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Since the 'rediscovery' of the Selden map of China, an early seventeenth century map of Asia, in the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the importance of the map in our understanding of globalisation in the early seventeenth century has been recognised. One of the unresolved questions is the origin of the map. This paper addresses the question through material evidence provided by a holistic approach using a suite of complementary analytical techniques. The map was examined in situ and non-invasively by a remote spectral imaging instrument (PRISMS) modified for close range imaging, which was followed by a range of complementary techniques applied to a number of detached fragments, though most of the techniques are non-invasive and can be applied to the map directly in the future. The binding medium was found to be a gum, almost certainly gum Arabic, rather than the animal glue commonly used in Chinese paintings. Some of the pigments and their usage were found to be at odds with the common practice in paintings from China. The detection of gum Arabic, a binding medium used by the Europeans, South and West Asians and the use of a mixture of orpiment and indigo, commonly found in European, South and West Asian paintings gives further evidence on the unusual origins of this map. The likely detection of a basic copper chloride, such asatacamite, in the green areas suggests an influence from the South and West Asian rather than the European tradition. Detailed analysis of the various spectral bands of the spectral image cube along with visual inspection of the large scale colour image showed that the map was not fully planned at the beginning but rather painted in stages, at times by trial and error and that it was unfinished. A new hypothesis for the origin of the Selden map in Aceh Sumatra is proposed based on the new evidences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Diabetes and related metabolic syndromes represent a significant global health challenge, with the global burden of diabetes increasing considerably since 1990. In this article, we examined the trend of publications in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism between 1996 and 2021, focusing on Asian countries. Methods: We obtained and used the data from the Scopus database from the SCImago website (https://www.scimagojr.com/), on 1 April 2023, related to the subspecialty of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism for country rankings between 1996 and 2021. We did not include any data related to other medical specialties or other fields. Results: There has been a steady rise in global publications on these subspecialties over the past decade, with the number of publications from Asian countries increasing significantly. Western Europe recorded the highest number of publications, followed by North America and Asia. The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to a surge in publications in this field. In Asian countries, China and India have notably increased their global contribution to publications, with China emerging as the top Asian nation in 2021. Conclusion: Our findings provide valuable insights into the research output from various countries and the productivity trends in Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism-related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the stimulus-organism-response theory, the present study aims to investigate the mediating role of environmental self-identity on the relationship of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment with employee's workplace green behavior. By adopting procedural remedy and purposive sampling approach, data was collected from 207 administrative employees in higher education institutions of China. Response rate in this study is 41.40%. The authors employed partial least square -structural equation modelling to validate the proposed hypotheses. The current empirical findings confirmed the direct effect of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment on employee's environmental self-identity. It is also proven that environmental self-identity significantly and positively influence employee's workplace green behavior. This study concludes with significant positive indirect impact of collectivism-organizational culture and green empowerment on the employees WGB through environmental self-identity. This study enriches the literature on sustainable development by examining the integrated relationship of collectivism-organizational culture, green empowerment, self-identity and green behavior. The limitations and implications have been elaborated at the end of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high prevalence of snoring in Asia, little is known about the genetic etiology of snoring and its causal relationships with cardiometabolic traits. Based on 100,626 Chinese individuals, a genome-wide association study on snoring was conducted. Four novel loci were identified for snoring traits mapped on SLC25A21, the intergenic region of WDR11 and FGFR, NAA25, ALDH2, and VTI1A, respectively. The novel loci highlighted the roles of structural abnormality of the upper airway and craniofacial region and dysfunction of metabolic and transport systems in the development of snoring. In the two-sample bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis, higher body mass index, weight, and elevated blood pressure were causal for snoring, and a reverse causal effect was observed between snoring and diastolic blood pressure. Altogether, our results revealed the possible etiology of snoring in China and indicated that managing cardiometabolic health was essential to snoring prevention, and hypertension should be considered among snorers. A genome-wide association study in the China Kadoorie Biobank identified four novel loci related to snoring, and highlights the relevance of cardiometabolic health to snoring prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mid-Pliocene warm period was the most recent geological period in Earth's history that featured long-term warming. Both geological evidence and model results indicate that East Asian summer winds (EASWs) strengthened in monsoonal China, and that East Asian winter winds (EAWWs) weakened in northern monsoonal China during this period, as compared to the pre-industrial period. However, the corresponding mechanisms are still unclear. In this paper, the results of a set of numerical simulations are reported to analyze the effects of changed boundary conditions on the mid-Pliocene East Asian monsoon climate, based on PRISM3 (Pliocene Research Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping) palaeoenvironmental reconstruction. The model results showed that the combined changes of sea surface temperatures, atmospheric CO concentration, and ice sheet extent were necessary to generate an overall warm climate on a large scale, and that these factors exerted the greatest effects on the strengthening of EASWs in monsoonal China. The orographic change produced significant local warming and had the greatest effect on the weakening of EAWWs in northern monsoonal China in the mid-Pliocene. Thus, these two factors both had important but different effects on the monsoon change. In comparison, the effects of vegetational change on the strengthened EASWs and weakened EAWWs were relatively weak. The changed monsoon winds can be explained by a reorganization of the meridional temperature gradient and zonal thermal contrast. Moreover, the effect of orbital parameters cannot be ignored. Results showed that changes in orbital parameters could have markedly affected the EASWs and EAWWs, and caused significant short-term oscillations in the mid-Pliocene monsoon climate in East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although emerging market firms (EMFs) seek to undertake aggressive cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As), many of the announced deals are not finalized. This study examines how the prior failure of EMFs to complete cross-border M&As may influence the likelihood of completing future deals. Challenging the conventional wisdom that failure is the mother of eventual success, we argue that EMFs' prior failure experiences may instead reduce the likelihood of their completing a subsequent deal. Moreover, the negative effect of prior failure experience is conditioned on firm capabilities to learn and the institutional contexts of the subsequent deals. Specifically, if EMFs have successfully completed cross-border M&A(s) or achieved a high degree of internationalization, they can learn more effectively from prior failure experience. Prior failure experience can be even more detrimental when the subsequent deal is carried out in an institutionally distant or more developed market. Based on over 30 years of data on cross-border M&As announced by EMFs, mostly from Asia, our analyses strongly support these propositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice bean (Vigna umbellata) is an underexploited domesticated legume crop consumed for dietary protein in Asia, yet little is known about the genetic diversity of this species. Here, we present a high-quality reference genome for a rice bean landrace (FF25) built using PacBio long-read data and a Hi-C chromatin interaction map, and assess the phylogenetic position and speciation time of rice bean within the Vigna genus. We sequence 440 landraces (two core collections), and GWAS based on data for growth sites at three widely divergent latitudes reveal loci associated with flowering and yield. Loci harboring orthologs of FUL (FRUITFULL), FT (FLOWERING LOCUS T), and PRR3 (PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR 3) contribute to the adaptation of rice bean from its low latitude center of origin towards higher latitudes, and the landraces which pyramid early-flowering alleles for these loci display maximally short flowering times. We also demonstrate that copy-number-variation for VumCYP78A6 can regulate seed-yield traits. Intriguingly, 32 landraces collected from a mountainous region in South-Central China harbor a recently acquired InDel in TFL1 (TERMINAL FLOWER1) affecting stem determinacy; these materials also have exceptionally high values for multiple human-desired traits and could therefore substantially advance breeding efforts to improve rice bean. Rice bean is an underexploited legume crop that has many desirable properties against bio and abiotic stresses. Here, the authors report the genome assembly of this species, conduct population genetics studies and reveal the genetic variations associated with adaptation and yield traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pullorum disease and fowl typhoid are among the most significant poultry diseases worldwide. However, the global burden of these diseases remains unknown. Most importantly, the parameters contributing to the prevalence of Salmonella Gallinarum variants are not well documented. Therefore, in this study, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of the global prevalence of Salmonella Gallinarum during 1945–2021. In total, 201 studies were identified for qualitative analysis (>900 million samples). The meta-analysis was subjected to over 183 screened studies. The global prevalence of S. Gallinarum (percentage of positive samples in total samples) was 8.54% (95% CI: 8.43–8.65) and showed a V-shaped recovery over time. Pullorum disease is most common in Asia, particularly in eastern China. Further investigations on chicken origin samples revealed significant differences in S. Gallinarum prevalence by gender, breed, raising mode, economic use, and growth stage, indicating a critical role of vertical transmission. Together, this study offered an updated, evidence-based dataset and knowledge regarding S. Gallinarum epidemics, which might significantly impact decision-making policy with targeted interventions. Measurement(s) S. Gallinarum positive samples Technology Type(s) Serological test • Molecular method (PCR) • Plate culture and identification • Biochemical test Factor Type(s) biovar • time • geographic sampling site • reservoir of bacteria • chicken breed • raising mode • economic use • growth stage • gender Sample Characteristic - Organism Animal Sample Characteristic - Location world [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eastern Asia is a major source of global air pollution. The distribution and intensity of these emissions are becoming well characterized, but their impact on the earth surface considering regional hydroclimatological settings has yet to be quantified. Here we show high-resolution spatiotemporal trace metal distributions of precipitation samples collected throughout the Japanese archipelago in 2013, when the world's coal consumption was the greatest, to depict the mass transportation and deposition of pollution. The results show that metals emitted through coal combustion transported from the continent via prevailing wind were intensively deposited along the western coast of the archipelago during winter due to heavy snowing, resulting in lead (Pb) concentration of precipitations exceed the critical level (> 10 μg l−1). About 1497 tons of Pb of continental origin loaded through wet deposition accounted for over ca. 87% of the total annual flux in 2013, which constituted ca. 18.5% of the total emissions from China in 2012. This study presents the first detailed picture of monsoon climate-controlled atmospheric metal transportation and loading in the hotspot region after the phase-out of leaded gasoline in the twentieth century. The dataset can serve as a base for evaluating the effect of countermeasures implemented recent year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: As the longest river in Asia, the Yangtze River flows through the most industrialized cities in China and provides critical ecological services for agriculture, industry, and transportation. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been banned for many years, but trace amounts of PCBs still exist as persistent organic pollutant in drinking water and are an ecotoxicological problem. In this work, we collected water, sediment, and suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples along the Yangtze River, to study the distribution and transport of PCBs for the risk assessment of the Yangtze River as a drinking water source. Results: The ΣPCBs concentrations in water, sediment, and SPM ranged in 0.04–11 ng/L, 0.33–69 ng/g, and 0.72–153 ng/L, respectively. The main pollutants were PCB17, 18, 28, 47, and 118 in the Yangtze River. The ffSW value of PCB18 and PCB28 all exceeded 0.50, whereas the ffSW value of PCB47 and PCB118 (except for PCB118 at Y-4) was less than 0.50. The toxic equivalent quantity (TEQ) range of PCBs in water and in sediment was ND–5.55 pg-TEQ/L and ND–2.51 pg-TEQ/g, respectively. Conclusions: In both water and sediment, lower chlorinated PCBs are dominant in the middle reaches and higher chlorinated PCBs are dominant at downstream. In contrast, SPM is dominated by tetra-CBs. The ffSW values reveal a net redissolution of lower PCBs from sediments to water but a net sorption of higher PCBs from water to sediment. The PCBs in water and sediment at downstream pose potential ecological risk, but the drinking water does not have a non-carcinogenic risk for humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial and temporal patterns in precipitation indices across Northwest China (NWC) during 1960–2011 were investigated using 11 previously defined indices. Results show that more than 50% of stations for wet-related indices exhibit increasing trends and the largest increases appear in winter, while 72.1% of stations display decreasing trends for consecutive dry days. The observing sites with positive trends are mainly distributed over mid-western NWC and northwestern Xinjiang, while the declining trends are concentrated in eastern NWC. Very wet days account for 23% of the total rainfall on average, combined with similar patterns of spatial distribution between annual total rainfall and precipitation extremes, suggesting that extreme, rather than moderate, precipitation moderates the variations in total rainfall. After the mid-1980s, the NWC exhibits a wetting tendency, and precipitation extremes tend to increase with larger magnitudes and fluctuations. During 1987–2011, the prevailing eastward wind field anomalies at 850 hPa and statistically significant increasing trends of geopotential height are found over the Eurasian continent from spring to autumn, together with enhanced anticyclonic circulation near 47° N and 100° E, providing favorable conditions for the occurrence of extreme precipitation events over NWC. While the circulation pattern in winter is distinct compared with other seasons, a convergence between eastward wind anomalies and southeasterly winds favors significantly positive increases in precipitation extremes. The well-organized wave train-like structures originated from the North Atlantic travel through Europe and central Asia and impact the precipitation extremes over NWC from spring to autumn during 1987–2011. Similar to wind field anomalies, the southeasterly water vapor fluxes are remarkable in winter. Generally, the approximately opposite circulation patterns dominate during 1960–1986 in comparison with those during 1987–2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Advances in Atmospheric Sciences is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The sensitivity of the East Asian summer monsoon to soil moisture anomalies over China was investigated based on ensembles of seasonal simulations (March-September) using the NCEP GCM coupled with the Simplified Simple Biosphere Model (NCEP GCM/SSiB). After a control experiment with free-running soil moisture, two ensembles were performed in which the soil moisture over the vast region from the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River valley to North China (YRNC) was double and half that in the control, with the maximum less than the field capacity. The simulation results showed significant sensitivity of the East Asian summer monsoon to wet soil in YRNC. The wetter soil was associated with increased surface latent heat flux and reduced surface sensible heat flux. In turn, these changes resulted in a wetter and colder local land surface and reduced land-sea temperature gradients, corresponding to a weakened East Asian monsoon circulation in an anomalous anticyclone over southeastern China, and a strengthened East Asian trough southward over Northeast China. Consequently, less precipitation appeared over southeastern China and North China and more rainfall over Northeast China. The weakened monsoon circulation and strengthened East Asian trough was accompanied by the convergence of abnormal northerly and southerly flow over the Yangtze River valley, resulting in more rainfall in this region. In the drier soil experiments, less precipitation appeared over YRNC. The East Asian monsoon circulation seems to show little sensitivity to dry soil anomalies in NCEP GCM/SSiB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]