North Burma Research Articles

Seismic Cycles and Trend Predictions of Earthquakes in Sumatra–Andaman and Burmese Subduction Zones using Temporal b-value and Hurst Analysis

The annual b-value fluctuation patterns in Burmese subduction zone and Andaman–Sumatra subduction zone are evaluated from earthquake data (January 1990 to June 2016; Mw ³ 4.3) to identify seismic cycles with sequential dynamic phases as described in the ‘elastic failure model’ of Main et al. (1989). Two seismic cycles have been identified in Andaman–Sumatra subduction zone, one started in 1990 and ended on 2004 with occurrence of great Sumatra earthquake (Mw 9.0) and the other started in 2005 and continuing till date with the phase of crack coalescence and fluid diffusion (3A&B). Similarly, the subduction zone of Burma shows evidence of one incomplete seismic cycle within 1990–2016 and presently undergoing the crack coalescence and fluid diffusion (3A&B) phase. The analysis has prompted to subdivide the area into thirteen smaller seismic blocks (A to M) to analyse area specific seismic trend and vulnerability analysis employing Hurst Statistics. Hurst plots with the dynamic phases of ‘elastic failure model’ of earthquake generation is compared to assess the blocks with high seismic vulnerability. The analysis suggest that north Andaman zone (block G) and north Burma fold belt (block M) are seismically most vulnerable. Moreover, the seismic vulnerability of Tripura fold belt and Bangladesh plain (block K) is equally high.

Locating Nepalese Mobility: A Historical Reappraisal with Reference to North East India, Burma and Tibet

Most literature published on migration in Nepal makes the point of reference from 19th century by stressing the Lahure culture - confining the trend’s history centering itself on the 200 years of Nepali men serving in British imperial army. However, the larger story of those non-military and non-janajati (ethnic) Nepali pilgrimages, pastoralists, cultivators and tradesmen who domiciled themselves in Burma, North East India and Tibet has not been well documented in the mobility studies and is least entertained in the popular imagination. Therefore, this paper attempts to catalog this often neglected outmigration trajectory of Nepalis. Migrants venturing into Burma and North East India consist of an inclusive nature as the imperial army saw the overwhelming presence of hill janajatis in their ranks whereas Brahmins (popularly known as Bahuns) and Chettris were largely self-employed in dairy farming and animal husbandry. In tracing out the mobility of Nepalis to North East, Burma and Tibet it can be argued that the migrating population took various forms such as wanderers (later they became settlers), mercantilist, laborers, mercenary soldiers, and those settlers finally forced to become returnees. In this connection, documenting lived experiences of the living members or their ancestors is of paramount importance before the memory crosses the Rubicon.

Revision of the Barsine cardinalis-anomala 'species-complex' (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae).

The Barsine cardinalis-anomala 'species-complex' is revised. Five new species (B. pseudocardinalis Volynkin & Černý, sp. nov. from Indochina, B. fansipana Volynkin & Černý, sp. nov. from North Vietnam, B. nangkwak Volynkin & Černý, sp. nov. from North Thailand, B. incompletostriga Volynkin & Černý, sp. nov. from North-East India and B. rawanga Volynkin & Černý, sp. nov. from North Burma) and one new subspecies (B. cardinalis gemina Volynkin & Černý, ssp. nov. from North Thailand) are described. A new combination (Barsine anomala (Elwes, 1890), comb. nov. ), new synonymy (Barsine cardinalis cardinalis (Hampson, 1900) = Miltochrista erubescens Rothschild, 1936, syn. nov.), and six new species-groups are established. Adults, male and female genitalia of all species are illustrated.

Book Review: Alexander Dukalskis, The Authoritarian Public Sphere: Legitimation and Autocratic Power in North Korea, Burma, and China

Book Review: Alexander Dukalskis, <i>The Authoritarian Public Sphere: Legitimation and Autocratic Power in North Korea, Burma, and China</i>

Impact of Southeast Asian smoke on aerosol properties in Southwest China: First comparison of model simulations with satellite and ground observations

AbstractSmoke aerosols have been observed in Southwest China as a result of long‐range transport from surrounding areas in March and April. The processes driving this transport and the resultant impact on regional aerosol optical properties are studied here through a combined use of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)‐Chem chemistry transport model in conjunction with satellite and the first‐ever ground‐based observations in the Southwest China. The potential biomass burning source regions as well as their respective contributions to aerosol loading in Southwest China are quantified. Compared to Sun photometer observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm at eight stations in the study region (10–28°N, 90–115°E, comprising Northeast India, Indo‐China Peninsula, and Southwest and South China), the AOD simulated by GEOS‐Chem (nested grid with 0.5° × 0.667° resolution) by using the Fire Inventory from National Center for Atmospheric Research shows an average bias of −0.17 during January 2012 to May 2013. However, during the biomass burning months (March–April), the simulated AOD is much improved with a bias of −0.04. Model sensitivity experiments show that biomass burning in Burma and Northeast India is the largest contributor to smoke AOD (~88%) and total AOD (~57%) over Kunming, an urban site in Southwest China. Case studies on 21–23 March 2013 show that the smoke layer in Northeast India and North Burma can extend from the surface to 4 km and then be transported to Southwest China by prevailing westerly airflow. Model‐simulated AOD and vertical distribution of aerosols are respectively in good agreement with satellite measurements from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization.

Study of aerosol optical properties at Kunming in southwest China and long-range transport of biomass burning aerosols from North Burma

Seasonal variation of aerosol optical properties and dominant aerosol types at Kunming (KM), an urban site in southwest China, is characterized. Substantial influences of the hygroscopic growth and long-range transport of biomass burning (BB) aerosols on aerosol optical properties at KM are revealed. These results are derived from a detailed analysis of (a) aerosol optical properties (e.g. aerosol optical depth (AOD), columnar water vapor (CWV), single scattering albedo (SSA) and size distribution) retrieved from sunphotometer measurements during March 2012–August 2013, (b) satellite AOD and active fire products, (c) the attenuated backscatter profiles from the space-born lidar, and (d) the back-trajectories. The mean AOD440nm and extinction Angstrom exponent (EAE440−870) at KM are 0.42±0.32 and 1.25±0.35, respectively. Seasonally, high AOD440nm (0.51±0.34), low EAE440−870 (1.06±0.34) and high CWV (4.25±0.97cm) during the wet season (May – October) contrast with their counterparts 0.17±0.11, 1.40±0.31 and 1.91±0.37cm during the major dry season (November–February) and 0.53±0.29, 1.39±0.19, and 2.66±0.44cm in the late dry season (March–April). These contrasts between wet and major dry season, together with the finding that the fine mode radius increases significantly with AOD during the wet season, suggest the importance of the aerosol hygroscopic growth in regulating the seasonal variation of aerosol properties. BB and Urban/Industrial (UI) aerosols are two major aerosol types. Back trajectory analysis shows that airflows on clean days during the major dry season are often from west of KM where the AOD is low. In contrast, air masses on polluted days are from west (in late dry season) and east (in wet season) of KM where the AOD is often large. BB air mass is found mostly originated from North Burma where BB aerosols are lifted upward to 5km and then subsequently transported to southwest China via prevailing westerly winds.

THE RISE OF GENTRY POWER ON THE CHINA–BURMA FRONTIER SINCE THE 1870S: THE CASE OF THE PENG FAMILY IN MIANNING, SOUTHWEST YUNNAN

From the 1870s to the 1940s, the construction of lineages among the Han settlers on the frontier between China's Yunnan province and Burma became significant. Through these lineages the construction of Han identity was also extended toward Burma along various transportation routes. In the continuing reformation of frontier society, gentry power, based on lineage corporations, expanded and performed a crucial role in the construction of a new style of border, as well as functioning as a leading force for ethnic competition by extending state power into the borderland. After the colonization of north Burma by the British in 1886, new economic opportunities attracted more Chinese merchants who built networks along transportation routes between cities in Burma and commercial centers in Yunnan, which also changed the social landscape of the frontier. The construction of lineages as a Han system not only overlapped with trade networks, but also provided sufficient economic and political resources to build a Han identity, which competed with other types of identity-polity systems – such as those of the Dai, the Lahu and the Wa – between the Mekong River and the Salween River.

Mango - Postharvest Biology and Biotechnology

Mango is one of the choicest fruits in the world and popular due to its delicate taste, pleasant aroma and nutritional value. Mango is indigenous to north-east India and north Burma, but now grown in over 90 countries. In the past two decades, mango production has increased appreciably with international trade jumping approximately four-fold valued close to US$ 950 million. Mango belongs to the category of climacteric fruits and its ripening is initiated and proceeded by a burst in ethylene production and a dramatic rise in the rate of respiration. Although there are a few hundred mango cultivars grown in the Indian subcontinent and other parts of the world, the most popular cultivars are generally highly perishable and ripen within 7 to 9 days of harvest at ambient temperature. Currently, the export potential and international trade of mango is limited due to several factors such as its perishable nature, disease and pest infestation, and susceptibility of certain premium cultivars to chilling injury when stored at low temperatures. Efforts are ongoing to develop technologies for improved storage and packaging, and overcome limitations encountered during storage and transit. Controlled atmosphere (CA) and hypobaric storage of mango are powerful means to overcome its perishable nature. The composition of CA varies among cultivars to ensure its original taste, flavor and aroma. Edible coating on the fruit skin may further cut down the rate of deterioration. Recently, significant advances have been made in understanding ripening characteristics of mango at the molecular level. Candidate genes related to ethylene biosynthesis and signalling, cell wall modification, aroma production and stress response have been cloned and characterized for future use in mango improvement. Efforts are also being made to establish a suitable transformation and plant regeneration system so that transgenic mango with added value and increased shelf life for long distance transportation could be developed.

Earthquake Forerunner as Probable Precursor – An Example from North Burma Subduction Zone

Abstract The Burmese Arc seismic activity is not uniform for its ~ 1100 km length; only the Northern Burmese Arc (NBA) is intensely active. Six large earthquakes in the magnitude range 6.1 – 7.4 have originated from the NBA Benioff zone between 1954 -2011, within an area of 200 x 300 km2 where the Indian plate subducts eastward to depths beyond 200 km below the Burma plate. An analysis on seismogenesis of this interplate region suggests that while the subducting lithosphere is characterized by profuse seismicity, seismicity in the overriding plate is rather few. Large earthquakes occurring in the overriding plate are associated with the backarc Shan-Sagaing Fault (SSF) further east. The forecasting performance of the Benioff zone earthquakes in NBA as forerunner is analysed here by: (i) spatial earthquake clustering, (ii) seismic cycles and their temporal quiescence and (iii) the characteristic temporal b-value changes. Three such clusters (C1- C3) are identified from NBA Benioff Zones I &amp; II that are capable of generating earthquakes in the magnitude ranges of 7.38 to 7.93. Seismic cycles evidenced for the Zone I displayed distinct quiescence (Q1, Q2 and Q3) prior to the 6th August 1988 (M 6.6) earthquake. Similar cycles were used to forecast an earthquake (Dasgupta et al. 2010) to come from the Zone I (cluster C1); which, actually struck on 4 February 2011 (M 6.3). The preparatory activity for an event has already been set in the Zone II and we speculate its occurrence as a large event (M &amp;gt; 6.0) possibly within the year 2012, somewhere close to cluster C3. Temporal analysis of b-value indicates a rise before an ensuing large earthquake.

Peace Science and Peace Economics Can Help Win the Fight against Nuclear Proliferation

There is a possibility of significant proliferation of nuclear weapons in the future, with various chains of proliferation as occurred earlier. This time, the chains could start from North Korea, Iran, and Burma (Myanmar) and spread respectively in Northeast Asia, in the Middle East and North Africa, and in Southeast Asia as well as in Eastern Europe, the southern cone of South America, and elsewhere. Peace science and peace economics could play constructive roles in preventing this dangerous development by studying the problem historically using case studies and by analyzing the economics and psychology behind proliferation decisions.

The Ultra Cruel: Comparing Human Rights Violators

Worst of the Worst: Dealing with Repressive and Rogue Nations. Edited by Robert I. Rotberg. Cambridge, MA: World Peace Foundation, and Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2007. 342 pp., $59.95 cloth (ISBN-13: 978-0-8157-7566-9). The Worst of the Worst: Dealing with Repressive and Rogue Nations , edited by Robert I. Rotberg, examines some of the worst human rights violating states in the early twenty-first century. The book combines two quantitative chapters with nine descriptive chapters focused on some of the worst offenders. The case studies represent nearly every world region. The volume includes states in Asia (North Korea and Burma), the former Soviet region (Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan), Sub-Saharan Africa (Equatorial Guinea, Togo, and Zimbabwe), North Africa (Tunisia), and the Middle East (Syria). Latin America is notably absent, demonstrating how far that region has come in turning around its human rights record. There can be little doubt that these regimes are horrific. For example, in North Korea, “babies born in prison were killed at birth.” In the natural gas rich country of Turkmenistan, “most hospitals outside the capital had been shut down … condemning thousands to death from common, treatable illnesses such as tuberculosis” (p. 19). Each of the volume's case studies, all of them interesting and well written, assume little knowledge of the particular state and thus are most useful for scholars interested in comparing violators but whose knowledge is limited to one or a handful of states. The case studies are complimented by an introductory chapter on the question of quantifying rogue states’ misdeeds …

Quality Assurance of Hot Beverages with special reference to Copper element

Camellia sinensis originated in South East Asia, specifically around the intersection in the point of confluence of the lands of northeast India, north Burma, southwest China and Tibet. The plant was introduced to more than 52 countries, from this ‘centre of origin’.” Instant coffee is a beverage prepared by various processes in which again it is dehydrated into the form of powder or granules. These can be rehydrated with hot water to provide a drink similar (though not identical) to conventional coffee. Chicory, used as a coffee substitute and additive with other adulterants like sugar beet and mustard seeds used as an ingredient of the mixed coffee, introduced during the coffee crisis happened in 1976-79. According to traditional folklore, long-term use of chicory as a coffee substitute may damage human retinal tissue, with dimming of vision over time and other long term effects. Similarly, copper salts are being used commonly as an eradicant and protectant against a fungus. Therefore there is an urgent need of detecting the copper bioconcentration in the samples, hence present problem has been sorted out and it was found that no absorption or the uptake of the salt by the plant and ultimate crop or its allied product is safe for human consumption.

A Review of: “Asia.Com: Asia Encounters the Internet”

With the exception of North Korea, Cambodia, Burma, and Laos, the most rapid growth of the Internet is unfolding in Asia. South Korea and Singapore are some of the most densely wired nations in the...

Colonial Administrators and their Tribal Preferences. A North Burma Case Study 1945-8. Bias, Beneficial Policy, Inevitability of Divisions or Divide and Rule

Burma divided between the Burmese and the tribal peoples as an administrative necessity and the latter wished this difference to be maintained and the war directly supported this claim. British wishes and administrative practices were irrelevant to pre- Independence realities.

A Second Gathering of, a New Record for Burma for, and an Amplified Description of Eriobotrya longifolia (Rosaceae)

Since the time of its collection and transmission to Kew in 1962, a gathering of a fruiting tree made by J. Keenan, U Tun Aung & U Tha Hla in the Sumprabum Sub-Division of Kachin State, North Burma, has reposed for some twenty years amongst the undetermined Asiatic material of Saurauia (Saurauiaceae) in the herbarium, owing to a superficial resemblance in overall habit features to some species of' that genus, notably to S. punduana Wall., a species ranging eastwards from Sikkim to Assam & Burma. However, it has proved to be an Eriobohya, and it is clearly referable to E. longifolia (Decne.) Hook.f., a species hitherto known only from Griffith's type from the Mishmi Hills of eastern Assam (as it then was), some 200 km to the northwest of the Burmese locality, and erroneously signified by DrJules-E. Vidal in his revision of Eriobotrya (1965), as hailing from Bangladesh, 'East Bengal' appearing on the printed Kew l)istribution label. The Burmese gathering adds to our knowledge of the species in that Griffith's type was in flower only, and an addition is hereby made to l)ccaisnc's description:-

The Rubiaceous Genus Mussaenda: a New Species from North Burma

The Rubiaceous Genus Mussaenda: a New Species from North Burma

Amiable Assassins: the Story of the Kachin Guerrillas of North Burma

Journal Article Amiable Assassins: the Story of the Kachin Guerrillas of North Burma Get access Amiable Assassins: the Story of the Kachin Guerrillas of North Burma. By Ian Fellowes-Gordon. London, Hale, 1957. 159 pp. Illus. 15s. Hugh Tinker Hugh Tinker Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar International Affairs, Volume 34, Issue 1, January 1958, Page 124, https://doi.org/10.2307/2605972 Published: 01 January 1958

Engineer Reconnaissance in Forbidden North Burma

Engineer Reconnaissance in Forbidden North Burma

Trombicula (Trombiculindus) kansai, a New Chigger from Central Honshu, Japan

The subgenus Trombiculindus was established as a genus by Radford (1948) for a species of chigger taken from rats (Rattus sp.) in India. Subsequently, Traub and Evans (1951) described two more species of Trombiculindus from shrews (Crocidura sp. and Suncus sp.) from North Burma. Recently, Womersley (1952, p. 140) named a fourth species of this group; his species was based on specimens found on an unidentified mouse taken in Bal Tal Kashmir, India. The chigger here described is the fifth member of Tromsbiculindus; but, unlike the previously named species, it occurs in temperate regions, far to the north of the known geographic ranges of the other species. We prefer to follow Wharton et al (1951) in using Trombiculindus as a subgenus of Trombicula. Although the foliate setae are strikingly different from the slender, feathered setae of most other species of Trombicula, such a character by itself seems not to be sufficient for the separation of this group as a genus. Except for the foliate setae, these species have the characters of the subgenus Leptotrombidium.

Two New Species of Trombiculindus Radford from North Burma (Acarina: Trombiculidae)1

During the investigations on the epidemiology of scrub typhus in North Burma during the recent war, the United States of America Typhus Commission collected many interesting species of trombiculid mites. Perhaps the most remarkable of these are two species in which the dorsum is covered by bristles which have become modified to form very broad foliate scales. The posterolateral setae of the scutum are similarly modified. This condition is unknown in the family Trombiculidae except in the monotypic genus Trombiculindus Radford 1948, from India (1). However, in the type species, T. squamosus Radford 1948, the posterior portion of the venter is likewise covered with scales, whereas in the two new species, none of the ventral setae are so modified. All other generic characters agree with Trombiculindus , and in order to avoid further complicating the confused systematics in this group of mites, the new species are here described as belonging to this genus.