South And South-east Asia Research Articles

Impact of histopathological parameters in prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

AbstractObjectiveSquamous cell carcinomas comprise approximately 90% of all oral malignancies. There is a wide geographical variation in the incidence of oral cancer, with South and South East Asia (SSEA) accounting for almost two third of new cases. The prognosis of oral cancer is influenced by a vast array of factors including demographic, clinical, histopathological and molecular factors. The objective this review is to analyse the impact of histopathological features assessed in hematoxylin and eosin stained sections on the prognosis of OSCC.Materials and MethodsMedline and Scopus data base search was performed in order to identify related articles on histopathological parameters in predicting prognosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The primary emphasis is on the studies conducted in SSEA, with an accompanying comparison of their findings with those from research conducted in other parts of the world.ResultsIt has been shown that the number of studies conducted in SSEA is not proportionate to the high prevalence of Oral Cancer in the region. There is no significant difference between the findings from SSEA compared to the rest of the world. It is clearly shown that most histopathological parameters can be accurately used to predict nodal metastasis and prognosis.ConclusionsHistopathological parameters can be used reliably in planning treatment of Oral cancer. Clinicians should combine clinical and histopathological parameters in drawing treatment plan for Oral Cancer.

South and Southeast Asia controls black carbon characteristics of Meili Snow Mountains in southeast Tibetan Plateau

South and Southeast Asia (SSA) emitted black carbon (BC) exerts potential effects on glacier and snow melting and regional climate change in the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, online BC measurements were conducted for 1 year at a remote village located at the terminus of the Mingyong Glacier below the Meili Snow Mountains. The Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF-Chem) was used to investigate the contribution and potential effect of SSA-emitted BC. In addition, variations in the light absorption characteristics of BC and brown carbon (BrC) were examined. The results indicated that the annual mean concentration of BC was 415 ± 372 ngm−3, with the highest concentration observed in April (monthly mean: 930 ± 484 ngm−3). BC exhibited a similar diurnal variation throughout the year, with two peaks observed in the morning (from 8:00 to 9:00 AM) and in the afternoon (from 4:00 to 5:00 PM), with even lower values at nighttime. At a short wavelength of 370 nm, the absorption coefficient (babs) reached its maximum value, and the majority of babs values were < 20 Mm−1, indicating that the atmosphere was not overloaded with BC. At the same wavelength, BrC substantially contributed to babs, with an annual mean of 25.2 % ± 12.8 %. SSA was the largest contributor of BC (annual mean: 51.1 %) in the study area, particularly in spring (65.6 %). However, its contributions reached 20.2 % in summer, indicating non-negligible emissions from activities in other regions. In the atmosphere, the SSA BC-induced radiative forcing (RF) over the study region was positive. While at the near surface, the RF exhibited a significant seasonal variation, with the larger RF values occurring in winter and spring. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of controlling BC emissions from SSA to protect the Tibetan Plateau against pollution-related glacier and snow cover melting.

The mediating role of capital on deposit insurance and financial stability: evidence from Islamic and conventional banks

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the interaction between bank capital and explicit deposit insurance scheme (DIS) on the financial stability of Islamic and conventional banks.Design/methodology/approachThe author's sample covers 52 Islamic and 108 conventional banks operating in 12 countries over the period 2000–2021 using the random-effects generalized least squares (RE-GLS) regression technique.FindingsThe author's results reveal that bank capital negatively mediates the relationship between explicit DIS and the financial stability of both Islamic and conventional banks. Additionally, explicit DIS has a positive impact on the financial stability of conventional banks. However, the results are mixed for Islamic banks, as the effect of explicit DIS is positive for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region but negative for the South and Southeast Asia (SSA) region. Finally, the interaction between explicit DIS and the COVID-19 pandemic has a negative effect on conventional banks operating in the MENA region, while it has a positive effect on Islamic banks operating in the SSA region.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this paper have important implications for regulators in evaluating DIS policies and in anticipating any potential adverse consequences that might arise for both Islamic and conventional banks in normal and crisis times. Policymakers should strive to preserve the benefits of DIS while mitigating the destabilizing effects of its interaction with capital ratios.Originality/valueThis study introduces a novel aspect by examining the mediating role of capital in the relationship between explicit DIS and the financial stability of Islamic and conventional banks.

A CHELSA-based analysis of climate change characteristics and trends in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) during 1980-2018

A CHELSA-based analysis of climate change characteristics and trends in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) during 1980-2018

Health awareness and skilled birth attendance: An assessment of sustainable development goal 3.1 in south and south-east Asia

BackgroundThe United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 aims to reduce maternal mortality worldwide to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, which requires greater skilled birth attendant (SBA) coverage and increased health awareness. By evaluating relevant sociodemographic factors, this study aimed to identify different groups of women who lack health awareness and access to SBA services in eight selected low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) of South and South-East Asia (SSEA), namely, Afghanistan, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, and Timor-Leste. MethodsNationally representative Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) on women aged 15–49 years were analysed with a pooled sample of 95,521. Complex survey-adjusted logistic regression models were fitted to assess sociodemographic factors, SBA coverage, and health awareness. ResultsWomen with higher health awareness were 44.4% (95% CI:1.32–1.58, p<0.001) more likely to access SBAs compared to the rest. Women and/or their partners with no or primary-level education, who were poorer, became young mothers (≤20 years), not involved in decision-making, or hardly exposed to media were less likely to seek SBAs and have higher health awareness. Women in rural areas with more children were also less likely to use SBAs. Timor-Leste, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Nepal underperformed on SBA coverage amongst the selected LMICs of the SSEA region. ConclusionHealth education and mass-media-driven awareness could be an interventional avenue for LMICs to increase SBA coverage. Future studies comparing health policies within the SSEA region are required to identify reasons behind some nations’ underperformance, while others are on track to achieve SDG 3.1.

Sources of terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus mobilization in South and South East Asian coastal ecosystems

South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) is a socially, economically and ecologically diverse region, with a rapidly growing population and accelerating industrial development, agricultural intensification using manufactured fertilizers, terrestrial landscape change, expansion of water engineering, sewage production and land conversions. Nitrogen and phosphorus are major nutrients that play an essential role in the eutrophication of inland and coastal water bodies. Eutrophic areas, when combined with appropriate coastal ocean physical conditions, can develop into hypoxic zones that result in long-term ecosystem disruption. This study addressed changes in terrestrial nitrogen and phosphorus mobilization associated with land-use transitions, fertilizer use and sewage from 2002 to 2016 in the SSEA region, with a focus on the Mekong and Krishna-Godavari watersheds. Terrestrial mobilization results from the internal production or addition of reactive, soluble and/or plant available forms of nitrogen and phosphorus. To estimate terrestrial mobilization associated with land conversion, published data were mined for estimates of land cover change effects on soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus pools. Data on exogenous fertilizer and sewage effluents were also compiled from the literature. From the analysis, it showed that fertilizer input was the largest source of nitrogen and phosphorus in both case study watersheds. Sewage and land conversion were not a significant source of terrestrial phosphorus mobilization in either watershed. All land conversions resulted in declines in soil carbon, ranging from 11% to 38%. Nitrogen increased, on average by 15%, in conversions of agricultural to urban land, but decreased in all other conversions. Phosphorus increased by 89% in wetland to agriculture conversions, but decreased between 2% and 24% for other land conversions. Expansion of agriculture at the expense of forest was the dominant land conversion in the Mekong watershed. Urbanization, at the expense of agriculture and forest, was the dominant land conversion in the Krishna/Godavari watershed. These results suggest that management of nutrient pollution (N and P) in SSEA will need to focus on reducing the use and/or improving the efficiency of fertilizer use along with regular consolidated monitoring in both watersheds.

Developing a hydrological monitoring and sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting system for South and Southeast Asian river basins

Abstract. South and Southeast Asia is subject to significant hydrometeorological extremes, including drought. Under rising temperatures, growing populations, and an apparent weakening of the South Asian monsoon in recent decades, concerns regarding drought and its potential impacts on water and food security are on the rise. Reliable sub-seasonal to seasonal (S2S) hydrological forecasts could, in principle, help governments and international organizations to better assess risk and act in the face of an oncoming drought. Here, we leverage recent improvements in S2S meteorological forecasts and the growing power of Earth observations to provide more accurate monitoring of hydrological states for forecast initialization. Information from both sources is merged in a South and Southeast Asia sub-seasonal to seasonal hydrological forecasting system (SAHFS-S2S), developed collaboratively with the NASA SERVIR program and end users across the region. This system applies the Noah-Multiparameterization (NoahMP) Land Surface Model (LSM) in the NASA Land Information System (LIS), driven by downscaled meteorological fields from the Global Data Assimilation System (GDAS) and Climate Hazards InfraRed Precipitation products (CHIRP and CHIRPS) to optimize initial conditions. The NASA Goddard Earth Observing System Model sub-seasonal to seasonal (GEOS-S2S) forecasts, downscaled using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) General Analog Regression Downscaling (GARD) tool and quantile mapping, are then applied to drive 5 km resolution hydrological forecasts to a 9-month forecast time horizon. Results show that the skillful predictions of root zone soil moisture can be made 1 to 2 months in advance for forecasts initialized in rainy seasons and up to 8 months when initialized in dry seasons. The memory of accurate initial conditions can positively contribute to forecast skills throughout the entire 9-month prediction period in areas with limited precipitation. This SAHFS-S2S has been operationalized at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) to support drought monitoring and warning needs in the region.

Revisiting the levels of Aerosol Optical Depth in south-southeast Asia, Europe and USA amid the COVID-19 pandemic using satellite observations

The countries around the world are dealing with air quality issues for decades due to their mode of production and energy usages. The outbreak of COVID-19 as a pandemic and consequent global economic shutdown, for the first time, provided a base for the real-time experiment of the effect of reduced emissions across the globe in abetting the air pollution issue. The present study dealt with the changes in Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD), a marker of air pollution, because of global economic shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. The study considered the countries in south and south-east Asia (SSEA), Europe and the USA for their extended period of lockdown due to coronavirus pandemic. Daily Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) from Moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) and tropospheric column density of NO2 and SO2 from Ozone monitoring instrument (OMI) sensors, including meteorological data such as wind speed (WS) and relative humidity (RH) were analyzed during the pre-lockdown (2017–2019) and lockdown periods (2020). The average AOD, NO2 and SO2 during the lockdown period were statistically compared with their pre-lockdown average using Wilcoxon-signed-paired-rank test. The accuracy of the MODIS-derived AOD, including the changing pattern of AOD due to lockdown was estimated using AERONET data. The weekly anomaly of AOD, NO2 and SO2 was used for analyzing the space-time variation of aerosol load as restrictions were imposed by the concerned countries at the different points of time. Additionally, a random forest-based regression (RF) model was used to examine the effects of meteorological and emission parameters on the spatial variation of AOD. A significant reduction of AOD (−20%) was obtained for majority of the areas in SSEA, Europe and USA during the lockdown period. Yet, the clusters of increased AOD (30–60%) was obtained in the south-east part of SSEA, the western part of Europe and US regions. NO2 reductions were measured up to 20–40%, while SO2 emission increased up to 30% for a majority of areas in these regions. A notable space-time variation was observed in weekly anomaly. We found the evidence of the formation of new particles for causing high AOD under high RH and low WS, aided by the downward vertical wind flow. The RF model showed a distinguishable relative importance of emission and meteorological factors among these regions to account for the spatial variability of AOD. Our findings suggest that the continued lockdown might provide a temporary solution to air pollution; however, to combat persistent air quality issues, it needs switching over to the cleaner mode of production and energy. The findings of this study, thus, advocated for alternative energy policy at the global scale.

Metabolic Food Waste and Ecological Impact of Obesity in FAO World's Region

Obesity represents a titanic cost for the world's health systems but also a substantial ecological cost to the environment. High energy foods have been shown to be the major contributor to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, challenging the diet-environment-health triangle. The waste of resources and the unnecessary ecological cost due to an excessive consumption of foods leading to obesity have been ignored so far. Metabolic Food Waste [MFW(kg of food)] corresponds to the amount of food leading to Excess Body Fat (EBF) and its impact on the environment, expressed as carbon [MFW(kgCO2eq)], water [MFW(×10 L)] and land footprint [MFW(×10 m2)]. We aim to estimate the MFW(kg of food) in the seven FAO regions, Europe (EU), North America and Oceania (NAO), Latin America (LA), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Industrialized Asia (IA), North Africa, West and Central Asia (NAWCA) and South and Southeast Asia (SSEA), and evaluate its impact on ecological footprints. The overall impact of MFW(tons of food) in the world corresponds to 140.7 million tons associated to overweight and obesity. Between the different regions, EU is responsible of the greatest amount of MFW(tons of food) volume (39.2 million tons), followed by NAO (32.5 million tons). In terms of ecological impact, EU and NAO displayed the highest values for all three MFW footprints, about 14 times more than SSA. We provide evidence of the enormous amount of food lost through obesity and its ecological impact. Reducing metabolic food waste associated with obesity will contribute in reducing the ecological impact of unbalanced dietary patterns through an improvement of human health.

Quantifying the biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of changes in forest and agricultural land in South and Southeast Asia.

South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) has been a hotspot for land use and land cover change (LULCC) in the past few decades. The identification and quantification of the drivers of LULCC are crucial for improving our understanding of LULCC trends. So far, the biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of forest change have not been quantified at the regional scale, particularly for SSEA. In this study, we quantify the biophysical and socioeconomic drivers of forest change on a country-by-country basis in SSEA using an integrated quantitative methodology, which systematically accounts for previously published driver information and regional datasets. We synthesize more than 200 publications to identify the drivers of the forest change at different spatial scales in SSEA. Subsequently, we collect spatially explicit proxy data to represent the identified drivers. We quantify the dynamics of forest and agricultural land from 1992 to 2015 using the Climate Change Initiative (CCI) land cover data developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). A geographically weighted regression method is employed to quantify the spatially heterogeneous drivers of forest change. Our results show that socioeconomic drivers are more important than biophysical drivers for the conversion of forest to agricultural land in South Asia and maritime Southeast Asia. In contrast, biophysical drivers are more important than socioeconomic drivers for the conversion of agricultural land to forest in maritime Southeast Asia and less important in South Asia. Both biophysical and socioeconomic drivers contribute approximately equally to both changes in the mainland Southeast Asia region. By quantifying the dynamics of forest and agricultural land and the spatially explicit drivers of their changes in SSEA, this study provides a solid foundation for LULCC modeling and projection.

Underlying causes of PM2.5-induced premature mortality and potential health benefits of air pollution control in South and Southeast Asia from 1999 to 2014

Quantification of spatial and temporal variations in premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 has important implications for air quality control in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA). The number of PM2.5-induced premature deaths during 1999–2014 in SSEA was estimated using an integrated exposure-response model based on 0.01° × 0.01° satellite-retrieved PM2.5 data, population density, and spatially and temporally variable baseline mortality data. The results showed extremely high premature death rates in North India and Bangladesh. PM2.5-induced premature deaths in SSEA increased with small interannual variations from 1999 to 2014 owing to the interannual variations in PM2.5 concentrations. Moreover, four scenarios on the effects of premature deaths by PM2.5 mitigation efforts based on World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines (AQG) and interim targets (ITs) were investigated for each disease and each country during 1999–2014. Four scenarios based on WHO AQG (10 μg/m3), IT-3 (15 μg/m3), IT-2 (25 μg/m3), and IT-1 (35 μg/m3) resulted in 69.3%, 49.1%, 25.4%, and 12.8% reductions compared to the total reference premature deaths (1256,300), which was calculated using the original PM2.5 datasets. Overall, stroke was the most serious disease associated with air pollution, causing 40% of total premature deaths. Ischemic heart disease was the largest contributor (58%) to the deaths in relatively cleaner air (Scenario 1). The annual rate of change in premature deaths in South Asian countries (India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan) was higher than that in Southeast Asian countries under all scenarios. The results for different scenarios provide insight into the largest health benefits of PM2.5 reduction efforts.

Long-term trends and spatial patterns of PM2.5-induced premature mortality in South and Southeast Asia from 1999 to 2014

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) poses a potential threat to human health, including premature mortality under long-term exposure. Based on a long-term series of high-resolution (0.01°×0.01°) satellite-retrieved PM2.5 concentrations, this study estimated the premature mortality attributable to PM2.5 in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) from 1999 to 2014. Then, the long-term trends and spatial characteristics of PM2.5-induced premature deaths (1999–2014) were analyzed using trend analyses and standard deviation ellipses. Results showed the estimated number of PM2.5-induced average annual premature deaths in SSEA was 1,447,000. The numbers increased from 1,179,400 in 1999 to 1,724,900 in 2014, with a growth rate of 38% and net increase of 545,500. Stroke and ischemic heart disease were the two principal contributors, accounting for 39% and 35% of the total, respectively. High values were concentrated in North India, Bangladesh, East Pakistan, and some metropolitan areas of Southeast Asia. An estimated 991,600 deaths in India was quantified (i.e., ~69% of the total premature deaths in SSEA). The long-term trends (1999–2014) of PM2.5-related premature mortality exhibited consistent incremental tendencies in all countries except Sri Lanka. The findings of this study suggest that strict controls of PM2.5 concentrations in SSEA are urgently required.

Long-term trends and spatial patterns of satellite-retrieved PM2.5 concentrations in South and Southeast Asia from 1999 to 2014

Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is a serious air pollutant and has significant effects on human health, including premature death. Based on a long-term series of satellite-retrieved PM2.5 concentrations, this study analyzed the spatial and temporal characteristics of PM2.5 in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA) from 1999 to 2014 using standard deviation ellipse and trend analyses. A health risk assessment of human exposure to PM2.5 between 1999 and 2014 was then undertaken. The results show that PM2.5 concentrations increased in most areas of SSEA from 1999 to 2014 and exceeded the World Health Organization average annual limit of primary PM2.5 standards. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India experienced average PM2.5 values higher than the total average for SSEA. From 1999 to 2014, the entirety of SSEA exhibited an increased rate of 0.02μg/m3/year on average. Bangladesh and Myanmar witnessed greater incremental rates of PM2.5 than India. Correspondingly, the center of the average regional PM2.5 concentration gradually shifted to the southeast during the study period. The proportion of areas with PM2.5 concentrations exceeding 35μg/m3 increased consistently, and the areas with PM2.5 concentrations below 15μg/m3 decreased continuously. The proportion of the population exposed to high PM2.5 (above 35μg/m3) increased annually. The extent of high-health-risk areas in SSEA expanded in size and extent between 1999 and 2014, particularly in North India, Bangladesh and East Pakistan. Therefore, all of SSEA should receive special attention, and strict controls on PM2.5 concentrations in SSEA countries are urgently required.

Morpho-physiological characterization of soybean genotypes under subtropical environment

Soybean is a promising oilseed crop in rice-based cropping systems in South and Southeast Asia. In spite of immense scope of its expansion, the crop is not being popular to the farmers because of poor yield of the existing cultivars. Therefore, this study evaluated eighty-soybean genotypes of diverse growth habits with a view to searching genotype(s) of desirable morpho-physiological characters and high yield potential. Sixteen quantitative plant traits were evaluated to classify the genotypes into different groups using various multivariate methods. A wide range of variation was found in almost all qualitative plant traits. The study reveals that plants tend to become taller as the phenological cycle is longer. Seed yield was the product of the number of pods per plant, pod weight and seeds per pod. The first three components of principal component analysis explained 75% of the total variations of the soybean genotypes. Using Dendrogram from cluster analysis, the genotypes were grouped into six clusters. The maximum number of genotypes was concentrated in cluster 5 followed by clusters 4. The phenology, plant height, the number of pods and seed yield were the important discriminating variables in grouping the genotypes. The number of pods per plant displayed the principal role in explaining the maximum variance in the genotypes. The clustering pattern of the genotypes revealed that the genotypes under cluster 2 and cluster 6 were long statures, late maturing and produced higher seed yield. The genotype G00003 under cluster 2 is the best entry giving the highest seed yield. From cluster 6, the genotype G00209 could be the better choice for much better seed yield. The cluster 3 genotypes were comparatively early maturing and gave reasonable yield. It is concluded that the genotypes under clusters 2 and 6 and 3 can be important resources for developing a high yielding variety and sustainability of growing soybean in the subtropical conditions.

Afforestation and reforestation projects in South and South-East Asia under the Clean Development Mechanism: Trends and development opportunities

This paper contributes to identification of key trends, opportunities and constraints for development of afforestation/reforestation projects (AR) under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It reports on analysis of survey results particularly addressing CDM-AR projects in South and South-East Asia (SSEA), and on knowledge obtained from both (i) experts in SSEA countries and (ii) developers, investors and consultants in the Annex I countries. Despite a wide variety of opinions, respondents from both groups expressed a number of similarities in their vision. For example, availability of land suitable for tree planting in host countries, and the development of community-based forestry were considered by experts as major strengths of CDM-AR. There was a consensus between the two groups of experts regarding certification and developing standards for CDM-AR. Community participation, with a focus on local livelihoods and biodiversity conservation, were identified as the basic criteria for success. The similarities and differences revealed in the attitudes of experts make it possible to identify and explain areas of potential conflicts between the CDM-AR developers/investors and local communities, and therefore, to assist in managing conflicts that could arise, as well as to enable better targeting of CDM-AR within land use changes in host countries in order to provide more effectively the co-benefits to end-users, both at a local level and internationally.

Play Fair: A sporting chance for workers

FOCUS □ ORGANISING ANDSUPPLYCHAINS Play Fair: A sporting chance for workers I the to general In suppression join the human widespread trade industry or garment there form union right of in is a industry in generalthereis widespread suppression of the humanright tojoin orforma trade union ASHLING SEELY, Policy Assistant to the General Secretary, ITGLWF With Games opening little preparations over of the ten 2012 months are London well to go underway. Olympic until the openingof the 2012 LondonOlympic Gamespreparations arewellunderway. Athletes arehoning their skills, 3.5million tickets havebeensoldandthetourism andtransport industry isgetting ready toservethe5.3million people who willflockto LondonfortheGames.In the excitement surrounding suchmegasports events theverypeople who allowtheseGamesto take place - theworkers - are often overlooked. Far fromthe glamourof the games,the men and women whomanufacture theclothing andfootwear wornbytheathletes and themascotsand merchandisepublicising theeventsworklonghours for lowwages,often inhazardous conditions and underprecarious working arrangements. Themajority oftheworld'ssportswear productiontakesplace in Southand SouthEastAsia. Workers inthesefactories receiveextremely low wages,sometimes evenlessthanlocalminimum wageswhichthemselves areinadequateto meet basicneeds.Asa result workers producing sports goodsfrequently liveon lessthantheUNpovertythreshold . Recent research bytheglobalunion for textile workers, theITGLWF, revealed that workers in sportswearproducingfactoriesin the Philippines are resorting to pawningtheir ATM cardsin exchangeforadvances.On paydaythe loan amountplusinterest is deductedfrom their accounts bythelender andonlythenareworkers' bankcardsreturned. Ofthe83 factories covered intheITGLWF research notone was reported to paya living wage;that is,a wagesufficient tomeet basic needs and providea smallamountofdiscretionary income.A numberof workerstold researchers howtheir wagesarelinked tounrealistically high, unilaterally imposedproduction targets .Workers whofailtomeetproduction targets earneven less and are oftensubjectto psychological and physicalabuse. In one factory in Indonesia, workers toldresearchers howforty of themhad been lockedin an unventilated room without accesstodrinking waterandtoilet facilitates for three hours as punishment for falling short oftheir targets. Excessive andforced overtime iswidespread in theindustry. Sportswear brands andretailers share responsibility for thisas they often neglect totake account offactory capacity whenplacing orders and impose production deadlines which takemore concern ofconsumer demand than working conditions. Inthegarment industry ingeneral there iswidespreadsuppression ofthehumanright tojoinor form a tradeunion.Unionisation is avoided by meansofharassment, bribes, thefailure torenew short-term contracts, dismissals and evenfactory closure.In Indonesiathemajority oftradeunion officials inthesportswear factories surveyed reportedthat they weredenied thebasicfacilities toenable them toadequately perform their duties. InSri Lanka the Board of Investment promotestheuse of Employee Councils as a form ofworker representation , buttheworkers inthefactories toldITGLWF researchers thattheyhad no wayofraising concerns attheseCouncils andunions expressed frustration that they areusedtoundermine true freedom ofassociation. In Sialkot, thePakistani city whereabout30 percent of2010FIFAWorld Cup footballs wereproduced, "pocket unions"setup with theinvolvement ofmanagement arecommon. PlairFairCampaign In 2003,in therunup to theAthens Olympics, national andinternational trade unionsandNGOs joinedforces to campaignagainst practices such as these.AtthetimethePlayFairCampaign was one ofthebiggestanti-sweatshop mobilisations ever,with500 local campaigneventsorganised across35countries, andcollecting morethanhalf a millionsignatures of support.The Campaign madeitcleartothesportswear industry that consumers andworkers share thesameconcerns about theabuseandexploitation that liebehind thepublicfaceofmanysportswear brands. The PlayFairCampaignis coordinated bythe International TradeUnion Confederation, theClean Clothes Campaign,the International Textile, Garment andLeather Worker's Federation andmore recently also bytheBuilding and Woodworkers International. PlayFair aimstopromote better workingconditions and respect forworkers' rights in themanufacturing ofsports goodsandeventlogo merchandise, andintheconstruction ofthestadia inwhichsports events takeplace. The International OlympicCommittee (IOC) defines itsroleas "Toencourage andsupport the promotion ofethics insport" andclaims that respect anddignity areatthecoreoftheir organisational priorities. Principle 1oftheOlympic charter states "Olympism seekstocreatea wayoflife basedon ... respect foruniversal fundamental ethical principles ."The charter's secondprinciple states that "Thegoal ofOlympism is ... Promoting a peacefulsocietyconcernedwiththepreservation of humandignity". ThePlayFaircampaign haslong demandedthattheIOC liveup to itsrhetoric by making respect for workers' rights anintegral part oftheorganisations' basicprinciples andcode of ethics, andmaking compliance withcoreinternationallabourstandards a contractual condition in all licensing, sponsorship and marketing agreements . The IOC haverefused tomakesignificant movestomeetthesedemands, although they have incorporated a question onethical sourcing inthe candidate city questionnaire for theOlympic Games, effective from 2016 onwards,whichasks "With regard tothesourcing oflicensed products, please INTERNATIONAL union rights Page 8Volume 18Issue 3201 1 FOCUS □ ORGANISING ANDSUPPLYCHAINS demonstrate thestepsthat willbe takentoensure that socialandenvironmental factors (specifically withregardto labourstandards) are takeninto account inmaking selection decisions. Outline the criteria thatwillbe used to assesshow potential licenseesare adhering to standards and specify whatstandards willbe applied- national and/or international". By and large,theIOC refuses to acknowledge itsresponsibilities to thehundreds ofthousands offactory andconstruction workers who contribute to theGames,claiming thatthe bulkofresponsibility lieswith theindividual national organising committees. The London OrganisingCommitteeof the Olympicand ParalympicGames (LOCOG) is responsible forpreparing and stagingthe2012 Games.Under thePlayFairumbrella theTUCand LabourbehindtheLabelarecoordinating a campaign - Playfair 2012- toensurethat theLondon Gamesarenottainted bytheexploitation ofworkers .As...

Genetic structure, diversity, and allelic richness in composite collection and reference set in chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.).

BackgroundPlant genetic resources (PGR) are the basic raw materials for future genetic progress and an insurance against unforeseen threats to agricultural production. An extensive characterization of PGR provides an opportunity to dissect structure, mine allelic variations, and identify diverse accessions for crop improvement. The Generation Challenge Program conceptualized the development of "composite collections" and extraction of "reference sets" from these for more efficient tapping of global crop-related genetic resources. In this study, we report the genetic structure, diversity and allelic richness in a composite collection of chickpea using SSR markers, and formation of a reference set of 300 accessions.ResultsThe 48 SSR markers detected 1683 alleles in 2915 accessions, of which, 935 were considered rare, 720 common and 28 most frequent. The alleles per locus ranged from 14 to 67, averaged 35, and the polymorphic information content was from 0.467 to 0.974, averaged 0.854. Marker polymorphism varied between groups of accessions in the composite collection and reference set. A number of group-specific alleles were detected: 104 in Kabuli, 297 in desi, and 69 in wild Cicer; 114 each in Mediterranean and West Asia (WA), 117 in South and South East Asia (SSEA), and 10 in African region accessions. Desi and kabuli shared 436 alleles, while wild Cicer shared 17 and 16 alleles with desi and kabuli, respectively. The accessions from SSEA and WA shared 74 alleles, while those from Mediterranean 38 and 33 alleles with WA and SSEA, respectively. Desi chickpea contained a higher proportion of rare alleles (53%) than kabuli (46%), while wild Cicer accessions were devoid of rare alleles. A genotype-based reference set captured 1315 (78%) of the 1683 composite collection alleles of which 463 were rare, 826 common, and 26 the most frequent alleles. The neighbour-joining tree diagram of this reference set represents diversity from all directions of the tree diagram of the composite collection.ConclusionThe genotype-based reference set, reported here, is an ideal set of germplasm for allele mining, association genetics, mapping and cloning gene(s), and in applied breeding for the development of broad-based elite breeding lines/cultivars with superior yield and enhanced adaptation to diverse environments.

Sexual Ethics and Islam

Kecia Ali’s Sexual Ethics and Islam is a fresh and incisive examination of avariety of issues related to marriage and sexuality. Its primary objective is to engage with the values and aspirations of contemporary American Muslims,although it should also find a broad non-Muslim audience in undergraduatecourses and among non-specialist readers. Throughout the book, Ali analyzesthe concerns of a Muslim community striving both to realize a visionof justice and equality informed by contemporary social realities as well asto cultivate a genuine and honest commitment to Islam’s teachings.Although she sometimes addresses the internal dynamics of the Muslimcommunity (both American and international) in ways that may resonatemost with a faith-based audience, non-Muslim readers and students will befascinated by the degree of Muslim social and theological diversity that shedescribes.Ali identifies strongly with “progressive” Muslims, although she doesnot hesitate to critique liberal and conservative orthodoxies. She engagesintensively with an emerging canon of English-language progressiveIslamic thought, frequently citing such authors as Amina Wadud, AsmaBarlas, Khaled Abou El Fadl, Omid Safi, and Farid Esack. One of the book’sstriking (and useful) aspects is that it does not assume that the Islamic “center”lies in the Muslim-majority countries of the Middle East or South andSoutheast Asia; it unapologetically (and accurately) assumes that theMuslims of North America and other minority communities can produceautonomous and valid developments in Islamic thought and practice.Although her sympathies clearly lie with, for instance, those who wouldseek to accommodate the religious and personal aspirations of Muslim homosexuals(chapter 5), she also displays an unsparing commitment to internalconsistency and intellectual rigor. She neither resorts to easy platitudesabout Islam’s egalitarianism and justice nor tolerates them in the argumentsof others ...

05/01904 Biomass energy demand and supply for Southand South-East Asia — Assessing the resource base: Koopmans, A. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2005, 28, (2), 133–150

05/01904 Biomass energy demand and supply for Southand South-East Asia — Assessing the resource base: Koopmans, A. Biomass and Bioenergy, 2005, 28, (2), 133–150

Hybrid histories and indigenous knowledge among Asian rubber smallholders

Michael R. Dove is Margaret K. Musserprofessor of social ecology and chair ofthe Council on South-East Asian Studiesat Yale University, F&ES, 205 ProspectStreet, New Haven, Connecticut 06511–2189, US. An anthropologist who hascarried out fieldwork in both Indonesiaand Pakistan, his current research inter-ests include contemporary and historicalenvironmental relations in South andSouth-East Asia, the sociology ofresource-related sciences, and the studyof developmental and environmentalinstitutions and discourses.Email: michael.dove@yale.edu