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The Indian subcontinent is highly susceptible to natural disasters. To abate the effect of the disasters, the government emanates institutional mechanisms and strategies for disaster preparedness, mitigation and response. Although there is well-established institutional framework in India for disaster management, there is no study that proposes a disaster supply chain structure under the institutional framework and integrates information and digital technologies (IDT) of industry 4.0 within it. The present study overcomes this research gap. It introduces an IDT structure within the institutional framework of India for multi-agency information sharing, coordination and decision making. It formulates a mathematical model and analyses the impact of IDT on the total response time through three scenarios. The results of scenario analysis reveal the significance of IDT on the disaster supply chains and its capability to handle information delays and IDT failure. The present study can be adopted by disaster management institutions to construct and implement better response practices at the operational, planning and strategic levels. Furthermore, the proposed model in the study can be used for vaccination planning, which includes vaccine distribution, monitoring, regulation and effective implmentation as a response against the current pandemic situation caused due to SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the availability of information on indicators of the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund primary health-care measurement framework in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and to outline the opportunities for and challenges to using the framework in these countries. Methods We reviewed global and national data repositories for quantitative indicators of the framework and conducted a desk review of country documents for qualitative indicators in February-April 2023. We assessed data sources and cross-sectional survey tools to suggest possible sources of information on framework indicators that were not currently reported in the countries. We also identified specific indicators outside the framework on which information is collected in the countries and which could be used to measure primary healthcare performance. Findings Data on 54% (32/59) of the quantitative indicators were partially or completely available for the countries, ranging from 41% (24/59) in Pakistan to 64% (38/59) in Nepal. Information on 41% (66/163) of the qualitative subindicators could be acquired through desk reviews of country-specific documents. Information on input indicators was more readily available than on process and output indicators. The feasibility of acquiring information on the unreported indicators was moderate to high through adaptation of data collection instruments. Conclusion The primary health-care measurement framework provides a platform to readily assess and track the performance of primary health care. Countries should improve the completeness, quality and use of existing data for strengthening of primary health care. [phrase omitted] [phrase omitted] Objectif Etudier la disponibilite des informations concernant les indicateurs du cadre devaluation des soins de sante primaires de l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante et du Fonds des Nations Unies pour l'enfance au Bangladesh, en Inde, au Nepal, au Pakistan et au Sri Lanka, mais aussi presenter les opportunites et enjeux de l'application d'un tel cadre dans ces pays. Methodes Nous avons explore les referentiels de donnees nationaux et internationaux a la recherche d'indicateurs lies au cadre, puis nous avons effectue un examen preliminaire des documents de chaque pays pour y trouver des indicateurs qualitatifs entre fevrier et avril 2023. Nous avons evalue la provenance des donnees et les outils d'enquete transversale en vue de suggerer des sources potentielles d'informations sur certains indicateurs relatifs au cadre qui n'apparaissaient pas encore dans les pays susmentionnes. Nous avons par ailleurs identifie des indicateurs specifiques en dehors du cadre, sur lesquels les pays collectent des informations et qui pourraient servir a mesurer les performances des soins de sante primaires. Resultats Des donnees sur 54% (32/59) des indicateurs quantitatifs etaient partiellement ou entierement disponibles dans les differents pays, allant de 41% (24/59) au Pakistan a 64% (38/59) au Nepal. Des examens preliminaires de documents propres a chaque pays ont permis de recueillir des informations sur 41% (66/163) des sous-indicateurs qualitatifs. Il etait plus facile d'obtenir des precisions sur les indicateurs de moyens que sur les indicateurs de processus et de resultats. Enfin, le degre de faisabilite de l'acquisition d'informations sur les indicateurs non mentionnes etait modere a eleve, a condition d'adapter les instruments de collecte de donnees. Conclusion Le cadre d'evaluation des soins de sante primaires offre une plateforme permettant d'evaluer et de suivre aisement les performances en la matiere. Les pays devraient ameliorer l'exhaustivite, la qualite et l'utilisation des donnees existantes pour renforcer les soins de sante primaires. [phrase omitted] Objetivo Evaluar la disponibilidad de informacion sobre los indicadores del marco de medicion de la atencion primaria de salud de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud y el Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia en Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan y Sri Lanka, y exponer las oportunidades y los desafios que plantea la aplicacion del marco en estos paises. Metodos Se revisaron los repositorios de datos mundiales y nacionales para los indicadores cuantitativos del marco y se realizo una revision preliminar de los documentos de los paises para los indicadores cualitativos entre febrero y abril de 2023. Se evaluaron las fuentes de datos y las herramientas de encuestas transversales para sugerir posibles fuentes de informacion sobre los indicadores del marco que actualmente no se comunican en los paises. Tambien se identificaron indicadores especificos ajenos al marco sobre los que se recopila informacion en los paises y que se podrian aplicar para medir los resultados de la atencion primaria. Resultados Los datos sobre el 54% (32/59) de los indicadores cuantitativos estaban parcial o totalmente disponibles para los paises, oscilando entre el 41% (24/59) de Pakistan y el 64% (38/59) de Nepal. La informacion sobre el 41% (66/163) de los subindicadores cualitativos se pudo obtener mediante revisiones preliminares de documentos especificos de cada pais. La informacion sobre los indicadores de insumos fue mas facil de obtener que sobre los indicadores de procesos y productos. La viabilidad de adquirir informacion sobre los indicadores no declarados fue de moderada a alta mediante la adaptacion de los instrumentos de recopilacion de datos. Conclusion El marco de medicion de la atencion primaria proporciona una plataforma para evaluar y seguir facilmente el rendimiento de la atencion primaria. Los paises deben mejorar la exhaustividad, la calidad y el uso de los datos existentes para reforzar la atencion primaria., Introduction Health is central to the 2030 agenda of the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDG), and primary health care is a strategy to achieve most of the SDG [...]

As states like Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, and many others embark on recent mandates to include Asian American and Pacific Islander content in K-12 classrooms, we consider what it means [...]

This study investigates the burden of COPD attributable to air pollution in South Asia using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study from 1990 to 2019. Method Data for this study were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The burden was measured in terms of death, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and Years of life lost (YLLs). Results Since 1990, several countries in South Asia registered substantial declines in mortality rates attributed to COPD, ranging from −37.47% in Pakistan to −66.25% in Bangladesh. Similar trends were observed for DALYs and YLLs as well, which have potentially contributed to a considerable decrease in mortality rates at the regional level (−43.13%) compared to a 32.59% decline in Low SDI and 56.87% decline globally. Conclusion Despite significant declines since 1990, the burden of COPD attributable to air pollution reductions in the South Asian region’s rates remains alarmingly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This quasi-experimental study aimed to describe the outcome of a social skills intervention for adolescents with depression followed up at an outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit. Twenty adolescents with depression attending a tertiary care facility in Colombo, Sri Lanka were recruited, who participated in two social skills training programmes (6 months apart), in addition to pharmacological treatment. Outcome of the programme was measured by a self-administered questionnaire that assessed perceived changes in social skills, before and after the intervention. Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was used to determine the statistical significance of improvement in social skills. Results: The sample consisted of 80% (n = 16) female adolescents. Median scores (inter-quartile range) for social skills before and after the first social skills programme were 31.5 (21.0–36.0) and 33.0 (28.25–40.25) respectively, indicating a significant improvement in social skills following intervention (p = 0.011, r = 0.57). A similar improvement was observed after the second programme (n = 10), reporting higher median scores for social skills after intervention (29.5 vs. 37.5, p = 0.005, r = 0.89). A significant improvement was also observed in perceived ability to cope with depressive thoughts after intervention (p = 0.032), indicating that social skills training can be a useful adjunct to pharmacological interventions, in the management of depression in adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "love jihad" conspiracy theory in India purports that Muslim men are deceptively seducing or kidnapping non-Muslim women in large numbers to convert and marry them. State laws in India have moved to control conversions—resulting in legislation as disinformation—and sparked violent attacks against Muslims. We identify this as the third wave of state-level anti-conversion laws in India and study how the conspiracy theory is embedded into the text of the law and its relation to the current period of Hindu nationalist ascendancy. Combining narrative analysis of the 2021 Gujarat amendment and interrogating the everyday experiences of interfaith couples who face administrative, police, and vigilante violence we analyze the infrastructure and frameworks of Hindu nationalist ideological dominance in India today. Our study questions the presumptions that underlie the characterization of India as a "democracy" considering the current political, ideological, and legal configurations in the country under the BJP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) may experience emotional, social, and psychological difficulties, heightened due to the interpersonal nature of harm. Despite the demonstrated effectiveness of trauma-focused treatments in the West, a culturally specific understanding of the needs of and treatments for survivors in South Asia is still in its infancy. The study aimed to systematically review research findings on the mental health impacts of CSA on adult survivors and current treatment approaches and their efficacy and acceptability in South Asia. Seven databases (Scopus, Ovid, CINAHL, ProQuest, EThOS, Google Scholar, and Dogpile) and five peer-reviewed South Asian journals were searched from inception until March 30, 2023. Searches included participants who were adult survivors of CSA of South Asian origin residing in South Asia. Studies on their mental health, different treatments, and the efficacy and acceptability of these treatments were included. Quality assessment tools were used to appraise the quality of included studies. The results were synthesized narratively. A total of 3,362 records were retrieved, and 24 articles were included in the final review. Twenty studies reported mental health impacts of CSA on adult survivors, four studies reported current treatments offered, and two studies were on recovery. However, no study focused on the efficacy or acceptability of the treatments being delivered. Even though the needs of adult CSA survivors in South Asia have been partly identified, there is very little research into the treatments for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the involvement of members of South Asian communities in cricket (in Bradford and Leeds, UK). The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) identified that despite the high level of interest in cricket within these communities, relatively few were participating in opportunities provided through ECB structures; instead, they were engaged in various forms of 'informal' cricket. Using data from a small-scale survey and group interviews, this paper speaks to issues of diversity and equality utilizing Rowe's theory of sporting capital framed with insights from Critical Race Theory (CRT). We argue that Rowe's model should be refined by incorporating the concepts of cultural competence and cultural wealth. Doing this can safeguard against deficit models of capital that stress what people lack rather than what they possess. This provides the sporting establishment with better insight to how their sport is perceived and engaged with by those outside the mainstream. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light‐absorbing carbonaceous aerosols that dominate atmospheric aerosol warming over India remain poorly characterized. Here, we delve into UV‐visible‐IR spectral aerosol absorption properties at nine PAN‐India COALESCE network sites (Venkataraman et al., 2020, https://doi.org/10.1175/bams‐d‐19‐0030.1). Absorption properties were estimated from aerosol‐laden polytetrafluoroethylene filters using a well‐constrained technique incorporating filter‐to‐particle correction factors. The measurements revealed spatiotemporal heterogeneity in spectral intrinsic and extrinsic absorption properties. Absorption analysis at near‐UV wavelengths from carbonaceous aerosols at these regional sites revealed large near‐ultraviolet brown carbon absorption contributions from 21% to 68%—emphasizing the need to include these particles in climate models. Further, satellite‐retrieved column‐integrated absorption was dominated by surface absorption, which opens possibilities of using satellite measurements to model surface‐layer optical properties (limited to specific sites) at a higher spatial resolution. Both the satellite‐modeled and direct in‐situ absorption measurements can aid in validating and constraining climate modeling efforts that suffer from absorption underestimations and high uncertainties in radiative forcing estimates. Plain Language Summary: Particulate pollution in the atmosphere scatter and absorb incoming solar energy, thus cooling or warming Earth's atmosphere. In developing countries and especially in India, one of the most polluted regions of the world, the extent to which particles can absorb solar energy and warm the atmosphere is not well understood. Here, for the first time, we measure particle absorption simultaneously at nine ground sites across India, in diverse geographical regions with different levels and types of particulate pollution. We find that organic carbon particles exert large absorption at near‐ultraviolet wavelengths, which contain significant solar energy. These light absorbing organic carbon particles, called brown carbon, are emitted in large quantities from biomass burning (e.g., burning crop residue and cooking on wood‐fired stoves). Comparing ground measurements of absorption with satellite‐retrieved measurements that are representative of the entire atmospheric column, we find that near‐surface atmospheric particles can exert significant warming. This study highlights the need to improve climate model simulations of particulate pollution's impact on the climate by incorporating spatiotemporal surface‐level absorption measurements, including absorption by brown carbon particles. Key Points: Measurements at nine regional PAN‐India sites reveal several regions with large aerosol absorption strengthBrown carbon contributes significantly (21%–68%) to near‐ultraviolet absorption, indicating its importance in shortwave light absorptionStrong correlations observed between satellite data and surface absorption indicate future potential in modeling surface absorption [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Immunomodulators are important for management of autoimmune diseases and hematological malignancies. Significant inter-individual variation in drug response/reactions exists due to genetic polymorphisms. We describe frequency of identified genetic polymorphisms among Sri Lankans. Methods: Sri Lankan data were obtained from an anonymized database of 670 participants. Data on variants and global distribution of Minor Allele frequency (MAF) of other populations (South Asian, Ashkenazi-Jewish, East-Asian, European-Finnish, European-non-Finnish, Latino-American, African/African-American) were obtained from pharmGKB online database. Results: SLC19A1 (rs1051266) variant had a MAF (95% CI) of 63.3% (60.7–65.9). Other common variants included FCGR3A (rs396991), MTHFR (rs1801133), ITPA (rs1127354), CYP2C9*3 (rs1057910) and NUD15*3 (rs116855232), with MAFs of 35.3% (32.7–37.9), 12.2% (10.4–13.9), 10.9% (9.2–12.6), 9.8% (8.2–11.4), 8.3% (6.8–9.8) respectively. Less commonly present variants included CYP2C9*2 (rs1799853) (2.5%[1.7–3.4]), TPMT*3C (rs1142345) (1.9%[1.1–2.6]), TPMT*3B (rs1800460) (0.2%[0–0.5]), CYP3A5*6 (rs10264272) (0.2%[0–0.4]) and CYP3A4*18 (rs28371759) (0.1%[0–0.2]). The SLC19A1 (rs1051266), NUD15*3 (rs116855232), CYP2C9*3 (rs1057910), FCGR3A (rs396991), and ITPA (rs1127354) showed significantly higher frequencies in Sri Lankans compared to many other populations, exceptions include FCGR3A in Ashkenazi-Jewish and ITPA in East-Asians. Conversely, MTHFR (rs1801133), TPMT*3B (rs1800460), and CYP2C9*2 (rs1799853) were significantly less prevalent among Sri Lankans than in many other populations. Sri Lankans exhibited lower prevalence of TPMT*3C (rs1142345) compared to European-non-Finnish, Latino-Americans, and African/African-Americans; CYP3A4*18 (rs28371759) compared to East-Asians; and CYP3A5*6 (rs10264272) compared to African/African-Americans and Latino-Americans. Conclusion: Sri Lankans exhibit higher frequencies in variants reducing methotrexate efficacy (SLC19A1), increasing azathioprine myelotoxicity (NUDT15), and lower frequencies in variants linked to increased azathioprine toxicity (TPMT*3B, TPMT*3C), reduced tacrolimus efficacy (CYP3A4*18), and methotrexate toxicity risk (MTHFR). Beneficial variants enhancing rituximab efficacy (FCGR3A) are more prevalent, while those reducing tacrolimus dosage (CYP3A5*6) are less common. This highlights need for targeted medication strategies to improve treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and context: Providing care to the elderly is an emerging area of interest due to the increase in elderly population not only in the developed world but also in low and middle income countries. In Pakistan a country with an overall population of over 200 million, the elderly population amounts to 11.3 million. Caregiving of the elderly tends to occur within the kinship motivated by sociocultural norms as well as absence of government support facilities. While quantitative literature exists in Pakistan describing the "caregiver's burden," an in-depth analysis into the experiences of familial caregivers is missing. Methods: The research used qualitative methods with the aim to explore the lived experiences of 7 daughters and 3 daughters-in-law, living in Karachi, Pakistan providing care to the elderly requiring assistance in at least two tasks of daily living. Results: Five themes were developed inductively through the phenomenological method. All participants were Muslim and belonged to the upper economic strata of the society. Findings reveal that obligations to care are dominant in kinship circles particularly among women. Participants highlighted the importance of elderly in the Pakistani society, especially due to the religious lens that considers them as blessings. Daughter caregivers spoke about caregiving of their parents as a form of role reversal, emphasizing also upon the life-long emotional bond that served as a strong motivator. On the other hand, for daughter-in-law caregivers, motivations to care also stemmed from social expectations and kinship obligations. All participants reported multiple difficulties during the caregiving experience, despite existence of paid formal help, with respect to balancing multiple role demands and the nature of caregiving that requires constant effort. Results also illustrate that despite the desire to care for the elderly within a collectivist and patrilocal society, participants experienced multiple physical and emotional effects. However, a few also reported an increase in self-mastery and self-worth. Conclusion: This study reveals that despite increasing urbanization and more women working outside the home, providing care to the elderly appears to be centered within the kinship circle. The research makes important contributions to the ageing literature in Pakistan with relevance to other South Asian contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Asia contributes the most to stroke mortality worldwide. This study aimed to determine the long-term trends in stroke mortality across four South Asian countries and its associations with age, period, and birth cohort. In 2019, nearly one million stroke deaths occurred across South Asia, and the associated age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) was 80.2 per 100,000. Between 1990 and 2019, India had the largest decrease in the ASMR (−35.8%) across the four South Asian countries. While Pakistan had the smallest decrease in the ASMR (−7.6%), an increase was detected among males aged 15 to 34 years and females aged 15 to 19 years. Despite a 22.8% decrease in the ASMR, Bangladesh had the highest ASMR across the four South Asian countries. Nepal reported a witness increase in the stroke ASMR after 2006. Improved period and cohort effects on stroke mortality were generally indicated across the analyzed countries, except for recent-period effects in males from Nepal and cohort effects from those born after the 1970s in Pakistan. Stroke mortality has decreased in the four South Asian countries over the past 30 years, but potentially unfavorable period and cohort effects have emerged in males in Nepal and both sexes in Pakistan. Governmental and societal efforts are needed to maintain decreasing trends in stroke mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Ancient water harvesting systems, such as those from the Indus Valley Civilization (~3500 BCE), have been vital for irrigation and climate resilience, especially in arid regions. One such prominent system in South Asia, called tank irrigation, initially thrived through community management but declined post-independence due to colonial policies and neglect in Sri Lanka and India. This study evaluates current policy frameworks and rehabilitation programs to enhance the resilience of these systems in India, develop strategies for their protection and adaptation to climate change, and integrate global lessons for sustainable development. Methods: A systematic meta-analysis of grey literature was conducted to aggregate data on policy constraints. Policy analysis involved detailed investigations of relevant documents, regulations, and comparative analyses of frameworks at regional and national levels. Pilot projects on tank rehabilitation were assessed through reported case studies and field surveys to gauge impact. Thematic analysis was used to explore the global potential of these systems in climate resilience and overall environmental sustainability. Results: The analysis showed that pilot projects for tank rehabilitation had limited success in achieving sustainability under current climate conditions. Tank irrigation systems are crucial for adapting to extreme weather, including floods, droughts, and heat waves, replenishing groundwater, reducing soil erosion, and ensuring reliable water supplies. Traditional water harvesting technologies support 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including clean water access, hunger reduction, gender equality, and climate action. Integrating AI and machine learning in water management benefits disaster response, while eco-tourism aids system maintenance and cultural awareness. Discussion: The study underscores the need for policy reforms to enhance tank rehabilitation and institutional arrangements. It calls for increased beneficiary participation and constitutional recognition of current practices. Strategic, national-scale assessments and resilience targets are recommended to improve the effectiveness of such water harvesting systems in mitigating natural hazards and enhancing environmental services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the utilization and advancements of constructed wetlands (CWs) in South Asia (SA), focusing on their roles, costs, and efficacy enhancements through pre- and post-treatment units for various pollutants. Notable findings include Phragmites and Canna species as commonly used macrophytes, achieving high removal rates for various pollutants. CWs consistently remove total suspended solids, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, emerging contaminants, and antimicrobial resistant bacteria at substantial rates. Anaerobic baffled reactors are effective pretreatment devices for high-strength wastewater. Moreover, CWs exhibit lower operational and maintenance costs compared to conventional treatment methods. However, the bibliometric analysis reveals limited regional cooperation in SA. Key challenges identified include the absence of guidelines for media, vegetation, and maintenance. The review underscores the necessity for further research in optimizing CWs’ efficiency through land area management, plant selection, and enhanced design and operation and maintenance protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are a global epidemic challenging global public health authorities while imposing a heavy burden on healthcare systems and economies. Aim: To explore and compare the prevalence of NCDs in South Asia, the Caribbean, and non-sub-Saharan Africa, aiming to identify both commonalities and differences contributing to the NCD epidemic in these areas while investigating potential recommendations addressing the NCD epidemic. Method: A comprehensive search of relevant literature was carried out to identify and appraise published articles systematically using the Cochrane Library, Ovid, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Web of Science search engines between 2010 and 2023. A total of 50 articles fell within the inclusion criteria. Results: Numerous geographical variables, such as lifestyle factors, socio-economic issues, social awareness, and the calibre of the local healthcare system, influence both the prevalence and treatment of NCDs. The NCDs contributors in the Caribbean include physical inactivity, poor fruit and vegetable intake, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking, among others. While for South Asia, these were: insufficient societal awareness of NCDs, poverty, urbanization, industrialization, and inadequate regulation implementation in South Asia. Malnutrition, inactivity, alcohol misuse, lack of medical care, and low budgets are responsible for increasing NCD cases in Africa. Conclusion: Premature mortality from NCDs can be avoided using efficient treatments that reduce risk factor exposure for individuals and populations. Proper planning, implementation, monitoring, training, and research on risk factors and challenges of NCDs would significantly combat the situation in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Objective Methods Results Conclusion Assess longer‐term changes in food habits and anthropometry among Grades 1–2 primary school students from four public schools in Colombo, Sri Lanka, following a 3‐week programme including a classroom‐based motivational storybook discussion and self‐monitoring food diary (FD).This follow‐up study assessed changes from baseline (pre‐intervention) BMI z‐scores and food habits (increased healthy food‐item consumption/decreased unhealthy food‐item consumption reflected by an increase in FD score) and parental perceptions (anonymous questionnaires) among 863 students (aged 6–8 years), between 9 and 12 months after completing the programme (November 2019–February 2020).Food habits showed sustained improvement from baseline mean FD score (baseline vs. follow‐up: 51 ± 23% vs. 67 ± 22%, p < 0.001), with children from all BMI subgroups (underweight [UW], normal weight [NW], overweight [OW] and obesity [OB]) showing a significant increase in FD scores (ranging from 14.1% to 17.2%, p < 0.001). BMI z‐scores increased in children living with UW (−2.85 to −2.21, p < 0.00) and NW (−0.70 to −0.57, p < 0.001), but did not change in children with OW (+1.5 to +1.49, p = 0.83) and OB (+2.85 to +2.21, p = 0.19). Most parents (n = 497, 97.8%) reported satisfaction with programme outcomes.This programme led to sustained improvement in food habits among young primary school children from all BMI categories, increase in BMI towards the median among children living with UW and NW, and stabilization of BMI in children with OW and OB, suggesting it as a useful tool for improving nutritional status of young children in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMIC) facing the double burden of under‐ and overnutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The terrestrial ecosystem stores a huge amount of carbon in biomass and acts as a major carbon sink. Gross primary productivity (GPP) measures the carbon assimilation rate in terrestrial ecosystems. Accurate quantification and spatiotemporal analysis of GPP have become the essential indicators of various management, policy developments, and restoration activities in recent decades with the installation of new ground stations, development of robust models, and use of Earth Observation satellite data. The model-estimated and satellite data-derived GPP values greatly differ from ground observations due to model structure and approach, input driving data, coefficients and parameters, and various assumptions. Consequently, considerable ambiguity prevails among datasets and their benchmarking. Moreover, the productivity of ecosystems is regulated by physiological traits coupled with the local environmental conditions. This review provides an overview of the environmental and anthropogenic variables that regulate productivity and pose challenges in GPP estimation and evaluation of the available GPP products. It also evaluates the various available GPP datasets/ products and estimation methods/ models and compares the ecosystem productivity in broad natural and human-modified ecosystems in South Asia. Moreover, this study includes a case study on evaluating five globally available GPP products with variable spatiotemporal resolutions, such as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), the Global Land Surface Satellite (GLASS), Global OCO-2-based SIF product (GOSIF), and the Penman-Monteith-Leuning (PML) in three major land cover type of South Asia (forest, cropland, and grassland) comparing with eddy covariance (EC) flux tower data. Results showed a better performance of GOSIF and GLASS data than other GPP products. The study aims to provide an overview of the prevailing environmental conditions and carbon sequestration in different ecosystems and assist in developing sustainable landscape management strategies to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change impact. Article highlights: • A critical review of the methods employed for GPP estimation and their limitations. • Impact of various management practices, extreme events, and climate change on GPP. • Comparison among available GPP datasets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Commonwealth Prime Ministers' (subsequently Heads of Government) Meetings or Conferences were the flagship events of the New Commonwealth in the two decades after the Second World War and the beginning of formal independence and decolonisation in South Asia. The post-war Commonwealth leadership sought to maintain unity on key international issues, which served British strategic interests, at least in the view of British leaders, officials, and influential commentators. The collision of interests between the expansion of Commonwealth membership to include South Asian and, later, African states and the managed decolonisation of the British Empire produced conflicts and compromises that often shaped the progress of the Prime Ministers' Meetings. The New Commonwealth's functioning as an international forum can be better understood by developing insights gained from interdisciplinary methodologies to explore the central role of Jawaharlal Nehru's uses of space at the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Meetings to highlight continuities that, ironically, facilitated the profound changes of this era. Taking seriously the multivalent meanings and historical complexity of the Britain and the World analytical framework, we show how British space increasingly came to be used to advance South Asian political goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why did America's twenty-year war in Afghanistan fail to establish a self-sustaining non-Taliban government? Analysts have cited cultural obstacles in Afghanistan, bureaucratic inertia in Washington, and a lack of strategic commitment, in part because Iraq dominated national security policy. Such claims tend to draw evidence from Germany, Japan, and Iraq, places where the U.S. military achieved some measure of success establishing pro-American governments. The present article broadens the comparison to consider Afghanistan alongside Germany, Japan, Iraq, and two examples of post-Cold War regime-change success: Panama (1989–1990) and Haiti (1994–1995). The cases indicate that U.S. influence in the postwar environment has depended on the prospects for integrating old regime elites into the new government and on the strength of indigenous opposition forces. Both variables were unfavorable in Afghanistan, and they shaped the boundaries of political order—no matter how hard U.S. forces fought or how long they stayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change represents the state of knowledge of anthropogenic disruption to the climate system, its diverse ecosystem and societal impacts, and the imperative for and challenges of mitigation and adaptation responses. It is foundational for global climate policymaking. This paper examines the place of tourism in AR6 and reviews its key findings for tourism's future. Overall, tourism related content declined relative to previous assessments. While notable improvements in content occurred for Africa, visible knowledge gaps remain in the tourism growth regions of South America, Middle East, and South Asia. There remains limited discussion of many impacts, and very limited understanding of integrated impacts and the effectiveness of adaptation strategies at the destination scale. The contribution of tourism to global emissions was omitted, however tourism was discussed in the context of luxury emissions and just transitions. Tourism is repeatedly identified in solution space discussions, particularly for ecosystem protection, but without consideration of the future of tourism in a rapidly decarbonizing and climate disrupted economy. With only 21% of published climate change and tourism literature in the AR6 review period cited, tourism academics should elevate tourism content and engagement in future assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study of the implications of Asian tourism for climate change is critical to fulfilling the terms of the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) and reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. Research has only recently begun to cover these topics. This paper examines climate risks, adaptation response, carbon emission, and mitigation in Asian tourism by reviewing the state-of-the-art and identifying gaps in previous research and future directions. More work has been done on East, Southeast, and South Asia than on Central, West, and North Asia, but great differences exist among needed research topics in these subregions. While some progress has been made on impact assessments of climate change and carbon emissions estimations, analysis and action remain mismatched. Often, one tourism sector is analyzed in isolation and only general suggestions are given for climate change adaptation and mitigation. This therefore highlights research that can facilitate the integrated analysis of climate change to inform policymakers and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, healthcare professionals around the world were driven by universal values of solidarity and duty to provide care. However, local societal norms and existing healthcare systems influenced interactions among physicians, and with patients and their families. An exploratory qualitative study design using in‐depth interviews was undertaken with physicians working at two public sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Using the constant comparison method of data analysis, several key themes were identified highlighting norms of kinship and interdependencies characteristic of collectivistic societies that influenced professional interactions. The role of seniors in the hierarchical society of Pakistan played a major role in provision of care. Physicians reported numerous challenges in dealing with patients and their families amidst public denial fueled due to ill‐formed government policies. This included interruption of funeral rites which undermined public trust. The study provides insights into the local moral world of two healthcare institutions in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is the role of humor in obfuscating social hierarchy? This article describes how caste prejudices among male taxi drivers in Uttarakhand in the Indian Himalayas are enacted through the humor of calling each other "funny" names. Such humor is directed toward Dalit drivers whose proper first names are replaced by "funny" names that caricature their personal attributes as an index of their "lower‐caste" identity without addressing it directly. Given the conditions of social change in the practice of caste across India, calling such names provides the "upper‐caste" drivers grounds for the disavowability of addressing caste. Calling Dalit drivers funny first names at the taxi stand eschews addressing directly the collective lower‐caste identity indexed in their last names even as the humor so enacted becomes the premise for identifying their caste identity. It exceeds and bypasses legalized notions of caste atrocity by distorting personal attributes into humorous name‐calling that is indexically removed from the denigration of collective caste identity that can be disavowed. This article offers an ethnography of humor to understand how humorous sociability becomes the means for addressing lower‐caste identity while simultaneously providing the grounds for its obfuscation and disavowal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed and forecasted potato production in eight major South Asian countries from 1961 to 2028 using advanced time series and machine learning approaches. Annual potato production data was modelled with autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), state space, and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) models. The models were trained on 1961–2009 data and evaluated on a 2010–2021 validation set. On the training set, XGBoost showed the best performance. However, on the validation set, ARIMA and state space models significantly outperformed XGBoost, indicating issues with overfitting. The ARIMA models produced the lowest forecast errors for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, and Myanmar. Meanwhile, state space models were optimal for India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, demonstrating that no one approach was uniformly best. The top performing models forecast potato production up to 2028, Afghanistan's production is expected to remain stable at around 860–862 thousand metric tons. Bangladesh's output is forecasted to stay constant at 9887 thousand metric tons. In contrast, China is predicted to see a steady increase from 94,625 to 96,193 thousand metric tons. India's production is anticipated to grow significantly from 54,704 to 62,396 thousand metric tons. Conversely, Myanmar's production is projected to decline from 460 to 426 thousand metric tons. Nepal's output is expected to steadily increase from 3395 to 4011 thousand metric tons. Pakistan's production is forecasted to rise substantially from 5573 to 7045 thousand metric tons. Lastly, Sri Lanka's potato production is projected to experience a modest increase from 77 to 84 thousand metric tons. These forecasts reflect the different levels of potato demand, consumption, and trade in each country, as well as the effects of climate change, pests, and diseases on potato yields. The rigorous comparative application of advanced time series and machine learning techniques provides valuable data-driven insights into future South Asian potato supply. The forecasts can assist food security planning and agricultural policymaking in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Domestic violence manifests in unique ways in South Asian immigrant communities. Given the need to uphold family honor, formal help-seeking remains minimal within this community. Individuals experiencing victimization rely on friends and family members as informal sources of support. These friends and family members may also be bystanders who witness victimization. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine differences in participant responses to an online interactive bystander intervention developed for South Asians. Methods: To get community response to the intervention, B.R.A.K.E. The Cycle, a Qualtrics link with all the intervention scenarios was posted on 21 sub-Reddit pages. Screeners to ensure that participants were of South Asian origin, 18 or older and currently residing in the United States (US) were added. True to the study purpose, to examine differences across gender and generational position, we conducted descriptive analysis and chi-square tests. Results: There were differences in scenarios by gender and immigration position. Some of the main findings point to the need to report domestic violence, seek help (formal or informal) as well as surprisingly some responses justified the use of force by a male partner. We discuss these in-depth by scenarios. Discussion: This is the first study to examine differences in bystander preference and response to using an intervention that was developed specifically for the South Asian community. Social workers can utilize this intervention to create dialogue around domestic violence prevention and the role of bystander within the South Asian and potentially other immigrant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores change and continuity in the institutional objectives and actions of the British Geological Survey across independent South Asian countries, namely India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Ceylon/Sri Lanka, and Burma/Myanmar. By focusing on this geographical space from the 1960s, the article tells a political tale of adjustment, in which the colonial background of the British presence in the region was overlain by the Cold War foreground of international competition. The Geological Survey had the required pedigree to prolong the British presence in important technical arenas of these emerging nation-states, albeit within the redefined parameters of development, overlapping interests, and competing benefits. The article sketches the Survey's history of exchange and collaboration across South Asian countries (except Bhutan), as its projects adapted to national preferences and global pressures. It traces how and why its proposals prioritised certain interactions over others and tracks the ways-and-means through which it pursued geological and attendant commercial aims. The article also attempts to situate these interplays within regional and ideological frames, within which politically conscious technocrats sought capital and influence to reorient earth science objectives so that these could simultaneously accrue national products and generate neo-colonial prestige. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Highly cited papers (HCPs) can influence both research and clinical practice. They help to identify core literature and important advances in a field. This study aimed to assess the current status and prospects of South Asia COVID-19 research from the HCPs using bibliometric indicators. Methodology: COVID-19 literature from South Asia published between December 2019 and 29 November 2023 in the Scopus database was analysed. The top HCPs, having more than 200 citations, were evaluated. Information about citation counts, authors and organisations and their affiliations, year of publication, source journal, geographical origin, subject, article type, funding details, etc. were retrieved and analysed. Data and visualisation analysis was undertaken using Microsoft Excel and other bibliometric software. Results: The 298 South Asia HCPs were published from 2020 to 2023 and were cited 200–3,596 times, with a mean average of 413.9 citations per paper (CPP). Around 24.5% and 51.3% of HCPs received external funding support and were involved in international collaboration, respectively. The most productive organisations were the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, while the most impactful organisations were Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children, Mumbai, and Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital & Medical Research Institute, Mumbai. The most productive journals were Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews. Conclusions: This study has identified core and significant authors, organisations, journals, subject fields and significant keywords, collaborators and funding agencies involved in South Asia's COVID-19 research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nepal has a long history of labour migration over the years. Migrants can experience a range of problems in their destination countries, and women are more at risk than men. This paper is the first to explore the problems faced by Nepalese women migrants while working abroad. Methods: This study was conducted among 1,889 women who were registered as migrant returnees at an organisation called Pourakhi Nepal. The study extracted and analysed data from a non-governmental organisation that supports returning female migrant workers in Nepal. Results: Around half (43.1%) of the women were 35 or older, 30.9% were illiterate, and 63.6% were in their first overseas job. More than one-third (38.5%) had self-reported workplace harassment. Physical violence was the most prevalent (68%), followed by verbal abuse (37.5%), mental stress (29.7%), and sexual abuse (14.1%). Women who were illiterate (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01 to 1.55), unmarried (AOR 1.27, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.56), worked abroad twice or more (AOR 1.35, 95% CI: 1.10 to 1.66), changed their place of work (AOR 2.38, 95% CI: 1.42 to 4.01), lived without documents (AOR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.50), worked as domestics (AOR 3.56, 95% CI: 2.03 to 6.23), worked in other than Gulf Cooperation Council countries (AOR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.99), women who did not have a fixed salary (AOR 1.64, 95% CI: 1.28 to 2.10) and did not receive salary (AOR 3.71, 95% CI: 2.88 to 4.77) were more likely to be harassed at work. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the host governments should introduce and enforce policies protecting women in the workplace. Migrant women should be provided with better information about health risks and hazards as well as how to improve preventive measures in destination countries to reduce workplace harassment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Access to health care remains suboptimal in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and continues to hinder survival in early childhood. We systematically assessed the association between problems accessing health care (PAHC) and under-five mortality (U5M). Methods Child mortality data on 724 335 livebirths came from the latest Demographic and Health Surveys of 50 LMICs (2013–2021). Reasons for PAHC were classified into three domains: 'money needed for treatment' (economic), 'distance to health facility' (physical), 'getting permission' or 'not wanting to go alone' (socio-cultural). Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the association between PAHC (any and by each type) and U5M. Results In our pooled sample, 47.3 children per 1000 livebirths died before age of 5, and 57.1% reported having experienced PAHC (ranging from 45.3% in Europe & Central Asia to 72.7% in Latin America & Caribbean). Children with any PAHC had higher odds of U5M (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.09), and this association was especially significant in sub-Saharan Africa. Of different domains of PAHC, socio-cultural PAHC was found to be most significant. Conclusions Access to health care in LMICs needs to be improved by expanding health care coverage, building health facilities, and focusing more on context-specific socio-cultural barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article underscores the role of the localized socio-economic hierarchies and power asymmetries in mediating advantages and disadvantages associated with the provision of new road infrastructure development. The localized socio-institutional structures, such as the control over the land-use and informality of the postcolonial state, are central in mediating socioeconomic impacts of the road infrastructure. Therefore, the article argues that wider societal impact of infrastructure development can be best analyzed through the localized socio-institutional lens of original institutional economics. The article analyzes the localized socio-economic impact of a mega road infrastructure project on land-use in Sheikhupura district of Punjab, Pakistan. It illustrates that the provision of new roads has incentivized large landowners to extract super rents by transforming erstwhile farmland into commercial real estate housing projects. In this process, landless sharecroppers and small peasants have been evicted/dispossessed from the farmland. In other words, the existing socio-institutional structures have allowed large landholders to use the provision of infrastructure development in their own private interests at the expense of local agriculture and livelihoods of historically marginalized groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, no country, including the United States (US), has yet recognised the former. The US has consistently urged the regime to comply with the Doha agreement that emphasised an inclusive government. Moreover, the Biden administration has repeatedly asked the regime to respect human rights and allow girls education and employment, but in vain. What explains the divergences in US–Afghanistan relations post-withdrawal? What is the trajectory of the US–Taliban ties in the current context? Above all, is there any possibility of the US recognition of the Taliban regime in the foreseeable future? Based on primary data, it is posited that the relations between the US and the Taliban-controlled Afghanistan are divergent and currently antagonistic due to the Taliban's non-compliance with the Doha agreement. Futuristically, the study explores three scenarios to predict US–Afghanistan relations. First, there is a likelihood of US–Afghanistan rapprochement if the Taliban do the US bidding. Second, in cases of non-compliance, the US would get tough on the regime in terms of further sanctions. However, the Taliban would consolidate (informal) ties with China, Russia and other regional countries, including Pakistan. Third, the US has the military capabilities to do regime change in Afghanistan in case of another 9/11-type incident in the US. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transboundary rivers raise critical concerns for state security amidst contemporary ecological strain and regional geopolitics in South Asia. The challenge of 'water security' is underscored by the substantial reliance on transboundary rivers, compounded by the multifaceted impacts of climate change and the simmering geopolitical tensions among riparian nations, especially in the complex dynamics between India–China and India–Pakistan. This study endeavours to illuminate distinctive characteristics of the South Asian transboundary governance framework, wherein rivers are subjected to intensive damming aimed at (a) harnessing hydroelectric potential and (b) leveraging water resources as geopolitical bargaining chips, thereby exerting pressure; however, order is not specified, particularly. In this intricate milieu, international conventions often fail to reconcile internal contradictions inherent within the transboundary governance paradigm. Consequently, transboundary water resources have metamorphosed into an extension of geopolitical realities, embodying intricate interplay between hydrology, geopolitics and state security within the region, especially between China, India and Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South Asian region has faced multiple challenges in the last few decades. This region is susceptible to climate change due to the presence of both drought-prone and coastal areas. It also faces the problem of increasing food-insecurity due to the recent events of crop failure consequent to natural calamities. This study examines the nexus between agricultural production and food security amidst climate change for the South Asian nations from 2000 to 2019. From the empirical investigation, using Driscoll-Kraay and Panel-Corrected Standard Error estimators, we get robust results in the presence of cross-sectional dependence and heteroskedasticity. The simultaneous equation model using 3SLS is also used for the robustness check, considering the probable endogeneity issue in the model. The findings of the study reveal that agricultural production, fertilizer consumption, and land under cereal production play a substantial and positive role in determining food security in the South Asian nations. Furthermore, the varying rainfall patterns coupled with rising temperature, as well as the increasing level of CO2 emissions are found to impede food security in these nations. Additionally, non-climatic factors related to agriculture and land-use are also found to induce CO2 emissions, which is a major cause of climate change. Therefore, from a policy perspective, this study suggests that to ensure long-term food security in the South Asian nations, the government should implement effective policy measures, which include the decarbonization of the agricultural sector by encouraging the use of renewable energy sources and promoting climate-resilient agricultural practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Anees Jung's Night of the New Moon: Encounters with Muslim Women in India (1993) and Nighat Gandhi's Alternative Realities: Love in the Lives of Muslim Women (2013), two contemporary anglophone travel narratives documenting the lives of Muslim women, the article explores the cartography of feminine Islam in the Indian subcontinent and argues that both authors, in mapping the geography of Muslim women, take inspiration from Rihla narratives, the medieval Islamic genre of travel literature. It explores how the generic esthetics of Adab-al-Rihla (travel literature) resonate with the esthetics employed by the authors in their "eye-witness" accounts of Muslim societies: how journeys in search of Muslim women bring the traveler close to Talib-e-'ilm (knowledge-seeker) of Rihla, how, through their discoveries, the authors reclaim the domain of knowledge production, how the narratives, by incorporating everyday and commonplace, along with 'aa'jaib and nawadir (strange and rare), remediate sublimity of the genre, and how do the authors map secular and sacred in Muslim geographies raising questions about the spaces that women inhabit. Furthermore, it investigates how, by revealing the feminine, both texts contest the inherent masculinity of Rihla tradition and challenge the hegemonic narratives about women and lived Islam in the subcontinent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amitav Ghosh's The Hungry Tide operates in the archipelago of the Sunderbans and explores characters who reside in different quadrants of the socio-political map, navigating the difficult nexus between the survival of humans and conservation of the non-human. The key to this navigation is an important, and often ignored, historical event in his fiction—the Marichjhapi massacre of 1979. The massacre was enabled by West Bengal government's primacy on ecology and disregard for the fundamental rights of the people. This massacre and its impact on subsequent generations of that locality have been brushed aside in Indian mainstream history. Events of Marichjhapi have been deemed problematic for both nationalist sentiment and environmental conservation—two things that were of growing popularity during that time. In his narrative of deltas and dolphins, Ghosh manages to carve out the space for such a difficult event regarding people through a literary device that is often personal—a diary. Ghosh's narrativization of the events in Marichjhapi through Nirmal's diary, along with his characterization of local representatives such as Fokir, gives new understandings of the sufferings faced by the marginalized communities and the narrative challenges of relaying their voices—while showing the interconnectivity of people and their environment at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do India and Pakistan always quarrel over terrorism? The prevailing arguments more often implicate intriguing South Asian geopolitics surrounding the unresolved Kashmir dispute or pathological partition of British India in 1947 to explain this puzzle. Surprisingly, why and how the two countries verbalise terrorism has hardly been investigated in a comparative framework as a potential underpinning of this historical syndrome. This void has deprived South Asia's existing literature and public and policy debates of an understanding of the underlying determinants of the terrorism discourse. Namely, how has the discourse originated, what are its distinct metaphysics, and how it has shaped and normalised discursive practices at significant moments in the history of these two countries, and with what consequences? This article responds to these broader questions. It argues that among other vital underpinnings, the Indo-Pakistan terrorism discourse, with its origins in colonialism, functions to institute and enable rival practices of exclusionary politics, doublespeak and propaganda. More importantly, it nurtures self-fulfilling concepts of statehood deriving from a constructed "real" reality characterising an imagined geopolitical pathology that, in turn, perpetuates Indo-Pakistan imperialism. In addressing this argument, the paper makes multiple original contributions, including identifying research avenues and indicating various intersecting causes of friction that afford reconciliation possibilities to the stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an increasing consensus that climate change undermines human security by exacerbating existing challenges, acting as a "threat multiplier". Bangladesh is a climate hot spot due to its geographical location, dense population and vulnerable socio-economic infrastructure. Although there is an increasing number of studies on the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh, aggregated research that combines this evidence and provides a comprehensive overview is lacking. The aim of this research is to thoroughly investigate the characteristics of the academic literature on the complex pathways through which climate variability affects different components of human security in Bangladesh, allowing for determination of the trends and research gaps, as well as whether they lead to conflict or cooperation. We used a systematic mapping methodology to search and screen 1839 publications in Web of Science, including 320 publications for the final synthesis. We found a predominant research focus on rural areas, especially in the southwestern region, with declining crop yield, economic loss, migration, water shortage, food scarcity and health hazards being the highlighted impacts of climate change for Bangladesh. The impacts on food, economic, environmental, health and water security have been well studied, but we found significant research gaps in some human security components, especially energy security. Women and the economically disadvantaged are disproportionately affected, and the causal pathways between conflict or cooperation and the ever-changing climate lack research efforts, implying a dire need to focus on under-researched areas before they become more complex and difficult to address. Policies and interventions should prioritise climate-resilient agricultural practices and infrastructure in high-risk areas, building local capacities and integrating climate risk assessments into urban planning, considering the high influx of environmental migrants. This systematic map provides a foundation for future longitudinal studies, establishes a baseline for this era for future comparisons and serves as a reliable database for relevant stakeholders and policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coherent continental-wide speleothem water isotope records are accompanied by regionally inconsistent moisture patterns within the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) region, leaving a disputed explanation of monsoonal hydroclimate variability at the orbital timescale. Here, the transient simulation forced by orbital parameters during the past 300,000 years in an isotope-enabled fully coupled model shows that the complex ASM response can be understood as a grand dipole pattern of oxygen isotope and rainfall between South Asia and Japan, with South China lying in a hybrid transition region. While the dipole monsoon rainfall change between South Asia and Japan is related to the large-scale circulation adjustment in response to Northern Hemisphere summer insolation, the dipole oxygen isotope pattern is associated with the changing contribution of moisture sources. Our results provide new clues to reconcile ASM hydroclimate patterns at orbital timescale as revealed by the water isotope records and other hydrological proxies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk assessment and categorization of terrorist attacks can assist enhance awareness of terrorism and give crucial information support for anti-terrorism efforts. This study utilizes quantitative approaches for the risk assessment and categorization of terrorist attacks. A total of 210,454 terrorist attacks that occurred worldwide from 1970 through 2020 were collected in the Global Terrorism Database, and 22 indicators related to the risk of terrorist attacks were selected. Then, the moment estimation theory and four comprehensive evaluation models were utilized to identify the top 10 riskiest terrorist attacks in the world. Furthermore, the five clustering analysis methods and three evaluation criteria were performed for the risk categorization of terrorist attacks, and the visual analysis was carried out using the kernel density estimation method. The research results have identified the top 10 riskiest global terrorist attacks, which were led by the September 11 terrorist attack event, along with their downward counterfactual events. The spatial distribution of global terrorist attack risk is primarily composed of four "turbulent cores" in the region of Central Asia, Middle East & North Africa, South Asia, and Central America & Caribbean. This study also provided insights and recommendations for anti-terrorism efforts. It has realized the risk assessment and categorization of terrorist attacks, aiding in the swift identification of its risk levels, and holds immense significance for safeguarding global national security and societal stability under new circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The burden of childhood trauma (violence, injury/illness, loss) in low-resource settings is high, although the effect of trauma on children's mental and cognitive health is under-researched. Child gender may moderate the association between trauma and outcomes; boys are more likely to experience trauma, but girls are more likely to show distress following trauma. Methods: We draw on data from the Bachpan cohort (n = 888), a sample of mother-child dyads in rural Pakistan, to investigate these associations among 6-year-old children in a South Asian, low-resource setting. Mothers reported on children's lifetime exposure to 15 possible traumas and their current mental health. In addition, children were assessed for their verbal skills, working memory, and inhibitory control. We estimated trauma prevalence and used generalized estimating equations to test the association between number of traumatic events and child mental health and cognitive skills in the overall sample and by gender. Results: 90.5% of children experienced at least one trauma. The most common traumas were death of a loved one (47%) and hearing about war/terrorism on the TV/radio (48%). On average, boys experienced more traumas (M = 3.00) than girls (M = 2.67). Specifically, boys were more likely than girls to experience an injury or hospitalization (30% vs. 21%, p <.05) and to hear about war/terrorism on the TV/radio (52% vs. 43%, p <.05). Trauma was associated with increased mental health difficulties and increased anxiety scores. There was little evidence that trauma exposure was associated with child cognitive skills. The strength of association between trauma and outcomes was similar for boys and girls. Conclusions: Findings show that childhood trauma exposure is common in this setting and associated with worse mental health problems among young boys and girls. Results suggest that trauma-informed interventions are important for supporting child mental health in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the chemical composition of cloud water (CW) and rainwater (RW) collected at Sinhagad, a high-altitude station (1450 m AMSL) located in the western region of India. The samples were collected during the monsoon over two years (2016–2017). The chemical analysis suggests that the concentration of total ionic constituents was three times higher in CW than in RW, except for NH4+ (1.0) and HCO3− (0.6). Compared to RW, high concentrations of SO42− and NO3− were observed in CW. The weighted average RW pH (6.5 ± 0.3) was slightly more alkaline than CW pH (6.1 ± 0.5). This can be attributed to the high concentrations of neutralizing ions such as nss-Ca2+, nss-Mg2+, K+, and NH4+, indicating the greater extent of wet scavenging during rainfall. These ions counteract the acidity generated by SO42− and NO3−. A high correlation between Ca2+, Na+, K+, NO3−, and SO42− makes it difficult to estimate the contribution of SO42− from different sources. Anthropogenic sulfur emissions and soil dust significantly influence the ionic composition of clouds and rain. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was used to identify the contribution of different sources to the samples. In the CW, the extracted factors were cooking and vehicles, aging sea salt, agriculture, and dust. In RW, the factors were industries, cooking and vehicles, agriculture and dust, and aging sea salt. The findings of this study have significant implications for the monsoon build-up, ecosystems, agriculture, and climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a serious public health problem in various Asian countries, including Sri Lanka, and a combination of cultural practices, lifestyle factors, and genetic predispositions influences the incidence of these cancers. The examination of the connection between exposure to heavy metals and the probability of developing oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) and OSCC has been limited in its scope, and the overall consequences of such exposure remain largely unknown. This study aims to clarify the link between serum levels of heavy metals and the risk of OSCC and OPMD. The concentrations of seven heavy metals—namely, arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn)—were analyzed in serum samples from 60 cases and 15 controls in the Sri Lankan cohort. The Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) was used for the analysis. Subsequently, the data underwent statistical evaluation via the Kruskal–Wallis H test, using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 28 software, with a confidence interval set at 95%. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The cohort consisted of 48 men and 27 women, with 15 patients each diagnosed with OSCC, OSF, OLK, and OLP, and 15 healthy controls. The study used the Kruskal–Wallis Test to compare metal concentrations across groups, finding significant differences for all metals except As and Pb. Significant associations were observed between age, past medical history, drug history, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, and betel chewing. The Spearman Correlation test showed significant correlations between the concentrations of Cr, Co, Cu, As, and Zn and the presence of cancer/precancer conditions. The study's findings suggest that heavy metal contamination may be linked to the development of OSCC and precancerous conditions. When comparing OSCC and OPMD cases with controls, the serum concentrations of As and Pb did not differ significantly. However, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, and Zn exhibited significantly higher concentrations among cases compared to controls (p < 0.05). This study observed significant variations in the levels of these five heavy metals among cancerous (OSCC), premalignant (OPMD), and healthy tissues, suggesting a potential role in the progression of malignancies. These findings underscore the importance of environmental pollution in this specific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governing transitions have assumed increasing significance in managing change with respect to climate change and rapid periurbanization. In this respect, evidence from sustainability transitions research in South Asia stipulates the need for institutional innovations that are suitable to the governance context, which is characterized by a fuzzy field of "speculative frontiers," and strong hierarchically structured mechanisms. This paper focuses on Chennai, India to ascertain the potentials of "adaptive governance" in this periurban region of the Global South. We approach this by (a) defining the periurban space from a bio-regional, socioecological systems perspective, (b) complementing it with a zonal classification considering disaster and climate change risks, and (c) presenting an adaptive governance framework. Based on analyzing existing governance structures, the paper discusses identified syndromes, synergistic potentials and activities for adaptive governance, especially highlighting water and agroecologyrelated pathways. Our integrated analytical approach is (a) multi-dimensional deploying the adaptive governance framework, (b) multi-level considering local, intermediate and state governance, and (c) multi-scalar applying macro, meso and micro scales. The implications underscore that transformative interventions, sooner or later, will have to challenge the system that produces such climate vulnerabilities. In spite of several barriers, there are noteworthy indications of adaptive governance practices discernible in numerous niche projects in the Chennai region that demonstrate diverse embryonic forms to build more strategic and conscientious approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

40% of global population, who resides in Asian monsoon region is at high risk from extreme hot summer events, which is expected to increase by 25%/30 years under RCP8.5 scenario. Using Community Earth System Model (CESM) Large-ensemble simulations we assess the relative contribution of external forcings and internal variability on hot extremes over South and East Asia. Climate change projects surface mean temperature to reach 2.0 °C and 5.0 °C by ~2050 and ~2100, respectively, making the region uninhabitable under exposed conditions. Internal variability will partly obscure anthropogenic warming over South and Southeast Asia; however, East Asia will experience a 4–6 fold rise in record breaking hot events in later periods. Nevertheless, beyond 2.35 °C warming internal variability will decrease over South Asia due to weaker albedo feedback on unforced internal variability. Our results contradict the existing hypothesis that warming will increase volatility in weather patterns everywhere, particularly the Asian monsoon regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maternal health is a global public health concern. The paucity of antenatal care (ANC) during pregnancy is directly associated with maternal mortality. This study assessed the individual and community-level determinants of quality ANC in six South-Asian countries. Data were obtained from a Demographic health survey of six South-Asian countries. This study included a sample of 180,567 (weighted) women aged 15–49 who had given birth in the preceding three years prior to the survey. The quality of ANC was determined by assessing whether a woman had received blood pressure monitoring, urine and blood sample screening, and iron supplements at any ANC visits. Frequency, percentage distribution, and inferential analysis (multilevel mixed-effects model) were conducted. The proportion of quality antenatal care utilization in South Asia was 66.9%. The multilevel analysis showed that women aged 35–49 years (AOR = 1.16; 95% CI = 1.09–1.24), higher education (AOR = 2.84; 95% CI = 2.69–2.99), middle wealth status (AOR = 1.55; 95% CI = 1.49–1.62), richest wealth status (AOR = 3.21; 95% CI = 3.04–3.39), unwanted pregnancy (AOR = 0.92; 95% CI = 0.89–0.95) and 2–4 birth order (AOR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.83–0.89) were among the individual-level factors that were significantly associated with quality ANC utilization. In addition, rural residence (AOR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.74–0.8), and big problem – distance to health facility (AOR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.53–0.76) were the among community level factors there were also significantly associated with use of quality ANC. Meanwhile, women who lived in India (AOR: 22.57; 95% CI: 20.32–25.08) and Maldives (AOR: 33.33; 95% CI: 31.06–35.76) had higher odds of quality ANC than those lived in Afghanistan. Educational status, wealth status, pregnancy wantedness, sex of household head, birth order, place of residence, and distance to health facility were associated with quality ANC. Improving educational status, improving wealth status, reducing the distance to health facilities, and providing rural area-friendly interventions are important to increase the quality of ANC in South Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates relationship between the zonal oscillation of the western Pacific subtropical high (WPSH) and the South Asia High (SAH). As the WPSH extends westward, in upper-troposphere the SAH shows conspicuous eastward extension in 10–25-day period, while weak zonal movement in 25–50-day period. In 10–25-day period, the zonal oscillation of the SAH lags the movement of the WPSH by about one day. It is closely related with a westward moving anomalous high from the south of the Japan to the continent. Further analysis shows that the WPSH-related precipitation plays the significant role in the variation of this anomalous high. Accompanied with the westward extension of the WPSH, in lower-troposphere an anomalous anticyclonic circulation occupies the western Pacific. It enhances the moisture transportation to the east side of the SAH, causing above-normal precipitation here. With the enhancement of the precipitation, the anomalous diabatic heating induces divergence anomaly in upper-troposphere, and further stimulates anomalous high by the horizontal divergence effect, leading to the eastward extension of the SAH. In 25–50-day period, due to the weaker convective anomaly, the WPSH is unable to extend farther westward. As the result, less moisture is transported and the anomalous moisture convergence is restricted to the north of Yangtze River, and so is the precipitation. At the east side of the SAH it is dominated by the anomalous cooling, unfavorable for the stimulation of the anomalous high, and thus, the zonal oscillation of the SAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: Smokeless tobacco (ST) use in South Asia is high, yet interventions to support its cessation are lacking. We tested the feasibility of delivering interventions for ST cessation in South Asia. Design: We used a 2 × 2 factorial design, pilot randomized controlled trial with a duration of 26 weeks, including baseline and follow‐up (6, 12 and 26 weeks) assessments. Setting: Two primary health‐care facilities each in Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Karachi (Pakistan) and a walk‐in cancer screening clinic in Noida (India) took part. Participants: Adult daily ST users willing to make a quit attempt within 30 days. Of 392 screened, 264 participants [mean age: 35 years, standard deviation = 12.5, 140 (53%) male] were recruited between December 2020 and December 2021; 132 from Bangladesh, 44 from India and 88 from Pakistan. Interventions: Participants were randomized to one of three treatment options [8‐week support through nicotine replacement therapy (NRT, n = 66), a behavioural intervention for smokeless tobacco cessation in adults (BISCA, n = 66) or their combination (n = 66)] or the control condition of very brief advice (VBA) to quit (n = 66). Measurements Recruitment and retention, data completeness and feasibility of intervention delivery were evaluated. Biochemically verified abstinence from tobacco, using salivary cotinine, was measured at 26 weeks. Findings Retention rates were 94.7% at 6 weeks, dropping to 89.4% at 26 weeks. Attendance in BISCA pre‐quit (100%) and quit sessions (86.3%) was high, but lower in post‐quit sessions (65.9%), with variability among countries. Adherence to NRT also varied (45.5% Bangladesh, 90% India). Data completion for key variables exceeded 93% among time‐points, except at 26 weeks for questions on nicotine dependence (90%), urges (89%) and saliva samples (62.7%). Among follow‐up time‐points, self‐reported abstinence was generally higher among participants receiving BISCA and/or NRT. At 26 weeks, biochemically verified abstinence was observed among 16 (12.1%) participants receiving BISCA and 13 (9.8%) participants receiving NRT. Conclusions: This multi‐country pilot randomized controlled trial of tobacco cessation among adult smokeless tobacco users in South Asia demonstrated the ability to recruit and retain participants and report abstinence, suggesting that a future definitive smokeless tobacco cessation trial is viable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cropping system practice is the sequential cultivation of crops in different crop seasons of a year. Cropping system practices determine the land productivity and sustainability of agriculture in regions and, therefore, information on cropping systems of different regions in the form of maps and statistics form critical inputs in crop planning for optimal use of resources. Although satellite-based crop mapping is widely practiced, deriving cropping systems maps using satellites is less reported. Here, we developed moderate-resolution maps of the major cropping systems of South Asia for the year 2014–2015 using multi-temporal satellite data together with a spectral matching technique (SMT) developed with an extensive set of field observation data supplemented with expert-identified crops in high-resolution satellite images. We identified and mapped 27 major cropping systems of South Asia at 250 m spatial resolution. The rice-wheat cropping system is the dominant system, followed by millet-wheat and soybean-wheat. The map showing the cropping system practices of regions opens up many use cases related to the agriculture performance of the regions. Comparison of such maps of different time periods offers insights on sensitive regions and analysis of such maps in conjunction with resources maps such as climate, soil, etc., enables optimization of resources vis-à-vis enhancing land productivity. Thus, the current study offers new opportunities to revisit the cropping system practices and redesign the same to meet the challenges of food security and climate resilient agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]