Human movement patterns of farmers and forest workers from the Thailand-Myanmar border

Background: Human travel patterns play an important role in infectious disease epidemiology and ecology. Movement into geographic spaces with high transmission can lead to increased risk of acquiring infections. Pathogens can also be distributed across the landscape via human travel. Most fine scale studies of human travel patterns have been done in urban settings in wealthy nations. Research into human travel patterns in rural areas of low- and middle-income nations are useful for understanding the human components of epidemiological systems for malaria or other diseases of the rural poor. The goal of this research was to assess the feasibility of using GPS loggers to empirically measure human travel patterns in this setting, as well as to quantify differing travel patterns by age, gender, and seasonality. Methods: In this pilot study we recruited 50 rural villagers from along the Myanmar-Thailand border to carry GPS loggers for the duration of a year. The GPS loggers were programmed to take a time-stamped reading every 30 minutes. We calculated daily movement ranges and multi-day trips by age and gender. We incorporated remote sensing data to assess patterns of days and nights spent in forested or farm areas, also by age and gender. Results: Our study showed that it is feasible to use GPS devices to measure travel patterns, though we had difficulty recruiting women and management of the project was relatively intensive. We found that older adults traveled farther distances than younger adults and adult males spent more nights in farms or forests. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that further work along these lines would be feasible in this region. Furthermore, the results from this study are useful for individual-based models of disease transmission and land use

Size, composition and thermal induced band gap changing of nanostructured semiconductors

A nanostructure semiconductor can be divided into three groups such as group-IV from elemental, III-V and II-VI from compound materials. The band gap energy changes effectively if a function of temperature changes because the crystal lattice expansion and the inter-atomic bonds are weakened. A weaker bond means it only needs less energy to break the bond and take the electron in the conduction band. Temperature is one of the key elements in parameter settings to learn analysis of thermal activated process such as liquidation, evaporation, phase transition and crystal growth. In a four-parameter expression model, other fitting parameters involve such as fractional exponent, coefficient of thermal expansion, phonon temperature, debye temperature and degree of phonon dispersion ratio. Degree of phonon dispersion ratio can be divided into three categories like large dispersion, small dispersion and intermediate dispersion. A large dispersion is for Varshni’s formula model and a small dispersion is for Bose-Einstein-related model. Both models are approximation methods. An intermediate dispersion is for four-parameter expression model which is capable to produce adequate outcomes.Bachelor of Engineerin

Possibility for Positive Energy Retrofit in Borlänge

The built environment accounts for 40% of annual carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. Among the total emissions, building operations generate approximately 27% annually. Other than this, building materials, infrastructural materials, and construction (embodied carbon) contribute to an additional 13% annually [1]. C02 emissions to the environment account for global warming and contribute to climate change. In response to the environmental problems and in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the European Union is committed to developing a sustainable, competitive, secure, and decarbonized energy system by 2050. The goal of decarbonization in building stocks is already set to be achievable this year. To achieve these set objectives, it is necessary to shift to the usage of renewable energy in the building industry and also technologically improve measures to reduce energy demand in building stocks which will reduce carbon footprints. In line with the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EU 2018/844), it is stated that one of the applied measures from the year 2021 will be that all new buildings and deep renovations should be at least a nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard. But in this context of research work, positive energy building (PEB) through retrofitting is the goal. PEBs contribute to the EU’s target for decarbonization of the energy supply and a shift from fossil fuels to Renewable energy sources (RES) [2]. This thesis aims to study the possibility of achieving a PEB in the existing cluster of two-storey multifamily apartments by analyzing its detailed energy demand and its Solar PV production capability. The result is to contribute to the body of knowledge of the SOLVE theme 3 research members. The project location is at Rymdgatan, Petter Blåders väg, Borlänge, Sweden. The building stock has a total of 80 residential units and other ancillary buildings on a land area of 4,682 m2 . IDA ICE 4.8 software by EQUA was used in simulating the annual energy demand in the building envelopes when retrofitted with different energy-efficient measures. The 5.0 beta version of this tool was used to simulate energy production from the solar PV system. The base case shall be by using the district heating energy system and other energy carriers shall be by using the ground source heat pump borehole, heat recovery ventilation system, and the addition of solar PV system. In the base case, the total simulated annual energy demand was 492 MWh with the pre-condition of opening windows during summer and using an external window shading technique for thermal comfort indices to be kept at a very a good level. Retrofitting by changing the window glazing type and by adding extra insulation to the internal walls also provided a very good energy saving procedure. With these, an annual energy demand simulated for the Rymdgatan housing cluster reduces to 409 MWh/year. In another scenario, the heat pump replaced district heating as the energy carrier. With this, annual energy demand was reduced to 208 MWh with an increased primary energy number. With a heat recovery ventilation system, annual energy demand is further reduced to 205 MWh/year. Using IDA ICE 5.0, the main building´s roof area of 1,900 m2 generated 247 MWh of DC power from solar PV annually when tilted at an angle of 150 . This on-site energy generation with a heat pump and heat recovery system made the Rymdgatan housing cluster to be self-sufficient in energy balancing with a total surplus energy of 14% when heat pump is used and 20% if heat recovery system is incorporated into the system. The perspective of decreasing the set-point temperature by 10C from the acceptance value of 210C in the base case results in annual energy being improved by 5.7% while with a ground source heat pump system it was 4.6% for a chosen built model type A

Possibility for Positive Energy Retrofit in Borlänge

The built environment accounts for 40% of annual carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. Among the total emissions, building operations generate approximately 27% annually. Other than this, building materials, infrastructural materials, and construction (embodied carbon) contribute to an additional 13% annually [1]. C02 emissions to the environment account for global warming and contribute to climate change. In response to the environmental problems and in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the European Union is committed to developing a sustainable, competitive, secure, and decarbonized energy system by 2050. The goal of decarbonization in building stocks is already set to be achievable this year. To achieve these set objectives, it is necessary to shift to the usage of renewable energy in the building industry and also technologically improve measures to reduce energy demand in building stocks which will reduce carbon footprints. In line with the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EU 2018/844), it is stated that one of the applied measures from the year 2021 will be that all new buildings and deep renovations should be at least a nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard. But in this context of research work, positive energy building (PEB) through retrofitting is the goal. PEBs contribute to the EU’s target for decarbonization of the energy supply and a shift from fossil fuels to Renewable energy sources (RES) [2]. This thesis aims to study the possibility of achieving a PEB in the existing cluster of two-storey multifamily apartments by analyzing its detailed energy demand and its Solar PV production capability. The result is to contribute to the body of knowledge of the SOLVE theme 3 research members. The project location is at Rymdgatan, Petter Blåders väg, Borlänge, Sweden. The building stock has a total of 80 residential units and other ancillary buildings on a land area of 4,682 m2 . IDA ICE 4.8 software by EQUA was used in simulating the annual energy demand in the building envelopes when retrofitted with different energy-efficient measures. The 5.0 beta version of this tool was used to simulate energy production from the solar PV system. The base case shall be by using the district heating energy system and other energy carriers shall be by using the ground source heat pump borehole, heat recovery ventilation system, and the addition of solar PV system. In the base case, the total simulated annual energy demand was 492 MWh with the pre-condition of opening windows during summer and using an external window shading technique for thermal comfort indices to be kept at a very a good level. Retrofitting by changing the window glazing type and by adding extra insulation to the internal walls also provided a very good energy saving procedure. With these, an annual energy demand simulated for the Rymdgatan housing cluster reduces to 409 MWh/year. In another scenario, the heat pump replaced district heating as the energy carrier. With this, annual energy demand was reduced to 208 MWh with an increased primary energy number. With a heat recovery ventilation system, annual energy demand is further reduced to 205 MWh/year. Using IDA ICE 5.0, the main building´s roof area of 1,900 m2 generated 247 MWh of DC power from solar PV annually when tilted at an angle of 150 . This on-site energy generation with a heat pump and heat recovery system made the Rymdgatan housing cluster to be self-sufficient in energy balancing with a total surplus energy of 14% when heat pump is used and 20% if heat recovery system is incorporated into the system. The perspective of decreasing the set-point temperature by 10C from the acceptance value of 210C in the base case results in annual energy being improved by 5.7% while with a ground source heat pump system it was 4.6% for a chosen built model type A

Nonbreeding Bird Communities Along an Urban–Rural Gradient of a Tropical City in Central Myanmar

Urbanization is known to be a major driver in abundance and species richness of birds. However, how birds respond to urbanization in tropical cities is understudied in general and entirely absent from Myanmar. We conducted a study in and around Mandalay, a large city in central Myanmar to gather first data on birds and their response to urbanization.We selected four habitats with 10 sampling points each in November 2015. We made 1,536 observations of 68 bird species. The number of species and diversity significantly differed between the four localities. Mandalay Hill and Downtown Mandalay had the lowest number of species and diversity, whereas the University Campus and Paddy Fields had the highest. The highest number of observations was in Downtown Mandalay (1,003 counts) and the lowest on Mandalay Hill (103). Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination techniques showed that the four habitat types had significantly different bird species composition. Our results indicate a large effect of urbanization on species diversity, species richness, and species composition of birds

Preparation and Characterization of TiO2 Electrospun Nano Fibres

Titanium dioxide nanofibres were fabricated by home-made horizontal and vertical experimental electrospinning set-ups. Electrospun titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibres were prepared by calcined titanium isopropoxide (TiP) and 2-Methoxyethanol (CH3OCH2CH2OH) with different molar ratios and it was formed on Al-foil substrate by different spinning time. TiO2 sol solution (Sol-gel) was characterized by TG-DTA, XRD and SEM analyses. SEM images revealed that Anatase TiO2 as-spun fibres on the Al foils were found to be between 120-250nm in diameters before and after calcinations with horizontal set-up for 30 minutes and vertical set-up for 40 minutes spinning time

Gibbon population status and long-term viability: Implication for a newly established protected area management

Effective protected area management is a crucial process for biodiversity conservation, and its effectiveness can be evaluated using the status of indicator species. Monitoring changes over time in the status of indicator species is an essential tool for designing and improving management plans for protected areas. Due to the preference for pristine habitat hoolock gibbon can be considered indicator species for habitat quality. We therefore defined changes in the status of the eastern hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) over 16 years (2005–2021) by estimating density changes and population viability in Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary (MWS), a newly established protected area in western Myanmar. Using the acoustic point count method, we estimated the gibbon density to determine the impacts of selective logging and human disturbances on this species. This survey was conducted between February and March 2021 at 22 sampling sites, covering 352 km2 of evergreen and mixed deciduous forests in Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary. We used distance sampling method to estimate an overall gibbon density of 0.97 groups/km2, which appeared to be dramatically lower than a previous estimate of 1.81 groups/km2 from 2005, defined using the same method. We then divided the Sanctuary into three zones and defined the minimum viable population (MVP) for gibbons in each zone to support management policies for the long-term persistence of the species. Moreover, the population viability analysis indicated that the population of eastern hoolock gibbons in the entire study area was seriously declining to lower than 1000 gibbons by the year 2055. By our estimation, around 4400 groups are needed for the long-term persistence of gibbons in Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary. Our results highlight the detrimental effects of selective logging and human disturbance on gibbons, and presumably wildlife in general, in Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary and the problems of inadequate protection level and management, underscoring the need to address these threats through targeted conservation efforts

Genomic Tracking of SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Myanmar

In December 2019, the COVID-19 disease started in Wuhan, China. The WHO declared a pandemic on 12 March 2020, and the disease started in Myanmar on 23 March 2020. In December 2020, different variants were brought worldwide, threatening global health. To counter those threats, Myanmar started the COVID-19 variant surveillance program in late 2020. Whole genome sequencing was done six times between January 2021 and March 2022. Among them, 83 samples with a PCR threshold cycle of less than 25 were chosen. Then, we used MiSeq FGx for sequencing and Illumina DRAGEN COVIDSeq pipeline, command line interface, GISAID, and MEGA version 7 for data analysis. In January 2021, no variant was detected. The second run, during the rise of cases in June 2021, showed Alpha, Delta, and Kappa variants. The third and the fourth runs in August and December showed only a Delta variant. Omicron and Delta variants were detected during the fifth run in January 2022. The sixth run in March 2022 showed only Omicron BA.2. Amino acid mutation at the receptor binding domain of Spike glycoprotein started since the second run coupling with high transmission, recurrence, and vaccine escape. We also found the mutation at the primer targets used in current RT-PCR platforms, but there was no mutation at the existing antiviral drug targets. The occurrence of multiple variants and mutations claimed vigilance at ports of entry and preparedness for effective control measures. Genomic surveillance with the observation of evolutionary data is required to predict imminent threats of the current disease and diagnose emerging infectious diseases

Seroprevalence and associated risk factors of Toxoplasma gondii infection among slaughterhouse workers in Yangon Region, Myanmar: A cross-sectional study

Background Toxoplasmosis, having the significant consequences affecting mortality and quality of life, is still prevalent in various places throughout the world. The major gap in surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii infection among high-risk population, slaughterhouse workers, is an obstacle for the effective policies formulation to reduce the burden of toxoplasmosis in Myanmar. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis and associated factors of seropositivity among slaughterhouse workers in Yangon Region, Myanmar. Methods A cross-sectional study that was conducted from June to November 2020 included 139 slaughterhouse workers involving at five main slaughterhouses under Yangon City Development Committee, Myanmar. The presence of IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies in serum was detected using the OnSite Toxo IgG/IgM Combo Rapid Test. A face-to-face interview was also performed using pretested structured questionnaires to obtain the detail histories: sociodemographic characteristics, level of knowledge, occupational factors, and environmental factors related to T. gondii infection. Bivariate logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with T. gondii infection. Results Of all participants, the overall seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii was 43.9% (95% CI: 35.5–52.5%), of whom 98.4% (95% CI: 91.2–100.0%) were reactive only for IgG antibody and 1.6% (95% CI: 0.0–8.8%) were reactive for IgG and IgM antibodies. The significant factors associated with the seropositivity of T. gondii antibodies were blood transfusion history (OR: 5.74, 95% CI: 1.17–28.09), low level of knowledge (OR: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.46–5.83), contact with animal organs, muscles or blood (OR: 14.29, 95% CI: 1.83–111.51), and animals most frequently slaughtered (cattle) (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.16–8.93). Conclusions A high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was detected among slaughterhouse workers in Yangon Region and it raises a significant public health concern. Therefore, providing health education regarding toxoplasmosis, enforcement of personal hygiene practices in workplaces, the establishment of training for occupational hygiene, and commencement of the risk assessment and serological screening for toxoplasmosis are crucial to curtail the prevalence of T. gondii infection among slaughterhouse workers

English version of the questionnaire.

BackgroundToxoplasmosis, having the significant consequences affecting mortality and quality of life, is still prevalent in various places throughout the world. The major gap in surveillance for Toxoplasma gondii infection among high-risk population, slaughterhouse workers, is an obstacle for the effective policies formulation to reduce the burden of toxoplasmosis in Myanmar. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis and associated factors of seropositivity among slaughterhouse workers in Yangon Region, Myanmar.MethodsA cross-sectional study that was conducted from June to November 2020 included 139 slaughterhouse workers involving at five main slaughterhouses under Yangon City Development Committee, Myanmar. The presence of IgG and IgM anti-T. gondii antibodies in serum was detected using the OnSite Toxo IgG/IgM Combo Rapid Test. A face-to-face interview was also performed using pretested structured questionnaires to obtain the detail histories: sociodemographic characteristics, level of knowledge, occupational factors, and environmental factors related to T. gondii infection. Bivariate logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with T. gondii infection.ResultsOf all participants, the overall seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii was 43.9% (95% CI: 35.5–52.5%), of whom 98.4% (95% CI: 91.2–100.0%) were reactive only for IgG antibody and 1.6% (95% CI: 0.0–8.8%) were reactive for IgG and IgM antibodies. The significant factors associated with the seropositivity of T. gondii antibodies were blood transfusion history (OR: 5.74, 95% CI: 1.17–28.09), low level of knowledge (OR: 2.91, 95% CI: 1.46–5.83), contact with animal organs, muscles or blood (OR: 14.29, 95% CI: 1.83–111.51), and animals most frequently slaughtered (cattle) (OR: 3.22, 95% CI: 1.16–8.93).ConclusionsA high seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis was detected among slaughterhouse workers in Yangon Region and it raises a significant public health concern. Therefore, providing health education regarding toxoplasmosis, enforcement of personal hygiene practices in workplaces, the establishment of training for occupational hygiene, and commencement of the risk assessment and serological screening for toxoplasmosis are crucial to curtail the prevalence of T. gondii infection among slaughterhouse workers.</div