Developing Charity Web Application to Eradicate Poverty in Bhutan

This paperdescribes the designsand features deduced from the extensive literature reviewsthat helped us to build the prototype of the charity web application. Literature review on poverty helped us to understand feasibility and the need of building charity web applicationto uplift the poor communities in Bhutan.The prototype had been built considering the Human Computer Interaction(HCI) domain such as navigability, visual and page design. Navigability is achieved by providing thelinks on the side bar, breadcrumbs for a complex site and search tools for the ease of use. Visual design includes the logical structuring of contents and appropriate use of fonts, graphics, space and colors. Successful user friendly website with the possibility to minimize the access time issue is defined in page design.The HCI concepts are considered while building the prototype to achieve overall effectiveness, efficiency of charity web application and user satisfaction

Evaluation of Student Data Storage System and Development of Student Information System

This paper presents an analysis of the current storage of data related to students in college and an idea to centralize those data by building a web based application to access and modify them. The Registration is done every year for the new as well as the old students and theses requires a lot of resources. Paper and file based information storage is not very convenient, secure and environmentally un-healthy. Student Information System is a Simple web based interface to manage student information on all grounds. Critically important that the information stored must be up-to date and accessible ubiquitously, the Student Information System will be helpful to all those institutes that requires the storage of student information. Result Management module enhances the declaration and preparation of semester end results

Factors Affecting Online Teaching and Learning Amidst Covid-19 in College of Science and Technology

COVID-19 had an enormous influence on students, teachers, and educational institutions all over the world, as it did on so many other aspects of everyday life. Schools and colleges were closed across the world to comply with social distancing initiatives. In order to ensure education continuity, the traditional mode of face-to-face learning has been replaced by online learning. This paper sets out to determine the factors affecting online teaching and learning amidst COVID-19 in College of Science and Technology. The research is based on a mixed methodology consisting both qualitative & quantitative approach which is used mainly to gain more in-depth understanding of the factors that affect online teaching and learning for both tutors and students. Firstly, the quantitative approach is applied whereby an online survey will be carried out in order to see the   core factors in the bigger picture. The survey was conducted via Google form for the students and collected the data from 297 respondents. It was then followed by the qualitative approach whereby four teachers and nine students were interviewed (semi-structured interview) to validate the findings collected from the survey and consequently find the recurring factors. Then, to get a true integration of data and the relations between the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the data sets, the Dedoose software is used to analyze as a whole rather than two different components that must be pieced together. It was found that network connectivity, equipment availability for practical classes, nature of student and tutors, data insufficiency, favorable environment, module content and how adaptive student and tutor were to online platform were the factors identified affecting online teaching and learning at CST during Covid-19. Keywords:Online teaching and learning, Factors, Equipment availability, Network connectivity, Student characteristics, Tutors characteristics, Data insufficiency, Favorable environment, Module content DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-20-03 Publication date:July 31st 202

Predicting Roadblock Occurrences Using Machine Learning with AHP for Feature Prioritization and Confusion Matrix Evaluation

Roadblocks in Bhutan are common and significant challenges that impact transportation, public safety, and the economy. Predicting these roadblocks is difficult because of the complex interplay between geological, climatic, and topographical factors. This research proposes to develop a predictive model using Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) to create a roadblock susceptibility map of Bhutan. The study incorporates fourteen influencing factors such as rainfall, soil type, elevation, slope, aspect, settlement area, profile curvature, plane curvature, distance to rivers, distance to fault, topographic position index (TPI), Topographic Wetness Index (TWI), Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), with roadblock inventory data. These factors were processed using Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) to build a geodatabase. The data are split into 70% for training the ANFIS model and 30% for validating the results. The ANFIS model incorporates the neural networks and fuzzy logic principles and it gives better predictions. The performance accuracy, evaluated using the confusion matrix, was 0.8408, indicating good predictive ability. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to determine the relative weight of each factor, which was then applied in the Weighted Over Method (WOM) to create a susceptibility map. This map, generated for both the entire country and individual districts, can aid in mitigation efforts and serve as a preliminary tool for future infrastructure planning

An assessment of antenatal care received by Bhutanese women: A retrospective review of maternal and child health handbooks

Introduction: Providing quality antenatal care not only increases the likelihood of early detection of maternal health and socioeconomic factors linked to untoward pregnancy outcomes but also prepares women for safe childbirth and for possible emergencies during pregnancy. Therefore, this study assessed antenatal care received by pregnant women against the national guideline on antenatal care services.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the national referral hospital in Bhutan. A convenience sample of 571 maternal and child health handbooks (records) of pregnant women coming to deliver at the hospital in July and August 2020 were included.Results: Approximately 1/3rdof the sample had initiated their antenatal care on time and more than half of them had fewer than the recommended number of visits. In addition, 3% of women had their ANC initiated in the third trimester. Among the care practices recommended to be done during antenatal visits, those that required more skill were less often provided compared to those of general history taking and physical assessment.Conclusion: The antenatal care that pregnant women in Bhutan received shows there is room for improvement, especially to decrease the late initiation of ANC. The policies and programmes to strengthen maternal and child health should move from ensuring accessibility to enhancing the quality of care. In addition, systems that ensure an adequate number of visits and timely initiation of care need to be reinforced along with improving the skills of ANC providers

A Discussion on the Singing Dialogue Tsangmo : Bridging Culture Between Bhutan and Japan, from the Past to the Future

Bhutanese tsangmo is a unique cultural heritage that has been at the heart of folk culture in many regions of Bhutan. It was considered to be on the verge of extinction due to the trends toward globalization and modernization. However, new attempts have already been made in schools, through radio programming, teacher education, and other means to ensure its continuation. These attempts involve wisely transformed styles of traditional ways of playing. Our research group has been investigating the real-life circumstances and unique value of these songs since 2010. In this paper, we describe our findings and exchange opinions between Bhutanese and Japanese, each discussing tsangmo from our own viewpoints, including the cultural heritage in Bhutan, the language as it relates to tsangmo, new attempts to promote passing on tsangmo, Bhutanese creative dialogue and Japanese education, and finally, understanding the importance of tsangmo within the prospects for Asia from the perspective of ethnomusicology. Through our discussion we hope to shine a light on the remarkable and rich cultural heritage of Bhutan so that it may thrive in future generations.This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP 26301043

Pneumonia in children admitted to the national referral hospital in Bhutan: a prospective cohort study

Objectives The study aim was to describe the etiological profile and clinical characteristics of pneumonia among children hospitalized in Thimphu, Bhutan. Methods This prospective study enrolled children aged 2–59 months admitted to the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital with World Health Organization (WHO)-defined clinical pneumonia. Demographic and clinico-radiological data were collected through questionnaires, physical examination, and chest radiography. Blood samples and nasopharyngeal washing were collected for microbiological analysis including culture and molecular methods. Results From July 2017 to June 2018, 189 children were enrolled, of which 53.4% were infants. Pneumonia-related admissions were less frequent over the winter. Chest radiographies were obtained in 149 children; endpoints included pneumonia in 39 cases (26.2%), other infiltrates in 31 (20.8%), and were normal in 79 children (53.0%). Non-contaminated bacterial growth was detected in 8/152 (5.3%) blood cultures, with only two cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Viral detection in upper respiratory secretions was common, with at least one virus detected in 103/115 (89.6%). The three most-commonly isolated viruses were respiratory syncytial virus (52/115; 45.2%), rhinovirus (42/115; 36.5%), and human parainfluenza virus (19/115; 16.5%). A third of patients with viral infections showed mixed infections. Case fatality rate was 3.2% (6/189). Conclusion Respiratory viral infections predominated among this cohort of WHO-defined clinical pneumonia cases, whereas bacterial aetiologies were uncommon, highlighting the epidemiologic transition that Bhutan seems to have reached

Yield of Brain MRI in Clinically Diagnosed Epilepsy in the Kingdom of Bhutan: A Prospective Study

Background: People with epilepsy (PWE) in low- and middle-income countries may not access the health resources that are considered optimal for epilepsy diagnosis. The diagnostic yield of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has not been well studied in these settings. Objectives: To report the diagnostic yield of brain MRI and identify clinical associations of abnormal MRI findings among PWE in a neurocysticercosis-endemic, resource-limited setting and to identify the proportion and putative structural brain causes of drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods: PWE were prospectively enrolled at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Bhutan (2014-2015). Each participant completed clinical questionnaires and a 1.5-Tesla brain MRI. Each MRI was reviewed by at least 1 radiologist and neurologist in Bhutan and the United States. A working definition of drug-resistant epilepsy for resource-limited settings was given as (a) seizures for >1 year, (b) at least 1 seizure in the prior year, and (c) presently taking 2 or more antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Logistic regression models were constructed to test the cross-sectional association of an abnormal brain MRI with clinical variables. Findings: A total of 217 participants (125 [57%] female; 54 [25%] neurocysticercosis (n = 26, 12%, including 1 child) and congenital/perinatal abnormalities (n = 29, 14%, including 14 children). The number of AEDs (odds ratio = .59, 'P' = .03) and duration of epilepsy (odds ratio = 1.11, 'P' = .02) were significantly associated with an abnormal MRI. Seizure in the prior month was associated with the presence of mesial temporal sclerosis (odds ratio = .47, 'P' = .01). A total of 25 (12%) participants met our definition of drug-resistant epilepsy, with mesial temporal sclerosis (n = 10), congenital malformations (n = 5), and neurocysticercosis (n = 4) being the more common findings. Conclusions: The prevalence of abnormalities on brain MRI for PWE in resource-limited settings is high as a result of a diffuse range of etiologies, most commonly mesial temporal sclerosis. Drug-resistant epilepsy accounted for 12% of the referral population in a conservative estimation