Sand Spit Morphology at an Inlet on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam

Tidal inlets with attached sand spits are a very common coastal landform. Since the evolution of sand spits along coastlines influence the social-economic development of local coastal areas, sand spits have become the objects of numerous studies. However, previous studies have mainly focused on sand spits that are usually in the scale of hundreds of meters in width, whilst knowledge about the evolution of smaller-scale sand spits still remains limited. Therefore, in this study, the morphological change of a small and unexplored sand spit in front of Song Tranh Inlet on the west coast of Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam is investigated. Satellite images are first used to observe the morphological change of the sand spit and calculate the longshore sediment transport rates (LSTR) along the sand spit. Waves and beach sediments are collected at the study site to calculate the longshore sediment transport rate using the CERC formula. It is found that there is a seasonal variation in the evolution of the sand spit at Song Tranh Inlet. The longshore sediment transport rates along the spit calculated by image analysis are 39,000 m$^3$/year, 66,000 m$^3$/year, and 40,000 m$^3$/year, whilst the longshore sediment transport rate calculated by the CERC formula is 72,000 m$^3$/year. This study aims to contribute to the methodology for investigating the evolutions of small sand spits and, specifically, sustainable coastal management for Phu Quoc Island, which is well-known as the Pearl Island of Vietnam

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

Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers against the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey across 57 countries.

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been concerns related to the preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to describe the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital HCWs at the time of the first wave. METHODS: This multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital HCWs from February to May 2020. We used a hierarchical logistic regression multivariate analysis to adjust the influence of variables based on awareness and preparedness. We then used association rule mining to identify relationships between HCW confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients and prior COVID-19 case-management training. RESULTS: We surveyed 24,653 HCWs from 371 hospitals across 57 countries and received 17,302 responses from 70.2% HCWs overall. The median COVID-19 preparedness score was 11.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.0-14.0) and the median awareness score was 29.6 (IQR = 26.6-32.6). HCWs at COVID-19 designated facilities with previous outbreak experience, or HCWs who were trained for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had significantly higher levels of preparedness and awareness (p<0.001). Association rule mining suggests that nurses and doctors who had a 'great-extent-of-confidence' in handling suspected COVID-19 patients had participated in COVID-19 training courses. Male participants (mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.46; p<0.001) and nurses (mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.81; p<0.001) had higher preparedness scores compared to women participants and doctors. INTERPRETATION: There was an unsurprising high level of awareness and preparedness among HCWs who participated in COVID-19 training courses. However, disparity existed along the lines of gender and type of HCW. It is unknown whether the difference in COVID-19 preparedness that we detected early in the pandemic may have translated into disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 burden of disease by gender or HCW type

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

ベトナム、An Giang省における稲作パターンと水質に対する堤防保護システムの影響の評価

The Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD)is one of the largest rice-growing areas in Vietnam, andexports a huge amount of rice products to destinations around the world. Rice is grown under the irrigated triple and double-rice cropping systems,andalso under the rain-fed single-rice cropping systemin the Vietnamese Mekong Delta (VMD). These rice cropping systems are adopted according to the geographical location and water infrastructurein place. Dike-protection systems have been built to prevent floodingin orderto support agricultural intensification since the early 1990s. Thus, double and triple-rice cropping systems have been dependenton the semi-and full-dikesystems. However, only a small number ofstudies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of rice cropping system on water quality in the context of dike development. This study aimed to value the impact of dike systemon spatio-temporal variation of surface and ground water quality. We used multivariate statistical analyses andgroundwater quality index based onFuzzy-AHP with the Triangular Fuzzy Number method. The LULC was generated using Support Vector Machine (SVM) classification of Sentinel-1A data. Weconducted fieldworkin An Giang province of the VMD, from March 2017 to March 2018.The overall accuracy of the classification was 80.7% with 0.78 Kappa coefficient. Therefore, Sentinel-1A can be used to understand rice phenological changes as well as rice cropping system distribution using radar backscattering. The assessment of surface water quality results show the mean concentrations of COD, NH4+, NO3-, PO43-, EC, and turbidityin surface water inside full-dikeas compared tooutside full-dikeand inside semi-dikein both seasons. Moreover, surface water located in secondary canal inside full-dike system was considered as "hotspot" surface water quality with low GQWI unit. Besides, the high concentrations of PO43-were detected in most of the primary canals where residential areas and local markets settled leading to increase PO43- concentration; However, NO3-was mainly found to be higher in secondary canals where chemical fertilizers used for rice intensification inside dike-system were increased. The effect of dike system ongroundwater quality was not very clear in this studysince groundwater quality depends on characteristicsof aquifersand unused well management. Dikeinfrastructures are useful for preventing flooding; however, changes in cropping system have resulted which adversely affect maintenance and surface water qualityand challenging task for the protection of ground water quality in the long-term in the study area

Village Level Provisioning Ecosystem Services and Their Values to Local Communities in the Peri-Urban Areas of Manila, The Philippines

This study investigates different provisioning services in the peri-urban landscapes of Manila conurbation through a case study of two villages in the Jala-Jala municipality of the Laguna de Bay area in the Philippines. Laguna de Bay is an ecologically productive and important watershed for the urban and peri-urban areas of Manila for the provision of food, freshwater, and other materials. However, the lake and its ecosystem are under threat because of rapid urbanization and associated land-use changes. This study is based on a semi-quantitative survey conducted with 90 households in two villages: Special District and Paalaman. It was aimed to capture how provisioning services in the locality are connected with local livelihoods. The results obtained from the study suggest that landscapes in this peri-urban area still has considerable provisioning ecosystem services associated with local biodiversity and that this dependence on provisioning services and their relationship to peri-urban landscapes and biodiversity should be addressed for sustainable landscape management. The results have important implications for the conservation potential of biodiversity on which local livelihoods depend, in urban and peri-urban ecosystems