From Green to Serene: Investigating the Effects of Algal and Light Conditions on Stress Levels and Welfare in Fish

The increasing use of fish in laboratory research and aquaculture threatens fish welfare. Thus, environmental enrichment strategies have gained increasing attention to promote the well-being of captive fish. This study investigated the preferences and stress responses of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to different environmental enrichments and conditions. In the behavioral experiments for specific light colors and intensities, male medaka exhibited a preference for colored LED lights, especially in purple over white lights when assessed individually and in groups. Females did not show clear color preferences but tended to prefer colors over white when tested in groups, suggesting social influences. The medaka favored a lower light intensity in purple lights but tolerated a wider intensity range in blue, green and white lights. Additionally, separate experiments found that medaka preferred environments with reflective tanks walls and algae-free conditions over excessive algal growth present. Medaka may have potentially perceived mirror reflections in the tank walls as conspecifics. The open field test revealed a higher exploratory, lower anxiety-like behaviors in medaka from the clean tanks compared to medaka from algae tanks. It was however, unexpectedly found higher physiological stress in medaka from the same clean tanks compared to algae tanks when measuring cortisol levels. The findings highlight the medaka’s responsiveness and preference to environmental enrichments and factors like lighting, habitat complexity/cleanliness, social settings and reflective surfaces. By implementing enrichment tailored to their preferences it could significantly improve their welfare for this research model.The increasing use of fish in laboratory research and aquaculture threatens fish welfare. Thus, environmental enrichment strategies have gained increasing attention to promote the well-being of captive fish. This study investigated the preferences and stress responses of Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes) to different environmental enrichments and conditions. In the behavioral experiments for specific light colors and intensities, male medaka exhibited a preference for colored LED lights, especially in purple over white lights when assessed individually and in groups. Females did not show clear color preferences but tended to prefer colors over white when tested in groups, suggesting social influences. The medaka favored a lower light intensity in purple lights but tolerated a wider intensity range in blue, green and white lights. Additionally, separate experiments found that medaka preferred environments with reflective tanks walls and algae-free conditions over excessive algal growth present. Medaka may have potentially perceived mirror reflections in the tank walls as conspecifics. The open field test revealed a higher exploratory, lower anxiety-like behaviors in medaka from the clean tanks compared to medaka from algae tanks. It was however, unexpectedly found higher physiological stress in medaka from the same clean tanks compared to algae tanks when measuring cortisol levels. The findings highlight the medaka’s responsiveness and preference to environmental enrichments and factors like lighting, habitat complexity/cleanliness, social settings and reflective surfaces. By implementing enrichment tailored to their preferences it could significantly improve their welfare for this research model

EFL TERTIARY STUDENTS' PERCEPTION AND PRACTICE WITH LANGUAGE LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: THE CASE OF VIETNAM

While language teaching is widely acknowledged as preparation for real-life language use, attention is still focused mainly on classroom-bounded learning. However, the development of technology allows language learners to extend their learning opportunities beyond the classroom. Using a mixed method design that included questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, this study aims to explore how Vietnamese EFL tertiary students perceive and utilize language learning beyond the classroom (LLBC) resources in learning English. This study finds that the students perceived well the feasibility of the LLBC, and believed in the benefits of LLBC resources and activities in improving pronunciation and vocabulary, listening, and speaking skills. In addition, the students are found also to try to develop strategies for making the most of individual LLBC resources and activities to improve their English proficiency. The study also provides implications for the teachers to prepare and equip themselves with the effective utilization of LLBC resources and activities to provide their students with helpful advice.  Article visualizations

An improved performance routing protocol based on delay for MANETs in smart cities

Mobile ad-hoc networks (MANETs) is a set of mobile devices that can self-configuration, self-established parameters to transmission in-network. Although limited inability, MANETs have been applied in many domains to serve humanity in recent years, such as disaster recovery, forest fire, military, intelligent traffic, or IoT ecosystems. Because of the movement of network devices, the system performance is low. In order to MANETs could more contribution in the future of the Internet, the routing is a significant problem to enhance the performance of MANETs. In this work, we proposed a new delay-based protocol aim enhance the system performance, called performance routing protocol based on delay (PRPD). In order to analyze the efficiency of the proposed solution, we compared the proposed protocol with traditional protocols. Experiment results showed that the PRPD protocol improved packet delivery ratio, throughput, and delay compared to the traditional protocols

Etiology and epidemiology of diarrhea in children in Hanoi, Vietnam

SummaryObjectivesThis paper provides a preliminary picture of diarrhea with regards to etiology, clinical symptoms, and some related epidemiologic factors in children less than five years of age living in Hanoi, Vietnam.MethodsThe study population included 587 children with diarrhea and 249 age-matched healthy controls. The identification of pathogens was carried out by the conventional methods in combination with ELISA, immunoseparation, and PCR. The antibiotic susceptibility was determined by MIC following the NCCLS recommendations.ResultsOf those with diarrhea, 40.9% were less than one year old and 71.0% were less than two years old. A potential pathogen was identified in 67.3% of children with diarrhea. They were group A rotavirus, diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp, and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis, with prevalences of 46.7%, 22.5%, 4.7%, and 7.3%, respectively. No Salmonella spp or Vibrio cholerae were isolated. Rotavirus and diarrheagenic E. coli were predominant in children less than two years of age, while Shigella spp, and enterotoxigenic B. fragilis were mostly seen in the older children. Diarrheagenic E. coli and Shigella spp showed high prevalence of resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Children attending the hospitals had fever (43.6%), vomiting (53.8%), and dehydration (82.6%). Watery stool was predominant with a prevalence of 66.4%, followed by mucous stool (21.0%). The mean episodes of stools per day was seven, ranging from two to 23 episodes. Before attending hospitals, 162/587 (27.6%) children had been given antibiotics. Overall, more children got diarrhea in (i) poor families; (ii) families where piped water and a latrine were lacking; (iii) families where mothers washed their hands less often before feeding the children; (iv) families where mothers had a low level of education; (v) families where information on health and sanitation less often reached their households.ConclusionsGroup A rotavirus, diarrheagenic Escherichia coli, Shigella spp, and enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis play an important role in causing diarrhea in children in Hanoi, Vietnam. Epidemiological factors such as lack of fresh water supply, unhygienic septic tank, low family income, lack of health information, and low educational level of parents could contribute to the morbidity of diarrhea in children

The status of invasive plants and animals in Cu Lao Cham biosphere reserve, Quang Nam province, Vietnam

The biodiversity of Cu Lao Cham Biosphere Reserve (Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province) has been faced with some passive impacts, one of which is invasion/expansion of alien species. In 2017, according to the data of GISD, CABI and the Inter-ministerial Circular No.27/2013/TTLT-BTNMT-BNNPTNT, based on filed survey conducted in May, 19 alien plant and 3 alien animal species were recorded in the biosphere reserve. Among them, 13 plant species were identified as invaders, of which details were assessed in this study; among those invader plants, 3 species were ranked at medium risk and the 10 others were ranked at low risk. All of the medium risk-invasive plant species have been appeared on the islands but one of them - siam weed (Chromolaena odorata) were not identified as impacting to the mainland of the biosphere reserve. Likewise, all of the alien animal species have been not recognized as the invasive species. In general, the impact of alien species found in the Cu Lao Cham was assessed as “Low Risk”. The impact status of invasive species in the Hoi An mainland part is more serious than the situation in the islands. Base on the results, we suggest that, five species, beggar-ticks (Bidens pilosa), coast morning glory (Ipomoea cairica) Bay Biscayne creeping-oxeye (Sphagneticola trilobata), Blue porterweed (Stachytarpheta jamaicensis) and billygoat-weed (Ageratum conyzoides) should be added in the invasive appendix of the national invasive species list while three other species as vilfa stellata (Cynodon dactylon), guava (Psidium guava) and rose myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) should be listed in the potential appendix of that list. It is necessary to conduct some survey to obtain solution to control invasive species as soon as possible to protect the biodiversity of this study area. Citation: Vu Anh Tai, Uong Dinh Khanh, Luu The Anh, Le Thi Thu Hien, 2017. The status of invasive plants and animals in Cu Lao Cham biosphere reserve, Quang Nam province, Vietnam. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 39(4): 434-450. DOI: 10.15625/0866-7160/v39n4.10082.*Corresponding author: [email protected] 15 June 2017, accepted 12 December 201

Academic Anxiety of Vietnamese Secondary School Students as a Reason for Applying Online Learning

Academic anxiety is one of the major problems in student psychology across the world. It applies equally to students of all ages, from elementary school to college and university students. Research shows that learning online is an effective way to defuse feelings of academic anxiety. Elimination of anxiety is clearly visible regardless of age, gender, or prior online learning experience. The study aims to identify academic anxiety as one of the most important reasons for moving to online learning or blended learning in secondary school. The study investigated academic anxiety among secondary school students in Vietnam. After surveying 677 students in classroom learning, the results showed that 13.7% of secondary students suffered from frequent anxiety, and 3.0% of them suffered from very frequent anxiety. Lower anxiety was observed among students actively participated in-class activities, and students with excellent academic performance. These factors can be optimally enhanced through blended and online learning. There were no differences in academic anxiety among male and female students, urban and rural students. There was a moderate correlation between a student's anxiety level and pressure of the school, parental expectations, students' motivation for high performance, and especially, among students who have the melancholic temperament. And the influence of these negative factors can also be optimally reduced with the help of online learning. Regression model could provide useful suggestions for parents, teachers and students in reducing academic anxiety for students, including the use of full or blended online learning

Deletion of the non-adjacent genes UL148 and UL148D impairs human cytomegalovirus-mediated TNF receptor 2 surface upregulation

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a prototypical β-herpesvirus which frequently causes morbidity and mortality in individuals with immature, suppressed, or senescent immunity. HCMV is sensed by various pattern recognition receptors, leading to the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). TNFα binds to two distinct trimeric receptors: TNF receptor (TNFR) 1 and TNFR2, which differ in regard to their expression profiles, affinities for soluble and membrane-bound TNFα, and down-stream signaling pathways. While both TNF receptors engage NFκB signaling, only the nearly ubiquitously expressed TNFR1 exhibits a death domain that mediates TRADD/FADD-dependent caspase activation. Under steady-state conditions, TNFR2 expression is mainly restricted to immune cells where it predominantly submits pro-survival, proliferation-stimulating, and immune-regulatory signals. Based on the observation that HCMV-infected cells show enhanced binding of TNFα, we explored the interplay between HCMV and TNFR2. As expected, uninfected fibroblasts did not show detectable levels of TNFR2 on the surface. Intriguingly, however, HCMV infection increased TNFR2 surface levels of fibroblasts. Using HCMV variants and BACmid-derived clones either harboring or lacking the ULb’ region, an association between TNFR2 upregulation and the presence of the ULb’ genome region became evident. Applying a comprehensive set of ULb’ gene block and single gene deletion mutants, we observed that HCMV mutants in which the non-adjacent genes UL148 or UL148D had been deleted show an impaired ability to upregulate TNFR2, coinciding with an inverse regulation of TACE/ADAM17

Identification and quantification of PAH in bitumen by GC-Ion-Trap MS and HPLC-fluorescent detectors

Bitumen is a complex product with a large matrix of heavy aliphatic/naphthenic/aromatic hydrocarbons as well as a large number of isomeric compounds such as polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). Some PACs and derivatives are known to have a mutagenic and carcinogenic activity, and there is no generally satisfactory clean-up method for separating PACs from this very complex hydrocarbon matrix. Moreover, from an analytical point of view, the isomeric compounds usually co-elute in the same gas chromatography (GC) retention range, GC being one of the most widely used techniques in this area. However, the use of a suitable clean-up procedure for isolating the aromatic fractions, combined with two selective detection techniques such as mass spectrometry (GC-Ion Trap MS) and HPLC-Fluorescent detector (HPLC-FL), is expected to provide an effective tool for accurately determining certain PAC species in bitumen. In this paper we compare two quantitative extractions to analyse the 16 PAHs that occur in bitumen according to the US EPA reference list. Two clean-up protocols are assessed and compared by using both GC-Ion Trap MS and HPLC-FL chromatographic/detection techniques. The first extraction method combines well-established and proven clean-up operations with an automatic fractionation by semi-preparative HPLC (certification test program for PAHs in sewage sludge, in creosote-contaminated soil and in harbour sediment organised by the Community Bureau of Reference, BCR). The second method uses a multiple step-by-step liquid/liquid and liquid/solid extraction clean-up procedure. After the bitumen extracts are cleaned up, only the use of both GC-MS &amp; HPLC-FL can provide reliable results. The more sensitive FL provides enhanced fluorescent selectivity signals that facilitate identification of PAH compounds. However, for their quantification, the capillary GC-ion trap mass spectrometric technique is preferred because of the insufficient resolution of the HPLC column and the possible quenching or co-elution effect of matrix compounds. Both detection techniques are regarded as complementary. [Authors]]]> Polycyclic Hydrocarbons, Aromatic ; Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_99E6734EF740 2022-05-07T01:23:31Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_99E6734EF740 Sleep and dreaming Siclari , Francesca Tononi, Giulio info:eu-repo/semantics/bookPart incollection 2015-11-05 The neurology of consciousness info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/isbn/0128009489 eng oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_99E74779D4BD 2022-05-07T01:23:31Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_99E74779D4BD Julian Charrière http://www.sikart.ch/kuenstlerInnen.aspx?id=13342783 Gunti, Claus info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 2019-08-19 SIKART - Dictionnaire de l'art suisse, pp. en ligne Julian Charrière, art, écologie, géologie, Suisse fre oai:serval.unil.ch:BIB_99BA8179E536 2022-05-07T01:23:30Z <oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd"> https://serval.unil.ch/notice/serval:BIB_99BA8179E536 Anti-CD2 receptor antibodies activate the HIV long terminal repeat in T lymphocytes info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pmid/1680914 Bressler, P. Pantaleo, G. Demaria, A. Fauci, A. S. info:eu-repo/semantics/article article 1991-10 Journal of Immunology, vol. 147, no. 7, pp. 2290-4 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0022-1767 <![CDATA[The CD2 T lymphocyte glycoprotein surface molecule mediates both cell to cell adhesion and T cell activation, two processes that are involved in the spread of HIV infection. Treatment of chronically HIV-infected PBMC with anti-CD2 mAb has been shown to induce the expression of infectious virus from these cultures. In this study we investigated the mechanisms whereby anti-CD2 antibodies stimulate viral production. We demonstrate that treatment of transiently transfected T lymphocytes with anti-CD2 antibodies results in activation of the HIV long terminal repeat. Furthermore, CAT assays using mutated HIV long terminal repeat-CAT constructs and gel shift assays demonstrate that this activation is dependent on the NF-kappa B enhancer. These studies suggest that interaction of CD2 with its natural ligand, LFA-3, may play a role in regulation of HIV expression

PSSA- INTERNATIONAL SOLUTION TO PROTECT THE BIODIVERSITY IN HA LONG BAY - CAT BA MARINE AREA

A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an important management tool for biodiversity protection of a marine area. At the time of designation of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, an associated protective measure, which meets the requirements of the appropriate legal instrument establishing such measure, must have been approved or adopted by IMO to prevent, reduce, or eliminate the threat or identified vulnerability. Information on each of the Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) that has been designated by IMO is available on the nautical chart. The Vietnam’s coastal zones and islands are the isolated oceanic habitat of extremely rich marine life in very good condition which is important to the maintenance and dispersal of the marine life of the western tropical Pacific. Vietnam coastal areas are very high risk areas affected by maritime activities, particularly international shipping, therefore in the future identification of some Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) is necessary. The first Particularly Sensitive Sea Area for Vietnam in Ha Long - Cat Ba was initially proposed in this paper