Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predominance of ST320 among Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 19A isolates from 10 Asian countries.

BACKGROUND After 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) introduction, non-vaccine serotypes such as 19A are increasing among Streptococcus pneumoniae. However, only limited data on 19A S. pneumoniae are available in Asian countries. METHODS Out of 1637 S. pneumoniae clinical pneumonia isolates collected during 2008 and 2009 from 10 Asian countries (Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam), 91 serotype 19A S. pneumoniae isolates were identified. Capsular swelling reaction identified serotype 19A isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on the serotype 19A isolates using the broth microdilution method, and the genotypes of the isolates were assessed using multilocus sequence typing. RESULTS Thirty different sequence types (STs) were identified. The most prevalent clone was ST320 (46 isolates, 51.1%). ST320 was found in Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. ST320 isolates were mostly multidrug resistant (MDR) and showed significantly higher resistance rates than other STs for cefuroxime, clindamycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. CONCLUSIONS Although diverse clones were identified among 19A S. pneumoniae isolates, MDR ST320 was the predominant clone in Asian countries. Its predominance, even in countries with no or low coverage of PCV7, may indicate that its emergence and dissemination was due to more than just vaccine selection pressure in Asian countries. A longitudinal investigation of the change of serotypes and genotypes since the introduction of PCV7 is required to understand the emergence and dissemination mechanisms of a certain clone of 19A S. pneumoniae isolates.
Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait

Untying the Knot: Making Peace in the Taiwan Strait, by Richard C. Bush. Washington: Brookings Institution Press, 2005. xiv + 416 pp. US$32.95/£24.00 (hardcover). Richard Bush is a well-known Taiwan specialist. His latest book, Untying the Knot, is a genuine tour de force. It makes a comprehensive, realistic, clear and convincing presentation of one of the most complex issues that the US and the international community are facing today: the China-Taiwan conundrum. Bush does not hide his sympathy for Taiwan and takes sides on a number of important issues. However, this book, the product of both a long experience in the region and a thorough analysis of all the variables influencing the current and future situation in the Taiwan Strait, is definitely a "must-read". The obvious conclusions of this well-documented and well-informed study are that: 1 ) there won't be any easy solution of the issue; 2) the US must be involved in any solution. The future of the Beijing-Taipei relationship remains far from written, and will eventually depend upon the acceptance by the three main actors involved (China, Taiwan and the US) of the respective constraints bearing on the other two. In the first three chapters, Bush reminds us of the intricacies of the long separation between China and Taiwan and the irony of the current situation, which he encapsulates in the chapter titled "Economic Cooperation and Political Deadlock". He rightly presents Lee Teng-hui's two-state theory as a means to affirm the Republic of China (ROC)'s sovereignty and enhance its international status, rather than a pro-independence stance (pp. 54-57). Six separate chapters discuss major issues faced by both sides. The first is sovereignty: source of all the cross-Strait rivalries, this issue is today insoluble as long as China does not agree to recognize an equal international status for Taiwan, perhaps as part of the Chinese nation but distinct from the People's Republic. The second is security, for which Taiwan still needs the support of the US. The third is the impact of domestic politics on both governments. The fourth is decision-making systems. The fifth is the leverage game played mainly by Beijing, in trying to reach out to more and more segments of Taiwanese society. And the sixth is the US factor. Putting all these factors together, Bush is reassuring about Taiwan's inability to jeopardize the status quo and rightly puts much of the blame on China. For example, he is right when he argues that Chen Shui-bian's chances of enacting a destabilizing new constitution is slim, since any revision needs, in the first place, the support of three quarters of Taiwan's Parliament, the Legislative Yuan. …
HCV Antibody Response and Genotype Distribution in Different Areas and Races of China

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) heterogeneity accounts for the failure of effective vaccine development and the lack of successful anti-viral therapy in some patients. Little is known about the immune response to HCV peptides and the region or race specific genotypes in China. The objective of this study was to characterize HCV antibody immune response to HCV peptides and HCV genotypes in different regions and races of China. A total of 363 serum samples were collected from HCV carriers in 6 regions in China. The immune response to HCV peptides was evaluated by ELISA. HCV genotypes were examined using nested RT-PCR. We found that the anti-HCV antibody neutralization rates were significantly different among the serum samples from different areas or from different races in the same area. For samples from Tibet and Sinkiang, the rates of neutralization by HCV peptides were only 3.2% and 30.8%, respectively. The genotypes of samples from Tibet and Sinkiang were apparently heterogeneic and included type I, II, III and multiple types (I/II/III, I/II, I/III, II/III). One specific sample with multiple-genotype (I/II/III) HCV infection was found to consist of type I, II, III, II/III and an unclassified genotype. These studies indicate that the anti-HCV antibody immune response to HCV peptides varied across regions and among races. The distribution of HCV genotypes among Tibetans in Tibet and Uighurs in Sinkiang was different from that in the inner areas of China. In addition, a “master” genotype, type II, was found to exist in HCV infection with multiple HCV genotypes.
Sex differentials in biological risk factors for chronic disease: estimates from population-based surveys.

BACKGROUND In light of substantial sex differences in health outcomes, researchers need to focus on disentangling the underlying biological and social determinants. The objective of this study is to determine whether two populations that differ in many cultural and social dimensions--Taiwan and the United States--also vary with regard to sex differentials in biological markers of chronic disease. METHODS The analysis is based on three population-based surveys that include interviews, urine and blood specimens, and physical examinations: the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study (SEBAS) in Taiwan, the Wisconsin Longitudinal Survey (WLS), and the MacArthur studies of successful aging. The outcomes comprise six indicators of cardiovascular risk (total/high-density lipoprotein [HDL] cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin, and waist/hip ratio) and four markers of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning (epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate [DHEA-S]). RESULTS U.S. males have significantly higher risk than females for all indicators of cardiovascular risk except glycosylated hemoglobin (p < 0.05). Sex differences are less consistent and smaller in Taiwan. Indicators of SNS and HPA axis functioning reveal a significant female disadvantage in both countries. CONCLUSIONS The analysis identifies important sex differences between Taiwan and the United States in biomarkers of cardiovascular risk that are consistent with cause of death data and may emanate from cultural and social differences between the two societies. The similarity of sex differences in SNS and HPA axis functioning across studies may reflect either stable sex differences in biological aging of these axes or commonalities in the social construction of gender-based responses to life experiences.
The Lessons of East Asian Development: An Overview

The East Asian area encompasses countries at widely different levels of economic development.1 There is first of all Japan, the only developed country of the group, with per capita incomes of $7,130 in 1985 in terms of purchasing power parities at 1975 prices.2 In the same year, it had a population of 120 million. There follow the four Far Eastern newly industrializing countries (NICs: Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan) that have been called the Gang of Four and, more gently, the Four Little Tigers by the Chinese. In fact they are small in relation to China, but not with respect to a large number of developing countries as their populations range from 40 million (Korea) to 3 million (Singapore), with Taiwan (19 million) and Hong Kong (5 million) in between. The ranking by per capita incomes is just the opposite: Singapore leads with $5,001, followed by Hong Kong ($3,760), Taiwan ($3,160), and Korea ($2,648); all four of them belong to the group of higher middle-income developing countries under the World Bank classification scheme. Next come the countries of Southeast Asia, which, together with Singapore, are the founding members of the Association of South Asian Nations (ASEAN). They include, with per capita incomes in parentheses, Malaysia ($2,579), Thailand ($1,393), the Philippines ($896), and Indonesia ($789). The ranking by population is again the opposite: Indonesia (159 million) is followed by the Philippines (53 million), Thailand (50 million), and Malaysia (15 million). According to the World Bank classification scheme, Malaysia belongs to the upper middle-income group and the other three countries to the lower middleincome group. Further interest attaches to changes over time. Between 1950 and 1985, per capita incomes rose ninefold in Japan and approximately sixfold in the Far Eastern NICs. In turn, per capita incomes quad-
Influence of male sex on disease phenotype in familial rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To examine sex differences in clinical, demographic, and genetic characteristics among a large cohort of patients with familial rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS We studied 1,004 affected members of 467 Caucasian multicase RA families recruited from the North American Rheumatoid Arthritis Consortium. Standardized information about demographic and clinical characteristics was collected from all patients. Affected individuals also underwent radiography of the hands and were genotyped for markers in the HLA region. Sex differences were assessed using contingency table analysis (for categorical variables) and Student's t-tests for (continuous variables), and by multivariate logistic and linear regression analysis. RESULTS Male patients had a significantly later onset of RA, were more likely to be seropositive for RF, and had significantly higher titers of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies compared with female patients, even after adjustment for covariates in multivariate analyses. Male patients were also significantly more likely to have a history of smoking and to be HLA-DRB1 shared epitope (SE) positive. Interestingly, female patients with an affected male sibling had significantly higher titers of anti-CCP antibodies and were more likely to be SE positive compared with female patients without affected male siblings. Multivariate analyses indicated that the presence of the SE did not fully explain the increased anti-CCP antibody titers observed in these families. CONCLUSION Sex has an important influence on the disease phenotype in RA, including the age at disease onset and autoantibody production. Furthermore, families with affected male members are characterized by higher titers of autoantibodies, particularly anti-CCP antibodies. Our results indicate that these findings are not fully explained by differences in exposure to tobacco smoke, presence of the HLA-DRB1 SE, or other HLA region genetic variation. Thus, other genetic or nongenetic factors also contribute to sex differences in the RA phenotype.
The Dynamic between Firms' Environmental Strategies and Institutional Constraints in Emerging Economies: Evidence from China and Taiwan

This paper combines institutional and political perspectives to develop a framework for analysing firms' strategies in relation to demands for environmental protection in emerging economies. The main subjects for an examination of the framework and the issues it raises are three large-scale diversified multinational corporations (MNCs) in the chemicals sector, each with manufacturing in both China (PRC) and Taiwan. They are contrasted with four local firms in the same sector. An accommodation between MNCs' strategies and institutional constraints is achieved through a system of dynamic relationships in which both firms and institutional agents have a stake. Institutions are found to be more pervious to corporate strategic action than has been assumed by recent institutional theory, and with consequences that are not necessarily inimical to local community interests. The study offers new insights into (1) the processes that lead to conformity in corporate environmental practices (isomorphism), (2) the need to extend the normal purview of institutional theory, and (3) the contribution of a political perspective that allows for MNC proactivity. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
Comparing the Health Care Systems of High-Performing Asian Countries

The newly industrialised and high income economies of East Asia perform remarkably well on a range of health system indicators. We adopt an institutional lens to examine and compare the similarities and differences in health care financing and provision in the paired cases of Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea. This illuminates how, despite seemingly common global, regional and functional demands, reformers have responded through diverse means to different institutional constraints. Moreover, some of these cases illuminate the cognizance of reformers with respect to vulnerabilities in their own health care systems enabling effective, albeit ongoing, management.
Asian Economic Integration and Stock Market Comovement

Using daily returns from 1988 to 1998, we investigate to what degree twelve equity markets in Asia are integrated with Japan's equity market and examine the factors that affect the level of economic integration. We find that the equity markets of Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, New Zealand, and Singapore are highly integrated with the stock market in Japan. There is also evidence that these Asian markets become more integrated over time, especially since 1994. A higher import share as well as a greater differential in inflation rates, real interest rates, and gross domestic product growth rates have negative effects on stock market comovements between country pairs. Conversely, increased export share by Asian economies to Japan and greater foreign direct investment from Japan to other Asian economies contribute to greater comovement. Southern Finance Association and the Southwestern Finance Association.
The law and practice of electronic taxation in Nigeria: The gains and challenges

Electronic taxation (E-taxation) and its automated processes are gradually phasing out manual tax administration globally. With e-taxation, taxpayers can conveniently pay their taxes electronically from the comfort of their homes, offices, shops and even while travelling. Tax authorities on the other hand, can now go after tax defaulters with the electronic tax history of taxpayers on their web portals. According to the World Bank and PwC 2 Paying Taxes Report 2013, sixty six economies had fully implemented electronic filing and payment of taxes as at 2010. 3 In 2013, about 66 countries all over the world have automated core tax processes for effective tax administration and management of taxpayers’ data.4 More countries like Taiwan joined in adopting e-taxation in 2014. Research reveals that the adoption of e-taxation in some countries has increased tax compliance amongst taxpayers.5 This article aims at comparatively analysing the gains and challenges of utilising e-taxation in tax administration and the legal framework of e-taxation in the United States of America, Australia and Nigeria; and the gains and challenges of utilizing e-taxation in tax administration in the USA, Australia and Nigeria. Key words: Law and Practice, Electronic Taxation, Gains and Challenges, Nigeria
The HLA-DRB1 shared epitope alleles are primarily a risk factor for anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies and are not an independent risk factor for development of rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE The shared epitope (SE)-containing HLA-DRB1 alleles represent the most significant genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Recent studies indicate that the SE alleles are associated with only RA that is characterized by the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies, and not with anti-CCP-negative disease. In this study we investigated whether the SE alleles contribute to the development of anti-CCP-positive RA, or whether they are associated solely with the presence of anti-CCP antibodies. We therefore determined the influence of the SE alleles and anti-CCP antibodies on the progression from recent-onset undifferentiated arthritis (UA) to RA. METHODS Patients with recent-onset UA at the 2-week visit (n=570) were selected from the Leiden Early Arthritis Cohort. SE alleles, rheumatoid factor (RF) status, and anti-CCP antibody levels were determined. Progression to RA or other diagnoses was monitored. RESULTS One hundred seventy-seven patients with UA developed RA during the 1-year followup, whereas the disease in 393 patients remained unclassified or was given other diagnoses. The SE alleles correlated with the presence of anti-CCP antibodies, but not with the presence of RF. Both in SE-positive and in SE-negative patients with UA, the presence of anti-CCP antibodies was significantly associated with the development of RA. More intriguingly, however, no apparent contribution of the SE alleles to the progression to RA was found when analyses were stratified according to the presence of anti-CCP antibodies. In patients with anti-CCP-positive disease, the presence of SE alleles was associated with significantly higher levels of anti-CCP antibodies, suggesting that the SE alleles act as classic immune response genes. CONCLUSION The SE alleles do not independently contribute to the progression to RA from UA, but rather contribute to the development of anti-CCP antibodies.
Hormonal determinants of the development of masculine and feminine behavior in male and female rats

To investigate the role of gonadal hormones during the postnatal period on the development of masculine and feminine behavior 129 male and female rats were hormonally manipulated at birth. Within 24 hours of birth male and female rats were: (a) sham operated, (b) gonadectomized, (c) gonadectomized and given testosterone, or (d) gonadectomized and given estrogen. When adult all animals were given testosterone and tested for the display of male behavior, and then given estrogen and progesterone and tested for female behavior. Male behavior: Males exhibited mounting responses more frequently than females regardless of hormone manipulation at birth. Androgen and estrogen at birth did not facilitate mounting behavior in either sex. Males exhibited more frequent intromission responses than females. Animals treated with androgen at birth showed more frequent intromission behavior than non‐treated animals. Androgen facilitated intromission relatively more in males than in females. Estrogen at birth did not facilitate intromission behavior. Female behavior: Males castrated at birth, normal females, and females ovariectomized at birth showed high levels of receptivity. No other animal exhibited frequent lordosis. The data indicated that behavioral sexual differentiation induced by hormones in in‐fancy is best characterized by an inhibition of the potential to display feminine behavior.
Teachers' perception of professional development in coding education

Extensive studies have already documented the importance of introducing computer science into K-12 which lies in equipping students with computational thinking. And professional development accelerates the speed of integrating computational thinking curriculum into K-12 education. This study aims to explore primary school teachers' perception and perspective of attending professional development activities for teaching coding. The context in which this research was undertaken is in mainland China, Hong Kong, Brunei Darussalam. 107 participants (n = 107) in total involved in this research. The result of this study shows that 1) some primary school teachers still have the misunderstanding on the concept of computational thinking. 2) lack of pedagogical content knowledge and content knowledge are major challenges teachers have in teaching coding. 3) non-cognitive factors, such as anxiety, confidence, always influence teachers' teaching which cannot be neglected. 4) School culture plays an essential role in involving.
EXPATRIATION STRATEGIES FOR PROJECT-BASED INDUSTRIES

Effective use of expatriates by international firms can contribute to a project’s success, but using expatriates effectively is a challenge, given significant institutional differences facing projects in developing countries. The literature on expatriation covers a wide range of subjects, and studies of freelance expatriates in the international construction industry have just begun. This paper contributes to our understanding of freelance expatriates by: (1) elaborating the institutional settings of international construction markets in developing countries and the specific challenges that traditional expatriation strategies fail to address; (2) presenting case studies on freelance expatriates’ work on three high-speed rail projects in China and Taiwan; and (3) employing an institutional framework to analyze the organizational strategies for integrating expatriates and contextual factors—the client’s intentions, selection of expatriates through reputational networks, and institutional intermediaries—that could be used to deploy freelance expatriates more effectively in project-based industries like construction.
Seasonality in Southeast Asian stock markets: some new evidence on day-of-the-week effects

This paper examines the evidence for a day-of-the-week effect in five Southeast Asian stock markets: South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand. Findings indicate significant seasonality for three of the five markets. Market risk, proxied by the return on the FTA World Price Index, is not sufficient to explain this calendar anomaly. Although an extension of the risk-return equation to incorporate interactive seasonal dummy variables can explain some significant day-of-the-week effects, market risk alone appears insufficient to characterize this phenomenon.
Inactivation and Environmental Stability of Zika Virus

To the Editor: Zika virus is an emerging virus that has spread to most countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (1,2). It is transmitted by mosquitoes and through sexual intercourse (3). Most persons infected with Zika virus are asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms (4). However, in a pregnant woman, infection may cause severe pregnancy and birth complications, most notably microcephaly in children infected in utero (5–7). Zika virus infection might also be associated with an increased incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome (8). Thus, the virus represents a threat to healthcare workers who manage infected patients or diagnostic samples and researchers who work with infectious virus in laboratories.