The University of Yangon (also Yangon University; Burmese: ရန်ကုန် တက္ကသိုလ်, pronounced [jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃ tɛʔkəθò]; formerly Rangoon College, Rangoon University and Rangoon Arts and Sciences University), located in Kamayut, Yangon, is the oldest university in Myanmar's modern education system and the best known university in Myanmar. The university offers mainly undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (Bachelor's, Master's, Post-graduate Diploma, and Doctorate) programs in liberal arts, sciences and law. Full-time bachelor's degrees were not offered at the university's main campus after the student protests of 1996. The bachelor's degree was re-offered from 2014 on, to the best students in the country. Today degrees in Political Science are offered to undergraduate students, as well as postgraduate diplomas in areas such as social work and geology.Initially most major universities in the country depended on Yangon University. Until 1958 when Mandalay University became an independent university, all institutions of higher education in Myanmar were under Yangon University. After the University Education Act of 1964, all professional colleges and institutes of the university such as the Institute of Medicine 1, Rangoon Institute of Technology and Yangon Institute of Economics became independent universities, leaving the Yangon University with liberal arts, sciences and law. In Myanmar, responsibility for higher education depends on various ministries. The University of Yangon depends from the Ministry of education.Yangon University has been at the centre of civil discontent throughout its history. All three nationwide strikes against the British administration (1920, 1936 and 1938) began at Rangoon University. Leaders of the Burmese independence movement such as General Aung San, U Nu, Ne Win and U Thant are some of the notable alumni of the university. The tradition of student protest at the university continued in the post-colonial era—in 1962, 1974, 1988 and in 1996.
Myanmar is located on the eastern margin of the India-Eurasia collision zone, where the Indian sub-continent is subducting beneath the Burma microplate. Magmatic processes during subduction and collision in orogenic belts are significant and well-studied for oceanic subduction; however, the magmatism associated with continental subduction remains poorly understood. Seismic attenuation is highly sensitive to changes in lithospheric thermodynamics and fluid content. Understanding arc volcanism is vital for comprehending a key manifestation of subduction-related processes. However, there is still no high-resolution 3D attenuation model for this region. Here, we use the coda-normalized method to image the lithospheric-scale 3D attenuation structure in the Indo-Burma subduction zone. Our results reveal high attenuation in major sedimentary basins. The prominent high-attenuation anomalies in the mid-to-lower crust of the Indo-Burma Ranges (IBR) may represent thick, fluid-rich sediments scraped off from the subducting Indian Plate and accumulated beneath the IBR. Low-attenuation anomalies at depths of 30-50 km beneath the Monywa volcano are a clear signature of a cooled mantle wedge, which currently overlies strong attenuation anomalies deeper than 50 km, likely associated with the upwelling of hot asthenospheric material. Compared to oceanic subduction systems, the insufficient water content of the continental subduction plate, coupled with the compressional regime induced by oblique subduction, leads to weak attenuation within the mantle wedge.
Most microplastics (MPs) in wastewater are retained within the sewage sludge. These MPs enter the soil environment through land application, posing a threat to ecosystems. This study proposes an effective control strategy using alkali pretreatment (pH 10, 5 days) followed by hydrothermal treatment at 180 °C (AHT), achieving a degradation rate of 81.83% for polyethylene terephthalate MPs (PET-MPs) in sludge. AHT promotes the formation and solubilization of key active components in sludge, such as alkalinity, which drives nucleophilic attack, metal ions, which catalyze reactions, and organic matter, which acts as radical donors. These components synergistically disintegrate PET-MPs through hydrolysis and radical oxidation pathways during hydrothermal treatment. Meanwhile, hydrothermal treatment induces polymer chain motion and physical structural disruption, accelerating the penetration and reaction of active components, thereby achieving efficient degradation of PET-MPs. Spectral and high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses reveal that sludge AHT facilitates the transformation of MP-derived dissolved organic matter (MP-DOM) into molecules characterized by low-aromaticity, low-molecular-weight, high-saturation, and high-bioavailability. Concurrently, MP-DOM exhibits low acute toxicity toward aquatic organisms and the immortalized human liver cell line (THLE-2 cells). Therefore, sludge AHT effectively degrades and converts polyester MPs into MP-DOM with low-toxicity, thereby mitigating the risks of sludge-based MPs to ecosystems.
Building on our previous report of high prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections among Myanmar schoolchildren (Aung et al., Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 2022), we conducted additional molecular screening of archival stool samples from the same cohort in Phyu Township, Bago Region, to investigate additional helminth infections. We also report finding of other helminths by Kato-Katz in the previous study that were not previously published. Stool samples utilised in this study were collected in 2016 and the DNA extracted in 2017 and kept stored at -20°C until further molecular characterisation in this study in 2025. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR), we detected Schistosoma DNA in two of 264 samples, Strongyloides stercoralis DNA in twelve, and Ancylostoma ceylanicum in eleven. Although sequencing of the Schistosoma-positive samples was unsuccessful, the molecular evidence aligns with other recent reports suggesting emerging or cryptic transmission of schistosomiasis in Myanmar. The epidemiology of schistosomiasis in the region remains poorly defined, highlighting the need for targeted snail surveys, environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring, and host sampling to confirm transmission foci. This study demonstrates the added value of molecular diagnostics for complementing traditional parasitological methods and guiding surveillance and control strategies in areas of emerging endemicity.
Seismological investigations of the uppermost mantle beneath Myanmar are essential for constraining the dynamic processes associated with oblique subduction in this region. We constructed a high-resolution Pn-wave velocity and azimuthal anisotropy model using a combined data set of 51,982 high-quality Pn arrivals, compiled from recordings of three newly deployed temporary seismic arrays and bulletin data from the ISC-EHB and the National Earthquake Data Center. The velocity model reveals large-scale high-velocity anomalies beneath the northeastern margin of the Indian Plate, consistent with underthrusting of cold Indian continental lithosphere. Additional high-velocity anomalies west of the Kabaw Fault spatially coincide with the geometry of the subducting Indian Plate in the Slab2 model, further supporting ongoing slab penetration. In contrast, a pronounced uppermost mantle low-velocity zone beneath northern Myanmar suggests localized upwelling of hot mantle material, likely induced by horizontal tearing of the Indian slab and potentially linked to Quaternary volcanism. Beneath the southern Indo-Burma Ranges, a low-velocity anomaly with trench-parallel anisotropy implies antigorite lattice-preferred orientation. Beneath the Central Myanmar Basin volcanic cluster, an arcuate high-velocity anomaly is interpreted as relatively cold and dry mantle-wedge exhumation associated with slab rollback.
