Lecane (Rotifera: Lecanidae) community in psammon habitat in Central Coast Vietnam: Diversity and relation to environmental condition

Characteristics of the Lecane (Rotifera) community in psammon in Central Coast Vietnam were investigated. A total of 50 taxa were identified in samples collected at hygropsammon zones of temporary pools, contributing 4 new species to rotifers' record of Vietnam. Psammonxenic species accounted for the largest percentage of Lecane community with 82%, followed by psammophiles (12%) and psammonbionts (6%). Influences of some environmental factors on the distribution of psammic lecanids were also observed. This group of organisms showed a slight tendency towards sand with grain sizes larger than 125 µm. Besides, other abiotic factors including pH, total phosphorus (TP) and total dissolved solids (TDS) were also found to significantly related to the distribution of some common Lecane species

INVESTIGATION ON HYDROLOGIC PERFORMANCE OF PERVIOUS CONCRETE PAVEMENT BY FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS

Pervious concrete pavement has been used widely as an effective practice for water management in low-impact development techniques. The hydrologic performance of pervious concrete pavement depends significantly on the rainfall intensity and the designed slope. This study assessed the hydrologic performance of pervious concrete pavement by evaluating the time for surface ponding via finite element analysis. A series of simulations were carried out to explore the relationship between hydrologic performance and pervious concrete pavement by the Hydrus 2D program. The research’s results showed that as the slope increased, the time of surface ponding also increased. The data indicated that the slope variable had a low impact on the water level in pervious concrete pavement under a constant rainfall intensity. Observation of the effect of rainfall intensity showed that when the rainfall intensity increased twofold, the time for surface ponding dropped about two times. Furthermore, when surface ponding appeared, pervious concrete pavement at higher rainfall intensity had lower water content. The rainfall intensity also significantly affects the hydrologic performance of the pervious concrete pavement. This study only assessed the hydrologic performance by using the time for surface ponding via finite element analysis. Further experimental studies should be conducted to examine the relationship of other factors to the hydrologic performance of pervious concrete pavement

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

THE CONTENTS OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN FOOD-CROPS PLANTED AT TUY LOAN AND DIEN MINH VEGETABLE-FIELDS

This study was carried out to assess the heavy metal contents (Zn, Pb and Cr) in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) grown at Tuy Loan and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown at Dien Minh’s vegetable-field. The results showed that the contents of all heavy metals in soil samples didn’t exceed the permissible levels according to GB 15618:1995 and QCVN 03:2008/MONRE. These were accordance with soil assessment by pollution load index (PLI). Similarly, the contents of Zn, Pb, and Cr in Indian mustard and lettuce’s leaves at Tuy Loan and Dien Minh were lower than permissible limits compared with GB13106-1991, GB 2762: 2005 and QCVN 8-2:2011/MOH. Most of the heavy metals contents in roots were higher than in leaves. For Indian mustard, the TFsoil-root values of Zn and Cr from soil to root were higher than TFroot-leaf values from the root to the leaf, which was in contrast with Pb. While, for lettuce, the TFsoil-root values of Zn, and Pb were higher than TFroot-leaf, which was in contrast with Cr. The results also indicated that there weren’t any risk to human health when using vegetables planted at these areas in daily meal (HI &lt; 1)

THE CONTENTS OF SOME HEAVY METALS IN FOOD-CROPS PLANTED AT TUY LOAN AND DIEN MINH VEGETABLE-FIELDS

This study was carried out to assess the heavy metal contents (Zn, Pb and Cr) in Indian mustard (Brassica juncea L.) grown at Tuy Loan and lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) grown at Dien Minh’s vegetable-field. The results showed that the contents of all heavy metals in soil samples didn’t exceed the permissible levels according to GB 15618:1995 and QCVN 03:2008/MONRE. These were accordance with soil assessment by pollution load index (PLI). Similarly, the contents of Zn, Pb, and Cr in Indian mustard and lettuce’s leaves at Tuy Loan and Dien Minh were lower than permissible limits compared with GB13106-1991, GB 2762: 2005 and QCVN 8-2:2011/MOH. Most of the heavy metals contents in roots were higher than in leaves. For Indian mustard, the TFsoil-root values of Zn and Cr from soil to root were higher than TFroot-leaf values from the root to the leaf, which was in contrast with Pb. While, for lettuce, the TFsoil-root values of Zn, and Pb were higher than TFroot-leaf, which was in contrast with Cr. The results also indicated that there weren’t any risk to human health when using vegetables planted at these areas in daily meal (HI &lt; 1)

Heavy Metals Accumulation of Food-crops Grown in Agricultural Areas Affected by Industrial Wastewater, Da Nang, Vietnam

Heavy metal pollution of agricultural soils resulting from wastewater irrigation has been causing major concern due to the potential risk involved. In the present study,food-crops (Chrysanthemum coronarium; Ocimumbasilicum; Coriandrumsativum), irrigation water, and corresponding agricultural soil were assessed for Pb and As contamination. Study results reveal that contents of Pb and As in agricultural soils are lower than their permissible values in comparison with Vietnam technical regulations on the allowable limits of heavy metals for agricultural soils. By contrast, the concentration of Pb and As in water samples are higher than its allowable level for irrigation water. Besides, most of As values in food-crops grown surrounding Hoa Khanh IZ are lower than its permissible level in vegetables. Meanwhile, a vast fraction of Pb contents in food-crops have exceeded its allowable level for both leafy and spice vegetables. The associated risk was assessed using HI index. The results indicate that there is a health risk associated with the ingestion of contaminated food-crops (HI &gt; 1)

DataSheet1_Development of ground-level NO2 models in Vietnam using machine learning and satellite observations with ancillary data.docx

In this study, the aim was to create daily ground-level NO2 maps for Vietnam spanning from 2019 to 2021. To achieve this, various machine learning models (including the Mixed Effect Model, Neural Network, and LightGBM) were utilized to process satellite NO2 tropospheric columns from Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and TROPOMI, as well as meteorological and land use maps and ground measurement NO2 data. The LightGBM model was found to be the most effective, producing results with a Pearson r of 0.77, RMSE of 7.93 μg/m³, and Mean Relative Error (MRE) of 42.6% compared to ground truth measurements. The annual average NO2 maps from 2019–2021 obtained by the LightGBM model for Vietnam were compared to a global product and ground stations, and it was found to have superior quality with Pearson r of 0.95, RMSE of 2.27 μg/m³, MRE of 9.79%, based on 81 samples.</p

Crack Detection in Bearing Plate of Prestressed Anchorage Using Electromechanical Impedance Technique: A Numerical Investigation

The bearing plate is an important part of a tendon–anchorage subsystem; however, its function and safety can be compromised by factors such as fatigue and corrosion. This paper explores the feasibility of the electromechanical impedance (EMI) technique for fatigue crack detection in the bearing plate of a prestressed anchorage. Firstly, the theory of the EMI technique is presented. Next, a well-established prestressed anchorage in the literature is selected as the target structure. Thirdly, a 3D finite element model of the PZT transducer–target anchorage subsystem is simulated, consisting of a concrete segment, a steel anchor head, and a steel bearing plate instrumented with a PZT transducer. The prestress load is applied to the anchorage via the anchor head. The EMI response of the target structure is numerically obtained under different simulated fatigue cracks in the bearing plate using the linear impedance analysis in the frequency domain. Finally, the resulting EMI response was quantified using two damage metrics: root-mean-square deviation and correlation coefficient deviation. These metrics are then compared with a threshold to identify the presence of cracks in the bearing plate. The results show that the simulated cracks in the bearing plate are successfully detected by tracking the shifts in the damage metrics. The numerical investigation demonstrates the potential of the EMI technique as a non-destructive testing method for assessing the structural integrity of prestressed structures