Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Institutional Trust on Subjective Well-being in Selected Asian Countries

The world happiness report shows that half of the countries of the world face happiness inequality. Presence of corruption, lower level of interpersonal and social support, absence of freedom to make a decision, low GDP, poor health and lack of generosity are the reasons for lack of happiness. The level of happiness is comparatively low in Asian countries such as India, Singapore, China, South Korea, Philippines, Iraq and Pakistan. Social capital is an important term that describes why some countries are happier than others. Social capital can be measured in term of Trust like interpersonal and intuitional trust which has been declined in Pakistan, India, Philippines, Japan, and South Korea. Inequality of happiness, having low trust on institutions and social trust ultimately decrease subjective well-being. So, this study aims to check the impact of institutional trust on the two dimensions of subjective well-being and also examine the relationship between social capital, institutional trust and subjective well-being in selected Asian countries (Pakistan, India, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Philippines and Iraq). For this purpose data has been taken from 6th wave of the World Values Survey from 2010-14. The results of multi nominal logistic model shows that age, health, marital status, income level, financial satisfaction, trust on neighbors, membership in labor union political parties and charity had a significant impact on life satisfaction and happiness. It is evident from the results that there is an association between confidences on Government, police, Army, charitable organization with life satisfaction and happiness. Gender, education level, employment level, trust on people you meet first time, trust on another religion, confidence on TV, parliament, press, universities and court is not significant in some countries. Results show that there is a 1 Mphil scholar, department of economics. Government College University Faisalabad. Pakistan 2 Assistant Professor, department of economics. Government College University Faisalabad. Pakistan 3 PhD scholar, department of economics. Government College University Faisalabad. Pakistan 4 Senior Research Analyst (Economics), The Urban Unit [Urban Sector Planning & Management Services Unit (Pvt.) Ltd.] Government of Punjab, Lahore. (Punjab) Pakistan. 5 Lecturer , department of economics. Government College University Faisalabad. Pakistan
Company training reduces employee turnover, or does it?

Prior empirical studies tend to suggest that company training and employee skill development, together with other human resource (HR) management practices lead to high employee commitment and low labour turnover rate. Using the data collected from multinational companies operating in eight economies (Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand) located in the Asia Pacific region, we ran a multiple regress model and found that company training is significantly related to employee turnover, however it does not contribute to the reduction of the employee turnover rate. Other organisational factors (eg. size, parent source and expatriation presentation in the local subsidiary) played more significant role in determining the level of employee turnover, particularly for the companies in the international operation. The implications of the study are discussed.
The First Case of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Imported into Korea from Wuhan, China: Implication for Infection Prevention and Control Measures

In December 2019, a viral pneumonia outbreak caused by a novel betacoronavirus, the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), began in Wuhan, China. We report the epidemiological and clinical features of the first patient with 2019-nCoV pneumonia imported into Korea from Wuhan. This report suggests that in the early phase of 2019-nCoV pneumonia, chest radiography would miss patients with pneumonia and highlights taking travel history is of paramount importance for early detection and isolation of 2019-nCoV cases.
Policy Decisions and Use of Information Technology to Fight Coronavirus Disease, Taiwan

Because of its proximity to and frequent travelers to and from China, Taiwan faces complex challenges in preventing coronavirus disease (COVID-19). As soon as China reported the unidentified outbreak to the World Health Organization on December 31, 2019, Taiwan assembled a taskforce and began health checks onboard flights from Wuhan. Taiwan’s rapid implementation of disease prevention measures helped detect and isolate the country’s first COVID-19 case on January 20, 2020. Laboratories in Taiwan developed 4-hour test kits and isolated 2 strains of the coronavirus before February. Taiwan effectively delayed and contained community transmission by leveraging experience from the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak, prevalent public awareness, a robust public health network, support from healthcare industries, cross-departmental collaborations, and advanced information technology capacity. We analyze use of the National Health Insurance database and critical policy decisions made by Taiwan’s government during the first 50 days of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Visualization, Economic Complexity Index, and Forecasting of South Korea International Trade Profile: A Time Series Approach

Purpose – The recent growth of South Korean products in the international market is the benchmark for both developed as well as developing countries. According to the development index, the role of international trade is indeed crucial for the development of the national economy. However, the visualization of the international trade profile of the country is the prerequisite of governmental policy decision-makers and guidance for forecasting of foreign trade. <br><br>Design/methodology – We have utilized data visualization techniques in order to visualize the import &amp; export product space and trade partners of South Korea. Economic Complexity Index (ECI) and Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) were used to identify the Korean international trade diversification, whereas the time series approach is used to forecast the economy and foreign trade variables. <br><br>Findings – Our results show that Chine, U.S, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Japan are the leading trade partners of Korea. Overall, the ECI of South Korea is growing significantly as compared to China, Hong Kong, and other developed countries of the world. The expected values of total import and export volume of South Korea are approximately US$535.21 and US$ 781.23B, with the balance of trade US$ 254.02B in 2025. It was also observed from our analysis that imports &amp; exports are equally substantial to the GDP of Korea and have a significant correlation with GDP, GDP per capita, and ECI. <br><br>Originality/value – To maintain the growth rate of international trade and efficient competitor for the trade partners, we have visualized the South Korea trade profile, which provides the information of significant export and import products as well as main trade partners and forecasting.
Architectural traits constrain the evolution of unisexual flowers and sexual segregation within inflorescences: an interspecific approach

Male and female unisexual flowers have repeatedly evolved from the ancestral bisexual flowers in different lineages of flowering plants. This sex specialization in different flowers often occurs within inflorescences. We hypothesize that inflorescence architecture may impose a constraint on resource availability for late flowers, potentially leading to different optima in floral sex allocation and unisexuality. Under this hypothesis we expect that inflorescence traits increasing the difference in resource availability between early and late flowers would be phylogenetically correlated with a higher level of sexual specialization. To test this hypothesis, we performed a comparative analysis of inflorescence traits (inflorescence size, number of flowers and flower density) in the sunflower family, which displays an extraordinary variation in floral sexual specialization at the inflorescence level, i.e. hermaphroditic, gynomonoecious and monoecious species. We found that species with a complete sex separation in unisexual flowers (monoecy) had significantly denser inflorescences. Furthermore, those species arranging their flowers in denser inflorescences also showed greater differences in the size of early and late fruits, a proxy of resource variation between flowers. Our findings support the idea that floral sexual specialization and consequently sexual segregation may be the consequence of different floral sex allocation optima driven by the sequential development of flowers that results in a persistent resource decline from earlier to later flowers.
EFFECT OF POST HARVEST TREATMENTS ON PHYSICO- CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND SHELF LIFE OF LITCHI FRUIT (LITCHI CHINENSIS SONN) CV. ROSE SCENTED

The Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) is an important subtropical evergreen fruit crop belonging to family Sapindaceae which includes Longan and Rambutan. It is believed to have originated near Southern China and Northern Vietnam. Worldwide, commercial litchi production is centered largely in the Northern hemisphere, with growing areas including China, Thailand, Taiwan, India, USA and Israel (Menzel, 2001). India is the second largest producer of litchi next to China, with annual production of 580.08 thousand metric tonnes from an area of about 82.74 thousand hectares and its productivity is 7 MT/ha. In India, it is mainly cultivated in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, Assam and Punjab. Bihar is the leading state in litchi production with an annual production of 256.43 thousand metric tonne. Bihar covers largest area under litchi covering 31.28 thousand hectares. Litchi comprises 1.2% and 0.7% of the total area and production under fruit crops (Annomymous, NHB, 2013). Pericarp of the fruit loses its bright red peel colour, which turns brown within 24-28h after harvest (Zheng and Tian, 2006). The bright red colour of litchi fruit fades during storage, possibly as the result of an increase in the pH value of the cell sap. Pericarp browning loses its commercial value and has been considered the main postharvest problem worldwide (Kumar et al., 2011). Novel technology to control browning and decay and to improve quality is needed, with an emphasis on temperature management and nonchemical disease control (Lichter et al., 2000). So, keeping in view the standards laid down for the export of fresh litchi, an integrated system based on the comprehensive knowledge on pre and post harvest handling, packaging, transport and storage for each of the cultivar of litchi is essential, in order to prolong the shelf life and maintain fruit quality. It was, thus, hypothesized that by administering appropriate post harvest treatments, the quality and shelf life of litchi fruit could be enhanced by treatments and storage temperature that are best suited to it. This was believed to improve the shelf life of fruit by retaining the red pericarp colour, reduction of microbial spoilage and reduce rate of weight loss. Therefore, keeping the above point of view in mind, a study entitled “Effect of Post Harvest Treatments on PhysicoChemical Characteristics and Shelf Life of Litchi Fruit (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) cv. Rose Scented” was undertaken, with the following objectives: To study the effect of different post harvest treatments on physico-chemical characteristics and shelf life of litchi fruits at different storage periods. To identify the best treatment to enhance shelf life and quality of litchi fruits.
The Economic Costs of Hybrid Wars: The Case of Ukraine

ABSTRACT With more than ten thousand casualties, the ongoing hybrid Ukrainian war between pro-Russian separatists and the government in the Donbass region, Ukraine’s productive core, has taken a severe toll on the country. Using cross-country panel data over the period 1995–2017, this paper estimates the causal effects of the Donbass war on Ukraine’s GDP. Our counterfactual estimation by the synthetic control method shows that Ukraine’s per capita GDP foregone due to the war amounts to 15.1% on average for 2013–2017. Separate analysis for the affected regions of Donetsk and Luhansk indicates an average causal effect of 47% for 2013–2016. Results are robust to pre-war confounds, namely, the Orange Revolution and Ukrainian-Russian gas disputes. As such, we discuss mechanisms underlying the war’s causal effects on economic performance, which is of broader relevance for debates on the role of government in hybrid conflict management.
INTERAÇÃO DO LÍQUEN Cladonia verticillaris COM SOLO DE SUA ÁREA DE OCORRÊNCIA

Liquens produzem substâncias capazes de interagir com seu substrato rochoso ou solo modificando-os quimicamente, formando quelatos. Quando sob a influência de fonte exógena de nitrogênio, algumas espécies produzem suas substâncias em maior teor, incrementando a percolação desses produtos, favorecendo a interação com seu substrato. Neste trabalho avaliou-se a capacidade do líquen Cladonia verticillaris interagir com o solo de sua área de ocorrência e, a possível interferência de fonte nitrogenada na forma de uréia como ativadora da síntese de substâncias modificadoras desse substrato. Experimentos foram montados com amostras do líquen e solo a elas subjacente, que foram periodicamente, até 150 dias, analisados a partir de seus extratos brutos por cromatografia em camada delgada. Os resultados demonstraram que o líquen produziu seu principal composto, o ácido fumarprotocetrárico (FUM), por todo o período. A fonte nitrogenada influenciou no aumento da síntese do FUM, bem como acúmulo de substâncias intermediárias de sua biossíntese. Estas substâncias foram também encontradas nas amostras de solo, tanto na forma natural como oxidadas ou reduzidas, indicando interação de C. verticillaris com seu substrato. Este teve seu pH diminuído e modificação nos teores de Al e H, sobretudo nos experimentos sob influência da uréia.
Clinical characteristics of 10 children with COVID-19 outside of Wuhan in Hubei Province

Background：An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China in December 2019. This study aims to report the clinical characteristics of children COVID-19 in Xiangyang, a city outside of Wuhan within Hubei Province.Methods：We retrospectively investigated the clinical manifestations, Chest CT imaging, and laboratory characteristics of confirmed cases of children with COVID-19 with WHO interim guidance in Xiangyang Central Hospital from Feb 1 to Mar 10, 2020. 10 children cases were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR and were analyzed for epidemiological, demographic, clinical, radiological features and laboratory data. Outcomes were followed up until Mar 10, 2020.Results：6 cases (60%) had never been to Wuhan but closely contacted with family members with confirmed COVID-19, and 4 cases (40%) had made short term trips to Wuhan alone without familial clustering. The most common symptoms were cough (50%) followed by fever (40%), 4 cases (40%) showed asymptomatic characteristics including 2 cases (20%) with abnormal chest computed tomograms (CT) image. 9 cases (90%) were mild type, only 1 case (10%) was moderate type, none of them progressed in severe or critical disease. 4 (40%) cases showed leucopenia but none lymphopenia. Abnormalities on chest CT were detected among 8 cases (80%), 2 of 4 cases without obvious symptoms had abnormal chest CT.Conclusions: Children's infection is mainly caused by family clusters. No transmission to other individuals from children was found in our observation. The clinical manifestations in children with COVID-19 are non-specific with milder symptoms and good outcomes.
Experiences and attitudes toward aesthetic procedures in East Asia: a cross-sectional survey of five geographical regions

Background The demand for aesthetic procedures continues to grow globally, particularly in East Asian countries. The popularity of specific aesthetic procedures varies, however, depending on the particular East Asian geographical region being studied. This study aimed to evaluate the experiences of and attitudes toward aesthetic procedures in five East Asian countries/regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Methods To recruit participants, an online questionnaire was designed and distributed on social media networks between May 2015 and March 2016. The statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS software, version 22.0. Results A total of 3,088 people responded (approximately 600 in each country/region). Of these, 940 participants (47.8%) responded that they had experienced at least one aesthetic procedure in the past. Taiwan had the highest number of participants who had experienced at least one procedure (264/940, 41%), with primarily non-surgical experiences. Only in South Korea did surgical cosmetic experiences exceed non-surgical cosmetic experiences (55.9% vs. 44.1%). The popularity of particular procedures and the motivation for undergoing aesthetic procedures varied by country. Conclusions The popularity of aesthetic procedures continues to evolve. Similar trends were observed across the East Asian regions; however, each country had its unique demands and preferences. The information provided by this study can help aesthetic plastic surgeons further understand the patients in their corresponding region, customize their practice, and develop the requisite skills.
Healthcare resource utilization in patients treated with empagliflozin in East Asia

We investigated the utilization of healthcare resources in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with empagliflozin, a sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 (SGLT2) inhibitor, versus dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 (DPP‐4) inhibitors in clinical practice in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Evaluating Child Soldiering In Africa

For hundreds of years, children have suffered many hardships during armed conflicts, and they have been especially vulnerable to being recruited, abducted or coerced into joining armed groups for the sake of child soldiering. As child soldiers, there is the inherent danger they will be killed, maimed, or traumatized during combat or while fulfilling such other duties as laying mines and building explosives, spying, or acting as decoys. Additionally, children suffer serious mental, physical, and emotional injuries from direct and indirect participation in armed conflict, including witnessing, and perhaps perpetrating, horrendous atrocities, as well as from sexual slavery, which girl child soldiers are so often subjected to. If a child soldier is captured or surrenders, the child is then often subjected to prolonged administrative detention and/or prosecution. Thus, due to their age, child soldiers are extremely vulnerable because they remain dependent on adult care. In this article, we evaluate the cultural and political background for using child soldiers as well as the contributing factors to child soldiering.
Anti-Citrullinated Protein Antibody Titers Are Independently Modulated by Both Disease Activity and Conventional or Biologic Anti-Rheumatic Drugs

This study aimed to analyze the factors that influence anti-citrullinated protein antibody (ACPA) titers in a seropositive early arthritis (EA) population under non-protocolized treatment with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). A total of 130 ACPA-positive patients from the PEARL (Princesa Early Arthritis Longitudinal) study were studied along a 5-year follow-up. Sociodemographic, clinical, and therapeutic variables, along with serum samples, were collected at five visits by protocol. Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide 2 (CCP2) ACPA titers were measured by ELISA. The effect of different variables on anti-CCP2 titers was estimated using longitudinal multivariate analysis models, nested by visit and patient. Data from 471 visits in 130 patients were analyzed. A significant decrease in anti-CCP2 titers was observed at all time-points, compared to baseline, following the decline of disease activity. In the multivariate analysis, active or ever smoking was significantly associated with the highest anti-CCP2 titers while reduction in disease activity was associated with titer decline. After adjusting for these variables, both conventional synthetic (cs) and biologic (b) DMARDs accounted for the decline in anti-CCP2 titers as independent factors. Conclusion: In patients with EA, an early and sustained reduction in ACPA titers can be detected associated with the decline in disease activity, irrespective of the treatment used.
Gold, Bitcoin, and Portfolio Diversification: Lessons from the Ukrainian War

How do major disruptive events, such as wars, affect the correlations between gold, Bitcoin, and financial assets? We address this question by estimating a dynamic conditional correlation (DCC) model before and during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The results show that, after the outbreak of the war, the correlation between gold and stock markets dropped, confirming the diversification potential of gold during crises. The correlation between Bitcoin and oil declined as well. Meanwhile, the gold/Bitcoin correlation slightly decreased. Overall, our preliminary evidence suggests that gold and Bitcoin act as complements—rather than substitutes—for diversification purposes during international crises.
Sexual Behaviors among Individuals Aged 20-49 in Japan: Initial Findings from a Quasi-Representative National Survey, 2022

ABSTRACT Nationally representative data on sexual health and behaviors in Japan are scarce. We conducted an online survey, including questions about a range of topics related to sexual behaviors and outcomes. The sample, including 8000 men and women aged 20–49 years in Japan, was stratified by sex and weighted with respect to age, marital status, and region of residence to reflect the population of Japan. Of the women, 82.9% and 10.0% reported that they were heterosexual and asexual, respectively; corresponding proportions for men were 87.4% and 6.9%. 15.3% of women and 19.8% of men reported never having had any partners with whom they engaged in vaginal, anal, or oral sex. 45.3% of women and 44.5% of men reported not having had any sexual partners during the past year; this proportion was highest among women aged 40–49 years (51.7%) and men aged 20–29 years (55.1%). The proportion of those reporting satisfaction with their sex life was 27.8% for women and 23.1% for men; 17.6% of women and 27.1% of men reported dissatisfaction. Pornography use of ≥3 times per week was most common among those aged 20–29 years (6.5% of women; 34.8% of men), and the frequency of pornography use decreased slightly with age. 4.0% of women and 48.3% of men reported ever having used commercial sex worker services in their lifetime. This survey-based study provides data on sexual behaviors and health outcomes in Japan. Compared to other high-income countries, levels of sexual inexperience and inactivity seem to be high in Japan.