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The study was conducted from June to December 2021 to assess the technical – financial aspect and the existing advantages and difficulties of the giant freshwater prawn culture in coconut garden ditch culture by interviewing 32 farming households in Thanh Phu district, Ben Tre Province. The study results showed that the average area for each ditch was 0.38 ± 0.29 ha, with density stocking 4.15 ± 1.21 PL/m2. For prawns were harvested after over 8 months, the prawn yield was 421.08 ± 172.21 ton/ha/crop, the profit was 34.02 ± 14.02 million VND/ha/crop and the benefit ratio was 1.33 ± 0.56 times. The yield and the profits were affected by density stocking and nursing survival rate. Besides the advantages of labor resources, natural conditions, and ease and less risk of giant freshwater prawn culture; however, the system currently faces many difficulties, such as lower nursing survival rate, unguaranteed quality, and quantity of postlarvae, salinity intrusion, unstableproduct market. Therefore, in order to contribute to sustainable aquaculture development, the necessary solutions include (1) providing high quality and quantity of postlarvae; (2) using settling ponds to have active water; (3) building and improving infrastructure, and irrigation systems to prevent salinity intrusion; and (4) finding the product market.

This study aimed to determine the agreement between a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) and a dried blood spot (DBS)-based electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) of hepatitis B surface antigen and to compare the costs of conducting serosurveys using RDTs and DBS in a field setting.A serosurvey was conducted in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam in May 2019. Participants aged 1-39 years were recruited using a four-stage random sampling method and tested for hepatitis B surface antigen using an RDT kit (Alere Determine) and a DBS-based ECLIA. The agreement between the RDT and the DBS-based ECLIA was assessed using cross-tabulation and Cohen kappa. Cost data were categorized by input (personnel, transportation, field consumables, laboratory consumables, and capital item/overhead) and survey phase (survey preparation, data/biospecimen collection, laboratory testing, and coordination).A total of 2072 participants were analyzed. There was a 99% agreement between the RDT and the DBS-based ECLIA results, with a Cohen kappa of 0.9. The estimated cost of conducting a serosurvey by DBS was UD $75,291, whereas RDT was $53,182.RDTs and DBS-based ECLIA provide test results with high agreements. RDTs are a better option in terms of cost, whereas the DBS-based ECLIA may be useful when evaluating multiple infectious diseases.

Purpose: To quantify the amino acids obtained from black garlic (Allium sativum L.) using high-performance liquid chromatography after derivatization with 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride (FMOC-Cl). Methods: Homogenized black garlic samples were derivatized with 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl chloride (FMOC-Cl) reagent in borate buffer at 30 °C for 60 min. The black garlic samples were hydrolyzed with 5.0 mL HCl (6 N) and neutralized to pH 5 – 6 by adding 30 mL NaOH (1 N). Amino acids were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a fluorescence detector after hydrolysis and derivatization with FMOC-Cl reagent. Gradient elution mixture consisted of acetonitrile, methanol, and water at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, 0.2 % ammonium acetate, and 0.1 % formic acid. Results: The ranges of the limits of detection and quantification were 30 and 100 g/mL, respectively. The overall intra- and inter-day variations (%RSD) for the precision findings were smaller than 3.43 and 4.63 %, respectively. The accuracy of the developed method was good, ranging from 90.9 to 106.8 %. The amino acids of six black garlic products from the market were determined using the suggested approach. The findings indicated that glutamic acid, the main amino acid, is present in the maximum concentration (564.64 – 1333.9 mg/100 g) in black garlic. Conclusion: The validated method is for the determination of the amino acids in black garlic and would be a helpful tool for the quality control of products containing black garlic.

Soil factors, especially metal elements in the soil, play a significant role in forming and accumulating secondary metabolites, which determine the medicinal properties of medicinal herbs. In this study, the concentrations of some metal elements (K, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Cr) in Cam Mountain and Tinh Bien Town, An Giang Province, Vietnam, were determined using the XRF method. We simultaneously determined the total phenolic and flavonoid content of some medicinal herbs collected from the collected soil sample areas, thereby assessing the influence of these elements on the formation of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. The results showed that K, Mn, and Cr were mainly concentrated in the topsoil and transition layers; Fe and Cu elements tended to concentrate in the transition layer and the subsoil when surveying the soil profile. K, Mn, Cu, and Cr concentrations were more focused in Tinh Bien area, while Fe and Zn had higher concentrations at Cam Mountain. Additionally, results from evaluating the relationship between the content of the elements in the soil and the content of two active compounds also showed the corresponding relationship between Cr/Phenolic, Cu/Phenolic, and Zn/Flavonoid (R2 = 0.74; R2 = 0.75; R2 = 0.90, respectively) with the corresponding correlation equations at level six.

Calgary-based installation artist and printmaker Kim Huynh’s projects are profoundly aware of materiality and ways in which it can encourage us to jump out of the ruts and customary ways of categorizing and thinking in late Capitalism. The media that Kim Huynh adopts can range from the extraordinary to the banal, from a vast string of pearls to orange peels. This short interview with Kim Huynh investigates matters that are material and conceptual, incorporated into two projects referencing social injustice and embodied female experiences.

This study was conducted through the direct interview of 90 households applying the alternative system of culturing frogs in Tra Vinh Province from 9/2020 to 3/2020. The study aimed to determine current status of frog farming. The collected data includes the technical and financial aspect of culturing frogs. The results showedthat there are two models of frog farming: culturing frogs in canvas (65.56% of households), and culturing frogs in cages (34.44% of households); Both models applied the same average farming area of 36.27 m2 with stocking density of 115 inds/m2. After 2.6 months of culturing, the average frog size was 257 g. The average frogyield produced 21,024 kg/1,000 m2/crop and the net income of 100 million VND/1,000 m2/crop was achieved. The result indicated that it is easy to raise frogs because the households can take advantage of the surrounding area of their houses for raising frogs and therefore the farmers’ could improve by this method.

This study was conducted to evaluate the current status of the intensive white-leg shrimp farming in earthen system and tarpaulin pond system in Tra Vinh Province by interviewing 110 farmers in Trà Vinh from May to December of 2019. The results of the study showed that an average stocking density in earthen systemand tarpaulin pond system were at 195 and 87 inds/m2 and the number of crops for earthen and tarpaulin ponds are respectively from 1 - 2 crops and 2 - 3 crops per year. The harvested shrimp size and the productivity in tarpaulin ponds (35 inds /kg; 48 tons/ha/crop) were significantly higher than those in the in earthen ponds (58 inds /kg; 12 tons/ha/crop). The net income obtained from the tarpaulin ponds model (1.760 millionVND/ha/crop) was significantly higher than that in the earthen ponds (267 million VND/ha/crop). Food change ratio in tarpaulin ponds was higher than in earthen ponds. The advantages and disadvantages of white - leg shrimp farmers in two models are also mentioned in this report.

Rice husk is a common agricultural waste and an abundant source in Viet Nam. In terms of composition, rice husk is a silica-rich material (SiO2) so it can be used to prepare negative electrode materials for rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Recent processes of synthesizing the silica materials for the rechargeable batteries are often complex, expensive, and energy-intensive. In this study, KOH was used to treat rice husk ash to obtain SiO2/C porous composite materials. X-ray diffraction results (XRD) showed that the diffraction peak between 22o and 23o (2q ) was characterized of SiO2 material, and the other peaks around 43-44o was featured of carbon material. Scanning electron microscope image (SEM) showed the porous structure with the pore size 3-5 mm.Besides, the amorphous structure with coverage layers was also confirmed through the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images. Preliminary electrochemical results demonstratedthat Li-ion coin cell using the SiO2/C anode material exhibited a high capacity of 1200 mAh/g at a discharge current of 1.0 A/g and maintained 1000 mAh/g after 100 cycles. SiO2/C materials prepared from rice husks were highly promising for battery application thanks to their low cost, stable performance, environmental friendliness, and easy expansion for production scale.

The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented. The pandemic not only induced a public health crisis, but has led to severe economic, social, and educational crises. Across economies and societies, the distributional consequences of the pandemic have been uneven. Among groups living in vulnerable conditions, the pandemic substantially magnified the inequality gaps, with possible negative implications for these individuals' long-term physical, socioeconomic, and mental wellbeing. This Viewpoint proposes priority, programmatic, and policy recommendations that governments, resource partners, and relevant stakeholders should consider in formulating medium-term to long-term strategies for preventing the spread of COVID-19, addressing the virus's impacts, and decreasing health inequalities. The world is at a never more crucial moment, requiring collaboration and cooperation from all sectors to mitigate the inequality gaps and improve people's health and wellbeing with universal health coverage and social protection, in addition to implementation of the health in all policies approach.

Vietnam introduced a 3-dose hepatitis B (HBV) immunization program comprising 1 dose immediately after birth and 2 or 3 in infancy in the past 20 years, but the impact of the vaccine has not been systematically evaluated. Thus, we conducted this survey aiming to estimate the age-specific chronic HBV prevalence in the general population and to evaluate HBV immunization effectiveness.Population-based, four-stage cluster sampling was used in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam. The point-of-care Determine rapid test was used to assess hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity.A total of 2,075 samples were included in the study. HBsAg prevalence was significantly higher among adults aged 20-39 years than in the population aged 1-19 years (8.0% [95% confidence interval 5.0-12.0] vs. 2.0% [95% confidence interval 1.0-6.0], p0.01). HBsAg prevalence decreased after implementation of the 3-dose vaccination schedule during infancy from 1997 to 2002, whereas the change in prevalence after implementation of the birth dosing was not significant. A slight increase in HBsAg prevalence was observed for the cohort born in 2011, 2012, and 2013, when there was a vaccine shortage and media reports of immunization resistance.This is the first population-based assessment of the introduction of the HBV vaccine in Vietnam performed by estimating the HBsAg prevalence across a wide range of ages. The results showed that the HBV immunization policy effectively reduces HBsAg prevalence in general, although birth dosing of the vaccine and low immunization coverage should be carefully monitored.

Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of Tesomet (tesofensine plus metoprolol) in adults with hypothalamic obesity, a rare disease with no approved therapy. Research Design and Methods Twenty-one adults with hypothalamic obesity (16 females, 5 males) were randomized to Tesomet (0.5 mg tesofensine/50 mg metoprolol) (n=14) or placebo (n=8) during a 24-week double-blind period. On completion of the double-blind period, 17 (81%) subjects (11 Tesomet; 6 placebo) entered in to a 24-week open-label extension period and were treated with Tesomet. The primary endpoint was safety while secondary endpoints included measures of body weight, waist circumference, and body composition. Trial NCT03845075. Results The most common adverse events following the 24-week double-blind period and the 24-week open-label extension period were sleep disorder, dizziness, dry mouth, and headache; the majority of these adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. No significant nor clinically meaningful changes in heart rate or blood pressure were observed during the study. On completion of the double-blind period mean change in body weight (kg) was -7.84 for the Tesomet group versus -0.34 kg for the placebo group (P=0. 03). At the end of the open-label extension period mean change in body weight (kg) from baseline was -6.34 for the Tesomet-Tesomet group and -6. 03 for the placebo-Tesomet group. On completion of the double-blind period mean change in waist circumference (cm) was -7. 09 cm for the Tesomet group versus -1.16 for the placebo group (P=NS). At the end of the open-label extension period mean change in waist circumference (cm) from baseline was -5.73 for the Tesomet-Tesomet group and -3. 04 for the placebo-Tesomet group. On completion of the double-blind period mean change in fat mass (kg) was -5.28 for the Tesomet group versus -1.11 for the placebo group (P=NS). At the end of the open-label extension period mean change in fat mass (kg) from baseline was -4.84 for the Tesomet-Tesomet group and -3.85 for the placebo-Tesomet group. On completion of the double-blind period mean change in lean tissue mass (kg) was -2.76 for the Tesomet group versus 0.36 for the placebo group (P Discussion Tesomet was generally well tolerated after 48 weeks treatment and resulted in clinically meaningful improvements in body weight and body composition measures in adults with hypothalamic obesity. In contrast to previous studies of tesofensine monotherapy in general obesity, no significant nor clinically meaningful changes in cardiovascular measures were observed during the study. Conclusion Tesomet is a promising new experimental treatment for hypothalamic obesity. A randomized, placebo controlled, multi-center, dose-finding, Phase 2b study has now been initiated. Presentation: No date and time listed

Context Hypothalamic injury often leads to rapid, intractable weight gain causing hypothalamic obesity, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity and mortality. There are no approved or effective pharmacological treatments for hypothalamic obesity, and conventional lifestyle management remains ineffective. Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of Tesomet (0.5 mg tesofensine/50 mg metoprolol) in adults with hypothalamic obesity. Methods Twenty-one adults with hypothalamic obesity (16 females) were randomized to Tesomet (0.5 mg/50 mg) or placebo for 24 weeks. Patients also received diet/lifestyle counselling. The primary endpoint was safety; secondary endpoints included measures of body weight, appetite scores, quality of life, and metabolic profile. Results Eighteen patients completed 24 weeks. Consent withdrawal, eligibility, and serious adverse events (SAE) unrelated to treatment resulted in dropouts. One patient experienced a Tesomet-related SAE of exacerbated pre-existing anxiety leading to treatment discontinuation. Tesomet-related adverse events were otherwise mostly mild and included sleep disturbances (Tesomet 50%, placebo 13%), dry mouth (Tesomet 43%, placebo 0%), and headache (Tesomet 36%, placebo 0%). No significant differences in heart rate or blood pressure were observed between groups. Compared to placebo, Tesomet resulted in additional mean (95% CI) weight change of −6.3% ((−11.3; −1.3); P = 0.017), increased the number of patients achieving ≥5% weight loss (Tesomet 8/13, placebo 1/8; P = 0.046), and tended to augment the reduction in waist circumference by 5.7 cm ((−0.1; 11.5); P = 0.054). Conclusion Tesomet was welltolerated, did not affect heart rate or blood pressure, and resulted in significant reductions in body weight compared to placebo in adults with hypothalamic obesity.

The Stability Community of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) held a virtual workshop on “Vaccine Stability Considerations to Enable Rapid Development and Deployment”, on March 24-25, 2021. The workshop included distinguished speakers and panelists from across the industry, academia, regulatory agencies, as well as health care leaders. This paper presents a review of the topics covered. Specifically the challenges in accelerating vaccine development and analytical characterization techniques to establish shelf-life were covered. Additionally, vaccine stability modeling using prior knowledge stability models and advanced kinetic analysis played a key in the EUA approaches discussed during the workshop. Finally, the role of stability studies in addressing the challenges of vaccine distribution and deployment during the pandemic were a focus of presentations and panel discussions.Although the workshop did not have any presentation topics directly dedicated to the mRNA vaccines, the techniques discussed are generally applicable. The mRNA vaccine developers were represented in the panel discussions, where experts involved in the EUA approval/deployment stages for this vaccine type could discuss the challenges as applied to their vaccines.

Background In 2016-2017, 68 women in Southern Vietnam had RT-PCR confirmed Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy. We report here the outcomes of the pregnancies and the virological analyses related to this outbreak. Methods We collected clinical and epidemiological information from the women who were enrolled in the study. Medical records related to the pregnancy in 2016–2017 were retrieved for those who were not able to be enrolled in the study. Children born to women with ZIKV infection during pregnancy were also enrolled. Serum samples were evaluated for presence of ZIKV antibodies. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on Zika virus genomes sequenced from the 2016–2017 serum samples. Findings Of the 68 pregnancies, 58 were livebirths and 10 were medically terminated. Four of the medical records from cases of fetal demise were able to be retrieved, of which one was consistent with congenital ZIKV infection. Of the 58 women with a livebirth, 21 participated in the follow-up investigation. All but two women had serologic evidence of ZIKV infection. Of the 21 children included in the study (mean age: 30.3 months), 3 had microcephaly at birth. No other clinical abnormalities were reported and no differences in neurodevelopment were observed compared to a control group. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a clade within the ZIKV Asian lineage and branch at the root of samples from the 2013–2014 French Polynesian outbreak. The prM S139N mutation was not observed. Interpretation We have been able to demonstrate a clade within the ZIKV Asian lineage implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes in Southern Vietnam. Funding INCEPTION project (PIA/ANR-16-CONV-0005) and a grant received from BNP Paribas Simplidon.

Relatively little is known about the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) IgG antibodies and COVID-19-related behaviors in the general population in Vietnam, where the first case of COVID-19 was detected on January 22, 2020. We surveyed a group of 885 blood donors at community blood donation sessions in Ho Chi Minh City from August 27 to November 7, 2020. Blood was collected to test for SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies using the plaque reduction neutralization test. We adjusted the seroprevalence by weight for ages 18 to 59 years old obtained from the 2019 population census. The weighted seroprevalence estimate for SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing IgG antibodies was 0.20% (95% CI, 0.05–0.81). Reports of usually or always using a mask in public places were observed at high levels of 28.6% and 67.5%, respectively. The percentages of usually or always washing hands with soap or disinfecting with hand sanitizer after touching items in public places were 48.0% and 37.6%, respectively. Although our findings suggest undocumented exposure to the virus, the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies among blood donors was low in this city.

High voltage Li-ion batteries have been expected a forward technology designed for vehicles, marines and other high power and energy density applications 1–3. Among high voltage cathodes, LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is considered a promising cathode to reduce the battery cost as well as environmental hazard issues4,5. However, a high operation potential and Mn dissolution brings the most critical challenges for achieving the long cycle-life of Li-ion cell6,7. In this study, we report a rational design of nonflammable electrolyte based on LiBF4 and sulfolane (TMS) mixed with a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) as co-solvent to enhance conductivity. Among different molar ratios, the electrolyte LiBF4: TMS: DMC =1:2:1 in mol. exhibited the highest electrochemical stability (~ 6.1 V vs. Li+/Li) and ionic conductivity up to 1.57 mS.cm-1 at 30 oC. Cycling performance of LNMO/Li half-cell and LNMO/graphite full-cell cycled were carried out using the optimized electrolyte. While half-cells LNMO//Li display a high initial capacity of 118 mAh.g-1 and remain 56.48 % of initial value after 100 cycles, a full cell LNMO//Graphite with an areal loading of 1.0 mAh.cm-2 and low N/P ratio (~1.2) exhibited a better cycling stability than the one using commercial electrolyte 1M LiPF6/EC-DMC, 1:1 in vol (with initial capacity of 87 mAh.g-1 and capacity retention of 18% after 100 cycles8). References Goodenough JB, Kim Y. Challenges for Rechargeable Li Batteries. Chem Mater. 2010;22(3):587-603. Etacheri V, Marom R, Elazari R, Salitra G, Aurbach D. Challenges in the development of advanced Li-ion batteries: a review. Energy Environ Sci. 2011;4(9):3243. Amine K, Kanno R, Tzeng Y. Rechargeable lithium batteries and beyond: Progress, challenges, and future directions. MRS Bull. 2014;39(5):395-401. Kim J-H, Myung S-T, Sun Y-K. Molten salt synthesis of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinel for 5 V class cathode material of Li-ion secondary battery. Electrochim Acta. 2004;49(2):219-227. Patoux S, Daniel L, Bourbon C. High voltage spinel oxides for Li-ion batteries: From the material research to the application. J Power Sources. 2009;189(1):344-352. Jang DH, Shin YJ, Oh SM. Dissolution of Spinel Oxides and Capacity Losses in 4 V Li / LixMn2O4 Cells. J Electrochem Soc. 1996;143(7):2204-2211. Du Pasquier A, Blyr A, Courjal P. Mechanism for Limited 55°C Storage Performance of Li1.05Mn1.95 O 4 Electrodes. J Electrochem Soc. 1999;146(2):428-436. Wang J, Yamada Y, Sodeyama K, Chiang CH, Tateyama Y, Yamada A. Superconcentrated electrolytes for a high-voltage lithium-ion battery. Nat Commun. 2016;7(1):12032. Acknowledgement This work is supported by Ho Chi Minh city - Department of Science and Technology (DOST) under grant number 54/2020/HĐ-QPTKHCN.

BackgroundThe risk factors for scrub typhus in Vietnam remain unknown. Scrub typhus caused byOrientia tsutsugamushioften presents as an undifferentiated febrile illness and remains under appreciated due to the limited availability of diagnostic tests. This tropical rickettsial illness is increasingly recognized as an important cause of non-malaria acute undifferentiated fever in Asia. This study aimed to investigate behavioural and ecological related risk factors of scrub typhus to prevent this potentially life-threatening disease in Vietnam.MethodsWe conducted a clinical hospital-based active surveillance study, and a retrospective residence-enrolment date-age-matched case–control study in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, from August 2018 to March 2020. Clinical examinations, polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgM tests were applied to define cases and controls. All enrolled participants filled out a questionnaire including demographic socio-economic status, personal behaviors/protective equipment, habitat connections, land use, and possible exposure to the vector. Multivariable conditional logistic regression was used to define the scrub typhus associated risk factors.ResultsWe identified 44 confirmed cases and matched them with 152 controls. Among cases and controls, the largest age group was the 41–50 years old and males accounted for 61.4% and 42.8%, respectively. There were similarities in demographic characteristics between the two groups, with the exception of occupation. Several factors were significantly associated with acquisition of scrub typhus, including sitting/laying directly on household floor [adjustedOR(aOR) = 4.9, 95%CI:1.6–15.1,P = 0.006], household with poor sanitation/conditions (aOR = 7.9, 95%CI:1.9–32.9,P = 0.005), workplace environment with risk (aOR = 3.0, 95%CI:1.2–7.6,P = 0.020), always observing mice around home (aOR = 3.7, 95%CI:1.4–9.9,P = 0.008), and use of personal protective equipment in the field (aOR = 0.4, 95%CI:0.1–1.1,P = 0.076).ConclusionsEcological and household hygiene-related factors were more associated with scrub typhus infection, than individual-level exposure activities in the hyper-endemic area. These findings support local education and allow people to protect themselves from scrub typhus, especially in areas with limitations in diagnostic capacity.Graphical abstract

Most of the alkaloids are chiral compounds and are clinically administered as the racemic mixture, even though its enantiomers have been known to exert different pharmacological activity. The determination of the enantiomeric composition of alkaloid-containing plants is subject to severe attention from pharmacological and toxicological points of view. This review gives an overview of the chiral analysis of alkaloids that were used in theoretical studies and applications for plants in recent years.

In this work, the layered structure LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (LiNMC) served as a host to enable sodium-ion intercalation. LiNMC was initially charged in Li-half-cell at C/25 rate up to 4.5 V to extract maximum of Li+ ions and then discharged at the same rate in Na-half-cell down to 2 V for full sodiation to form NayNMC phase. The electrochemical characteristics of the new sodium phase NayNMC were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic cycling, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). On the CV curve, the featured peaks of phase transition induced by Na+ intercalation into NayNMC host could be distinguished from the couple peak located at 3.8 V upon the Li+ intercalation into LixNMC. The high uniformity and crystallinity of the NayNMC phase enable delivering a good initial capacity of about 120 mAh g−1 with high rate capability up to 5 C rate. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirms the presence of sodium element in the sodiated NayNMC. It was also noticed that the pristine O3-type layered structure remained unchanged after ion exchanging but the lattice parameters increased due to the large size of sodium-ions inserted into the structure.

To design safe and electrochemically stable electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, this study describes the synthesis and the utilization of new deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on the mixture of 2,2,2-trifluoroacetamide (TFA) with a lithium salt (LiTFSI, lithium bis[(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl]imide). These prepared DESs were characterized in terms of thermal properties, ionic conductivity, viscosity, and electrochemical properties. Based on the appearance of the product and DSC measurements, it appears that this system is liquid at room temperature for LiTFSI mole fraction ranging from 0.25 to 0.5. At χLiTFSI = 0.25, DESs exhibited favorable electrolyte properties, such as thermal stability (up to 148 °C), relatively low viscosity (42.2 mPa.s at 30 °C), high ionic conductivity (1.5 mS.cm–1 at 30 °C), and quite large electrochemical stability window up to 4.9–5.3 V. With these interesting properties, selected DES was diluted with slight amount of ethylene carbonate (EC). Different amounts of EC (x = 0–30 %wt) were used to form hybrid electrolytes for battery testing with high voltage LiMn2O4 cathode and Li anode. The addition of the EC solvent into DES expectedly aims at enhancing the battery cycling performance at room temperature due to reducing the viscosity. Preliminary results tests clearly show that LiTFSI-based DES can be successfully introduced as an electrolyte in the lithium-ion batteries cell with a LiMn2O4 cathode material. Among all of the studied electrolytes, DES (LiTFSI: TFA = 4:1 + 10 %wt EC) is the most promising. The EC-based system exhibited a good specific capacity of 102 mAh.g–1 at C/10 with the theoretical capacity of 148 mAh.g–1 and a good cycling behavior maintaining at 84% after 50 cycles.

Summary Background The Millennium Villages Project (MVP) was a 10 year, multisector, rural development project, initiated in 2005, operating across ten sites in ten sub-Saharan African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In this study, we aimed to estimate the project's impact, target attainment, and on-site spending. Methods In this endline evaluation of the MVP, we retrospectively selected comparison villages that best matched the project villages on possible confounding variables. Cross-sectional survey data on 40 outcomes of interest were collected from both the project and the comparison villages in 2015. Using these data, as well as on-site spending data collected during the project, we estimated project impacts as differences in outcomes between the project and comparison villages; target attainment as differences between project outcomes and prespecified targets; and on-site spending as expenditures reported by communities, donors, governments, and the project. Spending data were not collected in the comparison villages. Findings Averaged across the ten project sites, we found that impact estimates for 30 of 40 outcomes were significant (95% uncertainty intervals [UIs] for these outcomes excluded zero) and favoured the project villages. In particular, substantial effects were seen in agriculture and health, in which some outcomes were roughly one SD better in the project villages than in the comparison villages. The project was estimated to have no significant impact on the consumption-based measures of poverty, but a significant favourable impact on an index of asset ownership. Impacts on nutrition and education outcomes were often inconclusive (95% UIs included zero). Averaging across outcomes within categories, the project had significant favourable impacts on agriculture, nutrition, education, child health, maternal health, HIV and malaria, and water and sanitation. A third of the targets were met in the project sites. Total on-site spending decreased from US$132 per person in the first half of the project (of which $66 was from the MVP) to $109 per person in the second half of the project (of which $25 was from the MVP). Interpretation The MVP had favourable impacts on outcomes in all MDG areas, consistent with an integrated rural development approach. The greatest effects were in agriculture and health, suggesting support for the project's emphasis on agriculture and health systems strengthening. The project conclusively met one third of its targets. Funding The Open Society Foundations, the Islamic Development Bank, and the governments of Japan, South Korea, Mali, Senegal, and Uganda.

Background and Aims: The Asia-Pacific (APAC) Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) collects data on epidemiology, treatment and outcome trends for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) in participating regional countries. Prevalence of MM is expected to continue to increase with ageing populations and improvements in survival. Although some MM data are available for Asia, very few exist at regional level. Generation of 'real world evidence' on practice and outcomes is important to complement data from clinical trials. In the APAC MRDR, regional clinical experts provide local clinical context and registry oversight, and participating hospitals obtain local ethics approval and manage patient recruitment and data collection. Methods: The APAC MRDR prospectively collects observational data on patient characteristics, diagnosis, medical history, treatment (including supportive therapies), and outcomes (overall and progression-free survival, and quality of life using the EQ-5D-5L) on newly diagnosed MM (NDMM), plasma cell leukaemia, plasmacytoma, and MGUS patients via a secure, country-specific, web-based database. Participants are reviewed 4-monthly for a minimum of 2 years. Preliminary data from October 2018 to June 2020 were analysed. Results: 20 hospitals have ethics approval to participate and patient recruitment has commenced at 14 hospitals in Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia. Sites in Taiwan will also start recruitment in 2020, and sites in China have been identified. To date, a total of 469 patients (419 NDMM) have been enrolled, of which, data from 348 (83%) NDMM participants from Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia were available for analysis. Results are presented in Table 1. Summary and Conclusions: The APAC MRDR is now successfully established and expanding. As data mature, these will provide important new information on the epidemiology and treatment of MM across the APAC region, and provide opportunities for regional benchmarking and collaborative research. Disclosures Spencer: Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Honoraria; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Secura Bio: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pharmamar: Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; HaemaLogiX: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding.

Bacheloroppgave i Anvendt makroøkonomi fra Handelshøyskolen BI, 2020 Denne bacheloroppgaven bygger på data om hvordan arbeidsmarkedet i Norge ble påvirket av et kraftig oljeprisfall med utgangspunkt i oljeprisfallet i 2014. Dette er det seneste oljeprisfallet som etterlot seg betydelige fotspor i norsk økonomi, og spesielt arbeidsmarkedet. Analysene vil benytte dette sammenligningsgrunnlaget for å studere effektene som kan forekomme i fremtiden som følge av et kraftig oljeprisfall. Analysen er todelt; først analyseres utviklingen i lys av teori og data som allerede eksisterer, før fokuset rettes mot en prognosemodell basert på kvartalsvis tall fra 2010 til 2019. Oppgaven vil dermed benytte denne prognosemodellen til å predikere hva som vil skje med arbeidsmarkedet i fremtiden som følge av et oljeprissjokk. I metodedelen blir det presentert de utførte økonometriske testene som er lagt til grunn for oppgavens VAR-regresjonsmodell, samt reflektert over data og kilders validitet og reliabilitet. Hovedfokuset i oppgaven har vært å analysere alle relevante komponenter i arbeidsmarkedet som ble berørt av oljeprisfallet i 2014 i en kronologisk rekkefølge. Det vil si at oppgaven er lagt opp på en naturlig måte slik at de etterfølgende avsnittene har en sammenheng med det forrige. For å komme frem til en endelig konklusjon har det blitt benyttet data fra forskjellige aspekter ved arbeidsmarkedet i Norge som ulike fylker og næringer, samt utviklingen i oljepris. Ved å kombinere data og teori, samt tidsserieanalysen Vector Autoregression (VAR) har vi gjennom oppgaven kommet frem til en konklusjon; antall arbeidsledige i Norge vil øke ved et nytt oljeprisfall, og det vil videre kreves en omstilling i næringsstrukturen mellom konkurranseutsatte- og skjermede næringer. I tillegg vil et nytt fremtidig oljeprisfall ha mange fellestrekk med hva som skjedde i 2014, basert på oppgavens predikerte prognose.

In this work, a single phase of P2-Na0:67Mn0:75Ni0:25O2 (NaMNO) material was successfully synthesized via a coprecipitation method with the size varying from 2 to 4 mm. According to the atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), all the metallic elements were uniformly distributed in the bulk material with the desired ratio Mn¸Ni = 3¸1. The electrochemical properties of P2-NaNMO were investigated in carbonate-based electrolytes using 1M NaClO4 or 1M NaPF6. Among these electrolytes, this cathode exhibited the best electrochemical performance with initial capacity up to 205.7 mAh/g and capacity retention reaches 63.2% during 60 cycles when using 1M NaClO4/PC + 2% (v/v) VC. Indeed, vinylene carbonate (VC) additive plays an important role in improving the performance of NaMNO cathode through the formation of a stable cathode electrolyte interphase layer (CEI). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was performed to demonstrate CEI layer formation indicated by the elevation of the electrode surface film and double layer impedance in the initial cycle. During cycling, galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) helps to calculate the Na+ ion diffusion coefficient, which was increased clearly at the working voltages of Mn3+/Mn4+ and Ni3+/Ni4+ redox couples.

Listeriolysin O (LLO) is an important extracellular toxin of Listeria monocytogenes which degrades the phospholipid membranes of the host cells’ phagosomes at low pH during the intracellular survival. In contrast to the natural form, the mutant LLO carrying two replacements of amino acid E247M and D320K possesses stable activity at pH 7.4. In this study, we have constructed vectors that carry the mhlyA gene encoding double-mutated LLOE247M/D320K express in B. subtilis 1012. The target gene was fused to the sequence of LysRN-6xHis-TEV site to enhance the recombinant protein expression in B. subtilis and to ease the acquisition of protein by Ni2+-based affinity chromatography. As results, we have obtained the purified protein LLOE247M/D320K with high purity. The activity measurement with 3 HU hemolytic toxins in the pH range from 5.0 to 8.5 suggested that the activity of LLOE247M/D320K was much better than that of natural LLO at neutral pH and slightly alkaline. These results not only provided important scientific foundations for mutant LLO bases expression in B. subtilis but also supplied purified materials for researche and medical applications based on this protein.

Production of KPC-type carbapenemase is the most common carbapenem resistant mechanism in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The expression level of KPC in these strains is different and is mostly required other mechanisms to reach the higher resistant level such as porin lost or co-expression of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL). To better understand the expression of KPC enzyme, the KPC-2 encoding genes from clinical isolated K. pneumoniae were cloned into pET28a plasmid. The recombinant plasmids containing of kpc-2 gene were subsequently transformed into E. coli OmniMax and were screened in kanamycine added LB media to select E. coli possessing of recombinant plasmid. Carbapenemase activity in the broth culture was checked in LB broth supplemented with 4 µg/mL of ertapenem and the expression induced with IPTG was checked by SDS-PAGE method. The results showed that this recombinant vector was capable of effective expression of KPC-2 protein in E. coli and this strain could be grown in LB broth supplemented with 4 µg/mL of ertapenem. A half of the target protein was soluble in the supernatant however it could be successfully collected from a HistrapHP affinity chromatography column. The result of this report is one of resources for further studies and applications of this KPC-2 protein in clinical research.

Electrolytes play an important role in the battery components it determines the electrochemical window or the working potential region of the battery according to the LUMO and HOMO energy levels and reflects its thermodynamic stability when contacting with the electrode materials. The choice of the electrolyte affects significantly the specific energy, safety, cycle life, storage performance, or operating conditions of batteries. Besides, the electrolytes could be perfectly improved its performance within the addition of some essential additives, which also help to increase the performance of the battery. In this study, the effects of NaPF6, NaClO4, NaOTf, NaFSI, and NaTFSI salts on the hard carbon anode performance were investigated in the carbonate ester solvents including EC:DMC:PC (1:1:1) of 1 M salt concentration without and with additives FEC, VC, and Py13. The compatibility hard carbon electrode-electrolyte systems were investigated for their electrochemical performance by using Galvanostatic cycling with potential limitation, Cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in coin-cell type. Among the studied electrolytes, the electrolyte EC:DMC:PC (1:1:1) + 1 M NaOTf exhibited the best electrochemical performance. The specific capacity was above 246 mAh/g after 100 cycles and the Coulombic efficiency higher than 99.6%.

The liquid electrolyte transports lithium ions from anode to cathode during charging, and vice versa. The choice of electrolyte is also important since high ionic conductivity between electrodes is essential for high-performance batteries. Liquid electrolytes with lithium salt dissolved in an organic solvent have been widely used since the 1970s when lithium primary batteries were first developed. Most lithium secondary batteries available today use organic electrolytes. Ionic liquids consist of organic cations and inorganic anions, due to the absence of a combustible and flammable organic solvent, they are known to produce safer batteries. Furthermore, they have a high polarity that allows dissolution of inorganic and organic metal compounds, and they can exist in a liquid state over a wide temperature range. Another type of solvent with similar physical properties and phase behavior to ILs is deep eutectic solvents (DESs) about which the first paper was recently published in 2001. These solvents are mixtures that have a much lower melting point than that of any of their individual components, mainly due to the charge delocalization occurring through hydrogen bonds between them. DESs are generally favored over ILs because they are cheaper and easier to prepare with high purity. In this work, Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) were prepared by simple mixing Lithium bis[(trifluoromethane)sulfonyl] imide (LiTFSI) salt and 2,2,2-trifluoroacetamide TFA at various ratios ranging from 1:1.5 to 1:4, respectively. The formation of DESs was characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy (IR) and Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Their physical and electrochemical properties were also evaluated based on their viscosity, conductivity, and oxidation stability window. Amongst our systems of interest, DES with LiTFSI: FAc ratio of 1:4 is the most promising as the electrolyte for Li-ion batteries, because it exhibited the lowest viscosity (42.2 mPa.s), the highest ionic conductivity (1.53 mS.cm-1 at 30oC) and relatively good anodic stability (5.2 V vs. Li+/Li).

Microdeletion on the Y chromosome is one of the causes that makes men infertile, accounting for 2-10 % of all infertility cases, and occurs frequently at 3 regions of the Ychromosome long arm namely AZFa, AZFb and AZFc (azoospermia factor). Currently, the diagnosis of microdeletion on the Y chromosome is almost mandatory in institutes and centers for infertility diseases before selecting treatment or assisting methods. To detect microdeletion in AZF, SRY and ZFY regions, the current approach is a Multiplex – PCR assay offering by European Academy of Andrology/European Molecular Genetics Quality Network (EAA/ EMQN). However, the drawback of this method is the PCR products posess similar size and then the DNA electrophoresis bands were very close on gels causing the difficult in diagnosis. Therefore, in this study, we have redesigned primer pairs matching with genes that were recommended by EAA/EMQN but the PCR products are clearly different in sizes, making the DNA electrophoresis bands take apart further to facilitate the diagnosis. Besides, we have also created recombinant plasmids carrying the marker genes for the control sample in kits.

The detection of 6-acetylmorphine (6-AM) in urine by immunoassay methods is challenging due to its short half-life and its similarity in structure to many commonly abused opiates that are often present at very high concentrations in urine. Current 6-AM homogeneous enzyme immunoassays use lyophilized reagents because of the instability of 6-AM in water or lack of the required specificity due to high cross-reactivity with morphine. A new 6-AM rFab-based homogeneous enzyme immunoassay (HEIA) has been developed with highly improved specificity. Using a cutoff concentration of 10 ng/mL, morphine or morphine glucuronides did not produce a positive signal up to 300,000 or 1,000,000 ng/mL, respectively. Assay imprecision (n = 80) was less than 1.5% using four replicates per day for 20 days over the range 0-20 ng/mL. Cross-reactivity with structurally related or non-related compounds was assessed at concentrations up to 1,000,000 ng/mL. Interferences from endogenous compounds at ±25% cutoff were also performed at the concentrations ranging from 100,000 to 500,000 ng/mL. The effect of varied pH values on assay performance at ±25% cutoff was investigated; no false-positive or false-negative results were observed between pH 4 and -11. Based on the analysis of 149 authentic urine samples, the accuracy of the 6-AM HEIA compared with LC-MS-MS was 100%. These results demonstrated that rFab can be suitable for traditional HEIA with desired detection sensitivity and stability.

In the past decade, many guidance documents have been issued through collaboration of global organizations and regulatory authorities. Most of these are applicable to new products, but there is a risk that currently marketed products will not meet the new compliance standards during audits and inspections while companies continue to make changes through the product life cycle for continuous improvement or market demands. This discussion presents different strategies to bringing drug product marketing applications to meet current and emerging standards. It also discusses stability and method designs to meet process validation and global development efforts.

Background Besides Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis is an important bacterial species for the production of recombinant proteins. Recombinant genes are inserted into shuttle expression vectors which replicate in both E. coli and in B. subtilis. The ligation products are first transformed into E. coli cells, analyzed for correct insertions, and the correct recombinant plasmids are then transformed into B. subtilis. A major problem using E. coli cells can be the strong basal level of expression of the recombinant protein which may interfere with the stability of the cells. To minimize this problem, we developed strong expression vectors being repressed in E. coli and inducer-free in B. subtilis. Results In general, induction of IPTG-inducible expression vectors is determined by the regulatory lacI gene encoding the LacI repressor in combination with the lacO operator on the promoter. To investigate the inducer-free properties of the vectors, we constructed inducer-free expression plasmids by removing the lacI gene and characterized their properties. First, we examined the ability to repress a reporter gene in E. coli, which is a prominent property facilitating the construction of the expression vectors carrying a target gene. The β-galactosidase (bgaB gene) basal levels expressed from Pgrac01-bgaB could be repressed at least twice in the E. coli cloning strain. Second, the inducer-free production of BgaB from four different plasmids with the Pgrac01 promoter in B. subtilis was investigated. As expected, BgaB expression levels of inducer-free constructs are at least 37 times higher than that of the inducible constructs in the absence of IPTG, and comparable to those in the presence of the inducer. Third, using efficient IPTG-inducible expression vectors containing the strong promoter Pgrac100, we could convert them into inducer-free expression plasmids. The BgaB production levels from the inducer-free plasmid in the absence of the inducer were at least 4.5 times higher than that of the inducible vector using the same promoter. Finally, we used gfp as a reporter gene in combination with the two promoters Pgrac01 and Pgrac100 to test the new vector types. The GFP expression levels could be repressed at least 1.5 times for the Pgrac01-gfp+ inducer-free construct in E. coli. The inducer-free constructs Pgrac01-gfp+ and Pgrac100-gfp+ allowed GFP expression at high levels from 23 × 104 to 32 × 104 RFU units and 9–13% of total intracellular proteins. We could reconfirm the two major advantages of the new inducer-free expression plasmids: (1) Strong repression of the target gene expression in the E. coli cloning strain, and (2) production of the target protein at high levels in B. subtilis in the absence of the inducer. Conclusions We propose a general strategy to generate inducer-free expression vector by using IPTG-inducible vectors, and more specifically we developed inducer-free expression plasmids using IPTG-inducible promoters in the absence of the LacI repressor. These plasmids could be an excellent choice for high-level production of recombinant proteins in B. subtilis without the addition of inducer and at the same time maintaining a low basal level of the recombinant proteins in E. coli. The repression of the recombinant gene expression would facilitate cloning of genes that potentially inhibit the growth of E. coli cloning strains. The inducer-free expression plasmids will be extended versions of the current available IPTG-inducible expression vectors for B. subtilis, in which all these vectors use the same cognate promoters. These inducer-free and previously developed IPTG-inducible expression plasmids will be a useful cassette to study gene expression at a small scale up to a larger scale up for the production of recombinant proteins.