173 research outputs found
Improving the livelihood of small farmers in the pig value chain: Experiences in the north of Vietnam
Livestock sector in general and pig production in particular are important in Vietnam not only
for supplying food for its growing population but also for their significant contributions to the
country’s economy. Smallholder pig producers which are common, are estimated to supply at
least 80% of pork in total pork production in the country. The paper airms to draw a picture of
pig production performance of small farmers based on the survey data of ILRI-VNUA and value
chain approach. It is believed that pig smallholders in Vietnam perform a weak market
orientation, and they do not have full information about market. Therefore, some implications
should be as small pig farmers need facilitation from the government and training & improving
veterinary network are needed; Government management on input and output markets should be
strengthened effectively; The private sector should participate actively in the chains; and
Awareness of food safety of people should be improved
Evaluating the Ability to Achieve Efficiency in Providing Services of the Freight Forwarding Firms in Viet Nam
In recent years, Vietnam freight forwarding industry is growing and contributing significantly to the national GDP. However, the efficiency in providing service delivery at the domestic firms is not high to compete with multinational companies that are strong potential and finance. There have been many studies on freight forwarding, but mainly qualitative research and other studies are in-depth analysis logistics. This research presents the factors that affect efficiency in providing services. This research has been used factor analysis method and binary regression model (Binary Logistics) and identified 4 factors that affect the efficiency in providing service of freight forwarding firms: (1) Resources of business (2) Outcomes (3) The quality of staffs (4) The relationship between enterprises and their customers, and outcomes is the factor provided the highest positive correlation to the ability to achieve efficiency in providing services of freight forwarding firms.Binary Logistic model showed the probability of business efficiency is 72.5%. Thus, at the level of resources to provide services is 3.35, the outcome is 3.66, quality of the staffs is 3.59 and the relationship with customers is 3.40, shows that enterprises operate efficiently. Value prediction accuracy of the model is 93.3%
Adoption and impact of gaps in pig value chains: Implications for institutional policy and practice change
This paper investigates the adoption of VietGAHP, a set of guidelines for best practices
in pig production, and evaluates impacts using quantitative and qualitative indicators. It tackles
the following specific research questions: 1) What is the extent of adoption of VietGAHP
among smallholder pig producers? 2) Is there a difference in performance between VietGAHP
adopters and non-adopters? Outcomes from adoption and compliance with VietGAHP are
assessed using reduction in mortality as a metric for efficacy. Cost-benefit comparisons are
also made to illustrate economic outcomes as a measure of effectiveness. We employ statistical
t-tests for mean comparison of outcomes between VietGAHP adopters and non-adopters and
across exposed and control sites. Our study shows productivity gains from practice and
behavioral changes elicited from adoption and compliance with VietGAHP outweigh the costs
of doing so, at least at the household level. The observed economic and market incentives could
boost the adoption of VietGAHP if these incentives are sustained with appropriate institutions
in place. Scalability could be facilitated by exposure via demonstration effects. Peer-to-peer
learning is an effective strategy in enhancing capacity for uptake. With exposure being strongly
linked to uptake, regardless of gender of respondents, training opportunities for non-exposed
groups are worthwhile to pursue
Market-based approaches to food safety and animal health interventions: Lessons from smallholder pig value chains in Vietnam
Food safety and animal health issues are increasingly important constraints to smallholder pig
production in Viet Nam. Recent studies have highlighted the significant prevalence of animal
disease and food‐borne pathogens inherent within the Vietnamese pig sector. These in turn have
important negative livelihoods effects on smallholder pig producers and other value chain actors,
as well as important public health impacts. An important research gap is in identifying ex‐ante
appropriate market‐based policy responses that take into account the tradeoffs between
improved animal health and food safety outcomes and their associated costs for different value
chain actors as a means of developing chain‐level solutions for their control. In this paper, we
constructed a system dynamics model of the pig value chain that combines a detailed model of
herd production and marketing with modules on short‐ and long‐term investment in pig capacity,
and decisions by value chain actors to adopt different innovations. The model further highlights
the feedbacks between different actors in the chain to identify both the potential entry points for
upgrading food safety and animal health as well as potential areas of tension within the chain that
may undermine uptake. Model results demonstrate that interventions at nodal levels (e.g. only at
farm or slaughterhouse level) are less cost‐effective and sustainable than those that jointly
enhance incentives for control across the value chain, as weak links downstream undermine the
ability of producers to sustain good health practices
Using a system dynamics framework to assess disease risks of pig value chains in Vietnam
In Vietnam, there are more than 4 million households producing pigs and pork. This
accounts for 57% of quantity of meat consumed. One of the most critical constraints
to pig production is the presence of animal disease. Pig disease outbreaks are a regular
occurrence in various parts of the country, with the industry affected by diseases
such as foot and mouth disease, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, classical
swine fever, porcine high fever disease, and swine influenza. In addition, food
safety issues related to pig diseases and pork-borne diseases have also increasingly become
more important concerns for consumers. Recent studies have shown significant
changes in consumption behaviour in response to disease outbreaks. For instance, at
least half of urban consumers stop consuming pork in times of pig disease epidemics
and/or shift consumption to other meat substitutes such as poultry or fish. Disease
risks thus have both public health and livelihoods impacts that are important to understand
for appropriate policy and practice response.
A proposed methodology for investigating disease risks uses a system dynamics analysis
framework. System dynamics models are particularly relevant in the study of livestock
systems, as they capture the diverse actors and feedbacks present in value chains
and their interface with disease risk and behaviour. A system dynamics model is developed
that will describe different scenarios of disease risks and the consequences of
different interventions to mitigate these risks.
Data from a sample of 1000 farmers and value chain actors including all actors in the
pig value chain in Vietnam was collected with support from an ACIAR-funded project
on Reducing Disease Risks and Improving Food Safety in Smallholder Pig Value
Chains in Vietnam. We propose to test the hypotheses that disease risk is affected by
type of production system, feeding system and types of feed uses, access to inputs
and services, and selected socio-demographic variables associated with farmers and
location
Penetrating Keratoplasty for Keratoconus in Vietnamese Patients
BACKGROUND: Keratoconus is an ectatic corneal disorder that can impair the visual acuity. Up to now, penetrating keratoplasty (PK) remains the most common surgical procedure to treat severe keratoconus. In Vietnam, most keratoconus patients come to visit doctor at severe stage and were treated by PK, so we conduct this study.
AIM: To evaluate the results of PK for keratoconus in Vietnamese patients.
METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 31 eyes with keratoconus who underwent PK in VNIO from January 2005 to December 2014.
RESULTS: The average visual acuity was 0.86 ± 0.37 logMAR (20/145). In the group of patients without amblyopia, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 20/60 or better was recorded in 75.9% of eyes and 93.1% of eyes achieved a best corrected visual acuity with hard contact lenses of 20/40 or better. Mean postoperative corneal power was 43.8 ± 4.5D. Mean corneal astigmatism was 5.9 ± 2.7D. 94.6% of grafts remained clear. Posterior subcapsular cataract developed in 22.6% of eyes. Graft rejection was recognized in 12.9% of eyes.
CONCLUSION: PK is an effective procedure with high rate of graft survival for keratoconus patients. However, patients should be aware of the necessary of optical correction to gain the best VA after surgery
Robust Adaptive Control of 3D Overhead Crane System
In this chapter an adaptive anti-sway controller for uncertain overhead cranes is proposed. The system model including the system uncertainties and disturbances is introduced firstly. Next, the adaptive controller which can guarantee tracking the desired position of the trolley as well as the anti-sway of the load cable is established. In this chapter, the system is proven to be input-to-state stable (ISS) which is supported by Lyapunov technique. The proposed algorithm is verified by using Matlab/Simulink simulation tool. The simulation results shown that the presented controller gives the good performances (i.e., fast transient response, position tracking, and low swing angle) when there exist system parameters variation as well as input disturbances
Enhancement of Magnetic Properties of La-substituted Strontium Hexaferrite Particles Prepared by Sol-gel Route
La-substituted strontium hexaferrite particles SrLaFe were prepared by using sol-gel method and subsequent calcination at temperatures ranging from 750\rc{}C to 1050\rc{}C for 2h in air. The effects of the initial La concentration and the calcination temperature on the structure, particle morphology and magnetic properties of the hexaferrite samples were investigated by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The high magnetic coercivity ) of 6.6 - 6.7 kOe and magnetization in maximum applied magnetic field (13.5 kOe) of 68 - 72 emu/g were achieved with the particles of compositions x = 0.1 0.2 and calcination temperatures between 850\rc{}C and 1000\rc{}C. The experimental data indicate that La replacement for Sr improves the crystallinity and inhibits the grain growth of the samples in a wide range of calcination temperature. These factors are important for production of high-coercivity hexaferrites by sol-gel technology
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