THEORETICAL MODEL OF MEDIATED SHARED SPACE FOR SUPPORTING INFORMAL INTERACTION AT A DISTANCE

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

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

Computer-aided visualization aids for indoor rescue operation

Finding a way out effectively and rapidly in emergency is always a problem for occupants who get trapped in an indoor environment. In such situation, rescuers often rely on emergency signs or verbal communication to direct the trapped people to the exits. However, many problems could arise during evacuation such as mobile signal interruption, low visible scene caused by dense smoke, etc. These problems might prevent the rescuers from communicating with Command Centre as well as to see the emergency signs and passageway clearly. Moreover, a complex spatial layout with obstructed spaces will add more difficult in deciding the correct way to take. To address the above problem, this thesis introduces an approach for effective rescue task in the context of way-finding in an indoor environment, namely inside vessels or buildings. The proposed approach takes into account how rescuers who are less familiar with the rescue area could immediately make sense of the spatial space while performing way-finding task regardless visibility of the environment. Based on principles and criteria of visual communication in emergency and human way-finding studies, this approach is investigated with the use of computer-aided visualization technologies and indoor trackers. To implement the approach, a visualization system is developed and integrated. Outcomes of the visualization system which are directional messages and aided information for way-finding performance are presented in terms of visual representations. It is real-time generated corresponding to the rescuer's information (e.g. current position and viewing orientation) and environment visibilities (e.g. clear, smoky). The visual representation is made up by combining a dynamic 2D You-Are-Here map integrated with directional signs superimposing on either 3D virtual environment or recording video of the real one. The visualization using virtual environment is called Virtual Reality (VR) display which can be used in case of low visual access or smoky scene. VR display enables the rescuer to recognize their ways easily since virtual scene is a 3D replication of the real one. The visualization using real scene is called Augmented Reality (AR) display which is applicable for wayfinding in clear scene.MASTER OF ENGINEERING (CEE

The Satisfaction of Tourists on Community-based Tourism in My Hoa Hung, Vietnam

The research was conducted to assess the satisfaction of tourists with local community-based tourism services in the My Hoa Hung (MHH) commune in Long Xuyen, An Giang, Vietnam. The research findings will be the scientific and practical basis for effective and sustainable tourism development in MHH. A mixed-method of qualitative and quantitative is used in this study. Tourist local officers and tourist providers were interviewed as key informants. Such samples of domestic and foreign tourists were interviewed using a questionnaire survey to collect and analyze the tourists' satisfaction with tourism services. The result shows that tourists visiting MHH come from different regions and countries, from different age groups, and occupations, so their needs and satisfaction with MHH's community-based tourism services are also very diverse. The study uncovers that tourists are most satisfied with the human factor, especially the enthusiasm attitude of the tourist service provider (reaching 4.07 points), and then environmental landscape (3.90 points), infrastructure (3.90 points), price (3.80 points), and the lowest security- safety factor (3.73 points). However, in each factor, there are still a number of criteria that tourists are not satisfied with, which should be paid attention to for sustainable tourism development, such as environmental sanitation, traffic safety, and English communication ability of tourists' service providers

Estimating the Possibility of Lead Contamination in Soil Surface due to Lead Deposition in Atmosphere

An increase in heavy metal soil contamination, especially lead, in the industrial area or near industrial areas has become a serious environmental problem. An industrial zone including paints, electrical plants, metal works, machining, and smelting factories, in the suburban of Ho Chi Minh City, was chosen as the study area. Soil samples were collected from the industrial area and in the residential area next to the industrial area for three experiments, namely, lead content in the surface soils, lead leachate into the water, and movement of lead in soil. Then, the results were compared to the values in the Soil Contamination Countermeasures Law of the Japan Ministry of Environment to assess the possibility of soil contamination which may cause health risks to a human living in that area. The results of the analysis show that the soil has been contaminated by lead. In particular, the lead concentrations of the surface soil samples are 23–35 mg kg-1, while the lead elution of soil samples is quite high, about 0.6 mg L-1. With these results, the soil can harm people by direct ingestion. More importantly, this work proves that lead species have been going down gradually. To assess the possibility of lead approaching groundwater, more further studies need to be achieved

Ocena zanieczyszczenia metalami ciężkimi wód powierzchniowych rzek Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc w Wietnamie

Heavy metals are a pressing concern in terms of their pollution in aquatic ecosystems because of their persistence, environmental toxicity, bioaccumulation. Aquatic environments receive heavy metals in untreated or inadequately treated wastewater from domestic, industrial, agricultural, and navigation sources. The Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc Rivers play the key roles of irrigation, navigation and ecological restoration. It is crucial to ascertain the pollution status, influencing factors, ecological risks, and possible sources of heavy metals in the surface water of the Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc Rivers. In this study, surface water from 7 sampling sites over was collected from the Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc Rivers, over 7 consecutive periods from April 2019 to October 2021. Each surface sample was analyzed for 9 heavy metals including Fe, Mn, Cr, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, As. The sampling technique and sample treatment were done based on the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. The time and space variation of heavy metal concentrations were examined to test the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation among all the parameters using R statistical software. The results suggest a spatial homogeneity of heavy metals in the surface water the studied rivers. Among all nine examined heavy metals in the studied area, the concentrations of Fe (1.00 ÷ 5.06 mg/L) and Mn (0.14 ÷ 0.28 mg/L) are the highest, and the concentrations of Cr, Cd and As are the lowest that lower limit of detection. The results suggested that the mean concentrations of Fe and Mn were above the acceptable limits of the National technical regulation on surface water quality (QCVN 08-MT: 2015/BTNMT). While the concentrations of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni do not meet the Water quality criteria for aquatic life (United State Environmental Protection Agency). Anthropogenic activities can be the main source of heavy metals in in the surface water of the Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc Rivers. Among the heavy metals, a significant positive correlation was observed between Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni (0.64 ÷ 0.87), whereas Cu exhibited a significant positive correlation with Ni (0.51). While Cu and Pb showed a not too strong correlation with Fe, Mn, Zn and Ni (0.25 ÷ 0.48). The distribution of heavy metals may also be influenced by properties of heavy metals and fluctuations in water flows. The results provide guidance for controlling heavry metal pollution and protectting water sources in the Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc Rivers.Metale ciężkie stanowią palący problem zanieczyszczenia w ekosystemach wodnych ze względu na ich trwałość, toksyczność dla środowiska i bioakumulację. Środowiska wodne sa zasilane w metale ciężkie z nieoczyszczonych lub nieodpowiednio oczyszczonych ścieków ze źródeł domowych, przemysłowych, rolniczych i żeglugowych. Rzeki Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc odgrywają kluczową rolę w nawadnianiu terenów, transporcie odnym i odbudowie ekologicznej. Kluczowe znaczenie ma ustalenie stanu zanieczyszczenia, czynników wpływających, zagrożeń ekologicznych i możliwych źródeł metali ciężkich w wodach powierzchniowych rzek Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badania wód powierzchniowych, próbki pobrano z 7 punktów pomiarowych z rzek Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc przez 7 kolejnych okresów od kwietnia 2019 r. do października 2021 r. Każda próbka została przeanalizowana pod kątem zawartości 9 metali ciężkich: Fe, Mn, Cr , Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, As. Metodyka pobierania próbek i obróbki próbek zostały opracowane w oparciu o Standardowe Metody Badania Wód i Ścieków. Zbadano zmienność w czasie i przestrzeni stężeń metali ciężkich, do analizyy wyników wykorzystano analizę wariancji (ANOVA) i korelacji między wszystkimi parametrami przy użyciu oprogramowania statystycznego. Wyniki sugerują przestrzenną jednorodność zawartości metali ciężkich w wodach powierzchniowych badanych rzek. Spośród wszystkich dziewięciu badanych metali ciężkich w badanym terenie najwyższe są stężenia Fe (1,00 ÷ 5,06 mg/L) i Mn (0,14 ÷ 0,28 mg/L), a najniższe Cr, Cd i As (wartości odpowiadające dolnej granicy wykrywalności). Wyniki wskazują, że średnie stężenia Fe i Mn były powyżej dopuszczalnych limitów, opisanych w krajowych normach dotyczących jakości wód powierzchniowych (QCVN 08-MT: 2015/BTNMT). Natomiast stężenia Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni nie spełniają kryteriów jakości wody dla organizmów wodnych (Agencja Ochrony Środowiska Stanów Zjednoczonych). Działalność antropogeniczna może być głównym źródłem metali ciężkich w wodach powierzchniowych rzek Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc. Wśród metali ciężkich zaobserwowano istotną dodatnią korelację między zawartością Fe, Mn, Zn i Ni (0,64 ÷ 0,87), natomiast Cu wykazywała istotną dodatnią korelację z Ni (0,51). Zawartości Cu i Pb wykazywały niezbyt silną korelację z Fe, Mn, Zn i Ni (0,25 ÷ 0,48). Na rozmieszczenie metali ciężkich mogą mieć również wpływ właściwości metali ciężkich oraz wahania przepływów wody. Wyniki dostarczają wskazówek dotyczących kontrolowania zanieczyszczenia metalami ciężkimi i ochrony źródeł wody w rzekach Doi-Cho Dem-Ben Luc

Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution in the Surface Water of the Doi Canal, the Cho Dem and Ben Luc Rivers, Vietnam

The Doi Canal and the Cho Dem and Ben Luc Rivers play the key roles in irrigation, navigation and ecological restoration. It is important to clearly identify the pollution, influencing factors, ecological risks and possible sources of heavy metals in the surface water of this river system. The surface water of 7 sampling sites was collected over 7 consecutive periods from April 2019 to October 2021. Each surface water sample was analyzed for 9 heavy metals including Fe, Mn, Cr, Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Ni, As. Sampling and sample handling techniques were performed based on the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Among all nine heavy metals examined in the study area, the concentrations of Fe (1.00 5.06 mg/L) and Mn (0.14 0.28 mg/L) were the highest and the concentrations of Cr, Cd and As were below the lower limit of detection. The results showed that the average Fe and Mn contents both exceeded the permissible thresholds of the National technical regulation on surface water quality (QCVN 08-MT: 2015/BTNMT). Additionally, the content of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni did not meet the water quality standards for aquatic life (United State Environmental Protection Agency)

Higher education in Vietnam: flexibility, mobility and practicality in the global knowledge economy (Series: Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education)

Abstract not available

Effect of the Optimize Heart Failure Care Program on clinical and patient outcomes – The pilot implementation in Vietnam

Background: The Ho-Chi-Minh-city Heart Institute in Vietnam took part in the Optimize Heart Failure (OHF) Care Program, designed to improve outcomes following heart failure (HF) hospitalization by increasing patient awareness and optimizing HF treatment. Methods: HF patients hospitalized with left ventricular ejection-fraction (LVEF) <50% were included. Patients received guideline-recommended HF treatment and education. Clinical signs, treatments and outcomes were assessed at admission, discharge, 2 and 6 months (M2, M6). Patients' knowledge and practice were assessed at M6 by telephone survey. Results: 257 patients were included. Between admission and M2 and M6, heart rate decreased significantly, and clinical symptoms improved significantly. LVEF increased significantly from admission to M6. 85% to 99% of patients received education. At M6, 45% to 78% of patients acquired knowledge and adhered to practice regarding diet, exercise, weight control, and detection of worsening symptoms. High use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system inhibitors (91%), mineralocorticoid-receptor-antagonists (77%) and diuretics (85%) was noted at discharge. Beta-blocker and ivabradine use was less frequent at discharge but increased significantly at M6 (from 33% to 51% and from 9% to 20%, respectively, p < 0.001). There were no in-hospital deaths. Readmission rates at 30 and 60 days after discharge were 8.3% and 12.5%, respectively. Mortality rates at 30 days, 60 days and 6 months were 1.2%, 2.5% and 6.4%, respectively. Conclusions: The OHF Care Program could be implemented in Vietnam without difficulty and was associated with high usage of guideline-recommended drug therapy. Although education was delivered, patient knowledge and practice could be further improved at M6 after discharge. Keywords: Heart failure, Optimize, Education, Knowledge, Mortality, Readmissio