Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Great Wall of Debt: Corruption, Real Estate, and Chinese Local Government Credit Spreads∗

Issued by local government financing vehicles and backed mostly by land sales, chengtou bonds are an important source of financing for Chinese local governments. We identify large heterogeneity in chengtou bond yields, even though they are implicitly guaranteed by the central government. We find that corruption in China has a significant effect on local government credit spreads, with one standard deviation increase in ”Tigers” or ”Flies” corresponding to 9 or 5 basis points in elevated chengtou bond yields. We measure corruption using the graft cases conducted by the Central Commission of Discipline and Investigation (CCDI), with the rank-weighted average and total number of cases as proxies for the top level and low level corruptions— ”Tigers” and ”Flies”, respectively. Real estate GDP is the most prominent determinant of local government credit spreads, and the effect of corruption works mainly through the channel of real estate—more corruption clearly depresses the real estate value. Since the anti-corruption campaign started in late 2012, the effect of corruption has become highly significant and non-redundant through the real estate channel.
The Beginning of the End

Susan Lawrence: The Beginning of the End: A First Look at Textile and Apparel Trade after the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (Under the direction of Dr. Ali Gungoraydinoglu) The Multi Fiber Arrangement (MFA) governed apparel and textile trade for over three decades. Quotas on textile exports to the United States caused trade distortions that generated welfare losses for American consumers and Chinese producers. Through national welfare accounting, this paper demonstrates the impact of the removal of MFA quotas. The welfare of American consumers, Chinese producers, and Chinese workers has increased since quotas were removed. At the same time, increased competition caused job losses and welfare losses for American producers. Although the number of countries exporting textiles and apparel to the United States has increased since the ATC ended, a small number of countries have become the dominant exporters. China has become the largest exporter, and its real trade gains have already exceeded previous estimates. Chinese gains have come at the expense of past major suppliers in South Korea, Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, and Hong Kong. After an initial surge, growth rates of Chinese exports have slowed. Several other producers including India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka also increased production after the quotas ended. A combination of trade preferences and low wages has helped these suppliers gain market share in the United States. Their growth rates in the face of competition with China indicate healthy, developing textile and apparel industries. These producers will become new “go-to” suppliers in the future.
Comparisons of allozyme variation of narrow endemic and widespread species of Far East Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)

Genetic variation from 19 populations representing four species of Euphorbia was compared using isozyme markers. Euphorbia fauriei and E. garanbiensis are rare endemic species in Korea and Taiwan, respectively while E. pekinensis and E. jolkinii are widespread in Korea and Taiwan. A low level of genetic variation and high genetic differentiation among populations was found in E. garanbiensis, which has a restricted distribution, small population sizes, gravity-dispersed seeds, and is possibly a self-pollinator. Alternatively, E. garanbiensis may have recently evolved from a continental progenitor or may be a relictual lineage from the continental flora. The high genetic diversity found in E. fauriei is unusual and may be explained by its recent origin from a widespread continental progenitor, E. pekinensis, An alternative explanation is that E. fauriei survived in refugia during the last glaciation in the Korean peninsula. The idea of progenitor-derivative species pairs between E. pekinensis and E. fauriei is supported by the high genetic identity values between the two species and the putative derivative E. fauriei having no unique allele and lacking some rare alleles present in the putative progenitor E. pekinensis.
Autoantibodies to citrullinated fibrinogen compared with anti-MCV and anti-CCP2 antibodies in diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis at an early stage: data from the French ESPOIR cohort

Objectives To compare the performance of anticitrullinated peptides/protein antibodies (ACPA) detected by three immunoassays in the French ESPOIR cohort of patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and undifferentiated arthritis (UA) and to study the relationship between ACPA and disease activity. Methods A diagnosis of RA (1987 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria) was established at baseline in 497 patients and after a 2-year follow-up in 592 patients. At baseline, antibodies to citrullinated fibrinogen (AhFibA), antimutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP2) were assayed and the individual and combined diagnostic sensitivities and predictive values of the tests were determined. Relationships between ACPA positivity and the 28-joint disease activity score and Health Assessment Questionnaire scores were analysed. Results At a diagnostic specificity of at least 98%, the three tests exhibited similar diagnostic sensitivities (47–48.5%). When considering as positive patients with at least one positive test, the sensitivity increased to 53.5% with a probable loss of specificity. Among the patients classified as having UA at baseline, 30% were positive for one ACPA, the positive predictive values for RA of the three tests ranging from 73% to 80% but increasing when two tests were associated. Whatever the test used, the addition of ACPA positivity to the 1987 criteria enhanced their sensitivity by 6%, close to that of the 2010 ACR/European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) criteria. Conclusions In early arthritis, AhFibA, anti-MCV and anti-CCP2 showed similar diagnostic sensitivity with a high diagnostic specificity and a similar high positive predictive value for RA. Adding ACPA to the 1987 ACR criteria significantly increased the number of patients classified as having RA, confirming the validity of the recent inclusion of the serological criterion in the ACR/EULAR criteria.
Clinical evaluation of anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin by ELISA in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) antibodies have emerged as sensitive and specific serological markers of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, antibodies to several other citrulline-containing proteins, including citrullinated fibrin and vimentin, have been detected in patients with RA, suggesting that citrulline is an essential constituent of autoantigens for RA-specific autoantibodies. We examined the diagnostic performance of the newly developed anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (MCV) antibody assay. METHODS Concentrations of anti-MCV, anti-CCP2, and rheumatoid factors (RF) were determined in the sera of 237 individuals: 119 patients with RA and 118 controls, including patients with other rheumatic diseases and healthy subjects. Diagnostic properties were compared by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. RESULTS Using manufacturer's recommended cutoff values, sensitivity and specificity of anti-MCV antibodies were 75.6% and 91.5% in RA, compared to 66.4% and 98.3% for anti-CCP2. Introducing cutoff values to obtain the same 95% specificity resulted in decreased sensitivity of the anti-MCV test (69.7%) and increased sensitivity of the anti-CCP2 test (74.8%). At optimal cutoff levels, 29.4% of IgM RF-negative cases as well as 13.3% of anti-CCP2-negative cases in the RA group were anti-MCV-positive. Double-positivity for anti-MCV and anti-CCP2 provided 98.3% specificity with 97.5% positive predictive value in RA. CONCLUSION Overall, the performance of the novel anti-MCV ELISA for the diagnosis of RA is similar to that of the anti-CCP2 test [area under the curve 0.853 (95% CI 0.801-0.905) vs 0.910 (95% CI 0.873-0.946); p not significant]. As the diagnostic spectrum of the anti-MCV assay is somewhat different from that of anti-CCP2, the combined application of the 2 assays can improve the laboratory diagnostics of RA.
An Examination of the Asian Crisis Part I : Regime Shifts in Currency and Equity Markets

We analyze a reduced-form structural relation between currency and equity markets in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand during the recent Asian crisis using a new non-parametric technique for the identification of regime shifts. We examine both returns and return volatility time series and show how information shocks in these markets moved from country to country in the 1992-1998 time period. We find that volatility breaks occurred before return breaks: shifts in the volatility structure took place in the fall of 1997 for most of the countries in our sample, while the majority of the shifts in returns are concentrated in the first half of 1998. The sequential nature of the observed regime shifts is consistent with the notion that information spillover effects induced return and volatility shocks across Asian markets. In addition, we find that, after the estimated regime breaks occurred, all the Asian equity markets in our study became more responsive to the volatility of the corresponding domestic exchange rate. A companion paper analyzes the relation between these breaks and portfolio rebalancing activity by foreign investors. JEL classification: C51; G15
Corporate Governance: East Asian Style - A Literature Study on Typical Determinants of Corporate Governance in China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

The basis of this paper is provided by the issue of Globerman, Peng, & Shapiro (2011). They have summarized and identified five common features for Asian corporate governance. Any good corporate governance system should work towards improving managerial performance while satisfying shareholders’ interest and increase firm value. Of course, many aspects of Asian corporate governance differ from American and western countries’ corporate governance. Because of past historic events we believe that especially China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan share a common understanding of “doing business”. The goal of this paper, therefore, is to discuss and examine the distinguished features of Corporate Governance described by Globerman at al. (2011) in those four countries. Furthermore, we also add the role of banks with regard to monitoring and improved corporate governance.All four countries reveal tendencies towards a concentrated ownership structure and a significant role of family ownership. All countries, except China (for which data is not sufficient), have a considerable level of cross- and pyramidal ownership structures. But there is no clear tendency and common ground concerning state ownership, limited use of professional managers and the role of banks in those four countries.
Influences of Exogenous Pro-and Antioxidants on Aluminum-induced Behavioral Alterations in Elevated Plus Maze and Passive Avoidance Activity of Rats

Exposure to aluminum is always associated with oxidative stress, while, oxidant imbalance is a common observation for degenerative neuropathologies. Recently, oxidative stress and cognitive impairment were associated together for the neurodegenerative processes and age-related behavioral pathologies were linked with neuroglial oxidant homeostasis. This study is aimed to explore the implication of external oxidant interventions in the aluminum induced neurobehavioral toxicity to evaluate the role of oxidant balance in functional neurodegenerative changes. Male NINWistar rats were exposed to aluminum (Al+) or vehicle (Al0) for 4 weeks. During the period of aluminum exposure, the animals were also exposed to ethanol (0.2-0.6 g/Kg bw) and -tocopherol (5 IU/day). After the completion of treatment protocol, their behaviors were evaluated with the help of elevated plus maze (EPM) and passive avoidance (PA) test. Time spent at different places, acquisition time (transfer latency), retention of memory for 24hrs and 48hrs were evaluated for the behavioral tests. All data were processed through two-way ANOVA with replication to find out the impact of aluminum treatment and oxidant imbalance. The differences between the groups were evaluated through Tukey’s honestly significant difference (HSD) test. Significant contribution of the interactions between aluminum and pro-oxidant exposure had been observed in terms of choosing closed arm and central area of EPM having prominent effects on 3 day especially in higher group of pro-oxidant exposures, whereas, ethanol exposure alone could influence the time spent in open arm on day 3 without significant difference between Al0 and Al+ animals. Supplementation with antioxidant could prevent the observed impacts of highest dose of ethanol exposure. However, similar protection by antioxidant is not observed in PA. Significant contribution of aluminum was observed on the day 1 and interaction with pro-oxidant exposure was significant for step down latency for all the three trials. The behavioral alterations caused by aluminum in EPM study was found to be influenced by pro-oxidant exposures and could also be ameliorated by antioxidant supplementation. However, lone aluminum did not cause alterations in PA parameters and the observed alterations could only corrected partly by the used antioxidant supplementation. Therefore, the aluminum-induced behavioral alterations are depending on oxidant status and exogenous supplementation of -tocopherol can prevent the neurodegenerative changes, at least partially.
Industrial cluster involvement, organizational learning, and organizational adaptation: an exploratory study in high technology industrial districts

Purpose – The primary purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among a firm’s industrial cluster involvement, organizational learning and its ability to successfully adapt to external environment. Design/methodology/approach – Field survey research method was used, and data were collected from 943 high-technology companies in the USA, China, Taiwan and Sweden. Multiple regression analysis, as well as mediation test, was conducted to analyze the data. Findings – The study finds that being positioned in an industrial cluster enhances a firm’s learning and further leads to a firm’s desired adaptive outcomes. Research limitation – Using self-reported data could be a potential limitation of this study. It would be preferable to have other forms of data for a study. Further, cross-cultural comparisons are needed to enhance our understanding in this multicultural setting. Practical implication – The findings provide business executives, as well as policymakers, a new way of thinking in respect to ho.
Improving Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Administration in an Acute Surgical Unit

Objectives Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis regimes frequently have a wide variation in application. Nepean acute surgical unit was established in 2006 as a novel model for emergency surgical care. As part of the model’s rollout, there were several areas of clinical management targeted for improvement, one being VTE prophylaxis compliance. It was decided all patients older than 18 years treated for a variety of acute surgical conditions within the acute surgical unit should be administered routine VTE prophylaxis with heparin and compression stockings. A novel multifaceted intervention was implemented at the time to achieve this goal. The primary aim of this study was to determine VTE prophylaxis administration rates before and after this intervention. Methods A before-after study conducted as a retrospective review of medical records of all patients 18 years or older, having an appendicectomy in 3 periods: Before acute surgical unit (ASU) (November 2004 to October 2006), Early ASU (November 2006 to October 2008), and Established ASU (January 2012 to December 2013). Outcomes were mechanical and pharmacological VTE prophylaxis administration rates for each group. Results There were 1149 patients included in the study: Before ASU, 167; Early ASU, 375; and Established ASU, 607. There was a significant stepwise increase in parmacological VTE prophylaxis administration: Before ASU, 54.5%; Early ASU, 74.7%; and Established ASU, 96.9% (Before versus Early: odds ratio [OR], 2.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68–3.61; P < 0.001; Early versus Established: OR, 10.500; 95% CI, 6.29–17.53; P < 0.001). Mechanical VTE prophylaxis was significantly increased in the established group (Before versus Established: OR, 47.18; 95% CI, 25.61–86.91; P < 0.001). Conclusions There was a significant increase in VTE prophylaxis administration after the implementation of our multifaceted intervention. Allocating a responsible provider dedicated to VTE prophylaxis prescription and compliance checking was a key component to this intervention.
First Record of Eastern Hoolock Gibbon in Assam, India

Abstract: The western hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) and eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) are the two representatives of gibbons in India. Their distribution is restricted to the south bank of the Dibang-Brahmaputra river system in the northeast. The western hoolock gibbon has the wider distribution of the two, occurring in all of the seven states of the Northeast region, namely Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland and Manipur. It was thought that, in India, the eastern hoolock gibbon was restricted to the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Here, we report the occurrence of this species in three reserve forests of the Sadiya sub-division of the Tinsukia District of the state of Assam, extending the previously known range of the species in the country.
The rise of the opposition party in Taiwan : explaining Chen Shui-bian ’ s victory in the 2000 Presidential election

The 2000 Taiwan presidential election drastically changed Taiwan’s political landscape. For the first time in Taiwan, an opposition party candidate, Chen Shui-bian, won the presidential race, receiving 39.3% of the popular vote. To understand the factors that determined the election’s outcome, we analyze survey data from the 2000 presidential election. First, we study whether a divided ruling party was the cause of the opposition party candidate’s victory. That is, would the ruling party have lost if one of the trailing candidates had opted not to run? Second, there were charges following the election that the Kuomintang misled people into believing their candidate was still leading in the polls, when he was really running third, and this misinformation led people to vote differently than they would have otherwise, possibly giving the election to the opposition party candidate. We examine the validity of this claim by measuring the degree to which strategic voting could have influenced the outcome. Third, to understand the underlying dimensions of the electoral competition in Taiwan and to understand each candidate’s electoral support, we run a multivariate statistical model to study how strategic voting, candidate personalities, party identification, and issues influenced respondents’ vote choices. Finally, we discuss the effects of election polling data on election outcomes.  2002 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
"Positive Energy": Hegemonic Intervention and Online Media Discourse in China's Xi Jinping Era

Abstract:Scholarship to date agrees that the internet has weakened the Chinese Party-state's ideological and discursive hegemony over society. This article documents a recent intervention into public discourse exercised by the Chinese state through appropriating and promoting a popular online catchphrase—"positive energy" (zheng nengliang). Analysing the "positive energy" phenomena using Laclau and Mouffe's theory of hegemony and discourse, the authors argue that the relative effectiveness of this hegemonic intervention rests on the semantic versatility of "positive energy", which enables "chains of equivalence" to be established between the label's popular meanings, on the one hand, and its propagandist meanings, on the other.
Microbial C, N and P along a weeding regime in a valley cultivation system of northeast India

Soil nutrients and microbial C, N and P were determined at two soil depths (0-15 and 15-30 cm) in no-input, traditionally weeded and unweeded wet-paddy fields in the humid tropics of Arunachal Pradesh, northeastern India. Soil nutrients and microbial C, N and P were greater in the top 0-15 cm soil layer. Microbial C increased after ploughing during late March and decreased during rainy season. The contribution of microbial nutrients to the soil nutrient pool was in the following order: Microbial P > Microbial C > Microbial N. Lowest microbial P values were recorded during crop harvest. Negative correlation between microbial N and soil inorganic N envisage conservation of mineral N within microbial biomass. Soil organic C and microbial C were greater in traditionally weeded paddy fields. This suggests that microbial biomass had a significant role to play in conservation of soil N and P in the stressed ecosystems such as unweeded and moderately weeded paddy fields. This is also substantiated by the greater concentration of microbial N to soil total N and microbial P to soil P.
Host-country experience, location strategy and investment performance: An empirical study of Taiwan IT companies in China

Previous studies on investment location focused on local environmental factors, but tended to overlook the fact that firms’ host-country experience might have an impact on their location strategies and influence the investment performance. This study categorized location strategy in the breadth and depth of foreign investment and hotspots for investment to compensate for the inadequacy of relevant studies. This study chose 120 listed Taiwanese electronics companies that had invested in China between 1999 and 2007, as the research data, to examine the impact of host-country experience on the three types of location strategies and the impact of a specific location strategy on investment performance. This study discovered that as firms increased their host-country experience, the breadth, and depth of their foreign investment increased, as well as their investment in hotspots. In addition, the wider the range a firm’s foreign investments were, the better their investment performance would be. The impact of diversity on investment performance had a deferred effect. However, if firms invested in foreign hotspots, their potential profit might decrease, due to strong competition that detracted from investment performance. Key words: Host-country experience, location strategy, Taiwan IT companies, China.
Antioxidant properties and production of monacolin k, citrinin, and red pigments during solid state fermentation of purple rice (Oryzae sativa) varieties by Monascus purpureus

Pengnoi P., Mahawan R. , Khanongnuch C. , Lumyong S. (2017): Antioxidant properties and production of monacolin K, citrinin, and red pigments during solid state fermentation of purple rice (Oryzae sativa) varieties by Monascus purpureus. Czech J. Food Sci., 35: 32–39. This study aims to evaluate the effects of various purple rice varieties on the production of monacolin K, citrinin, and red pigments by Monascus purpureus CMU002U (UV-mutant strain) and their antioxidant properties. The lowest value of citrinin concentration (132 ppb) was found in the SSF of the Na variety, which passed the standards of Japan, Taiwan, and European Union. The high monacolin K (13 482 ppm) and red pigment (388.25 units/g) levels were obtained from the fermented Doi Muser variety. The lowest IC50 value of the DPPH assay was found in the extract of fermented Doi Saked variety. An investigation of temperature shifting of the SSF for the Doi Muser variety indicated that the incubation at 30°C for 5 days, followed by 25°C until 30 days, yielded the highest value of monacolin K (35 292 ppm) production. These results demonstrated that fermented purple rice has a high potential to be developed as a new food supplement.