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Agroforestry can improve soil conservation and overall farm productivity compared with sole-crop systems, but its benefits are limited by competitive interactions between tree and crop components. Studies on light competition have been performed on relatively flat land, but slope can influence light distribution. Little is known about optimizing light utilization and enhancing system productivity and/or income from agroforestry on sloping land.This study examined how slope influences light distribution and performance of maize and coffee crops in fruit tree-crop agroforestry. Starting hypotheses were that 1) crops upslope of tree rows receive and intercept greater amounts of light than those downslope; and 2) position of the crop is more important for light interception and yield when fruit trees have a large, dense canopy.Five-year-old fruit-crop agroforestry experiments on west-southwest facing slopes were revisited. Each agroforestry treatment was divided into nine zones relative to the tree rows (zone 5), with zones 1–4 upslope and 6–9 downslope of the fruit tree row. Light distribution was assessed using Hemiview and SunScan and compared with that in sole-maize and sole-coffee systems. Crop growth and yield were also recorded.Incident light to the crop was higher in the sole-crop system than in agroforestry. In agroforestry, incident light to the crops was lower downslope of trees than upslope but increased with increasing distance from the tree rows. On average, 0.40–0.50 fraction of total light reached the soil surface. Downslope had a stronger negative effect on light distribution and crop yield than upslope. The available light at the soil surface provides scope for additional components. Further studies on the light demands of different crops during the season could improve system design.

Rapid chemical detection of drugs of abuse in biological fluids such as blood and saliva is a concern within medicine and law enforcement. As an outcome, a label-free detection platform takes biological fluid samples with concentrations ranging from extremely high to very low. We obtained experimentally the limit of detection (LOD) of glycerol concentration, corresponding to a minimum resolvable refractive index of 3.4 × 10−7 RIU (refractive index unit). We applied the microfluidic device sensors to the quantitating concentration dopamine solutions. The experiment was recorded in real-time as the concentration of analyte injected exposed to the fiber core surface resulted in a sensitive change in optical power transmission. The presented sensors also exhibited reasonably good reproducibility and higher sensitivity, providing the LOD as 1.02 × 10−11 M. A relatively simple scheme procedure is proposed for the simultaneous detection and quantitative assessment of rhodamine B using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy with a limit of detection of 10−12 M and a relative standard deviation of 5.78% across a detection concentration range mainly from 10−5 M to 10−12 M. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of nano-metal–organic framework materials as large-area, label-free optical fiber sensors and SERS-based platforms for biomedical sensing and environmental applications.

The research is conducted for assessing factors affecting the implementation of Strategic Management Accounting (SMA) of medium - sized enterprises in Vietnam. Data was collected from 235 medium - sized enterprises of Vietnam for the period from 2019 to 2021. Based on quantitative research methods, the implementation of Strategic Management (SMA) and factors affecting this implementation were scrutinized. The results indicate that the implementation of Strategic Management (SMA) of medium - sized enterprises in Vietnam is influenced by factors: Technology level, Quality of accountants, Competitive level, Business strategy, and Business risk. Through findings, some recommendations are given for improving the implementation of SMA of medium – sized to satisfy the demand for information of the stakeholder in the context of integration.

This study aimed to investigate the nexus between the level of environmental financial accounting practices (EFAP) and cost of capital. The population of this study is 1.188 firm-year observations. However, we excluded 408 firm-year with less than 2 years of information to calculate EFAP, 73 firm-year without sufficient financial accounting information to calculate the cost of capital and 35 firm-year without sufficient financial accounting information to calculate control variables. Finally, this paper used a sample of 672 firm-year observations of listed companies on the Vietnam stock market for 5 years from 2013 to 2017. Two-stage regressions with the lag term are adopted to address econometric issues and to improve the accuracy of the regression coefficients. The results show that Vietnamese firms with higher EFAP performance can rapidly reduce their cost of capital. The findings also indicate that capital structure does not play a moderating role to evaluate the relationship between EFAP and the cost of capital.

Rapid expansion of unsustainable farming practices in upland areas of Southeast Asia threatens food security and the environment. This study assessed alternative agroforestry systems for sustainable land management and livelihood improvement in northwest Vietnam. The performance of fruit tree-based agroforestry was compared with that of sole cropping, and farmers’ perspectives on agroforestry were documented. After seven years, longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.)-maize-forage grass and son tra (Docynia indica (Wall.) Decne)-forage grass systems had generated 2.4- and 3.5-fold higher average annual income than sole maize and sole son tra, respectively. Sole longan gave no net profit, due to high investment costs. After some years, competition developed between the crop, grass, and tree components, e.g., for nitrogen, and the farmers interviewed reported a need to adapt management practices to optimise spacing and pruning. They also reported that agroforestry enhanced ecosystem services by controlling surface runoff and erosion, increasing soil fertility and improving resilience to extreme weather. Thus, agroforestry practices with fruit trees can be more profitable than sole-crop cultivation within a few years. Integration of seasonal and fast-growing perennial plants (e.g., grass) is essential to ensure quick returns. Wider adoption needs initial incentives or loans, knowledge exchange, and market links.

Agroforestry is considered as a solution for improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers and reducing land degradation. However, the upscale is required objective assessments and appropriate solutions. Five agroforestry options established in 2014 in Northwest Vietnam include Macadamia+coffee+soybeans, Acacia+mango+maize+forage grass, Acacia+longan+coffee+soybeans+forage grass, Teak+plum+coffee+soybeans and Docynia indica+forgare grass, were used to evaluate the annual income, cumulative profit, multi-year return on investment (ROI) and efficiency on soil erosion control compared with mono-maize and mono-Docynia indica. Mono-maize provides annual income. However, tends to decrease. Break-even point of mono-Docynia indica happened in the year 4th after planting. Depend on agroforestry options, the break- even presented in the year 2nd to year 4th. The cumulative profit of mono-maize and mono-Docynia indica for five-year study were 1196 and 875 USD ha−1, respectively. Meanwhile, five agroforestry options were provided the cumulative profit from 29 to 10,000 USD ha−1. ROI of five-year investment of monoculture maize and Docynia indica were 38% and 33%, respectively. Agroforestry options gave the value of 1%, 25%, 39%, 59% and 141% for Macadamia+coffee+soybeans, Acacia+mango+maize+forage grass, Acacia+longan+coffee+soybeans+forage grass, Teak+plum+coffee+soybeans+forage grass and Sontra+forage grass, respectively. The effectiveness on soil erosion control in agroforestry options are clear, decreasing from 53% in the second year to 98% in the fifth year after establishment compared to mono-maize. The analysis results show that agroforestry options provided attractive income for farmers only 2nd or 3rd year after establishment. However, higher investment cost is required, and appropriate supports are needed for wider application.

In the Northwest Vietnam, traditional maize (Zea mays) cultivation practices of farmers mainly based on sole cropping, intensive tillage combined with burning crop residues on steep slopes. These cultivation practices resulted in severe erosion, soil degradation, reducing crop production and un-sustainable production systems. It requires assessing of the impact of agroforestry practice on the soil conservation in the context of the upland areas in Northwest Vietnam. This study has been carried out since 2017 to present the actual impact of agroforestry practice including longan (Dimocarpus longan)+mango (Mangifera indica L.)+maize+forage grass strips (Guinea-Panicum maximum) on soil conservation. The assessment based on quantifying soil loss by soil traps and evaluating terrace’s formation by erosion pins placing above forage grass strips. The sole maize system had been using for the comparison. The initial results showed that the evaluated agroforestry practice reduced soil loss from 18.3 to 37.4% in compared with the sole maize system in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In the second year (2018), the deposition of sediment on the front and rear pins at the above grass trips was 0.81 and 0.41 cm, respectively. It indicated the increment in soil surface at the above grass strips. In contrast, the negative value of the deposition of sediment was recorded in the sole maize system. We are continuing to monitor the impact of agroforestry practices on reducing soil loss and terrace formation, and evaluate the function of the system on soil fertility improvement, nutrient use efficiency and economic profitability.

The present paper reported on the analysis of structural defects and their influence on the red‐emitting γ‐Al2O3:Mn4+,Mg2+ nanowires using positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS). The nanowires were synthesized by hydrothermal method and low‐temperature post‐treatment using glucose as a reducing agent. X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL), and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) were utilized, respectively, for determining the structural phase, morphology and red‐emitting intensity in studied samples. Three PAS experiments, namely, positron annihilation lifetime (PAL), Doppler broadening (DB), and electron momentum distribution (EMD), were simultaneously performed to investigate the formations of structural defects in synthesized materials. Obtained results indicated that the doping concentration of 0.06% was optimal for the substitution of Mn4+ and Mg2+ to two Al3+ sites and the formation of oxygen vacancy (VO)‐rich vacancy clusters (2VAl + 3VO) and large voids (~0.7 nm) with less Al atoms. Those characteristics reduced the energy transfer between Mn4+ ions, thus consequently enhanced the PL and PLE intensities. Moreover, this optimal doping concentration also effectively controlled the size of nanopores (~2.18 nm); hence, it is expected to maintain the high thermal conductivity of γ‐Al2O3 nanowire‐phosphor. The present study, therefore, demonstrated a potential application of γ‐Al2O3 nanowire‐phosphor in fabricating the high‐performance optoelectronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the case of a 42-year-old woman with no past medical history who was admitted to the emergency department because of massive hemoptysis estimated to be greater than 250ml of fresh blood. Physical examination revealed that her vital signs were initially fluctuating on admission with decreased arterial oxygen saturation, tachypnea, mildly elevated blood pressure and heart rate, and no fever. The head and neck exams were notable for the presence of blood in the oropharynx. No active bleeding site was found during nasopharyngoscopy. Chest X-ray shows a well-defined homogeneous mass-like opacity with lobulated shapes of the right lung. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography demonstrates a single 1.2 × 1 cm pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) in the right upper lobe fed by an anterior segment pulmonary artery measuring 3.5mm in diameter. The final diagnosis was concluded as massive hemoptysis due to right pulmonary arteriovenous malformation. In this report, we present a rare clinical case with a silent developmental PAVM that did not cause symptoms until massive hemoptysis which can be life-threatening.

Abstract Background No studies on neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gastric cancer (GC) with T4b stage were reported. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using DCS regimen (docetaxel, cisplatin, and S-1) for GC with T4b stage. Methods Forty-three patients diagnosed GC with surgical or clinical T4b stage received three or four preoperative cycles of DCS therapy followed by gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy between Jan-2018 and Dec-2022. Short-tern outcomes including tumor response, completion of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, toxicity and adverse events, rate of treatment-related death, R0 resection, rate of complete adjuvant chemotherapy and short-term surgical results were investigated. The oncologic outcomes comprised 3-year OS and 3-year disease-free survival (DFS). Results A total of 43 patients with T4b gastric cancer were included in the analysis. Among them, twenty-five patients underwent gastrectomy and lymphadenectomy. The completion rate of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 88.4%, including 4 cycles of 51.2% and 3 cycles of 37.2%. The disease-control and clinical response rate were 88.4% and 58.1%, respectively. During preoperative chemotherapy, grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 20.9%, anemia in 13.9%, hyponatremia in 4.8%, and vomiting in 2.3%. Pathologic complete response was achieved in 8.0%. After surgery, no patient experienced severe complications (Clavien Dindo > = 3). The R0 resection rate was 72.0% and the rate of complete adjuvant chemotherapy was 83.3%. The 3-year OS and DFS rates were 49% and 38%, respectively. Conclusions Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with DCS regimen demonstrated a high tolerance, high tumor response rate, high complete adjuvant chemotherapy rate and satisfactory 3-year survival outcomes. Three- or four-course of preoperative DCS regimen is a promising approach for GC with T4b stage.

Prostatic stromal sarcoma (PSS) is a rare malignant tumor that often occurs in young people. Despite the fact that their clinical pathological characteristics are well known, our understanding of the imaging characteristics still seems to be limited. In our search of the literature, PSS articles are mainly present as case reports. In this case series of PSS, we aimed to thoroughly describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features, histopathological findings, and distinguishing hallmarks from prostate cancer (PCA).

Abstract Our study describes the reported rate of the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, declaration of Helsinki (DoH), and informed consent in the case reports and case series and investigates factors associated with the ethical approval report. We searched PubMed for case reports and case series from 2006 to 2017. Annually, we obtained the first 20 articles of a case report cluster from 20 distinct publications. This analysis initially contained at least 2400 papers, with 100 papers each study design and year. Only 26 (5.4%) of 480 included studies reported IRB approval, DoH approval, and participant informed consent; 58 (12.1%) reported two out of three ethical statements (DoH, informed consent, IRB); and 151 (31.5%) reported only one, leading to nearly 245 studies (51.0%) did not report any ethical approval item. Both clusters mentioned the DoH the least. Only years, ages, ethical item types, and cluster types were associated with ethical reporting practices. This study found the serious under‐reporting of ethical practices in both case reports and case series.

Abstract Background The association between postoperative complications and long‐term survival after laparoscopic gastrectomy (LG) for gastric cancer (GC) remains uncertain. This study aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors of postoperative complications and evaluate their impact on survival outcomes in patients undergoing LG. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 621 patients who underwent LG for gastric adenocarcinoma between March 2015 and December 2021. Postoperative complications were classified according to the Clavien–Dindo classification, with major complications defined as Grade III or higher. Logistic regression models with stepwise backward procedure were used to identify risk factors for complications. To assess the impact of postoperative complications on survival, uni‐ and multi‐variable Cox proportional hazard models were used for overall survival (OS) and disease‐free survival (DFS). Results Overall rate of postoperative complications was 17.6% (109 patients); 33 patients (5.3%) had major complications. Independent risk factors for major complications were Charlson comorbidities index (OR [95% CI], 1.87 [1.09–3.12], p‐value = 0.018 for each one score increase), and type of anastomosis (OR [95% CI], 0.28 [0.09–0.91], p‐value = 0.029 when comparing Billroth II with Billroth I). Multivariable analysis identified major complications as an independent prognostic factor to reduce OS (HR [95% CI], 2.32 [1.02–5.30], p‐value = 0.045) and DFS (HR [95% CI], 2.63 [1.37–5.06], p‐value = 0.004). Other prognostic factors for decreased survival outcomes were tumor size, presence of invasive lymph nodes, and T4a stage. Conclusions Major complications rate of LG for GC was approximately 5.3%. Charlson comorbidities index and type of anastomosis were identified as risk factors for major postoperative complications. Major complications were demonstrated to pose adverse impact on survival outcomes.

Background Novel host-directed therapies are urgently needed for patients with dengue, particularly those at high risk of developing severe disease. Broad immunosuppression using corticosteroids in unselected patients with dengue has so far been unsuccessful. Patients with hyperinflammation (raised CRP and/or ferritin levels) are at highest risk of poor outcomes in dengue. Anakinra is a licensed, bio-engineered form of the naturally occurring IL-1R antagonist which has shown efficacy in other acute viral-associated hyperinflammatory syndromes. Methods This is a randomized placebo-controlled phase II trial of anakinra in 160 patients ≥ 12 years old, diagnosed as having dengue with warning signs or severe dengue and the hyperinflammatory syndrome (plasma ferritin >2000 ng/ml). Participants will receive a 4-day course of either anakinra or placebo. The primary endpoint is the efficacy of anakinra measured by the delta mSOFA score* (change in mSOFA score over 4 days after randomization). The accompanying immunological and transcriptomic analyses aim to identify novel mechanisms and pathways that may represent future biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Discussion The observed immunomodulatory benefit of anakinra in acute viral-associated hyperinflammatory syndromes including COVID-19 and auto-immune diseases makes this medication a promising potential treatment for dengue patients with hyperinflammation. This trial will assess the safety and efficacy of anakinra in patients with severe dengue or at high risk of developing life-threatening dengue disease. Registration ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05611710).

Objectives: We studied the immunogenicity after primary and booster vaccinations of the Abdala COVID-19 vaccine, a receptor-binding domain protein subunit vaccine, in Vietnamese people by determining the level of neutralization and cross-neutralization activities against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 and its variants and SARS-CoV-1. Methods: We performed a prospective observational study, enrolling adults aged 19-59 years in Dong Thap province, southern Vietnam, and collected blood samples from baseline until 4 weeks after the booster dose. We measured anti-nucleocapsid, anti-spike, and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and assessed the cross-neutralization against 14 SARS-CoV-2 variants and SARS-CoV-1. Complementary antibody data came from Vietnamese health care workers fully vaccinated with ChAdOx1-S. Results: After primary vaccination, anti-spike antibody and neutralizing antibodies were detectable in 98.4% and 87% of 251 study participants, respectively, with neutralizing antibody titers similar to that induced by ChAdOx1-S vaccine. Antibody responses after a homologous (Abdala COVID-19) or heterologous (messenger RNA BNT162b2) booster could neutralize 14 SARS-CoV-2 variants (including Omicron) and SARS-CoV-1. Conclusions: Abdala COVID-19 vaccine is immunogenic in Vietnamese people. Enhanced antibody response after a booster dose could cross-neutralize 14 SARS-CoV-2 variants and SARS-CoV-1. Our results have added to the growing body of knowledge about the contribution of protein subunit vaccine platforms to pandemic control.

Maritime transport forms the backbone of international logistics, as it allows for the transfer of bulk and long-haul products. The sophisticated planning required for this form of transportation frequently involves challenges such as unpredictable weather, diverse types of cargo kinds, and changes in port conditions, all of which can raise operational expenses. As a result, the accurate projection of a ship’s total time spent in port, and the anticipation of potential delays, have become critical for effective port activity planning and management. In this work, we aim to develop a port management system based on enhanced prediction and classification algorithms that are capable of precisely forecasting the lengths of ship stays and delays. On both the training and testing datasets, the XGBoost model was found to consistently outperform the alternative approaches in terms of RMSE, MAE, and R2 values for both the turnaround time and waiting period models. When used in the turnaround time model, the XGBoost model had the lowest RMSE of 1.29 during training and 0.5019 during testing, and also achieved the lowest MAE of 0.802 for training and 0.391 for testing. It also had the highest R2 values of 0.9788 during training and 0.9933 during testing. Similarly, in the waiting period model, the XGBoost model outperformed the random forest and decision tree models, with the lowest RMSE, MAE, and greatest R2 values in both the training and testing phases.

Trong bối cảnh khoa học công nghệ được đầu tư phát triển mạnh mẽ trong lĩnh vực hành chính công ở Việt Nam, thông tin báo cáo tài chính được phép công khai trên website chính thức của cơ quan nhà nước từ trung ương đến địa phương, tuy nhiên mức độ công bố thông tin còn thấp và không đồng đều, nghiên cứu được thực hiện nhằm khám phá các nhân tố có khả năng tác động đến mức độ công bố thông tin tài chính trên Internet của chính quyền địa phương tại Việt Nam hiện nay. Nghiên cứu góp phần lý giải những động cơ, nguyên nhân dẫn dắt việc thực hiện và sự khác biệt trong mức độ công khai minh bạch thông tin tài chính trên Internet của các cơ quan chính quyền địa phương ở Việt Nam. Kết quả nghiên cứu cung cấp bằng chứng thực nghiệm cho thấy, mức độ thịnh vượng, mức độ công khai minh bạch quản trị và hành chính công, và mức độ kiểm soát tham nhũng của người dân tác động đến mức độ công bố thông tin tài chính trên Internet trong khu vực công Việt Nam.

Background: Supplementing probiotics in livestock feed is increasing due to concerns over the potential harm caused by antibiotics and other chemical growth promoters. Several Bacillus sp. have been used as probiotic supplements for livestock. In this study, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens S2.5 was isolated from freshwater and its potential probiotic characteristics were evaluated in vitro. The whole genome of strain S2.5 was sequenced, and its probiotic traits were annotated using bioinformatic tools. Results: Both vegetative cells and spores of strain S2.5 remained stable throughout the 1.5 h of gastric juice and 48 h of intestine simulation. The strain S2.5 harbored the ability to produce glucoamylase, carboxymethyl cellulase, protease, and chitinase. It is also susceptible to all six tested antibiotics. The complete genome sequence shows genes related to acid-bile tolerance, environmental stress resistance, hydrolases, and adhesion to gut mucosa, confirming probiotic traits in the in vitro experiments. Conclusions: B. amyloliquefaciens S2.5 demonstrated potential probiotic characteristics and its genetic profile in the in vitro experiments. Further in vivo assessments of B. amyloliquefaciens S2.5 on livestock and poultry should be performed to assess its practical application.

Background: Auricular acupuncture (AA) has been widely used in overweight and obesity management due to its safety and effectiveness. The combination of other acupuncture therapies with thread-embedding acupuncture (TEA) has shown enhanced effects. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding AA plus TEA for overweight and obesity. This study was conducted to address this question. Methods: A randomized placebo-controlled trial was conducted involving 66 overweight or obese participants, divided into two groups: 33 received AA plus TEA, and 33 received AA plus sham TEA over eight weeks. The primary outcome was body weight (BW) reduction. Secondary outcomes included changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), food cravings questionnaire-trait-reduced (FCQ-Tr) and food craving visual analog scale (VAS) scores. Safety outcomes were adverse events (AEs). Results: After eight weeks, BW decreased by a mean (SD) of -4.45 (1.29) kg and -2.05 (1.33) kg in the AA plus TEA and AA plus sham TEA groups, respectively (MD [95 % CI]: 2.40 [1.75; 3.05]). BMI, WC, WHR, and food craving VAS score decreased significantly more in the AA plus TEA group than in the AA plus sham TEA group. No significant differences were found in FCQ-Tr and HC between groups. Seven AEs were recorded that were mild and resolved without treatment. Conclusion: The addition of TEA to AA is a safe and effective management of overweight and obesity. Further studies should incorporate dietary and lifestyle modifications and follow-up after the intervention to assess long-term effectiveness. Trial registration: The study protocol had been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06091761).