Asian Landscape Research Articles

Who's the boss? Understanding the spatial relationship between snow leopard and Eurasian lynx in southern Mongolia

Interspecific competition, a fundamental ecological process characterized by negative interactions between species, plays a vital role in shaping ecological communities. Despite the co‐occurrence of the snow leopard Panthera uncia and the Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx across vast landscapes in Asia, their interactions remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated how the presence of snow leopards affected site‐use by lynx and whether the presence of snow leopards resulted in behavioral adaptations by the lynx. Between 2017 and 2022, we conducted camera trap‐based surveys across six sites in southern Mongolia and evaluated species co‐occurrence by snow leopards and lynx using the occupancy framework. We assumed snow leopards to be the dominant species while using topographical and land cover variables as covariates. Our results show that the presence of snow leopards influenced site‐use by lynx, leading to a shift in space use when snow leopards were present. Specifically, lynx used the entire range of ruggedness and did not select for shrubby areas in the absence of snow leopards, whereas they avoided rugged areas and had a strong preference for shrubby areas when snow leopards were present. Our findings emphasize the influence a larger predator can have on the space use of a smaller predator, and how the presence of snow leopards can alter the space‐use of lynx. Understanding these interactions and behavioral adaptations can be useful for developing effective conservation strategies in the region.

The landscape of mental health care landscape in asia: issues and challenges

The landscape of mental health care landscape in asia: issues and challenges

A high-quality genome assembly of the shrubby cinquefoil (Dasiphora fruticosa)

Dasiphora fruticosa (Rosaceae), commonly known as shrubby cinquefoil, is a flowering shrub of high ornamental value yet underutilized in East Asian landscapes. Given its broad elevational distribution range, D. fruticosa serves as an ideal model for studying genetic adaptations and speciation along elevation gradients. Here, we present a high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of D. fruticosa with a genome size of 249.23 Mb and a contig N50 length of 14.01 Mb. The genome sequence contains 32,613 protein-coding genes, of which 30,643 (93.96%) were functionally annotated. Compared to the published D. fruticosa genome sequence, our assembly demonstrates higher completeness and continuity. Furthermore, comparative genomic analyses provide insights into the phylogenetic relationship and high-altitude adaptation of D. fruticosa. Overall, our study offers a valuable genetic resource for both molecular and evolutionary research on shrubby cinquefoil.

Navigating techniques in job recommender systems on internship profile matching: a systematic review

PurposeThis review article is focused on the following research questions: RQ1: What are the methods used by authors to collect data in order to evaluate one's profile? RQ2: What are the classification algorithms and ranking metrics used to give suggestions to users? RQ3: How effective are these algorithms and metrics identified in RQ2?Design/methodology/approachThere are four major systematic review phases being carried out in this survey, namely the formulation of research questions, conducting the review, which includes the selection of articles and appraising evidence quality, data extraction and narrative data synthesis.FindingsCollecting from primary sources is more personalized and relevant. Embedded skill sets that have a considerable impact on one’s career aspirations could be mined from secondary sources. A hybrid recommender system helped mitigate the limitations of both. The effectiveness of the models depends not only rely on the filtering techniques used but also on the metrics used to measure similarity and the frequency of words or phrases used in a document.Research limitations/implicationsThe study benefits internship program coordinators of a university aiming to develop a recommender or matching system platform for their students. The content of the study may shed a light on how university decision-makers can explore options on what are the techniques or algorithms to be integrated. One of the advantages of internship or industrial training programs is that they would help students align them with their career goals. Research studies have discussed other RS filtering techniques apart from the three major filtering techniques.Practical implicationsThe outcome of the study, which is a recommendation system to match a student's profile with the knowledge and skills being sought by organizations, may help ease the challenges encountered by both parties. The study benefits internship coordinators of a university who are planning to create a recommendation system, an innovative project to be used in teaching and learning.Social implicationsInternship programs can help a student grow personally and professionally. A university student looking for internship opportunities can find it a daunting task to undertake, as there is a vast pool of opportunities offered in the market. The confidence levels needed to match their knowledge, skills and career goals with the job descriptions (JDs) could be challenging. The same holds with companies, as finding the right people for the right job is a tough endeavor. The main objective of conducting this study is to identify models implemented in recommendation systems to give and/or rank suggestions given to users.Originality/valueWhile surveys regarding recommender systems (RS) exist, there are gaps in the presentation of various data collection methods and the comparison of recommendation filtering techniques used for both primary and secondary sources of data. Most recommendation systems for internship programs are intended for European universities and not much for Southeast Asia. There are also a limited number of comparative studies or systematic review articles related to recommendation systems for internship programs offered in an Southeast Asian landscape. Systematic reviews on the usability of the proposed recommendation systems are also limited. The study presents reviews of articles, from data collection and techniques used to the usability of the proposed recommendation systems, which were presented in the articles being studied.

The Effect of Institutional and Shariah Governance on Sukuk and Bond Performance in Asian Region

Purpose: This study investigates the influence of shariah and institutional governance on the performance of sukuk and bonds in the Asian landscape, particularly Malaysia and Indonesia. It aims to unravel the impact of Shariah principles and various aspects of institutional governance (IG) indicators; hence offering a deeper understanding of sukuk and bond performance. Method: Data was collected from 34 companies in Asian region. The study developed and validated the SG index using principle component analysis. Results and Discussion: The findings from panel regression analysis showed that Shariah and institutional governance improve sukuk performance. In addition institutional governance affected bond performance. Indicators of IG affected positively sukuk issuance and return. However, only government effectiveness and rule of law affected the bond issuance. All the indicators affected bond return except voice and accountability. Implications of the Research: The study contributed to the literature by examined both type of governance and compared between their effects. It also developed an SG index for financial and non-financial companies. Improving Shariah governance and institutional governance will enhance sukuk and bond performance. Originality/value: The study contributed to the knowledge by developing an index of shariah governance for financial and non-financial organization.

AI governance in Asia: policies, praxis and approaches

ABSTRACT This article surveys the status quo of AI readiness and governance in Asia and identify Asian approaches of doing AI regulation and governance through policy and document analysis. We note that some Asian countries are moving from ‘soft regulation’ through strategies and guidelines to ‘hard regulation’ through rule-setting and laws on AI. We argue that their AI governance approaches are greatly influenced by the existing internet governance frameworks and suggest the importance of historical understandings of Internet, telecommunications, and digital technology and governance to identify the connections and influences – and ‘path dependency’ of past policies upon their current AI strategies and governance. We anticipate that the AI regulatory landscape in Asia will become a diverse and contentious space due to global AI competition among the EU, China and the U.S. as well as the pragmatic paths that many Asian countries may take considering their own histories, economies and politics.

Energy Transition in Vietnam: A Strategic Analysis and Forecast

Energy landscapes in Asia and other regions are currently undergoing a transformation aimed at increasing the share of clean energy sources. This article analyzes and forecasts the electricity demand in Vietnam, examining existing constraints that necessitate the shift from coal to renewable energy sources. The rapid economic growth in Vietnam is driving a substantial surge in electricity demand, projected to reach 124 thousand MW by 2030 according to the National Electricity Plan, positioning Vietnam second in Southeast Asia. This surge poses a significant challenge to national energy security, given the impracticality of effective coal mining in the country and the imperative to develop renewable energy sources. Anticipating the changes in Vietnam’s energy mix by 2050, this study foresees a substantial reduction in dependence on coal production. Government investment and green energy investment funds such as JETP are strategically directed towards renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, hydrogen energy, and efficient energy storage technologies. Consequently, this research substantiates the viability of an energy transition from coal to green energy in Vietnam. The article presents an assessment of the rate of replacing coal with renewable energy sources, taking into consideration various scenarios for economic development, energy consumption growth, and the utilization of renewable energy sources.

Bioregional Analysis and Ecological Politics of the Indian Sundarbans: An Interpretative Study

The Sundarbans is a uniquely gifted landscape. From the world’s largest thriving mangrove forest to the home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, it is indeed a storehouse of natural resources. But sadly, this ecosystem is equally fragile. This vulnerability is projected through biodiversity loss, rise in average temperature, and sea level rise due to climate change. In addition to being a low-lying coastal region, which makes it more susceptible to frequent cyclones, tidal floods, and earthquakes; this landscape experiences severe conflicts of interest between the locals and the wildlife, which has been impacting this dynamic relationship since the introduction of the conservation policies in the colonial era. There are many theoretical paradigms that challenge and examine this dynamic relationship, and one such is bioregionalism. Bioregionalism, in short, is both an environmental movement as well as a philosophy that affirms that a region is not solely defined by the border led by politics or legislation, but is held together by its natural forms, flora, and fauna. This movement critiques the mainstream dualistic modernity perspective and posits a co-adaptive, sustainable, and de-centralized working society. For this reason, this paper proposes to explore the Indian Sundarbans, as a unique cultural landscape by analyzing three events from the past: Project Tiger 1973, Morichjhanpi Massacre 1979, and The Sahara India Group Project of “Virgin Islands” 2003 from a bioregional perspective. This paper intends to undertake a correlational philosophical study to analyze a South Asian landscape (Indian Sundarbans) from an American theoretical standpoint (bioregionalism). Using the Indian Sundarbans as a case study, this study is aimed at exploring the underpinnings of bioregionalism and understanding the discourses that condition it.

Implications of Social Change in the Development of Information and Communication Technology in Asian Countries

This research explores the implications of social change in the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within Asian countries through a comprehensive analysis of academic literature. Utilizing a bibliometric approach and thematic analysis, the study examines 980 papers published between 1922 and 2023. The thematic analysis reveals recurring terms, with "Social Change" emerging as the central focus, emphasizing the transformative impact of ICT on diverse aspects of society. Other prominent themes include "Communication," "Economic Growth," and "Social Transformation." Notably, the less occurring themes, such as "Information Society" and "Sustainable Development," signify a conceptual depth in understanding the broader societal implications of ICT. The interconnections between themes highlight the complex dynamics shaping the technological landscape in Asia. The findings provide valuable insights for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners navigating the intersection of technology and society, informing future investigations and interventions.

Seeing animals like a state? Divergent forester subjectivities and the managing of human-wildlife conflicts in South India

How do foresters in India understand the foundational and proximate causes of negative interactions between humans and wildlife? In this article we identify five distinct epistemological orientations towards managing human-wildlife conflicts (HWC) and drivers of those conflicts among staff at differing levels of the Indian forest bureaucracy across three protected areas in the Western Ghats. Through an empirical analysis employing Q method, we analyze forester subjectivities in relation to how forests should be managed with HWC mitigation in mind. Our results suggest forester perspectives are informed by social class and rank, geography, and experience. Forester positionality and knowledge is also at times in conflict with hegemonic perspectives of forest departments and can lead to the development of tensions in how foresters think about human-wildlife relations and managing HWC. Our analysis brings together concepts of multiple environmentalities with Gramscian ideas of the incoherent individual to theorize the varying subjectivities of individual state actors in understanding, managing, and co-producing forms of HWC. In doing so, this article contributes to contemporary debates about the theorizing of subject-making in political ecology and geography through an empirical case from one of the most important megafaunal conservation landscapes in Asia.

Current clinical trial disclosure landscape in Asia

The transparency and disclosure landscape in Asia has been rapidly evolving during the past decade. With respect to clinical trial registries, China launched its national registry, ChinaDrugTrials.org.cn, in 2013; South Korea introduced the new clinical trial disclosure platform through its Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in 2019; whilst Japan unified its three existing primary registries into a single clinical trial registry – Japan Registry of Clinical Trials (jRCT) – in 2020. We provide an overview of the national clinical trial registries and the trial results disclosure practices for 4 Asian countries – China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Plant Breeding and Intellectual Property Rights in Nepal

This article examines the adoption of plant breeders’ rights (PBR), also known as intellectual property rights (IPR), pertaining to plant breeding and genetics in various nations. Its main goal is to offer direction for the growth of an organized and competitive plant breeding industry in Nepal. The paper seeks to analyze the mechanisms that ensure adequate protection of intellectual property and returns on investment in plant breeding, drawing on international practices and treaties like the Convention on Biodiversity, Trade Related Aspect of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The paper presents case studies to demonstrate how these issues are addressed by looking at the current IPR landscape in Asia, Europe, and North America. These results are the basis of policy recommendations to aid Nepal in developing a strong plant breeding industry.

Orta Asya'nın Yapay Zeka Jeopolitiği: Rusya ve Çin Örnekleri

In the 21st century, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly transforming the instruments of power and contributing to intensifying rivalry on the dynamics of balance of power. In the context of the Central Asian geopolitics, China’s expanding AI technologies do not only serve for its economic growth and national power, but embody future areas of uncertainty in the Sino-Russian relations. Despite the current state of a kind of 'entente cordiale' over their role in the Central Asia, the future developments in the AI technologies can reinforce far-reaching repercussions in their relations. In this vein, this study analyzes the implications of AI technologies in terms of power politics and discusses the future of Sino-Russian relations in the Central Asian context. It addresses the possible utilization of AI technologies under the context of military, economic, and political areas and discusses possible consequences on the future of regional systemic dynamics. Consequently, the study argues that despite ongoing harmonious relations between the two power, the development and utilization of AI as a strategic asset in the Central Asian landscape can generate new areas of strategic competition and challenges for the future of Sino-Russian relations.

Areas of the Terai Arc landscape in Nepal at risk of forest fire identified by fuzzy analytic hierarchy process

Forest fire frequency has increased in South Asia in recent decades, with a growing impact on forest ecosystems. Nepal's Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) is one of the most ecologically important landscapes in Asia, hosting a great diversity of endangered flora and fauna. To better predict the threat of fire to forest ecosystems in the TAL, we identified fire-prone areas using fuzzy AHP methods. We produced a fire risk map by applying the weighted linear combination method using topographic (slope, aspect, and elevation), climatic (temperature, precipitation, and wind speed), biophysical (normalised difference vegetation index and landcover classes), and anthropogenic variables (distance to road and proximity to settlements). We then validated the map with records of past fires by applying a confusion matrix. The accuracy of our technique of fire location prediction was above 95%, with a kappa coefficient of 0.93 and AUC value of 0.83. Locations of medium to very high forest fire risk were found in around 51% of the study area, usually in the vicinity of areas affected by anthropogenic factors. This landscape-level study shows the potential of multicriteria prediction models to inform the preparation of national and regional forest fire management strategies and plans.

Formation and evolution of the Asian landscape during the Cenozoic

<p>Asia has a unique set of landscapes, notably characterized by the highest plateau in the world, the strongest monsoon circulation, and an immense arid region. When and how this landscape was formed have long been investigated, but explanations remain elusive. In this paper, through a synthesis of both terrestrial and marginal marine sedimentary records and numerical simulation analyses, we propose that tectonic uplift/deformation and global cooling during the Cenozoic have controlled the evolution of Asian topography and climate, respectively, and, the Asian landscape. The Asian landscape has undergone three main stages of evolution, <i>viz</i>: development of low-relief topography and warm-dry climate during the Eocene (~50-34 Ma); emergence of high relief topography in the southwest, along with a diverse range of landforms elsewhere, associated with a warm monsoon-arid climate coupling system during the Oligocene to early Pliocene (34-3.0 Ma); and development of the typical Asian summer and winter monsoon circulation and present landscape since the late Pliocene, accompanied by significant global cooling. Our analyses reveal that the distribution of river catchments, flora, fauna and soils are controlled by tectonic uplift/deformation and palaeoclimate changes. Stepwise evolution of the Asian landscape since ~50 Ma was driven by tectonic deformation and global temperature changes, each of which may play different role(s) in landscape evolution. For instance, the India-Asia collision played a vital role in the formation of the Asian topographic configuration in the middle Eocene, which generated regional atmospheric circulation. On the other hand, global cooling during the late Pliocene played an important role in generating the modern-like Asian landscape including the rapid accumulation of loess deposits, strengthening of the Asian monsoon circulation, and the evolution of modern topography. To summarize, we broadly propose a three-stage history of landscape evolution in Asia during the Cenozoic. The detailed processes of Asian landscape evolution and the specific roles of tectonism and global temperature in controlling Asian landscapes and palaeoclimate evolution need to be further investigated.</p>

Managerial approaches to handle electronic waste: Sustainable e-waste management and recycling initiatives

Leveraging the power of a quantitative approach, this study navigates the complex web of e-waste dynamics. E-waste generation rates, recycling rates, and composition intricately shape the e-waste landscape in Asia. Through the meticulous collection of data using Google Forms, respondents across four different countries in Asia contribute their perspectives, making this research a true cross-cultural exploration. The findings, distilled through robust statistical analysis using SPSS, highlight the nuanced correlations that dictate the e-waste management paradigm. The Pearson Correlations table underscores the significant associations between e-waste generation rates, recycling rates, composition, and recycling sustainability. The linkages unveiled through this analysis provide a comprehensive understanding of how these factors interact within the Asian context, guiding the formulation of effective e-waste management strategies. Furthermore, the regression analysis validates the hypotheses, showcasing the impact of e-waste generation rates, recycling rates, and composition on e-waste recycling sustainability. The quantitative methodology employed unveils the intricate relationships, their strengths, and significance levels, contributing to a richer comprehension of e-waste management dynamics in Asia.

근대 유럽에서 풍경화의 발흥과 진화

This article aims to introduce how European landscape painting emerged in ancient times, gradually revived during the early modern period, and finally developed into an independent subject or genre, which later affects modern East Asian landscape paintings. Landscape paintings in Europe originate from the Minoan civilization of the Aegean sea around B.C. 1450. It also appears in a form of realistic style ‘painting within a painting’ in Roman wall paintings from Campania since B.C. 80. Although this tradition was neglected by the Christianity-oriented medieval art from the 4th to 14th century, it reappeared during the mid-14th century. As the Renaissance Humanism of the 15th and 16th century raised the awareness of the independent self, nature was objectified as a coexisting companion and began to be represented in a vision-based way.BR From the early 15th century, landscape painting was revived as the background of paintings of Flanders, Florence, and Venice. Later in 1473, those background materials began to appear on the canvas solely, signaling the rebirth of a ‘sheer landscape painting.’ Soon after, it developed into both watercolor landscape painting and oil painting landscape painting, and became an independent painting subject accompanied by the emergence of a subject specialist in the 16th century. In the Netherlands during the 17th century, with the support of the bourgeoisie, realistic and naturalistic landscape paintings thrived and landscape became a major genre in painting, eventually leading to the establishment of the tradition of modern landscape painting. Meanwhile, classical landscape painting flourished in Rome and became the canon of modern academic art. From the 18th century to the early 19th century, landscape painting was associated with Naturalism and Romanticism in England, while being the major theme of the Barbizon school in France. Eventually, landscape expanded as a part of the visual culture. On the other hand, German Romantic painters deviated from the customs of landscape paintings to elevate the spirituality of landscape, which combines the perception and mind as religious paintings does through the spiritual eye. After the mid-19th century, landscape, along with nude, became one of the most favored subjects in modern painting and photography, followed by the emergence of Impressionism which led landscape painting to its peak period.

Land of sand: reclaiming the sea, landscapes and lives in Malacca, Malaysia

Today, the landscapes of Asia—and Southeast Asia in particular—are undergoing major transformations, many of which are due to urbanisation processes that impact coastal areas. These are often controversial reclamation projects, generically referred to as the ‘war of sand’—an (in)visible conflict named for the raw material used to develop artificial land for property development. In Malacca, Malaysia, coastal urbanisation engenders serious environmental damage via the elimination of mangroves, deterioration of water quality and marine ecosystems, and erosion. It also causes severe social and economic transformation that leads to specific social dynamics marked by the marginalisation of certain ethnic minorities. This invites us to rethink the right to the city and the landscape in the moment of reclaiming land. For this purpose, this article describes how coastal development and reclamation projects are heavily mining local communities and the environment. The sand war, it turns out, is not purely a resource-grabbing conflict nor a real estate process with heavy environmental implications, but an implicit war against ethnic and religious communities. Inequality is a consequence not by accident but by design.

Climate Changes in Central Asia as a Prerequisite and Trigger of Plague Microbe (Yersinia pestis) Speciation.

Two physical and climatic factors that were distant and recent prerequisites and a transformation trigger for a clone of the ancestral pseudotuberculous microbe Yersinia pseudotuberculosis O:1b (the causative agent of the Far East scarlet-like fever (FESLF)) into a population of the plague microbe derivative Y. pestis are considered. One remote prerequisite was the aridification of the Central Asian landscapes in the second half of the Cenozoic period and the formation of the Gobi Arid Zone. The arid conditions of Central Asia determined the formation of adaptive species-specific protective behavior in the Tarbagan marmot (Marmota sibirica) when installing the plug of a wintering hole, which later contributed to the massive infection of the animals with FESLF by the aberrant (traumatic, not alimentary) method during hibernation. A recent prerequisite and a real trigger of Y. pestis speciation was the onset of the last maximum (Sartan) ice age in Central Asia at the turn of the Pleistocene and Holocene, 22 000–15 000 years ago. Freezing of the cooling burrows of the Tarbagan marmot caused a behavioral shift in the larval population of the marmot flea Oropsylla silantiewi and the transition to the cold winter–spring months of the year from saprophagy in the nesting litter to hematophagy on the bodies of sleeping animals. Larval scarifications in the oral cavity of sleeping marmots have become the entrance gate for a unique traumatic FESLF infection. The constellation of climatic changes, the heterothermal (and, accordingly, heteroimmune) condition of the family groups of sleeping marmots, and the year-round propagation of marmot fleas in wintering burrows, combined with behavioral shifts in marmots and fleas caused by climatic changes, led to the formation of conditions in the parasitic system M. sibirica–O. silantiewi in which the transformation of the FESLF microbe into the causative agent of the plague occurred according to peripatric speciation. Thus, the climatic changes that happened at different times in the Cenozoic initially led to a shift in behavior of the Tarbagan marmot and, subsequently, to a shift in the behavior of the fleas parasitizing it. Ultimately, the change in the behavior of marmots and fleas caused the transition of the clone(s) of the FESLF causative agent into a new ecological niche and adaptive zone, as well as the transformation into a population(s) of the plague microbe.

Reviewing the Palaeoenvironmental Record to Better Understand Long-Term Human-Environment Interaction in Inner Asia During the Late Holocene

The Middle to Late Holocene spread of agropastoralism throughout Eurasia not only subjected domesticated taxa to stressors associated with novel environments but also induced changes in these environments following the introduction of these social-ecological systems. The mountainous region of Inner Asia comprises various steppe, meadow, and forest landscapes where zooarchaeological evidence suggests occupation by herding populations as early as 7,000 years Before Present (BP). Recent archaeobotanical findings indicate the introduction of cropping and the development of agropastoralism around 4,500 BP. Here, we review and synthesize palaeoenvironmental studies and data to examine anthropogenic impacts and modifications of these landscapes. From around 4,000 BP, we find significant changes in palynomorph, charcoal, sediment, and other proxy data, related to the introduction of agriculture to the region, with later intensifications in land use indicators at around 2,000 and 1,000 BP. We note that these impacts are not uniform or continuous through and across the records and may be evidence of shifting phases of occupation and landscape management. This temporal and spatial variability may also be a response to shifts in moisture availability due to long-term Holocene changes in the intensity of the summer monsoon and Westerly circulation systems. Changes in arboreal pollen indicate the development of intensified use of forest resources in the region, which we identify as a topic for future investigation. Based on these data, we stress the long-term human paleoecology in the study area and argue that traditional agropastoralist systems should be considered in future programs of landscape conservation in the region. This study also emphasizes the importance of future local scale multiproxy studies into past anthropogenic changes within the Inner Asian landscape.