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Extra classes are increasingly observed in both developed and developing countries. In Vietnam, a country where education reforms are at their height, extra classes are proliferating and have become a concern to society and the government. Although the government has banned extra classes that are independent of school administration, teachers often run home-based classes to supplement their income. This paper examines the extent and characteristics of extra classes among eight-year-old children, and examines the association between taking extra classes and learning outcomes (numeracy, reading, and writing skills). (Contains 7 tables, 3 figures and 2 footnotes.)

Previous research in US populations has found associations between disaster-related variables, psychological variables, and post-disaster increases in smoking and alcohol use. To date, no research has examined this association in an international population of disaster exposed individuals. Data used in this study were drawn from a larger study involving a two-wave assessment of a disaster-affected sample of Vietnamese citizens (N = 798). Interviews were conducted to assess the effects of mental health variables and typhoon related variables on reported increases in alcohol use and cigarette smoking. Results indicate that post-disaster increases in smoking were associated with post-disaster diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder. Post-disaster increases in alcohol use were associated with posttraumatic stress disorder and panic disorder. None of the typhoon-characteristics were significantly associated with increases in substance use. Implications for mental health providers and future research directions are discussed.

A novel meta-heuristic algorithm named Egret Swarm Optimization Algorithm (ESOA) is proposed in this paper, which is inspired by two egret species' hunting behavior (Great Egret and Snowy Egret). ESOA consists of three primary components: a sit-and-wait strategy, aggressive strategy as well as discriminant conditions. The learnable sit-and-wait strategy guides the egret to the most probable solution by applying a pseudo gradient estimator. The aggressive strategy uses random wandering and encirclement mechanisms to allow for optimal solution exploration. The discriminant model is utilized to balance the two strategies. The proposed approach provides a parallel framework and a strategy for parameter learning through historical information that can be adapted to most scenarios and has well stability. The performance of ESOA on 36 benchmark functions as well as 3 engineering problems are compared with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Differential Evolution (DE), Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO), and Harris Hawks Optimization (HHO). The result proves the superior effectiveness and robustness of ESOA. ESOA acquires the winner in all unimodal functions and reaches statistic scores all above 9.9, while the scores are better in complex functions as 10.96 and 11.92. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valeriana jatamansi is hired as multiple remedies for treatment of insomnia, blood and circulatory disorders, asthma, dry cough, jaundice, seminal weakness, cardiac debility, and skin diseases in Vietnam. Our research discovered the phytochemical investigation of constituents from this herbal medicine resulted in the isolation of two new compounds (jatamansides A (4) and B (7)) together with 16 known ones from the whole plant. Their structures were established by using spectroscopic techniques (multinuclear and multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, ultraviolet–visible), mass spectrometry, hydrolysis analysis, or comparing their NMR data to those reported in the literature. In addition, all the isolates were evaluated for their inhibitory effect against TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated on RAW264.7 cells with significant inhibition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based estimates of psychopathology prevalence in developing countries such as Vietnam, are needed to reduce presumed significant burden of poor mental health. Aims: This study derived population-based prevalence estimates of mental distress, as measured by the SRQ-20, in a community sample of 4,981 adults living in Vietnam. This study also examined correlates of mental distress based on SRQ-20 caseness indications. Risk and protective factors were identified in terms of their unique contribution to caseness. Results: Using a cut-off of 7/8, 19.2% of the sample was considered to be a probable case (n = 954), with females endorsing more items than males. Marital status and employment status were not associated with mental health distress. Higher wealth, endorsing religious affi liation, and self-reports of good health were associated with lower SRQ-20 scores. Age and being female were associated with higher SRQ-20 scores. Conclusions: A single item was as adequate a measure of wealth as multi-item rating scales. Our estimate of mental distress using the SRQ-20 is much greater than that of other studies, and in contrast to western prevalence studies, age was not a protective factor in this study. The SRQ-20 is a brief, cost-effective and reasonably valid measure of both community and individual mental distress.

Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture is needed to meet global climate policy targets. A number of low- emission development (LED) options exist in agriculture, which globally emits 10-12% of GHG emissions. In paddy rice production, alternative wetting and drying (AWD) can reduce emissions by up to 48%. Co-benefits of AWD include lower water consumption, lower use of fertilizer and seeds, and higher resistance to some pests and diseases. These are expected to result in improved benefits for individual farmers while lowering the sector's overall contribution to GHG emissions. Women are strongly involved in rice production, hence improving their access to AWD technology, participation in decisions about it, and capacity to use it influences AWD adoption and resulting emissions. Involving women in AWD and LED more broadly also can provide distributional and procedural justice gains for women. The authors develop a conceptual model to show how these issues can be integrated. They suggest that intermediary organizations such as farmer associations and women's organizations are central to enabling women to realize their personal goals while allowing gender to be taken to scale in LED, as is the case for other technology interventions. This requires work to expand their social capacities. A case study developed from work on taking gender-responsive LED to scale in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, illustrates the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]