Asia-Pacific Nations Research Articles

Nasal allergies in the Asian-Pacific population: Results from the Allergies in Asia-Pacific Survey.

The Allergies in Asia-Pacific Survey describes the symptoms, impact, and treatment of allergic rhinitis (AR) across Australia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The Allergies in Asia-Pacific Survey was undertaken to further clarify the prevalence of physician-diagnosed nasal allergies (NAs), impact on quality-of-life (QOL), existing treatment paradigms and gaps, and NA medications currently used in treatment. Thirty-three thousand three hundred seventy-eight households were screened for individuals, ≥4 years old, with a physician diagnosis of AR or NA and either symptoms or treatment in the past 12 months. Standardized questionnaires were used to make comparisons across regions. A total of 1043 adults and 192 children were included in the survey. Nine percent of participants were diagnosed with AR with two of three responding that their NAs were seasonal in nature. Nasal congestion was the most common and bothersome symptom of AR. Most participants reported that AR impacted their QOL with nearly one-half citing impairments in school/work performance/productivity. Sleep disturbances, secondary to AR, were also shown to be appreciable. Two-thirds of patients took medication for their AR. Less than one-quarter of survey respondents reported taking an intranasal corticosteroid and the satisfaction rate was similar to that of over-the-counter medications. The most common reasons cited for dissatisfaction were related to inadequate efficacy and bothersome side effects. AR appears to be extremely common across Asia-Pacific nations. Many individuals with AR suffer from symptoms that reduce QOL and treatment gaps exist with current therapies. Through identification of disease impact and highlighting treatment gaps, clinicians may better understand and treat AR, leading to improvements in overall patient satisfaction and QOL.

Randomised double-blind trial of megestrol acetate vs placebo in treatment-naive advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Background:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. We tested megestrol acetate (MA) against placebo in the treatment of advanced HCC.Methods:From 2002 through 2007, this randomised double-blind trial enrolled 204 patients with treatment-naive advanced HCC (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance rating of 0-3) from specialist care centres in six Asia-Pacific nations. Patients received placebo or MA (320 mg day−1). End points were overall survival (OS) and quality of life.Results:An adverse but not statistically significant difference in OS was found for MA vs placebo: median values 1.88 and 2.14 months, respectively (hazard ratio (HR)=1.25, 95% CI=0.92–1.71, P=0.16). However, OS was similar among patients of good functional status (Child-Pugh A and ECOG 0, 1 or 2) (44.3%) in both treatment groups, with the adverse effect of MA confined to those of poor status. Megestrol acetate patients had a worse global health status (not statistically significant) but reduced levels of appetite loss and nausea/vomiting.Conclusion:Megestrol acetate has no role in prolonging OS in advanced treatment-naive HCC. Overall survival with placebo differed markedly from that in similar trials conducted elsewhere, suggesting therapeutic outcomes may be strongly dependent on ECOG status and Child-Pugh score.

Expressing herself through brands: A comparative study of women in six Asia-Pacific nations

Consumers express themselves through the brands they desire, purchase and consume. Self-expression, therefore, can be an important driver of consumer preferences and choices. Despite the importance, few multi-country comparative studies have examined how people use brands to express themselves, although there are indications that the importance of brands for self-expression differs across cultures. This study investigates whether female consumers, on average, in six Asia-Pacific nations differ in the extent to which they express themselves in using their favorite brand of beauty care products. We conducted an email survey, which shows that the importance of these brands as a vehicle of self-expression differs significantly across the six countries, and three clusters could be found. Women in India, China and the Philippines, on average, perceived these brands as more important for self-expression than women in Malaysia, Japan and Australia. Women in Japan and Australia, on average, perceived these brands as less important for self-expression than Malaysian women. We discuss whether economic similarities between the countries can explain these results, which could indicate a high negative correlation between brand expression and wealth. We also consider cultural differences across countries in the form of power distance and uncertainty avoidance as a possible explanation.

Higher Education in the Global Knowledge Economy

In many nations government policy and scholarly work have identified the growing role of higher education and research in the world-wide knowledge economy. The role of higher education is not limited to fostering the economic development of nations and providing opportunities for individuals, it extends also to promotion of cultural diversity, political democracy and trade. Emphasis is rightly placed on how higher education can better serve society and promote international cooperation. However, as yet little attention has been given to how higher education and research are active in the processes of globalization, and are themselves being reshaped by globalization with significant ‘feed-back’ effects into nations. Higher education and knowledge are simultaneously global, national and local (Marginson and Rhoades, 2002). Higher education is nested in national government everywhere, and shaped by patterns of social investment. At the same time the cross-border or global dimension of activity is growing, especially in relation to knowledge. By studying the changing global landscape of higher education, we can draw out the implications for the policies of governments and national identity, for the developmental strategies of universities, and for international agencies. The paper maps, summarizes and synthesizes this changing global landscape. It focuses on trends and patterns in the cross-border mobility of students and staff, the growth of educational trade, research publication and research concentrations by nation, ICT-connectivity, language of use, and cross-border policy flows. Most of the interaction between nations in higher education takes the form not of trade but of free exchange and cooperation, i.e. the production of global public goods. The paper draws on (1) recent research for policy papers prepared for the OECD on globalization and higher education, and the internationalization of higher education in the Asia-Pacific region, (2) case studies of leading research universities in eight Asia-Pacific nations, and (3) comparative data from the OECD, UNESCO and the World Bank. While there is a general trend to increased international engagement of higher education, the actual level of engagement, and knowledge economy capacity, vary markedly between nations and regions. One feature of the global knowledge system is the position of the United States, with 54 of the top 100 research universities in the 2007 Shanghai Jiao Tong listing, and almost one third of the world's scientific papers. The USA is a magnet for world-wide talent, enrolling 100,000 foreign doctoral students each year. But a new wave of Asian science powers is emerging in China (including Hong Kong and Taiwan), Singapore and Korea. In China, between 1995 and 2005 the number of scientific papers produced each year multiplied by 4.6 times. In South Korea the ratio was 3.6 times, in Singapore 3.2. From 2003 to 2007 the number of universities from China in the Jiao Tong top 500 rose from 18 to 25, with the mainland universities rising from 8 to 14. Shifts of this magnitude suggest that in world higher education and research a more pluralistic scientific and cultural environment is developing, with some potential also to foster a more pluralistic linguistic exchange. If so, this enhanced diversity would constitute a global public good, providing a greater range of potential solutions to the many problems attending human and environmental conditions.

Susceptibility patterns and molecular epidemiology of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii strains from three military hospitals in China

To date, little has been reported on the susceptibility patterns and molecular characterisation of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB) clinical isolates from different Chinese military hospitals. In this study, 49 MDRAB strains were collected from three military hospitals during 2007. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 13 antibiotics were determined for each strain. Genotyping and dendrogram analysis of MDRAB strains were performed using the repetitive sequence-based polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) DiversiLab™ Microbial Typing System. PCR screening was carried out to investigate the distribution of various genes contributing to each resistance phenotype in the main clonal types. The rates of resistance to the majority of antibiotics tested varied between 75.5% and 100%, with the exception of polymyxin B. Two DiversiLab rep-PCR clones (A and B) were widespread in three hospitals in different cities, one clone (D) existed only in two hospitals located in the same city (Beijing), and the other two clones (C and E) were present in only one hospital. In addition, this study shows a high distribution of intI1, IS Aba1, bla OXA-23, bla ADC, adeB, adeJ, abeM and tet(B) genes, which mediate resistance to structurally unrelated antimicrobials in MDRAB isolates. These results suggest that all isolates were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics. In addition, clonal dissemination among the three hospitals located in two different cities in China, previously documented in many regions of Europe and Asia-Pacific nations, emphasises the epidemic potential of these MDRAB isolates.

A Sword and a Shield: South Korea's Strategic Use of World Trade Organization Litigation

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has since its inception in 1995 produced a cohort of 108 “fully litigated” trade cases. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of this cohort of cases reveal that South Korea ranks first among all Asia Pacific nations in appearances as complainant. Similarly, Korea ranks first among the 13 most litigious WTO members in the relative frequency with which it converts WTO Consultation Requests to formal litigation. Furthermore, its litigation history reflects a strategy to employ the formal WTO litigation venue in the service of two key exports: steel and semiconductors. Through this strategy, Korea has challenged U.S. safeguard measures on steel and defended its own putative subsidization of semiconductor manufacturers from countervailing duties imposed by the United States, European Union, and Japan.

Management and Employment-Relations Strategies in the Airline Industry: Perspectives on Asia, Australia and the Middle East

This chapter discusses the variety of approaches to the management of people in airlines from the Asia / Pacific / Middle East region in the face of increasing deregulation. We identify key differences between the institutional environment for airlines in the US versus those in Asia-Pacific nations and discuss their competitive implications. Then we describe the competitive and employment relations strategies of seven airlines (both incumbents and new entrants) from four countries. We note that incumbent airlines show little change to their basic employment paradigm, despite major restructuring efforts. New entrants show more variety, both in their approach to union relationships and their approach to relations with employees. However, we find that none of these airlines fully matches the model of Southwest Airlines, one of the world‘s most successful airlines, and suggest that there may be unexploited opportunities to turn employment relationships into a source of advantage.

Sustainable Welfare in the Asia-Pacific

Frequent references are made to the ‘Asian economic miracle’ as a means of describing the wave of GDP growth experienced across the Asia-Pacific region over the past twenty years. Implicit in this description is the assumption that the Asia-Pacific region has progressed at the same rate that GDP has risen over the same period. But is this truly the case? Employing a Genuine Progress Indicator as an alternative measure of sustainable welfare, the contributors to this book aim to answer this question by presenting case studies of seven Asia-Pacific nations. The results reveal that all is not as positive as conventional indicators might suggest.

Role of Governance and Institutional Environment in Affecting Cross Border M&As, Alliances and Project Financing: Evidence from Emerging Markets

The growth in foreign activities has attracted numerous investigations on their flow into various regions of the world. The majority of these inquiries however have tended to focus on activities taking place between U.S.A and Europe, NAFTA countries, countries within Eastern and Central Europe, or within Asia-Pacific nations. There is a scarcity of research examining foreign investment activities in the emerging markets of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The goal of this paper is to void this gap by analyzing the patterns of such activities in this region. It focuses more specifically on components of foreign investment that are not usually included in the traditional measure of FDI, namely cross border M&As, alliances, and project financing. The paper explores the impact of governance and institutional environment in affecting investment activities in the region. It reports a strong association of economic freedom, property rights, and regulations with multiple proxies of foreign investments in the sample countries.

China’s Military Spending: Soft Rise or Hard Threat?

Interpreting China's military expenditure has been a complicated issue with important regional implications. This article will first look at the various estimates of China's military budget and the discrepancies in the numbers as well as the geopolitical rationale driving Chinese military planning. Although China publishes its official defense budget and provides justifications for increases in its military spending, most observers remain skeptical of the accuracy of the official figures and wary of the military modernization efforts. This skepticism has shaped the responses of other Asia-Pacific nations toward China's military modernization. Ultimately, even if the Chinese leadership views the military buildup as a natural part of the country's ascension to great power status, the uncertainties surrounding its military expenditures actually undermine the contention that China's will be peaceful. Key words: East Asian security, China, military spending, arms race Introduction The rapid growth of China's economy and its increasingly vigorous diplomatic engagement with regional and international institutions have given to much discussion of China's peace- ful rise to great-power status.1 At the same time, the Pentagon has identified China as the only potential hegemon on the horizon that stands a chance of challenging the unipolar power of the United States. These two views of China-as a largely benign global partner or as a military superpower-to-be-rely on different understandings of a critical factor: the Chinese military budget. According to the Chinese government, the country's rising military budget reflects general economic growth, is devoted to non-threatening expenditures like better pay for soldiers, and remains only a small percentage of what the United States spends every year on the military. Critics, however, argue that China vastly underreports its military expenditures and that the country is acquiring new power-projection capabilities that change the regional balance of power. Determining which of these pictures of China's military spending is correct is not an easy task. In recent years, the Chinese government has published its official annual defense budget figures and provided justifications for the announced increases in military spending as part of its efforts to alleviate the fears outsiders might have about a rapidly rising China. But these published figures, since they don't match the estimates of outside observers, raise more questions than they answer. Why has there been a large discrepancy between China's official defense budget and other estimates? What are China's ultimate geopolitical goals and rationales behind its military planning? How have other nations in the Asia-Pacific region responded to the more robust Chinese military spending? Finally, what implications do the uncertainties in China's military have for its own national goals? A clear picture of China's military spending is essential for an understanding of the country's unfolding conception of itself, for any analysis of Northeast Asian regional politics, and, ultimately, the future trajectory of global geopolitics. How China resolves the seeming contradiction between its insistence on a peaceful to great power status and its considerable annual military budget increases will have an enormous impact on the shape of international institutions and the ends of multilateral action. Estimates of China's Military Expenditure The Official Chinese Case Calculating China's exact military expenditures is complicated by the Chinese government's relative lack of transparency. Although the Chinese government announces its military budget publicly, usually through the published annual report of the Ministry of Defense, its figures are vastly different from the estimates of outside analysts. Nor is there consensus among outside observers on the exact amount of Chinese military spending. …

OXA- and MBL-Type Enzymes Among Uncommonly Isolated Acinetobacter Spp. in Asia-Pacific Nations: Natural Reservoir for Resistance Determinants

OXA- and MBL-Type Enzymes Among Uncommonly Isolated Acinetobacter Spp. in Asia-Pacific Nations: Natural Reservoir for Resistance Determinants

Emergence and widespread dissemination of OXA-23, -24/40 and -58 carbapenemases among Acinetobacter spp. in Asia-Pacific nations: report from the SENTRY Surveillance Program

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and dissemination of acquired carbapenem-hydrolysing class D beta-lactamase (class D carbapenemase)- and metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL)-encoding genes among Acinetobacter spp. isolates recovered from medical centres in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. During 2006-07, 41 medical centres located in 10 countries in the APAC region forwarded to a central monitoring site 544 Acinetobacter spp. isolates, which were tested for susceptibility by the reference broth microdilution method. Isolates non-susceptible to imipenem or meropenem (MIC>or=8 mg/L) were screened for OXA-23-, OXA-24/40-, OXA-58- and MBL-encoding genes and confirmed by sequencing. Clonality was assessed by ribotyping and PFGE. Polymyxins (99.1% susceptible) and tigecycline (98.9% susceptible) were the most active antimicrobial agents tested. Among the isolates, 230 (42.3%) were non-susceptible to imipenem or meropenem, and class D carbapenemase- or MBL-encoding genes were detected in 162 (70.4%). blaOXA-23 was found in isolates recovered from six countries, while blaOXA-24/40 and blaOXA-58 were less common. Several isolates harboured more than one class D carbapenemase, and MBL-encoding genes were detected in one Acinetobacter johnsonii from the Philippines (blaIMP-4) and one Acinetobacter baumannii from Korea (blaVIM-2)). Overall, clonal dissemination was noted within medical centres; however, genetic relatedness was also noted among class D carbapenemase-producing A. baumannii isolates recovered from different countries. This study shows a high distribution of class D carbapenemase-encoding genes, mainly blaOXA-23, in Acinetobacter spp. isolates. In addition, clonal dissemination among medical centres located in different countries in the APAC region, previously documented in many regions of Europe, emphasizes the epidemic potential of these bacteria.

Epidemiology and Education: Using Public Health for Teaching Mathematics and Science

Donna F. Stroup, PhD, MSca Stephen B. Thacker, MD, MScb Scientific and technological advances of the modern world bring clear benefits to society, especially improvements in health. At the same time, creation of opportunities to enable all students to reach their full potential for education is a high priority.1 Indeed, in the 2006 State of the Union Address, the President of the United States emphasized the importance of education in mathematics and science.2 Nonetheless, recent critiques of K–12 education have noted that U.S. school systems produce students with inadequate skills and knowledge in science and mathematics. For example, many students perceive that the health and science courses they take are unrelated to decisions they make in their daily lives.3 Because teachers are often trained inadequately in math and science, they might be uncomfortable teaching these subjects.4 Less time is spent on science nationwide than on instruction in any other subject, and that time most often focuses on passive learning of facts rather than science as a way of asking questions or testing hypotheses.3 Perhaps, as a result, the majority of children elect to stop studying science as soon as they are allowed that option.5 To address this gap and motivate change, the Educational Testing Service (Princeton, New Jersey) is piloting an information literacy test geared toward high school seniors that provides colleges and universities with a tool for assessing the science and technology skills of entering freshmen.6 In addition, foreign advances in science now rival or exceed those of the United States.7 In 2000, Asian universities accounted for approximately 1.2 million of the world’s science and math degrees. European universities graduated 850,000 in science and math, but North American universities (in the U.S. and Canada) accounted for only 500,000.8 The European Union and Asia Pacific nations have steadily increased their world share of the journal literature in the physical sciences, now surpassing the United States in output of papers in physics, chemistry, and materials science.9 Although this imbalance might have resulted from an increase in the number of foreign journals since 1983, it is reasonable that the number of American scientists publishing exclusively in foreign journals is offset by the number of foreign scientists publishing in American journals, making this an underestimate of the imbalance. Clearly, the

ASIA PACIFIC COLUMN: Drug production, trafficking and trade in Asia and Pacific Island countries

We report here on illicit drug production, trafficking and transit routes found in the Asia Pacific region. The report is based on the 'Situational analysis of illicit drug issues and responses in Asia and the Pacific', commissioned by the Australian National Council on Drugs Asia Pacific Drug Issues Committee. The situational analysis was a comprehensive desk based review; data sources included published and unpublished literature and key informant reports. It was found that Myanmar was the main producer of opium, heroin and amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the Asia-Pacific region. China is now considered a major producer of methamphetamines, but other Asia-Pacific nations are also involved in production. Cannabis production was found throughout most of the Asia-Pacific region, in particular Cambodia and the Philippines. Drug trafficking and transit routes of Asia and the Pacific were proliferating and dynamic. The Pacific is mainly known as a trans-shipment point for drugs entering other countries in the region. Drug cultivation and production in Asia is substantial. The expansion of ATS production in the Asia Pacific region is causing much concern. Most drug traffickers change routes and tactics to exploit available vulnerable points along international borders. Responding effectively to the complexity and scale of drug production and trafficking in the Asia-Pacific region will remain a major challenge.

Assessing the Economic Preconditions for a Yen Bloc

Stabilising Asia-Pacific exchange rates by establishing a system of pegs, bands or target zones around the Japanese yen requires the compromise of domestic policy autonomy. The cost of doing so is least when members reaction to economic shocks are symmetric. This study considers which currencies meet this necessary precondition. To assess regional disturbance symmetry the Blanchard and Quah (1989) procedure is employed to distinguish temporary from permanent shocks for paired aggregate output and price time-series. Disturbance correlations between Japan and other Asia-Pacific nations are calculated. Supply-side disturbance correlations are relatively weak and suggest the economic preconditions for a yen bloc are not in place.

Voluntary environmental and social accounting disclosure practices in the Asia-Pacific region: an international empirical test of political economy theory

The principal objective of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the significance of cross-country (societal) variables that may assist in explaining variations in the quantity of voluntary environmental and social accounting disclosure (VESAD) information provided by organizations in annual reports across national boundaries. Using content analysis (number of sentences), 356 listed companies operating in seven Asia-Pacific nations (Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia) were surveyed. Empirical tests (multiple regression analysis) conducted found that two cultural dimensions (uncertainty avoidance and masculinity) and political and civil systems are significant determinants of the quantity of VESAD information supplied by listed companies in these countries. In contrast, the legal system and equity market do not appear to be important factors in explaining variations in VESAD levels across these countries. In conclusion, it is argued that the socio-political and economic system of a nation interact to shape the perceptions of organizations in the need to release VESAD that meet social expectations as well as to avoid government regulation to preserve their own self-interests. This is consistent with Bourgeois political economy theory.

Bilateral Trade in the Asia‐Pacific: A Case Study for Australia, USA, Japan and Singapore

This analysis of bilateral trade involves four Asia‐Pacific nations (USA, Japan, Singapore and Australia) on a quarterly data set 1977 to 1994. The reduced‐form model applied here derives from a structure which accommodates income, real exchange rate and real‐balance effects. We find that bilateral balances between these countries are not cointegrated with some potential determinants, in particular real exchange rates. In the short run, appropriately defined, we find that Singapore’s trade with the USA and Japan is influenced by real exchange rates; Australian‐Japanese and Australian‐US trade is influenced by real income and real‐cash‐balance effects but not real exchange rates while USA‐Japanese bilateral trade is influenced only by real‐cash‐balance effects. The general conclusion is that real exchange rates have only limited effects on these selected Asia‐Pacific bilateral trading patterns, while real‐balance and income effects have a greater impact over the short run.

National information infrastructure in Pacific Asia

Recently, many nations in Pacific Asia have begun to design and implement national information infrastructures. Examples are Singapore's IT2000 plan to transform the city-state into an intelligent island and Malaysia's Vision 2020 to create a ‘Multimedia Super Corridor’. We examine the information infrastructure programs in twelve Asia Pacific nations. These are the newly developing ‘Young Lions’ (China, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam), the intermediate-stage ‘Growing Tigers’ (Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan), and the more advanced ‘Mature Leopards’ (Australia, Japan, and New Zealand). We also discuss APEC's recent initiative to establish an APII—an Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure.

Economic Development, Government Policy, and the Diffusion of Computing in Asia-Pacific Countries

How effective are government policies in promoting the diffusion of information technology? Kenneth Kraemer, Vijay Gurbaxani, andJohn Leslie King studied the impact of industrial policies in nine Asia-Pacific nations andfound that such efforts did not have the significant direct effects on the diffusion of computer technology that might have been expected. While some governmentfiscal and trade policies didfacilitate increases in computing expenditures, the authors found that the level of economic development was a more important predictor. Whateverpolicies are adopted should take into consideration the status of the coun-

Impact of New Technologies on Communication in Asia and the Pacific

AbstractThis paper focuses on the impact of new technologies including IT on the Asia-Pacific, a region regarded as the fastest growing in the world today. How has IT affected the growth of Asia-Pacific nations? Why is IT an intrinsically relevant technology to promote particularly in the developing countries of the Asia‘Pacific? And who will benefit most from it? These questions and the close links between IT and privatization are discussed in this paper.