Sonam Wangchuk - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Sonam Wangchuk

Asian Journal of Multidisciplinary Research & Review, 2022

This research explored the use of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) by Physics teachers in teac... more This research explored the use of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) by Physics teachers in teaching grade 10. The study employed a qualitative research design. The tools used were semi-structured interviews, class observation and document (lesson plan) analysis with teachers. The qualitative data were analyzed based on predetermined themes. The main findings of this study revealed that the teacher displayed adequate use of PCK, in the form of content knowledge and knowledge of teaching strategies to teach two topics of force and motion (gravitational force and gravitational field). However, they displayed limited knowledge of learners' misconceptions on the topic and the use of alternative teaching strategies for learners with difficulty. Further, it was found that the teachers used social networks, lesson observations, and lesson review to enhance their PCK in Physics.

Additional file 1. Chloroquine and primaquine dosing charts.

Journal of Research in Health Sciences, 2016

Background: An outbreak investigation was carried out to determine the cause and confirm the sour... more Background: An outbreak investigation was carried out to determine the cause and confirm the source of food poisoning in Deptsang village for implementing prevention and control measures. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study for the outbreak investigation. Stool specimens were collected from cases to perform culture and antibiogram. The team also inspected the environment and hygiene practices in both the construction site and the entire community. The association between the exposure to carcass meat and their outcome of acute gastroenteritis was assessed by risk ratio. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Fifty-five villagers consumed the carcass meat during lunch and dinner resulting in 33 cases. Multi-drug resistant Aeromonas hydrophila was isolated from stool specimens of cases, which were susceptible to chloramphenicol only. A risk ratio of 2.1 was found between those people who consumed the carcass meat and those who did not consume the ca...

The Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI) is a commonly used method in optical remote sensing ... more The Normalised Difference Water Index (NDWI) is a commonly used method in optical remote sensing data to map open water bodies due to its simplicity and efficiency. While the NDWI has been used to identify high altitude glacial lakes its optimal performance is often challenged by topographic, limnologic, and atmospheric factors, particularly in high mountains regions such as the Himalayas. Hence, an alternative approach is needed. Here, we present a decision tree algorithm using top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance Sentinel-2 Multispectral Instrument (MSI) data, and Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) backscatter with a digital elevation model (DEM) to identify and map glacial lakes. In addition, we apply this method to Landsat TOA reflectance corrected data. The results of this method are then compared with previously proposed methods such as band ratios, indices, and raw digital number (DN) dataset. The preliminary results from the two study sites (Pamir and SouthEast Himalaya) indicate that the proposed method is able to perform better than existing methods. The algorithm is able to identify and remove challenging factors of glacial lake identification and mapping such as cast shadows stemming from mountains and clouds. Furthermore, those glacial lakes which are highly turbid, and frozen can be classified. Even glacial lakes fully obscured by clouds can be identified and mapped using Sentinel-1 SAR data with slope analysis. Combining operational optical and SAR data with a high resolution DEM, an accurate classification and mapping of glacial lakes in high mountains could be facilitated irrespective of time and space conditions.

Ce memoire etudie les tendances « modernes » de construction au Ladakh et les strategies adoptees... more Ce memoire etudie les tendances « modernes » de construction au Ladakh et les strategies adoptees. L'auteur analyse comment les populations refusent de tirer les lecons des erreurs que de recentes calamites (temperatures glaciales, coulees de boue, tremblements de terre) ont mis en lumiere. L'auteur finit en presentant l'idee d'un mouvement en faveur d'une architecture sure, durable et d'un cout abordable pour tout l'arc himalayen.

In resource dependent rural areas of Bhutan, community forestry management is promoted as a viabl... more In resource dependent rural areas of Bhutan, community forestry management is promoted as a viable option for poverty reduction, enhancement of local economic development and biodiversity conservation. While there have been an impressive number of community forests established in Bhutan since the early 2000s, there are many concerns including the degree to which benefits of community forests are equitably distributed within the community forestry management groups. This paper presents the findings of a study investigating economic equity (distribution of financial benefits) and social equity (participation in decision making) from three community forest management groups in two eastern Dzongkhags. The comparisons among socioeconomic groups (rich, middle income and poor), committee vs. regular members, and by gender on livelihood assets and utilization of the forest products (timber, firewood, fodder, leaf litter and non-wood forest products) from community forests were conducted bas...

Pro-Poor Value Chain Development for Apis cerana Honey in Mountain Areas 4.6 Value Chain Analysis... more Pro-Poor Value Chain Development for Apis cerana Honey in Mountain Areas 4.6 Value Chain Analysis 4.6.1 Backward linkages for Apis cerana honey 4.6.2 Forward linkages for Apis cerana honey 4.6.3 Profitability analysis 4.6.4 Honey price and production trend 4.6.5 Constraints faced by value chain actors 4.6.6 Honey value chain governance 4.6.7 Employment in honey value chain 4.6.8 SWOT analysis 4.7 Recommendations for the Development of Apis cerana Honey Sub-sector in Southern Bhutan 5. Apis cerana Honey Value Chain Analysis in the Kalash Valley of Chitral, Pakistan 5.1 Chapter Summary 5.2 Overview of Beekeeping in Chitral 5.3 Introduction to the Kalash Valley of Chitral 5.3.1 Culture of the Kalash people 5.3.2 Main crops produced in the Kalash valley 5.3.3 Fruit crops produced in the Kalash valley 5.3.4 Apis cerana beekeeping in the Kalash valley 5.4 Value Chain Mapping of Apis cerana Honey in the Kalash Valley 5.4.1 Value chain functions 5.4.2 Value chain actors 5.4.3 Value chain facilitators 5.5 Value Chain Analysis 5.5.1 Backward linkages 5.5.2 Forward linkages 5.5.3 Value chain function integration analysis 5.5.4 SWOT analysis 5.6 Relevance of the Findings to Value Chain Development 5.6.1 Relevance to upstream actors (backward linkages) 5.6.2 Relevance to downstream actors (forward linkages) 5.7 Recommendations for the Development of Apis cerana Honey Sub-sector in the Kalash Valley of Chitral, Pakistan 6. Conclusion and Way Forward for the Development of Apis cerana Honey Sub-Sector in the Mountain Areas of the HKH 6.1 Key Findings Emerging out of the Value Chain Analysis Studies 6.2 Key Interventions for Development of Apis cerana Honey Sub-sector 6.2.1 Developing farmers' organizations-development of farmers' groups/ associations/cooperatives 6.2.2 Capacity building of individuals and institutions 6.2.3 Strengthening input supply 6.2.4 Marketing, business management and pricing 6.2.5 Building up linkages and collaboration 6.2.6 Facilitating development and promotion of product/brand 6.2.7 Facilitating access to finance 6.2.8 Strengthening access to information 6.2.9 Facilitating learning and knowledge sharing 6.2.10 Facilitating inclusiveness: Encouraging participation of women and disadvantaged groups in honey value chain development 6.2.11 Favourable policy and institutional support for the development of Apis cerana honey value chain 6.3 Ensuring Sustainability

Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2021

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one of the world's most elusive felids. In Bhutan, which... more The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is one of the world's most elusive felids. In Bhutan, which is one of the 12 countries where the species still persists, reliable information on its distribution and habitat suitability is lacking, thus impeding effective conservation planning for the species. To fill this knowledge gap, we created a country-wide species distribution model using “presence-only” data from 420 snow leopard occurrences (345 from a sign survey and 77 from a camera-trapping survey) and 12 environmental covariates consisting of biophysical and anthropogenic factors. We analyzed the data in an ensemble model framework which combines the outputs from several species distribution models. To assess the adequacy of Bhutan's network of protected areas and their potential contribution toward the conservation of the species, we overlaid the output of the ensemble model on the spatial layers of protected areas and biological corridors. The ensemble model identified 7,206 k...

2017 Innovations in Power and Advanced Computing Technologies (i-PACT), 2017

Concrete has replaced traditional building materials and has found acceptance even in the cold cl... more Concrete has replaced traditional building materials and has found acceptance even in the cold climatic regions of India and the world, despite its poor insulating property. An experiment was designed to check if the thermal energy storage capacity of concrete blocks could be enhanced. This was done by using water and candle wax (as PCM) filled in plastic bottles embedded in 1 cubic foot (0.0283 cubic metre) concrete blocks. Four blocks of different concrete mixture ratios were made. Each block had 9 plastic bottles embedded within; with three of them having just water and the fourth one having a combination of water and candle wax as the heat storage material. The blocks (Solar Blocks) were tested during the summer of Ladakh. The report analysed two sets of data of temperatures recorded with a month's gap, including one on a rainy day. Temperatures above 40° C were recorded in the blocks and a temperature of above 20° C was maintained despite a complete cloudy and rainy day with cool winds in all the blocks. However, no exceptional enhancement in the storage capacity was noticed in the fourth block having the combination of water and candle wax as the storage material.

Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 2021

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are one of the leading causes of lower respiratory t... more Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are one of the leading causes of lower respiratory tract infections and have a major burden on society. For prevention and control to be deployed effectively, an improved understanding of the seasonality of RSV is necessary.

Prague Medical Report, 2021

Recovered COVID-19 patients may test positive for SARS-CoV-2 for a long time from intermittent sh... more Recovered COVID-19 patients may test positive for SARS-CoV-2 for a long time from intermittent shedding of viral fragments. A 36-year-old man who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in the Czech Republic and recovered tested positive again in Bhutan, 105 days beyond his first positive test. He experienced minimal symptoms and recovered without complications. Although no virological test was conducted to rule out reinfection, the repeat positive test after initial recovery likely resulted from prolonged shedding of dead viral particles than a reinfection.

Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2020

J apanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquitoborne flavivirus, is a common cause of encephalitis... more J apanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquitoborne flavivirus, is a common cause of encephalitis in Asia (1). Japanese encephalitis (JE) causes considerable illness and death, particularly in children <15 years of age (2). No specific treatment exists, but JE is preventable by vaccination. JEV is maintained in an enzootic cycle between mosquitoes and amplifying vertebrate hosts, primarily pigs and wading birds (2). Culex mosquitoes are the principal vectors, especially Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, and commonly breed in rice fields and other stagnant water collections (2). JEV transmission occurs predominantly in rural agricultural areas (2). In Bhutan, JEV vectors are prevalent in many southern districts and in some interior districts. Five Culex mosquito species have been identified: Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. vishnui, Cx. pseudovishnui, Cx. gelidus, and Cx. quinquefasciatus. In particular, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus mosquitoes have been documented in the southern districts of Chukha, Samtse, Sarpang, and Samdrup Jonghkar. In much of the country, rice fields and other mosquito breeding sites are common (G.M. Yeshey et al., unpub. data, https://www.researchgate. net/publication/277224776_Effect_of_mineral_fertil-izers_on_rice_productivity_in_Punakha-Wangdue_ Valley), and pigs and wading birds can be found. At least 18,800 pigs were reported in Bhutan in 2017 and reared in centralized government breeding farms, with up to several hundred pigs, or in backyard farms, typically with <5 pigs (3,4). About two thirds of the country's ≈750,000 persons live in rural areas (5). In consideration of the favorable conditions for JEV transmission and proximity to other JE-endemic countries, in 2011, the Royal Centre for Disease Control, Ministry of Health, implemented surveillance to investigate JE presence among humans in Bhutan. The Surveillance Bhutan's landscape ranges from lowland plains in the south to the Himalayan mountains in the north (6). The climate varies with elevation: very cold yearround in the north, temperate in the midlands, and subtropical in the south. Monsoon season spans mid-July through September. Bhutan has 20 administrative districts each with >1 general hospital. The regional referral hospital in Sarpang district in the south serves the central region and the referral hospital in Mongar district in the east serves the eastern region. The national referral hospital in the capital Thimphu also serves as the regional referral hospital for the western region. The Royal Centre for Disease Control has conducted sentinel site-based JE surveillance at 5 sites since 2011: the national and 2 regional referral hospitals, Phuntsholing hospital in Chukha district in the southwest, and Samdrup Jongkhar hospital in Samdrup Jongkhar district in the southeast (Figure). The Royal Centre for Disease Control staff based surveillance case definitions on those from the World Health Organization (WHO) JE surveillance

Bhutan Health Journal, 2018

Introduction: The Widal test is widely used in hospitals in Bhutan for diagnosis of typhoid fever... more Introduction: The Widal test is widely used in hospitals in Bhutan for diagnosis of typhoid fever. The right test with high sensitivity and specificity supplements clinical judgement and contributes to correct diagnosis of disease. This study focuses on the contribution of the Widal test in the diagnosis of typhoid fever. Methods: Data was collected from records of patients who presented to Damphu hospital from March 2011 to June 2012 with clinical suspicion of typhoid fever. Blood samples were collected from patients and tested at Damphu Hospital, Tsirang and the Royal Centre for Disease Control, Thimphu. Seventy records were used for the study. Results: There was no growth of Salmonella typhi on blood cultures from patients who had tested positive in the Widal test. There were 20 (28.57%) samples which tested positive for scrub typhus; among these Widal test was positive in 10 (50%) samples. Thirty four out of 36 (94.44%) patients had duration of illness less than seven days and a...

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 2019

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of “Interconnected Geoscience” to a dis... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of “Interconnected Geoscience” to a disaster and risk reduction (DRR) case study at SECMOL College, near Leh, Ladakh, N. India. Interconnected geoscience is a model that advocates holistic approaches to geoscience for development. This paper reports research/practical work with Ladakhi students/staff, undertaking community-oriented DRR exercises in hazard awareness, DRR themed village/college mapping, vulnerability assessments and DRR management scenario development. The geoscientific hazard analysis work is published within a separate sister paper, with results feeding into this work. This work addresses aspects of, and contributes to, the DRR research(science)-policy-interface conversation. Design/methodology/approach Interconnected geoscience methodologies for DRR here are: the application of geoscience for hazard causality, spatial distribution, frequency and impact assessment, for earthquakes, floods and landslides, with...

Artificial Ice Reservoirs (AIRs, also called icestupas) have been successful in storing water dur... more Artificial Ice Reservoirs (AIRs, also called icestupas) have been successful in storing water during winter and releasing the water during spring and summer. Therefore, they can be seen as a vital fresh water resource for irrigation in dry environments. Many different forms of AIRs do exist and not many studies have tried to model theses ice structures. We will present simulations of the most important physical processes that causes the formation and melt of AIRs using one dimensional equations governing the heat transfer, vapour diffusion and water transport of a phase changing water mass. For validation, an AIR was constructed in Schwarzsee region in the Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland. Meteorological data in conjunction with fountain discharge data was measured. According to the model, the Schwarzsee AIR was able to store and discharge 850 litres or 3.7 percent of all the water sprayed over a duration of 41 days. Alternate model scenarios will also be presented to show how this freezing efficiency can be increased.

Public Health of Indonesia, 2016

Background: A cluster of suspected shigellosis was reported from health center in Pemagatshel dis... more Background: A cluster of suspected shigellosis was reported from health center in Pemagatshel district to Royal Center for Disease Control on 14th May 2012. The investigation was done to determine the cause and risk factor for the outbreak so that appropriate control and prevention measures can be implemented.Methods: A descriptive study was used for the outbreak investigation. The food items and drinks served to boarding students were collected from the mess in-charge in order to assess their risk for the outbreak. The kitchen and its premises were inspected to study the likely contamination by rodents and other animals. The water and stool specimens were tested in the laboratory to identify all possible enteric pathogens.Results: 82 boarding students were affected with an overall attack rate of 28% (82/294). Diarrhea was the predominant symptom followed by abdominal pain and headache. The onset date of the cases varied between 11th and 18th May, 2012. Shigella species was isolated...

Vaccine, 2019

Articole în reviste din RM-24. Publicaţii peste hotare-1. 2020-1 Epidemiology of the initial peri... more Articole în reviste din RM-24. Publicaţii peste hotare-1. 2020-1 Epidemiology of the initial period of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the Republic of Moldova

International Journal of Remote Sensing, 2019

The majority of glacial lakes around the world are located in remote and hardly accessible region... more The majority of glacial lakes around the world are located in remote and hardly accessible regions. The use of remote sensing data is therefore of high importance to identify and assess their potential hazards. However, the persistence of cloud cover, particularly in high mountain areas such as the Himalayas, limits the temporal resolution of optical satellite data with which we can monitor potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs). The ability of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites to collect data, irrespective of weather and at day or night, facilitates monitoring of PDGLs by without compromising temporal resolution. In this study, we present a semi-automated approach, based on a radar signal intensity threshold between water and non-water feature classes followed by post-processing including elevations, slopes, vegetation and size thresholds, to delineate glacial lakes in Sentinel-1 SAR images in Bhutan Himalaya. We show the capability of our method to be used for delineating and monitoring glacial lakes in Bhutan Himalaya by comparing our results to 10 m resolution Sentinel-2 multispectral data, field survey data, meteorological data, and a time series of monthly images from January to December 2016 of two lakes. Sentinel-1 SAR data can, moreover, be used for detecting lake surface area changes and open water area variations, at temporal resolution of six days, providing substantial advantages over optical satellite data to continuously monitor PDGLs.

Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, 2018

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which... more This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

$Research paper thumbnail of {"__content__"=>"Identifying important conservation areas for the clouded leopard in a mountainous landscape: Inference from spatial modeling techniques.", "i"=>{"__content__"=>"Neofelis nebulosa"}}$

Ecology and evolution, 2018

The survival of large carnivores is increasingly precarious due to extensive human development th... more The survival of large carnivores is increasingly precarious due to extensive human development that causes the habitat loss and fragmentation. Habitat selection is influenced by anthropogenic as well as environmental factors, and understanding these relationships is important for conservation management. We assessed the environmental and anthropogenic variables that influence site use of clouded leopard in Bhutan, estimated their population density, and used the results to predict the species' site use across Bhutan. We used a large camera-trap dataset from the national tiger survey to estimate for clouded leopards, for the first time in Bhutan, (1) population density using spatially explicit capture-recapture models and (2) site-use probability using occupancy models accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Population density was estimated at D^Bayesian=0.40 (0.10 ) and D^maximum-likelihood=0.30 (0.12 ) per 100 km. Clouded leopard site use was positively associated with forest c...