing differently, ‘learning’ in the field can be about practicing to ‘stop and see’ different things.
Empirical Determinants and Patterns of Research and Development Investment in Asia

This paper investigates the financial determinants of research and development (RD Hong Kong, China; India; Indonesia; the Republic of Korea; Malaysia; the Philippines; and Singapore) for the period 2002–2011 using the Oriana database. Panel data regressions show sensitivity of R&D investment to changes in cash flow, indicating reliance on internal financing of R&D and financially constrained firms, and a greater role of debt, rather than equity, as a source of external financing. In terms of alternative uses of funds, dividend payments by firms seem to divert from their spending on R&D, but investments in financial assets do not. In terms of ownership structure, empirical results show that both higher domestic ownership concentration and higher foreign ownership tend to lower cash flow sensitivity of R&D investment, suggesting more stable funding of innovation. Overall, there does not seem to be an extreme preference of firm shareholders for short-term returns at the expense of long-term productivity. However, there is clearly a gain for firms as well as economies they are in with better access to external financing of R&D.
Organization and expression of nitrogen = fixation genes in the aerobic nitrogen-f ixing un ice

National Narcotics Bureau, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan 11 5, Republic of China Sixteen nif and 'nif-associated genes (expressed only under conditions of nitrogen fixation) in Synechococcus sp. strain RF-1 have been cloned and sequenced. Al l of the nif and nif-associated genes identified in Synechococcus RF-1 were arranged in a continuous cluster spanning approximately 18 kb and containing seven operons. The nifH operon (nifH-nifD-nifK) has been reported previously. nifB, fdXN, nifS8 nifU and nifP were found to be located upstream of the nifH operon. nifB-WxN-nifS-nifU were expressed as an operon. A nifPlike gene was found to be located just upstream of nifB. nifE, nifN, nifX, nifW and the nif-associated hesA, hesB and 'fdx' were found to be located downstream from nifK. The genes located downstream from nifK are arranged nifE-nifN-nifX-orf-nifW-hesA-hesB-' fdx' and span approximately 7 kb. The function of the ORF situated between nifX and niNV is not known. However, it was identified as a counterpart of ORF-2 in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 based on the deduced amino acid sequence. Northern hybridization and primer extension analysis indicated that the nif and nif-associated genes are organized in nifE-nifN, nifx-orf, niW-hesA-hesB and fdx'-containing operons, respectively. According to the results of this study and previous reports, the genes are expressed in a rhythmic pattern with peaks during the dark phase when the culture is grown in a 12 h IighVl2 h dark regimen. The rhythm persisted after the culture was transferred to continuous illumination.
Systematics of Hymenophyllum subgenus Mecodium (Hymenophyllaceae) in Taiwan

Abstract Hymenophyllum subg. Mecodium, composed of the taxonomically notorious H. polyanthos and approximately 15 other closely related taxa, is a common element of filmy fern communities in the tropical and subtropical moist forests. In Taiwan, although only H. polyanthos and one or two closely related taxa were recognized in recent studies, considerable morphological variation has been observed among populations throughout the island. Thus, we conducted an extensive morphological investigation, as well as a molecular phylogenetic analysis, to clarify the specific diversity and phylogenetic relationships within Hymenophyllum subg. Mecodium in Taiwan. Field and herbaria surveys helped in recognizing five morphs in Taiwan, mainly differentiated by the combination of certain traits, viz., the presence or absence of stipe wings, general frond size and shape, degree of laminar crispation, sori position, and involucre shape. The different morphs had diverse ecological preferences. The phylogenetic tree, inferred from the sequences of the plastid loci rbcL and rps4-trnS, demonstrated that Hymenophyllum subg. Mecodium materials in Taiwan comprise several well-supported lineages, mostly corresponding to the classification based on morphology. Comparing with the protologues and type specimens of 34 related scientific names, the five morphs are herein recognized as five independent species. A new species, Hymenophyllum exquisitum, is described here. Also, the status of H. paniculiflorum is reconfirmed and that of H. fujisanense, H. parallelocarpum, and H. punctisorum reinstated. Only H. exquisitum and H. parallelocarpum are endemic to Taiwan among all the species studied. In addition, the names Hymenophyllum blumeanum, H. integrum, H. microsorum, H. polyanthos, H. tenellum, and H. wrightii are now excluded from the regional flora, and several related taxa from China, Taiwan, and the Philippines are treated as synonyms. This study unravels the deep phylogenetic relationships within Hymenophyllum subg. Mecodium in Taiwan and Eastern Asia.
Nutrient accumulation, distribution and use efficiency in different bamboo plant species in north-eastern hills region of India

Nutrient accumulation, distribution and use efficiency in 30 bamboo plant species were studied in a 14 years old bamboosetum at ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Arunachal Pradesh Centre. Per cent concentration of N, P, Ca, Mn and Z n in different component of biomass had similar pattern in all the species. It was in the order of leaves > branches > stems and the concentration of K, Mg and Fe was in leaves > stems > branches. The N: P: K ratios of above ground biomass varied in different bamboo plant species (76–706 : 1 : 66–930). They showed that P was most limiting nutrient. Bamboo plant species had inherently different response to low P. Recycling of the nutrients through litters showed variability in the range of 2.7–40.9, 0.6–31.4, 1.5–21.1, 3.0–35.4, 1.0–35.4, 2.0–26.3, 0.5–8.0, 1.2–15.0 and 5.0– 39.3% of the annual uptake of N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn respectively, in different bamboo species. The pattern of nutrient-use efficiency was also different in 30 bamboo plant species.