Cytology and fertility of hybrids

1. Serial cytological observations were made on one abnormal seedling from the thornless segregants of the F2 progeny from crossing two tetraploid (2n=28) Rubus species. The number of root tip chromosomes was found to vary from 9 to 48 per cells, with the mode always at 35. The wide variation in chromosome number decreased with time, until at one point there was almost stability at 2n=35. 2. The number of satellites per cell was proportional to the number of nuoleoli per cell. Evidence from the number of satellites per cell suggests that different chromosomes were being involved in the different complements. 3. There was a correlation between the chromosome number and corresponding cell sizes within the aneuploid series. 4. Virus infection was not responsible for the variation of somatic chromosome numbers from cell to cell. 'The cause of the instability was not definitely located but it is suggested that its initiation arose from the egg sell as Rubus pollen is sensitive to chromosome unbalance. 5. Chromosome number instability of this plant is discussed in relation to other examples from the same and different genera

Layer Partition-based Matching Algorithm of DDM

High Level Architecture (HLA) is architecture for reuse and interoperation of simulations. In HLA paradigm, the Runtime Infrastructure (RTI) provides a set of services. Data Distribution Management (DDM) service reduces message traffic over the network. DDM aims to control and limit the data exchanged between federates during federation. Each federate may inform the RTI about its intention to publish some data or it may subscribe to receive a subset of the published data. DDM services are used to reduce the transmission and receiving of irrelevant data and aimed at reducing the communication over the network. These services rely on the computation of the intersection between “update” and “subscription” regions. When calculating the intersection between update regions and subscription regions, the higher computation overhead can occur. Currently, there are several main DDM filtering algorithms. This paper proposes the layer partition-based matching algorithm for DDM in the HLA-based large-scale distributed simulations. The new algorithm chooses the dynamic pivot based on regions distribution in the routing space. The binary partition-based algorithm is fundamentally based on a divide and conquers approach. This algorithm always chooses the midpoint as the pivot point of routing space. This approach promises low computational overhead, since it does not require unnecessary comparisons within regions in different partitions. The proposed algorithm firstly calculates the regions distribution. Then, the partitioning among regions performs based on the result of choosing pivot based on region detection and defines the matching area that entirely covers all regions which need to match with regions at pivot point. The proposed algorithm provides the more definite matching area between update region and subscription region during matching process. This algorithm guarantees low computational overheads for matching process based on the overlapping degree between the regions and reduce the irrelevant message among federates

Computer-based assessments of high school mathematics in Myanmar

Computer-based assessment (CBA) is a versatile educational tool in the twenty-first century. It offers many new opportunities for innovation in educational assessment through rich new assessment tasks and improves the learning progress of students. Educators have begun to benefit from CBA as it reduces the timing in reporting scores and increases assessment efficiency that enables immediate feedback. However, assessments in Myanmar high schools are mainly in paper-and-pencil test (PPT). Due to the large class and a limited number of teachers, this regular assessment causes them more workload in administering tests and providing scores and feedback. As a result, teachers spend most of their time assessing, scoring, and providing feedback. These activities negatively affect allocated hours of teaching and learning, which, in turn, are ineffective on the learning progress of students. The aims are: (1) to examine high schools in Myanmar whether computer-based assessment, this is, linear-online test (LOT) and computer-adaptive test (CAT) is more effective test mode than PPT as a formative assessment for the learning progress of students; (2) to identify contextual scales that influence students learning progress due to computer-based assessments and regular paper-and-pencil test. Of intervention design with explanatory mix-method, this study applied counter-balanced quasi-experimental research to compare effects of computer-based and paper-based assessments in terms of the achievement improvement of students. This study conducted surveys among students and teachers, followed by semi-structured interviews from five high schools in Yangon Region, Myanmar. Students from these high schools took the computer-based test and paper-based format as formative assessments. For constructing an online formative assessment test, both the Concerto platform and online Monkey Survey were applied, and through the Rasch Dichotomous model, items are assembled in the item-banks of the computer-based assessment. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to examine the effect of the test modes. The results of the computer-based test mode showed that students who received their specific scores and feedback immediately improved their mathematics achievement significantly higher than those who received the delayed score and feedback from the paper-based test mode. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the structural relationship between measured variables. This model shows that positive attitude of students towards either computer-based or paper-based is the ultimate mechanism for more remarkable achievement. Although the two test delivery media may affect different groups of participant students in different ways, this concerns equity issues. For example, findings showed that educational background of parents, students’ gender, and attitude towards paper-based assessment or computer-based assessment could influence or affect the achievement of students. In addition, the specific practices of teachers towards formative assessment influence the attitude of students. The attitude of teachers concerning computers and technology affects the attitude of students towards innovative assessment formats. As shown by hierarchical linear modelling, the cross-level interaction effect from the teacher-level on the slope of the attitude of students towards paper-based assessment and their achievement improvement is specific practices of formative assessment. In addition, this study showed that the attitude of students to information and communications technology (ICT) and the attitude of teachers to formative assessment and ICT directly affect the achievement improvement of students. This thesis reveals significant gaps in understanding concerning formative assessment in Myanmar and contributes to the theoretical, practical, and methodological implications in mathematics assessment and learning. In addition, the findings provide (albeit for Myanmar educational systems) a practical resource for assessment developers and a useful framework for the discussion of innovative assessment formats and use in computer-based settings.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Education, 202

Sparse Representation for Paddy Plants Nutrient Deficiency Tracking System

Moving object detection and tracking from consecutive frames of sensing devices (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles-UAV) needs efficient sampling from mass data with sufficient memory saving. Objects with super pixels are tracked by Compressive Sensing (CS) and the generative structural part model is designed to be adaptive to variation of deformable objects. CS can precisely reconstruct sparse signal with a small amount of sampling data. This system creates the sparse representation (SR) dictionary representing the nutrient deficiency tracking system for paddy plants to support the healthily growth of the whole field. This system uses compressed domain features that can be exploited to map the semantic features of consecutive frames. As the CS is a developing signal processing technique, a sparse signal is reconstructed with efficient sampling rate and creates the sparse dictionary. The SR for paddy plant health system can build rich information about paddy plants from signaling devices and can alert the deficiency conditions accurately in real time

The cash crop boom in southern Myanmar: tracing land use regime shifts through participatory mapping

Tropical forest landscapes are undergoing vast transformations. Myanmar was long an exceptionto this trend–until recent policy reforms put economic development at the forefront. Underambiguous land rights, commercial agriculture has spread rapidly, causing an unprecedentedloss of biodiversity-rich forest. In south-eastern Myanmar, where land tenure is highly contesteddue to several decades of conflict, scientific evidence on these complex social-ecological pro-cesses is lacking. In the absence of past satellite data, we applied a participatory mappingapproach and co-produced annual land use information with local land users between 1990and 2017 for two case study landscapes. Results show that both landscapes have undergonea land use regime shift from small-scale farmers’shifting cultivation to plantations of rubber, betelnut, cashew, and oil palm. These changes are likely to have long-term impacts on land users’livelihoods and the environment. We call for a reconsideration of land governance arrangementsand concerted land use planning that respects the rights of local land users and strengthens theirrole as environmental stewards. Applied with careful facilitation, participatory mapping could bean important tool to engage communities in the highly challenging process of transforming landgovernance to achieve more sustainable outcomes in this post-conflict context

Identification of Seismic Vulnerability Zones based on Land Use Condition

Due to urbanization, the vulnerability is increased in cities and the scale of disaster from earthquake is increased in major cities. Therefore, developing seismic vulnerability map for urbanized cities is very important. Mandalay city is not only one of the most earthquake-prone regions but also the most urbanized and dense population in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. This study examines the seismic vulnerability assessment of Mandalay city based on the land use conditions by utilizing analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Geographic Information System (GIS). The land use data was collected by doing field survey and classified into 20 types of study area regarding to the Myanmar National Building Code (MNBC) and field condition. The importance of each criterion (land use types) are determined by using subjective opinion made by authorized persons from Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) because the seismic vulnerability levels may be different based on land use conditions. The consistency ratios (CR) are also checked for reliability of weighted criteria. The final seismic vulnerability map is developed by overlapping the weighted land use map with building density and population density map by using aggregation method in GIS. It will be very useful for making a national emergency plan for earthquakes to mitigate the seismic risk due to the future earthquakes

Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being

Competition over land is at the core of many sustainable development challenges in Myanmar: villagers, companies, governments, ethnic minority groups, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations from local to the international level claim access to and decision-making power over the use of land. Therefore, this article investigates the actor interactions influencing land-use changes and their impacts on the supply of ecosystem services and human well-being. We utilise a transdisciplinary mixed-methods approach and the analytical lens of the social-ecological systems framework. Results reveal that the links between land-use changes, ecosystem services and human well-being are multifaceted; For example ecosystem services can decline, while human well-being increases. We explain this finding through three different pathways to impact (changes in the resource systems, the governance systems or the broader social, economic and political context). We conclude with implications of these results for future sustainable land governance

Sustainable Development Under Competing Claims on Land: Three Pathways Between Land-Use Changes, Ecosystem Services and Human Well-Being

Competition over land is at the core of many sustainable development challenges in Myanmar: villagers, companies, governments, ethnic minority groups, civil soci-ety organisations and non-governmental organisations from local to the international level claim access to and decision-making power over the use of land. Therefore, this article investigates the actor interactions influencing land-use changes and their impacts on the supply of ecosystem services and human well-being. We utilise a transdisciplinary mixed-methods approach and the analytical lens of the social-eco-logical systems framework. Results reveal that the links between land-use changes, ecosystem services and human well-being are multifaceted; For example ecosys-tem services can decline, while human well-being increases. We explain this find-ing through three different pathways to impact (changes in the resource systems, the governance systems or the broader social, economic and political context). We con-clude with implications of these results for future sustainable land governance

Research on Self-balancing Two Wheels Mobile Robot Control System Analysis

The paper presents the research on self-balancing two-wheels mobile robot control system analysis with experimental studies. The research problem in this work is to stabilize the mobile robot with self-control and to carry the sensitive things without failing in a long span period. The main objective of this study is to focus on the mathematical modelling of mobile robot from laboratory scale to real world applications. The numerical expression with mathematical modelling is very important to control the mobile robot system with linearization. The fundamental concepts of dynamic system stability were utilized for maintaining the stability of the constructed mobile robot system. The controller design is also important for checking the stability and the appropriate controller design is proportional, integral,and derivative – PID controller and Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR). The steady state error could be reduced by using such kind of PID controller.The simulation of numerical expression on mathematical modeling was conducted in MATLAB environments. The confirmation results from the simulation techniques were applied to construct the hardware design of mobile robot system for practical study. The results from simulation approaches and experimental approaches are matched in various kinds of analyses. The constructed mobile robot system was designed and analyzed in the control system design laboratory of Yangon Technological University (YTU)

Effectiveness of the SA 14-14-2 Live-Attenuated Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine in Myanmar

Myanmar is an endemic country for the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and the SA-14-14-2 live-attenuated JEV vaccine was first introduced as a catch-up vaccination campaign in 2017. To determine the effectiveness of vaccination by means of neutralizing antibody titers against JEV, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among five to 15-year-old monastic school children in Mandalay, Myanmar. A total of 198 students who had received vaccines were recruited, and single-time investigation of anti-JEV IgG and neutralizing antibodies against wild-type JEV were determined using anti-JEV IgG ELISA and plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNT50). All students 100% (198/198) showed positive results on the anti-JEV IgG ELISA, and 87% (172/198) of the students had neutralizing antibodies against JEV six months after immunization. The geometric mean titers of both IgG antibodies and neutralizing antibodies increased with the participants’ age groups, and statistically significant differences in anti-JEV IgG titers were noted across age groups. In this study, we could not investigate the persistence of neutralizing antibodies as only single-time blood collection was done. This study, which is the first report of JEV vaccination among children in Myanmar, showed similar neutralizing antibody production rates among vaccinated individuals as did studies in other countries