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Summary: Community-based development projects are often argued to strengthen social capital. This paper investigates the impact of a women’s empowerment program in India on trust and cooperation, using data on 2,000 households. The program significantly increases trust and stimulates contributions to educational and infrastructural community projects. The effect on informal assistance among households is less consistent. The findings suggest substantial spillovers on the wider community. Households who do not participate in the program themselves but who live in a program village are significantly more trusting and more likely to engage in collective action than households in control villages. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In 2006 a report on the analysis for lead in 80 new residential paints from four countries in Asia revealed high levels in three of the countries (China, India and Malaysia) and low levels in a fourth country (Singapore) where a lead in paint regulation was enforced. The authors warned of the possible export of lead-painted consumer products to the United States and other countries and the dangers the lead paint represented to children in the countries where it was available for purchase. The need for a worldwide ban on the use of lead in paints was emphasized to prevent an increase in exposure and disease from this very preventable environmental source. Since the earlier paper almost 300 additional new paint samples have been collected from the four initial countries plus 8 additional countries, three from Asia, three from Africa and two from South America. During the intervening time period two million toys and other items imported into the United States were recalled because the lead content exceeded the United States standard. High lead paints were detected in all 12 countries. The average lead concentration by country ranged from 6988 (Singapore) to 31,960ppm (Ecuador). One multinational company sold high lead paint in one country through January 2007 but sold low lead paint later in 2007 indicating that a major change to cease adding lead to their paints had occurred. However, the finding that almost one-third of the samples would meet the new United States standard for new paint of 90ppm, suggests that the technology is already available in at least 11 of the 12 countries to produce low lead enamel paints for domestic use. The need remains urgent to establish effective worldwide controls to prevent the needless poisoning of millions of children from this preventable exposure. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: This paper examines public–private partnerships (PPPs) for development through the example of telecenters in two Indian states. How might a developmental state position itself with respect to civil society under a PPP model of service delivery? We find that each state’s political economy is reflected in its PPP strategy, but that in both states the emerging middle classes rather than the poor benefit most from ongoing telecenter projects. Outsourcing development services to private entities need not “privatize” the state but does alter the way in which citizens “see” the state. Service delivery through telecenters becomes a symbol of government efficiency and responsiveness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: This paper studies the product cycle and neo-technology theories of trade in the context of generic pharmaceuticals. It analyzes the export performance of 131 Indian pharmaceutical firms for the period 1989–2004. The results indicate that technology proxied by foreign patent rights has a positive impact on exports. This suggests that developing countries with innovation skills for process innovations are capable of penetrating international markets in the later stages of the product cycle by using patents, which were the barriers to trade in the early stages of the product cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Like all organisations, good governance is a fundamental requirement for the responsible and accountable management of universities in general and open universities in particular. This is to ensure that these (open) universities remain relevant to their mission of facilitating unfettered access to higher education for citizens and at the same time continue being reliable contributors to personal and institutional developments, the vital ingredients to maintaining sustained national development. While several studies have, in the past, been conducted on governance of universities, almost all of them have centred around conventional, face-to-face institutions. Not much published literature is in evidence on the governance of Open Universities. This paper, drawing from a study on the governance of a few open universities in Asia, tries to discuss the nature of their challenges, and the lessons that can be drawn from their practices and experience. The study focused on aspects relating to institutional autonomies such as curriculum, budgeting and financial management, admission standards, conferment of qualifications, academic staff appointments, development and promotions and research policies. Our findings indicate that, similar to conventional systems, the state plays a crucial role in many aspects of governance both in publicly funded and privately supported institutions. Recent attempts at governance transformation towards greater institutional autonomies is beginning to show limited changes in some but not all jurisdictions studied.

This study investigated the places of origin of international students and their distribution in the United States higher education. The data concerning the population of international students were obtained from the official website of International Institution of Education (IIE), and transferred into three maps using geographic information systems (GIS) software so that a more direct view of the data was available. The results of the study showed that (1) A larger proportion of international students come from Asian countries; (2) California, New York, and Texas are the top three states hosting international students; (3) most of the universities enrolling international students are located in the eastern part of the country; and (4) the states with already large international student populations experienced a faster growth in the population of international students over the past five years. Some implications for policy planning are discussed at the end of this paper.

Trade regionalism, through regional cooperation and integration and in the form of regional trade agreements (R.T.As), is rising globally, although Asia has jumped on the bandwagon only recently. Asian economic integration is the "second-best" approach which Asian countries unfortunately have to follow. In the process of integration, China and India, given the size of their populations, as well as their central strategic position in international and regional relations, will inevitably play fundamentally important, and sometimes even dominating, roles. This paper argues that regional economic integration in Asia should first of all seek to achieve sub-regional integration in East Asia and South Asia, while linking up the two sub-regions with bilateral F.T.As, amongst which the most important one should be a China-India F.T.A. Eventually, all the F.T.As will be consolidated into one pan-Asian F.T.A. China and India must take the lead in promoting Asian economic integration. They are advised to lead the region in the practice of open regionalism (with whatever Asian identity) and conduct deeper integration. Lastly, it is suggested that Asian countries should, at this stage, establish an institution to develop (non-binding) common principles and guidelines for the sub-regional and bilateral F.T.As. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The India-Asia collision is an outstanding smoking gun in the study of continental collision dynamics. How and when the continental collision occurred remains a long-standing controversy. Here we present two new paleomagnetic data sets from rocks deposited on the distal part of the Indian passive margin, which indicate that the Tethyan Himalaya terrane was situated at a paleolatitude of ∼19.4°S at ∼75 Ma and moved rapidly northward to reach a paleolatitude of ∼13.7°N at ∼61 Ma. This implies that the Tethyan Himalaya terrane rifted from India after ∼75 Ma, generating the North India Sea. We document a new two-stage continental collision, first at ∼61 Ma between the Lhasa and Tethyan Himalaya terranes, and subsequently at ∼53−48 Ma between the Tethyan Himalaya terrane and India, diachronously closing the North India Sea from west to east. Our scenario matches the history of India-Asia convergence rates and reconciles multiple lines of geologic evidence for the collision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing density of geodetic measurements makes it possible to map surface strain rate in many zones of active tectonics with unprecedented spatial resolution. Here we show that the strain tensor rate calculated from GPS in the India–Asia collision zone represents well the strain released in earthquakes. This means that geodetic data in the India–Asia collision zone region can be extrapolated back in time to estimate strain buildup on active faults, or the kinematics of continental deformation. We infer that the geodetic strain rates can be assumed stationary through time on the timescale needed to build up the elastic strain released by larger earthquakes, and that they can be used to estimate the probability of triggering earthquakes. We show that the background seismicity rate correlates with the geodetic strain rate. A good fit is obtained assuming a linear relationship (⁠|$\dot{N} = \lambda \ \cdot \dot{\epsilon }$|⁠ , where |$\dot{N}$| is the density of the rate of M w ≥ 4 earthquakes, |$\dot{\epsilon }$| is strain rate and λ = 2.5 ± 0.1 × 10−3 m−2), as would be expected from a standard Coulomb failure model. However, the fit is significantly better for a non-linear relationship (⁠|$\dot{N} = \gamma _1 \cdot \dot{\epsilon }^{\gamma _2}$| with γ1 = 2.5 ± 0.6 m−2 and γ 2 = 1.42 ± 0.15). The b -value of the Gutenberg–Richter law, which characterize the magnitude–frequency distribution, is found to be insensitive to the strain rate. In the case of a linear correlation between seismicity and strain rate, the maximum magnitude earthquake, derived from the moment conservation principle, is expected to be independent of the strain rate. By contrast, the non-linear case implies that the maximum magnitude earthquake would be larger in zones of low strain rate. We show that within areas of constant strain rate, earthquakes above M w 4 follow a Poisson distribution in time and and are uniformly distributed in space. These findings provide a framework to estimate the probability of occurrence and magnitude of earthquakes as a function of the geodetic strain rate. We describe how the seismicity models derived from this approach can be used as an input for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. This method is easy to automatically update, and can be applied in a consistent manner to any continental zone of active tectonics with sufficient geodetic coverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Kohistan Island Arc (KIA) occupies the northwestern region of the Himalayan Mountains, sandwiched between Asia and India plates. Its formation, collision with plate boundaries, and evolution has been controversially discussed for a couple of decades. To better understand this, a palaeomagnetic study has been conducted on the Jutal dykes (ca. 75 Ma), intruded in the northeastern part of the KIA. Comprehensive rock magnetic investigations reveal that the magnetic carrier minerals are pyrrhotite and magnetite. An intermediate temperature component (ITC) predominates the natural remanent magnetization and shows good coincidence within-site; it is carried by pyrrhotite and is considered reliable, yielding a mean direction at D g/ I g = 11.5°/39.9° (k g = 28.4, α 95 = 3.5°) before and D s/ I s = 8.6°/12.1° (k s = 5.1, α 95 = 9.1°) after tilt correction. A high-temperature component that is carried by magnetite exhibits random distribution within-site. The fold test for the ITC is negative, indicating a post-folding origin. Scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicates that the magnetic carrier minerals were influenced by metamorphism or thermochemical fluids. The comparison of mean palaeolatitude (22.6 ± 3.5°N) of the ITC with the collisional settings and thermal history of the study area implies that the remagnetization occurred at ∼50–35 Ma, consistent with the previous reported palaeomagnetic data of the KIA. We propose a tectonic model that shows the evolution of the Jutal dykes, supporting the concept that India collided with the KIA first, followed by a later collision with Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Granites are generally the final products of crustal anatexis. The composition of the initial melts may be changed by fractional crystallization during magma evolution. Thus, it is crucial to retrieve the temperature and pressure conditions of crustal anatexis on the basis of the composition of the initial melts rather than the evolved melts. Here we use a suite of ∼46–41 Ma granites from the Himalayan orogen to address this issue. These rocks can be divided into two groups in terms of their petrological and geochemical features. One group has high maficity (MgO + FeOt = 2–4 wt%) and mainly consists of two-mica granites, and is characterized by apparent adakite geochemical signatures, including high Sr concentrations and Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, and low concentrations of heavy rare earth elements and Y. The other group has low maficity (MgO + FeOt <1 wt%) and consists of subvolcanic porphyritic granites and garnet/tourmaline-bearing leucogranites. This group does not possess apparent adakite signatures. The low-maficity group (LMG) has lower MgO + FeOt contents and the high-maficity group (HMG) has higher Mg# compared with initial anatectic melts determined by experimental petrology and melt inclusions studies. Petrological observations indicate that the HMG and the LMG can be explained as a crystal-rich cumulate and its fractionated melt, respectively, such that the initial anatectic melt is best represented by an intermediate composition. Such a cogenetic relationship is supported by the comparable Sr–Nd isotopic compositions of the two coeval groups. However, these compositions are also highly variable, pointing to a mixed source that was composed of amphibolite and metapelite with contrasting isotope compositions. We model the major and trace element compositions of anatectic melts generated by partial melting of a mixed source at four apparent thermobarometric ratios of 600, 800, 1000 and 1200 °C GPa–1. Modeling results indicate that melt produced at 1000 °C GPa–1 best matches the major and trace element compositions of the inferred initial melt compositions. In particular, a binary mixture generated from 10 vol% partial melting of amphibolite and 30 vol% melting of metapelite at 850 ± 50 °C and 8·5 ± 0·5 kbar gives the best match. Therefore, this study highlights that high thermobarometric ratios and subsequent fractional crystallization are responsible for the generation of the apparent adakitic geochemical signatures, rather than melting at the base of the thickened crust as previously proposed. The thermal anomaly responsible for the Eocene magmatism in the Himalayan orogen was probably related to asthenosphere upwelling in response to rollback of the subducting Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab at the terminal stage of continental collision between India and Asia. As such, a transition in dynamic regime from compression to extension is necessary for the generation of high thermobarometric ratios in continental collision zone. Therefore, after correcting for potential effects of fractional crystallization and crystal accumulation on melt composition, granite geochemistry coupled with thermodynamic modeling can better elucidate the petrogenesis of granites and the geodynamic mechanisms associated with anatexis at convergent plate boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheath blight of rice caused by Rhizoctonia solani is regarded as one of the most widely distributed diseases of rice, and is one of the major production constraints for rice in India and most rice-growing countries of Asia. Biological control of plant diseases using antagonistic bacteria is now considered as a promising alternative to the use of hazardous chemical fungicides or bactericides. Several bacterial endophytes have been reported to support growth and improve the health of the plants and therefore, may be important as biocontrol agents. In the present study, putative antifungal metabolites were extracted from rice foliage endophyte Lysinibacillus sphaericus KJ872548 by solvent extraction methods and purified using HPTLC techniques. Separated bands were subjected to assess the in vitro antagonistic activity toward rice sheath blight pathogen Rhizoctonia solani using a dual culture method. Partially purified active fraction B2 obtained from HPTLC analysis showed the highest percentage of inhibition (76.9%). GC MS and FTIR analyses of B2 revealed the compound as1, 2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid butyl 2-Ethylhexyl ester, a strong antifungal volatile organic compound. Light microscopic analysis of the fungal mycelium from the dual culture plate of both culture filtrate and 1, 2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid butyl 2-Ethylhexyl ester disclosed strong mycolytic activity as evident by mycelial distractions and shrinkage. This is the first report on antifungal production by endophytic Lysinibacillus sphaericus against R.solani, the rice sheath blight pathogen. The findings of this study biologically prospect the endophyte L.sphaericus as an inexpensive broad spectrum bioagent for eco-friendly, economic and sustainable agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep Earth degassing is a critical forcing factor for atmospheric CO2 variations and palaeoclimate changes in Earth's history. For the Cenozoic, the key driving mechanism of atmospheric CO2 variations remains controversial. Here we analyse three stages of collision-related magmatism in Tibet, which correspond temporally with the three major stages of atmospheric CO2 variations in the Cenozoic and explore the possibility of a causal link between these phenomena. To this end we present geochemical data for the three stages of magmatic rocks in Tibet, which we use to inform a model calculating the continental collision-induced CO2 emission flux associated with the evolving Neo-Tethyan to continental subduction over the Cenozoic. The correlation between our modelled CO2 emission rates and the global atmospheric CO2 curve is consistent with the hypothesis that the India-Asia collision was the primary driver of changes in atmospheric CO2 over the Cenozoic. "Earth degassing is a critical carbon source, but its contribution to Cenozoic atmospheric CO2 variations is not well known. Here, the authors analyse CO2 fluxes on the Tibetan Plateau and suggest that the India-Asia collision was the primary driver of changes in atmospheric CO2 over the past 65 Ma." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Upper Cretaceous to Eocene marine sedimentary sequences of the Yarlung‐Tsangpo Suture Zone (YTSZ) provide critical constraints on the initial process of the India–Asia continental collision and the closure time of the Neo‐Tethyan Ocean. New sedimentological, petrographic, biochronological and detrital zircon age data of Cretaceous–Palaeogene strata from the southern margin of the YTSZ are reported in this study. Detrital zircons from the Lower Cretaceous Gyabula Formation are dominated by Archean to Cambrian U–Pb ages, indicating a likely source originating from the Indian continent. In contrast, zircon ages from the Palaeogene Jiachala Formation are predominantly younger than 200 Ma, with a major peak of ca. 76–187 Ma, which is consistent with a source from either an intra‐oceanic island arc system or the Asian continent. Sixty species of radiolarian fossils obtained from the Gyabula, Zongzhuo and Jiachala Formations provide a regional correlation with the Cretaceous Tethyan realm and Palaeogene low‐latitude biozonation schemes based on the Unitary Association method. The Palaeogene radiolarian zonation UAZ JP10 identified in the Jiachala Formation, when combined with existing absolute age models derived from the Deep Sea Drilling Project and Ocean Drilling Program, indicates an age of ca. 61.8–61.1 Ma. Integration of the biochronological and detrital zircon age data suggests that major changes in provenance occurred at the Indian continental margin, allowing an important timing constraint on the onset of collision to be placed no later than the Danian at ca, 61.8 Ma. This study highlights the significance of focusing on distinct sedimentary sequences in collisional orogens to reconstruct the timing and processes of continental collision events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world of classical music, says the writer, has always been international, and has now become truly global. Opera is perhaps traditionally, and most conspicuously, global. At any performance of the Metropolitan Opera of New York, for example, one encounters several different nationalities on stage, back stage, and in the orchestra pit. But the same is true of the plastic, dramatic, and literary arts nowadays, very different from the days when Henry James, Robert Frost, T. S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein, fled to Europe to find the stimulation and recognition they could not find at home. Meantime, Americans are exposed to a vast array of artistic productions from many countries and cultures: from Asia, India, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Australia. Even as American artists have found their place on the world stage, so also have artists from around the world found theirs. In the aggregate they form a kind of global citizenry of the arts as reflected in the currency of their works, international conferences, critical recognition, and access to them in print, films, exhibitions, recordings, and live performances. This serves as background for a reconsideration of the controversy over government funding for the arts in the United States as the author introduces the concept of global citizenship into the debate over government support for the arts. (Contains 11 notes.)

In this essay, the author furthers the argument that critical commentary on the Rajput and Muslim miniatures of India has focused on a rather odd use of labels and categories, perhaps to an even greater extent than has been the case with much of the rest of the criticism of the art of South Asia. She first examines the use of the term "mannerist" with respect to this work, noting that Mannerism as a term from a school of the Renaissance has a decided set of connotations attached to it, and one that cannot easily be overlooked or ignored. She notes that it is particularly instructive to attempt to come to grips with the humanist thought that preceded the development of the Renaissance itself, a type of thought that is almost completely lacking in the Indian worldview. She then notes the use of a term that might be thought to be oppositional, "naturalist," in criticism of the Kangra school, and again argues that the term has a meaning from which it is not easily detached. Finally, she comments on the ready availability of formalist lines of criticism for those attempting to deal with Asian work, since Clive Bell, Roger Fry, and others not only cited the applicability of their theories to the work of Asia, and, indeed, Africa, but were noted as having done so by others, including the American commentator Alain Locke. (Contains 10 notes.)

Suggests that the rise of democracy was the most important development of the 20th century, examining the question of democracy as a universal value by focusing on: India's experience with democracy; democracy and economic development; the functions of democracy; universality of values; and cultural differences in values. Concludes with a discussion of where the debate belongs. (SM)

Paleocene lavas of the Dianzhong Formation preserved in the Linzhou Basin of South Tibet provide a unique opportunity to constrain the initial geometry of the India‐Asia collision; however, earlier studies argued a complex magnetic signature resulting from thermal and/or chemical remagnetizations. To better characterize the remanences obtained from the Dianzhong lavas, we carried out an intraformational conglomerate test on a previously‐studied section in the Linzhou Basin. The positive conglomerate test suggests that the characteristic remanences reported from the Dianzhong Formation are primary. The updated Paleocene pole confirms a paleolatitude of 6.7° ± 4.4°N for the Lhasa terrane and positions the southern margin of Asia in the equatorial humid belt. An initial collision, between India, Asia and an intra‐oceanic arc in the equatorial humid belt, may have intensified silicate weathering and resulted in an extra consummation of carbon dioxide, which contributes to a long‐term cooling of the Earth during the Cenozoic. Plain Language Summary: The locus of the initial India‐Asia collision can be constrained using paleomagnetic studies on the Paleocene volcanics from the Linzhou Basin, South Tibet. However, the primary nature of the magnetic signature previously reported from the Dianzhong Formation was questioned. This study carries out an intraformational conglomerate test collected from the middle part of the Dianzhong Formation. The stable remanences isolated from a layer of intercalated lava cobbles yield a random distribution in contrast to the well‐grouped directions obtained from the over‐ and underlying lava layers resulting in a positive conglomerate test. We therefore argue for a primary nature for the characteristic remanence recorded by the Dianzhong lavas from the Linzhou Basin. Our study confirms a low latitude of ∼7°N, that is, within the equatorial humid belt, for the southern margin of Asia during ∼64–60 Ma. An initial low‐latitude collision between India and Asia is critical for understanding the tectonic and climatic significance of the India‐Asia collision. Key Points: Characteristic remanences reported from the Dianzhong lavas in the Linzhou Basin are primary in originThe updated Paleocene pole confirms a low latitude of ∼7°N for the Lhasa terraneAn initial collision between India, Asia and an oceanic arc in the equatorial humid belt may contribute to the Cenozoic cooling of the Earth [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high prevalence of stunting and micronutrient deficiencies among children in South Asia has lifelong health, educational, and economic consequences. For children aged 6–23 months, undernutrition is influenced by inadequate intake of complementary foods containing nutrients critical for growth and development. The affordability of nutrients lacking in young children's diets in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan was assessed in this study. Using data from nutrient gap assessments and household surveys, household food expenditures were compared with the cost of purchasing foods that could fill nutrient gaps. In all 3 countries, there are multiple affordable sources of vitamin A (orange-fleshed vegetables, dark leafy greens, liver), vitamin B12 (liver, fish, milk), and folate (dark leafy greens, liver, legumes, okra); few affordable sources of iron and calcium (dark leafy greens); and no affordable sources of zinc. Affordability of animal-source protein varies, with several options in Pakistan (fish, chicken, eggs, beef) and India (fish, eggs, milk) but few in Bangladesh (eggs). Approaches to reduce prices, enhance household production, or increase incomes are needed to improve affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports a Study aimed at investigating and comparing attitudes of Asian Indian urban and rural fathers toward their retarded children. Data were collected from a metropolitan community and five villages, all located in northern India, A scale identifying the attitudinal adjustment of parents to raising retarded children was constructed through a sequence of procedures. Data showed that fathers of retarded children residing in rural and urban communities had several significant differences in the way they dealt with their children's mental deficiencies. Implications of data for American society are briefly indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about several topics discussed at the panel organized by the Institute of Psychoanalysis (IPA) is presented. Topics discussed focus on the interaction of psychoanalysis and culture in nations of Asia including Taiwan, Korea and India. The panel featured various individuals in the field of psychoanalysis including Liu Chiang-Chang, Do-Un Jeong and Arup Ghosal.

To better understand whether the transition by Asian countries toward market economies mirrors the path taken in the West, we ask how embedded network ties between equity analysts and the chief executive officers (CEOs) of the firms that they follow in India influence the accuracy of analysts' earnings forecasts. We contrast traditional institutions of caste and regional language with contemporary institutions, such as universities, as the locus of such ties. We posit that CEOs from the postreform generation are more likely to transfer material private information via their school ties, while prereform-generation CEOs favor caste or language ties. Contrasting domestic business groups (BGs) with Western multinational corporations (MNCs) as organizational contexts, we argue that BGs legitimate the transfer of private information along particularistic ties, whereas MNCs mitigate such transfers. Our conceptual framework is supported by analyses that draw on a sample of 1,552 earnings forecasts issued between 2001 and 2010 by 296 equity analysts. Our findings suggest that the embeddedness perspective should be broadened to incorporate the influence of the larger historical social structures within which economic action is embedded, and to view BGs as carriers and repositories that blend modern management practices with particularistic behavioral patterns among top executives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of the India‐Asia collision onset, essential to understanding the evolution of the Himalayan‐Tibetan orogen, has been widely investigated through multidisciplinary approaches. Among these, the India to Asia provenance reversal (IAPR) documented in the Indian passive margin successions has proved to be most effective. We present integrated stratigraphic, sedimentological, and provenance data on Upper Cretaceous‐Paleogene strata from the newly investigated Mubala section exposed south of the Yarlung‐Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in southern Tibet, which preserves continuous deep‐marine turbiditic and biogenic sedimentation on the distal Indian passive margin. Sandstone petrography, heavy minerals, detrital zircon geochronology and Hf isotopes, and detrital Cr‐spinel geochemistry constrain the IAPR to later than 62.7 Ma (youngest zircon ages from the earliest Asian‐derived sandstone) and by 61.0 ± 0.3 Ma (SIMS age of a tuffaceous layer ∼30 m above this bed). The onset of intercontinental collision along the YZSZ began by 61 Ma. Plain Language Summary: The India‐Asia collision, ultimately leading to uplift of the Himalayan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau, has greatly influenced global climate and oceanic circulation. The timing of collision is essential to reconstruct the growth history of the Himalayan‐Tibetan orogen and its environmental and paleogeographic effects. The change in sediment provenance documented along the Indian continental margin has proved to be a most effective method to constrain the timing of initial collision. We here report a newly‐discovered sedimentary succession deposited onto the deep‐marine edge of India, in which strata composed of detritus derived entirely from India are overlain by strata composed of detritus derived instead from Asia. This provenance change took place later than 62.7 million years ago (Ma; which is the age of the youngest group of zircons contained in the oldest sandstone derived from Asia) and 61.0 ± 0.3 Ma (which is the age of zircon crystals contained in a volcanic tuff found 30 m above the oldest Asian‐derived sandstone). The Indian and Asian continents thus first came into direct contact by 61 Ma. Key Points: Sandstones derived first from India and next from Asia constrain India‐Asia collision onsetThe India‐Asia provenance reversal is bracketed between 62.7 and 61 Ma in the Mubala sectionSubduction of the Indian continental margin beneath Asia began by 61 Ma [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its 1.3 billion population and faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, India is at the junction of two crucial decisions, balancing healthcare and the economy. To prevent the community spread of the virus, the Indian Government imposed a nationwide lockdown. Though initially successful to some extent in containing the disease spread, the extended lockdown eventually leads to a spiraling out effect resulting in the slowdown of the economy, which, in turn, lead to widespread consequences affecting the lives of millions of people, mostly those at the base of the social pyramid. We investigated the implications of few government policies taken during this pandemic and their impact on society, thereby suggesting short-term crisis management with long-term solutions. Here, we present a comprehensive account of Indian policy in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, balancing both economic and public health. We also explored a future contingency plan for risk mitigation along with few recommendations. This viewpoint will be useful for effective healthcare management and the economy in Asia's populous nation in the COVID-19 and prepare for a future crisis of this nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We conducted an epidemiological study to identify the demographics and pre-operative characteristics of patients undergoing primary anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in a multi-ethnic Asian population. A retrospective study was performed on 696 patients who registered in our ACL reconstruction registry from January 2013 to August 2016. Important inter-ethnic differences were found. Indian patients were significantly older compared to Malay and Chinese patients. Malay and Indian patients were more likely to be male, overweight, and obese compared to Chinese patients. Soccer was the predominant sport involved, although ethnic predominance in specific sports exists. Novel findings from this study include increased prevalence of concomitant chondral injuries in the Chinese population compared to Malays and Indians, and significantly higher rates of concomitant intra-articular injuries in soccer and basketball compared to netball. Identification of these high-risk subgroups would serve useful in guiding the formulation of prevention strategies within our multi-ethnic community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Open Doors report from the Institute of International Education, more than a half million international students are currently studying in the United States. Over half of the international students are from Asia, both the subcontinent (India is the leading sending nation of students) and the Far East (China, Korea, and Japan leading in numbers sent). Following Asia, 13% of our international students are from Europe, 12% from Latin America, 6% from Africa, 6% from the Middle East, and 1 % from Oceania. Open Doors reports that international students contribute over $13 billion to the U.S. economy. The author believes that the contributions of these students are much more far-reaching than monetary, however. The author stresses that Americans are blessed to have their lives enriched by other cultures and their minds broadened by insightful students. People might have stories about compelling, perspective-changing experiences by or with international students. In this article, the author shares a few of the students that enrich the author's life every day.

When and how the TP underwent uplift and deformation are still under heated debate. We present paleomagnetic evidence for the NB in the northeastern central TP to help decipher the potential plateau deformation mechanism. Magnetostratigraphy with zircon U‐Pb age of volcanic rock demonstrates that the NB basin deposited during 52.5–35.0 Ma. Paleomagnetic declinations indicate that the basin experienced counterclockwise rotation of 25.9 ± 7.2° during 52–46 Ma and clockwise rotation of 24.4 ± 9.7° during 41–35 Ma, which coexisted with the intrusion and explosion of volcanic rocks at 51–46 and 39–35 Ma. We proposed a stepwise compression and extrusion model to interpret the basin deposition, rotation, and volcanism by northward compression and eastward extrusion of the eastern Lhasa and Qiangtang Blocks (Proto‐TP) in relation to the Sichuan Basin as early response to the India‐Asia collision. Plain Language Summary: How the Tibetan Plateau (TP) adjusted its inner crustal thickening and tectonic deformation during the India‐Asia collision is still in hot debate, for example, through lateral extrusion or continuous distribution. The Nangqian Basin (NB) is located in the bending (transitional) part from an east‐west tectonic area in the central TP to a north‐south tectonic area in the eastern and southeastern TP. It is an ideal location to provide abundant tectonic evidences for the plateau deformation and uplift models. We report a detailed paleomagnetic dating of the Paleogene sedimentary sequence from the NB with a complete paleomagnetic rotation analysis. Radiometric and magnetostratigraphic dating suggested that the NB commenced its deposition at 52.5 Ma and ended at 35.0 Ma. Paleomagnetic declination data reveal a change of rotation sense of the NB, from a counterclockwise rotation of 25.9° at 52–46 Ma to a clockwise rotation of 24.4° at 41–35 Ma. Integrated with other lines of geological evidence, we believe that the Eocene deformation, rotation, and uplift of the south and east central TP in response to the early India‐Asia collision can be explained by stepwise compressions and eastward extrusions. Key Points: Magnetostratigraphic results demonstrate that the Early Cenozoic sedimentary sequence of the Nangqian Basin yields ages of 52.5–35.0 MaDeclination data indicate change of rotation in the Nangqian Basin from counterclockwise during 52–46 Ma to clockwise during 41–35 MaThe Eocene deformation, rotation, and uplift of the east central Tibetan Plateau favor the compression and extrusion model [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has emerged as a global health threat. The South-Asian (SA) countries have witnessed both the initial brunt of the outbreak as well as the ongoing rise of cases. Their unique challenges in relation to mental health during the pandemic are worth exploring. Materials and Methods: A systematic review was conducted for all the original studies on the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on psychological health/well-being in the SA countries of the World Psychiatric Association Zone 16. PubMed, Google Scholar, PSYCHINFO, EMBASE, and SCOPUS were searched till June 2020. Studies conducted in the age group of 18-60 years with a minimum sample size of 10, and statistically significant results were included. Results: Thirteen studies were included in the review. They showed increase prevalence in nonpsychotic depression, anxiety, somatic concerns, alcohol-related disorders, and insomnia in the general population. Psychological symptoms correlated more with physical complaints of fatigue and pain in older adults and were directly related to social media use, misinformation, xenophobia, and social distancing. Frontline workers reported guilt, stigma, anxiety, and poor sleep quality, which were related to the lack of availability of adequate personal protective equipment, increased workload, and discrimination. One study validated the Coronavirus anxiety scale in the Indian population while another explored gaming as a double-edged sword during the lockdown in adolescents. Another study from Bangladesh explored psychosexual health during lockdown. Most studies were cross-sectional online surveys, used screening tools and had limited accessibility. Conclusion: The ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its impact serve as an important period for adequate mental healthcare, promotion, research, and holistic biopsychosocial management of psychiatric disorders, especially in vulnerable groups. Mental healthcare and research strategies during the pandemic and preparedness for postpandemic aftermath are advocated subsequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita L) is a perennial, glabrous and strongly scented herb belongs to the family Lamiaceae. It is cultivated in a temperate region of Europe, Asia, United States, India and Mediterranean countries due to their commercial value and distinct aroma. In addition to traditional food flavouring uses, M. × piperita is well recognized for their traditional use to treat fever, cold, digestive, anti-viral, anti-fungal and oral mucosa and throat inflammation. The scientific studies provide awareness on the use of M. × piperita for biological effects such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, biopesticidal, larvicidal, anticancer, radioprotective effect, genotoxicity and anti-diabetic activity have been ascribed. A wide spectrum of bioactive phytochemicals such as flavonoids, phenolics lignans and stilbenes and essential oils are expected to be responsible for the aroma effects. In this sense, this present review provides an extensive overview of the traditional medicinal, phytochemical and multiple biological activities of this "Peppermint." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents findings from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted in 5 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO)'s South-East Asia Region (SEAR) between 2006-2009. The report centers on changes in the proportion of students who are using any tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) by year. It cites the need to develop an effective comprehensive tobacco control program which requires careful monitoring, enforcement and evaluation of existing programs.

Discussion of the relationship between information and development in Third World countries highlights information systems development in four South Asian nations: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. The impact of microelectronics technology, development theories, multinational corporations, international information agencies, and variables of national political economy are considered. (57 references) (LRW)

The article explores issues related to economic integration among countries in Asia. It relates the proposals of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan in its "Asian Economic and Environmental Community" (AEEC) paper. It discusses the ability of Japan in matters concerning conservation and sustainable lifestyles. It describes how Japan can share its technology yo help India in addressing its water supply shortage. India can lend its expertise in the use of information technology (IT) for ensuring the safety of electronic commerce.

Countries in southern Asia will follow the success of Latin American tax administrations in implementing tax digitalisation and are closely watching India's implementation of e-invoicing before they join the trend, writes Filippa Jörnstedt, senior regulatory counsel at Sovos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on previous multicountry surveillance studies of typhoid and others salmonelloses such as the Diseases of the Most Impoverished program and the Typhoid Surveillance in Africa Project, several ongoing blood culture surveillance studies are generating important data about incidence, severity, transmission, and clinical features of invasive Salmonella infections in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. These studies are also characterizing drug resistance patterns in their respective study sites. Each study answers a different set of research questions and employs slightly different methodologies, and the geographies under surveillance differ in size, population density, physician practices, access to healthcare facilities, and access to microbiologically safe water and improved sanitation. These differences in part reflect the heterogeneity of the epidemiology of invasive salmonellosis globally, and thus enable generation of data that are useful to policymakers in decision-making for the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs). Moreover, each study is evaluating the large-scale deployment of TCVs, and may ultimately be used to assess post-introduction vaccine impact. The data generated by these studies will also be used to refine global disease burden estimates. It is important to ensure that lessons learned from these studies not only inform vaccination policy, but also are incorporated into sustainable, low-cost, integrated vaccine-preventable disease surveillance systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand the lithosphere mantle collision tectonics between the India plate and Asia plate, we determine three dimensional P wave velocity structure beneath western Tibet using 27,439 arrival times from 2,174 teleseismic events recorded by 182 stations of Hi‐CLIMB Project and 16 stations in the north of Hi‐CLMB. Our tomographic images show the velocity structure significantly difference beneath northern and southern Qiangtang, which can further prove that the Longmu Co‐Shuanghu ophiolitic belt is a significant tectonic boundary fault zone. There are two prominent high velocity anomalies and two prominent low velocity anomalies in our images. One obvious high velocity anomalies subduct beneath the Tibet at the long distance near 34°N, whereas it is broke off by an obvious low velocity anomaly under the IYS. We interpret them as northward subducting Indian lithosphere mantle and the low velocity anomanly under IYS likely reflects mantle material upwelling triggered by tearing of the northward subduction Indian lithosphere. The other prominent high velocity anomaly was imaged at a depth from 50 km to 200 km horizontal and up to the northern Qiangtang with its southern edge extending to about 34°N through Hoh Xil block. We infer it as the southward subducting Asia lithosphere mantle. The other widely low velocity anomaly beneath the Qiangtang block lies in the gap between the frontier of India plate and Asia plate, where is the channel of mantle material upwelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuing quest of Indian companies to become leading in the region leads to two research questions: (1) How high performing are Indian organizations currently, compared to other Asian organizations? and (2) What do Indian organizations need to focus on to become truly world-class? We investigate the answers on these two questions using the High Performance Organization (HPO) Framework - a scientifically holistic improvement framework - that evaluates whether organizations are high-performing, and if not, what they need to focus on to become HPO. The study also compares HPO scores of Indian organisations with other Asian companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experimental studies of the slotted-in dowelled bamboo-to-steel joint with/without infilling grout. • Failure behaviours and load-displacement curves for various specimens were predicted by FEM. • Analytical design models were proposed based on the results from test and FEM for the joints. Bamboo has been widely used for structural and non-structural purpose, for example as scaffolding and cladding for many centuries in South East Asian countries such as China and India, due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, low price and recyclability. In today's trend of sustainable development, there is a renewed interest in the use of bamboo for modern prefabricated structures. In this paper, dowel-type bamboo joints are introduced for prefabricated bamboo structures. An experimental study has been undertaken to investigate the structural behaviour and the failure mechanisms of the dowelled joints with varying configurations. Test results reveal that the ductile failure mode of the bamboo occurred when large end spacing was applied, and the infilling grout can significantly increase the load-carrying capacity of the dowelled joint. Three-dimensional finite element models were established and validated using available experimental data. Extensive parametric studies were carried out based on the simulation approach to investigate the effects of key influencing variables involved, i.e. hole clearance, friction coefficient, bolt strength, bamboo thickness, grout strength and end spacing. Moreover, analytical models for designing the dowelled joints are proposed and compared with the current codified approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research into bioactive natural products originating from medicinal plants, fungi and other organisms has a long history, accumulating abundant and diverse publications. However no quantitative literature analysis has been conducted so far. Here we analyze the bibliometric data of ethnopharmacology literature and relate the semantic content to the publication and citation data so that the major research themes, contributors, and journals of different time periods could be identified and evaluated. Web of Science (WoS) was searched to identify relevant publications. The Analyze function of WoS and bibliometric software (VOSviewer) were utilized to perform the analyses. Until the end of November 2018, 59,576 publications -linked to 'ethnopharmacology' indexed by WoS, published since 1958 in more than 5600 journals, and contributed by over 20,600 institutions located in more than 200 countries/regions, were identified. The papers were published under four dominating WoS categories, namely pharmacology/pharmacy (34.4%), plant sciences (28.6%), medicinal chemistry (25.3%), and integrative complementary medicine (20.6%). India (14.6%) and China (13.2%) were dominating the publication space. The United States and Brazil also had more than 8.0% contribution each. The rest of the top ten countries/regions were mainly from Asia. There were around ten-fold more original articles (84.6%) than reviews (8.4%). Ethnopharmacological research has a consistent focus on food and plant sciences, (bio)chemistry, complementary medicine and pharmacology, with a more limited scientific acceptance in the socio-cultural sciences. Dynamic global contributions have been shifting from developed countries to economically and scientifically emerging countries in Asia, South America and the Middle East. Research on recording medicinal plant species used by traditional medicine continues, but the evaluation of specific properties or treatment effects of extracts and compounds has increased enormously. Moreover increasing attention is paid to some widely distributed natural products, such as curcumin, quercetin, and rutin. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2016, over 6.6 million children died globally, and 245 children died in Singapore. Chronic illnesses are prevalent causes of child mortality around the world. Despite growing research that examines the lived experience of parents bereaved by their child's chronic life-threatening illness, there is no such study within the Asian context. Methods: To bridge this knowledge gap, meaning-oriented, strength-focused interviews were conducted with 25 parental units (i.e. 6 couples, 13 lone mothers, 4 lone fathers, and 2 primary parental figures) who lost their child to chronic life-threatening illness in Singapore (N = 31), including those of Chinese (n = 17), Malay (n = 10) and Indian ethnicities (n = 4), between August 2017 and April 2018. Results: Data analysis adhering to the grounded theory approach revealed 7 themes and 25 sub-themes that were organized into a Trauma-to-Transformation Model of Parental Bereavement. This model shows the major milestones in participants' lived experience of their child's chronic life-threatening illness and death, starting from the diagnosis of their child's chronic life-threatening illness and the subsequent emotional turmoil (Theme 1), the mourning of their child's death and the losses which accompanied the death (Theme 3) and participants' experience of posttraumatic growth through reflection of their journey of caregiving and child loss (Theme 5). The model further describes the deliberate behaviors or 'rituals' that helped participants to regain power over their lives (Theme 2), sustain an intimate bond with their child beyond death (Theme 4), and transcend their loss by deriving positive outcomes from their experience (Theme 6). Finally, the model denotes that the lived experiences and well-being of participants were embedded within the health-and-social-care ecosystem, and in turn impacted by it (Theme 7). Conclusion: These themes and their corresponding sub-themes are discussed, with recommendations for enhancing culturally sensitive support services for grieving Asian parents around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cenozoic inception and development of the Asian monsoons remain unclear and have generated much debate, as several hypotheses regarding circulation patterns at work in Asia during the Eocene have been proposed in the few last decades. These include (a) the existence of modern-like monsoons since the early Eocene; (b) that of a weak South Asian monsoon (SAM) and little to no East Asian monsoon (EAM); or (c) a prevalence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migrations, also referred to as Indonesian–Australian monsoon (I-AM). As SAM and EAM are supposed to have been triggered or enhanced primarily by Asian palaeogeographic changes, their possible inception in the very dynamic Eocene palaeogeographic context remains an open question, both in the modelling and field-based communities. We investigate here Eocene Asian climate conditions using the IPSL-CM5A2 (Sepulchre et al., 2019) earth system model and revised palaeogeographies. Our Eocene climate simulation yields atmospheric circulation patterns in Asia substantially different from modern conditions. A large high-pressure area is simulated over the Tethys ocean, which generates intense low tropospheric winds blowing southward along the western flank of the proto-Himalayan–Tibetan plateau (HTP) system. This low-level wind system blocks, to latitudes lower than 10 ∘ N, the migration of humid and warm air masses coming from the Indian Ocean. This strongly contrasts with the modern SAM, during which equatorial air masses reach a latitude of 20–25 ∘ N over India and southeastern China. Another specific feature of our Eocene simulation is the widespread subsidence taking place over northern India in the midtroposphere (around 5000 m), preventing deep convective updraught that would transport water vapour up to the condensation level. Both processes lead to the onset of a broad arid region located over northern India and over the HTP. More humid regions of high seasonality in precipitation encircle this arid area, due to the prevalence of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) migrations (or Indonesian–Australian monsoon, I-AM) rather than monsoons. Although the existence of this central arid region may partly result from the specifics of our simulation (model dependence and palaeogeographic uncertainties) and has yet to be confirmed by proxy records, most of the observational evidence for Eocene monsoons are located in the highly seasonal transition zone between the arid area and the more humid surroundings. We thus suggest that a zonal arid climate prevailed over Asia before the initiation of monsoons that most likely occurred following Eocene palaeogeographic changes. Our results also show that precipitation seasonality should be used with caution to infer the presence of a monsoonal circulation and that the collection of new data in this arid area is of paramount importance to allow the debate to move forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]