MIM-Reasoner: Learning with Theoretical Guarantees for Multiplex Influence Maximization

Multiplex influence maximization (MIM) asks us to identify a set of seed users such as to maximize the expected number of influenced users in a multiplex network. MIM has been one of central research topics, especially in nowadays social networking landscape where users participate in multiple online social networks (OSNs) and their influences can propagate among several OSNs simultaneously. Although there exist a couple combinatorial algorithms to MIM, learning-based solutions have been desired due to its generalization ability to heterogeneous networks and their diversified propagation characteristics. In this paper, we introduce MIM-Reasoner, coupling reinforcement learning with probabilistic graphical model, which effectively captures the complex propagation process within and between layers of a given multiplex network, thereby tackling the most challenging problem in MIM. We establish a theoretical guarantee for MIM-Reasoner as well as conduct extensive analyses on both synthetic and real-world datasets to validate our MIM-Reasoner's performance

NUTRIENT RECOVERY AND POLLUTANT REMOVAL FROM PIGGERY WASTEWATER BY SPIRULINA CULTIVATION

Spirulina is noticed for great applications on food supplements, animal feeds, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, biofuel, fertilizer, etc. Spirulina cultures in wastewaters could enhance the feasibility of commodities due to its ability to reduce the cost of biomass production and remove pollutants in wastewaters. This study investigates the effects of wastewater pretreatment using various aeration periods (i.e. from 3 to 7 days), the supplement of bicarbonate and N:P ratios on the growth of Spirulina sp. HH to produce protein-rich biomass. The work showed that Spirulina sp. had the ability to effectively remove ammonium, with the highest efficiencies up to 99.9 %. However, the high concentration of ammonium in wastewater, from 125 mg N/L upward, caused a decline in the growth rate of Spirulina. The growth and remediation potential of Spirulina sp. were in the best condition with the N:P ratio of the medium in the range of 19:1-22:1. This study suggested a procedure to cultivate Spirulina sp. in piggery wastewater and remove pollutants efficiently

Impact of a community-based participatory research project with underserved communities at risk for hepatitis C virus in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: an evaluation study

Background: Participatory approaches have become a widely applied research approach. Despite their popularity, there are many challenges associated with the evaluation of participatory projects. Here we describe an evaluation of a community-based participatory research study of underserved communities in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam at risk for hepatitis C virus. The goals of our evaluation were to explore the main benefits and challenges of implementing and participating in a participatory study and to describe study impacts. Methods: We conducted two meetings with leaders and members of the participating groups followed by in-depth interviews with 10 participants. We then held a dissemination meeting with over 70 participants, including the representatives of each group, researchers from non-governmental organizations (community-based, national and international), and govenrment officials from the Vietnam Ministry of Health and the Department of Health of HCMC. Results: Results include four categories where we describe first the participatory impacts, followed by the collaborative impacts. Then we describe the benefits and challenges of creating and belonging to one of the groups, from members’ and leaders’ points of view. Finally, we describe the key suggestions that participants provided for future research. Conclusion: In conclusion, the evaluation approach led to both a research reflection on the ‘success’ of the project and enabled participants themselves to reflect on the outcomes and benefits of the study from their point of view

Mapping for engagement: setting up a community based participatory research project to reach underserved communities at risk for Hepatitis C in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Background: Approximately 1. 07 million people in Vietnam are infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). To address this epidemic, the South East Asian Research Collaborative in Hepatitis (SEARCH) launched a 600-patient cohort study and two clinical trials, both investigating shortened treatment strategies for chronic HCV infection with direct-acting antiviral drugs. We conducted ethnographic research with a subset of trial participants and found that the majority were aware of HCV infection and its implications and were motivated to seek treatment. However, people who inject drugs (PWID), and other groups at risk for HCV were under-represented, although injecting drug use is associated with high rates of HCV. Material and Methods: We designed a community-based participatory research (CBPR) study to engage in dialogues surrounding HCV and other community-prioritized health issues with underserved groups at risk for HCV in Ho Chi Minh City. The project consists of three phases: situation analysis, CBPR implementation, and dissemination. In this paper, we describe the results of the first phase (i.e., the situation analysis) in which we conducted desk research and organized stakeholder mapping meetings with representatives from local non-government and community-based organizations where we used participatory research methods to identify and analyze key stakeholders working with underserved populations. Results: Twenty six institutions or groups working with the key underserved populations were identified. Insights about the challenges and dynamics of underserved communities were also gathered. Two working groups made up of representatives from the NGO and CBO level were formed. Discussion: Using the information provided by local key stakeholders to shape the project has helped us to build solid relationships, give the groups a sense of ownership from the early stages, and made the project more context specific. These steps are not only important preliminary steps for participatory studies but also for other research that takes place within the communities

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

ADAPTAÇÃO CULTURAL E VALIDAÇÃO PSICOMÉTRICA DO QUESTIONÁRIO SELF EFFICIENCY AND PERFORMANCE IN SELF-MANAGEMENT SUPPORT (SEPSS) EM ESTUDANTES DE GRADUAÇÃO EM ENFERMAGEM E MEDICINA DE BANGLADESH

In an aging society, healthcare professionals and students face increasing demands to actively involve patients in the decision-making process regarding their health conditions and lifestyles. Self-management support is considered a best practice that aligns with the patient-centered care paradigm in Bangladesh. However, there is currently no instrument available to assess healthcare professionals’ competencies in this field, particularly during their early education and training period. The aim of this study was to translate the Self Efficiency and Performance in Self-management Support (SEPSS) instrument into Bangla and validate its psychometric properties in a sample of undergraduate healthcare students in Bangladeshi higher education institutions. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and cultural appropriateness of the Bangla version of SEPSS-36 among 486 nursing and medical students. Confirmatory factor analysis was carried out using the chi-square model fit index (CMIN), comparative fit index (CFI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) as fit indices. The internal consistency was estimated by the Cronbach alpha coefficient. The results indicate that the CMIN (2.658) and RMSEA (.058) values suggest that the sample data and hypothetical model are an acceptable fit in the analysis, with satisfactory CFI values (.895). The reliability for all SEPSS dimensions was acceptable. The Bangla version of the SEPSS questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument that can assist healthcare educators and researchers in determining students’ competencies within this domain.Numa sociedade envelhecida, os profissionais de saúde e os estudantes enfrentam exigências cada vez maiores para envolver ativamente os pacientes no processo de tomada de decisão em relação às suas condições de saúde e estilos de vida. O apoio à autogestão é considerado uma prática recomendada que está alinhada com o paradigma de cuidados centrados no paciente em Bangladesh. No entanto, atualmente não existe um instrumento disponível para avaliar as competências dos profissionais de saúde nesse campo, especialmente durante o período inicial de educação e formação. O objetivo deste estudo foi traduzir o instrumento Self Efficiency and Performance in Self-management Support (SEPSS) para o bengali e validar as suas propriedades psicométricas numa amostra de estudantes de saúde de graduação em instituições de ensino superior de Bangladesh. Foi realizado um estudo transversal para avaliar a confiabilidade, validade e adequação cultural da versão em bengali do SEPSS-36 entre 486 estudantes de enfermagem e medicina. A análise fatorial confirmatória foi conduzida utilizando o índice de ajustamento do modelo qui-quadrado (CMIN), o índice de ajustamento comparativo (CFI) e o erro quadrado médio de aproximação (RMSEA) como índices de ajustamento. A consistência interna foi estimada pelo coeficiente alfa de Cronbach. Os resultados indicam que os valores de CMIN (2,658) e RMSEA (0,058) sugerem que os dados da amostra e o modelo hipotético têm um ajustamento aceitável na análise, com valores de CFI satisfatórios (0,895). A confiabilidade de todas as dimensões do SEPSS foi aceitável. A versão em bengali do questionário SEPSS é um instrumento válido e fiável que pode ajudar os educadores e investigadores em saúde a determinar as competências dos estudantes nesta área

Pan-cancer analysis of whole genomes

Cancer is driven by genetic change, and the advent of massively parallel sequencing has enabled systematic documentation of this variation at the whole-genome scale(1-3). Here we report the integrative analysis of 2,658 whole-cancer genomes and their matching normal tissues across 38 tumour types from the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We describe the generation of the PCAWG resource, facilitated by international data sharing using compute clouds. On average, cancer genomes contained 4-5 driver mutations when combining coding and non-coding genomic elements; however, in around 5% of cases no drivers were identified, suggesting that cancer driver discovery is not yet complete. Chromothripsis, in which many clustered structural variants arise in a single catastrophic event, is frequently an early event in tumour evolution; in acral melanoma, for example, these events precede most somatic point mutations and affect several cancer-associated genes simultaneously. Cancers with abnormal telomere maintenance often originate from tissues with low replicative activity and show several mechanisms of preventing telomere attrition to critical levels. Common and rare germline variants affect patterns of somatic mutation, including point mutations, structural variants and somatic retrotransposition. A collection of papers from the PCAWG Consortium describes non-coding mutations that drive cancer beyond those in the TERT promoter(4); identifies new signatures of mutational processes that cause base substitutions, small insertions and deletions and structural variation(5,6); analyses timings and patterns of tumour evolution(7); describes the diverse transcriptional consequences of somatic mutation on splicing, expression levels, fusion genes and promoter activity(8,9); and evaluates a range of more-specialized features of cancer genomes(8,10-18).Peer reviewe

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Spatial analysis of human and livestock anthrax in Dien Bien province, Vietnam (2010-2019) and the significance of anthrax vaccination in livestock.

Anthrax is a serious zoonosis caused by Bacillus anthracis, which primarily affects wild herbivorous animals with spillover into humans. The disease occurs nearly worldwide but is poorly reported in Southeast Asian countries. In Vietnam, anthrax is underreported, and little is known about its temporal and spatial distributions. This paper examines the spatio-temporal distribution and epidemiological characteristics of human and livestock anthrax from Dien Bien province, Vietnam from 2010 to 2019. We also aim to define the role of livestock vaccination in reducing human cases. Historical anthrax data were collected by local human and animal health sectors in the province. Spatial rate smoothing and spatial clustering analysis, using Local Moran's I in GeoDa and space-time scan statistic in SaTScan, were employed to address these objectives. We found temporal and spatial overlap of anthrax incidence in humans and livestock with hotspots of human anthrax in the east. We identified three significant space-time clusters of human anthrax persisting from 2010 to 2014 in the east and southeast, each with high relative risk. Most of the human cases were male (69%), aged 15-59 years (80%), involved in processing, slaughtering, or eating meat of sick or dead livestock (96.9%) but environmental and unknown exposure were reported. Animal reports were limited compared to humans and at coarser spatial scale, but in areas with human case clusters. In years when livestock vaccination was high (>~25%), human incidence was reduced, with the opposite effect when vaccine rates dropped. This indicates livestock vaccination campaigns reduce anthrax burden in both humans and livestock in Vietnam, though livestock surveillance needs immediate improvement. These findings suggest further investigation and measures to strengthen the surveillance of human and animal anthrax for other provinces of Vietnam, as well as in other countries with similar disease context

Spatial analysis of human and livestock anthrax in Dien Bien province, Vietnam (2010–2019) and the significance of anthrax vaccination in livestock

Anthrax is a serious zoonosis caused by Bacillus anthracis, which primarily affects wild herbivorous animals with spillover into humans. The disease occurs nearly worldwide but is poorly reported in Southeast Asian countries. In Vietnam, anthrax is underreported, and little is known about its temporal and spatial distributions. This paper examines the spatio-temporal distribution and epidemiological characteristics of human and livestock anthrax from Dien Bien province, Vietnam from 2010 to 2019. We also aim to define the role of livestock vaccination in reducing human cases. Historical anthrax data were collected by local human and animal health sectors in the province. Spatial rate smoothing and spatial clustering analysis, using Local Moran’s I in GeoDa and space-time scan statistic in SaTScan, were employed to address these objectives. We found temporal and spatial overlap of anthrax incidence in humans and livestock with hotspots of human anthrax in the east. We identified three significant space-time clusters of human anthrax persisting from 2010 to 2014 in the east and southeast, each with high relative risk. Most of the human cases were male (69%), aged 15–59 years (80%), involved in processing, slaughtering, or eating meat of sick or dead livestock (96.9%) but environmental and unknown exposure were reported. Animal reports were limited compared to humans and at coarser spatial scale, but in areas with human case clusters. In years when livestock vaccination was high (>~25%), human incidence was reduced, with the opposite effect when vaccine rates dropped. This indicates livestock vaccination campaigns reduce anthrax burden in both humans and livestock in Vietnam, though livestock surveillance needs immediate improvement. These findings suggest further investigation and measures to strengthen the surveillance of human and animal anthrax for other provinces of Vietnam, as well as in other countries with similar disease context. Author summary Anthrax is a bacterial disease, cause by Bacillus anthracis, that can transmit from herbivorous animals to humans through close contact, eating meat of infected animals, or through environmental contamination. Anthrax can be a severe disease requiring early diagnosis and treatment to avoid fatal outcomes, disability, or financial burden to patients and their families. The disease also affects human well-being when livestock is their livelihood and an important part in agricultural practice. Anthrax is preventable by vaccine but effective strategy for vaccine distribution should be built on the characteristics of the disease in both human communities and the local animal populations. This study provides evidence on the space-time distribution and other characteristics of anthrax applying a One Health approach and geographical information analysis techniques. We show that hotspots of human disease correspond to areas of animal case reporting. We also show human incidence is reduced with livestock vaccination rates are relatively high. The study results are useful for researchers to foster investigation on other aspects of the disease and control efforts. It also provides scientific evidence for advocacy and communication on the importance of anthrax vaccination and strategic planning on vaccine production and distribution in Vietnam and other countries with similar context