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Recently, papers with multiple corresponding authors (co-correspondence) are frequently noticed in scientific journals. This is a trend that parallels a significant increase in research collaboration, but its rapidity raises concern about whether the legitimacy and value of the corresponding authorship are changing or even damaged. This study investigated how extensive and sound the trend of co-correspondence in science and engineering is. The increasing trend of co-correspondence papers was confirmed by examining SCOPUS index (www.scopus.com) for the papers published by scholars of the USA, Japan, South Korea, and China in 2008-09 and 2018-2019. The number of co-correspondence papers indeed increased in all four countries. However, the numbers varied significantly among the countries, markedly higher in South Korea and China cases, which also showed far higher numbers of the papers with a co-corresponding author who is the only member from his group. To dig into reality, South Korean scholars were surveyed with questionnaires regarding the trend of co-correspondence. Over 64% of respondents answered that they had participated in papers where multiple corresponding authors are listed, and 22% of them thought that the co-corresponding author did not play his due role and the co-corresponding authorship was exchanged between friends or given as a courtesy for various reasons. Although corresponding authorship allocation is majorly a concern for journal editors, a trend of inappropriate practices or misuse of co-corresponding authorship calls for local and global academic community awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strontium (Sr) is an element of toxicological concern due to its close chemical proximity to Ca. In this work, Sr in sea salts collected from China and South Korea was analyzed by laser‐induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). The precision could be improved by using multiple filter‐paper sampling and intensity normalization using a weak Na I line as a reference signal. The analyte signal variation between filter‐paper pieces as well as that within a single filter‐paper piece could be corrected by the suggested method. The limit of detection of ~2 ppm and the precision of ~5% could be obtained. As a measure of accuracy, the root‐mean‐square error was estimated to be 9 ppm. The multiple filter‐paper sampling can be performed easily on the salt production sites and improves the LIBS analysis precision resulting to sufficient quantification capability for minor metallic elements in edible sea salt products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The entertainment industry is driven to sell certain commodities transnationally, particularly in a world where borders are becoming increasingly diffused through the access afforded by the Internet. Media content is easily consumed, making cultural exporting fast and easy. Similar tropes and plot have been replicated in the East Asian film and TV industry, perhaps in hopes of replicating the success. This paper looks at the manufacture of ideal masculinities within East Asia, particularly China. From ex-members of K-pop group EXO to the successful TV series, cross-influence of East Asian popular culture is prominent. Through this paper, I look at the influence of K-dramas on the Chinese TV industry and particularly the manufacturing of a militarized masculinity on Chinese TV. Far from portraying brute and fearsome soldiers, ideal masculinity on TV is portrayed as "steely exterior but gentle internally" and thus desirable romantic partners to heterosexual women. By exploring the basic conception of Chinese masculinity, I then discuss representations of militarized masculinity on the silver screen (Wolf Warrior II) and C-dramas, with particular focus on the series, You Are My Hero (2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The politics of international finance for coal power plants have intensified since the 2015 Paris climate agreement was negotiated. Over the past few years, Japan and South Korea have signaled their intent not to fund new coal projects overseas, leaving China and its Belt and Road Initiative as the 'financier of last resort.' In September 2021, China too announced its intent to stop providing finance for overseas coal projects. What accounts for their decision to cease financing overseas coal projects despite prominent differences in political systems, degree of internationalization of their financial systems, and economic size? Drawing on datasets of coal projects and financing supplemented by case material and interviews, this paper explores the dynamics of coal export finance and how the combination of international reputational pressures and declining demand for coal finance diminished the domestic support for incumbent coal exporters in all three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the history of crossing the Sino-Chosŏn borders in various contexts. The evolution of border crossing can be traced from its origins as a political mission that was part of the diplomatic ritual to its later development as an economic circuit where individuals vied for profits, and finally to its status as a public program that carried significant weight in high-level politics. Throughout its history, border crossing was characterized by its dual nature, encompassing both ritual and mundane, exotic and domestic, national and international elements. It was emblematic of the ongoing interactions between China/Chinese and Korea/Koreans, and the flows of people and goods between them. These individuals and items were re-identified and re-categorized following their crossing of the borders, and the processes of identification and categorization shed light on the political dynamics of both countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Exchange Market Pressure Index (EMPI) is an indicator of pressure on a currency. Because of the presence of serial correlation, financial time series may not be normally distributed even for large sample sizes. They may have undefined parameters and hence parametric tests of normality may give misleading results. In this paper, we look at the time series of EMPI of eleven countries of the world, put the data to normality check using tests suggested by various scholars. We also apply a test used exclusively for serially correlated data. No one has used this test earlier. In this context, we also compare the power of these statistical tests, which is another novel contribution of this paper. On the basis of these tests the EMPI time series is found to be non-normal. Two tests are found to be the most powerful. The test which is designed exclusively for time series data is found to be powerful only for China and South Korea, the countries which had the lowest EMPI- standard- deviation in the group of all the eleven countries studied in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The study aims to assess the current development status of transforaminal full-endoscopic spine surgery (TFES) by exploring and analyzing the published literature to obtain an overview of this field and discover the evolution and emerging topics that are underrepresented. Methods: Using Bibliometrix, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer, we analyzed the bibliometric data selected from the Web of Science Core Collection between January 2002 and November 2022. The descriptive and evaluative analyses of authors, institutes, countries, journals, keywords, and references are compiled. The quantity of research productivity was measured by the number of publications that were published. A quality indicator was thought to be the number of citations. In the bibliometric analysis of authors, areas, institutes, and references, we calculated and ranked the research impact by various metrics, such as the h-index and m-index. Results: A total of 628 articles were identified in the field of TFES by the 18.73% annual growth rate of research on the subject from 2002 to 2022, constituting the documents are by 1961 authors affiliated with 661 institutions in 42 countries or regions and published in 117 journals. The USA (n = 0.20) has the highest international collaboration rate, South Korea has the highest H-index value (h = 33), and China is ranked as the most productive country (n = 348). Brown univ., Tongji univ., and Wooridul Spine represented the most productive institutes ranked by the number of publications. Wooridul Spine Hospital demonstrated the highest quality of paper publication. The Pain Physician had the highest h-index (n = 18), and the most cited journal with the earliest publication year in the area of FEDS is Spine (t = 1855). Conclusion: The bibliometric study showed a growing trend of research on transforaminal full-endoscopic spine surgery over the past 20 years. It has shown a significant increase in the number of authors, institutions, and international collaborating countries. South Korea, the United States, and China dominate the related areas. A growing body of evidence has revealed that TFES has leapfrogged from its infancy stage and gradually entered a mature development stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Endoscopic spine surgery (ESS) is a minimally invasive surgical technique that offers comparable efficacy and safety with less collateral damage compared to conventional surgery. To achieve clinical success, it is imperative to stay abreast of technological advancements, modern surgical instruments and technique, and updated evidence. Purposes: To provide a comprehensive review and updates of ESS including the nomenclature, technical evolution, bibliometric analysis of evidence, recent changes in the spine communities, the prevailing of biportal endoscopy, and the future of endoscopic spine surgery. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on ESS for the mentioned topics from January 1989 to November 2022. Three major electronic databases were searched, including MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase. Covidence Systematic Review was used to organize the eligible records. Two independent reviewers screened the articles for relevance. Results: In total, 312 articles were finally included for review. We found various use of nomenclatures in the field of ESS publication. To address this issue, we proposed the use of distinct terms to describe the biportal and uniportal techniques, as well as their specific approaches. In the realm of technical advancement, ESS has rapidly evolved from addressing disc herniation and spinal stenosis to encompassing endoscopic fusion, along with technological innovations such as navigation, robotics, and augmented reality. According to bibliometric analysis, China, South Korea, and the USA have accounted for almost three-quarters of total publications. The studies of the biportal endoscopy are becoming increasingly popular in South Korea where the top ten most-cited articles have been published. The biportal endoscopy technique is relatively simple to adopt, as it relies on a more familiar approach, requires less expensive instruments, has a shorter learning curve, and is also well-suited for interbody fusion. The uniportal approach provided the smallest area of soft tissue dissection. While robotics and augmented reality in ESS are not widely embraced, the use of navigation in ESS is expected to become more streamlined, particularly with the emergence of recent electromagnetic-based navigation technologies. Conclusions: In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of ESS, as well as an updated summary of current trends in the field, including the biportal and uniportal approaches. Additionally, we summarize the nomenclature used in ESS, present a bibliometric analysis of the field, and discuss future directions for the advancement of the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increasing number of children diagnosed with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder in Canada, this paper focuses on how their mothers, as Asian immigrant women, experience the process of diagnosis and learn to parent their children. By taking two Asian (Korean and Chinese) mothers' critical personal narratives as major data sources, this paper aims to explore the diagnosis process of Autism-Spectrum-Disorder through a sociocultural lens on the intersectionality of (im)migrants and their cultural competence, and argues that their identity (re)construction and learning for parenting take place at the intersectionality of race, gender, class, and disability. This paper highlights possible implications for everyone involved in this 'medical' process, in the context of Canadian or other similar multicultural societies. Asian immigrant mothers usually have to deal with children with Autism-Spectrum-Disorder (ASD) and they have bitter experience of mistreatment tied to race, gender and class. This study reveals how Asian immigrant mothers struggled in their integration to Canadian society as well as their experiences of denial into Canada's medical system. The stories of these two women shed lights on the social and cultural aspects of immigrant mothers' learning strategies, including how they utilize accessible resources and networks for their children's treatment and diagnosis. This paper suggests that policymakers need to consider the social and cultural aspects of diagnosis in immigrant families to better fit their needs and provide them appropriate medical and social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the link between culture, history, government policies and the development of economic institutions. Specifically, the paper discusses the impact that history and culture, including the influence of Confucianism, have played in shaping the economic institutions of South Korea and the People's Republic of China. Research results indicate that culture, history and government policies all played a role in shaping the organizational structure of these two East Asian nations. However, China's economic landscape is dominated by small and medium-sized, family-oriented firms, particularly in the rural parts of the country. The South Korean economic landscape, on the other hand, is dominated by large conglomerate firms called Chaebols which are also dominated by one family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taoism and Confucianism both exited simultaneously as philosophies of living in dynastic China. Although there has been an increasing popularity in scientometric studies, religion and health (R&H) literature lacks a holistic evaluation investigating articles relevant to Taoism and Confucianism. All publications produced in Taoism and Confucianism literature and indexed in Web of Science (WoS) databases between 1975 and 2018 were included in this study. Database search on health and Taoism literature retrieved 199 documents from WoS databases. Main research areas were Psychology, Religion and Behavioral Sciences (24.121, 21.608 and 20.603, respectively). The USA ranked first with 38 papers followed China, Taiwan and the UK (n = 35, 20 and 6 documents, respectively). Hong Kong Polytechnic University from China was the most contributor institution in health and Taoism literature. A total of 448 documents were published in health and Confucianism literature between 1975 and 2018, and original articles covered 93.08% of all literature. China was leading country with 126 articles followed by the USA, South Korea and Taiwan (n = 97, 35 and 35 items, respectively). The most productive institutions were City University of Hong Kong (China), Karolinska Institute (Sweden) and University of Hong Kong (China). Researchers from developing and least developed countries should be encouraged to carry out novel scientometric studies in R&H literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United States’ Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduces new eligibility requirements for existing USD 7,500 tax-credit provided to electric vehicles. The new requirements condition the credit upon North American final assembly and North American-sourced materials and components. As tensions flare between the US and China, these new local content requirements reflect the US’s effort to establish a supply chain for electric vehicles that circumvents China. The blow, however, is felt elsewhere, namely by South Korean auto makers whose electric vehicle models are no longer eligible for the significant tax-credit necessary to compete in the American market. As South Korea considers submitting a complaint to relevant international bodies, this paper dissects the IRA’s relevant provisions and analyzes the applicability of international trade law rules of the WTO and the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement to the new local content requirements of the IRA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study applied a logistic growth model with parameters estimated by a non-linear least squares (NLS) method to daily new COVID-19 cases. • The model fitted time-series data exceedingly well for the whole of China, eleven selected Chinese provinces and municipalities, South Korea and Iran. • This study provided key estimates and a 95% confidence interval for parameters K , r, and P 0. • This study found that the growth rates of outbreaks differed between provinces in China and between South Korea and Iran. • As of March 13, 2020, this study's model suggested that countries such as the U.S.A., France, Italy, and Spain were still in the early stages of outbreaks. As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to proliferate globally, this paper shares the findings of modelling the outbreak in China at both provincial and national levels. This paper examines the applicability of the logistic growth model, with implications for the study of the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases. An NLS (Non-Linear Least Squares) method was employed to estimate the parameters of a differentiated logistic growth function using new daily COVID-19 cases in multiple regions in China and in other selected countries. The estimation was based upon training data from January 20, 2020 to March 13, 2020. A restriction test was subsequently implemented to examine whether a designated parameter was identical among regions or countries, and the diagnosis of residuals was also conducted. The model's goodness of fit was checked using testing data from March 14, 2020 to April 18, 2020. The model presented in this paper fitted time-series data exceedingly well for the whole of China, its eleven selected provinces and municipalities, and two other countries - South Korea and Iran - and provided estimates of key parameters. This study rejected the null hypothesis that the growth rates of outbreaks were the same among ten selected non-Hubei provinces in China, as well as between South Korea and Iran. The study found that the model did not provide reliable estimates for countries that were in the early stages of outbreaks. Furthermore, this study concured that the R 2 values might vary and mislead when compared between different portions of the same non-linear curve. In addition, the study identified the existence of heteroskedasticity and positive serial correlation within residuals in some provinces and countries. The findings suggest that there is potential for this model to contribute to better public health policy in combatting COVID-19. The model does so by providing a simple logistic framework for retrospectively analyzing outbreaks in regions that have already experienced a maximal proliferation in cases. Based upon statistical findings, this study also outlines certain challenges in modelling and their implications for the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qiu Jun of Ming China, with the aim of "rendering the Zhuzi jiali both accessible and practicable for ordinary folks," compiled the Jiali yijie. Among the annotations of Jiali in the Ming dynasty, Jiali yijie gained the widest popularity and greatest influence, and was regarded as a new classic, on par with the Jiali itself. In the 16th century, Jiali yijie was also introduced to Joseon Korea, where it was regarded as "an important supplement to the Zhuzi jiali" by Korean scholars, attaining a high level of popularity. This paper draws on 23 versions of the Jiali yijie from the Ming dynasty and 33 from the Qing. Historically, the Jiali yijie was introduced to the Joseon dynasty from China by Kim Anguk in 1518. Through the comparison of these four Joseon print versions and their Chinese counterparts, we are led to the conclusion that it was the Yingtian prefecture's print, dated the twelfth year of the Zhengde Era, that Kim Anguk brought back to Joseon from Ming China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past decade, Korea and Japan have increasingly exhibited different strategic priorities in trade in face of China's rising global economic prowess and worsening USChina trade conflict. Japan's trade policy decisions have worked to reinforce its economic and security ties with the US as a means to counter China. Japan has used both bilateral and multilateral means to secure its ties with the US against China. In contrast, Korea's trade policy positions have been one of 'strategic ambiguity'. Korea has been more conciliatory towards China, reluctant to take actions that would counter China's interest. Korea has mainly resorted to bilateral channels to maintain favorable relations with both China and the US. Korea's reluctance to clearly ally with the US against China has been observed across different administrations with opposing political orientations. This paper examines Korea and Japan's diverging strategic priorities in trade through the 2017 World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference; the 2017 US imposition of Section 232 on steel; the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, the Korea-US FTA renegotiation and the Korea-China FTA Phase Two Negotiation; and the 2019 Japan-US Trade Agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to investigate the current status of read-across approaches in the Republic of Korea, Japan, and China in terms of applications and regulatory acceptance. In the Republic of Korea, over the last 6 years, approximately 8% of safety data records used for chemical registrations were based upon read-across, and a guideline published on the use of read-across results in 2017. In Japan, read-across is generally accepted for screening hazard classification of toxicological endpoints according to the Chemical Substances Control Law (CSCL). In China, read-across data, along with data from other animal alternatives are accepted as a data source for chemical registrations, but could be only considered when testing is not technically feasible. At present, read-across is not widely used for chemical registrations and regulatory acceptance of read-across may differ among countries in Asia. With consideration of the advantages and limitations of read-across, it is expected that read-across may soon gradually be employed in Asian countries. Thus, regulatory agencies need to prepare for this progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many social network sites (SNSs) have become available around the world and users' online social networks increasingly include contacts from different cultures. However, there is lack of investigation into the concrete cultural differences in the effects of contextual factors and privacy concerns on users' privacy decisions on social network sites (SNSs). The goal of this paper is to understand how contextual factors and privacy concerns cast different impact on privacy decisions, such as friend request decisions, information disclosure and perceived risk, in different countries. We performed a quantitative study through a large-scale online survey across the US, Korea and China to model the relationships between contextual factors, privacy concerns and privacy decisions. We find that the contextual influence and focus of privacy concerns vary between the individualistic and collectivistic countries in our sample. We suggest that multinational SNS service providers should consider different contextual factors and focus of privacy concerns in different countries and customise privacy designs and friend recommendation algorithms in SNSs in different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical electrical impedance tomography (EIT) reconstruction algorithms are approximately forty years old and are now being used to treat patients. At the same time, many advanced concepts are still active research areas, and literature regarding EIT algorithms has been presented in different professional journals and scientific conferences. Bibliometrics analysis method is used to assess the 30 years of scientific output and activity regarding EIT algorithm research from a global perspective, covering global publications, cooperation between countries, and clustering of keywords. 2467 research articles, reviews, letters, and proceeding papers published from 1987 to 2021 in English on EIT reconstruction algorithm were analyzed. Literature statistics show that the worldwide growth trend is rising, and global geographic distribution of publications in this field indicates that USA, South Korea, and China ranked as the top three prolific contributors in terms of EIT algorithm. "inverse problem" "regularization""electrode models" were research focus. Overall, EIT algorithms bibliometric research provides the current hotspots and future directions of algorithm research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence and damage of Riptortus pedestris has been on the rise in recent years, but the control efficacy by spraying insecticides is poor due to the quick moving of both adults and nymphs, which seriously threatens the revitalization and development of Chinese soybean industry. New control technologies for this pest are urgently needed to be researched and developed. The aggregation pheromone of R.pedestris is mainly produced and released by male adults, but is strongly attractive to female and male adults and nymphs. These semiochemicals could be used as a chemical lure and expected to be developed as green control techniques to suppress R.pedestris. The aggregation pheromone has been studied in Japan and South Korea for more than 20 years, but it lacks research in China. In this paper, the research progress on the identification and function, the influencing factors of synthesis and release, and the application in monitoring and control of R.pedestris aggregation pheromone are reviewed, and at meantime, the problems in the application are highlighted, and future directions are suggested. This paper provides an important reference for the research and the application in the pest control of R.pedestris aggregation pheromone in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies of East Asian welfare regimes focus on similarities between social security schemes. In contrast, this paper explores cross-national variations in public–private pension mixes in six welfare states: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Our research echoes the pension policy analysis of international organisations but takes a step forward with emphasis on the historical and institutional characteristics of the respective pension systems. The analysis identifies three institutional patterns. First, the statist pension system (Taiwan and China) primarily relies on public pensions to provide old-age security, with private pensions playing a rather minor role. Second, in the dualist pension system (Japan and Korea) both public and private pensions work in parallel to ensure retirement income, though a clear security gap exists between workers in the formal and informal economies. Finally, the individualist pension system (Hong Kong and Singapore) is characterised by genuine fully funded individual accounts, emphasising citizens' own responsibilities for ensuring old-age security. These three types of pension systems demonstrate distinct institutional characteristics and policy outcomes, illustrated by the juxtaposition of their institutional structures as well as by the comparison of key indicators collected from government reports and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development statistics. The paper concludes with a theoretical reflection of East Asian pension policies and a diagnosis of the distinct challenges confronted by each of the various pension patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on multi-site research in China and South Korea, this paper examines the motivations for rural-origin Chinese students to study abroad in South Korea and how their overseas experiences are mediated by both internal and international educational hierarchies. Existing literature on transnational student mobility from Asia mainly focuses on students from urban middle-class backgrounds, while little attention has been paid to students from less advantaged backgrounds. Scholars have noted that China's seemingly meritocratic gaokao (national college entrance exam) policy in reality functions to perpetuate the structural marginalization of rural students in its educational system. This research moves beyond the internal migration paradigm by examining how social inequalities associated with the rural/urban divide are reproduced and re-articulated by the intersection of class, gender, place of origin, and time management at the transnational scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art intervention in rural areas is practiced in Japan and South Korea, but it has been repeatedly questioned and criticized in China. Combined with the historical background, this paper analyzes the ways in which art intervenes in rural areas on the basis of reviewing the emergence and development process of Setouchi Triennale, studies the specific planning and design techniques and implementation mechanism, and finds out the problems in the artistic revitalization of rural areas in China, so as to guide rural revitalization to a more reasonable path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether second language (L2)-English learners whose native languages (L1; Korean and Mandarin) lack obligatory plural marking transfer the properties of plural marking from their L1s, and whether transfer is manifested both offline (in a grammaticality judgment task) and online (in a self-paced reading task). The online task tests the predictions of the morphological congruency hypothesis (Jiang 2007), according to which L2 learners have particular difficulty automatically activating the meaning of L2 morphemes that are incongruent with their L1. Experiment 1 tests L2 learners' sensitivity to errors of –s oversuppliance with mass nouns, while Experiment 2 tests their sensitivity to errors of –s omission with count nouns. The findings show that (a) L2 learners detect errors with nonatomic mass nouns (sunlights) but not atomic ones (furnitures), both offline and online; and (b) L1-Korean L2-English learners are more successful than L1-Mandarin L2-English learners in detecting missing –s with definite plurals (these boat), while the two groups behave similarly with indefinite plurals (many boat). Given that definite plurals require plural marking in Korean but not in Mandarin, the second finding is consistent with L1-transfer. Overall, the findings show that learners are able to overcome morphological incongruency and acquire novel uses of L2 morphemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, several studies pointed out that anthropogenic emission sources in China which significantly contribute to the PM2.5 mass burden was an important cause of particulate pollution in South Korea. However, most studies generally focused upon a single pollution event. It is rare to see comprehensive research that captures those features prone to interannual variations concerning the transboundary pollutant contribution in South Korea using a unified method. In this paper, we establish the emission inventories covering East Asia in 2010, 2015, and 2017, and then conduct the source apportionment by applying a coupled regional air quality model called the Integrated Source Apportionment Module (ISAM). Comparison of simulated and observed PM2.5 mass concentration at 165 CNEMC (China National Environmental Monitoring Center) sites suggests that the PM2.5 concentrations are well represented by the modeling system. The model is used to quantitatively investigate the contribution from emission sources in China to PM2.5 concentrations over South Korea and those features found to be prone to interannual variations are then discussed. The results show that the average annual contribution of PM2.5 has dropped significantly from 28.0% in 2010 to 15.7% in 2017, which strongly suggests that China has achieved remarkable results in the treatment of atmospheric particulates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has initiated a series of "economic sanctions" against South Korea, affecting Korean pop stars visiting China and Korean investments in China. Sanctions were imposed on South Korea in response to the decision of South Korea to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in 2016. Furthermore, the Global Daily assembled local population to boycott Korean products and investments in China. However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has never positively confirmed these activities as economic sanctions to South Korea related to the THAAD installation. In other words, the Chinese government singled a relatively weak message via these sanctions to South Korea. As a result, the THADD implementation continued in South Korea. In the paper, I interpret China's rationale to impost puzzling economic sanctions, which have a weak resolution, to South Korea and Taiwan. As signaling theory argues, economic sanctions with insufficient resolution, which are more likely to fail, is a more provocative foreign policy. By reviewing China's sanctions usage to South Korea and Taiwan, I propose arguments of bureaucratic competition to answer why China launched such sanctions to other countries: those are caused by domestic institutions who are seeking reward from the Communist Party of China. By comparing shifts of leadership between domestic agencies, the paper provides evidence to support the proposed argument. I also include two alternative explanations to strengthen the proposed argument, albeit connecting the paper with other two larger streams of research, which address analyses of China's aggressive foreign policies as well as the domestic politics of economic sanctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the assessment of equivalence of the spectral radiance scales in the wavelength range from 250 to 2500 nm, reproduced at the national metrology institutes of Korea (KRISS), China (NIM), and Russia (VNIIOFI), carried out in the framework of international comparisons. The common set of three tungsten strip lamps was used as an artefact. Based on a series of blind measurements of the lamps spectral radiance performed at each laboratory alternately, the reference value of the comparison was determined at each wavelength as a weighted mean of the measured data of three laboratories. The degree of equivalence of each laboratory was then calculated as the deviation of the measurement data of that participant from the reference value. A data analysis method was proposed for calculating the degree of equivalences and their uncertainties. The method is based on processing spectral radiance ratios, rather than differences, which allows eliminating the influence of a result of one particular participant to results of other laboratories. The comparison results confirm the equivalence of spectral radiance scales of all the laboratories within their expanded uncertainties (k = 2) except a few wavelength points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs the threshold cointegration methodology to assess the long- and short-run dynamics of asymmetric adjustment between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) of China-India, China-Japan, China-Korea, India-Japan, India-Korea, and Japan-Korea pairs using monthly EPU data ranging from January 1997 to April 2020. The relationship between the EPU pairs is examined in terms of Engle-Granger and threshold cointegrations. The findings provide evidence of long-run threshold cointegration and that the adjustments towards the long-run equilibrium position are asymmetric in the short run for the China-India and India-Japan EPU pairs in M-TAR specification with nonzero threshold values. Also, the results suggest a unidirectional causal relationship between China-India, China-Japan, and India-Korea EPU pairs in the long and short run using the spectral frequency domain causality approach. However, a bidirectional causal relationship between China-Korea, India-Japan, and Japan-Korea pairs exists in the long and short run. Therefore, the findings provide some clues to economic policymakers within the Asian subregion for possible policy uncertainty synergies and spillovers among the Asian countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Angelica gigas Nakai (A. gigas) is used as a traditional medicine in Korea and China. The root of A. gigas is most commonly prepared by decocting with water, and is used as a blood tonic, for the treatment of gynecological diseases, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and laxative. Thus, this paper presents a detailed review of the phytochemistry, botanical origin and pharmacological activities of A. gigas. Eleven monocoumarins, ten furocoumarins, eleven pyranocoumarins, nine volatile oils, nine flavonoids and six other constituents of A. gigas were summarized and discussed. The major chemical constituents of A. gigas , decursin and decursinol angelate, have also been detailed for their anti-inflammatory, anticancer, analgesic and sedative effects. This review aims to provide a reference for the future development and use of A. gigas. • The phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Angelica gigas Nakai were reviewed. • Fifty-six compounds from A. gigas were classified, and discussed. • Decursin, decursinol angelate, and decursinol are the main components. • The pharmacological effects of decursin and decursinol angelate were summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discipline of marriage and family therapy (MFT) has been established around the world. Inspired by theories and models developed in Western countries, professionals in East Asian countries over the last two decades have been dedicated to introducing the concepts of MFT to local mental health professionals. This paper presents an overview of the cultural background of East Asian cultures, a summary of MFT development in East Asia, and a discussion of key challenges to advancing MFT in East Asia. We provide recommendations to overcome these obstacles, including bridging the gap between MFTs in the West and East Asia, developing country‐specific MFT development plans, establishing accreditation and licensing regulation, increasing the public awareness of MFT, increasing collaboration among training institutes and the number of qualified MFT trainers and training locations, and developing culturally attuned MFT training and practices. Practitioner points: Direct application of Western approaches to the East Asian context can be detrimental if therapists do not carefully examine the cultural differences and adapt accordinglyA critical step in developing MFT in East Asia is to develop country/region‐specific plans including the recognition of the history, values, and distinctive features of Asian families [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the countries with higher security governance in Asia, South Korea has a relatively complete police recruitment system. In this paper, the basic situation and characteristics of South Korea' s police recruitment are introduced. The similarities and differences between South Korea and China in terms of system guarantee, recruitment targets, examination register and training are analyzed. Finally, suggestions for China' s police recruitment are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to understand the global and longitudinal trends of research on Panax ginseng. We used bibliometrics to analyze 3974 papers collected from the Web of ScienceTM Core Collection database during 1959--2016. The number of publications showed a steady growth before 2000 and exponentially increased in stage III (2000--2016, about 86% of the papers were published). Research on P. ginseng was conducted in 64 countries, mainly in Asia; in particular, 41% and 28% of the publications were from South Korea and China, respectively. The institutions from South Korea and China had high publication output and close cooperation and provided the majority of financial support. All top 10 authors and four of the top 20 journals in terms of number of publications originated from South Korea. The leading research subjects were pharmacology (39%), plant science (26%), and integrative complementary medicine (19%). The hotspot of P. ginseng research transformed from basic science to application, and multidisciplinary sciences will play a substantial role in the future. This study provides a comprehensive analysis to elucidate the global distribution, collaboration patterns, and research trends in the P. ginseng domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic disrupts established daily routines, it underlines the role that families play in redefining social order and reorganizing people's economic and social lives. In this paper, we investigate methods that Chinese and South Korean families have adopted to cope with the rapid changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We emphasize families' responses to sudden changes in three domains: education and home schooling, economic downturn and unemployment, and mental health challenges. By integrating online education and remote working into a new form of family life and sharing economic and emotional risks among members, families shape social order during a period of unprecedented uncertainty. We highlight the fact that family members experience intensified work-family or school-family conflicts. Disadvantaged families are the most severely affected, as they are at high risk of job loss and lack proper protections. The absence of institutional protections and interventions has created further economic and emotional hardships for these vulnerable families. Informal and nonregular workers require more stable labor market conditions for the wellbeing of their families. Future research may include a systematic data collection and analysis of disadvantaged families, as this would offer a better understanding of the challenges and untenable choices that families face during times of crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the quantity and quality of articles in the field of full-endoscopic spine surgery (FESS) from different countries and assess characteristics of worldwide research productivity.Methods: Articles published from 1997 to July 23, 2018, were screened using the Web of Science database. All studies were assessed for the following parameters: the number of total publications, h-index, contribution of countries, authors, journals, and institutions.Results: A total of 408 articles were identified between 1997 and 2018. Between 1997 and 2017, the number of published articles tended to increase by 41 times. The largest number of articles was from China (30.15%), followed by South Korea (28.68%), the USA (13.97%), Germany (9.31%), and Japan (4.90%). The highest h-index was found for articles from South Korea (23), followed by the USA (18), Germany (16), China (11), and Japan (7). The highest number of articles was published in World Neurosurgery (12.50%), followed by Pain Physician (10.29%), Spine (6.62%), European Spine Journal (4.66%), and Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine (4.17%). Wooridul Spine Hospital published the largest number of articles (10.29%), followed by Tongji University (5.88%), University of Witten/Herdecke (5.39%), Brown University (5.15%), and Third Military Medical University (3.43%).Conclusions: The number of articles published in the field of FESS has increased rapidly in the past 20 years. In terms of quantity, China is the most contributive country based on the number of publications. High-quality papers as measured by h-index and the large quantity is from South Korea (second only to China). These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: This paper presents updated prevalence estimates of awareness, ever‐use, and current use of nicotine vaping products (NVPs) from 14 International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) countries that have varying regulations governing NVP sales and marketing. Design, Setting, Participants and Measurements: A cross‐sectional analysis of adult (≥ 18 years) current smokers and ex‐smokers from 14 countries participating in the ITC Project. Data from the most recent survey questionnaire for each country were included, which spanned the period 2013–17. Countries were categorized into four groups based on regulations governing NVP sales and marketing (allowable or not), and level of enforcement (strict or weak where NVPs are not permitted to be sold): (1) most restrictive policies (MRPs), not legal to be sold or marketed with strict enforcement: Australia, Brazil, Uruguay; (2) restrictive policies (RPs), not approved for sale or marketing with weak enforcement: Canada, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand; (3) less restrictive policies (LRPs), legal to be sold and marketed with regulations: England, the Netherlands, Republic of Korea, United States; and (4) no regulatory policies (NRPs), Bangladesh, China, Zambia. Countries were also grouped by World Bank Income Classifications. Country‐specific weighted logistic regression models estimated adjusted NVP prevalence estimates for: awareness, ever/current use, and frequency of use (daily versus non‐daily). Findings NVP awareness and use were lowest in NRP countries. Generally, ever‐ and current use of NVPs were lower in MRP countries (ever‐use = 7.1–48.9%; current use = 0.3–3.5%) relative to LRP countries (ever‐use = 38.9–66.6%; current use = 5.5–17.2%) and RP countries (ever‐use = 10.0–62.4%; current use = 1.4–15.5%). NVP use was highest among high‐income countries, followed by upper–middle‐income countries, and then by lower–middle‐income countries. Conclusions: With a few exceptions, awareness and use of nicotine vaping products varied by the strength of national regulations governing nicotine vaping product sales/marketing, and by country income. In countries with no regulatory policies, use rates were very low, suggesting that there was little availability, marketing and/or interest in nicotine vaping products in these countries where smoking populations are predominantly poorer. The higher awareness and use of nicotine vaping products in high income countries with moderately (e.g. Canada, New Zealand) and less (e.g. England, United States) restrictive policies, is likely due to the greater availability and affordability of nicotine vaping products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Will underdeveloped economies be able to achieve development in the twenty-first century? To advance towards a potential response to this question, this paper analyzes some aspects of the development processes of South Korea and China, pointing to the exceptional geopolitical and strategic conditions behind why their models are unsuitable to emulate. It also highlights the state authoritarianism, strict planning and discipline of both the ruling and ruled classes to guide investment and the growth of specific economic sectors. From this perspective, the paper then discusses some proposals formulated for the region by neo-developmentalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sleep duration might be affected by many mental states that are a result of discrimination, lack of social acceptance and stressful lifestyle. Sexual minorities in unfriendly environments are at risk of the aforementioned conditions and significantly affect their sleep therefore interfere with their circadian rhythm, health outcomes and quality of life. Objectives: This study aims to estimate the association between duration of sleep among Polish adolescent sexual minorities groups. Methods: The data on the level of sleep were retrieved from POLKA 18 study, funded by ESC, which is a youth-led cross-sectional analytical study of Polish adolescents. A paper-based self-reported questionnaire, building up on the interdisciplinary model of holistic approaches in adolescent gynaecology, has been used to collect data from schools in five Polish regions. The questionnaires were distributed in the schools during the time of April-June 2019 by local research associates, who are medical students. The obtained data has been analysed using STATA 16. Results: We received 650 results and included 632 in our final analysis. We have asked our respondents a question on which sexual orientation they identify with and 2.6% of them declared being attracted to people from the same sex, 4.27% declared as bisexual, 0.8% asexual. Overall, 41.3% of the respondents reported sleeping less than 6 hours a night. It seems that there is a strong association between the length of sleep and sexual orientation with LGBA youth being less likely to reach recommended 7 hours of sleep a night. 41.2% who identified as gay/lesbians and 40.7% who identified as bisexual reported having less than 7 hours of sleep duration in comparison to 60.2% of their heterosexual counterparts. (p<0.001). Conclusions: American National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours of sleep for young adults aged 18-25 (National Sleep Foundation, 2015) and our study reports that youth identified as sexual minorities are less likely to reach the recommended hours of sleep in comparison to their heterosexual peers. Although ourstudy focused solely on the duration of sleep, other studies reported a higher prevalence of many other sleep disturbances, such as insomnia that has strong correlation with stress levels and mental health problems (Galinsky et al., 2018; Fricke et al., 2017; Chen et al., 2017). Moreover, other reports from Korea and China show that those who had shorter sleep duration were more likely to have depressive symptoms and suicidal tendencies (Li et al., 2017; Lee et al., 2017). In multiple studies, sexual minorities have reported more prevalence of mental health problems. Therefore, appropriate sleeping hygiene should be accounted as one of the important factors and strategies to improve mental health among adolescents, especially those identified as part of sexual minorities. Disclosure: No. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Artemisia asiatica Nakai (Compositae) has a long history as a traditional remedy. Preparation from various parts of the plant (aerial parts and leaves) are used to treat a wide range of diseases including gastric trouble, liver dysfunction, and skin inflammation. Aims of this review The aims of this review were: 1) to provide an overview of recent studies and progress on A. asiatica -derived ethnopharmacological compounds and their pharmacological activities; and 2) to summarize existing evidence and provide insight for future studies. Materials and methods This investigation was carried out by analyzing published books and research papers via scientific databases, namely Science Direct, PubMed ACS Publication, Wiley Online Library, CNKI and information obtained online. The keywords “ Artemisia asiatica traditional uses,” “Compounds isolated and studied in Artemisia asiatica, ” and “Pharmacological advances in Artemisia asiatica ” were used and articles published between 1995 and 2017 were considered. In total, 500 works related to biological activities of A. asiatica were identified, and only materials published in English were included in the review. Results Comparative analysis of literature searched through sources available confirmed that the ethnopharmacological use of A. asiatica was recorded in Korea, China, and Japan. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones, monoterpenes, and steroids in A. asiatica . Of these, flavonoids have been shown to exhibit significant pharmacological effects such as gastroprotective, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-microbial actions. Conclusions Phytochemical and pharmacological studies of Artemisia asiatica have proven that this plant is one of valuable medicinal sources with neuroprotective, gastroprotective, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects. Although ethanol extract of this plant is now being prescribed as gastroprotective and anti-ulcerative medicine, it is now time to expand its application to other human inflammatory diseases such as pancreatitis and hepatitis and further extensive study on toxicity in human. Therefore, the present review will encourage further studies of A. asiatica in the pursuit of wide range of therapeutic remedy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse continues in East Asia and shows an increasing trend among youths in South Korea, Japan, and China. Although the negative effects of MA abuse on youth are considered as significant problems, few studies have been conducted on the topic in these countries. This paper focuses on the effects of MA on the human body and current MA abuse among youths in South Korea, Japan, and China. To investigate the negative effects of MA on the human body, we searched the keywords "MA," "human," and "effect" for studies published from 2013 to 2017. MA activates the neurotransmitter system and the central nervous system, and when used at high dosage or for long term, MA can cause severe neurotoxicity and cardiovascular problems. Online networks contribute to MA abuse by sharing methods for preparing synthetic MA. Despite efforts to reduce MA abuse, social crimes associated with its abuse continue and numbers of illegal MA users are increasing steadily in Korea, Japan, and China. In young users, diverse factors associated with drug addiction, such as curiosity and peer effect, lead to MA abuse and its attendant personal and social problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Philosophical practice is an activity that pursues applying philosophy to real life, as well studying ways of its application. Praxis has always a different dimension from theoria, and philosophy is no exception. Hence, philosophical practice is both universal and specific, and it consists of dialectic activities between them: in most cases it starts from problems of our lives to wisdom of philosophy and in some cases it may also proceed in the opposite direction; and in both cases there is an intimate interaction between universality and specificity. This means that philosophical practice may take different forms and contents depending on its philosophical culture, which is the identity of a specific philosophical practice. This short paper outlines the past, present and future of philosophical practice in South Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Japanese-Chinese medicine, and Korean Sasang constitutional medicine have common origins. However, the constitutional medicines of China, Japan, and Korea differ because of the influence of geographical culture, social environment, national practices, and other factors. This paper aimed to compare the constitutional medicines of China, Japan, and Korea in terms of theoretical origin, constitutional classification, constitution and pathogenesis, clinical applications and basic studies that were conducted. The constitutional theories of the three countries are all derived from the Canon of Internal Medicine or Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases of Ancient China. However, the three countries have different constitutional classifications and criteria. Medical sciences in the three countries focus on the clinical applications of constitutional theory. They all agree that different pathogenic laws that guide the treatment of diseases govern different constitutions; thus, patients with different constitutions are treated differently. The three countries also differ in terms of drug formulations and medication. Japanese medicine is prescribed only based on constitution. Korean medicine is based on treatment, in which drugs cannot be mixed. TCM synthesize the treatment model of constitution differentiation, disease differentiation and syndrome differentiation with the treatment thought of treating disease according to three categories of etiologic factors, which reflect the constitution as the characteristic of individual precision treatment. In conclusion, constitutional medicines of China, Japan, and Korea have the same theoretical origin, but differ in constitutional classification, clinical application of constitutional theory on the treatment of diseases, drug formulations and medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Asian countries are currently witnessing unprecedented increase in physical inactivity and subsequent negative health outcomes; however, few cross-country studies documenting this trend exist. This paper presents the findings of a nationally representative sample, based on the East Asian Social Survey in 2011. The study sought to examine the association of social identity factors, such as objective socio-economic position, perceived social status and neighborhood quality with physical inactivity, while controlling for psychosocial and physical health. A sample of 5222 adults living in urban areas across China, Taiwan, and South Korea were surveyed.Methods: Multivariate nested logistic regressions were constructed.Results: Perceived social status was positively associated with physical activity. Gender difference in physical activity was significant, and this difference widened as educational levels increased. Class division in physical activity was also found. Perceived physical and social features of neighborhood such as suitability for walking and jogging, air quality, and help from neighbors were to different degrees associated with physical inactivity.Conclusion: Gender, marital status, education and perceived social status were common factors associated with physical inactivity in East Asian countries. Perceived urban neighborhood quality is particularly important for Chinese people to stay physically active. Cultural-behavioral norms for physical activity associated with gender and social status call for more studies on cultural perspective for health behaviors in cross-cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to attempt, from the perspective of governance, to approach and analyze the cooperation mechanisms as were shown in the case of the Hebei Spirit oil spill disaster management. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; The paper described the structure of that governance and examines the relations between actors. On the basis of this information the inner dynamics within their interactions were investigated and key factors for and hindrances to the success were identified. Findings |!|#8211; Solidarity culture, personal communication media and a wide participation of private actors turned out to be helpful to cooperative mechanisms, whereas the lack of responsiveness of government and the unclear boundary of responsibilities between public organizations stood in the way of harmonious and effective governance. Practical implications |!|#8211; The paper shows that it is a requisite to have a comprehensive approach and pragmatic policies as well as their implementation mechanisms. There is also a requirement for effective consultation, collaboration and coordination, progress monitoring and above all, the will. Originality/value |!|#8211; The research leads to the conclusion that the cooperation between public and private sectors in the case of that oil spill disaster shows a possibility of a new paradigm of interactive dialog within the society and thus can be interpreted as governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to identify a differentiated marketing strategy for Asia. This research has critically analyzed the purchasing behavior of consumers from three selected Asian countries (Japan, South Korea, and China) that purchase luxury items and the marketing strategy of Louis Vuitton to support the objectives. As a part of the marketing strategy analysis, Louis Vuitton's advertising strategy used in three different countries as illustrated in Vogue advertisements were studied. There were three critical factors found that Louis Vuitton used to achieve its success: the deployment of innovation and tradition at the same time, its use of masstige marketing, and its advertising. The paper describes the study and concludes by highlighting contributions to apparel industry and academe. The comparative analysis of luxury goods marketing will assist global marketers to produce more differentiated marketing strategy for various cultures. Also, the theoretical framework applied in the paper, can be utilized by other marketer and researchers to further advance research on luxury products marketing and consumption analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper compares overall S&T publications output of India, China and South Korea across twenty broad subjects as defined by Scopus bibliographical database in terms of annual growth rate, national publications share, h-index, share of international collaborative papers and high-cited papers. Indicates that China has a clear edge over South Korea and India in terms of global publication share and h-index, but lacks behind in terms of share of international collaborative papers and high-cited papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of growing tensions in East Asia over territorial disputes and history issues, one can observe the rise of anti-Chinese sentiments among South Koreans in the early 2010s although many South Koreans had positive views on China a decade earlier. What affects South Korean attitude toward China? Despite China's significance to South Korea, there have been surprisingly few scholarly works attempting to answer this question. Based on an empirical analysis of survey data, this paper finds that Koreans' favorable attitude towards China is negatively affected by threat perception of China's military buildup, opposition to an FTA with China, and exclusive national identity but not by whether or not one feels threatened by the American unilateralism and Japan's remilitarization. This finding suggests that South Koreans' feeling toward China is primarily affected by bilateral relationship rather than by balancing behaviors in consideration of broader security environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spectacular economic success of the Newly Industrialising Countries (NICS) of Asia since the 1960s, has led to the quest to identify other less developed countries which may be just about to become the next NICS of Asia. This paper examines the arguments for and against the view that there is a "second tier" of less developed countries which are about to join the ranks of the Asian NICS. While Malaysia and Thailand are generally thought to be the most likely candidates, this paper argues that one hitherto unrecognised contender. China, is likely to join these countries in achieving NIC status. This paper examines the question of whether there are likely to be more Newly Industrializing Countries (NICS) emerging over time, following in the footsteps of the original four in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan). While some writers suggest that several developing countries are about to achieve NIC status in the near future, others argue that world trading conditions have deteriorated to such an extent as to make this very unlikely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]