Southern Institute Research Articles

The phenomenon of Peatmass Change and Its Impact on Water Level in The Regenerated Melaleuca Forest Following a Fire Incident in U Minh Thuong National Park, Vietnam

Purpose: The study was conducted in U Minh Thuong National Park to address forest regeneration. Theoretical framework: After a major forest fire in Vietnam, various measures were taken to promote forest regeneration, including afforestation, silvicultural solutions, and hydrological techniques such as rainwater storage to maintain humidity and prevent future fires. Method: Using a drill hand to collect samples at 15 plots to understand forest growth on three thickness levels of a pea. Each site to collect samples is three; each sample was one kg and coded a member of the site as UTM1, UTM2, UTM3, then gets to the Southern Institute of Forestry Science laboratory for analysis. Results and conclusion: There was a relationship between peat chemical indicators and the evolution of the Melaleuca forest. Peat thickness and flooding regime significantly influenced the growth of the Melaleuca forest, while another identified a relationship between peat chemical indicators and forest growth. Peat water's chemical composition changed considerably during the rainy and dry seasons, with nutrient content and pH affecting forest growth. Peat thickness and flooding regime were essential in regulating forest growth. These studies highlight the importance of considering multiple factors, such as peat thickness and chemical properties, when developing effective forest restoration strategies. Implications of the research: By understanding the relationship between peat thickness, chemical properties, and forest growth, forest managers can develop targeted strategies to promote regeneration while minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity. Originality/value: This study explores the relationship between peat thickness, chemical properties, and forest growth in forest regeneration after major fires. It integrates forestry, ecology, and hydrology to provide a holistic understanding of vegetation dynamics and the importance of peatlands in forest regeneration.

Peatmass Change and Water Level Influencing Regenerated Melaleuca Forest after a Fire in U Minh Thuong National Park, Vietnam

Following the largest forest fire in Vietnam in 2002, various activities were undertaken to sustain the mangrove forest on peat soil remnants in the Mekong Delta region. These activities included promoting natural regeneration, afforestation, and rapid forest restoration measures, in addition to other protective measures such as rainwater retention to maintain moisture levels for fire prevention. However, two critical challenges emerged: allowing the forest to naturally regenerate would lead to annual forest fires but maintaining a constant water level through year-round water retention would harm biodiversity. The study was conducted in U Minh Thuong National Park to address forest regeneration. After a major forest fire in Vietnam, various measures were taken to promote forest regeneration, including afforestation, silvicultural solutions, and hydrological techniques such as rainwater storage to maintain humidity and prevent future fires. A hand drill was used to collect samples, and a total of 15 plots were set up to survey the growth of the forest at three peat thickness levels. At each of the three collection sites, samples of one kg were collected and labeled according to the site as UTM1, UTM2, and UTM3. The samples were then sent to the laboratory of the Southern Institute of Forestry Science for analysis. There was a relationship between the chemical indicators of peat and the evolution of the Melaleuca forest. Peat thickness and flooding regime significantly influenced the growth of the Melaleuca forest, while another identified relationship was between peat chemical indicators and forest growth. The chemical composition of peat water changed significantly due to the rainy and dry seasons, with nutrient content and pH affecting forest growth. Peat thickness and flooding regime were essential in regulating forest growth. These studies highlight the importance of considering multiple factors, such as peat thickness and chemical properties, when developing effective forest restoration strategies. By understanding the relationship between peat thickness, chemical properties, and forest growth, forest managers can develop targeted strategies to promote regeneration while minimizing negative impacts on biodiversity.

A Journey Into the Unknown: Reflections From Novice Instructional Designers on Identifying Their Place Within the Southern Institute of Technology

A Journey Into the Unknown: Reflections From Novice Instructional Designers on Identifying Their Place Within the Southern Institute of Technology

Contributions to the biodiversity of Vietnam - Results of VIETBIO inventory work and field training in Cuc Phuong National Park.

VIETBIO [Innovative approaches to biodiversity discovery and characterisation in Vietnam] is a bilateral German-Vietnamese research and capacity building project focusing on the development and transfer of new methods and technology towards an integrated biodiversity discovery and monitoring system for Vietnam. Dedicated field training and testing of innovative methodologies were undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park as part and with support of the project, which led to the new biodiversity data and records made available in this article collection.VIETBIO is a collaboration between the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN), the Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin (BGBM) and the Vietnam National Museum of Nature (VNMN), the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR), the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE), as well as the Institute of Tropical Biology (ITB); all Vietnamese institutions belong to the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).The article collection "VIETBIO" (https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.coll.63) reports original results of recent biodiversity recording and survey work undertaken in Cuc Phuong National Park, northern Vietnam, under the framework of the VIETBIO project. The collection consist of this “main” cover paper – characterising the study area, the general project approaches and activities, while also giving an extensive overview on previous studies from this area – followed by individual papers for higher taxa as studied during the project. The main purpose is to make primary biodiversity records openly available, including several new and interesting findings for this biodiversity-rich conservation area. All individual data papers with their respective primary records are expected to provide useful baselines for further taxonomic, phylogenetic, ecological and conservation-related studies on the respective taxa and, thus, will be maintained as separate datasets, including separate GUIDs also for further updating.

HISTORICAL RETROSPECTION OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH WITH PROBLEMS OF REPRODUCTION IN LIVESTOCK SCIENTISTS OF SCIENTISTS OF THE INSTITUTE OF LIVESTOCK INSTITUTE NAAS (XX CENTURY)

An attempt is made in the historical context to comprehensively assess the contribution of the Institute of Animal Husbandry NAAS in the development of biotechnology, to identify priority developments of scientists of the Department of Biotechnology of Reproduction of Farm Animals as one of the main domestic centers of research on farm animals. Track the evolution of industry basic and applied research as a result of the work of scientists in the scientific field for the needs of livestock practice. During the study period (1932-1999) the institution changed its name several times: Southern Institute of Dairy Science (1930-1934), Ukrainian Research Institute of Cattle (1934-1935), Ukrainian Research Institute of Animal Husbandry (1935-1956) , Research Institute of Animal Husbandry of the Forest-Steppe and Polissya of the Ukrainian SSR (1956–1992), Institute of Animal Husbandry of UAAS (1992–2010), now - Institute of Animal Husbandry of NAAS. The formation of scientific research on the problems of artificial insemination dates back to 1932-1941. In the period of postwar reconstruction (1946-1948), scientific topics are characterized by more in-depth development of topics and experiments. The period of the highest creative activity of scientists in 1949–1990 - the existing and new methods of artificial insemination were improved. With the opening of state breeding stations and artificial insemination stations, the widespread use of this method in the practice of animal husbandry began. IV Smirnov's work was the impetus for the development of methods for freezing and long-term storage of sperm of broodstock. Embryo transplant work has been developed. The embryo has been established to implement the latest advances in farm animal biotechnology and to significantly expand the scope of international scientific contacts. At the beginning of the period of revival of Ukrainian statehood: 1991 - 1999 the issues of animal reproduction theory and further improvement on this basis of technologies for obtaining, cryopreservation and use of gametes and zygotes in artificial insemination and embryo transplantation, as well as development of more efficient biological environments and technical means new technologies.

Software for Electronic Portfolio of Students of the Russian Higher Education

The purpose of the study. For Russian universities, the problem of choosing the form of the electronic portfolio and its software is relevant; ensuring the formation of the electronic portfolio of the student is fixed in the requirements for the electronic information and educational environment of the educational institution by the current federal state standards for higher education in Russia. The purpose of the study is to develop recommendations on the choice of software based on the generalization of the practice of using the author’s capabilities of foreign and domestic software to organize work on the management of the electronic portfolio by students. The study was made as another step in the author’s development of the conceptual apparatus of the electronic portfolio subject field.Materials and methods. The author of the study has been teaching and organizing the educational work of students with an electronic portfolio since 2007: from 2007 to 2019 at the Southern Institute of Management (first as the Head of the Department of Applied Informatics, then as Rector’s Assistant for informatization and electronic training), from 2019 at the North Caucasus branch of the Russian State University of Justice and Kuban State University as a lecturer of Informatics, Psychology and Pedagogy. Only in the 2020-2021 academic years, students of these two universities during the study of the author’s educational disciplines with cloud tools Google and P7 Office conducted about 400 electronic portfolios. The criteria for comparing the software of the electronic portfolio from different developers were elaborated on the basis of the author’s vision of the functionality of the electronic portfolio in Russian universities as a virtual office of students. To determine the forms of the electronic portfolio used by Russian higher education institutions and the software used by them, the author analyzed the documentation on the organization of the institution’s electronic environment posted on the official websites of universities in the country.Results. During the study of components of the structural model of the investigated problem, the author classified and considered portfolio software options and revealed that the most functional form of the electronic portfolio is an electronic portfolio in the form of an Internet site, designed and supported according to the “software as a service” model. The following criteria were added to the list of traditional criteria for comparing electronic portfolio software from different developers by the author: the availability (number) of training tools for performing training tasks with ecosystem tools, into which the portfolio is integrated, and the presence of registration in the Unified Register of Russian programs for electronic computers and databases. The author supplemented the recommendations on the choice of software for the portfolio of universities with the wishes of its developers and customers.Conclusion. A number of Russian universities continue their own development of electronic portfolio systems “from scratch” without taking into account the existing developments in culture. This circumstance, as well as the fact of the dependence of most universities on foreign technology platforms that ensure the maintenance of an electronic portfolio, prompted the author to show the possibility of creating an electronic portfolio system by modifying the P7 Office ecosystem of office applications, in accordance with the existing example of using Google’s online ecosystem tools for electronic portfolio management.

Legal regulation of trade-economic cooperation of Russia and Tajikistan: problems of theory and practice

The article gives an overview of the October 31, 2018 International panel discussion devoted to theoretical and practical problems of trade and economic cooperation legal regulation betweenRussiaandTajikistan. The event was held under the auspices of the Southern Institute of management (Krasnodar,Russia) and the Russian-Tajik (Slavic) University (Dushanbe,Tajikistan). Among the main issues of the discussion were the following: investment policy and protection and promotion of foreign investment; interstate cooperation within the framework of the Shanghai cooperation organization; prerequisites and prospects for the unification of legal norms in the field of obligations and proprietary relations; formation of antitrust rules to protect against unfair competition; development of common approaches to the General provisions and institutions of civil legislation and other topical issues of legal regulation of trade and economic cooperation between Russia and Tajikistan.

Description of Coeliccia bhriulieci sp. nov. (Odonata: Zygoptera: Platycnemididae) from central Vietnam.

Coeliccia bhriulieci sp. nov. (holotype male from Tay Giang district, Quang Nam province, central Vietnam, deposited in the Zoological collection of the Southern Institute of Ecology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) is described based on male specimens. The new species is easily distinguished from other Coeliccia species in the Southeast Asian region by the combination of its blue abdominal tip, black anal appendages and structure of genital ligula with two long flagella extending from lateral corners of apical segment.

Ex vivo Antispasmodic Activity of Aqueous Extract of Flowers of Muntingia calabura Linn. on Excised Rabbit's Jejunum.

Objective:The present study has been undertaken with the main objective of evaluating the aqueous extract of flowers of Muntingia calabura for antispasmodic activity on isolated rabbit's jejunum.Materials and Methods:The study was carried out on isolated rabbit's jejunum preparations. The aqueous extract of flowers of M. calabura was applied in different doses by cumulative manner without washing the tissue. Spontaneous contractions abolished by the extract were recorded.Results:In isolated rabbit's jejunum preparation, the flower extract of M. calabura inhibited the spontaneous contractions in a concentration-dependent manner with IC100 value of 36 ± 3.02 μg/mL, which is potent than the standard drug verapamil with IC100 value of 40 ± 1.02 μg/mL on the rabbit's jejunum.Conclusion:The aqueous extract of flowers of M. calabura exhibits significant dose-dependent relaxations of spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit's jejunum preparations.SUMMARY Flowers of Muntingia calabura L. were collected, authenticated and extracted by water using soxhlet apparatus. Crude extract was qualitatively tested for the presence of phytochemical constituents and it shows the presence of flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, and phenolic compounds. Crude extract was quantitatively tested for its antispasmodic potential. It showed a dose-dependent relaxation of spontaneous contractions in isolated rabbit's jejunum preparations and it was concluded that the aqueous flower extract of Muntingia calabura L. has potent antispasmodic activity. Abbreviations Used: IC100: Maximal inhibitory concentration, IAEC: Institutional animal ethics committee, SIMS: Southern institute of medical sciences, h: Hour, kg: Kilogram, μg: Microgram, mL: Milliliter, mM: Millimol, °C: Degree Celsius.

Rapid Manufacturing of Shaped Die and Draw Punch Tools for Presses

Traditionally forming tools for a press are machined with a CNC-machine. This is quite time consuming - calculating tool tracks, selecting cutting tools, cutting blanks, design fixation and finally machining - especially for a small batch of parts. One alternative method is to cut a die and a draw punch tools from a blank sheet and bunching the plates. Clamping plates together is fast and easy to implement by using for example studs and bars with a certain tolerance to ensure alignment. A laser, a water jet or a plasma cutter can be used for cutting plates. Especially the laser and the water jet cutting are precise methods giving a fine surface quality without a need for fine-tuning. The method saves material compared with machining because a die and a punch could be cut at the same time from a blank sheet as compatible pair as well as the needed amount of plates could be estimated depending of the length of a pressed product. University of Oulu, Oulu Southern institute, Future Manufacturing Technology -group has manufactured several forming tools within this technique and found it extremely suitable for experimenting different solutions and options fast. Furthermore, the method is likely to help especially SMEs in their R&D-phase by lowering production costs in a cost-efficiency way.

The Phu Chanh site: cultural evolution and interaction in the prehistory of southern Vietnam

This paper reports discoveries made at the waterlogged site complex of Phu Chanh, along the Cai River, a tributary of the Dong Nai river system in Tan Uyen District, Binh Duong Province, about 40 km northeast of Ho Chi Minh City (Fig. 1). The discoveries include wooden burial jars, weaving equipment and combs, four Heger I bronze drums and a Han Dynasty bronze mirror. The use of wooden burial jars, in one case with a Heger I drum serving as a cover, has not been reported before from southern Vietnam. The Phu Chanh archaeological site lies in a marshland area located along the Cai River that was formerly inundated all year round, although now provided with drainage ditches to allow market gardening. The discovery zone is a strip of land nearly 3 km long and 50 meters wide, running parallel to the river through Phu Chanh and Vinh Tan Communes (Tan Uyen District, Binh Duong Province) in a northeast to southwest direction (Fig. 2). Many of the finds in this archaeological zone have been made by farmers, who often find the stubs of old house piles just below their fields. In 1995, a farmer found a Heger I drum and the base of a wooden burial jar. In 1998, another farmer found a Heger I drum and the base of a wooden jar which contained wooden weaving equipment, pottery and a Han Dynasty bronze mirror. In 1999, a third bronze drum was found. Because of these findings, a research project was designed by the Binh Duong Provincial Department of Culture and Information and the Institute of Social Sciences in Ho Chi Minh City (now the Southern Institute of Social Sciences SISS). The research team included Bui Chi Hoang, Dao Linh Con, Nguyen Van Long, Bui Xuan Long (from SISS) and Le Van Dan and Van Thi Thuy Trang (from Binh Duong Provincial Museum). The excavations at the locality known as Phu Bung in November 2000 (Fig. 2) and a survey in 2001 yielded the data described here.

Relationship between changes in body weight and waist circumference in Japanese

We investigated the correlation between changes in body weight and body composition parameters. We used the data of 2635 Japanese (40.2±12.2 years) at baseline and at 1-year follow-up from a database of 13522 subjects, which is available at the Okayama Southern Institute of Health in Okayama prefecture, Japan. Body weight, waist circumference at the umbilical level, hip circumference, and body fat percentage were used in the analyses. Body composition parameters were significantly reduced after 1 year. Changes in body weight significantly correlated with changes in waist circumference, changes in hip circumference, and changes in body fat percentage. A decrease in body weight of 3 kg corresponded to a 3.45 cm decrease in waist circumference in men and a 2.83 cm decrease in that in women. A decrease in body weight of 3 kg corresponded to an almost 3 cm decrease in waist circumference at the umbilical level in Japanese men and women.

メタボリックシンドロームとストレスとの関連―岡山県南部健康づくりセンター利用者での検討―

We compared the status of stress with and without metabolic syndrome in Japanese. We used data for 774 men and 1,136 women who had received annual health checkups at Okayama Southern Institute of Health. Status of stress was evaluated using a stress check provided by the Department of Public Health, Nihon University. Metabolic syndrome is defined by new criteria in Japan. Physical stress was significantly higher in men with metabolic syndrome than in men without it. However, the ability of coping with stress in men with metabolic syndrome was significantly higher than that in men without it. Thus a linkage between metabolic syndrome and the status of stress was characteristic in Japanese men.