Hydrophyte communities in the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon

The Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon in Thua Thien-Hue province is the largest lagoon in South East Asia and also one of the places having the largest area of seagrass in Vietnam. The study results from 2009 to 2017 showed that 6 seagrasses species were identified (Halodule uninervis is a newly recorded species, however, Halophila minor is not recorded) and there were 8 freshwater grass species (with the exception of Potamogeton maackianus), with a total area of 2,840 ha. In particular, the area of seagrass has been recovering significantly from 1,000 hectares in 2009 to 2,037 hectares in 2017

BƯỚC ĐẦU ĐÁNH GIÁ KHẢ NĂNG LƯU TRỮ CACBON CỦA CỎ BIỂN QUA SINH KHỐI TẠI ĐẦM THỊ NẠI, TỈNH BÌNH ĐỊNH

Seagrass bed is one of important coastal ecosystems. Recently, it was reduced rapidly. This study provides more basic information on functions of seagrass in environment and ecology in the lagoon through the study on biomass to estimate carbon storage of seagrass. This research also provides scientific basic for development, expansion of seagrass beds and preparation to participate in the carbon market. Seagrass absorbs CO2, which protects environment and reduces effect of climate change. Research results showed that there were 7 species in Thi Nai lagoon, which were distributed over a total area of ​​180 ha with the average density and biomass of 1,649 ± 428 shoots/m2 and 125.68 ± 23.40 g.dry/m2 respectively. The organic carbon content in seagrass averaged 34.30 ± 1.82%. In Thi Nai lagoon, the total amount of organic carbon and carbon dioxide stored by seagrass was estimated at 136.7 tons and 501 tons respectively, corresponding to $24,583.Nghiên cứu góp phần cung cấp thêm những thông tin cơ bản về chức năng - ý nghĩa sinh thái môi trường của cỏ biển trong hệ đầm phá, thông qua sinh khối để đánh giá khả năng lưu trữ cacbon của chúng. Trên cơ sở đó phát triển và mở rộng các khu vực bảo tồn cỏ biển, ngoài việc duy trì, tái tạo hệ sinh thái ven biển và hệ đầm phá, còn cung cấp cơ sở khoa học cho Việt Nam chuẩn bị tham gia vào thị trường cacbon, hướng đến giảm thiểu khí CO2 bảo vệ môi trường sống. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy, đầm Thị Nại có 7 loài cỏ biển, phân bố trên tổng diện tích 180 ha, mật độ và sinh khối trung bình toàn vùng lần lượt là 1.649 ± 428 chồi/m2 và 125,68 ± 23,40 g.khô/m2. Hàm lượng cacbon trong cỏ biển trung bình đạt 34,30 ± 1,82%, tổng trữ lượng cacbon và cacbon dioxit lần lượt là 136,7 tấn và 501 tấn, tương đương với 24.583 USD

Dynamic Analysis of Mindlin Plates Resting on a Viscoelastic Foundation Subjected to Moving Loads During Abrupt Braking using Moving Element Method

The paper proposes a new computational approach using the moving element method (MEM) for simulating the dynamic responses of Mindlin plate resting on a viscoelastic foundation subjected to moving loads during abrupt braking. In this approach, the governing equations as well as the plate element mass, damping and stiffness matrices are formulated in a convected coordinate in which the origin is attached to the applied point of the moving load. Thus, the proposed method simply treats the moving loads as ‘stationary’ at the nodes of the plate to avoid updating the locations of moving loads due to the change of the contact points on the plate. The interaction between the moving load and the plate during abrupt braking is accounted for through the vertical force and tangential wheel-pavement friction force. The effects of wheel sliding, load deceleration magnitude, friction coefficient, and plate thickness on the dynamic responses of plate are investigated

NGHIÊN CỨU KHẢ NĂNG HẤP THỤ CACBON CỦA RỪNG NGẬP MẶN VEN BIỂN HẢI PHÒNG

Mangrove is known as a big carbon sink in coastal areas. It is an important organic carbon source which provides for coastal ecosystems. The assessment of the carbon sequestration potential of mangrove contributes to making a scientific base for mangrove conservation and rehabilitation. In this study, the carbon sequestration of mangrove in the Hai Phong coastal areas was measured at three dominant species of mangrove Rhizophora stylosa Griff; Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu Yong and Sonneratia caseolaris (L.) Engl. The result of the assessment was described by the net canopy photosynthesis (PN­), above and below ground biomass (AGB and BGB), and organic carbon content in sediment. The result showed that the PN ranged from 31.94 ± 1.59 tC.ha-1.yr-1 to 34.83 ± 1.95 tC.ha-1.yr-1 with the R. stylosa community being highest. Above and below ground biomass C stock ranged from 4.03 ± 0.31 t.ha-1 to 294.43 ± 24.67 t.ha-1 and from 2.38 ± 0.16 t.ha-1 to 114.16 ± 8.9 t.ha-1, respectively. S. caseolaris community had the highest biomass and R. stylosa community had the lowest biomass. The measurements of C stock in mangrove biomass for three species were R. stylosa (2.69 ± 0.19 t.ha-1); K. obovata (6.72 ± 0.34 t.ha-1) and S. caseolaris (171.61 ± 14.1 t.ha-1). The organic carbon content of sedimentscores at 10 cm depth ranged from 685.63 milligram.kg-1 of se. dry to 2676.64 milligram.kg-1 of se. dry and at 40 cm depth ranged from 937.38 milligram.kg-1 of se. dry to 2557.55 milligram.kg-1 of se. dry. The total organic carbon was stored highest in the R. stylosa community.Rừng ngập mặn là một bể chứa cacbon lớn khu vực ven biển, là một nguồn cung cấp cacbon hữu cơ quan trọng cho hệ sinh thái ven biển. Việc đánh giá khả năng hấp thụ và lưu giữ cacbon của rừng ngập mặn góp phần tạo cơ sở khoa học cho việc bảo tồn và phát triển rừng ngập mặn. Bài báo trình bày kết quả nghiên cứu khả lưu giữ cacbon của rừng ngập mặn ven biển Hải Phòng tại ba kiểu rừng đặc trưng: Đước vòi (Rhizophora stylosa Griff.); Trang (Kandelia obovata Sheue, Liu Yong) và Bần chua (Sonneratia caseolaris (L.) Engl.). Qua đó đánh giá mức độ lưu trữ cac bon qua quá trình quang hợp tán lá, sinh khối cây và trong trầm tích của ba kiểu rừng nói trên. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy: lượng cacbon tích lũy qua quá trình quang hợp từ 31,94 ±          1,59 tC/ha/năm đến 34,83 ± 1,95 tC/ha/năm, trong đó cao nhất là quần xã Đước vòi (R. stylosa). Sinh khối trên (AGB) và sinh khối dưới (BGB) nằm trong khoảng tương ứng là 4,03 ± 0,31 t/ha đến 294,43 ± 24,67 t/ha và 2,38 ± 0,16 t/ha đến 114,16 ± 8,9 t/ha, Bần chua (S. caseolaris) có trữ lượng lớn nhất và thấp nhất là Đước vòi (R. stylosa). Hàm lượng cacbon hữu cơ trong trầm tích ở độ sâu 10 cm từ 685,63 mg/kg khô đến 2676,64 mg/kg khô; ở độ sâu 40 cm từ 937,38 mg/kg khô đến 2557,55 mg/kg khô, trong đó khả năng lưu trữ cacbon trong trầm tích của rừng Đước vòi (R. stylosa) là cao nhất

Synthesis of Flower-like Silver Nanostructures on Silicon and Their Application in Surface-enhanced Raman Scattering

To enhance the intensity of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), production of metal nanostructures with sharp points, lying side by side at the nanometer level plays an extremely important role. In this paper, we report on a manufacturing process in which the silver nanoparticles with the flower-like shape have been fabricated. Such silver nanoparticles have been fabricated by chemical deposition of silver particles on silicon wafers, using a solution of hydrofluoric acid (HF), silver nitrate (AgNO3) and ascorbic acid (AsA) in water, at room temperature. During the manufacturing we found that only when the concentrations of AgNO3 and AsA are appropriate, the flower-like silver nanoparticles will form. Note that while other authors mainly made flower-like silver nanoparticles in the form of suspensions, we have created flower-like silver nanoparticles with cabbage-shape on a silicon surface. The ensembles of flower-like silver nanoparticles above were used as SERS substrates to detect crystal violet (CV) in low concentrations and good results were obtained

Multi-layer moving plate method for dynamic analysis of pavement structures subjected to moving loads

This paper presents a new approach, namely multi-layer moving plate method (MMPM), for the dynamic analysis of pavement structures subjected to moving load. The pavement resting on multi-layer foundation is modeled as a two-layer plate connected by a spring-damper system resting on a viscoelastic foundation. This model gives a accurately pavement structure model so that the dynamic responses of the surface slab and the base can be obtained. The governing equations as well as the plate element mass, damping and stiffness matrices are formulated in a convected coordinate with the idea of attaching its origin to the applied point of the moving load. The proposed method simply treats the moving load as ‘stationary’ at the node of the plate to avoid the updating of the location of moving load due to change of contact points on the plate. Numerical examples related to the dynamic analysis of the pavement structure subjected to a moving load are conducted to investigate the effects of various parameters such as concrete slab thickness, base thickness, foundation stiffness and the load’s velocity on dynamic responses of the pavement structure

DẪN LIỆU MỚI VỀ MÔI TRƯỜNG NƯỚC VÀ SINH VẬT TRONG CÁC HANG NGẦM VÀ HỒ NƯỚC MẶN KHU VỰC VỊNH HẠ LONG, CÁT BÀ

Submerged caves and saltwater lakes are 2 common habitat types in Ha Long and Cat Ba. However, depending on many different reasons so far they have been poorly studied both on environmental and biological characteristics. The initial results on environment and biological communities in 3 submerged caves (Hang Sang, Hang Toi, Qua Bang) and 3 saltwater lakes (Ang Dau Be, Ang Du, Ang Qua Bang) showed that: status of water environment was different among lakes, especially in the closed lake as Ang Du where salinity was low (9‰), while salinity in the lakes connected to the sea was equal to marine environment (23 - 27‰). Concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in saltwater lakes was high from 7.63 - 9.03 mg/L and higher than that in submerged caves and surrounding marine environment. Physical and chemical factors of water in the submerged caves were equivalent to the marine environment because these caves are connected to the sea and water regularly goes in and out according to tidal fluctuation. Organism communities in the submerged caves were abundant with over 142 species being found. The popular groups, sponge and soft coral, were distributed along the length of the caves. Several species with high economic value were commonly observed in the caves, including stone crab Myomenippe hardwickii, flower crab Portunus pelagicus, cone snails Trochus pyramis, shoemaker spinefoot Siganus sutor, snapper Lutjanus russelii ... Species that permanently live in cave were not detected. In the lakes where water is well exchanged to the sea, coral reefs were found and they formed a narrow reef around the lake. Sandy bars often appeared around the lake at the depth of 0.5 - 2 m, containing specialty species as phi (Sanguinolaria diphos), snout otter clam (Lutraria rhynchaena), sea cucumbers with high density (Ang Dau Be, Ang Qua Bang). There was no coral reef in the closed lake (Ang Du) because of low salinity. In this lake, stratification of temperature and salinity led to temperature on surface lower than that on bottom from 30C to 60C, this phenomenon is unusual.Hang ngầm và hồ nước mặn là 2 dạng sinh cảnh khá phổ biến ở Hạ Long và Cát Bà, do nhiều nguyên nhân khác nhau đến nay chúng rất ít được quan tâm nghiên cứu. Các kết quả nghiên cứu bước đầu về môi trường và quần xã sinh vật trong 3 hang ngầm (Hang Sáng, Hang Tối, Hang Quả Bàng) và 3 hồ nước mặn (Áng Đầu Bê, Áng Dù, Áng Quả Bàng) cho thấy: Môi trường nước có sự khác biệt giữa các hồ, đặc biệt là trong hồ kín như Áng Dù có độ muối thấp (9‰), trong khi các hồ có cửa thông với biển có độ muối gần tương đương với môi trường ngoài (23 - 27‰). Hàm lượng chất khí hòa tan như DO trong các hồ nước mặn khá cao từ 7,63 - 9,03 mg/l, cao hơn trong hang ngầm và cao hơn ở môi trường biển xung quanh. Các yếu tố vật lý và hóa học trong môi trường nước tại các hang ngầm gần tương đương với môi trường bên ngoài do có các hang ngầm đều thông với biển và có nước chảy thường xuyên theo sự lên xuống của thủy triều. Quần xã sinh vật trong các hang khá phong phú với trên 142 loài được tìm thấy, phổ biến nhất là hải miên và san hô mềm, chúng phân bố dọc chiều dài hang. Có một số loài có giá trị kinh tế cao thường gặp trong hang là Cù kì Myomenippe hardwickii, ghẹ Portunus pelagicus, ốc nón Trochus pyramis, cá dìa Siganus sutor, cá hồng Lutjanus russellii ... Chưa phát hiện thấy các loài chuyên biệt sống cố định trong hang. Ở các hồ nước lưu thông với môi trường bên ngoài có sự xuất hiện của rạn san hô, chúng tạo thành một dải hẹp bao quanh hồ. Các bãi cát thường xuất hiện quanh hồ ở độ sâu 0,5 - 2 m có các loài đặc sản như phi phi, tu hài, hải sâm với mật độ khá cao (Áng Đầu Bê, Áng Quả Bàng). Trong áng kín không có rạn san hô do nước có độ muối thấp, có sự phân tầng của nhiệt độ và độ muối làm cho nhiệt độ ở tầng mặt thấp hơn tầng đáy 3 - 60C đây là hiện tượng bất thường ở các hồ này

Current advances in seagrass research: A review from Viet Nam

Seagrass meadows provide valuable ecosystem services but are fragile and threatened ecosystems all over the world. This review highlights the current advances in seagrass research from Viet Nam. One goal is to support decision makers in developing science-based conservation strategies. In recent years, several techniques were applied to estimate the size of seagrass meadows. Independent from the method used, there is an alarming decline in the seagrass area in almost all parts of Viet Nam. Since 1990, a decline of 46.5% or 13,549 ha was found. Only in a few protected and difficult-to-reach areas was an increase observed. Conditions at those sites could be investigated in more detail to make suggestions for conservation and recovery of seagrass meadows. Due to their lifestyle and morphology, seagrasses take up compounds from their environment easily. Phytoremediation processes of Thalassia hemprichii and Enhalus acoroides are described exemplarily. High accumulation of heavy metals dependent on their concentration in the environment in different organs can be observed. On the one hand, seagrasses play a role in phytoremediation processes in polluted areas; on the other hand, they might suffer at high concentrations, and pollution will contribute to their overall decline. Compared with the neighboring countries, the total Corg stock from seagrass beds in Viet Nam was much lower than in the Philippines and Indonesia but higher than that of Malaysia and Myanmar. Due to an exceptionally long latitudinal coastline of 3,260 km covering cool to warm water environments, the seagrass species composition in Viet Nam shows a high diversity and a high plasticity within species boundaries. This leads to challenges in taxonomic issues, especially with the Halophila genus, which can be better deduced from genetic diversity/population structures of members of Hydrocharitaceae. Finally, the current seagrass conservation and management efforts in Viet Nam are presented and discussed. Only decisions based on the interdisciplinary cooperation of scientists from all disciplines mentioned will finally lead to conserve this valuable ecosystem for mankind and biodiversity

miR-146a is a significant brake on autoimmunity, myeloproliferation, and cancer in mice

Excessive or inappropriate activation of the immune system can be deleterious to the organism, warranting multiple molecular mechanisms to control and properly terminate immune responses. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), ~22-nt-long noncoding RNAs, have recently emerged as key posttranscriptional regulators, controlling diverse biological processes, including responses to non-self. In this study, we examine the biological role of miR-146a using genetically engineered mice and show that targeted deletion of this gene, whose expression is strongly up-regulated after immune cell maturation and/or activation, results in several immune defects. Collectively, our findings suggest that miR-146a plays a key role as a molecular brake on inflammation, myeloid cell proliferation, and oncogenic transformation

Two plant-associated Bacillus velezensis strains selected after genome analysis, metabolite profiling, and with proved biocontrol potential, were enhancing harvest yield of coffee and black pepper in large field trials

Elimination of chemically synthesized pesticides, such as fungicides and nematicides, in agricultural products is a key to successful practice of the Vietnamese agriculture. We describe here the route for developing successful biostimulants based on members of the Bacillus subtilis species complex. A number of endospore-forming Gram-positive bacterial strains with antagonistic action against plant pathogens were isolated from Vietnamese crop plants. Based on their draft genome sequence, thirty of them were assigned to the Bacillus subtilis species complex. Most of them were assigned to the species Bacillus velezensis. Whole genome sequencing of strains BT2.4 and BP1.2A corroborated their close relatedness to B. velezensis FZB42, the model strain for Gram-positive plant growth-promoting bacteria. Genome mining revealed that at least 15 natural product biosynthesis gene clusters (BGCs) are well conserved in all B. velezensis strains. In total, 36 different BGCs were identified in the genomes of the strains representing B. velezensis, B. subtilis, Bacillus tequilensis, and Bacillus. altitudinis. In vitro and in vivo assays demonstrated the potential of the B. velezensis strains to enhance plant growth and to suppress phytopathogenic fungi and nematodes. Due to their promising potential to stimulate plant growth and to support plant health, the B. velezensis strains TL7 and S1 were selected as starting material for the development of novel biostimulants, and biocontrol agents efficient in protecting the important Vietnamese crop plants black pepper and coffee against phytopathogens. The results of the large-scale field trials performed in the Central Highlands in Vietnam corroborated that TL7 and S1 are efficient in stimulating plant growth and protecting plant health in large-scale applications. It was shown that treatment with both bioformulations resulted in prevention of the pathogenic pressure exerted by nematodes, fungi, and oomycetes, and increased harvest yield in coffee, and pepper.Peer Reviewe