Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Associations between coping strategies and psychological distress among people living in Ukraine, Poland, and Taiwan during the initial stage of the 2022 War in Ukraine

ABSTRACT Background: The 2022 War in Ukraine has significantly affected the psychological well-being and daily lives of people in many countries. Objective: Two aims of this transnational study were (1) to compare psychological distress and coping strategies among people living in Ukraine, Poland, and Taiwan, (2) to examine whether the associations between various coping strategies (ie. problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and avoidance) and psychological distress (ie. depression, anxiety, stress, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and hopelessness about the ongoing war) differed among people of various countries during the initial stage of the 2022 War in Ukraine. Method: In total, 1,598 participants (362 from Ukraine, 1,051 from Poland, and 185 from Taiwan) were recruited using an online advertisement to complete online survey questionnaires, including the Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory; the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; the Impact of Event Scale-Revised; and a questionnaire devised to assess the level of hopelessness about the ongoing war. Results: Psychological distress and adoption of coping strategies differed across people of various countries. Among Taiwanese and Polish respondents, avoidant coping strategies were most strongly associated with all categories of psychological distress compared with problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies. However, the associations of various coping strategies with psychological distress differed to a less extent among Ukrainian respondents. In addition, problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies had comparable associations with psychological distress among the people of Ukraine, Poland, and Taiwan. Conclusions: The 2022 War in Ukraine has affected the psychological well-being of people, especially the Ukrainians. Because of the strong association between the adoption of avoidance coping strategies and psychological distress, despite a less extent among Ukrainian respondents, adaptive coping strategies such as (problem- and emotion-focused) are suggested to help people during times of war. HIGHLIGHTS The 2022 War in Ukraine affected the psychological well-being in Ukraine and elsewhere. Compared with problem- and emotion-focused coping strategies, avoidant coping strategies had stronger association with psychological distress, but it varied among different cultures.
Rumination about the Russo‐Ukrainian War and its related factors among individuals in Poland and Ukraine

The present study aimed to investigate the factors associated with the level of rumination about the war among people living in Poland and Ukraine. This cross‐sectional study recruited internet users from advertisements on social media. Levels of rumination, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), Impact of Event Scale‐Revised (IES‐R), time spent on news of the war, and related demographic variables were collected. The reliability and construct validity of rumination were estimated. Potential factors associated with the level of rumination were identified using univariate linear regression analysis, and further entered into a stepwise multivariate linear regression model to identify independent factors. Due to the non‐normality of distribution, multivariate linear regression with 5000 bootstrap samples was used to verify the results. A total of 1438 participants were included in the analysis, of whom 1053 lived in Poland and 385 lived in Ukraine. The questionnaires on rumination were verified to have satisfactory reliability and validity. After analysis with stepwise and bootstrap regression, older age, female gender, higher DASS and IES‐R scores, and longer time spent on news of the war were significantly associated with higher levels of rumination for both people living in Poland and Ukraine. Lower self‐rated health status, history of chronic medical illness and coronavirus disease 2019 infection were also positively associated with rumination for people living in Poland. We identified several factors associated with the level of rumination about the Russo‐Ukrainian War. Further investigations are warranted to understand how rumination affects individuals’ lives during crises such as war.
Comparitive study on culture economics of Litopenaus vannamei between summer and winter seasons along Tamilnadu coastal areas

Shrimp has arisen as a significant consumable product in the world seafood production. Many Asian countries like India, Indonesia, Taiwan, and Thailand have appeared as worldwide leaders in shrimp production. shrimp aquaculture has played a vital role by providing alternative source of income for shrimp farmers along the coastal districts of Tamilnadu and is considered as a sunrise sector for supporting economic development. In the present study summer culture maximum stocking density was done at Pattukottai (80m 2 ) and followed by Tuticorin region (70 m 2 ). In winter culture maximum stocking density was done at Pattukottai and Tuticorin district (60 m 2 ). In summer culture the maximum production cost was recorded in Tuticorin region (272Rs) and followed by Ramnad region (237Rs). The minimum production cost was recorded in Nagapattinam region (201Rs) and followed by Ponneri region (206Rs). In summer culture maximum profit obtained from Ponneri region (61%) and followed by Nagapattinam region (57%). The minimum profit recorded from Tuticorin region (22%). In winter culture maximum was recorded Nagapattinam region (56%) and followed by Ponneri region (55%). but in Pudukottai and Pattukottai region recorded same profit in both culture period.
A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE ON ATTITUDES IN STEM EDUCATION IN 2008-2022

This study employed a bibliometric analysis of research on attitudes in STEM education to identify patterns and themes within scholarly publications to address a research gap in the current literature. The publications indexed in the SCOPUS database on attitudes and STEM were analyzed to collect data. 173 articles were chosen for analysis. Bibliometric analysis revealed an upward trend in research publications between 2008-2022, with notable increases in 2013 and 2018 and between 2018 and 2022. Curtin University was the institution that contributed the most to the literature during this period. The results also showed that institutions from Australia, Taiwan, and the United States contributed equally to research on attitudes and STEM. Another finding is that the United States had the most publications on attitudes and STEM. The International Journal of Science Education was cited the most, followed closely by The Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Science Education. Barry J. Fraser and Jaquelynne S. Eccles are authors who were cited more than one hundred times in the publications. Based on the findings, implications for further studies are drawn. Keywords: attitudes in STEM, bibliometric mapping, STEM education, science education
F 32 THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF US AND JAPAN ON REAL INTEREST RATES AROUND THE PACIFIC RIM : 1982-1992 by Menzie

The Relative Influence of US and Japan on Real Interest Rates around the Pacific Rim This paper investigates the relative influence of US and Japanese real interest rates in the determination of local Pacific Rim rates, where influence is defined by the presence of common stoc hastic trends. Alternatively, we ask whether real rates are driven by the same shocks. Furthermore, the degree to which real interest parity holds is examined. Rather than searching for instan taneous real interest parity, this study searches for long run interest parity, allowing for a constant due to differing risk attrib utes and time invariant exchange risk premia. The cointegration testing methodology of Johansen (1988) is adop ted for this analysis, which allows for multiple cointegrating vecto rs. The results indicate that Hong Kong, Malaysia and Taiwan are int egrated with both the US and Japan (in terms of cointegration and positive covari ation), while only Singapore is solely integrated with the US. On the other hand Korea, and perhaps Indonesia and Thailand appear to be more closely linked with Japan. Real interest parity holds for only the following interest rate pairs: US-Singapo re, USTaiwan and Japan-Taiwan. JEL Codes: F36, C22, F32
Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Among Hong Kong Chinese Social Work Students

There is a dearth of research on social work students’ attitudes toward lesbians and gays in East Asian countries where intolerance toward nonheterosexuality has been documented. This article presents findings from the first study in Hong Kong using a Chinese version of Herek's Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG) to measure attitudes toward lesbian and gay men of 462 Chinese social work students. We found that students’ attitudes were generally favorable toward lesbians and gay men. Students with Christian beliefs tended to hold negative attitudes, though exposure to sexual diversity training was found to be significantly associated with favorable attitudes. The authors discuss implications of social work education in Hong Kong with reference to its unique cultural context.
Globalization and Marketization in Education: A Comparative Analysis of Hong Kong and Singapore

Dedication Foreword Introduction 1. Analytical Framework: Globalization and Educational Restructuring: Debates and Issues 2. Marketization and Higher Education in Hong Kong 3. Marketization and School Education in Hong Kong 4. Marketization and Higher Education in Singapore 5. Marketization and School Education in Singapore 6. A Comparative Study of Hong Kong and Singapore 7. Discussion and Conclusion References Index
A Cross-Cultural Study of Self-Report Depressive Symptoms among College Students

A study of self-report depressive symptoms as measured by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) was conducted in three Asian countries-Korea, the Philippines, and Taiwan - and in the United States. Mean scores for the 966 college students varied significantly across countries, with Korean students reporting high levels of depressive symptoms. Further, there are marked differences between countries in symptomatic manifestations, even after controlling for between-country differences in response set and overall level of symptoms. Future research addressed to cross-cultural differences in level and manifestations of depression should incorporate (a) research designs that control for identifiable measurement artifacts and (b) triangulation of measurement strategies.
The effects of resilience in learning variables on mathematical literacy performance: a study of learning characteristics of the academic resilient and advantaged low achievers in Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea

Abstract Many students from disadvantaged homes participating in Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 were classified as academic resilient (called disadvantaged high achiever, the DHA in this study). In comparison with peers of comparable home background status, there were also students from advantaged homes performing far behind standard in mathematical literacy performance (called advantaged low achiever, the ALA). Drawing data from the PISA 2012, this study sought to examine the similarities and differences in learning mathematics characteristics (ie gender, family and academic background, and resilience in learning variables) amongst students of the top five high-performing Asian economies, ie Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. The results of the logistic regression analyses showed that variables like family and academic background, as well as resilience in learning mathematics variables (eg familiarity with mathematical concept, mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics self-concept and mathematics anxiety) are able to predict whether a student of comparable disadvantaged (or advantaged) home background is more likely to be classified as DHA (or ALA) or not. The findings are important to shed light on the principles and methods of mathematics education so as to help the low achievers, whether advantaged or disadvantaged, to advance to higher level of mathematical literacy attainment.
An empirical test for Okun’s law using a smooth time-varying parameter approach: evidence from East Asian countries

This article investigates Okun’s law for Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore over the period 1986–2011. Two time-varying parameter models, first-order difference and gap models, are considered to find a negative time-varying relationship between the real output and the unemployment rate. The empirical findings show that there exist time-varying negative relationships between the real output and the unemployment rate for all economies. We also find that the estimated time-varying Okun’s coefficients are dominated by changes in the real GDP for Korea. However, the Okun’s coefficients are dominated by changes in the unemployment rate for Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.
When the Weakest Link is Strong: Secure Collaboration in the Case of the Panama Papers

Success stories in usable security are rare. In this paper, however, we examine one notable security success: the year-long collaborative investigation of more than two terabytes of leaked documents during the "Panama Papers" project. During this effort, a large, diverse group of globally-distributed journalists met and maintained critical security goals-including protecting the source of the leaked documents and preserving the secrecy of the project until the desired launch date-all while hundreds of journalists collaborated remotely on a near-daily basis. Through survey data from 118 participating journalists, as well as in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the designers and implementers of the systems underpinning the collaboration, we investigate the factors that supported this effort. We find that the tools developed for the project were both highly useful and highly usable, motivating journalists to use the secure communication platforms provided instead of seeking workarounds. We also found that, despite having little prior computer security experience, journalists adopted--and even appreciated--the strict security requirements imposed by the project leads. We also find that a shared sense of community and responsibility contributed to participants' motivation to meet and maintain security requirements. From these and other findings, we distill lessons for socio-technical systems with strong security requirements and identify opportunities for future work.
Catching Up and Convergence: Long-Run Growth in East Asia

The paper attempts to combine the traditional learning model with the recent theory of economic growth using Maddison's long-run real GDP per capita data of the three fastest growing countries in East Asia: Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. The authors first explain games of catching-up among nations, and then explain the learning coefficients of Taiwan and Korea with Japan and the United States through periods before and after World War II. The model of leaning leads to the logistic model of economic growth of convergence between two countries. Using time-series data, the coefficients of a logistic model are estimated to confirm that the real GDP per capita of Taiwan and Korea are converging to that of Japan and the United States, respectively. Similarly, Japan's GDP per capita converges to that of the United States. The time required for finite convergence for these countries is also estimated.
Minimum Shareholding Requirements for Insiders: Evidence from Taiwanese SMEs

We suggest that Taiwanese authorities should lessen ownership obligations, thereby leading to improved corporate governance by increasing the independence of the boards of directors. Emerging markets can learn from the Taiwan experience and then formulate their own regulations. Publicly traded SMEs could offer compensation to insiders such as stock options and performance shares. Asymmetric information problems often experienced by outside stockholders and foreign investors can be alleviated by these signals of insider ownership. Our evidence supports both convergence-of-interests and entrenchment effects and suggests a better specification that prevents spurious relations obtained from traditional methods. The stewardship theory does work in Taiwan. Insiders behave as loyal stewards rather than motivated by desire for entrenchment. Our empirical evidence suggests an avenue of future research, specifically to form better strategies for those involved in corporate governance. We apply new empirical methods to a balanced panel dataset including 496 firm-level observations of 62 Taiwanese SMEs publicly traded from 1999 to 2006. The results show a nonlinear ownership-performance relationship, first negative then positive, with a single threshold value of insider ownership (5.4 per cent). This indicates that both effects combine and that the current regulated minimum level of insider shareholdings for public SMEs may be too high. This study aims to evaluate the suitability of Taiwan's minimum shareholding requirement for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and to examine whether stewardship theory and both incentive and entrenchment effects can characterize the ownership-performance relationship simultaneously.
The Role of R & D in Explaining Total Factor Productivity Growth in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan

We explain total factor productivity growth (TFPG) residuals for Japan, South Korea and Taiwan by expenditure on basic applied and experimental research in each of the three countries. We find that, overall, there is evidence that R & D expenditures in these countries had a positive impact on TFPG. This suggests that growth in these countries, contrary to a recent assertion by Krugman (1994), is not simply explained by input accumulation.
Geographical variations in bacterial communities associated with soft coral Scleronephthya gracillimum

Environmental impacts can alter relationships between a coral and its symbiotic microbial community. Furthermore, changes in the microbial community associated with increased seawater temperatures can cause opportunistic infections, coral disease and death. Interactions between soft corals and their associated microbes are not well understood. The species Scleronephthya gracillimum is distributed in tropical to temperate zones in coral assemblages along the Kuroshio Current region. In this study we collected S. gracillimum from various sites at different latitudes, and compared composition of their bacterial communities using Next Generation Sequencing. Coral samples from six geographically distinct areas (two sites each in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea) had considerable variation in their associated bacterial communities and diversity. Endozoicimonaceae was the dominant group in corals from Korea and Japan, whereas Mycoplasma was dominant in corals from Taiwan corals. Interestingly, the latter corals had lower relative abundance of Endozoicimonaceae, but greater diversity. These biogeographic differences in bacterial composition may have been due to varying environmental conditions among study locations, or because of host responses to prevailing environmental conditions. This study provided a baseline for future studies of soft coral microbiomes, and assessment of functions of host metabolites and soft coral holobionts.
Management and Ecological Note Does larval duration contribute to population genetic isolation of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica ?

Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica Temminck & Schlegel, is a temperate catadromous fish with a long migratory loop and lengthy leptocehalus stage. Its freshwater distribution ranges from Taiwan, through Mainland China, Korea, and north to Japan (Tesch 2003). The spawning ground of this species is presumed to be in the western Mariana Islands near 14–16 N 142 E (Tsukamoto 1992, 2006). The leptocephalus larvae drift from their spawning grounds with the North Equatorial Current (NEC) followed by Kuroshio Current (KC) to reach the coasts of Northeast Asia (Tsukamoto 1992; Cheng & Tzeng 1996). They then metamorphose into glass eels along continental shelf and enter estuaries and fresh water for growth. In the past, the concept of panmictic populations for Japanese eels was accepted based on evidence from mtDNA sequences (Sang et al. 1994; Ishikawa et al. 2001). However, Tseng et al. (2006) divided the genetic populations of the Japanese eel into low-latitude (South China and Taiwan) and high-latitude (Japan, Korea and North China) groups based on microsatellite DNA. They suggested that most progeny tend to be transported back to similar locations as their ancestors. The mechanism of how Japanese eel is separated into two stable populations remains a puzzle. Japanese eel appears to spawn in a restricted area and the larvae are passively transported by the NEC and KC, which exhibit considerable changes in speed, eddy structure and route at daily, monthly or even annual levels (reviewed in Aoyama 2009). If two genetic populations for the Japanese eel exist, there must be a mechanism for the non-random return of larvae to the place where their parents formerly resided. In the wild, populations of many organisms are composed of a mixture of individuals that reproduce at different times within a reproductive season
Reproductive Biology and Natural History of the White-lipped Pit Viper ( Trimeresurus albolabris Gray, 1842) in Hong Kong

—The White-lipped Pit Viper (Trimeresurus albolabris) is broadly distributed through South and Southeast Asia, and very little is known about the natural history of the species. In this study, we report on the ecology, demography, reproductive states, and growth rates of T. albolabris in Hong Kong, China. The sex ratio is even in Trimeresurus albolabris populations. This species displays sexual dimorphism from birth. Females attain larger sizes, and all males, including neonates, displaying a white supralabial stripe on the head and have longer relative tail lengths. Males attain sexual maturity at about 410 mm snout-vent length (SVL). Females reach sexual maturity at about 460 mm SVL, but only begin reproducing at about 520 mm SVL. Mating occurs between August to October, coinciding with the onset of spermatogenesis. Trimeresurus albolabris displays post-nuptial vitellogenesis, and long-term sperm storage in females likely occurs over the winter. Females gestate over the summer and parturition occurs in late July to August. Females reproduce once every two or more years, except for very large females that may reproduce annually. Brumation by females occurs within the first three weeks of December, but snakes will emerge to bask on sunny days. Understanding its demography and reproductive ecology can provide insights into the conservation and management of T. albolabris populations in the region and increase our understanding of sexual dimorphism, reproduction, and evolution of the cryptic Trimeresurus species complex.