Multilingual document and scene text understanding plays an important role in applications such as search, finance, and public services. However, most existing benchmarks focus on high-resource languages and fail to evaluate models in realistic multilingual environments. In Southeast Asia, the diversity of languages, complex writing systems, and highly varied document types make this challenge even greater. We introduce SEA-Vision, a benchmark that jointly evaluates Document Parsing and Text-Centric Visual Question Answering (TEC-VQA) across 11 Southeast Asian languages. SEA-Vision contains 15,234 document parsing pages from nine representative document types, annotated with hierarchical page-, block-, and line-level labels. It also provides 7,496 TEC-VQA question-answer pairs that probe text recognition, numerical calculation, comparative analysis, logical reasoning, and spatial understanding. To make such multilingual, multi-task annotation feasible, we design a hybrid pipeline for Document Parsing and TEC-VQA. It combines automated filtering and scoring with MLLM-assisted labeling and lightweight native-speaker verification, greatly reducing manual labeling while maintaining high quality. We evaluate several leading multimodal models and observe pronounced performance degradation on low-resource Southeast Asian languages, highlighting substantial remaining gaps in multilingual document and scene text understanding. We believe SEA-Vision will help drive global progress in document and scene text understanding.
This article develops data on the history of wages and prices in Beijing, Canton, and Suzhou/Shanghai in China from the eighteenth century to the twentieth, and compares them with leading cities in Europe, Japan, and India in terms of nominal wages, the cost of living, and the standard of living. In the eighteenth century, the real income of building workers in Asia was similar to that of workers in the backward parts of Europe but far behind that in the leading economies in north-western Europe. Real wages stagnated in China in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and rose slowly in the late nineteenth and early twentieth, with little cumulative change for 200 years. The income disparities of the early twentieth century were due to long-run stagnation in China combined with industrialization in Japan and Europe.
ABSTRACT Multiple seas in East Asia have played distinct roles during the Quaternary climatic cycles, which have repeatedly isolated and reconnected temperate forest species, while it remains unclear whether their roles differ. In this study, we used Smilax sieboldii, a widely distributed species along the eastern coast of East Asia, to simultaneously evaluate the roles of multiple seas, including the East China Sea, the Yellow‐Bohai Sea, the Korea‐Tsushima Strait, and the Taiwan Strait, as geographic barriers and dispersal corridors during historical sea‐level fluctuations. We employed Bayesian clustering analysis and demographic simulations to elucidate the genetic structure and evolutionary history. The effects of spatial or environmental differences on population structure were examined through isolation by distance (IBD) and isolation by environment (IBE) tests. Further, genetic differentiation and gene flow were used as indicators to assess the roles of different seas as barriers or corridors. A pronounced phylogeographic structure was observed in S. sieboldii, with populations divided into three distinct gene pools separated by the East China Sea and the Korea‐Tsushima Strait, accompanied by significant genetic admixture at the lineage boundaries. The lineage divergence occurred during the early Quaternary, while secondary contact began in the most recent interglacial period. During population differentiation, the East China Sea and the Korea‐Tsushima Strait acted as effective geographic barriers, whereas the Taiwan Strait and the Yellow‐Bohai Sea functioned more as dispersal corridors and facilitated greater gene flow. Meanwhile, IBD rather than IBE explained the population structure of S. sieboldii. To conclude, the phylogeographic patterns of S. sieboldii resulted from population isolation and admixture due to sea‐level fluctuations since the Pleistocene, and the spatial scale of a sea largely determined its ecological role among the multi‐sea systems. These findings improved our understanding of how paleoclimate changes and geological transformations have shaped the speciation and diversification of temperate forest species in East Asia.
Abdella Mohameda, Christian Hendricksb, Xiangyu Hua
Growing interest in decarbonization and Arctic accessibility has renewed attention on Europe-Asia shipping corridors. The Northern Sea Route (NSR) is often portrayed as a 30-40% shortcut relative to Suez, with savings propagated to time, fuel, and CO2. The effect of enforcing sea-only feasibility on these baselines, and its downstream impact on time, fuel, and CO2, remains under-examined. We compare great-circle baselines with sea-only routes computed via A-star search (A*) on a 0.5-degree grid between Northern Europe and Northeast Asia across the Suez, Cape of Good Hope, and NSR corridors under three waypoint philosophies. Distances are mapped to voyage time using corridor-typical speeds and to fuel/CO2 using main- and auxiliary-engine accounting. Sea-only routing preserves the ranking NSR < Suez < Cape but compresses NSR's advantage once realistic speeds are applied. NSR remains shortest (about 8000-10000 nm versus 11000-12000 nm for Suez), yet typical durations differ modestly and fuel/CO2 savings over Suez are small and variant-dependent. Equal-speed tests restore geometric ordering, and endpoint sensitivity shows larger NSR gains for more northern East Asian ports. The framework provides a reproducible, corridor-agnostic benchmark for later integration of sea ice, weather, regulatory overlays, and AIS data in dynamic Arctic voyage planning.
How would the history of international relations in 'the East' be written if we did not always read the ending – the Rise of the West and the decline of the East – into the past? What if we did not assume that Asia was just a residual category, a variant of 'not-Europe', but saw it as a space of with its own particular history and sociopolitical dynamics, not defined only by encounters with European colonialism? How would our understanding of sovereignty, as well as our theories about the causes of the decline of Great Powers and international orders, change as a result? For the first time, Before the West offers a grand narrative of (Eur)Asia as a space connected by normatively and institutionally overlapping successive world orders originating from the Mongol Empire. It also uses that history to rethink the foundational concepts and debates of international relations, such as order and decline.
It is believed that Devi Temple, Pahari is 850 years old; however, neither the archival sources nor the inscriptions are available to authenticate the hearsay. But, a 1904 British document has reference to Pahari ki Mandhi. Hence, with reference to the examination of the 304 archival files about Loharu State in the National Archives of India, contemporary traditions, popular songs, interviews, newspaper reports, other digital media plate forms and so on, this article authenticates that Devi (Pahari Mata) is not only 120 years old, but its history goes far beyond. Nevertheless, it has also been observed that the people’s beliefs in Devi show that whether there is a written history or not, but it has marked deep imprints on their mind. Devi is in every sphere of people’s life. It can be authenticated from the popular songs sung during the Ratijaga. Further, the role of blue bloods in the renovation of Devi temple at different intervals of time, placing other deities in the temple complex, construction of 48 Dharamshala in the compound for the pilgrims, and so on have been studied. It also discusses the role of Loharu rulers in sociocultural and economic life of the people. The religious policies of the state have also been examined. Simultaneously, it has also discussed the fair during Durga Puja [every six months Chaitra (March) and Aasoj (October)] and its cultural activities and of course people’s enthusiasm.
Este artigo reflete sobre as tentativas de expropriação, espólio e apagamento de signos da memória e arquivos audiovisuais da população autóctone árabe-palestina. Entre as décadas de 1960 e 1980, artistas e cineastas palestinos exilados na Jordânia e, posteriormente, no Líbano, engajaram-se na produção de um cinema revolucionário e reuniram esforços para que a memória palestina não fosse perdida; vastos arquivos audiovisuais de valor imensurável se constituíram no período. Após a invasão israelense em Beirute em 1982, estes filmes permaneceram perdidos por mais de três décadas. Busco mapear as tentativas de recuperação dos vestígios e fragmentos deste enorme arquivo pelas novas gerações de cineastas palestinos, até a descoberta final de que estes e outros artefatos e bens culturais foram pilhados e permanecem até hoje sob administração colonial de Israel.
Abstract
Higher education institutions are expected to create environments that support positive growth, foster civic engagement, and enhance competencies. Hence, this study is examining the influence of sense of community and civic engagement as the antecedents of psychological aspect of student’s wellbeing. This research employs a quantitative approach using the SEM-PLS method. The questionnaire is completed by 53 respondents from a population of 222 of the Student Executive Board Members of Polban. The results show a significant difference in the influence of sense of community and civic engagement on students' wellbeing. This study presents a new evidence that a sense of community plays a crucial role in fostering civic engagement and student well-being, a connection that has not been previously explored in similar studies within the context of vocational higher education. However, civic engagement has minimal impact, direct or mediated. This study recommends that campuses prioritize community-building to enhance positive student development.
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Abstrak
Perguruan tinggi diharapkan menjadi lingkungan yang mendukung pertumbuhan positif, bangkitnya keterlibatan warga negara serta peningkatan kompetensi sebagai calon profesional. Maka dari itu, penelitian ini menguji pengaruh rasa kebersamaan dan keterlibatan sipil sebagai anteseden dari aspek psikologis kesejahteraan mahasiswa. Penelitian menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan metode SEM-PLS. Kuesioner penelitian diisi oleh 53 orang sampel dari populasi berjumlah 222 orang pengurus dan anggota BEM Polban kabinet Pilar Impresif. Hasil analisis menampikan adanya signifikansi yang berbeda antara rasa kebersamaan dan keterlibatan sipil terhadap kesejahteraan mahasiswa. Penelitian ini menunjukan bukti baru bahwa rasa memiliki berperan penting dalam mendorong keterlibatan sipil dan kesejahteraan mahasiswa yang belum pernah diungkap dalam kajian serupa pada konteks pendidikan di perguruan tinggi vokasi. Adapun, pengaruh keterlibatan sipil, baik secara langusng maupun sebagai mediator rasa memiliki terhadap kesejahteraan mahasiswa, hasilnya ternyata tidak signifikan. Hasil kajian ini menunjukan bahwa arah kebijakan perlu memprioritaskan internalisasi aspek rasa kebersamaan secara efektif terhadap perkembangan positif mahasiswa.
Pathogen‒host adaptative interactions and complex population demographical processes, including admixture, drift, and Darwen selection, have considerably shaped the Neolithic-to-Modern Western Eurasian population structure and genetic susceptibility to modern human diseases. However, the genetic footprints of evolutionary events in East Asia remain unknown due to the underrepresentation of genomic diversity and the design of large-scale population studies. We reported one aggregated database of genome-wide SNP variations from 796 Tai-Kadai (TK) genomes, including that of Bouyei first reported here, to explore the genetic history, population structure, and biological adaptative features of TK people from southern China and Southeast Asia. We found geography-related population substructure among TK people using the state-of-the-art population genetic structure reconstruction techniques based on the allele frequency spectrum and haplotype-resolved phased fragments. We found that the northern TK people from Guizhou harbored one TK-dominant ancestry maximized in the Bouyei people, and the southern TK people from Thailand were more influenced by Southeast Asians and indigenous people. We reconstructed fitted admixture models and demographic graphs, which showed that TK people received gene flow from ancient southern rice farmer-related lineages related to the Hmong-Mien and Austroasiatic people and from northern millet farmers associated with the Sino-Tibetan people. Biological adaptation focused on our identified unique TK lineages related to Bouyei, which showed many adaptive signatures conferring Malaria resistance and low-rate lipid metabolism. Further gene enrichment, the allele frequency distribution of derived alleles, and their correlation with the incidence of Malaria further confirmed that CR1 played an essential role in the resistance of Malaria in the ancient ''Baiyue'' tribes.
Objectives:
The objectives of this study were to predict the prognostic value of conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in predicting neurological outcomes in post-traumatic cervical spinal injuries (cord compression, cord oedema and cord haemorrhage) and to assess the neurological outcomes using the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 55 patients with traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) were recruited; history and neurological examination of the patient was done along with classifications of SCI according to ASIA after the assessment of vital parameters. MRI scan of cervical spine was done and certain parameters like presence or absence of haematoma, maximum spinal cord compression (MSCC), maximum canal compression (MCC) and lesion length were measured. Follow-up of neurological recovery was done on the 15th, 30th and 45th days and recorded in ASIA pro forma. Further to determine the correlation between MRI parameters and neurological recovery, Spearman rank correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were used.
Results:
Lesion length is statistically significant (P-value <0.05) for Asia Impairement Scale improvement at day 15, day 45, also significant for total sensory score and motor score on day 15 and shows significant for total sensory score on day 30, day 45. The presence of haematoma is statistically significant (P < 0.05) for total sensory score at day 30 and day 45, whereas MSCC and haematoma are statistically significant (<0.05) for total pinprick score at day 45.
Discussion:
Lesion length remains the most important predictor for neurological recovery after cervical spine trauma; however, haematoma and MSCC are potential predictors for neurological recovery and change in ASIA score. The study was registered at the Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2022/07/044163).
Globally, the Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) stands as the second most important bivalve species in fisheries and aquaculture. Native to the Pacific coast of Asia, it is now well-established in North America and Europe, where its on-going management reflects local economic interests. The historic record of transfers spans the 20th century and suggests sequential movement from Japan to North America, as a hitch-hiker on oysters, and then intentional introduction in Europe, but global genetic data are missing. We have studied mitochondrial DNA and microsatellite markers in nine populations from Asia, North America and Europe. The results from the two types of markers indicated a good concordance of present-day genetic structure with the reported history of clam transfers across continents, and no evidence of relevant concealed introductions from continental Asia in Europe and North America. However, European populations showed a loss of genetic variability and significant genetic differentiation as compared to their American counterparts. Our study shows that in spite of the increasing ease for species to spread out of their native range, in the case of the Manila clam this has not resulted in new invasion waves in the two studied continents.
The first decade of ancient genomics has revolutionized the study of human prehistory and evolution. We review new insights based on prehistoric modern human genomes, including greatly increased resolution of the timing and structure of the out-of-Africa expansion, the diversification of present-day non-African populations, and the earliest expansions of those populations into Eurasia and America. Prehistoric genomes now document population transformations on every inhabited continent-in particular the effect of agricultural expansions in Africa, Europe, and Oceania-and record a history of natural selection that shapes present-day phenotypic diversity. Despite these advances, much remains unknown, in particular about the genomic histories of Asia (the most populous continent) and Africa (the continent that contains the most genetic diversity). Ancient genomes from these and other regions, integrated with a growing understanding of the genomic basis of human phenotypic diversity, will be in focus during the next decade of research in the field.
Lenar F. Abzalov, Marat S. Gatin, Ilyas A. Mustakimov
et al.
Introduction. The article examines a yarliq from the medieval Persian treatise Dastur al-Katib to characterize the institution of ulug bitigchi that used to be widespread in the Mongol Empire and states of Genghis Khan’s descendants. Goals. The study attempts an interdisciplinary analysis of the historical monument — one yarliq appointing an ulug bitigchi (head of scribes) and contained in Dastur al-Katib fi Tayin al-Maratib (A Scribe’s Guide to Determining Ranks) compiled in the mid-14th century by Persian official Muhammad ibn Hindushah Nakhchivani. Materials and methods. The paper focuses on Dastur al-Katib and the mentioned yarliq proper, involves related medieval sources on Mongol Iran and other Chinggisid states, including works by Juvayni, Rashid al-Din, Fasih Khwafi, etc., official documents of the Chinggisid chancelleries. The work employs a series of historical and legal research methods, such as those of source criticism, diplomatics analysis, comparative historical research, formal legal approach, historical legal and comparative legal analyses. Results. The paper introduces the yarliq appointing an ulug bitigchi from the medieval Persian treatise Dastur al-Katib into Russian-language scientific discourse and supplements it with a detailed interdisciplinary analysis. The work clarifies specific features of an ulug bitigchi’s legal status — including his functions, rights, requirements for candidates in Chinggisid chancelleries — and traces its evolution. It also shows reasons for the survival of the institution in those states even after the official conversion to Islam and shaping of a corresponding government system in accordance with traditions that had existed across the Volga Region, Iran and Central Asia long before the Mongol conquest. Conclusions. The fact that the institution of ulug bitigchi did survive the subsequent Islamization was to primarily position of Ilkhans as heirs of the Mongol Empire where it had first been established as well as to seek a compromised approach in governing their various subjects — nomadic and sedentary peoples, Turko-Mongols and those who spoke Iranian languages, Moslems and adherents of other religions.
History of Asia, Political institutions and public administration - Asia (Asian studies only)
According to Jaina cosmology, the non-universe is a hollow sphere beyond and exists all round the universe, whose middle region is the horizontal universe resting on a circular disc. The Bhagavatī Sūtra and the Sthānāṅga Sūtra each mention that there is the core of the horizontal universe where a cube of eight space-points is and from those eight space-points ten directions originate. This paper presents a conjectural explanation for understanding that cube. The core of the non-universe is the core of a core-sphere when the core-sphere is formed using n core-circles such that they are stacked up and down in the same order from the nth core-circle to the first core-circle. The upper four points of the cube of eight points form the core of the horizontal universe and the cube of eight points is the core of the non-universe. The nth core-circle becomes the horizontal universe when n is innumerable and the nth core-sphere forms the non-universe when n approaches infinity. This paper also shows that the intermediate and cardinal directions are linear and planar respectively while the zenith and nadir ones are three-dimensional.
The paper re-examines the principal methodological questions, arising in the debate over the cosmological standard model's postulate of Dark Matter vs. rivalling proposals that modify standard (Newtonian and general-relativistic) gravitational theory, the so-called Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) and its subsequent extensions. What to make of such seemingly radical challenges of cosmological orthodoxy? In the first part of our paper, we assess MONDian theories through the lens of key ideas of major 20th century philosophers of science (Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, and Laudan), thereby rectifying widespread misconceptions and misapplications of these ideas common in the pertinent MOND-related literature. None of these classical methodological frameworks, which render precise and systematise the more intuitive judgements prevalent in the scientific community, yields a favourable verdict on MOND and its successors -- contrary to claims in the MOND-related literature by some of these theories' advocates; the respective theory appraisals are largely damning. Drawing on these insights, the paper's second part zooms in on the most common complaint about MONDian theories, their ad-hocness. We demonstrate how the recent coherentist model of ad-hocness captures, and fleshes out, the underlying -- but too often insufficiently articulated -- hunches underlying this critique. MONDian theories indeed come out as severely ad hoc: they do not cohere well with either theoretical or empirical-factual background knowledge. In fact, as our complementary comparison with the cosmological standard model's Dark Matter postulate shows, with respect to ad-hocness, MONDian theories fare worse than the cosmological standard model.
Safety is often the most important requirement in robotics applications. Nonetheless, control techniques that can provide safety guarantees are still extremely rare for nonlinear systems, such as robot manipulators. A well-known tool to ensure safety is the Viability kernel, which is the largest set of states from which safety can be ensured. Unfortunately, computing such a set for a nonlinear system is extremely challenging in general. Several numerical algorithms for approximating it have been proposed in the literature, but they suffer from the curse of dimensionality. This paper presents a new approach for numerically approximating the viability kernel of robot manipulators. Our approach solves optimal control problems to compute states that are guaranteed to be on the boundary of the set. This allows us to learn directly the set boundary, therefore learning in a smaller dimensional space. Compared to the state of the art on systems up to dimension 6, our algorithm resulted to be more than 2 times as accurate for the same computation time, or 6 times as fast to reach the same accuracy.