Abstract: Taiwan's family structure has undergone significant transformation over the past few decades, influenced by modernization, evolving social norms, and economic changes. Traditionally, Taiwan followed a Confucian family model, with multi-generational extended families being the norm. However, since the 1980s, Taiwan has shifted toward a Westernized nuclear family structure, consisting of two parents and their children, driven by economic modernization. This transition has led to more diverse and, at times, fragile family structures, notably an increase in single-parent households, particularly those led by women.

The rise in single-parent households, especially single-mother families, reflects Taiwan’s changing social values, including increased divorce rates. Unfortunately, Taiwanese society continues to stigmatize single mothers, rooted in Confucian ideals that prioritize families often consisting of male-dominated leadership in which single mothers are seen as part of "broken family units." The persistence of Confucian family values in Taiwan continues to influence societal and governmental attitudes toward single-parent households. Single mothers, in particular, often find themselves excluded from welfare programs designed for traditional two-parent families, further deepening their marginalization.  These women not only face social stigma but also substantial challenges like financial hardship and inadequate government support. Such social marginalization significantly affects both the mothers and their children, who are at a heightened risk of economic disadvantage, emotional insecurity, and social isolation. The financial strain on these households often limits children's educational opportunities and emotional well-being. 

While single-father households have historically been more financially stable, recent changes in the labor market have made them increasingly vulnerable. Uneducated single fathers now face significant challenges in securing stable employment, which has led to more significant economic hardship. Additionally, single fathers tend to be less involved in their children’s lives, further exacerbating emotional and developmental difficulties for their children. Hence, notwithstanding some gender differences ingrained in the culture, pressure to conform to traditional Taiwanese family structures, combined with inadequate governmental support, makes it difficult for single parents and their children to escape the obstacles of financial hardship, socioeconomic stigma, and educational setbacks.

References

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2. Cheng, Y. A. (2020, Sept). Changing families in contemporary Taiwan. Taiwan Insight. https://taiwaninsight.org/2020/09/08/changing-families-in-conteporary-taiwan/

3. Cheng, Y, A. (2016). More education, fewer divorces? Shifting education differentials of divorce in Taiwan from 1975 to 2010. Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(33), pp. 927-942.

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5. Hong, Rei-Mei (2011) The lived experience of being a sole mother in Taiwan. PhD thesis, Queensland University of Technology.

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8. Lai, H. J. (2022). Social stigma and management strategies of unmarried single mothers in Taiwan. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 32:1, 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185385.2021.1934098

9. Lee, Ming-shan. (2021). On the Margins of the Nuclear Family: Single-Parenthood Stigma in Taiwan. Taiwaninsight.org.https://taiwaninsight.org/2021/01/25/on-the-margins-of-the-nuclear-family-single-parenthood-stigma-in-taiwan/ 

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11. Yang, Li-Ling. (2008, Sept.). The Life Stories of Motherhood Among Divorced Women in Taiwan. Journal of Nursing Research 16(3):p 220-230. | DOI: 10.1097/01.JNR.0000387309.19493.b0

     

    
     

Abstract:  Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CPRC) is the lethal stage of prostate cancer that persists after androgen deprivation therapy. There are four epigenetic subtypes of CRPC including stem cell-like (SCL) which is AR-low/independent and lacks therapeutic options. CRPC-SCL is driven by FOSL1, a transcription factor critical to the survival of this disease subtype. Here, I uncovered that ERK inhibition using small molecules leads to suppression of FOSL1 and decreased viability in CRPC-SCL models. These data suggest that targeting the MAPK-ERK signaling pathway serves as a potential therapeutic strategy for stem cell-like prostate cancer.

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Abstract: Gender-based price discrimination, or “The Pink Tax,” is an economic bias that sees one gender charged a different price for the same goods or services. This "tax" is commonly levied on feminine-marketed products. Thus, “female” goods targeting are comparatively more expensive than those marketed to males.  Previous research has confirmed the presence of gender-based price discrimination; this study expands this work by examining whether girls’ knowledge of these price disparities differs by high school type (single-sex or coeducational). Additionally, it evaluates the extent to which internalized sexism and/or relative masculinity vs. femininity contribute to adolescent girls’ knowledge. 

147 participants chose between a series of binary product choices (masculine-advertised or feminine-advertised). They also completed 1) The Traditional Masculinity-Femininity (TMF) scale and 2) a self-designed Internalized Sexism Scale. These instruments evaluated subjects’ attitudes towards masculinity/femininity and gender roles. Additionally, participants were asked to define gender-based price discrimination in a free-response question. Both quantitative and qualitative coding and statistical analyses were undertaken. Adolescent girls' masculinity/femininity index was strongly correlated with tendency to choose feminine-advertised products. Those who most accurately defined gender-based discrimination reported significantly lower levels of internalized sexism. Unexpectedly, no significant differences between girls attending a single-sex school and those enrolled in a coeducational institution were found for any dependent variable. This suggests a societal-level problem beyond the reach of school environment.

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Abstract: Suicide is a widely increasing issue across the United States, particularly in adolescents due to the hormonal change that occur at their age (1). However, most research centered around suicide have focused on the adult population. This brings in an important issue of how suicide interacts with adolescents. The YRBS data set was used to gather data on adolescent suicidal behavior and their health risk behaviors. There were three questions in the survey that had suicidal information, and the user input for these questions, each participant was categorized into 1 of 6 increasing categories of suicidal ideation. Chi-square tests of independence were used to select risk factors from the data set to add into the final regression model. A separate model was created for location, and odds ratios from the model showed that every borough sampled in New York City were 18 times less likely to have higher levels of suicidal ideation compared to other locations sampled. For the health-risk behaviors, once again odds ratios were calculated from the coefficients of the ordinal regression model. The risk factors with strong positive associations with suicidal ideation were forced sexual intercourse, followed by bullying and cyber bullying. On the other hand, risk factors with strong negative associations were getting 8 hours of sleep, eating breakfast everyday, and staying physically active everyday. The implications of the findings give future researchers clear questions to investigate to battle suicide in a largely neglected population.

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15. López-Sobaler, Ana M.a, et al. “Importancia Del Desayuno En La Mejora Nutricional y Sanitaria de La Población.” Nutrición Hospitalaria, vol. 35, no. 6, 2018, doi:10.20960/nh.2278.

Abstract: In modern digital communication, analyzing signals and reducing noise is essential in producing precise and audible sound files, accurately rendering images, or any process in which continuous analog input data needs to be digitized and mathematically manipulated. A prime example is a speech, in which even slight amounts of noise can lead from anywhere to slightly distorted to completely unintelligible sounds. Because human ears are relatively more sensitive to higher-frequency sounds than lower-frequency sounds, we are vulnerable to these unwanted noises, mainly consisting of high-frequency sounds compared to main sound sources such as voice. Thus, to emphasize and enhance the original signal, numerous systems have been designed to diminish noise and amplify the intended signal using filters (which serve to suppress certain characteristics of a signal. These noise-removing systems can be further improved by implementing proper algorithms and mathematical windowing functions to increase effectiveness. In this paper, we employ combinations of a Low Pass Filter (LPF) and various windows to find the best-fit LPF window combination to achieve the highest noise reduction efficiency. We implicated various filter designs at simple trigonometric functions and varying samples to substantiate and illustrate the noise-removing efficiency of nine unique selected filter designs. To collect data, we used MATLAB to analyze the audio files and execute the Fast Fourier Transform onto the original continuous analog voice.

Keywords: Noise reduction, Acoustics, Algorithm, MatLab, Fast Fourier Transform), Low Pass Filter

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