Search Results (2,575)

Small black soybeans (Seomoktae, SBS), traditionally regarded as medicinal beans in East Asia, contain abundant bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. This study aimed to develop a functional plant-based milk substitute by fermenting soymilk (yellow soybean, YS) supplemented with SBS (25% or 50%) using Streptococcus thermophilus JAMI_LB_02 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum JAMI_LB_05 (patented LABs) to enhance probiotic functionality and nutritional value. Fermentation characteristics, microbial viability, antioxidant activity, anthocyanin content, and free amino acid profiles were evaluated. After 72 h, total acidity in all samples exceeded 0.81%, and viable LAB counts reached 10.07–10.21 log CFU/mL, surpassing the Korean Food Code. The 50% SBS formulation exhibited significantly higher radical scavenging activity, total phenol and flavonoid contents, and anthocyanin levels (p < 0.05). Digestive enzyme treatment increased total free amino acid in SBS 50%, particularly functional amino acids such as arginine, alanine, and asparagine. Heatmap analysis classified products with high SBS content as Group A and analyzed the correlation between redness, antioxidant activity, and water-soluble amino acid content. Overall, SBS-fermented soymilk is an improved protein digestibility, probiotic-rich, and alternative to dairy-based fermented products, aligning with the growing consumer demand for plant-based functional foods. Full article

This paper presents a systematic review of 103 peer-reviewed articles on creative reindustrialization in second-tier cities, a process through which these cities use culture, creativity, innovation, and heritage to transform post-industrial urban landscapes. Our review identifies four core dimensions of creative reindustrialization: cultural and creative industries, knowledge-based urban development and smart innovation, sustainability and creative tourism, and social participation and resilience. The review reveals major gaps including limited use of quantitative evaluation, insufficient attention to social equity, a lack of comparative and longitudinal studies, and a strong concentration on Europe and East Asia. Drawing on these insights, we propose the CRE-TRANS model, a multidimensional framework that integrates these dimensions and highlights their interconnections in shaping urban regeneration and territorial development. This model can be used for a better understanding of how creativity, innovation and community engagement can shape the post-industrial transformation of second-tier cities. Policy implications stress the need for place-based, cross-sectoral, and participatory strategies that align creative reindustrialization with sustainability, digital transition, and inclusive innovation. Full article

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Dysfunction of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and alterations in neurotransmitters (gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate) are the main pathologies of PTSD. In particular, altered GABAergic neurotransmission and reduced GABA activity are linked to PTSD. Given the low efficacy and side effects of serotonin reuptake inhibitors—the most common treatment for PTSD—a safer and more effective treatment is urgently needed. Bojungikgi-tang (BJIGT) is well-known herbal prescription in East Asia, which used to boost immunity and to alleviated symptoms such as chronic fatigue, poor appetite, and indigestion. However, its role in PTSD remains largely unexamined. This study aimed to investigate the effects of BJIGT in single-prolonged stress with shock (SPSS)-induced PTSD male mice for 2 weeks. Methods: To assess PTSD-like behaviors, we conducted open field, forced swimming, Y-maze, and contextual fear conditioning tests. To investigate the underlying mechanisms, we performed ELISA, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Results: BJIGT significantly ameliorated PTSD-like behaviors, including emotional and cognitive decline. Additionally, it restored serum corticosterone levels, regulated neuronal functions (c-Fos, DCX, and Prox1), and GABAergic neurotransmission-related factors (vGAT, GAD67, and parvalbumin) in the hippocampus of PTSD mice. Notably, in SPSS-induced PTSD mice, BJIGT effectively ameliorated pathological changes by modulating JNK-CaMKII and Pin1–β-catenin intracellular signaling. Conclusions: These findings revealed that BJIGT effectively improved PTSD-like emotional and cognitive decline by regulating the HPA axis and GABAergic neurotransmission in SPSS-induced PTSD mice, thereby promising to be an effective strategy for the treatment of PTSD. Full article

We report the first identification of several large (1.4–2.2 MDa), highly stable protein–peptide complexes in various organs and tissues (body wall, gonads, respiratory trees, gut, and coelomic fluid) of the sea cucumber Paracaudina chilensis. Gel filtration and transmission electron microscopy methods were used to estimate the molecular weights and sizes of the complexes. According to light scattering assay data, these multiprotein complexes undergo significant dissociation only in the presence of 3.0 M MgCl₂ or 8.0 M urea containing 0.1 M EDTA and DTT. Analysis of the complexes using SDS-PAGE and MALDI mass spectrometry showed that all complexes contain numerous proteins (>10 kDa), whose number and composition vary among organs. Additionally, using MALDI mass spectrometry, it was shown that the whole-organism complexes contain 254 distinct peptides (<10 kDa). The peptide content in organ-specific complexes decreases in the following order: respiratory trees (104) > coelomic fluid (76) > body wall (64) > gut (58) > gonads (55). In contrast to individual proteins and peptides, multiprotein complexes have expanded possibilities, since they can interact with various molecules and cells. Thus, they can perform the functions of all peptides and proteins located on their surfaces. We propose that the unique protein and peptide composition of each complex facilitates the specific biological functions of its respective organ. Full article

To clarify the pollution characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-PAHs (NPAHs) in the East Asian monsoon region under different atmospheric environments and to assess their potential influences on receptor areas, this study selected two background monitoring stations with different environments in Shimane Prefecture, Japan: a marine station (MB) and a forest station (SF). PM₂.₅ samples were simultaneously collected using a high-volume sampler during the summer and winter of 2022–2023, and ten PAHs and three NPAHs were quantified using HPLC. The concentrations of PAHs and NPAHs at MB and SF exhibited significant seasonal variations in 2022 (winter > summer). However, in 2023, a clear seasonal difference was observed only at MB. Isomer ratio analysis of PAHs at both stations indicated that traffic emissions and biomass or coal combustion were major contributors. Seasonal variations in the [2-NFR]/[1-NP] ratio indicated that, while high ratios at MB and SF during summer were mainly associated with local photochemical formation, low ratios in winter reflected long-range transportation of combustion-derived PAHs and NPAHs from the Asian continent. Incremental lifetime cancer risk values (10⁻⁷ to 10⁻¹¹) indicated that even at background stations, the atmospheric environment poses certain health risks. This first comparative investigation of PAHs and NPAHs at two distinct background stations in Shimane again highlights the importance of international cooperation among East Asian countries for effective air pollution control. Full article

This study investigates the impact of integration into the international economic cycle (IEC) on green innovation in China’s manufacturing sector, a key factor in the country’s green strategic transformation. Using multi-regional input–output tables for both global and Chinese contexts from 2012 to 2017, alongside data from listed manufacturing firms, the analysis demonstrates that IEC integration significantly promotes green innovation in Chinese manufacturing enterprises. The mechanisms of innovation-driven development and the upgrading of production capital structure are central to this effect. Economic cycles involving Europe and developing economies exert a strong positive influence on green innovation, whereas demand from North America and East Asia has a comparatively weaker effect. State-owned and high-tech enterprises are identified as primary drivers of green innovation through IEC integration. The findings also indicate a high degree of dependence of China’s economy on the IEC. However, reliance on IEC integration alone may result in market failure, underscoring the essential role of government environmental regulation and macroeconomic guidance. The study provides valuable insights into the transformation and advancement of manufacturing and high-quality development within the context of the modernization of China. Full article

Borrelia garinii is a spirochete associated with Lyme borreliosis and is widely distributed across Eurasia. Although its genomic features have been well characterized in Europe, genomic data from East Asian isolates remain limited. Two B. garinii strains, HN13 and HN18, were isolated from a wild rodent (Apodemus agrarius) in South Korea and subjected to whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomic analysis. Their genomic features were compared with those of a tick-derived Korean strain 935 and additional global reference genomes. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that B. garinii strain HN18 clustered closely with French strains CIP103362 and 20047, whereas B. garinii strain HN13 showed high chromosomal similarity to the Korean strain 935. Both rodent-derived strains harbored plasmids carrying virulence-associated genes, including vlsE and vls silent cassettes, which were absent in B. garinii strain 935. This study provides new genomic insights into B. garinii circulating in East Asia and reveals host-associated plasmid variation linked to virulent potential. This study also suggests possible trans-Eurasian gene flow and underscores the need for continued genomic surveillance to better understand the evolution and epidemiology of Borrelia species. Full article

The Chuanlao Song, composed by the Southern Song Chan monk Daochuan 道川 (1104–1163, Southern Song), represents a hybrid form of exegetical lecture text from the Diamond Sūtra (金剛經). Neither a standard commentary (zhu 註) nor a ritual manual (keyi 科儀), it fuses rhetorical features of Chan sermons with versified praise, often associated with chanting. From the twelfth century onward, the Chuanlao Song circulated across China, Korea, and Japan, yet its textual identity has long been obscured. In particular, the Zokuzōkyō (續藏經) recension misclassified it as a commentary, resulting in interpretive confusions that have persisted into modern scholarship. This study reconsiders the Chuanlao Song within broader contextual frameworks of textual form, ritual practice, and editorial strategy. While grounded in philological analysis, three regional trajectories are highlighted: the Chuanlao Song’s preservation in China as an appended text within collective annotations; its transformation in Korea through royal patronage and the multiplication of textual forms; and its reinterpretation in Edo-period Japan as an object of sectarian commentary. By tracing these transregional movements, this study argues that the Chuanlao Song offers a valuable case study of how Buddhist texts were circulated and adapted across East Asia, shedding light on the intra-Chinese domestication and, beyond China, regional vernacularization and recontextualization. Full article

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a high-consequence pathogen that causes African swine fever (ASF), for which mortality rates can reach 90–100%, with death typically occurring within 14 days. ASF is currently a highly contagious pandemic disease responsible for extensive losses in pig production in multiple affected countries suffering from extended outbreaks. While a limited number of vaccines to prevent ASF are in use in south-east Asia, vaccines are not widely available, are only effective against highly homologous strains of ASFV, and must be used prior to an outbreak on a farm. Currently, there is no treatment for ASF and culling affected farms is the only response to outbreaks on farms to try and prevent spreading. CRISPR/Cas systems evolved as an adaptive immune response in bacteria and archaea that function by cleaving and disrupting the genomes of invading bacteriophage pathogens. CRISPR technology has since been leveraged into an array of endonuclease-based systems used for nucleic acid detection, targeting, genomic cleavage, and gene editing, making them particularly well-suited for development as sequence-specific therapeutic modalities. The programmability of CRISPR-based therapeutics offers a compelling new way to rapidly and specifically target pathogenic viral genomes simply by using different targeting guide RNAs (gRNA) as an adaptable antiviral modality. Here, we demonstrate for the first time a specific CRISPR/Cas9 multiplexed gRNA system that targets the African swine fever viral genome, resulting in sequence-specific cleavage, leading to the reduction in the viral load in infected animals, and subsequent recovery from an otherwise lethal dose of ASFV. Moreover, animals that recovered had protective immunity to subsequent homologous ASFV infection. Full article

Do China’s provincial digital-economy policies causally improve firm productivity and manufacturing sustainability? This paper addresses this question using a panel of Chinese manufacturers from 2008 to 2023. We first construct a novel, manually coded index of provincial policy intensity. We then use an instrumental-variable strategy, based on historical post-office density and governors’ STEM backgrounds, to identify causal effects. We find that digital-economy policy has a positive and significant impact on firm-level total factor productivity (TFP). Doubling the cumulative policy stock raises TFP by approximately 3%. This effect is transmitted through four key mechanisms: enhanced innovation quality, tax incentives, targeted digital subsidies, and knowledge spillovers. These channels support sustainable, innovation-led upgrading rather than mere input expansion. We also find the TFP gains are much larger in provinces with strong fiscal capacity and in firms with high digital absorptive capabilities. This paper contributes by providing clear causal evidence of the policy–TFP link and, crucially, by quantifying the four specific mechanisms that translate digital policy into durable, productivity-based sustainability in manufacturing. Full article

Southeast Asia has historically been shaped by the Indian subcontinent, China and the Middle East, due to civilizational contact. For several centuries, current-day Indonesia and the Malay world experienced extended periods of Hinduization and Indianization. The once-thriving Hinduism/Buddhism-dominated culture gradually gave way to Islam when the area became Islamized. Indonesia now is believed to have the largest number of Muslims in the world. While the Islamic aspects of Indonesia are well-documented in recent scholarship, the country’s Hindu/Buddhist past remains significantly under-explored, especially as far as the linguistic and semiotic landscape is concerned. Conceptualizing linguistic/semiotic landscape as a polyphonic site and a ‘palimpsest’ that is often historically (re)written and constantly updated, this interdisciplinary study documents and reveals the concrete material traces of Hinduism/Indianness evidenced in Jakarta’s linguistic and semiotic landscape at different levels (e.g., various Sanskrit/Hinduism-related place names, slogans and mottos, portrayals of Vishnu, Garuda, Hanuman, Ganesha and depictions of scenes from Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata). Aiming to explore how elements of Hinduism/Indianness may manifest in Indonesia in such cross-region linguistic and religious (re)contextualization across time and space, this study contributes to linguistic and semiotic landscape research, sociolinguistics, Indonesia and Malay studies, Hindu studies, religious studies, Southeast Asia studies and beyond: Full article

Plastic greenhouses, which account for the majority of protected horticulture facilities in East Asia, are highly susceptible to wind-induced uplift failures that can lead to severe structural and economic damage. To address this issue, this study developed a low-power and low-cost wireless monitoring system applying the concept of structural health monitoring (SHM) to greenhouse foundations. Each sensor node integrates a MEMS-based inertial measurement unit (IMU) for attitude estimation, a LoRa module for long-range alert transmission, and a microSD module for data logging, while a gateway relays anomaly alerts to users through an IP network. Uplift tests were conducted on standard steel-pipe foundations commonly used in plastic greenhouses, and the proposed sensor nodes were evaluated alongside a commercial IMU to validate attitude estimation accuracy and anomaly detection performance. Despite the approximately 30-fold cost difference, comparable attitude estimation results were achieved. The system demonstrated low power consumption, confirming its feasibility for long-term operation using batteries or small solar cells. These results demonstrate the applicability of low-cost IMUs for real-time structural monitoring of lightweight greenhouse foundations. Full article

Syphilis, a curable sexually transmitted infection, has resurged globally, challenging public health systems in both high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, parts of Europe, Canada, and Japan, cases have surged due to declining condom use, digital platforms facilitating casual sex, and practices like chemsex and broader drug use for sex, with rising congenital syphilis rates. In LMICs, such as those in East Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, limited healthcare access, inadequate prenatal screening, and socioeconomic barriers drive persistent high prevalence, particularly among pregnant women and vulnerable populations. Despite contextual differences, shared drivers include stigma, health disparities, and outdated surveillance systems. This resurgence underscores the need for globally coordinated, equity-focused strategies, including universal syphilis testing, modernized surveillance, and context-specific sexual health education. Addressing structural and behavioral factors through collaborative international efforts is critical to reversing this trend and strengthening global STI control. Full article

Autonomous vehicles (AVs), including privately owned self-driving cars and shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs), hold great potential to transform urban mobility by enhancing safety, accessibility, efficiency, and sustainability. However, their widespread deployment also carries the risk of significantly increasing vehicle miles traveled (VMT), a phenomenon known as the rebound effect. This paper examines the VMT rebound effects resulting from AV and SAV deployment, drawing on recent studies and global case insights. We conducted a systematic narrative review of 48 studies published between 2019 and 2025, drawing on academic sources and credible agency reports. We do not conduct a meta analysis. We quantify how different automation levels (SAE Levels 3, 4, 5) impact VMT and identify the primary factors driving VMT growth, namely: reduced perceived travel time cost, induced demand from new user groups, modal shifts away from transit, and empty VMT. Global case studies from North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East are reviewed alongside regional policy responses. Quantitative analyses indicate moderate to significant VMT increases under most scenarios—for example, approximately 10 to 20% increases with conditional automation and potentially over 50% with high/full automation, under the circumstances of no effective policy interventions. Meanwhile, aggressive ride-sharing and policy interventions, including road pricing and transit integration, can mitigate or even reverse these increases. The discussion provides a critical assessment of policy strategies such as mileage pricing, SAV incentives, and integrated land-use/transport planning to manage VMT growth. We conclude that without proactive policies, widespread AV adoption is likely to induce a rise in VMT, but that a suite of well-designed measures can steer automated mobility towards sustainable outcomes. These findings help policymakers and planners balance AV benefits with congestion, energy use, and climate goals. Full article

The equine-like G3 rotavirus is a reassortant strain in which an animal-derived G3 genotype has recombined with a human-origin genetic backbone. Recently, this strain has spread across Asia and Europe. In this study, the VP7 and VP4 genes, along with the genomic backbone of 39 G3P[8] rotavirus strains detected in South Korean children with acute gastroenteritis between 2017 and May 2025, were analyzed. All strains harbored the equine-like G3 genotype for the VP7 gene, and segmental genotyping of VP7, VP4, and VP6 suggested that these strains possessed a DS-1-like genetic backbone (I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2). All VP4 genes were confirmed as P[8]. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that these strains clustered with previously reported equine-like G3 strains from various regions, including East Asia. Although individual vaccination records were not available in the EnterNet surveillance data, the overall detection rate of rotavirus infection has declined following vaccine introduction. Nevertheless, equine-like G3P[8] strains have continued to appear sporadically in Korean children, underscoring the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance in the post-vaccine era. Overall, these findings indicate that equine-like G3P[8] strains with a DS-1-like backbone have been circulating for several years in the pediatric population in South Korea, offering important insights into vaccine effectiveness and the surveillance of reassortant rotaviruses. Full article