EVALUATION OF GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE BASED ON AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The study assessed the variations in nine agro-morphological characters among and within the black glutinous rice (Oryza sativa) population from Chau Thanh District, Tra Vinh Province. The nine quantitative agromorphological characters that were measured include culm length, leaf length, leaf width, number of panicles, panicle length, grain length, grain width, number of firm grain, and number of grain per panicle. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean method and principal coordinate analysis by the NTSYS program were applied in this study to classify the nine agro-morphological characters. In addition, to compare the variations in quantitative characters between O. sativa populations, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The results showed significant differences between the black glutinous rice populations for all quantitative agro-morphological characters. Moreover, some agro-morphological characters showed positive correlations to each other. The dendrogram generated from the analysis process of the agromorphological data divided the O. sativa populations into two groups with unfamiliar features. However, the O. sativa populations assessed exhibited a wide range of variations in morphological characteristics, both within the same population and among other populations with the same strains

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

Implication of Functional Discourse Grammar in Teaching

English learning has always been a big issue to be discussed. Many methods have been researched and applied in learning and teaching English so as to achieve the best results. The methods applied in teaching vary from that of teaching and learning four skills to teaching and learning three language areas. In terms of language areas, the most to be paid attention in school, especially in Vietnam, is grammar. Teachers always try their best to help students learn grammar well. However, it seems not to have as much improvement as expected. This paper aims to find a new way and new kind of grammar to teach so that students can improve their grammar not only in school but also in students’ own lives. The paper also gives an example of a grammar lesson from grade 10 textbook and shows how grammar is used in class in a new way

Listening errors at chunk level in the case of Vietnamese University learners of English as a foreign language

Research has shown that error analysis (EA) can be a valuable tool for linguistic scholars to collect useful information on second language (L2) acquisition. In the domain of L2 listening development, identifying patterns of learners’ erroneous output allows both teachers and students to have an overview of learners’ listening problems. On this premise, remedial actions can be taken for the achievement of effective listening comprehension. Having said that, the goal of this study is to investigate the common types of listening errors made by 12 EFL university students at a private university in Vietnam. Specifically, the study attempts to seek an understanding of how listeners process speech at chunk level and how their listening transcriptions reflect their listening processes. Sixty chunks extracted as a separate clip from 15 dialogues with basic features of the oral language were embedded in listening tasks on a selfaccess online platform. Error analysis of a total of 720 transcriptions reveals that chunks containing errors occupied 44 percent, suggesting that at the chunk level, students still struggled to construct the meanings of the aural input. Major listening errors identified are related to sound misperception, including confusion, omission, addition, and misformation. The findings of this study stress the significance of respecting learners’ meaning-making mechanisms in the listening process by giving listeners more control in accessing listening materials. On top of that, it highlights the priority of listening at the chunk level without contextual clues at the earlier stages of listening, which can be a head start for their listening development. More implications for language teachers and researchers in listening are also discussed

TÌNH HÌNH THỰC HIỆN GIAO ĐẤT LÂM NGHIỆP CHO ĐỒNG BÀO DÂN TỘC THIỂU SỐ CƠ TU TẠI XÃ CÀ DY, HUYỆN NAM GIANG, TỈNH QUẢNG NAM

Forest Land Allocation to the ethnic minorities is an essential policy of the Vietnamese Government to support these people to improve their livelihoods and alleviate poverty. The data comprise the primary data from direct interviews with 40 households and three officials at the study site and relevant secondary data. The results indicate that from 2016 to 2019, 1,392.70 ha of forestry land was allocated to 365 households for economic development, accounting for 9.72% of the commune’s total forestry land area. With the allocated forest land, Co Tu people had more means for production; therefore, more jobs and income were created, and the livelihood of the local households was improved markedly. The positive results, from the economic, environmental, and social aspects after implementation, show the necessity and suitability of the forest land allocation policy in Ca Dy commune. Some difficulties in the implementation process, arising from the allocation policy itself or the local management ability, were also pointed out in the study. Several measures were proposed to boost the effectiveness of the policy implementation.Giao đất lâm nghiệp cho đồng bào dân tộc thiểu số (DTTS) là chính sách quan trọng của Nhà nước Việt Nam nhằm hỗ trợ các đối tượng này cải thiện đời sống, xóa đói giảm nghèo. Thông tin nghiên cứu được thu thập từ các tài liệu thứ cấp và phỏng vấn trực tiếp 40 hộ dân và 3 cán bộ địa phương. Kết quả cho thấy rằng, từ năm 2016 đến 2019, xã Cà Dy có 365 hộ đồng bào DTTS Cơ Tu được giao đất lâm nghiệp để phát triển sinh kế. Diện tích được giao là 1.392,68 ha, chiếm 9,72% tổng diện tích đất lâm nghiệp toàn xã. Có đất rừng, người dân có thêm tư liệu sản xuất, nhiều việc làm và thu nhập được tạo ra và đời sống được cải thiện rõ rệt. Kết quả khả quan về kinh tế, môi trường và xã hội từ khi thực hiện đã cho thấy sự cần thiết và phù hợp của chương trình giao đất giao rừng ở đây. Một số khó khăn trong quá trình thực hiện đến từ nội dung chương trình hay do công tác quản lý cũng được phân tích. Một số kiến nghị được đề xuất nhằm cải thiện việc giao đất lâm nghiệp tại địa phương

Willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine in relation to psychological wellbeing among a sample of university students in Vietnam

Abstract Background and aims Nowadays, there are contradicting opinions about the benefits and risks of COVID-19 vaccine, which lead to the hesitance among recipients to receive the vaccine. This study aims to evaluate the university student’s attitude toward COVID-19 vaccine, preventative measure, and status of their psychological wellbeing. Methods This was a cross-sectional study among Vietnamese students aged ≥ 18 years to evaluate their willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine, psychological wellbeing status, and preventive measure compliance. The participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire via Google Form. Descriptive and analytical statistics were performed with p < 0.05 being considered as statistically significant. Results A total of 2998 randomly selected participants in Vietnam completed the questionnaire with participants’ mean age of 20.26 $$\pm$$ ± 1.84. The mean score for the willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination was 46.13 $$\pm$$ ± 19.03 (the highest point was 54). Regarding preventative measures, the mean score of compliance was 7.15 $$\pm$$ ± 1.98 over a 10 points scale and “being vaccinated or not” did not affect their compliance. 56.94% participants were having normal psychological wellbeing at the time of survey and rest 43.06% reported to have experienced stress, varying from slight to severe level. There might be a trend that those studying medicine or those with higher educational level had higher rate of stress than others. Conclusion The study showed a positive result of Vietnamese students’ willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccine and compliance towards preventive measures. Besides, we also reported that almost half participants had experienced stress during the pandemic. Developing proper interventions to deal with factors contributing to psychological wellbeing and related problems are essential to deal  with and overcome the pandemic or post-pandemic struggles

Magnetic Activated Carbon from ZnCl2 and FeCl3 Coactivation of Lotus Seedpod: One-Pot Preparation, Characterization, and Catalytic Activity towards Robust Degradation of Acid Orange 10

Lotus seedpods (LSPs) are an abundant and underutilized agricultural residue discarded from lotus seed production. In this study, ZnCl2 and FeCl3 coactivation of LSP for one-pot preparation of magnetic activated carbon (MAC) was explored for the first time. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that Fe3O4, Fe0, and ZnO crystals were formed in the LSP-derived carbon matrix. Notably, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the shapes of these components consisted of not only nanoparticles but also nanowires. Fe and Zn contents in MAC determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) were 6.89 and 3.94 wt%, respectively. Moreover, SBET and Vtotal of MAC prepared by coactivation with ZnCl2 and FeCl3 were 1080 m2/g and 0.51 cm3/g, which were much higher than those prepared by single activation with FeCl3 (274 m2/g and 0.14 cm3/g) or ZnCl2 (369 m2/g and 0.21 cm3/g). MAC was subsequently applied as an oxidation catalyst for Fenton-like degradation of acid orange 10 (AO10). As a result, 0.20 g/L MAC could partially remove AO10 (100 ppm) with an adsorption capacity of 78.4 mg/g at pH 3.0. When 350 ppm H2O2 was further added, AO10 was decolorized rapidly, nearly complete within 30 min, and 66% of the COD was removed in 120 min. The potent catalytic performance of MAC might come from the synergistic effect of Fe0 and Fe3O4 nanocrystals in the porous carbon support. MAC also demonstrated effective stability and reusability after five consecutive cycles, when total AO10 removal at 20 min of H2O2 addition slightly decreased from 93.9 ± 0.9% to 86.3 ± 0.8% and minimal iron leaching of 1.14 to 1.19 mg/L was detected. Interestingly, the MAC catalyst with a saturation magnetization of 3.6 emu/g was easily separated from the treated mixture for the next cycle. Overall, these findings demonstrate that magnetic activated carbon prepared from ZnCl2 and FeCl3 coactivation of lotus seedpod waste can be a low-cost catalyst for rapid degradation of acid orange 10

Structural Characterization and Cytotoxic Activity Evaluation of Ulvan Polysaccharides Extracted from the Green Algae <i>Ulva papenfussii</i>

Ulvan, a sulfated heteropolysaccharide with structural and functional properties of interest for various uses, was extracted from the green seaweed Ulva papenfussii. U. papenfussii is an unexplored Ulva species found in the South China Sea along the central coast of Vietnam. Based on dry weight, the ulvan yield was ~15% (w/w) and the ulvan had a sulfate content of 13.4 wt%. The compositional constitution encompassed L-Rhamnose (Rhap), D-Xylose (Xylp), D-Glucuronic acid (GlcAp), L-Iduronic acid (IdoAp), D-Galactose (Galp), and D-Glucose (Glcp) with a molar ratio of 1:0.19:0.35:0.52:0.05:0.11, respectively. The structure of ulvan was determined using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy (NMR) methods. The results showed that the extracted ulvan comprised a mixture of two different structural forms, namely (“A3s”) with the repeating disaccharide [→4)-β-D-GlcAp-(1→4)-α-L-Rhap 3S-(1→]n, and (“B3s”) with the repeating disaccharide [→4)-α-L-IdoAp-(1→4)-α-L-Rhap 3S(1→]n. The relative abundance of A3s, and B3s was 1:1.5, respectively. The potential anticarcinogenic attributes of ulvan were evaluated against a trilogy of human cancer cell lineages. Concomitantly, Quantitative Structure–Activity Relationship (QSAR) modeling was also conducted to predict potential adverse reactions stemming from pharmacological interactions. The ulvan showed significant antitumor growth activity against hepatocellular carcinoma (IC50 ≈ 90 µg/mL), human breast cancer cells (IC50 ≈ 85 µg/mL), and cervical cancer cells (IC50 ≈ 67 µg/mL). The QSAR models demonstrated acceptable predictive power, and seven toxicity indications confirmed the safety of ulvan, warranting its candidacy for further in vivo testing and applications as a biologically active pharmaceutical source for human disease treatment