Burma during the Second World War: Monographs, Multiauthor works, Series, Periodicals

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Schwertner, Siegfried M.

2012-01-01

In 1974, the South Asia Institute in Heidelberg (SAI) was able to buy the Burma Collection of Professor Frank N. Trager, New York. Many of the items in this collection are listed in his own bibliography on Burma. The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft sponsored the acquisition of this collection on condition that it be catalogued in order to make it available to the scientific community and for foreign loan. Over the years the catalogue of the Trager collection grew into a complete bibliography ...

Nuclear physics and medical work in Burma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1967-02-15

Useful information connected with environmental radioactivity has already been obtained by the Rangoon Nuclear Physics Laboratory, Burma, the setting up of which was helped by the Agency's Technical Assistance Programme. Other assistance has helped the Rangoon General Hospital to install a scanning unit with which medical diagnosis and treatment can be aided

International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) national favourability studies: Burma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-10-01

There is no information on production of nuclear raw materials in Burma, although there are some uranium occurrences. Hunting Geophysics Ltd has done some aerial prospecting work in the area of Victoria Point in Southern Burma. All the data collected has been plotted on several maps and issued to various Burmese organizations, with a complete report. The follow-up ground exploration was done by a prospecting party headed by Dr Gjelsvik. The Hunting Geophysics' and Dr Gjelsvik reports are not available in the IAEA. The Raw Materials Division in the Union of Burma Atomic Energy Center commenced operations in 1955. The area of Mogok was selected by U Soo Win, the head of the Division, as most favourable for uranium exploration. The region is mountainous, with heavy forest cover. A ground gamma-ray survey was carried out in Mogok Mineral Belt by two geologists accompanied by two assistants, at a spacing of one km. This work showed monazite in all streams over an area of about 150 sq km and has given a detailed studies led to the discovery of some uraninite and pitchblende in the overburden of an old lode. Based, on these first discoveries the Government of Burma requested assistance from the IAEA and an expert was sent there for a period of one year. His field work was mainly limited in the Mogok Mineral Belt, however some reconnaissance field trips were made in other parts of the country. Dr D L Searle concluded that the Mogok area represents a zone of high temperature mineralization but a lower temperature form of uranium mineralization may have developed along the outer edges of the principal high grade zone. He recommended that the area between the Mogok scarp and the Shweli River be systematically traversed. Uranium bearing minerals in Burma are the following: monazite bearing beach sands near Amherst, Tenasserim; monazite placers from near Momeik, Northern Shan States; uraninte crystals from the gem-gravels around Mogok; a radioactive anomaly in syenite at

International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) national favourability studies: Burma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1977-10-15

There is no information on production of nuclear raw materials in Burma, although there are some uranium occurrences. Hunting Geophysics Ltd has done some aerial prospecting work in the area of Victoria Point in Southern Burma. All the data collected has been plotted on several maps and issued to various Burmese organizations, with a complete report. The follow-up ground exploration was done by a prospecting party headed by Dr Gjelsvik. The Hunting Geophysics' and Dr Gjelsvik reports are not available in the IAEA. The Raw Materials Division in the Union of Burma Atomic Energy Center commenced operations in 1955. The area of Mogok was selected by U Soo Win, the head of the Division, as most favourable for uranium exploration. The region is mountainous, with heavy forest cover. A ground gamma-ray survey was carried out in Mogok Mineral Belt by two geologists accompanied by two assistants, at a spacing of one km. This work showed monazite in all streams over an area of about 150 sq km and has given a detailed studies led to the discovery of some uraninite and pitchblende in the overburden of an old lode. Based, on these first discoveries the Government of Burma requested assistance from the IAEA and an expert was sent there for a period of one year. His field work was mainly limited in the Mogok Mineral Belt, however some reconnaissance field trips were made in other parts of the country. Dr D L Searle concluded that the Mogok area represents a zone of high temperature mineralization but a lower temperature form of uranium mineralization may have developed along the outer edges of the principal high grade zone. He recommended that the area between the Mogok scarp and the Shweli River be systematically traversed. Uranium bearing minerals in Burma are the following: monazite bearing beach sands near Amherst, Tenasserim; monazite placers from near Momeik, Northern Shan States; uraninte crystals from the gem-gravels around Mogok; a radioactive anomaly in syenite at

31 CFR 103.186 - Special measures against Burma.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Special measures against Burma. 103.186 Section 103.186 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance FINANCIAL RECORDKEEPING AND REPORTING OF CURRENCY AND FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS Anti-Money Laundering Programs Law Enforcement...

Toward a Networked Economy in Burma | CRDI - Centre de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... in the world, ranking 150 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index. ... After decades of state restrictions on outside communication, Burma may be ... Second, years of low educational development have resulted in skills gaps ...

United States Counter-narcotics Policies towards Burma, and How the Illegal Myanmar Regime is Manipulating Those Policies to Commit Ethnic Genocide

Science.gov (United States)

2006-06-01

in Burma today. Petronas , the national oil company of Malaysia, has invested heavily in natural gas pipelines in Burma. As one of the leading...France’s Standard Oil has invested considerably in Burma in return for the rights to natural gas and oil. Malaysia’s oil company Petronas has done the

Review: Donald Seekins: Burma and Japan since 1940. From ‘Co-Prosperity’ to ‘Quiet Dialogue’ (2008 Buchbesprechung: Donald Seekins: Burma and Japan since 1940. From ‘Co-Prosperity’ to ‘Quiet Dialogue’ (2008

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Hans-Bernd Zöllner

2009-04-01

Full Text Available Review of the monograph: Donald Seekins: Burma and Japan since 1940. From ‘Co-Prosperity’ to ‘Quiet Dialogue’ Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 2008, ISBN 978 87 7694 017 1, 191 pages Besprechung der Monographie: Donald Seekins: Burma and Japan since 1940. From ‘Co-Prosperity’ to ‘Quiet Dialogue’ Kopenhagen: NIAS Press, 2008, ISBN 978 87 7694 017 1, 191 Seiten

InSAR Time Series Analysis of Dextral Strain Partitioning Across the Burma Plate

Science.gov (United States)

Reitman, N. G.; Wang, Y.; Lin, N.; Lindsey, E. O.; Mueller, K. J.

2017-12-01

Oblique convergence between the India and Sunda plates creates partitioning of strike-slip and compressional strain across the Burma plate. GPS data indicate up to 40 mm/yr (Steckler et al 2016) of dextral strain exists between the India and Sunda plates. The Sagaing fault in Myanmar accommodates 20 mm/yr at the eastern boundary of the Burma plate, but the location and magnitude of dextral strain on other faults remains an open question, as does the relative importance of seismic vs aseismic processes. The remaining 20 mm/yr of dextral strain may be accommodated on one or two faults or widely distributed on faults across the Burma plate, scenarios that have a major impact on seismic hazard. However, the dense GPS data necessary for precise determination of which faults accommodate how much strain do not exist yet. Previous studies using GPS data ascribe 10-18 mm/yr dextral strain on the Churachandpur Mao fault in India (Gahaluat et al 2013, Steckler et al 2016) and 18-22 mm/yr on the northern Sagaing fault (Maurin et al 2010, Steckler et al 2016), leaving up to 10 mm/yr unconstrained. Several of the GPS results are suggestive of shallow aseismic slip along parts of these faults, which, if confirmed, would have a significant impact on our understanding of hazard in the area. Here, we use differential InSAR analyzed in time series to investigate dextral strain on the Churachandpur Mao fault and across the Burma plate. Ascending ALOS-1 imagery spanning 2007-2010 were processed in time series for three locations. Offsets in phase and a strong gradient in line-of-sight deformation rate are observed across the Churachandpur Mao fault, and work is ongoing to determine if these are produced by shallow fault movement, topographic effects, or both. The results of this study will provide further constraints for strain rate on the Churachandpur Mao fault, and yield a more complete understanding of strain partitioning across the Burma plate.

[War Relief of Japanese Red Cross Nurses in the Lost Battle of Burma].

Science.gov (United States)

Kawahara, Yukari

2015-12-01

This paper aims to reveal changes in the relief support of the Japanese Red Cross relief units dispatched to Burma during the Second World War, from the beginning of fighting in Burma to the Japanese withdrawal. Japanese Red Cross relief units began their relief support when Japan invaded Burma in February of 1942. Counterattacks by the British, Indian and Chinese armies from December 1942 caused an increase in the number of patients. There were also many cases of malnutrition and malaria due to the extreme shortage of medical supplies as a result of the Battle of Imphal, which began in March of 1944. Bomb raids became even more intense after the battle ended in July 1944, and patients were carried into bomb shelters and caves on a daily basis. Just prior to invasion by enemy troops, they were ordered to evacuate to neighboring Thailand. Nurses from the Wakayama group hid their identity as members of the Red Cross and evacuated, with 15 out of 23 dying or being reported missing in action.

Key Biodiversity Areas in the Indo-Burma Hotspot: Process, Progress and Future Directions

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A.W. Tordoff

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs provide geographic targets for the expansion of protected area coverage, and identify sites for urgent conservation action. Identification of KBAs in the Indo-Burma Hotspot was undertaken during 2003, for a region of analysis comprising Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar (Burma, Thailand and Vietnam, plus parts of southern China. The starting point was information on 282 Important Bird Areas identified by BirdLife International and collaborators. These data were then overlaid with point locality data on globally threatened mammals, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fish and plants, with additional KBAs identified as required. Through this process, a total of 438 KBAs were identified, covering 258,085km2 or 11.5 percent of the region of analysis. Only 58 percent of the KBAs are wholly or partly included within protected areas, suggesting that there may be a need for further expansion of protected area networks, particularly in Myanmar and Vietnam. The criteria for KBA identification are triggered by 812 species, of which 23 are believed only to occur at a single KBA globally. The KBAs have proven to be a useful conservation priority setting tool in Indo-Burma, helping to guide investments by various donors and application of environmental safeguard policies by international financial institutions. There are fewer examples of KBAs being used to guide expansion of protected area systems in Indo-Burma. In large part, this is because the period of rapid expansion of protected areas in most hotspot countries predated the KBA identification process, and political support for further significant expansion is currently limited.

Nutrition surveys in Burma and northeast Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Bunce, George E

2005-05-01

Participation of the author in the Interdepartmental Committee on Nutrition for National Defense sponsored nutrition surveys of Burma and northeast Brazil is described. These surveys not only collected important data on nutritional status but also guided the subsequent research interests of the author. The Brazil survey results contributed to the creation of legislation that mandated the addition of water-dispersible vitamin A to skimmed-milk powder products. This additive has greatly diminished the likelihood of vitamin A deficiency syndrome occurring in children after famine relief efforts.

China–Burma Geopolitical Relations in the Cold War

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Hongwei FAN

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the historical role of geography in the Sino–Burmese relationship in the context of the Cold War, both before and after the Chinese–American détente and rapprochement in the 1970s. It describes Burma’s fear and distrust of China throughout the Cold War, during which it maintained a policy of neutrality and non-alignment. Burma’s geographic location, sandwiched between its giant neighbours India and China, led it to adopt a realist paradigm and pursue an independent foreign policy. Charac-terizing China’s threat to Burmese national security as “grave” during its period of revolutionary export, the article notes that Burma was cowed into deference and that it deliberately avoided antagonizing China. It also looks at the history of China’s attempts to break out of U.S. encirclement after the Korean War and its successful establishment of Burma as an important buffer state. After the U.S.–China rapprochement in 1972, however, Bur-ma’s geographical significance for Beijing declined. In this context, Burma’s closed-door policy of isolation further lessened its strategic importance for China. Since 1988, however, Burma’s strategic importance to China has been on the rise once again, as it plays a greater role as China’s land bridge to the Indian Ocean and in its energy security and expansion of trade and exports.

77 FR 47922 - Publication of General Licenses Related to the Burma Sanctions Program

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-10

... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Office of Foreign Assets Control Publication of General Licenses Related to the Burma Sanctions Program AGENCY: Office of Foreign Assets Control, Treasury. ACTION: Notice, publication of general licenses. [[Page 47923

“Show Us Your God”: Marilla Baker Ingalls and the Power of Religious Objects in Nineteenth-Century Burma

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Alexandra Kaloyanides

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This essay examines the unusual evangelical work of Marilla Baker Ingalls, an American Baptist missionary to Burma from 1851–1902. By the time of her death in Burma at the age of 75, Ingalls was known as one of the most successful Baptist evangelists among Burmese Buddhists. To understand the extraordinary dynamic of Ingalls’ expanding Christian community, this essay focuses on two prominent objects at the Baptist mission: A life-sized dog statue that Ingalls kept chained at the edge of her property and a massive banyan tree covered with biblical illustrations and revered by locals as an abode of divine beings. This essay argues that these objects transformed Ingalls’ American Baptist Christianity into a kind of Burmese religion that revolved around revered objects. Through an examination of the particular shrine practices that pulled people into the Baptist mission, this essay reflects on the larger context of religious encounter, conflict, and representation in modernizing Burma.

Narratives and the Constitution of a Common Identity : The Karen in Burma

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuroiwa, Yoko; Verkuyten, Maykel

2008-01-01

This research was conducted in an informal school located in Thailand at the border with Myanmar (Burma) and supervised by the Karen National Union (KNU). The KNU has claimed and fought for political autonomy and independence from the Burmese government for more than a half century. The authors

Burma/Myanmar: Challenges of a Ceasefire Accord in Karen State Burma/Myanmar: Herausforderungen eines Waffenstillstandsabkommens im Karen-Staat

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Paul Core

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Burma (Myanmar has seen some of the longest-running insurgencies in the world, which have had a devastating effect on local populations and the country as a whole. While the Karen National Union (KNU, which has fought successive Burmese governments since 1949, is in a critical phase of its life, the KNU/KNLA Peace Council (KPC is experiencing life under a ceasefire accord with the Burmese government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC. Major challenges have occurred since the ceasefire and future developments are uncertain. Like all ceasefire groups in the country, the KPC has come under immense pressure to follow the government’s “seven-step road map” to democracy, compete in the 2010 elections, and transform its troops into a border guard force under the control of the Burmese military or face disarmament. This article seeks to provide some insights into a ceasefire group, to analyse the failures and successes of the ceasefire accord, and to outline future challenges to the country. Myanmar (Burma ist bis heute Schauplatz von anhaltenden ethnischen Konflikten, welche einen erheblichen Einfluss auf lokale Bevölkerungen und das ganze Land haben. Während die Karen National Union, die seit dem Jahr 1949 gegen die burmesische Regierung kämpft, sich in einer kritischen Phase befindet, hat das KNU/KNLA Peace Council seinen eigenen Frieden mit der Militärregierung geschlossen. Seit dem Waffenstillstand haben sich erhebliche Herausforderungen aufgetan und zukünftige Entwicklungen sind ungewiss. Wie alle Waffenstillstandsgruppen im Land steht die Gruppe unter dem Druck der Regierung, dem „Sieben-Punkte-Fahrplan zur disziplinierten Demokratie“ zu folgen und damit eine politische Partei zu gründen sowie seine Truppen in eine Grenztruppe unter Kontrolle des burmesischen Militärs zu transformieren. Dieser Artikel gibt einen Einblick in eine Waffenstillstandsgruppe, analysiert die Erfolge sowie Misserfolge des

Grooming and cultural socialization: A mixed method study of caregiving practices in Burma (Myanmar) and the United States†

Science.gov (United States)

Thein-Lemelson, Seinenu M

2015-01-01

Grooming behaviours are thought to be a crucial aspect of parenting and integral to the sociality of non-human mammals, but there have been few empirical studies on how grooming might be relevant to parenting and socialization processes in humans. Study 1 is a quantitative cross-cultural comparison of grooming practices in two cultural settings: an urban centre in Burma (Myanmar) and an urban centre in the United States. The study uses naturalistic video data of 57 families to analyse grooming behaviours directed at children. A broad range of ages was sampled in each culture to examine the developmental trajectory of grooming behaviours. Results indicate that significant cultural differences exist between Burma and the United States, with Burmese children being groomed by their caregivers more often than U.S. children. Results also indicate that cultural differences in grooming practices begin early and remain constant across age. An unexpected finding was that Burmese families were more variable in their behaviour than U.S. families. Study 2 attempts to explain this variability by using ethnography to describe how sociodemographic changes in Burma are leading to changes in parental values and socialization practices in the schools, but how embodied primary care in the homes appear resistant to change. PMID:25530498

Detachment 101 and North Burma: Historical Conditions for Future Unconventional Warfare Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-26

Detachment 101’s early UW operations also illustrate how enemy actions, conventional partner force capabilities and limitations, and indigenous populations...Publication ARSOF Army Special Operations Forces ATC Air Transport Command CBI China -Burma-India CMO Civil Military Operations CNAC China National Aviation...a smaller force size as well as budget, the US Army will place increased emphasis on “ innovative , low-cost and small-footprint engagements across the

Antileishmanial compounds from Cordia fragrantissima collected in Burma (Myanmar).

Science.gov (United States)

Mori, Kanami; Kawano, Marii; Fuchino, Hiroyuki; Ooi, Takashi; Satake, Motoyoshi; Agatsuma, Yutaka; Kusumi, Takenori; Sekita, Setsuko

2008-01-01

A methanol extract of the wood of Cordia fragrantissima, collected in Burma (Myanmar), was found to exhibit significant activity against Leishmania major. Bioassay-guided fractionation of this extract using several chromatographic techniques afforded three new compounds (1-3) and five known compounds (4-8). The structures of the new compounds were revealed on the basis of spectroscopic data interpretation and by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Interestingly, the new compounds, despite the presence of asymmetric carbons, were found to be racemates. The activities of the isolates from C. fragrantissima and several derivatives were evaluated against the promastigote forms of Leishmania major, L. panamensis, and L. guyanensis.

Grooming and cultural socialization: a mixed method study of caregiving practices in Burma (Myanmar) and the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Thein-Lemelson, Seinenu M

2015-02-01

Grooming behaviours are thought to be a crucial aspect of parenting and integral to the sociality of non-human mammals, but there have been few empirical studies on how grooming might be relevant to parenting and socialization processes in humans. Study 1 is a quantitative cross-cultural comparison of grooming practices in two cultural settings: an urban centre in Burma (Myanmar) and an urban centre in the United States. The study uses naturalistic video data of 57 families to analyse grooming behaviours directed at children. A broad range of ages was sampled in each culture to examine the developmental trajectory of grooming behaviours. Results indicate that significant cultural differences exist between Burma and the United States, with Burmese children being groomed by their caregivers more often than U.S. children. Results also indicate that cultural differences in grooming practices begin early and remain constant across age. An unexpected finding was that Burmese families were more variable in their behaviour than U.S. families. Study 2 attempts to explain this variability by using ethnography to describe how sociodemographic changes in Burma are leading to changes in parental values and socialization practices in the schools, but how embodied primary care in the homes appear resistant to change. © 2014 The Authors. International Journal of Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Union of Psychological Science.

Geochemical loading of suspended sediment carried by large monsoonal rivers in Burma

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, R. A.; Tipper, E.; Bird, M. I.; Oo, N.

2013-12-01

The Irrawaddy and Salween rivers of Burma drain the most rapidly exhuming region in the Himalayas, the eastern syntaxis zone. These monsoonal rivers have catchment areas of 0.413 x 106 km2 and 0.272 x 106 km2, respectively, and approximately 95% of the Irrawaddy catchment lies within Burma, while the catchment of the Salween flows through China, Thailand and Burma. They are long rivers (~2000 and ~2800 km) which have steep and narrow bedrock gorges along much of their length, and different amounts of floodplain in their lower reaches. These rivers have been less studied than other large Asian systems because of political instability in Burma and restricted access. Based on available historical data, and field work in 2005-2008, Robinson et al. (2007) estimated that the Irrawaddy is likely to be the 3rd largest river globally in terms of sediment load and when the Irrawaddy and Salween estimated fluxes are combined, they together contribute 4.6 Mt/yr of particulate organic carbon (POC) and an additional 1.1Mt/yr of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to the ocean. When estimated yields of total organic carbon are calculated, the Irrawaddy-Salween system ranks alongside the Amazon as one of the largest yields of organic carbon, and is higher than the yield for the Ganges-Brahmaptura (Bird et al., 2008). Here we present preliminary geochemical data for water and sediment from the Irrawaddy and Salween rivers, and demonstrate the variability in elemental concentrations of water between the rivers and the summer and winter monsoon seasons, and differences in suspended sediment geochemistry as a function of water depth. The variability and magnitude of weathering products carried by such significant systems need to be quantified in order to understand their contribution to global element cycling (Tipper et al., 2006) and sedimentary depocentres. Our data highlight that further study of the geochemistry of such large rivers will significantly improve our understanding of the

The Impact of Sino-Indian Energy Security Ambitions on Burma’s Domestic and Foreign Politics

Science.gov (United States)

2011-12-01

Neoclassical Realist Theory of Underbalancing,” International Security 29, no.2 (Autumn 2004): 159–201. Seekins, Donald M. “Burma-China Relations: Playing...Domestic Politics, Foreign Policy, and Theories of International Relations,” Annual Review of Political Science 1, (1998): 289–313. Frankel

Life, Liberty, the Pursuit of Happiness : Cyberhate, Cybercrime, and Cyberterrorism in Burma

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-30

the Global System for Mobile Communications standard. The biggest difference between 2G and 3G is that 2G data rates allow users only voice calls...citizens onto the 3G network, and thereby onto the Internet, in short order. 17 The explosion of mobile phone and Internet availability and the...2011, Burma ranked next to last in mobile phone penetration rates, behind even notoriously reclusive North Korea, with less than 1% of the population

14 medisinplanter fra Burma med fokus på lakserende effekt : en litteraturstudie

OpenAIRE

Phan, Cong Lap

2009-01-01

I denne masteroppgaven ble det sett på sammenhenger mellom vitenskapelige data som er tilgjengelige og bruken av 14 tradisjonelle medisinplanter, med fokus på lakserende effekt. Plantene er hentet fra Burma-samlingen som ble laget av Arnold Nordal i 1957-1961. Det ble først og fremst foretatt litteratursøk i databasene Scifinder Scholar 2007, Biological Abstract, ISI Web of Knowledge- Web of Science og PubMed. Søk på synonymnavn ble foretatt i plantedatabasene IPNI, ITIS og Tropicos....

Population‐based survey methods to quantify associations between human rights violations and health outcomes among internally displaced persons in eastern Burma

Science.gov (United States)

Mullany, Luke C; Richards, Adam K; Lee, Catherine I; Suwanvanichkij, Voravit; Maung, Cynthia; Mahn; Beyrer, Chris; Lee, Thomas J

2007-01-01

Background Case reports of human rights violations have focused on individuals' experiences. Population‐based quantification of associations between rights indicators and health outcomes is rare and has not been documented in eastern Burma. Objective We describe the association between mortality and morbidity and the household‐level experience of human rights violations among internally displaced persons in eastern Burma. Methods Mobile health workers in conflict zones of eastern Burma conducted 1834 retrospective household surveys in 2004. Workers recorded data on vital events, mid‐upper arm circumference of young children, malaria parasitaemia status of respondents and household experience of various human rights violations during the previous 12 months. Results Under‐5 mortality was 218 (95% confidence interval 135 to 301) per 1000 live births. Almost one‐third of households reported forced labour (32.6%). Forced displacement (8.9% of households) was associated with increased child mortality (odds ratio = 2.80), child malnutrition (odds ratio = 3.22) and landmine injury (odds ratio = 3.89). Theft or destruction of the food supply (reported by 25.2% of households) was associated with increased crude mortality (odds ratio = 1.58), malaria parasitaemia (odds ratio = 1.82), child malnutrition (odds ratio = 1.94) and landmine injury (odds ratio = 4.55). Multiple rights violations (14.4% of households) increased the risk of child (incidence rate ratio = 2.18) and crude (incidence rate ratio = 1.75) mortality and the odds of landmine injury (odds ratio = 19.8). Child mortality risk was increased more than fivefold (incidence rate ratio = 5.23) among families reporting three or more rights violations. Conclusions Widespread human rights violations in conflict zones in eastern Burma are associated with significantly increased morbidity and mortality. Population‐level associations can be quantified using standard

Stilwell’s North Burma campaign: a case study in multinational mission command

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-25

senior leaders to communicate how they envision the Army operating in 2025 and beyond.28 During the fall of 2015, Perkins told an audience at the US...Mission to China, 140-41; 192. 48 Romanus and Sunderland, Stillwellʼs Mission to China, 213. 22 medical reception of Chinese soldiers. Dr. Seagrave... reception for NRA soldiers after the First Burma Campaign. He repeated the process when he assigned the hospital unit to Maingkwan to conduct medical

United States Counter-narcotics Policies towards Burma, and How the Illegal Myanmar Regime is Manipulating Those Policies to Commit Ethnic Genocide

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hochstedler, Robert A

2006-01-01

US counter-narcotic policies towards Burma have possessed a singular-focus. In other words, they have been based on the traditional bilateral triumvirate strategies of eradication, education, and interdiction...

Forest plunder in Southeast Asia: an environmental security nexus in Burma and Cambodia.

Science.gov (United States)

Talbott, K; Brown, M

1998-01-01

This article discusses the cycle of conversion, consumption, and corruption that undermines the environment and civil society in Cambodia and Burma (Myanmar). In these countries, forests are declining in patterns similar to other Southeast Asian deforestation. Illegal logging, prostitution, and heroin trafficking constitute the bulk of Cambodia's shadow economy. Revenues are used to provide financial support for political causes and build the private wealth of the elite. Major political and guerilla groups and the Cambodian military have been major beneficiaries of logging revenue, supported private sector forestry in many military zones, and facilitated logging and trade. About 40% of land goes to forest concessions granted to Southeast Asian companies, and revenues bypass the regular state budget. In Burma, the cease fire agreements in the early 1990s, led to remote border area forests being opened up to large, nonsustainable commercial timber mining. Land was divided into ethnic and government controlled areas. Timber profits were funneled into a business owned by members of the new ruling force, the SLORC, and used to launder drug exports and profits. Trading partners include Thailand, and most recently, China. It is speculated that deforested areas are replanted with opium poppies, and trade routes carry timber and heroin. The unregulated logging industry and the lack of financial accounting of the timber trade undermine the structures of civil society and good governance. Forest policies appear progressive but are in reality unenforced. Politics and agreements in both countries are closely tied to deforestation issues.

Human resources for health: task shifting to promote basic health service delivery among internally displaced people in ethnic health program service areas in eastern Burma/Myanmar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon Low

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Burma/Myanmar was controlled by a military regime for over 50 years. Many basic social and protection services have been neglected, specifically in the ethnic areas. Development in these areas was led by the ethnic non-state actors to ensure care and the availability of health services for the communities living in the border ethnic-controlled areas. Political changes in Burma/Myanmar have been ongoing since the end of 2010. Given the ethnic diversity of Burma/Myanmar, many challenges in ensuring health service coverage among all ethnic groups lie ahead. Methods: A case study method was used to document how existing human resources for health (HRH reach the vulnerable population in the ethnic health organizations’ (EHOs and community-based organizations’ (CBHOs service areas, and their related information on training and services delivered. Mixed methods were used. Survey data on HRH, service provision, and training were collected from clinic-in-charges in 110 clinics in 14 Karen/Kayin townships through a rapid-mapping exercise. We also reviewed 7 organizational and policy documents and conducted 10 interviews and discussions with clinic-in-charges. Findings: Despite the lack of skilled medical professionals, the EHOs and CBHOs have been serving the population along the border through task shifting to less specialized health workers. Clinics and mobile teams work in partnership, focusing on primary care with some aspects of secondary care. The rapid-mapping exercise showed that the aggregate HRH density in Karen/Kayin state is 2.8 per 1,000 population. Every mobile team has 1.8 health workers per 1,000 population, whereas each clinic has between 2.5 and 3.9 health workers per 1,000 population. By reorganizing and training the workforce with a rigorous and up-to-date curriculum, EHOs and CBHOs present a viable solution for improving health service coverage to the underserved population. Conclusion: Despite the chronic conflict in

Human resources for health: task shifting to promote basic health service delivery among internally displaced people in ethnic health program service areas in eastern Burma/Myanmar.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Sharon; Tun, Kyaw Thura; Mhote, Naw Pue Pue; Htoo, Saw Nay; Maung, Cynthia; Kyaw, Saw Win; Shwe Oo, Saw Eh Kalu; Pocock, Nicola Suyin

2014-01-01

Burma/Myanmar was controlled by a military regime for over 50 years. Many basic social and protection services have been neglected, specifically in the ethnic areas. Development in these areas was led by the ethnic non-state actors to ensure care and the availability of health services for the communities living in the border ethnic-controlled areas. Political changes in Burma/Myanmar have been ongoing since the end of 2010. Given the ethnic diversity of Burma/Myanmar, many challenges in ensuring health service coverage among all ethnic groups lie ahead. A case study method was used to document how existing human resources for health (HRH) reach the vulnerable population in the ethnic health organizations' (EHOs) and community-based organizations' (CBHOs) service areas, and their related information on training and services delivered. Mixed methods were used. Survey data on HRH, service provision, and training were collected from clinic-in-charges in 110 clinics in 14 Karen/Kayin townships through a rapid-mapping exercise. We also reviewed 7 organizational and policy documents and conducted 10 interviews and discussions with clinic-in-charges. Despite the lack of skilled medical professionals, the EHOs and CBHOs have been serving the population along the border through task shifting to less specialized health workers. Clinics and mobile teams work in partnership, focusing on primary care with some aspects of secondary care. The rapid-mapping exercise showed that the aggregate HRH density in Karen/Kayin state is 2.8 per 1,000 population. Every mobile team has 1.8 health workers per 1,000 population, whereas each clinic has between 2.5 and 3.9 health workers per 1,000 population. By reorganizing and training the workforce with a rigorous and up-to-date curriculum, EHOs and CBHOs present a viable solution for improving health service coverage to the underserved population. Despite the chronic conflict in Burma/Myanmar, this report provides evidence of the substantive

[The Red Cross System for War Relief during the Second World War and Actual Conditions of Its Efforts in Burma].

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Kawahara, Yukari

2015-12-01

This paper aims to show the system for relief provided by the Japanese Red Cross relief units during the Second World War, as well as the actual activities of sixteen of its relief units dispatched to Burma. The Red Cross wartime relief efforts involved using personnel and funding prepared beforehand to provide aid to those injured in war, regardless of their status as ally or enemy. Thus they were able to receive support from the army in order to ensure safety and provide supplies. Nurses dispatched to Burma took care of many patients who suffered from malnutrition and physical injuries amidst the outbreak of infectious diseases typical of tropical areas, without sufficient replacement members. Base hospitals not meant for the front lines also came under attack, and the nurses' lives were thus in mortal danger. Of the 374 original members, 29 died or went missing in action.

English Teaching Profiles from the British Council: Burma, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Lesotho, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Malaysia.

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British Council, London (England). English Language and Literature Div.

The role of English and the status of English language instruction is reported for Burma, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Lesotho, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, and Malaysia. The profile for each country contains a summary of English instruction within and outside of the educational system, teacher supply and qualifications,…

Access to essential maternal health interventions and human rights violations among vulnerable communities in eastern Burma.

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Mullany, Luke C; Lee, Catherine I; Yone, Lin; Paw, Palae; Oo, Eh Kalu Shwe; Maung, Cynthia; Lee, Thomas J; Beyrer, Chris

2008-12-23

Health indicators are poor and human rights violations are widespread in eastern Burma. Reproductive and maternal health indicators have not been measured in this setting but are necessary as part of an evaluation of a multi-ethnic pilot project exploring strategies to increase access to essential maternal health interventions. The goal of this study is to estimate coverage of maternal health services prior to this project and associations between exposure to human rights violations and access to such services. Selected communities in the Shan, Mon, Karen, and Karenni regions of eastern Burma that were accessible to community-based organizations operating from Thailand were surveyed to estimate coverage of reproductive, maternal, and family planning services, and to assess exposure to household-level human rights violations within the pilot-project target population. Two-stage cluster sampling surveys among ever-married women of reproductive age (15-45 y) documented access to essential antenatal care interventions, skilled attendance at birth, postnatal care, and family planning services. Mid-upper arm circumference, hemoglobin by color scale, and Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia by rapid diagnostic dipstick were measured. Exposure to human rights violations in the prior 12 mo was recorded. Between September 2006 and January 2007, 2,914 surveys were conducted. Eighty-eight percent of women reported a home delivery for their last pregnancy (within previous 5 y). Skilled attendance at birth (5.1%), any (39.3%) or > or = 4 (16.7%) antenatal visits, use of an insecticide-treated bed net (21.6%), and receipt of iron supplements (11.8%) were low. At the time of the survey, more than 60% of women had hemoglobin level estimates rights were widely reported: 32.1% of Karenni households reported forced labor and 10% of Karen households had been forced to move. Among Karen households, odds of anemia were 1.51 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95-2.40) times higher among women

On the frontline of eastern Burma's chronic conflict--listening to the voices of local health workers.

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Footer, Katherine H A; Meyer, Sarah; Sherman, Susan G; Rubenstein, Leonard

2014-11-01

Globally, attacks on and interferences with health workers and healthcare delivery, including targeted violence towards providers, attacks on hospitals and delays and denial of health care, represent a serious humanitarian and human rights issue. However, gaps in research about these events persist, limiting the evidence base from which to understand and address the problem. This paper focuses on experiences of local health workers in eastern Burma's chronic conflict, including their strategies for addressing security and ensuring access to vulnerable ethnic communities in the region. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted in June and August 2012 with 27 health workers from three health organizations that operate throughout eastern Burma, with their operational head quarters located in Mae Sot, Tak Province, Thailand. Qualitative analysis found that health workers in this setting experience violent and non-violent interferences with their work, and that the Burmese government's military activities in the region have severely impacted access to care, which remains restricted. Data show that innovative security strategies have emerged, including the important role of the community in ensuring securer access to health care. This study underscores health workers' concern for improved data collection to support the rights of health workers to provide health care, and the rights of community members to receive health care in conflict-affected settings. Findings will inform the development of an incident reporting form to improve systematic data collection and documentation of attacks on health in this setting. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The central Myanmar (Burma) oil family - composition and implications for source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Curiale, J A; Kyi, P; Collins, I D; Din, A; Nyein, K; Nyunt, M; Stuart, C J [Unocal Inc., Brea, CA (United States). Energy Resources Division

1994-11-01

Geochemical characteristics of 13 Miocene through Eocene oils/seeps, an Eocene coal and an Eocene resin from the central Myanmar (Burma) basin system are examined. Geologic arguments suggest a deep Paleogene source for these oils. Two geochemical arguments that support this inference are (a) the occurrence of saturated and unsaturated C-15 and C-30 cadinane monomers and dimers in pyrolyzates of an Eocene resin and the kerogen from an Eocene coal, and (b) identical compound-specific carbon isotope ratios for selected isoprenoids and n-alkanes in a typical central Myanmar oil and the hydrous pyrolyzate expelled from an Eocene coal. The authors propose an Eocene resinous shale/coal source for these oils, with the oldest (Eocene) reservoirs filling first and the youngst (Miocene) reservoirs filling last, consistent with the observation that the least mature oils are present in the oldest reservoirs. According to this model, surface seepage and near-surface oil could result from subsurface traps that are filled to spillpoint.

Access to essential maternal health interventions and human rights violations among vulnerable communities in eastern Burma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luke C Mullany

2008-12-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Health indicators are poor and human rights violations are widespread in eastern Burma. Reproductive and maternal health indicators have not been measured in this setting but are necessary as part of an evaluation of a multi-ethnic pilot project exploring strategies to increase access to essential maternal health interventions. The goal of this study is to estimate coverage of maternal health services prior to this project and associations between exposure to human rights violations and access to such services. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Selected communities in the Shan, Mon, Karen, and Karenni regions of eastern Burma that were accessible to community-based organizations operating from Thailand were surveyed to estimate coverage of reproductive, maternal, and family planning services, and to assess exposure to household-level human rights violations within the pilot-project target population. Two-stage cluster sampling surveys among ever-married women of reproductive age (15-45 y documented access to essential antenatal care interventions, skilled attendance at birth, postnatal care, and family planning services. Mid-upper arm circumference, hemoglobin by color scale, and Plasmodium falciparum parasitemia by rapid diagnostic dipstick were measured. Exposure to human rights violations in the prior 12 mo was recorded. Between September 2006 and January 2007, 2,914 surveys were conducted. Eighty-eight percent of women reported a home delivery for their last pregnancy (within previous 5 y. Skilled attendance at birth (5.1%, any (39.3% or > or = 4 (16.7% antenatal visits, use of an insecticide-treated bed net (21.6%, and receipt of iron supplements (11.8% were low. At the time of the survey, more than 60% of women had hemoglobin level estimates < or = 11.0 g/dl and 7.2% were Pf positive. Unmet need for contraceptives exceeded 60%. Violations of rights were widely reported: 32.1% of Karenni households reported forced labor and 10% of Karen

Feasibility of Implementation of a Parenting Intervention with Karen Refugees Resettled from Burma.

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Ballard, Jaime; Wieling, Elizabeth; Forgatch, Marion

2018-04-01

Parents and children exposed to war and relocation have high rates of negative relational and mental health outcomes. This study tested the feasibility of implementing an adapted evidence-based parenting intervention for contexts of trauma and relocation stress. Eleven Karen refugee caregivers from Burma participated in the intervention. Participants and a focal child completed ethnographic interviews as well as structured assessments at baseline and follow-up. Caregivers reported changes in their teaching, directions, emotional regulation, discipline, and child compliance. Children reported changes in these areas and in positive parent involvement. Caregivers reported higher mental health distress immediately after the intervention, potentially due to increased awareness. Researchers made personalized referrals for counseling services as needed. Children reported a decrease in mental health symptoms. © 2017 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

Precipitation stable isotope records from the northern Hengduan Mountains in China capture signals of the winter India-Burma Trough and the Indian Summer Monsoon

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Yu, Wusheng; Tian, Lide; Yao, Tandong; Xu, Baiqing; Wei, Feili; Ma, Yaoming; Zhu, Haifeng; Luo, Lun; Qu, Dongmei

2017-11-01

This project reports results of the first precipitation stable isotope (δ18 O and δD) time series produced for Qamdo in the northern Hengduan Mountains in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The data showed that the fluctuations of precipitation stable isotopes at Qamdo during the different seasons revealed various moisture sources. The westerlies and local recycling moisture dominated at the study area before the pre-monsoon and after the post-monsoon seasons, which resulted in similar trends of both precipitation stable isotopes and temperature. The marine moisture was transported to the northern Hengduan Mountains by the winter India-Burma Trough combined with convection. Consequently, stable isotopes in subsequent precipitation were occasionally observed to decrease suddenly. However, δ18 O and δD values of precipitation at Qamdo were lower during the monsoon period and the duration of those low values was longer because of the effects of the Indian Summer Monsoon and the strengthening convection. Our findings indicate that the effects of seasonal precipitation differences caused by various climate systems, including the winter India-Burma Trough and Indian Summer Monsoon, need to be considered when attempting to interpret tree-ring and ice core records for the Hengduan Mountains.

Impacts of Dams and Global Warming on Fish Biodiversity in the Indo-Burma Hotspot.

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Kano, Yuichi; Dudgeon, David; Nam, So; Samejima, Hiromitsu; Watanabe, Katsutoshi; Grudpan, Chaiwut; Grudpan, Jarungjit; Magtoon, Wichan; Musikasinthorn, Prachya; Nguyen, Phuong Thanh; Praxaysonbath, Bounthob; Sato, Tomoyuki; Shibukawa, Koichi; Shimatani, Yukihiro; Suvarnaraksha, Apinun; Tanaka, Wataru; Thach, Phanara; Tran, Dac Dinh; Yamashita, Tomomi; Utsugi, Kenzo

2016-01-01

Both hydropower dams and global warming pose threats to freshwater fish diversity. While the extent of global warming may be reduced by a shift towards energy generation by large dams in order to reduce fossil-fuel use, such dams profoundly modify riverine habitats. Furthermore, the threats posed by dams and global warming will interact: for example, dams constrain range adjustments by fishes that might compensate for warming temperatures. Evaluation of their combined or synergistic effects is thus essential for adequate assessment of the consequences of planned water-resource developments. We made projections of the responses of 363 fish species within the Indo-Burma global biodiversity hotspot to the separate and joint impacts of dams and global warming. The hotspot encompasses the Lower Mekong Basin, which is the world's largest freshwater capture fishery. Projections for 81 dam-building scenarios revealed progressive impacts upon projected species richness, habitable area, and the proportion of threatened species as generating capacity increased. Projections from 126 global-warming scenarios included a rise in species richness, a reduction in habitable area, and an increase in the proportion of threatened species; however, there was substantial variation in the extent of these changes among warming projections. Projections from scenarios that combined the effects of dams and global warming were derived either by simply adding the two threats, or by combining them in a synergistic manner that took account of the likelihood that habitat shifts under global warming would be constrained by river fragmentation. Impacts on fish diversity under the synergistic projections were 10-20% higher than those attributable to additive scenarios, and were exacerbated as generating capacity increased-particularly if CO2 emissions remained high. The impacts of dams, especially those on river mainstreams, are likely to be greater, more predictable and more immediately pressing for

Causes of blindness in rural Myanmar (Burma: Mount Popa Taung-Kalat Blindness Prevention Project

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Arie Y Nemet

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Arie Y Nemet1, Pinhas Nemet2, Geoff Cohn3, Gina Sutton, Gerald Sutton4, Richard Rawson41Department of Ophthalmology, Sydney Hospital and Sydney Eye Hospital, Sydney, Australia; 2Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel; 3Departments of Ophthalmology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; 4Department of Ophthalmology, University of Sydney, AustraliaPurpose: This study is a review of the major causes of visual impairment (VI and severe visual impairment/blindness (SVI/BL in Mount Popa Taung-Kalat, a rural region in Myanmar (Burma.Methods: A review of our clinical records of consecutive patients attending clinics was conducted. Participants of all ages (n = 650 of the population of Mount Popa Taung-Kalat and villages in its vicinity underwent ophthalmic interview and a detailed dilated ocular evaluation by trained Australian ophthalmologists and ophthalmic nurses. This evaluation included anterior segment examination with a slit lamp, intraocular pressure recording, and direct or indirect ophthalmoscopy. VI and SVI/BL were defined by the World Health Organization (WHO criteria. Results: Six hundred fifty subjects were screened, with a mean age of 49.0 ± 20.6 years (range, 1–99. One hundred five patients (16.2% were children (ages 1–18. Five hundred thirty-one eyes of the total 1,300 eyes (39.5% had VI/SVI/BL, and 40 eyes of the children (38.1% (average age 15.3 ± 13.3 had VI/SVI/BL. The leading causes of VI/SVI/BL were cataract with 288 cases (54.2%, glaucoma with 84 cases (15.8%, and corneal pathology with 78 cases (14.7%. Of all the VI/SVI/BL cases, 8.4% were preventable, 81.9% were treatable, and total of 90.5% were avoidable.Conclusions: In the current study, cataracts were the major cause of blindness and visual impairment, and most of the ophthalmic pathology causing blindness is avoidable. These results highlight the lack of basic ophthalmologist eye care and optician resources in rural regions in Myanmar

Impacts of Dams and Global Warming on Fish Biodiversity in the Indo-Burma Hotspot.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuichi Kano

Full Text Available Both hydropower dams and global warming pose threats to freshwater fish diversity. While the extent of global warming may be reduced by a shift towards energy generation by large dams in order to reduce fossil-fuel use, such dams profoundly modify riverine habitats. Furthermore, the threats posed by dams and global warming will interact: for example, dams constrain range adjustments by fishes that might compensate for warming temperatures. Evaluation of their combined or synergistic effects is thus essential for adequate assessment of the consequences of planned water-resource developments. We made projections of the responses of 363 fish species within the Indo-Burma global biodiversity hotspot to the separate and joint impacts of dams and global warming. The hotspot encompasses the Lower Mekong Basin, which is the world's largest freshwater capture fishery. Projections for 81 dam-building scenarios revealed progressive impacts upon projected species richness, habitable area, and the proportion of threatened species as generating capacity increased. Projections from 126 global-warming scenarios included a rise in species richness, a reduction in habitable area, and an increase in the proportion of threatened species; however, there was substantial variation in the extent of these changes among warming projections. Projections from scenarios that combined the effects of dams and global warming were derived either by simply adding the two threats, or by combining them in a synergistic manner that took account of the likelihood that habitat shifts under global warming would be constrained by river fragmentation. Impacts on fish diversity under the synergistic projections were 10-20% higher than those attributable to additive scenarios, and were exacerbated as generating capacity increased-particularly if CO2 emissions remained high. The impacts of dams, especially those on river mainstreams, are likely to be greater, more predictable and more

Symptoms associated with pregnancy complications along the Thai-Burma border: the role of conflict violence and intimate partner violence.

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Falb, Kathryn L; McCormick, Marie C; Hemenway, David; Anfinson, Katherine; Silverman, Jay G

2014-01-01

To assess the association between lifetime violence victimization and self-reported symptoms associated with pregnancy complications among women living in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Cross-sectional survey of partnered women aged 15-49 years living in three refugee camps who reported a pregnancy that resulted in a live birth within the past 2 years with complete data (n = 337). Variables included the lifetime prevalence of any violence victimization, conflict victimization, intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization, self-reported symptoms of pregnancy complications, and demographic covariates. Logistic generalized estimating equations, accounting for camp-level clustering, were used to assess the relationships of interest. Approximately one in six women (16.0 %) reported symptoms related to pregnancy complications for their most recent birth within the last 2 years and 15 % experienced violence victimization. In multivariable analyses, any form of lifetime violence victimization was associated with 3.1 times heightened odds of reporting symptoms (95 % CI 1.8-5.2). In the final adjusted model, conflict victimization was associated with a 3.0 increase in odds of symptoms (95 % CI 2.4-3.7). However, lifetime IPV victimization was not associated with symptoms, after accounting for conflict victimization (aOR: 1.8; 95 % CI 0.4-9.0). Conflict victimization was strongly linked with heightened risk of self-reported symptoms associated with pregnancy complications among women in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border. Future research and programs should consider the long-term impacts of conflict victimization in relation to maternal health to better meet the needs of refugee women.

Community-based assessment of human rights in a complex humanitarian emergency: the Emergency Assistance Teams-Burma and Cyclone Nargis.

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Suwanvanichkij, Voravit; Murakami, Noriyuki; Lee, Catherine I; Leigh, Jen; Wirtz, Andrea L; Daniels, Brock; Mahn, Mahn; Maung, Cynthia; Beyrer, Chris

2010-04-19

Cyclone Nargis hit Burma on May 2, 2008, killing over 138,000 and affecting at least 2.4 million people. The Burmese military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), initially blocked international aid to storm victims, forcing community-based organizations such as the Emergency Assistance Teams-Burma (EAT) to fill the void, helping with cyclone relief and long-term reconstruction. Recognizing the need for independent monitoring of the human rights situation in cyclone-affected areas, particularly given censorship over storm relief coverage, EAT initiated such documentation efforts. A human rights investigation was conducted to document selected human rights abuses that had initially been reported to volunteers providing relief services in cyclone affected areas. Using participatory research methods and qualitative, semi-structured interviews, EAT volunteers collected 103 testimonies from August 2008 to June 2009; 42 from relief workers and 61 from storm survivors. One year after the storm, basic necessities such as food, potable water, and shelter remained insufficient for many, a situation exacerbated by lack of support to help rebuild livelihoods and worsening household debt. This precluded many survivors from being able to access healthcare services, which were inadequate even before Cyclone Nargis. Aid efforts continued to be met with government restrictions and harassment, and relief workers continued to face threats and fear of arrest. Abuses, including land confiscation and misappropriation of aid, were reported during reconstruction, and tight government control over communication and information exchange continued. Basic needs of many cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy Delta remained unmet over a year following Cyclone Nargis. Official impediments to delivery of aid to storm survivors continued, including human rights abrogations experienced by civilians during reconstruction efforts. Such issues remain unaddressed in official assessments

Seismic b-values and its correlation with seismic moment and Bouguer gravity anomaly over Indo-Burma ranges of northeast India: Tectonic implications

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Bora, Dipok K.; Borah, Kajaljyoti; Mahanta, Rinku; Borgohain, Jayanta Madhab

2018-03-01

b-value is one of the most significant seismic parameters for describing the seismicity of a given region at a definite time window. In this study, high-resolution map of the Gutenberg-Richter b-value, seismic moment-release, Bouguer gravity anomaly and fault-plane solutions containing faulting styles are analyzed in the Indo-Burma ranges of northeast India using the unified and homogeneous part of the seismicity record in the region (January 1964-December 2016). The study region is subdivided into few square grids of geographical window size 1° × 1° and b-values are calculated in each square grid. Our goal is to explore the spatial correlations and anomalous patterns between the b-value and parameters like seismic moment release, Bouguer gravity anomaly and faulting styles that can help us to better understand the seismotectonics and the state of present-day crustal stress within the Indo-Burma region. Most of the areas show an inverse correlation between b-value and seismic moment release as well as convergence rates. While estimating the b-value as a function of depth, a sudden increase of b-value at a depth of 50-60 km was found out and the receiver function modeling confirms that this depth corresponds to the crust-mantle transition beneath the study region. The region is also associated with negative Bouguer gravity anomalies and an inverse relation is found between Gravity anomaly and b-value. Comparing b-values with different faulting styles, reveal that the areas containing low b-values show thrust mechanism, while the areas associated with intermediate b-values show strike-slip mechanism. Those areas, where the events show thrust mechanism but containing a strike-slip component has the highest b-value.

Community-based assessment of human rights in a complex humanitarian emergency: the Emergency Assistance Teams-Burma and Cyclone Nargis

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Mahn Mahn

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Cyclone Nargis hit Burma on May 2, 2008, killing over 138,000 and affecting at least 2.4 million people. The Burmese military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC, initially blocked international aid to storm victims, forcing community-based organizations such as the Emergency Assistance Teams-Burma (EAT to fill the void, helping with cyclone relief and long-term reconstruction. Recognizing the need for independent monitoring of the human rights situation in cyclone-affected areas, particularly given censorship over storm relief coverage, EAT initiated such documentation efforts. Methods A human rights investigation was conducted to document selected human rights abuses that had initially been reported to volunteers providing relief services in cyclone affected areas. Using participatory research methods and qualitative, semi-structured interviews, EAT volunteers collected 103 testimonies from August 2008 to June 2009; 42 from relief workers and 61 from storm survivors. Results One year after the storm, basic necessities such as food, potable water, and shelter remained insufficient for many, a situation exacerbated by lack of support to help rebuild livelihoods and worsening household debt. This precluded many survivors from being able to access healthcare services, which were inadequate even before Cyclone Nargis. Aid efforts continued to be met with government restrictions and harassment, and relief workers continued to face threats and fear of arrest. Abuses, including land confiscation and misappropriation of aid, were reported during reconstruction, and tight government control over communication and information exchange continued. Conclusions Basic needs of many cyclone survivors in the Irrawaddy Delta remained unmet over a year following Cyclone Nargis. Official impediments to delivery of aid to storm survivors continued, including human rights abrogations experienced by civilians during

Adaptation and testing of psychosocial assessment instruments for cross-cultural use: an example from the Thailand Burma border.

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Haroz, Emily E; Bass, Judith K; Lee, Catherine; Murray, Laura K; Robinson, Courtland; Bolton, Paul

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop valid and reliable instruments to assess priority psychosocial problems and functioning among adult survivors of systematic violence from Burma living in Thailand. The process involved four steps: 1) instrument drafting and piloting; 2) reliability and validity testing; 3) instrument revision; and 4) retesting revised instrument. A total of N = 158 interviews were completed. Overall subscales showed good internal consistency (0.73-0.92) and satisfactory combined test-retest/inter rater reliability (0.63-0.84). Criterion validity, was not demonstrated for any scale. The alcohol and functioning scales underperformed and were revised (step 3) and retested (step 4). Upon retesting, the function scale showed good internal consistency reliability (0.91-0.92), and the alcohol scale showed acceptable internal consistency (0.79) and strong test-retest/inter-rater reliability (0.86-0.89). This paper describes the importance and process of adaptation and testing, illustrated by the experiences and results for selected instruments in this population.

An Embryonic Border: Racial Discourses and Compulsory Vaccination for Indian Immigrants at Ports in Colonial Burma, 1870-1937 Une frontière embryonnaire : discours raciaux et vaccination obligatoire des immigrants indiens dans les ports de la Birmanie coloniale, 1870-1937

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Noriyuki Osada

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This paper examines how an administrative border emerged between historically and culturally different and geographically separate regions which nevertheless had been integrated into one state under the colonial power. As a result of three Anglo-Burmese wars in the 19th century, Burma was colonized by the British. During the course of its colonization, the country formally became a province of India. Hence no border had existed between Burma and the rest of India until 1937 when the former was separated from the latter. This connection with India brought Burma unrestricted labour supply from India which was necessary for the growth of the economy. But at the same time, such a vast flow of people included undesirable elements like criminals, beggars and people sick of infectious diseases which caused social problems in Burma. While the government of Burma attempted to deter or exclude those undesirable elements in order to maintain social order, these attempts were frustrated by several factors. In spite of these circumstances, the local government started taking more decisive policy for examinations of immigrants after the middle of the 1910s. No border existed yet, but port cities, especially Rangoon, gradually assumed function of checking people who came from “outside” into “inside”. I would like to call this phenomenon, tentatively, the emergence of an embryonic border. As a part of this phenomenon, this paper describes a history of sanitary regulations for Indian immigrant labourers in colonial Burma, by focusing on a case of implementation of compulsory vaccination at ports. And it points out that those regulations wereCet article montre comment une frontière administrative est apparue entre deux régions historiquement et culturellement différentes et géographiquement séparées réunies toutefois en un État par un pouvoir colonial. Après trois guerres anglo-birmanes au xixe siècle, la Birmanie devint une colonie

Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide, salinity and other variables collected from Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer and other instruments from ROGER REVELLE in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Bali Sea and others from 2016-02-08 to 2016-09-22 (NCEI Accession 0160548)

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NCEI Accession 0160548 includes Surface underway, chemical, meteorological and physical data collected from ROGER REVELLE in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Bali Sea,...

Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide and other variables collected from Surface underway observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer, Shower head chamber equilibrator for autonomous carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement and other instruments from unknown platforms in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Arabian Sea and others from 1957-10-21 to 1963-08-15 (NCEI Accession 0157734)

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NCEI Accession 0157734 includes Surface underway, chemical, meteorological and physical data collected from unknown platforms in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea,...

Assessment of multifaceted environmental issues and model development of an Indo-Burma hotspot region.

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Rai, Prabhat Kumar

2012-01-01

The present article provides a multifaceted critical research review on environmental issues intimately related with the socio-economy of North East India (NE), a part of Indo-Burma hotspot. Further, the article addresses the issue of sustainable development of NE India through diverse ecological practices inextricably linked with traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). The biodiversity of NE India comprises endemic floral diversity, particularly medicinal plants of importance to pharmaceutical industry, and unique faunal diversity. Nevertheless, it is very unfortunate that this great land of biodiversity is least explored taxonomically as well as biotechnologically, probably due to geographical and political constraints. Different anthropogenic and socio-economic factors have perturbed the pristine ecology of this region, leading to environmental degradation. Also, the practice of unregulated shifting cultivation (jhooming), bamboo flowering, biological invasions and anthropogenic perturbations to biodiversity exacerbate the gloomy situation. Instead of a plethora of policies, the TEK of NE people may be integrated with modern scientific knowledge in order to conserve the environment which is the strong pillar for socio-economic sector here. The aforesaid approach can be practiced in NE India through the broad implementation and extension of agroforestry practices. Further, case studies on Apatanis, ethnomedicinal plants use by indigenous tribal groups and sacred forests are particularly relevant in the context of conservation of environmental health in totality while addressing the socioeconomic impact as well. In context with the prevailing scenarios in this region, we developed an eco-sustainable model for natural resource management through agroforestry practices in order to uplift the social as well as environmental framework.

Partial pressure (or fugacity) of carbon dioxide, salinity and other variables collected from underway - surface observations using Carbon dioxide (CO2) gas analyzer, Shower head chamber equilibrator for autonomous carbon dioxide (CO2) measurement and other instruments from the KNORR in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Arabian Sea and others from 1994-12-01 to 1996-01-21 (NODC Accession 0115589)

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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NODC Accession 0115589 includes chemical, meteorological, physical and underway - surface data collected from KNORR in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay...

Shaping of the Yunnan-Burma Frontier by Secret Societies since the End of the 17th Century Comment les sociétés secrètes ont façonné la frontière birmano-yunnanaise

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Ma Jianxiong

2012-10-01

Full Text Available After the 1680s, Big Vehicle Religion gradually developed on the Yunnan-Burma frontier. It was banned by the Qing government and became a sect of Chinese secret societies. The founders of this religion combined various Buddhist and Taoist elements together and claimed this to be the route to their salvation. They also trained many students to be monks. After the Sino-Burma wars these monks established a Five Buddha Districts system among the Lahu and some Wa villages in western Mekong River, until the system was destroyed by the Qing government in the 1880s. The monks became leaders of the Luohei/Lahu through millenarianism and many Han immigrants also became involved in the movements to become the Lahu or the Wa. The monks performed critical roles as social activists in Lahu cultural reconstruction. As a shaping power, their human agency was deeply integrated into secret societies and they formulated regional political centers as well as a network mechanism for the floating indigenous populations. Secret societies clearly shaped a historical framework for local politics and economic flux in the Yunnan-Burma frontier and became a cross-border mechanism for contemporary life after the border between Yunnan, Burma and Thailand was decided. However, it used to be a networking dynamic linked with silver and copper minefields, Sino-Burma wars, and anti-Qing millenarianism. Local people could also use this frontier space for their negotiations with different states before the coming of European colonialism.Après les années 1680, le bouddhisme du grand véhicule se développa sur la frontière birmano-yunnanaise. Le gouvernement des Qing l’interdit mais il devint une secte diffusée par des sociétés secrètes. Les fondateurs de cette religion combinèrent des éléments bouddhistes et taoïstes et prétendirent que c’était la voie du salut. Ils formèrent également des élèves pour en faire des moines. Après les guerres sino-birmanes, ces

Impact of community-based maternal health workers on coverage of essential maternal health interventions among internally displaced communities in eastern Burma: the MOM project.

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Luke C Mullany

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Access to essential maternal and reproductive health care is poor throughout Burma, but is particularly lacking among internally displaced communities in the eastern border regions. In such settings, innovative strategies for accessing vulnerable populations and delivering basic public health interventions are urgently needed. METHODS: Four ethnic health organizations from the Shan, Mon, Karen, and Karenni regions collaborated on a pilot project between 2005 and 2008 to examine the feasibility of an innovative three-tiered network of community-based providers for delivery of maternal health interventions in the complex emergency setting of eastern Burma. Two-stage cluster-sampling surveys among ever-married women of reproductive age (15-45 y conducted before and after program implementation enabled evaluation of changes in coverage of essential antenatal care interventions, attendance at birth by those trained to manage complications, postnatal care, and family planning services. RESULTS: Among 2,889 and 2,442 women of reproductive age in 2006 and 2008, respectively, population characteristics (age, marital status, ethnic distribution, literacy were similar. Compared to baseline, women whose most recent pregnancy occurred during the implementation period were substantially more likely to receive antenatal care (71.8% versus 39.3%, prevalence rate ratio [PRR] = 1.83 [95% confidence interval (CI 1.64-2.04] and specific interventions such as urine testing (42.4% versus 15.7%, PRR = 2.69 [95% CI 2.69-3.54], malaria screening (55.9% versus 21.9%, PRR = 2.88 [95% CI 2.15-3.85], and deworming (58.2% versus 4.1%, PRR = 14.18 [95% CI 10.76-18.71]. Postnatal care visits within 7 d doubled. Use of modern methods to avoid pregnancy increased from 23.9% to 45.0% (PRR = 1.88 [95% CI 1.63-2.17], and unmet need for contraception was reduced from 61.7% to 40.5%, a relative reduction of 35% (95% CI 28%-40%. Attendance at birth by those trained to

Magnitude of crustal shortening and structural framework of the easternmost Himalayan orogen, northern Indo-Burma Ranges of northeastern India

Science.gov (United States)

Haproff, P. J.; Yin, A.

2016-12-01

Along-strike variation in crustal shortening throughout the Himalayan orogen has been attributed to (1) diachronous, eastward-increasing convergence, or (2) localized controls including pre-collisional stratigraphic configuration and climate. In this study, we present new geologic maps and balanced cross-sections across the easternmost segment of the Himalayan orogen, the N-S-trending N. Indo-Burma Ranges of northeastern India. First order structures are NE-dipping, km-wide ductile thrust shear zones with mylonitic fabrics indicating top-to-the SW motion. Major structures include the Mayodia klippe and Hunli window, generated during folding of the SW-directed Tidding thrust and duplexing of Lesser Himalayan rocks (LHS) at depth. Reconstruction of two balanced cross-sections yields minimum shortening estimates of 70% (48 km) and 71% (133 km), respectively. The widths of the orogen for each transect are 21 km and 54 km, respectively. Our percent strain values are comparable to that of western Arunachal Himalaya, reflecting eastward-increasing strain due to counterclockwise rotation of India during convergence or along-strike variation in India's subduction angle. However, shortening magnitudes much less than that of the Sikkim (641 km), Bhutan (414-615 km), and western Arunachal Himalaya (515-775 km) could signal eastward increasing shortening of a unique Himalayan stratigraphic framework, evidenced by few GHC rocks, absence of Tethyan strata, and an extensive subduction mélange and forearc complex.

Phylogeny and taxonomical investigation of Trichoderma spp. from Indian region of Indo-Burma Biodiversity hot spot region with special reference to Manipur.

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Kamala, Th; Devi, S Indira; Sharma, K Chandradev; Kennedy, K

2015-01-01

Towards assessing the genetic diversity and occurrence of Trichoderma species from the Indian region of Indo-Burma Biodiversity hotspot, a total of 193 Trichoderma strains were isolated from cultivated soils of nine different districts of Manipur comprising 4 different agroclimatic zones. The isolates were grouped based on the morphological characteristics. ITS-RFLP of the rDNA region using three restriction digestion enzymes: Mob1, Taq1, and Hinf1, showed interspecific variations among 65 isolates of Trichoderma. Based on ITS sequence data, a total of 22 different types of representative Trichoderma species were reported and phylogenetic analysis showed 4 well-separated main clades in which T. harzianum was found to be the most prevalent spp. among all the Trichoderma spp. Combined molecular and phenotypic data leads to the development of a taxonomy of all the 22 different Trichoderma spp., which was reported for the first time from this unique region. All these species were found to produce different extrolites and enzymes responsible for the biocontrol activities against the harmful fungal phytopathogens that hamper in food production. This potential indigenous Trichoderma spp. can be targeted for the development of suitable bioformulation against soil and seedborne pathogens in sustainable agricultural practice.

Information Extraction and Interpretation Analysis of Mineral Potential Targets Based on ETM+ Data and GIS technology: A Case Study of Copper and Gold Mineralization in Burma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenhui, Du; Yongqing, Chen; Nana, Guo; Yinglong, Hao; Pengfei, Zhao; Gongwen, Wang

2014-01-01

Mineralization-alteration and structure information extraction plays important roles in mineral resource prospecting and assessment using remote sensing data and the Geographical Information System (GIS) technology. Choosing copper and gold mines in Burma as example, the authors adopt band ratio, threshold segmentation and principal component analysis (PCA) to extract the hydroxyl alteration information using ETM+ remote sensing images. Digital elevation model (DEM) (30m spatial resolution) and ETM+ data was used to extract linear and circular faults that are associated with copper and gold mineralization. Combining geological data and the above information, the weights of evidence method and the C-A fractal model was used to integrate and identify the ore-forming favourable zones in this area. Research results show that the high grade potential targets are located with the known copper and gold deposits, and the integrated information can be used to the next exploration for the mineral resource decision-making

Health and Human Rights in Chin State, Western Burma: A Population-Based Assessment Using Multistaged Household Cluster Sampling

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Sollom, Richard; Richards, Adam K.; Parmar, Parveen; Mullany, Luke C.; Lian, Salai Bawi; Iacopino, Vincent; Beyrer, Chris

2011-01-01

Background The Chin State of Burma (also known as Myanmar) is an isolated ethnic minority area with poor health outcomes and reports of food insecurity and human rights violations. We report on a population-based assessment of health and human rights in Chin State. We sought to quantify reported human rights violations in Chin State and associations between these reported violations and health status at the household level. Methods and Findings Multistaged household cluster sampling was done. Heads of household were interviewed on demographics, access to health care, health status, food insecurity, forced displacement, forced labor, and other human rights violations during the preceding 12 months. Ratios of the prevalence of household hunger comparing exposed and unexposed to each reported violation were estimated using binomial regression, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were constructed. Multivariate models were done to adjust for possible confounders. Overall, 91.9% of households (95% CI 89.7%–94.1%) reported forced labor in the past 12 months. Forty-three percent of households met FANTA-2 (Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance II project) definitions for moderate to severe household hunger. Common violations reported were food theft, livestock theft or killing, forced displacement, beatings and torture, detentions, disappearances, and religious and ethnic persecution. Self reporting of multiple rights abuses was independently associated with household hunger. Conclusions Our findings indicate widespread self-reports of human rights violations. The nature and extent of these violations may warrant investigation by the United Nations or International Criminal Court. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:21346799

Phylogeny and Taxonomical Investigation of Trichoderma spp. from Indian Region of Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hot Spot Region with Special Reference to Manipur

Science.gov (United States)

Kamala, Th.; Devi, S. Indira; Sharma, K. Chandradev; Kennedy, K.

2015-01-01

Towards assessing the genetic diversity and occurrence of Trichoderma species from the Indian region of Indo-Burma Biodiversity hotspot, a total of 193 Trichoderma strains were isolated from cultivated soils of nine different districts of Manipur comprising 4 different agroclimatic zones. The isolates were grouped based on the morphological characteristics. ITS-RFLP of the rDNA region using three restriction digestion enzymes: Mob1, Taq1, and Hinf1, showed interspecific variations among 65 isolates of Trichoderma. Based on ITS sequence data, a total of 22 different types of representative Trichoderma species were reported and phylogenetic analysis showed 4 well-separated main clades in which T. harzianum was found to be the most prevalent spp. among all the Trichoderma spp. Combined molecular and phenotypic data leads to the development of a taxonomy of all the 22 different Trichoderma spp., which was reported for the first time from this unique region. All these species were found to produce different extrolites and enzymes responsible for the biocontrol activities against the harmful fungal phytopathogens that hamper in food production. This potential indigenous Trichoderma spp. can be targeted for the development of suitable bioformulation against soil and seedborne pathogens in sustainable agricultural practice. PMID:25699268

Characterization of the Burma Road Rubble Pit at the Savannah River Site, Aiken, South Carolina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ward, K.G.; Frazier, W.L.; McAdams, T.D.; McFalls, S.L.; Rabin, M.; Voss, L.

1996-01-01

The Burma Road Rubble Pit (BRRP) is located at the Savannah River Site (SRS). The BRRP unit consists of two unlined earthen pits dug into surficial soil and filled with various waste materials. It was used from 1973--1983 for the disposal of dry inert rubble such as metal, concrete, lumber, poles, light fixtures, and glass. No record of the disposal of hazardous substances at the BRRP has been found. In 1983, the BRRP was closed by covering it with soil. In September 1988, a Ground Penetrating Radar survey detected three disturbed areas of soil near the BRRP, and a detailed and combined RCRA Facility Investigation/Remedial Investigation was conducted from November 1993 to February 1994 to determine whether hazardous substances were present in the subsurface, to evaluate the nature and extent of contamination, and to evaluate the risks posed to the SRS facility due to activities conducted at the BRRP site. Metals, semi-volatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds, radionuclides and one pesticide (Aldrin) were detected in soil and groundwater samples collected from seventeen BRRP locations. A baseline risk assessment (BRA) was performed quantitatively to evaluate whether chemical and radionuclide concentrations detected in soil and groundwater at the BRRP posed an unacceptable threat to human health and the environment. The exposure scenarios identifiable for the BRRP were for environmental researchers, future residential and occupational land use. The total site noncancer hazard indices were below unity, and cancer risk levels were below 1.0E-06 for the existing and future case environmental researcher scenario. The future case residential and occupational scenarios showed total hazard and risk levels which exceeded US EPA criterion values relative to groundwater scenarios. For the most part, the total carcinogenic risks were within the 1.0E-04 to 1.0E-06 risk range. Only the future adult residential scenario was associated with risks exceeding 1.0E-04

The Impact of Health Service of the Community Hospital Located in Thailand’s Border: migrant from Burma, LAOS, and Cambodia

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Orathai - Srithongtham

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The denial of difficult, dangerous and dirty work done by the Thai People has been the major cause of migrant substitution in Thailand which triggered the urgent need for proper health care. This study was aim to explain the burden and impact of providing health service to the trans-national migrant in community hospital at border area of Laos, Burma and Cambodia. Therefore survey research and data collecting was used through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: Khemarat and Klong Yai hospital: the financial burden was high however Mae Sai hospital has strong income with less expenditure. The impact of three hospitals was 1 the only way of solving the financial burden is by using the hospital’s money. 2 No data system about trans-nation’s migrant health services has been applied so far by any hospitals here in Thailand 3 Man power of hospital is depended on the Thai people which doesn’t include the migrant which is approximately 50% 4 The language and the cultural had generated several obstacles to health service 5 Problem of prevention and control of Communicable disease such as Malaria, Dengue Hemorrhagic fever, Tuberculosis, and Elephantiasis, 6 No Referral system between Thailand and neighboring countries.  Recommendations: it should be setting the strategy of AEC’s health system at nearby country, concern with the trans-national migrants, and develop the data system of health service of trans-national migrant.

Biomagnetic monitoring of particulate matter (PM through leaves of an invasive alien plant Lantana camara in an Indo-Burma hot spot region

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Prabhat Kumar Rai

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Present study was performed in urban forests of Aizawl, Mizoram, North East India falling under an Indo-Burma hot spot region of existing ecological relevance and pristine environment. Phyto-sociolology of invasive weeds has been performed and results revealed that Lantana camara was the most dominant invasive weed. Further, the air quality studies revealed high suspended particulate matter (SPM as well as respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM in ambient air of Aizawl, Mizoram, North East India. Bio-magnetic monitoring through plant leaves has been recognised as recent thrust area in the field of particulate matter (PM science. We aimed to investigate that whether magnetic properties of Lantana camara leaves may act as proxy of PM pollution and hence an attempt towards it's sustainable management. Magnetic susceptibility (χ, Anhyste reticremanent magnetization (ARM and Saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM of Lantana camara plant leaves were assessed and concomitantly correlated these magnetic properties with ambient PM in order to screen this invasive plant which may act as proxy for ambient PM concentrations. Results revealed high χ, ARM, SIRM of Lantana camara leaves and moreover, these parameters were having significant and positive correlation with ambient SPM as well as RSPM. Therefore, present study recommended the use of Lantana camara as bio-magnetic monitor which may further have sustainable management implications of an invasive plant.

Piloting community-based medical care for survivors of sexual assault in conflict-affected Karen State of eastern Burma.

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Tanabe, Mihoko; Robinson, Keely; Lee, Catherine I; Leigh, Jen A; Htoo, Eh May; Integer, Naw; Krause, Sandra K

2013-05-21

Given the challenges to ensuring facility-based care in conflict settings, the Women's Refugee Commission and partners have been pursuing a community-based approach to providing medical care to survivors of sexual assault in Karen State, eastern Burma. This new model translates the 2004 World Health Organization's Clinical Management of Rape Survivors facility-based protocol to the community level through empowering community health workers to provide post-rape care. The aim of this innovative study is to examine the safety and feasibility of community-based medical care for survivors of sexual assault to contribute to building an evidence base on alternative models of care in humanitarian settings. A process evaluation was implemented from July-October 2011 to gather qualitative feedback from trained community health workers, traditional birth attendants, and community members. Two focus group discussions were conducted among the highest cadre health care workers from the pilot and non-pilot sites. In Karen State, eight focus group discussions were convened among traditional birth attendants and 10 among women and men of reproductive age. Qualitative feedback contributed to an understanding of the model's feasibility. Pilot site community health workers showed interest in providing community-based care for survivors of sexual assault. Traditional birth attendants attested to the importance of making this care available. Community health workers were deeply aware of the need to maintain confidentiality and offer compassionate care. They did not raise safety as an excess concern in the provision of treatment. Data speak to the promising "feasibility" of community-based post-rape care. More time, awareness-raising, and a larger catchment population are necessary to answer the safety perspective. The pilot is an attempt to translate facility-based protocol to the community level to offer solutions for settings where traditional methods of post-rape care are not

Respondent driven sampling in a biomonitoring study of refugees from Burma in Buffalo, New York who eat Great Lakes fish.

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Liu, Ming; McCann, Molly; Lewis-Michl, Elizabeth; Hwang, Syni-An

2018-06-01

Refugees from Burma who consume fish caught from local waterbodies have increased risk of exposure to environmental contaminants. We used respondent driven sampling (RDS) to sample this hard-to-reach population for the first Biomonitoring of Great Lakes Populations program. In the current study, we examined the interview data and assessed the effectiveness of RDS to sample the unique population. In 2013, we used RDS to sample 205 Burmese refugees and immigrants residing in Buffalo, New York who consumed fish caught from Great Lakes waters. RDS-adjusted population estimates of sociodemographic characteristics, residential history, fish consumption related behaviors, and awareness of fish advisories were obtained. We also examined sample homophily and equilibrium to assess how well the RDS assumptions were met in the study. Our sample was diverse with respect to sex, age, years residing in Buffalo, years lived in a refugee camp, education, employment, and fish consumption behaviors, and each of these variables reached equilibrium by the end of recruitment. Burmese refugees in Buffalo consumed Great Lakes fish throughout the year; a majority of them consumed the fish more than two times per week during summer, and about one third ate local fish more than once per week in winter. An estimated 60% of Burmese refugees in Buffalo had heard about local fish advisories. RDS has the potential to be an effective methodology for sampling refugees and immigrants in conducting biomonitoring and environmental exposure assessment. Due to high fish consumption and limited awareness and knowledge of fish advisories, some refugee and immigrant populations are more susceptible to environmental contaminants. Increased awareness on local fish advisories is needed among these populations. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

High-resolution dating of ancient ceramic kilns in Thailand, Laos and Burma by radiocarbon and palaeomagnetism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbetti, M.; Hein, D.

1997-01-01

Full text: Radiocarbon dating is widely used on organic samples, especially wood, charcoal and bone. Classical techniques use samples of several grams, but only a few milligrams is needed for measurements by Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Palaeomagnetic techniques are readily applicable to the study of ancient kilns. Core samples are drilled from the walls and floors, and oriented before being detached and measured on a sensitive spinner magnetometer in a laboratory. Resolution of a quarter of a century at 95% confidence can be achieved in favourable circumstances but only at certain periods of time. Radiocarbon dating shows that the earliest stoneware ceramics are from the 11th - 12th centuries AD and palaeomagnetism indicates that many in-ground kilns are of this age. Kilns of this type, which were hollowed out in sediments near river banks or old terraces, are found near Sisatchanalai in north-central Thailand and near Luang Prabang in northern Laos; they are similar in age to the Khmer-type kilns found at Suphanburi in central Thailand. A different type of kiln, constructed of bricks and located above-ground, appears towards the end of the 13th century AD. One of the earliest surface kilns at Sisatchanalai has a well determined date of 1290 ± 15 AD (calibrated radiocarbon age, 95% confidence).There is an overlap of the two technologies; stratigraphy and palaeomagnetic results show that in-ground and above-ground brick kilns continue almost side-by-side throughout the 14th century AD. One of the latest in-ground kilns at Sisatchanalai has a date of 1410 ± 25 AD (calibrated radiocarbon age, 95% confidence). There are many brick kilns belonging to the l5th century AD at Sisatchanalai, and they appear then at other sites in north-central Thailand (e.g., Sukhothai and Phitsanulok) and in Burma (e.g., Lagumbyee). In-ground kilns continue to be used in northern Laos even in the 15th century AD. The latest brick kilns at Sisatchanalai are 16th and possibly 17th

Operation Thursday: Birth of the Air Commandos

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Mason, Herbert A., Jr; Bergeron, Randy G; Renfrow, James A., Jr

1994-01-01

.... On March 5-6, 1944, the Allies conducted an air invasion of Burma in an attempt to push back the Japanese in the China-Burma-India Theater and reestablish the land route between India and China. U.S...

Geological, petrogical and geochemical characteristics of granitoid rocks in Burma: with special reference to the associated WSn mineralization and their tectonic setting

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Zaw, Khin

The granitoid rocks in Burma extend over a distance of 1450 km from Putao, Kachin State in the north, through Mogok, Kyaukse, Yamethin and Pyinmana in the Mandalay Division, to Tavoy and Mergui areas, Tenasserim Division, in the south. The Burmese granitoids can be subdivided into three N-S trending, major belts viz. western granitoid belt, central graniotoid belt and eastern granitoid belt. The Upper Cretaceous-Lower Eocene western belt granitoids are characterized by high-level intrusions associated with porphyry Cu(Au) related, younger volcanics; these plutonic and volcanic rocks are thought to have been emplaced as a magmatic-volcanic arc (inner magmatic-volcanic arc) above an east-dipping, but westwardly migrating, subduction zone related to the prolonged plate convergence which occurred during Upper Mesozoic and Cenozoic. The central granitoid belt is characterized by mesozonal, Mostly Upper Cretaceous to Lower Eocene plutons associated with abundant pegmalites and aplites, numerous vein-type W-Sn deposits and rare co-magmatic volcanics. The country rocks are structurally deformed, metamorphic rocks of greenschist to upper amphibolite facies ranging in age as early as Upper Precambrian to Upper Paleozoic and locally of fossiliferous, metaclastic rocks (Mid Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous). Available K/Ar radiometric data indicate significant and possibly widespread thermal disturbances in the central granitoid belt during the Tertiary (mostly Miocence). In this study, the distribution, lithological, textural and structural characteristics of the central belt granitoids are reviewed, and their mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical features are presented. A brief description of W-Sn ore veins associated with these granitoid plutons is also reported. Present geological, petrological and geochemical evidences demonstrate that the W-Sn related, central belt granitoids are mostly granodiorite and granite which are commonly transformed into granitoid gneisses

Lantana camara invasion in urban forests of an Indo–Burma hotspot region and its ecosustainable management implication through biomonitoring of particulate matter

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Prabhat Kumar Rai

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The present study was performed in urban forests of Aizawl, Mizoram, north east India falling under an Indo–Burma hot spot region of existing ecological relevance and pristine environment. The phytosociolology of invasive weeds has been studied, showing that Lantana camara was the most dominant invasive weed. Further, the air quality studies revealed high suspended particulate matter as well as respirable suspended particulate matter in the ambient air of Aizawl. Biomonitoring through plant leaves has been recognized as a recent thrust area in the field of particulate matter science. We aimed to investigate whether L. camara leaves may act as a biomonitoring tool hence allowing its sustainable management. The quantity of respirable suspended particulate matter and suspended particulate matter at four different sites were much higher than the prescribed limits of Central Pollution Control Board of India during the summer and winter seasons. The dust deposition of L. camara leaves was 1.01 mg/cm2 and, pertaining to the biochemical parameters: pH was 7.49; relative water content 73.74%; total chlorophyll 1.91 mg/g; ascorbic acid 7.06 mg/g; sugar 0.16 mg/g; protein 0.67 mg/g; catalase 30.76 U/mg protein; peroxidase 0.16 U/mg protein; and air pollution tolerance index was 12.91. L. camara was observed in the good category in anticipated performance index, which shows the tolerant and conditioning capacity of air pollution. Therefore, the present study recommends the use of L. camara as biomonitor that may further have sustainable management implications for an invasive plant.

The Road to Mandalay: A Journey towards Cultural Understanding

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Moult, Annette

2012-01-01

Rudyard Kipling wrote "The Road to Mandalay" in 1892 when Burma was a British colony and Queen Victoria was the Empress of India. In the poem, Mandalay is a city some 500 miles along the Irrawaddy River from the capital, Rangoon. British troops stationed in Burma were transported on the river by paddle steamers. The picture painted of…

Adapting to social and political transitions - the influence of history on health policy formation in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma).

Science.gov (United States)

Grundy, John; Annear, Peter; Ahmed, Shakil; Biggs, Beverley-Ann

2014-04-01

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burma) has a long and complex history characterized by internal conflict and tense international relations. Post-independence, the health sector has gradually evolved, but with health service development and indicators lagging well behind regional expectations. In recent years, the country has initiated political reforms and a reorientation of development policy towards social sector investment. In this study, from a systems and historical perspective, we used publicly available data sources and grey literature to describe and analyze links between health policy and history from the post-independence period up until 2012. Three major periods are discernable in post war health system development and political history in Myanmar. The first post-independence period was associated with the development of the primary health care system extending up to the 1988 political events. The second period is from 1988 to 2005, when the country launched a free market economic model and was arguably experiencing its highest levels of international isolation as well as very low levels of national health investment. The third period (2005-2012) represents the first attempts at health reform and recovery, linked to emerging trends in national political reform and international politics. Based on the most recent period of macro-political reform, the central state is set to transition from a direct implementer of a command and control management system, towards stewardship of a significantly more complex and decentralized administrative order. Historical analysis demonstrates the extent to which these periodic shifts in the macro-political and economic order acts to reset the parameters for health policy making. This case demonstrates important lessons for other countries in transition by highlighting the extent to which analysis of political history can be instructive for determination of more feasible boundaries for future health policy action

Implementation and Utilization of Security Assistance: A Multi-Country Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-01

drug, prohibition or restriction of U.S. humanitarian assistance, severing of diplomatic relations, tax on U.S. assistance, recruitment or use of...and Myanmar /Burma (SIPRI, 2015), where no FMS or FMF engagement took place (DSCA, 2013). Indonesia, a key partner in maritime security and...were India, China, Algeria, Venezuela, Vietnam, Syria, Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Egypt Myanmar /Burma, Indonesia, Iran, UAE, Uganda, Iraq, and Turkey. The

Early Cretaceous wedge extrusion in the Indo-Burma Range accretionary complex: implications for the Mesozoic subduction of Neotethys in SE Asia

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ji'en; Xiao, Wenjiao; Windley, Brian F.; Cai, Fulong; Sein, Kyaing; Naing, Soe

2017-06-01

The Indo-Burma Range (IBR) of Myanmar, the eastern extension of the Yarlung-Tsangpo Neotethyan belt of Tibet in China, contains mélanges with serpentinite, greenschist facies basalt, chert, sericite schist, silty slate and unmetamorphosed Triassic sandstone, mudstone and siltstone interbedded with chert in the east, and farther north high-pressure blueschist and eclogite blocks in the Naga Hills mélange. Our detailed mapping of the Mindat and Magwe sections in the middle IBR revealed a major 18 km antiformal isocline in a mélange in which greenschist facies rocks in the core decrease in grade eastwards and westwards symmetrically `outwards' to lower grade sericite schist and silty slate, and at the margins to unmetamorphosed sediments, and these metamorphic rocks are structurally repeated in small-scale imbricated thrust stacks. In the Mindat section the lower western boundary of the isoclinal mélange is a thrust on which the metamorphic rocks have been transported over unmetamorphosed sediments of the Triassic Pane Chaung Group, and the upper eastern boundary is a normal fault. These relations demonstrate that the IBR metamorphic rocks were exhumed by wedge extrusion in a subduction-generated accretionary complex. Along strike to the north in the Naga Hills is a comparable isoclinal mélange in which central eclogite lenses are succeeded `outwards' by layers of glaucophane schist and glaucophanite, and to lower grade greenschist facies sericite schist and slate towards the margins. In the Natchaung area (from west to east) unmetamorphosed Triassic sediments overlie quartzites, sericite schists, actinolite schists and meta-volcanic amphibolites derived from MORB-type basalt, which are in fault contact with peridotite. Olivine in the peridotite has undulatory extinction suggesting deformation at 600-700 °C, similar to the peak temperature of the amphibolite; these relations suggest generation in a metamorphic sole. The amphibolites have U/Pb zircon ages of 119

Initiations in the Burmese Ritual Landscape

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Bénédicte Brac de la Perrière

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In Buddhist Burma, a variety of ritual has been found pertaining to quite differentiated aspects of religion. This rich ritual landscape remains under-examined due partly to the Buddhist-studies bias of most of the scholars looking at religion in Burma. In this paper, I develop comparative analysis of a class of ritual, namely that of initiation, in three components of Burmese religion: Buddhist monasticism, Buddhist esotericism, and spirit worship. At least from the present analytic perspective, the three components considered could be taken as encompassing the entire Buddhist religious sphere in Burma. Looking at initiation rituals in these three ‘paths’ is a means of understanding how they frame contrasting kinds of differently valued religious practice, and of showing that, although not often discussed, rituals do matter in Burma because they help distinguish categories of action according to their relative religiosity. By doing so, I aim to give a sense of the real diversity of the Burmese ritual landscape, which until recently was rarely taken into account, and to contribute to the on-going debate in the field of Buddhist studies on what could be encapsulated as the question of Buddhism and spirit cults in Southeast Asian Theravada.

The Art of Ore: Chinese Strategy in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-01

multitude of other countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, India, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos , Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia...76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Mongolia 4,677 km...Mineral Production in 2005 Source: W. David Menzie and Pui-Kwan Tse , Made in China: China‟s Growing Appetite for Minerals, US Geological Survey, 2006

Coercion, Cash-Crops and Culture: From Insurgency to Proto-State in Asia’s Opium Belt

Science.gov (United States)

2008-06-01

Ethnic Nationalist Party? (Washington: East-West Center, 2007), 26-27. 37 Bertil Lintner, Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948 ( Chiang Mai : Silkworm...Heroin, 101-103. 137 Ibid, 115-120. 138 David K. Wyatt, Thailand: A Short History ( Chiang Mai : Silkworm Books, 2003), 248. 49 by the Siamese or...Opium and Conflict in Burma, ed. Martin Jelsma, Tom Kramer and Pietje Vervest ( Chiang Mai : Silkworm Books, 2005), 65. 67 Figure 8. The Wa Proto-State

Sacred Networks and Struggles among the Karen Baptists across the Thailand-Burma Border Réseaux sacrés et conflits parmi les Baptistes karen de part et d’autre de la frontière birmano-thaïlandaise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Horstmann

2012-10-01

Full Text Available In this article, I provide a case study of a moving border between Thailand and Burma. Emphasizing the agency of people who become refugees, the article is concerned to point out the important role of religious networks in providing humanitarian assistance, shelter and mobility to stateless Karen refugees. I argue that Christian and Buddhist literate networks- realigned in political exile, develop competing visions of a Karen “homeland.” Arguing that membership in the network is crucial for survival, the article follows the social organization and religious practices in Baptist networks. I examine how the Baptist church network in close partnership with the Karen National Union is able or not able to mobilize refugees for proselytization. Karen refugee leaders and KNU-pastors find analogies in the bible to find an explanation to the suffering of the Karen civil population in the war. The article is interested in the nexus and overlap of humanitarian ideology, Christianity and nationalism in the transitional space between Thailand and Burma. Providing case-studies of individual refugees, the article gives ethnographic sketches from the refugee camp, the countryside and humanitarian assistance to the internally displaced.Cet article est une étude de cas d’une frontière mouvante entre la Thaïlande et la Birmanie. Insistant sur l’agency (action de personnes devenues des réfugiés, l’article souligne le rôle important des réseaux religieux qui apportent une assistance humanitaire, des abris et de la mobilité à des réfugiés karen dépourvus d’État. Je soutiens que les réseaux intellectuels chrétiens et bouddhistes, recomposés dans l’exil, développent des visions concurrentes d’une « mère-patrie » karen. Soutenant que la participation au réseau est cruciale pour la survie, l’article développe plus particulièrement l’organisation sociale et les pratiques religieuses en vigueur dans les réseaux baptistes. J�

Displacement and disease: The Shan exodus and infectious disease implications for Thailand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suwanvanichkij Voravit

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Decades of neglect and abuses by the Burmese government have decimated the health of the peoples of Burma, particularly along her eastern frontiers, overwhelmingly populated by ethnic minorities such as the Shan. Vast areas of traditional Shan homelands have been systematically depopulated by the Burmese military regime as part of its counter-insurgency policy, which also employs widespread abuses of civilians by Burmese soldiers, including rape, torture, and extrajudicial executions. These abuses, coupled with Burmese government economic mismanagement which has further entrenched already pervasive poverty in rural Burma, have spawned a humanitarian catastrophe, forcing hundreds of thousands of ethnic Shan villagers to flee their homes for Thailand. In Thailand, they are denied refugee status and its legal protections, living at constant risk for arrest and deportation. Classified as "economic migrants," many are forced to work in exploitative conditions, including in the Thai sex industry, and Shan migrants often lack access to basic health services in Thailand. Available health data on Shan migrants in Thailand already indicates that this population bears a disproportionately high burden of infectious diseases, particularly HIV, tuberculosis, lymphatic filariasis, and some vaccine-preventable illnesses, undermining progress made by Thailand's public health system in controlling such entities. The ongoing failure to address the root political causes of migration and poor health in eastern Burma, coupled with the many barriers to accessing health programs in Thailand by undocumented migrants, particularly the Shan, virtually guarantees Thailand's inability to sustainably control many infectious disease entities, especially along her borders with Burma.

What happens along the flank and corner of a continental indenter? Insights from the easternmost Himalayan orogen and constraints on the models of the India-Asia collision

Science.gov (United States)

Haproff, P. J.; Yin, A.; Zuza, A. V.

2017-12-01

Investigations of continental collisions often focus on thrust belts oriented perpendicular to the plate-convergence direction and exclude belts that bound the flanks of a continental indenter despite being crucial to understanding the collisional process. Research of the Himalayan orogen, for example, has mostly centered on the east-trending thrust belt between the eastern and western syntaxes, resulting in inadequate examination of the north-trending Indo-Burma Ranges located along the eastern margin of India. To better understand the development of the entire Himalayan orogenic system, we conducted field mapping across the Northern Indo-Burma Range (NIBR), situated at the intersection of the eastern Himalaya and Indo-Burma Ranges. Our research shows that major lithologic units and thrust faults of the Himalaya extend to the NIBR, suggesting a shared geologic evolution. The structural framework of the NIBR consists of a southwest-directed thrust belt cored by a hinterland-dipping duplex, like the Himalaya. However, the Northern Indo-Burma orogen is distinct based on (1) the absence of the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence and southern Gangdese batholith, (2) the absence of the South Tibetan detachment, (3) crustal shortening greater than 80%, (4) an incredibly narrow orogen width of 7-33 km, (5) exposure of an ophiolitic mélange complex as a klippe, (6) and right-slip shear along the active range-bounding thrust fault. Furthermore, lithospheric deformation along the flank and northeast corner of India is characterized by right-slip transpression partitioned between the thrust belt and right-slip faults. Such a regime is interpreted to accommodate both contraction and clockwise rotation of Tibetan lithosphere around India, consistent with existing continuum deformation and rotation models.

The Rising Tiger (United States Policy Consideration towards Southeast Asia)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Douglas, Carla; Pagliano, Gary; Rosner, Elliot J

1997-01-01

.... Southeast Asia, consisting of the countries of Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, and the Philippines, presents opportunities for the United States...

Burmese Attitude toward Chinese: Portrayal of the Chinese in Contemporary Cultural and Media Works

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min Zin

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that since at least the mid 1980s, there has been an observable negative attitude among the people of Burma against the Chinese. Such sentiment is not just transient public opinion, but an attitude. The author measures it by studying contemporary cultural and media works as found in legally published expressions, so as to exclude any material rejected by the regime’s censors. The causes of such sentiment are various: massive Chinese migration and purchases of real estate (especially in Upper Burma, Chinese money that is inflating the cost of everything, and cultural “intrusion.” The sentiment extends to the military, as well: the article examines a dozen memoirs of former military generals and finds that Burma’s generals do not trust the Chinese, a legacy of China’s interference in Burma’s civil war until the 1980s. The public outcry over the Myitsone dam issue, however, was the most significant expression of such sentiment since 1969, when anti-Chinese riots broke out in Burma. The relaxation of media restrictions under the new government has allowed this expression to gather steam and spread throughout the country, especially in private weekly journals that are becoming more outspoken and daring in pushing the boundaries of the state’s restrictions.

Seismicity and stress state in the South China Sea, Indochina and their vicinity

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Shaoxian; Wu, Zhongliang; Li, Aibing

1992-02-01

The distribution of earthquakes from 1973 to 1982 in the South China Sea, Indochina and their vicinity was studied using the data from I. S. C. It was found that the earthquakes are mainly concentrated along the boundaries of plates. Beside, some of shallow eartqhuakes are distributed in west part of Burma and the boundary between Burma and China, a few of earthquakes occurred in South China Sea. The features of Benioff zone along the boundaries between India plate, Philippine Sea plate and Eurasia plate were studied. The plate do not coupled well under the Java trench and the Philippine trench. The subducted India plate under Burmese range, Andaman—Nicobar arc moves NNE. The fault plane solutions of earthquakes were studied using the first motions of P wave. The stress state on subduction zones and within the area were deduced from the fault plane solutions and the fault movement. It was found that the direction of principal compression axis of stress is in the NNE in west part of Burma, in S—N in south and middle part of Bruma and Thailand, and in NNE or S—N in the South China Sea. It was also found that the stress state has close relation with the interaction of plates.

The Northern Rupture of the 1762 Arakan Meghathrust Earthquake and other Potential Earthquake Sources in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhter, S. H.; Seeber, L.; Steckler, M. S.

2015-12-01

Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It occupies a major part of the Bengal Basin, which contains the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD), the largest and one of the most active of world deltas, and is located along the Alpine-Himalayan seismic belt. As such it is vulnerable to many natural hazards, especially earthquakes. The country sits at the junction of three tectonic plates - Indian, Eurasian, and the Burma 'sliver' of the Sunda plate. These form two boundaries where plates converge- the India-Eurasia plate boundary to the north forming the Himalaya Arc and the India-Burma plate boundary to the east forming the Indo-Burma Arc. The India-Burma plate boundary is exceptionally wide because collision with the GBD feeds an exception amount of sediment into the subduction zone. Thus the Himalayan continent collision orogeny along with its syntaxes to the N and NE of Bangladesh and the Burma Arc subduction boundary surround Bangladesh on two sides with active faults of regional scale, raising the potential for high-magnitude earthquakes. In recent years Bangladesh has experienced minor to moderate earthquakes. Historical records show that major and great earthquakes have ravaged the country and the neighboring region several times over the last 450 years. Field observations of Tertiary structures along the Chittagong-Teknaf coast reveal that the rupture of 1762 Arakan megathrust earthquake extended as far north as the Sitakund anticline to the north of the city of Chittagong. This earthquake brought changes to the landscape, uplifting the Teknaf peninsula and St. Martin's Island by about 2-2.5 m, and activated two mud volcanos along the axis of the Sitakund anticline, where large tabular blocks of exotic crystalline limestone, were tectonically transported from a deep-seated formation along with the eruptive mud. Vast area of the coast including inland areas east of the lower Meghna River were inundated. More than 500 peoples died near

19 CFR 4.22 - Exemptions from special tonnage taxes.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belgium Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil Bulgaria Burma Canada Chile Colombia... Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay People's Republic of China Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar...

Southeast Asia and U.S. Security

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Byers, Michael; Clark, Jr., R. W; Sporn, James

1996-01-01

The Southeast Asia region consists of the following countries Brunei, Burma Cambodia Indonesia Laos, Malaysia Philippines, Singapore Thailand and Vietnam For the purpose of this paper, Southeast Asia...

All projects related to Myanmar | Page 3 | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Many countries in Asia employ Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as an integral part of ... Topic: SOCIAL PROBLEMS, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, SEXUAL ABUSE, ... Environmental Policy Development in Burma's Democratic Transition.

U.S. Sanctions on Burma

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-16

3)(a)(3)—progress on human rights, release of all political prisoners, freedom of speech and the press, freedom of association, peaceful...release of all political prisoners, freedom of speech and the press, freedom of association, peaceful exercise of religion, democratic governance, not...political prisoners, allowing freedom of speech , the press, and association, permitting the peaceful exercise of religion, and concluding an agreement

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Topic: Food security, MALNUTRITION, PUBLIC HEALTH, DIET, WOMEN, ... out by industries using large-scale fermentation technologies to target urban ... Una Hakika: Scaling Digital Solutions for Conflict Management in Kenya and Burma.

Estimating Selected Disease and Non-Battle Injury Echelon I and Echelon II Outpatient Visits of U.S. Soldiers and Marines in an Operational Setting from Corresponding Echelon III (Hospitalization) Admissions in the Same Theater of Operation

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Kilian, Dennis B

2000-01-01

.... This has been demonstrated throughout history from Napoleon's typhus outbreak in the retreat from Moscow, to Merrill's Maraders' dysentery outbreak in Burma, and to the US Forces-Somalia dengue and malaria outbreak...

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Opportunities and Challenges of Doing Business in Burma's Special Economic Zones ... Economic Zones (SEZs) as an integral part of their development strategy to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). ... Program: Foundations for Innovation.

ABNORMALITAS MORFOLOGIS BENIH IKAN LELE AFRIKA (Clarias gariepinus STRAIN MUTIARA

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Bambang Iswanto

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Ikan lele Mutiara merupakan strain baru ikan lele Afrika (Clarias gariepinus hasil pemuliaan yang memiliki keunggulan-keunggulan karakteristik budidaya, terutama pertumbuhan. Selain karakteristik budidayanya, karakteristik morfologis ikan lele Mutiara juga perlu dieksplorasi. Salah satu aspek morfologi yang perlu dieksplorasi tersebut adalah abnormalitas morfologis benihnya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui abnormalitas morfologis benih ikan lele Mutiara dibandingkan dengan benih strain-strain ikan lele Afrika lain yang digunakan dalam kegiatan budidaya di Indonesia, yakni ikan lele Sangkuriang, Dumbo, Sukhoi, Burma, Paiton, Phyton dan Masamo. Karakteristik yang diamati adalah abnormalitas bentuk morfologis (deformitas dan fluktuasi asimetri sirip dada dan sirip perut. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa tingkat deformitas (4,00% dan fluktuasi asimetri (sirip dada 0,14 dan sirip perut 0,02 benih ikan lele Mutiara lebih rendah daripada benih-benih ikan lele Sangkuriang, Dumbo, Sukhoi, Burma, Paiton, Phyton dan Masamo (deformitas berkisar 6,00-42,00%, fluktuasi asimetri sirip dada berkisar 0,30-0,68 dan sirip perut berkisar 0,12-0,62. Hasil tersebut menunjukkan bahwa bentuk morfologis benih ikan lele Mutiara lebih normal daripada benih-benih ikan lele Sangkuriang, Dumbo, Sukhoi, Burma, Paiton, Phyton dan Masamo. Hal tersebut mengindikasikan bahwa mutu dan keragaman genetis ikan lele Mutiara lebih tinggi daripada strain-strain ikan lele Afrika lain yang digunakan dalam kegiatan budidaya di Indonesia tersebut.

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Aquaculture is an important economic sector, source of livelihood, and contributor to ... Opportunities and Challenges of Doing Business in Burma's Special Economic Zones ... Nutrition and Food Security in Uplands of Vietnam and Thailand.

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Results 271 - 280 of 8491 ... Una Hakika: Scaling Digital Solutions for Conflict Management in Kenya and Burma ... Adaptation Finance: Linking Research, Policy, and Business ... availability, marketing, and consumption of ultra-processed food ...

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Regulation of Food and Beverage Advertising and Marketing in India. Foods and beverages ... Adaptation Finance: Linking Research, Policy, and Business ... Una Hakika: Scaling Digital Solutions for Conflict Management in Kenya and Burma ...

Tissue banking and clinical research on radiation and ethylene oxide sterilization of tissue grafts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pe Khin

1987-06-01

The research works carried out in Rangoon, Burma under the Agency supported project RC4420/RB have dealt with an elucidation of the radiation interaction(s) with the species of biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, collagens, connective tissues present in the cleaned and freeze-dried non-viable tissue grafts. Radiation as a cool process furthermore effectively helps to destroy the microbial bioburden as the undesirable contaminants which may associate the tissue grafts. Radiation also concomitantly helps to suppress the tissue-specific immunogenicity. All these attributes of radiation induced effects have proved successful towards the development of a sterilization process. A series of non-viable tissue grafts, such as bone, nerve, fascia, dura, cartilage, chorion-amnion (as dressings in burn wounds) and tympanic membrane have been successfully attempted in Burma and many more possibilities seem to still remain unexplored. Radiation sterilization modality has proved as a blessing for the promotion of clinical surgical applications of tissue allografts in the corrective/reconstructive surgery on the disability cases due to diseases which accompany tissue losses. The investigator in Burma has reported on the case histories where freeze dried radiation sterilized tissue allografts have been successfully used in the osteogenic inductions (bone grafts); midear tympanoplasty; partial recovery of nerve sensation throught nerve allografts; rapid healing of high degree burn wounds through the use of amnion dressings. Besides, there have been a widespread surgical use of radiation sterilized dura and fascia as allografts. A national tissue banking facility has been established in Burma surrounding the processing and clinical utilization of tissue allografts which has involved over ten hospital centres throughout the country. Radiation induced effects on the biomolecules of clinical significance in the tissue grafts have been researched to help gain insight into a better

Creating better jobs in ASEAN countries | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2015-07-30

Jul 30, 2015 ... ... Asian Nations) includes some of today's most dynamic economies. ... Laos, Vietnam, and more recently Burma connect with global value chains in ... Their recommendations underscore the need for more effective business ...

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Una Hakika: Scaling Digital Solutions for Conflict Management in Kenya and Burma. Project. Reducing ... Total Funding: CA$ 699,474.00. Improving high quality, equitable maternal health services in Malawi (IMCHA). Project. Malawi has high ...

All projects related to | Page 152 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Opportunities and Challenges of Doing Business in Burma's Special Economic Zones ... Gender, Entrepreneurship, and Inclusive Growth: The Role of Institutions in ... Women and youth are often excluded from the full benefits of growth and ...

ADVISORY

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

IDRC CRDI

approach to Burma's problems, one based on a more rigorous ... history, the singular nature of the present military dictatorship, and the fast ... extensively for newspapers and magazines and held visiting fellowships at Harvard University, the.

Strengthening Science-based Environmental Policy Development in ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Strengthening Science-based Environmental Policy Development in Burma's Democratic ... IDRC is providing funding to Simon Fraser University to support a network of ... The project will also encourage and assist in the creation of a business ...

ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF FUNGI RESPONSIBLE FOR ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

technique. The diseased plant leaves were taken to the laboratory for culture, isolation, and identification ... The tree is native to Asia particularly eastern India, Burma, and the Andaman ..... in Southeastern Nigeria and Biological. Control with ...

Central Asia | Page 95 | IDRC - International Development Research ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

, similar struggles play out across the rest of the region, from India and Singapore to Thailand and Burma, although each national dynamic is unique. Read more about Access Contested: Security, Identity, and Resistance in Asian Cyberspace.

Asie du sud | Page 105 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

, similar struggles play out across the rest of the region, from India and Singapore to Thailand and Burma, although each national dynamic is unique. Read more about Access Contested: Security, Identity, and Resistance in Asian Cyberspace.

Temperature and salinity profile data collected from XBT, CTD, MBT and Bottle casts from multiple platforms by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), India, in the Bay of Bengal from August 28, 1976 to January 07, 2009 (NODC Accession 0055418)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Physical data were collected from Bottle, MBT, XBT, and CTD casts from the Andaman and Burma Seas, Bay of Bengal, Malacca Straits, and the Indian Ocean. Data were...

Temperature profile and water depth data collected from USS BARBEY using BT and XBT casts in the Indian ocean and other seas from 07 January 1989 to 31 January 1989 (NODC Accession 8900034)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Temperature profile and water depth data were collected using BT and XBT casts from the USS BARBEY in the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, Burma Sea, and Malacca of...

Fulltext PDF

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The shadow cone will first touch the earth's surface in the ... part of India, BangIa Desh and Burma, will leave the earth at location in southern China. .... undoubtedly be used to clarify many points regarding coronal rotation, spatial variation.

Diet composition of golden jackal, Canis aureus in the Ngorongoro ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

TEMU

storks (Ciconia abdimii) contributed the most to the diet of golden jackal in the dry and wet season respectively. ... eastern Europe, Middle East and South Asia up to Burma and ..... Suppression, and Body Mass in Canids. In: Solomon N and ...

Timber Entrepreneur, Cukong Kayu

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eilenberg, Michael

2013-01-01

of over eighty scholars and covers the nine major countries of the region: Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. An introduction outlines important social transformations in Southeast Asia and key theoretical and methodological innovations...

The "Everyday Politics" of IDP Protection in Karen State Flüchtlingspolitik im Karen-Gebiet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephen Hull

2009-07-01

Full Text Available While international humanitarian access in Burma has opened up over the past decade and a half, the ongoing debate regarding the appropriate relationship between politics and humanitarian assistance remains unresolved. This debate has become especially limiting in regards to protection measures for internally displaced persons (IDPs which are increasingly seen to fall within the mandate of humanitarian agencies. Conventional IDP protection frameworks are biased towards a top-down model of politicallyaverse intervention which marginalises local initiatives to resist abuse and hinders local control over protection efforts. Yet such local resistance strategies remain the most effective IDP protection measures currently employed in Karen State and other parts of rural Burma. Addressing the protection needs and underlying humanitarian concerns of displaced and potentially displaced people is thus inseparable from engagement with the "everyday politics" of rural villagers. This article seeks to challenge conventional notions of IDP protection that prioritise a form of state-centric "neutrality" and marginalise the "everyday politics" through which local villagers continue to resist abuse and claim their rights. Obwohl der Zugang internationaler Hilfsorganisationen nach Burma sich in der vergangenen Dekade verbessert hat, bleibt die Debatte über die angemessene Beziehung zwischen Politik und humanitärer Hilfe ungelöst. Die Debatte ist insbesondere bei Fragen des Schutzes von Binnenflüchtlingen (IDPs sehr begrenzt, die mehr und mehr unter den Schutz humanitärer Hilfsorganisationen fallen. Der konventionelle Rahmen des Schutzes von IDPs basiert auf einem Top-Down-Modell, das sich gegen eine politische Einflussnahme ausspricht, lokale Initiativen zum Schutz gegen Missbrauch marginalisiert und lokale Kontrolle über Schutzmaßnahmen verhindert. Lokale Widerstandsstrategien bleiben aber im gegenwärtigen Karen-Staat und in anderen Teilen des l

The Geology of Burma (Myanmar): An Annotated Bibliography of Burma’s Geology, Geography and Earth Science

Science.gov (United States)

2008-09-01

Eichornia-Crassipes; Ephydatia-Fluviatilis; Hydrilla; Imperata ; Inle; Intha; Shan; Utricularia. Abstract: cultural data on the people and a bibliography...characterized by dipterocarpus Bibliography of Burman Earth Science September 2008 71 tuberculatus and associated plants; the other by imperata . The

Integrated Cognitive-neuroscience Architectures for Understanding Sensemaking (ICArUS): A Computational Basis for ICArUS Challenge Problem Design

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

Critical Thinking with Bayesian HELP Storytelling is a powerful device, widely used for organizational learning and personnel training. But a problem... advertisements : A Bayesian model of Burma-Shave’s muse. Artificial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing. Burns, K. (2014). ICArUS

How Effective was Field Marshal William Slim as an Operational Artist?

Science.gov (United States)

2012-05-17

Division having conducted an unidentified flanking maneuver to threaten his Division rear area. Slim, bedridden with dysentery, was also surprised at...Ashes: The Indian Army in the Burma Campaign. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2003. Matheny, Michael R . The Roots of Modern American Operational Art

Estimates of run off, evaporation and precipitation for the Bay of Bengal on seasonal basis

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Varkey, M.J.; Sastry, J.S.

Mean seasonal river discharge rates (R) of the major rivers along the east coast of India, Bangla Desh and Burma; evaporation rates (E) computed for 5 degrees lat-long. Squares from data on heat loss and mean yearly precipitation (P) values at 5...

China's foreign relations and the survival of autocracies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bader, J.

2015-01-01

The Chinese government has frequently been criticized for propping up anti-democratic governments. This book investigates the rise of China as an emerging authoritarian power. By comparing China’s bilateral relations to three Asian developing countries - Burma, Cambodia and Mongolia - it examines

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 51 - 60 of 112 ... Collaborative Governance Models for Managing Aquatic ... Over the past 20 years, numerous innovations to improve food crop yields ... This project will explore the effects of contract agriculture on ... Strengthening Science-based Environmental Policy Development in Burma's Democratic Transition.

A new subspecies of Accipiter virgatus (Temminck) from Flores, Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia (Aves: Accipitridae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mees, G.F.

1984-01-01

A new subspecies of Accipiter virgatus (Temminck) is described from Flores (Lesser Sunda Islands). In addition some notes are given on the distribution of A. virgatus in south-eastern Burma and adjacent parts of Thailand, supplementary to an earlier paper (Mees, 1981).

The United States and Myanmar: From Antagonists to Security Partners?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jürgen Haacke

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This article provides an overview both of the considerable makeover that relations between the United States and Myanmar have undergone since Naypyidaw ushered in a programme of wide-ranging reforms, and of the main policy areas in relation to which Washington remains keen to induce further change. The article also aims to explain why, notwithstanding the significant improvement in bilateral relations and the Obama administration’s interest in also pursuing military engagement, progress in this field has remained rather limited. Focusing on the politics of US policymaking on Burma, the article argues that while the Obama administration was able to take the initiative on recalibrating US Burma policy, congressional resistance in particular, amid wider concerns shared by non-governmental organisations, has so far constrained the administration vis-à-vis US–Myanmar military-to-military relations.

Comparative study of the electronic structure of natural and synthetic ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

We have studied the Cr–K-edge XANES and EXAFS in natural Indian rubies from two sources and a synthetic ... mineral in a wide variety of quality spread all over the world e.g. Burma ... using Si diode pairs oriented toward the sample. The.

78 FR 12132 - 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Reporting Requirements on Responsible...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-21

... Requirements on Responsible Investment in Burma. OMB Control Number: None. Type of Request: New Collection... through the commission of human rights abuses and pervasive public corruption. In Executive Order 13619 of... potential adverse human rights, worker rights, anti-corruption, environmental, or other impacts resulting...

Myanmar - energy situation 1991/92. Myanmar - Energiewirtschaft 1991/92

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1992-12-01

The energy situation of Myanmar (Burma) is reviewed on the basis of selected data. This includes statistics on the country's national and international energy policy, energy sources, and electric power generation. Key data are presented on foreign trade and the balance of payments. (UA).

77 FR 58921 - Presidential Determination With Respect to Foreign Governments' Efforts Regarding Trafficking in...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-24

... the multilateral development banks; or (3) is complementary to or has similar policy objectives to... investigate and prosecute trafficking cases or otherwise improve implementation of its anti-trafficking policy... Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela memoranda of justification, under section 706 of the FRAA, to the Congress...

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International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Language French. Read more about Strengthening Science-based Environmental Policy Development in Burma's Democratic Transition. Language English. Read more about Élaboration d'une politique environnementale reposant sur des données scientifiques dans le cadre de la transition démocratique en Birmanie.

78 FR 15351 - International Trade Administration

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-11

.... \\1\\ ASEAN Member countries include, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the... generation safety standards. The revised nuclear capacity target for 2020 is now 58 GWe. During the same timeframe, the State Council approved the 12th Five- Year Plan for Nuclear Safety and Radioactive Pollution...

Advising China, 1924-1948: The Role of Military Culture in Foreign Advisory Missions

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-27

part of Ludendorff’s ultra-nationalist circle, which had participated in Adolf Hitler’s failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. 73 The advisers... Sour ce: Charles F. Romanus and Riley Sunderland, United States Army in World War II, China-Burma-India Theater: Stilwell’s Mission to China

Schistura hypsiura, a new species of loach (Cobitoidea: Nemacheilidae) from South-West Myanmar

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bohlen, Jörg; Šlechtová, Vendula; Udomritthiruj, K.

2014-01-01

Roč. 62, č. 1 (2014), s. 21-27 ISSN 0217-2445 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/08/0637; GA MŠk LC06073 Institutional support: RVO:67985904 Keywords : Rakhine State * Burma * caudal peduncle Subject RIV: EG - Zoology Impact factor: 1.024, year: 2014

Analysis of promoter activity in transgenic plants by normalizing ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Analysis of promoter activity in transgenic plants by normalizing expression with a reference gene: anomalies due to the influence of the test promoter on the reference promoter. Simran Bhullar Suma Chakravarthy Deepak Pental Pradeep Kumar Burma. Articles Volume 34 Issue 6 December 2009 pp 953-962 ...

South Asia | Page 110 | IDRC - International Development Research ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Language French. Read more about Renforcement des capacités de réaliser des examens systématiques. Language French. Read more about Soutien au Conseil arabe des sciences sociales. Language French. Read more about Strengthening Science-based Environmental Policy Development in Burma's Democratic ...

Editorial: On China–Myanmar Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David I. Steinberg

2012-01-01

Full Text Available For two decades, the growing relationship between the People’s Republic of China and the Myanmar-controlled junta was either ignored or avoided in the United States public discourse. It was not until September 2009 that public attention began to be focused on this issue, when Senator Jim Webb specifically included this question in a senatorial subcommittee meeting on Burma/ Myanmar. The academic literature, however, had been sprinkled with various and important analyses of these important bilateral links, but these did not seem to affect public dialogue. Georgetown University had also been involved in those considerations. In February 2001, it sponsored an international conference in Washington, D.C. on “Burma: Nexus on the Bay of Bengal,” the purpose of which was to demonstrate to the incoming Bush administration the importance of the subject. It seemed, however, to have caused little public administration interest, whatever effect it might have aroused in classified circles.

Asie centrale | Page 95 | CRDI - Centre de recherches pour le ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Resistance to China's Internet controls comes from both grassroots activists and corporate giants such as Google. Meanwhile, similar struggles play out across the rest of the region, from India and Singapore to Thailand and Burma, although each national dynamic is unique. Read more about Access Contested: Security, ...

The Indian Ocean - An environmental overview

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

SenGupta, R.; Qasim, S.Z.

. Geographically, it is the area from 30 degrees S latitude to the Gulf of Oman and the head of the Bay of Bengal and from the East Africa coast to the coastlines of Burma, Thailand and Malaysia (excluding the Strait of Malacca). In this region of the Indain Ocean...

Mile-A-Minute (Pest Alert)

Science.gov (United States)

Denise Binion; William Jackson

2009-01-01

Mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata (L.) H. Gross, formerly Polygonum perfoliatum, L.) is an annual vine in the Polygonaceae or Buckwheat family. It is native to eastern Asia including India, Bhutan, Nepal, China, Burma, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Siberia, the Philippines, New Guinea, the Malay peninsula and the...

Shan women traders and their survival strategies on the Myanmar-Thailand borderland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lertchavalitsakul, B.

2015-01-01

Between the 1970s and the mid-1990s, the Burma-Thailand borderland witnessed an expansion of long-distance trade conducted by Shan women. This expansion occurred despite an escalation of ethnic rebellions and insurgencies on the Burmese side of the frontier, and in particular the relocation of the

Deterrence Theory in the Contemporary Operating Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-12

Doo Hwan’s life in a bombing incident in Rangoon, Burma ( Myanmar ); and a mid-air sabotage bombing of a South Korean Boeing 707 passenger plane in......timeline. Humanitarian Cooperation Planning Division, Ministry of Unification, Seoul. “Explanations on the Results of the 20th Inter-Korean Ministerial

Engaging Karen Refugee Students in Science Learning through a Cross-Cultural Learning Community

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, Susan G.

2017-01-01

This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as…

Higher Education and Development in South-East Asia. Volume II, Country Profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayden, Howard; And Others

This document, the second of three volumes concerned with the role of institutions of higher education in the development of countries in South-East Asia, presents country profiles for Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Viet-Nam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The profile emphasizes background, higher education, educational…

Biomass loss as an index of pollution in various gradient of a crude ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Bauhinia monandra is an agroforestry species in the FABACEAE plant family, an exotic species from Burma, easily available and accessible for ornamental and agro-forestry purposes, and more so abundantly distributed in tropical countries including oil producing areas in Nigeria. Its sensitivity to crude oil pollution has ...

Academic Adjustment Issues in a Malaysian Research University: The Case of Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese, and Vietnamese Postgraduate Students' Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Sam, Rany; Zain, Ahmad Nurulazam Md; Bin Jamil, Hazri; Souriyavongsa, Thongma; Quyen, Le To Do

2013-01-01

The Malaysian government aims to help the bottom billion countries, which are its neighbouring countries in the South East Asian region, for their human capital development through providing university postgraduate scholarship projects. Those countries include Cambodia, Laos PDR, Burma or Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV), which are favourite countries…

Search Results | Page 7 | IDRC - International Development ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Results 61 - 70 of 420 ... Perceptions vary about the ability of think tanks to contribute to positive changes in society. Project. -. Opportunities and Challenges of Doing Business in Burma's Special ... Reducing Biosecurity Threats from Infectious Diseases of ... to threaten the security and stability of governments, global markets, ...

Una Hakika: Scaling Digital Solutions for Conflict Management in ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Una Hakika: Scaling Digital Solutions for Conflict Management in Kenya and Burma ... local government officials, and funders involved in peacebuilding, security, and ... its 2017 call for proposals to establish Cyber Policy Centres in the Global South. ... partnering on a new initiative, aimed at reducing the emerging risk that.

Indochina area mineral prospects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-10-05

Prospects for commercial mining of various minerals are considered for Kampuchea (Cambodia), Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. Mineral production is much below its geologic potential for economic and political reasons. Resource potential is limited to tin, tungsten, lead and zinc, barytes and gemstones, and coal. 1 fig.

76 FR 41957 - Proposed Revisions to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR): Control of Items the President...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-15

... Conference 2010. Commerce Secretary Locke and other senior members of BIS also spoke at the same BIS Update Conference, along with other senior members of the Departments of State and Defense, regarding the importance..., Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Cote d'Ivoire, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Iraq...

A Comparison of Japanese and British Colonial Policy in Asia and their Effect on Indigenous Educational Systems Through 1930

Science.gov (United States)

1992-07-01

local workforce for use in the economic development of Burma. The Japanese, on the other hand, used the university more as a tool of appeasement; it...Administration Frances Hastings 1813-1823 William Amherst 1823-1828 William Bentinck 1828-1835 George Auckland 1835-1842 Edward Ellenborough 1842-1844 Charles

Station History Of The Seismic Station In Ahmadu Bello University ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Dominants in the selected events are events from Meditterranian, East Kazakhstan, India/Burma/China, South and Central America and North Ascension island regions. The limited number of events reporting at the station was due to low operational gain at the station which permitted only events whose magnitudes are ...

Burmese nuclear ambitions and their international implications: a look to the future; Ambitions nucleaires du Myanmar et implications internationales: une analyse prospective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, I. [Universite Laval, Quebec (Canada)

2010-12-15

The prospect of a nuclear-capable Burma merits debate within the scientific and international strategic communities. Irving Lewis looks at the effect it would have on South-East Asia, and Asia in general, the major security problems that would arise and the considerable impact it would have upon international security

Burmese nuclear ambitions and their international implications: a look to the future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, I.

2010-01-01

The prospect of a nuclear-capable Burma merits debate within the scientific and international strategic communities. Irving Lewis looks at the effect it would have on South-East Asia, and Asia in general, the major security problems that would arise and the considerable impact it would have upon international security

Oil for the Lamps of China - Beijing’s 21st-Century Search for Energy

Science.gov (United States)

2003-10-01

CNPC engaged in exploration and production in Russia, Libya, Syria, Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Tunisia , Kazakhstan, Venezuela, Burma, “and other...Sinopec and PetroChina Still Dominate China’s Gas Station Market,” SinoCast, in Alexander’s 8, no. 3 (February 6, 2003); “BP to Build 1,000 Petrol

Expeditions and other exploration

NARCIS (Netherlands)

NN,

1963-01-01

The Kwae Noi River basin, WNW of Bangkok, close by the forested Bilauk Taung range along the frontier with Burma, has again attracted the attention of botanists. In 1926, Kerr collected c. 558 numbers; in 1946, Kostermans, Bloembergen & Den Hoed over 1200. From 1 November 1961 to 24 February 1962,

75 FR 62069 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Sudan Waiver Process

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-07

... the formulation of a final rule. ADDRESSES: Submit comments identified by FAR Case 2009-041 by any of... final rule, FAR Case 2008- 004, Prohibition on Restricted Business Operations in Sudan and Imports from... rule, FAR Case 2008-004, Prohibition on Restricted Business Operations in Sudan and Imports from Burma...

On a collection of birds from the Khwae Noi Valley, Western Siam

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Junge, G.C.A.; Kooiman, J.G.

1951-01-01

The present paper deals with a collection brought together by J. G. Kooiman in 1946. After the defeat of Japan, some Dutch biologists, who during the war had worked as prisoners of war on the notorious Burma railroad, biologically explored the Khwae Noi valley. Kooiman joined this party as an

Politiske buddhister

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borup, Jørn

2007-01-01

Munkene i Myanmar (Burma) er på gaden i politiske protester mod et undertrykkende regime. Den fredelige asiatiske religion er kommet i politikernes bevidsthed, og for en gangs skyld er det ikke islam, der skaber overskrifter i mediernes religionsdækning. Men politik og buddhisme har aldrig været...

Southeast Asia: A Selected Functional and Country Bibliography.

Science.gov (United States)

Foreign Service (Dept. of State), Washington, DC. Foreign Service Inst.

This bibliography, which contains approximately 500 citations dated between 1952 and 1972, is one of a series on various areas of the world. Countries included in this bibliography on Southeast Asia are: Australia, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore, New Zealand, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet-Nam, Western Samoa and the…

Notes on Buccinulum (Gastropoda, Buccinidae), a reappraisal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beets, C.

1986-01-01

An attempt was made to assemble what is known at present of Buccinulum in the Indo-Western Pacific Region, fossil and Recent, more scope being offered by the discovery of new Miocene fossils from Java and Sumatra, and the recognition of further fossil species from India and Burma. This induced

Burma: Assessing Options for U.S. Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-01

the junta in the hopes of limiting China’s influence, and in 1995 the Indian and Burmese militaries conducted ‘Operation Golden Bird ’ to capture...and was replaced by the Malaysian company, Petronas. The Yadana and Yetagan projects have been controversial internationally thanks to accusations...sold fishing rights in Burma’s offshore areas to Thai, Malaysian , Korean, and Singaporean fishing firms.177 As with Burma’s other extractive

Reforming Labour Markets in Burma (Myanmar) | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Productivity, social security, wages Researchers will survey employer and employee ... also involve other government stakeholders, including civil society and private sector. ... The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of International Trade, ...

Examining Burma's Development: A Research Fellowship Program ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) at Thailand's Chiang Mai University will manage the four-year program, which targets junior and mid-level academic and non-academic Burmese scholars. The program will ... LVIF announces five more funded projects. Eleven world-class ...

Body composition of freshwater Wallago attu in relation to body size ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

User

2011-05-16

May 16, 2011 ... in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, ... using a cast net and were transported live to the Institute of Pure .... Fawole OO, Ogundiran MA, Ayandiran TA, Olagunju OF (2007). Proximate and Mineral Composition in some selected fresh water fishes in Nigeria. Internet J. Food Saf. 9: 52-55.

ISSN 2073 ISSN 2073 9990 East Cent. Afr. J. s 9990 East Cent. Afr.

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Hp 630 Dual Core

Countries in the Afro Asian stone belt (stretching from Egypt and Sudan, through the Middle East, India, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines) falling within the .... BJU International, 89(suppl.1): 62 68,. 2002. 10. J.U.V. Monu, Pattern of urolithiasis in Benin City, Nigeria. Journal of the national medical.

Agency as the Acquisition of Capital: The Role of One-on-One Tutoring and Mentoring in Changing a Refugee Student's Educational Trajectory

Science.gov (United States)

Dumenden, Iris E.

2011-01-01

Current research into the experiences of refugee students in mainstream secondary schools in Australia indicates that for these students, schools are places of social and academic isolation and failure. This article introduces one such student, Lian, who came to Australia as a refugee from Burma, and whom the author tutored and mentored…

Untitled

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Silicified plants, particularly fossil Woods, have long been known from parts of India and Burma, but it was only in recent years that localities were found where a whole stratum is sometimes seen packed with well preserved petrifactions representing a rich and varied flora. The investigation of these plants in thin sections has.

The Asian Newspaper's Reluctant Revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Lent, John A., Ed.

This book is composed of 19 articles written by both Asian and American scholars on the history and present conditions of newspapers in 15 Asian nations: China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, South Vietnam, Ceylon, India, and Pakistan. Two overviews of the Asian…

Contributions to the Mosquito Fauna of Southeast Asia. XVI. Genus Aedes Meigen, Subgenus Aedimorphus Theobald in Southeast Asia (Contributions of the American Entomological Institute. Volume 9, Number 5)

Science.gov (United States)

1973-01-01

pools in India; stagnant water in a roadside ditch in Burma; and in sunlit ground pool, artificial container, brackish water pool and pools in alang ... alang in Indonesia. Adults were taken biting man, cattle and horses, in light traps, resting in houses and ‘78 Contrib. Amer. Ent. Inst., vol. 9, no

Links Between Earthquake Characteristics and Subducting Plate Heterogeneity in the 2016 Pedernales Ecuador Earthquake Rupture Zone

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, L.; Mori, J. J.

2016-12-01

The collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates formed the Himalayas, the largest orogenic belt on the Earth. The entire region accommodates shallow earthquakes, while intermediate-depth earthquakes are concentrated at the eastern and western Himalayan syntaxis. Here we investigate the focal depths, fault plane solutions, and source rupture process for three earthquake sequences, which are located at the western, central and eastern regions of the Himalayan orogenic belt. The Pamir-Hindu Kush region is located at the western Himalayan syntaxis and is characterized by extreme shortening of the upper crust and strong interaction of various layers of the lithosphere. Many shallow earthquakes occur on the Main Pamir Thrust at focal depths shallower than 20 km, while intermediate-deep earthquakes are mostly located below 75 km. Large intermediate-depth earthquakes occur frequently at the western Himalayan syntaxis about every 10 years on average. The 2015 Nepal earthquake is located in the central Himalayas. It is a typical megathrust earthquake that occurred on the shallow portion of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). Many of the aftershocks are located above the MHT and illuminate faulting structures in the hanging wall with dip angles that are steeper than the MHT. These observations provide new constraints on the collision and uplift processes for the Himalaya orogenic belt. The Indo-Burma region is located south of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, where the strike of the plate boundary suddenly changes from nearly east-west at the Himalayas to nearly north-south at the Burma Arc. The Burma arc subduction zone is a typical oblique plate convergence zone. The eastern boundary is the north-south striking dextral Sagaing fault, which hosts many shallow earthquakes with focal depth less than 25 km. In contrast, intermediate-depth earthquakes along the subduction zone reflect east-west trending reverse faulting.

Earthquake activity along the Himalayan orogenic belt

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, L.; Mori, J. J.

2017-12-01

The collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates formed the Himalayas, the largest orogenic belt on the Earth. The entire region accommodates shallow earthquakes, while intermediate-depth earthquakes are concentrated at the eastern and western Himalayan syntaxis. Here we investigate the focal depths, fault plane solutions, and source rupture process for three earthquake sequences, which are located at the western, central and eastern regions of the Himalayan orogenic belt. The Pamir-Hindu Kush region is located at the western Himalayan syntaxis and is characterized by extreme shortening of the upper crust and strong interaction of various layers of the lithosphere. Many shallow earthquakes occur on the Main Pamir Thrust at focal depths shallower than 20 km, while intermediate-deep earthquakes are mostly located below 75 km. Large intermediate-depth earthquakes occur frequently at the western Himalayan syntaxis about every 10 years on average. The 2015 Nepal earthquake is located in the central Himalayas. It is a typical megathrust earthquake that occurred on the shallow portion of the Main Himalayan Thrust (MHT). Many of the aftershocks are located above the MHT and illuminate faulting structures in the hanging wall with dip angles that are steeper than the MHT. These observations provide new constraints on the collision and uplift processes for the Himalaya orogenic belt. The Indo-Burma region is located south of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis, where the strike of the plate boundary suddenly changes from nearly east-west at the Himalayas to nearly north-south at the Burma Arc. The Burma arc subduction zone is a typical oblique plate convergence zone. The eastern boundary is the north-south striking dextral Sagaing fault, which hosts many shallow earthquakes with focal depth less than 25 km. In contrast, intermediate-depth earthquakes along the subduction zone reflect east-west trending reverse faulting.

A Home in the World? Remarks on India and the Future

Science.gov (United States)

2001-05-01

their loyalties shift. If you ask an Indian working in America what he or she misses about India, the instant reponse is "Family," not corruption...experts, for whom the past is the pattern of the future. Then, in Burma, with a chopstick load of noodles halfway to my snout, the light finally

31 CFR 537.311 - New investment.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false New investment. 537.311 Section 537....311 New investment. (a) The term new investment means any of the following activities if such activity... located in Burma, without regard to the form of the participation. (b) The term new investment shall not...

Laurel wilt, caused by Raffaelea lauricola , is detected for the first time outside the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

R. C. Ploetz; Y. Y. Thant; M. A. Hughes; T. J. Dreaden; J. L. Konkol; A. T. Kyaw; J. A. Smith; C. L. Harmon

2016-01-01

In October 2014, a survey for diseases and pests of an emerging fruit crop, avocado (Persea americana) (FAO 2000), was conducted in Southern Shan State of Myanmar (aka Burma). In the Tuanggyi District (1,400 m elevation, 20.5°N 97°E), monocultures of up to 20 ha were observed, whereas...

Assessment of the Psychosocial Development of Children Attending Nursery Schools in Karen Refugee Camps in Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Akiko

2013-01-01

The Karen, an ethnic minority group in Burma, have experienced a prolonged state of exile in refugee camps in neighboring Thailand because of ethnic conflict in their home country. Nursery schools in the three largest Karen refugee camps aim to promote the psychosocial development of young children by providing a child-centered, creative,…

Book review - Borderline justice: the fight for refugee and migrant rights by Frances Webber, London, Pluto Press, 2012

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Liempt, I.C. van

2013-01-01

Our leaders encourage and treat as heroes those people who are fighting for democracy and human rights, in Burma, in Libya, in Egypt and Syria…But as soon as these heroes seek sanctuary here in the ‘free world’, they are transformed into a hostile alien threat to our culture and our values, to be

No evidence for shallow shear motion on the Mat Fault, a prominent ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

and is flanked by the Bay of Bengal sediments to the west and Shan Plateau to the east (Fitch 1972;. Le Dain et al. ... Shan Plateau and joins into the Andaman sea rift system which finally joins the Sumatra Fault. System in ..... 2008 Subduction of the Indian lithosphere beneath the. Tibetan Plateau and Burma; Earth Planet.

Asian Theatre: A Study Guide and Annotated Bibliography. "Theatre Perspectives" No. 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandon, James R., Ed.; Wichmann, Elizabeth, Ed.

This study guide/bibliography is intended to help the English language reader find materials for the study of Asian theatre. Containing 1,348 entries, the guide is the most extensive bibliography published to date. The guide is organized by geographical area: an initial chapter on Asia is followed by chapters on each of 16 countries: Burma,…

Choosing to Win: How Sof Can Better Select Partners for Capacity Building

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-01

AFRICOM 0.29 38 Comoros COM CN AFRICOM 0.29 121 Myanmar (Burma) MMR BM PACOM 0.29 94 Lao People’s Democratic Republic LAO LA PACOM 0.28 72 Haiti HTI...2013), 87–88. 125 Department of State. “ Aviation : Programs and Services.” http://bogota.usembassy.gov/nas-aviation.html. 54 ability for building

Sri Lanka: Background and U.S. Relations

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-04

account for about four-fifths of the country’s exports, including garments , textiles, gems, as well as agricultural goods. Tourism and repatriated...May 28, 2009. Sri Lanka: Background and U.S. Relations Congressional Research Service 13 reform and privatization of state-owned industries in...port facilities in Gwadar, Pakistan; Chittagong, Bangladesh ; and Sittwe, Burma.75 Colombo was also

Oil as a Weapon of the 21st Century: Energy Security and the U.S. Pivot to Asia-Pacific

Science.gov (United States)

2016-03-01

11 Compared to hydrocarbons, nuclear power offers a carbon-free power generation source, but carries the risk of radiological contamination . With...South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia , Singapore, Australia, Bangladesh, and Burma.88,89 Enhancing...engagement between the countries comprising CTF 151 has resulted in several documented instances where Canadian and British forces gave food and water

How Hot Can a Fire Piston Get?

Science.gov (United States)

Scott-Brown, J. A.; Cunningham, O. A.; Goad, B. C.

2010-01-01

The fire piston is just a sealed syringe containing a small amount of tinder. When the plunger is forced downwards, the air inside is compressed and heats up, setting fire to the tinder. It has been used as a convenient and portable way of starting fires "over a wide area from northern Burma and Siam through the Malay Peninsula and the Malayan…

The Rohingya people of Myanmar: health, human rights, and identity.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmood, Syed S; Wroe, Emily; Fuller, Arlan; Leaning, Jennifer

2017-05-06

The Rohingya people of Myanmar (known as Burma before 1989) were stripped of citizenship in 1982, because they could not meet the requirement of proving their forefathers settled in Burma before 1823, and now account for one in seven of the global population of stateless people. Of the total 1·5 million Rohingya people living in Myanmar and across southeast Asia, only 82 000 have any legal protection obtained through UN-designated refugee status. Since 2012, more than 159 000 people, most of whom are Rohingya, have fled Myanmar in poorly constructed boats for journeys lasting several weeks to neighbouring nations, causing hundreds of deaths. We outline historical events preceding this complex emergency in health and human rights. The Rohingya people face a cycle of poor infant and child health, malnutrition, waterborne illness, and lack of obstetric care. In December, 2014, a UN resolution called for an end to the crisis. We discuss the Myanmar Government's ongoing treatment of Rohingya through the lens of international law, and the steps that the newly elected parliament must pursue for a durable solution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Insights into Himalayan biogeography from geckos: a molecular phylogeny of Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Agarwal, Ishan; Bauer, Aaron M; Jackman, Todd R; Karanth, K Praveen

2014-11-01

The India-Asia collision profoundly influenced the climate, topography and biodiversity of Asia, causing the formation of the biodiverse Himalayas. The species-rich gekkonid genus Cyrtodactylus is an ideal clade for exploring the biological impacts of the India-Asia collision, as previous phylogenetic hypotheses suggest basal divergences occurred within the Himalayas and Indo-Burma during the Eocene. To this end, we sampled for Cyrtodactylus across Indian areas of the Himalayas and Indo-Burma Hotspots and used three genes to reconstruct relationships and estimate divergence times. Basal divergences in Cyrtodactylus, Hemidactylus and the Palaearctic naked-toed geckos were simultaneous with or just preceded the start of the India-Asia collision. Diversification within Cyrtodactylus tracks the India-Asia collision and subsequent geological events. A number of geographically concordant clades are resolved within Indo-Burmese Cyrtodactylus. Our study reveals 17 divergent lineages that may represent undescribed species, underscoring the previously undocumented diversity of the region. The importance of rocky habitats for Cyrtodactylus indicates the Indo-Gangetic flood plains and the Garo-Rajmahal Gap are likely to have been important historical barriers for this group. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Perceptions of science. The anatomical mission to Burma.

Science.gov (United States)

Sappol, Michael

2003-10-10

Until the 1830s, most Americans were unfamiliar with the images of anatomy. Then a small vanguard of reformers and missionaries began to preach, at home and around the world, that an identification with the images and concepts of anatomy was a crucial part of the civilizing process. In his essay, Sappol charts the changes in the perception of self that resulted from this anatomical evangelism. Today, as anatomical images abound in the arts and the media, we still believe that anatomical images show us our inner reality.

Toward a Networked Economy in Burma | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

It also has one of the lowest mobile phone and Internet penetration rates. ... to use digital technologies to support social development and economic growth. ... Role of Community Paralegals in Addressing Impacts of Land Use Change in Asia.

77 FR 62596 - Allowing New Investment in Burma

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-15

...) (the ``Act''), which authorizes and directs the President to prohibit U.S. persons from making new... President made the required determinations and certifications and imposed a prohibition on new investment in... human rights, corruption, and the role of the military in the Burmese economy, it believes that the...

Pythons in Burma: Short-tailed python (Reptilia: Squamata)

Science.gov (United States)

Zug, George R.; Gotte, Steve W.; Jacobs, Jeremy F.

2011-01-01

Short-tailed pythons, Python curtus species group, occur predominantly in the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. The discovery of an adult female in Mon State, Myanmar, led to a review of the distribution of all group members (spot-mapping of all localities of confirmed occurrence) and an examination of morphological variation in P. brongersmai. The resulting maps demonstrate a limited occurrence of these pythons within peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo with broad absences in these regions. Our small samples limit the recognition of regional differentiation in the morphology of P. brongersmai populations; however, the presence of unique traits in the Myanmar python and its strong allopatry indicate that it is a unique genetic lineage, and it is described as Python kyaiktiyo new species.

Maritime Territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Disputes Involving China: Issues for Congress

Science.gov (United States)

2015-09-18

coast are [the following 27]: Bangladesh, Brazil , Burma, Cambodia, Cape Verde, China, Egypt, Haiti, India, Iran, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives...other nations’ views?” (slide 30 of 47). The slide also notes that there have been “isolated diplomatic protests from Pakistan, India, and Brazil over...122 Remarks on U.S.-Vietnam: Looking to the Future, John Kerry, Secretary of State, Daewoo Hotel , Hanoi, Vietnam, August 7, 2015

What is Mine is Yours: The Art of Operational Integration

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-10

141 Dorn, Walkout, 67-68. 142 Stilwell, The Stilwell Papers, 77. 143 Max Hastings, Retribution (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008), 216. 144...impose the urgency of the situation in Burma on 152 Stilwell, The Stilwell Papers, 90. 153 Hastings, Retribution , 216. 154 Dorn, Walkout, 86. 155...to the Rhine, 33. 171 Tombin, With Utmost Spirit, 385,388. 172 Hastings, Retribution , 216. 173 Davies, Dragon by the Tail, 262. 174 Bagby

Ethnic Violence in Southern Thailand: The Anomaly of Satun

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

numerous leads and loans for academic sources and tomes along with helping me to enjoy some exquisite Thai cuisine at several working lunches. His...Burma, Cambodia, or Laos, as well as defending against larger threats posed by expanding imperial power,s such as the British and French . Siam began...mercenaries, and various types of assistance from foreign visitors such as the Portuguese, Dutch, French , Chinese, Persians, British, and Indians to

U. S. Strategy for the Far East: Toward the 21st Century

Science.gov (United States)

1989-03-31

countries: Indonesia, Malaysia , Thailand, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Tonga, Western Samoa, and Kiribati.10 The departure of New Zealand...American demands, a few South Korean firms have opened plants in America: Samsung manufactures TV’s in New Jersey. Another sensitive trade topic is...Pakistan, Malaysia , Hong Kong and India cooperate with the U.S. in our drug war efforts. Burma is the largest producer of opium, but recent domestic

History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the War in Vietnam, 1960-1968. Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

in Burma, India, Indonesia, Malaysia , Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea, an American defeat would have a severe impact on...COMUSMACV, in complete and total control of all operations" and introduce such wartime measures as news censorship and controlled accreditation of US...and Cambodia likely would shift to the Communist camp and pressure would increase on Thailand and Malaysia Mr. Bundy and Mr. McNaughton observed that

Religious Radicalism and Security in South Asia

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

terrorists from visiting “schools, colleges … theaters, cinemas , fairs, amusement parks, hotels, clubs, restaurants, tea shops … railway stations...captured one Malaysian and one or two supporters from Burma.”45 428 BERTIL LINTNER 41. See also Jim Garamone, “Bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda Network...history, tragedy, drama, comedy, mime, painting, stained glass windows, cinema , comics, news items, and conversation. See Roland Barthes, “Introduction

The Foreign Disclosure and Technical Information System (FORDTIS) User Manual

Science.gov (United States)

1985-07-01

INDIA 10 BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY IP CLIPPERTON ISLAND IQ UNITED STATES MISCELLANEOUS PACIFIC ISLANDS (obsolete) IR , IRAN IS ISRAEL IT...CARTIER ISLANDS AU AUSTRIA AV ANGUILLA AY ANTARCTICA BA BAHRAIN BB BARBADOS ’ - ’ BC BOTSWANA BD BERMUDA BE BELGIUM BP...BAHAMAS, THE BG BANGLADESH BH BELIZE BL BOLIVIA BM BURMA BN BENIN (formerly DM) BP SOLOMON ISLANDS BQ NAVASSA ISLAND BR BRAZIL BS BASSAS DA INDIA

Social policy and population growth in South-East Asia.

Science.gov (United States)

You Poh Seng Rao, B; Shantakumar, G

1974-01-01

Social and population policies are considered for the 10 countries comprising Southeast Asia--Burma, Indonesia, the Khmer Republic, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam. All but Singapore have high fertility rates and Burma, Indonesia, the Khmer Republic, Laos and the two Vietnams have high mortality rates also. Government expenditures for education and social security systems is expanding throughout the region and it is hoped that their continued growth will contribute substantially to the effective implementation of population policies. Population policies in the 5 countries which have them are discussed. These are Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. It is noted, however, that declaration of policy is but the first step. Strategies and programs differ from one country to the next and depend very much on the stage of development, level of literacy, degree of urbanization, and other factors. Family planning activities generally are endogenous to urban social systems but exogenous to rural social systems. Thus, the rural elite has a large role to play in making population policies an integral part of rural life. The possibility is considered of developing workable incentive packages integrating health, education, and social security benefits with suitable emphasis on fertility reduction.

Lessons from DoD Disaster Relief Efforts in the Asia-Pacific Region

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Orientation & Review,” USARPAC briefing, undated; “USARPAC OSInt Support to Cyclone nargis Relief Efforts in Burma 2008,” USARPAC briefing, undated; phone...all organizations relied, to a large extent, on the staff and national partners they already had 71 “USARPAC OSINT Support to Cyclone Nargis Relief...undated. As of September 8, 2012: http://www.kadena.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-120426-002.pdf “USARPAC OSINT Support to Cyclone Nargis Relief

Special Warfare: Restructuring for the Future

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

Civil affairs CAPs combined action platoons CAS close-air support CBI China-Burma-India [theater] CDI Community Defense Initiative CENTCOM [U.S...special forces’ creed has changed over time, the sentiment has remained. The history of the basic unit of special forces—the SFODA—can be traced back to...reassigned CIDG forces no longer held the advantage of insight into local cultural norms and daily activities since they were no longer operating near

The Role of ABRI in the Post-Suharto Era

Science.gov (United States)

1999-06-04

Nations. It includes Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia , Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar. DPR. Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat . People’s...Suharto’s rule from 1965 to 1998. 5Indonesia has territorial disputes with Malaysia over the Sipadan and Ligitan Islands and the Kalimantan border. It...of the ABRI’s role will be captured. The research design is summarized in figure 2. Existing models E.g. Thailand, Burma, - Malaysia . Latin America r

Opportunities and Challenges of Doing Business in Burma's Special ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

view results using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, law and development theory, and Corporate Social Responsibility codes of conduct as reference points. More specifically, the research aims to: - identify the proposed SEZs' major benefits, and barriers to their successful implementation and ...

Death and injury caused by land mines in Burma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hougen, H P; Petersen, H D; Lykke, J

2000-01-01

One hundred and eighty-eight Burmese refugees in Thailand were interviewed. One hundred and five of those interviewed had knowledge of a total of 313 persons who had been exposed to land mine explosions. Twenty-three of the interviewed were land mine survivors. They were all male, aged between ei...

Tales from nowhere : Burma and the lonely planet phenomenon

OpenAIRE

Mullen, Darcy

2016-01-01

This essay is an archival reading of the nine editions of Lonely Planet travel guides (published from 1979 to the 2005 edition) containing the progressive creation and narration of the tourist space of Lonely Planet’s Myanmar—in the formative years of its narration as elsewhere as nowhere. I extend Dean MacCannell’s argument from The Tourist to suggest that the function of forbiddenness and nowhere is central to Lonely Planet’s idea of the tourist experience in Myanmar. Moreover, the rhetoric...

Upper Mantle Responses to India-Eurasia Collision in Indochina, Malaysia, and the South China Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Hongsresawat, S.; Russo, R. M.

2016-12-01

We present new shear wave splitting and splitting intensity measurements from SK(K)S phases recorded at seismic stations of the Malaysian National Seismic Network. These results, in conjunction with results from Tibet and Yunnan provide a basis for testing the degree to which Indochina and South China Sea upper mantle fabrics are responses to India-Eurasia collision. Upper mantle fabrics derived from shear wave splitting measurements in Yunnan and eastern Tibet parallel geodetic surface motions north of 26°N, requiring transmission of tractions from upper mantle depths to surface, or consistent deformation boundary conditions throughout the upper 200 km of crust and mantle. Shear wave splitting fast trends and surface velocities diverge in eastern Yunnan and south of 26°N, indicating development of an asthenospheric layer that decouples crust and upper mantle, or corner flow above the subducted Indo-Burma slab. E-W fast shear wave splitting trends southwest of 26°N/104°E indicate strong gradients in any asthenospheric infiltration. Possible upper mantle flow regimes beneath Indochina include development of olivine b-axis anisotropic symmetry due to high strain and hydrous conditions in the syntaxis/Indo-Burma mantle wedge (i.e., southward flow), development of strong upper mantle corner flow in the Indo-Burma wedge with olivine a-axis anisotropic symmetry (i.e., westward flow), and simple asthenospheric flow due to eastward motion of Sundaland shearing underlying asthenosphere. Further south, shear-wave splitting delay times at Malaysian stations vary from 0.5 seconds on the Malay Peninsula to over 2 seconds at stations on Borneo. Splitting fast trends at Borneo stations and Singapore trend NE-SW, but in northern Peninsular Malaysia, the splitting fast polarization direction is NW-SE, parallel to the trend of the Peninsula. Thus, there is a sharp transition from low delay time and NW-SE fast polarization to high delay times and fast polarization directions that

Trapped in Statelessness: Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

OpenAIRE

Milton, Abul Hasnat; Rahman, Mijanur; Hussain, Sumaira; Jindal, Charulata; Choudhury, Sushmita; Akter, Shahnaz; Ferdousi, Shahana; Mouly, Tafzila Akter; Hall, John; Efird, Jimmy T.

2017-01-01

The Rohingya people are one of the most ill-treated and persecuted refugee groups in the world, having lived in a realm of statelessness for over six generations, and who are still doing so. In recent years, more than 500,000 Rohingyas fled from Myanmar (Burma) to neighboring countries. This article addresses the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, with special emphasis on the living conditions of this vulnerable population. We reviewed several documents on Rohingya refugees, visited a reg...

Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. COIN in Thailand, January 1969 - December 1970

Science.gov (United States)

1971-07-01

6,000 Chinese troops were living in the areas where Burma, Laos, and Thailand meet, with an estimated 3,000 in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces of...Consequently, Thai parliament members from Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai complained to the govern- ment about the Chinese opium farming and urged the use...in September 1970 and, after several months of preparation, units were moved to staging areas in Chiang Mai province and later trucked to assembly

Medical Entomology Studies - XI. The Subgenus Stegomyia of Aedes in the Oriental Region with Keys to the Species (Diptera: Culicidae)

Science.gov (United States)

1979-01-01

Dengue l-4 viruses Saigon area, Vietnam Dengue 3 virus Rangoon, Burma Zika virus Bentong, Malaysia 2 5 isolations Smith et al. from 88 pools...and A. RUDNICK. 1969. Isolation of Zika virus from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Malaysia. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 18: 411-5. MATSUO, K., YOSHIDA, Y...number of virus diseases. It is one of the most dominant subgenera of the genus Aedes Meigen in the Oriental region, as indicated by the number of

Unocal's Asian commitment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1997-01-01

US concern over the Burmese military government's record on human rights abuses is hampering the activities of Unocal, a US company, which is attempting to build a gas pipeline along the Burmese coast, in partnership with the French company Total. Unocal argues that economic engagement, not unilateral sanctions are the best way to effect political change and is keen to progress further ventures with which it aims to promote social and economic development in Burma. (UK)

Military Post Office Location List (MPOLL)

Science.gov (United States)

1990-02-01

ISLE OF GJ GRENADA IN INDIA GK GUERNSEY 10 BRITISH INDIAN GL GREENLAND OCEAN TERRITORY GO GLORIOSO ISLANDS IP CLIPPERTON ISLAND GP GUADELOUPE IR IRAN GQ...A) BG BANGLADESH BH BELIZE AC ANTIGUA and BARBUDA BL BOLIVIA AF AFGHANISTAN BM BURMA AG ALGERIA BN BENIN AL ALBANIA BP SOLOMON ISLANDS AN ANDORRA BQ...NAVASSA ISLAND AO ANGOLA BR BRAZIL AQ AMERICAN SAMOA BS BASSAS DA INDIA AR ARGENTINA BT BHUTAN AS AUSTRALIA BU BULGARIA AT ASHMORE AND CARTIER

Der Rohingya - Konflikt:. Genese, aktuelle Situation und geopolitische Aspekte

Science.gov (United States)

Bepler, Stefan

2018-04-01

The Rohingya in Myanmar are often described as the most persecuted minority in the world. In the former Burma, the Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants and have been denied citizenship for decades. Since the end of August 2017, more than 655,000 Rohingya from Rakhine State have fled to neighboring Bangladesh. While the public usually discusses the ethnic-religious and humanitarian causes and effects of the conflict, the political, economic and geopolitical interests of directly and indirectly involved actors also play a role.

New insights into the tectonic evolution of the Andaman basin, northeast Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

KameshRaju, K.A.; Ramprasad, T.; Rao, P.S.; Rao, B.R.; Varghese, J.

rifts and transforms in the central basin of the Andaman Sea has been suggested to be the con- sequence of spreading with an opening rate of 3.72 cm/yr [2]. This spreading center is connected to the Sagaing fault system in the eastern Burma highlands... spreading center. The western part is dominated by volcanic con- structs that are related to arc volcanism and back- arc spreading activity, whereas the eastern part represents distinctly smooth topography probably resulting from the sediment ¢ll...

Der Rohingya - Konflikt: - Genese, aktuelle Situation und geopolitische Aspekte

Science.gov (United States)

Bepler, Stefan

2018-03-01

The Rohingya in Myanmar are often described as the most persecuted minority in the world. In the former Burma, the Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants and have been denied citizenship for decades. Since the end of August 2017, more than 655,000 Rohingya from Rakhine State have fled to neighboring Bangladesh. While the public usually discusses the ethnic-religious and humanitarian causes and effects of the conflict, the political, economic and geopolitical interests of directly and indirectly involved actors also play a role.

Seasonal variability of cyclone heat potential in the Bay of Bengal

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Sadhuram, Y.; Rao, B.P.; Rao, D.P.; Shastri, P.N.M.; Subrahmanyam, M.V.

when it moved over the region of high heat potential (>90 kJ/cm 2 ) in the western Gulf of Mexico (Goni et al., 1996; Shay et al., 2000). Monitoring of warm core eddies and regions of high heat potential have become important to predict... bordered by Burma, Thailand, Sumatra and Andaman–Nicobar ridge. Heat storage of the Andaman Sea had been reported by Ramesh Babu and Sastry (1981), using IIOE Data set (1960–1965). Unfortunately, this region had not been covered for several decades after...

Relict faunal testimony for sea-level fluctuations off Myanmar (Burma)

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Panchang, R.; Nigam, R.; Raviprasad, G.V.; Rajagopalan, G.; Ray, D.K.; Hla, U Ko Yi

with this assemblage. These signatures confirm the existence of fossil patch reefs in the region, which were never reported before. A conceptual framework is proposed to explain the proliferation of coral patches at different depths during different times...

Doctor's Diary and Memoirs. Pond's Party, F Force, Thai-Burma ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

feeling. Descriptions of getting together with friends and co-PWs to have 'a few yarns' under the ... ensures the safe and controlled distribution of ... Throughout the book the most important ethical aspect of ... consequent degree of disability.

Burma/Myanmars Nonviolent Movement Failures: Why Resilience and Leverage Matter

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-01

allowed to set up a tea and pastry franchise in Rangoon, began to write open letters to Ne Win in 1987 when he sensed the public’s growing anger.85 He...and lucrative postings to buy allegiance and deter defection. It raised troop wages by forty-five percent and increased the defense budget “from less

Learning English in the Periphery: A View from Myanmar (Burma)

Science.gov (United States)

Tin, Tan Bee

2014-01-01

Although researchers have called for the investigation of local vernacular learning and teaching practices in various ELT (English language teaching) contexts, studies conducted in the Periphery are fewer in number. This study attempts to understand English learning experiences of a group of students from the Periphery, who were studying English…

Detrital Zircons Split Sibumasu in East Gondwana

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X.; Chung, S. L.

2017-12-01

It is widely accepted that Sibumasu developed as a united terrane and originated from NW Australian margin in East Gondwana. Here we report new detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic data from Sumatra that, in combination with literature data, challenge and refute the above long-held view. In particular, the East and West Sumatra terranes share nearly identical Precambrian to Paleozoic detrital zircon age distributions and Hf isotopes, indicating a common provenance/origin for them. The Sumatra detrital zircons exhibit a prominent population of ca. 1170-1070 Ma, indistinguishable from those of the Lhasa and West Burma terranes, with detritus most probably sourcing from western Australia. By contrast, Sibuma (Sibumasu excluding Sumatra) detrital zircons display a prevailing population of ca. 980-935 Ma, strongly resembling those of the western Qiangtang terrane, with detrital materials most likely derived from Greater India and Himalayas. Such markedly distinct detrital zircon age profiles between Sumatra and Sibuma require disparate sources/origin for them, provoking disintegration of the widely-adopted, but outdated, term Sibumasu and thus inviting a new configuration of East Gondwana in the early Paleozoic, with Sumatra and West Burma lying outboard the Lhasa terrane in the NW Australian margin and Sibuma situated in the northern Greater Indian margin. More future investigations are needed to establish the precise rifting and drifting histories of Sumatra and Sibuma, as two separated terranes, during the breakup of Gondwana.

Activation Analysis. Proceedings of an Informal Study Group Meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1971-01-01

As part of its programme to promote the exchange of information relating to nuclear science and technology, the International Atomic Energy Agency convened in Bangkok, Thailand, from 6-8 July 1970, an informal meeting to discuss the topic of Activation Analysis. The meeting was attended by participants drawn from the following countries: Australia, Burma, Ceylon, Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Prance, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam. The proceedings consist of the contributions presented at the meeting with minor editorial changes

Nutritional Problems and Intervention Strategies in India

OpenAIRE

Asumadu-Sarkodie, Samuel

2012-01-01

India, officially the Republic of India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area. it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. The major religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. India has a total population of 1,198,003,000, a gr...

IAEA Technical Co-operation activities: Asia and the Pacific

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nuguid, C.P.

1975-01-01

During the period 1970-1974 the IAEA provided country programme assistance (expert services, equipment and supplies, and fellowship training) to 17 countries in the geographic region designated as 'Asia and the Pacific' by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), namely, to Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Burma; Cambodia; China, Republic of; Hong Kong; India; Indonesia; Iran; Korea, Republic of; Malaysia; Pakistan; the Philippines; Republic of South Viet-Nam; Singapore and Thailand. In addition, representatives of Laos and Nepal have attended Agency-organized short-term training projects, such as seminars and training courses. (author)

Activation Analysis. Proceedings of an Informal Study Group Meeting

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1971-07-01

As part of its programme to promote the exchange of information relating to nuclear science and technology, the International Atomic Energy Agency convened in Bangkok, Thailand, from 6-8 July 1970, an informal meeting to discuss the topic of Activation Analysis. The meeting was attended by participants drawn from the following countries: Australia, Burma, Ceylon, Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Prance, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, United States of America and Vietnam. The proceedings consist of the contributions presented at the meeting with minor editorial changes.

Mobile computing in the humanitarian assistance setting: an introduction and some first steps.

Science.gov (United States)

Selanikio, Joel D; Kemmer, Teresa M; Bovill, Maria; Geisler, Karen

2002-04-01

We developed a Palm operating system-based handheld computer system for admin istering nutrition questionnaires and used it to gather nutritional information among the Burmese refugees in the Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border Our experience demonstrated that such technology can be easily adapted for such an austere setting and used to great advantage. Further, the technology showed tremendous potential to reduce both time required and errors commonly encountered when field staff collect information in the humanitarian setting. We also identified several areas needing further development.

The impact of Border policy effect on cross-border ethnic areas

Science.gov (United States)

Bie, Q. L.; Zhou, S. Y.; Li, C. S.

2013-11-01

Boundary effect analysis is related to border policy making in the cross-border ethnic area. The border effect literatures show that geographic boundaries have obvious impacts on economic, social and cultural relations in both sides of a nation border. Particularly in cross-border ethnic areas, each ethnic group has strong internal spatial structure relevance, and the boundary effect is more obvious. However, most of China's border areas are cross-border ethnic areas, each of border issues is unique. Under this perspective, we analyze the border effects of various boundaries can provide basis for formulating border management policies. For small scale of cross-border ethnic minority areas, how to formulate the boundary management policy is a good question to explore. This paper is demonstrated by a study of the impact of border management policies in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province at the border area to Burma. The comparative method is used to analysis the border management policies in past 50 decades for the border area of Yunnan Province .This research aims to define trends within border policy and its influences to national security. This paper also examines Wendy Brown's liberal theory of border management policy. We found that it is not suitable for Sino-Burma border area. The conclusion is that the changes or instability of international economic and political situation has more influence to this cross-border ethnic area, and only innovative policy will be effective in cross-border ethnic area. So the border management policies should reflect the change of international context.

GPS Analyses of the Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khan, Shfaqat Abbas; Gudmundsson, Ólafur

2005-01-01

The Sumatra, Indonesia, earthquake on 26 December 2004 was one of the most devastating earthquakes in history. With a magnitude of M w = 9.3 (revised based on normal-mode amplitudes by Stein and Okal, http://www.earth.northwestern.edu/people/seth/research/sumatra.html), it is the second largest...... earthquake recorded since 1900. It occurred about 100 km off the west coast of northern Sumatra, where the relatively dense Indo-Australian plate moves beneath the lighter Burma plate, resulting in stress accumulation. The average relative velocity of the two plates is about 6 cm/yr. On 26 December 2004...

Country reports (Part 2). Country report on mining industry in Sabah Malaysia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nordin, M S. B.

1988-06-25

In Sabah district of Malaysia, only one mining industry exists which is a joint venture between Japan and Malaysia, producing copper by consuming 500,000 tons/year of ore which contains 0.57% of copper and 0.65 gm/ton of gold. Regarding the mining industry, outline of its organization, process, equipments, and capacity are summarized. In addition, main clauses of safety regulation and its practises are explained. Concerning Burma, Governmental organization is shown as a graph and mining industries are divided into seven categories. Products, mining methods and capacities are explained by tables. (6 figs, 3 tables)

Application of satellite imagery to monitoring human rights abuse of vulnerable communities, with minimal risk to relief staff

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavers, C; Bishop, C; Hawkins, O; Grealey, E; Cox, C; Thomas, D; Trimel, S

2009-01-01

Space imagery offers remote surveillance of ethnic people groups at risk of human rights abuse. We highlight work in alleged violations in Burma and Sudan, using satellite imagery for verification with Amnesty International. We consider how imaging may effectively support small to medium-sized Non Governmental Organisations and charities, e.g. HART, working in dangerous zones on the ground. Satellite based sensing applications are now at a sufficiently mature stage for moderate Governmental funding levels to help prevent human rights abuse, rather than the greater cost of rebuilding communities and healing sectarian divisions after abuse has taken place.

Application of satellite imagery to monitoring human rights abuse of vulnerable communities, with minimal risk to relief staff

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavers, C; Bishop, C; Hawkins, O; Grealey, E; Cox, C; Thomas, D; Trimel, S, E-mail: brnc-radarcomms1@nrta.mod.u [Sensors Team, Plymouth University at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth (United Kingdom); DMC International Imaging, Tycho House, Surrey Research Park, Guildford (United Kingdom); Qinetiq, Cody Technology Park, Cody Building, Ively Road, Farnborough (United Kingdom); Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), 3 Arnellan House, Kingsbury, London (United Kingdom); Amnesty International USA, 5 Penn Plaza, New York (United States)

2009-07-01

Space imagery offers remote surveillance of ethnic people groups at risk of human rights abuse. We highlight work in alleged violations in Burma and Sudan, using satellite imagery for verification with Amnesty International. We consider how imaging may effectively support small to medium-sized Non Governmental Organisations and charities, e.g. HART, working in dangerous zones on the ground. Satellite based sensing applications are now at a sufficiently mature stage for moderate Governmental funding levels to help prevent human rights abuse, rather than the greater cost of rebuilding communities and healing sectarian divisions after abuse has taken place.

Trace element fingerprinting of jewellery rubies by external beam PIXE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calligaro, T.; Poirot, J.-P.; Querre, G.

1999-01-01

External beam PIXE analysis allows the non-destructive in situ characterisation of gemstones mounted on jewellery pieces. This technique was used for the determination of the geographical origin of 64 rubies set on a high-valued necklace. The trace element content of these gemstones was measured and compared to that of a set of rubies of known sources. Multivariate statistical processing of the results allowed us to infer the provenance of rubies: one comes from Thailand/Cambodia deposit while the remaining are attributed to Burma. This highlights the complementary capabilities of PIXE and conventional geological observations

Trace element fingerprinting of jewellery rubies by external beam PIXE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Calligaro, T. E-mail: calli@culture.nl; Poirot, J.-P.; Querre, G

1999-04-02

External beam PIXE analysis allows the non-destructive in situ characterisation of gemstones mounted on jewellery pieces. This technique was used for the determination of the geographical origin of 64 rubies set on a high-valued necklace. The trace element content of these gemstones was measured and compared to that of a set of rubies of known sources. Multivariate statistical processing of the results allowed us to infer the provenance of rubies: one comes from Thailand/Cambodia deposit while the remaining are attributed to Burma. This highlights the complementary capabilities of PIXE and conventional geological observations.

Health and healing: traditional medicine and the Karen experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Oleson, Heather E; Chute, Sara; O'Fallon, Ann; Sherwood, Nancy E

2012-01-01

To examine the beliefs, attitudes and health-seeking behavior surrounding the use of traditional medicine among the Karen (refugees from Burma). Three focus groups and two key-informant interviews were conducted with the Karen along with observations by researchers. The Karen continue to use elements of their traditional healthcare system after resettling in the U.S. Accessibility and perceived efficacy of treatments influence their health-seeking behavior. The participants discussed beliefs about health and healing, spirituality, and their experience as refugees. Implications for improving the quality of healthcare for the Karen and recommendations for further research are discussed.

Learning on the Move, OSS Detachment 101 Special Operations in Burma

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-12

actions would serve as shaping effects for larger conventional operations. Modern US Army Special Operations doctrine further supports this...their irregular brand of warfare as the decisive operation for a campaign where conventional forces were not suitable, prepared, or politically...Operations doctrine, America’s early SOF did not have the luxury of implementing schoolhouse solution sets and designed each solution as a campaign unfolded

Truth in Reform: Reversing Fifty Years of Information Suppression in Burma

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-30

suit with a broader offering that includes next generation 3G services and legacy 2G services that are more affordable to most Burmese citizens. 46...with the same effect during the 2007 Saffron Revolution, when citizen journalists used grainy mobile phone video, Burmese Internet cafes, and web...Internet controls were not technically sophisticated, the government quickly resorted to a complete block on mobile and Internet access during the 2007

West-directed thrusting south of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis indicates clockwise crustal flow at the indenter corner during the India-Asia collision

Science.gov (United States)

Haproff, Peter J.; Zuza, Andrew V.; Yin, An

2018-01-01

Whether continental deformation is accommodated by microplate motion or continuum flow is a central issue regarding the nature of Cenozoic deformation surrounding the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. The microplate model predicts southeastward extrusion of rigid blocks along widely-spaced strike-slip faults, whereas the crustal-flow model requires clockwise crustal rotation along closely-spaced, semi-circular right-slip faults around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Although global positioning system (GPS) data support the crustal-flow model, the surface velocity field provides no information on the evolution of the India-Asia orogenic system at million-year scales. In this work, we present the results of systematic geologic mapping across the northernmost segment of the Indo-Burma Ranges, located directly southeast of the eastern Himalayan syntaxis. Early research inferred the area to have experienced either right-slip faulting accommodating northward indentation of India or thrusting due to the eastward continuation of the Himalayan orogen in the Cenozoic. Our mapping supports the presence of dip-slip thrust faults, rather than strike-slip faults. Specifically, the northern Indo-Burma Ranges exposes south- to west-directed ductile thrust shear zones in the hinterland and brittle fault zones in the foreland. The trends of ductile stretching lineations within thrust shear zones and thrust sheets rotate clockwise from the northeast direction in the northern part of the study area to the east direction in the southern part of the study area. This clockwise deflection pattern of lineations around the eastern Himalayan syntaxis mirrors the clockwise crustal-rotation pattern as suggested by the crustal-flow model and contemporary GPS velocity field. However, our finding is inconsistent with discrete strike-slip deformation in the area and the microplate model.

The 1962 programme of technical assistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1962-01-01

Experts and equipment are provided by the Agency in response to requests from Member States after the requests have been examined by technical, financial and other relevant criteria. Under the 1962 programme to be financed with the Agency's own resources, assistance in the form of services of experts and equipment will be given to the following countries: Argentina, Brazil, Burma, Ceylon, Chile, Denmark, El Salvador, Ghana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines, Portugal, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Republic, and Yugoslavia. Some details of the individual projects of assistance to be financed with the Agency's own resources are given

Caring for the Karen. A newly arrived refugee group.

Science.gov (United States)

Power, David V; Moody, Emily; Trussell, Kristi; O'Fallon, Ann; Chute, Sara; Kyaw, Merdin; Letts, James; Mamo, Blain

2010-04-01

Since 2004, Minnesota has seen an influx of refugees from Burma. Many of these newcomers came from the Karen state and spent time in refugee camps in Thailand before resettling in the United States. To better understand the health needs of this population, the authors of this article conducted chart reviews at a St. Paul family medicine clinic that serves a number of Karen refugees and reviewed formal data from the Minnesota Department of Health's Refugee Health Program. Here, they briefly describe this community, the cultural issues that could affect health care providers' ability to care for Karen patients, and the health concerns of these refugees.

Ethnofederalism and the Accommodation of Ethnic Minorities in Burma: United They Stand

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-01

down to the village level.209 It established the Pyithu Hluttaw, a unicameral legislative chamber that functioned similarly to other socialist and...within the Burman dominated divisions.211 Even if democratic elections did take place, representation within the unicameral legislature would have been

Slim Chance: The Pivotal Role of Air Mobility in the Burma Campaign

Science.gov (United States)

2014-04-01

WAr ii 8 of the Chief of the Air Service, was to “show the American public what can be done with the airplane as a carrier and to advertise American...Pin Chaung and that “most precious of assets, Brigadier [John Henry] Anstice’s 7th Armoured Brigade” under his command.39 This bold move, particularly

Fueling the Future: Furthering Theater Security with Burma’s Energy Industry

Science.gov (United States)

2014-10-30

Worst Nightmare?” Financial Times, April 15, 2013. http://blogs.ft.com/beyond- brics /2013/04/15/myanmar-cleans-house-chinas-worst-nightmare/ 48 Ibid...Robinson, Gwen. “Myanmar Cleans House—China’s Worst Nightmare?” Financial Times, April 15, 2013. http://blogs.ft.com/beyond- brics /2013/04/15/myanmar

Observations of Quasi-Love Waves in Tibet Indicates Coherent Deformation of the Crust and Upper Mantle

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, X.; Park, J. J.

2012-12-01

The high uplift of the Tibet area is caused by the continental collision between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate. The style of deformation along with the collision is still being debated, particularly whether the deformation is vertically coherent or not, i.e., whether the upper mantle deforms coherently with the crust. In this work, we have used quasi-Love (QL) waves to constrain the anisotropy pattern around the Tibet region. The existence of anisotropy gradients has been identified with the observations of QL waves, which is a converted Rayleigh-wave motion that follows the arrival of the Love wave. Further, the locations of the anisotropy gradients have been pinned with the delay time between the Love wave and the QL wave, which is determined from cross-correlation. Our results show that the frequency content of Tibetan QL wave is centered around 10 mHz, indicating the depth range of anisotropy should be in the asthenosphere. Most of the scatterers of QL wave that we can detect lie outside the Tibet Plateau. Their distribution correlates well with the boundary of the Persia-Tibet- Burma orogeny, which has been identified from surface geologic data. This correlation, between surface geology and upper mantle anisotropy inferred from QL observations at the orogenic boundary, suggests that the crust and upper mantle of the orogeny are deforming coherently. Other scatterers that are off the Persia-Tibet-Burma orogenic boundary mostly cluster in two locations, the Tarim Basin, and the Bangong-Nujiang Suture, where there could exist contrasting anisotropy patterns in the upper mantle. The deformation in the Tibet region is complicated, yet our research suggests a vertically coherent deformation style of the upper mantle in Tibet.

What caused the recent reduction in heroin supply in Australia?

Science.gov (United States)

Wodak, Alex

2008-08-01

Heroin availability and purity decreased and prices increased in Australia suddenly in early 2001. The heroin market in Australia has still not returned to the status quo ante after more than six years. Benefits of the heroin shortage, including a substantial reduction in drug overdose deaths and property crime, are generally considered to have outweighed adverse effects which included increased use of other drugs, especially stimulants, with a subsequent increase in aggression, violence and mental illness. Some commentators attributed the heroin shortage to a combination of factors, while an influential study highlighted the importance of supply control asserting that increased funding and improved effectiveness of domestic drug law enforcement produced critical heroin seizures which disrupted major syndicates, thereby producing the heroin shortage. Evidence to support a critical role for drug law enforcement in the heroin shortage is weak with some recent evidence contradicting key assertions used to support the supply control hypothesis. Although the most likely interpretation is still a combination of multiple factors, the most important factors appear to have been a substantial recent reduction in source opium cultivation and heroin production in Burma, but probably also increased heroin consumption en route through China and a switch from heroin to amphetamine production in Burma. This interpretation is consistent with the international experience of several recent decades in numerous countries where national heroin shortages have occurred rarely and generally only briefly, notwithstanding vigorous and very well resourced supply control efforts. The recent reduction in heroin supply in Australia, the most severe, longest lasting and best-documented heroin shortage in the world, cannot be confidently attributed, solely or largely, to improved domestic drug law enforcement. At best, domestic law enforcement may have made a small contribution compared to several

Late Eocene Myanmar tectonics constrained by magnetostratigraphy of the Yaw Formation, Chidwin Basin, Kalewa

Science.gov (United States)

Dupont-Nivet, Guillaume; Licht, Alexis; Bernard, Annabelle; Roperch, Pierrick; Win, Zaw; Jaeger, Jean-Jacques; Aung, Day Wa; Kaythi, Myat; Hnin Swe, Hnin; Poblete, Fernando

2017-04-01

Sedimentary basins in Myanmar have recorded key events of the India-Asia collision including associated geodynamic movements and paleoclimatic records. In particular, Paleogene deposits provide invaluable insight on the accretion of the Burma terrane, its rotation associated with the alleged extrusion of Indochina and the formation of the Indo-Burman ranges. They also yield unique records of monsoonal intensity during the growth of the Tibetan Plateau and a rich paleontological assemblage including some of the earliest primates. However, understanding the potential relations between these recorded events is strongly hindered by insufficient age control on these deposits. As part of the Myanmar Geodynamic & Paleoclimate Initiative and the ERC "MAGIC" project, our initial focus is to date Paleogene deposits of Myanmar with better accuracy using magnetostratigraphy. We present preliminary results from the Chindwin Basin where we sampled a 400-meter section of the top of the Yaw formation recording a major sedimentological facies transition previously estimated roughly as Eocene to Oligocene in age. Detailed rock magnetic analyses enabled to identify and isolate primary Characteristic Remanent Magnetizations of normal and reversed polarities carried by iron sulfides, iron carbonates and/or iron oxides. A correlation to the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale can be proposed suggesting deposition between the base of chrons C16n2n and the base of C13r (36.3 and 34.8 Ma). This age suggests the facies transition may be more likely associated with regional tectonics such as the Indo-Burman uplift rather than sea-level drop linked to ice-sheet formation at the Eocene-Oligocene Transition at 33.9 Ma. In addition, the mean observed paleomagnetic declination (13.3+/-3.7°) is statistically indistinguishable from declinations expected by geodynamic models with limited vertical-axis rotations of the Burma terrane and therefore supports little to no rotational extrusion since 35 Ma.

Geometry and evolution of low-angle normal faults (LANF) within a Cenozoic high-angle rift system, Thailand: Implications for sedimentology and the mechanisms of LANF development

Science.gov (United States)

Morley, Chris K.

2009-10-01

At least eight examples of large (5-35 km heave), low-angle normal faults (LANFs, 20°-30° dip) occur in the Cenozoic rift basins of Thailand and laterally pass into high-angle extensional fault systems. Three large-displacement LANFs are found in late Oligocene-Miocene onshore rift basins (Suphan Buri, Phitsanulok, and Chiang Mai basins), they have (1) developed contemporaneous with, or after the onset of, high-angle extension, (2) acted as paths for magma and associated fluids, and (3) impacted sedimentation patterns. Displacement on low-angle faults appears to be episodic, marked by onset of lacustrine conditions followed by axial progradation of deltaic systems that infilled the lakes during periods of low or no displacement. The Chiang Mai LANF is a low-angle (15°-25°), high-displacement (15-35 km heave), ESE dipping LANF immediately east of the late early Miocene Doi Inthanon and Doi Suthep metamorphic core complexes. Early Cenozoic transpressional crustal thickening followed by the northward motion of India coupled with Burma relative to east Burma and Thailand (˜40-30 Ma) caused migmatization and gneiss dome uplift in the late Oligocene of the core complex region, followed by LANF activity. LANF displacement lasted 4-6 Ma during the early Miocene and possibly transported a late Oligocene-early Miocene high-angle rift system 35 km east. Other LANFs in Thailand have lower displacements and no associated metamorphic core complexes. The three LANFs were initiated as low-angle faults, not by isostatic rotation of high-angle faults. The low-angle dips appear to follow preexisting low-angle fabrics (thrusts, shear zones, and other low-angle ductile foliations) predominantly developed during Late Paleozoic and early Paleogene episodes of thrusting and folding.

Terpenoid composition and botanical affinity of Cretaceous resins from India and Myanmar

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dutta, Suryendu; Mallick, Monalisa [Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (India); Kumar, Kishor [Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Uttarakhand (India); Mann, Ulrich [Forschungzentrum Juelich (Germany). Institut fuer Chemie und Dynamik der Geosphaere; Greenwood, Paul F. [John De Laeter Mass Spectrometry and WA Biogeochemistry Centres (M090), University of Western Australia, Crawley (Australia)

2011-01-01

Fossil resins from the Cretaceous sediments of Meghalaya, India and Kachin, Myanmar (Burma) were analysed using Curie point pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and thermochemolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to help elucidate their botanical source. The major pyrolysis products and methyl-esterified thermochemolysis products of both the resins were abietane and labdane type diterpenoids with minor amount of sesquiterpenoids. The thermochemolysis products also included methyl-16,17-dinor callitrisate, methyl-16,17-dinor dehydroabietate and methyl-8-pimaren-18-oate - the latter two from just the Myanmarese resin. The exclusive presence of both labdane and abietane diterpenoids and the lack of phenolic terpenoids may suggest that the studied Cretaceous resins were derived from Pinaceae (pine family) conifers. (author)

"What About the Next Generation That's Coming?": The Recontextualization of Mothering Post-Refugee Resettlement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoffman, Sarah J; Robertson, Cheryl L; Tierney, Jessica Dockter

The purpose of this analysis was to explore the recontextualization of mothering in Karen refugees from Burma. We collected ethnographic data over an 11-month period with a cohort of 12 Karen women postresettlement. Using Spradley's and tools of critical discourse analysis, we interpreted the migration narratives of women, in particular, experiences they shared as mothers. These narratives were grounded in the space of cultural difference; thus, we engaged hybridity as a theoretical frame. Findings reflect the negotiation of mothering practices within the norms, structures, and policies of the country of resettlement. We identified the spaces of transformation a woman constructed to usher change while sustaining a connection between herself, her culture, and her children.

Induced mutations for the improvement of grain legumes in South East Asia (1975)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-01-01

The report is divided into seven sections containing papers on the following subjects: regional cooperation for improving grain legume production in South-East Asia and the role of FAO in this connection; national reports on the production and consumption of grain legumes (mainly beans, soybeans, peas, peanuts) in various Asian countries (separate reports for Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and Australia). Specific papers are presented on the following: modifications of field pea; chickpea breeding at ICRISAT; mutation breeding in winged bean; mutation breeding in improving groundnut cultivars; and the consumption of grain legumes in Singapore. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations adopted by the participants of the meeting are presented

Micronutrient deficiencies in early childhood can lower a country's GDP: The Myanmar example.

Science.gov (United States)

Win, Aung Zaw

2016-01-01

Myanmar (Burma) is a developing country in South East Asia. While Myanmar is among the 20 countries where 80% of the world's malnourished children live, its military consumes the majority of the national budget. Children who are malnourished between conception and age two are at high risk for impaired physical and mental development, which adversely affects the country's productivity and growth. Myanmar is facing three major micronutrient deficiencies which are iodine, iron and vitamin A deficiencies. The three micronutrient deficiencies can cost about 2.4% of the country's GDP. Children are the future of Myanmar and persistent micronutrient deficiencies will hamper its economic growth and lower its GDP. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

78 FR 21497 - Publication of General Licenses Related to the Burma Sanctions Program

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-10

..., Ayeyarwady Bank, Myanma Economic Bank, and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank, subject to certain..., Ayeyarwady Bank, Myanma Economic Bank, and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank. Among other limitations, GL... Development Bank, Ayeyarwady Bank, Myanma Economic Bank, and Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank (a...

Final RFI/RI Report Burma Road Rubble Pit (231-4F). Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Palmer, E.

1995-09-01

The Savannah River Site is located in Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties, in South Carolina. Certain activities at the SRS require operating or post closure permits issued in accordance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

Burma’s 2010 Elections: Implications of the New Constitution and Election Laws

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-29

10,000,’” BBC, May 5, 2008; “Burma’s Cyclone Death Toll Soars,” BBC, May 6, 2008, and Aung Hla Tun , “Myanmar Cyclone Toll Climbs to Nearly 22,500...Aftermath,” December 20, 2007, by Michael F. Martin. 22 Aung Hla Tun , “Suu Kyi’s Party Says Won’t Stand in Myanmar Polls,” Reuters, March 30, 2010. Burma’s...part of her name. 27 U.S. Department of State, “Daily Press Briefing,” press release, March 10, 2010. 28 Ibid. 29 Aung Zaw , “Hipocrisy Replaces

Final RFI/RI Report Burma Road Rubble Pit (231-4F). Volume 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmer, E. [Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States)

1995-09-01

The Savannah River Site is located in Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties, in South Carolina. Certain activities at the SRS require operating or post closure permits issued in accordance with Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

Struggle for Autonomy and Ethno-Religious Factor in Political Life of the People's Republic of Bangladesh

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

М С Хак

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the problem of struggle for autonomy in the context of ethno-religious factor in the political life of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The historical roots and contemporary features of the conflict between the government and the representatives of Jumma peoples compactly inhabited in the Hill area bordered upon India and Burma named Chittagong Hill Tracts are investigated. The different conceptions, methods and mechanisms of settlement of the conflict are considered, the role of local as well as international factors in the achievement of political consensus are evaluated. The conclusion about a necessity of the subsequent searching of the most optimal tools and methods of solving of such deep-rooted conflicts is made.

Admittance, Conductance, Reactance and Susceptance of New Natural Fabric Grewia Tilifolia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. RAMANA C. H.

2010-08-01

Full Text Available This article deals with the admittance, conductance, reactance and susceptance of new natural fabric Grewia tilifolia. Grewia tilifolia is a tree found in India, Sri Lanka, Tropical Africa, Burma and Nepal. The fabric samples of Grewia tilifolia were extracted from the bark of the tree. The admittance, conductance, reactance and susceptance were measured as a function of frequency in the range from 1 kHz to 500 kHz, temperature in the range from 30 °C to 210 °C. Using an LCR Meter (HIOKI 3532-50 LCR Hi Tester, Koizumi, Japan the above parameters were measured. Grewia tilifolia is a subtropical medicinal tree; the stem bark is widely used in traditional Indian medicines to cure pneumonia, bronchitis and urinary infectious disorders.

A checklist of the millipedes (Diplopoda) of Myanmar, with an updated list of Leonardo Fea's collecting localities.

Science.gov (United States)

Likhitrakarn, Natdanai; Jirapatrasilp, Parin; Golovatch, Sergei I; Panha, Somsak

2017-11-16

At present, the millipede fauna of Myanmar comprises 92 species from 34 genera, 13 families and 8 orders, mostly described in 1889-1896. All literature records are cited with updates on species identities, as well as numerous taxonomic problems which make the number of species and even genera still imprecise. The Myanmar millipede fauna contains 70 endemic and five widespread synanthropic species. One species is found to have erroneously been recorded from Myanmar, and is ejected from the list of Myanmar millipedes also because of its uncertain taxonomic status. A complete bibliography on the millipedes of Myanmar, an updated list of the collecting localities and a map of the journeys of Leonardo Fea, the principal collector of Diplopoda in Burma, are also presented.

Survey in South-East Asia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1959-07-15

In early 1959 an IAEA mission visited Burma, Ceylon, Indonesia and Thailand. In each of the four countries, the mission held detailed discussions with scientists and officials, collected information and exchanged ideas. Besides general discussion, consultations were held in small working groups on specific topics and problems. The members of the mission also visited atomic energy centres, other scientific and technical organizations, educational institutions as well as sites of actual or possible projects. The reports of the mission contain, a general description of the atomic energy programmes of the four countries, covering both current and planned activities, the mission's comments and recommendations and lists of specific requests for Agency assistance made by these countries after discussions with the mission. Atomic energy work in Burma is primarily the responsibility of the Union of Burma Atomic Energy Centre (UBAEC). Set up in 1955, the Centre is a part of the Union of Burma Applied Research Institute (UBARI). The programme of UBAEC includes a broad training scheme, the setting up of a Nuclear Radiation Laboratory by 1960-61, a study of the possibilities of installing a research reactor by 1962-63 and the possible erection of other reactors at a later date. The mission discussed with the Burmese authorities their tentative plans for atomic energy legislation and the advice given might help in the early establishment of an independent atomic energy commission. Ceylon too is embarking on several atomic energy activities and long-range plans are being developed. The emphasis, it is expected, will be mainly on education, raw material prospecting, isotopes and nuclear power development. A Committee on Atomic Energy was created in 1958 by Ceylon's National Planning Council, and the Committee is now working towards the early formation of a central atomic energy authority. The IAEA mission advised the officials of the Committee on the framing of such legislation as

Future of endemic flora of biodiversity hotspots in India.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vishwas Sudhir Chitale

Full Text Available India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world, which represents 11% of world's flora in about 2.4% of global land mass. Approximately 28% of the total Indian flora and 33% of angiosperms occurring in India are endemic. Higher human population density in biodiversity hotspots in India puts undue pressure on these sensitive eco-regions. In the present study, we predict the future distribution of 637 endemic plant species from three biodiversity hotspots in India; Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, based on A1B scenario for year 2050 and 2080. We develop individual variable based models as well as mixed models in MaxEnt by combining ten least co-related bioclimatic variables, two disturbance variables and one physiography variable as predictor variables. The projected changes suggest that the endemic flora will be adversely impacted, even under such a moderate climate scenario. The future distribution is predicted to shift in northern and north-eastern direction in Himalaya and Indo-Burma, while in southern and south-western direction in Western Ghats, due to cooler climatic conditions in these regions. In the future distribution of endemic plants, we observe a significant shift and reduction in the distribution range compared to the present distribution. The model predicts a 23.99% range reduction and a 7.70% range expansion in future distribution by 2050, while a 41.34% range reduction and a 24.10% range expansion by 2080. Integration of disturbance and physiography variables along with bioclimatic variables in the models improved the prediction accuracy. Mixed models provide most accurate results for most of the combinations of climatic and non-climatic variables as compared to individual variable based models. We conclude that a regions with cooler climates and higher moisture availability could serve as refugia for endemic plants in future climatic conditions; b mixed models provide more accurate results, compared to single

Future of endemic flora of biodiversity hotspots in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Chitale, Vishwas Sudhir; Behera, Mukund Dev; Roy, Partha Sarthi

2014-01-01

India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world, which represents 11% of world's flora in about 2.4% of global land mass. Approximately 28% of the total Indian flora and 33% of angiosperms occurring in India are endemic. Higher human population density in biodiversity hotspots in India puts undue pressure on these sensitive eco-regions. In the present study, we predict the future distribution of 637 endemic plant species from three biodiversity hotspots in India; Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, based on A1B scenario for year 2050 and 2080. We develop individual variable based models as well as mixed models in MaxEnt by combining ten least co-related bioclimatic variables, two disturbance variables and one physiography variable as predictor variables. The projected changes suggest that the endemic flora will be adversely impacted, even under such a moderate climate scenario. The future distribution is predicted to shift in northern and north-eastern direction in Himalaya and Indo-Burma, while in southern and south-western direction in Western Ghats, due to cooler climatic conditions in these regions. In the future distribution of endemic plants, we observe a significant shift and reduction in the distribution range compared to the present distribution. The model predicts a 23.99% range reduction and a 7.70% range expansion in future distribution by 2050, while a 41.34% range reduction and a 24.10% range expansion by 2080. Integration of disturbance and physiography variables along with bioclimatic variables in the models improved the prediction accuracy. Mixed models provide most accurate results for most of the combinations of climatic and non-climatic variables as compared to individual variable based models. We conclude that a) regions with cooler climates and higher moisture availability could serve as refugia for endemic plants in future climatic conditions; b) mixed models provide more accurate results, compared to single variable based

Hypopituitarism following envenoming by Russell's vipers (Daboia siamensis and D. russelii) resembling Sheehan's syndrome: first case report from Sri Lanka, a review of the literature and recommendations for endocrine management.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonypillai, C N; Wass, J A H; Warrell, D A; Rajaratnam, H N

2011-02-01

Russell's vipers (Daboia russelii and D. siamensis) inhabit 10 South and South East Asian countries. People envenomed by these snakes suffer coagulopathy, bleeding, shock, neurotoxicity, acute kidney injury and local tissue damage leading to severe morbidity and mortality. An unusual complication of Russell's viper bite envenoming in Burma (D. siamensis) and southern India (D. russelii) is hypopituitarism but until now it has not been reported elsewhere. Here, we describe the first case of hypopituitarism following Russell's viper bite in Sri Lanka, review the literature on this subject and make recommendations for endocrine investigation and management. A 49-year-old man was bitten and seriously envenomed by D. russelii in 2005. He was treated with antivenom but although he recovered from the acute effects he remained feeling unwell. Hypopituitarism, with deficiencies of gonadal, steroid and thyroid axes, was diagnosed 3 years later. He showed marked improvement after replacement of anterior pituitary hormones. We attribute his hypopituitarism to D. russelii envenoming. Russell's viper bite is known to cause acute and chronic hypopituitarism and diabetes insipidus, perhaps through deposition of fibrin microthrombi and haemorrhage in the pituitary gland resulting from the action of venom procoagulant enzymes and haemorrhagins. Forty nine cases of hypopituitarism following Russell's viper bite have been described in the English language literature. Patients with acute hypopituitarism may present with hypoglycaemia and hypotension during the acute phase of envenoming. Those with chronic hypopituitarism seem to have recovered from envenoming but present later with features of hypopituitarism. Over 85% of these patients had suffered acute kidney injury immediately after the bite. Steroid replacement in acute hypopituitarism is life saving. All 11 patients with chronic hypopituitarism in whom the outcome of treatment was reported, showed marked improvement with hormone

Radioisotopes in Burmese agricultural research

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1961-07-15

The Burmese authorities decided to start a laboratory for the use of radioisotope techniques in agricultural r e search. The laboratory was set up at the Agricultural Research Institute at Gyogon, on the outskirts of Rangoon. Under its technical assistance program, IAEA assigned an expert in the agricultural applications of radioisotopes for this project. Discussions were held with regional representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization on the best lines of research to be adopted at the laboratory in its early stages. As the most important crop in Burma is rice, a series of experiments were planned for a study of the nutrition of rice, particularly its phosphorus uptake, with special reference to comparative responses on a range of typical paddy soils. The experiments began last year and are being continued.

Crystal structure of Cr-bearing Mg3BeAl8O16, a new polytype of magnesiotaaffeite-2N′2S

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Malcherek

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The crystal structure of a new polytype of magnesiotaaffeite-2N′2S, ideally Mg3BeAl8O16 (trimagnesium beryllium octaaluminium hexadecaoxide, is described in space-group symmetry P-3m1. It has been identified in a fragment of a mineral sample from Burma (Myanmar. The new polytype is composed of two Mg2Al4O8 (S- and two BeMgAl4O8 (N′-modules in a stacking sequence N′SSN′′ which differs from the N′SN′S-stacking sequence of the known magnesiotaaffeite-2N′2S polytype. The crystal structure can be derived from a close-packed arrangement of O atoms and is discussed with regard to its polytypism and its Cr3+ chromophore content.

Trading Activity and Ethnodomestication of Plants by Manipuri Muslims

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohd Mustaque AHMED

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Long distance traveling and trading activity of Muslims from great antiquity brought plants into Manipur (Indo-Burma-China region. The indigenous traveling vehicles, horses needed poppy as their essential medicinal food as well as horse diet. Some words such as- Turushka, Pasha (Pasa, Pangal, Pathan, Mangal, Mughal, are found to be synonymous with the word Muslims and these words were associated with the plants. Ethno-domestication of 18 (eighteen plants in their kitchen garden, flower garden, courtyard, fields, orchards etc, was found. Survey of literature couples with field survey was carried out with an aim to understand the sustainable use of bio-resources. Uses of plants among Manipuri community in various purposes were known to this community. To this aspect, an approach of traditional plant stalk conservation is observed from time immemorial.

World Energy Data System (WENDS). Volume I. Country data, AF-CO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1979-06-01

The World Energy Data System contains organized data on those countries and international organizations that may have critical impact on the world energy scene. Volumes 1 through 4 include energy-related information concerning 57 countries. Additional volumes (5 through 11) present review information on international organizations, summaries of energy-related international agreements, and fact sheets on nuclear facilities. Country data on Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Canada, China, and Colombia are included in Volume 1. The following topics are covered for most of the countries: economic, demographic, and educational profiles; energy policy; indigenous energy resources and uses; forecasts, demand, exports, imports of energy supplies; environmental considerations; power production facilities; energy industries; commercial applications of energy; research and development activities of energy; and international activities.

Health, human rights, and the conduct of clinical research within oppressed populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mills Edward J

2007-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Clinical trials evaluating interventions for infectious diseases require enrolling participants that are vulnerable to infection. As clinical trials are conducted in increasingly vulnerable populations, issues of protection of these populations become challenging. In settings where populations are forseeably oppressed, the conduct of research requires considerations that go beyond common ethical concerns and into issues of international human rights law. Discussion Using examples of HIV prevention trials in Thailand, hepatitis-E prevention trials in Nepal and malaria therapeutic trials in Burma (Myanmar, we address the inadequacies of current ethical guidelines when conducting research within oppressed populations. We review existing legislature in the United States and United Kingdom that may be used against foreign investigators if trial hardships exist. We conclude by making considerations for research conducted within oppressed populations.

Celebrities in International Affairs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richey, Lisa Ann; Budabin, Alexandra Cosima

2016-01-01

Celebrity engagement in global “helping” is not a simple matter of highly photogenic caring for needy others across borders; it is a complex relationship of power that often produces contradictory functions in relation to the goals of humanitarianism, development, and advocacy. This article argues...... that celebrities are acting as other elite actors in international affairs: investing considerable capital into processes that are highly political. It traces the emergence and practices of the elite politics of celebrities in North-South relations, an evolution made possible by recent changes in aid practices......, media, and NGOs, then considers exemplary cases of Angelina Jolie in Burma, Ben Affleck in the Democractic Republic of Congo, and Madonna in Malawi. These celebrity practices as diplomats, experts, and humanitarians in international affairs illustrate the diverse and contradictory forms of engagement...

An ongoing earthquake sequence near Dhaka, Bangladesh, from regional recordings

Science.gov (United States)

Howe, M.; Mondal, D. R.; Akhter, S. H.; Kim, W.; Seeber, L.; Steckler, M. S.

2013-12-01

Earthquakes in and around the syntaxial region between the continent-continent collision of the Himalayan arc and oceanic subduction of the Sunda arc result primarily from the convergence of India and Eurasia-Sunda plates along two fronts. The northern front, the convergence of the Indian and Eurasian plates, has produced the Himalayas. The eastern front, the convergence of the Indian and Sunda plates, ranges from ocean-continent subduction at the Andaman Arc and Burma Arc, and transitions to continent-continent collision to the north at the Assam Syntaxis in northeast India. The India-Sunda convergence at the Burma Arc is extremely oblique. The boundary-normal convergence rate is ~17 mm/yr while the boundary-parallel rate is ~45 mm/yr including the well-known Sagaing strike-slip fault, which accommodates about half the shear component. This heterogeneous tectonic setting produces multiple earthquake sources that need to be considered when assessing seismic hazard and risk in this region. The largest earthquakes, just as in other subduction systems, are expected to be interplate events that occur on the low-angle megathrusts, such as the Mw 9.2 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake and the 1762 earthquake along the Arakan margin. These earthquakes are known to produce large damage over vast areas, but since they account for large fault motions they are relatively rare. The majority of current seismicity in the study area is intraplate. Most of the seismicity associated with the Burma Arc subduction system is in the down-going slab, including the shallow-dipping part below the megathrust flooring the accretionary wedge. The strike of the wedge is ~N-S and Dhaka lies at its outer limit. One particular source relevant to seismic risk in Dhaka is illuminated by a multi-year sequence of earthquakes in Bangladesh less than 100 km southeast of Dhaka. The population in Dhaka (now at least 15 million) has been increasing dramatically due to rapid urbanization. The vulnerability

Burma: Strategic Backwater or Strategic Fulcrum? U.S. Choices in the Bay of Bengal

Science.gov (United States)

2013-05-01

Ne Win’s dictatorship lasted until 1988. Isolation, socialism, ongoing conflict with the hill tribes, and pervasive repression and censorship all...Concern in the regime grew in the 2000s as sanctions mounted and the country’s financial situation worsened. The ruling party extended censorship ...Cooperation, which establishes a free trade area encompassing China, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia , the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, and

The meaning and value of traditional occupational practice: a Karen woman's story of weaving in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Yda J; Stephenson, Stephanie; Gibson-Satterthwaite, Michelle

2013-01-01

This case study sought to understand the meaning of restoring traditional weaving as an occupation among Karen women from Burma who now live in an urban city in the United States and to examine the impact of weaving on their daily lives in terms of identity, empowerment, social support, and opportunities for entrepreneurship. The story of one Karen woman, Paw Law Eh, is described. Her story exemplifies the negative consequences of restricted access to familiar and meaningful daily activities, or "occupations", the relationship between occupation and self-identity, how participation in valued occupations can enhance social networks, and the restorative effects that are possible when engagement in meaningful occupations are maintained or restored. Her story demonstrates that occupational therapists have the skills and opportunity to contribute significantly to the well-being of Karen women by supporting the restoration of the occupation of weaving.

HLA alleles and haplotypes in Burmese (Myanmarese) and Karen in Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Kongmaroeng, C; Romphruk, A; Puapairoj, C; Leelayuwat, C; Kulski, J K; Inoko, H; Dunn, D S; Romphruk, A V

2015-09-01

This is the first report on human leukocyte antigen (HLA) allele and haplotype frequencies at three class I loci and two class II loci in unrelated healthy individuals from two ethnic groups, 170 Burmese and 200 Karen, originally from Burma (Myanmar), but sampled while residing in Thailand. Overall, the HLA allele and haplotype frequencies detected by polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP) at five loci (A, B, C, DRB1 and DRQB1) at low resolution showed distinct differences between the Burmese and Karen. In Burmese, five HLA-B*15 haplotypes with different HLA-A and HLA-DR/DQ combinations were detected with three of these not previously reported in other Asian populations. The data are important in the fields of anthropology, transplantation and disease-association studies. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

77 FR 41243 - Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Burma

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-13

... reform process, efforts to undermine or obstruct the peace process with ethnic minorities, military trade... effect of undermining or obstructing the political reform process or the peace process with ethnic... this order who might have a constitutional presence [[Page 41245

Modern Sedimentation along the SE Bangladesh Coast Reveal Surprisingly Low Accumulation Rates

Science.gov (United States)

McHugh, C.; Mustaque, S.; Mondal, D. R.; Akhter, S. H.; Iqbal, M.

2016-12-01

Recent sediments recovered along the SE coast of Bangladesh, from Teknaf to Cox's Bazar and drainage basin analyses reveal sediment sources and very low sedimentation rates of 1mm/year. These low rates are surprisingly low given that this coast is adjacent to the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta with a yearly discharge of 1GT. The Teknaf anticline (elevation 200 m), part of the western Burma fold-thrust belt dominates the topography extending across and along the Teknaf peninsula. It is thought to have begun evolving since the Miocene (Alam et al. 2003 & Allen et al. 2008). Presently the anticline foothills on the west are flanked by uplifted terraces, the youngest linked to coseismic displacement during the 1762 earthquake (Mondal et al. 2015), and a narrow beach 60-200 m in width. Petrography, semi-quantitative bulk mineralogy and SEM/EDX analyses were conducted on sediments recovered along the west coast from 1-4 m deep trenches and three 4-8 m deep drill holes. GIS mapping of drainage basins and quartz-feldspar-lithic (QFL) ternary plots based on grain counting show mixing of sediments from multiple sources: Himalayan provenance of metamorphic and igneous origin (garnet-mostly almandine, tourmaline, rutile, kyanite, zircon, sillimanite and clinopyroxene) similar to Uddin et al. (2007); Brahmaputra provenance of igneous and metamorphic origin (amphibole, epidote, plagioclase 40% Na and 60% Ca, apatite, ilmenite, magnetite, Cr-spinel and garnet-mostly grossular,) as indicated by Garzanti et al. (2010) & Rahman et al. (2016) and Burmese sources (cassiterite and wolframite) (Zaw 1990 & Searle et al. 2007). Low sedimentation rates are the result of two main factors: 1. Strong longshore currents from the south-east that interact with high tidal ranges as evidenced by the morphology of sand waves and ridge and runnel landforms along the beach. 2. Streams draining the Teknaf anticline are dry during the winter and during summer monsoon rains, the sediments bypass the narrow

Displaced mothers: birth and resettlement, gratitude and complaint.

Science.gov (United States)

Niner, Sara; Kokanovic, Renata; Cuthbert, Denise

2013-01-01

In narratives of displaced Karen women from Burma, both before and after resettlement in Australia, women framed their birthing experiences with those of persecution and displacement. Although grateful for the security of resettlement in Australia, social inclusion was negligible and women's birthing experiences occurred in that context. Women described the impact of the lack of interpreting services in Australian hospitals and an absence of personal and communal care that they expected. Frequently, this made straightforward births confusing or difficult, and exacerbated the distress of more complicated births. Differences in individual responses related to women's histories, with younger women displaying more preparedness to complain and identify discrimination. The problems identified with health care, coupled with the inability of many of the women to complain requires attention, not just within the health care system, but more widely as part of social attitudes concerning Australia's obligations to those who seek asylum.

Atomic assistance in 1961

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1961-01-01

More than 100 experts provided by the International Atomic Energy Agency will be working in different parts of the world this year, assisting the Agency's Member States in building up their national programs of peaceful atomic development. The total allocation of EPTA funds to the Agency for the two-year period 1961-62 is $1 393 600 (of which approximately half is available in 1961), and is meant not only for the provision of experts and equipment but also for training fellowships and regional projects. The countries which will receive Agency assistance in the form of experts and equipment this year are: Afghanistan, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Burma, Ceylon, Chile, the Republic of China, Denmark, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Republic of Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Senegal, the Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Republic, Vietnam and Yugoslavia

Geographical Distribution of Biomass Carbon in Tropical Southeast Asian Forests: A Database; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, S

2001-01-01

A database was generated of estimates of geographically referenced carbon densities of forest vegetation in tropical Southeast Asia for 1980. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to incorporate spatial databases of climatic, edaphic, and geomorphological indices and vegetation to estimate potential (i.e., in the absence of human intervention and natural disturbance) carbon densities of forests. The resulting map was then modified to estimate actual 1980 carbon density as a function of population density and climatic zone. The database covers the following 13 countries: Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia (Campuchea), India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam. The data sets within this database are provided in three file formats: ARC/INFO(trademark) exported integer grids, ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) files formatted for raster-based GIS software packages, and generic ASCII files with x, y coordinates for use with non-GIS software packages

The Work of Inscription: Antenatal Care, Birth Documents, and Shan Migrant Women in Chiang Mai.

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, Bo Kyeong

2017-12-01

For transnational migrant populations, securing birth documents of newly born children has crucial importance in avoiding statelessness for new generations. Drawing on discussions of sovereignty and political subjectivization, I ask how the fact of birth is constituted in the context of transnational migration. Based on ethnographic data collected from an antenatal clinic in Thailand, this article describes how Shan migrant women from Myanmar (also known as Burma) utilize reproductive health services as a way of assuring a safe birth while acquiring identification documents. Paying close attention to technologies of inscription adopted for maternal care and birth registration, I argue that enacting bureaucratic documents offers a chance for migrant women to bridge the interstice between human and citizen. Birth certificates for migrant children, while embodying legal ambiguity and uncertainty, epitomize non-citizen subjects' assertion of their political relationship with the state. © 2016 by the American Anthropological Association.

Why did Aceh lose its Nineteenth Century Independence? Comparisons with Siam and other states

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Anthony John S. Reid

2017-03-01

Full Text Available By the middle of the 19th century fully independent states in Southeast Asia were few, and all felt threatened by the advance of competitive European imperialisms. By 1900 only Siam (Thailand had retained its full formal independence, though arguably by yielding key levers of control to the British. Siam’s success is often compared with the failure of Burma and Viet Nam, conquered by Britain and France respectively in the late 19th century.  Archipelago states have seldom entered this comparison, although Aceh had unique advantages in the ability to play off British and Dutch. The argument here is that the Aceh leadership did have vital agency, and made some crucial choices that could be considered mistakes from a Siam perspective. Dutch and British choices and mistakes have been better studied, but Acehnese ones also deserve to be. 

Isotope studies on rice fertilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The aim of the report is to provide practical information on the efficient utilization of nitrogen fertilizers in rice production. Results obtained from field investigations during the years 1970 to 1974 in ten countries (Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia, Republic of Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Philippines), using 15 N-labelled nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium sulfate, urea) are given. The experiments, which were conducted both during the dry and wet seasons, included comparison of varieties, effect of placement, source and time of nitrogen fertilizer application on the yield and quality of rice. The data from the project is presented in table form. In most of the experiments, the addition of nitrogen increased the rice grain yield. The role of soil nitrogen vs. fertilizer nitrogen is compared, and it is concluded that the physiological growth stage at which fertilizer-derived nitrogen is absorbed is of great importance

Characterization of "Yaa Chud" Medicine on the Thailand-Myanmar border: selecting for drug-resistant malaria and threatening public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Paul N; Hampton, Christina Y; Alter-Hall, Krystyn; Teerwarakulpana, Thanongsak; Prakongpan, Sompol; Ruangveerayuth, Ronnatrai; White, Nicholas J; Day, Nicholas P J; Tudino, Mabel B; Mancuso, Natalia; Fernández, Facundo M

2008-11-01

Multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria is a severe public health problem on the Thailand-Myanmar border. Many villagers buy packets of 4-5 mixed medicines ("yaa chud") from shops without medical assessment as their first-line malaria treatment. In 2000-2001 a local researcher purchased 50 yaa chud from 44 shops around Mae Sot, Thailand and Myawaddy, Myanmar (Burma), for his wife who was said to be pregnant with fever and drowsiness. The tablets/capsules were provisionally identified by appearance and active ingredients determined in a subset by using mass and atomic spectrometry. The most frequently detected active ingredients were acetaminophen (22%), chlorpheniramine (13.4%), chloroquine (12.6%), tetracycline/doxycycline (11.4%), and quinine (5.1%). Only seven bags contained potentially curative medicine for malaria. A total of 82% of the bags contained medicines contraindicated in pregnancy. Inappropriate, ineffective antimalarial drugs on the Thailand-Myanmar border are likely to increase malaria morbidity, mortality and health costs and engender the emergence and spread of antimalarial drug resistance.

Age, Gender, and Fine-Grained Ethnicity Prediction using Convolutional Neural Networks for the East Asian Face Dataset

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Srinivas, Nisha [ORNL; Rose, Derek C [ORNL; Bolme, David S [ORNL; Mahalingam, Gayathri [ORNL; Atwal, Harleen [ORNL; Ricanek, Karl [ORNL

2017-01-01

This paper examines the difficulty associated with performing machine-based automatic demographic prediction on a sub-population of Asian faces. We introduce the Wild East Asian Face dataset (WEAFD), a new and unique dataset to the research community. This dataset consists primarily of labeled face images of individuals from East Asian countries, including Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, China, Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. East Asian turk annotators were uniquely used to judge the age and fine grain ethnicity attributes to reduce the impact of the other race effect and improve quality of annotations. We focus on predicting age, gender and fine-grained ethnicity of an individual by providing baseline results with a convolutional neural network (CNN). Finegrained ethnicity prediction refers to predicting ethnicity of an individual by country or sub-region (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.) of the East Asian continent. Performance for two CNN architectures is presented, highlighting the difficulty of these tasks and showcasing potential design considerations that ease network optimization by promoting region based feature extraction.

The 1994 Rwandan Genocide: The Religion/Genocide Nexus, Sexual Violence, and the Future of Genocide Studies

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Kate E. Temoney

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In recent genocides and other conflicts—for example, the Sudan, Burma, and now Iraq—sexual violence and religion have received increasing but modest systematic treatment in genocide studies. This essay contributes to the nascent scholarship on the religious and sexual dimensions of genocide by providing a model for investigating the intersections among religion, genocide, and sexual violence. I treat the Rwandan genocide as a case study using secondary and primary sources and proffer the reinforcing typologies of “othering,” justification, and authorization as an investigatory tool. I further nuance the influences of religion on forms of sexual violation by arguing that religion indirectly (distally and directly (proximately furthers the aims of genocide by coding genocidal ideology and violence as “religious.” Ultimately, I contend that studying the religious and sexual aspects of genocide deepens our understanding of the complex dynamics of genocide and opens new lines of inquiry into genocide studies.

Fault plane solutions as related to known geological faults in and near India

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N. SRIVASTAVA

1975-05-01

Full Text Available Based on the focal mechanism solutions of newly determined solutions, and other recent workers the correlation between one of the nodal planes and the geological faults has been discussed for three regions namely Kashmir, Central Himalayas and northeast India including Assam. The variability between multiple solutions reported for some earthquakes and the limitations in the choice of the nodal plane from /'-wave solutions have been brought out. It is seen that no standard criteria either on the basis of isoseismals or of aftershocks can be used to distinguish the fault plane from the auxiliary plane. It has been found that in general there is good agreement between one of the nodal planes and the geological faults in Kashmir and the Central Himalayas. In northeast India, the strike directions obtained from the mechanism solutions generally agree with the trends of the main thrusts but the dip direction for shocks originating in the India-Burma border

Lineage extinction and replacement in dengue type 1 virus populations are due to stochastic events rather than to natural selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hlaing Myat Thu; Lowry, Kym; Jiang Limin; Thaung Hlaing; Holmes, Edward C.; Aaskov, John

2005-01-01

Between 1996 and 1998, two clades (B and C; genotype I) of dengue virus type 1 (DENV-1) appeared in Myanmar (Burma) that were new to that location. Between 1998 and 2000, a third clade (A; genotype III) of DENV-1, which had been circulating at that locality for at least 25 years, became extinct. These changes preceded the largest outbreak of dengue recorded in Myanmar, in 2001, in which more than 95% of viruses recovered from patients were DENV-1, but where the incidence of severe disease was much less than in previous years. Phylogenetic analyses of viral genomes indicated that the two new clades of DENV-1 did not arise from the, now extinct, clade A viruses nor was the extinction of this clade due to differences in the fitness of the viral populations. Since the extinction occurred during an inter-epidemic period, we suggest that it was due to a stochastic event attributable to the low rate of virus transmission in this interval

Exploring the mental health effects of political trauma with newly arrived refugees.

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, Patricia J; Wieling, Elizabeth; McCleary, Jennifer Simmelink; Becher, Emily

2015-04-01

We explored the mental health effects of war trauma and torture as described by 111 refugees newly arrived in the United States. We used ethnocultural methodologies to inform 13 culture-specific focus groups with refugees from Bhutan (34), Burma (23), Ethiopia (27), and Somalia (27). Contrary to the belief that stigma prevents refugees from discussing mental health distress, participants readily described complex conceptualizations of degrees of mental health distress informed by political context, observation of symptoms, cultural idioms, and functional impairment. Recommendations for health care providers include assessment processes that inquire about symptoms in their political context, the degree of distress as it is culturally conceptualized, and its effect on functioning. Findings confirm the cross-cultural recognition of symptoms associated with posttraumatic stress disorder; however, refugees described significant cultural variation in expressions of distress, indicating the need for more research on culture-bound disorders and idioms of distress. © The Author(s) 2014.

Word Prosody and Intonation of Sgaw Karen

Science.gov (United States)

West, Luke Alexander

The prosodic, and specifically intonation, systems of Tibeto-Burman languages have received less attention in research than those of other families. This study investigates the word prosody and intonation of Sgaw Karen, a tonal Tibeto-Burman language of eastern Burma, and finds similarities to both closely related Tibeto-Burman languages and the more distant Sinitic languages like Mandarin. Sentences of varying lengths with controlled tonal environments were elicited from a total of 12 participants (5 male). In terms of word prosody, Sgaw Karen does not exhibit word stress cues, but does maintain a prosodic distinction between the more prominent major syllable and the phonologically reduced minor syllable. In terms of intonation, Sgaw Karen patterns like related Pwo Karen in its limited use of post-lexical tone, which is only present at Intonation Phrase (IP) boundaries. Unlike the intonation systems of Pwo Karen and Mandarin, however, Sgaw Karen exhibits downstep across its Accentual Phrases (AP), similarly to phenomena identified in Tibetan and Burmese.

Diversity, habitat preferences, and conservation of the primates of Southern Assam, India: The story of a primate paradise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammed Khairujjaman Mazumder

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The southern part of Assam in India, a part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity hotspot, harbors a myriad number of wild plant and animal species. Although there is only one protected area, the Barail Wildlife Sanctuary (Cachar district and a few reserve forests (RFs, there are as many as eight primates inhabiting the region – a diversity hardly found elsewhere. In addition to the protected area and RFs, tea gardens and secondary forests also serve as habitats for animals. The border areas of the region with the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Tripura are among the most important abodes of these primates. Unfortunately, these primates are under constant threat from multiple sources. The present article provides an extensive survey of the available literature on the primates of southern Assam with reference to their distribution, habitat preferences, threats, and conservation. Additionally, data from field observations of the author are also presented.

Popular Orientalism: Somerset Maugham in Mainland Southeast Asia

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Christine Doran

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Based on his experiences during a journey through mainland Southeast Asia in 1923, Somerset Maugham wrote a book of colonial travel entitled The Gentleman in the Parlour. As the work of one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century, Maugham’s travelogue both expressed and helped to shape contemporary thinking about Southeast Asia and Western imperialism. Focusing especially on his representations of Burma and Cambodia, an analysis is presented of Maugham’s book in the light of postcolonial scholarship, especially the theoretical insights developed under the inspiration of Edward Said’s Orientalism. Despite its pretensions to be apolitical, Maugham’s travel book is shown to be a repository of Western colonial ideas and attitudes, integrally involved in the circulation of the prevailing European discourse of high imperialism. As such, it is a valuable resource for historians and other scholars who wish to understand the way that discourse worked at the level of popular literature.

The wasp larva's last supper: 100 million years of evolutionary stasis in the larval development of rhopalosomatid wasps (Hymenoptera: Rhopalosomatidae

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V. Lohrmann

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Rhopalosomatidae are an unusual family of wasps (Hymenoptera: Aculeata comprising less than 100 species found in the tropics and subtropics of all continents except Europe and Antarctica. Whereas some species resemble nocturnal Ichneumonidae, others might be mistaken for spider wasps or different groups of brachypterous Hymenoptera. Despite their varied morphology, all members of the family supposedly develop as larval ectoparasitoids of crickets (Orthoptera: Grylloidea. Here, we report on the first record of a fossil rhopalosomatid larva which was discovered in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar (Burma. The larva is attached to the lateral side of a cricket between the metafemur and the abdomen, impacting the natural position of the hind leg, exactly as documented for modern species. Additionally, the larval gestalt is strikingly similar to those of extant forms. These observations imply that this behavioral specialization, e.g., host association and positioning on host, likely evolved in the stem of the family at least 100 million years ago.

Revision on the genus Phyllagathis (Melastomataceae: Sonerileae). I. The species in Burma, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cellinese, Nicoletta

2002-01-01

A revision of the genus Phyllagathis Blume is presented under a wider generic concept than used by earlier authors. A comprehensive synopsis of the genus is provided in the general part, where morphological characters and their variations are discussed. This paper will focus in particular on the

Subtropical westerly jet waveguide and winter persistent heavy rainfall in south China

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Feng; Li, Chun

2017-07-01

Using observed daily precipitation and National Centers for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis data, what induced winter large spatial persistent heavy rainfall (PHR) events in south China was examined, based on composite analyses of 30 large spatial PHR events during 1951-2015. The results showed that wave trains within North Africa-Asia (NAA) westerly jet existed in upper troposphere during these PHR processes. The wave trains shared the characteristic of a Rossby wave. The Rossby wave originated from northwest Europe, entered into the NAA jet through strong cold air advection to form convergence over the Mediterranean, and then propagated eastward along subtropical NAA jet. The Rossby wave propagated toward Southeast Asia and caused strong divergence in the upper troposphere. The strong divergence in the upper troposphere induced vertical convection and favored large spatial PHR events in south China. In addition, the enhanced India-Burma trough and subtropical high in the northwestern Pacific supplied enough water vapor transportation. This mechanism would be useful to the medium-range forecast of such winter rainfall processes over south China.

Saras Cranes in Palwal District in Southern Haryana are Asking for Immediate Attention for Their Last Rescue Effort

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Tirshem Kumar Kaushik

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Saras Cranes Grus antigone are endangered birds of open wetlands with highly worrying depletion trends being witnessed related with disappearance of marshy and shallow perennial, expansive wetlands throughout northern India. Alongside, massive hunting in 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and even today is another serious cause for their worrisome deterioration. Also, destruction of nests, eggs, fledglings and adults by aboriginals indeliberately or deliberately is causing these cranes to perish sooner than latter, completely. Now, Saras Cranes are found in limited number and domain as four populations in the entire world including India, China, Burma, South East Asia and northern Australia. The population of Indian Saras Crane is pitiably restricted to Etawa and Mainpuri districts of Uttar Pradesh. Stray birds of this species are restricted to Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh and in some parts of Gujarat and Assam. It is interesting to note that few pairs have been seen in Faridabad and Palwal districts in southern Haryana, India. These need to be protected and conserved.

Occurrence of rhodamine B contamination in capsicum caused by agricultural materials during the vegetation process.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Wei; Wu, Naiying; Du, Jingjing; Zhou, Li; Lian, Yunhe; Wang, Lei; Liu, Dengshuai

2016-08-15

This paper reports on the environmental rhodamine B (RhB) contamination in capsicum caused by agricultural materials during the vegetation process. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was applied to detect 64 capsicum samples from China, Peru, India and Burma. Results demonstrated that RhB was found in all samples at low concentrations (0.11-0.98 μg/kg), indicating RhB contamination in capsicums is probably a ubiquitous phenomenon. In addition, studies into soils, roots, stems and leaves in Handan of Hebei province, China showed that the whole ecologic chain had been contaminated with RhB with the highest levels in leaves. The investigation into the agricultural environment in Handan of Hebei province and Korla of Xinjiang province, China demonstrated that the appearances of RhB contamination in the tested capsicums are mainly due to the agricultural materials contamination. The study verified that environmental contamination should be an important origin for the RhB contamination in capsicum fruits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Asia needs political commitment to fight AIDS.

Science.gov (United States)

1997-06-02

Delegates from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam to a Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) workshop in Bangkok urged their governments to give priority to the prevention of HIV and AIDS. There are already approximately 3 million people infected with HIV in Asia. Their numbers should increase by 1-2 million by the year 2000. However, devoid of any prevention measures, 2-5 million more people could instead become infected over the same period. Thailand, where many people have adopted condom use and the patronage of brothels and prostitutes has declined, was noted as a success story at the workshop in preventing the further spread of HIV. The level of risky sexual behavior in Thailand has declined to such an extent that HIV case projections made in 1991 for the year 2000 have been revised to a lower number. An estimated more than 100,000 people are infected with HIV in Indonesia, a country in which the epidemic may grow to 2.5 million cases by 2000 unless successful prevention programs are implemented.

NATURAL HAZARD ASSESSMENT OF SW MYANMAR - A CONTRIBUTION OF REMOTE SENSING AND GIS METHODS TO THE DETECTION OF AREAS VULNERABLE TO EARTHQUAKES AND TSUNAMI / CYCLONE FLOODING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Pararas-Carayannis

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Myanmar, formerly Burma, is vulnerable to several natural hazards, such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods, tsunamis and landslides. The present study focuses on geomorphologic and geologic investigations of the south-western region of the country, based on satellite data (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission-SRTM, MODIS and LANDSAT. The main objective is to detect areas vulnerable to inundation by tsunami waves and cyclone surges. Since the region is also vulnerable to earthquake hazards, it is also important to identify seismotectonic patterns, the location of major active faults, and local site conditions that may enhance ground motions and earthquake intensities. As illustrated by this study, linear, topographic features related to subsurface tectonic features become clearly visible on SRTM-derived morphometric maps and on LANDSAT imagery. The GIS integrated evaluation of LANDSAT and SRTM data helps identify areas most susceptible to flooding and inundation by tsunamis and storm surges. Additionally, land elevation maps help identify sites greater than 10 m in elevation height, that would be suitable for the building of protective tsunami/cyclone shelters.

As I see it

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lazo, Oscar J S

1993-10-01

Teak, known all over the world as ``Burma Teak`` has enjoyed royal protection during the period when the country was under the rule of kings. When the country (Myanmar) attained its independence, teak became state monopoly one again. There are also lesser known species whose economic importance remains to be appreciated. In comparison to most of the countries in the region, Myanmar`s forest and wildlife have suffered far less damage from human exploitation. The State Law and Order Restoration Council enacted the forest law of 1992. With FAO assistance through its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), the proven Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) was introduced in the hilly regions of the country (Myanmar). Every year in the month of July, millions of trees are also planted throughout the country. By removing only mature trees, sunlight is able to penetrate the forest floor inducing growth of new trees. A well-managed forest is an insurance to a better world climate than a forest left along to choke to a slow death

The medicinal plants of Myanmar

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert A. DeFilipps

2018-06-01

Full Text Available A comprehensive compilation is provided of the medicinal plants of the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar (formerly Burma. This contribution, containing 123 families, 367 genera, and 472 species, was compiled from earlier treatments, monographs, books, and pamphlets, with some medicinal uses and preparations translated from Burmese to English. The entry for each species includes the Latin binomial, author(s, common Myanmar and English names, range, medicinal uses and preparations, and additional notes. Of the 472 species, 63 or 13% of them have been assessed for conservation status and are listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2017. Two species are listed as Extinct in the Wild, four as Threatened (two Endangered, two Vulnerable, two as Near Threatened, 48 Least Concerned, and seven Data Deficient. Botanic gardens worldwide hold 444 species (94% within their living collections, while 28 species (6% are not found any botanic garden. Preserving the traditional knowledge of Myanmar healers contributes to Target 13 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation.

As I see it

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lazo, Oscar J.S.

1993-01-01

Teak, known all over the world as ''Burma Teak'' has enjoyed royal protection during the period when the country was under the rule of kings. When the country (Myanmar) attained its independence, teak became state monopoly one again. There are also lesser known species whose economic importance remains to be appreciated. In comparison to most of the countries in the region, Myanmar's forest and wildlife have suffered far less damage from human exploitation. The State Law and Order Restoration Council enacted the forest law of 1992. With FAO assistance through its Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP), the proven Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) was introduced in the hilly regions of the country (Myanmar). Every year in the month of July, millions of trees are also planted throughout the country. By removing only mature trees, sunlight is able to penetrate the forest floor inducing growth of new trees. A well-managed forest is an insurance to a better world climate than a forest left along to choke to a slow death

Charles Bachman Moore (1920-2010)

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Winn, William; Krehbiel, Paul

2011-02-01

Charles B. Moore passed away 2 March 2010 at the age of 89, following a long and varied scientific career in meteorology and the atmospheric sciences. He will be remembered best for his substantial contributions in the field of atmospheric electricity and for the students and faculty he guided as chairman of Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research and professor of physics at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. He possessed a unique sense of humor and an excellent memory that served as a reservoir of scientific and historical knowledge. Like many of his generation, Charlie's career was profoundly influenced by the Second World War. Following Pearl Harbor, he interrupted his undergraduate studies in chemical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology to enlist in the Army Air Corps, where he became the chief weather equipment officer in the 10th Weather Squadron, setting up and operating remote meteorological stations behind enemy lines in the China-Burma-India theater. He served with distinction alongside Athelstan Spilhaus Sr., who had been one of Charlie's instructors in the Army meteorology program.

A morphological review of subspecies of the Asian box turtle, Cuora amboinensis (Testudines, Geomydidae)

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Ernst, Carl H.; Laemmerzahl, Arndt F.; Lovich, Jeffrey E.

2016-01-01

The turtle Cuora amboinensis has an extensive distribution covering most of southern mainland Asia, Indonesia, and extending to the Philippine Islands. Unlike many species, C. amboinensis occurs on both sides of Wallace's Line separating Asian and Australian flora and fauna. Four subspecies are currently recognized; Cuora a. kamaroma (southern continental Asia, Java and the northern Philippines [introduced]), C. a. lineata (Kachin Province, Myanmar [Burma] and adjacent Yunnan Province, China), C. a. couro (Sumatra, Java, Sumbawa, and adjacent smaller Indonesian islands); and C. a. amboinensis (Moluccas, Sulawesi, Philippines). Five pattern and 33 morphological characters were examined for variation in 691 individuals from throughout the species' range. Our analyses suggest that only two presently recognized subspecies are valid: amboinensis andkamaroma. Neither couro nor lineata are supported by our analysis. We recommend that C. a. couroshould be synonymized with the species C. amboinensis and C. a. lineata with the subspecies C. a. kamaroma.

Hepatitis E virus antibodies in swine herds of Mato Grosso state, Central Brazil Vírus da hepatite E em suínos no estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil

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Flávio R. Guimarães

2005-09-01

Full Text Available There is no information about evidence of hepatitis E virus (HEV infection in swines in Central Brazil. In order to assess if HEV circulates in swines of the State of Mato Grosso, Central Brazil, a seroprevalence study was conducted including pigs from 17 farms, corresponding to 13 counties. The animals were randomly chosen among pigs arriving to two slaughterhouses between December 2002 and February 2003. Serum samples were collected and tested for IgG antibodies against HEV (anti-HEV by enzyme immunoassay (EIA. This EIA uses two HEV recombinant proteins as antigens, a mosaic protein (MP-II and a protein containing region 452-617 of the ORF2 of the HEV Burma strain as coating antigens. 211 out of 260 pigs (81.2%; 95CI = 75.7%, 85.6% were anti-HEV reactive. The seropositivity did not vary with gender or age, but ranges from 15% to 100% among the farms. Our results point out that HEV seems to circulate among pigs in Mato Grosso State, suggesting that this virus is spread over the region, as seen in other countries worldwide.A infecção pelo vírus da hepatite E (VHE ainda não foi detectada entre suínos na região central do Brasil. Com o intuito de avaliar se o VHE circula entre suínos no estado de Mato Grosso, um estudo de soroprevalência foi realizado em suínos de 17 propriedades rurais, correspondentes a 13 municípios. Os animais foram escolhidos aleatoriamente em lotes no momento da chegada para abate em dois frigoríficos entre dezembro de 2002 e fevereiro de 2003. Amostras de soro foram coletadas e testadas para a presença de anticorpos de classe IgG contra o VHE (anti-VHE por ensaio imuno-enzimático (EIE. Este EIE foi executado utilizando-se duas proteínas recombinantes como antígenos. Uma proteína mosaico (MP-II e outra proteína contendo a região dos aminoácidos 452 a 617 da ORF2 da cepa Burma do VHE. 211 dos 260 animais examinados eram anti-VHE reativos. A soropositividade não variou com gênero e idade, mas variou entre

The New Burma Road(s): How a Networked System of Roads will Best Orient Myanmar towards Economic Success

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2014-10-30

figure calculated by reviewing a country’s performance in a number of factors such as customs clearance efficiency and tracking capabilities. 76...the transportation sector, marginal costs are calculated based on the total costs per one additional mile of a particular transportation mode. For...Myanmar: KPMG Advisory (Myanmar) Limited, 2013. Kubo , Koji. “Myanmar’s Two Decades of Partial Transition to a Market Economy: A Negative

Book reviews

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Redactie KITLV

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Chie Ikeya, Refiguring women, colonialism, and modernity in Burma (Henk Schulte Nordholt Thomas J. Conners, Mason C. Hoadley, Frank Dhont, Kevin Ko (eds, Pancasila’s contemporary appeal: Relegitimizing Indonesia’s founding ethos (R.E. Elson I Nyoman Darma Putra, A literary mirror: Balinese reflections on modernity and identity in the twentieth century (Dick van der Meij Margaret Jolly. Serge Tcherkézoff and Darrell Tryon (eds, Oceanic encounters: Exchange, desire, violence (H.J.M. Claessen Rudolf Mrázek, A certain age: Colonial Jakarta through the memories of its intellectuals (Lutgard Mutsaers Jan Ovesen and Ing-Britt Trankell, Cambodians and their doctors: A medical anthropology of colonial and post-colonial Cambodia (Vivek Neelakantan Daromir Rudnyckyj, Spiritual economies: Islam, globalization and the afterlife of development (Gabrial Facal Claudine Salmon, Sastra Indonesia awal: Kontribusi orang Tionghoa (Melani Budianta Renate Sternagel, Der Humboldt von Java: Leben und Werk des Naturforschers Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn 1809-1864 (Andreas Weber Wynn Wilcox (ed., Vietnam and the West: New approaches (Hans Hägerdal Zheng Yangwen and Charles J.H Macdonald (eds, Personal names in Asia: History, culture and identity (Rosemary Gianno

The Praxis of Social Enterprise and Human Security: An Applied Research Agenda

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Malcolm David Brown

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The growth of social enterprise within development NGO work might lead one to suspect it has been irredeemably corrupted by neo-liberal capitalism. However, using the tools of capitalism is not the same as subscribing to the values of capitalism. This paper is situated at the intersection of five fields: human security, international development, social enterprise, social franchising, and left-wing anti-capitalist thought. It examines the relevance of social en­terprise to human security and to development, the relationship between social enterprise and the anti-capitalist values of the left, and it then focuses on social franchising—a subset of social enterprise that highlights the importance of cooperation—suggesting that it may be a useful methodology for NGOs carrying out educational work in parts of the developing world. It syn­thesises and extends ideas that I have presented elsewhere [1-3], it draws on ethnographic fieldwork on the Thai-Burma border, and it puts forward an agenda for further applied research that is rooted in a sociological analysis of civil society and contributes to the human security paradigm.

Trapped in Statelessness: Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh.

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Milton, Abul Hasnat; Rahman, Mijanur; Hussain, Sumaira; Jindal, Charulata; Choudhury, Sushmita; Akter, Shahnaz; Ferdousi, Shahana; Mouly, Tafzila Akter; Hall, John; Efird, Jimmy T

2017-08-21

The Rohingya people are one of the most ill-treated and persecuted refugee groups in the world, having lived in a realm of statelessness for over six generations, and who are still doing so. In recent years, more than 500,000 Rohingyas fled from Myanmar (Burma) to neighboring countries. This article addresses the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh, with special emphasis on the living conditions of this vulnerable population. We reviewed several documents on Rohingya refugees, visited a registered refugee camp (Teknaf), collected case reports, and conducted a series of meetings with stakeholders in the Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh. A total of 33,131 registered Rohingya refugees are living in two registered camps in Cox's Bazar, and up to 80,000 additional refugees are housed in nearby makeshift camps. Overall, the living conditions of Rohingya refugees inside the overcrowded camps remain dismal. Mental health is poor, proper hygiene conditions are lacking, malnutrition is endemic, and physical/sexual abuse is high. A concerted diplomatic effort involving Bangladesh and Myanmar, and international mediators such as the Organization of Islamic Countries and the United Nations, is urgently required to effectively address this complex situation.

Eco-restoration of a high-sulphur coal mine overburden dumping site in northeast India: A case study

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Dowarah, J.; Deka Boruah, H. P.; Gogoi, J.; Pathak, N.; Saikia, N.; Handique, A. K.

2009-10-01

Eco-restoration of mine overburden (OB) or abandoned mine sites is a major environmental concern. In the present investigation, an integrated approach was used to rejuvenate a high-sulphur mine OB dumping site in the Tirap Collieries, Assam, India, which is situated in the Indo-Burma mega-biodiversity hotspot. A mine OB is devoid of true soil character with poor macro and micronutrient content and contains elevated concentrations of trace and heavy metals. Planting of herbs, shrubs, cover crops and tree species at close proximity leads to primary and secondary sere state succession within a period of 3 to 5 years. A variety of plant species were screened for potential use in restoration: herbs, including Sccharum spontaneum, Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella), and Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemon grass) cover plants, including Mimosa strigillosa, M. striata, and M. pigra; shrubs, including Sesbania rostrata (dhaincha) and Cassia streata (cassia); and tree species, including Gmelina arborea (gomari) and Dalbergia sissoo (sissoo). Amendment with unmined soil and bio-organic matter was required for primary establishment of some plant species. Management of these plant species at the site will ensure long term sustainable eco-restoration of the coal mine-degraded land.

Eco-restoration of a high-sulphur coal mine overburden dumping site in northeast India: A case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dowarah, J.; Boruah, H.P.D.; Gogoi, J.; Pathak, N.; Saikia, N.; Handique, A.K. [CSIR, Jorhat (India). North East Institute of Science & Technology

2009-10-15

Eco-restoration of mine overburden (OB) or abandoned mine sites is a major environmental concern. In the present investigation, an integrated approach was used to rejuvenate a high-sulphur mine OB dumping site in the Tirap Collieries, Assam, India, which is situated in the Indo-Burma mega-biodiversity hotspot. A mine OB is devoid of true soil character with poor macro and micronutrient content and contains elevated concentrations of trace and heavy metals. Planting of herbs, shrubs, cover crops and tree species at close proximity leads to primary and secondary sere state succession within a period of 3 to 5 years. A variety of plant species were screened for potential use in restoration: herbs, including Sccharum spontaneum, Cymbopogon winterianus Jowitt (citronella), and Cymbopogon flexuosus (lemon grass) cover plants, including Mimosa strigillosa, M. striata, and M. pigra; shrubs, including Sesbania rostrata (dhaincha) and Cassia streata (cassia); and tree species, including Gmelina arborea (gomari) and Dalbergia sissoo (sissoo). Amendment with unmined soil and bio-organic matter was required for primary establishment of some plant species. Management of these plant species at the site will ensure long term sustainable eco-restoration of the coal mine-degraded land.

Dietary use and conservation concern of edible wetland plants at indo-burma hotspot: a case study from northeast India

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Singh HB

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The wetlands of the North East India fall among the global hotspots of biodiversity. However, they have received very little attention with relation to their intrinsic values to human kind; therefore their conservation is hardly addressed. These wetlands are critical for the sustenance of the tribal communities. Methods Field research was conducted during 2003 to 2006 in seven major wetlands of four districts of Manipur state, Northeast India (viz. Imphal-East, Imphal-West, Thoubal, and Bishnupur. A total of 224 wetland-plant-collectors were interviewed for the use and economics of species using semi-structured questionnaires and interview schedules. Imphal, Bishenpur and Thoubal markets were investigated in detail for influx and consumption pattern of these plants. The collectors were also inquired for medicinal use of wetland species. Nutritive values of 21 species were analyzed in laboratory. The vouchers were collected for all the species and deposited in the CSIR-NEIST (Formerly Regional Research Laboratory, Substation, Lamphelpat, Imphal, Manipur, India. Results We recorded 51 edible wetland species used by indigenous people for food and medicinal purposes. Thirty eight species had high medicinal values and used in the traditional system to treat over 22 diseases. At least 27 species were traded in three markets studied (i.e. Imphal, Thoubal and Bishenpur, involving an annual turnover of 113 tons of wetland edible plants and a gross revenue of Rs. 907, 770/- (US$1 = Rs. 45/-. The Imphal market alone supplies 60% of the total business. Eighty per cent of the above mentioned species are very often used by the community. The community has a general opinion that the availability of 45% species has depleted in recent times, 15 species need consideration for conservation while another 7 species deserved immediate protection measures. The nutrient analysis showed that these species contribute to the dietary balance of tribal communities. Conclusions Considering the importance of wild wetland plants in local sustenance, it is suggested to protect their habitats, develop domestication protocols of selected species, and build programs for the long-term management of wetland areas by involving local people. Some medicinal plants may also be used to develop into modern medicines.

Improving Outcomes for Refugee Children: A Case Study on the Impact of Montessori Education along the Thai-Burma Border

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Tobin, Tierney; Boulmier, Prairie; Zhu, Wenyi; Hancock, Paul; Muennig, Peter

2015-01-01

There are 25 million displaced children worldwide, and those receiving schooling are often educated in overcrowded classrooms. Montessori is a child-centred educational method that provides an alternative model to traditional educational approaches. In this model, students are able to direct their own learning and develop at their own pace,…

Psoroptes mites infestation in a captive Burmese Red Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis subspecies rubidus) of Indo-Burma bio-diversity hotspot.

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Shah, Nirali; Borpojari, Dhrubajyoti; Sarma, Kalyan; Ali, M Ayub; Saikia, Basanta; Bayan, Hitesh; Ahmed, Fazal Ali; Das, Gunjan

2018-06-01

An 8 years old male Burmese Red Serow ( Capricornis sumatraensis sub species rubidus ) from Aizawl Zoological Park was presented to the Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex. An exploratory skin scraping revealed existence of nymphal as well as adult stages of mites of the Psoroptes spp. which were not associated with any overt lesions typical to mite infestation such as pruritus, erythema or scaling of the epidermis. The mites were identified as per their morphology, size and shape. Haemato-biochemical analysis revealed alteration of certain haematological and biochemical parameters. The red blood corpuscles were found to have anucleate cells with mild to absent central pallor. The absolute counts showed neutrophilic leucocytosis with mild monocytosis and lymphocytosis. Eosinophilic count was towards the higher side, indicating that the infestation was mild. The serum calcium, albumin, triglyceride, urea nitrogen (BUN) were found to be lower than normal, whereas serum ALT, AST, LDH, ALP and serum amylase were higher than the established reference indices. Due to lack of haemato-biochemical reference values specific to captive Serow, emphasis was given in this report to establish baseline data for this species.

Impact of schistosome infection on Plasmodium falciparum Malariometric indices and immune correlates in school age children in Burma Valley, Zimbabwe.

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Davison T Sangweme

2010-11-01

Full Text Available A group of children aged 6-17 years was recruited and followed up for 12 months to study the impact of schistosome infection on malaria parasite prevalence, density, distribution and anemia. Levels of cytokines, malaria specific antibodies in plasma and parasite growth inhibition capacities were assessed. Baseline results suggested an increased prevalence of malaria parasites in children co-infected with schistosomiasis (31% compared to children infected with malaria only (25% (p = 0.064. Moreover, children co-infected with schistosomes and malaria had higher sexual stage geometric mean malaria parasite density (189 gametocytes/µl than children infected with malaria only (73/µl gametocytes (p = 0.043. In addition, a larger percentage of co-infected children (57% had gametocytes as observed by microscopy compared to the malaria only infected children (36% (p = 0.06. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of the prevalence of anemia, which was approximately 64% in both groups (p = 0.9. Plasma from malaria-infected children exhibited higher malaria antibody activity compared to the controls (p = 0.001 but was not different between malaria and schistosome plus malaria infected groups (p = 0.44 and malaria parasite growth inhibition activity at baseline was higher in the malaria-only infected group of children than in the co-infected group though not reaching statistical significance (p = 0.5. Higher prevalence and higher mean gametocyte density in the peripheral blood may have implications in malaria transmission dynamics during co-infection with helminths.

Antispasmodic and Antidiarrheal Activities of Valeriana hardwickii Wall. Rhizome Are Putatively Mediated through Calcium Channel Blockade.

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Bashir, Samra; Memon, Raafia; Gilani, Anwar H

2011-01-01

Valeriana hardwickii is indigenous to Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, where it is traditionally being used as an antispasmodic and antidiarrheal, besides its culinary use as spice. The aim of this paper was to provide pharmacological validation to these medicinal uses. The crude aqueous-methanolic extract of Valeriana hardwickii rhizome (Vh.Cr) was studied on isolated rabbit jejunum and castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice for spasmolytic and antidiarrheal properties, respectively. Vh.Cr caused concentration-dependent (0.01-1 mg/mL) relaxation of spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum and inhibited K(+)-induced contractions (0.01-0.3 mg/mL), similar to verapamil, suggestive of calcium channel blockade (CCB). The CCB effect was confirmed when pretreatment of the jejunum preparations with Vh.Cr produced a concentration-dependent (0.03-0.1 mg/mL) rightward shift in the Ca(++) concentration-response curves, as caused by verapamil. Vh.Cr exhibited dose-dependent (100-300 mg/kg) protection against castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice. Loperamide, a standard antidiarrheal drug, similarly prevented the diarrhea. These data indicate the presence of CCB effect in the extract of Valeriana hardwickii rhizome, possibly mediating its antispasmodic and antidiarrheal activities and provide a scientific base for its traditional use in hyperactive gut disorders.

Engaging Karen refugee students in science learning through a cross-cultural learning community

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Harper, Susan G.

2017-02-01

This research explored how Karen (first-generation refugees from Burma) elementary students engaged with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence within the context of a cross-cultural learning community. In this action research, the researcher and a Karen parent served as co-teachers for fourth- and fifth-grade Karen and non-Karen students in a science and culture after-school programme in a public elementary school in the rural southeastern United States. Photovoice provided a critical platform for students to create their own cultural discourses for the learning community. The theoretical framework of critical pedagogy of place provided a way for the learning community to decolonise and re-inhabit the learning spaces with knowledge they co-constructed. Narrative analysis of video transcripts of the after-school programme, ethnographic interviews, and focus group discussions from Photovoice revealed a pattern of emerging agency by Karen students in the scientific practice of constructing scientific explanations based on evidence and in Karen language lessons. This evidence suggests that science learning embedded within a cross-cultural learning community can empower refugee students to construct their own hybrid cultural knowledge and leverage that knowledge to engage in a meaningful way with the epistemology of science.

Development of non-lodging mutants through gamma irradiation in little millet (Panicum sumatrense Roth.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nirmalakumari, A.; Muthiah, A.R.; Senthil, N.; Souframanien, J.

2009-01-01

The little millet is widely cultivated as a millet crop across India, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Western Burma. Being the first crop to be harvested in the season, it produces the much needed food grain among the tribals and is the staple food for millions in many parts of the world. It is resilient and can adjust to diverse growing environments differing in soil, rainfall and weather. The grain is a good source of nutrients. Variability in a population decides the scope for selection particularly when it is controlled more by genetic factors rather than by environment. The grain yield of millet and macromutants for high productive tillering, ear head length, compactness, bold grain and non lodging of little millet can be improved through gamma rays. The experimental materials consisted of M6 mutants of CO 3 and CO (samai) 4 varieties irradiated with 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 Gray of gamma rays from 60 Co, source at BARC, Mumbai and conducted at Millet Breeding Station, Centre for Plant Breeding and Genetics, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore 641003, India. From M6 generation finally six best non- lodging mutants were selected and subjected to multilocation trials for studying their stability. (author)

Living with diabetes on Buffalo, New York’s culturally diverse West Side

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Kahn, Linda S; Vest, Bonnie M; Karl, Renée; Tumiel-Berhalter, Laurene; Taylor, Robert; Schuster, Roseanne C; Glaser, Kathryn; Danakas, Alexandra; Fox, Chester H

2014-01-01

Objectives This study explores the perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs that inform how people live with diabetes in a high poverty, ethnically diverse neighborhood with a growing population of refugees. The specific research objective was to examine participants’ explanations of how their diabetes began, understandings about the illness, description of symptoms, as well as physical and emotional reactions to the diagnosis. Methods Qualitative design using semi-structured interviews. The transcripts were analyzed using an immersion–crystallization approach. Results Thirty four individuals diagnosed with diabetes for at least 1 year participated. The sample included 14 refugees (from Somalia, Sudan, Burma, or Cuba), eight Puerto Ricans, six non-Hispanic Caucasians, six African-Americans, and two Native Americans. Three broad themes were identified across ethnic groups: (a) the diagnosis of diabetes was unexpected; (b) emotional responses to diabetes were similar to Kubler-Ross’s stages of grief; (c) patients’ understanding of diabetes focused on symptoms and diet. Conclusions Patients were frequently stunned by the diagnosis of diabetes, and expressed emotions associated with the stages of grief including denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Our findings suggest that clinicians might consider addressing the patients’ emotions or grief reaction as an early priority to promote acceptance as a first step to self-management. PMID:22679244

Deep structure and origin of active volcanoes in China

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Dapeng Zhao

2010-10-01

Full Text Available We synthesize significant recent results on the deep structure and origin of the active volcanoes in mainland China. Magmatism in the western Pacific arc and back-arc areas is caused by dehydration of the subducting slab and by corner flow in the mantle wedge, whereas the intraplate magmatism in China has different origins. The active volcanoes in Northeast China (such as the Changbai and Wudalianchi are caused by hot upwelling in the big mantle wedge (BMW above the stagnant slab in the mantle transition zone and deep slab dehydration as well. The Tengchong volcano in Southwest China is caused by a similar process in the BMW above the subducting Burma microplate (or Indian plate. The Hainan volcano in southernmost China is a hotspot fed by a lower-mantle plume which may be associated with the Pacific and Philippine Sea slabs’ deep subduction in the east and the Indian slab’s deep subduction in the west down to the lower mantle. The stagnant slab finally collapses down to the bottom of the mantle, which can trigger the upwelling of hot mantle materials from the lower mantle to the shallow mantle beneath the subducting slabs and may cause the slab–plume interactions.

Possible Source Populations of the White-backed Planthopper in the Greater Mekong Subregion Revealed by Mitochondrial DNA Analysis

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Li, Xiang-Yong; Chu, Dong; Yin, Yan-Qiong; Zhao, Xue-Qing; Chen, Ai-Dong; Khay, Sathya; Douangboupha, Bounneuang; Kyaw, Mu Mu; Kongchuensin, Manita; Ngo, Vien Vinh; Nguyen, Chung Huy

2016-12-01

The white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a serious pest of rice in Asia. However, little is known regarding the migration of this pest insect from the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, and Vietnam, into China’s Yunnan Province. To determine the migration patterns of S. furcifera in the GMS and putative secondary immigration inside China’s Yunnan Province, we investigated the population genetic diversity, genetic structure, and gene flow of 42 S. furcifera populations across the six countries in the GMS by intensive sampling using mitochondrial genes. Our study revealed the potential emigration of S. furcifera from the GMS consists primarily of three major sources: 1) the S. furcifera from Laos and Vietnam migrate into south and southeast Yunnan, where they proceed to further migrate into northeast and central Yunnan; 2) the S. furcifera from Myanmar migrate into west Yunnan, and/or central Yunnan, and/or northeast Yunnan; 3) the S. furcifera from Cambodia migrate into southwest Yunnan, where the populations can migrate further into central Yunnan. The new data will not only be helpful in predicting population dynamics of the planthopper, but will also aid in regional control programs for this economically important pest insect.

International Atomic Energy Agency programme and activity on the utilization of low energy accelerators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shalnov, A.V.; Whetstone, S.L.

1974-01-01

One of the chief missions of the Agency is as intermediary between the more highly developed of its member states and the less developed. This involves transmittal of needs of the latter to the former and, where possible, in response to the needs, an appropriate transfer of information and technical assistance. The physics section of the IAEA has recently encouraged and supported requests for technical assistance for programs based on neutron activation studies or pedagogic neutron physics experiments for institutes entering the nuclear field. Neutron generator laboratories have been set up with IAEA-assistance most recently in Burma, Hong Kong, Lebanon. Other recent technical assistance projects involving low-energy accelerators include: (1) consultation on the future program for the accelerator laboratory in Algeria; (2) equipment and experts to assist the nuclear physics program at the Van de Graaff in Bangladesh; (3) expert assistance and equipment in support of the installation of an electron linear accelerator in Egypt; and (4) expert assistance for nuclear physics studies at the cyclotron in Chile. A large number of young scientists, particularly from S.E. Europe, but also from the Middle East and South America, have received training in nuclear physics experimentation by advanced countries at low energy accelerator laboratories under the IAEA fellowship program

Geographical markers for Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains with similar technological origins domesticated for rice-based ethnic fermented beverages production in North East India.

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Jeyaram, Kumaraswamy; Tamang, Jyoti Prakash; Capece, Angela; Romano, Patrizia

2011-11-01

Autochthonous strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae from traditional starters used for the production of rice-based ethnic fermented beverage in North East India were examined for their genetic polymorphism using mitochondrial DNA-RFLP and electrophoretic karyotyping. Mitochondrial DNA-RFLP analysis of S. cerevisiae strains with similar technological origins from hamei starter of Manipur and marcha starter of Sikkim revealed widely separated clusters based on their geographical origin. Electrophoretic karyotyping showed high polymorphism amongst the hamei strains within similar mitochondrial DNA-RFLP cluster and one unique karyotype of marcha strain was widely distributed in the Sikkim-Himalayan region. We conceptualized the possibility of separate domestication events for hamei strains in Manipur (located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot) and marcha strains in Sikkim (located in Himalayan biodiversity hotspot), as a consequence of less homogeneity in the genomic structure between these two groups, their clear separation being based on geographical origin, but not on technological origin and low strain level diversity within each group. The molecular markers developed based on HinfI-mtDNA-RFLP profile and the chromosomal doublets in chromosome VIII position of Sikkim-Himalayan strains could be effectively used as geographical markers for authenticating the above starter strains and differentiating them from other commercial strains.

Differentiating between dengue fever and malaria using hematological parameters in endemic areas of Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Kotepui, Manas; PhunPhuech, Bhukdee; Phiwklam, Nuoil; Uthaisar, Kwuntida

2017-03-02

Dengue fever (DF) and malaria are the two major public health concerns in tropical countries such as Thailand. Early differentiation between dengue and malaria could help clinicians to identify patients who should be closely monitored for signs of dengue hemorrhagic fever or severe malaria. This study aims to build knowledge on diagnostic markers that are used to discriminate between the infections, which frequently occur in malaria-endemic areas, such as the ones in Thailand. A retrospective study was conducted in Phop Phra Hospital, a hospital located in the Thailand-Burma border area, a malaria-endemic area, between 2013 and 2015. In brief, data on 336 patients infected with malaria were compared to data on 347 patients infected with DF. White blood cells, neutrophil, monocyte, eosinophil, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte-lymphocyte ratio were significantly lower in patients with DF compared to patients with malaria (P dengue and malaria infection. This study concluded that several hematological parameters were different for diagnosing DF and malaria. A decision tree model revealed that using neutrophils, lymphocyte, MCHC, and gender was guided to discriminate patients with dengue and malaria infection. In addition, using these markers will thus lead to early detection, diagnosis, and prompt treatment of these tropical diseases.

New politics, an opportunity for maternal health advancement in eastern myanmar: an integrative review.

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Loyer, Adam B; Ali, Mohammed; Loyer, Diana

2014-09-01

Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a southeast Asian country, with a long history of military dictatorship, human rights violations, and poor health indicators. The health situation is particularly dire among pregnant women in the ethnic minorities of the eastern provinces (Kachin, Shan, Mon, Karen and Karenni regions). This integrative review investigates the current status of maternal mortality in eastern Myanmar in the context of armed conflict between various separatist groups and the military regime. The review examines the underlying factors contributing to high maternal mortality in eastern Myanmar and assesses gaps in the existing research, suggesting areas for further research and policy response. Uncovered were a number of underlying factors uniquely contributing to maternal mortality in eastern Myanmar. These could be grouped into the following analytical themes: ongoing conflict, health system deficits, and political and socioeconomic influences. Abortion was interestingly not identified as an important contributor to maternal mortality. Recent political liberalization may provide space to act upon identified roles and opportunities for the Myanmar Government, the international community, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in a manner that positively impacts on maternal healthcare in the eastern regions of Myanmar. This review makes a number of recommendations to this effect.

Footprints, Imprints: Seeing Environmentalist and Buddhist Marie Byles as an Eastern Australian

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Allison Jane Cadzow

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper looks at the Australian author, traveller, conservationist and Buddhist Marie Byles (1900-1979 as “eastern” and Australian at once. It investigates the influence of Buddhist spirituality and travel on her approach to the environment and explores some possibilities arising from looking at her work as part of a broader transnational humanitarian and intellectual identification, moving beyond ethnicity based boundaries. Thinking about eastern Australian identities can encourage consideration of Australia in Asia, Australia as Asian, connections across seas, and links and differences within Australia. The paper explores Marie Byles as an eastern Australian by considering her travel in Sydney and the region (in Australia, China, Vietnam, India and Burma from the 1930s to the 1960s, the design and use of her home as a hub for early Buddhist meetings, her publication of texts discussing Eastern philosophy, and her environmental activism. Throughout the discussion Byles’s understanding of power relations, derived from an entwining of feminist and socialist ideas, a pacifist and Buddhist/spiritualist revaluation of environments emerges. From these influences she provided challenges to her fellow walkers, environmentalists, and society at large to rethink relationships with nature and each other, insights that have yet to be adequately explored and recognised.

Seismological evidence of the Hales discontinuity in northeast India

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Anand, Aakash; Bora, Dipok K.; Borah, Kajaljyoti; Madhab Borgohain, Jayanta

2018-04-01

The crust and upper mantle shear wave velocity structure beneath the northeast India is estimated by joint inversion of Rayleigh wave group velocity and receiver function, calculated from teleseismic earthquakes data recorded at nine broadband seismic stations. The Assam valley and the Shillong-Mikir plateau are the two important tectonic blocks in the northeast India, which are surrounded by the Himalayan collision zone in the north, Indo-Burma subduction zone in the east and by the Bengal basin in the south. The joint inversion followed by forward modeling reveal crustal thicknesses of 30-34 km beneath the Shillong plateau, 36 km beneath the Mikir hills and 38-40 km beneath the Assam valley with an average shear wave velocity (Vs) of 3.4-3.5 km/s. The estimated low upper mantle shear wave velocity (Vsn) 4.2-4.3 km/s may be due to the rock composition or grain size or increased temperature and partial melt (<1%) in the upper mantle, or an effect of all. Also, we report for the first time, the existence of the Hales discontinuity at depths 56-74 km with Vs ∼4.4-4.6 km/s. Variable depth of the Hales discontinuity may be explained by the geotherm and/or addition of Cr3+ and Fe2+ in the spinel-garnet system.

Paleocene-Eocene and Plio-Pleistocene sea-level changes as "species pumps" in Southeast Asia: Evidence from Althepus spiders.

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Li, Fengyuan; Li, Shuqiang

2018-05-17

Sea-level change has been viewed as a primary driver in the formation of biodiversity. Early studies confirmed that Plio-Pleistocene sea-level changes led to the isolation and subsequent genetic differentiation of Southeast (SE) Asian organisms over short geological timescales. However, long-time consequences of sea-level fluctuations remain unclear. Herein, we analyze the evolutionary history of Althepus (spiders) whose distribution encompasses Indo-Burma and the Sunda shelf islands to understand how sea-level changes over shallow and deep timescales effected their history. Our integrative analyses, including phylogeny, divergence times, ancestral area reconstruction and diversification dynamics, reveal an intricate pattern of diversification, probably triggered by sea-level fluctuations during the Paleocene-Eocene and Plio-Pleistocene. The timing of one early divergence between the Indo-Burmese and Sundaic species coincides with late Paleocene and early Eocene high global sea levels, which induced the formation of inland seaways in the Thai-Malay Peninsula. Subsequent lowered sea levels could have provided a land bridge for its dispersal colonization across the Isthmus of Kra. Analyses suggest that Plio-Pleistocene sea-level rises contributed to recent divergence of many species. Thus, our findings cannot reject the hypothesis that sea-level changes during the Paleocene-Eocene and Plio-Pleistocene played a major role in generating biodiversity in SE Asia; sea-level changes can act as "species pumps". Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Antispasmodic and Antidiarrheal Activities of Valeriana hardwickii Wall. Rhizome Are Putatively Mediated through Calcium Channel Blockade

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Samra Bashir

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Valeriana hardwickii is indigenous to Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon, where it is traditionally being used as an antispasmodic and antidiarrheal, besides its culinary use as spice. The aim of this paper was to provide pharmacological validation to these medicinal uses. The crude aqueous-methanolic extract of Valeriana hardwickii rhizome (Vh.Cr was studied on isolated rabbit jejunum and castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice for spasmolytic and antidiarrheal properties, respectively. Vh.Cr caused concentration-dependent (0.01–1 mg/mL relaxation of spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit jejunum and inhibited K+-induced contractions (0.01–0.3 mg/mL, similar to verapamil, suggestive of calcium channel blockade (CCB. The CCB effect was confirmed when pretreatment of the jejunum preparations with Vh.Cr produced a concentration-dependent (0.03–0.1 mg/mL rightward shift in the Ca++ concentration-response curves, as caused by verapamil. Vh.Cr exhibited dose-dependent (100–300 mg/kg protection against castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice. Loperamide, a standard antidiarrheal drug, similarly prevented the diarrhea. These data indicate the presence of CCB effect in the extract of Valeriana hardwickii rhizome, possibly mediating its antispasmodic and antidiarrheal activities and provide a scientific base for its traditional use in hyperactive gut disorders.

Global warming and extinctions of endemic species from biodiversity hotspots.

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Malcolm, Jay R; Liu, Canran; Neilson, Ronald P; Hansen, Lara; Hannah, Lee

2006-04-01

Global warming is a key threat to biodiversity, but few researchers have assessed the magnitude of this threat at the global scale. We used major vegetation types (biomes) as proxies for natural habitats and, based on projected future biome distributions under doubled-CO2 climates, calculated changes in habitat areas and associated extinctions of endemic plant and vertebrate species in biodiversity hotspots. Because of numerous uncertainties in this approach, we undertook a sensitivity analysis of multiple factors that included (1) two global vegetation models, (2) different numbers of biome classes in our biome classification schemes, (3) different assumptions about whether species distributions were biome specific or not, and (4) different migration capabilities. Extinctions were calculated using both species-area and endemic-area relationships. In addition, average required migration rates were calculated for each hotspot assuming a doubled-CO2 climate in 100 years. Projected percent extinctions ranged from hotspots were the Cape Floristic Region, Caribbean, Indo-Burma, Mediterranean Basin, Southwest Australia, and Tropical Andes, where plant extinctions per hotspot sometimes exceeded 2000 species. Under the assumption that projected habitat changes were attained in 100 years, estimated global-warming-induced rates of species extinctions in tropical hotspots in some cases exceeded those due to deforestation, supporting suggestions that global warming is one of the most serious threats to the planet's biodiversity.

Changes in Thai sexual behavior lower HIV spread.

Science.gov (United States)

1997-06-02

More than 700,000 people are thought to be HIV positive in Thailand. A booming sex industry and social attitudes which support the male patronage of prostitutes are major factors in the spread of disease in the country. A 4-day workshop on sexual behavior and AIDS in Thailand was attended by representatives from Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), the percentage of military conscripts in northern Thailand who visited a brothel in the past year fell from 58% in 1991 to 23% in 1995, while the percentage of recruits using condoms during their most recent brothel visits increased from 60% to 90% over the same period. Statistics from the Thai Public Health Ministry indicate that the percentage of men in the general population who used condoms when visiting a brothel increased from 40% in 1990 to 90% in 1994. Furthermore, a nationwide survey among military conscripts found the prevalence of HIV infection fell from 3.7% in 1993 to 2.5% in 1995, with the downward trend continuing in 1996. This success in reducing the level of sexual risk behavior and the incidence of HIV infection in Thailand lends hope for the possibility of changing the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic elsewhere.

The global diversion of pharmaceutical drugs. India: the third largest illicit opium producer?

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Paoli, Letizia; Greenfield, Victoria A; Charles, Molly; Reuter, Peter

2009-03-01

This paper explores India's role in the world illicit opiate market, particularly its role as a producer. India, a major illicit opiate consumer, is also the sole licensed exporter of raw opium: this unique status may be enabling substantial diversion to the illicit market. Participant observation and interviews were carried out at eight different sites. Information was also drawn from all standard secondary sources and the analysis of about 180 drug-related criminal proceedings reviewed by Indian High Courts and the Supreme Court from 1985 to 2001. Diversion from licit opium production takes place on such a large scale that India may be the third largest illicit opium producer after Afghanistan and Burma. With the possible exceptions of 2005 and 2006, 200-300 tons of India's opium may be diverted yearly. After estimating India's opiate consumption on the basis of UN-reported prevalence estimates, we find that diversion from licit production might have satisfied a quarter to more than a third of India's illicit opiate demand to 2004. India is not only among the world's largest consumer of illicit opiates but also one of the largest illicit opium producers. In contrast to all other illicit producers, India owes the latter distinction not to blatantly illicit cultivation but to diversion from licit cultivation. India's experience suggests the difficulty of preventing substantial leakage, even in a relatively well-governed nation.

Impact of Enhanced Health Interventions for United States-Bound Refugees: Evaluating Best Practices in Migration Health.

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Mitchell, Tarissa; Lee, Deborah; Weinberg, Michelle; Phares, Christina; James, Nicola; Amornpaisarnloet, Kittisak; Aumpipat, Lalita; Cooley, Gretchen; Davies, Anita; Tin Shwe, Valerie Daw; Gajdadziev, Vasil; Gorbacheva, Olga; Khwan-Niam, Chutharat; Klosovsky, Alexander; Madilokkowit, Waritorn; Martin, Diana; Htun Myint, Naing Zaw; Yen Nguyen, Thi Ngoc; Nutman, Thomas B; O'Connell, Elise M; Ortega, Luis; Prayadsab, Sugunya; Srimanee, Chetdanai; Supakunatom, Wasant; Vesessmith, Vattanachai; Stauffer, William M

2018-03-01

With an unprecedented number of displaced persons worldwide, strategies for improving the health of migrating populations are critical. United States-bound refugees undergo a required overseas medical examination to identify inadmissible conditions (e.g., tuberculosis) 2-6 months before resettlement, but it is limited in scope and may miss important, preventable infectious, chronic, or nutritional causes of morbidity. We sought to evaluate the feasibility and health impact of diagnosis and management of such conditions before travel. We offered voluntary testing for intestinal parasites, anemia, and hepatitis B virus infection, to U.S.-bound refugees from three Thailand-Burma border camps. Treatment and preventive measures (e.g., anemia and parasite treatment, vaccination) were initiated before resettlement. United States refugee health partners received overseas results and provided post-arrival medical examination findings. During July 9, 2012 to November 29, 2013, 2,004 refugees aged 0.5-89 years enrolled. Among 463 participants screened for seven intestinal parasites overseas and after arrival, helminthic infections decreased from 67% to 12%. Among 118 with positive Strongyloides -specific antibody responses, the median fluorescent intensity decreased by an average of 81% after treatment. The prevalence of moderate-to-severe anemia (hemoglobin migration process to improve the health of refugees before resettlement. With more than 250 million migrants globally, this model may offer insights into healthier migration strategies.

The identification of sites of biodiversity conservation significance: progress with the application of a global standard

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M.N. Foster

2012-08-01

Full Text Available As a global community, we have a responsibility to ensure the long-term future of our natural heritage. As part of this, it is incumbent upon us to do all that we can to reverse the current trend of biodiversity loss, using all available tools at our disposal. One effective mean is safeguarding of those sites that are highest global priority for the conservation of biodiversity, whether through formal protected areas, community managed reserves, multiple-use areas, or other means. This special issue of the Journal of Threatened Taxa examines the application of the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA approach to identifying such sites. Given the global mandate expressed through policy instruments such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, the KBA approach can help countries meet obligations in an efficient and transparent manner. KBA methodology follows the well-established general principles of vulnerability and irreplaceability, and while it aims to be a globally standardized approach, it recognizes the fundamental need for the process to be led at local and national levels. In this series of papers the application of the KBA approach is explored in seven countries or regions: the Caribbean, Indo-Burma, Japan, Macedonia, Mediterranean Algeria, the Philippines and the Upper Guinea region of West Africa. This introductory article synthesizes some of the common main findings and provides a comparison of key summary statistics.

Deforestation and fragmentation of natural forests in the upper Changhua watershed, Hainan, China: implications for biodiversity conservation.

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Zhai, De-Li; Cannon, Charles H; Dai, Zhi-Cong; Zhang, Cui-Ping; Xu, Jian-Chu

2015-01-01

Hainan, the largest tropical island in China, belongs to the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The Changhua watershed is a center of endemism for plants and birds and the cradle of Hainan's main rivers. However, this area has experienced recent and ongoing deforestation and habitat fragmentation. To quantify habitat loss and fragmentation of natural forests, as well as the land-cover changes in the Changhua watershed, we analyzed Landsat images obtained in 1988, 1995, and 2005. Land-cover dynamics analysis showed that natural forests increased in area (97,909 to 104,023 ha) from 1988 to 1995 but decreased rapidly to 76,306 ha over the next decade. Rubber plantations increased steadily throughout the study period while pulp plantations rapidly expanded after 1995. Similar patterns of land cover change were observed in protected areas, indicating a lack of enforcement. Natural forests conversion to rubber and pulp plantations has a general negative effect on biodiversity, primarily through habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation analysis showed that natural forests area was reduced and patch number increased, while patch size and connectivity decreased. These land-cover changes threatened local biodiversity, especially island endemic species. Both natural forests losses and fragmentation should be stopped by strict enforcement to prevent further damage. Preserving the remaining natural forests and enforcing the status of protected areas should be a management priority to maximize the watershed's biodiversity conservation value.

Indochina becoming prime target for foreign investment in E and D

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that Indochina is emerging as a prime target for investment in oil and gas exploration and development. The Southeast Asian subcontinent offers sharp contrasts: the booming, market oriented economy of Thailand with its friendly climate for foreign investment, compared with the flagging socialist economies of Myanmar (formerly Burma), Cambodia, Laos, and Viet Nam. The contrast extends to the Thai energy sector as well. Aggressive development of Thailand's gas reserves with foreign assistance and capital underpins the buoyant Thai economy and has helped it reduce its dependence on imports to 40% of total energy demand. That contrast may also give impetus to a window of opportunity for oil and gas companies to participate in little tested or rank exploration plays elsewhere in the region. Except for Thailand, the region has seen little exploration and almost none by private companies since the early 1970s. The other countries are just beginning to emerge from years of international isolation caused by war or civil strife, and some are seeking foreign private investment in oil and natural gas for the first time in more than a decade. The need for hard currency capital is keen. Accordingly, industry officials point to nations such as Cambodia offering among the most attractive terms for oil and gas investment in the world

Upper-plate splay fault earthquakes along the Arakan subduction belt recorded by uplifted coral microatolls on northern Ramree Island, western Myanmar (Burma)

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Shyu, J. Bruce H.; Wang, Chung-Che; Wang, Yu; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Chiang, Hong-Wei; Liu, Sze-Chieh; Min, Soe; Aung, Lin Thu; Than, Oo; Tun, Soe Thura

2018-02-01

Upper-plate structures that splay out from the megathrusts are common features along major convergent plate boundaries. However, their earthquake and tsunami hazard potentials have not yet received significant attention. In this study, we identified at least one earthquake event that may have been produced by an upper-plate splay fault offshore western Myanmar, based on U-Th ages of uplifted coral microatolls. This event is likely an earthquake that was documented historically in C.E. 1848, with an estimated magnitude between 6.8 and 7.2 based on regional structural characteristics. Such magnitude is consistent with the observed co-seismic uplift amount of ∼0.5 m. Although these events are smaller in magnitude than events produced by megathrusts, they may produce higher earthquake and tsunami hazards for local coastal communities due to their proximity. Our results also indicate that earthquake events with co-seismic uplift along the coast may not necessarily produce a flight of marine terraces. Therefore, using only records of uplifted marine terraces as megathrust earthquake proxies may overlook the importance of upper-plate splay fault ruptures, and underestimate the overall earthquake frequency for future seismic and tsunami hazards along major subduction zones of the world.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Central Burma Basin and the Irrawaddy-Andaman and Indo-Burman Geologic Provinces, Myanmar

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Wandrey, Craig J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Klett, Timothy R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Cook, Troy A.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.

2012-01-01

The Irrawaddy-Andaman and Indo-Burman Geologic Provinces were recently assessed for undiscovered technically recoverable oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) World Oil and Gas Assessment. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated mean volumes of 2.3 billion barrels of oil, 79.6 trillion cubic feet of gas, and 2.1 billion barrels of natrual gas liquids.

Cardiovascular Disease-related Health Beliefs and Lifestyle Issues Among Karen Refugees Resettled in the United States From the Thai-Myanmar (Burma) Border.

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Kamimura, Akiko; Sin, Kai; Pye, Mu; Meng, Hsien-Wen

2017-11-01

Refugees resettled in the US may be at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, little is known about CVD-related issues among Karen refugees who have migrated to the US from the Thai-Myanmar border. The purpose of this study was to examine CVD-related health beliefs and lifestyle issues among Karen refugees resettled in the US. Karen refugees resettled in the US from the Thai-Myanmar border (n=195) participated in a survey study on health beliefs related to CVD, salt intake, physical activity (PA), and smoking in the fall of 2016. A high-salt diet, physical inactivity, and smoking were major lifestyle problems. Participants who adhered to a low-salt diet considered themselves to be susceptible to CVD. Most participants did not engage in regular PA. Regular PA was associated with less perceived susceptibility to CVD and greater perceived benefits of a healthy lifestyle for decreasing the likelihood of CVD. Each refugee population may require individualized strategies to promote PA and a healthy diet. Future studies should develop health education programs that are specifically designed for Karen refugees and evaluate such programs. In addition to health education programs on healthy lifestyle choices, tobacco cessation programs seem to be necessary for Karen refugees. At the same time, it is important to foster strategies to increase the utilization of preventive care among this population by promoting free or reduced-fee resources in the community to further promote their health.

Differential diagnosis of hepatitis and space occupying lesion of the liver by radioisotope techniques on cases commonly seen in Rangoon General Hospital, Burma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soe Myint

1978-01-01

The aim of undertaking was, to promote in-vitro measuring techniques as well as in-vivo measurements of organs using imaging techniques. Se-75 and In-113 have equal ability to prove the presence of abscesses or cysts. For the detection of tumors their usefulness is doubtful

John Dique: dialysis pioneer and political advocate.

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George, Charles R P

2016-02-01

John Dique (1915-1995) epitomized the internationalism of medicine, the intellectual and manual dexterity of many pioneers of dialysis, and the social concern evinced by many nephrologists. Born in Burma of French, German, British and Indian ancestry; educated in India; an Anglo-Indian who described himself as British without ever having visited Britain; he moved to Australia in 1948 to escape the murderous inter-ethnic conflict that befell multicultural India as it and Pakistan became independent. Settling in Brisbane, he pioneered several novel medical techniques. After inventing some simple equipment to facilitate intravenous therapy, he established a neonatal exchange blood transfusion programme. Then, between 1954 and 1963, he personally constructed and operated two haemodialysis machines with which to treat patients suffering from acute renal failure, the first such treatment performed in Australasia. His patients survival results were, for the era, remarkable. He subsequently helped found the Royal Australasian College of Pathologists and went on to establish a successful private pathology practice. The latter years of his life, however, saw him become a social and political advocate. He fiercely opposed the emerging ideologies of multiculturalism and social liberalism that, he predicted, would seriously damage the national fabric of Western society. Public vilification ensued, his medical achievements disregarded. It does seem likely, however, that in none of the areas that he touched - whether medical, social, or political - has the last word yet been said.

Predicting Tropical Cyclogenesis with a Global Mesoscale Model: Preliminary Results with Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis (2008)

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Shen, B.; Tao, W.; Atlas, R.

2008-12-01

Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Nargis, the deadliest named tropical cyclone (TC) in the North Indian Ocean Basin, devastated Burma (Myanmar) in May 2008, causing tremendous damage and numerous fatalities. An increased lead time in the prediction of TC Nargis would have increased the warning time and may therefore have saved lives and reduced economic damage. Recent advances in high-resolution global models and supercomputers have shown the potential for improving TC track and intensity forecasts, presumably by improving multi-scale simulations. The key but challenging questions to be answered include: (1) if and how realistic, in terms of timing, location and TC general structure, the global mesoscale model (GMM) can simulate TC genesis and (2) under what conditions can the model extend the lead time of TC genesis forecasts. In this study, we focus on genesis prediction for TCs in the Indian Ocean with the GMM. Preliminary real-data simulations show that the initial formation and intensity variations of TC Nargis can be realistically predicted at a lead time of up to 5 days. These simulations also suggest that the accurate representations of a westerly wind burst (WWB) and an equatorial trough, associated with monsoon circulations and/or a Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), are important for predicting the formation of this kind of TC. In addition to the WWB and equatorial trough, other favorable environmental conditions will be examined, which include enhanced monsoonal circulation, upper-level outflow, low- and middle-level moistening, and surface fluxes.

Characterization of Active Compounds of Different Garlic (Allium sativum L. Cultivars

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Szychowski Konrad A.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Garlic (Allium sativum L. has a reputation as a therapeutic agent for many different diseases such as microbial infections, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, diabetes, atherosclerosis and cancer. Health benefits of garlic depend on its content of biologically-active compounds, which differs between cultivars and geographical regions. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the biological activity of aqueous extracts from nine garlic varieties from different countries (Poland, Spain, China, Portugal, Burma, Thailand and Uzbekistan. Antioxidant properties were evaluated through free radical scavenging (DPPH•, ABTS•+ and ion chelation (Fe2+, Cu2+ activities. The cytotoxicity of garlic extracts was evaluated in vitro using Neutral Red Uptake assay in normal human skin fibroblasts. The obtained results revealed that garlic extracts contained the highest amount of syringic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids derivatives. The lowest IC50 values for DPPH•, ABTS•+ scavenging and Cu2+ chelating ability were determined in Chinese garlic extracts (4.63, 0.43 and 14.90 μg/mL, respectively. Extracts from Spanish cultivar Morado and Chinese garlic were highly cytotoxic to human skin fibroblasts as they reduced cellular proliferation by 70–90%. We showed diverse contents of proteins and phenolic components in garlic bulbs from different varieties. The obtained results could help to choose the cultivars of garlic which contain significant amounts of active compounds, have important antioxidant properties and display low antiproliferative effect and/or low cytotoxicity against normal human skin fibroblast BJ.

Screening and Identification of Mitragynine and 7-Hydroxymitragynine in Human Urine by LC-MS/MS

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Hanzhuo Fu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Kratom is a tree planted in Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma and elsewhere in the region. A long history of usage and abuse of kratom has led to the classification of kratom as a controlled substance in its native Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. However, kratom is not controlled in the United States, and the wide availability of kratom on the Internet and in the streets has led to its emergence as an herbal drug of misuse. With the increasing popularity of kratom, efficient protocols are needed to detect kratom use. In this study, a rapid method for the analysis of kratom compounds, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, in human urine has been developed and validated using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. The chromatographic system employed a 2.6-μm 100 mm × 2.1 mm phenyl-hexyl analytical column and gradient elution with a 0.4-mL/min flow rate of water and acetonitrile as mobile phases. A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used as the detector for data acquisition. The analyst was the quantification software. The established method demonstrated linearity of >0.99 for both analytes, and low detection limits were obtained down to 0.002581 ng/mL for mitragynine and 0.06910 ng/mL for 7-hydroxymitragynine. The validated method has been utilized for clinical analysis of urine for the purpose of mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine detection.

American Tertiary mollusks of the genus Clementia

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Woodring, W.P.

1927-01-01

Aside from its value as an aid in determining the age of Tertiary beds, the chief interest of the genus Clementia lies in the anomalous features of its present and former distribution. An attempt is made in this paper to trace its geologic history, to point out its paleobiologic significance, and to describe all the known American Tertiary species. The fossils from Colombia used in preparing this report were collected during explorations made under the direction of Dr. 0. B. Hopkins, chief geologist of the Imperial Oil Co. (Ltd.), who kindly donated them to the United States National Museum. Dr. T. Wayland Vaughan, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, furnished information relating to specimens collected by him in Mexico. Dr. Bruce L. Clark, of the University of California; Dr. G. Dallas Hanna, of the California Academy of Sciences; Dr. H. A. Pilsbry, of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences; and Dr. W. D. Matthew, of the American Museum of Natural History, generously loaned type specimens and other material. Doctor Clark and Doctor Hanna also gave information concerning the Tertiary species from California. Mr. Ralph B. Stewart, of the University of California, read the manuscript, and I have taken advantage of his suggestions. I am also indebted to Mr. L. R. Cox, of the British Museum, for information relating to the fossil species from Persia, Zanzibar, and Burma, and to Dr. Axel A. Olsson, of the International Petroleum Co., for data concerning undescribed Tertiary species from Peru.

Virologic Monitoring of Poliovirus Type 2 after Oral Poliovirus Vaccine Type 2 Withdrawal in April 2016 - Worldwide, 2016-2017.

Science.gov (United States)

Diop, Ousmane M; Asghar, Humayun; Gavrilin, Evgeniy; Moeletsi, Nicksy Gumede; Benito, Gloria Rey; Paladin, Fem; Pattamadilok, Sirima; Zhang, Yan; Goel, Ajay; Quddus, Arshad

2017-05-26

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has made substantial progress since its launch in 1988; only 37 wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were detected in 2016, the lowest annual count ever. Wild poliovirus type 3 has not been detected since November 2012, and wild poliovirus type 2 was officially declared eradicated in September 2015. This success is attributable to the wide use of live oral poliovirus vaccines (OPVs). Since 2001, numerous outbreaks were caused by the emergence of genetically divergent vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs) whose genetic drift from the parental OPV strains indicates prolonged replication or circulation (1). In 2015, circulating VDPV type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreaks were detected in five countries worldwide (Nigeria, Pakistan, Guinea, Burma, and South Sudan), and VDPV2 single events were reported in 22 countries. These events prompted the GPEI to withdraw the type 2 component (Sabin2) of trivalent OPV (tOPV) in a globally coordinated, synchronized manner in April 2016 (2,3), at which time all OPV-using countries switched to using bivalent OPV (bOPV), containing Sabin types 1 and 3. This report details for the first time the virologic tracking of elimination of a live vaccine that has been withdrawn from routine and mass immunization systems worldwide (3). To secure elimination, further monitoring is warranted to detect any use of tOPV or monovalent OPV type 2 (mOPV2).

Origin and tectonic evolution of upper Triassic Turbidites in the Indo-Burman ranges, West Myanmar

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Wei; Ding, Lin; Cai, Fulong; Wang, Houqi; Xu, Qiang; Zaw, Than

2017-11-01

The Pane Chaung Formation is exposed in the Indo-Burman Ranges, and has been involved in collision between the Indian Plate and West Burma Block. However, controversies exist over the provenance and paleogeographic reconstruction of the Pane Chaung Formation. This study presents new petrographical and detrital zircon Usbnd Pb ages and Hf isotopic data from the Pane Chaung Formation in Rakhine Yoma and Chin Hills, west Myanmar. The depositional age of the Pane Chaung Formation is Late Triassic, indicated by the Carnian-Norian Halobia fossils and maximum depositional ages between 233.0 ± 2.5 Ma and 206.2 ± 1.8 Ma. Upper Triassic sandstones contain 290-200 Ma detrital zircons, εHf(t) values of - 6 to 11 and TDMC of 1.6 to 0.6 Ga, interpreted to be derived from West Papua region. The most abundant zircon age population of 750-450 Ma is derived from Pan-African orogenic belts in Australia. Zircons of 1250-900 Ma age were derived from the Grenvillian orogen in Australia. Archean zircons are interpreted to be derived from the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons in Western Australia. Detrital zircon ages of the Pane Chaung Formation are distinct from similar aged strata in Indochina and Sibumasu, but comparable to NW Australia (Carnarvon Basin) and Greater India (Langjiexue Formation). It is suggested that the Pane Chaung Formation was deposited in a Late Triassic submarine fan along the northern margin of Australia.

Tropical deforestation: balancing regional development demands and global environmental concerns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wood, A B [US Dept. of State, Washington, DC (USA)

1990-01-01

Over half of the world's tropical closed forests, which contain the greatest biodiversity, are found in just three countries: Brazil, Indonesia, and Zaire. Accelerated conversion of tropical forests is occurring because of several interlocking socio-economic and political factors: inequitable land distribution, entrenched rural poverty, and rapidly growing populations which push landless and near-landless peasants on to forest lands that are often infertile. If rates instead of absolute numbers are used to measure the severity of deforestation, Nigeria, Argentina, India, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), Ecquador, and above all Ivory Coast stand out as countries facing an immediate deforestation crisis. Local management of forest resources, however, can be very contentious and complicated, with overlapping government agencies, competing economic interests, and ambiguous regulations. Without capital investment and entrepreneurial initiatives, residents of forest regions may have no alternative but to farm increasingly infertile soils. Non-governmental organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund are playing leading roles in innovative debt-for-nature swaps and other forest conservation efforts. International development agencies, such as the World Bank, may play the leading role in conservation and reforestation efforts through their financial assistance programmes. The media, as a global information network, has become a powerful influence on the debate over deforestation. The Third World, bearing an increasingly heavy burden of payments to lending institutions that in 1988 surpassed 50 billion US dollars, will make a strong case that it cannot afford widespread forest conservation.

Refugees' advice to physicians: how to ask about mental health.

Science.gov (United States)

Shannon, Patricia J

2014-08-01

About 45.2 million people were displaced from their homes in 2012 due to persecution, political conflict, generalized violence and human rights violations. Refugees who endure violence are at increased risk of developing chronic psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and major depression. The primary care visit may be the first opportunity to detect the devastating psychological effects of trauma. Physicians and refugees have identified communication barriers that inhibit discussions about mental health. In this study, refugees offer advice to physicians about how to assess the mental health effects of trauma. Ethnocultural methodology informed 13 focus groups with 111 refugees from Burma, Bhutan, Somali and Ethiopia. Refugees responded to questions concerning how physicians should ask about mental health in acceptable ways. Focus groups were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic categorization informed by Spradley's Developmental Research Sequence. Refugees recommended that physicians should take the time to make refugees comfortable, initiate direct conversations about mental health, inquire about the historical context of symptoms and provide psychoeducation about mental health and healing. Physicians may require specialized training to learn how to initiate conversations about mental health and provide direct education and appropriate mental health referrals in a brief medical appointment. To assist with making appropriate referrals, physicians may also benefit from education about evidence-based practices for treating symptoms of refugee trauma. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Social Networking and the School Adjustment of Karen Refugee Youth from Burma: Determining the Effects of Ethnic Identity, Bonding Social Capital, and Facebook Use

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Lewis, Lucy D.

2013-01-01

In 2011 alone, over 56,000 refugees were admitted to the United States and a third of these individuals were under the age of 18 (Martin & Yankay, 2012). Researchers have found that the social capital developed through close and confiding relationships is instrumental in the academic outcomes of refugee youth (Kia-Keating & Ellis, 2007;…

Tree Diversity and Structure of Andaman Giant Evergreen Forests, India

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M. Rajkumar

2008-12-01

Full Text Available We investigated tree diversity in ‘giant evergreen forest’ of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which falls within the Indo-Burma hot spot of biodiversity in the world. A one hectare square plot was established in sites Kalapahad (KP and Macarthy Valley (MV of Middle Andamans, in which all trees ≥ 30 cm girth at breast height (gbh were enumerated. Tree diversity totaled 105 species that belonged to 63 genera and 49 families. Site MV harboured ~10% greater species richness than KP. Species diversity indices did not vary much between the two sites. In the two sites, there were 1311 individuals of trees (579 ha-1 in KP and 732 in MV. The stand basal area was nearly equal in both the sites (KP- 45.59 m2 ha-1; MV- 47.93 m2 ha-1. Thirteen tree species (12.38% were strict endemics to Andamans. Ten species recorded are rare to the flora of these islands. The two sites are distinctly dominated by two different plant families; Dipterocarpaceae in KP and Myristicaceae in MV. Most of the species were common to central and lower region of Myanmar and Indian mainland. The forest stand structure exhibited a typical reverse-J shape, but site MV had double the density of stems in the lower tree size class than that of KP. The voluminous dipterocarps contributed more to the total above-ground live biomass. The need to preserve these species- and endemics- rich, fragile island forests, prioritized for biodiversity conservation, is emphasized.

The social context of the emergence of HIV in Thailand.

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Ford, N

1990-01-01

This paper reviews the developing pattern of HIV infection in Thailand with an introduction on basic principles of HIV transmission; a description of the emergence of HIV as a public health threat; a review of the social characteristics of HIV carriers in the context of the sexual culture in Thailand; and ends with a discussion of the dilemmas a developing country faces in dealing with HIV. Thailand is an example of a society where few people have many sex partners, a situation with a faster transmission of HIV than a case where most people have few partners. While Asia has lagged behind other regions in the spread of AIDS, in Thailand HIV has spread rapidly since 1988. Thailand has an illegal but tolerated commercial sex industry, with outlets very diverse in terms of STD control. This industry caters to tourists from other Asian countries, and is maintained by a strong male dominant culture, incomes averaging 25 times higher than other occupations pay, depression in outlying areas encouraging remittance of money back to families, and even status for sex workers in the marriage market. There is an entrenched subculture of intravenous drug injectors who also make up a nucleus of HIV carriers with high prevalence, 43% as of 1988. Some strategies open to the government to control spread of HIV include legalization and control of the sex industry, needle/syringe exchange and health care for drug injectors, social welfare for opium growers in the hills, and political solutions for the conflicts affecting drug traffic in Burma.

"Without this program, women can lose their lives": migrant women's experiences with the Safe Abortion Referral Programme in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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Tousaw, Ellen; La, Ra Khin; Arnott, Grady; Chinthakanan, Orawee; Foster, Angel M

2017-11-01

For displaced and migrant women in northern Thailand, access to health care is often limited, unwanted pregnancy is common, and unsafe abortion is a major contributor to maternal death and disability. Based on a pilot project and situational analysis research, in 2015 a multinational team introduced the Safe Abortion Referral Programme (SARP) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, to reduce the socio-linguistic, economic, documentation, and transportation barriers women from Burma face in accessing safe and legal abortion care in Thailand. Our qualitative study documented the experiences of women with unwanted pregnancies who accessed the SARP in order to inform programme improvement and expansion. We conducted 22 in-depth, in-person interviews and analysed them for content and themes using deductive and inductive techniques. Women were overwhelmingly positive about their experiences using the SARP. They reported lack of costs, friendly programme staff, accompaniment to and interpretation at the providing facility, and safety of services as key features. Financial and legal circumstances shaped access to the programme and women learned about the SARP through word-of-mouth and community workshops. After accessing the SARP and receiving support, women became community advocates for reproductive health. Efforts to expand the programme and raise awareness in migrant communities appear warranted. Our findings suggest that referral programmes for safe and legal abortion can be successful in settings with large displaced and migrant populations. Identifying ways to work within legal constraints to expand access to safe services has the potential to reduce harm from unsafe abortion even in humanitarian settings.

Possibility of regional fuel cycle centres in the context of Bangladesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Innas, A.M.; Ahsan, M.; Husain, S.R.; Chowdhury, R.K.; Rahman, A.

1977-01-01

The region consisting of Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Ceylon, Bangladesh, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia is considered for a model study on the possibility of establishing regional fuel cycle centres. Nuclear power generation capacity for this region is estimated and projected through 2000 A.D. and accordingly the demands for various nuclear fuel cycle services are determined. Preliminary calculations show that for the region conversion and fuel fabrication plants may be economically feasible before 1990 whereas reprocessing plants may become feasible only after 1990. The possibility of enrichment plant is even more uncertain. Ore, enrichment and fabrication in future may constitute more than 95-98% of the total fuel cycle cost. For fuel cycle economy, therefore, regional cooperation should be emphasized for these services. Reprocessing has to be considered because of the valuable fissile materials present in the spent fuel. Assuming that regional fuel cycle centre/centres may be established in Bangladesh, the study considered the local advantages and disadvantages of such an effort. Though no major problem could be identified in the case of conversion and fabrication plants, considerable difficulty is anticipated from a large reprocessing plant because of waste management and disposal problems. Bangladesh does not appear to have any suitable waste disposal site in view of the present technology. However, if the long term leaching problemns of solidified wastes are resolved then wastes may be dumped in the sea-canyon in the Bay of Bengal (called the ''Swatch of no ground'') or in the deep underground caverns

Rainforest conifers of Eocene Patagonia: attached cones and foliage of the extant Southeast Asian and Australasian genus Dacrycarpus (Podocarpaceae).

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Wilf, Peter

2012-03-01

Eocene caldera-lake beds at Laguna del Hunco (LH, ca. 52.2 Ma) and Río Pichileufú (RP, ca. 47.7 Ma) in Argentine Patagonia provide copious information about the biological history of Gondwana. Several plant genera from these sites are known as fossils from southern Australia and New Zealand and survive only in Australasian rainforests. The potential presence of Dacrycarpus (Podocarpaceae) holds considerable interest due to its extensive foliage-fossil record in Gondwana, its remarkably broad modern distribution in Southeast Asian and Australasian rainforests, its high physiological moisture requirements, and its bird-dispersed seeds. However, the unique seed cones that firmly diagnose Dacrycarpus were not previously known from the fossil record. I describe and interpret fertile (LH) and vegetative (LH and RP) material of Dacrycarpus and present a nomenclatural revision for fossil Dacrycarpus from South America. Dacrycarpus puertae sp. nov. is the first fossil occurrence of the unusual seed cones that typify living Dacrycarpus, attached to characteristic foliage, and of attached Dacrycarpus pollen cones and foliage. Dacrycarpus puertae is indistinguishable from living D. imbricatus (montane, Burma to Fiji). Dacrycarpus chilensis (Engelhardt) comb. nov. is proposed for Eocene vegetative material from Chile. Modern-aspect Dacrycarpus was present in Eocene Patagonia, demonstrating an astonishingly wide-ranging paleogeographic history and implying a long evolutionary association with bird dispersers. Dacrycarpus puertae provides the first significant Asian link for Eocene Patagonian floras, strengthens the biogeographic connections from Patagonia to Australasia across Antarctica during the warm Eocene, and indicates high-rainfall paleoenvironments.

Convergences conceptuelles en Birmanie : la transition du xixe siècle Conceptual Convergences in Burma : the 19th Century Period of Transition

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Aurore Candier

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Les conceptions politiques birmanes ont évolué au fil des siècles, échafaudées sur des interprétations renouvelées d’emprunts conceptuels à l’étranger, afin de rester en phase avec une réalité sociopolitique changeante. Le contact avec l’Occident a été à l’origine de l’une des « greffes » conceptuelles des plus prolifiques. Entre 1820 et 1880, les rois birmans ont subi deux défaites contre les Anglais et ont dû céder plusieurs provinces avant l’annexion définitive de leur pays en 1886. Pendant cette période, les élites politiques et religieuses de la cour birmane ont été confrontées à la pénétration progressive des idées et des valeurs du vainqueur. L’analyse historique et linguistique d’ouvrages contemporains de l’époque révèle l’évolution de leurs représentations sociopolitiques. La pensée politique moderne a nettement influencé les lettrés à partir des années 1830. Ils ont dès lors commencé de rationaliser et d’adapter les concepts, qu’ils soient locaux ou empruntés au pāli, à une représentation du monde en transformation. Ces convergences conceptuelles n’ont véritablement donné corps à un nouveau système de pensée que dans les années 1870. L’idée de roi universel a été délaissée, alors que l’accent a été mis sur l’aspect social de la norme de conduite royale. La conception moderne de la réforme, portant les notions d’amélioration et de progrès, a fait son apparition dans les projets de loi. Les valeurs occidentales de classification raciale, de définition territoriale, de communauté de langue et de culture ont été adoptées. Mais ces emprunts n’ont pas fondamentalement altéré la conception birmane traditionnelle de l’humanité, sous-tendue par les lois du kamma, de l’impermanence et de l’interdépendance entre l’ordre social et cosmique.Burmese political conceptions have varied through centuries, borrowing and adapting certain foreign concepts according to the changing sociopolitical context. In this sense, the contact with the Western political thinking was very productive. Between 1820 and 1880, the Burmese kings lost two wars against the British and had to give away several territories before the final annexation of their country in 1886. During this period, the Burmese political and religious elites were confronted to the progressive penetration of British ideas and values. A historical and linguistic investigation of significant texts shows the gradual changes of their sociopolitical representations. Modern political thinking had a strong influence on the Burmese literati from the 1830’ onwards. They gradually rationalized and adapted concepts, whether local or borrowed from the pāli, to a changing conception of the world. These conceptual convergences gave shape to a new way of thinking in the 1870’. The idea of universal king was neglected, when the literati emphasized the social interpretation of the laws of kinship conduct. The modern conception of the reform, conveying the notion of progress, was used to draft new laws. Western notions of racial classification, territorial definition, linguistic and cultural communities, were adopted. But these borrowings did not dramatically alter the Burmese traditional conception of humanity, based on the laws of kamma and impermanence, and the interdependence between the social and the cosmic order as well.

Teacher training: the quick fix that stuck.

Science.gov (United States)

Coldevin, G

1988-01-01

Of all the strategies for coping with teacher shortages that have been attempted, the effort that has gained the most ground in the past 20 years involves recruiting untrained or unqualified teachers pressing them into service, and then bringing them up to pedagogical or academic certification through distance education. The benefits of this approach include: for teachers, home-based study means attaining professional certification or academic upgrading without interrupting earnings; in-service training obviates the problem of finding substitute teachers who may have poorer qualifications than the teachers they are replacing; in-situ training reduces the possibility of urban migration that may result when college-based trainees do not want to return to their rural posts; and larger numbers of teachers can be served at 1 time and at lower costs than with campus-based instruction. According to the available studies, training costs for distance education students are typically 1/4 to 1/2 as expensive as conventional instruction. At least 50 3rd world countries are estimated to be involved in some form of distance teacher training. Mostly, countries combine correspondence with broadcasting and other support media, correspondence with occasional face-to-face sessions, and the 3-way combination of print/broadcasting/occasional residential teaching approaches. The broadcast medium typically is radio, but some programs, particularly programs offered by distance education universities, use television also. Tutorial counseling and local resource center support vary considerably and represent the most pressing challenges to the bulk of operations. 4 systems initiated during the 1980s in Pakistan, Burma, Zimbabwe, and Kenya are presented to illustrate the need for distance education training and the diversity of distance education methods.

Spatio-temporal analysis of floating islands and their behavioral changes in Loktak Lake with respect to biodiversity using remote sensing and GIS techniques.

Science.gov (United States)

Kangabam, Rajiv Das; Selvaraj, Muthu; Govindaraju, Munisamy

2018-02-06

The presence of floating islands is a unique characteristic of Loktak Lake. Floating islands play a significant role in ecosystem services and ecological processes and functioning. Rapid urbanization, industrialization, and a demand for more resources have led to changes in the landscape patterns at Loktak Lake in past three decades, thereby degrading and threatening the fragile ecosystem. The aim of the present study is to assess the changes in land use practices of the Phumdis by analyzing data from the past 38 years with remote sensing techniques. Landsat images from 1977, 1988, 1999 and an Indian remote sensing image from 2015 were used to assess the land use/land cover changes. The methodology adopted is a supervised classification using the maximum likelihood technique in ERDAS software. Five land used classes were employed: open water bodies, agricultural areas, Phumdis with thick vegetation, and Phumdis with thin vegetation and settlements. The results indicate that the highest loss of land used class was in Phumdis with thin vegetation (49.38 km 2 ) followed by Phumdis with thick vegetation (8.59 km 2 ), while there was an overall increase in open water bodies (27.00 km 2 ), agricultural areas (25.33 km 2 ), and settlement (5.75 km 2 ). Our study highlights the loss of floating islands from the Loktak as a major concern that will lead to the destruction of the only "floating national park in the world." There is a high probability of extinction of the Sangai, an important keystone species found in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, if floating islands are not protected through sustainable development.

Identifying orchid hotspots for biodiversity conservation in Laos: the limestone karst vegetation of Vang Vieng District, Vientiane Province

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Pankaj Kumar

2016-10-01

Full Text Available A project to study the phytodiversity of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (IBBH was initiated by Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, Hong Kong, in 2011, with the aim of surveying primary forest fragments and identifying conservation priorities within this expansive but highly threatened ecoregion. Vang Vieng District of Vientiane Province, northern Laos, was chosen as a focus for a pilot expedition, since it features an extensive karst landscape that has barely been explored. Together with officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Lao PDR, surveys of three sites were conducted in April 2012, at the end of the dry northeast monsoon season. Emphasis was placed on Orchidaceae because it is among the most species-rich and commercially exploited flowering plant families in the region. A total of 179 specimens were collected, of which approximately 135 were unique taxa accounting for 29.6% of the orchids found in Laos and 5.8% of those found in IBBH as a whole, and equivalent to 0.27 species/hectare within the area surveyed, substantially higher than published figures for other limestone areas in the region, such as Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam (0.0055 species/hectare and Perlis State in Peninsular Malaysia (0.0036 species/hectare.  At least one is a species new to science, nine represent new distributional records for Laos and a further nine are new records for Vientiane Province. A list of the species encountered during the study is presented and the significance of the findings is discussed. Major threats to the natural environment in northern Laos are highlighted.

[Epidemiology of imported infectious diseases in China, 2013-2016].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Y L; Wang, X; Ren, R Q; Zhou, L; Tu, W W; Ni, D X; Li, Q; Feng, Z J; Zhang, Y P

2017-11-10

Objective: To describe the epidemic of imported infectious diseases in China between 2013 and 2016, including the kinds of infectious diseases, affected provinces, source countries and the epidemiological characteristics, and provide scientific information for the prevention and control of imported infectious diseases. Methods: Data of cases of imported infectious diseases in China from 2013 to 2016 were collected from national information reporting system of infectious diseases, Microsoft Excel 2010 and SPSS 18.0 were used to conduct data cleaning and analysis. Results: From 2013 to 2016, a total of 16 206 imported cases of infectious diseases were reported in China. Of all the cases, 83.12% (13 471 cases) were malaria cases, followed by dengue fever (2 628 cases, 16.22%). The majority of the imported cases were males (14 522 cases, 89.61%). Most cases were aged 20-50 years. Except Zika virus disease and yellow fever, which were mainly reported before and after spring festival, other imported infectious diseases mainly occurred in summer and autumn. The epidemic in affected provinces varied with the types of infectious diseases, and Yunnan reported the largest case number of imported infectious diseases, followed by Jiangsu, Guangxi and Guangdong. The imported cases were mainly from Asian countries, such as Burma, and African countries, such as Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Ghana, which also varied with the types of infectious diseases. Conclusions: We should pay more attention to imported infectious diseases and strengthen the prevention and control measures in our country. In order to reduce the incidence of imported infectious diseases, the health education should be enforced for persons who plan to travel abroad and the active surveillance should be strengthened for returned travelers.

The aesthetic interpretation on Wooden Drum Dancing of Wa people

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Youfeng Wang

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The Wa nationality, a typical ethnic group in Yunnan province, is an ancient one lives across Yunnan. The main residences of it are border area beside northern Yunnan and the Wa States in Burma. Among all the Wa dances, Wooden Drum Dancing leads a vital position, and it is also a symbolic dancing in the culture of Wa people. The feature of Wooden Drum Dancing is that every action expending by the beats of wooden drum, namely, first the wooden drum, then the Wooden Drum Dancing. Dancing is an important content in the life of Wa people, and the aesthetics of life comes from dancing, so they present their value on worship by the form of dancing. This article is going to interpret the aesthetic standard on Wa people’s Wooden Drum Dancing by the view of aesthetics, and come into a conclude that the inspiration of such dancing came from practice and their worship to nature and ancestor. The Wooden Drum Dancing displays totally the tough air and solidarity of Wa people, which also presents the fair society of them. The Wooden Drum Dancing is an enriched art that Wa People took from particle life, so dancing of Wa is often classified into the aesthetic area of plain. The information of people’s living situation displayed by Wa dancing also conveys their rich emotions. The sense of beauty within Wooden Drum Dancing will give others a solemn feeling. The formal beauty is displayed by the rhythm of upper part of body, and the power beauty is displayed by the rhythm of the lower part of body.

Keystone characteristics that support cultural resilience in Karen refugee parents

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Harper, Susan G.

2016-12-01

This participatory action research study used the conceptual framework of social-ecological resilience to explore how Karen (pronounced Ka·rén) refugee parents re-construct cultural resilience in resettlement. The funds of knowledge approach helped to define essential knowledge used by Karen parents within their own community. Framing this study around the concept of resilience situated it within an emancipatory paradigm: refugee parents were actors choosing their own cultural identity and making decisions about what cultural knowledge was important for the science education of their children. Sustainability science with its capacity to absorb indigenous knowledge as legitimate scientific knowledge offered a critical platform for reconciling Karen knowledge with scientific knowledge for science education. Photovoice, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews were used to create visual and written narrative portraits of Karen parents. Narrative analysis revealed that Karen parents had constructed a counter-narrative in Burma and Thailand that enabled them to resist assimilation into the dominant ethnic culture; by contrast, their narrative of life in resettlement in the U.S. focused on the potential for self-determination. Keystone characteristics that contributed to cultural resilience were identified to be the community garden and education as a gateway to a transformed future. Anchored in a cultural tradition of farming, these Karen parents gained perspective and comfort in continuity and the potential of self-determination rooted in the land. Therefore, a cross-cultural learning community for Karen elementary school students that incorporates the Karen language and Karen self-sustaining knowledge of horticulture would be an appropriate venue for building a climate of reciprocity for science learning.

Design at the Edge of the World: The Birth of American Air Intelligence in the China, Burma, India, and the Pacific Theaters during World War II

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

reconnaissance mission was complete, the film was processed by a photo lab and then interpreted for intelligence value. Photo interpretation typically...The stark contrast in philosophies amongst the different Tenth Air Force leadership teams significantly influenced the organizational design of...regarding post-war interests of the French and British prevented the sharing of intelligence amongst allies.102 The political sensitivity associated

Book Reviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Redactie KITLV

2008-12-01

Melaka and Enyan anak Usen, Iban art; Sexual selection and severed heads: weaving, sculpture, tattooing and other arts of the Iban of Borneo (Viktor T. King John Roosa; Pretext for mass murder; The September 30th Movement and Suharto’s coup d’état in Indonesia (Gerry van Klinken Vladimir Braginsky; The heritage of traditional Malay literature; A historical survey of genres, writings and literary views (Dick van der Meij Joel Robbins, Holly Wardlow (eds; The making of global and local modernities in Melanesia; Humiliation, transformation and the nature of cultural change (Toon van Meijl Kwee Hui Kian; The political economy of Java’s northeast coast c. 1740-1800; Elite synergy (Luc Nagtegaal Charles A. Coppel (ed.; Violent conflicts in Indonesia; Analysis, representation, resolution (Gerben Nooteboom Tom Therik; Wehali: the female land; Traditions of a Timorese ritual centre (Dianne van Oosterhout Patricio N. Abinales, Donna J. Amoroso; State and society in the Philippines (Portia L. Reyes Han ten Brummelhuis; King of the waters; Homan van der Heide and the origin of modern irrigation in Siam (Jeroen Rikkerink Hotze Lont; Juggling money; Financial self-help organizations and social security in Yogyakarta (Dirk Steinwand Henk Maier; We are playing relatives; A survey of Malay writing (Maya Sutedja-Liem Hjorleifur Jonsson; Mien relations; Mountain people and state control in Thailand (Nicholas Tapp Lee Hock Guan (ed.; Civil society in Southeast Asia (Bryan S. Turner Jan Mrázek; Phenomenology of a puppet theatre; Contemplations on the art of Javanese wayang kulit (Sarah Weiss Janet Steele; Wars within; The story of Tempo, an independent magazine in Soeharto’s Indonesia (Robert Wessing REVIEW ESSAY Sean Turnell; Burma today Kyaw Yin Hlaing, Robert Taylor, Tin Maung Maung Than (eds; Myanmar; Beyond politics to societal imperatives Monique Skidmore (ed.; Burma at the turn of the 21st century Mya Than; Myanmar in ASEAN

Fungi in Thailand: a case study of the efficacy of an ITS barcode for automatically identifying species within the Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon genera.

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Suwannasai, Nuttika; Martín, María P; Phosri, Cherdchai; Sihanonth, Prakitsin; Whalley, Anthony J S; Spouge, John L

2013-01-01

Thailand, a part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, has many endemic animals and plants. Some of its fungal species are difficult to recognize and separate, complicating assessments of biodiversity. We assessed species diversity within the fungal genera Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon, which produce biologically active and potentially therapeutic compounds, by applying classical taxonomic methods to 552 teleomorphs collected from across Thailand. Using probability of correct identification (PCI), we also assessed the efficacy of automated species identification with a fungal barcode marker, ITS, in the model system of Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon. The 552 teleomorphs yielded 137 ITS sequences; in addition, we examined 128 GenBank ITS sequences, to assess biases in evaluating a DNA barcode with GenBank data. The use of multiple sequence alignment in a barcode database like BOLD raises some concerns about non-protein barcode markers like ITS, so we also compared species identification using different alignment methods. Our results suggest the following. (1) Multiple sequence alignment of ITS sequences is competitive with pairwise alignment when identifying species, so BOLD should be able to preserve its present bioinformatics workflow for species identification for ITS, and possibly therefore with at least some other non-protein barcode markers. (2) Automated species identification is insensitive to a specific choice of evolutionary distance, contributing to resolution of a current debate in DNA barcoding. (3) Statistical methods are available to address, at least partially, the possibility of expert misidentification of species. Phylogenetic trees discovered a cryptic species and strongly supported monophyletic clades for many Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon species, suggesting that ITS can contribute usefully to a barcode for these fungi. The PCIs here, derived solely from ITS, suggest that a fungal barcode will require secondary markers in Annulohypoxylon and

Evaluation and Selection of Potential Biomass Sources of North-East India towards Sustainable Bioethanol Production

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nongthombam, Grihalakshmi D.; Labala, Rajendra K.; Das, Sudripta; Handique, Pratap J.; Talukdar, Narayan C.

2017-01-01

Vegetation biomass production in North-East India within Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot is luxuriant and available from April to October to consider their potential for bioethanol production. Potential of six lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) sources; namely, sugarcane bagasse (BG), cassava aerial parts (CS), ficus fruits (Ficus cunia) (FF), “phumdi” (floating biomass), rice straw (RS), and sawdust were investigated for bioethanol production using standard techniques. Morphological and chemical changes were evaluated by Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and quantity of sugars and inhibitors in LCB were determined by High performance liquid chromatography. Hydrothermally treated BG, CS, and FF released 954.54, 1,354.33, and 1,347.94 mg/L glucose and 779.31, 612.27, and 1,570.11 mg/L of xylose, respectively. Inhibitors produced due to effect of hydrothermal pretreatment ranged from 42.8 to 145.78 mg/L acetic acid, below detection level (BDL) to 17.7 µg/L 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and BDL to 56.78 µg/L furfural. The saccharification efficiency of hydrothermally treated LCB (1.35–28.64%) was significantly higher compared with their native counterparts (0.81–17.97%). Consolidated bioprocessing of the LCB using MTCC 1755 (Fusarium oxysporum) resulted in maximum ethanol concentration of 0.85 g/L and corresponded to 42 mg ethanol per gram of hydrothermally treated BG in 120 h followed by 0.83 g/L corresponding to 41.5 mg/g of untreated CS in 144 h. These ethanol concentrations corresponded to 23.43 and 21.54% of theoretical ethanol yield, respectively. LCB of CS and FF emerged as a suitable material to be subjected to test for enhanced ethanol production in future experiments through efficient fermentative microbial strains, appropriate enzyme loadings, and standardization of other fermentation parameters.

Precipitation estimates and comparison of satellite rainfall data to in situ rain gauge observations to further develop the watershed-modeling capabilities for the Lower Mekong River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Dandridge, C.; Lakshmi, V.; Sutton, J. R. P.; Bolten, J. D.

2017-12-01

This study focuses on the lower region of the Mekong River Basin (MRB), an area including Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. This region is home to expansive agriculture that relies heavily on annual precipitation over the basin for its prosperity. Annual precipitation amounts are regulated by the global monsoon system and therefore vary throughout the year. This research will lead to improved prediction of floods and management of floodwaters for the MRB. We compare different satellite estimates of precipitation to each other and to in-situ precipitation estimates for the Mekong River Basin. These comparisons will help us determine which satellite precipitation estimates are better at predicting precipitation in the MRB and will help further our understanding of watershed-modeling capabilities for the basin. In this study we use: 1) NOAA's PERSIANN daily 0.25° precipitation estimate Climate Data Record (CDR), 2) NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) daily 0.25° estimate, and 3) NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) daily 0.1 estimate and 4) 488 in-situ stations located in the lower MRB provide daily precipitation estimates. The PERSIANN CDR precipitation estimate was able to provide the longest data record because it is available from 1983 to present. The TRMM precipitation estimate is available from 2000 to present and the GPM precipitation estimates are available from 2015 to present. It is for this reason that we provide several comparisons between our precipitation estimates. Comparisons were done between each satellite product and the in-situ precipitation estimates based on geographical location and date using the entire available data record for each satellite product for daily, monthly, and yearly precipitation estimates. We found that monthly PERSIANN precipitation estimates were able to explain up to 90% of the variability in station precipitation depending on station location.

Impact of land use change on the land atmosphere carbon flux of South and South East Asia: A Synthesis of Dynamic Vegetation Model Results

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Cervarich, M.; Shu, S.; Jain, A. K.; Poulter, B.; Stocker, B.; Arneth, A.; Viovy, N.; Kato, E.; Wiltshire, A.; Koven, C.; Sitch, S.; Zeng, N.; Friedlingstein, P.

2015-12-01

Understanding our present day carbon cycle and possible solutions to recent increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide is dependent upon quantifying the terrestrial carbon budget. Currently, global land cover and land use change is estimated to emit 0.9 PgC yr-1 compared to emissions due to fossil fuel combustion and cement production of 8.4 PgC yr-1. South and Southeast Asia (India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Singapore) is a region of rapid land cover and land use change due to the continuous development of agriculture, deforestation, reforestation, afforestation, and the increased demand of land for people to live. In this study, we synthesize outputs of nine models participated in Global Carbon Budget Project to identify the carbon budget of South and southeast Asia, diagnose the contribution of land cover and land use change to carbon emissions and assess areas of uncertainty in the suite of models. Uncertainty is determined using the standard deviation and the coefficient of variation of net ecosystem exchange and its component parts. Results show the region's terrestrial biosphere was a source of carbon emissions from the 1980 to the early 1990s. During the same time period, land cover and land use change increasingly contributed to carbon emission. In the most recent two decades, the region became a carbon sink since emission due to land cover land use changes. Spatially, the greatest total emissions occurred in the tropical forest of Southeast Asia. Additionally, this is the subregion with the greatest uncertainty and greatest biomass. Model uncertainty is shown to be proportional to total biomass. The atmospheric impacts of ENSO are shown to suppress the net biosphere productivity in South and Southeast Asia leading to years of increased carbon emissions.

Fungi in Thailand: a case study of the efficacy of an ITS barcode for automatically identifying species within the Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon genera.

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Nuttika Suwannasai

Full Text Available Thailand, a part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, has many endemic animals and plants. Some of its fungal species are difficult to recognize and separate, complicating assessments of biodiversity. We assessed species diversity within the fungal genera Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon, which produce biologically active and potentially therapeutic compounds, by applying classical taxonomic methods to 552 teleomorphs collected from across Thailand. Using probability of correct identification (PCI, we also assessed the efficacy of automated species identification with a fungal barcode marker, ITS, in the model system of Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon. The 552 teleomorphs yielded 137 ITS sequences; in addition, we examined 128 GenBank ITS sequences, to assess biases in evaluating a DNA barcode with GenBank data. The use of multiple sequence alignment in a barcode database like BOLD raises some concerns about non-protein barcode markers like ITS, so we also compared species identification using different alignment methods. Our results suggest the following. (1 Multiple sequence alignment of ITS sequences is competitive with pairwise alignment when identifying species, so BOLD should be able to preserve its present bioinformatics workflow for species identification for ITS, and possibly therefore with at least some other non-protein barcode markers. (2 Automated species identification is insensitive to a specific choice of evolutionary distance, contributing to resolution of a current debate in DNA barcoding. (3 Statistical methods are available to address, at least partially, the possibility of expert misidentification of species. Phylogenetic trees discovered a cryptic species and strongly supported monophyletic clades for many Annulohypoxylon and Hypoxylon species, suggesting that ITS can contribute usefully to a barcode for these fungi. The PCIs here, derived solely from ITS, suggest that a fungal barcode will require secondary markers in

Evaluation and Selection of Potential Biomass Sources of North-East India towards Sustainable Bioethanol Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nongthombam, Grihalakshmi D., E-mail: griha789@gmail.com; Labala, Rajendra K.; Das, Sudripta [Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), Imphal (India); Handique, Pratap J. [Department of Biotechnology, Gauhati University, Guwahati (India); Talukdar, Narayan C., E-mail: griha789@gmail.com [Division of Life Sciences, Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology, Guwahati (India)

2017-07-11

Vegetation biomass production in North-East India within Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot is luxuriant and available from April to October to consider their potential for bioethanol production. Potential of six lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) sources; namely, sugarcane bagasse (BG), cassava aerial parts (CS), ficus fruits (Ficus cunia) (FF), “phumdi” (floating biomass), rice straw (RS), and sawdust were investigated for bioethanol production using standard techniques. Morphological and chemical changes were evaluated by Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and quantity of sugars and inhibitors in LCB were determined by High performance liquid chromatography. Hydrothermally treated BG, CS, and FF released 954.54, 1,354.33, and 1,347.94 mg/L glucose and 779.31, 612.27, and 1,570.11 mg/L of xylose, respectively. Inhibitors produced due to effect of hydrothermal pretreatment ranged from 42.8 to 145.78 mg/L acetic acid, below detection level (BDL) to 17.7 µg/L 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and BDL to 56.78 µg/L furfural. The saccharification efficiency of hydrothermally treated LCB (1.35–28.64%) was significantly higher compared with their native counterparts (0.81–17.97%). Consolidated bioprocessing of the LCB using MTCC 1755 (Fusarium oxysporum) resulted in maximum ethanol concentration of 0.85 g/L and corresponded to 42 mg ethanol per gram of hydrothermally treated BG in 120 h followed by 0.83 g/L corresponding to 41.5 mg/g of untreated CS in 144 h. These ethanol concentrations corresponded to 23.43 and 21.54% of theoretical ethanol yield, respectively. LCB of CS and FF emerged as a suitable material to be subjected to test for enhanced ethanol production in future experiments through efficient fermentative microbial strains, appropriate enzyme loadings, and standardization of other fermentation parameters.

A Global System of in situ Sensors, Communication Satellites and in situ Actuators Dedicated to the Nearly-Real-Time Detection and Mitigation of Natural Disasters

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Bevis, M.

2009-05-01

Most of the ~ 230,000 lives lost in the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 could have been saved if the victims had had 5 - 15 minutes notice of the tsunami's arrival, provided that the local authorities had had some evacuation plan in place, e.g. running up hill when a klaxon sounded, or retreating to low cost shelters constructed to provide a vertical escape from inundation. Similar structures, equipped with supplies of drinking water, food, blankets, etc., could save countless thousands of people from drowning in flood-prone locations such as Bangladesh or the delta region of Burma, or dying in the aftermath of such events. Given sufficiently rapid communications, a disaster nowcasting system could also order the closing of gas mains, or the powering down of electricity networks, as well as the sounding of klaxons, only tens of seconds before an earthquake wave strikes a major city such as Los Angeles. The central and critical requirement for mitigating natural disasters is two-way communication. Imagine a globally accessible internet collecting event-triggered messages from arrays of sensors (that detect inundation, for example) so they can be analyzed by centralized computer systems in nearly real-time, which then send instructions to alarm systems and actuators in the areas at risk. (Of course, local authorities would have to be involved in planning the local responses to alarms, in constructing rescue facilities, and in educating their populations accordingly). Only a constellation of satellites could provide a communications system with global accessibility and the required robustness. Such an infrastructure would allow the international community to exploit the many common elements in the detection, assessment and response to unfolding disasters. I shall describe some of the elements of such a system, for which I propose the working name CELERITY.

The Hani Ethnic Identityand Social Stabilityin Border Areas%哈尼族民族认同与边疆社会稳定

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

龙庆华

2015-01-01

Hani lives across the border is an international ancient nationality, distributed in the China and Vietnam, Thailand, Burma, laos. In the ethnic identity, the border on both sides of the Hani ethnic origin in history, historical and cultural background, ethnic origin, language, religion, culture, customs and other aspects are closely related, maintains the national culture identity. Ethnic identity is an important part of cultural soft power, has the special function of shaping the common psychological, is the only way which must be passed of multicultural relationship coordination, integration of ethnic cultural resources, has the vital significance to the social stability in border areas.%哈尼族是跨境而居的一个国际性古老民族，分布在中国及东南亚的越南、泰国、缅甸、老挝。在民族认同方面，国境两边的哈尼族在民族历史渊源、历史文化背景、族源、语言、宗教信仰、文化习俗等方面有着极为密切的联系，保持着本民族文化的认同。民族认同作为文化软实力的重要组成部分，有塑造共同心理的特殊功能，是协调多元文化关系、整合民族文化资源的必经之路，对边疆社会稳定具有重要的意义。

Die Rohingyas: Konstruktion, De-Konstruktion und Re-Konstruktion einer ethnisch-religiösen Identität [The Rohingyas in Myanmar: Construction, De-construction and Re-construction of an Ethnic Identity

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Hans-Bernd Zöllner

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Die Rohingyas, die im Staat Rakhine (Arakan im Westen des heutigen Myanmar leben, bilden eine große geschlossene muslimische Bevölkerungsgruppe an der Grenze zu Bangladesh. In den vergangenen Jahrzehnten gab es mehrere Fluchtbewegungen über die Grenze und Aktionen der Rückführung. Bei alledem ist der Status der Rohingyas umstritten. Die Organisationen, die ihre Interessen vertreten, sehen sie als indigene Bewohner des Landes, die sich auf eine mehr als 1000jährige Geschichte berufen können. Von Seiten buddhistischer Arakanesen und der Zentralregierung Myanmars werden sie als Ausländer angesehen und behandelt. Das Papier untersucht die historische Genese der Konstruktion einer ethnischen Nationalität der Rohingyas vis à vis der buddhistischen Bevölkerung in Arakan und Gesamtbirma sowie die Bestreitung dieses Anspruchs und gibt dabei einen Überblick über die muslimische Einflüsse auf die Geschichte und Kultur des über Jahrhunderte unabhängigen Königreichs Arakan.The Rohingyas living in the state of Rakhine (Arakan in western Myanmar form a great en bloc community Muslim community on the border to Bangladesh. In the past decades, great numbers of people fled the country and were repatriated later. The status of the Rohingyas is a controversial issue. The organisations representing their interest consider them as indigenous people of Myanmar looking back at a history of 1000 years in Arakan. Buddhist Arakanese as well as the central government of Myanmar, however, regard and treat them as foreigners. The paper examines the historical genesis of the construction of a national Rohingya identity vis-à-vis the Buddhist population of Rakhine and the whole of Burma/Myanmar as well as its contradiction. In addition, an overview on the Muslim influences on history and culture of the kingdom of Arakan will be given.

Orchid conservation in the biodiversity hotspot of southwestern China.

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Liu, Qiang; Chen, Jin; Corlett, Richard T; Fan, XuLi; Yu, DongLi; Yang, HongPei; Gao, JiangYun

2015-12-01

Xishuangbanna is on the northern margins of tropical Asia in southwestern China and has the largest area of tropical forest remaining in the country. It is in the Indo-Burma hotspot and contains 16% of China's vascular flora in biodiversity. To understand the effects of land-use change and collection on orchid species diversity and determine protection priorities, we conducted systematic field surveys, observed markets, interviewed orchid collectors, and then determined the conservation status of all orchids. We identified 426 orchid species in 115 genera in Xishuangbanna: 31% of all orchid species that occur in China. Species richness was highest at 1000-1200 m elevation. Three orchid species were assessed as possibly extinct in the wild, 15 as critically endangered, 82 as endangered, 124 as vulnerable, 186 as least concern, and 16 as data deficient. Declines over 20 years in harvested species suggested over-collection was the major threat, and utility value (i.e., medicinal or ornamental value) was significantly related to endangerment. Expansion of rubber tree plantations was less of a threat to orchids than to other taxa because only 75 orchid species (17.6%) occurred below the 1000-m-elevation ceiling for rubber cultivation, and most of these (46) occurred in nature reserves. However, climate change is projected to lift this ceiling to around 1300 m by 2050, and the limited area at higher elevations reduces the potential for upslope range expansion. The Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden is committed to achieving zero plant extinctions in Xishuangbanna, and orchids are a high priority. Appropriate in and ex situ conservation strategies, including new protected areas and seed banking, have been developed for every threatened orchid species and are being implemented. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

A collaborative epidemiological investigation into the criminal fake artesunate trade in South East Asia.

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Paul N Newton

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Since 1998 the serious public health problem in South East Asia of counterfeit artesunate, containing no or subtherapeutic amounts of the active antimalarial ingredient, has led to deaths from untreated malaria, reduced confidence in this vital drug, large economic losses for the legitimate manufacturers, and concerns that artemisinin resistance might be engendered.With evidence of a deteriorating situation, a group of police, criminal analysts, chemists, palynologists, and health workers collaborated to determine the source of these counterfeits under the auspices of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL and the Western Pacific World Health Organization Regional Office. A total of 391 samples of genuine and counterfeit artesunate collected in Vietnam (75, Cambodia (48, Lao PDR (115, Myanmar (Burma (137 and the Thai/Myanmar border (16, were available for analysis. Sixteen different fake hologram types were identified. High-performance liquid chromatography and/or mass spectrometry confirmed that all specimens thought to be counterfeit (195/391, 49.9% on the basis of packaging contained no or small quantities of artesunate (up to 12 mg per tablet as opposed to approximately 50 mg per genuine tablet. Chemical analysis demonstrated a wide diversity of wrong active ingredients, including banned pharmaceuticals, such as metamizole, and safrole, a carcinogen, and raw material for manufacture of methylenedioxymethamphetamine ('ecstasy'. Evidence from chemical, mineralogical, biological, and packaging analysis suggested that at least some of the counterfeits were manufactured in southeast People's Republic of China. This evidence prompted the Chinese Government to act quickly against the criminal traders with arrests and seizures.An international multi-disciplinary group obtained evidence that some of the counterfeit artesunate was manufactured in China, and this prompted a criminal investigation. International cross

Validation of a brief mental health screener for Karen refugees in primary care.

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Brink, Darin R; Shannon, Patricia J; Vinson, Gregory A

2016-02-01

Karen refugees from Burma are one of the largest refugee groups currently resettling in the USA. Karen people have endured decades of civil war and human rights violations, leaving them more likely to develop serious mental health disorders. There is a noted lack of brief, culturally validated tools present in primary care settings for detecting posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) in Karen refugees. To create the Karen Mental Health Screener, a five-question screening tool used to identify depression and PTSD and to validate it against a clinical reference standard. This validation study was conducted during a primary care visit. Participants completed a 20-item questionnaire using a 4-point visual aid and the PTSD and MDD portions of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID-CV for DSM-IV) as the reference standard. Both the questionnaire and the relevant sections of the SCID-IV were rigorously translated and administered by trained researchers along with a trained Karen interpreter. Logistic regression models and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to determine a subset of items that could be used to construct a screener to identify Karen patients who were most likely to have PTSD and/or MDD. A final five-question screener was created with very strong performance characteristics. With a clinical cut score of 4, these items displayed very strong performance characteristics with sensitivity = 0.96, specificity = 0.97, positive predicted value = 0.83 and negative predicted value = 0.99. The Karen Mental Health Screener is a valid measure for detecting PTSD and major depression in Karen people from refugee backgrounds presenting in a primary care setting. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Molecular surveillance for drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in clinical and subclinical populations from three border regions of Burma/Myanmar: cross-sectional data and a systematic review of resistance studies

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2012-01-01

Background Confirmation of artemisinin-delayed parasite clearance in Plasmodium falciparum along the Thai-Myanmar border has inspired a global response to contain and monitor drug resistance to avert the disastrous consequences of a potential spread to Africa. However, resistance data from Myanmar are sparse, particularly from high-risk areas where limited health services and decades of displacement create conditions for resistance to spread. Subclinical infections may represent an important reservoir for resistance genes that confer a fitness disadvantage relative to wild-type alleles. This study estimates the prevalence of resistance genotypes in three previously unstudied remote populations in Myanmar and tests the a priori hypothesis that resistance gene prevalence would be higher among isolates collected from subclinical infections than isolates collected from febrile clinical patients. A systematic review of resistance studies is provided for context. Methods Community health workers in Karen and Kachin States and an area spanning the Indo-Myanmar border collected dried blood spots from 988 febrile clinical patients and 4,591 villagers with subclinical infection participating in routine prevalence surveys. Samples positive for P. falciparum 18 s ribosomal RNA by real-time PCR were genotyped for P. falciparum multidrug resistance protein (pfmdr1) copy number and the pfcrt K76T polymorphism using multiplex real-time PCR. Results Pfmdr1 copy number increase and the pfcrt K76 polymorphism were determined for 173 and 269 isolates, respectively. Mean pfmdr1 copy number was 1.2 (range: 0.7 to 3.7). Pfmdr1 copy number increase was present in 17.5%, 9.6% and 11.1% of isolates from Karen and Kachin States and the Indo-Myanmar border, respectively. Pfmdr1 amplification was more prevalent in subclinical isolates (20.3%) than clinical isolates (6.4%, odds ratio 3.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1 - 12.5). Pfcrt K76T prevalence ranged from 90-100%. Conclusions Community health workers can contribute to molecular surveillance of drug resistance in remote areas of Myanmar. Marginal and displaced populations under-represented among previous resistance investigations can and should be included in resistance surveillance efforts, particularly once genetic markers of artemisinin-delayed parasite clearance are identified. Subclinical infections may contribute to the epidemiology of drug resistance, but determination of gene amplification from desiccated filter samples requires further validation when DNA concentration is low. PMID:22992214

Disease surveillance among newly arriving refugees and immigrants--Electronic Disease Notification System, United States, 2009.

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Lee, Deborah; Philen, Rossanne; Wang, Zanju; McSpadden, Pamela; Posey, Drew L; Ortega, Luis S; Weinberg, Michelle S; Brown, Clive; Zhou, Weigong; Painter, John A

2013-11-15

state health departments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia about the arrival of these persons in the United States. In 2009, the EDN system notified U.S. state and local health departments of 104,954 newly arriving refugees and immigrants, of whom 78,899 (75.2%) were refugees (with or without medical conditions), 19,358 (18.4%) were immigrants with medical conditions, and 6,697 (6.4%) were persons with other visa types. Of the 78,899 refugees, 21,319 (27%) had a medical condition. The majority (93.4%) of immigrants with medical conditions had tuberculosis classifications (i.e., either had evidence of latent tuberculosis infection or chest radiograph findings interpreted by the overseas panel physician as consistent with tuberculosis). Of the 41,415 refugees and immigrants with Class A or Class B medical conditions, 405 (1%) had Class A conditions, and 40,994 (99%) had Class B conditions. The majority of refugees and immigrants with suspected Class B tuberculosis were born in the Philippines (41.3%), Mexico (12.1%), Burma (8.7%), Vietnam (7.8%), and the Dominican Republic (5.8%). The majority of refugee notifications were for persons born in Iraq (23.9%), Burma (18.9%), and Bhutan (15.1%). Approximately one third of the tuberculosis notifications were sent to health departments in California (20.5%), Texas (9.8%), and New York (6.3%), and the national reporting rate for tuberculosis follow-up was 75.4% within 30 days of arrival. The findings in this report suggest that 1) overseas medical screening results in a low frequency (0.4%) of inadmissible medical conditions in the United States, 2) the EDN system provides more direct notifications to health departments than the previous paper-based system about newly arriving immigrants and refugees who need medical follow-up, and 3) approximately 75% of follow-up occurs among persons with suspected tuberculosis who are reported to EDN by states receiving newly arriving refugees and immigrants. The data in this

Population and society in twentieth-century Southeast Asia.

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Hirschman, C

1994-09-01

The historical demographic analysis in this article is a revision of a paper presented at the Conference of the Northwest Regional Consortium for Southeast Asian Studies in 1988 at the University of Oregon. The author takes the view that fertility has remained high in the Southeast Asian region due to the dynamics of colonialism and the reinforcement of traditional society. Industrialization, urbanization, and advancing education was not favored by colonial policy. The shift to planting cash crops was labor-intensive work which reinforced large families. The fertility decline after the 1960s is attributed to population pressure and the lower limits of land and production per family. Incentives for smaller families are identified as the expansion of mass education, increased consumer aspirations, and opportunities for modern sector employment. The impact of population growth is viewed as multidimensional and indicative of the conflicts between resources, obligations, and aspirations. The historical record in Southeast Asia reveals a population shortage and the risk of losing the minimum supply of labor necessary for a subsistence economy. Traditional local authorities were in need of men for waging war and producing an economic surplus. Colonial administrators imported cheap labor. As mortality declined and population increased, the societal response was migration, usually to frontier areas. New zones of wet rice production were created in lower Burma, central Siam, and Cochin China due to increased demand. Other survival strategies are identified as infinite land subdivision and multiple job holding in the off-season. Densely populated areas appeared to have lower fertility. Over the past 20 years the strategy appears to have been lower fertility coupled with acceptance of family planning, higher female educational attainment, and higher age at marriage. Southeast Asian patterns are considered indicative of the impact of wars, crises, and economic change on

Mental health status among Burmese adolescent students living in boarding houses in Thailand: a cross-sectional study.

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Akiyama, Takeshi; Win, Thar; Maung, Cynthia; Ray, Paw; Sakisaka, Kayako; Tanabe, Aya; Kobayashi, Jun; Jimba, Masamine

2013-04-12

In Tak province of Thailand, a number of adolescent students who migrated from Burma have resided in the boarding houses of migrant schools. This study investigated mental health status and its relationship with perceived social support among such students. This cross-sectional study surveyed 428 students, aged 12-18 years, who lived in boarding houses. The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL)-37 A, Stressful Life Events (SLE) and Reactions of Adolescents to Traumatic Stress (RATS) questionnaires were used to assess participants' mental health status and experience of traumatic events. The Medical Outcome Study (MOS) Social Support Survey Scale was used to measure their perceived level of social support. Descriptive analysis was conducted to examine the distribution of sociodemographic characteristics, trauma experiences, and mental health status. Further, multivariate linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between such characteristics and participants' mental health status. In total, 771 students were invited to participate in the study and 428 students chose to take part. Of these students, 304 completed the questionnaire. A large proportion (62.8%) indicated that both of their parents lived in Myanmar, while only 11.8% answered that both of their parents lived in Thailand. The mean total number of traumatic events experienced was 5.7 (standard deviation [SD] 2.9), mean total score on the HSCL-37A was 63.1 (SD 11.4), and mean total score on the RATS was 41.4 (SD 9.9). Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that higher number of traumatic events was associated with more mental health problems. Many students residing in boarding houses suffered from poor mental health in Thailand's Tak province. The number of traumatic experiences reported was higher than expected. Furthermore, these traumatic experiences were associated with poorer mental health status. Rather than making a generalized assumption on the mental health status of

The Mekong Fish Network: expanding the capacity of the people and institutions of the Mekong River Basin to share information and conduct standardized fisheries monitoring

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Patricio, Harmony C.; Ainsley, Shaara M.; Andersen, Matthew E.; Beeman, John W.; Hewitt, David A.

2012-01-01

The Mekong River is one of the most biologically diverse rivers in the world, and it supports the most productive freshwater fisheries in the world. Millions of people in the Lower Mekong River Basin (LMB) countries of the Union of Myanmar (Burma), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Kingdom of Thailand, the Kingdom of Cambodia, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam rely on the fisheries of the basin to provide a source of protein. The Mekong Fish Network Workshop was convened in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in February 2012 to discuss the potential for coordinating fisheries monitoring among nations and the utility of establishing standard methods for short- and long-term monitoring and data sharing throughout the LMB. The concept for this network developed out of a frequently cited need for fisheries researchers in the LMB to share their knowledge with other scientists and decisionmakers. A fish monitoring network could be a valuable forum for researchers to exchange ideas, store data, or access general information regarding fisheries studies in the LMB region. At the workshop, representatives from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and universities, as well as participating foreign technical experts, cited a great need for more international cooperation and technical support among them. Given the limited staff and resources of many institutions in the LMB, the success of the proposed network would depend on whether it could offer tools that would provide benefits to network participants. A potential tool discussed at the workshop was a user-friendly, Web-accessible portal and database that could help streamline data entry and storage at the institutional level, as well as facilitate communication and data sharing among institutions. The workshop provided a consensus to establish pilot standardized data collection and database efforts that will be further reviewed by the workshop participants. Overall, workshop participants agreed that this is the type of

Exotic Image of Southeast Asia in Xu Dishan’s Literature--Focus onSymbiotic Birds andKeep Mending Nets Spiders%许地山笔下的南洋形象--以《命命鸟》《缀网劳蛛》为中心

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

李朦; 孙良好

2015-01-01

As a distinctive scholar in the history of the 1920s Chinese Modern Literature, Xu Dishan describes quite a lot of exotic features about the Southeast Asian style in his early novels. Both the deeply quiet Buddhist spirits in Burma from his Symbiotic Birds and the Christian feelings of mercy in Malaysia from his Keep Mending Nets Spiders embody the influence of the religion fusion and the exotic folk-custom in Xu Dishan’s novel. The factors of geographic, family, deity make a complicated relationship between Nan Yang (Southeast Asia) and the whole world, especially the Chinese civilization. The exotic images of Nan Yang, which Xu Dishan portrayed in his novels from the 19th to 20th century, hide the way behind “the others” how Xu Dishan makes efforts to solve the national issues in China by means of Southeast Asian literature.%许地山是20世纪中国现代文学史上与众不同的一位，他早期小说中描画的南洋风情极具异域特色。《命命鸟》中缅甸深厚静谧的佛教精神、《缀网劳蛛》中“我爱人人”的马来基督教情怀，都是宗教及异域风情浸润其早期小说的集中体现。地缘、族缘和神缘的因素让南洋和世界，尤其是和中国产生了复杂的交集和羁绊。19世纪20年代许地山小说中所描绘的南洋异域形象，在“他者”的背后，看许地山如何借助南洋文化试图解决中国本土的国民性问题。

Rediscovering medicinal plants' potential with OMICS: microsatellite survey in expressed sequence tags of eleven traditional plants with potent antidiabetic properties.

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Sahu, Jagajjit; Sen, Priyabrata; Choudhury, Manabendra Dutta; Dehury, Budheswar; Barooah, Madhumita; Modi, Mahendra Kumar; Talukdar, Anupam Das

2014-05-01

Herbal medicines and traditionally used medicinal plants present an untapped potential for novel molecular target discovery using systems science and OMICS biotechnology driven strategies. Since up to 40% of the world's poor people have no access to government health services, traditional and folk medicines are often the only therapeutics available to them. In this vein, North East (NE) India is recognized for its rich bioresources. As part of the Indo-Burma hotspot, it is regarded as an epicenter of biodiversity for several plants having myriad traditional uses, including medicinal use. However, the improvement of these valuable bioresources through molecular breeding strategies, for example, using genic microsatellites or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) or Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs)-derived SSRs has not been fully utilized in large scale to date. In this study, we identified a total of 47,700 microsatellites from 109,609 ESTs of 11 medicinal plants (pineapple, papaya, noyontara, bitter orange, bermuda brass, ratalu, barbados nut, mango, mulberry, lotus, and guduchi) having proven antidiabetic properties. A total of 58,159 primer pairs were designed for the non-redundant 8060 SSR-positive ESTs and putative functions were assigned to 4483 unique contigs. Among the identified microsatellites, excluding mononucleotide repeats, di-/trinucleotides are predominant, among which repeat motifs of AG/CT and AAG/CTT were most abundant. Similarity search of SSR containing ESTs and antidiabetic gene sequences revealed 11 microsatellites linked to antidiabetic genes in five plants. GO term enrichment analysis revealed a total of 80 enriched GO terms widely distributed in 53 biological processes, 17 molecular functions, and 10 cellular components associated with the 11 markers. The present study therefore provides concrete insights into the frequency and distribution of SSRs in important medicinal resources. The microsatellite markers reported here markedly add to the genetic

The impact of population growth on environment: the debate heats up.

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Shaw, R P

1992-02-01

A proposed framework, which was introduced at the 1989 meetings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, included political constraints as well as population growth as a proximate cause with potentially important impacts on the environment in Paul and Ann Ehrlich's well-known PAT equation. PAT limitations are identified as the 1.2 billion people caught in the debt-poverty trap, less developed countries' balance of payments deficits, and "distortionary factors" that undermined economic incentives and contributed to mismanagement of resources. Such factors could be keeping farm prices low and have an impact on deterring use of environmentally sound traditional agricultural practices. Mismanagement of public lands occurs when large commercial enterprises or large scale mechanization displace population onto marginal or less productive lands. Intergroup warfare is a new form impacting on the environment. In Burma loggers are authorized to clear cut large tracts of teak forests in order to ferret out Karen guerrillas. Over 15 million refugees were thus displaced and forced to live in encampments that require trees for shelter, firewood for survival, and overgrazing of livestock. Social and economic environments are also undermined by "dependency" factors such as trade protectionism, brain drain, and limited foreign aid. The Group of 77 Non-Aligned Developing Countries proposed that discussions of the links between population and the environment be omitted from the agenda of the 1994 UN Conference on Population and Development. Basic clarifications are needed to distinguish ultimate versus proximate factors and current versus future concerns. The debate ignores distribution patterns, migration, or changing age structures. The debate blames unjustifiably rapid population growth as the ultimate cause of global environmental degradation and links population growth to a host of other social problems such as famine and refugees, while ignoring civil unrest

A Collaborative Epidemiological Investigation into the Criminal Fake Artesunate Trade in South East Asia

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Newton, Paul N; Fernández, Facundo M; Plançon, Aline; Mildenhall, Dallas C; Green, Michael D; Ziyong, Li; Christophel, Eva Maria; Phanouvong, Souly; Howells, Stephen; McIntosh, Eric; Laurin, Paul; Blum, Nancy; Hampton, Christina Y; Faure, Kevin; Nyadong, Leonard; Soong, C. W. Ray; Santoso, Budiono; Zhiguang, Wang; Newton, John; Palmer, Kevin

2008-01-01

Background Since 1998 the serious public health problem in South East Asia of counterfeit artesunate, containing no or subtherapeutic amounts of the active antimalarial ingredient, has led to deaths from untreated malaria, reduced confidence in this vital drug, large economic losses for the legitimate manufacturers, and concerns that artemisinin resistance might be engendered. Methods and Findings With evidence of a deteriorating situation, a group of police, criminal analysts, chemists, palynologists, and health workers collaborated to determine the source of these counterfeits under the auspices of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and the Western Pacific World Health Organization Regional Office. A total of 391 samples of genuine and counterfeit artesunate collected in Vietnam (75), Cambodia (48), Lao PDR (115), Myanmar (Burma) (137) and the Thai/Myanmar border (16), were available for analysis. Sixteen different fake hologram types were identified. High-performance liquid chromatography and/or mass spectrometry confirmed that all specimens thought to be counterfeit (195/391, 49.9%) on the basis of packaging contained no or small quantities of artesunate (up to 12 mg per tablet as opposed to ∼ 50 mg per genuine tablet). Chemical analysis demonstrated a wide diversity of wrong active ingredients, including banned pharmaceuticals, such as metamizole, and safrole, a carcinogen, and raw material for manufacture of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (‘ecstasy'). Evidence from chemical, mineralogical, biological, and packaging analysis suggested that at least some of the counterfeits were manufactured in southeast People's Republic of China. This evidence prompted the Chinese Government to act quickly against the criminal traders with arrests and seizures. Conclusions An international multi-disciplinary group obtained evidence that some of the counterfeit artesunate was manufactured in China, and this prompted a criminal investigation

The incidence of malaria in travellers to South-East Asia: is local malaria transmission a useful risk indicator?

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Jänisch Thomas

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The presence of ongoing local malaria transmission, identified though local surveillance and reported to regional WHO offices, by S-E Asian countries, forms the basis of national and international chemoprophylaxis recommendations in western countries. The study was designed to examine whether the strategy of using malaria transmission in a local population was an accurate estimate of the malaria threat faced by travellers and a correlate of malaria in returning travellers. Methods Malaria endemicity was described from distribution and intensity in the local populations of ten S-E Asian destination countries over the period 2003-2008 from regionally reported cases to WHO offices. Travel acquired malaria was collated from malaria surveillance reports from the USA and 12 European countries over the same period. The numbers of travellers visiting the destination countries was based on immigration and tourism statistics collected on entry of tourists to the destination countries. Results In the destination countries, mean malaria rates in endemic countries ranged between 0.01 in Korea to 4:1000 population per year in Lao PDR, with higher regional rates in a number of countries. Malaria cases imported into the 13 countries declined by 47% from 140 cases in 2003 to 66 in 2008. A total of 608 cases (27.3% Plasmodium falciparum (Pf were reported over the six years, the largest number acquired in Indonesia, Thailand and Korea. Four countries had an incidence > 1 case per 100,000 traveller visits; Burma (Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos (range 1 to 11.8-case per 100,000 visits. The remaining six countries rates were Conclusion The intensity of malaria transmission particularly sub-national activity did not correlate with the risk of travellers acquiring malaria in the large numbers of arriving visitors. It is proposed to use a threshold incidence of > 1 case per 100,000 visits to consider targeted malaria prophylaxis

A three-step Maximum-A-Posterior probability method for InSAR data inversion of coseismic rupture with application to four recent large earthquakes in Asia

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Sun, J.; Shen, Z.; Burgmann, R.; Liang, F.

2012-12-01

We develop a three-step Maximum-A-Posterior probability (MAP) method for coseismic rupture inversion, which aims at maximizing the a posterior probability density function (PDF) of elastic solutions of earthquake rupture. The method originates from the Fully Bayesian Inversion (FBI) and the Mixed linear-nonlinear Bayesian inversion (MBI) methods , shares the same a posterior PDF with them and keeps most of their merits, while overcoming its convergence difficulty when large numbers of low quality data are used and improving the convergence rate greatly using optimization procedures. A highly efficient global optimization algorithm, Adaptive Simulated Annealing (ASA), is used to search for the maximum posterior probability in the first step. The non-slip parameters are determined by the global optimization method, and the slip parameters are inverted for using the least squares method without positivity constraint initially, and then damped to physically reasonable range. This step MAP inversion brings the inversion close to 'true' solution quickly and jumps over local maximum regions in high-dimensional parameter space. The second step inversion approaches the 'true' solution further with positivity constraints subsequently applied on slip parameters using the Monte Carlo Inversion (MCI) technique, with all parameters obtained from step one as the initial solution. Then the slip artifacts are eliminated from slip models in the third step MAP inversion with fault geometry parameters fixed. We first used a designed model with 45 degree dipping angle and oblique slip, and corresponding synthetic InSAR data sets to validate the efficiency and accuracy of method. We then applied the method on four recent large earthquakes in Asia, namely the 2010 Yushu, China earthquake, the 2011 Burma earthquake, the 2011 New Zealand earthquake and the 2008 Qinghai, China earthquake, and compared our results with those results from other groups. Our results show the effectiveness of

Pushing the Limits: The Pattern and Dynamics of Rubber Monoculture Expansion in Xishuangbanna, SW China.

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Huafang Chen

Full Text Available The rapidly growing car industry in China has led to an equally rapid expansion of monoculture rubber in many regions of South East Asia. Xishuangbanna, the second largest rubber planting area in China, located in the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, supplies about 37% of the domestic natural rubber production. There, high income possibilities from rubber drive a dramatic expansion of monoculture plantations which poses a threat to natural forests. For the first time we mapped rubber plantations in and outside protected areas and their net present value for the years 1988, 2002 (Landsat, 30 m resolution and 2010 (RapidEye, 5 m resolution. The purpose of our study was to better understand the pattern and dynamics of the expansion of rubber plantations in Xishuangbanna, as well as its economic prospects and conservation impacts. We found that 1 the area of rubber plantations was 4.5% of the total area of Xishuangbanna in 1988, 9.9% in 2002, and 22.2% in 2010; 2 rubber monoculture expanded to higher elevations and onto steeper slopes between 1988 and 2010; 3 the proportion of rubber plantations with medium economic potential dropped from 57% between 1988 and 2002 to 47% in 2010, while the proportion of plantations with lower economic potential had increased from 30% to 40%; and 4 nearly 10% of the total area of nature reserves within Xishuangbanna has been converted to rubber monoculture by 2010. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that the rapid expansion of rubber plantations into higher elevations, steeper terrain, and into nature reserves (where most of the remaining forests of Xishuangbanna are located poses a serious threat to biodiversity and environmental services while not producing the expected economic returns. Therefore, it is essential that local governments develop long-term land use strategies for balancing economic benefits with environmental sustainability, as well as for assisting farmers with the selection of land suitable

Complex Channel Avulsion in the Meghna River Foodplain During the Mid to Late Holocene: The Potential Effect of Tectonic and Co-Seismic Uplift

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Dunham, A.; Grall, C.; Mondal, D. R.; Steckler, M. S.; Rajapara, H.; Kumar, B.; Philibosian, B.; Akhter, S. H.; Singhvi, A. K.

2016-12-01

Channel migrations and river avulsions in deltaic river systems are mainly driven by differential changes of surface topography, such as the superelevation of channels due to sedimentation. In addition to such autocyclic processes, tectonic events, such as earthquakes, may also lead to avulsions from sudden uplift. The eastern part of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta (GBMD) is underlain by the blind megathrust of the IndoBurma subduction zone. In this region we investigate a 100 km long sinuous abandoned channel of the Meghna River. Immediately south of the channel, it has been previously shown that the topography is slightly higher than on the rest of the Delta and there is an oxidized Holocene exposure surface. Part of the Titas River flows northward from this area into the abandoned channel belt, opposite of the southward flowing rivers of the delta. We provide results from a detailed investigation of this abandoned channel of the Meghna River using stratigraphic logs of hand-drilled wells, resistivity profiles, sediment analyses and OSL and C14 dating, The OSL ages to be presented constrain the possible date of the event. We employ numerical modeling to evaluate the hypothesis that the co-seismic uplift associated to an earthquake can trigger the channel migration. Our modeling approach aims to estimate the co-seismic uplift associated with potential seismic events using an elastic Coulomb's dislocation model. The geometry fault in our model is estimated using geologic and GPS constraints with standard elastic parameters (Young's modulus = 80 GPa; Poisson's ratio = 0.3). We explored different potential earthquakes geometries that involve the megathrust, a splay fault, or the megathrust terminating in the splay. The magnitude and distribution of co-seismic slip are also varied between a rupture length of 112.5km and 180km along a 225km long fault. We show that any class of models can produce the amount of uplift (1-2 m) necessary for triggering the river

Coseismic and postseismic deformation of the great 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake

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Hughes, Kristin Leigh Hellem

The 26 December 2004 M9.2 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (SAE) induced a devastating tsunami when it ruptured over 1300 km of the boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and Burma microplate (Vigny et al., 2005; Bilek, 2007). Three months later on 28 March 2005, the M8.7 Nias earthquake (NE) ruptured over 400 km along the same trench overlapping and progressing to the south of the M9.2 rupture (Banerjee et al., 2007). The spatial and temporal proximity of these two earthquakes suggests that the SAE mechanically influenced the timing of the NE. I analyze the coseismic and postseismic deformation, stress, and pore pressure of the 2004 SAE using 3D finite element models (FEMs) in order to determine the mechanical coupling of the SAE and NE. The motivation for using FEMs is two-fold. First, FEMs allow me to honor the geologic structure of the Sumatra-Andaman subduction zone, and second, FEMs simulate the mechanical behavior of quasi-static coseismic and postseismic deformation systems (e.g., elastic, poroelastic, and viscoelastic materials). The results of my study include: (1) Coseismic slip distributions are incredibly sensitive to the distribution of material properties (Masterlark and Hughes, 2008), (2) Slip models derived from tsunami wave heights do not match slip models derived from GPS data (Hughes and Masterlark, 2008), (3) These FEMs predict postseismic poroelastic deformation and viscoelastic deformation simultaneously (Masterlark and Hughes, 2008), (4) Pore pressure changes induced by the SAE triggered the NE via fluid flow in the subducting oceanic crust and caused the NE to occur 7 years ahead of interseismic strain accumulation predictions (Hughes et al., 2010; Hughes et al., 2011), (5) Global Conductance Matrices provide a way to smooth an underdetermined FEM for arbitrarily irregular surfaces, and (6) FEMs are capable and desired to model subduction zone deformation built around the complexity of a subducting slab which is usually ignored in geodetic

Partnering with law enforcement to deliver good public health: the experience of the HIV/AIDS Asia regional program

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2012-01-01

In the South-East Asia region, the drug control and supply reduction agenda is of high political importance. A multitude of law enforcement agencies are engaged in this work. Nationwide campaigns such as the “Strike- Hard” campaign in China or the “war on drugs” in Thailand dominate the landscape. Viet Nam’s response to drug use has historically focused on deterrence through punishment and supply-side measures. This policy environment is further complicated by lack of evidence-based drug dependence treatment in several settings. The public health consequences of this approach have been extremely serious, with some of the highest documented prevalence of preventable blood-borne viral infections, including HIV, and hepatitis B and C. The wider socioeconomic consequences of this have been borne by families, communities and the governments themselves. The HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP) aims to stop the spread of HIV associated with drug use in South-East Asia and parts of southern China. HAARP works across five countries (Cambodia, China Burma, Laos, Viet Nam) chiefly through the Ministries of Health and Social Affairs, National Drug Control Agencies, and Public Security sectors, including prisons. HAARP has also engaged with UN agencies and a wide range of civil society organisations, including organisations of people who use drugs, to ensure their meaningful involvement in matters that directly affect them. We describe the experience of HAARP in implementing a large-scale harm reduction programme in the Sub-Mekong Region. HAARP chose to direct its efforts in three main areas: supporting an enabling environment for effective harm reduction policies, building core capacity among national health and law enforcement agencies, and supporting “universal access” goals by making effective, high-coverage services available to injecting drug users and their partners. The activities supported by HAARP are humble yet important steps. However, a much higher

Health and human rights in eastern Myanmar prior to political transition: a population-based assessment using multistaged household cluster sampling.

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Parmar, Parveen K; Benjamin-Chung, Jade; Smith, Linda S; Htoo, Saw Nay; Laeng, Sai; Lwin, Aye; Mahn, Mahn; Maung, Cynthia; Reh, Daniel; Shwe Oo, Eh Kalu; Lee, Thomas; Richards, Adam K

2014-05-05

Myanmar/Burma has received increased development and humanitarian assistance since the election in November 2010. Monitoring the impact of foreign assistance and economic development on health and human rights requires knowledge of pre-election conditions. From October 2008-January 2009, community-based organizations conducted household surveys using three-stage cluster sampling in Shan, Kayin, Bago, Kayah, Mon and Tanintharyi areas of Myanmar. Data was collected from 5,592 heads of household on household demographics, reproductive health, diarrhea, births, deaths, malaria, and acute malnutrition of children 6-59 months and women aged 15-49 years. A human rights focused survey module evaluated human rights violations (HRVs) experienced by household members during the previous year. Estimated infant and under-five rates were 77 (95% CI 56 to 98) and 139 (95% CI 107 to 171) deaths per 1,000 live births; and the crude mortality rate was 13 (95% CI 11 to 15) deaths per thousand persons. The leading respondent-reported cause of death was malaria, followed by acute respiratory infection and diarrhea, causing 21.2% (95% CI 16.5 to 25.8), 16.6% (95% CI 11.8 to 21.4), and 12.3% (95% CI 8.7 to 15.8), respectively. Over a third of households suffered at least one human rights violation in the preceding year (36.2%; 30.7 to 41.7). Household exposure to forced labor increased risk of death among infants (rate ratio (RR) = 2.2; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.4) and children under five (RR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.3 to 3.6). The proportion of children suffering from moderate to severe acute malnutrition was higher among households that were displaced (prevalence ratio (PR) = 3.3; 95% CI 1.9 to 5.6). Prior to the 2010 election, populations of eastern Myanmar experienced high rates of disease and death and high rates of HRVs. These population-based data provide a baseline that can be used to monitor national and international efforts to improve the health and human rights situation in the

Are there any changes in burden and management of communicable diseases in areas affected by Cyclone Nargis?

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Siriwan Pichit

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study aims to assess the situation of communicable diseases under national surveillance in the Cyclone Nargis-affected areas in Myanmar (Burma before and after the incident. Methods Monthly data during 2007, 2008 and 2009 from the routine reporting system for disease surveillance of the Myanmar Ministry of Health (MMOH were reviewed and compared with weekly reporting from the Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWAR system. Data from some UN agencies, NGOs and Tri-Partite Core Group (TCG periodic reviews were also extracted for comparisons with indicators from Sphere and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee. Results Compared to 2007 and 2009, large and atypical increases in diarrheal disease and especially dysentery cases occurred in 2008 following Cyclone Nargis. A seasonal increase in ARI reached levels higher than usual in the months of 2008 post-Nargis. The number of malaria cases post-Nargis also increased, but it was less clear if this reflected normal seasonal patterns or was specifically associated with the disaster event. There was no significant change in the occurrence of other communicable diseases in Nargis-affected areas. Except for a small decrease in mortality for diarrheal diseases and ARI in 2008 in Nargis-affected areas, population-based mortality rates for all other communicable diseases showed no significant change in 2008 in these areas, compared to 2007 and 2009. Tuberculosis control programs reached their targets of 70% case detection and 85% treatment success rates in 2007 and 2008. Vaccination coverage rates for DPT 3rd dose and measles remained at high though measles coverage still did not reach the Sphere target of 95% even by 2009. Sanitary latrine coverage in the Nargis-affected area dropped sharply to 50% in the months of 2008 following the incident but then rose to 72% in 2009. Conclusion While the incidence of diarrhea, dysentery and ARI increased post-Nargis in areas affected by the

Impact of Aerosols on Shortwave and Photosynthetically Active Radiation Balance over Sub-tropical Region in South Asia: Observational and Modeling Approach

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Subba, T.; Pathak, B.

2016-12-01

The North-East Indian Region (NER) (22-30ºN, 89-98ºE) in south Asia sandwiched between two global biodiversity hotspots namely, Himalaya and Indo-Burma, assumes significance owing to its unique topography with mountains in the north, east and south and densely populated Indo Gangetic plains (IGP) towards the west resulting in complex aerosol system. Multi-year (2010-2014) concurrent measurements of aerosol properties and the shortwave radiation budget are examined over four geographically distinct stations of NER operational under Indian Space Research organization's ARFINET (Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India NETwork). An attempt has been made to lessen the ambiguity of forcing estimation by validating the radiative transfer modelled ARF with the CNR4 net radiometer measured values (r2 0.98). The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and its dependence on the extinction of the photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) due to aerosol are assessed. The spring time enhancement of aerosols in the column has shown significant surface cooling (ARF = -48 ± 5 Wm-2) over the region, while the very high Black Carbon (BC) mass concentrations near the surface (SSA > 0.8) leads to significant atmospheric warming (ARF = +41 ± 7 Wm-2) in the shortwave range. Radiative forcing estimates reveal that the atmospheric forcing by BC could be as high as +30Wm-2 over the western part, which are significantly higher than the eastern part with a consequent heating rate of 1.5 K day-1 revealing an east-west asymmetry over NER. The impact of BC aerosols on the photosynthetic rate varies among different locations ranging from -5±2 Wm-2 to -25±3 Wm-2. Almost 70% of the total atmospheric shortwave radiative absorption is attributed to just 10% contribution of Black Carbon (BC) to total mass concentration and causes a reduction of more than 30% of PAR reaching the surface over Brahmaputra valley due to direct radiative effect. Comparison of previous and the present study shows highest

Two-phase opening of Andaman Sea: a new seismotectonic insight

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Khan, P. K.; Chakraborty, Partha Pratim

2005-01-01

High-resolution reconstruction of Benioff zone depth-dip angle trajectory for Burma-Java subduction margin between 2° and 17°N Lat. reveals two major episodes of plate geometry change expressed as abrupt deviation in subduction angle. Estimation of effective rate of subduction in different time slices (and then length of subducted slab) allowed drawing of isochrones in Ma interval through these trajectories for the time period 5-12 Ma. With these isochrones, the deformation events on the subducting Indian plate are constrained in time as of 4-5 and 11 Ma old. This well-constrained time connotation offered scope for the correlation of slab deformation events with the well-established two-phase opening history of the Andaman Sea. While the 11 Ma event recorded from southern part of the study area is correlated with early stretching and rifting phase, the 4-5 Ma event is interpreted as major forcing behind the spreading phase of the Andaman Sea. Systematic spatio-temporal evaluation of Indian plate obliquity on the Andaman Sea evolution shows its definite control on the early rifting phase, initiated towards south near northwest Sumatra. The much young spreading phase recorded towards north of 7° Lat. is possibly the result of late Miocene-Pliocene trench retreat and follow-up transcurrent movement (along Sagaing and Sumatran fault system) with NW-SE pull-apart extension. Nonconformity between plate shape and subduction margin geometry is interpreted as the causative force behind Mid-Miocene intraplate extension and tearing. Enhanced stretching in the overriding plate consequently caused active forearc subsidence, recorded all along this plate margin. Initial phase of the Andaman Sea opening presumably remains concealed in this early-middle Miocene forearc subsidence history. The late Miocene-Pliocene pull-apart opening and spreading was possibly initiated near the western part of the Mergui-Sumatra region and propagated northward in subsequent period. A temporary

Should community health workers offer support healthcare services to survivors of sexual violence? a systematic review.

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Gatuguta, Anne; Katusiime, Barbra; Seeley, Janet; Colombini, Manuela; Mwanzo, Isaac; Devries, Karen

2017-10-12

Sexual violence is widespread, yet relatively few survivors receive healthcare or complete treatment. In low and middle-income countries, community health workers (CHWs) have the potential to provide support services to large numbers of survivors. The aim of this review was to document the role of CHWs in sexual violence services. We aimed to: 1) describe existing models of CHWs services including characteristics of CHWs, services delivered and populations served; 2) explore acceptability of CHWs' services to survivors and feasibility of delivering such services; and 3) document the benefits and challenges of CHW-provided sexual violence services. Quantitative and qualitative studies reporting on CHWs and other community-level paraprofessional volunteer services for sexual violence were eligible for inclusion. CHWs and sexual violence were defined according to WHO criteria. The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Quality of included studies was assessed using two quality assessment tools for quantitative, and, the methodology checklist by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for qualitative studies. Data were extracted and analysed separately for quantitative and qualitative studies and results integrated using a framework approach. Seven studies conducted in six countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burma, United States of America, Scotland, Israel) met the inclusion criteria. Different models of care had diverse CHWs roles including awareness creation, identifying, educating and building relationships with survivors, psychosocial support and follow up. Although sociocultural factors may influence CHWs' performance and willingness of survivors to use their services, studies often did not report on CHWs characteristics. Few studies assessed acceptability of CHWs' to survivors or feasibility of delivery of services. However, participants mentioned a range

Sand-Venting in the M5.7 Earthquake 3 Jan 2017 and in the Much Larger Penultimate Liquefaction Event with their Sedimentary Setting in an Upstream Valley of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta: Implications for Earthquake Hazard

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McHugh, C.; Seeber, L.; Akhter, S. H.; Schenck, R. J.; Steckler, M. S.; Kumar, B.; Rajapara, H.; Shovon, A. K.; Singhvi, A. K.

2017-12-01

The Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD) is near the cusp between Sunda subduction and Himalayan collision. Abundant water and fertile sediment support a huge population, but large earthquakes along these broad convergence boundaries have repeatedly caused widespread liquefaction and destruction. The 3 Jan 2017 M5.7 32 km deep (USGS) Ambassa (Tripura, India) earthquake accommodated down-dip extension of the Indian slab where it subducts eastward from the GBD below Burma. This is typical for current seismicity below and east of the GBD, although much larger and shallower thrust earthquakes are anticipated based on GPS. Generally, reported effects in the broad mesoseismal area seem consistent with hypocenter depth and the assigned max MMI V (USGS), but we found surprisingly intense damage and many liquefaction sites in the alluvial northern portion of the Dolai valley in Bangladesh, 36 km NNW of the epicenter. We trenched three liquefaction sites and completed a profile of ten 50m deep wells across the 5 km wide alluvial valley. Fluvial channel sands alternate with overbank silt/clay and organic clay layers suggesting frequent changes in river course, consistent with rapid post glacial sea-level rise, transgression, high-stand aggradation and differential tectonic uplift. The Dolai is one of several short low-relief synclinal valleys in the fold belt draining northward into the Sylhet Basin (NE part of the GBD) where they meet westward drainage richer in sediment. Rapid aggradation by this cross-drainage may have a damming effect and account for the current lacustrine/marshy conditions characteristic of the northern end of these synclinal valleys. Organic rich beds derived from such conditions could encourage overpressure and raise liquefaction potential. The 1.5 m deep trenches revealed fractures and clastic dykes <15 mm wide that fed the 2017 sand vents. Their orientations were N-S, subparallel to the valley and nearby river-banks and at high angle to the fold axes

Mapping for the masses: using free remote sensing data for disaster management

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Teeuw, R.; McWilliam, N.; Morris, N.; Saunders, C.

2009-04-01

We examine the uses of free satellite imagery and Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for disaster management, targeting three data sources: the United Nations Charter on Space and Disasters, Google Earth and internet-based satellite data archives, such as the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF). The research has assessed SRTM and ASTER DEM data, Landsat TM/ETM+ and ASTER imagery, as well as utilising datasets and basic GIS operations available via Google Earth. As an aid to Disaster Risk Reduction, four sets of maps can be produced from satellite data: (i) Multiple Geohazards: areas prone to slope instability, coastal inundation and fluvial flooding; (ii) Vulnerability: population density, habitation types, land cover types and infrastructure; (iii) Disaster Risk: produced by combining severity scores from (i) and (ii); (iv) Reconstruction: zones of rock/sediment with construction uses; areas of woodland (for fuel/construction) water sources; transport routes; zones suitable for re-settlement. This set of Disaster Risk Reduction maps are ideal for regional (1:50,000 to 1:250,000 scale) planning for in low-income countries: more detailed assessments require relatively expensive high resolution satellite imagery or aerial photography, although Google Earth has a good track record for posting high-res imagery of disaster zones (e.g. the 2008 Burma storm surge). The Disaster Risk maps highlight areas of maximum risk to a region's emergency planners and decision makers, enabling various types of public education and other disaster mitigation measures. The Reconstruction map also helps to save lives, by facilitating disaster recovery. Many problems have been identified. Access to the UN Charter imagery is fine after a disaster, but very difficult if assessing pre-disaster indicators: the data supplied also tends to be pre-processed, when some relief agencies would prefer to have raw data. The limited and expensive internet access in many developing countries limits access to

The Transference of Gender-based Norms in the Law Reform Process: A Reflection on my Work in Thailand

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Y-Vonne Hutchinson

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In 2008, I spent a year as a Rule of Law specialist in Thailand with the International Rescue Committee (IRC, as part of a fellowship program for human rights lawyers. I was assigned the task of facilitating the development of a comprehensive legal code for the refugee camps along the border between Thailand and /Burma. As part of my work, I also sought to increase gender-based protection under the law through the incorporation of Thai and international human rights norms. This paper is a reflection on the processes that occurred during my time at IRC. The reform project approached the transference of contentious international norms for protection of women and girls in two ways: a through the inclusive design of the law reform process and b the establishment of a prohibition on rules that clearly violated international or national law. By forming a representative drafting committee and placing an emphasis on community consultation as a precursor to code finalisation, refugee perspectives, particularly female perspectives, were given scope to inform interpretations of national and international legal standards. By requiring international and national legal compliance and placing an emphasis on explanation and clarification of international and national standards in discussions, the project supported downward transference of international norms to a specific community context. We hoped that, as a product of these two normative flows, the resulting legal code would be a sustainable mechanism for gender-based protection and redress in cases of sexual and gender-based violence. During negotiations, it became evident that the inclusive design of the law reform process had a more positive impact on the success of norms transference than the actual substance of the norm. The norms that were most readily accepted were those introduced by law reform committee members themselves. Local norm translators played a pivotal role in the norms diffusion process

Interseismic Coupling and Seismic Potential along the Indo-Burmese Arc and the Sagaing fault

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Earnest, A.

2017-12-01

The Indo-burmese arc is formed by the oblique subduction of the Indian plate under the Eurasia. This region is a transition zone between the main Himalayan collision belt and the Andaman subduction zone. This obliquity causes strain partitioning which causes separation of a sliver plate, the Burma Plate. Considering the geomorphic, tectonic and geophysical signatures, IBR comprises all the structural features of an active subduction zone, whereas the present day tectonics of this region is perplexing. Ni et al. [1989] and Rao and Kalpana [2005] suggested that the subduction might have stopped in recent times or continues relatively in an aseismic fashion. This is implied by the NNE compressional stress orientations, instead of its downdip direction. The focal mechanism stress inversions show distinct stress fields above and below the 90 km depth. It is widely believed that the partitioning of Indian-Eurasia plate motion along the Indo-buremse arc and the Sagaing fault region the reason for earthquake occurrence in this region. The relative motion of 36mm/yr, between India and Eurasia, is partitioned across the Sagaing fault through a dextral movement of ˜20mm/yr and remaining velocity is accommodated at the Churachandapur-Mao fault (CMF) through dextral motion. The CMF and its surroundings are considered as seismically a low hazard region, an observation made from the absence of significant earthquakes and lack of field evidences. This made Kundu and Gahalaut [2013] to propose that the motion across the CMF happens in an aseismic manner. Recently, based on GPS studies Steckler et al. [2016] suggested that the region is still actively subducting and the presence of a locked megathrust plate boundary depicts the region as highly vulnerable for large magnitude seismic activities. Our study, based on various geodetic solutions and earthquake slip vectors, focus on interseisimic block models for the Indo-burmese arc and Sagaing fault region so as to model the crustal

Malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Heterogeneity and Complexity

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Cui, Liwang; Yan, Guiyun; Sattabongkot, Jetsumon; Cao, Yaming; Chen, Bin; Chen, Xiaoguang; Fan, Qi; Fang, Qiang; Jongwutiwes, Somchai; Parker, Daniel; Sirichaisinthop, Jeeraphat; Kyaw, Myat Phone; Su, Xin-zhuan; Yang, Henglin; Yang, Zhaoqing; Wang, Baomin; Xu, Jianwei; Zheng, Bin; Zhong, Daibin; Zhou, Guofa

2011-01-01

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), comprised of six countries including Cambodia, China's Yunnan Province, Lao PDR, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and Vietnam, is one of the most threatening foci of malaria. Since the initiation of the WHO's Mekong Malaria Program a decade ago, malaria situation in the GMS has greatly improved, reflected in the continuous decline in annual malaria incidence and deaths. However, as many nations are moving towards malaria elimination, the GMS nations still face great challenges. Malaria epidemiology in this region exhibits enormous geographical heterogeneity with Myanmar and Cambodia remaining high-burden countries. Within each country, malaria distribution is also patchy, exemplified by ‘border malaria’ and ‘forest malaria’ with high transmission occurring along international borders and in forests or forest fringes, respectively. ‘Border malaria’ is extremely difficult to monitor, and frequent malaria introductions by migratory human populations constitute a major threat to neighboring, malaria-eliminating countries. Therefore, coordination between neighboring countries is essential for malaria elimination from the entire region. In addition to these operational difficulties, malaria control in the GMS also encounters several technological challenges. Contemporary malaria control measures rely heavily on effective chemotherapy and insecticide control of vector mosquitoes. However, the spread of multidrug resistance and potential emergence of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum make resistance management a high priority in the GMS. This situation is further worsened by the circulation of counterfeit and substandard artemisinin-related drugs. In most endemic areas of the GMS, P. falciparum and P. vivax coexist, and in recent malaria control history, P. vivax has demonstrated remarkable resilience to control measures. Deployment of the only registered drug (primaquine) for the radical cure of vivax malaria is

Partnering with law enforcement to deliver good public health: the experience of the HIV/AIDS Asia regional program

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Sharma Mukta

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract In the South-East Asia region, the drug control and supply reduction agenda is of high political importance. A multitude of law enforcement agencies are engaged in this work. Nationwide campaigns such as the “Strike- Hard” campaign in China or the “war on drugs” in Thailand dominate the landscape. Viet Nam’s response to drug use has historically focused on deterrence through punishment and supply-side measures. This policy environment is further complicated by lack of evidence-based drug dependence treatment in several settings. The public health consequences of this approach have been extremely serious, with some of the highest documented prevalence of preventable blood-borne viral infections, including HIV, and hepatitis B and C. The wider socioeconomic consequences of this have been borne by families, communities and the governments themselves. The HIV/AIDS Asia Regional Program (HAARP aims to stop the spread of HIV associated with drug use in South-East Asia and parts of southern China. HAARP works across five countries (Cambodia, China Burma, Laos, Viet Nam chiefly through the Ministries of Health and Social Affairs, National Drug Control Agencies, and Public Security sectors, including prisons. HAARP has also engaged with UN agencies and a wide range of civil society organisations, including organisations of people who use drugs, to ensure their meaningful involvement in matters that directly affect them. We describe the experience of HAARP in implementing a large-scale harm reduction programme in the Sub-Mekong Region. HAARP chose to direct its efforts in three main areas: supporting an enabling environment for effective harm reduction policies, building core capacity among national health and law enforcement agencies, and supporting “universal access” goals by making effective, high-coverage services available to injecting drug users and their partners. The activities supported by HAARP are humble yet important

Shear wave anisotropy in the Eastern Himalaya, Burmese arc and adjoining regions

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Mangalampally, R. K.; Saikia, D.; Singh, A.; Roy, S.; Panuganti, S. R.; Lyngdoh, A. C.

2017-12-01

This study presents new results of 231 shear wave splitting and 395 "Null" measurements at 58 broadband seismic stations installed in the hitherto less investigated eastern Himalaya, Burmese arc and adjoining regions. The analysis reveals complex patterns of anisotropy, with significant variations in delay times. The fast polarisation directions (FPD) at stations within the Himalaya, Burmese Arc and the foredeep are coherent, parallel to the strike of the orogens. Measurements within the eastern and central Arunachal Himalaya are predominantly "Null''. However, in the western and central parts, these are relatively small, centered at 0.7s. The FPDs follow the trends of major tectonic features like the Main Boundary Thrust and the Main Central Thrust in the central segment of Arunachal Himalaya. In the Burmese arc region, the delay times show a large variability (0.4-2.1s). The Assam foredeep exhibits splitting delays in the range 0.5 to 1.2 s, with the FPDs trending nearly EW to NE. The FPDs parallel to the strike of the mountain belts can be best explained in terms of a coherently deformed lithospheric mantle under the compressional effects ensuing from the collision between India and Asia. Null measurements in regions like the Siang window may be due to a complex anisotropic pattern due to Indian plate interaction with Eurasia and Burma plates, causing different layers of anisotropic fabric with completely different orientations. Another possibility is the coincidence of source polarisation direction with the fast axis, since most of the waveforms analysed are from a narrow back azimuthal range of 100-125°. E-W oriented FPDs may coincide with the backazimuth of the source, resulting in smaller delays. Null measurements in eastern Himalaya may reflect cancellation of anisotropy caused by APM related flow (NE) and compressional effects of the Himalaya (EW). In the Bengal Basin, the Nulls could be due to two different mechanisms, namely, frozen anisotropic fabric

Tectonics of the Qinling (Central China): Tectonostratigraphy, geochronology, and deformation history

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Ratschbacher, L.; Hacker, B.R.; Calvert, A.; Webb, L.E.; Grimmer, J.C.; McWilliams, M.O.; Ireland, T.; Dong, S.; Hu, Jiawen

2003-01-01

The Qinling orogen preserves a record of late mid-Proterozoic to Cenozoic tectonism in central China. High-pressure metamorphism and ophiolite emplacement (Songshugou ophiolite) assembled the Yangtze craton, including the lower Qinling unit, into Rodinia during the ~1.0 Ga Grenvillian orogeny. The lower Qinling unit then rifted from the Yangtze craton at ~0.7 Ga. Subsequent intra-oceanic arc formation at ~470-490 Ma was followed by accretion of the lower Qinling unit first to the intra-oceanic arc and then to the Sino-Korea craton. Subduction then imprinted a ~400 Ma Andean-type magmatic arc onto all units north of the northern Liuling unit. Oblique subduction created Silurian-Devonian WNW-trending, sinistral transpressive wrench zones (e.g., Lo-Nan, Shang-Dan), and Late Permian-Early Triassic subduction reactivated them in dextral transpression (Lo-Nan, Shang-Xiang, Shang-Dan) and subducted the northern edge of the Yangtze craton. Exhumation of the cratonal edge formed the Wudang metamorphic core complex during dominantly pure shear crustal extension at ~230-235 Ma. Post-collisional south-directed shortening continued through the Early Jurassic. Cretaceous reactivation of the Qinling orogen started with NW-SE sinistral transtension, coeval with large-scale Early Cretaceous crustal extension and sinistral transtension in the northern Dabie Shan; it presumably resulted from the combined effects of the Siberia-Mongolia-Sino-Korean and Lhasa-West Burma-Qiangtang-Indochina collisions and Pacific subduction. Regional dextral wrenching was active within a NE-SW extensional regime between ~60 and 100 Ma. An Early Cretaceous Andean-type continental magmatic arc, with widespread Early Cretaceous magmatism and back-arc extension, was overprinted by shortening related to the collision of Yangtze-Indochina Block with the West Philippines Block. Strike-slip and normal faults associated with Eocene half-graben basins record Paleogene NNE-SSW contraction and WNW-ESE extension

Lateral Variations of the Mantle Transition Zone Structure beneath the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau Revealed by P-wave Receiver Functions

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Bai, Y.; Ai, Y.; Jiang, M.; He, Y.; Chen, Q.

2017-12-01

The deep structure of the southeastern Tibetan plateau is of great scientific importance to a better understanding of the India-Eurasia collision as well as the evolution of the magnificent Tibetan plateau. In this study, we collected 566 permanent and temporary seismic stations deployed in SE Tibet, with a total of 77853 high quality P-wave receiver functions been extracted by maximum entropy deconvolution method. On the basis of the Common Conversion Point (CCP) stacking technique, we mapped the topography of the 410km and 660km discontinuities (hereinafter called the `410' and the `660'), and further investigated the lateral variation of the mantle transition zone (MTZ) thickness beneath this region. The background velocity model deduced from H-κ stacking results and a previous body-wave tomographic research was applied for the correction of the crustal and upper mantle heterogeneities beneath SE Tibet for CCP stacking. Our results reveal two significantly thickened MTZ anomalies aligned nearly in the south-north direction. The magnitude of both anomalies are 30km above the global average of 250km. The southern anomaly located beneath the Dianzhong sub-block and the Indo-China block is characterized by a slightly deeper `410' and a greater-than-normal `660', while the northern anomaly beneath western Sichuan has an uplifted `410' and a depressed `660'. Combining with previous studies in the adjacent region, we suggest that slab break-off may occurred during the eastward subduction of the Burma plate, with the lower part of the cold slab penetrated into the MTZ and stagnated at the bottom of the `660' which may cause the southern anomaly in our receiver function images. The origin of the Tengchong volcano is probably connected to the upwelling of the asthenospheric material caused by the slab break-off or to the ascending of the hot and wet material triggered by the dehydration of stagnant slab in the MTZ. The anomaly in the north, on the other hand, might be

New insights on the subsidence of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta Plain by using 2D multichannel seismic data, gravity and flexural modeling, BanglaPIRE Project

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Grall, C.; Pickering, J.; Steckler, M. S.; Spiess, V.; Seeber, L.; Paola, C.; Goodbred, S. L., Jr.; Palamenghi, L.; Schwenk, T.

2015-12-01

Deltas can subside very fast, yet many deltas remain emergent over geologic time. A large sediment input is often enough to compensate for subsidence and rising sea level to keep many deltas at sea level. This implies a balance between subsidence and sedimentation, both of which may, however, be controlled by independent factors such as sediment supply, tectonic loads and sea-level change. We here examine the subsidence of the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD). Located in the NE boundary of the Indian-Eurasian collision zone, the GBD is surrounded by active uplifts (Indo-Burma Fold Belt and the Shillong Massif). The pattern of subsidence from these tectonic loads can strongly vary depending on both loads and lithospheric flexural rigidity, both of which can vary in space and time. Sediment cover changes both the lithostatic pressure and the thermal properties and thus the rigidity of the lithosphere. While sediments are deposited cold, they also insulate the lithosphere, acting as a thermal blanket to increase lower crustal temperatures. These effects are a function of sedimentation rates and may be more important where the lithosphere is thin. At the massive GBD the impact of sedimentation should be considered for properly constraining flexural subsidence. The flexural rigidity of the lithosphere is here modeled by using a yield-stress envelope based on a thermomechanic model that includes geothermal changes associated with sedimentation. Models are constrained by using two different data sets, multichannel seismic data correlated to borehole stratigraphy, and gravity data. This approach allows us to determine the Holocene regional distribution of subsidence from the Hinge Zone to the Bengal Fan and the mass-anomalies associated with the flexural loading. Different end-member scenarios are explored for reproducing the observed land tilting and gravity anomalies. For all scenarios considered, data can be reproduced only if we consider an extremely weak lithosphere and

Between Sunda subduction and Himalayan collision: fertility, people and earthquakes on the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta

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Seeber, L.; Steckler, M. S.; Akhter, S. H.; Goodbred, S. L., Jr.; Gale, J.; McHugh, C. M.; Ferguson, E. K.; Mondal, D. R.; Paola, C.; Reitz, M. D.; Wilson, C.

2014-12-01

A foreland (Ganges) and a suture (Brahmaputra) river, which both drain the Himalaya, have coalesced to form Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta (GBD), the world's largest. The GBD progrades along the continental margin, coupled with an advancing subduction to collision transition, deforming the delta as it grows. A better understanding of this time-transgressive system is urgent now that humans are increasing their forcing of the system and exposure to environmental hazards. Among these, earthquake risk is rapidly growing as people move from rural settings into expanding cities, creating unprecedented exposure. The megathrust 1950 M8.7 earthquake in Assam occurred during the monsoon and released 10x the annual sediment load, causing progradation at the coast and a pulse of river widening that propagated downstream. The 1762 M8.8(?) along the Arakan coast extended into the shelf of the delta where coastal tsunami deposits have been identified recently. These events bracket a segment with no credible historic megathrust earthquakes, but could affect far more people. Geodetic and geologic data along this 300 km boundary facing the GBD show oblique contraction. The subaerial accretionary prism (Burma Ranges) is up to 250 km wide with a blind thrust front that reaches ½ way across the delta. The GPS convergence rate of 14 mm/y is consistent with large displacements and long interseismic times, which can account for lack of historic ruptures, but also the potential for catastrophic events. Active folds and shallow thrust earthquakes point to an additional threat from upper-plate seismicity. Much of the current seismicity is in the lower-plate and reaches as far west as Dhaka; it may pose an immediate threat. The folds, and the uplift and subsidence patterns also influence the courses of the rivers. North of the delta, the Shillong plateau is a huge basement cored anticline bounded by the north-dipping Dauki thrust fault. 7 mm/y of N-S shortening and 5 km of structural relief here

Estimating the global clinical burden of Plasmodium falciparum malaria in 2007.

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Simon I Hay

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The epidemiology of malaria makes surveillance-based methods of estimating its disease burden problematic. Cartographic approaches have provided alternative malaria burden estimates, but there remains widespread misunderstanding about their derivation and fidelity. The aims of this study are to present a new cartographic technique and its application for deriving global clinical burden estimates of Plasmodium falciparum malaria for 2007, and to compare these estimates and their likely precision with those derived under existing surveillance-based approaches.In seven of the 87 countries endemic for P. falciparum malaria, the health reporting infrastructure was deemed sufficiently rigorous for case reports to be used verbatim. In the remaining countries, the mapped extent of unstable and stable P. falciparum malaria transmission was first determined. Estimates of the plausible incidence range of clinical cases were then calculated within the spatial limits of unstable transmission. A modelled relationship between clinical incidence and prevalence was used, together with new maps of P. falciparum malaria endemicity, to estimate incidence in areas of stable transmission, and geostatistical joint simulation was used to quantify uncertainty in these estimates at national, regional, and global scales. Combining these estimates for all areas of transmission risk resulted in 451 million (95% credible interval 349-552 million clinical cases of P. falciparum malaria in 2007. Almost all of this burden of morbidity occurred in areas of stable transmission. More than half of all estimated P. falciparum clinical cases and associated uncertainty occurred in India, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC, and Myanmar (Burma, where 1.405 billion people are at risk. Recent surveillance-based methods of burden estimation were then reviewed and discrepancies in national estimates explored. When these cartographically derived national estimates were ranked

Feature Detection Systems Enhance Satellite Imagery

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

In 1963, during the ninth orbit of the Faith 7 capsule, astronaut Gordon Cooper skipped his nap and took some photos of the Earth below using a Hasselblad camera. The sole flier on the Mercury-Atlas 9 mission, Cooper took 24 photos - never-before-seen images including the Tibetan plateau, the crinkled heights of the Himalayas, and the jagged coast of Burma. From his lofty perch over 100 miles above the Earth, Cooper noted villages, roads, rivers, and even, on occasion, individual houses. In 1965, encouraged by the effectiveness of NASA s orbital photography experiments during the Mercury and subsequent Gemini manned space flight missions, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) director William Pecora put forward a plan for a remote sensing satellite program that would collect information about the planet never before attainable. By 1972, NASA had built and launched Landsat 1, the first in a series of Landsat sensors that have combined to provide the longest continuous collection of space-based Earth imagery. The archived Landsat data - 37 years worth and counting - has provided a vast library of information allowing not only the extensive mapping of Earth s surface but also the study of its environmental changes, from receding glaciers and tropical deforestation to urban growth and crop harvests. Developed and launched by NASA with data collection operated at various times by the Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Earth Observation Satellite Company (EOSAT, a private sector partnership that became Space Imaging Corporation in 1996), and USGS, Landsat sensors have recorded flooding from Hurricane Katrina, the building boom in Dubai, and the extinction of the Aral Sea, offering scientists invaluable insights into the natural and manmade changes that shape the world. Of the seven Landsat sensors launched since 1972, Landsat 5 and Landsat 7 are still operational. Though both are in use well beyond their intended lifespans, the mid

Cross-cultural attitudes toward voluntary sterilization.

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Hong, S

1985-06-01

The degree to which voluntary sterilization (VS) is accepted as a form of fertility control throughout the world was assessed by examining the prevalence and legal status of VS in all countries for which information was available and by examining current religious and traditional attitudes toward VS. Information on VS prevalence for 73 countries indicates that in 28 countries, 10% of all eligible couples rely on VS. In a number of countries, including Korea, New Zealand, Panama, US, and Puerto Rico, 25% or more of all currently married women of reproductive age rely on VS. VS prevalence rates tend to be higher in Asian countries than in African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries. In a number of countries, the average age and family size of VS acceptors is declining. Information on the legal status of VS for 124 countries indicates that 22 countries have laws which permit or encourage VS. These countries contain 13.4% of the world's population. In 54 countries, representing 60% of the world's population, there are no laws restricting VS, and VS is generally assumed to be legal. In 29 countries, representing 14% of world's population, the legal status of VS is unclear. In the remaining 29 countries, sterilization is forbidden except for medical or eugenic reasons. The degree to which these laws actually restrict VS varies from country to country. For example in Indonesia VS is illegal but widely practiced. Although some religious teachings discourage sterilization, the impact of religion on VS varies considerably from country to country. In the Catholic countries of Panama, Dominican Republic, and Philippines the prevalence of VS is high, and in the Catholic countries of Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay the prevalence of VS is low. VS prevalence is generally low in Muslim countries, but high in the Muslim countries of Tunisia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. VS prevalence is high in the Buddhist country of Thailand but low in the Buddhist country of Burma

A preliminary study of international migration of the Chinese people.

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Zhu, G

1994-01-01

within the border of Jinjiang City, and counties in Putian City, in Longxi City, and in Xiamen Prefecture. Guangdong immigrants came from cities, places in the Pearl River Delta area and the Tan River Valley, counties in Xingmei hakka area, and Hainan Island. 90% of immigrants settled in southeast Asia (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Burma, Vietnam, Kampuchea, and Laos), and 8% came to North America and Latin America. Most were men, young, not well educated, and unemployed.

Croissance économique des pays émergents et géographie mondiale des pierres précieuses

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Remy Canavesio

2011-09-01

Full Text Available L’évolution mondiale des activités extractives est de plus en plus dépendante de la demande des pays émergents. Les conséquences de la croissance de ces pays sur les exploitations de pierres précieuses sont complexes car le marché des gemmes a de nombreuses particularités. La demande est étroitement liée aux matrices socioculturelles de chaque pays. Par ailleurs, l’enrichissement des populations a également un impact sur la production de pierres telles que les saphirs ou les rubis. En effet, ces gemmes sont principalement extraites dans des exploitations informelles et cette activité est de moins en moins attractive pour une population dont le niveau de vie s’élève peu à peu. Dans les vastes gisements sri lankais et birmans, l’épuisement de la ressource est une autre menace. Finalement, si la croissance du marché du diamant est assurée par le Canada, la Russie et l’Australie, pour les autres gemmes, l’Afrique de l’Est est devenue le nouvel « Eldorado ». Dans ces pays, les contextes géologiques, économiques, politiques et sociaux sont très favorables au développement des exploitations artisanales de gemmes.Extraction activities evolution is more and more dependent on the increase of demand in the emerging countries. The consequences of this growth on the gemstone mining activities are complex. The gemstone market is very special and the demand depends on the historic and cultural situation of every country. Moreover, for precious stones like rubby and sapphire, the supply coming from this emerging country is also affected by the social and economic changes. As the small scale mining is widely held in this activity, people that are becoming richer are less interested in that kind of job. In Sri Lanka and Burma, the depletion of many deposits is an other challenge. Finally, if new diamonds deposits of Canada, Russia and Australia are supplying the growth of the diamond market, Est Africa looks like the new �

Tin

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Kamilli, Robert J.; Kimball, Bryn E.; Carlin, James F.; Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung,, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C.

2017-12-19

Tin (Sn) is one of the first metals to be used by humans. Almost without exception, tin is used as an alloy. Because of its hardening effect on copper, tin was used in bronze implements as early as 3500 B.C. The major uses of tin today are for cans and containers, construction materials, transportation materials, and solder. The predominant ore mineral of tin, by far, is cassiterite (SnO2).In 2015, the world’s total estimated mine production of tin was 289,000 metric tons of contained tin. Total world reserves at the end of 2016 were estimated to be 4,700,000 metric tons. China held about 24 percent of the world’s tin reserves and accounted for 38 percent of the world’s 2015 production of tin.The proportion of scrap used in tin production is between 10 and 25 percent. Unlike many metals, tin recycling is relatively efficient, and the fraction of tin in discarded products that get recycled is greater than 50 percent.Only about 20 percent of the world’s identified tin resources occur as primary hydrothermal hard-rock veins, or lodes. These lodes contain predominantly high-temperature minerals and almost invariably occur in close association with silicic, peraluminous granites. About 80 percent of the world’s identified tin resources occur as unconsolidated secondary or placer deposits in riverbeds and valleys or on the sea floor. The largest concentration of both onshore and offshore placers is in the extensive tin belt of Southeast Asia, which stretches from China in the north, through Thailand, Burma (also referred to as Myanmar), and Malaysia, to the islands of Indonesia in the south. Furthermore, tin placers are almost always found closely allied to the granites from which they originate. Other countries with significant tin resources are Australia, Bolivia, and Brazil.Most hydrothermal tin deposits belong to what can be thought of as a superclass of porphyry-greisen deposits. The hydrothermal tin deposits are all characterized by a close spatial

A review of the studies on pteropods from the northern Indian Ocean A review of the studies on pteropods of the northern Indian Ocean region with a report on the pteropods of Irrawaddy continental shelf off Myanmar (Burma)

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Panchang, R.; Nigam, R.; Riedel, F.; Janssen, A.W.; Hla, U Ko Yi

budget. Recent evidence, however, has suggested that the majority of the open ocean carbonate exported from the surface layer is remineralized in the upper 500�1000 m, well above the calcite lysocline 13 . Sabine et al. 14 , suggest that significant... was later dated to 13,000 y. BP. Bhattacharjee et al. 65 observed a similar event around Car Nicobar Islands and attributed both these features to reduced dissolution due to increased alkalinity, marking the beginning of deglaciation. In core sections...

Spatial variations of effective elastic thickness of the Lithosphere in the Southeast Asia regions

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Shi, Xiaobin; Kirby, Jon; Yu, Chuanhai; Swain, Chris; Zhao, Junfeng

2016-04-01

Burma block also has a strong lithosphere. To the west of the Indochina Block, there is a significant nearly NS-trending weak zone (Te Malay Peninsula, where lies the suture zones and the Thai-Malay Tin Granite Belt due to convergence and post-collisional magmatism of the Indochina and the Sibumasu blocks. The result shows that the northern Australia is of very high strength with Te > 70 km. The ongoing subduction systems, such as the Sumatra and Java subduction systems show moderate to high Te values. The results also show that the negative gravity anomaly caused by slender thick sediment could affect the Te results derived from Spectral method, and should be corrected during data preparation.

Looking at the roots of the highest mountains: the lithospheric structure of the Himalaya-Tibet and the Zagros orogens. Results from a geophysical-petrological study

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Tunini, L.; Jimenez-Munt, I.; Fernandez, M.; Villasenor, A.; Afonso, J. C.; Verges, J.

2013-12-01

The Himalaya-Tibet and Zagros orogens are the two most prominent mountain belts built by continental collision. They are part of a huge belt of Cenozoic age which runs from the Pyrenees to Burma. In its central sector, the collision with the southern margin of the Eurasian plate has resulted not only in the building of mountain ranges over the north-eastern edges of the Arabian and Indian plates but also in widespread deformation 1000-3000 km from the suture zones. Zagros and Himalaya-Tibet orogens share many geodynamic processes but at different rates, amount of convergence and stage of development. The study of their present-day structures provides new insights into their quasi coeval collisional event pointing out differences and similarities in the mountain building processes. We present 2D crust and upper mantle cross-sections down to 400 km depth, along four SW-NE trending profiles. Two profiles cross the Zagros Mountains, running from the Mesopotamian Foreland Basin up to the Alborz and Central Iran. Two other profiles run through the Himalaya-Tibetan orogen: the western transect crosses the western Himalaya, Tarim Basin, Tian Shan Mountains and Junggar Basin; the eastern transect runs from the Indian shield to the Beishan Basin, crossing the eastern Himalaya, Tibetan Plateau, Qaidam Basin and Qilian Mountains. We apply the LitMod-2D code which integrates potential fields (gravity and geoid), isostasy (elevation) and thermal (heat flow and temperature distribution) equations, and mantle petrology. The resulting crust and upper mantle structure is constrained by available data on elevation, Bouguer anomaly, geoid height, surface heat flow and seismic data including P- and S-wave tomography models. Our results show distinct deformation patterns between the crust and the lithospheric mantle beneath the Zagros and Himalaya-Tibetan orogens, indicating a strong strain partitioning in both areas. At crustal level, we found a thickening beneath the Zagros and the

The diversity of mud volcanoes in the landscape of Azerbaijan

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Rashidov, Tofig

2014-05-01

As the natural phenomenon the mud volcanism (mud volcanoes) of Azerbaijan are known from the ancient times. The historical records describing them are since V century. More detail study of this natural phenomenon had started in the second half of XIX century. The term "mud volcano" (or "mud hill") had been given by academician H.W. Abich (1863), more exactly defining this natural phenomenon. All the previous definitions did not give such clear and capacious explanation of it. In comparison with magmatic volcanoes, globally the mud ones are restricted in distribution; they mainly locate within the Alpine-Himalayan, Pacific and Central Asian mobile belts, in more than 30 countries (Columbia, Trinidad Island, Italy, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Burma, Malaysia, etc.). Besides it, the zones of mud volcanoes development are corresponded to zones of marine accretionary prisms' development. For example, the South-Caspian depression, Barbados Island, Cascadia (N.America), Costa-Rica, Panama, Japan trench. Onshore it is Indonesia, Japan, and Trinidad, Taiwan. The mud volcanism with non-accretionary conditions includes the areas of Black Sea, Alboran Sea, the Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana coast), Salton Sea. But new investigations reveal more new mud volcanoes and in places which were not considered earlier as the traditional places of mud volcanoes development (e.g. West Nile Rive delta). Azerbaijan is the classic region of mud volcanoes development. From over 800 world mud volcanoes there are about 400 onshore and within the South-Caspian basin, which includes the territory of East Azerbaijan (the regions of Shemakha-Gobustan and Low-Kura River, Absheron peninsula), adjacent water area of South Caspian (Baku and Absheron archipelagoes) and SW Turkmenistan and represents an area of great downwarping with thick (over 25 km) sedimentary series. Generally, in the modern relief the mud volcanoes represent more or less large uplifts

Family planning program: world review 1974. Introduction.

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Watson, W B; Lapham, R J

1975-08-01

The 1974 Population Conference at Bucharest was marked with controversy between developed and developing countries, with the latter strongly critical of aid for population control but less for social and economic development. The Plan of Action which was finally approved emphasized the importance of social and economic factors in relation to population growth while recommending that couples in all nations should have access to family planning information. Different regions of the world, however, have widely divergent population policies and goals. The Asia-Pacific region of the developing world, which has 3/4 of the population of the developing world, has articulated a strong stance in favor of reducing birth rates at Post-Bucharest Consultation. Government-supported family planning programs are seen as a high priority item to reduce rapid population growth. Rapid population growth is not seen as a high-priority problem in most African, Arab, and Latin American countries. Population problems will be solved with economic and social advancement. There is more concern in Latin America for family planning as a "human right" issue than to promote demographic goals. Latin America was also concerned with migration/urbanization issues. All of the Regional Consultations after Bucharest favored a greater emphasis on population in development planning, concern for the problems caused by migration and urbanization, improvement in the status of women, and support for the reduction of mortality levels. Some 74 countries containing 93% of the population of the developing world, supported family planning, with only 4 populous countries -- Burma, Ethiopia, Peru, and North Korea not in support. More than 98% of the population of Asia lives in countries which support family planning; the figures are 94% for Latin America, 90% for the Middle East and North Africa and 64% for Sub-Saharan Africa. The governments of 39 countries with a combined population of 2.3 billion have stated that

February 2012 workshop jumpstarts the Mekong Fish Monitoring Network

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Matthew E.; Ainsley, Shaara M.

2012-01-01

The Mekong River in Southeast Asia travels through a basin rich in natural resources. The river originates on the northern slope of the world's tallest mountains, the Himalaya Range, and then drops elevation quickly through steep mountain gorges, tumbling out of China into Myanmar (Burma) and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The precipitous terrain of Lao PDR and Thailand generates interest in the river and its tributaries for hydropower development. The terrain, soils, water, and climate make it one of the world's most biologically rich regions. The Mekong's bounty is again on display in the Mekong River Delta, where rice production has successfully been increased to high levels making Vietnam second only to Thailand as the world's largest rice exporters. At least 800 fish species contribute to the natural resource bounty of the Mekong River and are the basis for one of the world's most productive fisheries that provide the primary protein source to more than 50 million people. Against this backdrop of rich natural resources, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is working with the consulting firm FISHBIO, colleagues from the international Delta Research and Global Observation Network (DRAGON) Institute, and a broad contingent of Southeast Asian representatives and partners from abroad to increase knowledge of the Mekong River fisheries and to develop the capacity of permanent residents to investigate and understand these fisheries resources. With the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) region facing the likelihood of significant environmental changes as a result of both human activities and global climate change, enhancing environmental understanding is critical. To encourage cooperation among the LMB scientists and managers in the study of the Mekong River's fisheries, FISHBIO and the USGS, with generous support from the U.S. State Department, hosted a workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in February 2012. Workshop participants were from Lao PDR, Thailand

An assessment of vulnerability to HIV infection of boatmen in Teknaf, Bangladesh

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Saha Nirod

2008-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Mobile population groups are at high risk for contracting HIV infection. Many factors contribute to this risk including high prevalence of risky behavior and increased risk of violence due to conflict and war. The Naf River serves as the primary border crossing point between Teknaf, Bangladesh and Mynamar [Burma] for both official and unofficial travel of people and goods. Little is known about the risk behavior of boatmen who travel back and forth between Teknaf and Myanmar. However, we hypothesize that boatmen may act as a bridging population for HIV/AIDS between the high-prevalence country of Myanmar and the low-prevalence country of Bangladesh. Methods Methods included initial rapport building with community members, mapping of boatmen communities, and in-depth qualitative interviews with key informants and members from other vulnerable groups such as spouses of boatmen, commercial female sex workers, and injecting drug users. Information from the first three stages was used to create a cross-sectional survey that was administered to 433 boatmen. Results Over 40% of the boatmen had visited Myanmar during the course of their work. 17% of these boatmen had sex with CSW while abroad. There was a significant correlation found between the number of nights spent in Myanmar and sex with commercial sex workers. In the past year, 19% of all boatmen surveyed had sex with another man. 14% of boatmen had participated in group sex, with groups ranging in size from three to fourteen people. Condom use was rare {0 to 4.7% during the last month}, irrespective of types of sex partners. Regression analysis showed that boatmen who were 25 years and older were statistically less likely to have sexual intercourse with non- marital female partners in the last year compared to the boatmen aged less than 25 years. Similarly deep-sea fishing boatmen and non-fishing boatmen were statistically less likely to have sexual intercourse with non

Paired Magmatic-Metallogenic Belts in Myanmar - an Andean Analogue?

Science.gov (United States)

Gardiner, Nicholas; Robb, Laurence; Searle, Michael; Morley, Christopher

2015-04-01

Myanmar (Burma) is richly endowed in precious and base metals, having one of the most diverse collections of natural resources in SE Asia. Its geological history is dominated by the staged closing of Tethys and the suturing of Gondwana-derived continental fragments onto the South China craton during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. The country is located at a crucial geologic juncture where the main convergent Tethyan collision zone swings south around the Namche Barwa Eastern Himalayan syntaxis. However, despite recent work, the geological and geodynamic history of Myanmar remains enigmatic. Plate margin processes, magmatism, metasomatism and the genesis of mineral deposits are intricately linked, and there has long been recognized a relationship between the distribution of certain mineral deposit types, and the tectonic settings which favour their genesis. A better knowledge of the regional tectonic evolution of a potential exploration jurisdiction is therefore crucial to understanding its minerals prospectivity. This strong association between tectonics and mineralization can equally be applied in reverse. By mapping out the spatial, and temporal, distribution of presumed co-genetic mineral deposits, coupled with an understanding of their collective metallogenetic origin, a better appreciation of the tectonic evolution of a terrane may be elucidated. Identification and categorization of metallotects within a geodynamically-evolving terrane thus provides a complimentary tool to other methodologies (e.g. geochemical, geochronological, structural, geophysical, stratigraphical), for determining the tectonic history and inferred geodynamic setting of that terrane through time. Myanmar is one such study area where this approach can be undertaken. Here are found two near-parallel magmatic belts, which together contain a significant proportion of that country's mineral wealth of tin, tungsten, copper, gold and silver. Although only a few 100 km's apart, these belts exhibit a

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Redactie KITLV

2008-12-01

. Translated and annotated by Felicia Brichoux (Nicole Revel Joos van Vugt, José Eijt, Marjet Derks (eds; Tempo doeloe, tempo sekarang; Het proces van Indonesianisering in Nederlandse orden en congregaties (Karel Steenbrink Nancy Eberhardt; Imagining the course of life; Self-transformation in a Shan Buddhist community (Nicholas Tapp J.C. Smelik, C.M. Hogenstijn, W.J.M. Janssen; A.J. Duymaer van Twist; Gouverneur-Generaal van Nederlands-Indi? (1851-1856 (Gerard Termorshuizen David Steinberg; Turmoil in Burma; Contested legitimacies in Myanmar (Sean Turnell Carl A. Trocki; Singapore; Wealth, power and the culture of control (Bryan S. Turner Matthew Isaac Cohen; The Komedie Stamboel; Popular theatre in colonial Indonesia, 1891-1903 (Holger Warnk Jörgen Hellman; Ritual fasting on West Java (Robert Wessing Waruno Mahdi; Malay words and Malay things; Lexical souvenirs from an exotic archipelago in German publications before 1700 (Edwin Wieringa RECENT PUBLICATIONS Russell Jones, C.D. Grijns, J.W. de Vries, M. Siegers (eds; Loan-words in Indonesian and Malay VERHANDELINGEN 249 Peter Carey: The power of prophecy. Prince Dipanagara and the end of an old order in Java, 1785-1855

Developing an Erosion Rate Map for Myanmar Using USLE, GIS and Remote Sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Emtehani, Sobhan; Rutten, Martine

2017-04-01

factor; and the satellite images from Landsat 8 were used for calculation of C factor. Due to lack of spatial distributed data, the P factor was set to 1. This procedure provides a good estimate of erosion rates, but certainly field verification is required. This methodology can be used in regions where there is low density of weather stations. It can be used by policy makers to identify the areas with high risk of erosion and to mitigate the erosion effects. Htwe, T. N. (2016). Changes of traditional farming systems and their effects on land degradation and socio-economic conditions in the Inle Lake region, Myanmar, Kassel, Univ., Diss., 2015. Htwe, T. N., et al. (2015). "Spatio-temporal assessment of soil erosion risk in different agricultural zones of the Inle Lake region, southern Shan State, Myanmar." Environmental monitoring and assessment 187(10): 1-14. Mann, Z. (2013). "River Bank Erosion Forces Hundreds of Families to Relocate." from http://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/first-japanese-newspaper-becomes-available-in-rangoon.html.

Tomography and Dynamics of Western-Pacific Subduction Zones

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, D.

2012-01-01

the Japan Sea and the East Asia margin may be related to a metastable olivine wedge in the subducting Pacific slab. The Pacific slab becomes stagnant in the mantle transition zone under East Asia, and a big mantle wedge (BMW) has formed above the stagnant slab. Convective circulations and fluid and magmatic processes in the BMW may have caused intraplate volcanism (e.g., Changbai and Wudalianchi), reactivation of the North China craton, large earthquakes, and other active tectonics in East Asia. Deep subduction and dehydration of continental plates (such as the Eurasian plate, Indian plate and Burma microplate) are also found, which have caused intraplate magmatism (e.g., Tengchong) and geothermal anomalies above the subducted continental plates. Under Kamchatka, the subducting Pacific slab shortens toward the north and terminates near the Aleutian-Kamchatka junction. The slab loss was induced by friction with the surrounding asthenosphere, as the Pacific plate rotated clockwise 30 Ma ago, and then it was enlarged by the slab-edge pinch-off by the asthenospheric flow. The stagnant slab finally collapses down to the bottom of the mantle, which may trigger upwelling of hot mantle materials from the lower mantle to the shallow mantle. Suggestions are also made for future directions of the seismological research of subduction zones.

Book Reviews

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Raymond L. Bryant

1999-04-01

Analyse der Yupno in Papua New Guinea. Berlin: Reimer, 1993, xiii + 246 pp. - Nico Kaptein, Masykuri Abdillah, Responses of Indonesian Muslim intellectuals to the concept of democracy (1966-1993. Hamburg: Abera, 1997, iv + 304 pp. - Niels Mulder, Ivan A. Hadar, Bildung in Indonesia; Krise und kontinuitat; Das Beispiel Pesantren. Frankfurt: IKO-Verlag fur Interkulturelle Kommunikation, 1999, 207 pp. - Niels Mulder, Jim Schiller, Imagining Indonesia: Cultural politics and political culture. Athens: Ohio University, 1997, xxiii + 351 pp. [Monographs in International Studies, Southeast Asia Series 97.], Barbara Martin-Schiller (eds. - J.W. Nibbering, Raymond L. Bryant, The political ecology of forestry in Burma 1824-1994. London: Hurst, 1997, xiii + 257 pp. - Hetty Nooy-Palm, Douglas W. Hollan, Contentment and suffering; Culture and experience in Toraja. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994, xiii + 276 pp., Jane C. Wellenkamp (eds. - Anton Ploeg, Bill Gammage, The sky travellers; Journeys in New Guinea, 1938-1939. Carlton South, Victoria: Melbourne University Press, 1998. x + 292 pp. - Anton Ploeg, Jurg Wassmann, Pacific answers to Western hegemony; Cultural practices of identity construction. Oxford: Berg, 1998, vii + 449 pp. - John Villiers, Abdul Kohar Rony, Bibliography; The Portugese in Southeast Asia: Malacca, Moluccas, East Timor. Hamburg: Abera Verlag, 1997, 138 pp. [Abera Bibliographies 1.], Ieda Siqueira Wiarda (eds. - Lourens de Vries, Ulrike Mosel, Saliba. Munchen/Newcastle: Lincom Europa, 1994, 48 pp. [Languages of the World/Materials 31.

The 2004 Sumatra Earthquake Mw 9.3: Seismological and Geophysical Investigations in the Andaman-Nicobar Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Mooney, W. D.; Kayal, J.

2007-05-01

The December 26, 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (MW 9.3) is the fourth largest event (M>9.0) in the world during the last 100 years. It occurred by thrust faulting on the interplate thrust zone of the subducting India plate and overriding Burma platelet. The main shock rupture, ~1300 km long and ~200 km wide, propagated from north of Sumatra to Andaman - Nicobar Islands; the slow rupture generated Tsunami which killed about 300,000 people. The epicenter of the earthquake is located at 3.90N and 94.260E with a focal depth at 28 km (USGS). This mega seismic event triggered giant tsunamis that devastated the coastal regions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives and even the east coast of Africa. The impact of the tsunami was quite severe in India, in the coasts of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Air-base in the Car- Nicobar island was totally devastated by the tsunami and killed about 200 people. Macroseismic survey was carried out by different teams of GSI in North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Havelock Hut Bay and also in the Nicobar Islands. A maximum intensity VIII was recorded in the Andaman Islands. The mega thrust event was followed by an intense aftershock activity spreading over an area extending between 30-140N along the Andaman - Nicobar - Sumatra Island arc region. The aftershocks are distributed northwards from the epicenter of the main shock suggesting a unilateral rupture propagation. The aftershock (M >4.5) area covers a length of about 1300 km and a width of about 200 km, in a 'banana' shape. The national network (IMD) recorded almost all aftershocks M >5.0; about 350 were recorded till 31.01.2005. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) deployed six temporary seismograph stations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and also in Havelok and Narkunda (volcanic) islands. About 20,000 aftershocks (M >3.0) were recorded until end of March, 2005. About 1000 aftershocks (M >3.0) located by the GSI network until January 31, 2005

Dissolved inorganic carbon, alkalinity, temperature, salinity and other variables collected from discrete sample and profile observations using CTD, bottle and other instruments from the KNORR, MAURICE EWING and others in the Andaman Sea or Burma Sea, Arabian Sea and others from 1983-10-10 to 1998-10-20 (NODC Accession 0115689)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — NODC Accession 0115689 includes chemical, discrete sample, physical and profile data collected from KNORR, MAURICE EWING, METEOR, NATHANIEL B. PALMER and THOMAS G....

Book Reviews

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Redactie KITLV

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Chris Ballard, Paula Brown, R. Michael Bourke, Tracy Harwood (eds; The sweet potato in Oceania; A reappraisal (Peter Boomgaard Caroline Hughes; The political economy of Cambodia’s transition, 1991-2001 (Han Ten Brummelhuis Richard Robison, Vedi Hadiz; Reorganising power in Indonesia; The politics of oligarchy in an age of markets (Marleen Dieleman Michael W. Charney; Southeast Asian warfare, 1300-1900 (Hans Hägerdal Daniel Perret, Amara Srisuchat, Sombun Thanasuk (eds; Études sur l´histoire du sultanat de Patani (Mary Somers Heidhues Joel Robbins; Becoming sinners; Christianity and moral torment in a Papua New Guinea society (Menno Hekker Mujiburrahman; Feeling threatened; Muslim-Christian relations in Indonesia’s New Order (Gerry van Klinken Marie-Odette Scalliet; De Collectie-Galestin in de Leidse Universiteitsbibliotheek (Dick van der Meij James Neil Sneddon; Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian (Don van Minde James Leach; Creative land; Place and procreation on the Rai coast of Papua New Guinea (Dianne van Oosterhout Stanley J. Ulijaszek (ed.; Population, reproduction and fertility in Melanesia (Dianne van Oosterhout Angela Hobart; Healing performances of Bali; Between darkness and light (Nathan Porath Leo Suryadinata (ed.; Admiral Zheng He and Southeast Asia (Roderich Ptak Ruth Barnes; Ostindonesien im 20. Jahrhundert; Auf den Spuren der Sammlung Ernst Vatter (Reimar Schefold Marie-Antoinette Willemsen; Een missionarisleven in brieven; Willem van Bekkum, Indië 1936-1998 (Karel Steenbrink Marie-Antoinette Willemsen; Een pionier op Flores; Jilis Verheijen (1908-1997, missionaris en onderzoeker (Karel Steenbrink Akitoshi Shimizu, Jan van Bremen (eds; Wartime Japanese anthropology in Asia and the Pacific (Fridus Steijlen Lilie Roosman; Phonetic experiments on the word and sentence prosody of Betawi Malay and Toba Batak (Uri Tadmor Jamie D. Saul; The Naga of Burma; Their festivals, customs

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Roxana Waterson

1993-01-01

fashioning of Leviathan: The beginnings of British rule in Burma, edited by Gehan Wijeyewardene. Canberra: Occasional paper of the department of Anthropology, Research school of Pacific studies, The Australian National University, 1991, ii+178 p. - Joke van Reenen, Wim van Zanten, Across the boundaries: Women’s perspectives; Papers read at the symposium in honour of Els Postel-Coster. Leiden: VENA, 1991. - Reimar Schefold, Roxana Waterson, The living house; An anthropology of architecture in South-East Asia. Singapore: Oxford University Press, 1990, xx + 263 pp. - Gunter Senft, Jürg Wassmann, The song to the flying fox. Translated by Dennis Q. Stephenson. Apwitihiri:L Studies in Papua New Guinea musics, 2. Cultural studies division, Boroko: The National Research Institute , 1991, xxi + 313 pp. - A. Teeuw, Thomas John Hudak, The indigenization of Pali meters in Thai poetry. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Center for International studies, Monographs in international studies, Southeast Asia series number 87, 1990, x + 237 pp. - A. Teeuw, George Quinn, The novel in Javanese: Aspects of its social and literary character. Leiden: KITLV press, (VKI 148, 1992, ix + 330 pp. - Gerard Termorshuizen, Evert-Jan Hoogerwerf, Persgeschiedenis van Indonesië tot 1942. Geannoteerde bibliografie. Leiden: KITLV Uitgeverij, 1990, xv + 249 pp. - A. Veldhuisen-Djajasoebrata, Daniele C. Geirnaert, The AÉDTA batik collection. Paris, 1989, p. 81, diagrams and colour ill., Sold out. (Paris Avenue de Breteuil, 75007., Rens Heringa (eds.

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Redactie KITLV

2005-01-01

Universiteit Leiden. Leiden: Opleiding Talen en Culturen van Zuidoost-Azië en Oceanië, Universiteit Leiden, 2002, xviii + 328 pp. [Semaian 22.], Willem van der Molen (eds -Dick van der Meij, Renato Rosaldo, Cultural citizenship in island Southeast Asia; Nation and belonging in the hinterlands. Berkeley CA: University of California Press, 2003, x + 228 pp. -Lisa Migo, Sjoerd R. Jaarsma, Handle with care; Ownership and control of ethnographic materials. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2002, x + 264 pp. [ASAO monograph series 20.] -Jonathan H. Ping, Priyambudi Sulistiyanto, Thailand, Indonesia and Burma in comparative perspective. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2002, xiv + 308 pp. [The international political economy of new regionalisms series.] -Anthony L. Smith, Amitav Acharya, Constructing a security community in Southeast Asia; ASEAN and the problem of regional order. London: Routledge, 2001, xx + 234 pp. -Achmad Sunjayadi, Elsbeth Locher-Scholten ,Hof en handel; Aziatische vorsten en de VOC 1620-1720. Leiden: KITLV Uitgeverij, 2004, x + 350 pp. [Verhandelingen 223.], Peter Rietbergen (eds -Gerard Termorshuizen, Marieke Bloembergen, De koloniale vertoning; Nederland en Indië op de wereldtentoonstellingen (1880-1931. Amsterdam: Wereld-bibliotheek, 2002, 463 pp.''Koloniale inspiratie; Frankrijk, Nederland, Indië en de wereldtentoonstellingen 1883-1931. Leiden: KITLV Uitgeverij, 2004, 256 pp. -Jojanneke van der Toorn, Philip Taylor, Goddess on the rise; Pilgrimage and popular religion in Vietnam. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004, x + 332 pp. -Holger Warnk, Azyumardi Azra, The origins of Islamic reformism in Southeast Asia; Networks of Malay-Indonesian and Middle Eastern 'ulama' in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Leiden: KITLV Press, 2004, ix + 253 pp. -Robert Wessing, Gregory Forth, Beneath the volcano; Religion, cosmology and spirit classification among the Nage of eastern Indonesia. Leiden: KITLV Press, 1998, xi + 369 pp. [Verhandelingen 117.] -Edwin

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Heather Sutherland

2000-10-01

Vogel (eds. - David Henley, Robert W. Hefner, Market cultures; Society and morality in the new Asian capitalisms. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998, viii + 328 pp. - David Henley, James F. Warren, The Sulu zone; The world capitalist economy and the historical imagination. Amsterdam: VU University Press for the Centre for Asian Studies, Amsterdam (CASA, 1998, 71 pp. [Comparative Asian Studies 20.] - Huub de Jonge, Laurence Husson, La migration maduraise vers l’Est de Java; ‘Manger le vent ou gratter la terre’? Paris: L’Harmattan/Association Archipel, 1995, 414 pp. [Cahier d’Archipel 26.] - Nico Kaptein, Mark R. Woodward, Toward a new paradigm; Recent developments in Indonesian Islamic thought. Tempe: Arizona State University, Program for Southeast Asian Studies, 1996, x + 380 pp. - Catharina van Klinken, Gunter Senft, Referring to space; Studies in Austronesian and Papuan languages. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997, xi + 324 pp. - W. Mahdi, J.G. de Casparis, Sanskrit loan-words in Indonesian; An annotated check-list of words from Sanskrit in Indonesian and Traditional Malay. Jakarta: Badan Penyelenggara Seri NUSA, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya, 1997, viii + 59 pp. [NUSA Linguistic Studies of Indonesian and Other Languages in Indonesia 41.] - Henk Maier, David Smyth, The canon in Southeast Asian literatures; Literatures of Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Richmond: Curzon, 2000, x + 273 pp. - Toon van Meijl, Robert J. Foster, Social reproduction and history in Melanesia; Mortuary ritual, gift exchange, and custom in the Tanga islands. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, xxii + 288 pp. - J.A. de Moor, Douglas Kammen, A tour of duty; Changing patterns of military politics in Indonesia in the 1990’s. Ithaca, New York: Southeast Asia Program, Cornell University, 1999, 98 pp., Siddharth Chandra (eds. - Joke van Reenen, Audrey Kahin, Rebellion to integration; West Sumatra and the Indonesian

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Redactie KITLV

1994-01-01

Full Text Available - Peter Boomgaard, Nancy Lee Peluso, Rich Forests, Poor people; Resource control and resistance in Java. Berkeley, etc.: University of California Press, 1992, 321 pp. - N. A. Bootsma, H.W. Brands, Bound to empire; The United States and the Philippines. New York, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992, 356 pp. - Martin van Bruinessen, Jan Schmidt, Through the Legation Window, 1876-1926; Four essays on Dutch, Dutch-Indian and Ottoman history. Istanbul: Nederlands Historisch-Archaeologisch Instituut, 1992, 250 pp. - Freek Colombijn, Manuelle Franck, Quand la rizière recontre l ásphalte; Semis urbain et processus d úrbanisation à Java-est. Paris: École des hautes études en sciences sociales (Études insulindiennes: Archipel 10, 1993, 282 pp. Maps, tables, graphs, bibliography. - Kees Groeneboer, G.M.J.M. Koolen, Een seer bequaem middel; Onderwijs en Kerk onder de 17e eeuwse VOC. Kampen: Kok, 1993, xiii + 287 pp. - R. Hagesteijn, Janice Stargardt, The Ancient Pyu of Burma; Volume I: Early Pyu cities in a man-made landscape. Cambridge: PACSEA, Singapore: ISEAS, 1991. - Barbara Harrisson, Rolf B. Roth, Die ‘Heiligen Töpfe der Ngadju-Dayak (Zentral-Kalimantan, Indonesien; Eine Untersuchung über die rezeption von importkeramik bei einer altindonesischen Ethnie. Bonn (Mundus reihe ethnologie band 51, 1992, xv + 492 pp. - Ernst Heins, Raymond Firth, Tikopia songs; Poetic and musical art of a Polynesian people of the Solomon Islands. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge studies in oral and literate culture no. 20, 1990, 307 pp., Mervyn McLean (eds. - Ernst Heins, R. Anderson Sutton, Traditions of gamelan music in Java; Musical pluralism and regional identity.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge studies in ethnomusicology, 1991, 291 pp., glossary, biblio- and discography, photographs, tables, music. - H.A.J. Klooster, Jaap Vogel, De opkomst van het indocentrische geschiedbeeld; Leven en werken van B.J.O. Schrieke en J.C. van

Gas Strategy of China: Developing competition between national production and imports

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornot-Gandolphe, Sylvie

2014-10-01

The Chinese gas market is facing four key challenges and the government is elaborating responses which will have implications for the Chinese and world energy markets: - Enabling the development of gas demand in order to fight against the issue of air pollution which is particularly strong in the big coast cities of the East and South-East of the country. This means replacing coal and oil by cleaner energy sources, including natural gas for which demand is booming. In such a young market, everything needs to be put in place: from the construction of LNG terminals to the sale and installation of gas stoves. The price of gas needs to be competitive for the market to develop. - Securing supplies: As national production is struggling to follow the rise in demand and as shale gas - of which China owns the second largest reserves in the world - is still a distant dream, this country is more and more reliant on imports. For evident energy security reasons, China diversifies its supplies at the maximum level and develops new energy partnerships. Four importing routes are favoured: LNG transported by ships, the West axis with Central Asia, the South axis with Burma and the new North-East axis with Russia. These imports, which amounted to 53 bcm in 2013, may triple by 2020. Even though China managed to negotiate a favourable price with Russia and its LNG importing price is lower than the one of Japan - thanks to its first LNG importing contracts signed in the early 2000 - imports are expensive, in particular for a country used to producing or importing coal at a very low cost. Up to now, the price at which gas is sold could not cover the import price and this system is not sustainable. - Developing national production: Despite important gas reserves - in particular for unconventional gas (shale gas, tight gas, CBM) - production in China is still not much developed in comparison with its potential and the growth opportunities are significant. Making the best of this potential

PHAMIT: A program on hiv/aids prevention among migrant workers

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Thongphit Pinyosinwat

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Prevention of HIV/AIDS Among Migrant Workers in Thailand – or “PHAMIT,” which in Thai means “friendly skies”.  The program led by the Raks Thai Foundation with seven NGO partners and one government agency focuses on HIV prevention and health services for migrant workers from Burma and Cambodia in the fisheries, seafood and related industries.  The program demonstrates the complexity of working with undocumented migrant workers and the need to address barriers to the access to health services, migrant rights and policy. The trained migrant health assistants play a significant role in implementation of the program at migrant communities and their workplaces.  Migrant health volunteers distribute information, education and communication materials, as well as condoms.  To increase migrant access to health and reproductive health care, all participating partners support the Department of Health Service Supports in organizing migrant-friendly health services at government health facilities.  These activities include sexual transmitted disease diagnosis and treatment, and voluntary HIV counseling and testing.  The services are based on the rights of migrant workers to basic services and migrants becoming aware of their rights and responsibilities. Over a five year period beginning in October 2003, the program has reached 442,000 migrants and more than 20,800 entertainment workers with information about HIV and reproductive health. A total of 6,878,500 condoms has been distributed.  In addition, over 155,080 migrant workers received information on health and labor rights, including regular updates about migrant registration policy. At the same time, through PHAMIT activities, over 13,330 government officials, employers and journalists attended sensitization workshops on issues of migrants’ rights and policies.Le programme PHAMIT (Prevention of HIV/AIDS Among Migrant Workers in Thailand, qui signifie « cieux amicaux » en thaï, est

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C. Salmon

1987-10-01

Full Text Available - G.W.J. Drewes, Taufik Abdullah, Islam and society in Southeast Asia, Institute of Southeast Asian studies, Singapore, 1986, XII and 348 pp., Sharon Siddique (eds. - Th. van den End, T.Valentino Sitoy, A history of Christianity in the Philippines. The initial encounter , Vol. I, Quezon City (Philippines: New day publishers, 1985. - R. Hagesteijn, David G. Marr, Southeast Asia in the 9th to 14th centuries, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian studies and the research school of Pacific studies of the Australian National University, 1986, 416 pp., A.C. Milner (eds. - R. Hagesteijn, Constance M. Wilson, The Burma-Thai frontier over sixteen decades - Three descriptive documents, Ohio University monographs in international studies, Southeast Asia series No. 70, 1985,120 pp., Lucien M. Hanks (eds. - Barbara Harrisson, John S. Guy, Oriental trade ceramics in South-east Asia, ninth to sixteenth century, Oxford University Press, Singapore, 1986. [Revised, updated version of an exhibition catalogue issued in Australia in 1980, in the enlarged format of the Oxford in Asia studies of ceramic series.] 161 pp. with figs. and maps, 197 catalogue ills., numerous thereof in colour, extensive bibliography, chronol. tables, glossary, index. - V.J.H. Houben, G.D. Larson, Prelude to revolution. Palaces and politics in Surakarta, 1912-1942. VKI 124, Dordrecht/Providence: Foris publications 1987. - Marijke J. Klokke, Stephanie Morgan, Aesthetic tradition and cultural transition in Java and Bali. University of Wisconsin, Center for Southeast Asian studies, Monograph 2, 1984., Laurie Jo Sears (eds. - Liaw Yock Fang, Mohamad Jajuli, The undang-undang; A mid-eighteenth century law text, Center for South-East Asian studies, University of Kent at Canterbury, Occasional paper No. 6, 1986, VIII + 104 + 16 pp. - S.D.G. de Lima, A.B. Adam, The vernacular press and the emergence of modern Indonesian consciousness (1855-1913, unpublished Ph. D. thesis, School of