Wicked problems: a value chain approach from Vietnam’s dairy product

In the past few years, dairy industry has become one of the fastest growing sectors in the packaged food industry of Vietnam. However, the value-added creation among different activities in the value chain of Vietnam dairy sector is distributed unequally. In the production activities, the dairy farmers gain low value-added rate due to high input cost. Whereas the processing activities, which managed by big companies, generates high profitability and Vietnamese consumers seem to have few choices due to the lack of dairy companies in the market. These wicked problems caused an unsustainable development to the dairy value chain of Vietnam. This paper, therefore, will map and analyze the value chain of the dairy industry in Vietnam. It will also assess the value created in each activity in order to imply solutions for a sustainable development of Vietnam’s dairy industry

Dietary patterns and risk factors for Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Fijian, Japanese and Vietnamese populations

Diabetes mellitus is now a serious and increasing problem in Asian countries, where dietary patterns have shifted toward Westernized foods and people are becoming more sedentary. In order to elucidate the relationship of dietary habits to the development of diabetic risk factors, the dietary patterns of 200 Fijian, 171 Japanese and 181 Vietnamese women of 30–39 years of age were investigated using 3 day–24 h recall or dietary records. Anthropometric measurements and glycosuria tests were also conducted. The dietary trends of Fijians and Japanese have changed drastically in the past 50 years, while Vietnamese have been minimally influenced by Western dietary habits. The mean 24 h dietary intake showed that Fijians had the highest energy intake. Energy intake from fat was only 13% for Vietnamese, but over 30% for Japanese and Fijians. Percentage of body fat was higher in Vietnamese than in Japanese, though there were no significant differences in body mass index (BMI). In the overweight and obese women, Vietnamese had higher abdominal obesity than Japanese. The prevalence of obesity (BMI � 30 kg/m2) was 63.0% for Fijians, 1.8% for Japanese and 1.1% for Vietnamese. Glycosuria testing yielded the most positive cases among Fijians. Dietary transition and dietary excess appear to be potential risk factors for diabetes in Fijian women

TextANIMAR: Text-based 3D Animal Fine-Grained Retrieval

3D object retrieval is an important yet challenging task, which has drawn more and more attention in recent years. While existing approaches have made strides in addressing this issue, they are often limited to restricted settings such as image and sketch queries, which are often unfriendly interactions for common users. In order to overcome these limitations, this paper presents a novel SHREC challenge track focusing on text-based fine-grained retrieval of 3D animal models. Unlike previous SHREC challenge tracks, the proposed task is considerably more challenging, requiring participants to develop innovative approaches to tackle the problem of text-based retrieval. Despite the increased difficulty, we believe that this task has the potential to drive useful applications in practice and facilitate more intuitive interactions with 3D objects. Five groups participated in our competition, submitting a total of 114 runs. While the results obtained in our competition are satisfactory, we note that the challenges presented by this task are far from being fully solved. As such, we provide insights into potential areas for future research and improvements. We believe that we can help push the boundaries of 3D object retrieval and facilitate more user-friendly interactions via vision-language technologies.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2304.0573

Panta Rhei benchmark dataset: socio-hydrological data of paired events of floods and droughts

As the adverse impacts of hydrological extremes increase in many regions of the world, a better understanding of the drivers of changes in risk and impacts is essential for effective flood and drought risk management and climate adaptation. However, there is currently a lack of comprehensive, empirical data about the processes, interactions, and feedbacks in complex human–water systems leading to flood and drought impacts. Here we present a benchmark dataset containing socio-hydrological data of paired events, i.e. two floods or two droughts that occurred in the same area. The 45 paired events occurred in 42 different study areas and cover a wide range of socio-economic and hydro-climatic conditions. The dataset is unique in covering both floods and droughts, in the number of cases assessed and in the quantity of socio-hydrological data. The benchmark dataset comprises (1) detailed review-style reports about the events and key processes between the two events of a pair; (2) the key data table containing variables that assess the indicators which characterize management shortcomings, hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and impacts of all events; and (3) a table of the indicators of change that indicate the differences between the first and second event of a pair. The advantages of the dataset are that it enables comparative analyses across all the paired events based on the indicators of change and allows for detailed context- and location-specific assessments based on the extensive data and reports of the individual study areas. The dataset can be used by the scientific community for exploratory data analyses, e.g. focused on causal links between risk management; changes in hazard, exposure and vulnerability; and flood or drought impacts. The data can also be used for the development, calibration, and validation of sociohydrological models. The dataset is available to the public through the GFZ Data Services (Kreibich et al., 2023, https://doi.org/10.5880/GFZ.4.4.2023.001)

Global age-sex-specific mortality, life expectancy, and population estimates in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1950–2021, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic: a comprehensive demographic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Estimates of demographic metrics are crucial to assess levels and trends of population health outcomes. The profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on populations worldwide has underscored the need for timely estimates to understand this unprecedented event within the context of long-term population health trends. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 provides new demographic estimates for 204 countries and territories and 811 additional subnational locations from 1950 to 2021, with a particular emphasis on changes in mortality and life expectancy that occurred during the 2020–21 COVID-19 pandemic period. Methods: 22 223 data sources from vital registration, sample registration, surveys, censuses, and other sources were used to estimate mortality, with a subset of these sources used exclusively to estimate excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2026 data sources were used for population estimation. Additional sources were used to estimate migration; the effects of the HIV epidemic; and demographic discontinuities due to conflicts, famines, natural disasters, and pandemics, which are used as inputs for estimating mortality and population. Spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression (ST-GPR) was used to generate under-5 mortality rates, which synthesised 30 763 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 1365 surveys and censuses, and 80 other sources. ST-GPR was also used to estimate adult mortality (between ages 15 and 59 years) based on information from 31 642 location-years of vital registration and sample registration data, 355 surveys and censuses, and 24 other sources. Estimates of child and adult mortality rates were then used to generate life tables with a relational model life table system. For countries with large HIV epidemics, life tables were adjusted using independent estimates of HIV-specific mortality generated via an epidemiological analysis of HIV prevalence surveys, antenatal clinic serosurveillance, and other data sources. Excess mortality due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 was determined by subtracting observed all-cause mortality (adjusted for late registration and mortality anomalies) from the mortality expected in the absence of the pandemic. Expected mortality was calculated based on historical trends using an ensemble of models. In location-years where all-cause mortality data were unavailable, we estimated excess mortality rates using a regression model with covariates pertaining to the pandemic. Population size was computed using a Bayesian hierarchical cohort component model. Life expectancy was calculated using age-specific mortality rates and standard demographic methods. Uncertainty intervals (UIs) were calculated for every metric using the 25th and 975th ordered values from a 1000-draw posterior distribution. Findings: Global all-cause mortality followed two distinct patterns over the study period: age-standardised mortality rates declined between 1950 and 2019 (a 62·8% [95% UI 60·5–65·1] decline), and increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–21; 5·1% [0·9–9·6] increase). In contrast with the overall reverse in mortality trends during the pandemic period, child mortality continued to decline, with 4·66 million (3·98–5·50) global deaths in children younger than 5 years in 2021 compared with 5·21 million (4·50–6·01) in 2019. An estimated 131 million (126–137) people died globally from all causes in 2020 and 2021 combined, of which 15·9 million (14·7–17·2) were due to the COVID-19 pandemic (measured by excess mortality, which includes deaths directly due to SARS-CoV-2 infection and those indirectly due to other social, economic, or behavioural changes associated with the pandemic). Excess mortality rates exceeded 150 deaths per 100 000 population during at least one year of the pandemic in 80 countries and territories, whereas 20 nations had a negative excess mortality rate in 2020 or 2021, indicating that all-cause mortality in these countries was lower during the pandemic than expected based on historical trends. Between 1950 and 2021, global life expectancy at birth increased by 22·7 years (20·8–24·8), from 49·0 years (46·7–51·3) to 71·7 years (70·9–72·5). Global life expectancy at birth declined by 1·6 years (1·0–2·2) between 2019 and 2021, reversing historical trends. An increase in life expectancy was only observed in 32 (15·7%) of 204 countries and territories between 2019 and 2021. The global population reached 7·89 billion (7·67–8·13) people in 2021, by which time 56 of 204 countries and territories had peaked and subsequently populations have declined. The largest proportion of population growth between 2020 and 2021 was in sub-Saharan Africa (39·5% [28·4–52·7]) and south Asia (26·3% [9·0–44·7]). From 2000 to 2021, the ratio of the population aged 65 years and older to the population aged younger than 15 years increased in 188 (92·2%) of 204 nations. Interpretation: Global adult mortality rates markedly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, reversing past decreasing trends, while child mortality rates continued to decline, albeit more slowly than in earlier years. Although COVID-19 had a substantial impact on many demographic indicators during the first 2 years of the pandemic, overall global health progress over the 72 years evaluated has been profound, with considerable improvements in mortality and life expectancy. Additionally, we observed a deceleration of global population growth since 2017, despite steady or increasing growth in lower-income countries, combined with a continued global shift of population age structures towards older ages. These demographic changes will likely present future challenges to health systems, economies, and societies. The comprehensive demographic estimates reported here will enable researchers, policy makers, health practitioners, and other key stakeholders to better understand and address the profound changes that have occurred in the global health landscape following the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and longer-term trends beyond the pandemic

In situ investigation of halides effects on SDS adsorption at air/water interfaces

Co-ions are believed to have a negligible effect on surfactant adsorption, but we show here that they can significantly affect the surfactant adsorption at the air-water interface. Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG) was employed to examine the effects of three halides (Cl-, Br- and I-) on the adsorption of an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), at the air-water interface. The SFG spectral features of both the interfacial water molecules and the C-H vibrations of the adsorbed surfactant alkyl chains were analysed to characterize the surfactant adsorption. We demonstrate and compare the effects of the three halides, as well as explain the unusual effect of Br-, on the interfacial SDS and water molecules at the air/aqueous solution interface. It was observed that each of the three co-ions has a unique effect on the adsorption and conformation of the interfacial surfactant molecules at low halide concentrations of 10-50 mM, when the effect of halides on the interfacial water structure is believed to be negligible. This discovery implies that not only do they influence surfactant adsorption indirectly via the interfacial water network but also that there is an interaction occurring between these co-ions and the negatively charged head-groups at the interface via hydration by the interfacial water molecules. Even though this interaction/competition is likely to occur only between the surfactant head-groups and the halides, the surfactant hydrophobic tail was also observed to be influenced by the co-ions. These observed behavioural differences between the co-ions cannot be explained by the variation of charge densities. Therefore, further studies are required to determine the mode of action of halides influencing the adsorption of surfactant which gives Br- such a unique effect

New evidence of head-to-tail complex formation of SDS–DOH mixtures adsorbed at the air–water interface as revealed by vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopy and isotope labelling

Details about the molecular structures of surfactant mixtures adsorbed at the air-water interface have been controversial. Using sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG) and isotope labeling, we show here for the first time that mixtures of dodecanol (DOH) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) adsorb at the air-water interface with the formation of a head-to-tail complex. We observed this complex formation to occur first in the aqueous subphase, followed by complex adsorption onto the interface. This new piece of evidence for the head-to-tail complex conformation contradicts the conjectured tail-to-tail adsorption of the surfactant mixtures. The SFG data also show the dominating adsorption of the SDS-DOH complex over the single molecules of SDS and DOH at the air-water interface. The interfacial DOH-to-SDS molecular ratio of approximately 2.2:1 at a DOH-to-SDS bulk concentration ratio of 10 μM/2 mM was determined by isotope labeling of the surfactants. In addition to a smaller number of gauche defects, the DOH-SDS complex was found to adopt a higher level of orderliness than the adsorbed single surfactants. These findings provide important insights into the descriptions and interpretation of DOH-SDS adsorption at the air-water interface and its properties

Interfacial water structure at surfactant concentrations below and above the critical micelle concentration as revealed by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy

Interfacial water in close proximity to an adsorbed surfactant layer plays an important role in many areas. Here, we systematically investigate the interfacial water structure at the adsorption layer of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) from low concentrations to its critical micelle concentration. Our sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy results show that, with increasing CTAB concentration, the water SFG signals first increase, reaching maximum intensities at 0.1 mM, and then drop, whereas the ppp SFG signals of the terminal-methyl asymmetric stretch reach maximum intensities and saturate at 1 mM, which is the critical micelle concentration of CTAB. Our analysis reveals that the interfacial water layer adopts the most orderly arrangement when the interfacial potential of the adsorption layer reaches saturation and not at the surfactant concentration of adsorption saturation. Most importantly, our SFG data provide direct evidence for the antagonistic effects of the interfacial potential and thickness compression of the electrostatic field of the surfactant adsorption layer, leading to the strongest water SFG signals at 0.1 mM. Below 0.1 mM, the increased interfacial potential can have a pronounced effect on the increase of the overall dipole moment of the interfacial water layers. Above 0.1 mM, the decreased Debye screening length significantly reduces the water dipole moment. Finally, the newly proposed adsorption model cannot explain our SFG results

Second Record of Onychophora (Peripatidae) in Vietnam

With the exception of the Malay Peninsula, onychophorans have only recently been reported from mainland Southeast Asia. Here we report the second record of an onychophoran from Vietnam.KEY WORDSOnychophora, Vietnam, Quang Ngai, Southeast Asia, Truong Son MountainsCon la excepción de la Península de Malaca, recientemente los onicóforos han sido reportados solamente de la porción continental del Sudeste de Asia. Aquí presentamos el segundo registro de un onicóforo en Vietnam.PALABRAS CLAVEOnychophora, Vietnam, Quang Ngai, Sudeste de Asia, Montañas Truong So

A sum-frequency generation spectroscopic study of the Gibbs analysis paradox: monolayer or sub-monolayer adsorption?

The Gibbs adsorption isotherm (GAI) has been considered as the foundation of surfactant adsorption studies for over a century; however, its application in determining the limiting surface excess has recently been intensively discussed, with contradictory experimental evidence either supporting or refuting the theory. The available arguments are based on monolayer adsorption models. In this paper, we experimentally and intellectually propose and validate the contribution of sub-monolayer adsorption to the GAI paradox. We utilize a powerful intrinsically surface-sensitive technique, vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), complementing with conventional tensiometric measurements to address these controversies both quantitatively and qualitatively. Our SFG results revealed that the precipitous decrease in surface tension directly corresponds to surface occupancy by adsorbates. In addition, the Gibbs analysis was successfully applied to the soluble monolayer of a surface-active alcohol to full saturation. However, the full saturation of the topmost monolayer does not necessarily mean that the surface adsorption was completed because the adsorption was observed to continuously occur in the sub-monolayer region soon after the topmost monolayer became saturated. Nonetheless, the Gibbs isotherm failed to account for the excess of alcohol adsorbed in this sub-monolayer region. This new concept of surface excess must therefore be treated thermodynamically