Determining key research areas for healthier diets and sustainable food systems in Viet Nam

Vietnamese food systems are undergoing rapid transformation, with important implications for human and environmental health and economic development. Poverty has decreased, and diet quality and undernutrition have improved significantly since the end of the Doi Moi reform period (1986-1993) as a result of Viet Nam opening its economy and increasing its regional and global trade. Yet poor diet quality is still contributing the triple burden of malnutrition, with 25 percent stunting among children under age 5, 26 percent and 29 percent of women and children, respectively, anemic, and 21 percent of adults overweight. Agricultural production systems have shifted from predominantly diverse smallholder systems to larger more commercialized and specialized systems, especially for crops, while the ‘meatification’ of the Vietnamese diet is generating serious trade-offs between improved nutrition and sustainability of the Vietnamese food systems. The food processing industry has developed rapidly, together with food imports, resulting in new and processed food products penetrating the food retail outlets, trending towards an increase in the Westernized consumption patterns that are shifting nutrition-related problems towards overweight and obesity and, with it, an increase of non-communicable disease-related health risks. While regulatory policies exist across the food system, these are not systematically implemented, making food safety a major concern for consumers and policy makers alike. Where data exists, it is not easy to aggregate with data from across food system dimensions, making it difficult for Viet Nam to make an informed analysis of current and potential food system trade-offs. In our research, we reviewed existing literature and data, and applied a food systems framework to develop an initial food systems profile for Viet Nam and to identify a comprehensive set a of research questions to fill current data gaps identified through the review. Insights on these would provide the comprehensive evidence needed to inform policy makers on how to develop new food systems policies for Viet Nam, and further refine and improve existing policies to achieve better quality diets and more sustainable food systems in Viet Nam. Based on these, we then engaged with stakeholders to develop research priorities in the Viet Nam context and identified 25 priority research questions. This paper aims to stimulate such reflections by clearly outlining key areas for research, government policy, and development programs on priority investment to build the evidence base around inclusive food systems interventions that aim to result in healthier diets and more sustainable food systems for Viet Nam

Graph clustering and portable X-Ray Fluorescence: An application for in situ, fast and preliminary classification of transport amphoras

In the last decade, numerous papers have been delivered on the potential of portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) in archaeological ceramics. Additionally, new chemometric methods have been proposed to manage chemical dataset and facilitate the use of geochemical discrimination for provenance classification of ancient ceramics. In this contribute, the potential of portable Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (ED-XRF) analysis and chemical data processing by Graph Clustering is evaluated for provenance classification of archaeological potteries, discussing possible merits and limits of the employed routine. A ceramic assemblage represented by seventy-three transport amphorae classified by typological analysis have been used as testing materials; spectra have been collected on samples simulating in situ analysis conditions (e.g. on fresh cut surfaces without any preparation) and Graph Clustering method has been applied in chemical data processing; comparison with classical Cluster Analysis (CA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is also evaluated. The obtained results favor the use of Graph Clustering for a preliminary classification of ceramics, which can be chemically analyzed in easy, fast and non-destructive way. With a 75.35% of correct attribution, the study shows the suitability of portable ED-XRF in rapid screening of a large number of ceramic samples usually recovered in the framework of archaeological excavation. Misclassifications have been mostly verified for samples exhibiting a coarse-grained clay paste, suggesting that the method is particularly suitable for fine-grained ceramic materials

Improvement of the performances of a commercial hand-held laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument for steel analysis using multiple artificial neural networks.

In this article, we present a study on the optimization of the analytical performance of a commercial hand-held laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy instrument for steel analysis. We show how the performances of the instrument can be substantially improved using a non-linear calibration approach based on a set of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), one optimized for the determination of the major elements of the alloy, and the others specialized for the analysis of minor components. Tests of the instrument on steel samples used for instrument internal calibration demonstrate a comparable accuracy with the results of the ANNs, while the latter are considerably more accurate when unknown samples, not used for calibration/training, are tested

Pottery production and trades in Tamil Nadu region : new insights from Alagankulam and Keeladi excavation sites

This research is part of a wider scientific Italian-Indo project finalised to shed lights on pottery fabrication and trade circulation in Tamil Nadu region during Early Historical Period. The recent archaeological excavations carried out in Alagankulam—a famous harbour trading with the eastern and western world—and in Keeladi—the most ancient civilization centre attested in Tamil Nadu region—provided numerous fragments of archaeological ceramics. The typological analysis enabled the identification of different pottery classes, suggesting the presence of local productions, possible imports and imitations. Studied shards included common Indian vessels, fine wares and luxury ware repertoire. The provenance identification of some of the studied typologies is still debated in the literature; for long time, the misattribution of several ceramic classes has led to wrong interpretations on the commercial connections between India and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean area. The minero-petrographic and spectroscopic investigation of several ceramic fragments from the two investigated archaeological sites enabled the systematic compositional characterization of specific ceramic classes both locally manufactured and imported. The obtained results contributed to draw short-range and long-range connections in Tamil Nadu area

Retail diversity for dietary diversity: Resolving food-safety versus nutrition priorities in Hanoi

Amid rapidly transforming urban food environments, Asia’s cities are faced with the dilemma of ensuring food and nutrition security for their populations while also combatting food-safety concerns. The current food environment in Hanoi, Viet Nam, only provides a minimal level of diet quality for the urban poor. Modernization policies aim to improve food safety by promoting the closure of open-air markets in favour of supermarkets and convenience stores. Traditional open-air markets are the urban population’s main source of food and ensure a healthy diet, but they do not offer formal food-safety guarantees. In contrast, modern retail outlets, such as supermarkets and convenience stores, provide foods with safety guarantees, but are not utilized by the urban poor for myriad reasons, including cultural shopping preferences, habits and convenience (hours of operation, formality, cost and perceived freshness). Though designed to increase the consumption of safe foods in Hanoi, these modern outlets may also stimulate the consumption of unhealthy ultra-processed foods and reinforce food-access inequality. The continued closure of traditional open-air markets in favour of modern retail outlets may be jeopardizing the future diet quality of Hanoi’s urban poor. We recommend that food-safety policies embrace the existing diversity of local food retail systems and identify opportunities to improve food safety at open-air fresh food markets

Neutron radiography study of laboratory ageing and treatment applications with stone consolidants

A nano-silica consolidant and nano-titania modified tetraethyl-orthosilicate were applied on two building stones, a carbonate and a silicate, by brush, poultice or capillary absorption. Neutron radiography was used to monitor capillary water absorption, and to analyse changes in physical properties caused by heat treatment of specimens for the purposes of artificially ageing and different treatment applications with stone consolidants. Moreover, ultrasonic pulse velocity and gravimetrically determined water absorption were analysed to cross-validate neutron radiography. The results reveal that reactive systems like tetraethyl-orthosilicates need an unknown period for polymerisation, which makes nano-silica consolidants more favourable for construction follow-up work. While polymerisation is incomplete, hydrophobic behaviour, water trapping and pore clogging are evident. Within the tetraethyl-orthosilicate treatment, poultice and brushing are strongly influenced by the applicant, which results in wide ranging amounts of water absorbed and anomalous water distributions and kinetics. The carbonate lithotype displays polymerisation initiated in the core of the specimen, while the lateral surfaces are still mostly hydrophobic. Reaction time differences can be attributed to the different amounts of consolidants applied, which is a result of the chosen application settings. Artificial ageing of stone specimens is a prerequisite when mechanical strength gain is studied, as demonstrated by sound speed propagation