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Among other fields, climate change has a great influence on metal corrosion that reduces the durability and reliability of steel structures. A time-dependent reliability analysis includes time-dependent climate scenarios and deterioration processes as well as random variables, material properties, and dimensions. The extent of corrosion damage is calculated by tracking the evolution of the corrosion process using Monte Carlo simulations. The current paper presents a time-dependent reliability assessment of a continuous I-shaped steel beam, considering the corrosion effects of climate change in Vietnam. The results showed that the safety probability of a continuous steel beam considering metal corrosion from the pristine to 100 years reduces from 96.77% to 63.08%. These findings can be used to assess and provide a cost-technical analysis of climate adaptation measures.

The effects of surface-active nanoparticles and surfactants on the behavior of oil-water interfaces have implications for a variety of industrial processes related to multiphase flows including separation processes, enhanced oil recovery, and environmental remediation. In this work, the migration of an oil droplet in shear flow is investigated with the presence of surface-active molecules and nanoparticles at the oil-water interface. Pure oil (heptadecane) in water and oil with the presence of Janus nanoparticles (JPs) and/or octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether, a nonionic surfactant, were examined using coarse-grained computations. The shear flow field was created utilizing a Couette flow, where the top wall of a channel moved with a specified velocity and the bottom wall was kept stationary. The dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method was applied. The oil drop was placed on the stationary wall, and its displacement was recorded over time. When surfactants were added at the oil-water interface, the slip of the water over the oil drop was reduced, leading to a larger displacement of the drop. Moreover, surfactant molecules tended to concentrate toward the rear side of the oil drop rather than the front as the drop moved in the flow field. The presence of only JPs on the oil-water interface resulted in slower droplet migration. In the presence of both JPs and surfactants, the effect of JPs on the oil-surfactant-water system was investigated by changing the number of JPs on the drop surface while keeping the concentration of the surfactant constant. Under the same shear rate, the droplet's migration speed increased in the presence of both surfactants and JPs compared to the case of bare oil. The JPs appeared to follow a repeated pattern of motion while residing close to the solid substrate-oil drop contact line. These findings elucidate the contribution of both surfactants and JPs on oil drop displacement for enhanced oil recovery or remediation of an oil-contaminated subsurface.

The article discusses the features of Al–Mg–Sc aluminum alloy radial shear rolling (RSR). The RSR process was modeled by the finite element method in the QForm 3D program with the variable elongation ratio per pass and rolling speed. The results obtained were used as a basis for studying the temperature field of the rod in the deformation zone taking into account the cyclic nature of deformation and the configuration of flow paths. It was found that the temperature field in the deformation zone is determined by significant differences in the metal flow path geometry in surface layers and in the axial zone. When the elongation ratio is varied from 1.6 to 2.4, heating occurs inconsistently from the center to the surface. The highest temperature rise occurs for an area that is located ~0.3R from the surface. For the axial zone, temperature variation in the deformation zone occurs smoothly and with an insignificant temperature difference of 5–10 °C. Highest temperature fluctuations are observed on the rod surface, and this is explained by deformation heating and simultaneous contact with a cold roll during each deformation cycle. As the rolling speed decreases, a picture of the rod temperature field distribution in the deformation zone is observed with the temperature in central layers exceeding the surface temperature. Due to the long time of the rod contact with the roll, the surface temperature fluctuates up to 40–50 °C at each deformation cycle. As the rolling speed rises, the amplitude of temperature fluctuations on the surface decreases, and deformation heating increases. The data obtained on the relationship between control process parameters and rod temperature field variation can be useful in the design of rolling process modes.

This study examined the discretization random field of the elastic modulus by a point method to develop a stochastic finite element method for the stochastic buckling of a non-uniform column. The formulation of stochastic analysis of a non-uniform column was constructed using the perturbation method in conjunction with the finite element method. The spectral representation was used to generate a random field to employ the Monte Carlo simulation for validation with a stochastic finite element approach. The results of the stochastic buckling problem of non-uniform columns with the random field of elastic modulus by comparing the first-order perturbation technique were in good agreement with those obtained from the Monte Carlo simulation. The numerical results showed that the response of the coefficient of variation of critical loads increased when the ratio of the correlation distance of the random field increased.

1. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of dietary soluble non-starch polysaccharide (sNSP) level and xylanase supplementation on productive performance, viscosity and pH along the gastrointestinal tract in laying hens. Excreta moisture content, ileal and caecal microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) composition and apparent total tract nutrient utilisation were measured.2. Hyline Brown laying hens (n = 144) were housed individually at 25 weeks of age and allocated to one of the four wheat-based dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, consisting of two levels of sNSP (High 13.40 g/kg or Low 11.22 g/kg), with or without xylanase (0 or 12,000 BXU/kg). Birds were fed the dietary treatments for 56 d.3. Increasing dietary sNSP increased jejunum viscosity, degradability of total NSP, total tract flow of insoluble arabinose, and succinic acid concentration in the caeca (P 0.05). Feeding high sNSP decreased excreta moisture content, total tract energy retention and free oligosaccharide, total tract flow of soluble and insoluble galactose and insoluble rhamnose and fucose, and ileal acetic and lactic acid concentrations (P 0.05), and tended to reduce egg production (P = 0.058).4. Supplementation with xylanase resulted in reduced jejunum and ileum viscosity, caecal pH, excreta moisture, flow of soluble arabinose and glucose and insoluble arabinose and xylose, caecal concentration of

This research report outlines the Transforming Disability Knowledge, Research, and Activism project (TDKRA) and concludes with a set of recommendations. TDKRA was a collaborative research and activism project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) between 2016-2020. The project aimed to address the gap in knowledge about the situation of women and girls with disabilities in three disadvantaged communities in Vietnam and to build potential for their activism. The main objective of the project was to engage girls and women with disabilities in knowledge production as a form of activism for their inclusion. It also aimed to connect research and activism to build a more transformative approach to inclusion and social justice in the global South.

Interference with protein-protein interfaces represents an attractive as well as challenging option for therapeutic intervention and drug design. The enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase, a target to fight Shigellosis, is only functional as a homodimer. Although we previously produced monomeric variants by site-directed mutagenesis, we only crystallized the functional dimer, simply because upon crystallization the local protein concentration increases and favors formation of the dimer interface, which represents an optimal and highly stable packing of the protein in the solid state. Unfortunately, this prevents access to structural information about the interface geometry in its monomeric state and complicates the development of modulators that can interfere with and prevent dimer formation. Here, we report on a cysteine-containing protein variant in which, under oxidizing conditions, a disulfide linkage is formed. This reinforces a novel packing geometry of the enzyme. In this captured quasi-monomeric state, the monomer units arrange in a completely different way and, thus, expose a loop-helix motif, originally embedded into the old interface, now to the surface. The motif adopts a geometry incompatible with the original dimer formation. Via the soaking of fragments into the crystals, we identified several hits accommodating a cryptic binding site next to the loop-helix motif and modulated its structural features. Our study demonstrates the druggability of the interface by breaking up the homodimeric protein using an introduced disulfide cross-link. By rational concepts, we increased the potency of these fragments to a level where we confirmed their binding by NMR to a nondisulfide-linked TGT variant. The idea of intermediately introducing a disulfide linkage may serve as a general concept of how to transform a homodimer interface into a quasi-monomeric state and give access to essential structural and design information.

We investigated concentrations of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and a wide range of particle-bound organic compounds in daily sampled PM2.5 at the remote Pha Din (PDI) – Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) monitoring station in northwestern Vietnam during an intense 3-week sampling campaign from 23 March to 12 April 2015. The site is known to receive trans-regional air masses during large-scale biomass burning (BB) episodes. BB is a globally widespread phenomenon and BB emission characterization is of high scientific and societal relevance. Emissions composition is influenced by multiple factors (e.g., fuel and thereby vegetation type, fuel moisture, fire temperature, available oxygen). Due to regional variations in these parameters, studies in different world regions are needed. OC composition provides valuable information regarding the health- and climate-relevant properties of PM2.5. Yet, OC composition studies from PDI are missing in the scientific literature to date. Therefore, we quantified 51 organic compounds simultaneously by in situ derivatization thermal desorption gas chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry (IDTD-GC-TOFMS). Anhydrosugars, methoxyphenols, n-alkanes, fatty acids, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrophenols, and OC were used in a hierarchical cluster analysis highlighting distinctive patterns for periods under low, medium, and high BB influence. The highest particle phase concentration of the typical primary organic aerosol (POA) and possible secondary organic aerosol (SOA) constituents, especially nitrophenols, were found on 5 and 6 April. We linked the trace gas mixing ratios of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) to the statistical classification of BB events based on OA composition and found increased CO and O3 levels during medium and high BB influence. Likewise, a backward trajectory analysis indicates different source regions for the identified periods based on the OA clusters, with cleaner air masses arriving from the northeast, i.e., mainland China and the Yellow Sea. The more polluted periods are characterized by trajectories from the southwest, with more continental recirculation of the medium cluster and more westerly advection for the high cluster. These findings highlight that BB activities in northern Southeast Asia significantly enhance the regional organic aerosol loading and also affect the carbonaceous PM2.5 constituents and the trace gases in northwestern Vietnam. The presented analysis adds valuable data on the carbonaceous and chemical composition of PM2.5, in particular of OC, in a region of scarce data availability, and thus offers a reference dataset from Southeast Asian large-scale BB for future studies. Such a reference dataset may be useful for the evaluation of atmospheric transport simulation models, or for comparison with other world regions and BB types, such as Australian bush fires, African savannah fires, or tropical peatland fires.

Aim: The study was conducted to determine the prevalence and characterization of the Pasteurella multocida isolates from suspected pigs in Vietnam. Materials and Methods: A total of 83 P. multocida strains were isolated from lung samples and nasal swabs collected from pigs associated with pneumonia, progressive atrophic rhinitis, or reproductive and respiratory symptoms. Isolates were subjected to multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for capsular typing, detection of virulence-associated genes and antibiotic resistance genes by PCR. The antimicrobial sensitivity profiles of the isolates were tested by disk diffusion method. Results: All the isolates 83/83 (100%) were identified as P. multocida by PCR: serogroup A was obtained from 40/83 (48.19%), serogroup D was detected from 24/83 strains (28.91%), and serogroup B was found in 19/83 (22.35%) isolates. The presence of 14 virulence genes was reported including adhesins group (ptfA – 93.97%, pfhA – 93.97%, and fimA – 90.36%), iron acquisition (exbB – 100%, and exbD – 85.54%), hyaluronidase (pmHAS – 84.33%), and protectins (ompA – 56.62%, ompH 68.67%, and oma87 – 100%). The dermonecrotoxin toxA had low prevalence (19.28%). The antimicrobial susceptibility testing revealed that cephalexin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ofloxacin, pefloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and enrofloxacin were the drugs most likely active against P. multocida while amoxicillin and tetracycline were inactive. The usage of PCR revealed that 63/83 isolates were carrying at least one of the drug resistance genes. Conclusion: Unlike other parts of the word, serotype B was prevalent among Vietnamese porcine P. multocida strains. The high antibiotic resistance detected among these isolates gives us an alert about the current state of imprudent antibiotic usage in controlling the pathogenic bacteria.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Fremdbluttransfusionen sind bei vielen onkologischen Eingriffen durch die Anwendung der maschinellen Autotransfusion (MAT) vermeidbar. Es ist fraglich, ob mit dem Einsatz von Leukozytendepletionsfiltern (LDF) eine ähnliche Sicherheit wie bei der Bestrahlung des autologen Blutprodukts hinsichtlich der Vermeidung von Rezidiven erreicht sowie damit eine einfachere und flächendeckendere Versorgung werden kann. Ziele der vorliegenden Übersichtsarbeit waren die Neubeurteilung der vorausgegangenen Metaanalyse aus dem Jahr 2012 aufgrund der seitdem aktualisierten Datenlage und die Ermittlung der Sicherheit von LDF zur Elimination von Tumorzellen. Material und Methode In dem systematischen Review wurden alle Studienpublikationen integriert, die über die gängigen Online-Bibliotheken zugängig sind sowie die Rezidivrate, Letalität, den Transfusionsbedarf und die Krankenhausverweildauer nach dem Einsatz von MAT ohne Bestrahlung mit oder ohne LDF zum Inhalt haben. Die Evidenz wurde mithilfe der „Grades-of-recommendations“(GRADE)-Methodik beurteilt. Ergebnisse Es fanden sich 7 neue Observationsstudien und insgesamt 7 Metaanalysen aus Teilbereichen der Onkochirurgie. Die Evidenz ist gering. Insgesamt wurden 27 Observations- und Kohortenstudien in eine Metaanalyse eingeschlossen. Bei der Versorgung von Patienten mit unfiltriertem oder leukozytendepletiertem Eigenblut war die Rezidivrate verringert („odds ratio“ [OR] 0,71, 95 %-Konfidenzintervall [95 %-KI] 0,58–0,86) im Vergleich zu nichttransfundierten Patienten sowie mit Fremdblut oder gelagertem Eigenblut versorgten Patienten. Letalität und Krankenhausverweildauer sind gegenüber der Versorgung mit Fremdblut- und der Eigenblutspende unverändert. Die Transfusionsrate ist wegen eines erheblichen Selektionsbias und großer Heterogenität nicht beurteilbar. Zur LDF fanden sich 14 Studien (davon 5 In-vitro-Studien). Die Sicherheit der Leukozytendepletion ist durch die Elimination von Tumorzellen im Bereich von 99,6–99,9 % gegeben. Schlussfolgerung Randomisierte Studien zum Vergleich von MAT und Fremdbluttransfusion als auch von LDF und Bestrahlung sind wünschenswert, aber nicht verfügbar. Im Vergleich zu homolog oder nichttransfundierten Patienten existiert keine Evidenz für eine erhöhte Tumorrezidivrate oder ein schlechteres Outcome der Patienten, bei denen MAT während der Tumorchirurgie ohne Bestrahlung des autologen Blutes eingesetzt wurde. Mit der MAT und der anschließenden Leukozytendepletion ist eine Methode zur Vermeidung von Fremdblut verfügbar, die der Bestrahlung vergleichbar sicher, aber einfacher und deshalb effektiver ist.

A popular approach to select optimal adsorbents is to perform parallel experiments on adsorbents based on an initially decided goal such as specified product purity, efficiency, or binding capacity. To screen optimal adsorbents, we focused on the max adsorption capacity of the candidates at equilibrium in this work because the adsorption capacity of each adsorbent is strongly dependent on certain conditions. A data-driven machine learning tool for predicting the max adsorption capacity (Q

Antimicrobial resistance has silently turned into one of the biggest threats to global health, marking the fall of the Golden age of antibiotics. In the search for antibiotic replacement or enhancement, plant-derived natural compounds have attracted lots of interest. Even though firmly believed, the low-resistance tendency of pathogenic bacteria against plant extracts has been scarcely demonstrated. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activities of diethyl ether extracts from six medicinal plants grown in Viet Nam against Staphylococcus aureus and its variants, which were in vitro adapted to the same extracts. After 30 passages of S. aureus growing under sub-lethal concentrations of plant extracts or antibiotics, the bacteria slowly adapted to the extracts while rapidly resisting the antibiotics. Most of the resulting strains obtained from the adaptation to plant extracts were collaterally sensitive to antibiotics. In contrast, antibiotic-adapted strains showed cross-resistance to both antibiotics and extracts. The findings provided evidence of the low-resistance tendency of S. aureus to antimicrobial plant extracts. It is the first time a collateral antibiotic sensitivity of S. aureus adapted to natural compounds has been observed, suggesting an alternative approach to fight antibiotic resistance.

Xao tam phan (XTP), a Paramignya genus of the Citrus family, is a renowned medicinal plant in Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, and is associated with treating cancer, hepatitis, diabetes, and nose infections. Extraction is a key operation in the preparation of XTP extracts rich in phytochemical compounds. Recently, the application of ultrasound has resulted in a large number of successes in the extraction of medicinal plants for improvement in yield and quality of extracts. Until present, ultrasonic-assisted extraction has not been favored for XTP. In this work, the effect of sonication treatment on collecting the extract of total phenolics and saponin from the XTP root was investigated, then the experimental data were analyzed and optimized by Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The results indicated that the optimal sonication power, temperature, and time were 200 W, 58°C, and 10 min, respectively. Under those conditions, the total phenolic and saponin contents in the XTP extract were maximized and validated to be 20.70 ± 0.77 mg GAE/g dried matter and 326.30 ± 2.03 mg EE/g dried matter, respectively. For comparison, a higher extraction yield of ultrasound-treated samples, in terms of total phenolics (~ 27%) and total saponin (~ 76%), was found as compared to the untreated ones. In conclusion, the results reveal that the application of ultrasound on xao tam phan root significantly enhanced the phytochemical contents during extraction.

The aim of this study was to recover Sc as the main product and Fe as a by-product from Hungarian bauxite residue/red mud (RM) waste material by solvent extraction (SX). Moreover, a new technique was developed for the selective separation of Sc and Fe from real RM leachates. The presence of high Fe content (∼38%) in RM makes it difficult to recover Sc because of the similarity of their physicochemical properties. Pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical methods were applied to remove the Fe prior to SX. Two protocols based on organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) were proposed, and the main extractants were evaluated: bis(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA/P204) and tributyl phosphate (TBP). The results showed that SX using diethyl ether and tri-n-octylamine (N

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were oxidized using a mixture of H

Adsorption in the continuous mode plays a significant role in wastewater treatment. In this study, Mimosa pigra-derived biochar modified with 2 M AlCl

Each year, the global annual production of coconut fibre (CF) is around 350×103 t, while they are utilized for fine art, fertilization, and animal feed. However, there have not seen many engineering applications to utilize these materials. The coir with high cellulose content of over 40 % has potential for high-value engineering applications like fabricating cellulose-based aerogels. Recently, the cellulose aerogel from CF was formed using a sol-gel method in an NaOH/Urea solution, with an anticipated completion time of 7 d due to the time required for gelation and solvent exchange, which might take up to 4 d. This demonstrates that the present approach is subject to several time limitations. To improve this, for the first time, a novel fabrication of aerogels from the CF with chemical pre-treatment in advance has been successfully developed by using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and xanthan gum (XTG) as biodegradable binders. The treated CFs are dispersed homogeneously into a PVA/XTG solution, followed by freeze-drying to remove water, leaving behind a highly porous called CF aerogel. The influences of CF content on CF aerogels' physical and mechanical characteristics, as well as oil adsorption and thermal conductivity, have all been thoroughly investigated. For oil removal, the fabricated CF aerogels are surface-modified with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) to enhance their hydrophobicity. This method required 2 times less time and used fewer chemicals while retaining the same oil adsorption capabilities of up to 20 g/g as previous CF aerogel and demonstrating additional good insulation of 0.040 W/(m·K). Thus, this study provides a new novel approach to synthesize an oil-absorbing and insulating CF aerogel.

Peanuts are nutritious foods, however, following harvest and storage, these nuts are prone to mycotoxin contamination. Gamma irradiation is an effective technique in postharvest pest control to kill insects and inhibit mycotoxin biosynthesis. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of doses of gamma ray on oil properties and mycotoxin profile of raw peanut seeds. Seeds were exposure to gamma radiation at 10 and 25 kGy and stored at ambient temperature for 6 months compared to non-treated seeds before storage. Color, hardness, oil content, total sugar, total protein content, peroxide value (PV), malonaldehyde (MDA) and aflatoxin analysis were assessed. According to this finding, no significant differences of color, hardness, oil content, PV, MDA were found among treatments. Aflatoxin inhibition and total sugars of treated gamma irradiation peanuts at 10 kGy were higher than treated peanuts at 25 kGy.

This study developed a heterogeneous catalyst derived from iron slag (IS) waste containing main constituents of FeO, ZnO and SiO2 for Fenton and ozonation processes to remove an azo dye (Reactive Red 24 (RR24)) from aqueous solutions. It was found that heterogeneous catalytic Fenton and ozonation processes with IS catalyst can effectively remove RR24 and degradation kinetic of RR24 followed pseudo-first order kinetic model. The decolorization and mineralization of RR24 were dependent on the solution pH with a maximum efficiency obtained at pH 11 for heterogeneous catalytic ozonation processes (O3/IS, O3/H2O2/IS) and at pH 3 for heterogeneous catalytic Fenton (H2O2/IS). The combination of ozone with IS had synergistic effect on RR24 decomposition. An increase the IS dosage from 0.5 g/L to 1.5 g/L for H2O2/IS and O3/H2O2/IS and from 0.5 g/L to 1.0 g/L for O3/IS could enhance the decolorization and mineralization of RR24. The decolorization efficiency and mineralization degree of RR24 after degradation evaluated through the COD removal efficiency indicated the following order: O3/H2O2/IS > O3/IS > O3 ≈ O3/H2O2 > H2O2/IS. The K values (apparent first-order rate constant values) of pseudo-first order model followed the same sequence as mineralization efficiency of RR24, in term of COD removal. The iron slag (IS) was characterized by various techniques, these being: scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The main degradation mechanism of RR24 by before mentioned treatment systems due to FeO, ZnO and SiO2 constituents of the IS increased O3 decomposition as well as enhanced reaction rate with H2O2 leading to more hydroxyl radicals (*OH) generation, thus RR24 degradation rate was improved. This study demonstrated that iron slag can be successfully used as the heterogeneous catalyst in Fenton and ozonation processes for effective removal of RR24 from aqueous solutions.

Resume Le syndrome d’apnees obstructives (SAOS) de l’adolescent est beaucoup moins etudie que le SAOS de l’enfant malgre une prevalence elevee. Il peut certes etre residuel d’un SAOS de l’enfant traite par adeno-amygdalectomie mais est le plus souvent une pathologie de novo. Les facteurs physiopathologiques associent des voies aeriennes superieures etroites et facilement collabables, parfois une hypertrophie des amygdales pharyngees, palatines voire linguales et frequemment un surpoids ou une obesite. Le bilan ORL est essentiel, tout comme le bilan orthodontique systematique. Ce dernier peut conduire a un traitement specifique d’anomalies dento-faciales susceptibles d’aggraver le SAOS. Le traitement du SAOS de l’adolescent repose essentiellement sur la chirurgie adeno-amygdalienne, rarement completee par la reduction des amygdales linguales et sur le traitement orthodontique. La pression positive continue est rarement necessaire chez les adolescents indemnes de malformations et est reservee aux adolescents obeses, avec un SAOS severe non ameliore par les autres approches therapeutiques. Le traitement du SAOS de l’adolescent s’inscrit dans une prise en charge globale, pluridisciplinaire, prenant aussi en compte ses desordres frequemment associes tels que l’obesite et les anomalies du rythme veille/sommeil.

Stem rot caused by the soil-borne pathogen Scleoritum rolfsii Sacc. is a destructive disease which seriously causes yield loss of groundnut in Vietnam. In this study, the antagonistic bacterial str...

In this study, activated carbon from corncobs was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal carbonization and hydrochemical activation at low temperatures, followed by pyrolysis. A developed method of hydrochemical activation of hydrochar that uses only small amounts of chemicals is a promising approach. After activation, the activator residues in the hydrothermal product can constantly act as a chemical activator during pyrolysis to form corncob-activated carbon (AHC-KOH), which had specific surface area of 965.028 m

The quest for finding an effective photocatalyst for environmental remediation and treatment strategies is attracting considerable attentions from scientists. In this study, a new hybrid material, Cu

Energy is really important in the human social development. The energy consumption need significantly rises in over the world. Conventional energy comes from fossil fuels or related-fossil material. These methods created a serious environmental pollution and ambient destruction by its gas emissions and harmful pollutants. Renewable energy is produced from renewable energy sources. The sustainable energy shows good characteristics of non-pollutant, non-gas emissions. This paper reviews current methods of energy conversion from renewable energy sources to useful energy. Current methods and technologies have been used to production, integration, and application of sustainable energy.

Abundantly available biomass wastes from agriculture can serve as effective environmental remediation materials. In this study, activated biochar was fabricated from macadamia nutshell (MCN) through carbonization and chemical modification. The resultant biochars were used as adsorbents to remove toxic metal ions such as Cu2+ and Zn2+ from aqueous solutions. The results showed that the activated MCN biochar has a high adsorption capacity for toxic metal ions. When MCN biochar was activated with K2CO3, the adsorption efficiencies for Cu2+ and Zn2+ were 84.02% and 53.42%, respectively. With H3PO4 activation, the Cu2+- and Zn2+-adsorption performances were 95.92% and 67.41%, respectively. H2O2-modified MCN biochar had reasonable Cu2+- and Zn2+-adsorption efficiencies of 79.33% and 64.52%, respectively. The effects of pH, adsorbent concentration and adsorption time on the removal performances of Cu2+ and Zn2+ in aqueous solution were evaluated. The results exhibited that the activated MCN biochar showed quick adsorption ability with an optimal pH of 4 and 4.5 for both Cu2+ and Zn2+, respectively.

This study investigated methyl orange (MO) dye adsorption using three biochars produced from agro-waste and invasive plants; the latter consisted of wattle bark (BA), mimosa (BM), and coffee husks (BC). BC had the lowest specific surface area (2.62 m2/g) compared to BA (393.15 m2/g) and BM (285.53 m2/g). The adsorption efficiency of MO was stable at pH 2–7 (95%–96%), whilst it had reduced stability at pH 7–12. Between 0 and 30 min, MO adsorption efficiency was >82%, and at 120 min, representative adsorption equilibrium had occurred. The maximum adsorption capacity of the biochars was 12.3 mg/g. The underlying adsorption mechanisms of the three biochars were governed by electrostatic adsorption and pore diffusion. There was an abundance of active sites for adsorption in BA and BM, while chemical adsorption appeared to be more vital for BC, as it contained more functional groups on its surface. The highest MO adsorption efficiency occurred with BM. BC was not recommended for MO removal, as it was observed to stain the water when a dose exceeding 5.0 g/L was utilized.

Magnetic modified-corncob biochar with an impregnation ratio of iron at 20% (w/w) was used for removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to investigate the adsorption isotherm, kinetics and mechanism of Cr(VI) onto MCB20. The results indicated that the maximum adsorption capacity achieved was 25.94 mg g−1. The adsorption kinetic data were found to fit best to the pseudo-second order model with a high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.992). The adsorption mechanisms of Cr(VI) onto MCB20 were electrostatic attraction, anion exchange and adsorption coupled-reduction. The adsorption mechanisms occurring between Cr(VI) anions and MCB20 were due to mainly the contribution of Fe3O4 present in the corncob biochar structure after magnetization by FeCl3. Among the aforementioned mechanisms, adsorption coupled-reduction plays a vital role in removal of Cr(VI) by enhancement of the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) through generation of electron-donor groups (hydroxyl groups) on the MCB20 surface. Then, Cr(VI) interacted with the electron-donor groups and Cr(VI) is reduced to Cr(III). Besides, Fe2+ ions in the MCB20 structure were simultaneously oxidized to Fe3+ ions and enhanced the transformation of Cr(VI) into Cr(III). The reduced Cr(III) cations, finally, were adsorbed by MCB20 through substitution of Fe3+ with Cr3+ under acidic conditions, complexation with surface functional groups of MCB20 and formation of Cr(OH)3. This study both developed a new way to produce a low cost adsorbent for removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution and solved waste by waste.

Highlights • Food waste (FW) generation and the need for policy in Vietnam are investigated. • Each residence produced 0.29 kg p−1 d−1, accounting for 31.7 % of total waste. • Approximately 38.8 % of families discharged FW as well as municipal waste. • Prioritization of strategy, strict rules, and recycling to animal feed is highlighted. • FW will be crucial for gaining a noticeable improvement in Vietnam’s waste management., Food waste (FW) is more harmful than previously imagined. A large amount of Vietnam’s FW ends up in landfills, only 20 % of which are sanitary. This causes significant environmental problems such as greenhouse gas emissions, high carbon footprint, leachate, and landfill-related conflicts. The FW from Vietnam’s urban areas is 0.29 kg⸳p−1⸳d−1, accounting for 31.7 % of total waste. 38.81 % of families discharge FW which, along with municipal waste, corresponds to 4,429.21 ton⸳d−1 for the entire country. For FW collection, under transportation and treatment heads, 80,416.95 $⸳d−1 and 74,605.57 $⸳d−1 were spent, respectively. An analysis of Vietnam’s national strategy for the integrated management of solid waste indicates that the amount of attention and concern currently given to FW issues is not adequate to address them. To resolve FW issues, Vietnam needs to be more proactive regarding solutions and efforts, in addition to implementing strict regulations. These include the setting of national goals under the priority of national strategy, strict regulations, stakeholder engagement, FW recycling to animal feed, biorefinery, and awareness-raising campaigns.

Allogeneic blood transfusion is avoidable in many oncological interventions by the use of cell salvage or mechanical autotransfusion (MAT). As irradiation is elaborate and expensive, the safety of leucocyte depletion filters (LDF) for autologous blood from the surgical field might be a more acceptable alternative for the prevention of cancer recurrences. A previous meta-analysis could not identify an increased risk of cancer recurrence. The aim of this review article is to provide an update of a previous meta-analysis from 2012 as well as a safety analysis of cell salvage with LDF due to the improved data situation.This systematic review included all studies in PubMed, Cochrane, Cochrane Reviews and Web of Science on cell salvage or autotransfusion combined with outcomes, e.g. cancer recurrence, mortality, survival, blood transfusion, length of hospital stay (LOS) after the use of MAT without irradiation and with or without LDF. The grades of recommendations (GRADE) assessment of underlying evidence was applied.A total of seven new observational studies and seven meta-analyses were found that compared unfiltered or filtered cell salvage with autologous predeposition, allogeneic transfusion or without any transfusion. No randomized controlled trials have been completed. A total of 27 observational and cohort studies were included in a meta-analysis. The evidence level was low. The risk of cancer recurrence in recipients of autologous salvaged blood with or without LDF was reduced (odds ratio, OR 0.71, 95% confidence interval, CI 0.58-0.86) as compared to non-transfused subjects, allogeneic or predeposited autologous transfusion. The transfusion rate could not be assessed due to the substantial selection bias and large heterogeneity. Cell salvage does not change mortality and LOS. Leucocyte depletion studies reported a removal rate of cancer cells in the range of 99.6-99.9%.Randomized controlled trials on a comparison of MAT and allogeneic blood transfusion as well as LDF and irradiation would be desirable but are not available. From observational trials and more than 6300 subjects and various tumors, cell salvage in cancer surgery with or without LDF appears to be sufficiently safe. The efficacy of leucocyte depletion of autologous salvaged blood is equivalent to irradiation. Unavailability of radiation is not a contraindication for cell salvage use in cancer surgery. By usage of leucocyte depleted salvaged autologous blood, the risks of allogeneic transfusion can be avoided.

Son La is a province in the Northwest region of Vietnam; this province has diverse terrains with elevation ranging from 100 m to 2,900 m. Due to lack of cultivating lands, farmers still cultivate lands with steep slope, even above 25o. Consequently, the soil erosion has occurred hugely and the time for productive cultivation has been shortened. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the actual soil erosion, analyzing causes and proposing solutions to mitigate soil loss in the Son La province. Application of GIS technology and the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) to predict soil erosion showed that the soil eroded at a very low level (0–1 ton·ha−1·year−1) accounted for the largest proportion with 56.49% of the area. Low level (1–5 ton·ha−1·year−1), medium level (5–10 ton·ha−1·year−1), and high level (10–50 ton·ha−1·year−1) eroded areas account for 8.52%, 7.88%, and 1.41%, respectively, of the area. Soil is eroded in very high level (>50 ton·ha−1·year−1), accounting for 25.7% of the study area. Research on solutions to mitigate soil erosion in Mai Son district showed that, for the cultivation of perennial crops (coffee), when planting on following contour lines, the amount of soil lost annually due to erosion is 63.37 ton·ha−1, while the cultivation following level top bench terrace soil loss is 39.55 ton·ha−1. If more grass strips were planted, the amount of soil lost annually due to erosion was reduced by 71% compared to traditional solutions. For this solution, when intercropping soybean, the soil erosion was reduced by 63–76% compared to the traditional methods. For cultivation of annual crops (maize) where the traditional methods of cultivation, namely, burning, ploughing, and seeding, are followed, the average loss of soil annually is 64.06 ton·ha−1. This value was 45.04 ton·ha−1 and 41.96 ton·ha−1, respectively, as the minimum soil tillage measure and no-tillage measure were used. When using the stems of maize after harvesting to cover lands following contour lines and terraces, soil erosion decreased by 38–59% compared to traditional solutions, while intercropping with legumes, soil loss due to erosion decreased 50–68% compared to traditional measures.

The reaction 171Yb(nth,2γ) was studied with the aim of extending the experimental database of intensities of cascades of two photons emitted sequentially after radiative thermal-neutron capture. An analysis of these cascade intensities permitted revealing the change in the structure of observed levels of the 172Yb nucleus versus the excitation energy and determining probable thresholds for the break of four Cooper pairs of neutrons below the neutron binding energy.

The main aim of this work was to compare six machine learning (ML) - based models to predict the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation from selected residential areas of Vietnam. The input data include eight variables that cover the economy, demography, consumption and waste generation characteristics of the study area. The model simulation results showed that the urban population, average monthly consumption expenditure, and total retail sales were the most influential variables for MSW generation. Among the ML models, the random forest (RF), and k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithms show good predictive ability of the training data (80% of the data), with an R2 value > 0.96 and a mean absolute error (MAE) of 121.5–125.0 for the testing data (20% of the data). The developed ML models provided reliable forecasting of the data on MSW generation that will help in the planning, design and implementation of an integrated solid waste management action plan for Vietnam. The limitations of this work may be the heterogeneity of the dataset, such as the lack of data from lower administrative units in the country. In such cases, the predictive ML algorithm can be updated and re-trained in the future when the reliable data is added.

The phenolic compounds from natural plant extracts, which have strong antioxidant properties as inhibitors for browning retardants of fruits, have been extensively investigate in the last few decades. In this study, the polyphenols in Cleistocalyx operculatus (Roxb.), a distinct plant in tropical region, was successfully extracted and determined. The obtained Roxb. extract (CE) as an antioxidant additive was employed in Chitosan/Gum Arabic (CH/GA) edible coating for the fruit preservation. The resultant CE/CH/GA coating revealed the high effectiveness in improving the freshness of banana at ambient storage conditions. The properties of bananas before and after coated by CE/CH/GA were investigated and assessed. The surface structure of banana was examined by using scanning electron microscopy, showed wrinkle and crack structure for uncoated banana and smooth surface for banana coated with CE/CH/GA coating. The freshness of banana treated with CH/GA/CE edible coating could last for 21 days of storage at room conditions. Thus, it is promising for good potential practical application to preserve fruits.

The efficiency of indigenous bacteria to remove colour, TDS and COD pollutants from coffee cherry pulping wastewater (CCPWW) in an acidic pH without any manipulation of the effluent was studied. For the removal of such pollutants, the CCPWW was subjected to treatment with four indigenous microbial test strains isolated from CCPWW and characterised using 16S rRNA molecular technique, namely Enterobacter ludwigii, Bacilllus cereus, Enterobacter aerogenes and Enterobacter cloacae. Among the individual microbial treatments, the Enterobacter cloacae bacterial strain removed higher amount of TDS (37.6%) and COD (40.1%). Treatment with the bacterial consortia removed about 40.9% TDS, 48.7% COD from CCPWW after 48 h. The correlation coefficient ‘r’ between TDS and COD removal for each individual treatment was 1, showed the positive linear relationship. The microbes had endured in the harsh–low pH environment of the effluent and effectively removed the pollutants without any addition of other nutrient support.

Photocatalysis is a promising pathway for organic dye degradation. However, the low harvesting efficiency and poor recyclability has hindered the application of photocatalysts in practical. Herein, a graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was successfully synthesized through re-precipitation self-assembly. The prepared was characterized by spectroscopic, microscopic, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The Fe2O3-TiO2 particles in the graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was well incorporated with the aggregated porphyrin and graphene. The porphyrin aggregates occurred as well-defined nanofibers with nanometer diameters and micrometer lengths. The as-prepared graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite was used to photo-catalytically degrade the pollutant Rhodamine B, showing high activity under simulated irradiation. A plausible mechanism for the photocatalytic performance of the graphene@Fe2O3-TiO2@porphyrin composite toward Rhodamine B was also presented.

The quest for finding an effective photocatalyst for environmental remediation and treatment strategies is attracting considerable attentions from scientists. In this study, a new hybrid material, Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4–TiO2, was designed and fabricated using coprecipitation and sol-gel approaches for degrading organic dyes in wastewater. The prepared hybrid materials were fully characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results revealed that the Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4–TiO2 hybrid material was successfully synthesized with average particle sizes of 40.09 nm for TiO2 and 27.9 nm for Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4. As the calculated bandgap energy of the hybrid material was approximately 2.86 eV, it could harvest photon energy in the visible region. Results indicate that the Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4–TiO2 also had reasonable magnetic properties with a saturation magnetization value of 11.2 emu/g, which is a level of making easy separation from the solution by an external magnet. The resultant Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4–TiO2 hybrid material revealed better photocatalytic performance for rhodamine B dye (consistent removal rate in the 13.96 × 10−3 min−1) compared with free-standing Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4 and TiO2 materials. The recyclability and photocatalytic mechanism of Cu0.5Mg0.5Fe2O4–TiO2 are also well discussed.

This study presents the removal of phosphate from aqueous solution using a new silver nanoparticles-loaded tea activated carbon (AgNPs-TAC) material. In order to reduce costs, the tea activated carbon was produced from tea residue. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of impregnation ratio of AgNPs and TAC, pH solution, contact time, initial phosphate concentration and dose of AgNPs-AC on removing phosphate from aqueous solution. Results show that the best conditions for phosphate adsorption occurred at the impregnation ratio AgNPs/TAC of 3% w/w, pH 3, and contact time lasting 150 min. The maximum adsorption capacity of phosphate on AgNPs-TAC determined by the Langmuir model was 13.62 mg/g at an initial phosphate concentration of 30 mg/L. The adsorption isotherm of phosphate on AgNPs-TAC fits well with both the Langmuir and Sips models. The adsorption kinetics data were also described well by the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models with high correlation coefficients of 0.978 and 0.966, respectively. The adsorption process was controlled by chemisorption through complexes and ligand exchange mechanisms. This study suggests that AgNPs-TAC is a promising, low cost adsorbent for phosphate removal from aqueous solution.