Improving Rice Production Efficiency in Myanmar by Controlling for Environmental Production Factors

Rice is the dominant crop in Myanmar and central to the agricultural economy. To increase rice productivity, farmers’ production performance is vital. This requires adjusting the availability of physical production inputs in response to environmental conditions. Very few studies have focused on the effects of relevant environmental conditions in Myanmar, including the impact of weather shocks during the rice production. This study aimed to the improve rice production based on the present performance of rice farmers, while controlling the impact of adverse environmental conditions. Information on rice production was extracted randomly from in-depth interviews with rice farmers in the Ayeyarwady Delta region. The Cobb-Douglas stochastic production frontier function was applied to examine the effects of the underestimated environmental factors. Erratic rainfall and excessive temperature during early growth stage have a significant negative impact on monsoon rice productivity. During the 2018-2019 monsoon cropping season, different levels of yield loss due to weather shock negatively affected rice farmers’ production efficiency. Controlling the environmental conditions improved technical efficiency from 88% to 93%. Based on these findings, policy makers and stakeholders should invest in climate services development, thus enhancing farmers’ understanding of weather variability and upscaling the use of local climate adaptation strategies in accordance with the Myanmar Climate Smart Agriculture Strategy

STAT4 deficiency reduces obesity-induced insulin resistance and adipose tissue inflammation

Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 4 is one of the seven members of the STAT family. STAT4 has a prominent role in mediating interleukin-12-induced T-helper cell type 1 lineage differentiation. T cells are key players in the maintenance of adipose tissue (AT) inflammation. The role of STAT4 in obesity and AT inflammation is unknown. We sought to determine the role of STAT4 in AT inflammation in obesity-induced insulin resistance. We studied STAT4-null mice on the C57Bl6/J background. We have found that STAT4(-/-)C57Bl6/J mice develop high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) similar to wild-type controls, but that they have significantly improved insulin sensitivity and better glucose tolerance. Using flow cytometry and real-time PCR, we show that STAT4(-/-) mice with DIO produce significantly reduced numbers of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in adipocytes, have reduced numbers of CD8(+) cells, and display increased alternative (M2) macrophage polarization. CD8(+) cells, but not CD4(+) cells, from STAT4(-/-) mice displayed reduced in vitro migration. Also, we found that adipocyte inflammation is reduced and insulin signaling is improved in STAT4(-/-) mice with DIO. We have identified STAT4 as a key contributor to insulin resistance and AT inflammation in DIO. Targeting STAT4 activation could be a novel approach to reducing AT inflammation and insulin resistance in obesity

Late prehistoric and early historic chronology of Myanmar: a four-millennia sequence from Halin

Myanmar is located within an important geographic corridor of prehistoric demographic and technological exchange, yet relatively few archaeological sites have been securely dated. Here, the authors present a new radiocarbon chronology for Halin, a UNESCO-listed complex in the north-central Sagaing Division of Myanmar, which contributes to the generation of nuanced regional chronologies and to improving the temporal resolution of Southeast Asia more generally. Discussion of 94 radiocarbon determinates, together with site stratigraphy and pottery traditions, provides a chronological sequence from the early third millennium BC to the early second millennium AD. Corroboration of the beginning of this sequence would place Halin as the oldest currently dated Neolithic site in Mainland Southeast Asia and would provide support for the two-layer model of Neolithic migration

Purification of Reversibly Oxidized Proteins (PROP) Reveals a Redox Switch Controlling p38 MAP Kinase Activity

Oxidation of cysteine residues of proteins is emerging as an important means of regulation of signal transduction, particularly of protein kinase function. Tools to detect and quantify cysteine oxidation of proteins have been a limiting factor in understanding the role of cysteine oxidation in signal transduction. As an example, the p38 MAP kinase is activated by several stress-related stimuli that are often accompanied by in vitro generation of hydrogen peroxide. We noted that hydrogen peroxide inhibited p38 activity despite paradoxically increasing the activating phosphorylation of p38. To address the possibility that cysteine oxidation may provide a negative regulatory effect on p38 activity, we developed a biochemical assay to detect reversible cysteine oxidation in intact cells. This procedure, PROP, demonstrated in vivo oxidation of p38 in response to hydrogen peroxide and also to the natural inflammatory lipid prostaglandin J2. Mutagenesis of the potential target cysteines showed that oxidation occurred preferentially on residues near the surface of the p38 molecule. Cysteine oxidation thus controls a functional redox switch regulating the intensity or duration of p38 activity that would not be revealed by immunodetection of phosphoprotein commonly interpreted as reflective of p38 activity

Adoption Constraints for Soil Conservation Practices in Kyaukpadaung and Chaung U Townships, Dry Zone Region of Myanmar

Soil degradation problems in central dry zone (CDZ) of Myanmar are getting worse. If no proper soil conservation practices are practiced and enough measures are taken out the farmers have to leave their land. The problems are to be solved urgently and the farmers are very much in need for help. Vast majority of farmers in central dry zone of Myanmar are facing land degradation related poor productivity problems. Major causes of soil degradation are water erosion in the slops, continuous mono-cropping patterns for long term, converting Yar land into low land by pump irrigation projects, use of underground water for long time, and wind erosion in the study area. Furthermore, the salinization and/or alkalinization problems occur because of scarce rain and high evaporation. The study aims to understanding the constraints for adoption of soil conservation practices in the study area and to find out the constraints for adoption of soil conservation management. 65 respondents from Kain were, Kyauk Tagar, Medee and Kataw villages were selected in Kyaukpadaung Townhsip and 40 respondents from Taw Kyaung Gyi, Than Pin Kan, New Khway and Khin Mon village were selected in Chaung U Township for the study. About 29 percent of land were observed as degradated land. Water erosion shared 49 percent of total land degradation and which is followed by 18.3 percent of manmade problems or malpractices in farming, 15.1 percent of wind erosion, and 14 percent of salinity problem because of high temperature and scare rain. Among soil conservation practices, contouring and construction of stone wall were the most costly practices but the cost can be spread over several years that if is worth investing. Crop loss due to land degradation were estimated and it is assumed as the benefit of soil conservation, which means if the soil conservation practices are adopted the farmer will achieve the average yield from their farm. Amount of crop loss per acre ranges from 44-67 % in Kyaukpadaung Township and 29-70 % in Chaung U Township. The most binding constraints for adoption of soil conservation practices was not enough capital (65%) and followed by technological limitation problem by 16%. Therefore, the government should consider the aid or subsidy program for soil conservation and should strengthen knowledge extension program on soil conservation

Newborn With Enlarged Erythematous Mass on Back: Case Report and Review of Medical Literature

Newborn skin nodules are usually benign and self-resolving skin condition. Differential diagnosis of such lesions include cysts, hemangioma, abscess, cellulitis, sclerema neonatorum, subcutaneous fat necrosis, neurofibromatosis, benign tumors, or malignant tumors such as rhabdomyosarcoma, infantile fibrosarcoma, or neuroblastoma. We report a case of congenital subcutaneous fat necrosis in a 7-day-old baby presenting with multiple erythematous mass on back

The natural oxidant prostaglandin J2 induces oxidation of p38 and inhibits activity.

<p>Panel A. HeLa cells in 35 mm wells were treated with 100 µM prostaglandin J2 (PGJ2) for 1 hr or 10 mM H₂O₂ for 30 min as indicated. Some wells were treated 20 min prior to harvesting with hyperosmotic sorbitol to activate p38. Whole cell lysates (top) showed phosphorylation of p38 by both oxidants (lanes 3–6) and by osmotic shock alone (lane 2). In vitro kinase activity was detected (middle) only in the wells osmotically shocked with sorbitol, and activation by sorbitol was completely inhibited by H₂O₂ (lane 3, <b>p = 0.0004</b>) and partially inhibited by PGJ2 (lane 5, <b>p = 0.004</b>). Expression of p38 was equivalent in all samples (bottom). The figure is representative of five independent experiments. Panel B. PROP analysis of the lysates made for the experiment in Panel A (top) showed oxidation of p38 induced by both PGJ2 (lanes 4 and 5) and H₂O₂ (lanes 3 and 6) irrespective of osmotic shock. The degree of oxidation detected correlated with the degree to which p38 activity was inhibited, in Panel A. Expression of p38 was unchanged in all samples (bottom). The figure is representative of four independent experiments.</p

Oxidation by H₂O₂ inhibits p38 kinase activity in intact cells.

<p>HeLa cells were seeded in 6-well plates. At 30 min prior to harvesting, the indicated wells were treated with 10 mM H₂O₂ and 10 min later, the indicated wells were treated with hyperosmotic 0.4 M sorbitol to activate p38. PROP pulled down oxidized p38 only after H₂O₂ treatment (lanes 3 and 4). Both sorbitol and H₂O₂ induced phosphorylation of endogenous p38 (lanes 2,3,4). However, while endogenous phosphorylated ATF-2, an in-vivo substrate of p38, was seen after activation of p38 with hyperosmotic sorbitol (lane 2) phosphorylation of ATF-2 was absent in cells treated with both hyperosmotic sorbitol and H₂O₂. Thus, in vivo activity of p38 (indicated by phosphorylation of the p38 substrate, ATF-2) did not correlate with the conventional measure of p38 activity, i.e. phosphorylation of p38. The amount of endogenous p38 following any treatment (bottom panel) was unchanged. The figure is representative of two independent experiments.</p