p-n Junction Diode Fabricated From ZnO Nanorod Grown By Aqueous Solution Method

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Evaluation of genetic diversity and DNA fingerprinting of 19 standard reference rice varieties using SSR markers

Molecular markers are advanced-tools for identifying new varieties at DNA levels. According to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties ofPlants,  new breeded varieties need to be tested for the Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS), before being recognized as the new ones. Traditional DUS criteria based on 62 - 65 morphological and biochemical characteristics, which evaluated on comparison of new varieties with 19 standard reference varieties for traits of interest.  Study on the genotypic polymorphism of 19 standard reference rice varieties provides genotypic information of these varieties for the evaluation of new rice varieties based on genotyping analysis.  The reference marker set (30 markers) was used to evaluate the genetic diversity and DNA fingerprinting of 19 standard reference rice varieties. The results showed the similarity coefficient of 19 varieties varied from 0.04 to 0.548. At the genetic similarity coefficient of 0.1, the 19 rice varieties divided into two main groups. Group one included 3 varieties: DH1, DH5, DH13. Group 2 included the remaining 16 varieties. Inside group two, phylogenetic tree divided into two main branches at the genetic similarity coefficient of 0.3. Branch 1 includes 5 varieties including DH2, DH6, DH10, DH11 and DH7. The 11 remaining varieties were in the branch 2. The most closely varieties were DH6 and DH10 with the genetic similarity coefficient of 0.548. This study shows that, the standard reference varieties have high uniformity and high genotypic polymorphism, could used for testing new varieties based on genotyping by DNA fingerprinting combining with phenotype

The impact of productivity on export transitions: revisited evidence from the Vietnamese manufacturing sectors

The effect of total factor productivity (TFP) on exports particularly interests policy-makers and economists, but empirical evidence is ambiguous. This paper uses the 6-wave panel data in 2010-2015 to investigate the impact of TFP on export transitions at the firm level. We distinguish different types of export transitions, namely start, stop, continuity, fluctuation, and striving, and different phases of export transition. The Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimation is applied to control for endogeneity and unobserved time-invariant specific components. The results reveal that (i) the effect of productivity on export (the self-selection hypothesis) is heterogeneous, depending on specific sectors and types and phases of export transitions; (ii) productivity growth does not necessarily result in positive effects on and lead to participation in types and phases of export transitions. Our results also reveal strong evidence of favourable sunk cost in long-run export striving in nearly all sectors, and unlike previous studies, empirical results show a negative effect of sunk cost in some manufacturing sectors. Policy-makers should create dynamic comparative advantages and favourable environments for new exporters, focus the relevant policies on productivity stimulus, and strengthen the likelihood of survival for the domestic firms in the competitive global markets

An Exactly Soluble Equation for the Stationary Probability Distribution in a Nonlinear System under the Influence of Two-telegraph Noise: Application to the Noise Reduction in a Raman Ring Laser

In this paper, we will consider a model of nonlinear system with random telegraph noises and a Raman ring laser by modeling the laser pump light by a pregaussian process and find an exactly soluble equations for the stationary probability distribution of fluctuations in this nonlinear system under the influence of two-telegraph noise. In consequence, we will obtain the so-called noise reduction in this system: the Stokes output of this laser tends to the stabilize under the influence of the broad-band two-telegraph pregaussian pump and compare this results with that obtained in our previous paper (Cao Long Van, Doan Quoc Khoa, Opt. Quant. Electron. 43, 137 (2012)) for the case of one telegraph noise

High Proportion of Genome-Wide Homology and Increased Pretreatment pvcrt Levels in Plasmodium vivax Late Recurrences: a Chloroquine Therapeutic Efficacy Study.

Chloroquine (CQ) is the first-line treatment for Plasmodium vivax malaria in most countries where malaria is endemic. Monitoring P. vivax CQ resistance (CQR) is critical but remains challenged by the difficulty to distinguish real treatment failure from reinfection or liver relapse. The therapeutic efficacy of CQ against uncomplicated P. vivax malaria was evaluated in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam. Sixty-seven patients were enrolled and followed for 42 days using microscopy and quantitative PCR. Adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) was 100% (66/66) on day 28 but 75.4% (49/65) on day 42. Eighteen recurrences (27.7%) were detected, with a median time to recurrence of 42 days (interquartile range [IQR], 35 to 42) and blood CQ concentration of 98% identity by descent to paired day 0 samples. This study shows that CQ remained largely efficacious to treat P. vivax in Gia Lai; i.e., recurrences occurred late (>day 28) and in the presence of low blood CQ concentrations. However, the combination of both WGS and gene expression analysis (pvcrt) data with clinical data (PCT) allowed us to identify potential emergence of low-grade CQR, which should be closely monitored. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT02610686.)

A study on vegetative propagation of Huperzia serrata by cuttings in Sa Pa, Lao Cai

Huperzia serrata is a precious medicinal plant used in medicine to support and treat Alzheimer's disease. Currently, this species is in danger of extinction due to indiscriminate exploitation for commercial purposes. Furthermore, this species reproduces slowly and is difficult to cultivate artificially. The reproduction by spores of this species is very long and takes 15−20 years from the spore germination to mature plant, whereas asexual reproduction by tissue culture is also difficult. Therefore, cutting is an effective method to propagate this species on a large scale. In this study, we surveyed the factors affecting the survival rate, the rooting and the number of new leaves of the stem cuttings, including cutting length, growing substrate, and effects of growth-regulating hormones IBA (0 ppm, 500 ppm, 1000 ppm, 2000 ppm and 3000 ppm) and α-NAA (0 ppm, 10 ppm, 20 ppm, 30 ppm and 40 ppm). The experimental results showed that using cuttings of 6 cm in length treated with IBA at a concentration of 1000 ppm for 30 mins and cultured on the substrate mixture of soil, decomposed animal manure and rice husk at a ratio of 3:1:1 was the best for cuttings of H. serrata in Sa Pa. The results of this study will contribute to the conservation and development of genetic source of H. serrata in Vietnam.

Dosimetric and radiobiological comparison between conventional and hypofractionated breast treatment plans using the Halcyon system

PurposeThe objective of this research is to compare the efficacy of conventional and hypofractionated radiotherapy treatment plans for breast cancer patients, with a specific focus on the unique features of the Halcyon system.Methods and materialsThe study collected and analyzed dose volume histogram (DVH) data for two groups of treatment plans implemented using the Halcyon system. The first group consisted of 19 patients who received conventional fractionated (CF) treatment with a total dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions, while the second group comprised 9 patients who received hypofractionated (HF) treatment with a total dose of 42.56 Gy in 16 fractions. The DVH data was used to calculate various parameters, including tumor control probability (TCP), normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), and equivalent uniform dose (EUD), using radiobiological models.ResultsThe results indicated that the CF plan resulted in higher TCP but lower NTCP for the lungs compared to the HF plan. The EUD for the HF plan was approximately 49 Gy (114% of its total dose) while that for the CF plan was around 53 Gy (107% of its total dose).ConclusionsThe analysis suggests that while the CF plan is better at controlling tumors, it is not as effective as the HF plan in minimizing side effects. Additionally, it is suggested that there may be an optimal configuration for the HF plan that can provide the same or higher EUD than the CF plan

INO80 function is required for mouse mammary gland development, but mutation alone may be insufficient for breast cancer

The aberrant function of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler INO80 has been implicated in multiple types of cancers by altering chromatin architecture and gene expression; however, the underlying mechanism of the functional involvement of INO80 mutation in cancer etiology, especially in breast cancer, remains unclear. In the present study, we have performed a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WCGNA) to investigate links between INO80 expression and breast cancer sub-classification and progression. Our analysis revealed that INO80 repression is associated with differential responsiveness of estrogen receptors (ERs) depending upon breast cancer subtype, ER networks, and increased risk of breast carcinogenesis. To determine whether INO80 loss induces breast tumors, a conditional INO80-knockout (INO80 cKO) mouse model was generated using the Cre-loxP system. Phenotypic characterization revealed that INO80 cKO led to reduced branching and length of the mammary ducts at all stages. However, the INO80 cKO mouse model had unaltered lumen morphology and failed to spontaneously induce tumorigenesis in mammary gland tissue. Therefore, our study suggests that the aberrant function of INO80 is potentially associated with breast cancer by modulating gene expression. INO80 mutation alone is insufficient for breast tumorigenesis

Quantifying primaquine effectiveness and improving adherence: a round table discussion of the APMEN Vivax Working Group.

The goal to eliminate malaria from the Asia-Pacific by 2030 will require the safe and widespread delivery of effective radical cure of malaria. In October 2017, the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network Vivax Working Group met to discuss the impediments to primaquine (PQ) radical cure, how these can be overcome and the methodological difficulties in assessing clinical effectiveness of radical cure. The salient discussions of this meeting which involved 110 representatives from 18 partner countries and 21 institutional partner organizations are reported. Context specific strategies to improve adherence are needed to increase understanding and awareness of PQ within affected communities; these must include education and health promotion programs. Lessons learned from other disease programs highlight that a package of approaches has the greatest potential to change patient and prescriber habits, however optimizing the components of this approach and quantifying their effectiveness is challenging. In a trial setting, the reactivity of participants results in patients altering their behaviour and creates inherent bias. Although bias can be reduced by integrating data collection into the routine health care and surveillance systems, this comes at a cost of decreasing the detection of clinical outcomes. Measuring adherence and the factors that relate to it, also requires an in-depth understanding of the context and the underlying sociocultural logic that supports it. Reaching the elimination goal will require innovative approaches to improve radical cure for vivax malaria, as well as the methods to evaluate its effectiveness

Reversibly controlled ternary polar states and ferroelectric bias promoted by boosting square???tensile???strain

Interaction between dipoles often emerges intriguing physical phenomena, such as exchange bias in the magnetic heterostructures and magnetoelectric effect in multiferroics, which lead to advances in multifunctional heterostructures. However, the defect-dipole tends to be considered the undesired to deteriorate the electronic functionality. Here, we report deterministic switching between the ferroelectric and the pinched states by exploiting a new substrate of cubic perovskite, BaZrO3, which boosts square-tensile-strain to BaTiO3 and promotes four-variants in-plane spontaneous polarization with oxygen vacancy creation. First-principles calculations propose a complex of an oxygen vacancy and two Ti3+ ions coins a charge-neutral defect-dipole. Cooperative control of the defect-dipole and the spontaneous polarization reveals ternary in-plane polar states characterized by biased/pinched hysteresis loops. Furthermore, we experimentally demonstrate that three electrically controlled polar-ordering states lead to switchable and non-volatile dielectric states for application of non-destructive electro-dielectric memory. This discovery opens a new route to develop functional materials via manipulating defect-dipoles and offers a novel platform to advance heteroepitaxy beyond the prevalent perovskite substrates