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Objectives: α-thalassemia is an autosomal recessive monogenic blood disorder, affecting up to 5% of the world's population. The occurrence rate of the disease in Vietnam varies up to up to 51.5%, with high rate of mutation carriers, of couples consisting of two carriers at risk of bearing a child with fetal Hb Bart, which can develop into hydrops fetalis syndrome, threatening the well-being of the mother and the child. Our study aims to facilitate birth of healthy/asymptomatic children of α-thalassemia carrier couples who received reproductive service at our centre during the period of 2019–2022. Materials and methods: 89 couples at risks of having α-thalassemia offsprings requested IVF procedures and PGD at Post Hospital during 2019–2022 were recruited for investigation. Couple and additional family members’ peripheral blood samples of couples and additional family members were subjected to haemoglobin electrophoresis, DNA extraction for α-thalassemia gene mutation detection and STRs linkage analysis. Data were observed and analysed on GeneMarker software. Results: 91 cycles of PGD for α-thalassemia were carried out for 89 couples. α-thalassemia large deletion (--SEA/αα) was the most common mutation identified in 88 couples, in which 4 cases also carried β-thalassemia point mutations. Combining results of PGS and PGD, 278/424 amplified embryos were transferable (HBA-mutation free or carriers of single heterozygous HBA mutation, without chromosomal abnormality). 64/89 couples have been transferred with the embryos (prioritizing mutation free ones over carriers), resulting in the birth of 36 α-thalassemia disease-free children, 17 ongoing pregnancies, and 11 with miscarriages. Conclusion: Successful application of microsatellite-based method in PGD facilitated the birth of 36 healthy children and 17 ongoing pregnancies for 53/64 couples with embryo-transferred. All resulted clinical births displayed confirmation results in line with the PGD results, thus demonstrating the feasibility and credibility of the use of STR markers in PGD.

Currently 1.3 billion individuals globally engage in smoking, leading to significant morbidity and mortality, particularly among diabetic patients. There is urgent need for a better understanding of how smoking influences antidiabetic treatment efficacy. The review underscores the role of cigarette smoke, particularly polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), in modulating the metabolic pathways of antidiabetic drugs, primarily through the induction of cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes and uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), thus impacting drug pharmacokinetics and therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, the review addresses the relatively uncharted territory of how smoking cessation influences diabetes treatment, noting that cessation can lead to significant changes in drug metabolism, necessitating dosage adjustments. Special attention is given to the interaction between smoking cessation aids and antidiabetic medications, a critical area for patient safety and effective diabetes management. This scoping review aims to provide healthcare professionals with the knowledge to better support diabetic patients who smoke or are attempting to quit, ensuring tailored and effective treatment strategies. It also identifies gaps in current research, advocating for more studies to fill these voids, thereby enhancing patient care and treatment outcomes for this at-risk population.

In this paper, hand tracking based on computer vision is developed to control the movement of a SCARA robot arm. The robot arm will move according to the movement of the human hand. Instead of using buttons on the teach-pendant or a computer control program to move the robot arm, the robot can now be easily controlled and positioned quickly by the movement of the operator's hand. A SCARA robot arm with two rotation joints and one translation motion is constructed for the validation system. Two states of the hand are recognized for controlling the vacuum cup to grasp the products. Stepper motors drive the robot arm. Arduino Uno is used as the main controller for controlling the stepper motors. The handtracking is performed by using the MediaPipe Hands framework developed by Google. The coordinates of 21 hand landmarks are extracted for further processing. A program is written on a personal computer to process the image to get the position and state of the hand. This position is transformed into the rotation angles of the robot's joints. Then, the angles and state are sent to the Arduino board. The Arduino board creates pulse signals to rotate the stepper motors. The experimental results show that the robot's trajectory is close to the hand trajectory at a low speed.

Abstract Background Retinoblastoma (RB), an intraocular malignancy commonly diagnosed in children, is mostly caused by inactivating mutations of both alleles of the RB1 gene. Early genetic screening for RB1 gene mutations would greatly improve treatment outcomes and patient management. Methods In this study, both somatic and germline mutations were detected in blood and tumour samples of 42 RB patients using direct sequencing and multiplex ligation‐dependent probe amplification. Results In total, 34 different mutations were found in 36 patients, including 1 SNP, 4 large deletions, 5 splicing sites, 1 missense, 7 frameshifts and 17 nonsense mutations. There were five novel mutations and one unreported which have not been found in large databases such as Leiden Open Variation Database (LOVD) and ClinVar. Conclusion A higher rate of RB patients carrying heterozygous germline mutation and highly prevalent with pathogenic truncated mutation, hence, early detection of RB is essential for vision salvation and genetic counselling.

In this research, a model predictive collision-free path following controller is developed and applied for an omnidirectional mobile robot (OMR). The mobile robot is controlled to track a reference path while avoiding collision with obstacles. The path-following problem is reformulated into the regulation problem of an extended plant by introducing a virtual degree of freedom, the path parameter of a geometric reference curve. Then a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is then applied to steer the mobile robot. The optimization cost function is established from the difference between the state of the robot and the parameter path. The solution of MPC can be obtained by repeatedly solving an optimal control problem (OCP) to reduce the optimization cost function to a minimum value, making the robot state as close to the state of the path as possible. Obstacle avoidance is considered by adding terms as a function of the gap between the mobile robot and the objects in front of the robot. Constraints on the states and inputs of the system are also easily considered in the optimal control problem of MPC. This makes the control inputs not exceed the allowable limits of the robot. Simulations are carried out to reveal the controller's efficiency and show how to choose the right parameters to synchronize path tracking and obstacle avoidance tasks.

Abstract Background Genetic variants within nearly 1000 loci are known to contribute to modulation of blood lipid levels. However, the biological pathways underlying these associations are frequently unknown, limiting understanding of these findings and hindering downstream translational efforts such as drug target discovery. Results To expand our understanding of the underlying biological pathways and mechanisms controlling blood lipid levels, we leverage a large multi-ancestry meta-analysis (N = 1,654,960) of blood lipids to prioritize putative causal genes for 2286 lipid associations using six gene prediction approaches. Using phenome-wide association (PheWAS) scans, we identify relationships of genetically predicted lipid levels to other diseases and conditions. We confirm known pleiotropic associations with cardiovascular phenotypes and determine novel associations, notably with cholelithiasis risk. We perform sex-stratified GWAS meta-analysis of lipid levels and show that 3–5% of autosomal lipid-associated loci demonstrate sex-biased effects. Finally, we report 21 novel lipid loci identified on the X chromosome. Many of the sex-biased autosomal and X chromosome lipid loci show pleiotropic associations with sex hormones, emphasizing the role of hormone regulation in lipid metabolism. Conclusions Taken together, our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms through which associated variants lead to altered lipid levels and potentially cardiovascular disease risk.

The study aims to explore the impact of personality traits on ethical leadership, job performance and job satisfaction of public servants working in the Northern public sector of Vietnam. A quantitative approach was employed to evaluate the impact of personality traits on ethical leadership, job performance, and job satisfaction. A structured questionnaire was administered to obtain information from public servants. The SPSS 26 was used to conduct the demographic information of public servants and the SmartPLS 3.0 version was used to process the SEM. The research results showed Big Five personality traits have a positive impact on ethical leadership, job performance, and job satisfaction. Additionally, ethical leadership and job performance have a positive correlation with the job satisfaction of public servants. The research results were used to recommend leaders of State Administrative agencies in the Red River Delta to understand the personality traits of public servants to increase job satisfaction and achieve greater job performance.

BackgroundWhile depression is a common mental disorder, the diagnosis of this condition is still challenging. Thus, there is a need to have a validated tool to help evaluate symptoms of depression. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Vietnamese version of the Hamilton D-17 scale.MethodsA cross-sectional, descriptive, and validation study was conducted on 183 patients including 139 depressed and 44 non-depressed patients at the University Medical Center of Medicine and Pharmacy University at Ho Chi Minh City. Internal reliability and inter-rater reliability was measured using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate construct validity. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9) was used to measure concurrent validity of the Hamilton D-17. Area under the ROC curve was used to measure criterion validity.ResultsBoth Cronbach alpha coefficient and ICC were at good level at alpha = 0.83 and ICC = 0.83. CFA with a second-order model consisting of four factors fitted the data at good to excellent level. The SRMR (Standardized Root Mean Squared Residual) was 0.066, RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) (90% CI) was 0.053 (0.036–0.069), CFI (comparative fit index) was 0.93, TLI (Tucker Lewis index) was 0.92. The Hamilton D-17 and the PHQ-9 had a correlation coefficient of r = 0.77 (p < 0.001). The Hamilton D-17 had a very high level of criterion validity with AUC of 0.93 (0.88–0.98).ConclusionThe Vietnamese version of the Hamilton D-17 scale has a high level of validity and reliability. The scale should be used to assess symptoms of depression among Vietnamese patients.

In April 2016, four provinces of Vietnam were struck by one of the largest manmade environmental incidents in Vietnam. Through a discharge of toxic chemicals by Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation, oceanic waters along Vietnam’s central coast were severely polluted. Consequently, the livelihoods of over 510,000 people living in coastal communities were severely affected by the Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation incident (FHS incident). This study focusses on ex-ante and ex-post differences in livelihoods, and the subjective resilience of small-fishery households affected by the FHS incident in Hải Dương commune, a small coastal community, in central Vietnam. This was done through a qualitative analysis of livelihood strategies and resilience capacities of the affected households. Semi-structured interviews (n = 30), expert interviews (n = 3) and secondary data analysis were conducted from March to May 2018 employing a case study approach. Results show that the level of subjective resilience was strongly affected by a combination of social, financial, and human capitals. The presence, or lack, of these capitals combined with contextual factors influenced the livelihood strategies a household could pursue. Households that were able to pursue a combination of intensifying and diversifying livelihood strategies were most successful in recovering from and adjusting to the environmental incident. Households with restrained access to livelihood capitals were limited to intensifying livelihood strategies, having no real other option than persistence and increased dependence on government subsidies. Lastly, migration as a livelihood strategy and subsequent transformative resilience capacities remained generally low.

This study examines rainfall forecasting for the Perfume (Huong) River basin using the machine learning method. To be precise, statistical measurement indicators are deployed to evaluate the reliability of the actual accumulated data. At the same time, this study applied and compared two popular models of multi-layer perceptron and the k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) with different configurations. The calculated rainfall data are obtained from the Hue, Aluoi, and Namdong hydrological stations, where the rainfall demonstrated a giant impact on the downstream from 1980 to 2018. This study result shows that both models, once fine-tuned properly, enjoyed the performance with standard metrics of R_squared, mean absolute error, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency, and root-mean-square error. In particular, once Adam stochastic is deployed, the implementation of the MLP model is significantly improving. The promising forecast results encourage us to consider applying these models with future data to help natural disaster non-stop mitigation in the Perfume River basin.

Study Design: Retrospective observational study. Purpose: To evaluate intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring techniques in lumbosacral (L1-S1) pedicle screw placement surgery in University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Overview of Literature: Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM) in lumbosacral pedicle screw placement surgery helps the neurosurgeon detect early warning signs, reducing or preventing permanent postoperative neurological deficits. Methods: The authors carried out a retrospective study of 120 consecutive patients who underwent lumbosacral pedicle screw placement surgery and monitored neurophysiological intraoperative between May 2020 and December 2020, at the University Medical Center Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Clinical assessment before and after surgery, intraoperative neurophysiological changes in Raw electromyogram (rEMG), somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP), triggered electromyogram (tEMG), pedicle screw testing (PED) were collected to calculating for sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of these techniques. Results: Of the 120 patients, 6 (5%) had postoperative new neurological deficits, of which a total of 666 pedicle screws were placed. The sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative rEMG monitoring in detecting postoperative nerve deficits were 83.3%, and 41.8%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of intraoperative SSEP monitoring in detecting postoperative nerve deficits were 50.0%, and 94.7%, respectively. The sensitivity of tEMG and PED were equal to 66.7%. The specificity of tEMG and PED were 85.4% and 98.1%, respectively. The positive predictive value of rEMG, SSEP, tEMG and PED were 10%, 33.3%, 21.1% and 66.7%, respectively. The negative predictive value of rEMG, SSEP, tEMG and PED were 98.6%, 97.2 %, 97.8% and 98.1%, respectively. Conclusions: rEMG has a high sensitivity (83.3%) in detecting postoperative nerve deficits. In opposite, SSEP, tEMG, PED have high specificity. These techniques help to predict and possibly prevent postoperative neurologic deficits in lumbosacral pedicle screw placement surgery.

Introduction: Interlaminar Endoscopic Lumbar Disckectomy has been found to offer symptomatic alleviation comparable to open disckectomy while reducing blood loss, postoperative discomfort, complications, hospital stay, and narcotic use. General anesthesia decreases intraoperative stress, but surgeons may not be sure whether they injure nerve roots. Free-run electromyography may protect nerve roots that are thought to be in danger from surgery. Methods: Patients with L4L5 or L5S1 lumbar disc herniation were treated with IELD. EMG was monitored via needle electrodes in lateral vastus lateralis, anterior tibialis, abductor hallucis muscles. Surgeons were asked to halt the surgery and adjust their manipulation right when abnormal EMG appeared on the screen. The severity of signs and symptoms were noted pre- and post-operatively. Results: In all 26 cases, the median of visual analogue scale (VAS) of low back pain was 4.5. That of radicular pain was 7. Two patients had motor weakness at L4 or S1 muscles. One patient has sensory loss at L5 dermatome. The level of disc herniation was 46% at L4L5 and 56% at L5S1. The complications included only superficial infection in two patients that were effectively managed with antibiotics. During postoperative follow-up, all patients recovered completely without any neurological deficit. f-EMG signal included uneventful (9 patients), burst/spike (10 patients), A-train (3 patients, and C-train (4 patients) Conclusion: Free-run EMG is a protective mean in IELD. All surgeons will profit from this technique in the early stages of their learning curve. To examine the outcomes, further comparative research and prospective, randomized, controlled trials should be undertaken.

Abstract Background Dinoflagellates are aquatic protists particularly widespread in the oceans worldwide. Some are responsible for toxic blooms while others live in symbiotic relationships, either as mutualistic symbionts in corals or as parasites infecting other protists and animals. Dinoflagellates harbor atypically large genomes (~ 3 to 250 Gb), with gene organization and gene expression patterns very different from closely related apicomplexan parasites. Here we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two early-diverging and co-occurring parasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya strains, to shed light on the emergence of such atypical genomic features, dinoflagellate evolution, and host specialization. Results We sequenced, assembled, and annotated high-quality genomes for two Amoebophrya strains (A25 and A120), using a combination of Illumina paired-end short-read and Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) MinION long-read sequencing approaches. We found a small number of transposable elements, along with short introns and intergenic regions, and a limited number of gene families, together contribute to the compactness of the Amoebophrya genomes, a feature potentially linked with parasitism. While the majority of Amoebophrya proteins (63.7% of A25 and 59.3% of A120) had no functional assignment, we found many orthologs shared with Dinophyceae. Our analyses revealed a strong tendency for genes encoded by unidirectional clusters and high levels of synteny conservation between the two genomes despite low interspecific protein sequence similarity, suggesting rapid protein evolution. Most strikingly, we identified a large portion of non-canonical introns, including repeated introns, displaying a broad variability of associated splicing motifs never observed among eukaryotes. Those introner elements appear to have the capacity to spread over their respective genomes in a manner similar to transposable elements. Finally, we confirmed the reduction of organelles observed in Amoebophrya spp., i.e., loss of the plastid, potential loss of a mitochondrial genome and functions. Conclusion These results expand the range of atypical genome features found in basal dinoflagellates and raise questions regarding speciation and the evolutionary mechanisms at play while parastitism was selected for in this particular unicellular lineage.

Background: Electrical stimulation applied to individual organs, peripheral nerves, or specific brain regions has been used to treat a range of medical conditions. In cardiovascular disease, autonomic dysfunction contributes to the disease progression and electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve has been pursued as a treatment for the purpose of restoring the autonomic balance. However, this approach lacks selectivity in activating function- and organ-specific vagal fibers and, despite promising results of many preclinical studies, has so far failed to translate into a clinical treatment of cardiovascular disease. Objective: Here we report a successful application of optogenetics for selective stimulation of vagal efferent activity in a large animal model (sheep). Methods and results: Twelve weeks after viral transduction of a subset of vagal motoneurons, strong axonal membrane expression of the excitatory light-sensitive ion channel ChIEF was achieved in the efferent projections innervating thoracic organs and reaching beyond the level of the diaphragm. Blue laser or LED light (>10 mW mm−2; 1 ms pulses) applied to the cervical vagus triggered precisely timed, strong bursts of efferent activity with evoked action potentials propagating at speeds of ∼6 m s−1. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that in species with a large, multi-fascicled vagus nerve, it is possible to stimulate a specific sub-population of efferent fibers using light at a site remote from the vector delivery, marking an important step towards eventual clinical use of optogenetic technology for autonomic neuromodulation.

Abstract Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. COPD results from chronic inflammation of the lungs. Current treatments, including physical and chemical therapies, provide limited results. Stem cells, particularly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are used to treat COPD. Here, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of umbilical cord-derived (UC)-MSCs for treating COPD. Methods Twenty patients were enrolled, 9 at stage C and 11 at stage D per the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) classification. Patients were infused with 106 cells/kg of expanded allogeneic UC-MSCs. All patients were followed for 6 months after the first infusion. The treatment end-point included a comprehensive safety evaluation, pulmonary function testing (PFT), and quality-of-life indicators including questionnaires, the 6-min walk test (6MWT), and systemic inflammation assessments. All patients completed the full infusion and 6-month follow-up. Results No infusion-related toxicities, deaths, or severe adverse events occurred that were deemed related to UC-MSC administration. The UC-MSC-transplanted patients showed a significantly reduced Modified Medical Research Council score, COPD assessment test, and number of exacerbations. However, the forced expiratory volume in 1 s, C-reactive protein, and 6MWT values were nonsignificantly reduced after treatment (1, 3, and 6 months) compared with those before the treatment. Conclusion Systemic UC-MSC administration appears to be safe in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD, can significantly improve their quality of life, and provides a basis for subsequent cell therapy investigations. Trial registration ISRCTN, ISRCTN70443938 . Registered 06 July 2019

β-thalassemia is an autosomal recessive disease with the reduction or absence in the production of β-globin chain in the hemoglobin, which is caused by mutations in the Hemoglobin subunit beta (HBB) gene. In Vietnam, the number of β-thalassemia carriers range from 1.5 to 25.0%, depending on ethnic and geographical areas, which is much higher than WHO's data worldwide (1.5%). Hence, preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) plays a crucial role in reducing the rate of β-thalassemia affected patients/carriers. In this research, we report the feasibility and reliability of conducting PGD in combination with the use of short tandem repeat (STR) markers in facilitating the birth of healthy children. Six STRs, which were reported to closely linked with the HBB gene, were used on 15 couples of β-thalassemia carriers. With 231 embryos, 168 blastocysts were formed (formation rate of 72.73%), and 88 were biopsied and examined with STRs haplotyping and pedigree analysis. Thus, the results were verified by Sanger sequencing, as a definitive diagnosis. Consequently, 11 over 15 couples have achieved pregnancy of healthy or at least asymptomatic offspring. Only three couples failed to detect any signs of pregnancy such as increased Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) level, foetal sac, or heart; and one couple has not reached embryo transfer as they were proposed to continue with HLA-matching to screen for a potential umbilical cord blood donor sibling. Thus, these results have indicated that the combination of PGD with STRs analysis confirmed by Sanger sequencing has demonstrated to be a well-grounded and practical clinical strategy to improve the detection of β-thalassemia in the pregnancies of couples at-risk before embryo transfer, thus reducing β-thalassemia rate in the population.

The management of urban drainage systems faces many shortcomings in many urban areas in developing countries, including Vietnam. This poor management is causing economic and environmental consequences, especially flooding. One of the reasons is that urban areas have not applied technology in management, do not have a database of the status of current urban drainage system, so the management skills is not scientific and there is no forecasting technique. GIS technology is a highly effective management support tool in many cities around the world, and the Vietnamese government has also issued regulations requiring the use of GIS in urban management. This paper studies the process of establishing a GIS database for urban drainage in ArcGIS sofware and a case study in Cao Bang city, Vietnam. The results of this study are a reference for cities that want to use GIS technology in urban management and the database of this study is for Cao Bang City in Vietnam to be used to integrate into the database of city (big data) in Viet Nam government-oriented urban management.

Surface water plays a vital role in the living environment. The shrinking surface water area in urban areas is one of the main culprits causing serious environmental problems such as flooding, ecosystem imbalance, etc. In Vietnam, surface water area in the urban center is rapidly declining due to urbanization, especially in the capital - Hanoi, where the urbanization rate is highest. This study examines the mutation in surface water area in several central districts in Hanoi through the period of 1993-2020 using remote sensing images and GIS. The result shows that the surface water area in the research region decreased gradually over the years from 5881.2 hectares to 4328.7 hectares. This parameter dropped more steeply in recently established districts and those adjacencies namely Thanh Tri, Gia Lam, and Dong Anh than in central districts, Hoan Kiem and Hai Ba Trung for instance. Especially, In 2000 and 2007 the rate of reduction was highest. This finding is useful for urban planners, managers, and policymakers involved in Vietnam's sustainable urban development process.

The planning database is a big data system, especially the provincial planning data. The planning information also needs to be disclosed to people in smart cities. Putting planning data on the web is necessary, but the speed of information extraction is still limited. The paper presents the improvements in the performance of GIS using PostgreSQL and WebGIS. The planning database of Nghe An province (Vietnam) which is a large province of Vietnam is collected and evaluated. Compared to traditional Arcgis, the proposed system allows improving the execution by two times. Moreover, WebGIS supports users to explore the system faster and more easily.

The use of sourdoughs in bread baking in Vietnam has recently been increased but little is known about microorganisms in those sourdoughs. This study was to assess changes in pH value and microbial density of a sourdough from bread flour (BF) and a sourdough from all-purpose flour (AF) during propagation. The results showed that the type of flour did not cause a significant difference in pH changes, but it could contribute to the distinct levels of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and yeast in the two sourdoughs. The BF sourdough gained proper maturation in 15 days when it reached pH of 3.69, 1.3 x 109 CFU g-1 LAB and 7.4 x 108 CFU g-1 yeast. Meanwhile, the AF sourdough had lower levels of LAB and yeast (3.9 x 108 CFU g-1 and 1.0 x 108 CFU g-1, respectively). Sequencing analysis revealed the presence of Lactobacillus plantarum in the BF sourdough on the 10th and 15th days of the propagation process. Wickerhamomyces anomalus was found on the 10th day while Saccharomyces cerevisiae was detected on the 15th day. This sourdough can be used in further studies to assess the benefits of sourdough in bread baking.

Abstract Background Association studies in recently admixed populations are extremely useful to identify the genetic architecture of pigmentation, due to their high genotypic and phenotypic variation. However, to date only four Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) have been carried out in these populations. Results We present a GWAS of skin pigmentation in an admixed sample from Cuba (N = 762). Additionally, we conducted a meta-analysis including the Cuban sample, and admixed samples from Cape Verde, Puerto Rico and African-Americans from San Francisco. This meta-analysis is one of the largest efforts so far to characterize the genetic basis of skin pigmentation in admixed populations (N = 2,104). We identified five genome-wide significant regions in the meta-analysis, and explored if the markers observed in these regions are associated with the expression of relevant pigmentary genes in human melanocyte cultures. In three of the regions identified in the meta-analysis (SLC24A5, SLC45A2, and GRM5/TYR), the association seems to be driven by non-synonymous variants (rs1426654, rs16891982, and rs1042602, respectively). The rs16891982 polymorphism is strongly associated with the expression of the SLC45A2 gene. In the GRM5/TYR region, in addition to the rs1042602 non-synonymous SNP located on the TYR gene, variants located in the nearby GRM5 gene have an independent effect on pigmentation, possibly through regulation of gene expression of the TYR gene. We also replicated an association recently described near the MFSD12 gene on chromosome 19 (lead variant rs112332856). Additionally, our analyses support the presence of multiple signals in the OCA2/HERC2/APBA2 region on chromosome 15. A clear causal candidate is the HERC2 intronic variant rs12913832, which has a profound influence on OCA2 expression. This variant has pleiotropic effects on eye, hair, and skin pigmentation. However, conditional and haplotype-based analyses indicate the presence of other variants with independent effects on melanin levels in OCA2 and APBA2. Finally, a follow-up of genome-wide signals identified in a recent GWAS for tanning response indicates that there is a substantial overlap in the genetic factors influencing skin pigmentation and tanning response. Conclusions Our meta-analysis of skin pigmentation GWAS in recently admixed populations provides new insights about the genetic architecture of this complex trait.

Measuring growth factors in single cells at physiologically relevant stimulation doses is challenging. Here the authors use fluorescent quantum dots and calibrated three-dimensional deconvolution microscopy to digitally count growth factors in single cells and reveal stimulation distributions in cancer cells.

While the COVID-19 virus has infected over 3 million people in the United States of America, Asian Americans face unique unfair treatment due to COVID-19. In America, many anti-Asian incidents have been reported, and the FBI warns of increased hate crimes to Asian Americans due to COVID-19. Americans and high-level politicians use inappropriate names, such as “Chinese Virus,” for the COVID-19 virus, which fuels racism and xenophobia. In this Experience piece, we discuss the harm of referring to the COVID-19 virus based on the geographic location where it was first identified.

The main focus of this paper is to design and develop a system of two robot arms for classifying and sorting objects based on shape and size using machine vision. The system uses a low-cost and high-performance hierarchical control system including one master and two slaves. Each slave is a robot controller based on a microcontroller that receives commands from the master to control the robot arm independently. The master is an embedded computer used for image processing, kinematic calculations, and communication. A simple and efficient image processing algorithm is proposed that can be implemented in real-time, helping to shorten the time of the sorting process. The proposed method uses a series of algorithms including contour finding, border extraction, centroid algorithm, and shape threshold to recognize objects and eliminate noise. The 3D coordinates of objects are estimated just by solving a linear equation system. Movements of the robot's joints are planned to follow a trapezoidal profile with the acceleration/deceleration phase, thus helping the robots move smoothly and reduce vibration. Experimental evaluation reveals the effectiveness and accuracy of the robotic vision system in the sorting process. The system can be used in the industrial process to reduce the required time to achieve the task of the production line, leading to improve the performance of the production line.

FISH-based techniques to image and count mRNA in single cells can be limited by the photophysical properties of organic dyes. Here the authors develop photostable quantum dot FISH probes for multiplexed imaging.

The paper presents principle scheme of wireless torque sensor on rotary shafts, for example truck cardan shaft, to measure dynamic torque of transmission in range of 0…10 kNm, also describes designing and manufacturing method. Recommendations on selecting, arranging and gluing strain-gauge in manufacturing, and on calculating signal amplifier are given. A simulation of sensor modules was carried out in software package Proteus to confirm working efficiency of assembled schema of electronic components. Experiment was conducted to confirm working efficiency and to collect performance specifications of the sensor.

We prove that all entire stable $W^{1,p}_{\rm loc}$ solutions of weighted quasilinear problem $$ -\hbox{div} (w(x)|\nabla u|^{p-2} \nabla u) = f(x)|u|^{q-1}u $$ must be zero. The result holds true for $p \ge 2$ and $p-1 < q < q_c(p,N,a,b)$. Here $b > a - p$ and $q_c(p,N,a,b)$ is a new critical exponent, which is infinity in low dimension and is always larger than the classic critical one, while $w,f \in L^1_{\rm loc}(\mathbb{R}^N)$ are nonnegative functions such that $w(x) \le C_1|x|^a$ and $f(x) \ge C_2|x|^b$ for large |x|. We also construct an example to show the sharpness of our result.

Abstract Background Zwitterionic molecules have been widely studied as coating materials for preparing anti-fouling surfaces because they possess strong hydration properties that can resist non-specific protein adsorption. Numerous studies on surface modification using zwitterionic molecules have been investigated, such as electrochemically mediated and photoinitiated radical polymerization. However, these methods have some limitations, including multi-step process, difficulties in producing thick and dense layers as well as the requirement of extra facilities. In this study, we report a novel zwitterionic hydrogel-coating method via Fenton reaction for the preparation of anti-fouling surfaces. Methods Sulfobetaine methacrylate (SBMA) hydrogel was coated on polyurethane (PU) by polymerization of SBMA molecules via the Fenton reaction. The coated surfaces were characterized by the measurements of water contact angle, SEM and XPS. The anti-fouling properties of the modified surfaces were evaluated by reductions of fibrinogen absorption and cell (human dermal fibroblasts, hDFBs) adhesion. Results SBMA hydrogel layers were coated on the PU substrates and these layers have a high affinity for water. The hydrogel coatings were highly stable for 7 days, without a significant change in surface wettability. Importantly, the hydrogel-coated PU substrates decrease 80% of surface-adsorbed fibrinogen and surface-attached hDFBs (compared with uncoated PU substrates), indicating the excellent anti-fouling activities of modified surfaces. Conclusions The hydrogel-coated PU surfaces prepared by Fenton reaction with anti-fouling properties could have potential uses for implantable biomedical devices.

The gut microbiome plays a major role in chronic diseases, of which several are characterized by an altered composition and diversity of bacterial communities. Large-scale sequencing projects allowed for characterizing the perturbations of these communities. However, translating these discoveries into clinical applications remains a challenge. To facilitate routine implementation of microbiome profiling in clinical settings, portable, real-time, and low-cost sequencing technologies are needed. Here, we propose a computational and experimental protocol for whole-genome semi-quantitative metagenomic studies of human gut microbiome with Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology (ONT) that could be applied to other microbial ecosystems. We developed a bioinformatics protocol to analyze ONT sequences taxonomically and functionally and optimized preanalytic protocols, including stool collection and DNA extraction methods to maximize read length. This is a critical parameter for the sequence alignment and classification. Our protocol was evaluated using simulations of metagenomic communities, which reflect naturally occurring compositional variations. Next, we validated both protocols using stool samples from a bariatric surgery cohort, sequenced with ONT, Illumina, and SOLiD technologies. Results revealed similar diversity and microbial composition profiles. This protocol can be implemented in a clinical or research setting, bringing rapid personalized whole-genome profiling of target microbiome species.

Cordyline terminalis leaf extract (aqCT) possesses abundant polyphenols and other bioactive compounds, which are encapsulated in gelatin–polyethylene glycol–tyramine (GPT)/alpha-cyclodextrin (α-CD) gels to form the additional functional materials for biomedical applications. In this study, the gel compositions are optimized, and the GPT/α-CD ratios equal to or less than one half for solidification are found. The gelation time varies from 40.7 min to 5.0 h depending on the increase in GPT/α-CD ratios and aqCT amount. The aqCT extract disturbs the hydrogen bonding and host–guest inclusion of GPT/α-CD gel networks, postponing the gelation. Scanning electron microscope observation shows that all gels with or without aqCT possess a microarchitecture and porosity. GPT/α-CD/aqCT gels could release polyphenols from 110 to 350 nmol/mL at the first hour and sustainably from 5.5 to 20.2 nmol/mL for the following hours, which is controlled by feeding the aqCT amount and gel properties. GPT/α-CD/aqCT gels achieved significant antioxidant activity through a 100% scavenging DPPH radical. In addition, all gels are non-cytotoxic with a cell viability more than 85%. Especially, the GPT3.75α-CD10.5aqCT gels with aqCT amount of 3.1–12.5 mg/mL immensely enhanced the cell proliferation of GPT3.75α-CD10.5 gel without extract. These results suggest that the inherent bioactivities of aqCT endowed the resulting GPT/α-CD/aqCT gels with effective antioxidant and high biocompatibility, and natural polyphenols sustainably release a unique platform for a drug delivery system or other biomedical applications.

Classical method of designing electric motors help to achieve functional motor, but doesn’t ensure minimal cost in manufacturing and operating. Recently optimization is becoming an important part in modern electric motor design process. The objective of the optimization process is usually to minimize cost, energy loss, mass, or maximize torque and efficiency. Most of the requirements for electrical machine design are in contradiction to each other (reduction in volume or mass, improvement in efficiency etc.). Optimization in design permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is a multi-objective optimization problem. There are two approaches for solving this problem, one of them is evolution algorithms, which gain a lot of attentions recently. For designing PMSM, evolution algorithms are more attractive approach. Genetic algorithm is one of the most common. This paper presents components and procedures of genetic algorithms, and its implementation on computer. In optimization process, analytical and finite element method are used together for better performance and precision. Result from optimization process is a set of solutions, from which engineer will choose one. This method was used to design a permanent magnet synchronous motor based on an asynchronous motor type АИР112МВ8.

Let $u$ be a classical solution of semilinear elliptic equations in a ball or an annulus in $\mathbb{R}^N$ with zero Dirichlet boundary condition where the nonlinearity has a convex first derivative. In this note, we prove that if the $N$-th eigenvalue of the linearized operator at $u$ is positive, then $u$ must be radially symmetric.

The traction characteristic of an electric vehicle is the main characteristic of mechanical system that reflects its key performance indicators. Implementation of the traction characteristic is based on controlling angular speed and torque of electric traction motor in an automatic control system. The static mechanical characteristic of an electric traction motor in an automatic control system is the most important characteristic that determines weight, size and operating characteristics of an electric traction motor and serves as the basis for design. The most common variants of constructive implementation of a traction electric drive are analyzed, and a scheme is chosen for further design. Lagrange’s equation for electric mechanical system with one degree of freedom is written in generalized coordinates. In order to determine the generalized forces, elementary operation of all moments influencing on a moving car has been calculated. The resulting equation of motion of the electric vehicle corresponding to the design scheme, as well as the expressions for calculation of characteristic points of static mechanical characteristics of traction motor (i.e. the maximum and minimum time, minimum power) are obtained. In order to determine the nominal values of the angular velocity and the power of electric traction motor, a method based on ensuring the movement of the vehicle in the standard cycle has been developed. The method makes it possible to calculate characteristic points of the mechanical characteristic with the lowest possible power rating. The algorithm for calculation of mechanical characteristics of the motor is presented. The method was applied to calculate static mechanical characteristic of an electric traction motor for a small urban electric truck.

In this note we prove the nonexistence of stable solutions to the p-Laplace equation $-\Delta_p u = e^u$ on the entire Euclidean space $\mathbb{R}^N$, where $p>2$ and $N < \frac{p(p+3)}{p-1}$.

BackgroundThe highest burden of disease from hepatitis C virus (HCV) is found in Southeast Asia, but our understanding of the epidemiology of infection in many heavily burdened countries is still limited. In particular, there is relatively little data on acute HCV infection, the outcome of which can be influenced by both viral and host genetics which differ within the region. We studied HCV genotype and IL28B gene polymorphism in a cohort of acute HCV-infected patients in Southern Vietnam alongside two other cohorts of chronic HCV-infected patients to better understand the epidemiology of HCV infection locally and inform the development of programs for therapy with the increasing availability of directly acting antiviral therapy (DAAs).MethodsWe analysed plasma samples from patients with acute and chronic HCV infection, including chronic HCV mono-infection and chronic Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-HCV coinfection, who enrolled in four epidemiological or clinical research studies. HCV infection was confirmed with RNA testing. The 5' UTR, core and NSB5 regions of HCV RNA positive samples were sequenced, and the genotype and subtype of the viral strains were determined. Host DNA from all HCV positive patients and age- and sex-matched non-HCV-infected control individuals were analysed for IL28B single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (rs12979860 and rs8099917). Geolocation of the patients were mapped using QGIS.Results355 HCV antibody positive patients were analysed; 54.6% (194/355) and 46.4% (161/355) were acute and chronic infections, respectively. 50.4% (81/161) and 49.6.4% (80/161) of chronic infections had HCV mono-infection and HIV-HCV coinfection, respectively. 88.7% (315/355) and 10.1% (36/355) of the patients were from southern and central regions of Vietnam, respectively. 92.4% (328/355) of patients were HCV RNA positive, including 86.1% (167/194) acute and 100% (161/161) chronic infections. Genotype could be determined in 98.4% (322/328) patients. Genotypes 1 (56.5%; 182/322) and 6 (33.9%; 109/322) predominated. Genotype 1 including genotype 1a was significantly higher in HIV-HCV coinfected patients compared to acute HCV patients [43.8% (35/80) versus 20.5% (33/167)], (p = ConclusionHCV genotype 6 is highly prevalent in Vietnam and the high prevalence in treatment naïve chronic HCV patients may results from poor spontaneous clearance of acute HCV infection with genotype 6.

We study optical bistability (OB) in a controllable giant self-Kerr nonlinear atomic gaseous medium placed in a unidirectional ring cavity. The medium is coherently excited by strong controlling field and a weak probe laser field under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Doppler broadening. In a weak field limit of the probe light, an analytic OB equation for the probe light field is derived as an analytic function of parameters of the controlling field and temperature of the medium. It is shown that OB characters can be manipulated with the parameters due to the controllable properties of the self-Kerr nonlinearity. Furthermore, enhancement of the Kerr nonlinearity reduces the switching intensity threshold and width of the OB.

Background Currently, there is limited knowledge about the genetics underlying pigmentary traits in East Asian populations. Here, we report the results of the first genome-wide association study of pigmentary traits (skin and iris color) in individuals of East Asian ancestry. Methods We obtained quantitative skin pigmentation measures (M-index) in the inner upper arm of the participants using a portable reflectometer (N = 305). Quantitative measures of iris color (expressed as L*, a* and b* CIELab coordinates) were extracted from high-resolution iris pictures (N = 342). We also measured the color differences between the pupillary and ciliary regions of the iris (e.g., iris heterochromia). DNA samples were genotyped with Illumina’s Infinium Multi-Ethnic Global Array (MEGA) and imputed using the 1000 Genomes Phase 3 samples as reference haplotypes. Results For skin pigmentation, we did not observe any genome-wide significant signal. We followed-up in three independent Chinese samples the lead SNPs of five regions showing multiple common markers (minor allele frequency ≥ 5%) with good imputation scores and suggestive evidence of association (p-values < 10−5). One of these markers, rs2373391, which is located in an intron of the ZNF804B gene on chromosome 7, was replicated in one of the Chinese samples (p = 0.003). For iris color, we observed genome-wide signals in the OCA2 region on chromosome 15. This signal is driven by the non-synonymous rs1800414 variant, which explains 11.9%, 10.4% and 6% of the variation observed in the b*, a* and L* coordinates in our sample, respectively. However, the OCA2 region was not associated with iris heterochromia. Discussion Additional genome-wide association studies in East Asian samples will be necessary to further disentangle the genetic architecture of pigmentary traits in East Asian populations.

Wet-seeded rice is a common method of sowing in Vietnam. Weeds, including weedy rice, however, are a major problem in this establishment method. A study was conducted in a farmer’s field to evaluate the effect of pretilachlor dose (0, 300, 600, and 900 g ai ha–1) on the management of weedy rice and other weeds in wet-seeded rice cultivation in the spring-summer, summer-autumn, and winter-spring seasons of 2012-13. The herbicide was applied 1 day after sowing. Weeds belonging to the grass, broadleaf, and sedge groups were effectively controlled by the lowest herbicide dose (300 g ha–1). Overall, weed control did not increase with increases in herbicide dose after 300 g ha–1, suggesting the optimum dose for pretilachlor in wet-seeded systems. The application of pretilachlor at 300 g ha–1 significantly reduced the number of weedy rice panicles (20 – 69%) and weedy rice biomass (15 – 26%). The highest pretilachlor dose (i.e., 900 g ha–1), however, was better than the lower doses in reducing the number of weedy rice panicles (47 – 80%) and weedy rice biomass (41 – 54%). The non-treated plots produced a rice grain yield of 210, 2000, and 1850 kg ha–1 in the spring-summer, summer-autumn, and winter-spring seasons, respectively. Compared with the non-treated plots, the lowest dose of pretilachlor improved grain yield. However, maximum yield was obtained by applying the highest dose of pretilachlor; 2690, 4490, and 5150 kg ha–1 in the spring-summer, summer-autumn, and winter-spring seasons, respectively. The results of our study suggest that a broad spectrum of weed flora can be easily managed by a lower dosage of pretilachlor in wet-seeded rice; however, the herbicide dose needs to be increased to 900 g ha–1 in order to decrease the weedy rice problem.

Voltage-gated calcium (Cav) channels serve dual roles in the cell, where they can both depolarize the membrane potential for electrical excitability, and activate transient cytoplasmic Ca2+ signals. In animals, Cav channels play crucial roles including driving muscle contraction (excitation-contraction coupling), gene expression (excitation-transcription coupling), pre-synaptic and neuroendocrine exocytosis (excitation-secretion coupling), regulation of flagellar/ciliary beating, and regulation of cellular excitability, either directly or through modulation of other Ca2+-sensitive ion channels. In recent years, genome sequencing has provided significant insights into the molecular evolution of Cav channels. Furthermore, expanded gene datasets have permitted improved inference of the species phylogeny at the base of Metazoa, providing clearer insights into the evolution of complex animal traits which involve Cav channels, including the nervous system. For the various types of metazoan Cav channels, key properties that determine their cellular contribution include: ion selectivity, pore gating, and, importantly, cytoplasmic protein-protein interactions that direct sub-cellular localization and functional complexing. It is unclear when many of these defining features, many of which are essential for nervous system function, evolved. In this review, we highlight some experimental observations that implicate Cav channels in the physiology and behavior of the most early-diverging animals from the phyla Cnidaria, Placozoa, Porifera and Ctenophora. Given our limited understanding of the molecular biology of Cav channels in these basal animal lineages, we infer insights from better-studied vertebrate and invertebrate animals. We also highlight some apparently conserved cellular functions of Cav channels, which might have emerged very early on during metazoan evolution, or perhaps predated it.

Precise and rapid focus detection is an essential operation in several manufacturing processes employing high-intensity lasers. However, the detection resolution of existing methods is notably low. This paper proposes a technique that provides a rapid-response, high-precision, and high-resolution focus inspection system on the basis of geometrical optics and advanced optical instruments. An ultrafast interface position detector and a single-slit mask are used in the system to precisely signal the focus position with high resolution. The reflected images on the image sensor are of a high quality, and this quality is maintained persistently when the target surface is shifted along the optical axis. The proposed system developed for focus inspection is simple and inexpensive, and is appropriate for practical use in the industrial production of sophisticated structures such as microcircuits and microchips.

This paper presents the development of a syntactic component for the Vietnamese language. We first discuss the construction of a lexicalized tree-adjoining grammar using an automatic extraction approach. We then present the construction and evaluation of a deep syntactic parser based on the extracted grammar. This is a complete system integrating necessary tools to process Vietnamese text, which permits to take as input raw texts and produce syntactic structures. A dependency annotation scheme for Vietnamese and an algorithm for extracting dependency structures from derivation trees are also proposed. At present, this is the first Vietnamese parsing system capable of producing both constituency and dependency analyses with encouraging performances: 69.33% and 73.21% for constituency and dependency analysis accuracy, respectively. The parser also compares favourably to a statistical parser which is trained and tested on the same data sets.

Một thí nghiệm được tiến hành trên 300 gà mái giống Hisex Brown 34 đến 43 tuần tuổi để đánh giá ảnh hưởng các mức độ bổ sung đồng (Cu) trong khẩu phần lên năng suất, chất lượng của quả trứng, số lượng hồng cầu, thành phần lipid huyết tương và cholesterol lòng đỏ trứng. Thí nghiệm được bố trí theo thể thức hoàn toàn ngẫu nhiên với 5 nghiệm thức là khẩu phần cơ sở là nghiệm thức đối chứng (NTĐC) với 16.26% CP, 2756 kcal/kg và 17 mg Cu/kg, và 4 khẩu phần thí nghiệm bổ sung 4 mức độ Cu lần lượt là 40, 60, 80 và 100 mg Cu/kg khẩu phần, lặp lại 15 lần. Kết quả chỉ ra rằng tỉ lệ đẻ và khối lượng trứng (g/gà/ngày) của gà nuôi các khẩu phần bổ sung Cu cao hơn NTĐC rất có ý nghĩa (

Thí nghiệm được tiến hành trên 480 gà mái đẻ giống Hisex Brown từ 38 đến 50 tuần tuổi, gà được nuôi với 6 khẩu phần có cùng mức độ protein và năng lượng . Khẩu phần cơ sở (KPCS) nhận 0% dầu, 5 khẩu phần còn lại được bố trí với 5 tỉ lệ acid béo ?-6/ ?-3 (TLO6/3) là 2 (TLO2), 3 (TLO3), 4 (TLO4), 5 (TLO5) và 6 (TLO6) theo các mức độ phối hợp giữa dầu nành (DN) với dầu cá hồi (DCH) như sau: TLO2: 2,5%DCH+0,5%DN; TLO3: 2%DCH+1% DN; TLO4: 1,5%DCH + 1,5% DN; TLO5: 1% DCH + 2% DN; TLO6: 0,5% DCH + 2,5%DN, để đánh giá ảnh hưởng của các tỉ lệ aicd béo ?-6/ ?-3 trong khẩu phần lên năng suất sinh sản, thành phần chất béo và hàm lượng cholesterol của lòng đỏ trứng. Các tỉ lệ ?-6/ ?-3 trong khẩu phần không ảnh hưởng đến tỉ lệ đẻ, tiêu tốn thức ăn nhưng làm tăng khối lượng trứng và hiệu quả sử dụng thức ăn so với KPCS. Chất lượng trứng không bị ảnh hưởng bởi các TLO6/3, nhưng làm giảm độ dày vỏ so với KPCS. Các tỉ lệ ?-6/ ?-3 đã làm thay đổi thành phần chất béo của lòng đỏ trứng, hàm lượng acid omega 3 như linolenic, DHA cao ở các khẩu phần có mức DCH cao (TLO2). Hàm lượng cholesterol lòng đỏ trứng giảm ý nghĩa ở khẩu phần TL2, TL3, TL4 (P=0,01). Mức độ biểu hiện của các gen desaturase delta-5 (FADS1) và 6 (FADS2) của gan gà có tương quan rất cao với hàm lượng DHA lòng đỏ trứng.

In modern high-intensity ultrafast laser processing, detecting the focal position of the working laser beam, at which the intensity is the highest and the beam diameter is the lowest, and immediately locating the target sample at that point are challenging tasks. A system that allows in-situ real-time focus determination and fabrication using a high-power laser has been in high demand among both engineers and scientists. Conventional techniques require the complicated mathematical theory of wave optics, employing interference as well as diffraction phenomena to detect the focal position; however, these methods are ineffective and expensive for industrial application. Moreover, these techniques could not perform detection and fabrication simultaneously. In this paper, we propose an optical design capable of detecting the focal point and fabricating complex patterns on a planar sample surface simultaneously. In-situ real-time focus detection is performed using a bandpass filter, which only allows for the detection of laser transmission. The technique enables rapid, non-destructive, and precise detection of the focal point. Furthermore, it is sufficiently simple for application in both science and industry for mass production, and it is expected to contribute to the next generation of laser equipment, which can be used to fabricate micro-patterns with high complexity.