Search Results (2,782)

The increasing demand for sustainable and health-oriented dairy and alternative products has enhanced interest in reducing or modifying fat in cheese systems. However, such modifications often lead to undesirable changes in texture and flavor, highlighting the multifunctional roles of milk fat within the cheese matrix. Rather than serving solely as a compositional component, milk fat contributes fundamentally to structure organization and flavor development through its physicochemical properties, interactions with the protein network, and lipid-derived pathways. This review examines these roles from a mechanistic perspective and evaluates emerging lipid structuring approaches for texture modulation, while also discussing complementary approaches with potential to address flavor attributes. Collectively, it provides insights for rational formulation and guides future research toward the design of improved dairy and alternative cheese products. Full article

Aconitum poisoning is a major public health concern in East Asia, and remains difficult to diagnose when the causative toxins are not covered by routine targeted assays. In a poisoning incident that occurred in 2018, 15 individuals were affected, including five fatalities, after accidentally consuming a medicinal tincture during a shared meal. The comprehensive alkaloid profile of the tincture implicated in the poisoning was achieved through the integration of targeted analysis, molecular networking, and untargeted screening based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry, aiming to clarify the causative agents. Targeted quantitative analysis detected nine alkaloids derived from Aconitum plants, confirming the presence of Aconitum ingredients in the medicinal tincture. However, these alkaloids were either present at low concentrations or exhibited low toxicity, and thus were not the principal causative agents of this poisoning incident. Molecular networking revealed additional hidden diester-diterpenoid alkaloids (DDAs) and monoester-diterpenoid alkaloids (MDAs) that were undetected by targeted analysis. Untargeted screening identified 58 Aconitum alkaloids, including 15 DDAs, 17 MDAs, 17 amino-diterpenoid alkaloids (ADAs), 2 C20-diterpenoid alkaloids, and seven unclassified alkaloids. The three most abundant alkaloids were structurally identified as pseudoaconitine, 8-deacetylpseudoaconitine, and 3′-methoxyacoforestinine, and were identified as the main causative agents of this poisoning. To our knowledge, this is the first detection of these alkaloids in Aconitum poisoning in China. These findings demonstrate that integrated targeted and untargeted toxicological analysis can identify undocumented toxins in poisoning events of unknown origin and clarify the chemical etiology of unusual Aconitum poisoning. Full article

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci are highly polymorphic genome regions, with allele frequencies varying significantly across different populations. Population HLA frequency databases may contain biases and make cross-study comparison complicated due to varying data curation protocols, genotyping methodologies, resolution, and inconsistencies in the selection criteria for population samples. This study presents HLA allele frequencies of class I (HLA-A, -B, -C) and class II (HLA-DRB1, -DQB1, -DQA1), as well as their combined haplotypes obtained from over 18,000 whole genome sequencing samples of the Russian population. The cohort was stratified based on PCA and admixture components, providing frequencies for 14 different ethnic groups. For 12 groups cohort size allowed us to reach average saturation of 96% of allele frequencies in groups. Moreover, we demonstrated the utility of composed statistics for disease population study using type 1 diabetes (T1D) as an example. Genetically defined population clusters with similar aggregated genetic risk for T1D demonstrated substantial differences in frequencies of risk and protective HLA alleles. Obtained frequency data were made publicly available through the Allele Frequency Net Database improving previously sparse coverage in HLA frequencies data for the East Europe and North Asia regions. Full article

The Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii) is a vulnerable species found in arid and semi-desert regions of the Middle East and Central Asia. In recent decades, Houbara populations have significantly declined due to overhunting, habitat loss, and commercial development. As a result, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified this species as Vulnerable. This review examines global conservation efforts and breeding management strategies for the Asian Houbara Bustard, with particular focus on captive breeding programs established in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The study evaluates key reproductive technologies, including artificial insemination and other assisted breeding techniques, and examines the genetic and behavioral risks associated with captive breeding. Findings from the reviewed studies indicate that, while captive breeding programs have achieved notable production goals, they also present critical challenges for conservation. Effective long-term conservation therefore requires integrating reproductive technologies with habitat protection, careful management of genetic diversity, and the establishment of monitoring systems to ensure sustainable population recovery. Full article

Jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) is a widely consumed fruit in East Asia, yet its sharp-ended pits pose a high risk of gastrointestinal perforation in humans. While well-documented in human medicine, jujube pit ingestion in dogs has not previously been reported in the veterinary literature. This report describes a 15-year-old neutered male Maltese dog that presented with anorexia and lethargy five days after accidentally ingesting whole jujubes. Abdominal radiographs identified multiple intraluminal gastric foreign bodies demonstrating a distinctive, orientation-dependent sign: circular (transverse) or spindle-shaped (sagittal) opacities featuring a characteristic central longitudinal stripe. Although abdominal ultrasonography was limited in this specific case due to severe acoustic shadowing from localized gastric gas, the unique radiographic marker provided a reliable diagnostic clue before surgical confirmation. A gastrotomy was performed to successfully retrieve six intact, sharp-pointed pits, and the dog recovered uneventfully. To the authors’ knowledge, as the first report to describe the clinical progression and specific radiographic characteristics of jujube pits in a dog, this case highlights the central longitudinal stripe as a diagnostic clue. This marker facilitates the differentiation of jujube pits from other foreign bodies on plain radiographs, allowing for timely surgical intervention to prevent catastrophic complications. Full article

This study explores the interaction mechanisms between population and environment systems within the context of high-quality development (HQD), providing empirical insights for developing countries navigating rapid urbanization. The existing literature often focuses on regional macro-averages, which may obscure internal spatial structural heterogeneity and the phenomenon of bottleneck shifts within urban agglomerations (UAs). Focusing on six typical UAs in China from 2011 to 2023, we constructed a multi-dimensional evaluation system and utilized an optimal parameters-based geographical detector (OPGD) and an obstacle degree model (ODM) to decode the spatiotemporal evolution of these systems. The results demonstrate that: (1) Both population and environment subsystems have improved steadily. Ecological carrying capacity has increased significantly, and the primary systemic constraint has transitioned from the “environmental bottom line” to the “population dividend,” with several super/mega cities converging toward a synchronous development interval. (2) The modified coupling coordination degree (MCCD) exhibits an overall upward trend. While eastern UAs demonstrate core-driven synergistic evolution, central and western UAs face risks of a “single-core siphon effect” and “peripheral hollowing-out,” leading to pronounced spatial polarization. (3) The OPGD analysis reveals that the driving efficiency of large-scale traditional infrastructure investment has experienced a marginal decline, whereas economic fundamentals and technological innovation have emerged as core drivers for non-linear enhancement. (4) The ODM confirms that traditional environmental pressures have been substantially alleviated. The core constraints have transitioned to the population and economic dimensions, with labor productivity and science and technology (S&T) expenditure identified as the primary obstacles. Aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our findings may suggest that policy focus should shift from physical spatial expansion toward “soft connectivity” based on institutional and technological spillovers. We recommend establishing cross-regional coordination mechanisms to mitigate the siphon effects of core cities and transitioning policy priorities from ecological defense to high-quality population development. Full article

Urban eco-efficiency (UEE) is fundamental to achieving China’s dual-carbon goals. However, the literature has overlooked green space carbon sequestration, and linear models fail to capture complex nonlinear relationships. This study exploratorily integrates green space carbon sinks into the evaluation framework as an initial proxy, employing the global super-efficiency EBM model to measure the UEE of 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2012 to 2023. It combines XGBoost-SHAP with Geographically and Temporally Weighted Regression (GTWR) to examine UEE’s spatiotemporal dynamics and driving mechanisms. The findings reveal that (1) UEE in the YREB increased from 1.0760 in 2012 to 1.0990 in 2023, while spatial polarization became more pronounced. (2) Core driving factors exhibited significant nonlinear threshold and interactive effects. Specifically, fiscal decentralization’s environmental dividend is contingent on active government intervention to circumvent localized “race to the bottom” behaviors. Furthermore, population density transitions from yielding scale dividends to inducing “crowding effects” beyond optimal capacities—a degradation that advanced financial systems appear unable to mitigate. (3) A spatiotemporal misalignment was observed: fiscal decentralization unleashed green institutional dividends downstream (coefficients up to 0.0682) but was accompanied by a race to the bottom in the middle and upper reaches (extending to −0.6548); excessive population agglomeration in megacities induced a crowding effect, eroding early pollution control dividends. This study supports abandoning one-size-fits-all approaches and developing precise, spatiotemporally differentiated low-carbon policies. Full article

Taraxacum mongolicum, a medicinal and edible plant of the Asteraceae family, is widely consumed in East Asia and contains diverse bioactive compounds. This study systematically evaluated the bioactivities of whole-plant extracts and their components and elucidated the underlying anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Among the extracts, the methanol fraction exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity, effective inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) production, and modulation of inflammation-related proteins. In addition, the extracts demonstrated α-glucosidase and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activities, indicating multifunctional bioactive potential. Activity-guided analysis identified luteolin (2) and apigenin (4) as key active compounds with strong NO inhibitory effects. Western blot analysis revealed that both compounds significantly downregulated NO-related protein expression. Mechanistically, luteolin attenuated inflammatory responses by inhibiting NF-κB signaling and modulating the MAPK pathway, whereas apigenin primarily exerted its effects through NF-κB suppression. Both compounds also promoted M2 macrophage marker expression, suggesting a role in immune regulation. Molecular docking analysis further confirmed stable binding interactions of luteolin and apigenin with iNOS and COX-2. Overall, these findings demonstrate that T. mongolicum possesses antioxidant, enzyme-inhibitory, and anti-inflammatory activities and supports its further investigation as a multifunctional bioactive resource. Full article

The bean bug Riptortus pedestris is one of the principal soybean pests throughout East Asia. Males release an aggregation pheromone consisting of three compounds—(E)-2-hexenyl (Z)-3-hexenoate (E2HZ3H), (E)-2-hexenyl (E)-2-hexenoate (E2HE2H) and myristyl isobutyrate (MI)—in a ratio of 1:5:1. Although pheromone-based baits have been extensively deployed to control the pest for the past three decades, the glands responsible for producing these volatiles have remained unidentified. Our investigations revealed that the metathoracic glands (MTGs) of males synthesized the two pheromonal esters, E2HZ3H and E2HE2H, along with a suite of auxiliary compounds: (E)-2-hexenal, hexanoic acid, (E)-3-hexenoic acid, (E)-2-hexenoic acid, (E)-2-octenal, and (E)-2-hexenyl hexanoate (E2HH). Female MTGs were morphologically similar to those of males and generated the same auxiliary compounds, but lacked the capacity to produce the pheromonal esters E2HZ3H and E2HE2H. MI was released exclusively from the male abdominal sternites. Its quantity was nearly uniform across all sternal segments, implying secretion from an epidermal glandular patch (GP) that was evenly distributed over the sternites. In nymphs, dorsal abdominal glands (DAGs) emitted several volatiles—including (E)-2-hexenal, 4-oxo-(E)-2-hexenal, (E)-2-octenal, and (E)-2-octenoic acid—some of which are characteristic defensive compounds of heteropterans. Thus, our study clarifies how sex- and stage-specific glands contribute to the chemical polymorphism observed in R. pedestris. Full article

African swine fever (ASF) poses a persistent and escalating threat to global swine production. To comprehensively characterize its global spatiotemporal dynamics from 1996 to 2025, we developed an integrated framework combining multi-distance spatial analysis and advanced time series forecasting, utilizing a dataset of 57,253 outbreak records. Our findings reveal a clear divergence in transmission patterns: wild boar accounted for approximately 70% of outbreaks and predominantly sustained transmission in Eastern Europe, whereas domestic pig outbreaks were largely concentrated in Southeast Asia. A pronounced epidemiological shift occurred between 2017 and 2020, during which ASF spread transitioned from a predominantly north–south axis linking Africa and the Caucasus to a broad east–west expansion across Eurasia, coinciding with rapid dissemination throughout Asia. In the Northern Hemisphere, ASF outbreaks exhibited a bimodal seasonal pattern, with peaks observed in January–March and July–August. Comparative forecasting analyses demonstrated that machine learning approaches consistently outperformed both traditional statistical and deep learning models. Among these, the random forest algorithm achieved the highest predictive accuracy, surpassing SARIMA, Prophet, XGBoost, and GRU. Collectively, these findings underscore the pivotal role of wild boar in maintaining global ASF transmission and highlight the necessity of integrated surveillance at wildlife–livestock interfaces. Furthermore, they support the application of machine learning-based approaches for improving early warning systems and enhancing the effectiveness of global ASF control strategies. Full article

Idesia polycarpa is an important woody oil tree species in East Asia, but the phenotypic framework of fruit-panicle economic traits remains unclear. This study clarified the hierarchical structure of fruit-panicle yield formation and its relationships with panicle density and oil-related traits for breeding. All traits showed continuous variation. Panicle length, primary branch number, fruit stalk length, and fruit size were approximately normally distributed, whereas fresh panicle weight, fruit number per panicle, and secondary branch number were strongly right-skewed. Secondary branch number further showed a typical zero-inflated long-tail pattern. Single-panicle yield was directly determined by fruit number and hundred-fruit weight, while fruit number was jointly regulated by primary and secondary branching. Primary branches formed the basic panicle framework, whereas secondary branches contributed disproportionately to fruit-bearing capacity and extreme heavy-panicle phenotypes. Thus, secondary branch number is the key upstream structural target trait controlling large-panicle formation, while fruit number and hundred-fruit weight are the two major direct yield components. Panicle density is positively correlated with fruit size and branching architecture, and negatively correlated with fruit stalk length, indicating that overly compact panicles may compromise harvest performance by increasing fruit rot risk. Oil content and fatty-acid traits showed substantial variation but were only weakly correlated with most yield-related traits, indicating that high yield and high oil content can be improved simultaneously. Full article

Endogenous growth theory explains the asymmetric dynamic relationship between economic and social development through human capital accumulation and innovation, institutional quality, and demand channels. The objective of this paper is to assess the dynamic relationship between social and economic development in developing countries, where institutional imperfections and development instability create the most pronounced asymmetries. A composite social development index, obtained using the entropy method, operationalizes social development as the expansion of human capabilities in three dimensions: health, education, and material security. A panel vector error correction model (PVECM), estimated using the generalized method of moments (GMM) on panel data from 18 countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa for the period 2001–2023, revealed asymmetric dynamic relationships: improved social indicators are associated with a short-term slowdown in economic indicators and more favorable economic dynamics in the medium term. In contrast, economic growth is accompanied by a positive lagged response in social development, although the short-term response may reflect the costs of social adjustment. The influence of control variables confirms the positive role of agglomeration for economic development, revealing the social costs of rapid urbanization and demographic pressure on social development. Estimates of the error correction coefficients indicate a slow adaptation of the system to long-term equilibrium, high inertia, and institutional rigidity of macrosocial processes. Impulse response functions confirm the dynamic and delayed nature of the interaction between economic and social development and positive shocks in the medium term. The obtained empirical results substantiate the need for institutional regulation of policy decisions on human capital accumulation and innovation, as well as social reforms. Full article

Sustainable municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment in rapidly urbanizing secondary cities requires evidence-based, district-level prioritization of technologies. We integrate GIS hotspot mapping, Random Forest, and AnyLogic System Dynamics into a decision-support framework and apply it to Shymkent, Kazakhstan (population 1.19 million; ≈301,400 tonnes of MSW in 2025). This is the first application of such a framework to MSW management in a Kazakhstani secondary city and, to our knowledge, the first regional application across Central Asia; the integration concept has prior precedents in Latin American, South Asian, and East Asian metropolitan studies, and the present contribution lies in empirical calibration to a Central Asian upper-middle-income context using 2015–2025 morphological audits, air-quality and soil monitoring, and Sentinel-2 NDVI. Random Forest (n = 80, 9 predictors) achieved R² = 0.976 ± 0.011 under 5-fold cross-validation; a complementary GroupKFold protocol confirms the model is Shymkent-calibrated while the methodology remains transferable. AnyLogic simulation shows an Infrastructure/Waste-to-Energy pathway reduces the 2030 annual landfilled volume to ≈201 kt, environmental risk by 70%, and methane emissions by 86% (≈270 kt CO₂-eq/year) relative to the Inertial baseline. The principal deliverable is a District × Technology × Phase prioritization matrix for sequencing sustainable investment under realistic budget constraints. Full article

Freshwater clams (Corbicula spp.), commonly known as shijimi in East Asia, have long been valued for their functional and nutritional properties. In this review, we summarise the physiological effects of hot water extracts derived from Taiwanese freshwater clams (FCE), particularly in relation to metabolic syndrome and other lifestyle-related disorders. Traditionally, shijimi has been used to alleviate hepatic dysfunction and symptoms associated with alcohol consumption. FCE significantly suppresses galactosamine-induced increases in serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. In addition, FCE reduces alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation and lowers hepatic cholesterol levels. FCE also influences alcohol metabolism: animals receiving FCE exhibit lower blood alcohol concentrations and a faster rate of alcohol clearance following ethanol administration. These findings suggest that shijimi may protect against alcohol- or drug-induced liver damage, potentially by enhancing alcohol metabolism. Beyond its role in liver protection, shijimi has been associated with the alleviation of jaundice, possibly through increased bile secretion linked to improved cholesterol homeostasis. Supporting this, studies using models of exogenous hypercholesterolemia show that FCE lowers both serum and hepatic cholesterol levels in a dose-dependent manner. Overall, traditional claims regarding the hepatoprotective effects of shijimi are increasingly supported by mechanistic and molecular evidence. This is the first clarified review of the various effects of shijimi. Full article

Understanding academic achievement requires moving beyond the identification of influential factors toward explaining how these factors are organized into functional learning and cognitive mechanisms. Although prior research has extensively documented the roles of socioeconomic status, student attitudes, and learning behaviors, less attention has been paid to how these elements interact within structured pathways that reflect underlying learning intelligence across educational systems. This study adopts a mechanism-oriented perspective to examine mathematics achievement using data from PISA 2018. Focusing on high-performing regions in East Asia and Western countries, it integrates interpretable artificial intelligence methods with structural modeling to investigate how contextual, psychological, and learning-process factors jointly shape achievement outcomes. The findings show that high achievement is not governed by a single set of dominant predictors, but by distinct organizational mechanisms of learning intelligence. In East Asian systems, achievement follows a chain-like convergent structure, in which socioeconomic background is systematically translated into academic outcomes through sequential psychological and self-regulatory processes. Psychological factors, particularly educational expectations and self-beliefs, function as key mediating mechanisms that organize learning engagement and strategy use. By contrast, high-performing systems in Europe and North America exhibit a parallel configuration, in which multiple cognitive and behavioral factors independently contribute to achievement through more decentralized pathways, reflecting a distributed structure of learning intelligence. Across regions, learning processes such as reading engagement and digital literacy show consistently positive associations with achievement. However, their roles vary depending on how they are embedded within broader system-level structures. These results suggest that self-regulation operates not merely as an associated factor, but as an organizing mechanism of learning intelligence that structures the translation of background resources into performance. By reconceptualizing prediction as a means of revealing the organization of learning intelligence, this study proposes a unified analytical framework that links interpretable artificial intelligence with theory-driven explanation. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how achievement systems function and highlight that high performance can emerge through multiple, structurally distinct pathways, with important implications for educational research, cognitive theory, and policy design. Full article