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This research reviewed the publications in the Scopus database in the museum-based mobile learning field based on the technology-based learning review model from 2008 to 2019. The aim of this study was to investigate trends in the field of museum-based mobile learning from the main journals and papers, including countries and areas, participants, research methods, learning domains, the orientation of adopted sensing or location-based technologies, learning strategies, and research topics. The cluster and co-occurrence analysis methods were used to analyze the main key terms and the relationships between them. Three thematic clusters, namely strategies and media for mobile-based museum learning, personalized supports for mobile-based museum learning, and applications of mobile-based museum learning were identified. The results show that inquiry-based learning was the most adopted learning strategy for higher education, while contextual mobile learning was the most frequently employed strategy for elementary school students; such extensively adopted mobile learning strategies as peer assessment, project-based learning, video sharing, and synchronous sharing were not adopted in the studies. In addition, an important finding in the literature of the main research purpose of museum-based mobile learning research is the affective domain, followed by the influence of learner characteristics and the effects of mobile learning.

This article explores the discourses concerning, and actors promoting, the recent 'rise' of East Asia in the global trend of education policy borrowing. It focuses on the ways in which English policymakers and media have represented the 'success' of East Asian education systems in international large-scale tests. Taking the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and McKinsey as two illustrative examples, it also investigates how transnational policy actors have shaped the global knowledge production of East Asian education. This article argues that England -- and more broadly Anglo-American societies -- has represented high-performing East Asian societies as both an inspiration for education reforms and a threat to the domestic economy. The dominant ways of perceiving, representing and referencing East Asian education and the embedded East-West power relation are largely framed in a manner that continues the legacy of Orientalism.

Yuzu (Citrus junos Sieb. Ex Tanaka) is widely cultivated in Asia. However, a system for variety identification has not been developed yet. RNA-seq analysis was performed to identify variants among five yuzu samples including a seedless variety. However, only four variants were found, suggesting that the seedless trait might originate from bud mutations. To identify more variants, whole-genome resequencing was performed. A total of 140 reliable variants were screened. Based on these variants, 30 high-resolution melting (HRM) markers were developed. After genotyping 265 yuzu samples using the HRM markers, the yuzu samples were classified into 18 types. Three yuzu-like samples (B-37-1, B-UK2, and B-MD6-8) showing different fruit morphologies and off-type HRM peak patterns were assumed to originate from interspecific hybridisation. To identify the parent species of these yuzu-like samples, nucleotide sequences of a hypervariable chloroplast genomic region and a nuclear CitRWP gene responsible for nucellar embryony were obtained. Chloroplast genome sequence analysis indicated that the maternal parents of B-37-1 and B-MD6-8 were yuzu, whereas the B-UK2 sequence was identical to that of sweet orange. Moreover, the CitRWP sequences indicated that the male parents of B-37-1, B-UK2, and B-MD6-8 were mandarin, yuzu, and pummelo, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a political economy perspective in understanding how the country context frames the development of higher education doctoral science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. We argue that a country's commitment to research and development spending as a strategy to maintain its economic competitiveness creates the market for research labor. This embeddedness of STEM doctoral training programs in the country's science and technology system enlarges differences between STEM and non-STEM doctoral programs. This argument is validated from a survey of doctoral students in leading Pacific Asian universities which shows that STEM doctoral programs have stronger research networks, are better financed, use better facilities, and incorporate a variety of research placements. The embeddedness of STEM programs is further illustrated from the case of Singapore. Singapore-based STEM doctoral students mention enjoying better financial support and receiving better career advice from their supervisors. They depend on collaborative peer learning and cite more varied employment options when asked about their career plans.

Education reforms in England are increasingly justified by borrowing "best practices" of high-performing East Asian societies, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai. However, taking the reforms of school accountability as an illustrative example, this article argues that there are serious variations between England and its East Asian sources of "borrowing" with regard to the ways in which schools are held to be accountable. How school accountability is organised and operationalised in practice deeply depends on socio-political priorities of each society. Therefore, education policy borrowing from East Asia to England is potentially extremely difficult. Furthermore, this article remains alert to the possibility that the claim (about improving the education system in England through imitating East Asian models) is symbolic rather than practical--symbolic in the sense of producing legitimacy for pre-existing policy agendas.

Education reform is increasingly based on emulating the features of "world-class" systems that top international attainment surveys and, in England specifically, East Asia is referenced as the "inspiration" for their education reforms. However, the extent to which the features identified by the UK Government accord with the situation within East Asia is problematic. This paper examines the relationship between the English representation and the "reality" of East Asian education systems, using school autonomy as an illustrative example. We focus on Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, which are cited extensively to legitimate policies providing greater autonomy for schools in England. We argue firstly that the English representation has been largely discursive and inaccurate; has failed to recognise the variations across the region; and has been selected to endorse the Government's ideological preferences. Secondly, the scope, form and nature of school autonomy vary markedly, and are operationalised in each society in ways reflecting the prevailing sociopolitical priorities.

Using data from surveys on "social quality survey questionnaires", carried out by the Asian Consortium for Social Quality between 2009 and 2011, this study investigates the causes of social exclusion in six Asian societies. About 6,460 questionnaires were completed and the analysis of the data reveals the features and the causes of social exclusion in these societies. The study concludes that the impact of social factors (marital status, parental relations, and personal relations with local communities) on social exclusion is stronger than the political and economical factors (including class stratification and lack of financial resources). The findings indicate that the lack of social capitals is the most significant cause of social exclusion in these societies.

The condition of higher education is an important indicator of a nation's competitiveness in the modern knowledge-based world economy. Higher education builds up a nation's human resources by equipping students with advanced knowledge, professional skills, and critical and creative thinking ability. Higher education institutions are significant, thriving places where new knowledge and technology, which are both underwriters and catalysts for a nation's economic growth and competitiveness, are generated. For these reasons, over recent decades most nations around the world have devoted great efforts to development of their higher education systems. East Asia is a case in point. Its higher education system has been greatly expanded since World War II and the results are impressive, as reflected in the growth in the number of private colleges and universities. However, expansion of higher education has raised some new issues, which are discussed in this article. To address these issues, East Asian governments as well as individual institutions have initiated various policies and reform programs in recent years. This article presents a review of those policies and programs.

The S-Star Trial Bioinformatics on-line course (www.s-star.org) is a global experiment in bioinformatics distance education. Six universities from five continents have participated in this project. One hundred and fifty students participated in the first trial course of which 96 followed through the entire course and 70 fulfilled the overall course requirements. The course was built up of 12 lectures covering different basic and advanced topics within bioinformatics. The lectures consist of streaming video and synchronized slides with follow-up discussion forums and a final assessment. It draws on experts from diverse institutions to share their teaching expertise and resources via distance learning. A major goal of S-Star is to provide free introductory web-based education. Here we present the outline of the course, experiences from a global collaboration, and feedback from the first trial of the on-line S-Star course. (Contains 2 tables, 1 figure and 1 footnote.)

Viscum coloratum (Kom.) Nakai is a well-known medicinal hemiparasite widely distributed in Asia. The synthesis and accumulation of its metabolites are affected by both environmental factors and the host plants, while the latter of which is usually overlooked. The purpose of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the effects of host and habitat on the metabolites in V. coloratum through multiple chemical and biological approaches. The metabolite profile of V. coloratum harvested from three different host plants in two habitats were determined by multiple chemical methods including high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV), gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID) and ultra-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF/MS). The differences in antioxidant efficacy of V. coloratum were determined based on multiple in vitro models. The multivariate statistical analysis and data fusion strategy were applied to analyze the differences in metabolite profile and antioxidant activity of V. coloratum. Results indicated that the metabolite profile obtained by various chemical approaches was simultaneously affected by host and environment factors, and the environment plays a key role. Meanwhile, three main differential metabolites between two environment groups were identified. The results of antioxidant assay indicated that the environment has greater effects on the biological activity of V. coloratum than the host. Therefore, we conclude that the integration of various chemical and biological approaches combined with multivariate statistical and data fusion analysis, which can determine the influences of host plant and habitat on the metabolites, is a powerful strategy to control the quality of semi-parasitic herbal medicine. [Display omitted] • The effects of environment and host on the metabolites and antioxidant activity of V. coloratum were investigated • Metabolite of V. coloratum were simultaneously affected by host and environment, and the environment plays a key role. • The identification of three differential metabolites between two origin groups was achieved. • The integration of chemical and biological approaches is a powerful strategy to control the quality of herbal medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/purpose: The prevalence of young-onset diabetes (YOD) is increasing in Asia, but little is known about the metabolic control, associated complications, or medical behavior in this population. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of young-onset and late-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and their associated risk factors and medical behaviors in Taiwan.Methods: Data were collected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan on 11,244 patients from 2008 to 2013. We classified patients with young-onset diabetes if they were diagnosed before 40 years of age and late-onset diabetes (LOD) if diagnosed at 40 years of age or older. We analyzed the prevalence, medication, and medical behaviors between these groups.Results: We enrolled 2556 newly diagnosed T2DM patients in 2012. Demographics and comorbidities were recorded from YOD (n = 311) and LOD (n = 2245) patients. Most newly diagnosed patients started with monotherapy and almost half of them with sulfonylurea. The prevalence of YOD in Taiwan is up to 12%. In terms of treatment, 42% of T2DM patients are treated in clinics, 58% in hospital, and 25.2% by an endocrinologist.Conclusion: Our study highlights the rising trend of YOD in Taiwan. National endeavors are urgently needed for early diagnosis, effective management, and primary prevention of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an emerging pathogen in Europe and North Asia that causes tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). A simple, rapid method for detecting TBEV RNA is needed to control this disease. A reverse-transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) assay was developed. This assay can be completed in one closed tube at 39 °C within 30 minutes. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-RAA were validated using non-infectious synthetic RNA representing a fragment of the NS5 region of the wild-type (WT) TBEV genome and the Senzhang strain. Additionally, 10 batches of tick samples were used to evaluate the performance of the RT-RAA assay. The analytical limit of detection of the assay was 20 copies per reaction of the TBEV synthetic transcript and 3 plaque-forming units (pfu) per reaction of TBEV titers. With the specific assay, no signal due to other arboviruses was observed. Of the 10 batches of tick samples obtained from the Changbai Mountains of China, three were TBEV-positive, which was consistent with the results of the quantitative real-time PCR assay. A rapid, highly sensitive, specific, and easy-to-use method was developed for the detection of the TBEV Far-Eastern subtype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Importance Conventional plating systems include titanium plates for the fixation of facial bone fractures. However, titanium plates result in artifacts on computed tomography images and appear unstable on magnetic resonance images. Therefore, absorbable plates have been widely used for the fixation of facial bone fractures of late in Asia. Objective To compare stability and symmetry among four different absorbable plates used for internal fixation of zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures. Participants The subjects were patients with zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures that were diagnosed and treated by internal fixation with absorbable plates between January 2012 and April 2018. Patients aged ≤14 years and ≥76 years were excluded. Patients with other fracture types were also excluded. All patients underwent surgery within 2 weeks of the injury. Intervention Internal fixation was performed with one of four types of absorbable plates, namely Inion®, Polymax®, Osteotrans®, and Biosorb®. Main outcome measures The stability of the four plates was investigated by evaluation of the orbital height ratio (A'/A), zygoma angle (a'/a), distance (b'/b) from the midline, and gap (c) of the temporal process on three-dimensional facial computed tomography images obtained before, 3 weeks after, and 3–6 months after surgery. Any plate-associated complications were recorded. Results In total, 400 patients were enrolled, and there were 100 patients in each of the four groups. There were no significant differences with regard to postoperative stability and relapse among the four plates. Moreover, facial symmetry showed no changes over time in any group. Complications such as infection and sensory disturbance were not frequent. All plates except Biosorb® were palpable for more than 6 months after surgery, with Osteotrans® remaining palpable for several years. Conclusions and relevance Our findings suggest that all four types of absorbable plates are useful for treating isolated zygomaticomaxillary complex fractures. While Biosorb® is unsuitable for severe comminuted fractures. Polymax® and Inion® are not bendable at room temperature. It is important to select an appropriate absorbable plate according to each patient's condition and the fracture severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southwestern China has the largest geological phosphorus-rich mountain in the world, which is seriously degraded by mining activities. Understanding the trajectory of soil microbial recovery and identifying the driving factors behind such restoration, as well as conducting corresponding predictive simulations, can be instrumental in facilitating ecological rehabilitation. Here, high-throughput sequencing and machine learning-based approaches were employed to investigate restoration chronosequences under four restoration strategies (spontaneous re-vegetation with or without topsoil; artificial re-vegetation with or without the addition of topsoil) in one of the largest and oldest open-pit phosphate mines worldwide. Although soil phosphorus (P) is extremely high here (max = 68.3 mg/g), some phosphate solubilizing bacteria and mycorrhiza fungi remain as the predominant functional types. Soil stoichiometry ratios (C:P and N:P) closely relate to the bacterial variation, but soil P content contributes less to microbial dynamics. Meanwhile, as restoration age increases, denitrifying bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi significantly increased. Significantly, based on partial least squares path analysis, it was found that the restoration strategy is the primary factor that drives soil bacterial and fungal composition as well as functional types through both direct and indirect effects. These indirect effects arise from factors such as soil thickness, moisture, nutrient stoichiometry, pH, and plant composition. Moreover, its indirect effects constitute the main driving force towards microbial diversity and functional variation. Using a hierarchical Bayesian model, scenario analysis reveals that the recovery trajectories of soil microbes are contingent upon changes in restoration stage and treatment strategy; inappropriate plant allocation may impede the recovery of the soil microbial community. This study is helpful for understanding the dynamics of the restoration process in degraded phosphorus-rich ecosystems, and subsequently selecting more reasonable recovery strategies. [Display omitted] • Restoration in one of the largest and oldest open-pit phosphate mines worldwide. • Microbial features are predicted using machine learning-based approaches. • Restoration age is still not the most primary factor in affecting soil microbes. • The recovery trajectories of soil microbes vary by the changes in treatment strategies. • Inappropriate plant allocation hinders the recovery of the soil microbial community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In observation of the first US multilateral collaborative program in advanced fighter-jet production, the F-35 JSF, I analyze the implications of the so-called defense-industrial globalization phenomenon for the Northeast Asian region by examining the fighter-jet acquisition patterns of South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. I explore the applicability of the Varieties of Defense- Industrial Capitalism (VoDC) model, put forth by Marc R. Devore, which places emphasis on endogenous-institutionalist factors in projecting the adaptation patterns of states to defense-industrial globalization. By revealing theoretical and empirical limitations of the VoDC model when applied to Northeast Asia's fighter-jet industry, I argue that the Northeast Asian varieties of paths are a complex outcome of not only their endogenous settings but also US exogenous influence on the region. I also show that Devore's institutionalist and liberalist thesis on defense-industrial globalization does not hold for the cutting-edge fighter-jet industry where the first-tier states continue to be restrictive in their technology transfers, influencing the fighter-jet acquisition patterns of the three Northeast Asian states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancestry inference through population stratification plays an important role in forensic applications. Specifically, ancestry information inferred from forensic DNA evidence can provide vital clues for criminal investigations. Current advances in ancestry inference mostly focus on ancestry informative markers. Hereinto, multi-InDel was proposed as one of the compound markers performing well in complex ancestral classification in the subpopulation of Asia. However, research on analytical methods necessary to make reliable predictions is lacking. The newly proposed compound markers could be assessed with alternative methods. In this study, promising discriminant methods were explored using multi-InDel markers for forensic ancestry inference. As a prerequisite, the adopted multi-InDel markers were assessed by classical methods for population genetics, such as F ST analysis, MDS and STRUCTURE. In addition, dimensionality reduction methods and serial reduction strategies were applied for data visualization. Subsequently, machine learning methods, including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbors (KNN) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), were evaluated by diverse approaches. As the result of multifarious analyses through comparisons and estimations, XGBoost with one-hot encoding was shown to be more effective in population stratification and ancestry inference for challenging cases with admixed populations. • Well-performing ML models were selected to discern population structure in a complex Asian population. • Classical methods for population study were performed for population estimation. • Dimensionality reduction strategies were adopted to capture and visualize population structure. • Diverse ML methods were assessed for biogeographical ancestry prediction. • Various coding schemes were applied to explore the impact of input formats on the accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine whether earlier clinical intervention by a medical emergency team (MET) can improve patient outcomes in an Asian country. Methods: A nonrandomized study was performed during two 6-month periods before and after the introduction of a MET. Results: The rates of cardiac arrests and “potentially preventable” cardiac arrests were lower after MET introduction, but the differences did not reach statistical significance. There was a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of cardiac arrests in the first 3 months of the academic year (2.3 vs 1.2 per 1000 admissions, P = .012). Introduction of MET reduced the time interval from physiologic derangement meeting MET activation criteria to intensive care unit (ICU) admission (“derangement-to-ICU interval”) (10.8 vs 6.3 hours, P < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that the mortality of unplanned ICU admissions was independently associated with simplified acute physiology score 3 and “derangement-to-ICU interval.” Conclusions: Introduction of a MET reduced the number of cardiac arrests in the general ward during the first 3 months of the academic year. Introduction of MET also decreased the “derangement-to-ICU interval,” which was an independent predictor of survival in patients with unplanned ICU admissions. Therefore, MET introduction may lead to improved outcomes for hospitalized patients in a country with limited medical resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Elevated CO 2 concentrations can change the multi-level nutritional relationship of the ecosystem through the cascading effect of the food chain. To date, few studies have investigated the effects of elevated CO 2 concentration on the Araneae species through the tritrophic system. Hylyphantes graminicola (Araneae: Linyphiidae) is distributed widely in Asia and is a dominant predator in cotton fields. This study investigated chemical components in the food chain of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) — cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii) — predator (H. graminicola) and compared the development, reproduction, and predation of H. graminicola under ambient (400 ppm) and elevated concentration of CO 2 (800 ppm). The results showed that the elevated CO 2 concentration increased the chemicals of cotton and cotton aphid, but it did not affect the nutrients, development, reproduction, and predation of the spider. However, the survival rate of the spider was significantly decreased in elevated CO 2. The results will further our understanding of the role of natural enemies in an environment with elevated CO 2 concentration. [Display omitted] • Few studies have investigated the effects of elevated CO 2 on the Araneae species. • Hylyphantes graminicola is an important natural enemy in cotton fields in Asia. • Elevated CO 2 did not affect its development, reproduction, and predation. • The survival rate of the spider was significantly decreased in elevated CO 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied regional QLg-1 at 1 Hz (Q0-1) around the Korean Peninsula based on broadband vertical component seismic records of six Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) Global Seismographic Network stations and 19 Korean stations of the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM). Using 177 seismic events with magnitudes between 5.3 and 5.7 and depths less than 50 km, the reversed two station method was applied, and 94 high quality interstation paths were selected from 869 possible pairs. These results show high Q0-1 paths around the Sea of Japan (East Sea) reflecting the typical oceanic structure and low Q0-1 paths around northeastern China related to inactive seismicity. Assigning these path values into 193 cells around South Korea with a size of 1° by 1°, we observed that the regional Q0-1 decreased gradually from east to west between 2 and 1 x 10-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-InDels were employed to investigate Asian population stratification. • Sub-structures in Asia were detected through genotypes of the 12 Multi-InDels. • Serial dimensionality reduction was first applied in forensic genetic analysis. • Basic data of Multi-InDels for three Asian populations was gathered. Various types of genetic markers have been applied to forensic ancestry inference. Biallelic markers, such as SNPs and InDels, have proven to be optimal choices except for the low information content provided by a single locus. Multi-InDel marker is defined as a specific DNA fragment with several InDel markers located tightly in the physical position. Previous research indicates that multi-InDel markers perform well in population analysis and ancestry inference because of higher degree of polymorphism and remarkable population differences. In this study, a panel consisting of 12 multi-InDel markers was employed to evaluate the general performance in forensic practice and the discrimination power for population analysis. Sample types encountered in routine forensic practice were genotyped to validate the feasibility of regular use. A population study was performed on a total of five Asian populations to verify the discrimination power. Moreover, a double-blind test for ancestry prediction was conducted to assess the predictive capability. In conclusion, these results revealed the significance of multi-InDel markers for population structure stratification. The present panel showed the potential as a valid complementary tool in forensic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]