Characterization of ZnO:Al deposited by co-sputtering for transparent conductive electrodes

Aluminum doped zinc oxide was prepared by magnetron sputtering methods at room temperature using a ZnO ceramic target doped 2%wt by Al2O3. The optical transmittance of the films is higher than 80% in the visible range. A direct bandgap type was reached by controlling deposition conditions; the bandgap value was in the range between 3.2 eV and 4.2 eV. Good electrical and optical properties were obtained for the films deposited by an appropriate co-sputtering of ZnO and Al targets. These films with a resistivity, about 1.3´10-2W.cm, and a transmittance, higher than 80%, can be applicable for transparent conducting electrodes

Selective breeding of saline-tolerant striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) for sustainable catfish farming in climate vulnerable Mekong Delta, Vietnam

peer reviewedStriped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus), a freshwater species cultured mainly in the Mekong Delta region in Southern Vietnam, is facing a significant challenge due to salinity intrusion as a result of climatic changes. Given these evolving environmental conditions, selecting new strains with a higher salinity tolerance could make production of striped catfish economically feasible in brackish environments. In this study, we carried out a selection program aimed at developing a striped catfish strain able to survive and grow fast in a saline environment. To implement the selection program, we first collected males and females from different provinces in the Mekong delta. We next performed a factorial cross of these breeders to produce half- and full-sib families. When fish reached fry stage (47 dph), we put them in a saline environment (10 ppt) and subsequently kept 50 % of the fastest-growing fish after 143 days post hatching (dph). We repeated this mass selection procedure after 237 dph and 340 dph. We maintained in parallel a randomly selected group in saline conditions and a group of fish reared in freshwater to serve as controls. After crossing the selected individuals, we performed several tests on the next generation of fish to evaluate the effectiveness of selection after one generation in saline conditions. Average direct responses to selection were 18.0 % for growth and 11.4 % for survival rate after one generation of selection. We estimated a moderate realized heritability (0.29) for body weight. The genetic gains obtained in our study for body weight and survival rate after one generation of selection under saline conditions suggest that selection can be effective to improve ability of striped catfish to cope with saline stress. We conclude that our selection program has succeeded in developing a productive strain of striped catfish with better tolerance to salinity. © 2022 The Author

Village Baseline Study – Site Analysis Report Ma village-Yen Binh district, Vietnam

Ma village, Vinh Kien commune, Yen Binh district, Yen Bai province has been selected to be one of Climate Smart Villages (CSVs) under the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) in Southeast Asia. The village baseline survey (VBS) of Ma village, was therefore conducted as part of the baseline effort. This VBS aimed to provide baseline information at the village level about some basic indicators of natural resource utilization, organizational landscapes, and information networks for weather and agricultural information, which can be compared across sites and monitored over time. The study was conducted using the method developed and provided by CCAFS. The study’s findings show that Ma Village is rich and diverse in natural resources. There are three main resources of vital importance for the local people livelihoods, namely farmland, forest and water resources. However, improper exploitation and management have caused negative impacts on these resources. As mentioned by farmers, in the past, farmland of the village used to be very fertile, but has now become severely degraded due to overexploitation and improper management. Regarding forest resources: before 1980s, natural forests existed in large areas and consisted of valuable timber and wild animals. Today, much of the forest area has been converted to production forests or to food crop production land. Water resources, including lakes, rivers and streams have been severely polluted with pollutants from processing cassava, wood and also from animal husbandry and crop production. Degradation of water, farmland and forest resources are causing increasing challenges to agricultural production and also to other human activities. Results of farmer group discussions also demonstrate that there are 34 organizations operating in the village. Most of them are governmental. Very few are private or non-governmental organizations. The number of organizations involving in food security accounts for nearly 50%, the figure for those involving food crisis is 41.6% and in natural resources management is 25%. Those organizations working in food security and food crisis focus mainly on providing support (financial, seed and agricultural inputs) to local farmers to implement some production activities. Insufficient attention and input spent for sustainable development by these 34 organizations, especially those working in the area of natural resources management, could be one of the main reasons for the degradation and erosion of natural resources. There was no activity supporting Ma Village to develop production systems which can respond well to climate change. The study findings however show that local people are very flexible and creative, especially in exploitation of information. Among media channels, television is the most popular. Nevertheless, organizations, in particular, extension networks, Farmers’ Union, local authorities, etc., also have an important role in information dissemination. Exploitation of information from the internet and mobile phones has also been given attention, but mostly by young people only

CSA: Thực hành nông nghiệp thông minh với khí hậu ở Việt Nam

During the last five years, Vietnam has been one of the countries most affected by climate change. Severe typhoons, flooding, cold spells, salinity intrusion, and drought have affected agriculture production across the country, from upland to lowland regions. Fortunately for Vietnam, continuous work in developing climate-smart agriculture has been occurring in research organizations and among innovative farmers and entrepreneurs. Application of various CSA practices and technologies to adapt to the impact of climate change in agriculture production have been expanding. However, there is a need to accelerate the scaling process of these practices and technologies in order to ensure growth of agriculture production and food security, increase income of farmers, make farming climate resilient, and contribute to global climate change mitigation. This book aims to provide basic information to researchers, managers, and technicians and extentionists at different levels on what CSA practices and technologies can be up scaled in different locations in Vietnam

Tác Động Của Các Yếu Tố Hành Vi Đến Quyết Định Và Hiệu Quả Đầu Tư Của Nhà Đầu Tư Cá Nhân Trên Thị Trường Chứng Khoán Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh

Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu này là để khám phá các nhân tố hành vi ảnh hưởng đến quyết định đầu tư và hiệu quả đầu tư của nhà đầu tư cá nhân. Dữ liệu khảo soát đã thu thập từ 411 nhà đầu tư cá nhân tại thị trường chứng khoán Tp. HCM để cung cấp bằng chứng. Kết quả từ phân tích hồi quy bội bởi sử dụng phần mềm SPSS 20.0 đã cho thấy rằng Neo quyết định, Sự quá tự tin, Khuynh hướng sẵn có, Hiệu ứng đám đông, Tình huống điển hình đã liên kết tích cực với quyết định đầu tư. Tuy nhiên, quyết định đầu tư được thúc đẩy bởi các nhân tố này ảnh hưởng tiêu cực đến hiệu quả đầu tư. Bên cạnh đó, nghiên cứu cũng đã chỉ ra rằng những nhà đầu tư nam có kinh nghiệm đầu tư có khuynh hướng thu được hiệu quả đầu tư cao hơn những nhà đầu tư nữ ít kinh nghiệm và những nhà đầu tư càng lớn tuổi có khuynh hướng đầu tư ít hiệu quả hơn các nhà đầu tư trẻ tuổi. Những phát hiện chính của nghiên cứu này cung cấp các hàm ý thực tiễn cho đầu tư cá nhân. Nó ngụ ý rằng các nhà đầu tư cá nhân nên nên cải thiện 05 yếu tố hành vi này để gia tăng hiệu quả đầu tư của họ trên thị trường chứng khoán TP. HCM

Post-harvest preservation of green grapes utilizing 405 nm light emitting diode

The public is increasingly concerned about the safety of fruit, so the production and preservation of high-quality fresh fruit is becoming more and more important. This work evaluated the use of a 405 nm light emitting diode (LED) for postharvest preservation of fresh green grapes under tropical temperatures of 29 ± 1 °C. LED exposure to green grapes was done for various lengths of time (0, 24, and 48 hours), corresponding to different dosages of 0, 0.7, and 1.4 kJ/cm2. After 7 days of testing, the results found that 95%, 75%, and 5% of the grapes had been invaded by microorganisms, which matched the pretreatment with LED light at 0 h, 24h, and 48 h. According to the first-order kinetic model, the constant rate of weight loss (k) was 0.039 ± 0.005 (control, LED-0h), 0.037 ± 0.009 (LED-24h), 0.062 ± 0.005 (day−1) (LED-48h), with all p-value < 0.001. Compared to the control condition, weight loss was mostly unaffected by LED-24h. No appreciable color changes were seen for LED-24h and 48h, indicating that the fruit has retained its original color as well as its freshness. In control samples, however, one-third of L* and a* values were reduced from baseline. The control samples are susceptible to fungus infection like Guignardia bidwellii, however, color development and morphology showed that LED-48h with an irradiation dose of 1.4 kJ/cm2 had outstanding anti-fungal effectiveness. These LEDs are a possible replacement for fluorescent lights in fruit market showcase and storage rooms, serving as both a source of illumination and protection against microbial contamination

SỬ DỤNG PHƯƠNG PHÁP ĐO PHỔ THỰC NGHIỆM XÁC ĐỊNH SỰ PHÂN BỐ HÀM LƯỢNG VẬT CHẤT LƠ LỬNG TỪ ẢNH VỆ TINH LANDSAT 7 TẠI KHU VỰC VEN BIỂN THÀNH PHỐ HẢI PHÒNG

Hand-held spectrometer has been used in experimental research to build the deciphering keys of satellite images. However, it is difficult to measure the spectral reflectance in practice due to the continuous variation of solar radiation energy. This leads to the error in the analysis. This paper develops an experimental procedure to measure the spectral reflectance indoor to establish the correlation function between the spectral reflectance and the suspended matter concentration in seawater in Hai Phong coastal zone. This procedure eliminates the errors caused by the continuous variation of solar energy. The results reveal that the suspended matter concentration and the ratio NIR/GREEN have a direct proportion correlation with the following function: NTU = 3197 × (NIR/Green) – 511.37 with the correlation coefficient r = 0.979. The result from the Landsat 7 image taken on October 5, 2009, showed that the suspended matter content ranges from 244 NTU to 981 NTU, and spreads with decreasing concentration from the delta to the sea.Hiện nay, máy đo phổ cầm tay được sử dụng nhiều trong các nghiên cứu thực nghiệm để xây dựng các bộ mẫu chìa khóa giải đoán ảnh viễn thám. Tuy nhiên, đo phổ phản xạ trong thực tế gặp rất nhiều khó khăn. Một trong những khó khăn đó là sự thay đổi liên tục của năng lượng bức xạ mặt trời dẫn đến sai số trong các kết quả phân tích. Nghiên cứu này xác lập quy trình thực nghiệm đo phổ phản xạ trong phòng để tính toán hàm tương quan giữa giá trị phổ phản xạ và hàm lượng vật chất lơ lửng của nước biển ở khu vực ven biển thành phố Hải Phòng. Quy trình này loại bỏ được những sai số do sự thay đổi liên tục của năng lượng mặt trời. Kết quả nghiên cứu đã xác định được hàm lượng vật chất lơ lửng (NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Unit) và tỉ số kênh NIR/Green (cận hồng ngoại/xanh lục) có tương quan tỉ lệ thuận với nhau theo hàm NTU = 3197 × (NIR/Green) – 511,37 với hệ tố tương quan r = 0,979. Áp dụng tính toán cho ảnh Landsat 7 chụp ngày 05/10/2009 thì hàm lượng vật chất lơ lửng của nước khu vực này có giá trị dao động từ 244 đến 981 NTU, phân bố giảm dần từ các của sông ra phía biển

Low-molecular-weight fucoidan and high-stability fucoxanthin from brown seaweed exert prebiotics and anti-inflammatory activities in Caco-2 cells

Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of low-molecular-weight fucoidan (LMF) and high-stability fucoxanthin (HS-Fucox) in a lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory Caco-2 cell line co-culture with B. lactis. Methods: We used various methods such as transepithelial resistance (TER) assay, cytokine secretion assay, and tight junction protein mRNA expression assay to examine LMF and HS-Fucox anti-inflammatory properties. Results: LMF and HS-Fucox activated probiotic growth and reduced the inflammation of the intestinal epithelial cells. Moreover, the combination of LMFHS-Fucox dramatically enhanced the intestinal epithelial barrier and immune function against the lipopolysaccharide effect by inhibiting IL-1β and TNF-α and promoting IL-10 and IFN-γ. Conclusion: These findings suggested that LMF and HS-Fucox, alone or in combination, could be the potential natural compounds to enhance the immune system and have an anti-inflammatory effect on the intestinal cells

Meta-Transcriptomic Analysis of RNAseq Data Reveals Pacu and Loach Fish with Unusually High Levels of Myoglobin Expression in Skeletal Muscles

Oxygen-binding proteins, such as myoglobin, hemoglobin, neuroglobin, and cytoglobin, play a role in oxygen binding and delivery to tissues. In icefish, the loss of myoglobin and hemoglobin genes has been reported to be an adaptive evolution event. This interesting finding prompted us to exam oxygen-binding protein expression in diverse fish species. Taking advantage of substantial RNAseq data deposited in the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) database, we adopted a meta-transcriptomic approach to explore and compare four oxygen-binding protein gene expression levels in the skeletal muscle of 25 diverse fish species for the first time. RNAseq data were downloaded from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive (SRA) database, and de novo assembly was performed to generate transcript contigs. The genes encoding oxygen-binding proteins were then identified by the BLAST search, and the relative expression level of oxygen-binding protein genes was normalized by the RPKM (Reads per Kilobase Million) method. By performing expression profiling, hierarchy clustering, and principal component analysis, pacu and loach fish were noticed by their high myoglobin expression levels in skeletal muscle tissues among 25 diverse fish species. In conclusion, we demonstrated that meta-transcriptomic analysis of RNAseq data is an informative approach to compare the oxygen-binding protein expression and putative gene expansion event in fish