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Speech intelligibility describes the degree of understanding messages between speakers and listeners. Speech intelligibility plays an important role in examining children’ speech, in diagnosing speech sound disorders, in setting goals, planning intervention, and evaluating effectiveness of speech interventions. The Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS) is one of the most popular speech intelligibility measurement tools and has been translated into more than 60 languages across the world. This paper presents a scoping review of 39 publications including five describing, 19 norming and validation studies and 15 studies reporting on the use of ICS. Based on content analysis, this paper describes the development and translation, norming, validation and use of the ICS with children speaking English (five descriptions and nine papers), children speaking 14 other languages across the world (21 papers), and children speaking Vietnamese in Vietnam (four papers). Participants in the ICS studies were: monolingual, bilingual and multilingual; with and without speech sound disorders; and from 1-2 years old to adults but mainly in the preschool age range. The ICS’s mean scores, internal reliability, internal consistency, sensitivity, specificity as well as other psychometric properties were reported in ICS studies. These indicators reveal evidence that ICS is a reliable scale to use in research and clinical practice to measure speech intelligibility of children speaking different languages across the world including children speaking northern and southern Vietnamese dialects.

IntroductionCOVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective in reducing morbidity and mortality during the pandemic. While primary series vaccination rates are generally high in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries, various factors have limited the rollout and impact of booster doses.Areas coveredWe reviewed 79 studies in the publicly available International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) VIEW-hub platform on vaccine effectiveness (VE) after primary immunizations with two-dose schedules. VE data were reported for SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19-related hospitalizations and deaths, and stratified across variants of concern (VOC), age, study design and prior SARS-CoV-2 infection for mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2, mRNA-1273 and combinations of both), vector vaccines (AstraZeneca, AZD1222 “Vaxzevria”) and inactivated virus vaccines (CoronaVac).Expert opinionThe most-studied COVID-19 vaccines provide consistently high (>90%) protection against serious clinical outcomes like hospitalizations and deaths, regardless of variant. Additionally, this protection appears equivalent for mRNA vaccines and vector vaccines like AZD1222, as supported by our analysis of local Asian and relevant international data, and by insights from SEA experts. Given the continued impact of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths on healthcare systems worldwide, encouraging vaccination strategies that can reduce this burden is more relevant than attempting to prevent broader but milder infections with specific variants, including Omicron.Article highlights - VE was high and comparable for both AZD1222 and mRNA vaccine types (91%-93%) in protecting against hospitalization and death from COVID-19, regardless of age.- VE against symptomatic infections trended higher (though not significantly) for mRNA-based vaccines compared to AZD1222.- Waning of VE since time of vaccination was observed for symptomatic infections but was limited for serious COVID-19 outcomes. A sub-analysis of studies with comparative arms evaluating the VE of different vaccines in the same settings also confirmed these observations for all VOC assessed, with all vaccines conferring a high level of protection against serious outcomes.- For Omicron, there is limited comparative data within the IVAC dataset, however, expert review of emerging data suggests that VE against all outcomes is lower for all COVID-19 vaccines, than for the Delta variant.- Data from the UK indicate that VE improves with a booster dose and that VE continues to be very similar, irrespective of the type of vaccine used.- Importantly, all COVID-19 vaccines evaluated here have favorable benefit/risk profiles.- Although many SEA countries have high rates of primary vaccination, there are still challenges to achieving high booster dose coverage. The results of this analysis suggest that the most effective way to achieve vaccine booster targets, particularly in resource-limited settings, would simply be to consider any vaccines which have good safety and comparable effectiveness profiles, particularly against severe outcomes, and that are accessible and optimal for the local situation.- This review reinforces the value of real-world evidence to support efforts advocating for the completion of primary series and booster vaccinations where appropriate, especially to restore VE against emerging VOC such as Omicron. However, data gaps still persist, given the lag between the emergence of new variants, updated vaccine schedules and VE data to inform their impact.

Background Methamphetamine use could jeopardize the current efforts to address opioid use disorder and HIV infection. Evidence-based behavioral interventions (EBI) are effective in reducing methamphetamine use. However, evidence on optimal combinations of EBI is limited. This protocol presents a type-1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid design to evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness of adaptive methamphetamine use interventions, and their implementation barriers in Vietnam. Method Design: Participants will be first randomized into two frontline interventions for 12 weeks. They will then be placed or randomized to three adaptive strategies for another 12 weeks. An economic evaluation and an ethnographic evaluation will be conducted alongside the interventions. Participants: We will recruit 600 participants in 20 methadone clinics. Eligibility criteria: (1) age 16+; (2) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) scores ≥ 10 for methamphetamine use or confirmed methamphetamine use with urine drug screening; (3) willing to provide three pieces of contact information; and (4) having a cell phone. Outcomes: Outcomes are measured at 13, 26, and 49 weeks and throughout the interventions. Primary outcomes include the (1) increase in HIV viral suppression, (2) reduction in HIV risk behaviors, and (3) reduction in methamphetamine use. COVID-19 response: We developed a response plan for interruptions caused by COVID-19 lockdowns to ensure data quality and intervention fidelity. Discussion This study will provide important evidence for scale-up of EBIs for methamphetamine use among methadone patients in limited-resource settings. As the EBIs will be delivered by methadone providers, they can be readily implemented if the trial demonstrates effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04706624. Registered on 13 January 2021. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04706624

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Background: Minimum mortality temperature (MMT) is an important indicator to assess the temperature-mortality association, indicating long-term adaptation to local climate. Limited evidence about the geographical variability of the MMT is available at a global scale. Methods: We collected data from 658 communities in 43 countries under different climates. We estimated temperature-mortality associations to derive the MMT for each community using Poisson regression with distributed lag nonlinear models. We investigated the variation in MMT by climatic zone using a mixed-effects meta-analysis and explored the association with climatic and socioeconomic indicators. Results: The geographical distribution of MMTs varied considerably by country between 14.2 and 31.1 °C decreasing by latitude. For climatic zones, the MMTs increased from alpine (13.0 °C) to continental (19.3 °C), temperate (21.7 °C), arid (24.5 °C), and tropical (26.5 °C). The MMT percentiles (MMTPs) corresponding to the MMTs decreased from temperate (79.5th) to continental (75.4th), arid (68.0th), tropical (58.5th), and alpine (41.4th). The MMTs indreased by 0.8 °C for a 1 °C rise in a community’s annual mean temperature, and by 1 °C for a 1 °C rise in its SD. While the MMTP decreased by 0.3 centile points for a 1 °C rise in a community’s annual mean temperature and by 1.3 for a 1 °C rise in its SD. Conclusions: The geographical distribution of the MMTs and MMTPs is driven mainly by the mean annual temperature, which seems to be a valuable indicator of overall adaptation across populations. Our results suggest that populations have adapted to the average temperature, although there is still more room for adaptation.

Recently, a traffic accident due to the driver’s driving behavior has been a major problem considered not only by many countries but also the transportation enterprises in general. The driving behavior must be monitored through a set of technological devices equipped on the vehicle itself. The dangerous driving behaviors such as: speeding, weaving between lanes, harsh braking and acceleration, driving under the influence of alcohol… must be strictly controlled. In this study, the authors will research and analyze the dangerous driving behavior by detections from sensors and from that, a driver behavior monitoring device connecting to the car via the OBD-II port and transferring the data to the control center by an integrated management software is designed and evaluated. The on-road experiment was carried out on a Honda Civic in order to evaluate the whole system. The result showed that, 18 out of 20 dangerous driving behaviors were detected on a 23.13kilometer testing route with the average speed of 19.53 km/h including: 8 times of speeding, 4 times of harsh braking, 2 times of driving over regulated time and 4 times of harsh acceleration. This result will be the fundament for researching the application of the driver behavior monitoring device in insurance field and transportation vehicles management.

This study will analyze the optimization algorithms used in the optimization control of regenerative braking force distribution in automobile. Through these analyses, the PSO algorithm has been used to control the regenerative braking force distribution and mechanical braking force with a multi-objective function that is to maximize recovered energy and ensure braking stability. The simulation calculations are performed by MathLAB based on Toyota Hiace parameters with the traditional powertrain. Research results show that the fuel consumption rate of vehicles equipped energy recovery system after optimization can be improved from 10.49% to 24.44% depending on different driving cycles.

Introduction Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states. Progress has been slow despite the World Health Organization action plan for the prevention and control of NCDs in the region. This paper presents recommendations focused on practical strategies for optimizing NCD management in the ASEAN region. Methods A multidisciplinary group of experts from six ASEAN member states convened for two face-to-face meetings to discuss barriers and possible recommendations for optimizing NCD management, focused on cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders, in the region. Multiple approaches, ie, analysis of insights from the meetings and a review of existing literature on NCD programs in the ASEAN region were followed. The proposed recommendations were also based on selected successful interventions in ASEAN member states, thus providing actionable strategies. Results The gaps identified in NCD management for cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders in the ASEAN region were classified into gaps relating to policies and to clinical and public health practice. The proposed solutions addressing policy gaps include fostering multisectoral public-private partnerships, employing "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" approaches and promoting "health-in-all policies approach" to manage issues with financing, accessibility, efficiency and quality of health services. Whereas proposed solutions to bridge clinical and public health practice gaps entail strengthening primary care services, building the capacity of trained healthcare workers and employing collaborative care for holistic management of patients. Conclusion The scale of premature and preventable deaths from NCDs in the ASEAN region remains a serious public health concern and requires a "whole-of-system approach". The interventions proposed in this paper build on regional collaborations and knowledge sharing to help develop a concerted and targeted response to NCDs.

An increase in the global health burden of temperature was projected for 459 locations in 28 countries worldwide under four representative concentration pathway scenarios until 2099. We determined that the amount of temperature increase for each 100 ppm increase in global CO2 concentrations is nearly constant, regardless of climate scenarios. The overall average temperature increase during 2010–2099 is largest in Canada (1.16 °C/100 ppm) and Finland (1.14 °C/100 ppm), while it is smallest in Ireland (0.62 °C/100 ppm) and Argentina (0.63 °C/100 ppm). In addition, for each 1 °C temperature increase, the amount of excess mortality is increased largely in tropical countries such as Vietnam (10.34%p/°C) and the Philippines (8.18%p/°C), while it is decreased in Ireland (−0.92%p/°C) and Australia (−0.32%p/°C). To understand the regional variability in temperature increase and mortality, we performed a regression-based modeling. We observed that the projected temperature increase is highly correlated with daily temperature range at the location and vulnerability to temperature increase is affected by health expenditure, and proportions of obese and elderly population. © 2019, This study was supported by the Global Research Lab (# K21004000001-10A0500-00710 ) through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), and Future Planning. JL was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea as NRF-SNSF Researcher Exchange Program ( NRF-2018K2A9A1A06086694 ). AG was supported by Medical Research Council UK (Grant ID: MR/M022625/1 ) and Natural Environment Research Council UK (Grant ID: NE/R009384/1 ). JK and AU were supported by the Czech Science Foundation , project no. 18-22125S . HO and EI were supported by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research (Grant no IUT34-17 ). JJKJ and NRIR were supported by the Research Council for Health, Academy of Finland (Grant no 266314 and 310372 ). MH and YH were supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (S-14) of the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency . AT was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Invitational Fellowships for Research in Japan ( S18149 ). Appendix A

Background The health burden associated with temperature is expected to increase due to a warming climate. Populations living in cities are likely to be particularly at risk, but the role of urban characteristics in modifying the direct effects of temperature on health is still unclear. In this contribution, we used a multi-country dataset to study effect modification of temperature–mortality relationships by a range of city-specific indicators. Methods We collected ambient temperature and mortality daily time-series data for 340 cities in 22 countries, in periods between 1985 and 2014. Standardized measures of demographic, socio-economic, infrastructural and environmental indicators were derived from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Regional and Metropolitan Database. We used distributed lag non-linear and multivariate meta-regression models to estimate fractions of mortality attributable to heat and cold (AF%) in each city, and to evaluate the effect modification of each indicator across cities. Results Heat- and cold-related deaths amounted to 0.54% (95% confidence interval: 0.49 to 0.58%) and 6.05% (5.59 to 6.36%) of total deaths, respectively. Several city indicators modify the effect of heat, with a higher mortality impact associated with increases in population density, fine particles (PM2.5), gross domestic product (GDP) and Gini index (a measure of income inequality), whereas higher levels of green spaces were linked with a decreased effect of heat. Conclusions This represents the largest study to date assessing the effect modification of temperature–mortality relationships. Evidence from this study can inform public-health interventions and urban planning under various climate-change and urban-development scenarios., This work was primarily supported by the Medical Research Council—UK (MR/M022625/1). The following individual grants also supported this work: Y.G. was supported by the Career Development Fellowship of Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (APP1107107); A.T. was supported by the Ministry of Education of Spain (PRX17/00705); J.J.K.J. and N.R.I.R. were supported by the Research Council for Health, Academy of Finland (266314); Y.L.G. was supported by the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan (NHRI-EM-106-SP03); M.L.B. was supported by a US Environmental Protection Agency Assistance Agreement awarded to Yale University (83587101).

This article represents a research on the RV165-2 engine (produced by SVEAM: Southern Vietnam Engine And Agricultural Mechinery company Limited) by experiment on dynamometer engine and simulation, based on which method of calculating the number is used to optimize the design applied into the engine production. Intake stroke of the engine is modeled and simulated via Ansys – Fluent. The specifications collected from the simulation such as: swirl ratio, tumble ratio, etc. As well as which gained from an experiment such as: maximum output, maximum torque, specific fuel consumption, concentration in the exhaust: NOx, Soot, CO are evaluated to propose renovation method in the future.

The Paris Agreement binds all nations to undertake ambitious efforts to combat climate change, with the commitment to hold warming well below 2 degrees C in global mean temperature (GMT), relative to pre-industrial levels, and to pursue efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C. The 1.5 degrees C limit constitutes an ambitious goal for which greater evidence on its benefits for health would help guide policy and potentially increase the motivation for action. Here we contribute to this gap with an assessment on the potential health benefits, in terms of reductions in temperature-related mortality, derived from the compliance to the agreed temperature targets, compared to more extreme warming scenarios. We performed a multi-region analysis in 451 locations in 23 countries with different climate zones, and evaluated changes in heat and cold-related mortality under scenarios consistent with the Paris Agreement targets (1.5 and 2 degrees C) and more extreme GMT increases (3 and 4 degrees C), and under the assumption of no changes in demographic distribution and vulnerability. Our results suggest that limiting warming below 2 degrees C could prevent large increases in temperature-related mortality in most regions worldwide. The comparison between 1.5 and 2 degrees C is more complex and characterized by higher uncertainty, with geographical differences that indicate potential benefits limited to areas located in warmer climates, where direct climate change impacts will be more discernible.

Objectives Antimicrobial-resistant infections are a major global health issue. Ease of antimicrobial access in developing countries is proposed to be a key driver of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) epidemic despite a lack of community antimicrobial usage data. Methods Using a mixed-methods approach (geospatial mapping, simulated clients, healthcare utilization, longitudinal cohort) we assessed antimicrobial access in the community and quantified antimicrobial usage for childhood diarrhoea in an urban Vietnamese setting. Results The study area had a pharmacy density of 15.7 pharmacies/km2 (a pharmacy for every 1316 people). Using a simulated client method at pharmacies within the area, we found that 8% (3/37) and 22% (8/37) of outlets sold antimicrobials for paediatric watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. However, despite ease of pharmacy access, the majority of caregivers would choose to take their child to a healthcare facility, with 81% (319/396) and 88% (347/396) of responders selecting a specialized hospital as one of their top three preferences when seeking treatment for watery and mucoid diarrhoea, respectively. We calculated that at least 19% (2688/14427) of diarrhoea episodes in those aged 1 to

Background: Heatwaves are a critical public health problem. There will be an increase in the frequency and severity of heatwaves under changing climate. However, evidence about the impacts of climate change on heatwave-related mortality at a global scale is limited. Methods and findings: We collected historical daily time series of mean temperature and mortality for all causes or nonexternal causes, in periods ranging from January 1, 1984, to December 31, 2015, in 412 communities within 20 countries/regions. We estimated heatwave–mortality associations through a two-stage time series design. Current and future daily mean temperature series were projected under four scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions from 1971–2099, with five general circulation models. We projected excess mortality in relation to heatwaves in the future under each scenario of greenhouse gas emissions, with two assumptions for adaptation (no adaptation and hypothetical adaptation) and three scenarios of population change (high variant, median variant, and low variant). Results show that, if there is no adaptation, heatwave-related excess mortality is expected to increase the most in tropical and subtropical countries/regions (close to the equator), while European countries and the United States will have smaller percent increases in heatwave-related excess mortality. The higher the population variant and the greenhouse gas emissions, the higher the increase of heatwave-related excess mortality in the future. The changes in 2031–2080 compared with 1971–2020 range from approximately 2,000% in Colombia to 150% in Moldova under the highest emission scenario and high-variant population scenario, without any adaptation. If we considered hypothetical adaptation to future climate, under high-variant population scenario and all scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions, the heatwave-related excess mortality is expected to still increase across all the countries/regions except Moldova and Japan. However, the increase would be much smaller than the no adaptation scenario. The simple assumptions with respect to adaptation as follows: no adaptation and hypothetical adaptation results in some uncertainties of projections. Conclusions: This study provides a comprehensive characterisation of future heatwave-related excess mortality across various regions and under alternative scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions, different assumptions of adaptation, and different scenarios of population change. The projections can help decision makers in planning adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change. © 2018 Guo et al. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/., We thank relevant institutes/agencies who provided data on mortality and weather conditions.