Effect of Organic Loading Rates on Performance of Treating Dairy Wastewater in a Lab-Scale Sequencing Batch Reactor

This study aims to investigate, the effect of organic loading rates (OLRs), nutrient ratio addition, and sludge retention time (SRT) on treating dairy wastewater in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system. This investigation is verified by experiments conducted in 3 phases at 3 different OLRs (1.8, 1.2, and 0.9 kg/m3d, respectively).  Urea ((NH2)2CO) is added to make a suitable (COD:N:P) ratio of (100:5:1) in dairy wastewater. The SRT is adjusted from 50 days to an appropriate value of 18 days. The obtained results show that the COD, TN, and TP removal efficiencies are increased with decreasing OLRs. Sludge concentration in the SBR tank is stable at 1100 mg/L after adding (NH2)2CO. In addition, the SBR operated at a suitable SRT (i.e. 18 days) helps the biomass stably, resulting in enhancement of COD, TN, and TP removal. The results are helpful to the design of SBR for treating dairy wastewater

Using multi-temporal satellite images to evaluate the changes of vegetation index of land cover in Thai Binh Province

224pThis chapter describes the current status of Thai Binh province in Vietnam and its agricultural development plans for 2010. The environmental and economic impacts of pig production are discussed. The various stakeholders and their active involvement in agricultural production are analysed. In addition, an innovative approach to sustainable development of animal produce commodity chains in northern Vietnam, is described. The 12-month E3P Project (Environmental Protection and Pig Production) was aimed to establish baseline work for designing and implementing a geographical information system. A large proportion of unknown factors concerning the issue of effluents in the province was studied at the farm, communal and district, and on a scientific levels. These unknown factors justify the regional diagnosis presented by the E3P Project

Morphology and DNA marker for distinguishing Paphiopedilum hangianum and Paphiopedilum emersonii from Vietnam

Genus Paphiopedilum has species having lovely flowers which are incredibly attractive to everyone. Their ornamental and commercial value caused over-collection and illegal poaching and trade. Due to these reasons, nowadays, the Venus slipper orchids are facing to deplete in nature. Therefore, it is important to consider these species conservation. Mainly, it is necessary to prioritize the identification and phylogenetic analysis methods of the genus Paphiopedilum which includes many species with similar morphological characteristics. Consequently, it isn't easy to distinguish the identical species of this genus when the plants are young or not yet fully flowering. Therefore, this study aimed to distinguish two Paphiopedilum species, i.e. P. hangianum and P. emersonii, which have similar morphological characteristics, through comparative morphological analysis and differences in DNA barcoding sequences. To solve the problem associated with species identifications, a morphological comparison table was created with the four DNA sequence markers matK, rbcL, rpoC1 and trnH-psbA. The results of the morphological analysis showed that P. hangianum and P. emersonii are significantly different from each other in the flower's characteristics. While the difference in leaf morphology of both selected species is found very little, it is also distinguishable upon careful comparison. Moreover, the DNA barcoding indicator gave accurate and rapid distinctions between the two species, even when     the plants are young or without flowers. Furthermore, this DNA barcoding can establish an evolutionary relationship between the two selected species and the other species of the genus Paphiopedilum. The results of this study also suggested that the indicator trnH-psbA is a suitable marker for distinguishing these two species and can be applied for the phylogenetic analysis of the genus Paphiopedilum in Vietnam

Review: Possible removal of heavy metal and selective rare-earth ions by polymeric and nano-composite materials.

Heavy metal contamination in aqueous environment from natural processes and human’s activities including pesticides usage, mining, factories discharging and leaking irritation shows an extreme threat to environment and human health. The control of rising amount of heavy metal in environment not only requires critical observations at their original sources but also demands efficient removal methods. However, each conventional method is only suitable in a certain range of use. For example, inexpensive materials and convenient techniques are necessary for large scale heavy meal treatment, while high performance system to remove almost trace amount of heavy metals are critically required for drinking water treatment. On the other hands, heavy metal treatments must be applicable in some crucial environment conditions. Among solutions for environmental heavy metal control, polymeric materials have showed many advantages to enhance the performance of conventional heavy metal adsorbents. Possessing functional chemical moieties on their side chains and backbones, polymers can act as main metal ion adsorption component and/or effective supports for the adsorption property. In addition, the utilization of polymeric components can result in a low corrosion, selectivity, controllability, and recyclability of absorbents when operated in real environment conditions. This article summarizes the preparation techniques and desirable properties of polymer for removal of toxic heavy metal ion as well as the possibility of polymers in collecting some rare noble metal ions. Keywords. Heavy metal ions, nano-composite, polymer

Comparison of dispersion characteristics of hollow-core photonic crystal fibers filled with aromatic compounds

In this paper, hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) infiltrated with benzene and nitrobenzene are designed and investigated. Their dispersion characteristics are numerically simulated. The results show that using the aromatic-compounds-filled hollow core of PCFs makes dispersion curves flat. In addition, the dispersion curves approach the zero-dispersion line closer than previously published dispersion curves of PCFs with toluene, thus significantly improving the supercontinuum generation to create the ultra-flat spectrum expansion

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

An Exactly Soluble Equation for the Stationary Probability Distribution in a Nonlinear System under the Influence of Two-telegraph Noise: Application to the Noise Reduction in a Raman Ring Laser

In this paper, we will consider a model of nonlinear system with random telegraph noises and a Raman ring laser by modeling the laser pump light by a pregaussian process and find an exactly soluble equations for the stationary probability distribution of fluctuations in this nonlinear system under the influence of two-telegraph noise. In consequence, we will obtain the so-called noise reduction in this system: the Stokes output of this laser tends to the stabilize under the influence of the broad-band two-telegraph pregaussian pump and compare this results with that obtained in our previous paper (Cao Long Van, Doan Quoc Khoa, Opt. Quant. Electron. 43, 137 (2012)) for the case of one telegraph noise

In-Channel-Grown Polypyrrole Nanowire for the Detection of DNA Hybridization in an Electrochemical Microfluidic Biosensor

A triple electrode setup with a Pt pseudo-reference electrode integrated in a polydimethylsiloxane- (PDMS-) based microchamber was designed and fabricated. The integrated electrodes were deposited onto SiO2/Si substrate by sputtering. The PDMS microchamber was patterned using an SU-8 mold and sealed with electrodes in oxygen plasma. Polypyrrole nanowires (PPy NWs) were electrochemically grown in situ at an accurate position of the working electrode in the sealed microchamber instead of in an open system. The DNA probe sequences were simply introduced into the channel to form bonds with the nanowires. A detection limit of 20 pM was achieved using a lock-in amplifier. The electrochemical characteristics produced by the hybridization of DNA strands in the microchamber showed a good signal/noise ratio and high sensitivity. Measurement of the DNA sensor in narrow space also required much less volume of the analytical sample compared with that in an open measuring cell. Results showed that this simple system can potentially fabricate nanostructures and detect bio/chemical molecules in a sealed system

The immunogenicity of plant-based COE-GCN4pII protein in pigs against the highly virulent porcine epidemic diarrhea virus strain from genotype 2

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a serious infectious causative agent in swine, especially in neonatal piglets. PEDV genotype 2 (G2) strains, particularly G2a, were the primary causes of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) outbreaks in Vietnam. Here, we produced a plant-based CO-26K-equivalent epitope (COE) variant from a Vietnamese highly virulent PEDV strain belonging to genotype 2a (COE/G2a) and evaluated the protective efficacy of COE/G2a-GCN4pII protein (COE/G2a-pII) in piglets against the highly virulent PEDV G2a strain following passive immunity. The 5-day-old piglets had high levels of PEDV-specific IgG antibodies, COE-IgA specific antibodies, neutralizing antibodies, and IFN-γ responses. After virulent challenge experiments, all of these piglets survived and had normal clinical symptoms, no watery diarrhea in feces, and an increase in their body weight, while all of the negative control piglets died. These results suggest that the COE/G2a-pII protein produced in plants can be developed as a promising vaccine candidate to protect piglets against PEDV G2a infection in Vietnam

Medication Adherence in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of death globally. While effective long-term medications that reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality related to cardiovascular disease are readily available, nonadherence to prescribed medications remains a significant reason for suboptimal management. Consequently, this might lead to increased morbidity and mortality and healthcare costs. Medication nonadherence causes are myriad and complicated, with factors at the patient, healthcare provider, and health system levels. Many clinical trials have investigated interventions to target these factors for improving medication adherence, including improving patient education, testing behavioral interventions, implementing medication reminder tools, reducing medication costs, utilizing social support, utilizing healthcare team members, and simplifying medication dosing regimens. This book chapter describes factors influencing medication adherence and highlights the impact of varying levels of adherence on patients’ clinical and economic outcomes. We also summarize interventions for improving medication adherence in cardiovascular disease