Using Fine-Grained Sediment and Wave Attenuation as a New Measure for Evaluating the Efficacy of Offshore Breakwaters in Stabilizing an Eroded Muddy Coast: Insights from Ca Mau, the Mekong Delta of Vietnam

Offshore breakwaters can be effective in reducing the energy of incident waves through dissipation, refraction or reflection. Breakwaters are increasingly constructed to stabilize eroded muddy coasts, particularly in developing countries. Accumulation of fine-grained sediment and wave attenuation are two attributes of a stable muddy coast. Effective interventions in stabilizing eroded muddy coasts include two important elements: accumulation of fine-grained sediment and wave reduction. The efficacy of offshore breakwaters in stabilizing eroded muddy coasts is, however, not yet adequately understood. A crucial question needing attention is whether accumulation of fine-grained sediment and wave attenuation should be used in evaluating the efficacy of these offshore breakwaters in stabilizing eroded muddy coasts. To address this issue, a pile-rock offshore breakwater in Huong Mai, Tieu Dua of Ca Mau, Vietnam was selected as an appropriate example in this regard. Accumulation of fine-grained sediment and wave attenuation were tested as means to investigate the efficacy of the Huong Mai structure in stabilizing the eroded muddy coast. The study was undertaken using field-based measurements and semi-structured interviews in three stages between October 2016 and December 2020. We found that this structure has had limited efficacy in stabilizing the eroded muddy coast. The structure was effective in dissipating the energy of incident waves, but we found no evidence of fine-grained sediment accumulation due to an inappropriate structural design. There was also no monitoring system in place, leading to difficulties in evaluating its efficacy in terms of wave attenuation and accumulation of fine-grained sediment. The gaps between the shoreline and the structure have not been adequately explained, resulting in substantial challenges in replicating the structure elsewhere. The Huong Mai structure should be strengthened using supplementary measures and granulometric tests in order to improve the efficacy in stabilizing eroded muddy coasts. The methods in this study provide new insights in this regard

How to produce a diagnostic opinion at a distance? New forms of tele-expertise use in France and their transformational effects on healthcare practices in dermatology

How to produce a diagnostic opinion at a distance, without seeing and examining patients? This is the challenge of tele-expertise (TLX), defined first in legal terms, as one of the five telemedicine acts in France. It consists of a particular form of healthcare practice in which a physician, known as the “requester”, solicits remotely the opinion of another practitioner, a specialist known as the “requested”, by sharing with him/her clinical information and photographs that he/she produces for this purpose, based on the medical examination of the patient. This practice is certainly not new; it is inherent to any medical activity where it develops outside of any legislative and regulatory framework, between practitioners who already know each other more or less well. So the novelty of the recent forms of TLX as a legally recognized medical act in its own right, relies mainly on the development of secure file exchange platforms within territorialized care networks, the systematization of these practices beyond the networks of acquaintances and their coverage by the health insurance. The purpose of this article is to describe the various usages of this new form of TLX, as well as to understand how they contribute to the in-depth transformation of care practices and organizations. It suggests doing so in the specific case of dermatology, through a qualitative study based on semi-directive interviews approximately with fifty French dermatologists, mainly requested experts, practicing TLX both in the context of private practice and in a hospital setting. The results of this empirical study are presented in three parts. First, we will consider the specificity of dermatological practice and describe the particular ways in which TLX is being implemented in this field, as a new framework. Then, we will report on the multiples efforts and skills needed to produce a diagnostic opinion remotely. We will lastly present various uses that dermatologists develop of TLX in different socio-organizational configurations. We will finally discuss how these uses transform the usual practices of dermatologists, not only by creating a new type of activity, but also by allowing them to participate differently in the organization of care pathways

Optical Properties of Silicon Nanoparticles Prepared by Laser Ablation Method in Various Media

Bright photoluminescent silicon nanoparticles were successfully fabricated from porous silicon target in air and n-hexane using 532 nm line of YAG:Nd pulsed laser. The whole procedure was carried out at room temperature, in atmosphere. The morphology and composition of as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by SEM and EDS measurements. Their optical properties were investigated. The PL peak position of the as-synthesized Si nanoparticle ablated in air is slightly blue-shifted in comparison with those ablated in n-hexane, while it was almost no change of peak position of Si nanoparticles fabricated from p-Si in hexane and original p-Si wafer target. In contrast to PL intensity quenching of original p-Si sample and particles produced in air, those produced in n-hexane solvent exhibited an enhancement. The presence of dangling bonds or energy transfer from excited Si particles to oxygen molecules on the surface can be the cause of the quenching effect

Seed Health and Quality of Rice Seeds Produced by Farmer and Growing in Cho Moi District, An Giang Province, Vietnam

This study was conducted at Laboratory in An Giang University; the varieties examined were collected from farmer households in 2018 – they were varieties that the farmer stored for the next crop (Winter-Spring) from Autumn-Winter crop in Cho Moi district, An Giang Province, Vietnam. The research evaluated the quality of seed rice, which is provided and planted by the farmer. As a result, this study showed that almost all of the varieties of seed rice from farmer households indicated the ratio of filled-grain, the germination, and the determination of seedling healthy, which are lower than certified variation. Besides, the samples of seed rice from farmer household have more infected fungal; especially the samples with higher in a filled-grain ratio is less infected by fungi, there were 12 types of seed borne-fungi in rice varieties from the farmer (in Cho Moi district), included: Alternaria padwickii, Rhizoctonia solani, Aspergillus oryzae, Bipolaris oryzae, Cercospora janseana, Curvularia lunata, Fusarium moniliforme, Pyricularia oryzae, Sarocladium oryzae, Tilletia barclayana, Fusarium graminearum, and Ustilaginoidea viren

Slip Resistance Test Apparatus of Synthetic Rubber Trackpad on Photovoltaic Surface

The increasing development of the solar energy industry in many countries has led to a rising frequency of human and robot presence in this area. To ensure occupational safety, various protective equipment, including rubber material, is commonly used for slip resistance while moving on the surface of solar PV panels. Therefore, the slip resistance test apparatus is built for testing the slip resistance between the synthetic rubber trackpad and the photovoltaic panel (PV) surface. Synthetic rubber is a man-made material, so it is difficult to control the parameters of its mechanical and chemical properties absolutely. Variations in wet/dry working conditions or Shore hardness are factors that make slip computation more challenging. Therefore, an apparatus with the principle of converting the reciprocating motion of the screw and the casters into the rotation of the hinge is introduced to adjust the tilt angle of the upper surface, detect and evaluate the slippage of the rubber trackpad by sensors. Some parameters related to accuracy such as vibration and theoretical-empirical assessment, are also mentioned. In addition to designing a reliable apparatus, the article also succeeded in providing a safety standard for synthetic rubber with Shore A30-A40 when moving on PV surfaces.Comment: 4 pages, 10 figures, The 20th International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots (UR 2023

Some study results of Cam Ranh - Binh Thuan mud eruption strip

Most of the mud eruption locations are distributed in a stretching strip, running in NE-SW direction from Cam Ranh - Ninh Thuan - Binh Thuan NE-SW tectonic fault zone and coinciding with a tectonically crushed zone. The erupted mud consists of sand, mud, clay. The clay contains alkaline montmorillonite, formed following chemical weathering and re-sedimentation processes from rocks containing alkaline minerals in a semi-arid climate area, located in a low terrain or a tectonic subsiding zone with a large fluctuation in groundwater level. The mud eruption  has a close relation to factors (of) climate, topography, geomorphology, hydrogeology, petrography and tectonic activities in the area. Among these, tectonic factors are the most important for they create not only soil and rock crushed zone, paving favorable conditions for strong weathering process at depth, but also to form canals to bring hot groundwater and minerals from certain depths upward, and by the effects of pressurized groundwater and partly due to the expansion in volume of bentonite clay pushing the muddy clay material through the tectonic cracks to the surface of the current terrain. The mud eruption process is not deep; but it may occur from a shallow level, about 4-18 m below, under the impact of the above elements.ReferencesCao Dinh Trieu, 2006. Characteristics of Earthquake Activities of Central Southern and Southern Sea.  Journal of Geology, Range A, 293(3-4), Hanoi.   Cao Dinh Trieu, et al., 2013. Modern geodynamics in Vietnamese territory. Natural Sciences and Technology Publishing House, Hanoi, 242.Ho Vuong Binh, et al., 1990. Research report on evaluation of prospects and possibility of using alkaline bentonite at Thuan Hai. Archived at the Center for Information Archives of Geology, Hanoi.Le Duc An, 1990. Geomorphological and neotectonic features of Thuan Hai area. Geological Science and Technique Information, (1-2), 5-25, Hanoi.Le Duy Bach, et al., 2007. Tectonic features Pliocene - Quaternary at Southeast continental shelf of Vietnam. Journal of Sciences of the Earth, 29(3), 218-227, Hanoi.Mazzini. A, A. Nermoen, M. Krotkiewski, Y. Podladchikov, S. Planke, H. Svensen, 2009. Strike-slip faulting as a trigger mechanism for overpressure release through piercement structures. Implications for the Lusi mud eruption, Indonesia. Marine and Petroleum Geology, doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2009.03.001Medialdea. T, et al., 2003. Tectonics and mud eruption  development in the Gulf of Cadiz.  Marine Geology, 261(1-4), 48-63.Nguyen Duc Thai, et al., 2011. Report on survey results of land crack and mud appearance locations at Suoi Da village, Loi Hai commune, Thuan Bac district, Ninh Thuan province. Archived at Division for Water Resources Planning and Investigation for the Central Region of Vietnam.Nguyen Duc Thang (chief author) et al., 1988. Report on surveying and mapping of Geology and Minerals in Phan Rang-Nha Trang area at 1:200,000 scale. Archived at the Center for Information Archives of Geology, Hanoi.Nguyen Hong Phuong, 2004. Map of earthquake dangerous rate in Vietnam and the East Sea. Journal of Sciences of the Earth,  26(2), 97-111, Hanoi.Pham Van An, et al., 1990. Features of weathering crust at dry hot area Thuan Hai and origin of alkaline bentonite clay. Geological Science and Technique Information, (1-2), 72-79, Hanoi.Pham Van Hung, 2000. Determining kinematic properties of cracks by analyzing tectonic cracks in the South Central region, Journal of Sciences of the Earth, 29(2), 113-119, (in Vietnamese).Pham Van Hung, 2001. Quaternary - modern operational features of tectonic fault at the East edge of Kon Tum massif. Journal of Geology, 267, 43-49, Hanoi.Pham Van Nam, et al., 1988. Report on hydrogeological-engineering geological Mapping at 1:200,000 scale in Phan Rang-Nha Trang region. Archived at Division for Water Resources Planning and Investigation for the Central Region of Vietnam, Nha Trang.Phan Trong Trinh, 2012. Recent tectonics and modern geodynamics in Vietnam’s Sea and adjacent zones. Natural Sciences and Technology Publishing House, Hanoi, 331p.Pham Van Thuc, et al., 2004. Seismic zoning of the East Sea and coastal area in Vietnam. Journal of Geology, Range A, 285(11-12), Hanoi.Phung Van Phach, et al., 1996. Some research results of gases ash eruption phenomenon at Pleiku Highland in 1993. Geological Resources, 1, Science and Technique Publishing House, 396-405.Quo-Cheng Sung, Hung-Cheng Chang, HSing-Chang Liu, Yen-Chieh Chen, 2010. Mud eruption along the chihan fault in Southwestern Taiwan Arelease bend model. Geomorphology, 118, 188-198.Tran Van Thang, et al., 2006. Tectonic development characteristics of Da Lat zone and adjacent zone in late Mezozoi-Kainozoi. Journal of Sciences of the Earth, 28(2), 140-149, (in Vietnamese)..Stepanek P., Ho Trong Ty, 1986. Report on mineral geological mapping at Phan Rang-Cam Ranh at 1:50,000 scale. Archived at the Center for Information Archives of Geology, Hanoi.Vo Cong Nghiep, et al., 1998. List of hot water and minerals resources in Vietnam. Ministry of Industry, General Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam, Hanoi. 308p.Uong Dinh Khanh, 2004. Geomorphological characteristics of the hilly areas Ninh Thuan - Binh Thuan. Doctorate thesis, archived at National Library, Hanoi.Yin. P, S. Bern, P. Vagner, B. Loubrieu, Z. Liu, 2003. Mud eruption at the shelf margin of the East China Sea. Marine Geology, 194(3-4), 135-149.http://www.mhc.vn/. Minh Ha Bentonite Minerals JSC. 

Mortality Associated with Neurofibromatosis 1: A Cohort Study of 1895 Patients in 1980-2006 in France

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), a common autosomal dominant disorder, was shown in one study to be associated with a 15-year decrease in life expectancy. However, data on mortality in NF1 are limited. Our aim was to evaluate mortality in a large retrospective cohort of NF1 patients seen in France between 1980 and 2006.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Consecutive NF1 patients referred to the National French Referral Center for Neurofibromatoses were included. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated as the ratio of observed over expected numbers of deaths. We studied factors associated with death and causes of death.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Between 1980 and 2006, 1895 NF1 patients were seen. Median follow-up was 6.8 years (range, 0.4-20.6). Vital status was available for 1226 (65%) patients, of whom 1159 (94.5%) survived and 67 (5.5%) died. Overall mortality was significantly increased in the NF1 cohort (SMR, 2.02; CI, 1.6-2.6; <it>P </it>< 10^-4). The excess mortality occurred among patients aged 10 to 20 years (SMR, 5.2; CI, 2.6-9.3; <it>P </it>< 10^-4) and 20 to 40 years (SMR, 4.1; 2.8-5.8; <it>P </it>< 10^-4). Significant excess mortality was found in both males and females. In the 10-20 year age group, females had a significant increase in mortality compared to males (SMR, 12.6; CI, 5.7-23.9; and SMR, 1.8; CI, 0.2-6.4; respectively). The cause of death was available for 58 (86.6%) patients; malignant nerve sheath tumor was the main cause of death (60%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found significantly increased SMRs indicating excess mortality in NF1 patients compared to the general population. The definitive diagnosis of NF1 in all patients is a strength of our study, and the high rate of death related to malignant transformation is consistent with previous work. The retrospective design and hospital-based recruitment are limitations of our study. Mortality was significantly increased in NF1 patients aged 10 to 40 years and tended to be higher in females than in males.</p

Effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine fixed-dose combination in the treatment of hypertension: a systematic review

Background: Uncontrolled blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Fixed-dose combination (FDC) therapy offers a promising approach to addressing this challenge by providing a convenient single-tablet solution that enhances the effectiveness of blood pressure control. In our systematic review, we assess the effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine FDC in managing blood pressure.Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search across four primary electronic databases, namely, PubMed, Virtual Health Library (VHL), Global Health Library (GHL), and Google Scholar, as of 8 February 2022. Additionally, we performed a manual search to find relevant articles. The quality of the selected articles was evaluated using the Study Quality Assessment Tools (SQAT) checklist from the National Institute of Health and the ROB2 tool from Cochrane.Results: Our systematic review included 17 eligible articles. The findings show that the use of perindopril/amlodipine FDC significantly lowers blood pressure and enhances the quality of blood pressure control. Compared to the comparison group, the perindopril/amlodipine combination tablet resulted in a higher rate of blood pressure response and normalization. Importantly, perindopril/amlodipine FDC contributes to improved patient adherence with minimal side effects. However, studies conducted to date have not provided assessments of the cost-effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine FDC.Conclusion: In summary, our analysis confirms the effectiveness of perindopril/amlodipine FDC in lowering blood pressure, with combination therapy outperforming monotherapy and placebo. Although mild adverse reactions were observed in a small subset of participants, cost-effectiveness assessments for this treatment remain lacking in the literature