The Artemisinin Resistance in Southeast Asia: An Imminent Global Threat to Malaria Elimination

Malaria remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in many low- and middle-income countries. Artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) have contributed to the substantial decline in the worldwide malaria burden, renewing the optimism that malaria elimination is achievable in some regions of the world. However, this prospect is threatened by the emergence of artemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum leading to clinical failure of ACTs in Southeast Asia. Historically, drug resistance in P. falciparum has emerged in SEA and spread to Africa. Today, resistance to ACTs could reverse all the achievements of control and elimination efforts globally. With no new drug available, P. falciparum malaria must be eliminated from the Greater Mekong before it becomes untreatable

Workplace flexibility and job satisfaction of employees: case study of Singapore SMEs

Workplace flexibility has become a popular topic in human resource management research and practice. This organisational practice often referred to in the literature as flexible work arrangements (FWAs), is purported to be a holy grail in achieving work-life balance and work satisfaction in employees Workplace flexibility refers to work arrangements that allow flexibility on “where” (telecommuting or flexplace) and “when” (schedule flexibility or flexitime) work is completed. Workplace flexibility is being implemented to attract competent and efficient talent in various ways. In Singapore, the main issue is that not many employers understand the rights and applications when it comes to FWA and therefore, do not perceive its impact on employees’ performance. Given this, the purpose of this qualitative research is to discuss the perceptions and understanding of how workplace flexibility might impact job satisfaction of employees in Singapore SMEs, challenges and experiences of implementing FWAs in their workplace and recommendation on how organizations can facilitate job satisfaction through flexible work arrangements with strategic HR practices. Theoretical guidance for this proposed research on the impact of workplace flexibility on job satisfaction is derived on spillover and crossover theory, border theory, and social exchange theory which will be discussed in detail in Literature review. The research was approached with case study qualitative research methodology. Data was collected through interviews and data collection methods will use textual descriptions instead of numerical data. The key findings of generally positive relationship between FWA and Job Satisfaction, lack of systematical implementation on FWAs and the feelings of employees' on FWAs will be discussed in this research paper. The findings and additional insights will be discussed with above mentioned theory and will provide fruitful recommendations for more efficient HR strategy on implementing FWAs in their organizations. This research discusses about Limitation of the study, suggestion for future research and concludes with capitalising on HR FWA Strategies that can benefit effective work arrangement of the organizations to advance their global competitiveness

Qualitative Study on Domestic Violence Among Married 18-49 Years Men and Women in Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon Region

Violence against men and women is now widely recognized as a violation of human rights and a major public health concerns. It can cause physical, mental, social and reproductive health problems. Violence against men and women now become a growing public health problem. But, there is no research for violence against men in Myanmar and only limited number of research for domestic violence against women in Myanmar. Aim of this study is to explore the reasons of domestic violence among married 18 to 49 years old men and women in Hlaingtharyar township, Yangon region. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by using qualitative approach. This resarch was conducted in Hlaingtharyar Township, Yangon

Healthcare seeking preferences of Myanmar migrant seafarers in the deep south of Thailand

Background: The Thai marine fishing industry depends on migrant workers. Public healthcare services are officially available to all registered migrant workers, but the extent of their utilisation by migrant seafarers is unknown. The aim of the study was to document sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, illness history and healthcare-seeking preference among Myanmar migrant seafarers in southern Thailand. Materials and methods: Questionnaire-based interviews were conducted among 385 migrant seafarers and selected participants qualitatively interviewed. Factors related to illness experience and to healthcare- -seeking preference were identified using logistic regression. Results: Past-one-year illness was reported by 307 (80%) participants, among whom 91% had illness while at sea and 22% an emergency condition requiring immediate transfer ashore. Only 118 (38%) illness events involved visiting a public hospital; another 38% involved private healthcare facilities or drug stores. Illness was associated with supervisory job, alcohol consumption habit, age > 20 years, ethnicity and exposure to hazardous marine life. Compared with the choice of public hospital, use of private healthcare facilities was associated with having at least primary school education and shorter-duration trips at sea. Obtaining medications from a drug store was associated with the job of sorting, packing/storing the catch, non-drinking and low income. Not holding their identity and health-insurance documents and language barrier were major reasons for reluctance to seek treatment at a public hospital. Conclusions: Illness was common among the migrant seafarers. Utilisation of public hospitals was low. Allowing migrants to keep their identity and health insurance documents themselves and providing materials in the Myanmar language might promote utilisation of public health facilities

Role of complement in myasthenia gravis

Myasthenia gravis is a prototypic neuroimmune disorder with autoantibodies targeting the acetylcholine receptor complex at the neuromuscular junction. Patients present with mainly ocular muscle weakness and tend to have a generalized muscle weakness later in the clinical course. The weakness can be severe and fatal when bulbar muscles are heavily involved. Acetylcholine receptor antibodies are present in the majority of patients and are of IgG1 and IgG3 subtypes which can activate the complement system. The complement involvement plays a major role in the neuromuscular junction damage and the supporting evidence in the literature is described in this article. Complement therapies were initially studied and approved for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria and in the past decade, those have also been studied in myasthenia gravis. The currently available randomized control trial and real-world data on the efficacy and safety of the approved and investigational complement therapies are summarized in this review

SFD Report: Mandalay, Myanmar

Mandalay is located on the bank of the Irrawaddy on a rather flat and low flood plain, in the centre of Myanmar’s dry-zone. Mandalay is the second largest city of Myanmar. Mandalay experiences increased informal settlements due to rapid expansion. All sanitation infrastructures in Mandalay are onsite. The SFD graphic shows that 100% of excreta is not properly managed. It consists of 34% of supernatant not contained from tanks connected to open drains that end up untreated in the environment; 3% of FS emptied, delivered to treatment to an oxidation pond outside the city, but not treated; 55% of FS not contained and not emptied from tanks and pits, and 8% of people practising open defecation

Prospective submodule topologies for MMC-BESS and its control analysis with HBSM

Battery energy storage systems and multilevel converters are the most essential constituents of modern medium voltage networks. In this regard, the modular multilevel converter offers numerous advantages over other multilevel converters. The key feature of modular multilevel converter is its capability to integrate small battery packs in a split manner, given the opportunity to submodules to operate at considerably low voltages. In this paper, we focus on study of potential SMs for modular multilevel converter based battery energy storage system while, keeping in view the inconsistency of secondary batteries. Although, selecting a submodule for modular multilevel converter based battery energy storage system, the state of charge control complexity is a key concern, which increases as the voltage levels increase. This study suggests that the half-bridge, clamped single, and full-bridge submodules are the most suitable submodules for modular multilevel converter based battery energy storage system since, they provide simplest state of charge control due to integration of one battery pack along with other advantages among all 24 submodule topologies. Depending on submodules analysis, the modular multilevel converter based battery energy storage system based on half-bridge submodules is investigated by splitting it into AC and DC equivalent circuits to acquire the AC and DC side power controls along with an state of charge control. Subsequently, to validate different control modes, a downscaled laboratory prototype has been developed

Influence of different glycoproteins and of the virion core on SERINC5 antiviral activity [preprint]

Host plasma membrane protein SERINC5 is incorporated into budding retrovirus particles where it blocks subsequent entry into susceptible target cells. Three accessory proteins encoded by diverse retroviruses, HIV-1 Nef, EIAV S2, and MLV Glycogag, each independently disrupt SERINC5 antiviral activity, by redirecting SERINC5 from the site of virion assembly on the plasma membrane to an internal RAB7+ endosomal compartment. Pseudotyping retroviruses with particular glycoproteins, e.g., the vesicular stomatitis glycoprotein (VSV G), renders the infectivity of particles resistant to inhibition by virion-associated SERINC5. To better understand viral determinants for SERINC5-sensitivity, the effect of SERINC5 was assessed using HIV-1, MLV, and M-PMV virion cores, pseudotyped with glycoproteins from Arenavirus, Coronavirus, Filovirus, Rhabdovirus, Paramyxovirus, and Orthomyxovirus genera. Infectivity of particles, pseudotyped with HIV-1, amphotropic-MLV, or influenza virus glycoproteins, was decreased by SERINC5, whether the core was provided by HIV-1, MLV, or M-PMV. Particles generated by all three cores, and pseudotyped with glycoproteins from either avian leukosis virus-A, human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K), ecotropic-MLV, HTLV-1, Measles morbillivirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis mammarenavirus (LCMV), Marburg virus, Ebola virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARS-CoV), or VSV, were insensitive to SERINC5. In contrast, particles pseudotyped with M-PMV, RD114, or rabies virus (RABV) glycoproteins were sensitive to SERINC5, but only with particular retroviral cores. Resistance to SERINC5 by particular glycoproteins did not correlate with reduced SERINC5 incorporation into particles or with the route of viral entry. These findings indicate that some non-retroviruses may be sensitive to SERINC5 and that, in addition to the viral glycoprotein, the retroviral core influences sensitivity to SERINC5