Multiobjective Logistics Optimization for Automated ATM Cash Replenishment Process

In the digital transformation era, integrating digital technology into every aspect of banking operations improves process automation, cost efficiency, and service level improvement. Although logistics for ATM cash is a crucial task that impacts operating costs and consumer satisfaction, there has been little effort to enhance it. Specifically, in Vietnam, with a market of more than 20,000 ATMs nationally, research and technological solutions that can resolve this issue remain scarce. In this paper, we generalized the vehicle routing problem for ATM cash replenishment, suggested a mathematical model and then offered a tool to evaluate various situations. When being evaluated on the simulated dataset, our proposed model and method produced encouraging results with the benefits of cutting ATM cash operating costs

Quantifying antimicrobial access and usage for paediatric diarrhoeal disease in an urban community setting in Asia.

OBJECTIVES: Antimicrobial-resistant infections are a major global health issue. Ease of antimicrobial access in developing countries is proposed to be a key driver of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) epidemic despite a lack of community antimicrobial usage data. METHODS: Using a mixed-methods approach (geospatial mapping, simulated clients, healthcare utilization, longitudinal cohort) we assessed antimicrobial access in the community and quantified antimicrobial usage for childhood diarrhoea in an urban Vietnamese setting. RESULTS: The study area had a pharmacy density of 15.7 pharmacies/km2 (a pharmacy for every 1316 people). Using a simulated client method at pharmacies within the area, we found that 8% (3/37) and 22% (8/37) of outlets sold antimicrobials for paediatric watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. However, despite ease of pharmacy access, the majority of caregivers would choose to take their child to a healthcare facility, with 81% (319/396) and 88% (347/396) of responders selecting a specialized hospital as one of their top three preferences when seeking treatment for watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. We calculated that at least 19% (2688/14427) of diarrhoea episodes in those aged 1 to <5 years would receive an antimicrobial annually; however, antimicrobial usage was almost 10 times greater in hospitals than in the community. CONCLUSIONS: Our data question the impact of community antimicrobial usage on AMR and highlight the need for better education and guidelines for all professionals with the authority to prescribe antimicrobials

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

Adsorption of Polyelectrolyte onto Nanosilica Synthesized from Rice Husk: Characteristics, Mechanisms, and Application for Antibiotic Removal

Adsorption of the polyelectrolyte polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDADMAC) onto nanosilica (SiO2) fabricated from rice husk was studied in this work. Nanosilica was characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Adsorption of PDADMAC onto SiO2 increased with increasing pH because the negative charge of SiO2 is higher at high pH. Adsorption isotherms of PDADMAC onto silica at different KCl concentrations were fitted well by a two-step adsorption model. Adsorption mechanisms of PDADMAC onto SiO2 are discussed on the basis of surface charge change, evaluation by ζ potential, surface modification by FTIR measurements, and the adsorption isotherm. The application of PDADMAC adsorption onto SiO2 to remove amoxicillin antibiotic (AMX) was also studied. Experimental conditions such as contact time, pH, and adsorbent dosage for removal of AMX using SiO2 modified with PDADMAC were systematically optimized and found to be 180 min, pH 10, and 10 mg/mL, respectively. The removal efficiency of AMX using PDADMAC-modified SiO2 increased significantly from 19.1% to 92.3% under optimum adsorptive conditions. We indicate that PDADMAC-modified SiO2 rice husk is a novel adsorbent for removal of antibiotics from aqueous solution

Economic Evaluation of Glucosamine in Knee Osteoarthritis Treatments in Vietnam

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the degeneration of cartilage in joints that results in bones rubbing against each other; it causes uncomfortable symptoms such as pain, swelling, and stiffness and can lead to disability. It usually occurs in the elderly and causes a large medical burden. The aim of this study is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness between the standard treatment for osteoarthritis and standard treatment with added crystalline glucosamine sulfate at various stages. Markov analysis modeling was applied to evaluate the effect of both adding glucosamine compared to standard treatment from a societal perspective during whole patients’ lifetimes. Data input was collected from reviews in previous studies. The outcome was measured in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and the Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio (ICER) from a societal perspective was applied with 3% and discounted for all costs and outcomes. One-way analysis via the Tornado diagram was performed to investigate the change in factors in the model. In general, adding glucosamine into the standard treatment proved to be more cost-effective compared to the standard treatment. Particularly, the early-stage addition of glucosamine in the treatment was cost-effective compared to the post-stage addition of glucosamine. The addition of supplementing crystalline glucosamine sulfate to the whole regimen at any stage was cost-effective at the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold

Structure of Fucoidan from Brown Seaweed Turbinaria ornata as Studied by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESIMS) and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) Techniques

The purpose of this study is to elucidate both the chemical and conformational structure of an unfractionated fucoidan extracted from brown seaweed Turbinaria ornata collected at Nha-trang bay, Vietnam. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was used for determining the chemical structure and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provided conformational of the structure at the molecular level. The results showed that the fucoidan has a sulfate content of 25.6% and is mainly composed of fucose and galactose residues (Fuc:Gal ≈ 3:1). ESIMS analysis suggested that the fucoidan has a backbone of 3-linked α-l-Fucp residues with branches, →4)-Galp(1→ at C-4 of the fucan chain. Sulfate groups are attached mostly at C-2 and sometimes at C-4 of both fucose and galactose residues. A molecular model of the fucoidan was built based on obtained chemical structure and scattering curves estimated from molecular model and observed SAXS measurement were fitted. The results indicated that fucoidan under study has a rod-like bulky chain conformation

<i>Verticillium dahliae VdPBP1</i> Transcription Factor Is Required for Hyphal Growth, Virulence, and Microsclerotia Formation

Verticillium dahliae, a fungal pathogen that affects more than 200 plant species, including tomatoes, requires specific proteins for its early steps in plant infection. One such crucial protein, VdPBP1, exhibits high expression in the presence of tomato roots. Its 313-amino acid C-terminal section restores adhesion in nonadhesive Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains. To uncover its role, we employed a combination of bioinformatics, genetics, and morphological analyses. Our findings underscore the importance of VdPBP1 in fungal growth and pathogenesis. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that the VdPBP1 gene consists of four exons and three introns, encoding a 952-codon reading frame. The protein features a 9aaTAD domain, LsmAD, and PAB1 DNA-binding sites, as well as potential nuclear localization and transmembrane helix signals. Notably, the deletion of a 1.1 kb fragment at the gene’s third end impedes microsclerotia formation and reduces pathogenicity. Mutants exhibit reduced growth and slower aerial mycelial development compared to the wild type. The VdPBP1 deletion strain does not induce disease symptoms in tomato plants. Furthermore, VdPBP1 deletion correlates with downregulated microsclerotia formation-related genes, and promoter analysis reveals regulatory elements, including sites for Rfx1, Mig1, and Ste12 proteins. Understanding the regulation and target genes of VdPBP1 holds promise for managing Verticillium wilt disease and related fungal pathogens