The taxonomy, zoogeography and ecology of amphibians and reptiles of Hin Nam No National Protected Area (Laos) in comparison with data from Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park (Vietnam).

In this thesis the mostly unknown herpetofauna in Hin Nam No National Protected Area Laos in the northern Truong Son Range was for the first time intensively investigated, and its diversity was compared to the bordering, and well-investigated Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam. Twelve new vertebrate species were described comprising 11 geckonids (Cyrtodactylus bansocensis, C. calamei, C. hinnamnoensis, C. jaegeri, C. rufford, C. sommerladi, C. soudthichaki, Gekko boehmei, G. bonkowskii, G. sengchanthavongi, G. thakhekensis, Lycodon banksi and one colubrid snake (Lycodon banksi). Seven species were discovered for the first time in Laos including three frogs (Gracixalus quyeti, G. supercornutus, Rhacophorus maximus), two geckos (Cyrtodactylus cryptus, C. pseudoquadrivirgatus) and two snakes (Lycodon futsingensis, L. ruhstrati abditus). The main hypothesis that the Truong Son Range acted as a biogeographic barrier for the distribution of amphibians and reptiles could be confirmed at least for karst adapted gekkonids. Compared to other herpetofaunal groups the number of gekkonids in karst formations was particularly high (seven bent-toed geckos, four true geckos). By comparing the relative amounts of shared species in Hin Nam No and Phong Nha - Ke Bang, it is interesting to note that fewer reptile species (38%) than amphibian species (66%) were shared between both regions. This might indicate that the Truong Son Range acts as a stronger biogeographical barrier for reptiles than for amphibians. Two pairs of karst-adapted cryptic gecko species (i.e. species with distinct genetic differences, but a similar phenotype) occurred on both sides of the Truong Son Range. Only in one case these were sibling species (Crytodactylus sommerladi in Laos versus C. roesleri in Vietnam), but not in the other (C. hinnamnoensis in Laos versus C. phongnhakebangensis in Vietnam). On the Laotian side, nine gecko species (Cyrtodactylus bansocensis, C. calamei, C. darevskii, C. hinnamnoensis, C. khammouanensis, C. multiporus, C. sommerladi, G. boehmei, G. sengchanthavongi) currently have to be regarded as endemic to the Hin Nam No region. On the Vietnamese side, seven species including two bent-toed geckos (Cyrtodactylus phongnhakebangensis and C. roesleri), three skinks (Lygosoma boehmei, Sphenomorphus tetradactylus and Tropidophorus noggei), and two snakes (Hebius andreae and Boiga bourreti) are currently only known from Phong Nha - Ke Bang and adjacent regions. These high numbers of potential endemic species together with the cryptic species complex in Cyrtodactylus provide strong evidence that the karst formations in the northern Truong Son Range represent a hot spot of reptile diversity and of speciation in Crytodactylus in particular. Correct species identification is a fundamental requirement for conservation measures. The discovery of cryptic species complexes poses a challenge for alpha taxonomy and species conservation, because the true distribution ranges of the species are in fact much smaller than previously assumed. Species conservation in this area of Laos is facing a number of further problems. New and potentially endemic species were discovered in highly populated and disturbed areas. Conversion of the Ho Chi Minh Trail into a highway provided easy access for farmers and still continues to accelerate the destruction of remote forest areas. Southern Hin Nam No with its high diversity of endemic species was identified as the first priority area for conservation. Also Ban Soc, an area isolated from Hin Nam No, should be among the conservation priorities because this region houses a so far overlooked population of the critically endangered Siamese crocodile. Efforts to establish a legal conservation status for this habitat are in progress

A new record of Cyrtodactylus soni Le, Nguyen, Le & Ziegler, 2016 (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Hoa Binh province and threat assessment

A new population of the Son’s Bent–toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus soni), an endemic species of Vietnam, is reported for the first time from Hoa Binh province based on three adult male specimens collected in June 2018 in a karst cave of Dong Tam commune, Lac Thuy district. The population of this species in Hoa Binh province is threatened by habitat loss through converting forest to agriculture and quarrying of limestone. Assessment of population status in the study area is urgently needed to provide baseline data for conservation measures.

Affections of Turbine Nozzle Cross-Sectional Area to the Marine Diesel Engine Working

After a long period of use, some important technical parameters of the main marine diesel engines (MDE) gradually become worse, such as the turbine speed, intake pressure, exhaust temperature, engine power, and specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC). This paper studies the affections of the turbine nozzle cross-sectional area (AT) to MDE and presents a method of AT adjustment to improve the performances of MDE. A mathematical model of an engine was built based on the existent engine construction and the theory of the diesel engine working cycle and the simulation was programmed by Matlab/Simulink. This simulation model accuracy was evaluated through the comparison of simulation results and experimental data of the MDE. The accuracy testing results were acceptable (within 5%). The influences of AT on the engine working parameters and the finding optimization point were conducted by using the simulation program to study. The predicted optimization point of the nozzle was used to improve the engine’s performances on board. The integration of the simulation and experiment studies showed its effectiveness in the practical application of the marine diesel engine field

Another new species of Dixonius (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from Gia Lai Province in the Central Highlands, Vietnam

Another new species of Dixonius, D. fulbrighti sp. nov., is described from Gia Lai Province, in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, using an integrated approach based on morphological, categorical (color pattern), and mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (ND2) and its flanking tRNAs data. Phylogenetic analyses recovered Dixonius fulbrighti sp. nov. as closely related to D. gialaiensis from Gia Lai Province and part of a clade that includes D. minhlei, D. siamensis, and D. somchanhae. Multivariate (PCA, DAPC, and MFA) and univariate (ANOVA) analyses of 15 meristic (scale counts), six morphometric (mensural), and five categorical (color pattern and morphology) characters from 44 specimens of all eight species of Dixonius from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia clearly demonstrated that Dixonius fulbrighti sp. nov. is statistically different and diagnostically distinct from all closely related species of Dixonius. This new species discovery highlights the underestimated gecko diversity and the importance of continued fieldwork in the Central Highlands of Vietnam

Two new species of Dixonius from Vietnam and Laos with a discussion of the taxonomy of Dixonius (Squamata, Gekkonidae)

Integrated analyses using maximum likelihood (ML), Bayesian inference (BI), principal component analysis (PCA), discriminate analysis of principal components (DAPC), multiple factor analysis (MFA), and analysis of variance (ANOVA) recovered two new diagnosable species of gekkonid lizards in the genus Dixonius, one from the Central Highlands, Gia Lai Province, Vietnam and another from the Vientiane Province, Laos. Phylogenetic analyses based on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 gene (ND2) and adjacent tRNAs showed that Dixonius gialaiensis sp. nov. is the sister species of D. minhlei from Dong Nai Province, Vietnam and is nested within a clade that also includes the sister species D. siamensis and D. somchanhae. Dixonius muangfuangensis sp. nov. is the sister species to D. lao from Khammouane Province, Laos and is embedded in a clade with D. vietnamensis, D. taoi, and undescribed species from Thailand. Multivariate (PCA, DAPC, and MFA) and univariate (ANOVA) analyses using combinations of 15 meristic (scale counts), six morphometric (measurements), and five categorical (color pattern and morphology) characters from 44 specimens encompassing all eight species of Dixonius from Vietnam and Laos clearly illustrate Dixonius gialaiensis sp. nov. and Dixonius muangfuangensis sp. nov. are statistically different and discretely diagnosable from all closely related species of Dixonius. These integrative analyses also highlight additional taxonomic issues that remain unresolved within Dixonius and the need for additional studies. The discovery of these new species further emphasizes the underappreciated herpetological diversity of the genus Dixonius and illustrates the continued need for field work in these regions

An Evaluation of Programmatic Community-Based Chest X-ray Screening for Tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Across Asia, a large proportion of people with tuberculosis (TB) do not report symptoms, have mild symptoms or only experience symptoms for a short duration. These individuals may not seek care at health facilities or may be missed by symptom screening, resulting in sustained TB transmission in the community. We evaluated the yields of TB from 114 days of community-based, mobile chest X-ray (CXR) screening. The yields at each step of the TB screening cascade were tabulated and we compared cohorts of participants who reported having a prolonged cough and those reporting no cough or one of short duration. We estimated the marginal yields of TB using different diagnostic algorithms and calculated the relative diagnostic costs and cost per case for each algorithm. A total of 34,529 participants were screened by CXR, detecting 256 people with Xpert-positive TB. Only 50% of those diagnosed with TB were detected among participants reporting a prolonged cough. The study's screening algorithm detected almost 4 times as much TB as the National TB Program's standard diagnostic algorithm. Community-based, mobile chest X-ray screening can be a high yielding strategy which is able to identify people with TB who would likely otherwise have been missed by existing health services

Socializing One Health: an innovative strategy to investigate social and behavioral risks of emerging viral threats

In an effort to strengthen global capacity to prevent, detect, and control infectious diseases in animals and people, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Emerging Pandemic Threats (EPT) PREDICT project funded development of regional, national, and local One Health capacities for early disease detection, rapid response, disease control, and risk reduction. From the outset, the EPT approach was inclusive of social science research methods designed to understand the contexts and behaviors of communities living and working at human-animal-environment interfaces considered high-risk for virus emergence. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches, PREDICT behavioral research aimed to identify and assess a range of socio-cultural behaviors that could be influential in zoonotic disease emergence, amplification, and transmission. This broad approach to behavioral risk characterization enabled us to identify and characterize human activities that could be linked to the transmission dynamics of new and emerging viruses. This paper provides a discussion of implementation of a social science approach within a zoonotic surveillance framework. We conducted in-depth ethnographic interviews and focus groups to better understand the individual- and community-level knowledge, attitudes, and practices that potentially put participants at risk for zoonotic disease transmission from the animals they live and work with, across 6 interface domains. When we asked highly-exposed individuals (ie. bushmeat hunters, wildlife or guano farmers) about the risk they perceived in their occupational activities, most did not perceive it to be risky, whether because it was normalized by years (or generations) of doing such an activity, or due to lack of information about potential risks. Integrating the social sciences allows investigations of the specific human activities that are hypothesized to drive disease emergence, amplification, and transmission, in order to better substantiate behavioral disease drivers, along with the social dimensions of infection and transmission dynamics. Understanding these dynamics is critical to achieving health security--the protection from threats to health-- which requires investments in both collective and individual health security. Involving behavioral sciences into zoonotic disease surveillance allowed us to push toward fuller community integration and engagement and toward dialogue and implementation of recommendations for disease prevention and improved health security

FIGURE 4. A in A new Cyrtodactylus (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Huong Son limestone forest, Hanoi, northern Vietnam

FIGURE 4. A: Cloacal region of the preserved holotype of Cyrtodactylus huongsonensis sp. nov. (IEBR A.2011.3); precloacal and femoral pores were marked with black. B: Dorsal view of preserved male holotype (top) and female paratype (ZFMK 92293, bottom) of Cyrtodactylus huongsonensis sp. nov. Photos T. Ziegler