Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immigration and Tourism Demand in Australia: A Panel Data Analysis

ABSTRACT Compared to other OECD countries Australia depends heavily on immigration as a source of population growth. This can have implications for its tourism industry. This paper investigates whether immigration leads to an increase in inbound tourism to Australia. Tourism arrivals were regressed against, GDP per capita, real exchange rate, population of the origin country, and the number of Australian resident born overseas, which was used as a proxy for immigration. A panel of dataset from 1992 to 2006 for nine of the main markets of Australia, namely New Zealand, UK, USA, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea was used. A log linear model was specified and estimated. The results strongly support the hypothesis that immigration is a major determinant of total inbound arrivals to Australia.
An analysis of infrastructure development based on national competitiveness perspectives

Development of the infrastructure is one of the key factors in determining the competitiveness of a nation. Most world competitiveness reports include infrastructure development as a primary set of indicators in assessing the competitiveness of nations. We ranked the indicators based on their performances in terms of not only standard deviations but also leading and falling‐behind groups classified by the cluster analysis. The discriminant competitiveness graphic‐based representation of the indicator performance allowed policy makers to formulate infrastructure strategies. Simulated experiments based on the competitiveness data of Canada, Taiwan and Thailand also demonstrated that such ranking resulted in a better selection of weak indicators for improvement.
Bank internationalisation during the Global Financial Crisis: an Asia Pacific perspective

Bank internationalisation traditionally takes the form of lending to non-residents, but increasingly non-resident securities are purchased. These assets are funded mostly by international loans and deposits, rather than the issuance of securities. Within the Asia Pacific region, the largest net beneficiaries of international bank funding to developing economies are China, India and South Korea. Importantly, apart from the financial centres of Hong Kong and Singapore, which show significant outward as well as inward banking flows, Chinese Taipei is an important international lender. Australia and New Zealand remain significant net international borrowers. The Global Financial Crisis reversed earlier developments with China and Japan now becoming net international borrowers, while both Hong Kong and Singapore have reduced their net asset positions.
Working Overtime in East Asia: Convergence or Divergence?

ABSTRACT Working long hours has become a routinised part of life in East Asia. The different patterns of overtime across this region are understudied, however. This study represents a first systematic attempt to analyse overtime and its determinants in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China by testing hypotheses that specify the distinctive influences of employment status and job contracts on work hours. Class exploitation, post-industrialism and flexibility theories are mobilised to identify distinctive but supplementary factors in long working hours. Using data from a recent four-country survey, a Tobit regression analysis of full-time workers’ hours reveals that employers and self-employed people work longer hours than hired workers across this region. Despite this convergence, there is a contrast across occupations. In Japan, overtime is positively associated with occupational prestige, while a reverse pattern operates in China, where low-skilled workers work more overtime. Contract workers in the private sector in South Korea and China also have longer overtime when compared to public sector employees. In sum, this study highlights more divergence than convergence of working conditions within East Asia.
The Cash Holdings and Corporate Investment Surrounding Financial Crisis: The Cases of China and Taiwan

The widely recognized 2007–2008 financial crisis has introduced observable shifts in cash holdings and corporate investment. We evaluate the effect of the financial crisis on cash holdings, corporate investment, and investment-cash flow sensitivity for China and Taiwan firms over the 2001–2014 period. We observe that in China and Taiwan firms increase equity financing and reduce capital expenditures to raise cash holdings after the crisis. The cash holdings for China firmsrises with operating earnings but declines with dividend payouts, and their working capital is upward overtime. On the contrary, the capital expenditures and working capital of the Taiwan firms becomes more conservative after the crisis. The empirical evidence suggests that corporate investment can be described by liquidity correlated to the state of the capital markets.
Co-movement between the US and the securitised real estate markets of the Asian-Pacific economies

ABSTRACT The novelty of this study is the use of continuous wavelet transform analysis of wavelet coherence, as well as its partial and multiple forms, to revisit the co-movements of Asian-Pacific public real estate markets among themselves and with the US, for a time span which covers the 12 January 1995–23 June 2016 period. Earlier research does not have satisfactory results because traditional methods average different relationships in time domain only. From the wavelet analysis, investors can extract the time-scale that most interests them. We find that the co-movement relationship across the real estate markets increases during the two major crisis period, as well as becomes stronger as the scale increases. Hong Kong and Singapore have the strongest time-scale co-movement relationship. Finally, the influence of domestic macroeconomic factors on real estate return co-movement appears to be greater at the long-term horizons than at the short-term horizons.
The Effect of Fibromyalgia on Disease Activity in Patients with Rheumatoid Arhritis

Methods: This was a randomized and prospective study conducted in 96 RA patients admitted to our rheumatic diseases outpatient clinic, diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1987 criteria at least for 2 years. Data composed of demographical properties, painful and swollen joints, duration of morning stiffness, level of pain by Visual Analog Scale (VAS), number of used disease-modifying antirheumatismal drugs (DMARDs), and disease duration of all patients. In addition C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), rheumatoid factor (RF), and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) levels were measured. Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28) was used to assess disease activity and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and short form (SF-36) were used to assess the quality of life. FM diagnosis was primarily made on the basis of the ACR 1990 FM criteria. After then, two groups were generated as FM-positive and FM-negative patients. Disease activity (DAS28), quality of life (HAQ and SF-36), morning stiffness durations, numbers of painful and swollen joints, pain levels by VAS, number of DMARDs used, duration of disease, and laboratory diagnosis as well as activity parameters (CRP, ESR, RF, and anti-CCP) were compared between the two groups.
Distribution, body size and biology of the megamouth shark Megachasma pelagios.

We compiled historical reports of megamouth sharks Megachasma pelagios (mostly fishery by-catch and strandings) from 1976 to 2018 (n = 117) and found that they are distributed globally (highest latitude, 36°) with three hotspots: Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines. Despite possible biases due to variability in fishing effort, more individuals were reported at higher latitudes in the summer, suggesting seasonal, latitudinal migrations. Sex ratios were female-biased in Japan, but more even in Taiwan and the Philippines, suggesting some sexual segregation. Females (total length, LT = 3.41-7.10 m) were larger than males (LT = 1.77-5.39 m) and matured at a larger LT (5.17 m) than males (4.26 m). Also, we reviewed the systematics, feeding ecology and swimming behaviour of Megachasma pelagios based on the literature. Our review shows that, compared with their morphology, anatomy and genetics, behavioural ecology of this species remains largely unknown and electronic tagging studies are warranted.
Keeping talents for advancing service firms in Asia

Purpose – Skill shortages worldwide have intensified the need for talent management. Few papers examine the pattern of human resource (HR) and talent management practices that help retain competent employees among service multinational companies (MNCs) in Asia. The purpose of this paper is to map out a number of HR practices used by service companies and to examine the effect of talent retention as perceived by MNC managers on service delivery capacity and business growth.Design/methodology/approach – A survey data of 281 service MNCs in six Asian countries (namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand) are used to compare country and sectoral differences. Standard multiple regression analysis is conducted to test the link between HR practices, employee retention, and service firm performance.Findings – The results confirm that there are statistically significant linkages between HR practices, talent retention and firm performance. In particular, various skill training and deve.
Habitat-related mtDNA polymorphism in the stored-bean pest Callosobruchus chinensis (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Abstract The genetic diversity of populations of the azuki bean beetle, Callosobruchus chinensis (Linnaeus) from natural, pre-harvest and post-harvest sites, was investigated to understand population structure and gene flow. A 522-bp fragment of the mitochondrial gene COI was sequenced for eight populations of C. chinensisfrom Japan, Korea and Taiwan collected from different habitats. Six haplotypes were detected, one of which, U1, occurred most frequently and widely. The following hypotheses were tested as a cause of the wide distribution of haplotype U1; (i) topographical separation (by national boundaries), (ii) host plant species, and (iii) habitat type (natural, pre-harvest crop, or post-harvest storage). Categorization of collection sites by country or by host species did not yield differences in the occurrence of haplotype U1, but habitat type did. Populations utilizing cultivated post-harvest hosts that were mass stored were highly likely to be the common haplotype, whereas host plants in natural habitats away from agriculture were utilized by populations with locally characteristic haplotypes. Sampling of commercial beans for quarantine and export purposes indicated that gene flow in C. chinensis was largely unidirectional into Japan at the present time.
An unprecedented outbreak investigation for nosocomial and community-acquired legionellosis in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND The environmental sources associated with community-acquired or nosocomial legionellosis were not always detectable in the mainland of China and Hong Kong, China. The objective of this study was to illustrate the control measures implemented for nosocomial and community outbreaks of legionellosis, and to understand the environmental distribution of legionella in the water system in Hong Kong, China. METHODS We investigated the environmental sources of two cases of legionellosis acquired in the hospital and the community by extensive outbreak investigation and sampling of the potable water system using culture and genetic testing at the respective premises. RESULTS The diagnosis of nosocomial legionellosis was suspected in a patient presenting with nosocomial pneumonia not responsive to multiple beta-lactam antibiotics with subsequent confirmation by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigenuria. High counts of Legionella pneumophila were detected in the potable water supply of the 70-year-old hospital building. Another patient on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis presenting with acute community-acquired pneumonia and severe diarrhoea was positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on both sputum and nasopharyngeal aspirate despite negative antigenuria. Paradoxically the source of the second case was traced to the water system of a newly commissioned office building complex. No further cases were detected after shock hyperchlorination with or without superheating of the water systems. Subsequent legionella counts were drastically reduced. Point-of-care infection control by off-boiled or sterile water for mouth care and installation of water filter for showers in the hospital wards for immunocompromised patients was instituted. Territory wide investigation of the community potable water supply showed that 22.1% of the household water supply was positive at a mean legionella count of 108.56 CFU/ml (range 0.10 to 639.30 CFU/ml). CONCLUSIONS Potable water systems are open systems which are inevitably colonized by bacterial biofilms containing Legionella species. High bacterial counts related to human cases may occur with stagnation of flow in both old or newly commissioned buildings. Vigilance against legionellosis is important in healthcare settings with dense population of highly susceptible hosts.
African and Australian Insect Repellents for Malaria Prophylaxis

Travelers to regions with Anopheles mosquitos infected with Plasmodium parasites need to prevent themselves contracting Malaria. There is no Malaria vaccine and chemoprophylaxis regimes are not 100 % protective against the disease, thus other Malaria prophylaxis measures must be implemented, including bite avoidance by applying insect repellent to exposed skin. The concentrations of active ingredients in insect repellents from Africa and Australia are investigated in this study. Hydrodistillation extracted the botanic ingredients from the African insect repellents and GC-MS analysis of these extracts revealed that both Botswana and Zimbabwe insect repellents contain citronella oil. The citronella oil concentration was between 40 % – 50 % in the African insect repellents. Repeated separatory funnel extractions recovered the DEET from Australian insect repellents. GC-MS analysis of these extracts determined that Repel Tropical Strength insect repellents contained 22 % DEET and Bushman Ultra Aerosol insect repellents contained 35 % DEET. There are no safety regulations for insect repellents in sub-Saharan Africa. Thus the effectiveness of insect repellents investigated in this study is compared with the minimum requirements for insect repellent retail in another Malaria endemic tourist destination, Thailand. Neither African insect repellents met the minimum requirements for insect repellent retail in Thailand. Conversely, both Australian insect repellents met the minimum requirements for insect repellent retail in Thailand. Only the Bushman Ultra Aerosol insect repellents met the more stringent insect repellent recommendations of Australian travel doctors for patients travelling to Malaria endemic countries. ; ;
Surgical Management of Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Women: Outcome and Quality of Life Assessment

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) or Acne inversa sometimes re-ferred to as Verneuil’s disease, is a rare and debilitating condition arising in the intertriginous folds that bear apocrine glands (axillae, groin, perineum, pubis, ano-genital area). It has a deleterious impact on the life of affected persons who tend to be more depressive and poorly socially and sexually connected because of pain, malodor and stigmatization. Methods: We con-ducted a retrospective study in Henri Mondor Hospital in Créteil, France, in order to assess the effectiveness of surgery as a radical treatment and also assess the factors related to recurrence and the surgical and sexual satisfaction in women operated for severe HS of perineum and genitalia. Results: Fif-ty-five women were included. We got a recurrence rate of 23.6%. 66.7% of recurrence occurred after localized excision. 83% of patients were satisfied with surgery results and would undergo a revision surgery or recommend it. The factors significantly associated with recurrence were overweight (p = 0.0046), location in groin (p = 0.0040), localized excision (p = 0.02), total excision (p = 0.009), healing via secondary intention (p = 0.001) and disability due to HS (p = 0.006). Assessment of sexual response thanks to the FSFI showed an alteration of all the domains of sexual response but the composite index of 18.51 was below the threshold to diagnose pathologic sexual condition.
Adequate Dietary Intake and Vitamin D Supplementation: A Study of Their Relative Importance in Determining Serum Vitamin D and Ferritin Concentrations during Pregnancy

Vitamin D is essential for human health. However, it is not clear if vitamin D supplementation is necessary for all pregnant women. This study examines the relative importance of dietary patterns and vitamin D supplementation frequency in determining serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and ferritin concentrations among pregnant women in Hong Kong, China. A total of 572 healthy women were recruited from antenatal clinics at 25–35 weeks pregnant. Participants completed an electronic version of the food frequency questionnaire and a web questionnaire on supplement use. Their blood samples were tested for serum 25(OH)D and ferritin. The associations of dietary patterns and vitamin D supplementation frequency with serum 25(OH)D and ferritin concentrations were analyzed using moderated hierarchical regression. Two dietary patterns were identified. The adequate dietary intake was characterized by the high probability of meeting recommended daily food group servings, whereas the inadequate dietary intake was characterized by inadequate consumption of vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and eggs, or alternatives. The association between adequate dietary intake and serum ferritin concentrations was independent of vitamin D supplementation frequency (β = 0.05, p = 0.035), but dietary patterns interacted with vitamin D supplementation frequency to determine serum 25(OH)D concentrations (β = −13.22, p = 0.014). The current study presents evidence on the relative importance of dietary patterns and vitamin D supplementation in maintaining sufficient vitamin D and iron in pregnancy. Antenatal nutrition counselling services should be provided to pregnant women who show signs of inadequate dietary intake.
Consequences of Russian invasion on Ukraine: evidence from foreign exchange rates

PurposeThe stability of exchange rates facilitates international trade, diminishes portfolio risk, and ensures that economic policies are effective. The war in Ukraine is showing that the European financial system is still fragile to external shocks. This paper examines the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on five Euro exchange rates. The final goal is to empirically test whether the ruble caused the euro to depreciate with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Design/methodology/approachThe exchange rates analyzed are Euro/Russian Ruble, Euro/US Dollar, Euro/Japanese Yen, Euro/British Pound, and Euro/Chinese Yuan. The data collected are daily and cover the period from November 1, 2021, to May 1, 2022. In this context, the changes in the FX rates reflect two months of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The FX rates used in the study contain 137 observations indicating five months of daily series.FindingsThe results from impulse response function, variance decomposition, SVAR, and VECM indicate that the EUR/RUB significantly influenced the Euro devaluation. On the other side, the FX rates used in our work altogether hold long-run cointegration. The situation is different in the short run, where only EUR/RUB, EUR/USD, and EUR/CNY possess significant relations with other parities.Originality/valueThe Ruble is not among hard currencies, but its position strengthened during this period due to the importance of Russian gas to the Eurozone. The results indicate that even weak currencies can be influential depending on the geopolitical and economic situation. To this end, diversification remains a valid concept not only in portfolio construction but also for the preservation of the national economy.
Estimating the Time-Varying Rate of Transmission of SARS in Singapore and Hong Kong Under Two Environments

In modeling disease transmission there is much emphasis on how many people are infected but less attention is paid to when the infections occur, and the unrealistic assumption of constant infectiousness is often made. We propose a missing data formulation that enables us to apply the ECME algorithm to estimate a discretized intensity function of an inhomogeneous Poisson process. This approach requires interval-censored data only, but known infection times can be incorporated as well. We apply the proposed method to transmission data on severe respiratory syndrome (SARS) collected in Singapore and Hong Kong. The resulting estimates show that the rate of infection as a function of time may have more than one peak. By fitting a two-environment proportional intensity model to the Singapore data, we estimate that the rate of infection in an (unisolated) hospital environment is almost ten times greater than occurs in a nonhospital environment. This lends support to the theory that the SARS epidemic in Singapore was mainly driven by hospital-acquired infections. Estimates of individual infectivity reveal that three persons commonly regarded as “superspreaders” actually do not have unusually high individual infectiousness. The observed superspreading events seem to have been caused by environmental rather than biological factors.
Sport International Do physical education teachers and general teachers differ in their implicit anti-fat bias?

The purpose of this study was to examine implicit attitudes of physical education (PE) and non-PE teachers towards overweight children stratified by gender, age, and body mass index. Two hundred school teachers (50% PE and 50% non-PE), aged 23-60 (mean=33.5 years) from Hong Kong, China, completed the validated implicit association test to measure attitudes towards overweight children. On the good-bad scale, there were no significant differences between scores for type of teacher. Younger teachers showed more weight discrimination against overweight students compared to their older counterparts. The interaction between type of teacher and gender was significant for the motivated-lazy score. Compared to PE teachers, non-PE teachers demonstrated less discrimination toward the overweight students on motivated-lazy score. Teachers demonstrated implicit weight discrimination toward overweight students. PE teachers are more prone to negative stereotypes related to motivation and laziness. The order of