Atlas of Livestock Transitions in Vietnam: 1986-2016

The Atlas of Livestock Transitions in Vietnam (1986-2016) is a synthesis of a fi ve years research project. It combines results from several fi eldworks together with a systematic spatial analysis of the 4 agricultural censuses conducted from 1994 to 2011. With nearly one hundred maps and graphs, the Atlas presents facts and data on the process of gradual industrialization of a sector that remains largely based on small-scale farming. The rapid development of livestock production in Vietnam is responding to market demands and regional specializations. Investment in the sector is concentrated around the outskirts of large cities, where a rapidly growing number of modern farms are copying a globalized industrial farm model. However, 'industrial' does not necessarily mean 'landless' because livestock manure is largely reintegrated with crop production. Outside regions connected to international and urban markets, smallholder livestock farming is being transformed through a gradual decline in the number of producers. High population densities are nonetheless posing limits on average farm size. Livestock farmers are adopting new technologies and practices to reduce their environmental impacts while enabling intensive production near residential areas. This atlas presents this diversity of transitions that are specifi c to an emerging sector. It represends a useful tool for anyone engaged in supporting sustainable agricultural development in countries of the Global South

Livestock farms' upscaling unlimited? Building scenarios for Vietnam's dairy sector by 2030

In Vietnam, the emergence of large commercial farms and even of some “mega-farms”, questions the future of the dairy sector. Is social, economic and environmental sustainability of dairy farming likely to be affected by this rapid farms' upscaling? The Revalter foresight study depicted 3 contrasted plausible scenarios for the dairy sector by 2030 in order to challenge this rapid transformation. This foresight exercise was conducted through participatory scenario planning with local stakeholders and with the use of a quantitative model. The “Maximum concentration” scenario is based on the prominence of a limited number of integrated mega-farms of thousands of cows. The “Social and inclusive sector” scenario is built with an exclusive contribution of family dairy farms. The “Smiling cow” scenario is discussed to accommodate different farm models in a complementary approach. In the context of a rapid transition of the economy and of the ecosystems, and with some strong restriction on land access, smallholders and family farms show interesting results in terms of sustainable development. Appropriate policy actions are needed to ensure the coexistence of the different types of farms in view of balancing the supply and demand, as well as adapting to the puzzles of local land, rural labor and the environment

Irreducible representations of Upq[gl(2/2)]

The two-parametric quantum superalgebra $U_{pq}[gl(2/2)]$ and its representations are considered. All finite-dimensional irreducible representations of this quantum superalgebra can be constructed and classified into typical and nontypical ones according to a proposition proved in the present paper. This proposition is a nontrivial deformation from the one for the classical superalgebra gl(2/2), unlike the case of one-parametric deformations.Comment: Latex, 8 pages. A reference added in v.

Classroom Clickers – Invigorating the Classroom Experience

Bridgewater grant-awarded Faculty share their experiences in using the TurningPoint classroom response system devices in their classroom teaching to elicit instant feedback from their students through PowerPoint and the use of wireless radio frequency devices commonly known as “classroom clickers”. Discover how you can use these devices in your own classes and department meetings for informal polling of students/colleagues or for assessment purposes

Web-based multimodal graphs for visually impaired people

This paper describes the development and evaluation of Web-based multimodal graphs designed for visually impaired and blind people. The information in the graphs is conveyed to visually impaired people through haptic and audio channels. The motivation of this work is to address problems faced by visually impaired people in accessing graphical information on the Internet, particularly the common types of graphs for data visualization. In our work, line graphs, bar charts and pie charts are accessible through a force feedback device, the Logitech WingMan Force Feedback Mouse. Pre-recorded sound files are used to represent graph contents to users. In order to test the usability of the developed Web graphs, an evaluation was conducted with bar charts as the experimental platform. The results showed that the participants could successfully use the haptic and audio features to extract information from the Web graphs

Increased MicroRNA-34b and -34c Predominantly Expressed in Stromal Tissues Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Human Colon Cancer

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EEG Artifact Removal Using a Wavelet Neural Network

!n this paper we developed a wavelet neural network. (WNN) algorithm for Electroencephalogram (EEG) artifact removal without electrooculographic (EOG) recordings. The algorithm combines the universal approximation characteristics of neural network and the time/frequency property of wavelet. We. compared the WNN algorithm with .the ICA technique ,and a wavelet thresholding method, which was realized by using the Stein's unbiased risk estimate (SURE) with an adaptive gradient-based optimal threshold. Experimental results on a driving test data set show that WNN can remove EEG artifacts effectively without diminishing useful EEG information even for very noisy data

Using small molecules to facilitate exchange of bicarbonate and chloride anions across liposomal membranes

Bicarbonate is involved in a wide range of biological processes, which include respiration, regulation of intracellular pH and fertilization. In this study we use a combination of NMR spectroscopy and ion-selective electrode techniques to show that the natural product prodigiosin, a tripyrrolic molecule produced by microorganisms such as Streptomyces and Serratia, facilitates chloride/bicarbonate exchange (antiport) across liposomal membranes. Higher concentrations of simple synthetic molecules based on a 4,6-dihydroxyisophthalamide core are also shown to facilitate this antiport process. Although it is well known that proteins regulate Cl-/HCO3- exchange in cells, these results suggest that small molecules may also be able to regulate the concentration of these anions in biological systems

Linear and Second-order Optical Response of the III-V Mono-layer Superlattices

We report the first fully self-consistent calculations of the nonlinear optical properties of superlattices. The materials investigated are mono-layer superlattices with GaP grown on the the top of InP, AlP and GaAs (110) substrates. We use the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method within the generalized gradient approximation to obtain the frequency dependent dielectric tensor and the second-harmonic-generation susceptibility. The effect of lattice relaxations on the linear optical properties are studied. Our calculations show that the major anisotropy in the optical properties is the result of strain in GaP. This anisotropy is maximum for the superlattice with maximum lattice mismatch between the constituent materials. In order to differentiate the superlattice features from the bulk-like transitions an improvement over the existing effective medium model is proposed. The superlattice features are found to be more pronounced for the second-order than the linear optical response indicating the need for full supercell calculations in determining the correct second-order response.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Phy. Rev.