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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]

This paper highlights the highly contingent and constrained possibilities for states concerned with gaining and maintaining economic and, relatedly, strategic advantage in East Asia in a world dominated by global value chains (GVCs) owned and controlled by transnational capital. While the reorganisation of production has given rise to new contender states such as China, challenging the economic and strategic positions of others, the ability for states to engage in non-market conforming behaviour designed to reduce technological dependence, accumulate reserves and embolden national positions against competitors is far more constrained than it once was. Prioritising the relative power and leverage of states operating in various contexts over time, three types of state are identified within contemporary East Asia: former developmental states under persistent competitive pressures compelling very different policy agendas to those that underpinned their respective development stories; a somewhat exceptional constrained "aspirant state", attempting mercantilist strategies to achieve strategic upgrading under the spectre of systemic exclusion and formidable domestic challenges; and, finally, relatively vulnerable "eke-out" competition states, attempting to leverage labour cost, geography and regulation to maintain economic relevance within the context of hyper competitiveness while also engaging in forms of quarantining and patronage. Our overarching argument is that the latitude to both pursue and leverage ES strategies common in the past is all but gone, even for the most powerful of contender states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postponement of first births is a key cause of declining fertility rates, especially in East Asia where recovery from delayed childbearing has been weak. This paper investigates achievement of ideal ages at marriage and first birth in Singapore using survey data on 657 married women aged 25–34. Almost 50 per cent marry within one year of their ideal age, but less than 30 per cent have their first child within six months of their ideal interval to first birth, with around 50 per cent waiting longer than ideal. The high proportion of women experiencing a longer-than-ideal first birth interval was observed across all age and educational groups. Regression results show that co-residence with a foreign domestic worker and paid leave entitlements are associated with higher probability of achieving their ideal first birth interval, whereas availability of parents/in-laws, husband's help and unpaid leave do not reduce time to childbearing. [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]

Background: This meta-analysis study summarized the available information on the prevalence of thermotolerant Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli among poultry products in Asia; Methods: Exhaustive literature search was conducted and 30 studies were included. A number of multilevel random-effect meta-analysis models were used to calculate their pooled prevalence and compare each Asian regions; Results: The pooled prevalence for C.jejuni was 34%. On a separate meta-analysis for East Asia (EA), Middle East (ME) and South Asia (SA) and Southeast Asia (SEA), the pooled prevalences for C. jejuni were 33%, 37% and 33%, respectively. Moreover, results showed that there was significant heterogeneity and no significant publication bias. Conversely, the pooled prevalence for C. coli was 13%. On separate analysis by region, the pooled prevalences for EA, ME, and SEA were 10%, 18% and 12.08%, respectively. Significant heterogeneity was observed and there was no publication bias detected in the EA and the SEA; Conclusions: Overall, the high incidence of both C. jejuni and C. coli infections across Asia highlight the public health importance of these pathogens. Moreover, the meta-analysis of C. jejuni and C. coli prevalence across Asia gives crucial insights into the public health concerns connected with these pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of boreal winter–peaked La Niña on the following-summer precipitation in East Asia through intermediate sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies playing the role of relay in observation and numerical models. There are widespread dry conditions in both North and South China and wet conditions in coastal areas of central and eastern China. Such a pattern is mainly attributed to an anomalous low pressure over the western tropical Pacific and an anomalous anticyclone over northeast Asia. It is found that the delayed impact of La Niña on the East Asian climate is operated through intermediate SST anomalies—the Z-shape cold SST anomalies in the tropical North Pacific. There might be three ways for the SST anomalies to operate. First, they produce tropical atmospheric perturbations that can penetrate into the subtropical jet through the westerly trough over the northeast subtropical Pacific, the wave train being then excited along the jet. Second, perturbations created through the monsoon trough over the western Pacific can directly stimulate northward-propagating Rossby waves along the East Asian coast, mainly at low level. And third, perturbations over the tropical Atlantic–northwest Africa can also trigger downstream propagating waves along the subtropical jet. The observation effects of the intermediate SST anomalies and their possible impact mechanisms on atmospheric circulation are largely reproduced within numerical simulations performed with the Community Earth System Model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study first investigates the interannual variations in spring precipitation intraseasonal variability over southern China (SC). The results show that SC spring precipitation exhibits distinct intraseasonal variations with a period of 7–25 days. The first mode of 7–25-day precipitation intraseasonal variability (PIV) displays a monopole pattern over SC, and the PIV magnitude is largely determined by the upward motion intensity during intraseasonal precipitation events. Further analysis suggests that two atmospheric wave trains are observed during intraseasonal precipitation events, which propagate eastward from the North Atlantic along the northern and southern paths. In strong PIV years, the two wave trains can propagate to East Asia and show coordinated influences. The resultant low pressure to the west of SC causes strong upward motion and PIV over SC by bringing strong zonal vorticity and meridional temperature advection. In weak PIV years, the southern wave train can only propagate to the Bay of Bengal; therefore, the northern wave train plays a major role. The resultant low pressure is now over the upper to middle reaches of the Yangtze River, which causes relatively weak upward motion and PIV over SC by bringing weak meridional vorticity and temperature advection. Further analysis indicates that the sea surface temperature (SST) condition over the tropical Indian Ocean and the South China Sea is essential for southern wave train propagation. The warming SST over the regions can intensify westerlies to its north and consequently favors the propagation of the southern wave train to SC, eventually contributing to strong PIV over SC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) across time scales has been an interesting topic for decades. In this study, we quantitatively investigate the EASM–EAWM relationship at the obliquity time scales using a set of accelerated transient simulations. By comparing different indices defined with different variables, we find that the EASM and EAWM intensities are positively correlated under obliquity forcing. High obliquity leads to warmer summertime and cooler wintertime surface temperatures, with a stronger response observed over land than over the oceans. The warmer summertime and cooler wintertime temperature responses are accompanied by a strengthened Asian low in summer and Siberian high in winter, with enhanced southerlies in summer and northerlies in winter, indicating an enhanced EASM and EAWM. Modulated by ice sheet forcing, however, the evolution of the simulated EAWM shifts toward the ice sheet maximum, such that the circulation-based EASM–EAWM relationship in the realistically forced simulation exhibits a phase shift of approximately 11 kyr, closer to the phase between the composite δ18O and loess grain size in observations. Our results may have implications for better understanding the distinct changes in the proxy-based EASM–EAWM relationship before and after the rapid growth of global ice volume at around 3 Ma. Significance Statement: Studying the relationship between the EASM and EAWM can help us understand the characteristics and mechanisms of the regional climate in response to external forcings at different time scales. By investigating the EASM–EAWM relationship over the past 300 000 years, we find that, forced by obliquity variations, the EASM and EAWM are positively correlated at the obliquity time scales. The ice sheet forcing, meanwhile, also influences the circulation over East Asia and modulates the evolutionary phases between the EASM and EAWM. Our results highlight the importance of the combined impacts of orbital parameters and ice sheets on past climate changes over Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With over one-third of East Asia's 1.7 billion people overweight or obese, mounting demographic pressure and burgeoning healthcare costs are forcing public health officials to grapple with the rising morbidity and mortality associated with obesity. However, the presence of metabolically healthy obesity, in which the short-term disease risks of diabetes and heart disease are low, represents a possible buffer for healthcare planning in East Asia. This narrative review analyzes the health risks from obesity through representative Japan- and China-specific analyses that take into account unique cultural, genetic, and other factors that drive obesity; the potential impact of metabolically healthy obesity on public health; and suggested non-surgical/non-pharmacological interventions to relieve pressure on the nationalized healthcare systems prevalent in the region. Such an emphasis on interventions to both delay obesity as well as potentially reverse metabolic syndrome could save millions of lives and billions of USD equivalents in healthcare throughout East Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both South Asia and East Asia are the most polluted regions of the world. Unlike East Asia, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) over South Asia keeps increasing for all recent years, which calls for more attention. This study investigates the impacts of anthropogenic emissions over South Asia on the downstream regional climate during spring with the Community Earth System Model 2 (CESM2). The model results suggest that South Asian pollutants have significant impacts on East Asian spring climate, and the impacts could be even larger than locally emitted aerosols. Two possible dynamical pathways (i.e., the northern and the southern pathways) bridging South Asian aerosol forcing and East Asian climate are proposed, and both ways are associated with the black carbon (BC)-induced climate feedbacks surrounding the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The northern pathway is mainly due to the TP warming induced by the BC snow darkening effect (SDE), which significantly reduces the surface air temperature (SAT) over northern East Asia. BC-induced TP warming increases the meridional thermal gradient and accelerates the midlatitude jet stream, which favors the cold-air advection over northern East Asia. The southern pathway is associated with the BC "elevated heat pump" hypothesis, which mainly affects the precipitation in southern East Asia. BC from South Asia accumulates near the south slope of TP, inducing an abnormal ascending motion near the Bay of Bengal. A compensating anomalous sinking motion is then forced in South China, which suppresses the precipitation there. A primary observational analysis is also performed to verify both dynamical pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled climate models project robust wintertime wetting trend over midlatitude East Asia under global warming scenarios, but the projected change in precipitation shows large intermodel uncertainty over subtropical East Asia from southern China to southwestern Japan. Based on an ensemble of climate models participating in CMIP6, this study shows that the weakened southern branch westerly jet (SWJ) on the southern side of Tibetan Plateau (TP) plays a key role in suppressing subtropical East Asian precipitation. The SWJ is deflected into southwesterly wind on the southeastern side of TP, bringing ascent and precipitation to subtropical East Asia primarily through isentropic gliding. As a result of the poleward and upward shift of the planetary-scale westerly jet under global warming, the SWJ becomes weaker and it acts to suppress subtropical East Asian precipitation by weakening the southwesterly wind and ascent. The SWJ-precipitation linkage also exists on interannual time scales, but the sensitivity of precipitation to interannual SWJ variability is systematically underestimated by the models compared with observation. The combined effects of the change in SWJ strength and the sensitivity of precipitation to SWJ explain about 40% of the intermodel spread of the projected precipitation changes. Observational constraint on the SWJ--precipitation relationship amplifies the projected drying trend and narrows the intermodel spread. It shows that the regional-averaged precipitation over subtropical East Asia decreases by 3.3% per degree of warming, and the amplitude of precipitation reduction over subtropical East Asia (southern China) is about 1.4 (3.4) times the raw projection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been growing interest in the social-emotional development of children. However, the social-emotional development of children in Asia remains a knowledge gap. This systematic review identifies and summarizes existing studies on children's social-emotional development in Asia. We conducted a systematic review using the Guidelines for Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA). We reviewed 45 studies that met the inclusion criteria, and they were from 12 Asian countries, primarily the East Asia region (China and Hong Kong). Most of the studies were cross-sectional in design (n = 28, 62.2%). Six themes emerged, including (a) social-emotional development (overall) (n = 24, 53.3%); (b) social competence (n = 7, 15.6%); (c) emotional development (n = 5, 11.1%); (d) social-emotional learning (n = 3, 6.7%); (e) problem behavior (n = 3, 6.7%); (f) self-regulation (n = 2, 4.4%); and (g) both social-emotional learning and problem behavior (n = 1, 2.2%). The findings highlighted the paucity of studies, the need for examining more diverse variables in a similar population, and the low quality of intervention studies in social-emotional research in Asia. Research gaps indicate the need for more social-emotional and ethnocultural studies in other Asian regions. Parent and teacher knowledge of children's social-emotional functioning should be examined more closely in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve a sustainable society and solve the problems caused by climate change and socioeconomic activities, it is necessary to monitor the spatial and temporal variability of ecosystem functions, services, and biodiversity at both regional and global scales. During the last decade, we have seen rapid and significant improvement in satellite and near‐surface remote‐sensing technologies. In this review, we describe how remote‐sensing observations are being used to effectively evaluate the spatial and temporal variability of land use and cover types and of plant phenology in East Asia. We discuss the current status, uncertainties, problems, and future perspectives for terrestrial ecosystem and biodiversity monitoring, and we address the multidisciplinary research by incorporating in situ and satellite observations for East Asia. Recent satellites with advanced optical sensors, such as MultiSpectral Instrument/Sentinel‐2A/2B, Advanced Himawari Imager/Himawari‐8, and PlanetScope, and satellites with synthetic aperture radar, such as Advanced Land Observing Satellite‐2, allow detailed monitoring of land use and cover type changes and plant phenology. These satellite sensors can provide images with high spatial (3–10 m) and high temporal (10 min to 5 days) resolution, at both large (≥1 km2) and small (<1 km2) scales. In particular, researchers are expected to develop discrimination techniques that will enable these advanced satellite technologies to detect evergreen broadleaf trees and ways to estimate the geographic distribution of leaf traits. We encourage more collaborations among ecologists, engineers, and remote‐sensing scientists to share their abundant knowledge and experience and thereby improve the monitoring capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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During the winter and subsequent spring of an El Niño year, the East Asian marginal sea (EAMS) exhibits positive sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) and fewer low clouds, while the western North Pacific experiences negative SSTAs. In this study, we suggest that the positive SSTAs in EAMS are maintained by a positive low cloud–SST feedback. In neutral winters and springs, the EAMS is covered by low clouds, which have a cooling effect on surface temperatures. During an El Niño year, a western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone is established, and along its northwestern flank, there are favorable conditions for convergence of moisture and weaker surface latent heat flux over the EAMS. Once a positive SSTA has been established, a further reduction of turbulent mixing results in less low cloud and enhanced solar heating of the ocean mixed layer; this reinforces and maintains both the positive SSTA and the lack of low cloud via a positive feedback mechanism. The concurrent increase of low cloud–SST feedback and anticyclone circulation strengths is evident in the coupled-model simulations from phase 6 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. Furthermore, sensitivity experiments, performed with the atmospheric components of Community Earth System Model (CESM2), reveal that a positive SSTA helps to maintain the western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone. Four pacemaker-coupled experiments by CESM2, with sea surface temperature in the equatorial Pacific restored to the observational anomalies plus the model climatology and altered low cloud feedback over EAMS, suggest that the low cloud–SST feedback results in more than the maintenance of a positive SSTA over the EAMS: the positive feedback is also a previously overlooked mechanism for the maintenance of the western North Pacific anomalous anticyclone. Significance Statement: The East Asian marginal sea (EAMS) and western North Pacific are important areas that bridge El Niño and the climate of East Asia. Unlike the cold sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) over the western North Pacific during El Niño, the positive SSTA over EAMS, which is covered by winter low cloud, has received less attention. We suggest that a "low cloud–SST" feedback—namely, one in which decreasing low-level clouds allows more sunlight to strike the ocean surface and favors higher SST—maintains the positive SSTA over EAMS. We also configure a widely used atmospheric model with a set of preset SSTA patterns that mimic different climate patterns. Our experiments with different climate patterns and CMIP6 historical runs show that the low cloud–SST feedback (through the positive SSTA) is a possible supplementary mechanism for reinforcing the WNP anomalous anticyclone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occult Hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is of great significance to the transmission of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and the evolution of the patient's clinical outcome. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of OBI in Asia. Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Cochrane Library database, Web of Science and Embase with the keywords of 'Hepatitis B virus', 'occult infection', 'prevalence'. 70 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of OBI and 95% confidence interval (CI). The data were analyzed in R 4.1.2. The overall prevalence of OBI was 4% (95%CI: 0.03–0.06) in Asia. Subgroup analysis based on geographic region showed a prevalence of 3% (95%CI 0.02–0.06) in East Asia, 9% (95%CI 0.05–0.15) in West Asia, 3% (95%CI 0.01–0.11) in Southern Asia and 9% (95%CI 0.05–0.15) in Southeast Asia. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a prevalence of 1% (95%CI 0.00–0.02) in general population, 5% (95%CI: 0.03–0.08) in high-risk population, 9% (95%CI: 0.03–0.22) in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patient, 18% (95%CI: 0.09–0.32) in the hepatopathy patients. Based on the meta-analysis of the prevalence of OBI in different populations, we concluded that the prevalence of OBI in the high-risk population, hepatopathy patients, and HIV-infected patients was higher than that in the general population. A systematic review showed that OBI was associated with disease progression and prognosis. Therefore, these populations should be routinely screened for OBI and promptly intervened to avoid promoting disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistent with the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8 (implement policies to promote sustainable tourism), 9 (provide infrastructure for universal and affordable access to the Internet), and 17 (promote international trade), this study interrogates the services trade-ICT nexus on sustainable tourism in Asia. Using an unbalanced panel data on 44 East Asia and Pacific and South Asian countries from 2010 to 2019 it probes the discourse using tourism receipts, trade in services, and four ICT indicators (mobile phones, Internet users, fixed broadband, and secured internet servers). In broader terms, this study addresses two questions: whether ICT usage and services trade individually impact tourism and if the interaction of ICT influences or erodes the impact of services trade on tourism? Deploying the PSCC-LSDV and MM-QR robustness techniques, findings reveal that (1) services trade and ICT individually promote tourism; (2) the negative interaction effect of services trade and ICT is not sufficient to erode the enhancing-impact of services trade; (3) effect of services trade and ICT usage and their interaction significantly differ across the sub-regions; and (4) effect of services trade and ICT usage is heterogeneous across the quantiles. Policy recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the causal relationship between the Internet and economic factors in Asian economies between 1997 and 2017. The economic factors consist of gross domestic product (GDP), foreign direct investment (FDI), imports, and exports. A comparative analysis of East, South, and Western Asia was conducted using a panel vector autoregressive model. The findings show bidirectional causality between FDI and Internet use in South Asia, unidirectional causality from Internet use to FDI in East Asia, and unidirectional causality from FDI to Internet use in Western Asia. Moreover, the findings indicate unidirectional causality from exports to Internet use in East Asia and unidirectional causality from Internet use to exports in South Asia, but no impact in Western Asia. Finally, the results show unidirectional causality from Internet use to GDP in Western Asia. As these results suggest that Internet use has boosted economic performance in Asia, policy makers in the region should improve Internet use with a focus on economic growth, improving transaction efficiency, and facilitating foreign investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The why and the how of knowledge production are examined in the case of the transnational cooperation between the directors of observatories in the Far East who drew up unified typhoon-warning codes in the period 1900–1939. The why is prompted by the socioeconomic interests of the local chambers of commerce and international telegraphic companies, although this urge has the favourable wind of Far Eastern meteorologists' ideology of voluntarist internationalism. The how entails the persistent pursuit of consensus (on ends rather than means) in international meetings where non-binding resolutions on codes and procedures are adopted. The outcome is the co-production of standardised knowledge, that is, the development of a series of processes and practices that co-produce both knowledge and ideas about the social order in a force field characterised by negotiations and power struggles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]