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This paper surveys the recent literature on the economic impacts of SARS, MERS, and COVID‐19, which Asian countries have experienced in the past two decades. In particular, we provide a detailed summary of how each of the past infectious diseases has impacted on the Asian economies and the extent of that impact. This paper also documents how the governments of Asian countries have responded to the COVID‐19 shocks with their economic policies, and discusses the effectiveness of these economic policies to mitigate the COVID‐19 shocks on their economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Keun Lee, Seoul National University: b This paper analyzes the propagation of shocks originating in the United States and Japan into countries of emerging Asia (EA) in terms of five asset classes. It compares the scale and nature of spillovers during the 2008-09 global financial crisis (GFC), the 2013 "taper tantrum" (TT), and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Further, the GFC was immediately followed by extraordinarily strong macro-stabilization measures across the world, rendering economic outcomes to reflect both GFC and dramatic policy reactions like the quantitative easing (QE) in 2009. [Extracted from the article]

Microplastics (MPs) are an emerging pollutant in the aquatic environment, and this has gradually been recognized in the Asian region. This systematic review study, using the Scopus database, provides an insightful understanding of the spatial distribution of scientific studies on MPs in freshwater conducted across the Asian region, utilized sampling methods, and a detailed assessment of the effects of MPs on different biotic components in freshwater ecosystems, with special focus on its potential risks on human health. The results of this review indicate that research on microplastics in Asia has gained attention since 2014, with a significant increase in the number of studies in 2018, and the number of scientific studies quadrupled in 2021 compared to 2018. Results indicated that despite a significant amount of research has been conducted in many Asian countries, they were not distributed evenly, as multiple studies selected specific rivers and lakes. Additionally, around two-thirds of all the papers focused their studies in China, followed by India and South Korea. It was also found that most of the studies focused primarily on reporting the occurrence levels of MPs in freshwater systems, such as water and sediments, and aquatic organisms, with a lack of studies investigating the human intake of MPs and their potential risks to human health. Notably, comparing the results is a challenge because diverse sampling, separation, and identification methods were applied to estimate MPs. This review study suggests that further research on the dynamics and transport of microplastics in biota and humans is needed, as Asia is a major consumer of seafood products and contributes significantly to the generation of plastic litter in the marine environment. Moreover, this review study revealed that only a few studies extended their discussions to policies and governance aspects of MPs. This implies the need for further research on policy and governance frameworks to address this emerging water pollutant more holistically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PUBLIC HEALTH Sweden's pandemic chief leaves The controversial chief epidemiologist at Sweden's Public Health Agency has stepped down to become a consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO), focused on pandemic vaccinations. EXPLORATION Endurance preserved in Antarctic depths More than 100 years after it was crushed by ice and sank in the Weddell Sea, the I Endurance i , the famed ship of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, was discovered last week in near pristine condition. News at a glance: Asia's COVID-19 surge, melting winter sea ice, and "inflammatory" arXiv papers. [Extracted from the article]

An editorial is presented on understanding economic consequences of population aging in Asia. Topics include informative and useful collection of papers for people interested in frontier research of economics of aging especially in Asia; and population aging having a statistically and significantly negative influence on the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in the high-income economies.

Scientific papers on the history of psychiatric diagnosis presented at the 16th International Taniguchi Symposium for Comparative History of Medicine-East and West which was held in 1991 in Japan were briefly reviewed and discussions and comments interchanged in this meeting were introuduced with some personal appreciation that the meeting was excellently organized and enormously successful. Particularly, the papers of medical historians and the expert in specific area like Indian medicine from North America and Europe were highly instructive. The informal gathering in the evening had offered a fascinating original report such as an old documentary film about Imu, a Japanese culture bound syndrome. One very important point was raised in this review that the comparisons between the Medicine-East and the West, particularly the translation of the Eastern medical descriptions of mental illness into the modern Western pschiatric terms should be very cautiously carried out, because by the crude identification of one medical system with the other system the uniqueness of the illness in a specific time and in a specific place might easily be overlooked. For both Japanese and Korean traditional medicine share with Chinese traditional medicine and yet they preserve their uniqueness, a small group study for comparative East Asian medicine was suggested for the more elaborated clarification of medical terms.

This special issue examines how older adults anticipate and manage their futures through migration. Although ageing is often associated with decline towards the end-of-life, it is still a life stage where (the lack of) planning for the future can profoundly impact the life outcomes of older adults and their caregivers. This collection illustrates different ways migration can impact ageing. For some, perceptions and depictions of the future lead older adults to turn to migration to improve their prospects of ageing well although they continue to face constraints while ageing abroad. For others, the migration of younger family members exacerbates the stress of eldercare felt by non-migrant caregivers. Collectively, the papers focus on how countries in Asia function as source and destination sites for ageing-related migration, while also forging transnational connections with the Global North. Focusing on ageing futures allows us to link the current and future lives of migrants and non-migrants, across generations and space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Criminologists have witnessed the significant growth of Asian Criminology since the establishment of the Asian Criminological Society. This paper reviews the development of Asian Criminology to answer key conceptual questions and clarify confusion and misunderstandings and their associated mistaken implications. The paper elaborates on the key concepts, mission, approach, and paradigm of Asian Criminology to further point out special opportunities provided by diverse contexts in Asia to enhance the discipline of criminology. It also discusses the approach for the future growth of criminology in Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

B Yanrui Wu, University of Western Australia Business School: b This paper examines and compares three major crises, namely, the 2008-09 global financial crisis (GFC), the 2013 "taper tantrum" (TT), and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic (C-19) and their potential spillover effects. The paper is essentially an empirical exercise involving standard time-series econometric methods, that is, the GARCH BEKK process and the multivariate vector autoregression (M-VAR). The message to emerging Asian economies and policymakers is noticeably clear that these economies should establish a concrete system of financial cooperation or ensure that the existing system truly functions during a crisis. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to enhance decision-making process for the procurement of facilities management (FM) services within aviation corporate organisation, where the FM services functions to support the business operation. It builds on considering the fundamental elements comprising the FM procurement process from the aviation perspective. Design/methodology/approach: The paper investigates the characteristics of the different types of sourcing approaches and the underpinning factors affecting its selection for the procurement of FM services within the aviation industry. The decision-making framework for the procurement of FM services is developed based on the qualitative case study by interview and focus group discussion with the custodian department that is directly involved in the procurement of FM services. Findings: The degree of outsourcing is increasing due to corporate organisation's persona. Procurement of FM services is a complex process required detailed review, efforts and time in choosing the right sourcing approach. Off the shelf guidelines for the procurement of FM services suits property professional which directly involved with the procurement of FM services. However, decision-making process for the procurement of FM services specifically for aeronautical and non-aeronautical corporate organisation are rarely found. The case study findings signify that the respondents are familiar with the in-sourcing, outsourcing and right sourcing approaches. The underpinning factors affecting sourcing approaches were categorised according to the main reasons for the procurement of FM services, considerable factors during the procurement stage and value-adding criteria. The use of strategic management tools is not widely imposed, and intelligent client guideline is not available. Hence, the decision-making framework has been developed to fill the gap in this study. Research limitations/implications: The research is based on a study of aviation or airline corporate organisation, which limits the possibility of holistic view to the FM industry as a whole but highlights the research gap of FM procurement which is scarce within the case study of airline companies. The focus area is also bounded within the procurement of FM services designated for the office buildings. Originality/value: The paper provides initial guideline for the airline company in sourcing the procurement of FM services that were developed based on established guidelines from accrediting bodies and scholars, as well as from the sampling feedback analysis. It is also among the firsts that examine the procurement of FM services in the context of aviation or airline industry. The outcome of this paper is a decision-making framework for the procurement of FM services that is specially designed for the airlines corporate organisations, which fills the gap that exists in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The height of the F2 peak electron density (hmF2) is an essential parameter in studying ionospheric electrodynamics and high-frequency wireless communication. Based on ionosphere ray propagation theory, the physical relationship between M3000F2 and hmF2 is derived and visualized. Furthermore, based on the above physical theory and the machine learning method, this paper proposes a new model for determining hmF2 using propagation factor at a distance of 3000 km from the ionospheric F2 layer, time, and season. This proposed model is easy to understand and has the characteristics of clear principles, simple structure, and easy application. Furthermore, we used six stations in east Asia to verify this model and compare it with the other three models of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model. The results show that the proposed model (PRO) has minor error and higher accuracy. Specifically the RMSE of the BSE, AMTB, SHU, and the PRO models were 20.35 km, 31.51 km, 13.59 km, and 5.68 km, respectively, and the RRMSE of the BSE, AMTB, SHU, and PRO models were 8.17%, 11.88%, 4.96%, and 2.12%, respectively. In addition, the experimental results show that the PRO model can better predict the trend of the hmF2 inflection point. This method can be further extended to add data sources and provide new ideas for studying the hmF2 over global regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper answers calls from the food regime scholarship for a closer analysis of the implicit rules, transitions, and regional scales of food regimes. Drawing on archival materials from the Japanese colonial administration and Sino-American agricultural cooperation, interviews with key actors, and secondary sources, this paper examines instances of agricultural knowledge production and exchange. We suggest that beyond the profound influence of the US in the postwar food regime, the nuances and historical and regional specificity of agricultural scientists' life stories and individual technological imaginaries can 'scale up' through the translation of agrarian knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The No.4 tailings pond of the Dexing Copper Mine is the second largest in Asia. The tailing pond is a dangerous source of man-made debris flow with high potential energy. In view of the lack of effective and low-cost global safety monitoring means in this region, in this paper, the time-series InSAR technology is innovatively introduced to monitor the deformation of tailings dam and significant key findings are obtained. First, the surface deformation information of the tailings pond and its surrounding areas was extracted by using SBAS-InSAR technology and Sentinel-1A data. Second, the cause of deformation is explored by analyzing the deformation rate, deformation accumulation, and three typical deformation rate profiles of the representative observation points on the dam body. Finally, the power function model is used to predict the typical deformation observation points. The results of this paper indicated that: (1) the surface deformation of the tailings dam can be categorized into two directions: the upper portion of the dam moving away from the satellite along the Line of Sight (LOS) at a rate of −40 mm/yr, whereas the bottom portion approaching the satellite along the LOS at a rate of 8 mm/yr; (2) the deformation of the dam body is mainly affected by the inventory deposits and the construction materials of the dam body; (3) according to the current trend, deformation of two typical observation points in the LOS direction will reach the cumulative deformation of 80 mm and −360 mm respectively. The research results can provide data support for safety management of No.4 tailings dam in the Dexing Copper Mine, and provide a method reference for monitoring other similar tailings dams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change impacts occur at varying spatial scales requiring appropriately scaled responses. In impoverished rural areas, adapting to or mitigating the effects of climate change is challenging, with any short-term impairment to precarious livelihoods likely triggering negative community responses even if people are aware of long-term benefits. The paper will discuss a community-based carbon sequestration project in eastern Iran. It started in 2003 and since then has been expanded widely. It was nominated by UNDP as one of 10 transformative projects in Asia/Pacific in 2016. Over the past 20 years, the project has targeted improving the livelihood of the local communities while addressing local measures to adapt to/mitigate climate change. The paper elaborates on the formation of village development groups as pivotal drivers of success by highlighting local income-generating schemes and project documentation. Key lessons for climate change adaptation can be learnt and are applicable to other developing countries. Extreme poverty in rural areas facing climate change could be tackled through implementing bottom-up approaches in which local communities can be respected and engaged in co-leadership and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Special Issue "Systematic Approach to Agroforestry Policies and Practices in Asia". This Special Issue contains eleven papers on agroforestry at national, regional, and global levels. These papers discuss research trends; dominant services and functions of agroforestry; multiple case studies from Asian countries including Nepal, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Timor-Leste; and the benefits of agroforestry including income generation and carbon sequestration. They also interpret the goals, challenges, and social and cultural norms in agroforestry policies in national and local contexts. The research results can support policy design for the systematization and stabilization of agroforestry. This Special Issue provides us with scientific evidence and practical lessons on agroforestry policies and practices in Asia. It contributes to expanding the knowledge base for agroforestry and towards establishing and implementing agroforestry policies and practices in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the role of digital communication in the lives of migrants in Asia has greatly expanded, becoming integral to the decision to migrate, earning a living, and the practice of keeping in touch with left-behind families and friends. The papers in this Special Issue foreground how gender structures and practices within migrant households and the wider political economy shape migrants' digital communications. They expand the breadth of our thinking about the interlinkages among gender, migration and digital communication from a range of new subject positions including transnational families, international students, and marginalized minorities in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost overrun has remained a key risk of construction projects that can be prevented by utilizing new technologies. This paper aims to identify the gap in the literature, which can potentially be addressed by using digital tools and technologies, by reviewing the current and state of the art practices. The paper presents the results of a systematic and critical content reviews on cost overruns, to address the question of what factors are affecting the cost overrun. This paper also reviews how building information modeling (BIM) in conjunction with other tools, such as the common tools in the Asia and Asia Pacific regions, are used for cost estimation and monitoring. The paper presents the results of the content review, including their contributions and limitations, which are also used to set key directions for future investigations. A total of 176 papers was identified to develop the construction cost management (CCM) dataset. The method was a mix of systematic reviews, including co-authorship network analyses, co-occurrence analytical map development covering 5671 keywords, and content analysis including theme identification and a critical review of selected papers. The paper critically reviewed 63 selected papers from CCM, which are divided into four clusters based on their scopes: BIM adoption for cost estimation and quantity surveying; BIM implementation for a bill of quantity, risk paths, and cost overruns; cost control and management; and, finally, BIM, virtual design, and value management. A trend analysis using a set of 16 themes (e.g., 3D model, BIM, Decision, Energy, and Life Cycle) for all the papers over the past ten years was developed. The content of each cluster of papers was reviewed based on the frequency of the selected themes in each cluster. The content of each cluster of papers was also reviewed critically and gaps were identified, so a set of directions for future investigations are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paperless documentation and processing of international trade in goods is essential, as it offers economy-wide benefits in time and cost savings, efficiency and convenience for business and government. Both business and government recognize this, and have been working for the past few decades to facilitate paperless trade (PT). However, efforts to move to PT have to-date faced serious operational and legal barriers, leading to a slower than anticipated progress. Asian economies, and those in the Pacific region, are making particularly concerted efforts to facilitate PT, and are progressing rapidly. This article discusses the barriers to PT generally, and how Asian economies have tackled them. It gives an overview of the situation in some 11 economies. It concludes that the concerted approach in the region enhances harmonization of systems and procedures, which is necessary for straight-through PT processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the continuing growth of the pulp and paper industry in Asia and Latin America. Emergence of new paper machine projects, expansions and conversions; Importation of wood pulp; Ability of producing high quality and low-cost pulp; Improvement of the capital structure of the paper manufacturers.

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) report (2007) highlights that labour productivity, education and migration play important roles in shaping competitiveness, growth and development in Southeast Asia. The statistics also reveal interesting aspects of labour mobility. Thirteen and a half million migrants originate from countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and this number is continuously increasing. Using primary and secondary data, this paper describes the trend in labour mobility and relevant TVET initiatives in response to the trend at the regional, national and school levels. Some of the ongoing initiatives at the regional and national levels include Regional Skills Recognition and mutual agreements, the progress on the National Qualifications Framework, quality assurance in TVET, and bilateral and multi-lateral agreements. In addition, this paper describes some salient initiatives at the school level in response to labour mobility, such as improvement of programmes and school curriculum, teaching-learning processes, and providing timely job information for graduates of TVET. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

The article presents information on a conference related to tourism and hospitality industry, and also invites readers to submit papers on same topics for the conference. Information about the "Fifth International Conference on Tourism Industry: Development, Marketing and Sustainability," which will be held in Hong Kong from May 23-25, 2002, is presented. In the conference topics related to the development of tourism industry and hospitality industry in Asia will be discussed. Papers related to marketing and promotion of tourism, tourism forecasting, and economic aspects of tourism are also called for.

Comments on an article about technology diffusion. Concept of technology diffusion; Political and economic relevance of technology; Perspective on Asian agricultural development.

There is a large literature dealing with the spillover effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to emerging and developing economies at the aggregate level. Beyond the aggregate impacts, a growing number of studies also examine the impact of FDI spillovers on firms of different sizes, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This special issue of the journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP) features seven empirical papers dedicated to exploring issues relating to the various interactions between FDI flows, productivity spillovers and SMEs in Asia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is expected that the usage of LIS in research papers will continue to expand in the coming years. This expansion may be seen throughout a wide range of scientific disciplines as well. This study conducts a bibliometric analysis of 1,127 papers on the use of LIS research, which were published in 206 scientific publications and authored by 1,685 authors (245 single-authored documents and 1,440 multi-authored documents). The purpose of this investigation is to determine which issue in LIS is currently trending. To analyze the data, we extracted it from the Scopus database and ran it using R software's Bibliometrix program, which was then imported into VOSviewer. According to criteria derived from citation analysis, we have identified the most important papers, journals, authors, countries, and affiliations in the world. However, even though keywords and phrases are likely to be the most relevant subjects and findings of the research, it is possible that some of the main patterns and concerns that have been covered in the entire text are not well represented in our investigation. In addition, future studies should examine relevant research clusters for developing patterns in LIS in order to provide scientific information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of trade routes between Asia and Europe will require substantial investments in energy and transport infrastructure in Central Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Their results suggest that transportation infrastructure investment tends to significantly reduce interregional trade costs, which will result in significant growth of GDP, employment, and economic welfare. [Extracted from the article]

Research on the relationship between human resource management (HRM) and organizational outcomes has mainly been studied at the organizational level so far. However, HRM scholars acknowledge that employees are the foundation of organizations, and they play an important role in the effect of HRM on employee and organizational outcomes. While research on HR content focuses on the effects of HR practices, HR process research considers how employee perceptions and attributions of HR influence organizational outcomes. In the special issue of New Frontiers in HR Practices and HR Processes: Evidence from Asia, we focus on emerging research in the Asian region, especially China and Pakistan regarding the role of employees, also known as the micro‐foundations of HR research, in terms of both HR content and HR process. In this Introduction of the special issue, we review the current state‐of‐the‐art studies in both research streams and highlight further research questions. We outline how the papers in this special issue advance our knowledge for the Asian region and we also call for more Asian region HR practice and HR process studies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online marketplaces are growing rapidly globally. They have the potential to significantly benefit women; however, these benefits are not guaranteed. A lack of information on the benefits of or how to participate in online marketplaces could mean womenʼs participation is at an inefficiently low level. Participation could also bring about unintended consequences. We introduce this special issue of Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies on the social and economic benefits of online marketplaces for women in Asia. In this introduction, we set the context for the special issue, then provide an overview of its seven papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports findings of a qualitative study that explored international students' identity negotiation during their cross-border studies against the backdrop of the internationalisation of higher education in Asia. Through a comparative narrative-based case study of two Burmese international students' experiences during their studies in a Hong Kong university, the paper reveals both similarities and differences in their negotiation of (i) identities as 'non-local'/'international' students in the university context and (ii) national identities in relation to the local community and the imagined global/international community. In particular, the findings illustrate the divergent ways in which the two international students negotiate the meanings they attach to the 'non-local' student label, respond to local students' (mis)recognition of their national identities, and perceive the (in)compatibility between their national and global identities. Overall, the findings point to the diversity and heterogeneity in international students' experiences which appear to be variably shaped by differential dispositions and capacities in exercising strategic agency for identity (re)construction. The case study also calls for the need to problematise the reification and over-simplification of the so-called 'international student experience' and argues for the importance of paying attention to the complexity of international students' identity negotiation in the context of international education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for papers is presented for a conference on human resource management in Asia to be held September 18-19, 2014 in Paris, France.

China ANGELA ZITO. Of Body and Brush: grand Sacrifice as Text/Performance in Eighteenth‐Century China. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. xix, 311 pp. US$17.95, paper. JAMES D. SEYMOUR and RICHARD ANDERSON. New Ghosts Old Ghosts: prisons and Labor Reform Camps in China. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 1998. xvii, 313 pp. Bibliography, tables, charts, maps, index. No price given, hardcover. ANDREW NATHAN. China's Transition. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. xiv, 313 pp. US$27.50, paper. Y. M. YEUNG and DAVID K. Y. CHU (eds). Guangdong: survey of a Province Undergoing Rapid Change, 2nd ed. Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 1998. xviii, 536 pp. HK$310.00, hardcover. Japan and Korea STEVEN D. CARTER (ed & trans). Unforgotten Dreams: poems by the Zen Monk Shotetsu. New York: Columbia University Press, 1997. xxx, 232 pp. US$19.00, paper. LAURA HEIN and MARK SELDEN (eds). Living with the Bomb: American and Japanese Cultural Conflicts in the Nuclear Age. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 1997. 300 pp. US$19.95, paper. ROY STARRS. An Artless Art: the Zen Aesthetic of Shiga Naoya. Surrey: Curzon Press, 1998. 261 pp. US$47.00, hardcover. VICTOR ARGY and LESLIE STEIN. The Japanese Economy. London: Macmillan, 1997. 379 pp. £47.50, hardcover; £17.50, paper. MARISAKO and HIROKI SATO (eds). Japanese Labour and Management in Transition: diversity, Flexibility and Participation. London: Routledge, 1997. 344 pp. £50.00, hardcover; £14.99, paper. KEVIN WATKINS. Economic Growth with Equity: lessons from East Asia. Oxford: Oxfam, 1998. 160 pp. £6.95, paper. South Asia S. W. R. DE A. SAMARASINGHE and VIDYAMALI SAMARASINGHE. Historical Dictionary of Sri Lanka (Asian/Oceanian Historical Dictionaries, no. 26) Lanham, Md. and London: Scarecrow Press, 1998. xliii, 214 pp. Chronology, appendices, bibliography. US$38.50, hardcover. Southeast Asia HERMAN C. KEMP. Bibliographies on Southeast Asia. Leiden: KITLV Press, 1998. Bibliographical Series no 22. xix, 1128 pp. NLG 175, paper. DAVID LEE (ed). Documents on Australian Foreign Policy 1937–49, volume XV: Indonesia 1949. Canberra: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 1998. xxv, 675 pp. A$57.50, hardcover; $37.50, paper. J. TH. LINDBLAD (ed). Historical Foundations of a National Economy in Indonesia, 1890s‐1990s. Amsterdam: Koninklijke Nederlandse Academie van Wetenschappen, 1996 (Verhandelingen, Afd. Letterkunde, Nieuwe Reeks, deel 167). viii, 427 pp. NLG 95, paper. MANUEL F. MONTES. The Currency Crisis in Southeast Asia. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, third reprint (updated), 1998. xxxvii, 88 pp. US$24.00, hardcover; US$17.90, paper. DANG PHONG and MELANIE BERESFORD. Authority Relations and Economic Decision‐making in Vietnam: an Historical Perspective. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, 1998. 117 pp. £30.00. BOB REECE. Masa Jepun: Sarawak under the Japanese 1941–1945. N.p.: Sarawak Literary Society, n.d. xix, 254 pp. No price given, hardcover. D. S. RANJIT SINGH and JATSWAN S. SIDHU. Historical Dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. Lanham, MD and London: Scarecrow Press, 1997. xliv, 179 pp. Asian/ Oceanian Historical Dictionaries no. 25. 9 maps. US$64.00, hardcover. C. VAN DIJK and J. LEEMBURG‐DEN HOLLANDER. European Directory of South‐East Asian Studies, x, 618 pp. NLG 40. JORGE MANUEL DOS SANTOS ALVES. O Dominio do Norte de Sumatra. A historia dos sultanatos de Samudera‐Pacem e de Achem e das suas relacoes com os Portugueses (1500–1580). Lisbon: Sociedade Historica da Independencia de Portugal, 1999. General Asia TON OTTO and AD BORSBOOM (eds). Cultural Dynamics of Religious Change in Oceania. Verhandelingen 176. Leiden: KITLV Press, 1997. viii, 144 pp. NLG 40, paper. RONG‐I WU and YUN‐PENG CHU (eds). Business, Markets and Government in the Asia Pacific: competition Policy, Convergence and Pluralism. London: Routledge, 1998. x, 348 pp. Bibliography, figures, tables, index. £19.99, paper. DARRELL Y. HAMAMOTO and RODOLFO D. TORRES (ed). New American Destinies: a Reader in Contemporary Asian and Latino Immigration. London: Routledge, 1997. 350 pp. £16.99, paper. RUTH HAYHOE and JULIA PAN (eds). East‐West Dialogue in Knowledge and Higher Education. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 1996. xvii, 316 pp. US$72.95, hardcover. EVA‐MARIE KROLLER, ALLAN SMITH, JOSUA MOSTOW, ROBERT KRAMER (eds). Pacific Encounters: the Production of Self and Others. Vancouver: Institute of Asian Research, 1997. 217 pp. CAN$19.95, paper. INSTITUTE OF ASIAN RESEARCH, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. The Empowerment of Asia: reshaping Global Society. Vancouver: The Institute, University of British Columbia, c. 1998. 137 pp. CAN$10.00, paper. ROBERT ALDRICH and JOHN CONNELL. The Last Colonies. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1998. xiv, 335 pp. A$59.95, hardcover. R. F. WAITERS and T. G. McGEE, with GINNY SULLIVAN (eds). Asia‐Pacific: new Geographies of the Pacific Rim. Bathurst, NSW: Crawford House Publishing, 1997. xxi, 362 pp. No price given, paper. HAIDER A. KHAN. Technology, Development and Democracy: limits of National Innovation Systems in the Age of Postmodernism. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 1998. x, 198 pp. £49.95, hardcover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Migraine is one of the most common neurological disorders worldwide. Clinical characteristics of migraine may be somewhat different across ethnic groups. Although factors such as stress, lack of sleep, and fasting are known as migraine triggers, the discussion about geographical differences of migraine triggers in Asia is lacking. Methods: In this study, we performed a narrative review on migraine triggers in Asia. We searched PubMed for relevant papers published between January 2000 and February 2022. Results: Forty-two papers from 13 Asian countries were included. Stress and sleep are the most frequently reported migraine triggers in Asia. There were some differences in migraine triggers in Asian countries: fatigue and weather common in Eastern Asia and fasting common in Western Asia. Conclusion: Majority of the common triggers reported by patients with migraine in Asia were stress and sleep, similar to those reported globally, thus showing they are universally important. Some triggers linked to internal homeostasis are influenced by culture (e.g., alcohol, food/eating habit), and triggers related to environmental homeostasis, such as weather, are highly heterogenous between regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focusing on Asian economies over the period 2006 to 2019, we find that while non-bank finance appears to complement rather than substitute credit provision by the traditional banking sector, weaker regulatory quality is an important driving factor. Moreover, while we find that central bank policy rates countercyclically affect credit provision by non-banks, impulse responses to monetary policy shocks with and without non-bank finance indicate that the effectiveness of monetary policy as a transmission channel to GDP growth, inflation, house prices, and traditional bank credit is weakened in the presence of non-bank finance. Our paper has implications for monetary policy implementation, potentially incorporating non-banks into central bank operations and liquidity provision, as well as for financial supervisors on mitigating regulatory arbitrage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: South and South-East Asian countries report a great liability for the world's road traffic injuries (RTIs) and deaths. A vast number of research studies tested various interventions including specific protective devices to prevent accidents, but no review papers have been conducted to find out the prevalence of RTIs in South-East and South Asian countries. Objective: This review paper was an attempt to find out the prevalence of RTIs and their associated factors in South-East and South Asian countries. Methods: Following the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we searched the articles in the electronic databases of PubMed/Medline, Scopus, CINAHL, ProQuest, and Web of Science. Articles were selected if they reported the prevalence of RTI, or road traffic accident (RTA) deaths. In addition, a data quality assessment was done. Results: Out of the 10,818 article hits from the literature search, ten articles found the eligibility and inclusion criteria. Most of the studies reported that males are involved in the RTIs more than females. The male mortality rate is more than the female mortality in RTI mortality. Young adult males are the major victims when compared with the different age groups of male victims. Two-wheelers are the major contributors to the accident rate. Religious or national festivals are not free from accident-prone times. Climatic seasons and nighttime have a major influence on the RTIs. RTIs are increasing due to the sudden and huge increase in the number of motor vehicles and the development of cities and towns. Conclusion: Accidents are non-predictable but controllable disasters in society. Overspeeding, bad conditions on road, the vulnerability of the vehicles, and careless driving are the major reported reasons for RTIs. Making and implementing strict laws can help us to control RTAs. The major effect on the reduction of RTI can be assured only with the presence of responsible people. That can be achieved only by creating awareness in society about traffic rules and responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research background: The globalization trend has inevitably enhanced the connectivity of global financial markets, making the cyclicality of financial activities and the spread of market imbalances have received widespread attention, especially after the global financial crisis. Purpose of the article: To reduce the negative effects of the contagiousness of the financial cycles, it is necessary to study the persistence of financial cycles and carve out the total connectedness, spillover paths, and sources of risks on a global scale. In addition, understanding the relationship between the financial cycle and economic development is an important way to prevent financial crises. Methods: This paper adopts the nonlinear smoothing transition autoregressive (STAR) model to extract cyclical and phase characteristics of financial cycles based on 24 countries during 1971Q1-2015Q4, covering developed and developing countries, the Americas, Europe, and Asia regions. In addition, the frequency connectedness approach is used to measure the connectedness of financial cycles and the relationship between the global financial cycle and the global economy. Findings & value added: The analysis reveals that aggregate financial cycles persist for 13.3 years for smoothed and 8.7 years for unsmoothed on average. The national financial cycles are asynchronous and exhibit more prolonged expansions and faster contractions. The connectedness of financial cycles is highly correlated with systemic crises and contributes to the persistence and harmfulness of shocks. It is mainly driven by short-term components and exhibits more pronounced interconnectedness within regions than across regions. During the financial crisis, the global financial cycle movements precede and are longer than the business fluctuations. Based on the study, some policy implications are presented. This paper emphasizes the impact of systemic crises on the persistence of financial cycles and their connectedness, which contributes to refining research related to the coping mechanisms of financial crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative analysis describes the socialist legacy in the governance of higher education within the former Soviet-led member countries that entered the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) between 2001 and 2010. In joining the EHEA these countries signed on for the Bologna Process (BP), but are not members of the European Union. The analysis is based on EHEA BP Country Reports and a survey of Western academic literature and sources from the former-socialist region. It is argued that ministries of education are little engaged with academic and civic communities, in large part because policymakers underestimate the depth of the cultural and institutional changes that are necessary for educational reforms. Therefore, deep convergence of the new signatory countries to the EHEA via the BP has not occurred. Concurrently, West European measures intended to empower educational communities operate perversely in the post-socialist region, characterised by low civic and state capacities. The over-emphasis on bureaucratic checks and controls negates two important aspirations of Bologna: on the one side, university autonomy, empowerment of faculty, and development of local communities; and on the other side, the free flow of international knowledge. Without an adjustment of policies, the prospects for effective reforms are dimmed.

The paper analyses the literature produced in Parkinson's research during the last decade (2008-2017) from the Asian countries using scientometric methods. The data was taken from the ISI Web of Science. Using Microsoft excel the data was analyzed. There was no correlation between productivity and impact factor. Though China is found to be ahead of all Asian countries in productivity, its impact factor is less than Japan and Israel. Open access articles were cited more than limited access articles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an overview of geographical variation of sibling term systems used in Asia and Africa, which are categorized based on distinctions of (1) relative age, (2) sex, and (3) relative sex. Experts in languages/language groups of Asia and Africa have analyzed and mapped these systems; using their findings, I created summative maps showing the geographical distributions of the system types based on rates (percentages) of each type. Type A (undifferentiated sibling type) is conspicuous in Africa. Type B (relative age type) is used in many languages in Africa and Southeast Asia. Type C (skewed age type) commands an absolute majority in languages of Northeast Asia and is also found in Southeast Asia. The change of Type A > Type B > Type C is inferred from these systems' distributions. Type D (age/sex type) is the only type in Sinitic, and has affected neighboring languages. Type E (brother/sister type) holds the vast majority in Semitic and South Asian languages and has affected surrounding languages. Type F (relative sex type) and its variations are found in peripheral languages in Asia and Africa; this might be the oldest type. This interpretation is supported by attested changes in Japonic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, online marketplaces such as Nifty and Opensea gained popularity, and digital art creations, including Beeple's pieces, made headlines worldwide. This attracted traditional fine art practitioners, artists, dealers, digital content creators, and crypto entrepreneurs who wanted to participate in this trend. Several significant investment and token-funded projects took place in Asia, fueling high hopes of revolutionizing the art market with nonfungible token (NFT) technology. However, the numbers suggest a different story, as NFT transactions have reached a historical low. Critics from both sides challenge the value of NFTs, and there is minimal empirical research on the topic of blockchain technologies in the art market. This paper explores the challenges and misunderstandings in the art market through the lens of the researcher's insight as an art tech entrepreneur. Its aim is to provide an explorative account of the use cases of NFT and blockchain technology vis-a-vis the traditional art market. The paper discusses the current work in progress at the Art ID Standard consortium, covering decentralized identity, blockchain, and use cases, and provides insights into the implications of these challenges for artists, collectors, and the broader art ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]