A Study on Environmental Costs in Coal Mining Production in Vietnam

This study is conducted to identify and present environmental costs of mining production in the context of sustainable development (SD) and a lifecycle of coal mining firms. This aim is accompanied by two research questions as (i) What are the environmental costs of mining production in theory and practice in a lifecycle of coal mining firms?; and (ii) What are the key determinants of environmental costs of coal mining production in a lifecycle of coal mining firms? In order to achieve this aim, the process of coal mining production is described from the long-term perspective including projecting, building, operating and liquidation stage of a coal mine. On the basis of process analysis the identification of environmental costs is conducted in a model approach. Environmental costs of mining production are analyzed using international case studies and theoretical and practical assumptions regarding environmental costs management in mining production are formulated. The results show that the environmental costs of mining production are varied in the lifecycle of a coal mine and that they also depend on the geographical location of mining firms. Environmental costs of mining production have to be predicted in a long-term perspective including also post-liquidation costs together with taking into account the sources of their covering and models of financing. Keywords: Coal mining production, mine, lifecycle of a mine, environmental costs. DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-18-09 Publication date:September 30th 202

Arsenate reductase gene from Pityrogramma calomelanos L. enhances tolerance to arsenic in tobacco

Arsenic (As) contamination in soil, water and air is an alarming issue worldwide and has serious effects on human health and environment. Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in rocks, soil, and water, and exposure to high levels of arsenic can lead to a range of health problems. The effects of arsenic contamination can also be felt in the environment, as it can harm plants and animals and disrupt ecological systems. The major purpose of this study was to produce transgenic plants with improved tolerance to and accumulation of arsenic via transformation of arsenate reductase gene (ArsC) into tobacco genome. Transgenic plants were screen by PCR and southern blot. Further, their tolerance and accumulation to arsenic were evaluated. In the result, we have cloned, characterized, and transformed the ArsC gene from Pityrogramma calomelanos L. (PcArsC). Its phylogenetic analysis revealed 99% homology to ArsC gene in GenBank (accession number X80057.1). Moreover, Southern blot analysis showed that ArsC gene was integrated into the tobacco genome as a single-copy. These single-copy transgenic lines showed much higher tolerance to and accumulation of As than wild type, with no other phenotypes observed. These results demonstrated that Pityrogramma calomelanos ArsC gene can improve arsenic tolerance and accumulation in transgenic tobacco lines. Thus, using Pityrogramma calomelanos L. ArsC gene for genetic engineering has potential implications in the decontamination of arsenic-containing soil

The linkage of SSR markers with bacterial wilt disease resistance in peanut

Bacterial wilt, caused by Ralstonia solanacerum Smith is one of the major diseases causing significant yield loss in peanut all over the world. Selection and evaluation of bacterial wilt resistant cultivars by traditional method are retrained because the effective transfer of disease resistant genes to hybrid line by traditional method is difficult and time consuming. Therefore, the application of molecular maker for selection and evaluation of bacterial wilt resistant cultivars in peanut is the most feasible method for controlling the disease. In this study, we presented the results on the use of 63 peanut cultivars and 60 SSR primers to indentify the linkage between molecular markers and bacterial wilt resistance. There were 31 bacterial wilt resistant cultivars in 63 peanut cultivars (49.21%). Twenty six primer pairs gave polymorphism with a total of 90 alleles. The number of alleles ranged from 2 to 6 alleles with an average of 3.46 locus/allele. The ratio of rare allele was 26.92% (seven rare alleles occurred at PM137, PM3, pPGSseq14A7, RN2F12, pPGSseq3F5, 7G2 and 16C6. The means of polymorphism information content were from 0.2955 (PM606 primer) to 0.7469 (TC1A02 primer) with an average of 0.5560. Three SSR markers, namely pPGPSeq3F05, GA161 and 7G2 were indentified to be linked to bacterial wilt resistance after association analysis by single marker analysis method. These markers could be useful for selection and evaluation of bacterial wilt resistance in peanut.

Opportunities for farmers: 'Safe' vegetables for Hanoi

Vietnamese boeren gebruiken voor de intensieve groententeelt veel verschillende pesticiden, waaronder zeer gevaarlijke. Nieuwe, winstgevende markten zijn een stimulans om over te gaan op meer duurzame productie. Het huidige marketing systeem maakt het moeilijk een 100 procent waterdichte "veilige" groentenafzetketen te ontwikkelen. De nieuwe marketingkanalen van "veilige" groentencoöperaties naar kantines, restaurants, winkels en supermarkten lijken goede kansen te biede

Characterization and Optimization of Culture Conditions for Aurantiochytrium sp. SC145 Isolated from Sand Cay (Son Ca) Island, Vietnam, and Antioxidative and Neuroprotective Activities of Its Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Mixture

Aurantiochytrium is a heterotrophic marine microalga that has potential industrial applications. The main objectives of this study were to isolate an Aurantiochytrium strain from Sand Cay (Son Ca) Island, Vietnam, optimize its culture conditions, determine its nutritional composition, extract polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the free (FFA) and the alkyl ester (FAAE) forms, and evaluate the antioxidation and neuroprotection properties of the PUFAs. Aurantiochytrium sp. SC145 can be grown stably under laboratory conditions. Its culture conditions were optimized for a dry cell weight (DCW) of 31.18 g/L, with total lipids comprising 25.29%, proteins 7.93%, carbohydrates 15.21%, and carotenoid at 143.67 µg/L of DCW. The FAAEs and FFAs extracted from Aurantiochytrium sp. SC145 were rich in omega 3–6–9 fatty acids (40.73% and 44.00% of total fatty acids, respectively). No acute or subchronic oral toxicity was determined in mice fed with the PUFAs in FFA or FAAE forms at different doses over 90 days. Furthermore, the PUFAs in the FFA or FAAE forms and their main constituents of EPA, DHA, and ALA showed antioxidant and AChE inhibitory properties and neuroprotective activities against damage caused by H2O2- and amyloid-ß protein fragment 25–35 (Aβ25-35)-induced C6 cells. These data suggest that PUFAs extracted from Aurantiochytrium sp. SC145 may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

Hierarchical Thiospinel NiCo2S4/Polyaniline Hybrid Nanostructures as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Highly Efficient and Durable Overall Water Splitting

The development of a nonprecious, stable, and highly effective electrocatalyst for decomposition of water into oxygen and hydrogen is vitally important for sustainable energy conversion, but it still remains challenging to replace the noble metal electrocatalysts with more economically viable alternatives. Herein, a polyaniline (PANI) decorated hierarchical nickel cobalt thiospinel (NiCo2S4) hybrid catalyst (NCS-P) has been developed that shows enhanced dual catalytic activity for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) compared to pristine NiCo2S4 (NCS). Benefiting from the conductive PANI coating, the hierarchical NCS-P nanostructure exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity in alkaline solution with low overpotentials of 273 +/- 3 and 77 +/- 4 mV at 10 mA cm(-2) and low Tafel slopes of 42.2 and 68.5 mV dec(-1) for OER and HER, respectively, which are better than those of the benchmark noble-metal-based RuO2 and Pt/C.N

Hierarchical Thiospinel NiCo2S4/Polyaniline Hybrid Nanostructures as a Bifunctional Electrocatalyst for Highly Efficient and Durable Overall Water Splitting

The development of a nonprecious, stable, and highly effective electrocatalyst for decomposition of water into oxygen and hydrogen is vitally important for sustainable energy conversion, but it still remains challenging to replace the noble metal electrocatalysts with more economically viable alternatives. Herein, a polyaniline (PANI) decorated hierarchical nickel cobalt thiospinel (NiCo2S4) hybrid catalyst (NCS-P) has been developed that shows enhanced dual catalytic activity for both the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) compared to pristine NiCo2S4 (NCS). Benefiting from the conductive PANI coating, the hierarchical NCS-P nanostructure exhibits outstanding electrocatalytic activity in alkaline solution with low overpotentials of 273 ± 3 and 77 ± 4 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and low Tafel slopes of 42.2 and 68.5 mV dec−1 for OER and HER, respectively, which are better than those of the benchmark noble-metal-based RuO2 and Pt/C

Etude de faisabilité d'un projet de développement de la culture du café Arabica

L'objectif de ce projet est de définir et de mettre en place, principalement dans le nord du pays, pendant une phase initiale de 5 ans, un programme de développement de l'arabicaculture dont le produit procurera aux planteurs et à l'état des revenus rémunérateurs. L'étude s'est déroulée au Viet Nam du 9/8 au 7/9/96. Elle a permis de situer l'importance du secteur agricole dans le contexte national, d'établir un bilan - diagnostic de la caféiculture robusta et Arabica, de définir les opérateurs et services d'appui à la production ainsi que les perspectives d'évolution du secteur caféier. Dans ce rapport sont détaillés les actions envisagées et les modalités d'exécution, les coûts et plan de financement ainsi que la justification économique et financière au niveau des planteurs, des unités de transformation et de l'économie national