The use of reproductive healthcare at commune health stations in a changing health system in Vietnam

Background: With health sector reform in Vietnam moving towards greater pluralism, commune health stations (CHSs) have been subject to growing competition from private health services and increasing numbers of patients bypassing CHSs for higher-level health facilities. This study describes the pattern of reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) service utilization among women at CHSs and other health facilities, and explores socio demographic determinants of RH service utilization at the CHS level

Australia: A Continent Without Native Powdery Mildews? The First Comprehensive Catalog Indicates Recent Introductions and Multiple Host Range Expansion Events, and Leads to the Re-discovery of Salmonomyces as a New Lineage of the Erysiphales

In contrast to Eurasia and North America, powdery mildews (Ascomycota, Erysiphales) are understudied in Australia. There are over 900 species known globally, with fewer than currently 60 recorded from Australia. Some of the Australian records are doubtful as the identifications were presumptive, being based on host plant-pathogen lists from overseas. The goal of this study was to provide the first comprehensive catalog of all powdery mildew species present in Australia. The project resulted in (i) an up-to-date list of all the taxa that have been identified in Australia based on published DNA barcode sequences prior to this study; (ii) the precise identification of 117 specimens freshly collected from across the country; and (iii) the precise identification of 30 herbarium specimens collected between 1975 and 2013. This study confirmed 42 species representing 10 genera, including two genera and 13 species recorded for the first time in Australia. In Eurasia and North America, the number of powdery mildew species is much higher. Phylogenetic analyses of powdery mildews collected from Acalypha spp. resulted in the transfer of Erysiphe acalyphae to Salmonomyces, a resurrected genus. Salmonomyces acalyphae comb. nov. represents a newly discovered lineage of the Erysiphales. Another taxonomic change is the transfer of Oidium ixodiae to Golovinomyces. Powdery mildew infections have been confirmed on 13 native Australian plant species in the genera Acacia, Acalypha, Cephalotus, Convolvulus, Eucalyptus, Hardenbergia, Ixodia, Jagera, Senecio, and Trema. Most of the causal agents were polyphagous species that infect many other host plants both overseas and in Australia. All powdery mildews infecting native plants in Australia were phylogenetically closely related to species known overseas. The data indicate that Australia is a continent without native powdery mildews, and most, if not all, species have been introduced since the European colonization of the continent

Expression and inheritance of traits in wild mungbean (Vigna radiata ssp. sublobata) x cultivated mungbean (v. Radiata ssp. radiata) hybrids

Mungbean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek ssp. radiata) is an economically important crop in Asian countries where breeding research is being undertaken to improve varietal adaptation, yield and seed quality. The wild mungbean (ssp. sublobata) is a potentially useful adjunct to breeding, as the wild accessions possess traits that confer adaptation in their natural environments. The wild accession ACC 87 collected near Townsville has been identified as being perennial, a potentially useful trait for forage crop improvement. Accession ACC 1, from Mackay is very late flowering and was reported to possibly have a long juvenile (LJ) trait similar to that found in soybean. Before these and other potentially useful wild traits can be exploited, information is needed on their inheritance. Therefore, a study was conducted to examine the inheritance of traits in four hybrid cultivated X wild mungbean populations. The study examined the expression of traits in the parental plants, and the F1, F2, BCP1 and BCP2 progeny generations, when grown under controlled conditions in pots. The four genetic populations had been created by hybridizing using two cultivated mungbean varieties, Berken and Kiloga, with each of two wild parents, ACC 1 and ACC 87.\ud \ud Several morphological traits, including lobed leaflet shape, seed testa and hilum color, and plant habit were found to be under simple (qualitative) genetic control, with the wild type generally dominant. An exception was putative resistance to powdery mildew infection in the wild accessions, which appeared to be recessive. Many other traits like phenology, nodes per plant, seed yield and biomass were under quantitative genetic control. The perenniality trait in ACC 87 appeared to be under simple genetic control, with expression of perenniality due to two dominant complementary genes. In contrast, flowering in the two ACC 1 populations appeared to be quantitatively inherited, with no evidence of a LJ trait. There were many similarities in the genetic control of both qualitative and quantitative traits among the four hybrid populations, with only small differences due to the different cultivated parents. However, larger differences were apparent between the populations involving ACC 1 and ACC 87.\ud \ud Estimates of narrow sense heritability were high for many of the qualitatively inherited traits, indicating high additive genetic variance for those traits, and thus the capacity for genetic gain through selection. Transgressive segregation occurred for most of the quantitative traits in one or more of the four crosses, indicating the potential value of the wild germplasm in broadening the phenotypic range available to plant breeders. Several phenotypic and genotypic interrelations found between many of the wild traits among the four crosses. In particular, there were several significant genetic correlations among quantitative traits, indicating that selection for one of the traits should result in genetic advance in the other.\ud \ud The study confirmed earlier research that Australian accessions of the wild mungbean can be considered part of the primary gene pool of the cultivated mungbean. Consequently, the wild accessions provide an additional source of triats potentially useful for mungbean improvement. The study also established that traits of possible commercial interest, perenniality and powdery mildew resistance, were qualitatively inherited and thus should be readily transferrable into cultivated varieties. While the study failied to identify the presence of a LJ trait, it suggested that the wild germplasm could be a useful source of lateness genes for breeding vegetatively vigorous forage or cover crop varieties of mungbean

Nanosized Zincated Hydroxyapatite as a Promising Heterogeneous Photo-Fenton-Like Catalyst for Methylene Blue Degradation

This study is devoted to synthesis of nanosized zincated hydroxyapatite (Zn-HA) and its utilization as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like catalyst for degradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The prepared catalyst was characterized by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The catalytic activity of Zn-HA towards MB and the effects of various experimental factors such as pH, zinc substitution degrees, initial MB concentration, and H2O2 dosage were studied in detail. The results showed that the zinc substitution degree of 0.4 is optimal to get the highest degradation efficiency under conditions of pH = 10, H2O2 dosage of 0.05 M, and MB concentration of 30 mg/L for a contact time of 120 min. The degradation mechanism was proposed and discussed thoroughly. Besides, the ability of long-term use for the synthesized catalyst was also evaluated

Utilization of Mn-Doped ZnSe/ZnS Core/Shell Quantum Dots for Rapid Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

In this study, Mn-doped ZnSe/ZnS core/shell quantum dots (CSQDs) were synthesized in aqueous solution using polyethylene glycol as a surface stabilizer and successfully applied in the detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) for the first time. The CSQDs were conjugated with anti-E. coli antibody and anti-MRSA antibody via protein A supported by 1-ethyl-3-(-3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride for fluorescent labeling of the intact bacterial cells. The detection was performed for the bacterial strains cultivated in Luria-Bertani liquid medium. The obtained results indicate that E. coli O157:H7 and MRSA can be detected within 30 min at a high sensitivity of 101 CFU/mL. This labeling method based on the highly fluorescent CSQDs may have great potential for use in the food industry to check and prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness

Highly Effective Degradation of Nitrophenols by Biometal Nanoparticles Synthesized using Caulis Spatholobi Extract

The green biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles (MNPs) has been proved to have many advantages over other methods due to its simplicity, large-scale production, ecofriendly approach, and high catalytic efficiency. This work describes a single-step technique for green synthesis of colloidal silver (AgNPs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the extract from Caulis Spatholobi stems. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy measurements were used to optimize the main synthesis factors, including metal ion concentration, reaction time, and reaction temperature via surface plasmon resonance phenomenon. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy showed the possible functional groups responsible for reducing and stabilizing the synthesized MNPs. The powder X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction analysis confirmed the crystalline nature of the biosynthesized MNPs. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed the spherical shape of MNPs with an average size of 10-20 nm. The obtained MNPs also exhibited the enhanced catalytic activity in the reduction of 2-nitrophenol and 3-nitrophenol

Biosynthesis of Gold Nanoparticles Using Litsea cubeba Fruit Extract for Catalytic Reduction of 4-Nitrophenol

This work describes a simple single-step method for green synthesis of colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using Litsea cubeba (LC) fruit extract as a reducing as well as stabilizing agent simultaneously. Major parameters affecting the formation of LC-AuNPs, including gold ion concentration, reaction time, and reaction temperature were optimized using ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) measurements at a characteristic maximum absorbance of 535 nm. The functional groups responsible for reducing gold ions and capping AuNPs were examined by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the crystalline nature of AuNPs. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements showed that the biosynthesized LC-AuNPs were mostly spherical with an average size of 8-18 nm. The nanoparticles also demonstrated excellent ultrarapid catalytic activity for the complete reduction of 4-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol in the presence of NaBH4 within 10 min with a reaction rate constant of 0.348 min-1