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Campaigns by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) pressuring companies to adopt sustainability standards have caught academic interest in recent years. Critics of this approach toward increasing biodiversity protection and social justice argue that campaign successes are often short-lived while proponents emphasize the potential of NGO campaigns to achieve positive environmental and social change in the absence of governmental legislation. Focusing on the recent forest conservation policy of Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a leading pulp and paper company operating in Southeast Asia, we analyze the challenges companies face in implementing sustainability commitments made as a result of NGO and market pressure. Drawing from research on policy implementation and corporate greening we identify key activities to help entrench APP's commitments in the company's operations. Furthermore, we suggest that a range of actions by different stakeholder groups can achieve broader effects of APP's commitments toward better environmental and social stewardship in the region's pulp and paper sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

A few well-annotated datasets for land-cover semantic segmentation have recently been introduced to advance the field of earth observation technologies. However, these datasets overlook the significant diversity among geographic areas with different climates, which can greatly impact and diversify land cover. Consequently, this leads to a domain gap in remote sensing images and severe performance degradation of the segmentation models. To enhance land-cover semantic segmentation with improved generalization ability, we conducted the first investigation into the impact of climate on this task. In this paper, we present a unique large-scale Climate-Aware Satellite Images Dataset (CASID) specifically designed for domain adaptive land-cover semantic segmentation. It consists of 980 satellite images with a size of 5000 × 5000 pixels, collected from 30 different regions around Asia, covering over 24,500 square kilometers. These images are gathered from four distinct climate zones, namely temperate monsoon, subtropical monsoon, tropical monsoon, and tropical rainforest. It includes four sub-datasets/domains, each representing one of the aforementioned climate zones. This characteristic makes CASID the first climate-aware land-cover semantic segmentation dataset with multiple domains. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive analysis of the samples from the four climate zones, emphasizing differences in global image features, image texture, category distribution, spectral value, and object shape. These analyses offer valuable insights for subsequent research in this field. Moreover, we conduct extensive experiments to evaluate the latest semantic segmentation and unsupervised domain adaptation methods on the CASID dataset. These results serve as a robust baseline for future research endeavors. Our dataset will be made publicly available soon at the following link: https://github.com/Linwei-Chen/CASID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning is nowadays popular area of science research. As the amount of accessible data is still increasing, therefore the machine learning methods can be used for many applications. One of the more detailed topics, which is commonly analyzed in practice in regard to financial decision supporting, is the support for decision making on stock market. It has been noticed that the main focus is on the developed markets like in Asia, West Europe or USA. As the Polish stock market is also recognized as the developed market, here in opposite to Asia, West Europe or USA markets, the shortage of practical implementation of machine learning algorithms is perceptible. With this paper various learning algorithms have been used to determine its backtesting performance. The main goal of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of selected machine learning algorithms and to find the best one for stock data by comparing several selected algorithms using a backtesting environment on the same data sets and general parameters. For this purpose, experiments were carried out on one random seed and then out on 100 different seeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The variability and dynamics of the Asian monsoon (AM, hereafter indicates both of the summer and winter monsoons.) at orbital and millennial timescales has attracted wide interest. Chinese loess deposits, covering an area of ~500 × 103 km2 and with a thickness of several tens to more than three hundred meters, is an ideal continental archive to reconstruct AM variations during the Quaternary epoch. Over the past thirty years, since the earliest paper published in an international journal that linked the Asian monsoon and Chinese loess deposits, many studies have been undertaken focusing on this research topic. These results have greatly deepened our understanding of the variations of the AM climate and their driving mechanisms during the past ~2.6 Myr. In this paper, we emphasize recent progress on the AM variability and dynamics revealed by Chinese loess records; in particular, we discuss the reliability and precision of the timescale and the monsoon proxy indicators for the loess-paleosol sequences, which are two fundamental aspects for understanding AM behavior. We analyze what we know and discuss what we do not know about the AM. We refine the timescale for the typical loess-paleosol sequence in the central Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), which can be used as a new timescale to study palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental changes in the monsoonal Asia. We conclude that low-latitude insolation changes induced by precession, and global ice volume, temperature at high-latitudes, as well as sea-level changes forced variations of the AM at orbital time scales. High-latitude cooling events and low-latitude hydroclimate process at millennial time scales, such as climate changes associated with Heinrich events and Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles in Northern Atlantic and Greenland, have also modulated AM variability. We suggest that high-latitude forcing of AM variations occurs through ocean and atmospheric circulation linkages, although the roles of atmospheric CO 2 , ocean and vegetation feedbacks need further investigation. In future study, high-resolution independent dating, novel proxy indices and transient numerical simulations are still basic tools to understand the loess deposition and AM variations that require considerably more work. Issues such as reliable spatial comparison and regional linkages of records (dependent on precise and accurate numerical chronologies), and quantitative reconstruction of the AM variations, should be given priority in the study the past climate change in Asia, and low-latitude hydroclimate process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecosystem services (ES) approach has been widely applied for assessing nature's values and human-nature links. Over the past two decades, this research approach has experienced remarkable growth, exerting global influence on the sustainability policy agenda. Recent literature indicates that North America, Europe, East Asia, and Australia are major contributors to ES research, while other regions are progressing at a slower pace. Many countries in these regions remain under-represented due to various factors, including but not limited to knowledge transfer gaps, disparities in research capacities, as well as distinct needs and challenges among researchers in the Global North and South. Although the ES literature in Asia is growing in topics, methodologies, quality and quantity, many Asian researchers, especially Early Career Researchers (ECRs), still face problems typical of the Global South while conducting ES research. In this paper, we outline four major challenges from the perspective of ECRs. They include: 1) Inequality in career prospects and capacity-building, 2) Inequality and challenges in data access & knowledge transfer, 3) Circulation of research findings in global scientific publishing, 4) Challenges in funding. This perspective paper draws special attention to the challenges faced by ECRs in ES research in Asia. By presenting recommendations, we strongly advocate that the research community work together to make ES research a level playing field for ECRs like ourselves working in Asia and elsewhere. • We provide an overview of the inequalities in scientific production on Ecosystem Services in Asia. • From an early career perspective we highlight four key categories young researchers face difficulties in. • These include: career prospects & capacity-building, data access & knowledge transfer, access to publishing, and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyses the association between participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) and structural change as measured by the reallocation of labor towards sectors with higher productivity levels and growth rates. • The analysis looks into 40 Developing Economies (DEs) from the regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America during the period 1993–2015. • The evidence so far does not indicate any significant association between participation in GVC-related trade and growth-enhancing structural change in DEs. • Rather, we find some weak evidence suggesting that participation in GVC might be associated with the increasing concentration of labor in sectors experiencing declining productivity growth rates/ and or falling share of employment in sectors experiencing positive productivity growth rates in DEs. Multiple studies on economic transition have argued that participation in Global Value Chains (GVCs) can facilitate the process of structural transformation in developing economies by reallocating labor from less productive to more productive sectors. However, there is a dearth of empirical work investigating the claim. We analyze forty countries from the regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America over the period 1993–2015 to explore the relationship between GVC participation and structural transformation in developing economies. We do not find any significant association between participation in GVCs and structural transformation, as measured by the reallocation of labor towards sectors with higher productivity levels. Rather, we find some evidence that participation in GVCs might be associated with the increasing concentration of labor in sectors experiencing declining productivity growth and /or falling employment in sectors witnessing positive productivity growth, thus contributing towards hindering the process of successful structural transformation in developing economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper provides a descriptive analysis of repayment performance for pay-as-you-go solar lamps, based on pilots conducted in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia during 2014 and 2015. In our sample, 95% of accounts were eventually paid off by the end of the observation period, and the median time to ownership was one week less than the nominal repayment term. Default rates of 11% and 7% were observed with a grace period of 50% and 100% of the repayment term, respectively. We document differences between weekly and monthly accounts (e.g., although time to ownership and on-time performance were better in weekly accounts, longer-term default rates were lower for monthly accounts). The observed payment patterns demonstrate that customers make extensive use of the flexibility allowed in rent-to-own models (e.g., fewer than 30% of customers followed a regular schedule of fixed installments). The analysis identified repayment frequency as one key factor associated with this behavior, as flexible payment patterns were much more likely to occur in weekly accounts than in monthly accounts. This paper highlights the importance of business model design in the diffusion of off-grid energy products in developing countries, outlining opportunities for future research in this domain. • Descriptive analysis of repayment performance for pay-as-you-go solar lamps • 95% of accounts were eventually paid off by the end of the observation period. • Default rate of 11% and 7%, with grace period of 50% and 100% of the repayment term • Customers make extensive use of the flexibility allowed in rent-to-own models. • Differences between weekly and monthly accounts for off-grid energy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper measures environmental efficiency and productivity change to then carry out a decomposition analysis of an environmental efficiency index and a productivity change index. The paper includes a novel comparative assessment to determine the drivers of environmental efficiency and the sources of productivity change of the manufacturing sector in Europe, Asia and the whole world. We explore the capability to convert in an environmentally efficient way, selected inputs into desirable and undesirable outputs. Our estimation results of environmental efficiency confirm that Europe is ahead the world's average. Our analysis shows, however, a slowdown of Europe compared with the productivity growth of Asia. The latter shows a better performance in management capabilities, optimal resource allocation, and economies of scale. The analysis carried out in a second stage using the dynamic effects of the generalized method of moments also shows that the annual growth rate of manufacturing value added and manufacturing exports positively influence the level of environmental efficiency in both Asia and Europe. Therefore, the internationalization and extroversion of manufacturing can be crucial for sustainable development in Europe and Asia. • Benchmarking the strategy for sustainable development in Asia and Europe. • Decomposition of environmental efficiency indices and productivity change. • Effect of manufacturing value added and exports on environmental efficiency. • Benchmarking the manufacturing sector in Asia and Europe. • Showing Asia's best practices and European pillar of industrial restructuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The motivation for developing a rehabilitation lower-limb exoskeleton robot was to provide functional robot-assisted therapy for assisting physiotherapists in improving hemiplegic patients' walking recovery. Rehabilitation tasks required robust and precise trajectory-tracking performance, mainly achieved with exoskeleton robots. This paper presents a study on the gait trajectory cycles of a rehabilitation lower-limb exoskeleton robot controlled by an Admittance Swarm Initialized Adaptive (ASIA). The aim of this paper was to develop a robust adaptive controller integrated with admittance model to overcome human–robot interaction forces generated by the wearer. The parameters of the ASIA controller were efficiently initialized using swarm beetle antenna searching. An experiment was conducted on a prototype lower limb exoskeleton with four degrees of freedom, involving a healthy human subject for gait trajectory analysis. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method in terms of control performance, steady-state error reduction, and robustness. The statistical analysis revealed that the ASIA performed 63 %, 53 % and 48 % less in average error compared to adaptive conventional controllers used in the same exoskeleton platform. The findings ascertained the potential of the ASIA controller in improving human mobility through lower limb exoskeleton applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world is adjusting to regain control over direct economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This adjustment is occurring whilst global collective action is also gearing up to tackle climate change, avert biodiversity collapse and redress unsustainable growth practices that featured in pre-Covid era global economic activity for decades. COVID-19 pandemic experience since December 2019 has been a period of pronounced anxiety and inspiration. Despite the angst of widespread calamity, and the loss of over six million lives, a coordinated global effort helped contain the impacts well short of initial predictions. Progress toward eliminating poverty, the central goal in rural economic transformation, has been set back by decades. The strength in organising — through social and business processes — marked the resilience endured. The recovery is patchy and uneven across individual nations, and the medium-term prospects remain contingent on the efficacy of funding essential human services and clear market bottlenecks. Bridging capacity constraints across the rural–urban continuum also remain a need to ease the regulatory burden as the world tackles widespread externalities of the past to create new growth opportunities. In this special issue, emerging and established academics from the Asian region and beyond, 1 1 These papers were drawn from presentations made at a conference organised by the Asian Development Bank Institute on 'Rural economic transformation: embracing opportunities in better living in Asia' held during 15–17 November 2021. All contributors are from Asian Development Bank member nations. draw insights from research and analysis on the challenges facing policy makers, businesses, and households in raising living standards and inspiring the pursuit of individual and social affluence during these uncertain but opportune times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phishing attacks, based on social engineering to persuade potential victims to provide valuable information, have significantly increased in the pandemic Covid-19 era, characterised by ubiquitous big data technologies. This paper aims to assess the theoretical and empirical research on phishing emails and big data that has been done to identify trends and recommend new areas for research. Using the VOSviewer program, the search results from the Web of Science (WoS) database were extracted. A mapping technique, using VoS Viewer, was used to examine articles on big data and phishing emails. The findings show that most of the field's research is carried out in nations in Asia and the United States of America and that the number of publications in this area is increasing exponentially. However, it is evident that researchers predominately concentrate on technical fields like computer science. Even though they are used in relatively small quantities, machine learning techniques, particularly artificial neural networks, are associated with most of the phishing publications that have been studied. Six clusters correspond to the main phishing domains: Phishing target or victim, Phishing channel, Big data analytics, Big data machine learning, Phishing attacker, and External phishing protection. The results indicate that real-time data collection and the development of effective algorithms are new approaches to combating phishing assaults. However, research outside of the technical domains is scarce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the consumption of renewable natural resources caused by population growth, industrialization, and urbanization, renewable resources' effectiveness has become controversial in recent decades. This paper examines the effect of issued green bonds on the effectiveness of renewable natural resource utilization in 15 selected Asia-Pacific countries during 2012–2021. Conducting the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) estimation, the preliminary results confirmed that the issued green bonds have positive and statistically significant impacts on renewable natural resource utilization efficiency in the short-term and long-term. However, the magnitude of the impacts is more extensive in the long-term context. Urbanization has a negative short-term coefficient, while it positively impacts the natural resource utilization efficiency in the long term. Inflation rate negatively affects renewable natural resource utilization efficiency. As practical policies, implementing operational plans to develop the green bonds market, promoting green foreign direct investment, efficient monetary policy to lower inflation rate, and enhancing digital green bonds are recommended. • The green bonds positively impact on green resource consumption efficiency. • Inflation rate is harmful for green resource utilization efficiency. • FDI has only long-term positive impact on green resource utilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Given the need to increase female representation in hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery, as well as the need to increase the academic pipeline of women in this subspecialty, we sought to characterize the prevalence of female authorship in the HPB literature. In particular, the objective of the current study was to determine the proportion of women who published HPB research articles as first, second, or last author over the last decade.Methods: All articles pertaining to hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) surgery appearing in seven surgical journals (Annals of Surgery, British Journal of Surgery, JAMA Surgery, Annals of Surgical Oncology, HPB (Oxford), Surgery, and Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery) were reviewed for the years 2008 and 2018. Information on sex of author, country of author's institution, and article type was collected and entered into a computerized database.Results: Among the 1473 index articles included in the final analytic cohort, 414 (28%) publications had a woman as the first or last author, while the vast majority (n = 1,059, 72%) had a man as the first or last author. The number of female first authors increased from 15.6% (n = 92/591) in 2008 to 25.7% (n = 227/882) in 2018 (p < 0.001). There were no differences in the proportion of second (n = 123/536, 23.0% vs n = 214/869, 24.6%, p = 0.47) or last (n = 44/564, 7.8% vs n = 88/875, 10.1%, p = 0.15) authors. Women were more likely to publish papers appearing in medium-impact journals (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.04-1.88) and articles with a female author were more likely to be from a North American institution (referent: North America, Asia OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.31-0.59 vs Europe OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.51-0.87).Conclusion: Women first/last authors in HPB research articles have increased over the past 10 years from 22 to 32%. Women as last authors remain low, however, as only 1 in 10 papers had a senior woman author. These data should prompt HPB leaders to find solutions to the gap in female authorship including mentorship of young female researchers and surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

• South and Southeast (S/SE) Asian refugee parents experience significant impacts to emotional and physical wellbeing in the antenatal and postnatal period in resettlement countries. • Parents experienced various challenges in maternity healthcare settings including confusion, distress, limited interpreting support, and feeling unable to voice concerns. • Parents highlighted the importance of formal supports including interpreters, and informal supports including family and community in the First 2000 Days. • Culturally responsive care may enhance the wellbeing and support experiences of S/SE Asian refugee families in the First 2000 Days. There is growing scholarly attention concerning the wellbeing experiences of people from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds, particularly in relation to antenatal and postnatal care in countries of resettlement. However, less is known about early childhood support for refugee and asylum-seeking parents during the First 2000 Days of a child's life (conception to age five). There is also little understanding of the needs of refugees and asylum-seekers from South and Southeast (S/SE) Asia for whom there may be unique cultural considerations regarding parenting and support. This systematic review therefore aimed to explore the emotional and physical wellbeing and support experiences of refugee and asylum-seeking families (mothers, fathers, and other family members with caregiving roles) from S/SE Asia during the First 2000 Days. This review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). We identified publications through a systematic search of six databases. Eligible papers were peer-reviewed, primary data studies published in English, conducted in middle- to high-income countries of resettlement, and included data that could be disaggregated for S/SE Asian families. Of 5,770 publications, 13 articles met inclusion criteria. While our review aimed to explore the experiences of various family members, included papers focused primarily on the experiences of refugee women. Our review found that S/SE Asian refugee parents reported various challenges to physical and emotional wellbeing during the First 2000 Days ranging from nutrition and diet concerns to feelings of anxiousness, grief, isolation, and feelings of distress in healthcare settings. Parents also expressed a level of trust and satisfaction with maternity care during resettlement, however, these experiences were challenged by a lack of culturally responsive care. Findings speak to the importance of informal social supports for S/SE Asian refugee parents, and culturally safe, formal supports where parents feel comfortable to voice their concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ficus carica Linn. (Fig), an important fruit tree of Moraceae family is originated from Asia. Fig fruit has been accepted widely by people all over the word due to its impressive health benefits and desirable organoleptic properties, which make it a new functional food. The up to date reports on nutrients and phytochemicals in fig are reviewed in this paper. Additionally, the health benefits and side effects reported in last decade are also summarized to fully understand this special fruit resource. As postharvest processing and variety can bring big difference in fig quality, these aspects are also discussed in this paper. Figs are rich resources of bioactive phytochemicals with diverse structure characteristics. Prenylated phenolics are characteristic bioactive compounds in this fruit, which are rare in nature and present good antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and neuroprotective activities. Sugars, organic acids, coumarins and prenylated phenolics can be the marker chemicals for variety selection. The review would provide a valuable information for further exploitation and utilization of fig. • The health benefits and side effects of fig are summarized. • Prenylated phenolics are the characteristic bioactive compounds in fig. • Prenylated phenolics are rare in nature. • Coumarins contribute to the side effects of fig. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic productivity in oncology as measured by conference abstracts, journal publications and individual authorship trends. Using a reference time frame of 2018 to 2022, we obtained data on the number of abstracts and articles submitted and published from a selection of oncology conferences and journals. To assess individual authorship patterns, we randomly selected 200 articles from 2018 (i.e., the 'index paper') and tracked publications over subsequent years for the first or last authors. Linear time-trend analyses and independent two-sample t-tests were used to assess changes in academic productivity over time, and univariable and multivariable linear regression were used to analyze individual factors predictive of publication rates, including gender, continent, specialty, MD vs. non-MD, and career status (early if within 5 years of training completion vs. late for all others). Data on submitted and published abstracts were available from 5 and 7 conferences, respectively. Both abstract categories demonstrated decreasing values over time but not statistically significant: conference submissions decreased from 15,308 in 2018 to 13,623 in 2022, (p = 0.11), and published abstracts decreased from 13,111 to 11,848, respectively (p = 0.16). Journal submissions were available from 6 journals and increased from 14,142 in 2018 to a peak of 20,241 in 2020 (2018 vs. 2020: p<0.001), and then declined to 15,650 in 2021. Journal publications from 10 journals showed no clear trends over time (p = 0.64). For the author-level analysis, of the 200 authors randomly selected, the majority were male (66.5%), from North America (55.5%), with an MD degree (80.9%, 131/162) and late career (86.6%, 129/149). Most common specialties included surgery (29%), radiation oncology (18.5%), epidemiology/public health (11%) and medical oncology (10%). For articles authored per year, there was no linear trend detected (p = 0.51), although mean number of publications per author peaked in 2020/2021 (papers/year for 2018-2022: 18.1, 18.1, 20.1, 21.2, 19.6). On univariable analysis, factors significantly associated with increasing publication rates were male gender, last author position on index paper, late career status, MDs, speciality of surgery or public/health epidemiology, and authors from Asia (all p<0.01). On multivariable analysis, factors remaining significantly predictive were late career status, MDs, specialty of surgeons or public health/epidemiologists, and authors from Asia (all p<0.01). Conference submissions and publications trended downward from 2018 to 2022. Journal submissions peaked overall in 2020, but did not translate to increases in journal publication rates. Disparities in publication trends were found, based on speciality and geographic regions, including a negative impact on early-career researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian monsoon has progressively become a megamonsoon system since the early Cenozoic. To improve our understanding of the complex nature of the Asian monsoon system, involving strong interactions between atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial systems across different timescales, we present this special issue, entitled Cenozoic climate change in Asia. The special issue is dedicated to Prof. Zhengtang Guo in honour of his distinguished contributions as Editor-in-Chief of Global and Planetary Change to our understanding of the long-term evolution of the Asian monsoon system. The special issue consists of nineteen papers, grouped into three categories, that address Cenozoic climate change, mainly in Asia. The first category focuses on the plate tectonic-scale and considers how changes in palaeogeography and palaeotopography have shaped climate evolution. The second category addresses orbital- to suborbital-scale climate change and, in particular, explores the links between low-latitude insolation, high-latitude ice sheets and the Asian climate. The third category addresses millennial- to decadal-scale climate changes. In addition, past human-environment interactions are also discussed. These studies provide important insights into our understanding and prediction of both natural variability and human-induced climate changes in Asia and their linkages with global climate within the Earth System. • This special issue dedicated to Prof. Zhengtang Guo. • Asian climate variabilities across multiple time scales. • Past human-environment interactions in monsoonal East Asia. • Integration of Earth's interior and surface tectonic-climatic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the applicability of the Just Transition Transaction (JTT), initially developed as a financial mechanism for South Africa's energy transition, to Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, which heavily rely on coal. Utilizing South Africa as a reference case study, we deconstruct the JTT and develop a novel framework of necessary and conducive features for evaluating its suitability for supporting a just energy transition in SEA. Our findings suggest that the JTT is well-suited for Indonesia and Vietnam but not as well suited for the Philippines. Recommendations for specific research avenues in estimating baselines and aligning emissions trajectories are provided. Finally, we propose a tiered JTT model to encourage a supranational transition in SEA and suggest the potential application of our methods for assessing similar mechanisms in other coal-reliant developing countries. • Use South Africa as Case Study to investigate JTT transition finance mechanism • Develop framework of necessary and conducive features of JTT • Use this framework to evaluate JTT's suitability for energy transition in SEA • JTT suitable for Indonesia and Vietnam, not as suitable for Philippines • Tiered JTT a suitable model to encourage transition at supranational level in SEA [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To optimize the scheduling scheme of tramp vessels between Asia and Europe, considering the opening of the Arctic route, a vessel scheduling management optimization model is developed from the perspective of shipping companies. Based on meeting the shippers' requirements for transportation between Asian and European ports, minimizing the total cost of multi-period operation of tramp vessels, the specific transport scheduling scheme for ships is obtained. We found that shipping companies building their Vessels with Ice-breaking Ability (VIA) can reduce the total cost of ships operating Asia-Europe routes throughout the year. Furthermore, in the event of a half increase in fuel prices, opting for Arctic routes during the winter season proves to be more cost-effective for shipping companies. • This paper studies the tramp vessel scheduling of the NSR/SCR. • Building vessels with or without ice-breaking ability is considered. • A nonlinear integer programming model is proposed. • A linearization method is developed. • A case study is conducted to analyze the studied problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

• Garcinia genus is a rich depository of bioactive compounds. • Phytochemistry and pharmacology of lesser-known Garcinia species are discussed. • Toxicity profile of Garcinia species are examined. The tropical plants of Garcinia (Clusiaceae family) have been extensively used in folk medicine apart from its limited use in the preparation of certain dishes. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and updated report on the diverse range of phytochemicals, the traditional uses, the nutritional values, the major pharmacological attributes, and the toxicological findings of ten Garcinia plants of south-east Asia. This was achieved by compiling data from various scientific journals, and books available on electronic databases viz. Pub Med, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and others, published within the time period of 2010-2020. A myriad of natural products are found in Garcinia sp. The major classes of biomolecules reported to be present in these plants include organic acids, xanthones, benzophenones, flavonoids, phloroglucinols, fatty acids, and terpenoids. The chemical structures of the phytoconstituents presented in this review are drawn using ChemDraw Professional 16.0. Additionally, the important pharmacological properties such as antioxidant, anticancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antimicrobial, and hepatoprotective activities along with the toxicological studies of the Garcinia sp., are discussed. Although a good amount of research has been conducted on Garcinia sp., however some of these species still remain unattended and are becoming endemic. Therefore, this comprehensive review sheds light on the phyto-pharmacological profile of ten known Garcinia sp. to pave a path towards explorating of their traditional uses, isolating new molecules, encouraging in-depth preclinical and clinical research to understand the mechanism of action, thereby help in the development of new drug candidates with lesser side-effects. In addition, measures must be taken to enhance the conservation of endangered Garcinia sp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing pressure from governments and stakeholders has motivated the study of sustainability assessment in the supply chain context at operational, tactical, and strategic levels. Several papers have been published during the last two decades, and the number is still rising. Although several authors present complex models that include environmental and social assessment, the applicability and usefulness of these works is often limited by lack of data availability and lack of consensus in what is to be measured on implementations of sustainable practices and strategies. This paper presents a systematic literature review of works addressing the supply chain network design (SCND) problem, in which at least two of the three dimensions of sustainability are assessed. This paper aims to identify indicators that are used when sustainability is evaluated in real applied cases. A total of 113 papers from 2015 to 2018 were selected, including documents studying forward, reverse, and closed loop supply chains (CLSC). Indicators in the economic, environmental, and social dimensions were classified according to an existing framework in the sustainable supply chain literature. The review finds a highlighted emphasis on environmental considerations; social criteria are still hardly studied. The study country origin analysis also shows an increasing concern for sustainable practices in developing economies, mainly in Asia. Finally, this paper presents a brief description of the areas where research opportunities exist, including sectors, measures, and methodologies to assess sustainability in the SCND problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Information about vector-borne bacteria of camels is scarce. • Anaplasmataceae, SFG rickettsiae, Bartonella and Borrelia were investigated in blood of 200 dromedary camels of Iran. • PCR results revealed 30 animals (15%) to be infected with Anaplasmataceae bacteria. • BlastN® analysis of positive samples revealed identity with "Candidatus Anaplasma camelii" isolates. • This paper reviews the current knowledge on camels' tick-borne bacteria including microscopy, serology and molecular studies. Despite close association between camels and humans, molecular based studies on vector-borne pathogens infecting camels are scarce compared to other animals in Iran. The current study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of vector-borne bacteria in the blood of dromedaries by molecular tools. A total of 200 peripheral blood samples were collected from apparently healthy animals. Microscopic examination was performed on Giemsa-stained blood smears, and drops of blood were spotted on Whatman FTA® cards for molecular analyses. Genomic DNA was extracted from the cards, and PCR amplification followed by sequencing of positive samples was carried out for the detection of Anaplasmataceae, spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsiae, Bartonella spp. and Borrelia spp. Intra-cytic forms of any blood pathogens could not be detected by light microscopy. PCR results revealed 30 animals (15%) to be infected with Anaplasmataceae bacteria. Analyses of sequences revealed a strain of Anaplasma sp. identical to Candidatus Anaplasma camelii isolated from camels, cattle and deer in Asia and Africa. Neither SFG rickettsiae, nor Borrelia or Bartonella species were found. Further studies for determining epidemiological role of camels and its zoonotic potential are recommended. This paper reviews the current knowledge on camels' tickborne bacteria including microscopy, serology and molecular studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• AV disengagement on public roads dominated by causes due to a planning issue. • AV disengagement induced by lacking certain numbers of radar and LiDAR sensors. • Drivers' take-over time impacted by disengagement cause and roadway characteristics. • To improve AV disengagements five or more radar sensors are needed. • Optimal number of LiDAR sensors to be installed is 3 or 4. Automated vehicles (AV) testing on the public roads is ongoing in several states in the US as well as in Europe and Asia. As long as the automated vehicle technology has not achieved full automation (Level 5), human drivers are still expected to take over the steering wheel and throttles when there is an automated vehicle disengagement. However, contributing factors and the mechanism about automated vehicle-initiated disengagement has not been quantitatively and comprehensively explored and investigated due to the lack of field test data. Besides, understanding human drivers' perception and promptness of reaction to the AV disengagement is essential to ensure safety transition between automated and manual driving. By harnessing California's Autonomous Vehicle Disengagement Report Database, which includes the AV disengagement data from field tests in 2016–2017, this paper quantitatively investigated the AV disengagement using multiple statistical modeling approaches that involve statistical modeling and classification tree. Specifically, the paper identifies the contributing factors impacting human drivers' promptness to AV disengagements, and quantitatively investigates the underlying causes to AV disengagements. Results indicate that current AV disengagement on public roads is dominated by causes due to a planning issue. The cause of an AV disengagement is significantly induced by lacking certain numbers of radar and LiDAR sensors installed on the automated vehicles. These thresholds of these sensors needed are revealed. Cause of disengagement and roadway characteristics significantly impact drivers' take-over time when facing an AV disengagement. AV perception or control issue-based disengagement can significantly extend drivers' perception-reaction time to take over the driving. The quantitative knowledge obtained ultimately facilitates revealing the mechanisms of the automated vehicle disengagements to ensure safe AV operations on public roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is motivated by the need to better understand the potential of Additively Manufactured (AM) Ti6-Al-4V replacement parts for future use on operational aircraft. Unfortunately, the interaction between surface and near surface (sub-surface) breaking material discontinuities, i.e. porosity due to and lack of fusion or keyholing, and the rough surface that is associated with AM parts complicates the analysis needed for certification. The present paper attempts to cut through this "Gordian knot". 1 The Gordian Knot is a legend of Phrygian Gordium that is associated with Alexander the Great. An oracle had declared that any man who could unravel its elaborate knots was destined to become the ruler of all of Asia. Alexander reasoned that it would make no difference how the knot was loosed, so he drew his sword and sliced it in half with a single stroke. This explanation is taken from Wikipedia. 1 To this end this paper presents a computational investigation into the fatigue life of AM Ti6-Al-4V parts subjected to two (quite different) representative flight load spectra that does not require the explicit modelling of the surface and subsurface porosity. Given the susceptibility of the "as manufactured" AM Ti6-Al-4V to fatigue crack nucleation and fleet experience from with conventionally manufactured parts, it is assumed that cracks in AM Ti6-Al-4V will initiate and grow from the day that the part enters service. The results of the present analysis suggest that for many parts of F/A-18 Classic Hornet and P3C (Orion) aircraft AM Ti-6Al-4V replacement parts may have an acceptable fatigue life. It also illustrates the potential for using fracture toughness measurements to guide the choice of the AM process and the associated post manufacture treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to develop a refined gravity model for the quantitative assessment of competitive hub status of cities between 2000 and 2012 from the perspective of international air traffic movements. Its focus of attention is Europe and Asia, where cross border competition has been witnessed among major cities for the role as a key international air traffic hub. To this end, the research incorporates global network connectivity (GNC) as a measure of business connections into an established gravity model that previously relied on GDP per head, population and distance to account for international air links. The results confirm the dynamic change of the air transport city hierarchy, demonstrating a stronger presence of a number of previously secondly ranked cities as international air traffic hubs over this period. The paper concludes with suggestions that possible extension of geographical scope and incorporation of domestic air traffic could enrich the insight of this approach. • Hub status of cities is assessed from an international air traffic perspective. • Networks of inter-city air traffic flows in Europe and Asia are explored. • Business connectivity is the most powerful in explaining international air links. • Secondly ranked cities are now more prominent in the region's urban hierarchies. • New airports and integrators' hubs have significant effect on cities' mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Food- and water-borne diseases (FWBD) are among climate and environmental sensitive infectious diseases. Climate change can highly exacerbate FWBD through vulnerable water systems. Highlights • Food- and water-borne diseases (FWBD) are a major cause of mortality and morbidity. • Africa counts 91 million people falling ill and 137,000 dying per year by FWBD. • Climate change could increase FWBD through bad water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). • Floods' vulnerability maps of drinking water systems are important for prevention. • Appropriate WASH interventions can significantly contribute in reducing FWBD under climate change. Abstract This paper provides a view of the major facts and figures related to infectious diseases with a focus on food-borne and water-borne diseases and their link with environmental factors and climate change. The global burden of food-borne diseases for 31 selected hazards was estimated by the World Health Organization at 33 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2010 with 40% of this burden concentrated among children under 5 years of age. The highest burden per population of food-borne diseases is found in Africa, followed by Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean sub-regions. Unsafe water used for the cleaning and processing of food is a key risk factors contributing to food-borne diseases. The role of quality and quantity of water to the general burden of infectious diseases deserves attention, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, as its effects go beyond the food chain. Water-related infectious diseases are a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, and climate change effects will exacerbate the challenges for the public health sector for both food-borne and water-borne diseases. Selected case studies from Africa and Asia show that (i) climate change extreme events, such as floods, may exacerbate the risks for infectious diseases spreading through water systems, and (ii) improvements related to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene could result in a significant reduction of intestinal parasitic infections among school-aged children. There is a need to better anticipate the impacts of climate change on infectious diseases and fostering multi-stakeholder engagement and multi-sectoral collaborations for integrated interventions at schools, community and household levels. The paper calls for giving priority to improving the environmental conditions affecting food-borne and water-borne infectious diseases under climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Evidence suggests that manufacturing companies have tried to address the current environmental challenges derived from their operations by implementing various operational environmental sustainability approaches, including green manufacturing (GM), cleaner production (CP), green lean (GL), green supply chain management (GSCM), reverse logistics (RLs) and circular economy (CE). However, although their adoption is well documented in developed nations and few other countries, very little has been done to understand such phenomenon in a rapid developing country such as Thailand. This paper aims at filling this gap by providing light into some fundamental issues regarding the implementation of these approaches in the manufacturing sector of Thailand. A survey-based exploratory research was carried out based on 287 Thai manufacturing companies. The data was analysed using a combination of descriptive and inferential statics. The study revealed that a large amount of investment capacity, and proper training & knowledge are needed to fully implement the studied operational approaches. This resulted in some of the weakest elements of Thai manufacturing firms and hence the main barriers to their implementation. The study also showed that Thai manufacturing firms consider the impact on the environment and benefits from adopting these operational approaches as company's policy and own initiative, environmental awareness, and cost saving from conservation of energy as the main reasons for adopting the studied operational approaches. Finally, the findings also indicate that Thai manufacturing firms tend to implement them because of internal factors and that they lack of motivation from external factors and involvement from other stakeholders. The paper extends the current limited knowledge on the deployment of operational environmental sustainability approaches in Asia, and its results can be beneficial for organisations that aim at effectively adopting them to improve their operation's sustainability. Highlights • Evidence of the implementation of sustainability approaches in Thailand is limited. • Paper provides light into fundamental issues regarding their adoption. • 287 Thai manufacturing companies participated in this survey-based exploratory study. • Study reveals degree of implementation, main drivers and barriers of the studied approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In recent years, "brown carbon" (BrC), as an important contributor to light absorption and climate forcing as aerosols, has been one of the forefronts in the field of atmospheric research. Aqueous BrC aerosols can be formed through aqueous reactions of methylglyoxal (MG) with nitrogen compounds, such as glycine (Gly) and ammonium sulfate (AS). When exposed to nitrogen compounds for several days, aqueous carbonyl compound MG became absorbent and fluorescent in the ultraviolet and near visible regions, according to UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies. Experiment results showed that optical absorption of two aqueous BrC solutions in the spectral range of 250–480 nm significantly increased with increasing reaction time. After the reactions of MG with Gly and AS, the product absorbance followed the order of MG-Gly>MG-AS. For H 2 O 2 oxidation photolysis, the atmospheric aqueous BrC showed the dynamic nature. Reaction kinetic, effective quantum yields and size distribution studies were conducted in the paper. Fluorescence lifetime values of the two BrC solutions were calculated. LC/MS analysis results clearly indicated that complicated organic compounds were formed in the reactions of MG with Gly and AS. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • We used a wide range of measurement techniques to understand the brown carbon properties between methylglyoxal and glycine/ammonium sulfate and share some important conclusions from this study. • The deeper understanding of carbonaceous particulate aging through wet chemical reaction in ambient and its consequences on its spectral responses is an actual and adequate issue in environmental science. • The measurements contained within the paper are important to the current aqueous-phase chemical model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Studies of energy poverty have proliferated around the world. While the existing literature provides significant insights into the drivers and dynamics of energy poverty in some parts of the world, there remains little evidence from Asia – a region that combines rapidly changing developed urban conurbations alongside widespread rural poverty. This paper explores a case study of energy poverty in Hong Kong – a global city with high levels of inequality and housing precarity. To date, there has been no published academic work on this topic in the Hong Kong context, and little work in urban Asia. This paper draws on documentary analyses and interviews to present three narratives around the emergence and manifestation of energy poverty in Hong Kong: (a) energy systems, markets and policy (b) urban poverty and inequality and (c) energy services and cooling. By reading energy poverty 'through the city', the paper emphasises the importance of geographically sensitive accounts and proposes an agenda for future research. It thus enables the study of energy poverty to be productively pursued in the context of Hong Kong and urban Asia more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Global hegemonic structures of power have been a subject of debate among social scientists for decades. However, issues addressing the 'subjugation of the intellect' and forces shaping knowledge production – globalisation, capitalism and neo-colonialism – remain understudied in tourism. Drawing upon critical theories of Eurocentrism and capitalism, in this paper we explore and address the ideological impacts of existing global power structures on the next generation of tourism 'knowledge producers' in Asia. More specifically, this work critically discusses the ontological and epistemological beliefs – and subsequent methodological choices – of a group of Asian PhD scholars. The empirical material presented in this paper highlights that persisting forms of Eurocentric ideology embedded in capitalist structures of power permeate non-Western academic circles. Highlights • Power and tourism knowledge-a critical note. • Global power structures and tourism PhD scholars. • Asian tourism epistemology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Summary Incorporating the voice of the child is essential for a holistic assessment that is used to guide social work interventions targeted at enhancing the well-being of children. In order to include children as key participants in understanding their worldview, social workers need to provide a space for children to voice out their subjective assessment of their current life experiences and conditions. This paper aims to bring attention to utilizing photo eliciting interviewing (PEI) as a means to access children's subjective well-being from low-income families. Findings By utilizing photoraphy and in-depth interviews sequentially to engage and gain access into children's worldviews, this study found that children from low-income families possessed agentic capabilities and are capable of contributing towards their well-being. Despite the financial constraints experienced by their families, children did not perceive their families to be poor. Instead, they took into account the family context and parental efforts in assessing the family's circumstances. Furthermore, children initiated strategies to create opportunities of happiness or to intervene in situations of sadness that stemmed from financial constraints. Application This study propose social workers to employ PEI as a complement to the objective measurement tools commonly utilized in social work assessments and interventions when working with children from low-income families. Other than constructing a holistic assessment of children's well-being, PEI also allows for the inclusion of children as integral partners in social work interventions and programme designs. Children possess the knowledge and ability to initiate and contribute solutions to problems, which when identified and tapped upon, promotes children's participation as change agents of their own lives. Highlights • This paper highlights the relevance of using Photo Elicitation Interviewing as a supplementary information gathering method for social work assessment in working with children. • Utilizing this method, this paper illustrates how it engaged children from low-income families by empowering them to use photography to express their views on their families' financial constraints. • From the results of using photos to elicit conversations, children were facilitated to voice their perspectives, world views and their sense of agency. • It is proposed that Photo Elicitation Interview can be a useful tool for social work assessment alongside with standardized assessment measurements and framework to access children's voice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A synthesis of five years of research on agriculture and nutrition in South Asia. • A systems approach is needed to understand agriculture's contribution to nutrition. • Political commitment needs to lead to large-scale action and results on the ground. • Leadership, capacity, coherence and coordination are key for progress. • Contextual evidence from research on impact pathways should continue to guide decisionmaking. Abstract Despite significant improvements over recent decades, rates of undernutrition remain high in South Asia, with adverse impacts on morbidity and mortality. Overweight/obesity, among children and adults, is now an additional and major public health concern. While agriculture has the potential to improve nutrition through several pathways, this potential is currently not being realised in the region. The Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) research consortium (2012–2018) set out to improve understanding about how agriculture and related food policies and programs in South Asia (specifically in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan) can be better conceptualised and implemented in order to enhance impacts on nutrition outcomes, especially those of young children and adolescent girls. This paper provides a snapshot of the agriculture-nutrition nexus in the region, outlines the pathways through which agriculture can influence nutrition outcomes, elaborates on the objectives of the LANSA research consortium within this context, and highlights the core findings of the six papers that form the body of this Special Issue. The paper ends with five key lessons that have emerged from this research, during this decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Nutrition-sensitive agricultural interventions often support vulnerable populations. • Evidence shows interventions improve intermediate outcomes like dietary diversity. • Limited evidence that interventions improve long-term outcomes like child growth. • Unintended consequences for women's workload and sustainability need attention. • LANSA has significantly extended range and scope of interventions in South Asia. Abstract Research on the potential impact of interventions in agriculture on nutrition outcomes is of particular relevance in South Asia where agriculture-related activities are a major source of livelihoods for large sections of society and where the population suffers from one of the highest global burdens of malnutrition in all its forms. This systematic review aims to assess the strength of the available evidence that agricultural interventions have an impact on intermediate and final nutrition outcomes in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We searched five literature databases and reference lists of previous systematic reviews to identify peer-reviewed studies published between 2012 and 2017, detailing impacts of household- or farm-level agricultural interventions on nutritional outcomes in South Asia. We identified six intervention studies (reported in nine papers) conducted in Bangladesh (two studies), India (two studies) and Nepal (two studies). The majority of studies examined the impact of provision of seed, plants and training to increase home garden fruit and vegetable production with or without integrated poultry provision and training. Other studies evaluated the impact of livestock or aquaculture provision and training. Study designs and quality were mixed; heterogeneity across studies precluded formal meta-analysis. Interventions had a positive impact on intermediate outcomes on the pathway from agricultural intervention to nutritional or health status including dietary quality and dietary diversity of households and individuals (reported in seven papers). The evidence on the impact on final nutritional outcomes was mixed: one paper reported that home gardens with poultry reduced the odds of anaemia but there was no convincing evidence of an impact of agricultural interventions on child anthropometric measurement (reported in four papers). In recent years, the Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition in South Asia (LANSA) research programme consortium has significantly expanded research on agricultural interventions for nutrition outcomes by conducting and commissioning a suite of formative and feasibility studies that have extended both the range and geographic location of interventions under study. This expanding body of research should, in the future, enable the identification of cost-effective interventions to enhance the impact of agricultural interventions sustainably to improve nutrition outcomes especially in women and children in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mungbean, a grain legume with high nutritional value, is grown widely throughout Asia and increasingly in Australia. Despite growing interest amongst farmers, mungbean remains an inconsistent and thus risky crop to plant in Australia. Cropping system models like the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) are valuable tools for helping farmers to examine options for improving crop management and assess production risks across potential growing regions for mungbean. This paper outlines the simulation capacity of a new mungbean crop model parameterized using the Plant Modelling Framework in APSIM Next Generation, the newest version of the APSIM framework. The aim of the paper is to document the parameterization and validation processes of the model. The new mungbean model was built using data from 28 field experiments to simulate measured phenology, canopy development, biomass accumulation/partitioning, stress responses, N fixation, root growth, and yield across a wide range of environments. The root mean squared error (RMSE) in predictions for grain weight and aboveground weight were 25.4 g m−2 and 91.4 g m−2, respectively. The model successfully captured the dynamics of crop response to sowing dates, water/irrigation regimes, and climate. The new mungbean model is a robust and accurate tool for use in Australia and tropical/sub-tropical Asia. Researchers can use the new mungbean model to determine best management practices such as the optimal time to sow mungbeans in different environments. The output from model simulations can help farmers assess risks associated with sowing at different times and soil water conditions specific to their region. Such risk analysis can improve farmer decision-making confidence in mungbean, increasing its potential production for Australia. Overall, the new APSIM mungbean model can be used effectively to identify and close the mungbean yield gap, mitigate risk of crop failure, and increase profits for mungbean farmers in Australia and tropical/sub-tropical Asia; it has the capacity to assist with increasing mungbean production globally under changing climate conditions. • The APSIM Next Generation mungbean model was built using data from 28 diverse field experiments. • Detailed phenology, biomass and N partitioning, and canopy data was used to parameterize parameters. • The model captures mungbean's dynamic response to water stress and targeted irrigation. • It is a robust, data-driven crop model that performs well in Australia and tropical/subtropical Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global maritime supply chain (MSC) faces increasing risks of uncertainty in the post COVID-19 era, ports disruptions and congestion are becoming common. To ensure high reliability of container shipping network, this paper study on the issue of locating hub ports and allocating non-hub ports (spokes) to hubs, meanwhile backup hub ports. An extended container shipping hub-and-spoke network design problem (HSN) is investigated, considering the failure and congestion of hubs, a 0–1 nonlinear programming model is developed for minimizing the transportation cost. Furthermore, we simulate container shipping network using Asia-Europe trade data, and propose the approach of particle swarm optimization (PSO) to solve the model. The experimental results show that path replacement cost and congestion cost affect the network design to a great extent, and backup hub ports could improve the reliability of global container shipping networks for capacity scheduling and allocation. This study can provide certain useful managerial insights for the liner company's daily operation, and design flexible container shipping HSN to ensure maximum efficiency after the COVID-19 irruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the similarities in consumption patterns of consumers in ten Asian countries, utilising three well-known system-wide demand models, namely, Rotterdam, CBS and AIDS. Our estimation results reveal that the consumption basket is less diversified for consumers in poor countries than those in relatively rich countries in Asia. The demand elasticities indicate that, in general, for a typical 'Asian' consumer, food and housing are necessities, and clothing, durables and transport are luxuries. The demand for all goods is price inelastic. The test results on whether the Asian consumers are similar indicate more dissimilarities than similarities in their consumption patterns. The findings of this study will be important for policymakers in designing their economic plans; it will also be important for their counterparts in other countries to determine the market for their exports and for business organisations to implement their expansion targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large number of uninterpreted ancient documents exist in Asia, which record a large amount of information about the politics, economy, and culture. Since the beginning of oracle bone inscription, characters have been developing and evolving, and the forms of ancient documents have also been changing. As a large amount of information is preserved in ancient documents, the interpretation and collation of ancient documents are of great importance. However, due to the age, many ancient documents are moth-eaten, stained, damaged, and other problems. And most ancient documents are written in a style that is no longer in use, leaving few experts able to interpret them. This paper from oracle bone inscription, ancient hand-written character, rubbings three diferent types of ancient documents, introduces the recognition technology of assisted ancient documents re-organization including image processing, deep learning, and data analysis and deep learning combined method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on rural field research in three provinces of Northeast Thailand, the paper seeks to understand the ways in which life course, generational, era-defining and developmental change intersect, and why rural smallholders and smallholdings continue to persist notwithstanding deep structural change. We outline the creative ways that households and their members have sought to address the scissor effects of declining land holdings, rising needs, reduced relative returns to agriculture, and often precarious non-farm work. We posit, drawing on this work from Thailand, that while Asia’s ‘truncated agrarian transition’ goes some way to explaining the current empirical fact of persistent smallholders, we raise doubts whether the rural development agenda of modernisation, marketisation and rural exit will have the traction that governments and some scholars anticipate. A focus on production obscures how rural livelihoods also embody acts of consumption, care, reproduction and redistribution. Our study finds that the current experience of occupational multiplicity where households’ livelihoods comprise farm and non-farm, commoditised and quasi-subsistence, in situ and ex situ , production and care, and reproduction and redistribution will likely also persist, if non-farm occupations remains classically precarious and social safety nets thinly woven. The paper contributes to debates over agrarian and rural livelihood transitions in Asia, and sheds explanatory light on why the farm-size transition has not taken hold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asian Forensic Sciences Network was formed in 2008 by a small group of six forensic institutes from six countries in Asia, with the vision to create a common platform for scientists in the region to come together to advance forensic science, raise quality standards, and foster collaboration. Since its inception, the network has experienced remarkable growth, now comprising 70 member institutes from 18 countries across Asia. An Annual Meeting & Symposium, hosted by a member institute each year, serves as a cornerstone event for the network. In addition, the network runs nine technical workgroups covering areas in Crime Scene Investigation, Digital Forensics, DNA, Fingerprint, Forensic Medicine, Illicit Drugs, Questioned Document, Toxicology, and Trace Evidence, alongside a dedicated Quality Assurance and Standards Committee. These workgroups and committee work in tandem with the AFSN Board to formulate strategies aligned with the network's core objectives. This paper chronicles AFSN's journey over the past fifteen years, highlighting the pivotal role of the Board and the Workgroups, as well as the dedicated passion and unwavering commitment of the members in shaping the network through numerous activities. • AFSN was formed in 2008 by 6 forensic institutes from 6 countries in Asia. • It now comprises 70 member institutes from 18 countries. • It has 9 Technical Workgroups and 1 Quality Assurance and Standards Committee. • AFSN publishes peer-reviewed newsletter ForensicAsia. • Different member institutes host the AFSN Annual Meeting & Symposium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics pose a significant environmental threat, with potential implications for toxic chemical release, aquatic life endangerment, and human food chain contamination. In Asia, rapid economic growth coupled with inadequate waste management has escalated plastic pollution in rivers, positioning them as focal points for environmental concern. Despite Asia's rivers being considered the most polluted with plastics globally, scholarly attention to microplastics in the region's freshwater environments is a recent development. This study undertakes a systematic review of 228 scholarly articles to map microplastic hotspots in Asian freshwater systems and synthesize current research trends within the continent. Findings reveal a concentration of research in China and Japan, primarily investigating riverine and surface waters through net-based sampling methods. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) emerge as the predominant microplastic types, frequently observed as fibers or fragments. However, the diversity of sampling methodologies and reporting metrics complicates data synthesis, underscoring the need for standardized analytical frameworks to facilitate comparative analysis. This paper delineates the distribution of microplastic hotspots and outlines the prevailing challenges and prospects in microplastic research within Asian freshwater contexts. [Display omitted] • Comprehensive review in Asian freshwater environments, based on 228 publications. • Microplastic hotspots identified in Asian rivers, highlighting pollution concerns. • Most studies use nets to sample rivers and surface waters. • PE, PP, and PET are the prevalent types, mainly as fibers or fragments. • Need for standardization of analytical methods for enhanced quantitative comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southeast (SE) Asia is situated at the convergent region between the Eurasian, Philippine Sea, and Indo-Australian plates. The dynamic interplay of these plates has shaped the geological landscape of the region, resulting in a diverse array of tectonic features, including subduction zones, volcanic arcs, marginal basins, and continental deformation. Its unique tectonic setting provides a rare opportunity to investigate the plate convergence processes and their impacts on the Earth's interior dynamics. Understanding the intricate relationships between these processes is crucial for unraveling the tectonic evolution of SE Asia and its role in the global geodynamic framework. This special issue presents a collection of original research papers covering a wide range of topics, including the lithospheric structure and strength of the SE Asia convergent system, magmatic processes and geochemical variations in subduction zones, the formation and evolution of the subduction-derived microplates, the deep genesis of heat flow anomalies, and the crustal structure and magmatism in the South China Sea. These advances have been made possible through multidisciplinary approaches, incorporating techniques such as seismic imaging, gravity analysis, numerical modeling, geochemistry, and geochronology. The findings presented in this special issue provide new insights into the complex tectonic history and geodynamic processes of the Southeast Asia and its surrounding regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme climate events are hotspots in global change. However, research on the changes in future compound events and population exposure is still limited. Leveraging from the data of the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), this paper aims to analyze the temporal and spatial changes of global compound temperature and precipitation extreme events in the future. We also predict the risk of population exposure and quantify the contribution of different factors to exposure. The results show that: (1) In the next 80 years, compound hot-dry event (CHDE) will increase at a rate of 0.02, 0.03, and 0.08 days per decade under the three scenarios of SSP1–2.6, SSP2–4.5 and SSP5–8.5, respectively. By comparison, compound hot-humidity event (CHHE) shows a downward trend under the three scenarios, with a downward rate of 0.01, 0.02, and 0.11 days per decade, respectively. (2) Under the SSP1–2.6 and SSP2–4.5 scenarios, CHDE and CHHE have two or more mutation points. Under the SSP5–8.5 scenario, CHDE shows a significant upward and CHHE shows a significant downward trend in the middle and late 21st century. These two indices exhibit periodic changes in all three scenarios (3) South Asia, West Asia, and Northeast Africa have higher CHDE values, while regions with higher CHHE values are located in North Asia and Greenland. (4) Climate change is a major factor affecting population exposure. For CHDE, climate, population, and their synergistic effects contribute about 75%, 20%, and 5% to the exposure, respectively. For CHHE, the contributions of these three factors are 85%, 10%, and 5% respectively. These findings provide scientific guidance for the rational formulation of population policies, the effective avoidance of climate disaster risks and the protection of human health. • Frequency of hot-dry events and hot-humidity events will increase and decrease, respectively, in the future. • There are abrupt points and periodicity in the future time series of compound temperature and precipitation extremes. • Asia is projected to have the greatest exposure and climate change contributes the most to exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agronomy–livestock–forestry nexus is critical as it influences ecosystem services, food production, and land use. Asia, a diverse and technologically dynamic region, faces disparities in agronomy tech adoption. Studies emphasize agronomy and forestry's pivotal role in determining livelihoods in the region. Challenges like rising food demand, land scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss require innovative solutions. Digital technologies offer enhanced productivity, sustainability, and resource management opportunities, defining the era of smart agriculture and forestry. This work presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), which examines the potential for using digital technology in agronomy and forestry across Asian countries and evaluates evidence of the potential benefits for practitioners and the environment. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) method guided the choice of relevant publications. Of the 375 papers located in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, only 24 were considered relevant to the research questions. In the agronomy and forestry sectors in Asia, the adoption of digital technologies has the potential to contribute toward the promotion of biodiversity, the preservation of ecosystem services, improved labor efficiency, risk reduction, and the promotion of climate change resilience. Geospatial tools, modeling tools, decision support systems, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and the Internet of Things (IoT) have emerged as prominent technologies driving these positive outcomes. The study lists evidence from various articles supporting these benefits, although most demonstrate indirect causation. This underscores the need for more direct experiments to establish the broader contribution of digital technologies as well as provide evidence showing farmer uptake and the potential negative impacts of implementation. The findings from this study offer a comprehensive view of the potential use of digital technologies for agronomy and forestry in Asia, as well as evidence of their potential benefits. It gives stakeholders valuable information on digital technologies and provides a springboard for future studies regarding the application of digital technology in agronomy, animal husbandry, and forestry. [Display omitted] • Digital solutions can mitigate the impact of uneven tech adoption on livelihoods in Asia's agronomy and forestry sectors. • Presents SLR provide the evidence of benefits for practitioners and environment. • Key technologies include geospatial tools, modeling tools, decision support systems, UAS, IoT. • Digital tech enhances Asia's agronomy/forestry by improving biodiversity, labor and risk management. • Provides information for stakeholders and highlighting research potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Digital gamification techniques are reshaping the logics and practices of intermediation that are core to FinTech economies. • Gamification involves new socio-technical knowledges, such as behavioral science, digital marketing, and user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. • Gamification features specialist firms that are presently overlooked by research into the roles of changing APS complex in contemporary finance. • Gamification mobilises different logics of FinTech intermediation through a focus on attention or user engagement rather than efficiency and cost savings. This paper examines how digital gamification techniques, which incorporate video gaming elements (rather than full-fledged games) into apps, are reshaping the logics and practices of intermediation that are core to FinTech economies. First, we argue gamification brings into view socio-technical knowledges, such as behavioral science, digital marketing, and user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, which are increasingly important to constituting FinTech intermediation. Second, gamification features specialist firms that are presently overlooked by research into the roles of changing advanced producer services (APS) complexes in FinTech and financial intermediation. Third, gamified apps are deployed to advance competitive intermediary positions which playfully capture user attention and configure user behavior, contrasting with FinTech strategies that typically promise users' ease of access, reduced transaction costs and personalized products and services. We illustrate these arguments through three firm-level case studies from across Asia, where the development of gamified FinTech apps has been especially prominent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]