Found in Translation: Collaborative Contemplations of Tibetan Buddhism and Western Science

Development of an inclusive scientific community necessitates doing more than simply bringing science to diverse groups of people. Ideally, the sciences evolve through incorporation of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and worldviews. Efforts to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial, ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, and socioeconomic groups among science scholars are currently underway. Examination of these efforts yields valuable lessons to inform next steps in engaging diverse audiences with science. The Emory-Tibet Science Initiative may serve as one example of such efforts. The Dalai Lama invited Emory University to develop and teach a curriculum in Western science to Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. As the science curriculum has been taught and refined over the past decade, monastic scholars increasingly have taken ownership of the material. As Western scientific ideas and practices take hold in this setting, the experiences of monks and nuns offer unique insights into the process of translation, modes of communication, and long-term impacts of integrating diverse systems of knowledge. Given that the dominant language of science is English, Tibetan interpreters have been essential throughout the implementation of this project. Through the process of translating scientific terms, interpreters have considered differences in how words categorize, and therefore how people conceptualize, the world. Through comprehensive, culturally-responsive communication, scientific language is used as a tool to build and strengthen connections between monastics and their local and global communities. The intertwining of these complementary systems of knowledge iteratively informs translation, modes of communication, and broader impacts in the community

Maternal and child health in Yushu, Qinghai Province, China

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Surmang, Qinghai Province is a rural nomadic Tibetan region in western China recently devastated by the 2010 Yushu earthquake; little information is available on access and coverage of maternal and child health services.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in August 2004. 402 women of reproductive age (15-50) were interviewed regarding their pregnancy history, access to and utilization of health care, and infant and child health care practices.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Women's access to education was low at 15% for any formal schooling; adult female literacy was <20%. One third of women received any antenatal care during their last pregnancy. Institutional delivery and skilled birth attendance were <1%, and there were no reported cesarean deliveries. Birth was commonly attended by a female relative, and 8% of women delivered alone. Use of unsterilized instrument to cut the umbilical cord was nearly universal (94%), while coverage for tetanus toxoid immunization was only 14%. Traditional Tibetan healers were frequently sought for problems during pregnancy (70%), the postpartum period (87%), and for childhood illnesses (74%). Western medicine (61%) was preferred over Tibetan medicine (9%) for preventive antenatal care. The average time to reach a health facility was 4.3 hours. Postpartum infectious morbidity appeared to be high, but only 3% of women with postpartum problems received western medical care. 64% of recently pregnant women reported that they were very worried about dying in childbirth. The community reported 3 maternal deaths and 103 live births in the 19 months prior to the survey.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>While China is on track to achieve national Millennium Development Goal targets for maternal and child health, women and children in Surmang suffer from substantial health inequities in access to antenatal, skilled birth and postpartum care. Institutional delivery, skilled attendance and cesarean delivery are virtually inaccessible, and consequently maternal and infant morbidity and mortality are likely high. Urgent action is needed to improve access to maternal, neonatal and child health care in these marginalized populations. The reconstruction after the recent earthquake provides a unique opportunity to link this population with the health system.</p

A Study of Employability Soft Skills of Final-Year Students: A Case of Gedu College of Business Studies

Employability soft skills is a set of highly desirable, transferable skills that turn one into an attractive employee. It can be defined as a set of skills employers want from a potential employee. This study was designed to evaluate the employability soft skills of Gedu College of Business Studies' Students and for evaluation, the quantitative research design was adopted. A proportionate sampling method was used and enumerated 228 B. Com and BBA students. Collected data were analyzed using a one-sample t-test and an independent sample t-test. The result reveals that Gedu College of Business Studies' students possess above-average employability soft skills where the mean score is greater than the test value (3). It further reveals that there is no statistically significant mean difference in employability soft skills between male and female students apart from problem-solving skills which were found statistically significant (p=.046, p&lt;0.05)

PSYCHOLOGICAL STATUS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AMONG THE GENERAL POPULATION IN BHUTAN

Background: Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) on 31 December 2019 in Wuhan (Hubei, China), an increasing amount of information, concern, and restrictive public health measures put on to contain the spread of infection have impacted the mental health of the people. The psychological status of the Bhutanese population during this novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic is unknown.Aim: To measure the levels of stress, anxiety, and depression in Bhutanese population during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also aimed to explore the potential differences in psychological status between the demographic variables.Methods and material: A cross-sectional web-based survey was done using a non-probabilistic snowball sampling methodology. Data were collected using the socio-demographic data questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress scale-21 (DASS-21). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the data, and independent t-tests and analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to compare the psychological status among different groups.Results: A total of 663 respondents were recruited. Of them, 21.27% of the participants reported mild to severe levels of depression, 25.04% reported mild to severe levels of anxiety, and 10.56% were stressed. Young and those unemployed during the pandemic showed greater negative psychological symptoms.Conclusion: The results show that psychological problems are prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings can help government and health professionals safeguard the psychological wellbeing of the community in the face of COVID-19 outbreak in Bhutan and worldwide

Awareness and practice of medical waste management among healthcare providers in National Referral Hospital.

IntroductionThe management and treatment of Medical Waste (MW) are of great concern owing to its potential hazard to human health and the environment, particularly in developing countries. In Bhutan, although guidelines exist on the prevention and management of wastes, the implementation is still hampered by technological, economic, social difficulties and inadequate training of staff responsible for handling these waste. The study aimed at assessing the awareness and practice of medical waste management among health care providers and support staff at the National Referral Hospital and its compliance with the existing National guidelines and policies.Materials and methodsAn observational cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2019. Three research instruments were developed and used; (i) Demographic questionnaire, (ii) Awareness questions, and (iii) the Observational checklist. The data was coded and double entered into Epi data version 3.1 and SPSS version 18 was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings of the study.ResultsThe majority of the respondents were female (54.1%) with a mean age of 32.2 (±7.67) years, most of whom have not received any waste management related training/education (56.8%). About 74.4% are aware of medical waste management and 98.2% are aware on the importance of using proper personal protective equipment. Only 37.6% knew about the maximum time limit for medical waste to be kept in hospital premises is 48 hours. About 61.3% of the observed units/wards/departments correctly segregated the waste in accordance to the national guidelines. However, half of the Hospital wastes are not being correctly transported based on correct segregation process with 58% of waste not segregated into infectious and general wastes.ConclusionThe awareness and practice of medical waste management among healthcare workers is often limited with inadequate sensitization and lack of proper implementation of the existing National guidelines at the study site. Therefore, timely and effective monitoring is required with regular training for healthcare workers and support staff. Furthermore, strengthening the waste management system at National Referral Hospital would provide beneficial impact in enhancing safety measures of patients

Risk of developing active tuberculosis following tuberculosis screening and preventive therapy for Tibetan refugee children and adolescents in India: An impact assessment.

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) rates among Tibetan refugee children and adolescents attending boarding schools in India are extremely high. We undertook a comprehensive case finding and TB preventive treatment (TPT) program in 7 schools in the Zero TB Kids project. We aimed to measure the TB infection and disease burden and investigate the risk of TB disease in children and adults who did and did not receive TPT in the schools.Methods and findingsA mobile team annually screened children and staff for TB at the 7 boarding schools in Himachal Pradesh, India, using symptom criteria, radiography, molecular diagnostics, and tuberculin skin tests. TB infection (TBI) was treated with short-course regimens of isoniazid and rifampin or rifampin. TB disease was treated according to Tibetan and Indian guidelines. Between April 2017 and December 2019, 6,582 schoolchildren (median age 14 [IQR 11-16] years) and 807 staff (median age 40 [IQR 33-48] years) were enrolled. Fifty-one percent of the students and 58% of the staff were females. Over 13,161 person-years of follow-up in schoolchildren (median follow-up 2.3 years) and 1,800 person-years of follow-up in staff (median follow-up 2.5 years), 69 TB episodes occurred in schoolchildren and 4 TB episodes occurred in staff, yielding annual incidence rates of 524/100,000 (95% CI 414-663/100,000) person-years and 256/100,000 (95% CI 96-683/100,000) person-years, respectively. Of 1,412 schoolchildren diagnosed with TBI, 1,192 received TPT. Schoolchildren who received TPT had 79% lower risk of TB disease (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.21; 95% CI 0.07-0.69; p = 0.010) compared to non-recipients, the primary study outcome. Protection was greater in recent contacts (aHR 0.07; 95% CI 0.01-0.42; p = 0.004), the secondary study outcome. The prevalence of recent contacts was 28% (1,843/6,582). Two different TPT regimens were used (3HR and 4R), and both were apparently effective. No staff receiving TPT developed TB. Overall, between 2017 and 2019, TB disease incidence decreased by 87%, from 837/100,000 (95% CI 604-1,129/100,000) person-years to 110/100,000 (95% CI 36-255/100,000) person-years (p ConclusionsIn this study, following implementation of a school-wide TB screening and preventive treatment program, we observed a significant reduction in the burden of TB disease and TBI in children and adolescents. The benefit of TPT was particularly marked for recent TB contacts. This initiative may serve as a model for TB detection and prevention in children and adolescents in other communities affected by TB

Climate Change Impacts in Bhutan: Challenges and opportunities for the agricultural sector

This project was undertaken to examine the suitability of 8 keys crops in Bhutan under current conditions and future climate scenarios (RCP 8.5) up to 2050. This was a collaborative initiative between MoAF, CIAT and UNEP, funded through the Asia-Pacific Climate Technology Network and Finance Center (AP-CTNFC). The project had two principal objectives: Objective 1: Build capacities of key technical staff to produce suitability maps for a wider range of crops under different emission scenarios. Furthermore enhance the understanding and interpretation of uncertainties of the projections and introduce climate-resilient crop management practices in Bhutan. Objective 2: Assess the impacts of climate change on the climatic suitability of maize, rice, potato, chili and tomato growing areas in Bhutan. Share and discuss the results and implications of crop suitability studies with key stakeholders from Bhutan and relevant international agencies such as UNEP and FAO

Climate Change Impacts in Bhutan: Challenges and opportunities for the agricultural sector

This project was undertaken to examine the suitability of 8 keys crops in Bhutan under current conditions and under a high emission climate scenario (RCP 8.5) for the year 2050. This was a collaborative initiative between MoAF, CIAT and UNEP, funded through the Asia-Pacific Climate Technology Network and Finance Center (AP-CTNFC). The project had two principal objectives: Objective 1: Build capacities of key technical staff to produce suitability maps for a wide range of crops under different emission scenarios. Furthermore enhance the understanding and interpretation of uncertainties of the projections and introduce climate-resilient crop management practices in Bhutan. Objective 2: Assess the impacts of climate change on the climatic suitability of maize, rice, potato, chili and tomato growing areas in Bhutan. Share and discuss the results and implications of crop suitability studies with key stakeholders from Bhutan and relevant international agencies such as UNEP and FAO