An Amcho's Recitation

A translation of the chapter An Amcho's Recitation from Pema Bhum's memoir Dran tho rdo ring ma, by Tenzin Dickie.

Babesa sewage treatment plant as a vital artificial wetland habitat for a multitude of avian species

This study aimed to glean basic ecological aspects on diversity and abundance, temporal variation and guild composition of the birds at Babesa Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The line transect method was used as the sampling technique from November 2021 to October 2022. A total of 80 species belonging to 58 genera, 29 families, and 11 orders were detected, of which three, namely, River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii, Falcated Duck Mareca falcata, and Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, are ‘Near Threatened’ with the remaining being ‘Least Concern’. The highest species richness was recorded in the winter (6.29), the highest species diversity in the spring (2.73), and the highest evenness in the summer (0.76). There was not any statistically significant difference between non-waterbirds and waterbirds, or between feeding guilds. However, based on a permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), the bird composition was significantly different among seasons. Subsequently, pairwise comparisons revealed a significant difference between autumn & winter (P = 0.006), autumn & summer (P = 0.006), autumn & spring (P = 0.018), winter & summer (P = 0.006), winter & spring (P = 0.006) as well as spring & summer (P = 0.006). The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) biplot showed most bird species overlap occurred between autumn and spring as well as summer and spring, respectively. Taken together, the present results suggest that the Babesa STP holds significant potential as a habitat for diverse avian populations and underscores the ecological significance of artificial wetlands

Community-based study on knowledge, attitudes and perception of rabies in Gelephu, south-central Bhutan.

postprintCommunity knowledge, attitudes and practices are important both for prevention of human deaths due to rabies and for control of the disease in animals. This study was a cross-sectional survey investigating the level of community knowledge as well as attitudes and perceptions about rabies in Gelephu, south central Bhutan, a region endemic for rabies. A total of 615 household respondents were interviewed, of which 224 (36%) were males and 391 (64%) were females. The majority of the respondents had high level of knowledge, and attitude and perception of rabies, and has a positive attitude towards the prevention and control of rabies. Multivariable logistic regression model showed that better knowledge about rabies was predicted by gender, educational level and dog ownership status of the respondents, whilst health-seeking behaviours of animal bite injuries were predicted by dog ownership status, presence of children in the household and occupation of the respondents. The majority of the respondents believed that stray dogs are a problem in the community and felt that it was important to control the dog population in Gelephu. These findings also indicate that there exists a knowledge gap about rabies in the community that could be improved by creating an awareness education programme. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Perception, Rabies, Cross-sectional survey, Bhuta

Community-based study on knowledge, attitudes and perception of rabies in Gelephu, south-central Bhutan.

Community knowledge, attitudes and practices are important both for prevention of human deaths due to rabies and for control of the disease in animals. This study was a cross-sectional survey investigating the level of community knowledge as well as attitudes and perceptions about rabies in Gelephu, south central Bhutan, a region endemic for rabies. A total of 615 household respondents were interviewed, of which 224 (36%) were males and 391 (64%) were females. The majority of the respondents had high level of knowledge, and attitude and perception of rabies, and has a positive attitude towards the prevention and control of rabies. Multivariable logistic regression model showed that better knowledge about rabies was predicted by gender, educational level and dog ownership status of the respondents, whilst health-seeking behaviours of animal bite injuries were predicted by dog ownership status, presence of children in the household and occupation of the respondents. The majority of the respondents believed that stray dogs are a problem in the community and felt that it was important to control the dog population in Gelephu. These findings also indicate that there exists a knowledge gap about rabies in the community that could be improved by creating an awareness education programme. Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Perception, Rabies, Cross-sectional survey, Bhuta

Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan: A Hot Spot for Wild Felids

The non-uniformity of the distribution of biodiversity makes allocation of the limited resources available for conservation of biodiversity a difficult task. Approaches such as biodiversity hotspot identification, endemic bird areas, crisis ecoregions, global 200 ecoregions, and the Last of the Wild are used by scientists and international conservation agencies to prioritize conservation efforts. As part of the biodiverse Eastern Himalayan region, Bhutan has been identified as a conservation priority area by all these different approaches, yet data validating these assessments are limited. To examine whether Bhutan is a biodiversity hot spot for a key taxonomic group, we conducted camera trapping in the lower foothills of Bhutan, in Royal Manas National Park, from November 2010 to February 2011. We recorded six species of wild felids of which five are listed on the IUCN Red List: tiger Panthera tigris, golden cat Pardofelis temminckii, marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa and common leopard Panthera pardus. Our study area of 74 km(2) has c. 16% of felid species, confirming Bhutan as a biodiversity hot spot for this group

Static Test on Full Scale Rammed Earth Building with Mesh-Wrap Retrofitting Strategy

This paper reports the experimental campaign for static tests performed on unreinforced (URE) and mesh retrofitted (RRE) full scale rammed earth building. Amongst varying building patterns of traditional rammed earth houses found in Bhutan, a two-storied building with a full solid wall (small openings) on the first floor and larger opening in the front facade of the second floor was chosen. The proposed mesh–wrap retrofitting of the walls involved the use of standard mild steel welded mesh as the main mesh, M–Mesh (Ø 1.8 mm and 34 mm c/c spacing) and light and galvanized welded mesh as a lapping mesh, L–Mesh (Ø 1.45 mm and 28 mm c/c spacing) provided at the corners and along the height of the walls. The static test loading protocol involved the displacement controlled loading with drift-control over the building. Cracks and damage observations were made at the storey drift ratios of: 1/2000, 1/1000, 1/750, 1/500 for URE building. The same URE building was retrofitted afterward and retested as RRE to storey drift ratios of: 1/2000, 1/1000, 1/750, 1/500, 1/250, 1/150, 1/100 and 1/75. The mesh retrofitting is found effective in both damage control as well as strength enhancement over the unreinforced one. The URE specimen showed a clear opening of shear and vertical cracks in the in-plane loaded walls near the openings and Jugshing holes. For the RRE specimen, cracks dispersed over a large region of the in–plane loaded walls. No delamination of mesh–wrap was observed, showing the effectiveness of the proposed technique. The RRE specimen showed enhancement in base shear by 2.5 times, ductility 2.3 times, and energy absorption 12 times the URE counterpart

Validation of Cadherin HAV6 Peptide in the Transient Modulation of the Blood-Brain Barrier for the Treatment of Brain Tumors

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.The blood-brain barrier (BBB) poses a major obstacle by preventing potential therapeutic agents from reaching their intended brain targets at sufficient concentrations. While transient disruption of the BBB has been used to enhance chemotherapeutic efficacy in treating brain tumors, limitations in terms of magnitude and duration of BBB disruption exist. In the present study, the preliminary safety and efficacy profile of HAV6, a peptide that binds to the external domains of cadherin, to transiently open the BBB and improve the delivery of a therapeutic agent, was evaluated in a murine brain tumor model. Transient opening of the BBB in response to HAV6 peptide administration was quantitatively characterized using both a gadolinium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent and adenanthin (Ade), the intended therapeutic agent. The effects of HAV6 peptide on BBB integrity and the efficacy of concurrent administration of HAV6 peptide and the small molecule inhibitor, Ade, in the growth and progression of an orthotopic medulloblastoma mouse model using human D425 tumor cells was examined. Systemic administration of HAV6 peptide caused transient, reversible disruption of BBB in mice. Increases in BBB permeability produced by HAV6 were rapid in onset and observed in all regions of the brain examined. Concurrent administration of HAV6 peptide with Ade, a BBB impermeable inhibitor of Peroxiredoxin-1, caused reduced tumor growth and increased survival in mice bearing medulloblastoma. The rapid onset and transient nature of the BBB modulation produced with the HAV6 peptide along with its uniform disruption and biocompatibility is well-suited for CNS drug delivery applications, especially in the treatment of brain tumors

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Prolegomena to Pursuing Gross National Happiness: The Bhutanese Approach

The Royal Government of Bhutan has proclaimed Gross National Happiness (GNH) the Kingdom's vision of development. GNH rests on "four pillars" or objectives economic development, environmental preservation, cultural promotion and good governance. An important question is: "Can this vision sustain, or be operational without, religious values?" First, this paper argues that if the concept of GNH is to be sustained or become operational as a vision of practical development, we will need to consider religious values, because they can provide the inner strength and guiding principles for living and can motivate development activities. Second, the paper will highlight the values to that need to be cultivated, the defects that need to be avoided, and the methods that need to be used in pursuit of GNH. This paper is a summary of an original paper bu Khenpo Jangem Tashi. The original paper is the first long work to have been written in Dzongkha about GNH and will be published as a separate volume, along with an English translation