Other East Asian Countries (other + east_asian_country)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Estimation of mean residence times of subsurface waters using seasonal variation in deuterium excess in a small headwater catchment in Japan

HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES, Issue 3 2007
Naoki Kabeya
Abstract We measured deuterium excess (d = ,D , 8,18O) in throughfall, groundwater, soil water, spring water, and stream water for 3 years in a small headwater catchment (Matsuzawa, 0·68 ha) in the Kiryu Experimental Watershed in Japan. The d value represents a kinetic effect produced when water evaporates. The d value of the throughfall showed a sinusoidal change (amplitude: 6·9, relative to Vienna standard mean ocean water (V-SMOW)) derived from seasonal changes in the source of water vapour. The amplitude of this sinusoidal change was attenuated to 1·3,6·9, V-SMOW in soil water, groundwater, spring water, and stream water. It is thought that these attenuations derive from hydrodynamic transport processes in the subsurface and mixing processes at an outflow point (stream or spring) or a well. The mean residence time (MRT) of water was estimated from d value variations using an exponential-piston flow model and a dispersion model. MRTs for soil water were 0,5 months and were not necessarily proportional to the depth. This may imply the existence of bypass flow in the soil. Groundwater in the hillslope zone had short residence times, similar to those of the soil water. For groundwater in the saturated zone near the spring outflow point, the MRTs differed between shallow and deeper groundwater; shallow groundwater had a shorter residence time (5,8 months) than deeper groundwater (more than 9 months). The MRT of stream water (8,9 months) was between that of shallow groundwater near the spring and deeper groundwater near the spring. The seasonal variation in the d value of precipitation arises from changes in isotopic water vapour composition associated with seasonal activity of the Asian monsoon mechanism. The d value is probably an effective tracer for estimating the MRT of subsurface water not only in Japan, but also in other East Asian countries influenced by the Asian monsoon. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Moving past cultural homogeneity: Suggestions for comparisons of students' educational outcomes in the United States and China

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 3 2005
Stephen T. Peverly
Based on observations of the Chinese educational system in the summer of 2002, I argue that comparisons of the performance of students in the United States and China, and by implication, of students in the United States and other East Asian countries, have been too homogeneous. I discuss four variables that could be included in future research between the United States and China (and by implication, in all U.S./East Asian research): urban versus rural education (SES), public versus private schools, China's ethnic minorities, and the education of boys and girls. Recommendations for future research are provided. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 241,249, 2005. [source]


Perceptions of mathematics curricula and teaching in China

PSYCHOLOGY IN THE SCHOOLS, Issue 3 2005
Robert Moy
China and other East Asian countries (Japan, South Korea, Taiwan) have consistently outperformed the United States and other Western countries in mathematics achievement. As part of a Fulbright-sponsored trip to China in the Summer of 2002, a New York City public school teacher and a trainer of school psychologists offer their impressions of some of the reasons for these differences. Their impressions are based on observations of schools and classrooms, review of curricula, and a review of the literature. Four areas are covered: textbooks, curricula, teaching practices, and teacher knowledge. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 251,258, 2005. [source]


The Policies and Politics of Industrial Upgrading in Thailand during the Thaksin Era (2001,2006)

ASIAN POLITICS AND POLICY, Issue 3 2009
Laurids S. Lauridsen
What happens when developing countries can no longer grow by simply exploiting their existing comparative advantages in natural resources or cheap labor? When entering the 21st century Thailand was confronted with that question, but in comparison with other East Asian countries it was also a laggard in relation to industrial technology development. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra placed industrial upgrading high on the policy agenda. This article combines a policy cycle analysis with a political analysis. It examines the ability and willingness of the Thaksin government to design and implement an adequate and coherent set of industrial upgrading policies with a particular emphasis on implementation issues. It is argued that although many initiatives were taken during the Thaksin era, they did not add up to an adequate and coherent set of industrial upgrading policies. This was partly due to institutional legacies in the bureaucratic system but mainly a result of the logic of politics, including the nature of political coalition-building. [source]