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Deep learning (DL) and machine learning (ML) have been applied widely to satellite data of vegetation indices to infer indirect features associated with soil characteristics that affect crop performance in rain-fed environments. In this paper, we propose a DL model for prediction of plant available water capacity (PAWC) of the soil from sequential multi-modal data including time series of biomass, leaf area index (LAI), normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and cumulative weather variables. By initiating large numbers of simulations with different soil PAWC, weather and management parameters, we explore combinations of the simulation outputs and the weather to estimate the PAWC and to determine the factors that impede the accuracy of the prediction model. Experimental results demonstrate the significant potential of our method compared with traditional ML methods. Specifically, our method increases the prediction accuracy in situations where each PAWC profile is grouped into two or five classes of PAWC. For more classes (10 classes), the model achieves more than 60% for the overall accuracy and performs well on the lowest five PAWC classes. The utilisation of sequential multi-modal data to predict soil water level provides a direction for future work to translate onto empirical datasets and also to explore the boundaries of the prediction ability of DL models.

Fibroma of the tendon sheath (FTS) arising from the extensor tendon of a toe is a rare event. A review of the literature reveals less than 10 such cases. The current case report describes such a very rare tumor arising from the extensor digitorum longus tendon in a 61-year old male patient. The patient presented with a 6-month history of a progressive localized swelling of his left fourth toe. The tumor was diagnosed based on clinical, radiographic, surgical and histopathologic findings. By presenting this case report, the authors hope to call attention to this rare condition as a possible differential diagnosis in patients presenting with a soft tissue mass involving the toes.

Quarries are open pit mines, where construction materials such as granite and clay are extracted from the earth's surface, leading to a major disturbance of vegetation and subsequent degradation of ecosystem services. Assessing mining-associated degradation over time remains a challenge. This paper uses a temporal series of Landsat satellite image extracted from Google Earth Engine (GEE) for monitoring mining effects on land cover around the West African city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. We conducted a binary classification of quarry and non-quarry using Landsat 9 images. To account for varying quarry patterns, we applied the LandTrendr algorithm to analyze images from 1990 to 2022, mapping annual vegetation disturbance and recovery. This generated high-resolution land cover maps with over 90 % accuracy across 257 quarries (38 km²). LandTrendr identified disturbance years with 87 % accuracy and assessed recovery in abandoned quarries. Remote sensing accuracy was validated through fieldwork and analysis of historical aerial photos. Our findings revealed that major disturbances coincided with new quarrying activities, particularly during urban expansion from 2005 to 2019, with NDVI decreasing by 0.3 in active mining areas. Vegetation recovery was observed in 23 % of the abandoned quarries, with NDVI increases by 0.15 within five years post abandonment, particularly in clay quarries. The strongest recovery occurred in given up abandoned from 2015 to 2019, aligned with increased conservation efforts. Our approach offers valuable insights into mining impacts and vegetation resilience in semi-arid environments, informing sustainable urban planning and environmental management in rapidly transforming regions of West Africa.

Sustainable agricultural development has become a long-term trend to protect environmental health, human well-being and enhance economic profitability all over the world, especially in developing countries like Vietnam. Thus, in order to elevate the value of Durio zibethinus Murr., this study aims to extract pectin from the peels waste and initially investigate its reduced capacity in the green approach for silver nanoparticle synthesis. The extraction yield was 11.21 % for crude pectin and 6.89 % after purification. Physiochemical characterization showed that the acidic isolated pectin was low methoxy pectin with 40 % DE and has a viscosity-molecular weight of 25.5 kDa with 60 % AUA. Spherical and stable pectin-based Ag nanoparticles prepared in alkaline medium exhibit a hydrodynamic diameter approximately 100 nm and a negative potential around -50 mV. In particular, green synthesized Ag nanoparticles with negative charge outer coating demonstrated their antibacterial ability against both gram (-) Escherichia coli and gram (+) Staphylococcus aureus at the MIC of 61.8 ppm. In consequence, durian pectin probably serves as a novel reducing and stabilizing agent for size-controlled nanoparticles synthesis.

This qualitative study investigates Vietnamese EFL teachers' perceptions of how their emotional maturity impacts students' learning outcomes. Amidst the growing recognition of emotional intelligence's significance in educational settings, this research focuses on the nuanced context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Vietnam, where cultural and language challenges present unique demands on teachers' emotional competencies. Through semi-structured interviews with nine teachers across different career stages—novice, mid-career, and near-end—the study explores themes related to emotional regulation, empathy, emotional support, and cultural sensitivity in teaching practices. Thematic analysis revealed that teachers' ability to manage their emotions, empathize with students, create supportive learning environments, and navigate cultural nuances plays a crucial role in enhancing student engagement, participation, and overall learning outcomes. These findings align with Mayer and Salovey's model of emotional intelligence and the concept of the prosocial classroom, highlighting the importance of emotional competencies in fostering effective teaching and learning environments. The study underscores the need for integrating emotional intelligence training in teacher education and professional development programs, emphasizing cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in teaching practices. This research adds to the body of knowledge on emotional intelligence in education, offering insights into its application in the EFL context and implications for teacher development and educational policy.

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Burkholderia dolosa is a clinically important opportunistic pathogen in inpatients. Here we characterised an extensively drug-resistant and hypervirulent B. dolosa isolate from a patient hospitalised for stroke. Methods: Resistance to 41 antibiotics was tested with the agar disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration, or broth microdilution method. The complete genome was assembled using short-reads and long-reads and the hybrid de novo assembly method. Allelic profiles obtained by multilocus sequence typing were analysed using the PubMLST database. Antibiotic-resistance and virulence genes were predicted in silico using public databases and the ‘baargin’ workflow. B. dolosa N149 phylogenetic relationships with all available B. dolosa strains and Burkholderia cepacia complex strains were analysed using the pangenome obtained with Roary. Results: B. dolosa N149 displayed extensive resistance to 31 antibiotics and intermediate resistance to 4 antibiotics. The complete genome included three circular chromosomes (6 338 630 bp in total) and one plasmid (167 591 bp). Genotypic analysis revealed various gene clusters (acr, amr, amp, emr, ade, bla and tet) associated with resistance to 35 antibiotic classes. The major intrinsic resistance mechanisms were multidrug efflux pump alterations, inactivation and reduced permeability of targeted antibiotics. Moreover, 91 virulence genes (encoding proteins involved in adherence, formation of capsule, biofilm and colony, motility, phagocytosis inhibition, secretion systems, protease secretion, transmission and quorum sensing) were identified. B. dolosa N149 was assigned to a novel sequence type (ST2237) and formed a mono-phylogenetic clade separated from other B. dolosa strains. Conclusions: This study provided insights into the antimicrobial resistance and virulence mechanisms of B. dolosa.

Background: Hereditary angioedema (HAE) due to deficiency of C1 Inhibitor (C1INH-HAE) is a rare, unpredictable and potentially fatal genetic disorder. There are relatively few systematic population prevalence studies, with reports from various countries of between 1 in 20,000 and 1 in 150,000. and no Australian data. The therapeutic landscape for HAE has changed dramatically in recent years with a focus on highly effective prophylaxis, with the aim of total suppression of angioedema and achievement of a normal life. Objectives: Epidemiological survey of HAE in South Australia, with description of patient characteristics, quality of life and treatment, with a focus on prophylaxis. Methods: Case ascertainment was conducted over 18 months from January 2021 to July 2022, using a range of approaches with the aim of identifying all people with C1INH-HAE in South Australia. Questionnaires were administered to consenting patients utilising established HAE-specific and general survey instruments. Results: We identified 35 people with HAE in South Australia, yielding a population prevalence of 1 in 52,400, in line with average established international prevalence. HAE was identified in 4 patients of Indigenous Australian heritage. Seventeen of 31 adult patients completed an additional multi-questionnaire survey, revealing overall satisfactory disease control. Most common prophylactic therapies were danazol, lanadelumab, and subcutaneous C1 inhibitor. Many patients (mostly male) with milder disease had responded well to low-dose danazol with good tolerance and have continued to use it, whereas patients with higher disease burden are now using newer therapies, and overall satisfaction with current prophylaxis is high. Conclusions: Prevalence of HAE in South Australia aligns with international reports. Our population survey indicates that current long-term prophylaxis therapies including danazol, lanadelumab and C1-inhibitor, applied to appropriate patients taking into account disease activity and drug risks and tolerance, are effective for HAE attack prevention and produce high levels of satisfaction.

Hydrotalcite-Ag nanoparticles (HT-Ag NPs) have garnered significant attention in research due to their remarkable antibacterial activity and excellent photocatalytic properties. Consequently, they have been utilized in various fields, such as pharmaceuticals, medicine, electronics, and environmental treatment. However, the synthesis of HT-Ag nanoparticles often involves the use of NaBH4, a chemical reducing agent, to reduce Ag (I) ions and form Ag NPs on HT. Nevertheless, the residue of chemical reducing agents can lead to environmental pollution as above mentioned. The approach of utilizing plant extracts for the synthesis of Ag NPs decorated on HT has captivated many scientists due to its eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable process. Additionally, the plant extract plays a crucial role in stabilizing Ag NPs within HT-Ag structures. This paper presents a green synthesis of hydrotalcite-silver (HT-Ag) nanosheets using an AgNO3 salt solution as a precursor and areca (Areca catechu L.) nut extract as a reducing agent. The HT nanosheets, synthesized by a co-precipitation method combined with a hydrothermal method, exhibited an ordered lamellar layer structure. The areca seed extract in 99.5 % ethanol solvent acts as a reducing agent to convert Ag(I) ions into silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The presence of Ag NPs on the surface of HT nanosheets was confirmed using UV–Vis spectroscopy, XRD, AAS, HR-TEM, and SEM methods. The results indicated that Ag NPs are spherical in shape and uniformly dispersed on the surface of HT. The particle size of Ag NPs ranged from 15 nm to 40 nm. The yield of the Ag NPs synthesis process on HT ranged from 60.79 % to 85.89 %, depending on the concentration of AgNO3 salt solution. The antibacterial properties, including their effectiveness against E. coli and S. aureus, were tested using the agar well diffusion method to determine the zone of inhibition. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of HT-Ag nanosheets has also been evaluated. Specifically, the study focused on evaluating the antibacterial activity of HT-Ag nanosheets using a marine Gram-negative bacterium, P. stutzeri B27, to explore their potential applications in materials designed for use in marine environments. Furthermore, the durability of HT-Ag nanosheets was assessed. The obtained results demonstrated that the Ag NPs decorated on HT exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against E. coli, S. aureus, and P. stutzeri B27, making them suitable for applications as antibacterial and enhancing additives for polymer systems, particularly in materials used in marine environments.

The mean sea surface in different regions is non-equipotential, rendering Vietnam's traditional approach, which relies on the Hon-Dau tide gauge station as a reference, not yet scientifically invalid. To overcome this, our study utilized the Vietnam national mean dynamic topography model (MDTVN22) for depth observations, particularly in the Gulf of Tonkin. Covering 3430 monitoring sites in Hai Phong and 813 sites in Quang Ninh, our experiments highlighted a 5 to 6 mm difference between the mean sea surface and MDTVN22 references. • Our research establishes a resilient methodology, integrating shore tide gauge station data and the MDTVN22 model, aimed at enhancing precision in depth observations. • Validation experiments in Hai Phong demonstrate a minimal discrepancy of ±0.006 m between measurements obtained from the traditional mean sea surface and the MDTVN22 model. • These findings underscore the significance of adopting the MDTVN22 model for improved accuracy in assessing Vietnam's seabed topography.

This study delves into the intricate dynamics of trilingual education, focusing primarily on Vietnamese students majoring in French and simultaneously learning English as a foreign language. Themes emerging from the semi-structured interviews encompass dual linguistic socialization, constructing knowledge through French while learning English, perceived insufficiencies in real-world English exposure, language interference, and the profound role Vietnamese plays in third language acquisition. Additionally, motivational aspects, perceived hierarchies of languages, cultural isolation, cognitive space struggles, institutional prioritizations, and the interplay of cultural identities come to the fore. Utilizing the frameworks of Sociocultural Theory, Constructivist Theory, and Input Hypothesis, the research contextualizes these themes, uncovering the challenges and enrichments of this trilingual journey. The study's implications suggest the necessity for tailored pedagogical strategies and support systems for trilingual learners. This work contributes significantly to the growing discourse on multilingual education, providing educators, policymakers, and learners with valuable perspectives.

Land use transformation in the rapidly growing megacity of Bengaluru in South India has greatly influenced its lake ecosystems. To gain insights into the dynamics of lake ecosystems along an urban-rural gradient, we analyzed lake-cover changes (along with a 300 m buffer zone) of six lakes from 2002 to 2022. The lakes studied were Bellandur and Dodda Bommasandra (urban), Attur and Puttenhalli (peri‑urban), and Chudahalli and Vrishabhavathi (rural). Supervised maximum likelihood Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) classifications were conducted on 162 freely available, RGB Google Earth (GE) images to distinguish between macrophytes, algae, water, and dried land inside the lakes, and built-up and non built-up area in the buffer zone. Antagonistic relationships between macrophytes and algae were observed at all locations. Rainfall was positively correlated with the wet surface area (that is macrophytes, algae, and water) in comparatively dry lakes. Similarly, air temperature was negatively correlated with the wet surface area except for the Vrishabhavathi Lake. However, the built-up area in the buffer zone did not show a consistent correlation with the wet surface area, most likely because of sewage connections of certain lakes with distant urban areas.

Various types of dermal fillers have been developing for soft tissue augmentation. Even though many fillers have been approved and strictly regulated by authorities, homemade products for body contouring procedures are widely available and easily purchased on websites without prescriptions. It is challenging for radiologists to interpret radiological findings of complicated breast augmentation of unknown origin. While ultrasound is the modality of choice for initial work-up, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plays a role as the gold standard in evaluating the integrity of prosthetic implants. Using silicone or water-only MRI sequences may also be able to distinguish them. We report a rare case of breast abscess of a young female patient after self-injection of the mixture of ultrasound gel and shoe glue. The clinical and imaging aspect, especially MRI imaging, will be discussed.

We reported a case of a 48-year-old female patient admitted to the hospital due to balance disorder which progressed rapidly within 1 week. Cerebral magnetic resonance imaging showed significant atrophy and hyperintensities at the middle cerebellar peduncles and the “hot cross bun” sign of the pons. The final diagnosis was probable multiple system atrophy, cerebellar subtype. The clinical and imaging findings will be discussed as well as a brief literature review.

Background: This study aimed to describe the cardiovascular injury and clinical features of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of children with MIS-C (from September 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022) in Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Demographics, clinical history, significant underlying conditions, clinical manifestations, laboratory investigations, and medical management were analyzed. Results: A total of 76 patients were included (median age, 5.9 years old, 2 months–16 years). The male/female ratio was 1.6/1. Most patients (75/76) had no previous medical conditions. The mean time from acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection to symptom onset was 39 days. During an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, these patients are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. In addition to fever, gastrointestinal symptoms were also prominent, as observed in our study, with 75%, 73.7%, and 72.3% of patients presenting with abdominal pain, vomiting, and loose stools, respectively. The levels of inflammatory markers increased upon admission and returned to normal levels after treatment. Echocardiography revealed decreased myocardial contractility and coronary injury in 16 (21.1%) and 32 (42.1%) patients, respectively. Most cases (72/76) had no fever within 3 days of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and methylprednisolone treatment. No deaths occurred in this study. The mean duration of hospitalization was 7.2 days. Conclusion: Cardiovascular involvement was observed in approximately 53.9% of the patients. Anti-inflammatory treatment with IVIG and methylprednisolone had a favorable short-term outcome. However, long-term follow-up studies on post-discharge MIS-C cases are needed to make appropriate treatment recommendations in the acute phase.

This study aims to determine the influence of consumer ethnocentrism and general country image on Vietnamese consumers' perception of product origin and purchase intention toward Chinese goods. The research model is developed based on consumer ethnocentrism and country image perception theory. Analysis results by structural equation modeling from 448 consumers in three regions (North, Central, South) showed that consumer ethnocentrism harms the country’s image perception and purchase intention of Vietnamese consumers toward Chinese imported products. However, consumer ethnocentrism does not significantly affect the product country image perception. On the contrary, both the general country image and product country image positively impact Vietnamese consumers' intentions to buy Chinese imported goods. Finally, the study also points out some limitations and implications for later studies and marketers dealing with domestic products in Vietnam.

Origin of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) has been intensely debated in the scientific community since the first infected cases were detected in December 2019. The disease has caused a global pandemic, leading to deaths of thousands of people across the world and thus finding origin of this novel coronavirus is important in responding and controlling the pandemic. Recent research results suggest that bats or pangolins might be the hosts for SARS-CoV-2 based on comparative studies using its genomic sequences. This paper investigates the SARS-CoV-2 origin by using artificial intelligence (AI)-based unsupervised learning algorithms and raw genomic sequences of the virus. More than 300 genome sequences of COVID-19 infected cases collected from different countries are explored and analysed using unsupervised clustering methods. The results obtained from various AI-enabled experiments using clustering algorithms demonstrate that all examined SARS-CoV-2 genomes belong to a cluster that also contains bat and pangolin coronavirus genomes. This provides evidence strongly supporting scientific hypotheses that bats and pangolins are probable hosts for SARS-CoV-2. At the whole genome analysis level, our findings also indicate that bats are more likely the hosts for the COVID-19 virus than pangolins.

In Vietnam, fisheries play a key role in the national economy. Helminth infections in fish have a major impact on public health and sustainable fish production. A comprehensive summary of the recent knowledge on fish helminths is important to understand the distribution of parasites in the country, and to design effective control measures. Therefore, a systematic review was conducted, collecting available literature published between January 2004 and October 2020. A total of 108 eligible records were retrieved reporting 268 helminth species, among which are digeneans, monogeneans, cestodes, nematodes and acanthocephalans. Some helminths were identified with zoonotic potential, such as, the heterophyids, opisthorchiids, the nematodes Gnathostoma spinigerum, Anisakis sp. and Capillaria spp. and the cestode Hysterothylacium; and with highly pathogenic potential, such as, the monogeneans of Capsalidae, Diplectanidae and Gyrodactylidae, the nematodes Philometra and Camallanidae, the tapeworm Schyzocotyle acheilognathi, the acanthocephalans Neoechinorhynchus and Acanthocephalus. Overall, these studies only covered about nine percent of the more than 2400 fish species occurring in the waters of Vietnam. Considering the expansion of the aquaculture sector as a part of the national economic development strategy, it is important to expand the research to cover the helminth fauna of all fish species, to assess their potential zoonotic and fish health impacts.

Paragangliomas are uncommon neuroendocrine neoplasms that occur in characteristic locations. While parasympathetic paragangliomas are mainly located at the head and neck, sympathetic paragangliomas are mostly located below the neck. Among parasympathetic paragangliomas, pheochromocytomas are the most common. Ninety percent of cases of pheochromocytomas arise within the adrenal gland. We report a case of a 63-year-old woman with an extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma of the organ of Zuckerkandl detected by CT and MRI and subsequently confirmed by postoperative histology and immunohistochemistry.

Retroperitoneal gastrointestinal tumor is the rarest subtype among 3 subtypes of extragastrointestinal tumors, which are uncommon stromal tumors. We herein report a case of a 55-year-old man with retroperitoneal gastrointestinal tumor detected by magnetic resonance imaging and confirmed by postoperative histology and immunohistochemistry.

Bowel perforation is an emergency condition. Common causes of bowel perforation include infection, infarction, radiation enteritis, Crohn's disease, and cancer. Ingested foreign body causing bowel perforation is rare. Wooden toothpick-related injuries are uncommon. We report a case of ileal perforation caused by ingested wooden toothpick preoperatively diagnosed by ultrasound and computed tomography.

Background: The Ho-Chi-Minh-city Heart Institute in Vietnam took part in the Optimize Heart Failure (OHF) Care Program, designed to improve outcomes following heart failure (HF) hospitalization by increasing patient awareness and optimizing HF treatment. Methods: HF patients hospitalized with left ventricular ejection-fraction (LVEF)

Abnormal connections between systemic and pulmonary vascular systems are rare conditions and have been mostly documented in the pediatric population. We report a case of type B isolated arterial pulmonary malinosculation in an adult. The patient's chief complaint was intermittent hemoptysis during physical exertion. He had a dual arterial supply from the anomalous systemic artery and the pulmonary artery to the left lower lobe and the venous drainage was through the pulmonary vein. The bronchial connection appeared normal. The fistula was identified on chest computed tomography and was treated endovascularly. The patient remains asymptomatic at 1-year follow-up.

Inducer-free integrative vectors are often used to create B. subtilis strains for industrial purposes, but employing strong promoters to produce high levels of recombinant proteins in B. subtilis results in high leaky expression that can hamper cloning in Escherichia coli. To overcome the problem, we used strong IPTG-inducible Pgrac promoters harboring lac operators to construct inducer-free integrative vectors able to integrate into the B. subtilis genome at either the lacA or the amyE locus, or both and examined their ability to repress the β-galactosidase (bgaB) gene in E. coli and to overexpress BgaB in B. subtilis. The Pgrac01 vectors could repress bgaB expression about 24-fold in E. coli to low background levels. The integrated Pgrac01-bgaB constructs exhibited inducer-free expression and produced 8% of total cellular proteins, only 1.25 or 1.75 times less compared with their cognates as plasmids. The stronger promoters, Pgrac100-bgaB and Pgrac212-bgaB yielded 20.9 % and 42 % of total intracellular proteins after 12 h of incubation, respectively. Incorporation of the Pgrac212-bgaB into both amyE and lacA loci resulted in BgaB expression up to 53.4 %. In conclusion, integrative vectors containing the Pgrac promoter family have great potential for inducer-free overproduction of recombinant proteins in B. subtilis.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, restrictive interests, and repetitive stereotypic behaviors. Among the various mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of ASD, dysfunctions of dopaminergic signaling and mitochondria have been hypothesized to explain the core symptoms of children with ASD. However, only a few studies focusing on the pathological association between dopaminergic neurons (DN) and mitochondria in ASD have been performed using patient-derived stem cells and in vitro differentiated neurons. Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) are neural crest-derived mesenchymal stem cells present in the dental pulp of exfoliated deciduous teeth; these cells can differentiate into dopaminergic neurons (DN) in vitro. This study aimed to investigate the pathological association between development of DN and mitochondria in ASD by using SHED as a disease- or patient-specific cellular model. The SHED obtained from three children with ASD and three typically developing children were differentiated into DN, and the neurobiology of these cells was examined. The DN derived from children with ASD showed impaired neurite outgrowth and branching, associated with decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, ATP production, number of mitochondria within the neurites, amount of mitochondria per cell area and intracellular calcium level. In addition, impaired neurite outgrowth and branching of ASD-derived DN were not improved by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), suggesting impairment of the BDNF signaling pathway in ASD. These results imply that intracerebral dopamine production may have decreased in these children. The earliest age at which deciduous teeth spontaneously exfoliate in humans, and SHED can be noninvasively collected, is approximately 6 years. Our results suggest that in vitro analysis of SHED-derived DN obtained from children with ASD provides neurobiological information that may be useful in determining treatment strategies in the early stages of ASD. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder, Dopaminergic neurons, Mitochondria, Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth

Ports play a critical role in the economies of many countries in the ASEAN region. Efficient ports facilitate a country's imports and exports, and the “relative efficiency” of a port is evaluated based on its efficiency compared to others in its group. This study analyzes the relative efficiencies of 50 ASEAN container ports and terminals. These ports are categorized according to their container handling system and location (those located in a riverbank connected to the sea are called “inland seaports” and those by the seaside are called “seaports”). The traditional output-oriented data envelopment analysis method is applied, and measures of super-efficiency constant returns to scale are estimated in order to compare the units situated on the efficiency frontier. The findings may support port managers in the ASEAN region to make decisions on whether to increase container traffic. In addition, policymakers may consider the evaluation results in deciding whether to improve the trans-ASEAN transport network and ASEAN trade competitiveness.

Vietnam is a coastal country of a long history of maritime trade, which includes a shipping fleet of 1.840 ships with a total deadweight of 7.3 million DWT. This shipping fleet has been transporting about 90% of domestic sea cargo volume. Taking advantage of participating in the ASEAN community presents the shipping industry with a number of key challenges. These include unbalanced fleet proportions, which makes maximizing the shipping space available problematic; limited financial and managerial competences as well as outdated and inadequate infrastructure. The aim of this paper is to examine the Vietnam shipping industry and consider possible changes in policy led factors to facilitate the country's full participation in the ASEAN integration.

We report here the annotated draft genome sequence of the thermophilic zygomycete Rhizomucor pusillus strain FCH 5.7, isolated from compost soil in Vietnam. The genome assembly contains 25.59 Mb with an overall GC content of 44.95%, and comprises 10,898 protein coding genes. Genes encoding putative cellulose-, xylan- and chitin-degrading proteins were identified, including two putative endoglucanases (EC 3.2.1.4) from glycoside hydrolase family 9, which have so far been mostly assigned to bacteria and plants. Keywords: Carbohydrate-active enzymes, GH9, Endoglucanase, Thermophilic, CAZyme, R. miehei