Young key affected population in Myanmar: are there any challenges in seeking information and care for HIV/sexually transmitted infections and reproductive health? [version 2; referees: 2 approved]

Background: Unmet needs and barriers in seeking HIV/STI and RH information and care are present especially among young key affected population (YKAP). Therefore, the study was conducted to determine the health seeking behaviors of YKAP regarding HIV/STI and RH, and challenges in seeking health information and care. Methods: A cross-sectional, mixed-methods study was conducted at two large cities in Myanmar. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with YKAP aged 15-24 years. In-depth interviews and key informant interviews were done with YKAP and health care providers. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were done for quantitative data and thematic analysis was applied for qualitative data. Results: A total of 119 young men who have sex with men (YMSM) and 123 young female sex workers (YFSW) included in the study. Mean age of YMSM and YFSW were 20.9±2.4 and 21.7±2.2 years. Over 30% of YMSM and 49.3% of YFSW had experience of any STI symptom. Particularly, 17% of YMSM and 10% of YFSW had genital ulcer, and majority sought health care at NGO clinics. About 37% of YMSM and 40% of YFSW visited Drop-in-center (DIC) within one to six months. Over 13% of YMSM and 14.6% of YFSW had challenges in seeking HIV/STI and RH information.  YMSM/YFSW type and age of YMSM were associated with visit to DIC. Lesser proportions of Tha-nge (43.5%), younger age YMSM (66.7%), brothel-based YFSW (47.9%) visited DIC than others (p<0.05). Challenges and unmet needs expressed by YKAP were reluctance in asking health information, worry for future fertility, consequences of anal sex and contraception. Challenges expressed by providers were limited time during outreach service and difficulty in reaching entertainment-based sex workers. Conclusions: Special attention in provision of health information should be paid to YKAP since there is a considerable proportion of YKAP with unmet need in seeking HIV/STI/RH information and care

An Information Security System Based on Optimized Pixel Mapping Method

In the field of communication system and internet, the information security is playing a crucial role. At the present time, communication through Internet is becoming popular and it should be accurate and secure. To make it reality, cryptography is very useful tool to protect the content of confidential data in many research areas. Another one, steganography is also commonly used to hide the existence of data into cover media known as text, image, audio and video. In this work, it is considered that the two most popular techniques (Cryptography and Steganography) should be combined to develop the strong and robust security system. At first, confidentiality and message authentication requirements are fulfilled with the help of Byte-Rotation Encryption Algorithm (BREA) and Secure Hash Algorithm-512(SHA-512). On the other hand, a new data hiding approach based on the optimization of Pixel Mapping Method (OPMM) also provides the system the higher embedding capacity with minimum degradation of stego image quality. To analyze the performance of the proposed OPMM, the comparison is also presented in terms of embedding capacity and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) values

Correlates of male involvement in maternal and newborn health: a cross-sectional study of men in a peri-urban region of Myanmar

Background: Evidence suggests that increasing male involvement in maternal and newborn health (MNH) may improve MNH outcomes. However, male involvement is difficult to measure, and further research is necessary to understand the barriers and enablers for men to engage in MNH, and to define target groups for interventions. Using data from a peri-urban township in Myanmar, this study aimed to construct appropriate indicators of male involvement in MNH, and assess sociodemographic, knowledge and attitude correlates of involvement. Methods: A cross-sectional study of married men with one or more children aged up to one year was conducted in 2012. Structured questionnaires measured participants’ involvement in MNH, and their sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and attitudes. An ordinal measure of male involvement was constructed describing the subject’s participation across five areas of MNH, giving a score of 1–4. Proportional-odds regression models were developed to determine correlates of male involvement. Results: A total of 210 men participated in the survey, of which 203 provided complete data. Most men reported involvement level scores of either 2 or 3 (64 %), with 13 % reporting the highest level (score of 4). Involvement in MNH was positively associated with wives’ level of education (AOR = 3.4; 95 % CI: 1.9-6.2; p \u3c 0.001) and men’s level of knowledge of MNH (AOR = 1.2; 95 % CI: 1.1-1.3; p \u3c 0.001), and negatively correlated with number of children (AOR = 0.78; 95 % CI: 0.63-0.95; p = 0.016). Conclusions: These findings can inform the design of programs aiming to increase male involvement, for example by targeting less educated couples and addressing their knowledge of MNH. The composite index proved a useful summary measure of involvement; however, it may have masked differential determinants of the summed indicators. There is a need for greater understanding of the influence of gender attitudes on male involvement in Myanmar and more robust indicators that capture these gender dynamics for use both in Myanmar and globally

Enhancement of Cluster-based Routing Protocol with Parameters Consideration in Wireless Sensor Network

A wireless sensor network (WSN) consists of large number of battery operated sensor nodes which are generally deployed in different environments. These sensor nodes have limited energy to sense, process and transmit information. Therefore, there is a need to design an energy efficient routing protocol to extend the lifetime of a WSN. Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH) protocols are considered to optimize the energy consumption. In this paper, a cluster based routing protocol called Enhancement of Cluster-based Routing Protocol with Parameter Consideration (ECRP-PC) is proposed, in which an assistant Cluster Head called Vice Cluster Head (VCH) is introduced in addition to Cluster Head (CH).  In a cluster, the node with the highest residual energy among all nodes is selected as the CH, and the node with second highest residual energy is selected by the CH as the VCH when the cluster head distance is longer than the specified distance. VCH will serve as a backup node of the CH. The selected VCH will be in a sleep mode as long as the energy of CH is above a threshold, and it will become active when the energy of CH is below a threshold. According to the results, the proposed ECRP-PC protocol is able to increase the average lifetime of nodes up to 56% compared to the original LEACH

Utilization of full postnatal care services among rural Myanmar women and its determinants: a cross-sectional study [version 1; referees: 2 approved]

Background: Mothers and their newborns are vulnerable to threats to their health and survival during the postnatal period. Full postnatal care (PNC) uptake decreases maternal deaths and is also essential for first 1,000 days of newborn’s life, but PNC usage is usually inadequate in rural areas. Little is known about the full PNC utilization among rural Myanmar women. This study, therefore, aimed to study the situation of the utilization of full PNC and examine its determinants. Methods: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in selected villages of the Magway Region, Myanmar. A total of 500 married women who had children aged under 2 years were selected using multistage cluster sampling and interviewed with semi-structured questionnaires. The determinants of full PNC usage were identified by generalized estimating equation (GEE) under a logistic regression framework. Results: Among 500 rural women, around a quarter (25.20%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 21.58-29.21%) utilized full PNC. Multivariable analysis revealed that factors associated with full PNC usage included mothers attaining educational level of secondary or higher (adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 2.16; 95% CI, 1.18-3.94), belonging to higher income level (AOR, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.11-3.68), having male involvement (AOR, 2.19; 95% CI, 1.02-4.69), being of low birth order (i.e. the first birth) (AOR, 3.26; 95% CI, 1.80-5.91), and having awareness of postnatal danger signs (AOR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.15-3.83). Moreover, the presence of misconceptions on postnatal practice was identified as a strong barrier to adequate PNC usage (AOR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.04-0.36). Conclusion: Most of the rural women practiced inadequate PNC in Myanmar. Maternal healthcare services at rural areas should be intensively promoted, particularly among women who had high birth order (greater number of births). Health education regarding perinatal misconceptions and danger signs, and benefits of full PNC services usage should be emphasized and urgently extended

COVID-19 vaccine booster hesitancy among the elderly in Malaysian residential care homes: a cross-sectional study in Klang Valley

The elderly are considered a high-risk group for severe outcomes and death from COVID-19 infection. Given the emergence of new COVID variants and the immunity provided by vaccines waning over time, booster doses of the vaccine have been advocated for those at risk to stay protected. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with hesitancy toward the second booster of the COVID-19 vaccine among the elderly residing in residential care homes. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 24 residential care homes in the Klang Valley using a face-to-face interview questionnaire. The study population included individuals aged 60 and above who had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 up to the first booster dose. Second-booster hesitancy was assessed using the Oxford Vaccine Hesitancy Scale with seven items, the aggregate score of which ranges from seven to thirty-five; the higher the score, the greater the level of hesitancy. Multivariate linear regression was employed to determine factors associated with second-booster hesitancy, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data from 401 elderly individuals were included for analysis. The mean score of the Oxford Vaccine Hesitancy Scale was 21.6 ± 7.2. Predictors of second booster hesitancy were identified. Age, Indian ethnicity, being a recipient of the Sinovac vaccine as the first COVID-19 booster, experiencing the death of close friends or immediate family members following COVID-19 vaccination, and negative messages (indicating that taking a booster dose is harmful) from caregivers, friends, or family members were found to be associated with an increased second-booster-hesitancy score. Conversely, positive messages (indicating that taking a booster is helpful) from the government and caregivers, friends, or family members were identified as predictors associated with a reduction in the second-booster-hesitancy score. While vaccines effectively combat severe COVID-19, the majority of the elderly hesitate before taking the second booster. Their hesitancy, rooted in the perception of a low self risk and reliance on protection from the initial doses, emphasizes the need for intervention by relevant bodies. Taking into consideration the risk, albeit relatively low, of potentially serious side effects following COVID-19 vaccinations, it is imperative that transparent, appropriate, and positive messaging regarding booster vaccines, particularly in the context of the elderly from residential care homes, be available. Encouraging this high-risk group to embrace the second booster aligns with the goal of maximizing protection within the vulnerable elderly population

Long-term outcomes of second-line antiretroviral treatment in an adult and adolescent cohort in Myanmar.

BACKGROUND: Myanmar has a high burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and second-line antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been available since 2008 in the public health sector. However, there have been no published data about the outcomes of such patients until now. OBJECTIVE: To assess the treatment and programmatic outcomes and factors associated with unfavorable outcomes (treatment failure, death and loss to follow-up from care) among people living with HIV (aged ≥ 10 years) receiving protease inhibitor-based second-line ART under the Integrated HIV Care Program in Myanmar between October 2008 and June 2015. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using routinely collected program data. RESULTS: Of 824 adults and adolescents on second-line ART, 52 patients received viral load testing and 19 patients were diagnosed with virological failure. However, their treatment was not modified. At the end of a total follow-up duration of 7 years, 88 (11%) patients died, 35 (4%) were lost to follow-up, 21 (2%) were transferred out to other health facilities and 680 (83%) were still under care. The incidence rate of unfavorable outcomes was 7.9 patients per 100 person years follow-up. Patients with a history of injecting drug use, with a history of lost to follow-up, with a higher baseline viral load and who had received didanosine and abacavir had a higher risk of unfavorable outcomes. Patients with higher baseline C4 counts, those having taken first-line ART at a private clinic, receiving ART at decentralized sites and taking zidovudine and lamivudine had a lower risk of unfavorable outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term outcomes of patients on second-line ART were relatively good in this cohort. Virological failure was relatively low, possibly because of lack of viral load testing. No patient who failed on second-line ART was switched to third-line treatment. The National HIV/AIDS Program should consider making routine viral load monitoring and third-line ART drugs available after a careful cost-benefit analysis

School and community driven dengue vector control and monitoring in Myanmar : study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

DATA AVAILABILITY : No data are associated with this article.BACKGROUND : Dengue is the most common and widespread mosquito-borne arboviral disease globally estimated to cause >390 million infections and >20,000 deaths annually. There are no effective preventive drugs and the newly introduced vaccines are not yet available. Control of dengue transmission still relies primarily on mosquito vector control. Although most vector control methods currently used by national dengue control programs may temporarily reduce mosquito populations, there is little evidence that they affect transmission. There is an urgent need for innovative, participatory, effective, and locally adapted approaches for sustainable vector control and monitoring in which students can be particularly relevant contributors and to demonstrate a clear link between vector reduction and dengue transmission reduction, using tools that are inexpensive and easy to use by local communities in a sustainable manner. METHODS : Here we describe a cluster randomized controlled trial to be conducted in 46 school catchment areas in two townships in Yangon, Myanmar. The outcome measures are dengue cases confirmed by rapid diagnostic test in the townships, dengue incidence in schools, entomological indices, knowledge, attitudes and practice, behavior, and engagement. CONCLUSIONS : The trial involves middle school students that positions them to become actors in dengue knowledge transfer to their communities and take a leadership role in the delivery of vector control interventions and monitoring methods. Following this rationale, we believe that students can become change agents of decentralized vector surveillance and sustainable disease control in line with recent new paradigms in integrated and participatory vector surveillance and control. This provides an opportunity to operationalize transdisciplinary research towards sustainable health development. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability in Myanmar the project has been terminated by the donor, but the protocol will be helpful for potential future implementation of the project in Myanmar and/or elsewhere. REGISTRATION : This trial was registered in the ISRCTN Registry on 31 May 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN78254298).This work was supported by Wellcome [Grant number 220211]; The Research Council of Norway (RCN, GLOBVAC project no. 285188); the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the Malaria Consortium. The funding bodies did not have any role in project design or in the writing of the manuscript. Trial sponsor is the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright license to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Wellcome Trust; The Research Council of Norway; the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and the Malaria Consortium.https://wellcomeopenresearch.orgam2024Medical VirologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Animation in powerpoint for presentation of digital logic circuits

Logic circuit/Function is the most fundamental and crucial part in Electronic Engineering. Either for educators or learners, they have to start up from basic logic gates. Only with strong foundation, understanding of more advanced theories can be achieved. In the context of contemporary society, the rubrics of teaching and learning have evolved. In the early days before the digital revolution, the fundamental way of how people communicate was through speeches and writing of letters. There was simply no visual tools to aid the perpetuation of knowledge in schools. The advent of Microsoft PowerPoint in the age of Digital Revolution is the key essence that has enkindled and changed the way information can be presented to audience. Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful visual aid tool, and with its inception into a knowledge-based economy of the 21st century, it has elevated our communication lives both at school and work. Teaching on logic circuits have been shifted from white board to PowerPoint slide presentation. One of the visual aid in PowerPoint is having animation feature. The animation tool is versatile- a user can include images and colours that align with the topic of discussion These animation features are comprehensive, with different fonts available to choose from, Clipart with a myriad of cartoons and images, and even a spelling check to correct one’s grammatical errors. However, there is an absence of a specific element that can cater to the presentation of logic circuits. This project is developed to overcome the limitation. Application Add-In for the design of logic circuits is developed and included into the features of Microsoft PowerPoint toolbar. This will increase efficiency for educators and learners, facilitating and enhancing their learning process of logic circuits and their functions.Bachelor of Engineerin

Characterization Ni/Ag Thin Films

Thin films of silver sulfide (Ag2S) have been chemically deposited from an alkaline bath, using sodium thiosulphate as a sulphur source, onto glass and metal substrates (Ni) by a simple and economical electroless chemical deposition technique. Their structural, optical and electrical properties have been studied. X- ray studies of the films showed that the as-prepared films of Ag2S were a mixture of both amorphous and polycrystalline phases, while Ag2S/ Ni films were found to be polycrystalline. Annealing of the films of Ag2S and Ag2S/ Ni at 200 ºC for 3 h led to further crystallization. The films contained a random distribution of small crystallites and at annealing temperature 200°C show the over-growth of particles on the smooth film surface. The optical band gap of the Ag2S thin films was evaluated from the analysis of the absorption spectra and estimated to be between 2.2 eV- 2.4 eV. Rise and decay of photoconductivity was studied at room temperature. The sheet resistance was 106 Ω/ square and electrical resistivity is of the order of 102-103 Ω cm, determined by Van der Pauw four- point probe method. Sheet carrier density, hall mobility can be determined from Hall Effect measurement. Variation of magnetoresistance and Hall voltage measurement was determined