STUDYING AND USING MACRO-INVERTEBRATES FOR ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF WATER ENVIRONMENT IN NHUE RIVER

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Nurses\u27 Level of Comfort, Familiarity, and Knowledge About Diabetes Management in Vinmec Central Park International Hospital

Clinical nurses have a key role in supporting and management of diabetes patients during hospitalization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate nurses’ level of comfort, familiarity, and knowledge in diabetes management. In this study, 30 full-time nurses working in Vinmec Central Park International Hospital completed a 34-question assessment that included eight questions on comfort, six questions on familiarity, and 20 questions on nursing knowledge. The findings indicated the level of nursing knowledge regarding diabetes management in the hospital was low. The comfort, familiarity, and knowledge scores were not directly proportional to the age, education, and years of clinical experience or specialty. Finally, this study demonstrated that bedside nurses had a deficit in knowledge in the management of diabetes patients. This level of unfamiliarity indicated insufficient teaching practices. Strategies are required to provide a continuing education program for all bedside nurses and ensure all proper criteria meet the caring of specific diabetes patients. Future studies must be repeated with more data to evaluate the result of nursing and diabetes management

Industrial changes and multinational enterprises in Vietnam : the case of the Red River Delta

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Phenotypic variation in Vibrio harveyi : virulence factors and immune response in Artemia franciscana

Phenotypic (phase) variation or phenotypic switching is defined as a process of reversible, high frequency phenotypic variation. Until now, little is known about phenotypic variation in Vibrio especially in luminous vibriosis diseases for many aquaculture species. Vibrio harveyi, a luminescent Gram-negative motile marine bacterium, is an important pathogen responsible for causing severe diseases in shrimp, finfish and molluscs leading to severe economic losses. The present study showed that switching from the luminescent (L) to the non-luminescent (NL) state changed the phenotypic physiology or behavior of V. harveyi. Subsequently, gnotobiotic Artemia model organism (GART) system was used to investigate the influence of virulent and non-virulent L and NL of the wild type V. harveyi and its quorum sensing (QS) mutant on immune defense of A. franciscana. Next, the full-length sequence of Hmgb1 of A. franciscana was isolated for the first time in this thesis. In conclusion, this study indicates that in vitro virulence factors are changed as a result of phenotypic variation in V. harveyi. These alterations in the L and NL variants of the wild type BB120 and its QS mutan

Gender Equality in Climate Change Policies the case of Viet Nam

Vietnam is one of the countries that are vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change. Therefore, Vietnam has actively entered into a series of international commitments and adjusted its domestic policies and laws. In the implementation of international commitments and the implementation of national legislation, there is a problem of gender mainstreaming.  This paper focuses on the analysis and evaluation of gender equality in Viet Nam\u27s policies. The analysis highlights the differences and characteristics of gender equality in the field of climate change in Vietnam. Vietnamese women who are affected by climate change play a key role in developing and implementing climate change policies of the country. It is important to clarify that women are the beneficiaries of priority which is not only limited to the equality of climate change. On that basis, recommendations were made to strengthen gender inclusion not only in policies but also in the implementation action plans and strategies on climate change in Vietnam

Coastal vulnerability assessment: a case study in Kien Giang, western part of the Mekong River Delta in Vietnam

Climate change, particularly sea-level rise, threatens low-lying coastal systems, such as small islands on coral atolls, and deltas where millions of people are living. The Mekong River Delta is considered especially at risk. Although most of the delta is only a few metres above sea level, there have been few assessments of vulnerability at local scale. The aim of this thesis is to provide quantitative and qualitative information to guide the process of adaptation and provide visualisations that will enhance local authority’s decision making to adapt to climate change, particularly sea-level rise. It focuses on the seven coastal districts within Kien Giang province in the western, micro-tidal section of the delta. A framework is adopted that integrates biophysical effects and socioeconomic stressors for the case study area and consists of three main components of vulnerability: exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. The analytical hierarchical process (AHP) method of multi-criteria decision making was integrated directly into a geographic information system (GIS) to derive a composite vulnerability index that indicated areas or hotspots most likely to be vulnerable to sea-level rise. The hierarchical structure comprised three components: exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity (level 1); and eight sub-components (level 2): seawater incursion, flood risk, shoreline change, population characteristics, landuse, as well as socioeconomic, infrastructure, and technological capability. The Digital Shoreline Analysis System (DSAS) tool was used to calculate rates of shoreline change along the Kien Giang coast over time in order to derive the shoreline change sub-component that contributed to the exposure component. Beyond this, a further 22 variables (level 3) and 24 sub-variables (level 4) related to vulnerability were also mapped. Based on the weights of variables derived from AHP pair-wise comparisons, a final map was generated to visualise areas reported into five categories of relative vulnerability; very low, low, moderate, high to very high vulnerability. Several regional patterns emerged. Relatively high exposure to seawater incursion, flood risk, and moderate loss of mangroves characterised the coastal fringe of each district. Those areas found to be most sensitive tended to have moderate population density, generally with a large rural population and high proportions of ethnic households with limited availability of agricultural land. Many aspects of adaptive capacity could only be represented at district scale, with the least adaptable areas consisting of large proportions of poor households, low income, and moderate densities of transport, irrigation, and drainage systems. Finally, most coastal districts were determined to be of moderate to relatively high vulnerability, with scattered hotspots along the Kien Giang coast, which coincided with settlement areas. The results obtained, enable identification and prioritisation of the areas, or hotspots most likely to be vulnerable, for which site-specific assessments might further assist the local authorities and communities in better coastal management and conservation. However, the limitations of data accessible at an entire district can influence the outcome. Social vulnerability remains a challenge because it is changing over time and space

Reproductive Success and Sexual Selection in Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Sexual selection is a branch of natural selection which acts upon variation in reproductive success. Sexual selection is a complex field of study in biology as each species has their own mating system and strategies. Models of sexual selection theory are not mutually exclusive, and often times there are multiple layers of selection within a given mating system. For instance, both direct and indirect benefits of sexual selection can occur simultaneously, and selection can act both before and after mating occurs. Postcopulatory sexual selection, which is not as well understood, can be comprised of both the male-male interaction of sperm competition and the male-female interaction of cryptic female choice. Although there are many studies which show the existence of postcopulatory sexual selection, there is limited knowledge of its underlying mechanisms or genetic basis. Although we know of the physical male traits that females prefer, the relationships among male trait, female preference, and postcopulatory sexual selection are often unknown. Here I use Drosophila melanogaster to show accurate alternative measurements for female lifetime reproductive success (Chapter 2) and the genetic architecture underlying lifetime reproductive success (Chapter 3). I found that the short term reproductive success measure of 5 days can accurately predict the lifetime reproductive success of females, and that lifetime reproductive success is a result of additive genetic variation. In Chapter 4, I compared lifetime reproductive success to mating success in a multi-generational study and found that males who were more successful at mating produced sons with lower fitness. I then examined mechanisms of sperm competition, specifically the role of Acps (accessory gland proteins) in sperm competition. I discovered that Acps from the first male to mate are beneficial to the second mated male, contributing to second male advantage (Chapter 5). Lastly, in Chapter 6, I assessed male quality based on five fitness measures and determined male performance in both pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. I concluded that a combined fitness measure most accurately predicted male offspring production. This thesis characterizes the various factors that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success, specifically from a sexual selection perspective

Effects of diverse plant species on the bioavailability of contaminants in soil

La phytoremédiation constitue une technologie alternative pour le traitement de sols contaminés en métaux. Toutefois, la biodisponibilité des métaux dans le sol peut limiter l’efficacité de cette approche. Nous émettons l’hypothèse que diverses espèces de plante, caractérisées par systèmes racinaires différents, peuvent affecter différemment la biodisponibilité des éléments traces (ET) dans le sol. Une étude utilisant un dispositif expérimental en bloc aléatoire complet avec cinq réplicats a été conduite entre le 6 juin et le 3 septembre 2014, sur le site du Jardin botanique de Montréal. Dans ce contexte, l’impact de la présence de huit espèces de plantes, herbacées ou ligneuses, sur le pool labile de six métaux (Ag, Cu, Pd, Zn, Ni et Se) dans la rhizosphère de celles-ci a été étudié. Après trois mois de culture, la biomasse aérienne et souterraine de chaque espèce a été mesurée et la concentration en ET dans les tissus des plantes a été analysée. La fraction labile de ces ET dans la rhizosphère (potentiellement celle qui serait biodisponible) de même que d’autres paramètres édaphiques (le pH, la conductivité, le pourcentage de matière organique et le carbone organique dissous (COD)) ont aussi été mesurés et comparés en fonction de la présence d’une ou l’autre des espèces utilisées. Les résultats montrent que pour la plupart des plantes testées, les plus fortes concentrations en ET ont été trouvées dans les racines alors que les plus faibles niveaux s’observaient dans les parties aériennes, sauf pour le Ni dans le Salix nigra. Ceci suggère que le Ni peut être extrait du sol par des récoltes régulières des tiges et des feuilles de cette espèce de saule. Les pools labiles de l’Ag, Ni et du Cu dans la rhizosphère étaient significativement et différemment affectés par la présence des plantes. Toutefois, la présence des plantes testées n’a pas affecté certains paramètres clés de la rhizosphère (ex. le pH, conductivité, et le pourcentage de matière organique). À l’opposé, les niveaux de COD dans la rhizosphère de toutes les plantes testées se sont révélés supérieurs en comparaison des témoins (sols non plantés). De plus, une corrélation positive a pu être établie entre la concentration disponible du Ni et la concentration en COD. Une relation similaire a été déterminée pour le Cu. Ceci suggère que certains systèmes racinaires pourraient modifier les niveaux de COD et avoir un impact indirect sur les pools labiles des ET dans le sol.Phytoremediation is considered an alternative technology for treating metalcontaminated soil, however, its efficiency is usually limited by bioavailability of metals in soil. We hypothesized that diverse plant species have different root system types that can affect bioavailability of trace elements (TE) in soil differently. The experiment was conducted during summer, from June 6th to September 3rd, 2014, at the Montreal Botanical Garden. The effect of eight herbaceous and woody species on the labile pool of six metals (Ag, Cu, Pd, Zn, Ni and Se) in their rhizosphere was studied using a completely randomized block design with five replicates. After three months of cultivation, the above- and below-ground biomass of each species was measured and the concentrations of TE in the plant tissues were determined. The labile and presumably bioavailable fraction of these TE in the rhizosphere as well as key soil parameters (e.g. pH, electrical conductivity (EC), percent of organic matter and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)) were also measured and compared as a function of plant species. The results showed that in most tested plants, the highest concentrations of TE were found in the roots and the lowest levels were in the above-ground tissues, except for Ni in Salix nigra. This suggests that Ni can be removed from soil through the regular harvest of the shoots and leaves of this species. The labile pool of Ag, Ni, and Cu in the rhizosphere was significantly and differently affected by the presence of the plants. However, the presence of the tested plant species did not affect some key factors of the rhizosphere (e.g. pH, EC, percent of organic matter). In contrast, DOC levels in the rhizosphere of all tested plants were higher than those measured for the control pots without plants. In addition, a positive relationship was found between Ni availability concentration and DOC concentration, as well as Cu availability level and DOC level. This suggests that some types of root systems appear to modify soil DOC and indirectly impact the labile pool of TE in soi

Molecular mechanism of neuritogenesis driven by prion protein

The cellular form of prion protein (PrPC) is a ubiquitous component of both the central and peripheral nervous systems from early stages of development to adulthood. Its misfolded isoform PrPSc is the pathological agent of prion diseases, a group of fatal neurodegenerative diseases. PrPC has been suggested to play different roles in neuroprotection, synaptic activities, neuritogenesis and metal homeostasis. Particularly, we were interested in its neurotrophic function and molecular mechanism involved the prion protein (PrP) with the process. By combining genomic approaches, cellular assays and focal stimulation technique, we explored PrP could act as a guidance cue, attracting the growth cone (GC) protrusion forward and eventually neurite outgrowth. In the study, we made different forms of the recombinant prion proteins (recPrP) from mouse without GPI anchoring residues mimicking secreted forms of PrPC. Our data suggest that full-length and wild-type recPrP(23-231) protein, not its truncated forms at N or C-terminal (23-90, 23-120, 89-231), could attract GC turning toward the protein source and enhance neurite growth in a dosedependent manner. recPrP may act through homophilic interaction with the GPI-anchor PrPC and form trans-signaling complex with neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) on the target cells to induce multiple intracellular signaling cascades known for cell growth including the Src-family kinase Fyn, extracellular regulated kinases MEK-ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K). In addition, we discovered the functional sites for PrP function as a signaling molecule in neuritogenesis lying directly on N-terminal copper binding sites by mutating these residues to partially or completely prevent copper binding. In detail, minimal change in the copper binding site could lead to changes in the protein structure preventing PrP from functioning correctly and disrupting all the copper-binding sites at the N-terminus could turn the protein to be toxic to neurons. Especially, copper coordination at non-octarepeat (non-OR) region was shown to be essential for PrP to activate the proper growth signaling. GSS-linked mutation P102L (P101L in mouse numbering) that impacts indirectly to non-OR copper coordination could also abolish the function of PrP on neuritogenesis. Altogether, our findings indicate the crucial role of copper binding sites in maintaining functional structure for PrP interaction in neuritogenesis and suggest a potential link between loss-of-function of the protein and prion disease initiation