POPULATION GENETIC DIVERSITY OF CAMELLIA DILINHENSIS ON THE DI LINH PLATEAU OF VIETNAM REVEALED BY ISSR AND SCOT MARKERS

Genetic diversity of naturally distributed Camellia dilinhensis populations on the Di Linh plateau of Vietnam was assessed by the inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) and start codon targeted (SCoT) techniques separately and then by combining data from both techniques for satisfactory results. The genetic diversity parameters and genetic distances among individuals found with the ISSR technique (HeI = 0.1420, II = 0.2092, PPBI = 35.22%, GSCsI = 0.765–0.988, and AGSCI = 0.915) are lower than those found with the SCoT technique (HeS = 0.2100, IS = 0.381, PPBS = 52.27%, GSCsS = 0.644–0.985, and AGSCS = 0.866). Based on the combined data from both techniques, the level of genetic diversity of the investigated population is PPB = 43.77%, He = 0.1720, I = 0.2582, and the genetic similarities among individuals are GSCs = 0.764–0.973 with an average of AGSC = 0.894. The SCoT technique differentiated between individuals better and reflected a higher level of genetic diversity in the population than the ISSR technique, but the ISSR technique revealed more loci in Camellia dilinhensis plants than did the SCoT technique

Building a Model of Organizational Activities Experience in Natural Sciences under Stem Education Orientation

STEM educational-oriented Natural Science experience activities are learner-oriented activities Taking learners as the center in all natural science research activities applying engineering technology and mathematics STEM in solving practical problems Based on theoretical research on experiential activities STEM education and the characteristics of Natural Sciences the article studies the educational forces inside and outside the school From there it is proposed to build a model of organizational structure for experiential activities in Natural Sciences oriented toward STEM education The results of this research are meaningful in helping principals see the importance and significance of coordinating educational forces inside and outside the school in organizing experiential activities in Natural Sciences according to orientation STEM education for student

Agroforestry with contour planting of grass contributes to terrace formation and conservation of soil and nutrients on sloping land

In hilly areas, agroforestry can be a more sustainable way of producing food and other products and services than agriculture based on sole-cropping. However, research is needed to evaluate and quantify formation of natural terraces in agroforestry and their contribution to soil conservation. This study quantified natural terrace formation and examined its role in reducing soil and nutrient losses during early stages of agroforestry with fruit trees, contour grass strips and maize or coffee in agroforestry systems on sloping land in northwest Vietnam. Two agroforestry systems, comprising longan (Dimocarpus longan L.)-mango (Mangifera indica L.)-maize (Zea mays L.)-guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) (fruit-maize-AF) and son tra (Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne.)-coffee (Coffea arabica L.)-guinea grass (fruit-coffee-AF) were compared with sole-cropped maize (sole-maize) and sole-cropped coffee (sole-coffee), respectively. Terrace formation was evaluated over five years using erosion pins placed above grass strips and the volume of terrace formed was estimated. Soil and nutrient losses were quantified using soil traps. The results showed that terraces formed as the systems developed, through gradual deposition of soil sediment above the living grass strips and trees. Accumulated soil sedimentation above the grass strips during the five-year study period raised the soil surface by 4.0 cm in fruit-maize-AF and 4.2 cm in fruit-coffee-AF, and the volume of terraces generated by the grass strips was 0.26 and 0.43 m3/m respectively. The fruit-maize-AF and fruit-coffee-AF systems significantly reduced losses of soil, soil organic carbon (SOC) and associated nutrients (N, P, K) compared with sole-maize and sole-coffee already in the first two years, while the reductions were greater from year 3 onwards. On average across experiments and years, the agroforestry systems reduced soil, SOC, N, P and K losses by 27–76%, 21–78%, 20–82%, 24–82% and 22–84%, respectively. These findings show that agroforestry with fruit trees, grass strips and crops could be a useful management practice and viable option for sustainable agricultural systems on sloping land, by reducing soil (and carbon and nutrient) losses through terrace formation

Primary Evaluation on Growth Performances of Stress Negative Piétrain Pigs Raised in Hai Phong Province of Vietnam

peer reviewedThe present study was carried out on 19 stress negative Piétrain pigs (Pietrain ReHal), consisting of 13 gilts and 6 young boars imported from Belgium, raised in the livestock farm of Dong Hiep (Hai Phong) in order to evaluate growth performances and their adaptability in the North of Vietnam. Results showed that the average body weight of the whole herd at 2, 4, 5.5, and 8.5 months old was 19.05, 51.05, 85.82, and 119.47 kg, respectively. During the growing periods, except the first stage, the male grew faster than the female and the pigs of the CT genotype grew faster than those of CC genotype although the difference was not significant (P>0.05). The average daily gain (ADG) was 528.56 grams for the whole herd. The ADG was higher for the male (546.48 grams) than for the female (520.29 grams), and its was higher for the CT than the CC, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was 2.69 kg. The estimated lean percentage at 8.5 months old was 64.08%. The results indicate that Piétrain stress negative pigs could develop well on the farm conditions in Hai Phong, Vietnam

Autologous Transplantation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells to Treat Acute Spinal Cord Injury: Evaluation of Clinical Signs, Mental Signs, and Quality of Life

BACKGROUD: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage that can cause a temporary or permanent change in spinal cord functions AIM: This work evaluates clinical signs, mental signs, and quality of life (QoL) after autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) transplantation to treat acute spinal cord injury (SCI). MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, 47 SCI patients were recruited and divided into two groups: intervention and control. ADSCs were isolated and cultured under the cell culture quality control procedure. All patients in both groups underwent neurosurgery with or without ADSC transplantation. The recovery regarding neurological muscle, QoL, neurogenic bladder, and mental improvement was assessed after transplantation. RESULTS: All patients had improved in terms of motor function, bladder function, and daily living. No patients reported any side effect. MRI imaging showed significant changes in the lesion length of the spinal canal and the thickening of the spinal cord. Mental improvement was highest at six months after transplantation and lowest at one month after transplantation. The proportion of patients whose quality of life improved after treatment was 100%, while 80% of patients were satisfied with treatment outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, our data suggested that ADSCs transplantation was safe and effective for the treatment of SCI patients. Neurological muscle and neurogenic bladder were improved significantly after transplantation

Using Solvent Vapor Annealing for the Enhancement of the Stability and Efficiency of Monolithic Hole-conductor-free Perovskite Solar Cells

In the last few years, perovskite solar cells have attracted enormous interest in the photovoltaic community due to their low cost of materials, tunable band gap, excellent photovoltaic properties and easy process ability at low temperature. In this work, we fabricated hole-conductor-free carbon-based perovskite solar cells with the monolithic structure: glass/FTO/bl-TiO$_{2}$/(mp-TiO$_{2}$/mp-ZrO$_{2}$/mp-carbon) perovskite. The mixed 2D/3D perovskite precursor solution composed of PbI$_{2}$, methylammonium iodide (MAI), and 5-ammoniumvaleric acid iodide (5-AVAI) was drop-casted through triple mesoporous TiO$_{2}$/ZrO$_{2}$/carbon electrode films. We found that the isopropyl alcohol (IPA) solvent vapor annealing strongly influenced on the growth of mixed 2D/3D perovskite on triple mesoscopic layers. It resulted in the better pore filling, better crystalline quality of perovskite layer, thus the improved stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cell was attributed to lower defect concentration and reduced recombination

Knowledge of Antiretroviral Treatment and Associated Factors in HIV-Infected Patients

This study aimed to assess the knowledge of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and the associated factors in HIV-infected patients in Vietnam. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study of 350 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients being treated with ARV at outpatient clinics at Soc Trang, Vietnam, from June 2019 to December 2019. Using an interview questionnaire, patients who answered at least eight out of nine questions correctly, including some required questions, were considered to have a general knowledge of ARV treatment. Using multivariate logistic regression to identify factors associated with knowledge of ARV treatment, we found that 62% of HIV-infected patients had a general knowledge of ARV treatment, with a mean score of 8.2 (SD 1.4) out of 9 correct. A higher education level (p < 0.001); working away from home (p = 0.013); getting HIV transmitted by injecting drugs or from mother-to-child contact (p = 0.023); the presence of tension, anxiety, or stress (p = 0.005); self-reminding to take medication (p = 0.024); and a high self-evaluated adherence (p < 0.001) were found to be significantly associated with an adequate knowledge of ARV treatment. In conclusion, education programs for patients, as well as the quality of medical services and support, should be strengthened

Natural and recombinant equine chorionic gonadotropins past and future in animal reproductive technology

Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin (eCG) previously named Pregnant Mare Serum Gonadotropin (PMSG) has been widely used since the 40s in animal reproduction control. It is extracted from the blood of pregnant mares between days 40 and 120 of gestation. Animal welfare organizations have voiced concerns against mares bleeding conditions. There is currently no effective substitute for the natural PMSG. In this review, we summarize the basic knowledge of the structure and biology of eCG, and the research on recombinant eCG production in the past five years