EFFECT OF TEMPERATURE, WATER ACTIVITY AND CINNAMON ESSENTIAL OIL ON THE GROWTH OF ASPERGILLUS FLAVUS LA01 AND ASPERGILLUS NIGER LA04

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of temperature, water activity and cinnamon essential oil on the growth of Aspergillus flavus LA01 and Aspergillus niger LA04 and these factors were further optimized to inhibit their growth. Both strains were isolated by Potato Dextrose Agar medium (PDA) and identified by sequencing method from rice collected in Long An province. Evaluating these factors’ inhibition on the fungi growth was based on growth rate at the various points of water activity (aw) (v/v) such as 0.85, 0.90, 0.95, 0.99 and at 25 oC, 30 oC, 37 oC, 42 oC; at various concentrations of the oils 0 %, 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, 7.5 %, 10 % and 15 % at  30 oC incubated for 5 days - the disc diffusion method. The results showed that             30 oC and aw = 0.95 - 0.99 were optimum conditions for Aspergillus flavus LA01 and Aspergillus niger LA04 growth. However, at 42 oC, 37 oC and aw = 0.85 - 0.9 could control Aspergillus flavus LA01 and Aspergillus niger LA04 growth. At concentration of 10 - 15% cinnamon essential oils (EOs), 30 oC and aw = 0.9 - 0.95 could also inhibit them

Enhancing the organizational citizenship behavior for the environment: the roles of green training and organizational culture

The environmental concern has become an emerging topic in organization's human resource management strategy, especially in improving employee's environmental behavior at work Thus, the organizational citizenship behavior toward the environment (OCBE) has been currently attracting scholars in management. However, published studies contain research gaps in investigation of the relationships between both green training and organizational culture and OCBE, especially in the hotel industry. Following the social exchange and Ability-Motivation Opportunity theories, this study aims to examine the effects of two green practices on OCBE and the moderating role of green organizational culture to the effect of green training on OCBE. A quantitative approach with survey strategy is employed and conducted in 4-5 star hotels to test these relationships. The PLS-SEM and K-means Cluster Analysis techniques are applied to analyze data. The findings reveal that green training and organizational culture positively influence OCBE. Also, the effect of green training on OCBE is moderated by green organizational culture. Finally, our study provides limitations of research and further studies, and the implications for management practices concerned with improving employee's voluntary eco-behavior in the hotel industry.Internal Grant Agency of FaME TBU [IGA/FaME/2018/009

STUDY ON LEARNING AUTONOMY STRATEGIES FOR ENGLISH SPEAKING SKILLS OF HIGH-QUALITY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS, SCHOOL OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES, CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

This study examined the challenges of self-studying English-speaking skills for first-year English studies majors at Can Tho University. The study aimed to answer questions such as: What self-study strategies can first-year students majoring in high-quality English at School of Foreign Languages at Can Tho University apply to develop speaking skills? The target audience was 96 English studies majors who have studied speaking and listening at Can Tho University. A questionnaire and an interview with 13 students were used to collect data for this study. In order to support the quantitative data, a questionnaire was used, while an interview was used for the qualitative data. This study aimed to find out the difficulties encountered by students, thereby proposing solutions to overcome them and improve the quality of their learning autonomy or self-studying English-speaking skills.  Article visualizations

Calculation of the turbidity transport in Dinh An coastal zone

In the paper, the results of the calculation of turbidity transport in Dinh An coastal area by using the software named RDPOL based on random walk techniques developed by CMERCS are presented. In previous study, the carried out numerical model has been verified well by remote sensing images for classification of the turbidity distribution of Red, Thai Binh, Han, Thu Bon, Sai Gon - Dong Nai and Mekong estuaries. In this study, computed results, that the complexity of the bathymetry, the river flow of the Mekong River system and seasonal monsoon winds are taken into account, are compared with the observed data at 19 stations including 10 stations in March and 9 stations in October, 1997 in Dinh An coastal zone and show its reasonable agreement. Some maps of turbidity distribution in the area have been carried out and several remarks have been made

Phytoplankton composition in intensive shrimp ponds in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam

Algal overgrowth in shrimp culture ponds can affect the quality of the aquatic environment, thereby adversely affecting the shrimp and causing economic losses. The objective of this study was to evaluate the variation in phytoplankton composition in intensive shrimp ponds in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam. Phytoplankton samples were collected in three black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) ponds and three whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) ponds. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and canonical correlation analysis softwares. In total, 75 species of phytoplankton were recorded in black tiger shrimp ponds and 64 species in whiteleg shrimp ponds. Diatoms had the highest species diversity with 29–30 species (39%–47%), followed by green algae with 9–19 species (14%–25%); species numbers of other phyla varied from 5–12 (8%–16%). The total number of phytoplankton species throughout the study varied from 34–50 species. Algal density was relatively high and ranged from 497,091–2,229,500 ind./L and 1,301,134–2,237,758 ind./L in black tiger shrimp and whiteleg shrimp ponds, respectively. The diatom density tended to increase during the final stage of the production cycle in black tiger shrimp ponds. Blue-green algae and dinoflagellates also increased in abundance at the end of the cycle, which can affect shrimp growth. Diatoms were significantly positively correlated with pH, salinity, total ammonia nitrogen, and nitrate (NO3–) concentrations (p < 0.05). Blue-green algae and dinoflagellates were positively correlated with salinity, phosphate (PO43–), and NO3–. Algal species diversity was lower in the whiteleg shrimp ponds than in the black tiger shrimp ponds. Several dominant algal genera were recorded in the shrimp ponds, including Nannochloropsis, Gyrosigma, Chaetoceros, Alexandrium, and Microcystis. The results of this study provide basic data for further investigations, and they contribute to the management of algae in brackish-water shrimp ponds

Identification of white rot fungus CP9 and its potential application in biopulping

Wood-rotting fungi represent an important component of forest ecosystems. Among them, white-rot fungi are the most efficient lignin degraders. Biopulping using white-rot fungi in pretreatment of the materials, is one of the solutions to overcome disadvantages of traditional production methods. Today, the isolation and screening of lignin degrading fungi capable for application in biopulping are of keen interest in Vietnam. The use of non–wood, plant fibres in pulp and paper industry, special, agricultural residuces such as rice and wheat straw, sugarcane baggase, cornstalks etc is the new production toward, potential, serving sustainable development. The fungus CP9, which possessed high ligninolytic activity, was identified and studied in pretreatment of rice straw for biopulping. The fruiting bodies of strain CP9 were effuse on trunk. The hymenium was porous and brown white with short tubes, the white mycelia penetrated wood block. The colony was off-white, blossom, irregularly circular. The mycelia were thick and closely bound together. Beside lignin, this fungus could degrade other substrates such as casein, carboxymethyl cellulose and starch. Biological and morphological characteristics of the fungus CP9 suggested its placement in subdivision Basidiomycota. Combined with the results of phylogenetic analysis, which showed 99% similarity of the fungus with species Leiotrametes lactinea, our strain was named as Leiotrametes lactinea CP9. This fungus could grow well on rice straw under solid state fermentation. Pretreatment of rice straw using L. lactinea CP9 was based on the activity of fungal lignin peroxidase and laccase. After 20 days, the residual enzyme activity was of 21.6 and 18.4 nkat/g material for lignin peroxidase and laccase, respectively. Pretreatment significantly improved the quality of straw, as lignin loss of 38% while cellulosic fibers were comparatively well preserved

Biological Characteristics and Antimicrobial Activity of Endophytic Streptomyces

Ham Yen orange (Citrus nobilis Lour) is the highly valuable commercial fruit of Vietnam. With the blooming of fruit production and farming area, this specialty crop is facing threats from several serious diseases; therefore the search for new effective biocontrollers is required to prevent the existing excessive use of fertilizers and plant protection chemicals. Endophytic actinomycetes are of great scientific interest due to their high potential of application in agriculture and pharmaceutical research. In this work, endophytic actinomycetes were isolated from a native orange species of Northeast mountainous province Tuyen Quang. Among 49 isolates obtained, the isolate TQR12-4 strongly inhibited test pathogens Colletotrichum truncatum, Geotrichum candidum, Fusarium oxysporum, and F. udum. This isolate gave comparatively high biomass yields on different substrates, for example, carboxy methyl cellulose, starch, protein, and chitin, within a wide range of temperature from 15 to 45°C and pH from 4 to 10. Sequence analysis of 16S rDNA gene showed that TQR12-4 shared 99% similarity to Streptomyces prasinopilosus; however, it slightly differed from the latter in spore morphology and hence was named as Streptomyces sp. TQR12-4. A thermostable antifungal substance of nonpeptide nature produced by Streptomyces sp. TQR12-4 had MIC against Fusarium udum of 100 μg/mL and 400 μg/mL respective to extract fractions X4 and X5

Incidence of dengue and chikungunya viruses in mosquitoes and human patients in border provinces of Vietnam

Background: Dengue virus remains a major threat in Vietnam, while chikungunya virus is expected to become one. Surveillance was conducted from 2012 to 2014 in Vietnam to assess the presence of dengue and chikungunya viruses in patients hospitalized with acute fever in five Vietnam provinces neighboring Lao PDR and Cambodia. Surveillance was extended to mosquitoes present in the vicinity of the patients' households. Results: A total 558 human serum samples were collected along with 1104 adult mosquitoes and 12,041 larvae from 2250 households. Dengue virus was found in 17 (3%) human serum samples and in 9 (0.8%) adult mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus was detected in 2 adult mosquitoes (0.18%) while no chikungunya virus was detected in humans. Differing densities of mosquito populations were found, with the highest in the Long An Province border with Cambodia. Long An Province also displayed the lowest rate of infection, despite a very high Breteau Index, high human population density and presence of the main cross border road system. The highest incidence was found in Dac Nong Province, where the Breteau and Container indices were the second lowest. Dengue virus was detected in five Aedes albopictus, three Aedes aegypti and one Culex vishnui. Chikungunya virus was detected in two Ae. aegypti. All infected mosquitoes belonged to haplotypes described in other parts of the world and a number of novel haplotypes were found among uninfected mosquitoes. Conclusions: Dengue is considered to be regularly introduced to Vietnam from Cambodia, mostly through human movement. The data reported here provides a complementary picture. Due to intensive international trade, long-distance transportation of mosquito populations may play a role in the regular importation of dengue in Vietnam through Ho Chi Minh City. It is important to decipher the movement of mosquitoes in Vietnam, not only at the Lao PDR and Cambodia borders but also through international trade routes. Mosquito surveillance programs should address and follow mosquito populations instead of mosquito species