Nitrogen-Fixing Purple Nonsulfur Bacteria Originating from Acid Saline Soils of a Rice-Shrimp Farm

The study was conducted to (i) isolate, select, and identify strains of purple nonsulfur bacteria (PNSB), which can fix nitrogen (N), from soil and water in a rice-shrimp integrated system, (ii) to determine the capacity of the selected potent PNSB strains in producing plant growth promoting substances. The isolation resulted in 57 pure PNSB strains from 36 soil samples and 36 water samples of rice-shrimp paddy fields in Thanh Phu - Ben Tre. Among them, 49 strains survived under pH 5.0 conditions, 24 of which grew well under microaerobic light (ML) and aerobic dark (AD) conditions in a basic isolation medium (BIM) containing NaCl 5‰. Two strains (S01 and S06) with the greatest N fixation were identified by 16S rRNA techniques as Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Their N production was 16.9 mg L-1 under the ML condition and 32.1 mg L-1 under the AD condition. Moreover, two R. sphaeroides S01 and S06 strains performed P solubilization at 0.382-2.954 mg L-1 from Al-P, 3.81-4.28 mg L-1 from Fe-P, and 3.87-4.74 mg L-1 from Ca-P, and production of plant growth promoting substances, such as IAA (12.3-15.5 mg L-1), EPS (1.09-1.58 mg L-1), siderophores (10.7-53.6%) and ALA (1.68-2.82 mg L-1) under both the incubating conditions

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

Saltwater Intrusion and Agricultural Land Use Change in Nga Nam, Soc Trang, Vietnam

Under the effects of saltwater intrusion from rising sea water levels, climate change, and socioeconomic issues, the Nga Nam district in Vietnam has suffered damage to its agriculture and changes in agricultural land use. This study aimed to investigate the factors that influenced land use changes and to propose approaches to limit the changes in agricultural land use. The damage caused by saltwater intrusion on agricultural production was evaluated via the use of secondary data collected from the Department of Infrastructure Economics of the Nga Nam district in the period of 2010–2021. The results show that during the 2010–2015 period, agricultural production areas were affected in 2010, 2012, and 2015. In the period of 2015–2021, the trend of saltwater intrusion along the damaged area remarkably decreased due to the work of saltwater-preventing structures. In this period, the area of annual plants increased, while that of fruit trees decreased. In the area comprising annual plants, the area using the triple rice land use type converted into an area using the double rice and double rice–fish ones. Lands for fruit trees transitioned from mixed farming to specialized farming to raise the economic efficiency for farmers. These changes were affected by four main factors: the physical factor, the economy, society, and the environment. The environmental and economic factors were seen to play the most important role as drivers of changes in land use. The factors of saltwater intrusion and acid-sulfate-contaminated soil, consumer markets, floods, drought, profit, and investments were noted to be significant drivers in agricultural land use change. Thus, both structural and non-structural approaches are suggested to inhibit the safeguard changes in the future

The Determinants of the Usage of Accounting Information Systems toward Operational Efficiency in Industrial Revolution 4.0: Evidence from an Emerging Economy

The purpose of this study is to determine the factors affecting the application of accounting information systems (AIS) in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. Drawing upon the Technology&ndash;Organization&ndash;Environment (TOE) theoretical framework, Diffusion of Innovations theory (DOI), and Resource-based theory (RBV), we proposed a research model to investigate the antecedents and influence of AIS usage in Vietnamese SMEs. This study used an online survey of individuals who work in Vietnamese SMEs for data collection. The result was assembled by applying the PLS-SEM model to test the proposed hypotheses based on 132 valid responses. First, the factors that have a significant impact on AIS usage are as follows: relative advantage; owner/manager commitment; and impact of COVID-19. Second, the research results also confirm that there is a positive relationship between AIS usage and AIS effectiveness; AIS performance has a positive impact on business performance. Research implications are to help business owners and leaders decide whether to use AIS to strengthen the company&rsquo;s position and reduce the burden on departments, particularly the accounting department

Ice-templated synthesis of tungsten oxide nanosheets and their application in arsenite oxidation

Tungsten oxide (WO3) nanosheets were prepared as catalysts to activate hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in arsenite (As(III)) oxidation. Ice particles were employed as templates to synthesize the WO3 nanosheets, enabling easy template removal via melting. Transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed that the obtained WO3 nanosheets were plate-like, with lateral sizes ranging from dozens of nanometers to hundreds of nanometers and thicknesses of &lt;10 nm. Compared to that of the WO3 nanoparticle/H2O2 system, a higher efficiency of As(III) oxidation was observed in the WO3 nanosheet/H2O2 system. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy, radical quenching studies, and As(III) oxidation experiments under anoxic conditions suggested that the hydroperoxyl radical (HO2●) acted as the primary oxidant. The WO3 nanosheets possessed numerous surface hydroxyl groups and electrophilic metal centers, enhancing the production of HO2● via H2O2 activation. Various anions commonly present in As(III)-contaminated water exhibited little effect on As(III) oxidation in the WO3 nanosheet/H2O2 system. The high oxidation efficiency was maintained by adding H2O2 when it was depleted, suggesting that the catalytic activity of the WO3 nanosheets did not deteriorate after multiple catalytic cycles. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.FALS

Clinical epidemiology and mortality on patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in Vietnam.

BackgroundThe clinical epidemiology and disease prognosis in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have not yet been fully elucidated in Vietnam.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective observational study at a national tertiary hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Participants were adult patients (age ≥18 years) who were admitted and diagnosed with ARDS during 2015-2017. Data on patients' general and clinical conditions, radiographic findings, ventilator settings, gas exchange, and treatment methods were collected and compared between survivors and non-survivors. Risk factors for mortality were assessed using logistic regression analysis.ResultsAmong 126 eligible patients with ARDS admitted to the central tertiary hospital in Vietnam, we observed high mortality (57.1%). Of the total patients, 91.3% were transferred from local hospitals with a diagnosis of severe pneumonia and then diagnosed with ARDS at the central hospital. At the time of admission, 53.2% of patients had severe ARDS, 37.3% had moderate ARDS, and 9.5% had mild ARDS. The mean (standard deviation) sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score was 9.5 (3.4) in non-survivors and 7.4 (3.4) in survivors (p = 0.002). Although there was no significant difference in PaO2/FiO2 on admission between non-survivors and survivors, that on day 3 after admission was significantly different (p = 0.002). Logistic regression revealed that PaO2/FiO2 on day 3 [odds ratio (OR), 1.010; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.003-1.017], length of stay in a local hospital before admission to the central hospital (OR, 1.122; 95% CI, 1.042-1.210) due to stable condition, and SOFA score on Day 1 (OR, 0.842; 95% CI, 0.708-1.002) were independent factors in patient survival.ConclusionsPatients with ARDS admitted the central tertiary hospital had severe illness and high mortality. Most patients were transferred from local hospitals. Improvements in human, medical, and sociological resources in local will contribute to reducing the mortality of ARDS in Vietnam

Freezing-induced activation of the binary chloride-Oxone system to free chlorine and its application in water treatment

Accelerated chemical reactions in frozen solutions can be applied in the degradation of organic pollutants in water. Herein we propose a novel freezing system that enables the degradation of various organic compounds in a frozen solution. Although the degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) by Oxone as the sole primary oxidant did not take place in aqueous solutions (25 degrees C) regardless of the presence of chloride ions (Cl-, micromolar levels) and only took place to a minor extent in frozen solutions (-20 degrees C) in the absence of Cl-, the addition of Cl- (micromolar levels) to the freezing/Oxone system significantly accelerated the degradation of 4-CP. Various analytical characterizations and pH measurements of the frozen solution suggested that the enhanced degradation of 4-CP in the freezing/Oxone/Cl- system could be because Cl-, Oxone, and protons are concentrated in the liquid brine upon freezing. This process subsequently facilitates the formation of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) as a secondary oxidant. The positive effect of Cl- was observed under widely varying conditions (i.e., [Cl-] = 25-1000 mu M, pH(i) = 3-11, and freezing temperature = from -10 to -30 degrees C), and the freezing/Oxone/Cl- system described herein successfully degraded all 12 tested organic pollutants. In addition, outdoor freezing experiments carried out on winter days confirmed the successful performance of the freezing/Oxone/Cl- system without the requirement for electrical energy.11Nsciescopu