Utilisation comparée du verveux et du sonar pour l'étude des migrations latérales des poissons dans le delta central du Niger

Dans le Delta Central du Niger, les migrations locales des poissons ont été contrôlées au niveau d'un chenal de jonction entre le fleuve et une mare de la plaine inondée. Une détection des poissons par sonar (échosondage horizontal) a été mise en oeuvre seule et conjointement à un échantillonnage des migrations à l'aide d'un verveux, sur plusieurs cycles de 24 heures en phase de crue et de décrue. La variation de densité et/ou d'activité des poissons enregistrée par le sonar (écho-traces) montre un profil nycthéméral comprenant un pic à l'aube et un autre au crépuscule. La densité nocturne d'écho-traces, relativement stable entre ces deux pics, tend à augmenter en fin de nuit lorsque le verveux barre le chenal, ralentissant ainsi le flux migratoire qui s'accumule devant l'engin. Les pics de l'aube et du crépuscule correspondraient à une augmentation d'activité locale à laquelle s'ajoute une activité migratoire effective révélée par les captures du verveux. Cette interprétation explique que la corrélation positive entre densité d'écho-traces et captures du verveux comprenne certaines "aberrations" résultant entre autres de l'activité non migratrice. L'utilisation conjuguée du sonar et d'un engin de pêche permet une meilleure interprétation des résultats obtenus avec chaque technique en attirant l'attention sur les biais qui peuvent résulter des facteurs éthologiques. (Résumé d'auteur

A Back Propagation Neural Network Model with the Synthetic Minority Over-Sampling Technique for Construction Company Bankruptcy Prediction

Improving model accuracy is one of the most frequently addressed issues in bankruptcy prediction. Several previous studies employed artificial neural networks (ANNs) to improve the accuracy at which construction company bankruptcy can be predicted. However, most of these studies use the sample-matching technique and all of the available company quarters or company years in the dataset, resulting in sample selection biases and between-class imbalances. This study integrates a back propagation neural network (BPNN) with the synthetic minority over-sampling technique (SMOTE) and the use of all of the available company-year samples during the sample period to improve the accuracy at which bankruptcy in construction companies can be predicted. In addition to eliminating sample selection biases during the sample matching and between-class imbalance, these methods also achieve the high accuracy rates. Furthermore, the approach used in this study shows optimal over-sampling times, neurons of the hidden layer, and learning rate, all of which are major parameters in the BPNN and SMOTE-BPNN models. The traditional BPNN model is provided as a benchmark for evaluating the predictive abilities of the SMOTE-BPNN model. The empirical results of this paper show that the SMOTE-BPNN model outperforms the traditional BPNN

Determinants of household’s piped water connection in arsenic contaminated areas of the Red River Delta, Vietnam

Arsenic in drinking water is a severe public health risk in Vietnam especially in the Red River Delta (RRD), northern Vietnam. Located in the RRD, Hanam is the most affected province by arsenic contamination of groundwater. Several programs have been initiated and implemented in Vietnam especially in the rural areas to address the problems of arsenic in drinking water, among those piped water from centralized water plants. However, it is the fact that like many developing countries, in Vietnam efforts have been focused mainly on engineering aspect of technologies, while the nature of water users’ needs is neglected. This study assessed the determinants of piped water connection in arsenic contaminated areas of the RRD based on a field survey of 443 households in Hanam province. We found that, most of the respondents in RRD were aware of arsenic contaminated water but did not have deep knowledge on the issue and long-term health effect of consuming arsenic contaminated water. Connection fee, arsenic awareness index and household expenditure presented the most influential factors affecting the decision of getting connected. We discussed the implication of connection subsidies, awareness raising and collective action policy for providing safe water for the welfare of all society

Decoding the capability of Lactobacillus plantarum W1 isolated from soybean whey in producing an exopolysaccharide

This study aims at producing exopolysaccharides (EPS) from a lactic acid bacterial strain. The soybean whey-isolated Lactobacillus plantarum W1 (EPS-W1), which belongs to genus Lactobacillus, is identified using the phenylalanyl-tRNA sequencing method. Of all the examined strains, R-49778 (as numbered by BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, Belgium) showed the highest capability of producing exopoly-saccharides. Structural characterization revealed a novel exopolysaccharide consisting of repeating units of -> 6)-D-Glcp-(1 ->; -> 3)-D-Manp-(1 ->; -> 3)-6-Glcp-(1 -> and a branch of -> 6)-D-Manp-(1 ->; -> 2)-D-Glcp-(1 ->. This discovery opens up avenues for the production of EPS for food industries, functional foods, and biomedical applications

Novel exopolysaccharide produced from fermented bamboo shoot-isolated Lactobacillus fermentum

This study aimed at providing a route towards the production of a novel exopolysaccharide (EPS) from fermented bamboo shoot-isolated Lactobacillus fermentum. A lactic acid bacteria strain, with high EPS production ability, was isolated from fermented bamboo shoots. This strain, R-49757, was identified in the BCCM/LMG Bacteria Collection, Ghent University, Belgium by the phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase gene sequencing method, and it was named Lb. fermentum MC3. The molecular mass of the EPS measured via gel permeation chromatography was found to be 9.85 × 104 Da. Moreover, the monosaccharide composition in the EPS was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Consequently, the EPS was discovered to be a heteropolysaccharide with the appearance of two main sugars—D-glucose and D-mannose—in the backbone. The results of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analyses prove the repeating unit of this polysaccharide to be [→6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→3)-β-D-Manp-(1→6)-β-D-Glcp-(1→]n, which appears to be a new EPS. The obtained results open up an avenue for the production of novel EPSs for biomedical applications

In silico analysis of hypermethylation of E-cadherin gene promoter in Nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Background: DNA hypermethylation changes in CpG islands of promoter region of E-cadherin (E-cad) gene, one of the tumor suppressor genes, have been described to be involved the formation and progression of human nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which is the most common and highly incident cancer of head and neck cancer in Asian countries, especially in Vietnam. Purpose: In Vietnam, there is still no research about E-cad promoter methylation in NPC, thus, in current report, a systematic literature revision was carried out to summary the current evidences about the frequencies of Ecad gene promoter on NPC for further applied in Vietnamese population. Methods: A systematic literature analysis was conducted based on the comprehensive search of observational studies. Moreover, CpG islands of candidate gene and transcriptional factors were predicted by using many bioinformatics tools, such as Methprimer, TFsearch, etc. Results: Total of 9 previous published studies were identified and accessed for eligibility from the literature research and enrolled into systematic revision. The variants of E-cad hypermethylation frequency ranked from 11.0% to 64.55% were observed. Moreover, the average weight frequencies of methylated and unmethylated E-cad gene promoter were 55.46% and 40.78%, respectively. Moreover, by several bioinformatics tools, we were successful in predicting the CpG islands as well as identifing transcriptional factor binding sites, served as “hot spot” for ideal primer pick up, located in candidate gene promoter. Conclusion: Based on these data, it suggested that the hypermethylation of E-cad gene promoter was a significant characteristic of NPC, in which, it could be further applied in evaluation of E-cad gene promoter status in Vietnamese population

Case Study #10-12 of the Program: ''Food Policy For Developing Countries: The Role Of Government In The Global Food System''

13 pp.©Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. All rights reserved. This case study may be reproduced for educational purposes without express permission but must include acknowledgment to Cornell University. No commercial use is permitted without permission.Vietnam's rapidly increasing seafood exports have made a significant contribution to the country's economic development over the past few years, largely as a result of vastly increased production from aquaculture. Currently, processed aquatic products are one of Vietnam's four major export items in value terms. Success, however, breeds new challenges. Experts note that in recent years food safety standards have become a more prominent issue for global trade in agricultural, aquatic, and food products. Like other livestock production, aquaculture uses antibiotics, vaccines, and other production practices that may have food safety implications that can trigger trade restrictions. Most Vietnamese seafood export enterprises are having difficulties understanding the food hygiene and environmental requirements in the individual importing markets as well as in consumer chains. Given the lack of a comprehensive model for managing antibiotics and other chemicals, trade actions against the Vietnamese seafood export sector have been relatively frequent. The sector now faces strict food safety, sanitary, and environmental standards required by developed countries, especially the European Union, Japan, and the United States. Market access for Vietnamese seafood exports has been affected by the rigorous and ever-changing standards. Compliance with these standards has placed a heavy burden on Vietnamese exporters, which are mainly small and medium-sized enterprises. The cost of compliance has also reduced the competitiveness of Vietnam's seafood industry. To overcome this challenge and in response to stricter market access requirements, the government and private sector in Vietnam have undertaken a number of actions to secure the entry of its exports in overseas markets. Nonetheless, many problems remain in Vietnam's food safety regulatory system. They include the lack of a comprehensive model for managing antibiotics and chemical and biological products; low awareness of the food sanitation issues of different stakeholders; and lack of institutional, technical, and financial resources to ensure the sanitation standards. Both the government and the private sector in Vietnam must act faster and more skillfully to strengthen their capacity. Vietnam will also benefit from meeting these requirements because they will help strengthen state management capacity and competitiveness, improve health, and promote more sustainable use of natural resources. Your assignment is to recommend to the Vietnamese government policies how to deal with the combined food safety and trade issues related to the expansion of aquaculture production for export and domestic consumption.Cornell University Division of Nutritional Science

Responses of a Highly Accelerated Life Test System to Impacts from Different Designs of Hammers

The response of a table to the impact of its driving hammer in the highly accelerated life test (HALT) system depends on, among other things, the location of the hammer, the presence of multiple hammers, and the angle at which the hammer is mounted to the table. The present study investigated the response of a table to a variety of impacts from different combinations of hammers. It began with a theoretical analysis of the forces of impact exerted by hammers which led to the calculation of the corresponding displacement. These theoretical calculations revealed the mechanics of the HALT system to help explain the working principles behind this complex system. Then a simulation model was built to check the accuracy of the theoretical results. Finally, the accelerations of a table in a real HALT system were measured. These data showed good agreement with the experimental results and computer simulation. The responses of HALT systems have not been investigated thoroughly to date. The current study can help equipment designers and end users better understand the working principles of this kind of systems. It can be considered a breakthrough in terms of improving the performance of reliability testing with this kind of system

Utilisation comparée du verveux et du sonar pour l'étude des migrations latérales des poissons dans le delta central du Niger

Dans le Delta Central du Niger, les migrations locales des poissons ont été contrôlées au niveau d'un chenal de jonction entre le fleuve et une mare de la plaine inondée. Une détection des poissons par sonar (échosondage horizontal) a été mise en oeuvre seule et conjointement à un échantillonnage des migrations à l'aide d'un verveux, sur plusieurs cycles de 24 heures en phase de crue et de décrue. La variation de densité et/ou d'activité des poissons enregistrée par le sonar (écho-traces) montre un profil nycthéméral comprenant un pic à l'aube et un autre au crépuscule. La densité nocturne d'écho-traces, relativement stable entre ces deux pics, tend à augmenter en fin de nuit lorsque le verveux barre le chenal, ralentissant ainsi le flux migratoire qui s'accumule devant l'engin. Les pics de l'aube et du crépuscule correspondraient à une augmentation d'activité locale à laquelle s'ajoute une activité migratoire effective révélée par les captures du verveux. Cette interprétation explique que la corrélation positive entre densité d'écho-traces et captures du verveux comprenne certaines "aberrations" résultant entre autres de l'activité non migratrice. L'utilisation conjuguée du sonar et d'un engin de pêche permet une meilleure interprétation des résultats obtenus avec chaque technique en attirant l'attention sur les biais qui peuvent résulter des facteurs éthologiques. (Résumé d'auteur