Market based approaches for food safety and animal health interventions in smallholder pig systems: the case of Vietnam

Food safety and animal health concerns place rising burdens on smallholder pig production in Viet Nam, both in terms of negatively affecting livelihoods and profitability as well as reducing consumer confidence in pork. While reducing the incidence of pig disease and improving the safety of pork products are potentially important public goods, it is critical to take into account the tradeoffs between improved animal health and food safety outcomes and their associated costs

A spectral line survey in the 2 mm and 1.3 mm windows toward the carbon rich envelope of IRC +10216

We present the results of our spectral line surveys in the 2 mm and 1.3 mm windows toward the carbon rich envelope of IRC +10216. Totally 377 lines are detected, among which 360 lines are assigned to 57 known molecules (including 29 rare isotopomers and 2 cyclic isomers). Only 17 weak lines remain unidentified. Rotational lines of isotopomers 13CCH and HN13C are detected for the first time in IRC +10216. The detection of the formaldehyde lines in this star is also confirmed. Possible abundance difference among the three 13C substituted isotopic isomers of HC3N is reported. Isotopic ratios of C and O are confirmed to be non-solar while those of S and Si to be nearly solar. Column densities have been estimated for 15 molecular species. Modified spectroscopic parameters have been calculated for NaCN, Na13CN, KCN and SiC2. Transition frequencies from the present observations were used to improve the spectroscopic parameters of Si13CC, 29SiC2 and 30SiC2.Comment: 17 pages of text, 18 pages of 14 tables, 35 pages of 4 figures, a typo corrected in Abstrac

An ALMA Early Science survey of molecular absorption lines toward PKS1830-211 -- Analysis of the absorption profiles

We present the first results of an ALMA spectral survey of strong absorption lines for common interstellar species in the z=0.89 molecular absorber toward the lensed blazar PKS1830-211. The dataset brings essential information on the structure and composition of the absorbing gas in the foreground galaxy. In particular, we find absorption over large velocity intervals (gtrsim 100 km/s) toward both lensed images of the blazar. This suggests either that the galaxy inclination is intermediate and that we sample velocity gradients or streaming motions in the disk plane, that the molecular gas has a large vertical distribution or extraplanar components, or that the absorber is not a simple spiral galaxy but might be a merger system. The number of detected species is now reaching a total of 42 different species plus 14 different rare isotopologues toward the SW image, and 14 species toward the NE line-of-sight. The abundances of CH, H2O, HCO+, HCN, and NH3 relative to H2 are found to be comparable to those in the Galactic diffuse medium. Of all the lines detected so far toward PKS1830-211, the ground-state line of ortho-water has the deepest absorption. We argue that ground-state lines of water have the best potential for detecting diffuse molecular gas in absorption at high redshift.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Electromagnetic-field quantization and spontaneous decay in left-handed media

We present a quantization scheme for the electromagnetic field interacting with atomic systems in the presence of dispersing and absorbing magnetodielectric media, including left-handed material having negative real part of the refractive index. The theory is applied to the spontaneous decay of a two-level atom at the center of a spherical free-space cavity surrounded by magnetodielectric matter of overlapping band-gap zones. Results for both big and small cavities are presented, and the problem of local-field corrections within the real-cavity model is addressed.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures, RevTe

Seasonal variation of phytoplankton in My Thanh River, Mekong delta, Vietnam

A study on the seasonal variation of phytoplankton composition was conducted at the upper, middle, and lower parts of the My Thanh River, which supplies an important source of water for aquaculture. Qualitative and quantitative samples of phytoplankton were collected monthly at both high and low tide. The results showed that a total of 171 phytoplankton (algae) species were recorded, belonging to 59 genera and 5 phyla. Diatoms were the most abundant group with the highest species number, followed by green algae. The other phyla possessed a lower number of species. The species composition was more diverse in the rainy season and at high tide at most of the sampling sites. The mean density of algae varied from 30,900-43,521 ind.L^-1^. The density of diatoms was higher in the middle and lower parts. At the same time, euglenoids displayed the highest density in the upper part, showing a difference in the dominant algae group under the influence of salinity. Salinity was found to be significantly positively correlated (p<0.01) with diatoms, whereas it was negatively correlated (p<0.05) with blue-green algae and euglenoids. The algae composition was quite diverse, with the H' index ranging from 2.0-3.3, showing the water quality was slightly to moderately polluted

A Schrödinger Equation for Evolutionary Dynamics

We establish an analogy between the Fokker–Planck equation describing evolutionary landscape dynamics and the Schrödinger equation which characterizes quantum mechanical particles, showing that a population with multiple genetic traits evolves analogously to a wavefunction under a multi-dimensional energy potential in imaginary time. Furthermore, we discover within this analogy that the stationary population distribution on the landscape corresponds exactly to the ground-state wavefunction. This mathematical equivalence grants entry to a wide range of analytical tools developed by the quantum mechanics community, such as the Rayleigh–Ritz variational method and the Rayleigh–Schrödinger perturbation theory, allowing us not only the conduct of reasonable quantitative assessments but also exploration of fundamental biological inquiries. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools by estimating the population success on landscapes where precise answers are elusive, and unveiling the ecological consequences of stress-induced mutagenesis—a prevalent evolutionary mechanism in pathogenic and neoplastic systems. We show that, even in an unchanging environment, a sharp mutational burst resulting from stress can always be advantageous, while a gradual increase only enhances population size when the number of relevant evolving traits is limited. Our interdisciplinary approach offers novel insights, opening up new avenues for deeper understanding and predictive capability regarding the complex dynamics of evolving populations

A Schr\"odinger Equation for Evolutionary Dynamics

We establish an analogy between the Fokker-Planck equation describing evolutionary landscape dynamics and the Schr\"{o}dinger equation which characterizes quantum mechanical particles, showing how a population with multiple genetic traits evolves analogously to a wavefunction under a multi-dimensional energy potential in imaginary time. Furthermore, we discover within this analogy that the stationary population distribution on the landscape corresponds exactly to the ground-state wavefunction. This mathematical equivalence grants entry to a wide range of analytical tools developed by the quantum mechanics community, such as the Rayleigh-Ritz variational method and the Rayleigh-Schr\"{o}dinger perturbation theory, allowing us to not only make reasonable quantitative assessments but also explore fundamental biological inquiries. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these tools by estimating the population success on landscapes where precise answers are elusive, and unveiling the ecological consequences of stress-induced mutagenesis -- a prevalent evolutionary mechanism in pathogenic and neoplastic systems. We show that, even in a unchanging environment, a sharp mutational burst resulting from stress can always be advantageous, while a gradual increase only enhances population size when the number of relevant evolving traits is limited. Our interdisciplinary approach offers novel insights, opening up new avenues for deeper understanding and predictive capability regarding the complex dynamics of evolving populations

Statistical Analsysis to Evaluate Heavy Metal Pollution in the Air Obatained by Moss Technique in Hanoi and its Surrounding Region

The aim of this paper was the application of statistical analysis including principal component analysis to evaluate heavy metal pollution obtained by moss technique in the air of Ha Noi and its surrounding areas and to evaluate potential pollution sources. The concentrations of 33 heavy metal elements in 27 samples of Barbula Indica moss in the investigated region collected in December of 2016 in the investigated area have been examined using multivariate statistical analysis. Five factors explaining 80% of the total variance were identified and their potential sources have been discussed

Interaction of the quantized electromagnetic field with atoms in the presence of dispersing and absorbing dielectric bodies

A general theory of the interaction of the quantized electromagnetic field with atoms in the presence of dispersing and absorbing dielectric bodies of given Kramers--Kronig consistent permittivities is developed. It is based on a source-quantity representation of the electromagnetic field, in which the electromagnetic-field operators are expressed in terms of a continuous set of fundamental bosonic fields via the Green tensor of the classical problem. Introducing scalar and vector potentials, the formalism is extended in order to include in the theory the interaction of the quantized electromagnetic field with additional atoms. Both the minimal-coupling scheme and the multipolar-coupling scheme are considered. The theory replaces the standard concept of mode decomposition which fails for complex permittivities. It enables us to treat the effects of dispersion and absorption in a consistent way and to give a unified approach to the atom-field interaction, without any restriction to a particular interaction regime in a particular frequency range. All relevant information about the dielectric bodies such as form and intrinsic dispersion and absorption is contained in the Green tensor. The application of the theory to the spontaneous decay of an excited atom in the presence of dispersing and absorbing bodies is addressed.Comment: Paper presented at the International Conference on Quantum Optics and VIII Seminar on Quantum Optics, Raubichi, Belarus, May 28-31, 2000, 14 pages, LaTeX2e, no figure

Interview-based sighting histories can inform regional conservation prioritization for highly threatened cryptic species

1. The use of robust ecological data to make evidence-based management decisions is frequently prevented by limited data quantity or quality, and local ecological knowledge (LEK) is increasingly seen as an important source of information for conservation. However, there has been little assessment of LEK's usefulness for informing prioritization and management of landscapes for threatened species, or assessing comparative species status across landscapes. 2. A large-scale interview survey in the Annamite Mountains (Vietnam and Lao PDR) compiled the first systematic LEK data set for saola Pseudoryx nghetinhensis, one of the world's rarest mammals, and eight other ungulates. Saola conservation is hindered by uncertainty over continued presence across much of its proposed distribution. We analysed comparative LEK-based last-sighting data across three landscapes to determine whether regional sighting histories support previous suggestions of landscape importance for saola conservation (Hue-Quang Nam: top-priority Vietnamese landscape; Pu Mat: lower priority Vietnamese landscape; Viengthong: high-priority Lao landscape) and whether they constitute an effective spatial prioritization tool for cryptic species management. 3. Wild pig and red muntjac may be the only Annamite ungulates with stable populations; the regional status of all other species appears to be worse. Saola have declined more severely and/or are significantly rarer than most other ungulates and have been seen by relatively few respondents. Saola were also frequently considered locally rarest or declining, and never as species that had not declined. 4. In contrast to other species, there are no regional differences in saola sighting histories, with continued persistence in all landscapes challenging suggestions that regional status differs greatly. Remnant populations persist in Vietnam despite heavy hunting, but even remote landscapes in Lao may be under intense pressure. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our local ecological knowledge data suggest that intact saola populations probably no longer exist, but individuals persist in all three landscapes, making management activities to reduce hunting pressure on ungulates in each landscape a conservation priority. Analysis of last-sighting histories can constitute an important conservation tool when robust data are otherwise unavailable, and collection of last-sighting records should be incorporated more widely into field studies and management of other highly threatened, cryptic species