Improved Self-Adaptive Control Parameters in Differential Evolution Algorithm for Complex Numerical Optimization

芝浦工業大学201

Applying Improve Differential Evolution Algorithm for Solving Gait Generation Problem of Humanoid Robots

This chapter addresses an approach to generate 3D gait for humanoid robots. The proposed method considers gait generation matter as optimization problem with constraints. Firstly, trigonometric function is used to produce trial gait data for conducting simulation. By collecting the result, we build an approximation model to predict final status of the robot in locomotion, and construct optimization problem with constraints. In next step, we apply an improve differential evolution algorithm with Gauss distribution for solving optimization problem and achieve better gait data for the robot. This approach is validated using Kondo robot in a simulated dynamic environment. The 3D gait of the robot is compared to human in walk

The Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee Organizational Commitment in Multinational Corporations in Ho Chi Minh City

Based on the theoretical background of previous studies and the increasing context of personnel turnover in multinational companies, the authors conduct this study with the research objective to test and measure the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on employee’s organizational commitment through the effect of organizational identification and organizational trust. The combined qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to process and analyse the data. Research data was collected from 271 employees working in multinational corporations in Ho Chi Minh City. The study also discusses and provides some governance implications to help MNCs improve their social responsibility towards social and non-social stakeholders, employees, customers and the government as well as increase employee organizational engagement through identification and trust in the organization. Keywords: corporate social responsibility, employee organizational commitment, organizational identification, organizational trus

Selective breeding of saline-tolerant striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) for sustainable catfish farming in climate vulnerable Mekong Delta, Vietnam

peer reviewedStriped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus), a freshwater species cultured mainly in the Mekong Delta region in Southern Vietnam, is facing a significant challenge due to salinity intrusion as a result of climatic changes. Given these evolving environmental conditions, selecting new strains with a higher salinity tolerance could make production of striped catfish economically feasible in brackish environments. In this study, we carried out a selection program aimed at developing a striped catfish strain able to survive and grow fast in a saline environment. To implement the selection program, we first collected males and females from different provinces in the Mekong delta. We next performed a factorial cross of these breeders to produce half- and full-sib families. When fish reached fry stage (47 dph), we put them in a saline environment (10 ppt) and subsequently kept 50 % of the fastest-growing fish after 143 days post hatching (dph). We repeated this mass selection procedure after 237 dph and 340 dph. We maintained in parallel a randomly selected group in saline conditions and a group of fish reared in freshwater to serve as controls. After crossing the selected individuals, we performed several tests on the next generation of fish to evaluate the effectiveness of selection after one generation in saline conditions. Average direct responses to selection were 18.0 % for growth and 11.4 % for survival rate after one generation of selection. We estimated a moderate realized heritability (0.29) for body weight. The genetic gains obtained in our study for body weight and survival rate after one generation of selection under saline conditions suggest that selection can be effective to improve ability of striped catfish to cope with saline stress. We conclude that our selection program has succeeded in developing a productive strain of striped catfish with better tolerance to salinity. © 2022 The Author

Targeted next-generation sequencing on hirschsprung disease: A pilot study exploits DNA pooling

To adopt an efficient approach of identifying rare variants possibly related to Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), a pilot study was set up to evaluate the performance of a newly designed protocol for next generation targeted resquencing. In total, 20 Chinese HSCR patients and 20 Chinese sex-matched individuals with no HSCR were included, for which coding sequences (CDS) of 62 genes known to be in signaling pathways relevant to enteric nervous system development were selected for capture and sequencing. Blood DNAs from eight pools of five cases or controls were enriched by PCR-based RainDance technology (RDT) and then sequenced on a 454 FLX platform. As technical validation, five patients from case Pool-3 were also independently enriched by RDT, indexed with barcode and sequenced with sufficient coverage. Assessment for CDS single nucleotide variants showed DNA pooling performed well (specificity/sensitivity at 98.4%/83.7%) at the common variant level; but relatively worse (specificity/sensitivity at 65.5%/61.3%) at the rare variant level. Further Sanger sequencing only validated five out of 12 rare damaging variants likely involved in HSCR. Hence more improvement at variant detection and sequencing technology is needed to realize the potential of DNA pooling for large-scale resequencing projects. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/University College London.postprin

ベトナム国南部における稲遺伝資源の探索収集

Collaborative exploration between Japan and Vietnam was conducted in the Mekong Delta area of Southern Vietnam from November 17 to December 16, 1998. A total of 124 landraces and 12 wild relatives, including Oryza rufipogon and O. officinalis were collected. Land races which are adapted to deep water conditions, acid sulfurate soils, aluminum soil, or salinity were found in various locations. Some land races were grown for their high quality as aromatic rice and glutinous rice. Twelve accessions of wild relatives of rice, which include Oryza rufipogon and O. officinalis, were also collected near former fields. Oryza officinalis was collected in Ca Mau province, which is the first accession of that species from that province

Evaluation of Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel Assay for Detection of Multiple Diarrheal Pathogens in Fecal Samples in Vietnam.

Diarrheal disease is a complex syndrome that remains a leading cause of global childhood morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis of enteric pathogens in a timely and precise manner is important for making treatment decisions and informing public health policy, but accurate diagnosis is a major challenge in industrializing countries. Multiplex molecular diagnostic techniques may represent a significant improvement over classical approaches. We evaluated the Luminex xTAG gastrointestinal pathogen panel (GPP) assay for the detection of common enteric bacterial and viral pathogens in Vietnam. Microbiological culture and real-time PCR were used as gold standards. The tests were performed on 479 stool samples collected from people admitted to the hospital for diarrheal disease throughout Vietnam. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated for the xTAG GPP for the seven principal diarrheal etiologies. The sensitivity and specificity for the xTAG GPP were >88% for Shigellaspp.,Campylobacterspp., rotavirus, norovirus genotype 1/2 (GI/GII), and adenovirus compared to those of microbiological culture and/or real-time PCR. However, the specificity was low (∼60%) for Salmonella species. Additionally, a number of important pathogens that are not identified in routine hospital procedures in this setting, such as Cryptosporidiumspp. and Clostridium difficile, were detected with the GPP. The use of the Luminex xTAG GPP for the detection of enteric pathogens in settings, like Vietnam, would dramatically improve the diagnostic accuracy and capacity of hospital laboratories, allowing for timely and appropriate therapy decisions and a wider understanding of the epidemiology of pathogens associated with severe diarrheal disease in low-resource settings

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