Hasil untuk "South Asia. Southeast Asia. East Asia"

Aleksandrova Maria V.

Despite China's success in global monopolization of container production, containerization equipment and vehicles, the country remains concerned about global market instability. To reduce these tensions, China has actively developed rail container transportation both domestically and internationally. The China-Europe Express has become the shortest “bridge” connecting China’s domestic and foreign markets. The express train is crucial for promoting high-quality economic development in the country’s hinterland. A number of Chinese cities have become assembly hubs for container train products. The author analyzes the specifics of their development on the example of Chongqing, Xi'an and Wuhan. Special attention is also paid to the issue of train subsidies. The author notes that the container express train has changed the development logic of China's interior regions, significantly improving their transport links.

Sitti Latifah, Seca Gandaseca, Mansur Afifi et al.

Aboveground biomass plays a pivotal role in estimating tropical forest carbon stocks, particularly in Southeast Asia, a region rich in biodiversity but threatened by deforestation and land-use change. This systematic review analyzes 71 peer-reviewed studies published between 1995 and 2025, selected from an initial pool of 8,509 articles. The review aims to evaluate methodological developments and performance across three major approaches: field-based and allometric models, remote sensing including Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms, and Machine Learning (ML) with data fusion, within key tropical forest countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. These countries were selected due to their high forest cover, rapid land-use change, and central roles in the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). Field-based models, particularly those calibrated locally, consistently produced high accuracy, with R² values generally ranging from 0.80 to 0.96. Remote sensing techniques, particularly the integration of airborne LiDAR and optical–SAR, demonstrated strong predictive performance (R² > 0.85) and relatively low Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), typically below 30 Mg/ha. ML approaches such as Random Forest, Support Vector Machines, and LightGBM also achieved competitive results, with R² typically between 0.75 and 0.85 and RMSE below 40 Mg/ha when trained on high-quality input data. Mangrove and dipterocarp forests emerged as the most frequently studied ecosystems. While methodological innovations are evident, notable gaps remain in model harmonization and representation of ecosystem diversity. The review recommends integrating species-specific allometric models with remote sensing and machine learning pipelines, supported by open-access datasets, to enhance national forest monitoring systems and REDD+ readiness across Southeast Asia. Keywords: aboveground biomass, allometric, biomass estimation, carbon stock, South East Asia

Song Yang, Deliang Chen, Kaiqiang Deng

Climate change in the South China Sea and its surrounding areas (SCSSA), which include the Indo-Pacific Oceans, Southeast Asia, and the Tibetan Plateau, could exert profound impacts on both regional and global climate patterns. This study examines the unique characteristics of climate change in the SCSSA in the context of global warming, highlighting rapid warming in core areas, such as the Indo-Pacific Oceans and the Tibetan Plateau. The warming of the SCSSA has led to increased Asian summer monsoon precipitation, expanded Hadley circulation, an extended influence of the Madden–Julian Oscillation, and marked changes in tropical cyclone frequency and genesis location in the SCSSA. These changes in the Indo-Pacific Oceans and Tibetan Plateau affect not only downstream climates (East Asia, North America, Antarctica, and South America) through anomalous Rossby waves but also upstream regions (North Africa, South Europe, the North Atlantic, and the Middle East) by modulating atmospheric overturning circulations and Rossby wave patterns. This study also discusses the projected climate changes in the SCSSA under various future scenarios, indicating that the effects of future climate changes in the SCSSA on local and remote weather and climate extremes would be intensified. Understanding these dynamics is crucial for mitigating the consequences of climate change.

Xingxiu Long, Shiwei Zhang, Jianguo Shen et al.

Tobacco curly shoot virus (TbCSV), a begomovirus, causes significant economic losses in tobacco and tomato crops across East, Southeast, and South Asia. Despite its agricultural importance, the evolutionary dynamics and emergence process of TbCSV remain poorly understood. This study analyzed the phylodynamics of TbCSV by examining its nucleotide sequences of the coat protein (CP) gene collected between 2000 and 2022. Using various combinations of priors, Bayes factor comparisons identified heterochronous datasets (3 × 100 million chains) generated from a strict molecular clock and Bayesian skyline tree priors as the most robust. The mean substitution rate of the CP gene was estimated at 6.50 × 10⁻⁴ substitutions/site/year (95% credibility interval: 4.74 × 10⁻⁴–8.50 × 10⁻⁴). TbCSV was inferred to have diverged around 1920 CE (95% credibility interval: 1887–1952), with its most probable origin in South Asia. These findings provide valuable insights for the phylogeography and evolutionary dynamics of TbCSV, and contribute to a broader understanding of begomovirus epidemiology.

Jing He, Yang Yu, Lingxiao Sun et al.

Abstract The Aral Sea, located in Central Asia, has undergone significant reduction in surface area owing to the combined impacts of climate change and human activities. This reduction has led to a regional ecological crisis and profound repercussions on ecosystem services. Investigating the spatiotemporal variations and synergistic trade-offs of ESs in the Aral Sea basin is crucial for fostering the integrated development of the region’s socioeconomic ecology. This study utilizes the Future Land-Use Simulation and InVEST models to analyze future land-use scenarios, integrating CMIP6 projections to assess the quality of four key ecosystem services: water production, soil conservation, carbon storage, and habitat quality over two timeframes: the historical period (1995–2020) and the projected future (2021–2100). Employing Spearman correlation, the study explores the trade-offs and synergies among these ecosystem services. Findings reveal that the primary forms of land-use change in the Aral Sea basin are the reduction in water area (− 49.59%) and the rapid expansion of urban areas (+ 504.65%). Temporally, habitat quality exhibits a declining trend, while carbon storage shows an increasing trend, and water production and soil retention fluctuate initially decreasing and then increasing. Spatially, water production and carbon storage demonstrate an increasing trend from the northwest to the southeast. Habitat quality exhibits a higher spatial pattern in the southeast and south, contrasting with lower spatial patterns in the north and west. Low-level soil conservation is predominantly distributed in the northwest, while medium to low-level soil conservation is prevalent in the east of the basin. The trade-off and synergy analysis indicates that between 1995 and 2020, a trade-off relationship existed between carbon storage and habitat quality and water production, whereas synergies were observed between soil conservation and carbon storage, water production and habitat quality, and soil conservation. The correlation between water production and soil conservation emerges as the strongest, whereas the correlation between carbon storage and habitat quality appears to be the weakest. The dynamic spatiotemporal changes, trade-offs, and collaborative relationships of ESs constitute major aspects of ecosystem service research, holding substantial implications for the effective management of the regional ecological environment.

Shuning Zhang, Zhangjie Chen, Meihuan Chen et al.

Abstract Objective Thalassemia, an inherited hemoglobin synthesis disorder, imposes a significant health burden in Asian regions with high prevalence. Detailed patterns and trends of the disease across countries and territories within these regions remain underexplored. Our study focuses on the disease burden indices of thalassemia within the four GBD-defined Asian regions and the twenty-five included countries and territories. It provides insights into the gender-age distribution, temporal changes, and economic aspects of the thalassemia burden. Methods Data on thalassemia prevalence, incidence, mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021 study for South, East, Southeast, and high-income Asia regions, encompassing the relevant countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. The Average Annual Percent Change (AAPC) in age-standardized rates of thalassemia was determined to assess temporal trends. Age-gender cohort proportions were considered. The economic aspect of the disease burden and frontier analysis were evaluated using the GBD Socio-Demographic Index and Global Health Expenditure data. Results Southeast Asia exhibited notably high age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), and age-standardized DALYs rate among the four studied Asian regions in 2021. The East Asia region had recorded the highest age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR). A general decline in disease burden indices across the four regions from 1990 to 2021 was evident, with the exception of ASIR in Southeast Asia. The ASMR was highest among pediatric population under five years old, with a significant male preponderance. An unusual increase in ASMR was detected among females of childbearing age and the elderly within the studied region. Further analysis had identified six high-burden countries and territories, particularly those with low-middle Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) rankings and limited health expenditure. Conclusion Although the overall burden of thalassemia has decreased substantially, the disease burden was influenced by gender, age, geography, temporal trends, and economic factors in distinct manners. Based on the current SDI, many countries and regions still have greater improvement potential in the disease burden. There is a necessity for enhanced attention and resource allocation, particularly in low-middle and low SDI countries, with an emphasis on policies that promote early diagnosis and comprehensive care.

Antje Missbach, Gunnar Stange

The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia

Ananthanarayanan Sankar, Ingg Thong Law, Ing Sind Law et al.

The genus Micryletta, also known as paddy frogs, ranges across much of south, east, and southeast Asia. Due to their relatively broad distribution and overall morphological similarities, many species have gone undetected until recently, largely owing to the use of molecular data. Consequently, the species diversity within this genus has quadrupled in just three years from three species prior to 2018, to 12 species in 2021, indicating that the systematics of this genus is still poorly understood. As such, we assembled the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of Micryletta hitherto including novel sequences from a previously unsampled population from Singapore to assess the species diversity within this genus. In particular, we investigate the population from Singapore whose specific identity remains in question due to the lack of voucher specimens and genetic material. Our results show that the Singapore population represents a strongly supported and distinct lineage that is most closely related to M. inornata sensu stricto from Sumatra, Indonesia. Morphological and species delimitation analyses corroborate its distinction as a new species, which we describe herein as M. subaraji sp. nov. This and recent new taxon discoveries in Singapore demonstrate that the biodiversity of the highly urbanized island-state is still far from being fully realized and underscores the need for continued systematic surveys and protection of remaining habitats.

Kazakov O.I.

The article examines some aspects of Russian-Japanese relations in 2022, due to the end of the COVID-19 epidemic and the beginning of the special Russian military operation in Ukraine. The epidemic has significantly weakened the humanitarian ties between Moscow and Tokyo, and the Ukrainian factor has put the bilateral political relations almost on the verge of collapse. Nevertheless, the humanitarian cooperation was not completely destroyed – cultural events continued both in Russia and in Japan. Sharp deterioration of the Russian-Japanese political and economic relations in 2022 actualizes the importance of “soft power”, which is able to prevent a complete rupture of the ties between countries, and for this it is necessary to maintain and develop the humanitarian cooperation. It will contribute to the full-fledged interaction of the states in the future, but after the elimination of the reasons hindering this process.

Jiahui Gan, Xiaoqi Mi, Cheng Wang

The jumping spider genus Pancorius Simon, 1902 is represented by 40 species primarily distributed in East, South and Southeast Asia. Amongst these, 10 (including eight endemics) are known from China.A new species, Pancorius lui sp. nov., is diagnosed and described, based on both sexes from Yuntai Mountain in Guizhou of China. Diagnostic photos and a distribution map are provided.

Wei Lee Chin, Najib Noorashid

Effective communication plays a part in the success and the sustainability of tourism and hospitality management, including community-based tourism (CBT). In Brunei Darussalam, communication barriers have affected the growth of the CBT industry at both local and national levels. By analysing responses from 16 local CBT operators, this investigation focuses on aspects of communication and its channels in securing sustainability and empowerment of the CBT industry. This study found that the CBT ventures in Brunei include: (1) horizontal/lateral communication between CBT operators and sur-rounding communities; and (2) top-down communication and bottom-up accessibility between authorities, community leaders, and CBT owners. This paper further discusses how bureaucracy can impede the success of CBT operations, and how a collaborative approach between stakeholders has inspired the formulation of a new Interactional Model of Leadership and Empowerment among CBT stakeholders, which can be used to measure the efficacy of communication among stakeholders in the CBT industry.

Niklas Bobrovitz, Rahul Krishan Arora, Christian Cao et al.

<h4>Background</h4>Many studies report the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies. We aimed to synthesize seroprevalence data to better estimate the level and distribution of SARS-CoV-2 infection, identify high-risk groups, and inform public health decision making.<h4>Methods</h4>In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched publication databases, preprint servers, and grey literature sources for seroepidemiological study reports, from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. We included studies that reported a sample size, study date, location, and seroprevalence estimate. We corrected estimates for imperfect test accuracy with Bayesian measurement error models, conducted meta-analysis to identify demographic differences in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and meta-regression to identify study-level factors associated with seroprevalence. We compared region-specific seroprevalence data to confirmed cumulative incidence. PROSPERO: CRD42020183634.<h4>Results</h4>We identified 968 seroprevalence studies including 9.3 million participants in 74 countries. There were 472 studies (49%) at low or moderate risk of bias. Seroprevalence was low in the general population (median 4.5%, IQR 2.4-8.4%); however, it varied widely in specific populations from low (0.6% perinatal) to high (59% persons in assisted living and long-term care facilities). Median seroprevalence also varied by Global Burden of Disease region, from 0.6% in Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania to 19.5% in Sub-Saharan Africa (p<0.001). National studies had lower seroprevalence estimates than regional and local studies (p<0.001). Compared to Caucasian persons, Black persons (prevalence ratio [RR] 3.37, 95% CI 2.64-4.29), Asian persons (RR 2.47, 95% CI 1.96-3.11), Indigenous persons (RR 5.47, 95% CI 1.01-32.6), and multi-racial persons (RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.60-2.24) were more likely to be seropositive. Seroprevalence was higher among people ages 18-64 compared to 65 and over (RR 1.27, 95% CI 1.11-1.45). Health care workers in contact with infected persons had a 2.10 times (95% CI 1.28-3.44) higher risk compared to health care workers without known contact. There was no difference in seroprevalence between sex groups. Seroprevalence estimates from national studies were a median 18.1 times (IQR 5.9-38.7) higher than the corresponding SARS-CoV-2 cumulative incidence, but there was large variation between Global Burden of Disease regions from 6.7 in South Asia to 602.5 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Notable methodological limitations of serosurveys included absent reporting of test information, no statistical correction for demographics or test sensitivity and specificity, use of non-probability sampling and use of non-representative sample frames.<h4>Discussion</h4>Most of the population remains susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Public health measures must be improved to protect disproportionately affected groups, including racial and ethnic minorities, until vaccine-derived herd immunity is achieved. Improvements in serosurvey design and reporting are needed for ongoing monitoring of infection prevalence and the pandemic response.

Ido I.V.

The article is devoted to the topic of the white emigrants in Hokkaido, Japan. The article uses previously unknown materials and documents from personal archives, interviews with family members of emigrants, thus giving the opportunity to understand the historical processes and look at some events from a different angle. On the example of one family, a distant diaspora on the northernmost island of Hokkaido is rendered. Special attention is paid to the reasons and ways of getting to the island of Hokkaido, attitude to the church, relations with the local population and Soviet representatives, the socio-economic situation of emigrants who found their own way and did not lose the Russian originality. The small diaspora in Hokkaido was widely distributed throughout the island. The Japanese did not resist the influx of Russians because of the strong Japanese Orthodox diaspora on the island. However, in the pre-war period members of the Russian diaspora were arrested on suspicion of espionage. This information is absolutely new for the Russian historiography.

Serbina E.M.

The article discusses the changes in the activities of Chinese banks during COVID-19. The author describes the measures taken by the government and banks to prevent and resist coronavirus, especially concessional lending programs for small and media enterprises, the subsidies for companies manufacturing medical products. The banks issued special bonds for raising funds for the fight against the virus and increased the usage of digital technologies for internal and external communications, established and activated remote service channels to reduce physical contacts. Enhancing digital technologies will stimulate banks` transformation into technology companies, providing also traditional financial services. The series of measures demonstrate its effectiveness for industries and medical sector as well as valuable contribution into China`s fight with COVID-19.

Ang Cheng Guan

María Florencia Rubiolo

South America relations with East Asian countries have flourished during the last decade. This dynamism was fueled by the economic trade complementarities, and the increasing demand of Asian economies of primary products and its manufactures. Our aim in this paper is to identify and analyze the latest developments of interregional initiatives between Southeast Asia and South America, considering also the contributions of bilateral and multilateral policies in enhancing the interregional links.

Michael B. Herrera, Vicki A. Thomson, Jessica J. Wadley et al.

The colonization of Madagascar by Austronesian-speaking people during AD 50–500 represents the most westerly point of the greatest diaspora in prehistory. A range of economically important plants and animals may have accompanied the Austronesians. Domestic chickens (Gallus gallus) are found in Madagascar, but it is unclear how they arrived there. Did they accompany the initial Austronesian-speaking populations that reached Madagascar via the Indian Ocean or were they late arrivals with Arabian and African sea-farers? To address this question, we investigated the mitochondrial DNA control region diversity of modern chickens sampled from around the Indian Ocean rim (Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa and Madagascar). In contrast to the linguistic and human genetic evidence indicating dual African and Southeast Asian ancestry of the Malagasy people, we find that chickens in Madagascar only share a common ancestor with East Africa, which together are genetically closer to South Asian chickens than to those in Southeast Asia. This suggests that the earliest expansion of Austronesian-speaking people across the Indian Ocean did not successfully introduce chickens to Madagascar. Our results further demonstrate the complexity of the translocation history of introduced domesticates in Madagascar.

Tao Pan, Yanan Zhang, Hui Wang et al.

Rapid uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau and climate change in Asia are thought to have profoundly modulated the diversification of most of the species distributed throughout Asia. The ranoid tree frog genus Rhacophorus, the largest genus in the Rhacophoridae, is widely distributed in Asia and especially speciose in the areas south and east of the Tibetan Plateau. Here, we infer phylogenetic relationships among species and estimate divergence times, asking whether the spatiotemporal characteristics of diversification within Rhacophorus were related to rapid uplifts of the Tibetan Plateau and concomitant climate change. Phylogenetic analysis recovered distinct lineage structures in Rhacophorus, which indicated a clear distribution pattern from Southeast Asia toward East Asia and India. Molecular dating suggests that the first split within the genus date back to the Middle Oligocene (approx. 30 Ma). The Rhacophorus lineage through time (LTT) showed that there were periods of increased speciation rate: 14–12 Ma and 10–4 Ma. In addition, ancestral area reconstructions supported Southeast Asia as the ancestral area of Rhacophorus. According to the results of molecular dating, ancestral area reconstructions and LTT we think the geographic shifts, the staged rapid rises of the Tibetan Plateau with parallel climatic changes and reinforcement of the Asian monsoons (15 Ma, 8 Ma and 4–3 Ma), possibly prompted a burst of diversification in Rhacophorus.

J. Cathey, J. Marr