A SURVEY OF VASCULAR PLANT SPECIES IN THE DRY SEASON, CAM MOUNTAIN, AN GIANG PROVINCE

The survey which was conducted in the dry season (from February to April) in Cam Mountain, reported 49 plant species belonged to 45 genera and 29 families. These species include 10 big wood species (G) (20.4 %), 14 small wood species (g) (28.6 %), 7 bush species (17.2 %), 9 creeper species (18.4 %) and 9 herbaceous species (18.4 %). There are 33 species used for herbal medicines, 12 species for wood fire, 11 species for fruit, 10 species for household tools and 9 species for food. Pterocarpus macrocapus Kurz is the species that listed in Viet Nam Red Data Book (2007). The average value of Margalef (d) and Pielou (J’) indexes are 2.45 ± 0.37 and 0.94 ± 0.02, respectively. There are 54.5 % quadrates which (d) and (J’) indexes are higher than Margalef (d) and Pielou (J’) indexes. The Shannon – Weiner (H’) index of 63.6 % quadrats is higher than the average value of Shannon - Weiner index (1.94 ± 0.19). The number of species at quadrats O1T1, O3T1 and O1T2 are more diverse than other quadrats. The transect 1 (T1) to the east is more diverse than the transect 2 to the west of Cam forest

Chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the essential oils of Cymbopogon citratus L. Grown in phu tho province

Culms and leaves of Cymbopogon citratus L. were collected from two regions of Phu Tho province (Thanh Son and Phu Ninh) and used as materials for essential oil extraction. Oils obtained were steam-distilled, analyzed for chemical composition and evaluated for cytotoxic activity against three different cancer cell lines. The GC/MS analysis showed that citral is the major content of the steam-distilled essential oils which was found in the range of 64.15-76.22%. Camphene was found only in culm oils of both regions but it was not detected in the leaf oils. Interestingly, the isomer forms of ocimene present at higher content in the culm oils than in the leaf oils whereas myrcene content in the leaf oils is higher than that in the culm oils. In a cytotoxicity test, four essential oils of culms and leaves of C. citratus from Thanh Son and Phu Ninh showed potent activity against A549 (human lung carcinoma) cell line with the IC50 values ranging from 4.01±0.39 to 6.3±0.54 µg/ml. The essential oils (culms and leaves) from Phu Ninh exhibited moderate effects on the Hela (human cervical adenocarcinoma) cells with the IC50 values of 19.43±1.16 and 42±2.41 µg/ml, respectively. However, they were inactive against the human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B cell line. The essential oils from Thanh Son exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against Hela and Hep3B cell lines with the IC50 values ranging from 1.18±0.26 to 8.91±0.32 µg/ml. The results indicated that the essential oils of C. citratus from Thanh Son, Phu Tho could be considered as a promising candidate for the natural sources of anticancer agents

Determinants of Green Banking Implementation in Emerging Country: Evidence from Vietnam Banks

With the purpose of examining which factors affecting on the implementation of ‘Green Banking’ in transitional countries, the research used in-depth interview and survey questionnaire with statistics analysis with the case of Vietnam banks. The results showed that in emerging country such as Vietnam, the level of ‘Green Banking’ implementation is most affected by Human determinant, followed by Strategy, Product & Services, Culture and Technology determinant respectively. Based on findings, several implications were proposed to enhance the performance of these kind of environment friendly financial products in transitional country. By determining these factors, the banking sector in transitional countries will enhance the implementation of ‘Green Banking’ and achieve sustainable development in the context of escalating environmental contamination. Keywords: Green Banking, Implementation, Emerging Country, Human DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/11-15-04 Publication date:May 31st 201

DETERMINATION THE PRIORITY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING OVERSEAS INVESTMENT DESTINATIONS OF BUSINESSES USING AN ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS METHOD

Because of the great benefits overseas investment brings, countries and businesses are increasingly concerned with the question of an ideal investment destination. Many studies have shown that, factors of the consumption market, the infrastructure and resources, economic and political environment have a significant impact on the decision to choose an investment location, however the priority order of these factors are different for various research spaces. By studying the specific case of Viettel Group - one of the largest telecommunications groups in Vietnam that is having many international investment activities in recent years, the study has been verified the priority order of factors influencing the decision to choose an overseas investment location of this corporation. The research outcomes show that the group of factors that have the most influence on investment decisions is the group "Consumption market", more specifically, the sub-factor "Market Size" is considered more than the others.    Keywords: Investment Destinations, Foreign Investment Decision, Analytic Hierarchy Process

Antibacterial activity of crude methanolic and fractionated extracts of Aaptos suberitoides

In this research, we at the first time assessed antibacterial effects of methanolic crude and fractionated extracts from the marine sponge, Aaptos suberitoides against three bacterial strains including E. coli., S. aureus, B. cereus. The anti-bacterial assays were carried out by the disc diffusion method to test the anti-bacterial activity of different concentrations of methanolic crude of A. suberitoides against the indicator bacterial pathogens. The results indicated that extracts of A. suberitoides exhibited anti-microbial activity against all tested bacterial strains in concentrationdependent manner. Moreover, we showed that the majority of the active compound was in the polar fractions

Design and simulation of automotive radar for autonomous vehicles

Modern automobile technology is pushing towards maximizing road safety, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, etc. Automotive RADAR is core sensor technology used for ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Technology), ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), AEB (Automatic Emergency Braking System), traffic assistance, parking aid, and obstacle/pedestrian detection. Despite being inexpensive, RADAR technology provides robust results in harsh conditions such as harsh weather, extreme temperature, darkness, etc. However, the performance of these systems depends on the position of the RADAR and its characteristics like frequency, beamwidth, and bandwidths. Moreover, the characterization of varied materials like layers of paint, polish, primer, or layer of rainwater needs to be analyzed. This performance can be predicted through real-time simulation using advanced FEM software like Altair FEKO&WinProp. These simulations can provide valuable insight into the performance of the system, allowing engineers to optimize the system for specific use cases. For example, simulation can be used to determine the optimal parameters of the RADAR system for a given application. This information can then be used to design and build a physical model or prototype that is optimized for the desired performance. These simulations play a prominent role in determining appropriate data collection and sensor fusion, which reduces the cost and time required for the development of a physical model or prototype. The continued growth and demand for advanced safety features in vehicles further highlight the importance of RADAR technology in modern automobile technology. By accurately characterizing the environment and simulating the system's behavior in real time, engineers can optimize RADAR systems for specific use cases, contributing to safer and more efficient driving experience

NGHIÊN CỨU THÀNH PHẦN VÀ HÀM LƯỢNG CÁC LỚP CHẤT LIPID, PHOSPHOLIPID, AXIT BÉO, VÀ PHOSPHATIDYLCHOLINE LOÀI SAN HÔ MỀM CAPNELLA SP.

The total lipid content of the soft coral Capnella sp. contained 1.44 ± 0.10% of the fresh weight. In the fatty acid content, the tetracosapolyenoic fatty acids 24:5n-6 and 24:6n-3, which were the typical markers for the soft corals (the eight compartment coral), and the fatty acids that marked for symbiotic microorganism including 18:5n-3, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-6, 18:4n-3, 20:4n-3 were presented. The result of the lipid composition analysis showed that the total lipid contained polar lipid, sterol, free fatty acid, triacylglycerol, monoalkyldiacylglycerol, hydrocarbon and wax. Of these, the polar lipid displayed the highest content with 21.14 ± 1.17% of the total lipid. The phospholipid composition of the soft coral Capnella sp. contained the characteristic phospholipid subclasses of the animals of the phylum Cnidaria, including phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, and ceramide aminoethylphosphonate (phosphonolipid, CAEP). Of these, phosphatidylcholine exhibited the highest content with 35.53 ± 1.46% of the total phospholipid. This is the first time that the content and composition of the molecular types of the phosphatidylcholine from a Vietnamese soft coral species have been investigated and reported. By using modern mass spectrometry IT TOF LC-MS, the presence of 13 molecular types have been precisely identified, which PC 18:0e/20:4 and PC 16:0e/20:4 were the two ingredients displaying the highest content.Hàm lượng lipid tổng của mẫu san hô mềm Capnella sp. chiếm 1,44 ± 0,10% so với trọng lượng mẫu tươi. Trong thành phần axit béo có mặt các axit béo tetracosapolyenoic 24:5n-6 và 24:6n-3 là axit béo đánh dấu điển hình cho san hô mềm (san hô tám ngăn) và các axit béo đánh dấu cho vi sinh vật cộng sinh như 18:5n-3, 18:2n-6, 18:3n-6, 18:4n-3, 20:4n-3. Kết quả phân tích lớp chất lipid cho thấy trong lipid tổng có mặt các lớp chất lipid chính là lipid phân cực, sterol, axit béo tự do, triacylglycerol, monoalkyldiacylglycerol, hydrocacbon và sáp, trong đó lipid phân cực chiếm hàm lượng cao nhất (21,14 ± 1,17% hàm lượng lipid tổng). Thành phần phospholipid của san hô mềm Capnella sp. có mặt các phân lớp phospholipid đặc trưng của động vật ngành Cnidarian là phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphonolipid là ceramide aminoethylphosphonate, trong đó phosphatidylcholine chiếm hàm lượng cao nhất (35,53 ± 1,46% tổng phospholipid). Đây là lần đầu tiên ở Việt Nam, thành phần và hàm lượng các dạng phân tử trong lớp chất phosphatidylcholine từ loài san hô mềm của Việt Nam được nghiên cứu và công bố, kết quả đã xác định được sự có mặt của 13 dạng phân tử bằng phương pháp phổ khối hiện đại LC-MS IT TOF với độ chính xác cao. Hai dạng phân tử chiếm hàm lượng cao nhất là PC 18:0e/20:4 và PC 16:0e/20:4

Prospects for Food Fermentation in South-East Asia, Topics From the Tropical Fermentation and Biotechnology Network at the End of the AsiFood Erasmus+Project

Fermentation has been used for centuries to produce food in South-East Asia and some foods of this region are famous in the whole world. However, in the twenty first century, issues like food safety and quality must be addressed in a world changing from local business to globalization. In Western countries, the answer to these questions has been made through hygienisation, generalization of the use of starters, specialization of agriculture and use of long-distance transportation. This may have resulted in a loss in the taste and typicity of the products, in an extensive use of antibiotics and other chemicals and eventually, in a loss in the confidence of consumers to the products. The challenges awaiting fermentation in South-East Asia are thus to improve safety and quality in a sustainable system producing tasty and typical fermented products and valorising by-products. At the end of the “AsiFood Erasmus+ project” (www.asifood.org), the goal of this paper is to present and discuss these challenges as addressed by the Tropical Fermentation Network, a group of researchers from universities, research centers and companies in Asia and Europe. This paper presents current actions and prospects on hygienic, environmental, sensorial and nutritional qualities of traditional fermented food including screening of functional bacteria and starters, food safety strategies, research for new antimicrobial compounds, development of more sustainable fermentations and valorisation of by-products. A specificity of this network is also the multidisciplinary approach dealing with microbiology, food, chemical, sensorial, and genetic analyses, biotechnology, food supply chain, consumers and ethnology

An Outbreak of Severe Infections with Community-Acquired MRSA Carrying the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Following Vaccination

Background: Infections with community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) are emerging worldwide. We investigated an outbreak of severe CA-MRSA infections in children following out-patient vaccination. Methods and Findings: We carried out a field investigation after adverse events following immunization (AEFI) were reported. We reviewed the clinical data from all cases. S. aureus recovered from skin infections and from nasal and throat swabs were analyzed by pulse-field gel electrophoresis, multi locus sequence typing, PCR and microarray. In May 2006, nine children presented with AEFI, ranging from fatal toxic shock syndrome, necrotizing soft tissue infection, purulent abscesses, to fever with rash. All had received a vaccination injection in different health centres in one District of Ho Chi Minh City. Eight children had been vaccinated by the same health care worker (HCW). Deficiencies in vaccine quality, storage practices, or preparation and delivery were not found. Infection control practices were insufficient. CA-MRSA was cultured in four children and from nasal and throat swabs from the HCW. Strains from children and HCW were indistinguishable. All carried the Panton-Valentine leukocidine (PVL), the staphylococcal enterotoxin B gene, the gene complex for staphylococcal-cassette-chromosome mec type V, and were sequence type 59. Strain HCM3A is epidemiologically unrelated to a strain of ST59 prevalent in the USA, althoughthey belong to the same lineage. Conclusions. We describe an outbreak of infections with CA-MRSA in children, transmitted by an asymptomatic colonized HCW during immunization injection. Consistent adherence to injection practice guidelines is needed to prevent CA-MRSA transmission in both in- and outpatient settings