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Background: Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B cell malignancy that can be aggressive and with a poor prognosis; the clinical course is heterogeneous. The epidemiology of MCL in Asia is not well documented but appears to comprise 2–6% of all lymphoma cases based on available data, with variation observed between countries. Although international guidelines are available for the treatment of MCL, there is a lack of published data or guidance on the clinical characteristics and management of MCL in patient populations from Asia. This paper aims to review the available treatment and, where clinical gaps exist, provide expert consensus from the Asian Lymphoma Study Group (ALSG) on appropriate MCL management in Asia. Body: Management strategies for MCL are patient- and disease stage-specific and aim to achieve balance between efficacy outcomes and toxicity. For asymptomatic patients with clearly indolent disease, observation may be an appropriate strategy. For stage I/II disease, following international guidelines is appropriate, which include either a short course of conventional chemotherapy followed by consolidated radiotherapy, less aggressive chemotherapy regimens, or a combination of these approaches. For advanced disease, the approach is based on the age and fitness of the patient. For young, fit patients, the current practice for induction therapy differs across Asia, with cytarabine having an important role in this setting. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) may be justified in selected patients because of the high relapse risk. In elderly patients, specific chemoimmunotherapy regimens available in each country/region are a treatment option. For maintenance therapy after first-line treatment, the choice of approach should be individualized, with cost being an important consideration within Asia. For relapsed/refractory disease, ibrutinib should be considered as well as other follow-on compounds, if available. Conclusion: Asian patient-specific data for the treatment of MCL are lacking, and the availability of treatment options differs between country/region within Asia. Therefore, there is no clear one-size-fits-all approach and further investigation on the most appropriate sequence of treatment that should be considered for this heterogeneous disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary internal migration is an important livelihood strategy but there have been inconsistencies in its conceptualisation and measurement which limit understanding of the phenomenon across diverse geographical contexts. This paper explores the ontological category of temporary internal migration and how it is defined and measured in eight Asian countries. We identify three broad approaches to measurement: Place of enumeration; Multilocality and Administrative measures. Using these data, we undertake comparisons of migration intensity, age profiles, and rural- to-urban flows across countries in our sample. Our findings indicate that temporary migration ranges between 0.3 to 2.9 per cent of the population—likely an underestimate of internal temporary mobility. Applying an average intensity of 1.5 per cent to all Asian countries yields an estimate of 71 million temporary internal migrants in any given year. Analysis of age profiles reveals that temporary internal migration peaks not only at young adult ages, but also at older ages in selected countries, pointing to the importance of consumption-related movements in some settings. The geographical patterns are also diverse with rural-to-urban flows matched by significant rural-to-rural and urban-to-rural flows. The paper concludes with recommendations for advancing both the conceptualisation and measurement of temporary internal migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community Eye Clinics (CEC) increase accessibility of specialist ophthalmic services in the community, reducing demand for tertiary eye services. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of CEC on first-visit referrals from Hougang Polyclinic (HOU) to Tan Tock Seng Hospital Ophthalmology Specialist Outpatient Clinic (SOC). A retrospective analysis was performed on first-visit referrals from Hougang Polyclinic (HOU) to Tan Tock Seng Hospital Ophthalmology Specialist Outpatient Clinic (SOC) over a similar 3-months period before and after the introduction of CEC in August 2018 (1 January to 31 March in 2018 and 2019, respectively). Data pertaining to patients' presenting complaints, referral reasons, final diagnoses, follow-up plans, and need for ophthalmic intervention were obtained. We included 978 patients in our study. There was a 27.5% reduction in the number of first-visit referrals seen at SOC after the establishment of CEC. Patients were more likely to be referred on to sub-specialty eye clinics (10.8% vs. 12.9%, p= p =.304) and receive more ophthalmic interventions (15% vs. 16.3%, p =.066) than prior to CEC. The CEC provides greater accessibility to eye care within the community. Optometrists are upskilled to manage patients with stable eye conditions, whilst eye specialists can provide timely care to the SOC for patients with more severe eye conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professor Gavin W. Jones dedicated an impressive 58-year career to extensive research on various aspects of population and development in Asia. As a seasoned consultant, he was pivotal in shaping population policies and programs in more than 10 Asian countries, impacting the region’s demographic landscape. Throughout his illustrious career, Gavin has left an indelible mark through his prolific publications, with 30 books, over 180 journal articles, and book chapters. His body of work covered various demographic subjects in the Asia-Pacific region, significantly contributing to our understanding of population dynamics in Southeast, South, and East Asia. His research has been instrumental in informing policy decisions in these regions by providing evidence-based recommendations. In addition to his consultancy and academic achievements, Gavin actively engaged in professional networks, fostering collaborations and facilitating knowledge exchange among fellow demographers and researchers. His commitment to mentorship has been invaluable, nurturing emerging demographers and supporting the next generation of population scholars in population and development. The present paper aims to delve into Professor Gavin W. Jones’s specific contributions to elucidate the intricate relationship between population and development, an area that inevitably intersects with other papers in this festschrift on marriage, fertility, and urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reciprocal trade agreements (RTAs) have proliferated rapidly in Asia in recent years, an unprecedented phenomenon in a region in which state-led institution-building efforts were largely unsuccessful during the Cold War years. In this article, we investigate the qualitative provisions of RTAs in Asia, focusing on agreements that are professedly geared toward trade liberalization through reciprocal exchanges of trade concessions. We build on the concept of credible commitment--that states "tie their hands" through international agreements and thus signal strong commitment to trade liberalization. We argue that a broad range of agreement provisions will affect an RTA's ability to achieve its primary objective: trade liberalization. We present a coding scheme that measures the strength of a wide variety of provisions in the legal texts of RTAs. Using quantitative analysis, we analyze the impact of various components of Asia's RTAs on participants' trade flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the ties between Latin America and Asia by moving beyond the homogenisation of the two regions through elevating the importance of opposition to a third party, in this case an "imperialist" and developed North. In contrast to normative analyses based on outmoded conceptions of world history, it proposes an intellectual exercise that problematises the interregional bond by placing the emphasis on heterogeneities rather than broad bush approaches that ignore the complex and diverse national and regional realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights Professor Gavin Jones’ seminal work on Asian divorce patterns, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia’s Muslim communities. Beginning in the 1980s, Jones addressed the challenges of fragmented and often unreliable demographic data on divorce. With careful compilation and analysis of aggregate data, paired with firsthand surveys and ethnographic studies, he set a foundation for examining shifting divorce trends in Southeast Asia. His findings challenged prevailing ethnocentric perspectives and questioned the notion that modernisation invariably leads to rising divorce rates. Jones stressed the importance of understanding divorce within the broader social, cultural, and historical contexts of the respective societies. Beyond his individual research, he was instrumental in cultivating a community of scholars studying marriage and divorce in Asia and fostering collaborations. Jones’ insights into Asia’s demographic shifts have been invaluable, and his legacy will continue to influence demographers for generations to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we pay tribute to the late Emeritus Professor Gavin W. Jones and his outstanding contributions to the scholarship on marriage. Following a chronological assessment of his large body of work on marriage, we reflect on Gavin’s general approach to research changing marriage patterns within and across diverse regions of Asia. His approach to studying marriage went beyond the conventional demographic focus on examining shifts in age at first marriage. He showed how examining shifting patterns across different, yet interrelated aspects of marriage offered an important window to understand the broader complexities of economic and socio-political change in the region; showing why there is much more to demography beyond counting births, deaths, and migration. As two generations of demographers, we reflected how his work and approach to research continue to influence our research and engagement with the region. Gavin’s legacy extends beyond demography and Indonesian/Malay studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid internet penetration and technological advancements have facilitated accessibility to internet-enabled devices globally. Since Asia lacks comprehensive data on internet addiction among college students, this review aims to estimate its pooled prevalence. This was a systematic review and meta-analysis. Searches were conducted in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and MEDLINE from their inception through August 2022 using terms appropriate to internet addiction and Asian countries/territorial for publications in English peer-reviewed journals. The studies included those done on current college students and provided unambiguous indicators of the threshold of internet addiction. The pooled prevalence was calculated through a random-effects meta-analysis by RStudio software, and I 2 statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist was used for quality assessment. Overall, between 2007 and 2021, 39 papers comprising 45 effect sizes and totaling 58,058 participants met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of internet addiction among Asian college students was 24.3% (95% confidence interval: 19.8%–29.5%, Q = 6234, df = 44, τ2 = 0.79, I 2 = 99.29%), and strikingly, this percentage increased over time. A high degree of heterogeneity was seen, and no publication bias was found. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive review report on Asian college students, which found that one-fifth suffer from internet addiction. The findings emphasize the significance of multidisciplinary prevention and management strategies to mitigate the harmful effects of internet addiction. Further research is warranted to develop a standardized diagnostic tool for a more precise estimation of internet addiction among this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: South and South-East Asian countries report a great liability for the world's road traffic injuries (RTIs) and deaths. A vast number of research studies tested various interventions including specific protective devices to prevent accidents, but no review papers have been conducted to find out the prevalence of RTIs in South-East and South Asian countries. Objective: This review paper was an attempt to find out the prevalence of RTIs and their associated factors in South-East and South Asian countries. Methods: Following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we searched the articles in the electronic databases of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Articles were selected if they reported the prevalence of RTI, or road traffic accident (RTA) deaths. In addition, a data quality assessment was done. Results: Out of the 10,818 article hits from the literature search, ten articles found the eligibility and inclusion criteria. Most of the studies reported that males are involved in the RTIs more than females. The male mortality rate is more than the female mortality in RTI mortality. Young adult males are the major victims when compared with the different age groups of male victims. Two-wheelers are the major contributors to the accident rate. Religious or national festivals are not free from accident-prone times. Climatic seasons and nighttime have a major influence on the RTIs. RTIs are increasing due to the sudden and huge increase in the number of motor vehicles and the development of cities and towns. Conclusion: Accidents are non-predictable but controllable disasters in society. Overspeeding, bad conditions on road, the vulnerability of the vehicles, and careless driving are the major reported reasons for RTIs. Making and implementing strict laws can help us to control RTAs. The major effect on the reduction of RTI can be assured only with the presence of responsible people. That can be achieved only by creating awareness in society about traffic rules and responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the relationship between corruption and operational efficiency of airports in Asia, by analyzing a panel dataset of 26 Asian airports over the 2003–2019 period. Our estimation results for Asia confirm the findings for other regions that there exists a negative association between the operational efficiencies of airports and the corruption level in the country. Airports owned, operated and/or managed by government corporations (100% government) are the most affected, in that they experience significant loss of efficiency when located in a high corruption country. The residual variable factor productivity (RVFP) from the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) airport benchmarking reports is used as measure of airport operational efficiency. Regression analyses are applied to evaluate the relationship between airport efficiency and corruption. The results are robust to alternative corruption indexes. The findings of this paper have important policy implications for the management of large public infrastructure projects and airport governance reforms in Asia. • We assess the impact of corruption on airport efficiency in Asia. • The dataset covers 26 airports located in 10 Asian countries over the 2003–2019 period. • Residual Variable Factor Productivity is used as measure of airport efficiency. • Analyses show a negative association between airport efficiency and corruption in Asia. • Corruption impacts are stronger for airports under public corporations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the impact of education on domestic terrorism in Asian countries from 1970 to 2018. A control function approach is utilized to address the endogeneity of education on terrorism. Generally speaking, results show that education promotes domestic terrorism in Asia. Negative binomial regressions with and without control function are run for other parts of world to examine whether the patterns in Asia hold worldwide. Other important determinants of domestic terrorism in Asia include regime type, ethnic fractionalization, linguistic fractionalization, religious fractionalization, GDP per capita, and trade openness. This paper contributes to the literature by 1) applying a control function approach to control for possible endogeneity of education on terrorism, 2) analyzing exclusively Asia, a region where terrorism has been increasing rapidly over the last decade, (3) and focusing on domestic terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive relative humidity (RH) in combination with high temperature can lead to heat stress, often measured by the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT). The Clausius‐Clapeyron (CC) relationship implies that warming reduces RH if no extra moisture is added. Over coastal regions like eastern Asia, however, the predominant summer monsoon favours increased moisture transport from surrounding oceans as a result of enhanced evaporation driven by surface temperature increase. This would lessen the RH reduction by potentially two‐thirds. Based on two ensembles of climate model simulations, this paper examines the competing effects of near‐surface temperature, humidity and circulation patterns in this region and the consequential health risks. Under a high emissions scenario (RCP8.5/SSP5‐8.5), surface temperature could increase by 4 – 7°C with WBGT increases of several degrees by the end of the 21st century. Devastating extreme heat health events could therefore become a frequent occurrence as a result. Overall, our results show how humidity can be just as important as temperature when considering the risks to society of excessive heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid economic and industrial growth experienced in the Asian region has significantly increased waste production, particularly single-use plastic. This surge in waste poses a significant challenge for these countries' municipal solid waste management systems. Consequently, there is a pressing need for progressive and effective solutions to address the plastic waste issue. One promising initiative involves utilizing used plastic to produce components for asphalt pavement. The concept of plastic road technology has gained traction in Asia, with 32 countries displaying varying levels of interest, ranging from small-scale laboratory experiments to large-scale construction projects. However, as a relatively new technology, plastic road implementation requires continuous and comprehensive environmental and health risk assessments to ascertain its viability as a reliable green technology. This review paper presents the current findings and potential implementation of plastic-modified asphalt in Asian countries, with particular attention given to its environmental and human health impacts. While plastic asphalt roads hold promise in waste reduction, improved asphalt properties, and cost savings, it is imperative to thoroughly consider the environmental and health impacts, quality control measures, recycling limitations, and long-term performance of this road construction material. Further research and evaluation are needed to fully understand the viability and sustainability of plastic asphalt roads. This will enable a comprehensive assessment of its potential benefits and drawbacks, aiding in developing robust guidelines and standards for its implementation. By addressing these considerations, it will be possible to optimize the utilization of plastic waste in road construction and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of intra‐Asian labour migration is regulated on the basis of governing tools that aim at managing cross‐border movement of workers on a strictly temporary, employer‐tied basis. The key elements involved in the operationalization of strictly temporary migration are recruitment, remittances and return; these three 'Rs' are also central to global policy discussions around the migration‐development nexus. The core premise of this paper is that this strict framework results in a particular form of migrant precarity which in turn shapes migrant transnationality, leaving migrants with severely circumscribed labour agency. This leads to the argument that temporary migration paradigm as practiced in much of Asia constitutes involuntary transnationalism. The paper ends by arguing that based on proactive migrant rights activism, the involuntary character of transnationalism is being challenged by bringing a different set of 'Rs' into the discussion derived from global social policy and global justice perspectives: regulation, redistribution and rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of income inequality on political participation in Asia. Both conventional conflict theory and relative power theory suggest that inequality affects political participation, but they predict opposite directions. In this paper, I argue that the effects of inequality on participation depend on the type of political action: radical or institutional. To substantiate this claim, I analyze four Asian Barometer Survey waves from 2001 to 2014. Using nested models, I find that the effect of income inequality is conditional: it is positively associated with violent activities; has no significant correlation with less radical forms of protest; and is negatively associated with institutional actions, namely voting and persuading others to vote. While the effect does not depend on income level, regime type matters for certain activities. Political capacity, the perception of powerlessness, and trust in government are other potential factors in the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the emerging regional governance of migration from the perspective of migrant rights activists and their strategies in advancing a rights-based framework in contrast to the 'management' (i.e. control-centred) approach typically championed by states. The key objective is to use the study of civil society activism, through its nodes and networks, to develop a 'bottom-up' approach as an alternative to the dominant perspective taken on multilateral migration governance thus far. Drawing on Regulatory Theory, we conceive migration policy as a dynamic process that occurs at multiple levels involving a broad spectrum of institutional actors. In stressing the importance of the increasingly networked form that policy and political interventions are taking, our paper proposes a nodal account of migration governance which is applied specifically to civil society organisations' attempts to influence governance. Our empirical focus is the case of one key protagonist in the sphere of migrant rights advocacy, the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), which constitutes the largest network of migrant rights organisations spanning countries of origin and destination across most of Asia. Its central role, as we argue, is that of an interlocutor between intersecting and interacting organisational networks. In this sense, it takes on a 'nodal' function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social media content on Western platforms promoting thinness, or thinspiration, has been found to negatively affect body image perception of users. Less is known about non-Western social media use and its effects on body image concerns. Chinese TikTok, known as Douyin, is a popular short video platform with 600 million daily active users. Recent trends on Douyin encourage users to demonstrate thinness through participation in 'body challenges'. This paper argues that such content is comparable to thinspiration, however, to date hardly any research has been undertaken on these challenges. Thus, this pilot study aimed to analyse the content of three viral challenges and investigate their impact on Douyin users. Methods: Thirty most viewed videos were collected for three challenges (N = 90): the Coin challenge, the A4 Waist challenge, and the Spider leg challenge. Videos were coded for variables relating to thin idealisation, including thin praise, sexualisation and objectification, and analysed through content analytic methods. Video comments (N ≈ 5500) were analysed through thematic analysis, and main themes were identified. Results: Preliminary findings showed that participants who objectified their bodies to a greater extent expressed more negative body image concerns. In addition, comments on the videos had themes of thin praise, self-comparison, and promotion of dieting behaviours. In particular, videos of the A4 Waist challenge were found to incite more negative self-comparison in viewers. Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest all three challenges promote the thin ideal and encourage body image concerns. Further research about the broader impact of body challenges is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 'majoritarian turn' identified by scholars of Asian democracy in the 1990s saw the rise of mixed-member majoritarian electoral systems and more centripetal party competition across both Northeast and Southeast Asia. In this paper, we argue that since the 2000s, the institutional pendulum has shifted, with more consensual approaches to democracy appearing to better represent key identity cleavages of gender, ethnicity, and territory—a trend evident not just in East Asia but South Asia as well. This new 'Asian model' typically involves increasing the proportional components of existing electoral formulas and grafting gender quotas, multiethnic party lists, and quasi-federal elements onto ostensibly majoritarian state structures. We show that these reforms have, as intended, mostly increased female and ethnic minority representation and decentralized governance structures. At the same time, however, these de jure changes are not associated with de facto political development in terms of greater democratic quality, counter to theoretical expectations. Indeed, democracy has declined across most of Asia at the same time as its democratic institutions have become more consensual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 5th Asia Partnership Conference of Regenerative Medicine (APACRM) was held online on April 7, 2022 to promote regulatory harmonization of regenerative medicine products throughout Asia. The recognition of domestic regulatory guidelines within each country and region and the underpinning rationales are important initial steps toward the harmonization of regulations. The 5th APACRM featured open dialog regarding non-clinical, quality and environmental impact assessment settings for cell and gene therapy products through presentations from the industry and panel discussions with regulatory agencies. The latest updates on regenerative medicine fields in each country and region were also introduced. This paper summarizes the proceedings of the 5th APACRM for public dissemination to foster future discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is motivated by the question: how does governance emerge within social-ecological systems (SESs)? Addressing this question is critical for fostering sustainable transformations because it directs attention to the context specific and process intensive nature of governance as arising from the internal dynamics (i.e., interplay of feedbacks and interdependencies between the components) of SESs. This contrasts with the commonly held view of governance as an external intervention applied to a system. To systematically examine the recurrent patterns in how the internal dynamics promote/detract from the emergence of different types of governance, we applied archetype analysis to 60 selected cases of irrigation systems from Asia. Drawing inspiration from grid-group typology of cultural theory, we developed four specific archetypes: egalitarian, individualist, hierarchical, and fatalist. To build these archetypes, we applied a robustness framework and several other theories/perspectives to identify the different social-ecological and infrastructural attributes of irrigation SESs, and their interdependencies and feedback structures. We then used these attributes, identified through our theoretical review, to deductively code our selected cases and classify them into the different archetypes. The results show the different configurations of attributes that co-occur in each archetype, and how together these attributes and their inter-relationships lead to specific types of governance. Our archetype analysis also provides several interesting examples of fine-tuning between different SES attributes and how this fine-tuning is being threatened by various social and environmental changes. Through a systematic exploration of recurrent patterns using archetype analysis, our work builds on past efforts to apply ideas from complexity theory--specifically emergence--to unpack the complexities of SESs and offer practical guidance for fostering sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject: Peer‐support services was started in the 1970s psychiatric survivor movement in the United States of America (USA) due to the lack of transitional support for deinstitutionalized psychiatric patients.Delivered by peer‐support workers (PSWs) with lived experiences of mental health conditions, peer‐support workers use their experiential knowledge to help others with similar conditions.The paradigm shifts in mental health recovery has led to an increase in interest on peer‐support services among the Asia countries. What the paper adds to existing knowledge?: The diversity political and cultural differences in Asia makes it a unique for people to understand the mental health ecosystem that exist within.This review is timely as it provides the insights into the current state of peer‐support services for mental health consumers in Asia and the future research on them. What are the implications for practice?: First, this review provided a broad overview on the current types of peer‐support services and their implementation in Asia.Second, emphasized the importance and value of peer‐support services for individuals with mental health conditions in their journey towards recovery.Third, important to build a more positive image for peer‐support workers by assigning more clarity to their roles and systematizing training to hone their skills in providing peer support. Introduction: The increasing recognition and need for recovery‐oriented services led to the heightened interests of peer‐support services globally, including Asia. However, little is known about the peer‐support services in Asia as compared to the West, where peer‐support services primarily originated from and are well established. Aim: To examine available evidence on the implementation of peer‐support services for such consumers in Asia. Method: This scoping review was based on the Arksey & O′Malley's framework. A comprehensive search was performed across seven electronic databases. The grey literature was also searched through Open Grey and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses, alongside hand searching of the reference of the studies. Articles searched was from January 2000 to December 2021. Results: Three main themes were identified to provide an overview on peer‐support services for mental health consumers in Asia: the delivery of such services in Asia; Asian consumers' perceptions of them; and factors affecting their implementation. Discussion: Given their relative novelty in Asia, findings from this review represent useful insights for organizations and policy administrators when formulating such services. Implications for Practice: Future research should also focus on evaluating the effectiveness of such services in Asia and comparing their outcomes with other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a chronic mood illness that typically develops in the first few months after giving birth. It affects 17.2% of women worldwide, and its deleterious consequences on infants, children, and mothers have elicited global public concern. Therefore, this paper aims to present an overview of the relationship between emotional support and PPD among postpartum mothers in the Asia region. Methods: An extensive search using various keywords was conducted in Science Direct, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, JSTOR, Springer Link, and Taylor Francis. The screening process was compliant with the PRISMA guideline, while the quality of the selected studies was assessed using the QuADS tool. Results: The analysis included 15 research from 12 different countries with 6031 postpartum mothers. A decreased risk of PPD for postpartum mothers is shown to be significantly correlated with greater emotional support, and vice versa. Discussion: Asian women are less likely to seek emotional assistance than other mothers, which is influenced by culture. There needs to be more research on the impact of culture on postpartum mothers' emotional support. Additionally, this review hopes to raise awareness among the mothers' friends and family as well as the medical community to be more attentive to postpartum mothers' emotional needs and offer specialized assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many populist leaders and parties have succeeded in taking over the levers of state power, in spite of the fact that much of their political rhetoric in opposition expresses anti-state sentiments. This paper examines how populist leaders and parties in Asia have been able to use the institutions of the state, including education, to exercise and perpetuate their power. Focusing on the examples of India, the Philippines and Singapore, the paper shows how in each of these cases, populist politics consists in attempts to reconfigure the nature of the state and its relationship to civil society, often seeking to obliterate the distinction. A great deal of effort is put in to transform the institutions of the state, including education, making it possible for them to translate populist sentiments into governmental practice. This explains how, when in government, populists are often able to extend their appeal and influence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personal recovery is a relatively novel concept in many Asian countries, and recovery-oriented interventions are usually adapted from western conceptualizations of recovery. To understand what personal recovery in mental health means to people in Asia, what meanings they give to their conditions, and what factors they perceive as hindering or facilitating their recovery. The review focused on peer-reviewed papers published in English between the years 2000 and 2020. Arksey and O'Malley 5-stage method was used to guide the review. Thirty studies were included. Personal recovery in Asia meant a return to a pre-illness state and involved a transformative process. Mental illness was explained as being biomedically oriented, although religious/culturally bound explanations were also present in some studies. Social support, religion, meaningful activities, supportive professionals, and personalized coping strategies were viewed as supporting recovery. Religious stigma, discrimination, gendered norms, and negative societal perceptions of mental illness hindered recovery. The concept of personal recovery in Asia is extremely diverse. Studies exploring personal recovery among people experiencing mental illness in Asia remains in its early stages and more research is needed to better understand how it is conceptualized. Such knowledge could benefit frontline implementation of recovery-oriented services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The education pathways and opportunities of schoolgirls in Asia are facing different challenges. The empirical studies have implemented Information and Communication Technology-enabled learning to expand such pathways and opportunities and promote education inclusiveness and equity. Through the Gender Analysis Framework, this review paper focuses on exploring and discussing how ICT-enabled learning may expand schoolgirls' education pathways and opportunities in Asia for inclusive and equitable education. This review covers 30 studies that adopted ICT-enabled learning, synthesizes, and presents four key ICT-enabled learning approaches: Emerging technologies-enabled learning, Digital game-based learning, Mobile-enabled learning, and Computer-assisted learning. Our result discusses about how different approaches in this review (in)directly impact on schoolgirls' access to assets, their practice and participation in learning activities, belief and perception of their own and other stakeholders', and how policies accommodate these approaches. The review further suggests several guidelines to develop an inclusive learning environment enabled by ICT to education pathways and opportunities of schoolgirls, thereby enhancing education inclusiveness and equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease primarily affecting the small intestine that is caused by the ingestion of gluten in genetically susceptible individuals. The development of celiac disease is based on a complex immune response to gluten proteins. The global average prevalence in the general population is about 1%. In recent years, it has become clear that celiac disease is not less common in Asian countries than in Western countries but often remains undiagnosed. Although the number of patients with celiac disease in Asia is expected to increase with improving disease recognition and advances in diagnostic techniques, there remain few reports of celiac disease in the Far East region of Asia, especially in Japan. In this paper, we outline the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of celiac disease. In addition, we summarize the reported Japanese cases of celiac disease with an overview in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zone A in Nanpu Sag of Bohai Bay has the characteristics of multiple provenances, multiple sedimentary systems, fast phase transition, many faults, a short fault distance, thin reservoirs and rapid lateral changes. At present, due to the low resolution of seismic data and thin sand layer of the target formation, it is difficult to depict the channel sand body, and it is also difficult to meet the requirements of accurately implementing low amplitude structures, reservoir prediction and well location deployment. When a seismic wave propagates in the stratum, it has the characteristics of multi-scale, multi-resolution and multi-directionality, while the Curvelet transform has the advantage of expressing these characteristics. In this paper, according to the geological characteristics and seismic response characteristics of continental thin interbedded strata in zone A, the seismic data are first transformed to the Curvelet domain. Then, the formation absorption and seismic wave attenuation are compensated in the Curvelet domain. Lastly, the data mentioned above are inversely transformed into the time–space domain. This paper presents the method and process of using the Curvelet transform to enhance the resolution of seismic data in thin interbedded strata. The application of a theoretical model and field data show that this method can effectively enhance the resolution of seismic data while maintaining a high signal-to-noise ratio. The innovative use of this method in zone A lays the foundation for the follow-up work of this structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a comparative study of top-ranked Asiatic region journals of Library and Information Science discipline. SCImago Journal and the country rank was used to determine the top-ranked Asiatic journals in the domain of library and information science. Initially, top 10 journals were considered which filtered based on the coverage and SJR Ranked. A total of 6 Journals were considered for further evaluation and comparison, which meets different parameters and criteria. A comprehensive scientometric study was also presented of these six journals. Further, the paper presents the publication patterns of these six top-ranked journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financing climate change mitigation and adaptation in Asia is critical for its population and economies but also for those of the world. This editorial provides a commentary and overview of ten articles within this special issue of Climate Policy on 'Green Finance in Asia'. Contributions are diverse in terms of focus and methods. Most of the articles focus on managing transition risk with six of the articles having an energy focus; the dominant themes are the risk of stranded coal assets in China; the role of export finance by China and Japan for fossil fuel-fired power generation assets within Asia; and investment in renewable power generation and the policies to support such investment. The remaining four articles explore various policies in specific country contexts: the effects of green bond policies in China; the greening of monetary policy in China; the governance of sustainable finance in Indonesia; and policies to support investment and finance of off-grid electricity access in Bangladesh. Most of the ten contributions come from researchers in developed countries and principally from non-Asian countries, suggesting there is a need to develop green finance research capability and capacity across Asia. Despite being withing scope of the special issue, this collection does not contain papers on physical risk or adaptation finance. We highlight these as important gaps and priorities for future research. Key policy insights This editorial provides a commentary and overview of ten articles within this special issue of Climate Policy on 'Green Finance in Asia'. Most of the ten contributions come from researchers in developed countries and principally from non-Asian countries. There is a need to develop green finance research capability and capacity across Asia. Most contributions were focussed on transition risk, with limited or no focus on physical risk and adaptation finance. This likely reflects the multiple resource and expertise challenges faced when conducting physical risks assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National sports are highly valued throughout Asia, yet, political and administrative concerns impede the expansion of the sport system landscape. This study aims to investigate the effect of political governance structure on Asian sporting performance. To accomplish so, we analyzed the relationship between corruption control, government effectiveness, political stability, regulatory law, and national sports performance from 1998 to 2018 while controlling for the rule of law and accountability. The Generalized Linear Model and Partial Least Square estimators were utilized to examine the data. No significant association was observed between political and governance structure and national sports performance in the Asian countries under examination, according to the study's findings. The paper includes recommendations for further research and consequences for the government and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue examines how older adults anticipate and manage their futures through migration. Although ageing is often associated with decline towards the end-of-life, it is still a life stage where (the lack of) planning for the future can profoundly impact the life outcomes of older adults and their caregivers. This collection illustrates different ways migration can impact ageing. For some, perceptions and depictions of the future lead older adults to turn to migration to improve their prospects of ageing well although they continue to face constraints while ageing abroad. For others, the migration of younger family members exacerbates the stress of eldercare felt by non-migrant caregivers. Collectively, the papers focus on how countries in Asia function as source and destination sites for ageing-related migration, while also forging transnational connections with the Global North. Focusing on ageing futures allows us to link the current and future lives of migrants and non-migrants, across generations and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the reflections and discussions from a special session at the 2021 Global Health Bioethics Network summer school, this paper has summarised the key challenges faced by Frontline Workers (FWs) across research sites in Africa and Asia in performing the everyday 'body work' entailed in operationalising global health research. Using a 'body work' lens, we specifically explore and map key challenges that FWs face in Africa and Asia and the physical, social, ethical, emotional, and political labour involved in operationalising global health in these settings. The research encounter links with wider social and economic structures, and spatial dimensions and impacts on the FWs' performance and well-being. Yet, FWs' 'body-work' and the embedded emotions during the research encounter remain hidden and undervalued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue “Leisure and older adults in Asia.” Although the study of older adults’ participation in leisure has gained traction over the last decade, there is need to consider in greater depth the central role that leisure activities may play in the construction of identities and lifestyles in later life. The collection of articles in this special issue contributes to the emerging literature on the intersection of leisure and aging by presenting diverse contexts and methodologies to build a comprehensive understanding of leisure participation among older adults in China, India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore. They reveal a common thread highlighting the close relationship between leisure participation and various quantitative and qualitative markers of well-being and quality of life in old age, such as health, social participation, and sense of self. The papers also highlight the importance of leisure as a socio-cultural resource through which older adults can negotiate their experiences in later life. Through the different case studies and discussion, the special issue contributes to critical Asian perspective regarding the place of leisure within discourses of ‘productive’/‘successful’/‘active’ aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we leverage on a case study about the governance of groundwater and the hazard of land subsidence in Yunlin, Taiwan, to address the state's political strategies of producing 'hydro‐social territories'. Our goal is to examine how local agents and their knowledge of the socio‐technological system shape groundwater use, with particular attention on how that system has changed due to the governmentalized regulation of groundwater resources as a means to mitigate land subsidence. Drawing from the local agrarian development and its tube well irrigation networks that underlie the groundwater‐scape in this research, the paper demonstrates that the 'hydro‐social territory' itself is complicated, as local farmers who rely on groundwater are never fully controlled by the state, regardless of whether or not they use groundwater for agricultural cultivation or other purposes, yet at the same time, the intention of governmentalizing the local groundwater regime is concealed and has become more concrete with the introduction of new sciences and technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discrimination towards females – a trait of regional demography so far deemed unique to Asian countries – has inspired historians to revisit demographic series to look for instances of gender imbalances within Europe. In this paper, we show why a proper appreciation of Europe's experience of gender discrimination in the past may help us to understand the future of contemporary sex selection throughout Asia. We stress in particular how the demographic discrimination of females appeared to have vanished during the 20th century from all areas where it was reported earlier. We examine the main factors that may explain the gradual disappearance of the 'missing girls' from Europe. We finally discuss the best ways to identify the potential micro- or macro-mechanisms accounting for the transformations observed in Europe, using, in particular, the distinct trajectories of countries in Southeastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What insights can studies of son preference in Asia offer European historical demographers? Research on Asia is far easier than on historical Europe, given the scope for in-depth studies of a contemporary phenomenon instead of using available historical data. Levels of sex-selection have also been high in Asia, which makes it easier to analyze its correlates. This enables developing hypotheses that might be useful in studies of historical Europe. Studies in Asia indicate that, in rigidly patrilineal societies, son preference forms part of households' strategy for managing their assets and risks. The extent of sex-selection varied enormously over time within a given setting, rising sharply when households faced heightened risk --- such as war, or the unwinding of Communist regimes that offered communal access to resources --- and decreasing as modern state pension systems mature. These household strategies also affect the life-chances of other household members, including marriage restriction to reduce asset fragmentation. Kinship systems shape the rights of different categories of household members and the norms of cooperation between them — including between generations, spouses, and siblings of different genders and birth orders. This paper offers some hypotheses on the implications of variations in patrilineal kinship systems in Europe for the life-chances of different categories of household members. For purposes of constructing hypotheses that can be tested if data permit, the European kinship systems are contrasted in a stylized way, as those based on a 'lifeboat' ethic of jettisoning non-heirs from the household, versus those based on a more 'corporate' ethic in which the household seeks to support all its members. Historical demographers working on Europe have rich fields to explore, given the region's diversity: of kinship systems, of economic opportunities, and of exposure to major risks such as wars, famine, and the establishment and dis-establishment of Communism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a comprehensive review of economic geography studies on Asian international financial centers (IFCs) published from 2009, this paper aims to provide a sympathetic critique of the key research trajectories of financial geographies and to outline research gaps where economic geographers could contribute to the relevant literature. Economic geographers have identified a prominent change in the geographies of the international finance industry, with the rapid development and the emergence of inter-city networks among Asian IFCs, and suggested how the emerging FinTech industries could reshape the competitive dynamics and thus the financial landscape of IFCs. The literature has unpacked the general mechanisms of how Asian IFCs grow and evolve as well as their spatial patterns but has neglected the macro political-economic contexts that drive the development dynamics of Asian IFCs. To maintain the long-term prospects of financial geography, we call for efforts to theorize (Asian-based) financial geographies and develop the corresponding analytical frameworks with rigorous quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the development trajectories of Asian IFCs and their socio-political and geo-economical mechanisms. Moreover, economic geographers could develop a set of composite parameters to capture the attributes and structures that could (re)shape the development trajectories of inter-city and intra-city financial networks and their level of resilience to external shocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 4th Asia Partnership Conference of Regenerative Medicine (APACRM) was held online on April 15, 2021, to promote regulatory harmonization of regenerative medicine products throughout Asia. Recognizing domestic regulatory guidelines within each country and region, and their underpinning rationales, is an important initial step toward a convergence of regulations. The 4th APACRM consisted of an open dialog with regulatory agencies regarding nonclinical and quality settings for cell therapy products (CTPs) through industry presentations and panel discussions with regulatory agencies. The latest updates on regenerative medicine fields in each country and region, and specific regulatory schematics in Japan, were also introduced. The objective of this paper is to summarize the proceedings of the 4th APACRM for public dissemination and to foster further discussion in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to identify the determinants of life satisfaction in the four regions of Asia. Because the determinants of life satisfaction may differ between people who are at a different level of life satisfaction, quantile regression was used to yield more accurate inferences. An earlier study using ordinary least square regression found that the standard of living, marital status, education and the role of government were the most significant determinants of life satisfaction in Asia. Results from the present study also show that these three factors were significant determinants of life satisfaction, but their effects varied considerably across the quantiles. Gender and age were significant determinants of life satisfaction only in Central & West Asia, but the education factor was relatively less significant here as compared to the other regions. In all the four Asia regions, the income variable was a less significant predictor of life satisfaction as compared to the standard of living. This paper further found that employment was more influential in South and Southeast Asia as compared to the other two regions. The effects of these variables varied substantially across the quantiles. Some of these variables had a positive effect on life satisfaction for some quantiles, but a negative effect for other quantiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positioning migrants as quintessential globalisation subjects, this paper reveals how the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the ambivalent positioning of migration as a pathway for human development. Drawing on interviews with international and domestic labour migrants from Bangladesh, India, Laos and Myanmar working in Laos, Myanmar, China, Singapore and Thailand, the paper explores the vulnerabilities, challenges and opportunities that have come with migration and how these have been reconfigured as the pandemic has progressed, disproportionately heightening migrants' exposure to the virus and their socioeconomic precarity. Through their personal stories, the paper provides insights into the evolving livelihood pathways of migrant workers during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, their (changing) views of migration as a route to progress, and tentatively sets out how ruptures caused by the pandemic may lead to a re-thinking of livelihood pathways for such men and women and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the larger context of globalisation and internationalization, navigating business operations in a multicultural environment is no easy task. The Far East has always fascinated the West through the uniqueness of its traditions, while at the same time remaining mysterious and rather difficult to assimilate for those who have not experienced culture shock before. Therefore, this paper strives to emphasise the importance of familiarising business students with the key issues related to cultural awareness and communication, focusing on Asian cultures in contrast to the Western world since, in the light of the latest political and economic developments leading to an ever-increasing Chinese dominance, they will undoubtedly be putting that information to good use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost a decade, countries and development partners in Asia and the Pacific have worked together to improve civil registration and vital statistics across the region. The regional initiative to 'Get Every One in the Picture' has had widespread support from countries and an increasing number of development partners who are also providing assistance and guidance to countries. This article looks at how this initiative has fostered coordination at the national, sub-regional and regional level and highlights some of the impact and improvements seen in civil registration and vital statistics in Asia and the Pacific. Collaboration at the national, regional and global level has been key to the improvements made to CRVS and this paper outlines the structures supporting collaboration and the challenges and successes of this collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early stages of Faunis sappho sappho Semper, 1878 are described for the first time, including images of ova, all instars, and pupae, from livestock occurring in a private garden on Bohol island, Philippines. The numerous monocotyledon hostplants confirmed to be naturally used by this poorly understood butterfly are enumerated, and the first record of a parasitic fly for the genus is reported. References to the published immature stages and comparisons to final-instar larvae of the other eight species of Faunis are presented, plus a list of all known host genera for the tribe Amathusiini is detailed from the second author's personal database. Thus, this paper represents the most comprehensive account of the juvenile biology of any Faunis species as well as probably the Amathusiini. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper situates the theory and practice of digital citizenship in general and Asia in particular. It surveys four extant thematic clusters: (1) the democratizing potential of information and communication technologies; (2) the role of digital citizenship education; (3) the power structures of technology in shaping citizen participation, and; (4) the digital emancipation of marginalized groups and communities. It highlights a new fifth cluster—digital citizenship as a contextual practice dependent on local contexts and histories—as a framework to situate the articles in this Special Issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces the special issue, Everyday Multiculturalism in/across Asia. It provides an overview of the international and inter-disciplinary research papers included in the special issue which all speak to the concept of everyday multiculturalism by critically engaging with the extent to which core aspects relate to different contexts in and across Asia. Papers in this collection encompass research undertaken in Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea and which include issues of intraregional movement and labour mobility particularly regarding the experiences of migrants from Burma, China, Nepal, The Philippines and India. A key contribution of this special issue is that the papers engage with empirical, theoretical and methodological questions which consider the potential transferability of ideas related to everyday multiculturalism, especially in the context of expanding trans-Asian mobilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates existing theories regarding women's participation in top government positions by applying these theories to Asia through a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Thus, this paper aims to identify the conditions necessary and/or sufficient for women to break the political glass ceiling in Asia. Overall, the results show that political parties in democratic or hybrid regimes support different types of female candidates depending on the party's ideology and political scenario. More specifically, there are three alternative pathways for a party to be successful when selecting a female candidate in Asia. Conditions that were previously necessary in the region, such as family ties to political dynasties or contexts of instability or transition, are no longer necessary. New opportunities in specific socio-political contexts are arising for women who aim to reach the highest office in the country but do not belong to political dynasties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The causes presented in the literature of the middle-income trap are generic, emphasizing the quality of the legal institutions of the country, demographic problems, the lack of social infrastructure, poor macroeconomic policies, etc. were already present in developing countries when they were growing fast. Besides, the income interval used on the studies on the trap was too large. • Instead of promoting the growth, the liberalizing reforms, which were more radical in Latin America than in Asia, caused an increase in the interest rate and dismantled the mechanism that neutralized the Dutch disease – both facts leading to the chronic overvaluation of the exchange rate, which represented a competitive disadvantage of the companies utilizing the best technology available. • In the economic literature, it is well established that the currencies of the commodity-focused economies tend to be appreciated in the long run because they face the Dutch disease. On the other hand, central banks in the region tend to define a high interest rate around which they organize their monetary policy so as to attract foreign capital and "grow with external savings" – this representing a second major cause of overvaluation of the national currencies of Latin American countries. • The main conclusion of the research is that, in the period of 1980–2016, the Latin American countries didn't fall into middle-income but a liberalization trap; the reason why they have fallen into quasi-stagnation while Asian countries did not lie in the liberal reforms. Opening trade in countries that have the Dutch disease meant dismantling the pragmatic mechanisms that neutralized it; financial liberalization limited the ability of countries to control distorted flows of capital and created conditions for the increase in the interest rate. • The instrument to neutralize the Dutch disease on the domestic market side were import tariffs on manufactured goods. To the extent that they were just neutralizing the Dutch disease, they were not protectionist – they were just giving the local manufacturing industry equal conditions of competition with the companies of other countries. If the import tariffs on manufactured goods were higher than what was required to neutralize the Dutch disease, they would be also protectionist. This paper offers an alternative explanation to the slow-down observed in the growth of developing countries. Instead of a middle-income trap what happened was a liberalization trap. Growth didn't happen because countries turned middle-income, but happened in a given period, around the 1980s, when these countries faced a serious foreign debt crisis and were constrained to open their economies. The studies on the middle-income trap have adopted a broad income interval and were unable to offer new historical facts that explained why these countries stop growing fast. Differently, this paper shows that the trade liberalization and the financial liberalization that started in the 1980s involved the dismantling of the mechanism that neutralized the Dutch disease and the change from low to high interest rates – both facts leading to a long-term or chronic overvaluation of the exchange rate that made the manufacturing industry non-competitive and caused deindustrialization and low growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to address a rarely researched dimension of political remittances by moving from the (trans)national to the regional level, and from the individual to the institutional level of collective action. We base our analyses of the regional and institutional aspects on the case of the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), a regional network comprising migrants' rights organisations that span across Asia (from West to East). Over the past two decades, this network has been instrumental in creating and expanding political spaces at various levels (national, transnational, regional and global) in which political advocacy in the form of organising strategies and the framing of political issues has 'travelled'. We argue that this is done via the diffusion of political remittances within advocacy networks and that such diffusion generates counter-hegemonic knowledge to state-led interpretations of the governance of migration. This paper uses the notion of 'political remittances' not only to highlight the multiplying effect of the flow of ideas and practices in relation to membership of organisations involved in collective advocacy; but also in terms of multiplication of targets of the advocacy. We differentiate between a horizontal dimension, where remittances are being circulated between the (national) members of the network and the vertical dimension, where ideas also circulate as remittances back and forth between the national members of the network and the global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, inequality has been rising in Europe, North America and parts of Asia. How does our understanding of global inequality dynamics change if coverage is extended to the rest of the developing world? To rebalance the perspective on global inequality trends, this paper surveys data and literature on recent inequality trends in Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It finds that in these regions there are more countries with falling than rising inequality over the past 20 years, as measured by Ginis of income or consumption inequality. At the global level, therefore, there are signs of inequality convergence, as inequality has been falling in countries with high inequality in the 1990s (particularly Latin America), and rising in historically low-inequality countries. We discuss the political and economic drivers of inequality decline in countries with a steady fall in the Gini. This suggests some common trends across the globe, including the role of democratisation, the rise of new social movements, and the expansion of education and social safety nets and favourable commodity prices, in reducing income disparities. This paper calls for more country-level comparisons of inequality trends, to highlight the multiplicity of paths in this latest phase of globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]