Involuntary Resettlement Outcomes of Myitsone, Upper Paunglaung and Tha Htay Hydropower Projects: A comparative study in Myanmar

Myitsone, Upper Paunglaung (UPL) and Tha Htay (TH) Hydropower projects have been significant drivers of involuntary resettlement in Myanmar. Despite differences in project charac- teristics such as type, size, location, and policy implications, the focus of this study is to assess col- lective outcomes of resettlement efforts initiated by project proponents. The findings indicate that providing monetary compensation alone did not adequately meet the livelihood needs and long- term sustainability of resettled populations. The deficiency in long-term livelihood planning, the absence of income restoration strategies, and a lack of funding for local development initiatives have placed considerable stress on the resettled families. The study highlights that the number of em- ployed family individuals and their average income levels have decreased after resettlement. This has led to greater reliance on nearby forests and casual employment opportunities. Hence, it under- scores the significance of giving priority to a blend of strategies involving land substitution and non- land-based solutions in future planning and execution of resettlement programs

An Efficient Federated Learning Framework for Training Semantic Communication System

Semantic communication has emerged as a pillar forthe next generation of communication systems due to its capabilities in alleviating data redundancy. Most semantic communication systems are built upon advanced deep learning models whosetraining performance heavily relies on data availability. Existingstudies often make unrealistic assumptions of a readily accessibledata source, where in practice, data is mainly created on the clientside. Due to privacy and security concerns, the transmission ofdata is restricted, which is necessary for conventional centralizedtraining schemes. To address this challenge, we explore semanticcommunication in a federated learning (FL) setting that utilizesclient data without leaking privacy. Additionally, we designour system to tackle the communication overhead by reducingthe quantity of information delivered in each global round.In this way, we can save significant bandwidth for resourcelimited devices and reduce overall network traffic. Finally, weintroduce a mechanism to aggregate the global model fromclients, called FedLol. Extensive simulation results demonstratethe effectiveness of our proposed technique compared to baselinemethods

Whole-genome sequencing of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from Myanmar.

Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a major health threat in Myanmar. An initial study was conducted to explore the potential utility of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for the diagnosis and management of drug-resistant TB in Myanmar. Fourteen multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were sequenced. Known resistance genes for a total of nine antibiotics commonly used in the treatment of drug-susceptible and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Myanmar were interrogated through WGS. All 14 isolates were MDR-TB, consistent with the results of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST), and the Beijing lineage predominated. Based on the results of WGS, 9 of the 14 isolates were potentially resistant to at least one of the drugs used in the standard MDR-TB regimen but for which phenotypic DST is not conducted in Myanmar. This study highlights a need for the introduction of second-line DST as part of routine TB diagnosis in Myanmar as well as new classes of TB drugs to construct effective regimens.Professor Sandy Smith Memorial ScholarshipThis is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier via https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jgar.2016.04.00

Observational study of adult respiratory infections in primary care clinics in Myanmar: understanding the burden of melioidosis, tuberculosis and other infections not covered by empirical treatment regimes.

BACKGROUND: Lower respiratory infections constitute a major disease burden worldwide. Treatment is usually empiric and targeted towards typical bacterial pathogens. Understanding the prevalence of pathogens not covered by empirical treatment is important to improve diagnostic and treatment algorithms. METHODS: A prospective observational study in peri-urban communities of Yangon, Myanmar was conducted between July 2018 and April 2019. Sputum specimens of 299 adults presenting with fever and productive cough were tested for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (microscopy and GeneXpert MTB/RIF [Mycobacterium tuberculosis/resistance to rifampicin]) and Burkholderia pseudomallei (Active Melioidosis Detect Lateral Flow Assay and culture). Nasopharyngeal swabs underwent respiratory virus (influenza A, B, respiratory syncytial virus) polymerase chain reaction testing. RESULTS: Among 299 patients, 32% (95% confidence interval [CI] 26 to 37) were diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), including 9 rifampicin-resistant cases. TB patients presented with a longer duration of fever (median 14 d) and productive cough (median 30 d) than non-TB patients (median fever duration 6 d, cough 7 d). One case of melioidosis pneumonia was detected by rapid test and confirmed by culture. Respiratory viruses were detected in 16% (95% CI 12 to 21) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: TB was very common in this population, suggesting that microscopy and GeneXpert MTB/RIF on all sputum samples should be routinely included in diagnostic algorithms for fever and cough. Melioidosis was uncommon in this population

Malaria incidence in Myanmar 2005–2014: steady but fragile progress towards elimination

Abstract Background There has been an impressive recent reduction in the global incidence of malaria, but the development of artemisinin resistance in the Greater Mekong Region threatens this progress. Increasing artemisinin resistance is particularly important in Myanmar, as it is the country in the Greater Mekong Region with the greatest malaria burden. If malaria is to be eliminated in the region, it is essential to define the spatial and temporal epidemiology of the disease in Myanmar to inform control strategies optimally. Results Between the years 2005 and 2014 there was an 81.1 % decline in the reported annual incidence of malaria in Myanmar (1341.8 cases per 100,000 population to 253.3 cases per 100,000 population). In the same period, there was a 93.5 % decline in reported annual mortality from malaria (3.79 deaths per 100,000 population to 0.25 deaths per 100,000 population) and a 87.2 % decline in the proportion of hospitalizations due to malaria (7.8 to 1.0 %). Chin State had the highest reported malaria incidence and mortality at the end of the study period, although socio-economic and geographical factors appear a more likely explanation for this finding than artemisinin resistance. The reduced malaria burden coincided with significant upscaling of disease control measures by the national government with support from international partners. These programmes included the training and deployment of over 40,000 community health care workers, the coverage of over 60 % of the at-risk population with insecticide-treated bed nets and significant efforts to improve access to artemesinin-based combination treatment. Beyond these malaria-specific programmes, increased general investment in the health sector, changing population demographics and deforestation are also likely to have contributed to the decline in malaria incidence seen over this time. Conclusions There has been a dramatic fall in the burden of malaria in Myanmar since 2005. However, with the rise of artemisinin resistance, continued political, financial and scientific commitment is required if the ambitious goal of malaria elimination in the country is to be realized

Fortifying or fragmenting the state? The political economy of the drug trade in Shan State, Myanmar, 1988-2012

Over the past twenty-five years, the government of Myanmar (Burma) has consolidated control over large parts of Shan State, neutralizing much of the threat posed by armed groups and strengthening its hold over revenue extraction. During this period Myanmar has retained its position as the world's second largest producer of illicit opium, much of which is converted into heroin within the country's borders. This article explores the relationship between state-building processes and the illicit opium/heroin economy in Shan State since 1988. The author has four aims. First, to reassess the theoretical assumptions that equate illicit economies with state fragility and demonstrate instead why illicit drug economies can become embedded in processes of conflict reduction and state consolidation. Second, to explain why establishing control over Shan State has become so important to the Myanmar government's state-building ambitions. Third, to analyze how the state's engagement with the drug trade has become a vital part of its attempts to consolidate control, in terms of financing military expansion and brokering deals with strongmen who are able to govern local populations. Finally, to assess how these strategies embody a form of “negotiated statehood” in which the state's growing control has been defined by attempts to manage, rather than monopolize, the means of coercion and extraction

Myanmar’s Planned Resettlement and Social Impact: An Empirical Case Study

This paper explores the planned resettlement process and the social impact induced by the Tha Htay Hydropower Project in Myanmar. Through the empirical case study, the status of direct impact on the resettled people, changes in their livelihood, policy orientation towards practical limitations, practical consequences of resettlement, and inadequate preparation for resettlement implementation were studied as verifiable evidence. In this paper, the survey data were compiled from the responses of resettled people from three resettled villages: Maewa, Payit and Yegauk, which were interpreted as the real condition of the project-affected people because a higher degree of their dissatisfaction negatively affected the project, whereas a higher degree of satisfaction led to positive effects. In this paper, a quantitative method was used to analyze the planned resettlement and its social impact. As a survey descriptive design, a simple random sampling method was utilized to collect samples from the target population with a contribution of structured questionnaires. The collected data were presented by mean and standard deviation to decide the real situation of the resettlement project. The study found that details of social impact were considered to carry out when the construction of the hydropower project began. Then, the policy constraint in the resettlement process was verified, which led to the insufficient preparation and implementation of the resettlement. To meet the future development requirements of the planned resettlement process with fewer social impacts on hydropower development projects, practical contributions and policy recommendations are made for the compensation of farmland, where the people’s livelihoods are land-based, and additional livelihood packages

An extensively drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolate from Myanmar

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) including multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa has emerged as one of the serious public health threats across the globe. Southeast Asia is a ‘hot spot’ of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, including MDR P. aeruginosa. Despite Myanmar being located in Southeast Asia and suffering from a high infectious disease burden, data on MDR and XDR P. aeruginosa from Myanmar are limited. In this communication, we report the draft genome of an XDR P. aeruginosa isolate, MMXDRPA001, that was identified during a routine diagnosis in Myanmar. Methods: An MMXDRPA001 isolate colonising a hospitalised patient was characterised by antibiotic resistance profiling following standard methods and whole-genome sequencing using an Illumina MiSeq platform. The generated reads were de novo assembled using SPAdes (v.3.9.1). Annotation was performed by Prokka (v.1.14.0). Sequence type, antimicrobial resistance and virulence-related genes were predicted from the sequence. The phylogenetic relationships of all P. aeruginosa isolates were determined using core genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) analysis utilising Snippy (v.4.6.0) and Gubbins (v.2.3.4). Results: P. aeruginosa MMXDRPA001 was resistant to most antipseudomonal β-lactams, aminoglycosides and quinolones. The assembly comprised 145 contigs totalling 6 808 493 bases of sequence and a total of 6183 coding sequences. The isolate belonged to sequence type (ST) 235, contained carbapenemase-encoding gene blaIMP-1 and was clonally related to a previously reported isolate from Thailand. Conclusion: The identification of an international high-risk clone of ST235 XDR isolate in Myanmar, genomically relating to that from a neighbouring country underscores the need for coordinated AMR surveillance throughout healthcare settings in Myanmar and in the Southeast Asia region