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Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by L. donovani in South-East Asian endemic countries including India, Nepal and Bangladesh has been the primary focus of the ongoing VL elimination program. With a major reduction in VL cases resulting from the elimination program during the last two decades, the efforts are now focused on the challenges posed by potential reservoirs within the asymptomatic cases, HIV-co-infection VL cases and Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases that continue to sustain the parasite transmission cycle in known and newer endemic zones. This article brings attention to a new potential parasite reservoir in the form of atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) cases caused by novel L. donovani genetic variants. L. donovani mediated ACL is an emerging phenomenon in recent endemic sites that now justify a need for implementing molecular surveillance tools to identify region-specific L. donovani variants with dermotropic capabilities and potential to revert to visceral disease. A timely detection of novel ACL causing L. donovani genetic lineages in South-East Asian endemic regions is necessary to halt the spread of ACL and is potentially crucial for the sustainability of the advances made by the VL elimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2018, the Thai Government proposed industrial investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC). This research aimed to identify ways for a community to safely voice their concerns about the perceived impacts of rapid economic policy under an authoritarian regime. Practice-theories of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and Participatory Development Practice (PDP) guided community facilitators. Research methods included in-depth interviews, observation, and a consensus conference with key stakeholders. The results suggest that ABCD assisted the community in identifying physical and social capacity and cultural values as assets. PDP helped stakeholders to 1) raise awareness about inconsistency with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); 2) engage young people in voicing their concerns; and 3) achieve greater collaboration. The research showed that community development approaches can aid government policy implementation processes, to enable consistent achievement across the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tactical deployments of a variety of digital community media for fostering social change and participation in the Malaysian context have been extensively explored and continue to be explored. These include peripheral discursive influences during and beyond election periods, community-building and disaster relief amidst nationwide epidemiological and flooding disasters, and creative political socialization amongst the (eastern and peninsular) Malaysian youth forbidden from political participation by the legal state apparatus. By bringing into this scholarship a geographical perspective, this report notes down preliminary insights from the pilot phase of a study on how and why the study of community (social, digital) media in a historically habitually diverse Malaysia (and South East Asia) could and should be geographically and developmentally (de)limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Special Issue aims to problematize past and current socio-technical imaginaries and datafication practices of the rapidly digitizing nation states in South and South East Asia, and gathers critical analyses of where the digital, government and power intersect. The papers in this issue emerge from a workshop on Governing Technologies: Exploring Datafied Practices, Imaginaries, and Digital State Assemblages in Asia convened in October 2022 by Monash University and University of Nottingham Malaysia, where the guest editors worked. The papers engaged with a number of questions that animate our current understandings of how technologies govern and are governed: Who are the (human and non-human) actors propelling these initiatives and new arrangements? What do their discourses around these imaginaries reveal about their ambitions, interests and conflicts? What role do communities and the people play in shaping, adapting and resisting digital plans and practices, and who decides? Providing an introduction to this Special Issue, this editorial presents a conversation amongst the three guest editors of the issue, where they reflect on some aspects of governing technologies as they play out in South and South East Asia, setting the stage for further engagement from the authors in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nineteenth century witnessed the expansion of Western colonial power and influence across both mainland and maritime South East Asia, along with the publication of a growing number of books about the region and its peoples by Western scholars, travellers and colonial administrators. This was also a time when pseudo-scientific theories of racial difference were rife and deemed respectable in Western academic and political circles. This article looks at how some British and American authors were inclined to examine South East Asians through the lens of racial theory, and how in the course of doing so were also inclined to compare some South East Asian ethnic groups to the natives of America. In the course of doing so, Native Americans were invariably seen and cast as a homogenous racial group that was then located at the bottom of a hierarchy that differentiated between superior and inferior races. The repeated deployment of the trope of the Native American, as the embodiment of inferiority and savagery, was an instance of racial stereotypes being instrumentalized at a global level as part of a new pan-Atlantic Anglo-American discourse of race and racial difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by L. donovani in South-East Asian endemic countries including India, Nepal and Bangladesh has been the primary focus of the ongoing VL elimination program. With a major reduction in VL cases resulting from the elimination program during the last two decades, the efforts are now focused on the challenges posed by potential reservoirs within the asymptomatic cases, HIV-co-infection VL cases and Post Kala-azar Dermal Leishmaniasis (PKDL) cases that continue to sustain the parasite transmission cycle in known and newer endemic zones. This article brings attention to a new potential parasite reservoir in the form of atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) cases caused by novel L. donovani genetic variants. L. donovani mediated ACL is an emerging phenomenon in recent endemic sites that now justify a need for implementing molecular surveillance tools to identify region-specific L. donovani variants with dermotropic capabilities and potential to revert to visceral disease. A timely detection of novel ACL causing L. donovani genetic lineages in South-East Asian endemic regions is necessary to halt the spread of ACL and is potentially crucial for the sustainability of the advances made by the VL elimination.

Abstract Background For healthcare delivery to be optimally effective, health systems must possess adequate levels and we must ensure a fair distribution of human resources aimed at healthcare facilities. We conducted a scoping review to map the current state of human resources for health (HRH) in India and the reasons behind its shortage. Methods A systematic search was conducted in various electronic databases, from the earliest available date till February 2024. We applied a uniform analytical framework to all the primary research reports and adopted the “descriptive-analytical” method from the narrative paradigm. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to arrange the retrieved data into categories based on related themes after creating a chart of HRH problems. Results A total of 9675 articles were retrieved for this review. 88 full texts were included for the final data analysis. The shortage was addressed in 30.6% studies (n = 27) whereas 69.3% of studies (n = 61) addressed reasons for the shortage. The thematic analysis of data regarding reasons for the shortage yielded five kinds of HRH-related problems such as inadequate HRH production, job dissatisfaction, brain drain, regulatory issues, and lack of training, monitoring, and evaluation that were causing a scarcity of HRH in India. Conclusion There has been a persistent shortage and inequitable distribution of human resources in India with the rural expert cadres experiencing the most severe shortage. The health department needs to establish a productive recruitment system if long-term solutions are to be achieved. It is important to address the slow and sporadic nature of the recruitment system and the issue of job insecurity among medical officers, which in turn affects their other employment benefits, such as salary, pension, and recognition for the years of service.

Background: For healthcare delivery to be optimally effective, health systems must possess adequate levels and we must ensure a fair distribution of human resources aimed at healthcare facilities. We conducted a scoping review to map the current state of human resources for health (HRH) in India and the reasons behind its shortage. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in various electronic databases, from the earliest available date till February 2024. We applied a uniform analytical framework to all the primary research reports and adopted the "descriptive-analytical" method from the narrative paradigm. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to arrange the retrieved data into categories based on related themes after creating a chart of HRH problems. Results: A total of 9675 articles were retrieved for this review. 88 full texts were included for the final data analysis. The shortage was addressed in 30.6% studies (n = 27) whereas 69.3% of studies (n = 61) addressed reasons for the shortage. The thematic analysis of data regarding reasons for the shortage yielded five kinds of HRH-related problems such as inadequate HRH production, job dissatisfaction, brain drain, regulatory issues, and lack of training, monitoring, and evaluation that were causing a scarcity of HRH in India. Conclusion: There has been a persistent shortage and inequitable distribution of human resources in India with the rural expert cadres experiencing the most severe shortage. The health department needs to establish a productive recruitment system if long-term solutions are to be achieved. It is important to address the slow and sporadic nature of the recruitment system and the issue of job insecurity among medical officers, which in turn affects their other employment benefits, such as salary, pension, and recognition for the years of service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease-19 crisis has challenged the legitimacy of the World Health Organization as an actor in global health governance and provided the opportunity for China to emerge as a partner of developing countries in facing global pandemics. In this respect, South East Asia represents an emblematic region for testing the legitimacy of the international organisation vis-a-vis the emerging power. This article adopts a sociological interpretation of legitimacy and provides an empirical analysis of the discursive and non-discursive practices in South East Asian countries concerning support to – and criticism against – the World Health Organization–led initiative COVAX. It provides a variegated and dynamic picture of perceptions of the international organisation in the region. Our results partly call into question representations of the weakening of the legitimacy of the World Health Organization in favour of China's leading role. Finally, the article recognises the need to analyse legitimacy of the World Health Organization in connection both with the broader geopolitical positioning of governments receiving the Organization's aid and with the levels of trust in the government of the public in competing partners in dealing with global pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent history has indicated polarization among the ASEAN member states towards China and the US, with surveys and studies have supported this indication. However, the surveys have only represented the position of the sampled population towards both countries, while existing studies have methodological limitations, providing room for further quantitative analysis. Therefore, a more scientific approach involving related parameters is necessary. Our research measures the geopolitical influence index of China, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the US in South East Asia from 2005 to 2018 to analyse the indication of polarization among the ASEAN member states in the regional order. The results indicate that there is polarization among the member states towards China and the US and to a lesser and more dynamic degree towards Japan. While the research supports previous scholars' arguments that the future of South East Asia's regional order would be somewhere between polarity, regionality or concert of power, we argue that such a situation opens the opportunity for ASEAN to play a more significant role as the 'big mover' in South East Asia's regional order. The article uses economic, political and security perspectives to explain the phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries have integrated agroforestry into their sustainable development policies, particularly in Southeast Asia. In Timor-Leste, the national strategy to promote agroforestry has adopted a modern, technique-oriented approach focused on crop rotation, intercropping and agro-silvo-pasture. In so doing, it has largely overlooked the pre-existence, diversity and performance of traditional agroforestry systems (AFS). The data collected in seven villages located in four districts of the eastern municipalities of Timor-Leste identified five common AFS: home garden, crop field and fallow, young agroforest, forest garden and silvopastoralism. The combined use of the customary AFS by rural households depends on the households' ability to access the four types of capital (land, financial, labour and social) underpinning their development strategies. Four rural household archetypes were therefore distinguished. Six farming strategies used by these archetypes were identified: cattle specialisation, palm and tree product harvesting, crop intensification, diversification of off-farm and on-farm income, abandonment of farming, and survival. Each of these farming strategies combine certain customary AFS. The diversity and complexity of AFS require a better description of how they function and a better understanding of how they fit into the heterogeneous development strategies of rural households before actions are considered to improve their performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A revolution in how news was reported occurred in the Philippines during the late nineteenth century with the publication of daily newspapers, the establishment of a postal system, and the construction of a telegraph network that allowed correspondents in the provinces to give timely accounts of what was happening in country towns and their hinterlands. Many of these reports graphically described the typhoons, floods, fires, tremors and the like that all too frequently afflicted rural communities. These descriptions mainly took the form of letters written to the editors of Manila-based newspapers, such as El Comercio, Diario de Manila and La Oceania Española. Who were these correspondents, where were they, what were their concerns and what did they have to say? Looking in depth at the newspaper accounts of one year, 1881, a singly uneventful year in terms of 'big news', this article provides a snapshot into rural life and its vicissitudes towards the end of the Spanish colonial era. It also explores how reporting the news began to build a collective consciousness of the Philippines as a nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the importance of mental health and its impact on overall health and well‐being has been widely recognized, there continue to be ongoing barriers to accessing mental health services. This is particularly poignant in countries in Southeast Asia (SEA) where there may be further stigma in accessing mental health services. As no reviews have been undertaken on this topic, this review aims to outline the barriers and enablers to access and utilization of mental health care services in SEA. Searches were undertaken in commercially produced and gray literature sources. Two independent reviewers screened the results. The data were then independently extracted, which was then collated and synthesized, using the Health Belief Model (HMB) as a framework. Twelve studies were included in the review. Under the HBM, barriers were grouped into: stigma, poor health literacy, internalized reasons, cultural beliefs, lack of training of health professionals, quality of service, and poor distribution of resources. Enablers included: social support, outreach services, structural stigma, self‐awareness, resources and information, accessibility and affordability, and positive attitudes and beliefs about health professionals. Those accessing mental health care in SEA are confronted by complex barriers and few enablers. Ongoing stigma and a distinct lack of resources pose the greatest challenges, which are even more amplified for those in rural areas and minority groups. A multifaceted strategy that improves the structures, processes, and outcomes of mental health is required within these communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cashless society is a collective vision of world citizens to create a payment system that is faster, more flexible, and more automatic. This study aims to formulate findings on publications conducted in 2012-2022, focusing on a cashless society. Using the Systematic Literature Review approach, this study uses 14 main sources from the Scopus database to identify shared understanding, supporting factors, and the impact of a cashless society from the perspective of researchers. This study found that the formation of a cashless society is a solution for efforts to grow the economy and speed up societal transactions. Another benefit is the prevention of criminal acts of corruption, extortion, and fraud, where electronic payments made in a registered manner have suppressed these crimes. The dark side of a cashless society is the potential for privacy violations and paralysis of the economic system caused by internet system failures

Abstract Background Obtaining representative abortion incidence estimates is challenging in restrictive contexts. While the confidante method has been increasingly used to collect this data in such settings, there are several biases commonly associated with this method. Further, there are significant variations in how researchers have implemented the method and assessed/adjusted for potential biases, limiting the comparability and interpretation of existing estimates. This study presents a standardized approach to analyzing confidante method data, generates comparable abortion incidence estimates from previously published studies and recommends standards for reporting bias assessments and adjustments for future confidante method studies. Methods We used data from previous applications of the confidante method in Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Java (Indonesia), Nigeria, Uganda, and Rajasthan (India). We estimated one-year induced abortion incidence rates for confidantes in each context, attempting to adjust for selection, reporting and transmission bias in a standardized manner. Findings In each setting, majority of the foundational confidante method assumptions were violated. Adjusting for transmission bias using self-reported abortions consistently yielded the highest incidence estimates compared with other published approaches. Differences in analytic decisions and bias assessments resulted in the incidence estimates from our standardized analysis varying widely from originally published rates. Interpretation We recommend that future studies clearly state which biases were assessed, if associated assumptions were violated, and how violations were adjusted for. This will improve the utility of confidante method estimates for national-level decision making and as inputs for global or regional model-based estimates of abortion.

This study explores the application of the DREAM methodology for course assessment in three South East Asian universities aiming to embed sustainability and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in multiple academic disciplines enabled by information and communication technologies (ICTs). A mixing of content and thematic analysis was used, which aligns with the underpinning philosophy of the Diagnosing, Reviewing/Reflecting, Explaining, Assessing, Managing (DREAM) methodology. The DREAM methodology integrates five processes, starting from diagnosing, to reviewing/reflecting, explaining, assessing, and, finally, managing. Results show that merging semantic and latent themes has contributed to uncovering what messages students’ narratives convey and provided a space for focusing both on the surface and explicit meanings of the data as well as on theory building and policy making. They also show the effectiveness of the DREAM methodology in constructing new knowledge and generating meaningful interpretations and suggestions to teacher educators and other academic teaching staff, as well as higher education institutions’ policymakers and planners.

Based on research results from the official historical books of the feudal state of Vietnam, the article reconstructs the main features of the investiture beseeching and ordination activities between Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries. From the comparison with the investiture beseeching and ordination activities between Vietnam and China at the same time, the article demonstrates the image of Vietnam in two ways at the same time. Namely, Vietnam is a vassal in the “tributary system” of which China is the center and then Vietnam is the “great country” in the tributary system between Vietnam and many other countries in the region. In particular, from pointing out the loose interdependence between Vietnam and Southeast Asian vassal countries through surveys of investiture beseeching and ordination activities in this period, the current article also initially comes into the practical situation to try to explain the contemporary, unstable cohesion between Vietnam and these countries.

The study of the transition from the numerical system of writing to the decimal system of writing, including the quest to date the origin of zero as a place numeral, has actively engaged the attention of modern researchers and scholars alike. The subject is in fact so vast, gripping, as well as baffling that it will most likely continue to keep them engaged for quite a while to come. There is no need to reiterate the fact that India is very rich in epigraphical wealth. Hundreds and thousands of inscriptions have been reported from across the length and breadth of the country, written in various languages and in varied scripts, and following different dating systems. It is because of this abundance and the sheer complexity of these inscriptions, coming from different parts of India and belonging to different dynasties, that it has become an arduous task to pinpoint when exactly the numerical system of writing gave way to the decimal system in India, and when zero first made its appearance in Indian inscriptions. Further, the chronological sequencing of the changes in the system of writing -- from numerical to decimal -- that had taken place over time is also difficult to establish. In this chapter, while keeping the vastness of the subject in mind, an attempt has been made to re-examine some of the early dated inscriptions that have come to light in the last few years, both as part of the reports from archaeological excavations and from epigraphical explorations. Efforts have also been made to connect these new findings with the hypotheses of and the views expressed by earlier scholars. The goal of this exercise was to ascertain and confirm the presence and usage of decimal systems of writing, and also the use of zero as a placeholder, in South India. Thus, the primary task undertaken has been to review some of the already known dated inscriptions from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Payment methods based on a controlled or adjusted prospective payment system rather than 'Fee for Services' or direct payment are considered beneficial to access the healthcare delivery services. The purpose of this review was to identify technical challenges faced by three WHO regions, namely, Western Pacific, South East Asia Eastern and the Mediterranean while establishing or adopting a diagnosis-related group (DRG)/case-mix grouper and report the extent of implementing this system for reimbursement and healthcare financing in three WHO regions, namely, Western Pacific, South East Asia Eastern and the Mediterranean. The study followed PRISMA guidelines, and 33 articles published from 1st January 2009 to 31st December 2019 were selected for critical appraisal after systematic filtration. The objectives of the implementation of the DRG system in most developed and developing countries in these regions were to bring transparency in the payment system and reduce treatment costs by avoiding unnecessary healthcare services. The countries in the study regions were at different levels of economic and social development status, therefore the implementation and adaptation status of DRG/case-mix system/grouper varied in these countries The findings revealed that most of the countries faced challenges related to inequalities and inefficiencies in the healthcare system, shortage of funding, poor documentation related to diagnosis and procedures, incomplete medical record files and lack of primary data required for the case-mix system during the DRG/case-mix adaptation phase. The results also pointed to the importance of initial pilot testing of the DRG/case-mix system/grouper and careful manipulation and adaptation to the local context, especially when the DRG system/grouper imported from other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of global economic uncertainty on the stock markets in four developing countries in Southeast Asia, namely Indonesia (JKSE), Malaysia (KLCI), Thailand (SETI), and Vietnam (VNI). The study uses the U.S., China, and Europe Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) indices and the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) from the Chicago Board Options Exchange as proxies for global uncertainty. By analyzing monthly composite stock index return rates in each stock market and monthly percentage changes in both the EPU and VIX, the Vector Auto-Regressive (VAR) model demonstrates that increases in the US EPU negatively impact JKSE, KLCI, and SETI return rates, while VNI tends to respond positively. Increases in EPU in China and Europe tend to have a negative effect on all stock markets. However, the impact of the Chinese EPU was stronger than that of the European EPU, particularly in JKSE and SETI, and the KLCI was more sensitive to the European EPU shock. On the other hand, the effect of an increase in the VIX was comparable to the impact of the US EPU, with JKSE, KLCI, and SETI experiencing negative pressure, while VNI responded positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of global economic uncertainty on the stock markets in four developing countries in Southeast Asia, namely Indonesia (JKSE), Malaysia (KLCI), Thailand (SETI), and Vietnam (VNI). The study uses the U.S., China, and Europe Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) indices and the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) from the Chicago Board Options Exchange as proxies for global uncertainty. By analyzing monthly composite stock index return rates in each stock market and monthly percentage changes in both the EPU and VIX, the Vector Auto-Regressive (VAR) model demonstrates that increases in the US EPU negatively impact JKSE, KLCI, and SETI return rates, while VNI tends to respond positively. Increases in EPU in China and Europe tend to have a negative effect on all stock markets. However, the impact of the Chinese EPU was stronger than that of the European EPU, particularly in JKSE and SETI, and the KLCI was more sensitive to the European EPU shock. On the other hand, the effect of an increase in the VIX was comparable to the impact of the US EPU, with JKSE, KLCI, and SETI experiencing negative pressure, while VNI responded positively.

Introduction: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) for neuroimmunological disorders has played an important role in the Southeast Asian region. This study investigates the challenges of performing TPE within the region. Method: A questionnaire‐based survey was conducted and launched to 15 South East Asian Therapeutic Plasma Exchange Consortium (SEATPEC) members from seven countries in January 2021. It included demographics, TPE techniques, indications, challenges, timing, outcome measurement, and access to laboratory testing in each local center. Results: A total of 15 neurologists from 12 participating centers were included. They usually perform five sessions of TPE (100.0%), with 1 to 1.5 plasma volume (93.3%), and exchanges via the central catheter (100.0%). Acute relapses of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and myasthenia gravis are the most common indications. They used a combination of normal saline and 5% albumin (60.0%) as replacement fluid. Most (66.7%) used TPE as an add‐on treatment in steroid‐refractory cases or as first‐line treatment for severe attacks. They suggested assessing the TPE efficacy of TPE by the interval to the next attack, post‐TPE relapse rates, and TPE‐related complications. The major challenges within our region are expense, reimbursibility, and access to TPE. Conclusion: Although countrywise differences exist, all share similarities regarding methods, indications, timing, obstacles, and challenges of TPE for neuroimmunological conditions. Regional collaboration will be essential to identify strategies to reduce these barriers to access to TPE in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obtaining representative abortion incidence estimates is challenging in restrictive contexts. While the confidante method has been increasingly used to collect this data in such settings, there are several biases commonly associated with this method. Further, there are significant variations in how researchers have implemented the method and assessed/adjusted for potential biases, limiting the comparability and interpretation of existing estimates. This study presents a standardized approach to analyzing confidante method data, generates comparable abortion incidence estimates from previously published studies and recommends standards for reporting bias assessments and adjustments for future confidante method studies. Methods: We used data from previous applications of the confidante method in Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Java (Indonesia), Nigeria, Uganda, and Rajasthan (India). We estimated one-year induced abortion incidence rates for confidantes in each context, attempting to adjust for selection, reporting and transmission bias in a standardized manner. Findings: In each setting, majority of the foundational confidante method assumptions were violated. Adjusting for transmission bias using self-reported abortions consistently yielded the highest incidence estimates compared with other published approaches. Differences in analytic decisions and bias assessments resulted in the incidence estimates from our standardized analysis varying widely from originally published rates. Interpretation: We recommend that future studies clearly state which biases were assessed, if associated assumptions were violated, and how violations were adjusted for. This will improve the utility of confidante method estimates for national-level decision making and as inputs for global or regional model-based estimates of abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the application of the DREAM methodology for course assessment in three South East Asian universities aiming to embed sustainability and sustainable development goals (SDGs) in multiple academic disciplines enabled by information and communication technologies (ICTs). A mixing of content and thematic analysis was used, which aligns with the underpinning philosophy of the Diagnosing, Reviewing/Reflecting, Explaining, Assessing, Managing (DREAM) methodology. The DREAM methodology integrates five processes, starting from diagnosing, to reviewing/reflecting, explaining, assessing, and, finally, managing. Results show that merging semantic and latent themes has contributed to uncovering what messages students' narratives convey and provided a space for focusing both on the surface and explicit meanings of the data as well as on theory building and policy making. They also show the effectiveness of the DREAM methodology in constructing new knowledge and generating meaningful interpretations and suggestions to teacher educators and other academic teaching staff, as well as higher education institutions' policymakers and planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focused on the trilemma association of education, income and poverty alleviation: managerial implications for inclusive economic growth in developing countries in Asia to establish the proportion of the poor in the population and further identify its determinants. This research utilized secondary data from 1990 to 2016 by using econometric estimation. The results show that education decreases poverty when evaluated through the poverty gap and poverty headcount ratio and employment and increasing rate of economic development in the form of GDP to reducing poverty. GDP the Gini coefficient show the same signs while the magnitudes of the coefficients. Consequently, improvement in an independent variable will decrease poverty while the results have various levels of contributions through static and dynamic panel data methods, that education can reduce poverty. Results indicate that the level of poverty stood at 62.2%. The level of education, poverty headcount ratio, poverty gap and secondary school enrolment were significant in determining a household's poverty status. However, land ownership and household head's occupation were not statistically significant in explaining the probability of a household's poverty status. From the results, this study recommends that all stakeholders work towards reducing poverty in the study to enhance education and family planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes. Statin reduces CVD risk. The ACC/AHA 2018 guideline on dyslipidemia recommends all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus to be given moderate-intensity statin. We aimed to determine the prescription practices of statins among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to April 2021. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus between 40 and 75 years were recruited from the University Medical Clinic and Endocrine Clinic at Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Sri Lanka. Results: Four hundred seventy-one patients were enrolled with a mean age of 59.05 (± 9.139) years. The mean duration of diabetes was 10.97 (± 9.57) years. Four hundred forty-one (93.6%) patients were on statin and 30 (6.4%) patients were not on statin therapy. Those not on statins were not prescribed statins. Conclusions: There were 163 (34.61%) patients who required high intensity. Though only 3 (1.73%) were on high-strength statin, the rest were on moderate (152, 93.25%), low (4, 2.45%), and none (4, 2.45%). Among patients with prior history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and the high-risk category according to the 10-year ASCVD risk estimation (155, 32.91%), only 17 (10.97%) have achieved optimal LDL therapeutic targets (55mg/dL). A large proportion of the study population received statin therapy for primary and secondary prophylaxis. However, the majority were on suboptimal doses of statin and have not achieved therapeutic targets with regard to LDL-C levels. The findings highlight the importance of improving statin therapy and optimizing lipid management according to evidence-based guideline recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explores the contemporary situation within the global environmental agenda. This topic is vital to humanity and significant in sustainable development for years ahead. It has been already widely acknowledged that if proper measures aimed at environmental protections aren’t taken in the foreseeable future the Earth will face a huge, large-scale, and multidimensional crisis that will affect many aspects and directions of global development ahead. Thus, in 2021, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, global leaders held several events in the framework of which they made attempts to come closer to understanding and working out new environmental parameters and ecological standards under which the countries will act approximately up to the middle of the 21st century. The goal of eliminating or drastically reducing coal use, as well as focusing on the development of renewable energy sources, are regarded as critical pillars of the new environmental strategies.

The Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has impacted the world immensely in terms of both global health and economy. It has exacerbated the gap between the economically advantaged and disadvantaged groups in terms of access to various resources and opportunities across the world. This situation has been described as 'collateral damage', which represents unexpected and unintended negative impacts that deprive the poor of certain opportunities and rights. Interestingly, the differences in capability to respond to the issues caused by COVID-19 are observed in developed and developing countries alike. This paper aims to discuss the potential risk factors that encourage students to drop out as collateral damage due to COVID-19, based on the literature on developing South East Asian countries. This commentary argues that collateral damage caused by COVID-19 has revealed a serious limitation in the nature of formal schooling in South East Asia. Although more socio-economically vulnerable groups can participate in formal schooling, there is still not a sufficiently communal climate in these schools that would prevent them from dropping out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With AMU projected to increase, South East Asia (SEA) is at high risk of experiencing disproportionate health, social, and economic burdens due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Our objective was to identify factors influencing AMR in SEA's food system and places for intervention by integrating the perspectives of experts from the region to inform policy and management decisions. Materials and methods: We conducted two 6.5 h workshops and two 90-min interviews involving 18 AMR and other disciplinary experts from human, animal, and environment sectors who brainstormed the factors influencing AMR and identified leverage points (places) for intervention. Transcripts and workshop materials were coded for factors and their connections and transcribed into a causal loop diagram (CLD). Thematic analysis described AMR dynamics in SEA's food system and leverage points for intervention. The CLD and themes were confirmed via participant feedback. Results: Participants constructed a CLD of AMR in the SEA food system that contained 98 factors interlinked by 362 connections. CLD factors reflected eight sub-areas of the SEA food system (e.g., government). Seven themes [e.g., antimicrobial and pesticide use and AMR spread (n = 40 quotes)], six "overarching factors" that impact the entire AMR system [e.g., the drive to survive (n = 12 quotes)], and 10 places for intervention that target CLD factors (n = 5) and overarching factors (n = 2) emerged from workshop discussions. Conclusion: The participant derived CLD of factors influencing AMR in the SEA food system demonstrates that AMR is a product of numerous interlinked actions taken across the One Health spectrum and that finding solutions is no simple task. Developing the model enabled the identification of potentially promising leverage points across human, animal, and environment sectors that, if comprehensively targeted using multi-pronged interventions, could evoke system wide changes that mitigate AMR. Even targeting some leverage points for intervention, such as increasing investments in research and capacity building, and setting and enforcing regulations to control antimicrobial supply, demand, and use could, in turn, shift mindsets that lead to changes in more difficult to alter leverage points, such as redefining the profit-driven intent that drives system behavior in ways that transform AMU and sustainably mitigate AMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on research results from the official historical books of the feudal state of Vietnam, the article reconstructs the main features of the investiture beseeching and ordination activities between Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries. From the comparison with the investiture beseeching and ordination activities between Vietnam and China at the same time, the article demonstrates the image of Vietnam in two ways at the same time. Namely, Vietnam is a vassal in the "tributary system" of which China is the center and then Vietnam is the "great country" in the tributary system between Vietnam and many other countries in the region. In particular, from pointing out the loose interdependence between Vietnam and Southeast Asian vassal countries through surveys of investiture beseeching and ordination activities in this period, the current article also initially comes into the practical situation to try to explain the contemporary, unstable cohesion between Vietnam and these countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Written as a response to Katherine Bowie's essay (), this piece presents some introductory research on the role of eunuchs in the court culture and the everyday administration of imperial Vietnam during the Nguyễn dynasty (1802–1945). In addition to explaining the role of eunuchs in Vietnamese historiography, this essay critically evaluates claims about eunuchs in nineteenth-century Vietnam through Vietnamese sources, including secondary research and primary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In comparison with other historical courts of South East Asia, in which eunuchs had minimal presence, Vietnamese courts were outliers in the large numbers, in-country origins, administrative importance and long duration of their use of eunuchs, lasting into the early twentieth century. Given their importance in Vietnamese courts, it is remarkable that eunuchs have received little explicit attention. For scholars who are not specialists of Vietnam, it would be easy to overlook the important historical role eunuchs have played. Divided into four sections, this essay provides an overview of the literature on eunuchs in the Vietnamese court. The first section describes the importance of eunuchs within the palace, in national administration and in international relations. The second section discusses the sourcing of eunuchs, noting possible differences in the Vietnamese and Chinese patterns with regard to age, social status and hermaphrodism. The third section reviews the evidence of historical shifts over time. The final section suggests that the more deliberate inclusion of eunuchs presents additional avenues by which to better understand the political logics and dynamics of Vietnamese history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we provided a morphological description combined with a phylogenetic analysis of the northernmost Thai Tylototriton population, which was found in Doi Pha Hom Pok National Park (DPHPNP), Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. Three adult males were collected from a small breeding pond during our survey in July 2020. Based on molecular (two specimens) and morphological (three specimens) evidence, all three specimens from DPHPNP were identified as Tylototriton verrucosus Anderson, 1871, and were characterized by having a blackish background, orange to light orange brown color markings, segmented vertebral ridge, prominent rib nodules ranging from 13–15 warts, and rough skin with granules. Hence, this second record of T. verrucosus populations in Thailand confirms a range extension of this species in northern Indochina. Additionally, the morphological variation and conservation status are discussed for the populations from Thailand.

This study aims to find empirical evidence regarding the influence of CSR on corporate resilience in facing the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeast Asia during the first and second waves of the pandemic. The independent variable in this research is the company's CSR which consists of economic, environmental and social disclosures, while the dependent variable is company resilience. There were 175 companies as research samples in the first wave and 176 in the second wave. Data is obtained from sustainability reports and annual reports published by each company through its official website. Using SmartPLS 3.3.9, it was found that, both in the first and second waves of COVID-19, overall CSR had a positive effect on corporate resilience. In the first wave, disclosure of economic topics had a positive effect on corporate resilience, but disclosure of environmental and social topics had a negative effect. In the second wave, disclosure of social topics had a positive effect on corporate resilience, but disclosure of economic and environmental topics had a negative effect. The implications of this research show that companies need to disclose their business continuity activities during a pandemic to increase corporate resilience. With the longer the pandemic lasts, social activities are more important than economic and environmental activities. The results of this study can enrich knowledge in the field of sustainability accounting which is useful for company management in managing corporate sustainability and also for investors in choosing their investment objects.