Nucleotide variation at the methionine synthase locus in an endangered tree species, Fokienia hodginsii (Cupressaceae) in Vietnam

Nucleotide variation at the methionine synthase (MetE) locus within and among populations of an endangered forest tree Fokienia hodginsii in Vietnam was investigated in the present study. A total of 12 populations were sampled across Vietnam. The length of the sequenced locus varied from 1567 to 1559 bp. A total of 42 polymorphic sites were detected among samples. Overall, nucleotide diversity was estimated to be 0.00499 and 0.00692 at the total (ðtot) and silent sites (ðsilent) in the pool, respectively. Nucleotide diversity within populations varied from 0.00300 to 0.00521 at the total and 0.00357 to 0.00666 at silent sites. The estimates of nucleotide diversity were lower in the 4 populations located in central and southern Vietnam (0.00300 to 0.00380) in comparison with the northern populations (ranging from 0.00399 to 0.00543). Overall estimates of genetic differentiation among 12 populations were low (FST = 0.093 and KST* = 0.078), even though both values were highly significant (P < 0.001). Pairwise analysis among 12 populations showed significant genetic differentiation as evaluated by FST and Snn but not significant as evaluated by KST*. Analysis of genetic clustering using BAPS provided the best support for all 144 sequences belonging to the same genetic cluster. The implication of the results revealed in this study in the genetic conservation of F. hodginsii was discussed.Key words: Population genetics, conservation, forest, methionine synthase (MetE), structure

STUDY ON REMOVING COLOR IN THE EXTRACT SOLUTION FROM VEGETABLES FOR ANALYZING ORGANOCHLORIDE PESTICIDES RESIDUE IN HANOI MARKETS

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

The role of green finance, eco-innovation, and creativity in the sustainable development goals of ASEAN countries

Recently, sustainable development has become a global requirement. Every country strives to achieve this essential goal, and this attracts the attention of researchers and policymakers. This study investigates the impact of green finance, eco-innovation, and creativity on the sustainable development goals in ASEAN countries. Using CUP-FM and CUP-BC techniques, the study examines the association between variables, and finds that green finance (such as green credit), renewable energy production, eco-innovation, and creativity, have positive associations with sustainable development goals. The control variable, economic growth, has a negative association with sustainable development goals. Based on the evidence, the ASEAN region must increase the quantity of green bonds as a part of green finance. This financial measure would guarantee adequate returns for private investors

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Determining sub-cooled liquid vapor pressures and octanol-air partition coefficients for chlorinated and brominated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons based on gas chromatographic retention times: Application for gas/particle partitioning in air

Halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Halo-PAHs) are a new group of PAH derivatives and are reported to be more toxic than their parent PAHs. However, limited research has been undertaken on their physicochemical properties. In this study, sub-cooled liquid vapor pressures (P-L) and octanol-air partition coefficients (K-OA) of 24 chlorinated and 11 brominated PAHs (C1PAHs and BrPAHs) were determined using the gas chromatographic retention time (GC-RT) technique. The temperature dependences of P(L )and K-OA for the Halo-PAHs were determined by the slopes and intercepts of the linear regressions. The GC-RT method also provided the enthalpies of vaporization (Delta H-L) and internal energies of phase transfer (Delta U-OA) for all interested compounds. The activity of Halo-PAHs in octanol (gamma(oct)) ranging from 18 to 87, indicated the non-ideal solution behavior. The number of the chlorine atoms in the PAH rings could influence the interaction of C1PAHs with the organic matter, whereas this interaction for BrPAHs could not be studied due to the limited number of target BrPAHs. The measured values of P-L and K(OA )were applied to investigate the gas/particle partition behaviors of Halo-PAHs in Ulsan, South Korea. This study is so far the first one to report the linear regression coefficients, which can be used to estimate the P (L) and K-OA values of Halo-PAHs at any temperature

Effects of the COVID-19 lockdown on criteria air pollutants in the city of Daegu, the epicenter of South Korea&apos;s outbreak

The outbreak of COVID-19 in Daegu, South Korea, early in 2020 has led this metropolitan city to become one of the major hotspots in the world. This study investigates the association of meteorology and the new daily COVID-19 confirmed cases and the effects of the city lockdown on the variation in criteria air pollutants (CAPs) in Daegu. Ambient temperature and relative humidity were negatively correlated to the new daily cases and played an important role in the spread of COVID-19. Wind speed could enhance the virus transmission through the inhalation of aerosols and/or droplets and contact with fomites. The lockdown has directly decreased the concentrations of CAPs. In particular, reductions of 3.75% (PM10), 30.9% (PM2.5), 36.7% (NO2), 43.7% (CO), and 21.3% (SO2) between the period before and during the outbreak were observed over the entire city. An increase in O-3 (71.1%) was affected by natural processes and photochemical formation other than the lockdown effects. The three central districts were the areas most affected by the virus and showed the highest reductions in CAPs (except for O-3) during the outbreak. Apart from the influence of the lockdown, the decreasing trend in CAPs may be a result of the actions taken by the government to mitigate air pollutants nationwide since 2019. The results of this study can be useful for government and medical organizations to understand the behavior of the virus in the atmosphere. Further studies are necessary to explore the detailed influences of the lockdown on the environment and public life

Application of gas chromatographic retention times to determine physicochemical properties of nitrated, oxygenated, and parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Nitrated and oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs and OPAHs) are receiving attention because of their high toxicity compared with parent PAHs. However, the experimental data of their physicochemical properties has been limited. This study proposed the gas chromatographic retention time (GC-RT) technique as an effective alternative one to determine octanol-air partition coefficients (KOA) and sub-cooled liquid vapor pressures (PL) for 11 NPAHs, 10 OPAHs, and 19 parent PAHs. The slopes and intercepts of the linear regressions between temperature versus KOA and PL were provided and can be used to estimate KOA and PL for the 40 targeted compounds at any temperature. The internal energies of phase transfer (Delta UOA) and enthalpies of vaporization (Delta HL) for all targeted compounds were also calculated using the GC-RT technique. High-molecularweight compounds may release or absorb higher heat energy to transform between different phases. NPAHs and OPAHs had a non-ideal solution behavior with activity in octanol (gamma oct) in the range of 19-53 and 18-1,078, respectively, which is larger than the unity threshold. A comparison among four groups of PAH derivatives showed that a functional group (nitro-, oxygen-, chloro-, and bromo-) in PAH derivatives increased gamma oct for corresponding parent PAHs by tens (mono-group) to hundreds of times (di-group). This study suggests that the GC-RT method is applicable for indirectly measuring the physicochemical properties of various groups of organic compounds

Trace element characterization and source identification of particulate matter of different sizes in Hanoi, Vietnam

Particulate matter (PM) with aerodynamic diameters of &lt;1 mu m (PM1), 2.5 mu m (PM2.5), and 10 mu m (PM10) were investigated and analyzed for 15 trace elements in the center of Hanoi, Vietnam during April-September 2018. The mean concentrations were 40 +/- 11, 53 +/- 17, and 132 +/- 39 mu g/m3 for PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, respectively, indicating that PM pollution was severe in Hanoi. During the sampling period, the PM concentrations were little affected by local meteorological conditions. The severe PM pollution in Hanoi was significantly influenced by long-range atmo-spheric transport from northern and northeastern regions, with higher potential source areas for PM1. The total mean concentrations of 15 elements were 1417 +/- 141, 1624 +/- 159, and 2652 +/- 251 ng/m3 in PM1, PM2.5, and PM10, respectively, with Al, Zn, K, Cr, and Ni as the most abundant elements. The particle-size distribution of PM and elements showed a distinct peak in PM1. The metallurgy industry, coal combustion, traffic emission, biomass burning, and soil dust were identified as major contributors of elements in three-size PM. This study implies that PM1 pollution should gain more attention regarding its level and chemical composition

Seasonal variation and gas/particle partitioning of atmospheric halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and the effects of meteorological conditions in Ulsan, South Korea

Atmospheric halogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Halo-PAHs) and parent PAHs were monitored in Ulsan, South Korea for one year (January.December 2015) to investigate their seasonal patterns, gas/particle partitioning behavior, and the impact of meteorological conditions. The mean concentrations of 24 chlorinated PAHs, 11 brominated PAHs, and 13 parent PAHs in the gaseous and particulate phases were 8.64 and 9.64 pg/m(3), 11.6 and 1.62 pg/m(3), and 2.17 and 2.40 ng/m(3), respectively. Winter had the highest ClPAH and PAH levels, with significant contributions from poly-chlorine groups and high-molecular-weight compounds. However, BrPAHs showed reverse patterns with the highest concentration in summer and the dominant gaseous fraction throughout the year. This finding could be explained by the strong local sources of BrPAHs, related to automobile and petrochemical industries. In contrast, the effects of the temperature inversion layer and atmospheric transport from the outside of Ulsan were more apparent for ClPAHs and PAHs, particularly in winter and spring. Regarding gas/particle partitioning, Halo-PAHs exhibited different seasonal behaviors from those of parent PAHs. The sorption pathway of Halo-PAHs seemed to shift from absorption as the sole dominant mechanism in winter and spring to both adsorption and absorption in summer and fall, while both partitioning mechanisms contributed equally for parent PAHs during the entire year. This study implies that Halo-PAHs and parent PAHs might not share the same atmospheric behavior, possibly due to different characteristics in atmospheric reactions with other chemicals and particle-size distribution. However, there have been limited studies about the formation of Halo-PAHs and their physicochemical properties; hence, further in-depth investigations are of vital importance. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved