A Comparative Study Of Grades 10 And 11 Students’ Perceptions Of English Teacher Effectiveness In Lai Za High School And Mai Ja Yang High School In Kachin State, Myanmar

The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly, to determine Grades 10 and 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness using Danielson’s (2011) framework for teaching model and its domains (i.e., planning and preparation, classroom environment, and instruction) in Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High School in Kachin State, Myanmar; and secondly, to identify whether there were significant differences in Grade 10, Grade 11, and Grades 10 and 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness between the same schools. This quantitative study used the Students’ Perceptions of Teacher Effectiveness Questionnaire (SPTEQ, Sprague, 2013). The respondents were 184 Grades 10 and 11 students in Lai Za High School and 220 Grades 10 and 11 students in Mai Ja Yang High School during the academic year 2017-2018. The research findings indicated that, in Lai Za High School, on average, Grade 10 students perceived their English teachers as neither effective nor ineffective, while Grade 11 students perceived their English teachers as effective. In Mai Ja Yang High School, both Grades 10 and 11 students, on average, perceived their English teachers as effective. Independent samples t-tests revealed that there were significant differences in Grade 10 and Grades 10 and 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness between Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High School, whereas no significant difference in Grade 11 students’ perceptions of English teacher effectiveness was noted between Lai Za High School and Mai Ja Yang High Schoo

The Effect of Stocking Rate and Initial Grass Height on Herbage Production and Utilization, and Milk Production per Unit Area Under Set Stocking by Lactating Dairy Cows

In our previous study with lactating dairy cows (Nakatsuji et al., 2004), annual herbage production and utilization, and milk production per unit area under set stocking was not always lower than under rotational grazing at the same stocking rate (6 cows/ha). Furthermore, there was a possibility that set stocking could increase pasture utilization and milk production over rotational grazing when cows were grazed at adequate stocking rate and at the appropriate initial date of grazing. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of stocking rate and initial grass height on herbage production and utilization, and milk production per unit area under set stocking by lactating dairy cows

Re-evaluation of the phylogeny based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in the house shrew, Suncus murinus-S. montanus species complex, with special reference to Yemen and Myanmar populations

The house shrew (Suncus murinus-S. montanus species complex) is considered to have been unintentionally introduced by humans from their original range to other regions around the　Indian Ocean and neighboring seas, but this has yet not fully been investigated. A phylogenetic tree and haplotype network were reconstructed　based on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene nucleotide sequences (1140 bp) of 179 individuals of house shrews from 46 localities in southern East Asia, Southeast Asia, West Asia, and islands in the western Indian Ocean. There was small genetic variation among shrews in Japan (Okinawa), southern China, Vietnam, and insular Southeast Asia. However, the shrew populations in Myanmar and Sri Lanka showed of a variety of different haplotypes. In the region of the western Indian Ocean, three interesting findings were obtained. First, the shrews on Zanzibar Island (Tanzania) shared same haplotype as those in southwestern Iran, and the haplotype was close to a group in Pakistan, despite these three regions being distantly located. Second, inferring from the haplotype network, it was suggests that the shrews in Yemen might have derived from Madagascar/Comoros populations. Third, the shrews on Réunion Island were genetically different from other populations around the western Indian Ocean but closer to Malaysia and Myanmar populations. Thus, the present study demonstrates that there have been dynamic immigration/emigration processes in the house shrews, especially for those around the western Indian Ocean. In addition, the house shrews in Myanmar may include several different species

Detection of plant parasitic nematodes in the soil of crop field in Meiktila area, Myanmar

The occurrence of soil nematodes from groundnut and chilli crop fields were investigated during the period from November 2013 to February 2014. From the collected soil samples, 13 genera belonging to seven families of three orders under two classes were recorded. Among the observed genera, Meloidogyene, was found to be the predominant on the soil samples of both groundnut and chilli crop fields. Moreover, Meloidogyene, Heterodera and Helicotylenchus were found with prominent values of 138, 92 and 85, respectively and occurred in 16%, 11% and 10% of all soil samples, respectively. Paratrichodorus was found to be the lowest in numbers 27 (3%). The data from recent study indicated that the soil samples of groundnut crop field showed higher incidence of nematodes (57%) than that of chilli crop field (43%)

Epidemiological survey on porcine cysticercosis in Nay Pyi Taw Area,

Cross-sectional surveys were conducted to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs within Nay Pyi Taw area, Myanmar. Meat inspection in three slaughterhouses, ELISA test, and questionnaire surveys were conducted in this study. Three hundred pigs were inspected in slaughterhouses and 364 pigs were randomly selected and examined from 203 households from three townships in Nay Pyi Taw area. The prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in meat inspection was 23.67% (71/300). Seroprevalence of T. solium cysticercosis in pigs in the study area was 15.93% (58/364). Significant associated risk factors with T. solium cysticercosis were gender (OR = 3.0; 95% CI = 1.7-5.4), increased age (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.2-4.2), husbandry system (OR = 5.1; 95% CI = 2.4-11.2), feed type (OR = 16.9; 95% CI = 2.3-124.3), not using anthelmintics in pigs (OR = 11.9; 95% CI = 5.0-28.5), not using anthelmintics in owner (OR = 2.5; 95% CI = 1.4-4.4), no hand-washing before feeding (OR = 31.5; 95% CI = 4.3-230.9), and pork consumption of owner (OR = 37.4; 95% CI = 9.0-156.1) in the study area. This is the first report of porcine cysticercosis in Myanmar

Bruceine A

The title compound, C26H34O11, known as bruceine A, is a natural quassinoid extracted from the dried fruits of Brucea javanica. Its structure consists of five fused rings including an oxygen-containing heterocyclic ring and a lactone ring. Two intra­molecular O—H⋯O links help to establish the mol­ecular conformation. In the crystal, O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds connect the mol­ecules

Force-of-infection of Taenia solium porcine cysticercosis: a modelling analysis to assess global incidence and prevalence trends

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) called, in 2012, for a validated strategy towards Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis control and elimination. Estimating pig force-of-infection (FoI, the average rate at which susceptible pigs become infected) across geographical settings will help understand local epidemiology and inform effective intervention design. Porcine cysticercosis (PCC) age-prevalence data (from 15 studies in Latin America, Africa and Asia) were identified through systematic review. Catalytic models were fitted to the data using Bayesian methods, incorporating uncertainty in diagnostic performance, to estimate rates of antibody seroconversion, viable metacestode acquisition, and seroreversion/infection loss. There was evidence of antibody seroreversion across 5 studies, and of infection loss in 6 studies measured by antigen or necropsy, indicating transient serological responses and natural resolution of infection. Concerted efforts should be made to collect robust data using improved diagnostics to better understand geographical heterogeneities in T. solium transmission to support post-2020 WHO targets

Potential of ferritin 2 as an antigen for the development of a universal vaccine for avian mites, poultry red mites, tropical fowl mites, and northern fowl mites

IntroductionPoultry red mites (PRMs, Dermanyssus gallinae), blood-sucking ectoparasites, are a threat to the poultry industry because of reduced production caused by infestation. In addition, tropical fowl mites (TFMs, Ornithonyssus bursa) and northern fowl mites (NFMs, Ornithonyssus sylviarum) are hematophagous, distributed in various regions, genetically and morphologically close to PRMs, and cause similar problems to the poultry industry. Vaccine approaches have been studied for PRM control, and several molecules have been identified in PRMs as candidates for effective vaccine antigens. The development of an anti-PRM vaccine as a universal vaccine with broad efficacy against avian mites could improve the productivity of poultry farms worldwide. Molecules that are highly conserved among avian mites and have critical functions in the physiology and growth of mites could be ideal antigen candidates for the development of universal vaccines. Ferritin 2 (FER2), an iron-binding protein, is critical for the reproduction and survival of PRMs and has been reported as a useful vaccine antigen for the control of PRMs and a candidate for the universal vaccine antigen in some tick species.Method and resultsHerein, we identified and characterized FER2 in TFMs and NFM. Compared with the sequence of PRM, the ferroxidase centers of the heavy chain subunits were conserved in FER2 of TFMs and NFMs. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that FER2 belongs to clusters of secretory ferritins of mites and other arthropods. Recombinant FER2 (rFER2) proteins from PRMs, TFMs, and NFMs exhibited iron-binding abilities. Immunization with each rFER2 induced strong antibody responses in chickens, and each immune plasma cross-reacted with rFER2 from different mites. Moreover, mortality rates of PRMs fed with immune plasma against rFER2 from TFMs or NFMs, in addition to PRMs, were higher than those of control plasma.DiscussionrFER2 from each avian mite exhibited anti-PRM effects. This data suggests that it has the potential to be used as an antigen candidate for a universal vaccine against avian mites. Further studies are needed to access the usefulness of FER2 as a universal vaccine for the control of avian mites

Force-of-infection of Taenia solium porcine cysticercosis: a modelling analysis to assess global incidence and prevalence trends

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) called, in 2012, for a validated strategy towards Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis control and elimination. Estimating pig force-of-infection (FoI, the average rate at which susceptible pigs become infected) across geographical settings will help understand local epidemiology and inform effective intervention design. Porcine cysticercosis (PCC) age-prevalence data (from 15 studies in Latin America, Africa and Asia) were identified through systematic review. Catalytic models were fitted to the data using Bayesian methods, incorporating uncertainty in diagnostic performance, to estimate rates of antibody seroconversion, viable metacestode acquisition, and seroreversion/infection loss. There was evidence of antibody seroreversion across 5 studies, and of infection loss in 6 studies measured by antigen or necropsy, indicating transient serological responses and natural resolution of infection. Concerted efforts should be made to collect robust data using improved diagnostics to better understand geographical heterogeneities in T. solium transmission to support post-2020 WHO targets

Anthropogenic interferences lead to gut microbiome dysbiosis in Asian elephants and may alter adaptation processes to surrounding environments

Human activities interfere with wild animals and lead to the loss of many animal populations. Therefore, efforts have been made to understand how wildlife can rebound from anthropogenic disturbances. An essential mechanism to adapt to environmental and social changes is the fluctuations in the host gut microbiome. Here we give a comprehensive description of anthropogenically induced microbiome alterations in Asian elephants (n = 30). We detected gut microbial changes due to overseas translocation, captivity and deworming. We found that microbes belonging to Planococcaceae had the highest contribution in the microbiome alterations after translocation, while Clostridiaceae, Spirochaetaceae and Bacteroidia were the most affected after captivity. However, deworming significantly changed the abundance of Flavobacteriaceae, Sphingobacteriaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Weeksellaceae and Burkholderiaceae. These findings may provide fundamental ideas to help guide the preservation tactics and probiotic replacement therapies of a dysbiosed gut microbiome in Asian elephants. More generally, these results show the severity of anthropogenic activities at the level of gut microbiome, altering the adaptation processes to new environments and the subsequent capability to maintain normal physiological processes in animals