According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), by 2012 there were 15.4 million refugees and 28.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) forced to flee their homes due to war or violent conflict across the globe. Upon arrival in their host settings, forced migrants struggle with acute health and material needs, as well as issues related to identity, politics, power and place. The Karen ethnic minority of Burma (also known as Myanmar) has been involved in a prolonged civil conflict with the Burmese military government for nearly six decades. This fighting has resulted in massive internal displacement and refugee flight, and although a ceasefire was signed in 2012, continued violence has been reported. This study among the displaced Karen population along the Thai-Burma border examines the relationships between traditional – or indigenous – medicine, the population's health needs, and the broader social and political context. Research was conducted using an ethnographic case-study approach among 170 participants along the Thai-Burma border between 2003 and 2011. Research findings document the rapid evolution and formalisation of the Karen traditional medical system. Findings show how the evolutionary process was influenced by social needs, an existing base medical knowledge among traditional health practitioners, and a dynamic social and political environment. Evidence suggests that that Karen traditional medicine practitioners, under the leadership of the Karen National Union (KNU) Department of Health and Welfare, are serving neglected and culturally-specific health needs among border populations. Moreover, this research also provides evidence that Karen authorities are revitalising their traditional medicine, as part of a larger effort to strengthen their social infrastructure including the Karen self-determination movement. In particular, these Karen authorities are focused on building a sustainable health infrastructure that can serve Karen State in the long term. From the perspectives of both refugee health and development studies, the revival of Karen traditional medicine within a refugee and IDP setting represents an adaptive response by otherwise medically under-served populations. This case offers a model of healthcare self-sufficiency that breaks with the dependency relationships characteristic of most conventional refugee and IDP health services. And, through the mobilisation of tradition for contemporary needs, it offers a dimension of cultural continuity in a context where discontinuity and loss of culture are hallmarks of the forced migration experience.

Antibiotikaresistenz/-toleranz und Evasion des menschlichen Immunsystem sind wesentliche Probleme persistierender chronischer Infektionen, die im Zusammenhang mit Biofilmen stehen. Eine Notwendigkeit alternativer Behandlungen liegt daher nahe. Für diese Studie wurden zehn ayurvedische Pflanzen ausgewählt, die die Produktion von Curli-Fasern und/oder pEtN-Cellulose in E. coli K-12 Makrokolonie-Biofilmen eindeutig hemmten. Eine Reihe molekularer Reporter wurde verwendet, um die molekularen Ziele im Modellorganismus E. coli zu identifizieren. Eine Kombination von mikrobiologischen, molekularbiologischen und enzymatischen Methoden und Experimenten wurde dann verwendet, um die Aktivitäten der Pflanzenextrakte weiter zu charakterisieren. Um ihre Wirkung auf Biofilme eines breiteren Spektrums von Bakterien zu testen, wurden einige relevante gramnegative Pathogene (EAEC, UPEC, P. aeruginosa) und grampositive Bakterien (B. subtilis, S. aureus) als Makrokolonie-Biofilme sowie als submerse Biofilme in Gegenwart der Pflanzenextrakte inkubiert. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse dieser Studie sind, dass es kein „Allheilmittel“ gibt, das effektiv gegen verschiedene Biofilmstrukturen wirken kann. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass fast alle Pflanzenextrakte die CsgA Amyloidogenese hemmen. Drei der zehn Pflanzenextrakte beeinflussten die Curli- und pEtN-Cellulose-Gene signifikant, indem sie csgB und dgcC über den Regulator CsgD herunterregulierten. Darüber hinaus wurde festgestellt, dass ein Extrakt die Expression flagellarer Gene in E. coli hochreguliert - eine neue Anti-Biofilm Strategie. Überraschenderweise wurde auch festgestellt, dass ein Pflanzenextrakt, das die Biofilmbildung des Kommensalen E. coli K-12 hemmt, während es die Biofilmbildung von UPEC fördert. Daher können Anti-Biofilm-Effekte stammspezifisch sein. Eine Strategie, bei der verschiedene Pflanzenextrakte kombiniert werden, könnte gegen Biofilme wirken, die aus mehreren Arten bestehen, erfordert jedoch weitere Forschung. / Antibiotic resistance/tolerance and evasion from the human immune system are major causes of concern associated with biofilm-related persistent chronic infections. So, the need for an alternative source of treatment is obvious. In this study, 10 Ayurvedic plants were selected as they clearly inhibited the production of curli fiber and pEtN-cellulose or of curli fibers only in E. coli K-12 macrocolony biofilms. A series of molecular reporters were used to determine the molecular targets using E. coli as model bacteria. A combination of microbiological, molecular biological, and enzymatic assays and experiments were then used to further characterize the activities of the plant extracts. To test anti-biofilm effects on a wider range of bacteria, some relevant Gram-negative pathogens (EAEC, UPEC, P. aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (B. subtilis, S. aureus) were grown in macrocolony biofilms and submerged biofilms in the presence of active plant extracts. The major findings of this study are that there is not one single “magic bullet” that can effectively work against the diverse biofilm compositions and structures. Nearly all plant extracts were found to inhibit CsgA amyloidogenesis. Three of the ten plant extracts affected the curli and pEtN-cellulose genes significantly by downregulating csgB and dgcC via the CsgD regulator. In addition, one extract was found to upregulate flagellar gene expression in E. coli - this is a new anti-biofilm strategy that had not considered before. Surprising, it was also noticed that one plant extract, which inhibits biofilm formation by commensal E. coli K-12, promotes biofilm formation by UPEC. Thus, anti-biofilm effects can be strain-specific because of the diversity of composition of the matrix within the same bacterial species. A strategy of combining different plant extracts may work to deal with biofilms involving multiple species, but requires more research and understanding.

Although thet:e has been gradual awat:eness of leat:ning disabilities aftet: Wodd Wat: II, it was in the late 1960's that compt:ehensive assessment and special education wet:e provided in schools. Specifically, in the at:ea of services for families, a reaffirmation of the fundamental rights of chilruen and families emerges. Although stress associated with the presence of a learning disabled child is an important consideration, its impact on the family is related to the family members' cognitive appraisal of the stress situation and thett copmg resources. Parents of learning disabled chilruen experience more stress, often exacerbated by faulty, misunderstood coping efforts that increase conflict in the family. Reseat:chers have investigated how: families manage stress; and cope with the multiple stt:esses of rearing a learning disabled children. It has been found that while many families cope, others cannot. Stress theory has dttected our attention to circumstances that weaken families and exacerbate distress. Preventative and ameliorative services at:e needed to assist such families. Stress and coping theory suggest that differences in families' reactions to learning disabilities may be related to amount and quality of resources available to pat:ents. This involves cognitive adaptation using coping skills, enabling them to t:e-evaluate stressful events positively. Another resource would be professionals, whose role would be of a facilitator, strengthening the ability of the family to gain access to needed services while increasing the family's mastery of coping with learning disability. Research has shown that parents' initial contact with learning disability and how to assist their learning disabled child was stressful. After parents received counselling on coping with their stress and stress management, and after the child's psycho-educational assessment and remedial measures were implemented, there has been significant positive feedback from parents and children. Research would embrace relationships between perceptions and family well-being using Ellis's rational-emotive therapy, thereby contributing to better understanding of how families cope with stress. Ayurvedic principles would be used to adopt a holistic approach to life. By using RET and A yurvedics the researcher was able to assist parents with learning disabled children to cope better with their stresses and effectively manage their child's learning disability. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Although thet:e has been gradual awat:eness of leat:ning disabilities aftet: Wodd Wat: II, it was in the late 1960's that compt:ehensive assessment and special education wet:e provided in schools. Specifically, in the at:ea of services for families, a reaffirmation of the fundamental rights of chilruen and families emerges. Although stress associated with the presence of a learning disabled child is an important consideration, its impact on the family is related to the family members' cognitive appraisal of the stress situation and thett copmg resources. Parents of learning disabled chilruen experience more stress, often exacerbated by faulty, misunderstood coping efforts that increase conflict in the family. Reseat:chers have investigated how: families manage stress; and cope with the multiple stt:esses of rearing a learning disabled children. It has been found that while many families cope, others cannot. Stress theory has dttected our attention to circumstances that weaken families and exacerbate distress. Preventative and ameliorative services at:e needed to assist such families. Stress and coping theory suggest that differences in families' reactions to learning disabilities may be related to amount and quality of resources available to pat:ents. This involves cognitive adaptation using coping skills, enabling them to t:e-evaluate stressful events positively. Another resource would be professionals, whose role would be of a facilitator, strengthening the ability of the family to gain access to needed services while increasing the family's mastery of coping with learning disability. Research has shown that parents' initial contact with learning disability and how to assist their learning disabled child was stressful. After parents received counselling on coping with their stress and stress management, and after the child's psycho-educational assessment and remedial measures were implemented, there has been significant positive feedback from parents and children. Research would embrace relationships between perceptions and family well-being using Ellis's rational-emotive therapy, thereby contributing to better understanding of how families cope with stress. Ayurvedic principles would be used to adopt a holistic approach to life. By using RET and A yurvedics the researcher was able to assist parents with learning disabled children to cope better with their stresses and effectively manage their child's learning disability. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

abstract: Embodied Continuity documents the methodology of Entangled/Embraced, a dance performance piece presented December, 2011 and created as an artistic translation of research conducted January-May, 2011 in the states of Karnataka and Kerala, South India. Focused on the sciences of Ayurveda, Kalaripayattu and yoga, this research stems from an interest in body-mind connectivity, body-mind-environment continuity, embodied epistemology and the implications of ethnography within artistic practice. The document begins with a theoretical grounding covering established research on theories of embodiment; ethnographic methodologies framing research conducted in South India including sensory ethnography, performance ethnography and autoethnography; and an explanation of the sciences of Ayurveda, Kalaripayattu and yoga with a descriptive slant that emphasizes concepts of embodiment and body-mind-environment continuity uniquely inherent to these sciences. Following the theoretical grounding, the document provides an account of methods used in translating theoretical concepts and experiences emerging from research in India into the creation of the Entangled/Embraced dance work. Using dancer and audience member participation to inspire emergent meanings and maintain ethnographic consciousness, Embodied Continuity demonstrates how concepts inspiring research interests, along with ideas emerging from within research experiences, in addition to philosophical standpoints embedded in the ethnographic methodologies chosen to conduct research, weave into the entire project of Entangled/Embraced to unite the phases of research and performance, ethnography and artistry. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.F.A. Dance 2012

碩士 / 中國醫藥大學 / 中醫學系碩士班 / 99 / Indian and Chinese cultures, which matured in the ancient era, developed fairly complete medical systems thousands of years ago. Many traditional medical approaches are used in India even now. Among these, Ayurveda is considered as mainstream because of its comprehensive theoretical scheme in the initial stages and also because it is the theoretical basis of every sect of traditional medicine in India. Caraka Samhita and Suwruta Samhita are the most important canons among the many Sanskrit Ayurvedic classics. They are similar to the Su-wen and Ling-shu in traditional Chinese medicine. Neither were authored by a single person nor compiled within a short duration, and both are encyclopedias of ancient medical practices of different regions. For context, Caraka Samhita is a detailed study of internal medicine, while Suwruta Samhita is a comprehensive record of surgical practices. This study adopted the Sanskrit Ayurvedic classics as the primary documental source, choosing Caraka Samhita and Suwruta Samhita as its main theme. For the foundational theory of Ayurveda, translated both the versions of each classic and the explanations of later commentators, and annotated by referring the modern academics. Its purpose is to describe Ayurvedic theory and thinking during the classical period and to instruct the studying brick of Ayurvedic documental basis by translating contexts of these classics. Building on the above, the study will attempt to draw a comparison of traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.

La fitoterapia es la terapia basada en plantas, alimentos y elementos nutritivos. Se encuentra entre las más antiguas. Esta terapia utiliza esencias puras de plantas para tratar diversos problemas, así dermatológicos, alérgicos, digestivos, ginecológicos, etc. Disminuyendo los efectos secundarios y haciendo más efectivos los tratamientos. La fitoterapia a través de los extractos naturales y sus destilaciones artificiales constituye la base de la medicina moderna y de la cosmética actual. Se sabe que multitud de pueblos descubrieron ya en tiempos remotos, que algunas plantas eran buenas para comer y alimentarse y otras se caracterizaban por tener propiedades curativas. Con toda certeza, la búsqueda de algún remedio fue la génesis del uso de las plantas para su propio beneficio, ya fuera fruto del deseo de sanar o por cuestión mágico-religiosa, siendo simplemente en la mayoría de los casos con motivo de la búsqueda de nuevos alimentos. Los egipcios, desarrollaron la utilización de las plantas medicinales de forma sistemática y estructurada, conociéndose más de 700 fórmulas en las que aparecen plantas curativas, destacando el impreso más importante, el Papiro de Ebers, 1700 A.C., pudiendo atribuirle un origen anterior en Asia. En China se supone que ya era utilizada en el 5000 A.C., destacando el libro de Pen Tsao que recoge el estudio de más de 300 plantas. En la India se menciona la utilización de las plantas medicinales en Rig Veda, uno de los libros sagrados del brahmanismo. El Ayurveda o como se conoce el uso de las plantas medicinales en la India, hace referencias escritas al año 800 A.C., describiendo unas 800 especies. El conocimiento de las plantas medicinales se extendió desde el Antiguo Egipto y Mesopotamia hacia los países mediterráneos, hasta Grecia y luego por toda Europa para llegar 2000 años más tarde al Nuevo Mundo. El conocimiento de las plantas medicinales, ya sea a través de la magia, religión, necesidad o casualidad, o a veces como consecuencia del ensayo-error ha permitido obtener un conocimiento de las plantas medicinales entre las diferentes culturas que constituyen la base de la medicina moderna, sabiduría que nos corresponde a todos conocer y salvaguardar como parte de nuestro patrimonio. En la actualidad ha resurgido el interés público y científico en el desarrollo de la medicina natural tradicional con el impulso de nuevas tecnologías que descubren cada día nuevas propiedades y aplicaciones a los diferentes principios activos de las plantas, subrayando el carácter dinámico y de servicio en beneficio de la humanidad en el estudio de las plantas medicinales. La odontología no escapa de estos antecedentes históricos, que nos ofrecen una alternativa a tomar en cuenta, y a la vez nos estimula para asumir con responsabilidad nuevos retos que nos llevan a proponer recursos novedosos para el control y tratamiento de las enfermedades estomatológicas con mayor prevalencia en nuestra población.

In the thesis we have defined what is understood as a high health organization, and this in comparison with what is commonly known as a high performance organization. While much research is undertaken around high performance organizations, little or no research is undertaken around high health organizations. The thesis attempts to find answers to what it takes to be or to become a high health organization, and how organizations could create such a place, or possibly better “space”. Indeed, a high health organization is not a place, a building, or on organizational structure; it is a state of mind, a purpose, a form of coherence. The work in this thesis is by definition multidisciplinary and systemic, rooted in three, for the purpose, complementary research areas. Workplace spirituality is slowly making its recognition in the management literature, though still too much as a discipline in itself. Ayurveda, the thousands of years old wisdom tradition around systemic health, living systems and purposefulness does get some attention in academic work, however mainly within its cultural roots (of India). Finally, systemic thinking, not really mainstream yet either, is a scientific discipline that did find its way in the sciences, but is much less popular and use in management studies. As argued, we think that in the intersection of workplace spirituality, Ayurveda and systemics, a real new concept of a high health organization is emerging. Key concepts identified in the introduction were consciousness and coherence, which they play an important role in the entire thesis. The prevailing management research is based on an ontology of materialism, while it is clear that workplace spirituality, Ayurveda and systemics do not necessarily fit such an ontology. We have commented on an ontology of non-materialism, based on complexity theory and in particular the understanding of complex adaptive systems. If we would like to explore the concept of a high health organization, an adequate ontology (and epistemology) is necessary. It is impossible to develop a non-materialistic concepts within a materialistic ontology. The consequence of this ontological choice for our research methods are multiple and innovative. Our research method goes beyond deterministic causality, and attempts to visualize entanglement. It can only be based on a much more systemic analysis than what we are used to, hence we use Artificial Neural Networks and Semantics as analytical tools. Based on the results of our field research, the high health organization in a nutshell has the following components: 1. A systemic, values-based vision is the lighthouse of the high health organization 2. Values, and in particular lived values, are the driver of the high health organization 3. Transparent, clear, respectful and non-violent communication is the binding factor 4. A knowledge and learning culture is the necessary condition for a healthy organization 5. Organisational consciousness in the organization is the sufficient condition

The present thesis consists of five parts: I. Introduction giving a biographical sketch of the author and the commentator; II, the Text which is the only medical work in the Pali language; III. Extracts from the commentary of Sangharaja Saranamkara; IV. Notes on the Text and matter arising therefrom; V. an Essay dealing with the beginnings of the Ayurveda, its practice in Ceylon from the earliest to modern times, the Ayurvedic medical literature of Ceylon, and lastly, magic medicine and rituals connected with medical practice in Ceylon. The Bhesajja Manjusa consists of sixty chapters (about 4,700 gathas), each chapter being subdivided into several sections. The text was written especially for the Buddhist Order of monks and as such it does not contain references to women's diseases or children's ailments. Two editions of the text in Sinhalese character have previously been attempted by Sinhalese scholars but these ventures unfortunately failed, only nine chapters having been published out of a total of sixty. Even these editions are very rare today and have been out of print for a long time. A summary of the commentary has been rendered into Sinhalese verse for the benefit of physicians practising the Ayurveda. Apart from any scientific value which this text may possess, it is the only known medical work in the Pali language and it provides the philologist with a considerable number of hitherto unlisted Pali scientific terms. The notes and explanations in the present thesis are generally treated from a philological rather than a scientific point of view: any scientific explanations made are made in the light of comparison with standard Sanskrit authors such as Caraka and Susruta. Very little is known about the author. As regards the commentator I have been able to obtain some valuable material, so far unknown, from Mss. in the British Museum Library. The Essay attempts to bring together material which has not up to now been viewed fully or uniformly.

Ayurvedic medicine has been used in India for centuries as a dominant form of treatment and as a preventative measure for a number of chronic diseases. Not until recently have scientific studies identified the potential hypolipidemic, antiplatelet, and anti-tumor properties of various herbs/spices. The phytochemicals in these compounds may suppress the oxidation of bad LDL cholesterols, stimulate the performance of protective enzymes, and enhance immunestimulating properties that reduce an individual's risk of heart disease. As part of my honors senior thesis I conducted a literature review with my cardiovascular physiology professor, Dr. Cohen, which explores the impacts of Ayurveda on the heart. We wanted to investigate the scientific literature for turmeric and ginger specifically, in order to understand the exact physiology behind these spices. Overall, it seems as though Ayurvedic medicine can be health protective for a number of cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but should be used in conjunction to modern medication. In addition, spices have considerable anti-inflammatory responses which have been shown to improve obesity-related inflammatory responses. After much research and analysis, these findings were presented at the Festival of Books in Tucson, AZ on March 12th as community outreach.