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A simple grinding method using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as a capping agent is introduced to synthesize CoFe2O4nanoparticles. The effects of calcination temperature (ranging from 450 to 850 °C) on the structural, morphological, physical, and optical properties of the materials are investigated using various techniques, including thermogravimetric analysis/differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), N2adsorption isotherm, ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV–vis DRS), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The presence of PVP significantly suppresses the agglomeration of the materials, resulting in a nanocrystalline size of 18 nm for a sample calcined at 650 °C, which is approximately 38% smaller than that of the sample synthesized without PVP. Among the materials studied, the sample calcined at 650 °C exhibits unique properties, including optimal average pore size, specific surface area, and band gap energy, contributing to its superior photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B viathe Fenton reaction. Systematic experiments are performed to investigate the effects of pH, catalyst dosage, dye, and H2O2concentrations and competitive anions on the rhodamine B degradation. Additionally, the Fenton photodegradation of RhB on CoFe2O4is well-fitted to the first-order kinetic model. The redox pairs of Co(III)/Co(II) and Fe(III)/Fe(II) in the CoFe2O4spinel structure might facilitate the formation of Fenton radicals, contributing to the decomposition of RhB through a proposed four-step mechanism. Notably, the material exhibits a strong magnetic response and maintains its excellent performance over five cycles, demonstrating the high potential for reusability as a photocatalyst.

AbstractRATIONALEA minimal amount is known of the impact that a multidisciplinary interstitial lung disease (ILD) clinic with dedicated nursing support may have on healthcare utilization.OBJECTIVESThe objective of this study is to determine if there is a reduction in healthcare utilization including emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, and hospitalization costs in the year after a patient is assessed in the ILD clinic.METHODSThis retrospective study evaluated the number of ER visits and hospitalizations 1 year before and after being seen in an ILD clinic. For those with hospitalizations, length of stay (LOS) and cost of each stay were collected. Pre- and post-ILD clinic outcomes were compared using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon rank sum test.MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTSA total of 202 patients were screened and 140 included in the analysis. Mean age was 66 years (±12), and 47% were female. Mean forced vital capacity percentage predicted was 77% (±22). There was no significant difference in the pre- and post-ILD clinic mean number of ER visits per patient (p = 0.33) nor hospitalizations (p = 0.91). LOS was shorter in the post-ILD clinic period (10.8 ± 10.5 days) versus pre-ILD clinic visit (18.8 ± 25.4 days), although not statistically significant (p = 0.30). Pre-ILD clinic visit mean hospitalization cost was $24,881.89 (±35,817.48) and post-ILD clinic visit was $16,751.68 (±16,549.74) although not statistically different (p = 0.66).CONCLUSIONSWe found no statistically significant difference in ER visits, hospitalizations or hospitalization costs post-ILD multidisciplinary clinic assessment in our ILD cohort. However, there was a trend toward lower overall healthcare utilization and cost in the year post-ILD clinic.

ABSTRACT In the present study, the resistance of mortar formulated from self-compacting high performance concrete containing rice husk ash (RHA)/silica fume (SF) and reactive/non-reactive aggregates to alkali silica reaction (ASR) [...]

ABSTRACT In the present study, effect of macro-mesoporous rice husk ash (RHA) on rheological behavior and flow-ability of mortar formulated from self-compacting high performance concrete (SCHPC) was investigated. For comparison, [...]

This paper investigates double RIS-assisted MIMO communication systems over Rician fading channels with finite scatterers, spatial correlation, and the existence of a double-scattering link between the transceiver. First, the statistical information is driven in closed form for the aggregated channels, unveiling various influences of the system and environment on the average channel power gains. Next, we study two active and passive beamforming designs corresponding to two objectives. The first problem maximizes channel capacity by jointly optimizing the active precoding and combining matrices at the transceivers and passive beamforming at the double RISs subject to the transmitting power constraint. In order to tackle the inherently non-convex issue, we propose an efficient alternating optimization algorithm (AO) based on the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). The second problem enhances communication reliability by jointly training the encoder and decoder at the transceivers and the phase shifters at the RISs. Each neural network representing a system entity in an end-to-end learning framework is proposed to minimize the symbol error rate of the detected symbols by controlling the transceiver and the RISs’ phase shifts. Numerical results verify our analysis and demonstrate the superior improvements of phase shift designs to boost system performance.

Vietnam recently introduced a policy to promote climate-smart agricultural technologies (CSATs) to enhance farmer resilience and adaptation to climate change. This study sought to identify factors influencing the adoption and the continuation of CSATs adoption among smallholder farmers. The study surveyed 215 farmers in My Loi Village, Ha Tinh Province in North-Central Vietnam, where CSATs have been adopted and practiced since 2014. Logistic and ordinary least square regression models were applied to analyze the data. The results showed that attendance to training on CSATs, presence of a fellow farmer as a source of information, rice cultivation, farming experience and number of crops grown significantly influenced the adoption of CSATs. Farmer adoptions of CSATs, in contrast, were negatively influenced by more working men in the family and membership in a farming organization. The continuous adoption of CSATs was promoted by training, support from agriculture extension officers, upward mobility of farmers, farm ownership and the number of crops grown. Meanwhile, families with a larger number of male workers were less likely to continuously adopt CSATs. Policy-related recommendations were proposed to encourage farmers to adopt CSATs in the region. They included: (i) raising public awareness on CSATs through provision of high-quality information and training; (ii) enhancing technical assistance through the agricultural extension staff to all farmers, especially women; (iii) considering local context and smallholder farmer socioeconomic factors when developing climate-smart actions and programs.

Data on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) used in oncology are mainly derived from clinical trials or cancer-specific reviews. We aim to analyze ADRs that occurred in patients treated with ICIs in real life.

We describe BMI by socioeconomic disadvantage and by polygenic risk in parallel cohorts of children and adults (their parents). We examine whether hypothetically intervening to reduce childhood disadvantage could reduce adolescent obesity.

An increase in the number of Maritime Intelligent Transport Systems (MITSs) also means an increase in the number of information security risks. Usually, the administration and operation of MITSs are done through web servers that are frequently targeted by hackers. In marine transportation industry, malicious code injection attacks (webshell) has been widely exploited by hackers to take full control of Web servers. Traditional webshell detection methods based on pattern matching that are no longer effective against new types of webshell. This motivates us to investigate the problem of detecting obfuscation or unknown webshells, termed OUW problem. In this work, we propose a pattern-matching-deep-learning hybrid ASP.NET webshell detection method (H-DLPMWD) to address the OUW problem. H-DLPMWD is based on Yara-based pattern matching to clean dataset; modeling ASP.NET code files as an operation code index (OCI) vectors; and applying CNN method to train and predict webshell in OCI vectors. To validate H-DLPMWD, our rigorous experimentation demonstrates that H-DLPMWD achieves an excellent accuracy of 98.49%, F1-score of 99.01%, and a low false positive rate of 1.75%.

The article explores the Vietnamese experience at the Paris Colonial Exposition in 1931, which aimed to promote the French Empire's colonial project. Vietnamese elites saw the event as an opportunity to showcase their significance and engagement within Indochinese society. However, their participation also perpetuated an Orientalizing perspective on their culture and history. The article focuses on Vietnamese performers and athletes who played a role in promoting Vietnamese culture at the Exposition. It also discusses the demands of the native elite for more representation and agency during the era of Franco-Vietnamese collaboration, as well as the role of Vietnamese-language press in advocating for governance reforms. The article concludes by reflecting on the complexities of postcolonial yearning and the exhibition in Hanoi that highlights Vietnamese participation in colonial expositions and their cultural achievements. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To report the prevalence of healthy weight and related behaviours among Victorian Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal children and explore associations between these factors and health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: Analysis of cross‐sectional data from two cluster randomised controlled trials using logistic and linear mixed models. The sample included Aboriginal (n=303) and non‐Aboriginal (n=3,026) children aged 8–13 years. Results: More than two‐thirds of Aboriginal children met guidelines for fruit (75.9%), sweetened drinks (66.7%), sleep (73.1%), screen time (67.7%) and objectively measured physical activity (83.6%); and 79.1% reported consuming take‐away foods less than once per week. Aboriginal children were more likely to meet vegetable consumption guidelines (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.05, 1.93), but less likely to have a healthy weight (OR=0.66, 95%CI: 0.52, 0.85) than non‐Aboriginal children. Mean HRQoL scores were significantly higher among non‐Aboriginal children and both Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal children meeting health guidelines. Conclusions: Most Aboriginal children in this study met guidelines for fruit, physical activity, screen time and sleep, and those meeting these guidelines had significantly higher HRQoL. Implications for public health: Promoting nutrition, physical activity and sleep is likely to benefit all children. Aboriginal community‐controlled organisations can use these data to design culturally‐specific programs that may improve disparities in healthy weight and HRQoL.

BackgroundOne size rarely fits all in population health. Differing outcomes may compete for best allocations of time. Among children aged 11–12 years, we aimed to (1) describe optimal 24-hour time use for diverse physical, cognitive/academic and well-being outcomes, (2) pinpoint the ‘Goldilocks Day’ that optimises all outcomes and (3) develop a tool to customise time-use recommendations.MethodsIn 2004, the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children recruited a nationally-representative cohort of 5107 infants with biennial follow-up waves. We used data from the cross-sectional Child Health CheckPoint module (2015–2016, n=1874, 11–12 years, 51% males). Time use was from 7-day 24-hour accelerometry. Outcomes included life satisfaction, psychosocial health, depressive symptoms, emotional problems, non-verbal IQ; vocabulary, academic performance, adiposity, fitness, blood pressure, inflammatory biomarkers, bone strength. Relationships between time use and outcomes were modelled using compositional regression.ResultsOptimal daily durations varied widely for different health outcomes (sleep: 8.3–11.4 hours; sedentary: 7.3–12.2 hours; light physical activity: 1.7–5.1 hours; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA): 0.3–2.7 hours, all models p≤0.04). In general, days with highest physical activity (predominantly MVPA) and low sedentary time were optimal for physical health, while days with highest sleep and lowest sedentary time were optimal for mental health. Days with highest sedentary time and lowest physical activity were optimal for cognitive health. The overall Goldilocks Day had 10 hours 21 min sleep, 9 hours 44 min sedentary time, 2 hours 26 min light physical activity and 1 hour 29 min MVPA. Our interactive interface allows personalisation of Goldilocks Days to an individual’s outcome priorities.Conclusion‘Goldilocks Days’ necessitate compromises based on hierarchies of priorities for health, social and economic outcomes.

The popularity of today's web application has led to web servers frequently the objects of webshell attacks. In this paper, we propose a new deep inspection method that is composed of a deep learning algorithm and signature-based technique for webshell detection, namely DLWSD. Moreover, to avoid bottlenecks, DLWSD built-in DeepInspector inspects in real-time the large-scale traffic flows with a strategy of periodic sampling at a defined frequency and interval for only flows that do not satisfy any signature. DeepInspector can create/update rules from webshell attacking alert results to prevent in future. We also proposed a mechanism using the cross-entropy loss function to regulate the training imbalanced dataset. Our experiments allow validating the performance of DLWSD using a popular dataset CSE-CIC-IDS2018 with the metrics accuracy, F1-score, FPR of 99.99%, 99.98%, and 0.01% respectively. It is also better compared with other studies using the same dataset.

We present an efficient, effective, and economical approach, named E3technology, for proteomics sample preparation. By immobilizing silica microparticles into the polytetrafluoroethylene matrix, we develop a robust membrane medium, which could serve as a reliable platform to generate proteomics-friendly samples in a rapid and low-cost fashion. We benchmark its performance using different formats and demonstrate them with a variety of sample types of varied complexity, quantity, and volume. Our data suggest that E3technology provides proteome-wide identification and quantitation performance equivalent or superior to many existing methods. We further propose an enhanced single-vessel approach, named E4technology, which performs on-filter in-cell digestion with minimal sample loss and high sensitivity, enabling low-input and low-cell proteomics. Lastly, we utilized the above technologies to investigate RNA-binding proteins and profile the intact bacterial cell proteome.

Poverty is a global issue and a lot of attention and efforts of the international community have been made to deal with this problem. Especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a part of the population could fall into poverty due to rising unemployment and income deduction, identifying the factors affecting poverty becomes particularly important. Financial inclusion has been recognized as one important factor affecting poverty reduction. This research is conducted to investigate the impact of financial inclusion and other control variables on poverty reduction. The study employs Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to build a financial inclusion index. Using 2SLS and the GMM regressions for a panel data of 29 European countries during the period from 2011 to 2017, the results show that financial inclusion has a negative impact on poverty at all three poverty lines of USD1.9, 3.2, and 5.5 per day. The proportion of the population aged 15–64 and the ratio of service employment to the total number of employment also have a negative effect on all three levels of POV1.9, POV3.2,and POV5.5.In contrast, GDP per capita, trade openness and the proportion of the population aged from 25 with at least secondary school education have a positive impact on poverty at three levels of poverty.The results confirm that financial inclusion plays an important role in reducing poverty. The study provides a number of recommendations to governments to promote financial inclusion and reduce poverty in the countries.

A paste electrochemical sensor, based on a carbon paste electrode modified with different oxides, has been developed for investigation of 2,4‐dimethylphenol (2,4 DMP) oxidation in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) with pH of 7. In this study, Fe2O3, Al2O3, ZrO2and SiO2have been tested. Among these oxides, Al2O3showed the best electrocatalysis on oxidation of 2,4 DMP at ratio of graphite powder/Al2O3/paraffin oil = 71/4/25. The high sensibility of Al2O3for 2,4 DMP detection can be explained by the interaction between benzene rings of phenol and acid sites of Al2O3. From this result it opens a high potential application of sensors based on the electro acidic catalysts.

We report a method for coupling of nitroarenes, 2- or 4-methylazaarenes, and elemental sulfur to afford (2-pyridyl)aryl thioamides. Good tolerance of functionalities was observed, including primary and secondary amines, bromo, iodo, ester, and boronic ester groups. Thioamides derived from pyrazole, thiazole, quinoline, quinoxalines, and azoles were obtained in good yields, showing the compatibility of heterocycles. This appears to be a general method to obtain pyridyl thioamides in one step from commercial, simple substrates.Synthesis of pyridylthioamides from simple, commercial substrates such as nitroarenes and 2-/4-methylazaarenes has been developed. The reactions only required DABCO base in the absence of any solvents. A wide range of functionalities could be tolerated, thus showing the generality of our method.

The colonial and imperial history of English has made it a global language and non-native teachers are trying to teach the language at various levels all over the world. Eastern teachers are allegedly using archaic methods of teaching the language as compared to the modern techniques used by Western teachers but teachers in Vietnam do not confirm to this stereotype.

The weak interaction between zinc and alumina is responsible for a poor performance of anticorrosive galvanic zinc coatings on modern advanced high strength steels. In this context, we report a theoretical study on the effect of realistic multicomponent metal buffers on the adhesion strength of a model α-alumina(0001)|zinc interface. Relying on results of ab initio calculations on relevant individual oxide|oxide, oxide|metal, and metal|metal interfaces (separation and interface energies), we determine by Monte Carlo simulations the thermodynamically preferred sequence of components in a multicomponent buffer, as a function of buffer composition and oxygen conditions. We find that stainless steel buffers considerably enhance the overall strength of the alumina|zinc interface. Most importantly, we show that a partial oxidation of multicomponent buffers, which is unavoidable under realistic conditions, does not degrade their performance. This advantageous property relies on the separation of metal and oxide components in the buffer and on the resulting suppression of weakly interacting oxide|zinc and moderately strong alumina|metal interfaces. More generally, owing to the possibility of selective oxidation and component segregation, multicomponent buffers appear as promising solutions for adhesion improvement at weakly interacting metal|oxide interfaces.

Density functional theory calculations of chemical interactions of lubricant additives sodium pyrophosphate (Na4P2O7) and orthophosphate (Na3PO4) on nascent iron Fe(110) and iron oxide Fe2O3(0001) surfaces have been carried out. Comparisons of adsorption behaviors of the two lubricant additives on different surfaces have been implemented on the basis of the thermodynamics of adsorption and electronic structure analyses. The results indicate that sodium phosphates chemically adsorb on iron and iron oxide surfaces by forming Fe–O bonds and stick on the surfaces through Fe–O–P linkages. The stronger binding of Na3PO4than that of Na4P2O7on both Fe(110) and Fe2O3(0001) surfaces is consistent with its better antiwear performance observed by the experiments. It is found that Fe–O bonds formed during the phosphate adsorption are stable covalent bonds that are as strong as P–O bonds of the Fe–O–P linkages. However, the binding of Fe–O–P on Fe surface is caused by a donor–acceptor mechanism; in contrast, the donation/back-donation interaction mechanism on the Fe2O3surface. This study provides an in-depth understanding of the early stage of the tribochemical reaction between polyphosphates and metal/oxide surfaces.

Background:We investigated the effect of the Whole of Systems Trial of Prevention Strategies for Childhood Obesity (WHO STOPS) intervention on children's objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time (ST).Methods:We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial with children in grades 4 (∼9–10 years old) and grade 6 (∼11–12 years old) from 10 communities in the Great South Coast region of Victoria, Australia. Communities were randomly allocated (1:1) to receive the WHO STOPS intervention in 2015. WHO STOPS was a whole of community systems-based approach to preventing childhood obesity. Outcome data were collected using a repeat cross-sectional design in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Children were asked to wear a hip-mounted accelerometer for 7 days. Age-specific Axis 1 activity counts were converted into duration (minutes/day) spent engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light physical activity (LPA), and ST. Linear mixed regression models were fitted to estimate the effects of the intervention on the three activity outcomes across the study period.Results:Analyses were based on valid accelerometer data from 1406 children (intervention n= 745; control n= 661). Results for MVPA, LPA, and ST were nonsignificant. Between 2015 and 2017, there were positive, but nonsignificant, changes in mean MVPA favoring intervention boys [3.7 minutes/day; 95% confidence interval (CI): −5.7 to 13.1] and girls (5.5 minutes/day; 95% CI: −1.5 to 12.6). By 2019, these effects had attenuated.Conclusions:Although the WHO STOPS intervention did not significantly change activity levels, the magnitudes of the effects on MVPA suggest that further research with whole-of-community interventions in larger samples would be worthwhile.Clinical trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR.org.au) identifier 12616000980437.

Energy storage systems (ESS) will play a critical role in the ongoing development of the future electrical grid, especially as penetration of renewable energy generation increases. Since the costs of ESS are still high, it is imperative to research diverse control modes of ESS so as to use them in an effective manner, thereby offsetting their high costs. ESS technologies can diminish curtailment of renewable generators and provide much needed storage capabilities for supporting the grid, such as providing voltage regulation, relieving congestion, and improving power quality. This study develops six control modes for a battery ESS (BESS), namely, Current Limiting, Power Limiting, Load Leveling, Voltage Regulation, Power Factor Correction, and Simultaneous Real and Reactive Power Supply. The control modes are verified by simulation using a realistic utility 2.8-MW/5.6-MWh BESS and three solar PV plants connected to a power distribution grid. The study results demonstrate that the BESS functions properly in all the control modes. It can be used in all four quadrants of real and reactive power, i.e., it can provide any combination of real and reactive power amount within its rating for supporting the solar PV farms and the grid. The control modes enable effective operation of the BESS, which is a new tool to solve power system critical operational issues, thereby helping ensure the grid resilient, efficient, and reliable operation.

Silicate glasses are potential materials for lubrication at elevated temperature because of their exceptional thermal stability, low cost, and environmentally friendly properties. Although the frictional behaviors and characterizations of silicate glass tribofilms have been studied by a number of experiments, the formation mechanisms as well as the chemical insight into the iron–silicate tribofilm still remain unclear. In the present study, the adsorption and depolymerization of the sodium sorosilicate cluster Na6Si2O7on a Fe(110) surface have been studied using both first-principles molecular dynamics and density functional theory. Comparisons of adsorption processes and electronic structure of some typical configurations at different temperatures have been carried out. The results strongly suggest that the silicate cluster chemically adsorbs on the Fe(110) surface by forming multiple Fe–nonbridging oxygen (NBO) bonds. The iron surface plays an important role in the dissociation of the NBO by significantly reducing the strength of Si–NBO bonds. Electronic structure calculation reveals that the charge transfer between the lubricant and the iron surface during the adsorption may lead to a flow of alkali ions and a layering process in the tribofilm. Depolymerization is observed at higher temperature and has larger activation energy compared to Si–NBO dissociations, indicating that the process is more difficult. Temperature is also an important factor that contributes to the dissociation of NBOs as well as the depolymerization of the lubricant, both of which can have several impacts on the lubricity of the tribofilm. This study provides a detailed understanding of the chemical reaction of sodium polysilicate on the iron surface at high temperature.

•PFES revenue fluctuates due to limited service users.•PFES payment (2%) does not significantly contribute to forest protector households' income.•Monetary and non-monetary values motivate people to join forest protection groups.•To increase the effectiveness of PFES, service beneficiaries must be identified and increased.•There is a lack of maintaining forest quality during degradation, needing commitments for forest restoration and patrol accountability.

A new mixed-linker iron-based MOF VNU-20 [Fe3(BTC)(NDC)2·6.65H2O] was solvothermally synthesized from 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid, 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid and FeCl2. VNU-20 was utilized as a recyclable catalyst for the functionalization of coumarins with N,N-dimethylanilines viadirect C–H bond activation. This Fe-MOF was found to be more active towards the coupling transformation than several conventional homogeneous and MOF-based heterogeneous catalysts. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that [Fe3(CO2)7]∞SBUs are evaluated for their catalytic activity, and this transformation of coumarins is new.

–The control of adhesion at metal/oxide interfaces is of key importance in modern applications, whenever three-dimensional metal clusters or two-dimensional metal overlayers are to be synthesized on an oxide support. By focusing on the zinc/alumina system, we address here one of the long-standing issues in this context, which is the poor wetting of wide band gap oxides by noble and post-transition metals. It has recently been recognized to have detrimental industrial consequences for the adhesion of anticorrosive zinc coatings to new high strength steel grades. We have combined photoemission, thermal desorption, and plasmonics with atomistic simulation to describe the energetics of zinc deposits on dry and hydroxylated α-Al2O3(0001) surfaces. Both experimental and computational results show that an activated reaction of the metal with the OH-covered surface, followed by hydrogen desorption, produces dispersed interfacial moieties involving both oxidized Zn species and under-coordinated oxygen ions that lead to a significant improvement of adsorption/adhesion characteristics on the hydroxylated surface. In particular, the key role of interfacial under-coordinated anions, remnants of the hydroxylation layer, is highlighted for the first time, pointing to a general mechanism by which surface hydroxylation appears as a promising route toward a systematic improvement of wide band gap oxide wetting by metals.

Quinazolinone synthesis usually requires employing sensitive substrates, hazardous solvents, large excess oxidants, and expensive catalysts. In this study, an efficient and environmentally benign pathway was developed to synthesize 2-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one via oxidative coupling between commercially available and stable chemicals, including 2-aminobenzamide and benzyl alcohol without toxic oxidizing agents and transition-metal catalysts. A high yield of the desired product (up to 84%) was obtained at 120°C for 24 h in the presence of oxygen as a green oxidant and t-BuONa as a base. Importantly, the study scope was expanded toward successfully producing various 2-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives in moderate-to-good yields. Furthermore, control experiments proposed that the conversion involved the initial partial oxidation of benzyl alcohol to the benzaldehyde intermediate under basic conditions, followed by the condensation, intramolecular nucleophilic addition, and oxidative dehydrogenation to 2-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one.

Mental health care for students in general, particularly anxiety, is a significant problem that needs more attention, especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of anxiety and examine the associated factors among students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2021 among 5730 students. An online survey was used to collect sociodemographic information, and the generalized anxiety disorder questionnaire (GAD-7) was used to assess anxiety symptoms among Vietnamese students. Results showed that the prevalence of anxiety among study participants was 16.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.3%–17.2%). Factors related to anxiety among students were gender, type of housemate, COVID-19 exposure/infection status, vaccination status, health status, academic performance, and social relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic. A significant number of students experienced anxiety during COVID-19, and this rate was related to several factors. Psychological interventions are required to support students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and other health crises. Further studies are required to confirm our findings.

This study measured bullying roles across an academic year and examined how change in bullying experiences is associated with symptoms of depression, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation among adolescents in Vietnam. 1424 students in middle and high schools completed two self-administered questionnaires, six months apart in 2014–2015. Students who were victimised often and those who were classified as highly involved as both victims and bullies at one or both survey times showed significantly higher levels of depression, psychological distress, and suicidal ideation than other students. The mental health of adolescents who were involved in bullying as a victim or bully remained at low levels was generally similar to those not involved in any bullying. However, females who had stable but low level in victimisation or bully–victim status had worse mental health than males with stable-low-level exposure. This is the first longitudinal analysis of bullying among adolescents in Vietnam. Persistent and frequent bullying was strongly linked with poor mental health for males and females. A new observation is that Vietnamese girls appear to be more sensitive to low level but long-term bullying involvement than were boys.

In view of improving the performance of anticorrosive zinc coatings, we report a first-principles density functional theory study on the effect of a metal buffer on the adhesion characteristics at the weakly interacting alumina/zinc interface. With results obtained for metals across the first-transition series (M = Cr, Fe, Ni) we show that such buffers may enhance considerably the interface strength, the effect being particularly well pronounced for Cr. Moreover, relying on a series of model MOxoxide buffers (x= 1, 3/2, 2), we demonstrate that buffer oxidation is in most cases detrimental to adhesion. Systematic analysis of the interfacial bonds enables one to ascribe the predicted beneficial effect of metallic buffers to the formation of strong interfacial metal–oxygen and metal–zinc bonds. Reduction of the number of such bonds upon buffer oxidation drives the decrease of interface adhesion. If the oxidation of buffers composed of more reactive metals cannot be avoided, late-transition elements may be more promising candidates for practical applications.

OBJECTIVES:To identify characteristics of the food environment associated with child overweight/obesity that could, if subjected to intervention, mitigate the risk of childhood overweight/obesity. We examined whether the proximity to or density of grocery and convenience stores or fast food restaurants, or the prices of healthy food options were more strongly associated with overweight/obesity risk in children. METHODS:We collected geocoded data by residential addresses for 1,469 children aged 10-14 years and conducted a census of all food outlets in Saskatoon. The Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-Stores and the NEMS-Restaurants were used to measure availability, quality and relative price of healthy food items in stores and restaurants. Children’s weight status was calculated on the basis of measured height and weight. Logistic regression was used to test the associations between overweight/obesity and food environment variables. RESULTS:Within an 800 m walking distance from home, 76% of children did not have access to a grocery store; 58% and 32% had access to at least one convenience store or one fast-food restaurant respectively. A significantly lower odds of overweight/obesity was associated with lower price of healthy food items/options in grocery stores (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-0.99) and fast-food restaurants (OR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99) within walking distance of home. Neither the distance to the closest food outlet nor the density of food outlets around children’s homes was associated with odds of overweight/obesity. CONCLUSIONS:Improving economic access to healthy food in food outlets or fast-food restaurants is one strategy to counter childhood overweight/obesity. OBJECTIFS :Cerner les caractéristiques de l’environnement alimentaire associées au surpoids/à l’obésité des enfants qui pourraient, si elles étaient soumises à une intervention, atténuer le risque de surpoids/d’obésité juvénile. Nous avons cherché à déterminer si la proximité ou la densité des épiceries, des dépanneurs ou des restaurants rapides, ou les prix des choix alimentaires sains, étaient plus fortement associés au risque de surpoids/d’obésité chez les enfants. MÉTHODE :Nous avons recueilli des données géocodées par adresse résidentielle pour 1,469 enfants de 10-14 ans et recensé tous les points de vente alimentaires de Saskatoon. Nous avons utilisé les sondages Nutrition Environment Measures Survey (NEMS-Stores et NEMS-Restaurants pour mesurer la disponibilité, la qualité et le prix relatif des produits alimentaires dans les magasins et les restaurants, respectivement. Le statut pondéral des enfants a été calculé à partir de la taille et du poids mesurés. Nous avons procédé par régression logistique pour tester les associations entre le surpoids/l’obésité et les variables de l’environnement alimentaire. RÉSULTATS :À distance de marche de 800 m de leur domicile, 75% des enfants n’avaient pas accès à une épicerie; 60% et 33% avaient accès à au moins un dépanneur ou un restaurant rapide, respectivement. Une probabilité significativement plus faible de surpoids/d’obésité était associée aux prix plus bas des produits ou des choix alimentaires sains dans les épiceries (rapport de cotes [RC] = 0.87, intervalle de confiance [IC] de 95%: 0.77-0.99) et les restaurants rapides (RC = 0.97, IC de 95%: 0.95-0.99) situés à distance de marche du domicile. Ni la distance du point de vente alimentaire le plus proche, ni la densité des points de vente alimentaires autour des domiciles des enfants n’était associée à la probabilité de surpoids/d’obésité. CONCLUSIONS :Améliorer l’accès économique aux aliments sains dans les points de vente alimentaires ou les restaurants rapides est une stratégie pour contrer le surpoids/l’obésité juvénile.

The stealthy reconnaissance phase is crucial in a cyber-attack. The reconnaissance tools usually limit themselves from balancing between collecting most targets' information possible while hiding itself from being detected by target's defence systems. We assert the role of reconnaissance in web application security attack and evaluate the selected reconnaissance tools in both effectiveness (information gained) and stealth level. We experimentally realised that the reconnaissance tools employing a botnet (or bot, or zombie)-based model has high performance (high level of stealth and little information loss).

The internationalization of higher education globally continues to grow more and more towards commercialization and neoliberalism paths, despite growing concerns about the underlying consequences. Building further on our work and using Saudi Arabia as a national case, this article critically investigates how and in what ways the Saudi government's desire to internationalize its higher education system has overlooked the many problems associated with its English-only policy, and the neoliberal shaping of social and economic pressures. The article also demonstrates the paradoxical messages concerning internationalization success, strategies, and visions conveyed by the Saudi government and by several institutions from English-speaking countries in response to Saudi Arabia's aspiration for internationalization of its higher education. We draw on several data sources in this article, specifically: (1) the Colleges of Excellence (CoE) project documents – a major Saudi government's initiative to restructure the technical and vocational education system; (2) Several publicly available news items released by technical and vocational colleges from Canada and the UK as well as by the UK government in relation to their participation in Saudi Arabia's CoE project; and (3) publicly available news items published in a number of key local Saudi newspapers regarding various aspects of the CoE project.

To achieve a better understanding of accumulation of paclitaxel and related taxanes in Himalayan yew (Taxus wallichianaZucc.) callus mass, induction and growth of calli from needles and petioles under light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and production of paclitaxel and baccatin were investigated. Calli were induced from needles and petioles on Gamborg's B5 medium supplemented with 1 mg·l-1kinetin and 4 mg·l-12,4-D under different com-binations of blue and red LEDs. Calli were further cultured in that medium under the same lighting conditions. Callus induction from needles and petioles and growth was better under blue LEDs than under red LEDs and fluorescent light. The combinations of blue and red LEDs produced variable results. The paclitaxel content of these calli was quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography. The paclitaxel content of calli derived from needles was 0.00628% and the 10-DAB (10-Deacetylbaccatin III) content was 0.00366%. The paclitaxel content of calli derived from petioles was 0.00412%, and no 10-DAB was detected.

Introduction:Patients with apical thrombus due to anterior wall ST segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (AWMI) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DilCM) have high risk of emboli, including stroke.Hypothesis:Which factor of a thrombus at the apex of the left ventricle makes it vulnerable for or resistant to embolization? Is it its loose (or well organized) tissue formation as a fresh (or old) thrombus so it disintegrates quickly (or stays resistant) and becomes vulnerable for (or less prone to) embolization?Methods:Patients with AWMI or DilCM with apical thrombus by echo were consecutively enrolled. Patients with atrial fibrillation were excluded. The data to be collected included: (1) Time of discovery of apical thrombi by echo to time of stroke (2) result of treatment (thrombolysis with long term vit K antagonists vs novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and (3) pattern of recovery.Results:From 2010-2021, there were 32 patients identified with apical thrombus. 12 patients due to AWMI and 20 patients due to Dil CM. 3 AWMI patients developed stroke (25%) within a mean of 7.5 days after discovery while only 2 patients with Dil CM had stroke (10%) 21 days after discovery (p<0.05). At the time of stroke, all apical thrombi of AWMI patients were small, of round shape, protruding out and of heterogenous consistency (mixed black and white intensity on echo). The patients responded well to thrombolysis and recovered near completely. While for patients with Dil CM, all apical thrombi were moderately large, of flat surface incorporating into the contour of the apex, non-protruding and of homogenous consistency. When these patients had stroke, the size of stroke was large and more resistant to thrombolysis. Their recovery was slow with a lot of deficits.Conclusions:For apical thrombi from AWMI, the thrombi were fresh so they disintegrated quickly and could cause more stroke however because of their smaller size and loose consistency, the recovery was more complete. The apical thrombi from Dil CM were more organized so they dissolved more slowly, caused less stroke however they were more resistant to thrombolysis. Their recovery was more limited. Larger database needs to confirm the above findings and their clinical implications.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is recognized as one of the most attractive metal oxides because of its direct wide band gap (3.37 eV) and large exciton binding energy (60 meV), which make it promising for various applications in solar cells, gas sensors, photocatalysis and so on. Here, we report a facile synthesis to grow well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays on SnO2: F (FTO) glass substrates without the ZnO seed layer using a Galvanic-cell-based method at low temperature (&lt;100°C). CdS quantum dot thin films were then deposited on the nanorod arrays in turn by an effective successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process to form a ZnO/CdS core-shell structure electrode. Structural, morphological and optical properties of the ZnO/CdS nanorod heterojunctions were investigated. The results indicate that CdS quantum dot thin films were uniformly deposited on the ZnO nanorods and the thickness of the CdS shell can be controlled by varying the number of the adsorption and reaction cycles. The number of quantum dots layers affects on photovoltaic performance of the ZnO/CdS core-shell nanorod arrays has been investigated as photoanodes in quantum dots sensitized solar cells.

C-reactive protein (CRP), smoking, and oral contraceptive (OC) use are associated with CVD risk in adults. This study examines the effect of smoking on high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) levels, and the interactive effects of sex and OC use on this relationship in an adolescent cohort. A total of 1,050 adolescents (mean age 17 ± 0.25 years) from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study had anthropometric, lifestyle, and metabolic measures recorded. The association between smoking status and log-transformed hs-CRP was analyzed using multivariable Tobit linear regression models, with adjustment for adiposity, lifestyle, and early-life confounders. A three-level variable (girls not using OCs, girls using OCs, and boys) was employed to assess the interactive effects of sex, OC use, and smoking. Smoking associated with higher hs-CRP levels in girls not using OCs (b = 0.571; P= 0.001), but not in girls using OCs (b = −0.117; P= 0.598) or in boys (b = 0.183; P= 0.2). OC use in nonsmoking girls was the strongest factor associated with higher hs-CRP levels (b = 1.189; P< 0.001). This study has demonstrated a more robust effect of smoking on hs-CRP levels in girls not using OCs compared with boys. The findings may explain why CVD risk conferred by smoking is higher in women than in men.

In the current study, the ethanol extract of Premna flavescensleaves (EPF) was evaluated for its in vivo antiinflammatory, analgesic potentials, and acute oral toxicity. The analgesic potential was assessed through the acetic acid-induced writhing test, and the antiinflammatory characteristic was determined through the carrageenan-induced paw edema test in mice. The analgesic experimental results indicated that at a dose of 750 mg/kg, EPF exhibited nearly the same effect as aspirin at a dose of 100 mg/kg. carrageenan-induced paw edema inflammation in experimental mice treated with EPF at a dose of 750 mg/kg was significantly reduced after 5 h of carrageenan injection. EPF did not show acute oral toxicity at the highest dose of 5 g/kg. Six compounds were isolated from EPF: friedelin (1), friedelinol (2), holoptelin B (3), ethyl p-methoxycinamate (4), 3β-hydroxy stigmast-5-en-7-one (5), and n-triacontanol (6). Compounds 1, 2, and 6were isolated from P flavescensfor the first time, while compounds 3, 4, and 5were reported from the genus Premnafor the first time. These findings give more scientific evidence for the traditional medicinal use of this plant to treat rheumatism and osteoarthritis.

Aims:Lifestyle behaviours established during adolescence may adversely affect blood pressure (BP) and contribute to gender differences in cardiovascular risk in adulthood. We aimed to assess the association of health behaviours with BP in adolescents, using data from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study.Methods:Cross-sectional analysis on 1248 Raine Study adolescents aged 17 years, to examine associations between lifestyle factors and BP.Results:Boys had 8.97 mmHg higher systolic BP, as compared with girls. The 30% of girls using oral contraceptives (OC) had 3.27 and 1.74 mmHg higher systolic and diastolic BP, respectively, compared with non-users. Alcohol consumption in boys, increasing body mass index (BMI) and the sodium-potassium ratio were associated with systolic BP. We found a continuous relationship between BMI and systolic BP in both genders; however, the gradient of this relationship was significantly steeper in boys, compared with girls not taking OC. In boys, systolic BP was 5.7 mmHg greater in alcohol consumers who were in the upper quartile of BMI and the urinary sodium-potassium ratio compared with teetotallers in the lowest quartile. In girls, systolic BP was 5.5 mmHg higher in those taking OC, in the highest BMI and urinary sodium-potassium ratio quartile as compared to those not taking the OC pill and in the lowest quartile.Conclusion:In addition to gender-related differences in the effects of adiposity on BP, we found lifestyle-related health behaviours such as high salt intake for both sexes, consumption of alcohol in boys, and OC use in girls were important factors associated with BP measurements in late adolescence. This suggests that gender-specific behavioural modification in adolescence may prevent adult hypertension.

A super-resolution imaging method suitable for imaging objects moving in a dynamic scene is described. The primary operations are performed over three threads: the computation of a dense inter-frame 2-D motion field induced by the moving objects at a sub-pixel resolution in the first thread. Concurrently, each video image frame is enlarged by the cascode of an ideal low-pass filter and a higher rate sampler, essentially stretching each image onto a larger grid. Then, the main task is to synthesize a higher resolution image from the stretched image of the first frame and that of the subsequent frames subject to a suitable motion compensation. A simple averaging process and/or a simplified Kalman filter may be used to minimize the spatio-temporal noise, in the aggregation process. The method is simple and can take advantage of common MPEG-4 encoding tools. A few experimental cases are presented with a basic description of the key operations performed in the over all process.

Fed-batch production of recombinant β-galactosidase in E. coli was studied with respect to the specific growth rate at induction. The cultivations were designed to induce protein production by IPTG at a glucose feed rate corresponding to high (μ = 0.5 h⁻¹) or low (μ = 0.1 h⁻¹) specific growth rate. Protein production rate was approximately 100% higher at the higher specific growth rate, resulting in the accumulation of β-galactosidase up to 30% of the total cell protein. Transcription analysis showed that β-galactosidase-specific messenger RNA was immediately formed after induction (&lt;5 min), but the amount was the same in both cases and was thus not the initial limiting factor. The content of ribosomes, as represented by rRNA, rapidly decreased with specific growth rate from a relative level of 100%, at the high specific growth rate, to 20% at the low specific growth rate. At high specific growth rate, ribosomes were additionally degraded upon induction due to the high production level. Translation therefore seemed to be the initial limiting factor of the protein synthesis capacity. The alarmone guanosine tetraphosphate increased at both high and low feed level inductions, indicating an induction-forced starvation of charged tRNA and/or glucose. The altered physiological status was also detected by the formation of acetic acid. However, the higher production rate resulted in high-level accumulation of acetic acid, which was absent at low feed rate production. Acetic acid production is thus coupled to the high product formation rate and is proposed to be due either to a precursor drain of Krebs cycle intermediates and a time lag before induction of the glyoxalate shunt, or to single amino acid overflow, since the model product is relatively poor in glycin and alanin. In conclusion, it is proposed that production at high specific growth rate becomes precursor-limited, while production at low specific growth rate is carbon- and/or energy-limited. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 81: 158–166, 2003.

Abstract: We examine the grain formation during annealing of metallic contacts on multiple semiconductor layers by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The system investigated is Ni/Ge/Au on GaAs/InGaP/InGa(Al)As. Heterointerfaces set vertical limits for the growth of various grains leading to an evident anisotropic lateral-grain expansion. The Au-containing grains selectively locate in the proximity of the InGaAs layer. Using nanoprobe x-ray energy-dispersive spectrum (EDS) analysis, the compositions of those different types of grain have been determined. The microstructure of the grains correlates with the contact resistance and on-resistance of the devices.

This paper explores how the Vietnamese culturally situated notions of ‘politeness’, which are embedded in Vietnamese postgraduate students' performance at different Australian universities, influence the way they write academic English. The data of this qualitative study were collected from in-depth interviews with four Vietnamese postgraduate students from different universities in Melbourne. The paper also makes suggestions to Australian academics on how they can best help Vietnamese postgraduate students' writing at universities.

Background:Access to green space (e.g.,parks and gardens) has been associated with child health and wellbeing, whereas blue space (e.g.,coasts, lakes, and rivers) is understudied. Our aim was to determine whether proximity to the coast was associated with primary school children's weight status, modifiable health-related behaviors, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).Methods:Exploratory cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Whole of Systems Trial of Prevention Strategies for Childhood Obesity (WHOSTOPS) study, to estimate gender-specific differences in weight and behaviors across four bands of distance from the coast (<5 km, 5 to <25 km, 25 to <50 km, ≥50 km). Linear and logistic models, with robust standard errors, adjusted for school year level, area-level socioeconomic position and rurality, and allowing for distance by gender interaction were fitted on data from 1216 children (aged 8.5–13 years). Main outcomes were weight status (categorical), physical activity (PA) (categorical), and global HRQoL score (continuous).Results:Compared with girls living in towns ≥50 km from the coast, those living within 5 km had lower odds for overweight/obesity [odds ratio (OR) = 0.50; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.37–0.67] and higher mean moderate-to-vigorous PA minutes (accelerometry) (β= 8.7; 95% CI: 2.0–15.5) and global HRQoL (β= 3.2; 95% CI: 1.4–5.0). Compared with boys living ≥50 km from the coast, those living within 5 km had higher odds of meeting self-reported PA guidelines (≥60 minutes/day) for ≥5 days (OR = 2.33; 95% CI: 1.75–3.10), and higher mean global HRQoL scores (β= 5.6; 95% CI: 1.9–9.3).Conclusions:Living close to the coast was associated with some favorable health outcomes and behaviors, which differed between girls and boys.

The study assessed the impacts of an adjusted cropping calendar on the welfare of rice farming households in the Mekong River Delta (MRD) of Vietnam in the 2019/20 Winter-Spring (W-S) crop season. Some farmers in the study area practiced early planting as an adaptation strategy to avoid the risk of saline intrusion during the 2019–2020 El Niño. The study randomly surveyed 1,176 rice farmers in three MRD provinces, namely, Long An, Kien Giang, and Soc Trang, of which 412 were early planters and 764 were non-early planters. Propensity score matching was applied to explore the effects of early planting on the rice yield and rice farming income. Early planting during the 2019/20 W-S season produced (i) an increase in rice farming income of VND 22.8–24.6 million per farmer or VND 8.62–8.77 million per hectare; (ii) an increase in the annual rice farming income of VND 13.7–17.1 million per farmer or VND 3.2–4.3 million per hectare; and (iii) an increase in rice yield by 5.29–5.67 tons per farmer or 2.51–2.59 tons per hectare. The findings confirm that adjusting the rice cropping calendar as an adaptation strategy against salinity can improve rice farmers’ production and income.