Effect of phosphate fertilizer-coated Dicarboxylic Acid Polymer on rice yield and components under greenhouse conditions

A significant amount of phosphorus (P) becomes fixed by aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) in acidic soils, leading to decreased efficiency in P utilization and subsequently lowering crop yield. Enhanced P fertilization offers a potential solution, as the dicarboxylic acid polymer (DCAP) coating on P fertilizer promotes increased plant productivity and more effective P utilization. The improvement achieved through enhanced P fertilization can contribute to higher rice yields in acidic soils, accompanied by an increase in P solubility. The study aimed to determine the impact of DCAP-mixed phosphate fertilizer on P uptake by plants, absorption efficiency, and rice yield. The results demonstrated a significant increase in available P (about 3.5 mg P/kg) when DCAP was used in a greenhouse setting, resulting in elevated yields and total P absorption (ranging from 0.03 to 0.05 grams/pot). However, the addition of 60 kg of phosphate mixed with DCAP has not yet demonstrated a significant increase in available phosphorus in the soil compared to adding just 60 kg of phosphate. The application of phosphate at a dose of 30 kg of P2O5 mixed with DCAP for growth and phosphorus absorption yield results equivalent to using 60 kg of P2O5 without DCAP. Furthermore, the use of DCAP in conjuction with 50% P fertilizer increased P availability by the same amount as that achieved with 100% P fertilizer. Consequently, DCAP reduced chemical P fertilizer in the soil by approximately 50%. However, it is essential to evaluate the effectiveness of mixed phosphate fertilizer (DCAP) under field conditions before recommending its widespread use

Assessment of High School Students’ Learning and Development of Qualities and Competencies: A Case Study

This study aims to assess high school students' learning outcomes, their achievement of goals and fulfilling academic requirements and how the entire teaching and learning process takes place. The study, consisting of an experimental group and a control group was conducted for pre-test and post-test comparisons of the academic performance of 88 10th grade students. 44 students were selected as the experimental group that underwent a specific teaching strategy to monitor their development of qualities and competencies in one semester, and the remaining 44 students acted as the control group. The data collected after the tests were analyzed using SPSS software (V20). The results showed that the students in the experimental group had better academic results than those in the control group. The findings of this study have implications for policy, further research as well as approaches for the assessment of students’ development of qualities and competencies in Vietnam

Phlogacanthus cornutus: chemical profiles and antioxidant effects

Phlogacanthus cornutus is a rare species and the chemical profiles and the bioactivities of this plant are unknown. In present study, the chemical components of the acetone extract as well as the antioxidant activity of acetone extract and its fractions such as n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate of P. cornutus were firstly reported. A total of 33 constituents were identify in the acetone extract of this plant using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry assay, in which trans-cinnamic acid (21.26%), neophytadiene (6.36%), linolenic acid (5.86%), dihydroagathic acid (5.71%), n-hexadecanoic acid (5.53%), phytol (4.14%) and cis-cinnamic acid (3.23%) were the major compounds. The acetone extract and its fractions such as n-hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate of P. cornutus showed DPPH radical scavenging activity with IC50 value of 234.31, 185.95, 758.65 and 458.52 µg/mL respectively

BACTERICIDAL ACTIVITY OF NANOSILVER AGAINST PATHOGENIC MICROORGANISMS WHICH CAUSE PECULAR DISEASES OF GENITAL SECRETION TRACK

      Nano silver was known as a bactericidal agent for almost all bacterial species and has been intensively investigated over the world to apply for disinfection in different fields of human activities and environmental protection. Specifically, genital exudate media contain numerous dangerous bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans etc. which as a rule are drug-resistant with respect to antibiotics. This research presents the results of the application of nanosilver in replacing antibiotics in elimination of the above mentioned microorganisms by using low nanosilver concentrations of about 0.01 mg/cm2 immobilized on non-woven fabric. The experimental data showed that nanosilver-impregnated fabric samples at a concentration 0.01 mg/cm2 gave antibacterial rings of 10 mm, 9 mm and 8 mm, respectively, for        N. gonorrhoeae, Candida albicans + E.coli and Candida albicans + E.coli + S. aureus

Risk pathways and prevalence in slaughtered pig blood of Streptococcus suis in Vietnam

Streptococcus suis is a leading cause of bacterial meningitis in Vietnamese adults, and the major risk factors have been identified as consumption of raw pig blood (Tiet canh), and occupational exposure to pigs. Previous studies of S. suis prevalence in pigs sampled from southern Vietnam have indicated very high levels of commensal infection in tonsil specimens, however there is relatively little data on prevalence rates of systemic infections in pigs (as indicated by detection from fresh blood), and prevalence rates from northern and central Vietnam have yet to be described. To address these data gaps, we sampled blood from 147 slaughtered pigs in two provinces Hung Yen (North) and Nghe An (Center) and analyzed for S. suis using PCR (16S- S. suis and S. suis serotype 2). In addition, we surveyed 406 heads of household and 51 slaughterhouse workers in these areas to understand behaviors and attitudes toward consumption of raw pig blood. A total of 33.3% of 147 pig blood samples tested positive with S. suis, but only 1.4% (2/147) were positive to S. suis serotype 2, the serotype most frequently associated with severe human infections. Fifteen of 406 people interviewed (3.4%) reported eating ‘Tiet canh’, whereas this rate was significantly higher at 43.1% (21 of 51) for slaughterhouse workers. These findings will be discussed in the context of the growing body of literature on S. suis epidemiology, culinary practices involving raw or undercooked pig products, and risk mitigation strategies to minimize disease transmission

Current Development in Lead-Free Bi

The lead-free piezoelectric ceramics display good piezoelectric properties which are comparable with Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) and these materials overcome the hazard to the environment and human health. The Bi0.5(Na,K)0.5TiO3 (BNKT) is rapidly developed because of good piezoelectric, ferroelectric, and dielectric properties compared to PZT. The origin of giant strain of BNKT piezoelectric materials was found at morphotropic phase boundary due to crystal change from tetragonal to orthorhombic and/or precipitation of cubic phases, in addition to domain switching mechanism. The dopants or secondary phases with ABO3 structure as solid solution are expected to change the crystal structure and create the vacancies which results in enhancement of the piezoelectric properties. In this work, we reviewed the current development of BNKT by dopants and secondary phase as solid solution. Our discussion will focus on role of dopants and secondary phase to piezoelectric properties of BNKT. This result will open the direction to control the properties of lead-free piezoelectric materials

TiO 3 -Based Piezoelectric Materials

The lead-free piezoelectric ceramics display good piezoelectric properties which are comparable with Pb(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT) and these materials overcome the hazard to the environment and human health. The Bi 0.5 (Na,K) 0.5 TiO 3 (BNKT) is rapidly developed because of good piezoelectric, ferroelectric, and dielectric properties compared to PZT. The origin of giant strain of BNKT piezoelectric materials was found at morphotropic phase boundary due to crystal change from tetragonal to orthorhombic and/or precipitation of cubic phases, in addition to domain switching mechanism. The dopants or secondary phases with ABO 3 structure as solid solution are expected to change the crystal structure and create the vacancies which results in enhancement of the piezoelectric properties. In this work, we reviewed the current development of BNKT by dopants and secondary phase as solid solution. Our discussion will focus on role of dopants and secondary phase to piezoelectric properties of BNKT. This result will open the direction to control the properties of lead-free piezoelectric materials

Rutting resistance of asphalt pavement mixes by Finite Element modelling and optimisation

Asphalt pavement rutting is a major safety concern and is one of the main distress modes of asphalt pavement. Research into asphalt pavement mixes that provide strong resistance for rutting is considered of great significance as it can help provide extended pavement life and significant cost savings in pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. The objectives of this study are to develop numerical models to investigate the rutting of asphalt concrete pavements and to find optimal design of asphalt pavement mix for rutting resistance. Three-dimensional Finite Element models were first developed to simulate both the axial compression and wheel track testing in which a visco-elastic-plastic material model was used to predict the rutting of the asphalt concrete pavements. A strain hardening creep model with the material parameters developed from experimental testing was employed to model the time-dependent characteristics of the asphalt concrete pavements. The results were validated against the previous experimental wheel track test results of different pavement mixes. Finally, optimisation techniques using the Design Of Experiments method were applied to the simulation rutting results by varying creep parameters to identify their effects on rutting resistance in order to obtain an optimal asphalt pavements mixes. The results of this paper clearly demonstrate an efficient and effective experimental-numerical method and tool set towards optimal design for asphalt concrete pavements for rutting resistance.N/

Low birth weight of Vietnamese infants is related to their mother’s dioxin and glucocorticoid levels

We aimed to determine the relationship between dioxin congeners in maternal breast milk and maternal glucocorticoid levels with newborn birth weight after nearly 45 years of use of herbicides in the Vietnam War. The study subjects comprised 58 mother–infant pairs in a region with high dioxin levels in the soil (hotspot) and 62 pairs from a control region. Dioxin levels in maternal breast milk were measured by HRGC-HRMS. Salivary glucocorticoid levels were determined by LC-MS/MS. Dioxin congener levels in mothers from the hotspot were found to be two to fivefold higher than those in mothers from the control region. Birth weight was inversely correlated with 2,3,7,8-TeCDD and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF congener levels. The rate of newborns whose birth weight was less than 2500 g was threefold higher in the hotspot (12 %) than in the control region (4 %). Salivary glucocorticoid levels in mothers with low birth weight infants were significantly higher than those in the normal birth weight group. Low birth weight of Vietnamese newborns in a hotspot for dioxin levels is related to some dioxin congener levels and high glucocorticoid levels in mothers. This finding in mother–infant pairs suggests that excess maternal glucocorticoid levels are related to dioxin burden and they result in low birth weight. © 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin HeidelbergEmbargo Period 12 month