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The Indian Uprising of 1857 was the largest colonial insurrection the British had to face in the nineteenth century. Indian troops of the Bengal Native Army rose up in revolt, as did many Indian civilians, making 1857 both a military mutiny and a civil rebellion. This paper examines how the British authorities stationed at Benares (the modern city of Varanasi) managed to see off the multiple threats to their local governance. Not only were these dangers overcome, but Benares itself was to play a vital role in ensuring that the British possessed the military resources needed to defeat the insurgency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infant massage is a highly prevalent traditional practice in India and other parts of Asia. Clear guidance on safe and effective uses of infant massage is lacking especially in the contemporary times when the traditional knowledge is on the verge of extinction and preparations may differ from in the past. This paper presents a consensus guidance in the form of a standardized protocol for routine massage of infants in home settings. Furthermore, a feasible method to develop an integrative protocol involving traditional and modern medicine experts is described. A modified e-Delphi method was used to develop the protocol. A group of seventeen experts, including academicians and practitioners from disciplines as modern paediatrics, Ayurveda paediatrics, Physiotherapy and Naturopathy participated in three rounds of a Delphi study to evolve the consensus guidance. The present protocol for massage of infants born beyond 34 weeks of gestation and weighing above 1.8 kg is recommended for use by care givers. This provides guidance on the preparation for infant massage such as when to begin massaging the infant, checking fitness of the infant for massage, the appropriate time, environment, person and substance for infant massage and a detailed description of the procedure for infant massage. Paediatricians, obstetricians and other child care practitioners can use this protocol to guide care givers on how to peform infant massage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about transnational cancer care in Asia. People with terminal diseases such as cancer increasingly escape devastating prognosis of their local regimes of clinical diagnostic truth by traveling to destinations where medicine is more advanced, yet affordable for them, and hence offers a broader scope for hope. The paper suggests that transnational cancer care provides an instructive case of the enormous geographical disparities in the availability of therapies and how this, combined with economies of hope and the marketization of health care, affects patients and their family caregivers. The primary contribution of the paper is the introduction of the concept of relational subjectivities to the health mobilities literature. The findings presented proof that the concept provides a fruitful analytical lens, yielding not only fresh empirical insights but prompting re-conceptualizations of medical travel itself as hopeful, yet risky transnational acts of family care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing, kinematics, and geodynamic evolution of the India-Asia continental collision are crucial to understanding the geological and geomorphological evolution of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen. However, the debate over how and when the collision occurred persists due to disputes concerning the reliability of paleomagnetic data obtained on both sides of the suture zone. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of paleomagnetic studies to address this controversial issue. The study focuses on well-preserved Cretaceous-Paleocene rocks from the Lhasa and Tethyan Himalaya (TH) terranes over the past two decades. We conclude that: (1) the paleomagnetic data of the Linzizong Group of the Lhasa Terrane and the Zongpu Formation of the TH are in their primary origin and can be used for tectonic reconstruction; (2) the Tethys Himalaya Basin (THB) was generated due to the rifting of the TH from Greater India before the Late Cretaceous; (3) the southern margin of Asia was aligned in the NW-SE direction before the India-Asia collision. The study suggests a quasi-synchronous multi-stage collision where the TH collided with the Trans-Tethyan subduction system in Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene times (∼65 Ma), followed by collision with Asia at 56–59 Ma. Finally, the India Craton collided with the TH, resulting in the synchronous closure of the THB at approximately 40 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Indian freshwater ecosystems are not well studied, are degraded due to expansive agriculture and are contaminated with pesticides. • Mesocosms identified malathion was the dominant stressor among co-occurring stressors. • In mesocosms malathion reduced richness, organism densities and caused community homogenisation. • Toxicology test comparisons between countries identify that Indian taxa may be relatively pesticide tolerant. Globally, river pesticide concentrations are associated with regional and local stream invertebrate diversity declines. Pesticides often co-occur with elevated nutrients (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus) and sediments related to agriculture, making their individual effects difficult to disentangle. These effects are also less well studied in Asia, than in other geographic regions. Within Asia, India is one of the largest producers and users of pesticides and has approximately 60% of total land mass used for agriculture. Here we examine the responses of Indian river invertebrate communities subjected to malathion, nutrients, and sediment additions in a semi-orthogonal design, in three sequential (through time) short-term (120 h) mesocosm experiments. Additionally, a series of single-species toxicity tests were run that used 24 h exposure and 72 h recovery to examine the sensitivity of 13 local invertebrate taxa to malathion, and 9 taxa to cypermethrin, comparing these results to those from other biogeographic regions. Mesocosm results indicate that malathion exposure had a major effect compared to other stressors on communities, with a lesser effect of nutrients and/or sediments. In mesocosms, taxa richness, total abundance and the abundance of sensitive species all declined associated with malathion concentrations. Comparisons of organism sensitivities from other geographic locations and those in the current paper suggest taxa in India are relatively tolerant to malathion and cypermethrin. Our results further reinforce that the high observed aquatic pesticide concentrations known to occur in Asian freshwater ecosystems are likely to be negatively affecting biodiversity, homogenising biota towards those most stress tolerant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In western Yunnan, potassic felsic suites with important Cu mineralization have been interpreted as being genetically associated with the Ailao Shan-Red River (ASRR) shear zone. In this paper, we show that the magmatism is unrelated to the shear zone, but shares many characteristics in common with potassic suites along the Jinsha suture to the north and northwest on the northern Tibetan Plateau, representing a magmatic response to the continued India-Asia convergence since the collision in the early Eocene. These felsic suites include syenite, monzogranite porphyries and granite porphyries. We dated 15 representative samples using zircon U-Pb method that gives a tight emplacement age of ~37–35 Ma. On 45 representative samples, we have done bulk-rock major element, trace element and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope analysis. We use these data, together with zircon Hf isotope data and the literature data on potassic mafic suites in the region to discuss the petrogenesis of these rocks. We conclude that the petrogenesis of the felsic potassic suites is most consistent with a scenario of deep (≥ 40 km) melting of thickened crust. The crustal melting is caused by intrusion and underplating of potassic mafic melts derived from melting of metasomatized mantle lithosphere. The mafic potassic suites in the region result from such mantle melts. Mixing of the mafic melts with the felsic melts explains the syenite and monzogranite porphyries and their extended fractional crystallization gives rise to the granite porphyries. The potassic suites along the Jinsha suture, including those from northern Tibet, western Yunnan and Vietnam, share the same tectonic setting during the Eocene-Oligocene. In response to the continued India-Asia convergence, removal of the lower continental lithospheric mantle triggered by Rayleigh-Taylor convective instability induces asthenosphere upwelling, partial melting of the metasomatized mantle lithosphere. We hypothesize that the eastward migration of the potassic magmatism along the Jinsha suture in the period of Eocene-Oligocene results from eastward thickening and removing of the continental lithospheric mantle along the suture, which, in time and space, correlates with the dischronal subduction of the torn Indian continental slab at ca. 52 Ma along the India-Asia collision zone. • The 35-37 Ma potassic suites in western Yunnan result from lower crust melting. • Their varied felsic compositions result from varying extent of fractional crystallization. • The removal of lithospheric mantle along the Jinsha suture was eastward-migrating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Gastrodia elata Blume ( Orchidaceae ) is commonly called Tian ma in Chinese and mainly distributed in the mountainous areas of eastern Asia, such as China, Korea, Japan and India. It is an extensively used traditional Chinese herbal medicine in the clinical practice of traditional Chinese medicine, to treat headache, migraine, dizziness, epilepsy, infantile convulsion, tetany and so on. The present paper reviews the advancements in investigation of botany and ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and quality control of Gastrodia elata Blume. Finally, the possible tendency and perspective for future investigation of this plant are also put forward. Materials and methods The information on Gastrodia elata Blume was collected via piles of resources including classic books about Chinese herbal medicine, and scientific databases including Pubmed, Google Scholar, ACS, Web of science, ScienceDirect databases, CNKI and others. Plant taxonomy was validated by the databases “The Plant List”, and “Mansfeld’s Encyclopedia”. Results Over 81 compounds from this plant have been isolated and identified, phenolics and polysaccharides are generally considered as the characteristic and active constituents of Gastrodia elata Blume. Its active compounds possess wide-reaching biological activities, including sedative, hypnotic, antiepileptic, anticonvulsive, antianxietic, antidepressant, neuroprotective, antipsychotic, anti-vertigo, circulatory system modulating, anti-inflammationary, analgesic, antioxidative, memory-improving and antiaging, antivirus and antitumor effects. Conclusion Despite the publication of various papers on Gastrodia elata Blume, there is still, however, the need for definitive research and clarification of other bioactive compounds using bioactivity-guided isolation strategies, and the possible mechanism of action as well as potential synergistic or antagonistic effects of multi-component mixtures derived from Gastrodia elata Blume need to be evaluated. It is also necessary and important to do more quality control and toxicological study on human subjects in order to maintain its efficacy stable in the body and validate its safety in clinical uses. In addition, more investigations on other parts of this plant beyond the tubers are needed. Further studies on Gastrodia elata Blume will lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases, and how to utilize it better should be paid more attention to. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative in-depth investigation of the energy standings, opportunities and the barriers that occur in the expansion of renewable energy in the Asia's two fastest growing economies, i.e. India and China. These two countries contain almost 36% of the world's population and constitute the fastest emerging hub for trade and industries in the energy sector in which different types of energy resources are sought to meet the energy demands. Non-conventional sources of energy are the inevitable alternative for the achievement of economic improvement, ecological balance, nature friendly environment and sustainable development. It is recommended to eliminate the obstacles to achieving the estimated energy targets of the 13th financial year plan (FYP) of both nations and stimulate the enhancement of the rate of green energy resources exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asymptomatic Leishmania donovani infections outnumber clinical presentations, however the predictors for development of active disease are not well known. We aimed to identify serological, immunological and genetic markers for progression from L. donovani infection to clinical Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL). Methods: We enrolled all residents >2 years of age in 27 VL endemic villages in Bihar (India). Blood samples collected on filter paper on two occasions 6–12 months apart, were tested for antibodies against L. donovani with rK39-ELISA and DAT. Sero converters, (negative for both tests in the first round but positive on either of the two during the second round) and controls (negative on both tests on both occasions) were followed for three years. At the start of follow-up venous blood was collected for the following tests: DAT, rK39- ELISA, Quantiferon assay, SNP/HLA genotyping and L.donovani specific quantitative PCR. Results: Among 1,606 subjects enrolled,17 (8/476 seroconverters and 9/1,130 controls) developed VL (OR 3.1; 95% CI 1.1–8.3). High DAT and rK39 ELISA antibody titers as well as positive qPCR were strongly and significantly associated with progression from seroconversion to VL with odds ratios of 19.1, 30.3 and 20.9 respectively. Most VL cases arose early (median 5 months) during follow-up. Conclusion: We confirmed the strong association between high DAT and/or rK39 titers and progression to disease among asymptomatic subjects and identified qPCR as an additional predictor. Low predictive values do not warrant prophylactic treatment but as most progressed to VL early during follow-up, careful oberservation of these subjects for at least 6 months is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian subcontinent has a history of overwhelming earthquakes. The main cause for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that the Indian plate is driving into Asia at a rate of approximately 50 mm/year in north-east direction. Geographical statistics of India shows that almost 54% of the land is susceptible to earthquakes. In this paper, we analyzed the trend of earthquakes that occurred during 2000-2019 in Indian continent by the method of moving averages and fitting the curve to the past data. Here, the past behavior of seismic events of different magnitudes and fatalities due to this natural hazard during last two decades has been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric oxygen (O2) is one of the predominant features that enable Earth as a habitable planet for active and diverse biology. However, observations since the late 1980s indicate that O2 content in the atmosphere is falling steadily at part-per-million level. Although a scientific consensus has emerged that the current decline is generally attributed to the combustion of fossil fuel, a quantitative assessment of the anthropogenic impact on the O2 cycle on both global and regional scale is currently lacking. This paper quantifies the anthropogenic and biological O2 flux over land and provides a quantitative and dynamic description of land O2 budget under impacts of human activities on grid scale. It is found that total anthropogenic O2 flux over land has risen from 35.6 Gt/yr in 2000 to 46.0 Gt/yr in 2013, while the compensation from land (11.5 Gt/yr averaged from 2000 to 2013) displays a faint increase during the same period. High anthropogenic fluxes mainly occur in Eastern Asia, India, North America and Europe caused by fossil fuel combustion and in Central Africa caused by wildfire. Due to strong heterotrophic soil respiration under higher temperature conditions, the positive O2 flux in the tropics is not significant. Instead, boreal forest and Tibetan plateau become the most important sources of atmospheric O2 in the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widespread notion that the city is secular and that therefore society’s future is secular is in need of serious reconsideration. This paper argues that religion does not melt away but rather morphs into modern forms of aspiration, speculation, and contention. Religion is therefore crucial to social inquiry into the nature of the urban. The paper argues that in Asia the Christian modern is close to the secular modern with fragments of rational planning and calculation in constant interplay with fragments of the magic of speculative modernity. Both communism and market capitalism are ideological cousins of Christian millenarianism. In a comparison of India, China, and Singapore it argues that the Christian form of modernity has been much better able to penetrate and coalesce with Sinic civilizational traditions than with Indic civilizational traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper attempts to explore the connections between expanding female education and the participation of women in paid employment in Japan, China and India, three of Asia's largest economies. Analysis based on existing data and literature shows that despite the large expansion in educational access in these countries in the last half century, women have lacked egalitarian labour market opportunities. A combination of social discouragement and individual choice largely explains the withdrawal, non-participation or intermittent female presence in the labour force, notwithstanding increased educational access. In taking stock of these issues and debates across these countries, it is argued that the parallel experiences of women in these countries can be traced back to persistent gender norms which, amongst other things, imply the centrality of marriage and non-market unpaid labour for women. The paper argues that there is a need for gender-sensitive public policy in order for increased education to translate to labour market gains for women, leading to sustainable development outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Continental evolution is responsible for the evolution of orogenic belts and sedimentary basins. The India–Asia convergence during the late Mesozoic to Cenozoic and the resulting tectono-sedimentary processes in the Tibetan Plateau and and its environs are among the most spectacular manifestations of continental evolution and sedimentary basin formation in recent Earth history. The aim of this special issue is to explore continental evolution and sedimentary basins in central-southern Asia since the late Mesozoic, with a main focus on the India–Asia convergence and the resulting tectono-sedimentary, tectono-geomorphologic, and paleoclimatic/paleoenvironmental processes in the Tibetan Plateau and its environs during the late Cretaceous to Neogene. The issue comprises ten papers that address the significance of Continental Evolution and Sedimentary Basins of the Tibetan Plateau and its Environs since the middle Cretaceous, and that fall into three categories. (i) The first category addresses the paleogeography of the southern-central Tibetan Plateau during the Cretaceous to Paleogene. These studies decipher the multistage collision of India with Asia, the opening and closing of ocean basins, and the tectonic evolution of the major blocks (such as Tibetan Himalaya, Lhasa, and southern/western Qiangtang) and especially of the major Himalayan tectonostratigraphic units during the convergence history between India and Asia. (ii) The second category addresses the tectono-sedimentary and tectono-geomorphologic evolution of the eastern and northeastern margins of the Tibetan Plateau during the late Cretaceous to Neogene. (iii) The third and the final category addresses the tectono-sedimentary basin filling and/or paleoenvironmental processes during the late Eocene to Pliocene, which are recorded in the intermontane Kuche and Tajik basins in central Asia and thus may reflect the far-field influence of the post-collisional India–Asia convergence on these sedimentary basins. • Continental evolution is responsible for the evolution of orogenic belts and sedimentary basins. The India–Asia convergence during the late Mesozoic to Cenozoic and the resulting tectono-sedimentary processes in the Tibetan Plateau and and its environs are among the most spectacular manifestations of continental evolution and sedimentary basin formation in recent Earth history. • The paleogeography of the southern-central Tibetan Plateau during the Cretaceous to Paleogene was shaped by the multistage collision of Inida with Asia, the opening and closing of ocean basins, and the tectonic evolution of the major blocks (such as Tibetan Himalaya, Lhasa, and southern/western Qiangtang) and especially of the major Himalayan tectonostratigraphic units during the convergence history between India and Asia. • The India–Asia collision and ongoing convergence led to southeastward crustal extrusion, eastward and northeastward crustal growth and expansion of the Tibetan Plateau, and widespread crustal deformation surrounding the plateau. The concurrent uplift, denudation, and sedimentation have played important roles in shaping the mountain topography of the orogenic plateau margins. • The tectono-sedimentary filling and/or paleoenvironmental processes recorded in the intermontane Kuche and Tajik basins in central Asia during the late Eocene to Pliocene may reflect the far-field influence of the post-collisional India–Asia convergence on the sedimentary basins in central Asia and/or the interplay between tectonics and climate in the Asian interior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a severe form of the leishmaniasis-disease complex. Its importance to public health relies on its high fatality rate in non-treated cases, the socio-economic impact related to its morbidity, and its endemicity on different continents. The estimated burden of disease of VL varies from 1,969,000 to 2,357,000 Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs). VL is classified as a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), and is strongly related to poverty and its consequences. Visceral leishmaniasis calls for the development of cost-effective technologies for diagnosis and treatment. Objective: The main objective of this study was to identify, describe, classify and analyze the scientific health economic evidence of VL-related technologies. Methods: A web search of combinations of free text and Mesh terms related to the economic evaluation of visceral leishmaniasis was conducted on scientific publication databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Medline via the Pubmed and Lilacs). A manual search of references lists of articles previously identified by the authors was also included. Articles written in English, Portuguese, Spanish or French were considered suitable for inclusion. Articles that matched the inclusion criteria were screened by at least two researchers, who extracted information regarding the epidemiologic scenario and methodological issues on a standardized form. Results: The initial search retrieved 107 articles, whose abstracts were inspected according to the inclusion criteria leading to a first selection of 49 (46%) articles. After the elimination of duplicates, the list was reduced to 21 (20%) articles. After careful reading and application of exclusion criteria, 14 papers were eligible according to the description, classification and analysis process proposed by the study. When classified by type of economic evaluation, articles were 7 (50%) cost-effectiveness, 5 (36%) cost-minimization, 1(7%) cost-benefit, and 1(7%) budget impact. When classified by methodology, studies were mainly nested to clinical-trials ("piggy back") 8(57%). Discount rates for outcomes and costs were present in 3 (43%) of the cost-effectiveness studies, and according to WHO's recommendations, the discount rate of 3% was used in all studies. Conclusions: This article showed that health economic evaluations on visceral leishmaniasis used a wide range of technologies and methods. Nevertheless it is important to point out the geographic concentration of studies, which makes their transferability uncertain to different epidemiological scenarios, especially those concerning visceral leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania infantum. Author Summary: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala azar, is a neglected tropical disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania. VL is related to poverty and its consequences, which leads to its status of neglected disease. For that reason, cost-effective forms of diagnoses and treatment are very important and still needed. This research aimed at a better understanding of the publications about the technologies currently available, from the standpoint of their economic value. For that purpose, we conducted a systematic review of the literature in order to identify the papers that conducted economic evaluations of technologies used in VL. We initially retrieved 107 articles, which were inspected according to specific guidelines for systematic reviews. After that process, 14 articles matched the inclusion criteria in our review. We classified those studies according to the type of economic evaluation they made, and the methodology used in each one. We found evaluations about a variety of technologies, but the studies were geographically concentrated in Asia, more specifically in India. This concentration is not good because the disease also affects other continents and it is not possible to transfer the economic evaluation from one country or epidemiologic scenario to another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports in the British media over the last 4 years have highlighted the schisms and contestations that have accompanied the reports of gender selective abortions amongst British Asian families. The position that sex-selection may be within the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act has particularly sparked controversy amongst abortion campaigners and politicians but equally among medical practitioners and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service who have hitherto tended to stay clear of such debates. In what ways has the controversy around gender-based abortion led to new framings of the entitlement to service provision and new ways of thinking about evidence in the context of reproductive rights? We reflect on these issues drawing on critiques of what constitutes best evidence, contested notions of reproductive rights and reproductive governance, comparative work in India and China as well as our involvement with different groups of campaigners including British South Asian NGOs. The aim of the paper is to situate the medical and legal provision of abortion services in Britain within current discursive practices around gender equality, ethnicity, reproductive autonomy, probable and plausible evidence, and policies of health reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research capacity is scarce in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings. Social determinants of health research (SDH) is an area in which research capacity is lacking, particularly in Asian countries. SDH research can support health decision-makers, inform policy and thereby improve the overall health and wellbeing of the population. In order to continue building this capacity, we need to know to what extent training exists and how challenges could be addressed from the perspective of students and staff. This paper aims to describe the challenges involved in training scholars to undertake research on the SDH in four Asian countries - China, India, Oman and Vietnam.Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with research scholars, research supervisors and principal investigators (n = 13) at ARCADE partner institutions, which included eight universities and research institutes. In addition, structured questionnaires (n = 70) were used to collect quantitative data relating to the courses available, teaching and supervisory capacity, and related issues for students being trained in research on SDH. Simple descriptive statistics were calculated from the quantitative data and thematic analysis applied to the qualitative data.Results: We identified a general lack of training courses focusing on SDH. Added to this, PhD students studying related areas reported inadequate supervision, with limited time allocated to meetings and poor interpersonal communication. Supervisors cited interpersonal communication problems and student lack of skills to perform high quality research as challenges to research training. Further challenges reported included a lack of research funding to include SDH-related topics. Finally, it was suggested that there was a need for institutions to define clear and appropriate standards regarding admission and supervision of students to higher education programs awarding doctoral degrees.Conclusions: There are gaps in training for research on the SDH at the surveyed universities and research institutes, which are likely to also be present in other Asian countries and their higher education institutions. Some of the barriers to high quality research and research training can be addressed by improved training for supervisors, clearly defined standards of supervision, finances for student stipends, and increased use of information and communication technology to increase access to teaching materials. Increased opportunities for online learning could be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial collision between Indian and Asian continents marked the starting point for transformation of land-sea thermal contrast, uplift of the Tibet-Himalaya orogen, and climate change in Asia. In this paper, we review the published literatures from the past 30 years in order to draw consensus on the processes of initial collision and suturing that took place between the Indian and Asian plates. Following a comparison of the different methods that have been used to constrain the initial timing of collision, we propose that the tectono-sedimentary response in the peripheral foreland basin provides the most sensitive index of this event, and that paleomagnetism presents independent evidence as an alternative, reliable, and quantitative research method. In contrast to previous studies that have suggested collision between India and Asia started in Pakistan between ca. 55 Ma and 50 Ma and progressively closed eastwards, more recent researches have indicated that this major event first occurred in the center of the Yarlung Tsangpo suture zone (YTSZ) between ca. 65 Ma and 63 Ma and then spreading both eastwards and westwards. While continental collision is a complicated process, including the processes of deformation, sedimentation, metamorphism, and magmatism, different researchers have tended to define the nature of this event based on their own understanding, an intuitive bias that has meant that its initial timing has remained controversial for decades. Here, we recommend the use of reconstructions of each geological event within the orogenic evolution sequence as this will allow interpretation of collision timing on the basis of multidisciplinary methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The timing of initial collision between India and Asia has remained controversial for half a century. This paper attempts to review this crucial and hotly debated argument, describing first the different methods used to constrain the age of collision and discussing next the rationale, results, inferences and problems associated with each. We conclude that stratigraphy represents the best direct way to unravel collision chronology. Other methods focusing on the magmatic, metamorphic or paleomagnetic record provide additional fundamental constraints, but cannot provide a robust direct estimate of collision onset. Initial collision in the central-eastern Himalaya is dated directly at the middle Paleocene (59 ± 1 Ma) by the abrupt change in sediment provenance recorded in trench settings. The quasi-synchronous unconformities documented along both Tethyan passive margin of India and active margin of Asia from Tibet to Zanskar-Ladakh confirm that orogeny was underway at the close of the Paleocene (56 Ma), well before the disappearance of marine seaways in the Himalaya during the early-middle Eocene (50–45 Ma). Sedimentary evolution and provenance changes in marine to fluvio-deltaic successions are recorded synchronously within error from the western to the central-eastern Himalaya, failing to provide conclusive evidence for diachronous collision. These coherent observations are hard to reconcile with three widely cited hypotheses invoking either Paleogene arc-continent collision or Late Cretaceous ophiolite obduction, or the protracted existence of a Greater India Basin, which are all not favored after discussing the geological evidence critically point by point. A scenario no more complex than the one involving solely the passive continental margin of India and the active continental margin of Asia is needed to explain the geological evolution of the nascent Himalaya. The collision between the Tethys Himalaya and the Transhimalayan arc-trench system does represent the collision between India and Asia. Because the Yarlung Zangbo Ophiolite is the forearc basement of the Asian active margin, its obduction onto India could not have preceded the initial closure of Neo-Tethys. Ophiolite obduction began when collision began, in the middle Paleocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Mesozoic uplift of the Gangdese arc occurred prior to the India–Asia collision and was important in the evolution of the Tibetan plateau, but the geodynamic mechanisms that drove this process are unclear. In this paper, we report geochronological, petrological, geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data for intermediate–acidic igneous rocks from the western Gangdese arc. These igneous rocks were emplaced at 87–67 Ma and are characterized by enrichments in light rare earth and large-ion lithophile elements, depletions in high-field-strength elements, high (87Sr/86Sr) i ratios (0.7074–0.7116), and low ε Nd (t) (−7.5 to −4.1) and ε Hf (t) values (−16 to 0.8). These magmas were most likely derived by high-temperature (960–1200 °C) partial melting of the thickened crustal materials, with minor mantle input, related to post-orogenic lithospheric delamination. The increasing ε Nd (t) and ε Hf (t) values and decreasing initial Sr isotope ratios from the ca. 87 Ma diorites to ca. 67 Ma diorites and rhyolites indicate an increasing mantle contribution as delamination proceeded. Estimated pressure conditions for the high-Sr/Y gabbroic diorites indicates the magmas were derived from crust at pressures of up to 19 kbar (i.e., a depth of ~66 km). Therefore, the western Gangdese arc had been thickened during the Late Cretaceous, possibly due to the flat-slab subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere and coeval collision of the Qiangtang–Lhasa terranes. • Intermediate–acidic rocks in the western Gangdese arc emplaced from 87 to 67 Ma. • Geochemical indices show they formed dominantly by melting of crustal material. • They formed at 960–1200 °C by melting of thickened crust with minor mantle input. • Nd-Hf-Sr isotopes indicate more mantle involvement following ongoing delamination. • Western Gangdese arc has been thickened during the Late Cretaceous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kangaroo mother care has been highlighted as an effective intervention package to address high neonatal mortality pertaining to preterm births and low birth weight. However, KMC uptake and service coverage have not progressed well in many countries. The aim of this case study was to understand the institutionalisation processes of facility-based KMC services in three Asian countries (India, Indonesia and the Philippines) and the reasons for the slow uptake of KMC in these countries. Methods: Three main data sources were available: background documents providing insight in the state of implementation of KMC in the three countries; visits to a selection of health facilities to gauge their progress with KMC implementation; and data from interviews and meetings with key stakeholders. Results: The establishment of KMC services at individual facilities began many years before official prioritisation for scale-up. Three major themes were identified: pioneers of facility-based KMC; patterns of KMC knowledge and skills dissemination; and uptake and expansion of KMC services in relation to global trends and national policies. Pioneers of facility-based KMC were introduced to the concept in the 1990s and established the practice in a few individual tertiary or teaching hospitals, without further spread. A training method beneficial to the initial establishment of KMC services in a country was to send institutional health-professional teams to learn abroad, notably in Colombia. Further in-country cascading took place afterwards and still later on KMC was integrated into newborn and obstetric care programs. The patchy uptake and expansion of KMC services took place in three phases aligned with global trends of the time: the pioneer phase with individual champions while the global focus was on child survival (1998-2006); the newborn-care phase (2007-2012); and lastly the current phase where small babies are also included in action plans. Conclusions: This paper illustrates the complexities of implementing a new healthcare intervention. Although preterm care is currently in the limelight, clear and concerted country-led KMC scale-up strategies with associated operational plans and budgets are essential for successful scale-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Experimental studies of the slotted-in dowelled bamboo-to-steel joint with/without infilling grout. • Failure behaviours and load-displacement curves for various specimens were predicted by FEM. • Analytical design models were proposed based on the results from test and FEM for the joints. Bamboo has been widely used for structural and non-structural purpose, for example as scaffolding and cladding for many centuries in South East Asian countries such as China and India, due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, low price and recyclability. In today's trend of sustainable development, there is a renewed interest in the use of bamboo for modern prefabricated structures. In this paper, dowel-type bamboo joints are introduced for prefabricated bamboo structures. An experimental study has been undertaken to investigate the structural behaviour and the failure mechanisms of the dowelled joints with varying configurations. Test results reveal that the ductile failure mode of the bamboo occurred when large end spacing was applied, and the infilling grout can significantly increase the load-carrying capacity of the dowelled joint. Three-dimensional finite element models were established and validated using available experimental data. Extensive parametric studies were carried out based on the simulation approach to investigate the effects of key influencing variables involved, i.e. hole clearance, friction coefficient, bolt strength, bamboo thickness, grout strength and end spacing. Moreover, analytical models for designing the dowelled joints are proposed and compared with the current codified approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research into bioactive natural products originating from medicinal plants, fungi and other organisms has a long history, accumulating abundant and diverse publications. However no quantitative literature analysis has been conducted so far. Here we analyze the bibliometric data of ethnopharmacology literature and relate the semantic content to the publication and citation data so that the major research themes, contributors, and journals of different time periods could be identified and evaluated. Web of Science (WoS) was searched to identify relevant publications. The Analyze function of WoS and bibliometric software (VOSviewer) were utilized to perform the analyses. Until the end of November 2018, 59,576 publications -linked to 'ethnopharmacology' indexed by WoS, published since 1958 in more than 5600 journals, and contributed by over 20,600 institutions located in more than 200 countries/regions, were identified. The papers were published under four dominating WoS categories, namely pharmacology/pharmacy (34.4%), plant sciences (28.6%), medicinal chemistry (25.3%), and integrative complementary medicine (20.6%). India (14.6%) and China (13.2%) were dominating the publication space. The United States and Brazil also had more than 8.0% contribution each. The rest of the top ten countries/regions were mainly from Asia. There were around ten-fold more original articles (84.6%) than reviews (8.4%). Ethnopharmacological research has a consistent focus on food and plant sciences, (bio)chemistry, complementary medicine and pharmacology, with a more limited scientific acceptance in the socio-cultural sciences. Dynamic global contributions have been shifting from developed countries to economically and scientifically emerging countries in Asia, South America and the Middle East. Research on recording medicinal plant species used by traditional medicine continues, but the evaluation of specific properties or treatment effects of extracts and compounds has increased enormously. Moreover increasing attention is paid to some widely distributed natural products, such as curcumin, quercetin, and rutin. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chuduoqu Pb-Zn-Cu deposit is located in the Tuotuohe area in the northern part of the Sanjiang Metallogenic Belt, central Tibet. The Pb-Zn-Cu ore bodies in this deposit are hosted mainly by Middle Jurassic Xiali Formation limestone and sandstone, and are structurally controlled by a series of NWW trending faults. In this paper, we present the results of fluid inclusions and isotope (C, H, O, S, and Pb) investigations of the Chuduoqu deposit. Four stages of hydrothermal ore mineralization are identified: quartz–specularite (stage I), quartz–barite–chalcopyrite (stage II), quartz–polymetallic sulfide (stage III), and quartz–carbonate (stage IV). Two types of fluid inclusions are identified in the Chuduoqu Pb-Zn-Cu deposit: liquid-rich and vapor-rich. The homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusions for stages I–IV are 318–370 °C, 250–308 °C, 230–294 °C, and 144–233 °C, respectively. Fluid salinities range from 2.07 wt. % to 11.81 wt. % NaCl equivalent. The microthermometric data indicate that the fluid mixing and cooling are two important mechanisms for ore precipitation. The H and O isotopic compositions of quartz indicate a primarily magmatic origin for the ore-forming fluids, with the proportion of meteoric water increasing over time. The C and O isotopic compositions of carbonate samples indicate that a large amount of magmatic water was still involved in the final stage of mineralization. The S and Pb isotopic compositions of sulfides, demonstrate that the ore minerals have a magmatic source. On a regional basis, the most likely source of the metallogenic material was regional potassium-enriched magmatic hydrothermal fluid. Specifically for the Chuduoqu Pb-Zn-Cu deposit, the magmatic activity of a syenite porphyry was the likely heat source, and this porphyry also provided the main metallogenic material for the deposit. Mineralization took place between 40 and 24 Ma. The Chuduoqu deposit is a mesothermal hydrothermal vein deposit and was formed in an extensional environment related to the late stage of intracontinental orogenesis resulting from India–Asia collision. The determination of the deposit type and genesis of Chuduoqu is important because it will inform and guide further exploration for hydrothermal-type Pb and Zn deposits in the Tuotuohe area and in the wider Sanjiang Metallogenic Belt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]