Natural infection by Trichinella sp. has been reported in humans and more than 150 species of animals, especially carnivorous and omnivorous mammals. Although the presence of Trichinella sp. infection in wild boars (Sus scrofa) has been documented worldwide, limited information is known about Trichinella circulation in farmed wild boars in China. This study intends to investigate the prevalence of Trichinella sp. in farmed wild boars in China. Seven hundred and sixty-one (761) muscle samples from farmed wild boars were collected in Jilin Province of China from 2017 to 2020. The diaphragm muscles were examined by artificial digestion method. The overall prevalence of Trichinella in farmed wild boars was 0.53% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.51–0.55]. The average parasite loading was 0.076 ± 0.025 larvae per gram (lpg), and the highest burden was 0.21 lpg in a wild boar from Fusong city. Trichinella spiralis was the only species identified by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. The 5S rDNA inter-genic spacer region of Trichinella was amplified and sequenced. The results showed that the obtained sequence (GenBank accession number: OQ725583) shared 100% identity with the T. spiralis HLJ isolate (GenBank accession number: MH289505). Since the consumption of farmed wild boars is expected to increase in the future, these findings highlight the significance of developing exclusive guidelines for the processing of slaughtered farmed wild boar meat in China.

This research studies the robustness of permanence and the continuous dependence of the stationary distribution on the parameters for a stochastic predator–prey model with Beddington–DeAngelis functional response. We show that if the model is extinct (resp. permanent) for a parameter, it is still extinct (resp. permanent) in a neighbourhood of this parameter. In the case of extinction, the Lyapunov exponent of predator quantity is negative and the prey quantity converges almost to the saturated situation, where the predator is absent at an exponential rate. Under the condition of permanence, the unique stationary distribution converges weakly to the degenerate measure concentrated at the unique limit cycle or at the globally asymptotic equilibrium when the diffusion term tends to 0.

Because of their isolating capacity, smectite-rich clays have been proposed as buffer and backfill materials in high-level radioactive waste repositories. These repositories have to guarantee long-term safety for ~1 million years. Thermodynamics and kinetics of possible alteration processes of bentonite determine its long-term performance as a barrier material. Smectites in 25 different clays and bentonites were investigated in order to identify possible differences in their rates of alteration. These samples were saturated for 30 days in 1 M NaCl solution and deionized water, and then overhead rotated at speeds of 20 rpm and 60 rpm. Depending on the octahedral and interlayer composition, each of the smectites studied had specific rate of alteration, a so-called specific dissolution potential of smectite. The bentonites were classed as ‘slow-reacting bentonite’, ‘moderate-reacting bentonite’, or ‘fast-reacting bentonite’ corresponding to a relatively low (ΔP specific dissolution potential — <-5%), moderate (-5% < ΔP < -20%), or high specific dissolution potential (ΔP > -20%), respectively. The larger the amount of octahedral Fe and Mg compared to octahedral Al, the greater the specific dissolution potential. The present study found that the interlayer composition has a discernible impact on the rate of alteration. In experiments with rotation speeds of 60 rpm and a 1 M NaCl solution, Na+ was found to be the stabilizing cation in the interlayers of all the smectites. The Na-stabilizing mechanism was identified in only some of the smectites (type A) in experiments with 20 rpm (1 M NaCl solution). A second stabilization mechanism (by interlayer cations; Ca and Mg) was identified for other smectites (type B). Each bentonite has a specific rate of alteration. ‘Slow-reacting bentonite’ and clay with smectite-illite interstratifications are recommended as potential clay barriers in HLW repositories. The experimental and analytical procedures described here could be applied to potential barrier materials to identify ‘slow-reacting bentonite’.

We prove that every topologically stable homeomorphism with global attractor of $\mathbb {R}^n$ is topologically stable on its global attractor. The converse is not true. On the other hand, if a homeomorphism with global attractor of a locally compact metric space is expansive and has the shadowing property, then it is topologically stable. This extends the Walters stability theorem (Walters, On the pseudo-orbit tracing property and its relationship to stability. The structure of attractors in dynamical systems, 1978, pp. 231–244).

Natural resource extraction is an important livelihood strategy for poor rural households in developing and emerging countries. Despite the sharp decline in poverty in Vietnam, inequality still exists between the ethnic majority and minority. This paper aims to analyze the impact of natural resource extraction on ethnic inequality. We use panel data from Dak Lak in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition shows that ethnic differences in extraction are due to different group characteristics and different returns to these characteristics. Endogenous switching regressions find that extraction has heterogeneous effects on consumption across extracting and non-extracting households, and between majority and minority households. Treatment effects suggest that extraction sustains the consumption of extracting minority households because their consumption would decline if they stopped extracting. Our results indicate that it is important to improve the natural resource base and the ability of minorities to cope with shocks.

Leonetti and Luca [‘On the iterates of the shifted Euler’s function’, Bull. Aust. Math. Soc., to appear] have shown that the integer sequence $(x_n)_{n\geq 1}$ defined by $x_{n+2}=\phi (x_{n+1})+\phi (x_{n})+k$, where $x_1,x_2\geq 1$, $k\geq 0$ and $2 \mid k$, is bounded by $4^{X^{3^{k+1}}}$, where $X=(3x_1+5x_2+7k)/2$. We improve this result by showing that the sequence $(x_n)$ is bounded by $2^{2X^2+X-3}$, where $X=x_1+x_2+2k$.

The aim of this study is to analyse the changing patterns in the transmission of COVID-19 in relation to changes in Vietnamese governmental policies, based on epidemiological data and policy actions in a large Vietnamese province, Bac Ninh, in 2021. Data on confirmed cases from January to December 2021 were collected, together with policy documents. There were three distinct periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bac Ninh province during 2021. During the first period, referred to as the ‘Zero-COVID’ period (01/04–07/04/2021), there was a low population vaccination rate, with less than 25% of the population receiving its first vaccine dose. Measures implemented during this period focused on domestic movement restrictions, mask mandates, and screening efforts to control the spread of the virus. The subsequent period, referred to as the ‘Transition’ period (07/05–10/22/2021), witnessed a significant increase in population vaccination coverage, with 80% of the population receiving their first vaccine dose. During this period, several days passed without any reported COVID-19 cases in the community. The local government implemented measures to manage domestic actions and reduce the time spent in quarantine, and encouraged home quarantining for the close contacts of cases with COVID-19. Finally, the ‘New-normal’ stage (10/23–12/31/2021), during which the population vaccination coverage with a second vaccine dose increased to 70%, and most of the mandates for the prevention and control of COVID-19 were reduced. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of governmental policies in managing and controlling the transmission of COVID-19 and provides insights for developing realistic and context-specific strategies in similar settings.

Objectives: At the onset of COVID-19, whenever SARS-CoV-2 was detected at Children’s Hospital 1 (CH1), the related department or building was closed for extensive tracing, testing, and medical isolation. This process disrupted hospital activities, reduced the efficiency of patient care, and used medical resources. To address this problem, CH1 implemented a system of grouping inpatients to color-coded areas from June to December 2021. Methods: In this retrospective study, we describe the system of grouping inpatients to color-coded areas based on SARS-CoV-2 test result at a 1,600-bed, national pediatric hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Results: Inpatients were first separated into those with or without respiratory symptoms, and secondly to different color-coded areas based on SARS-CoV-2 test result and hospitalization length: red zone (days 1–3), orange zone (days 3–7), and green zone (day 7 onward). Prior to admission, all patients were tested with a SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic test. If negative, the patient was admitted to the red zone. On days 3 and 7 of hospitalization, the patient was tested using a pooled RT-PCR method. Patients negative on day 3 were relocated to the orange zone; patients negative on day 7 were relocated to the green zone. A patient with a positive test result at any time point was transferred to a COVID-19 zone. One caregiver was allowed to stay with 1 patient with similar testing regimen. A mobile transportation team was set up to deliver food and other necessities; thus, movement was restricted and interaction was prevented among zones. After this system was implemented, COVID-19 cases were detected early, with most positive cases in the red zone (19.6%) and the orange zone (2.8%), with only 1 case in the green zone (0.7%). Conclusions: The system of grouping patients to color-coded areas helped prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission within the hospital, allowing undisrupted operation.

Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as a major concern in Vietnam, mainly due to the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Appropriate antibiotic management enables us to minimize the likelihood of antibiotic resistance and the spread of resistant bacteria. We evaluated vancomycin and colistin resistance and related factors in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Hue Central Hospital, a national hospital in central Vietnam. Methods: Using a cross-sectional descriptive study, we enrolled 362 patients who were prescribed antibiotics and were admitted to the ICU in 2019. Pathogens isolated from 473 routine clinical samples were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing following the recommendations in the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute M100, 28th Edition. Colistin testing was performed using the broth microdilution method. Statistical significance was determined using the Fisher exact test. Results: The most commonly identified microorganisms were Acinetobacter baumannii (31.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (31.2%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12%), and Staphylococcus aureus (8.9%). All isolates of A. baumannii, K. pneumoniae, and P. aeruginosa tested with colistin were nonresistant. Moreover, >65% of A. baumannii isolates were resistant to all antibiotics except colistin. S. aureus had the highest resistance rate to erythromycin (80.6%), but no vancomycin-resistant isolates were identified. Factors associated with resistance to at least 1 antibiotic tested included length of stay (OR, 5.32; 95% CI, 1.47–19.17; P = .017), duration of antibiotics therapy (OR, 5.25; 95% CI, 1.46–18.95; P = .017), and the use of tracheal intubation and ventilator (OR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.09–8.72; P = .038). Conclusions: These data indicated that although the vancomycin and colistin resistance rate is low, patients with longer length of stay, longer time on antibiotics, and invasive ventilation were at higher risk of AMR infection. Decreasing device use and strong antibiotic stewardship program at the hospital would help to reduce AMR infections.

Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 is a novel and highly infectious virus. An effective response requires rapid training of healthcare workers (HCWs). We measured the change in knowledge related to COVID-19 and associated factors before and after training of HCWs in Vietnam. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate HCW knowledge related to prevention and control of SARS-CoV-2 before and after attending a 2-day training-of-trainers course. Between June and September 2020, 963 HCWs from 194 hospitals in 21 provinces received the training. HCW knowledge was assessed using a 20-item questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice questions at the beginning and closing of the training course. A participant received 1 point for each correct answer. He or she was considered to have improved knowledge the posttest score was higher than the pretest score with a score ≥15 on the posttest. We applied the McNemar test and logistic regression model to test the level of association between demographic factors and change in knowledge of COVID-19. Results: Overall, 100% of HCWs completed both the pretest and posttest. At baseline, only 14.7% scored ≥15. Following the training, 78.4% scored ≥15 and 64.3% had improved knowledge according to the predetermined definition. Questions related to the order of PPE donning and doffing and respiratory specimen collection procedures were identified as having the greatest improvement (44.6% and 60.7%, respectively). Being female (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1–2.0), having a postgraduate degree (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.4–4.4), working in a nonmanager position (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1–2.1), previous contact with a COVID-19 patient (OR, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1–2.0), and working in northern Vietnam (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.4–2.6), were associated with greater knowledge improvement. Conclusions: Most HCWs demonstrated improved knowledge of COVID-19 prevention and control after attending the training. Particular groups may benefit from additional training: those who are male, leaders and managers, those who hold an undergraduate degree, and those who work in the southern provinces.

Acute myocarditis is one of the common complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) with a relatively high case fatality. Here reported is a fulminant case of a 42-year-old previously healthy woman with cardiogenic shock and refractory cardiac arrest due to COVID-19-induced myocarditis who received veno-arterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) after 120 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). This is the first adult case of cardiac arrest due to COVID-19-induced myocarditis supported by ECMO that fully recovered with normal neurological functions. The success of the treatment course with full recovery emphasized the potential role of ECMO in treating these patients.

The complete circular mitogenome of Paragonimus skrjabini miyazakii (Platyhelminthes: Paragonimidae) from Japan, obtained by PacBio long-read sequencing, was 17 591 bp and contained 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 mitoribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNA genes. The atp8 gene was absent, and there was a 40 bp overlap between nad4L and nad4. The long non-coding region (4.3 kb) included distinct types of long and short repeat units. The pattern of base usage for PCGs and the mtDNA coding region overall in Asian and American Paragonimus species (P. s. miyazakii, P. heterotremus, P. ohirai and P. kellicotti) and the Indian form of P. westermani was T > G > A > C. On the other hand, East-Asian P. westermani used T > G > C > A. Five Asian and American Paragonimus species and P. westermani had TTT/Phe, TTG/Leu and GTT/Val as the most frequently used codons, whereas the least-used codons were different in each species and between regional forms of P. westermani. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed from a concatenated alignment of amino acids of 12 PCGs from 36 strains/26 species/5 families of trematodes confirmed that the Paragonimidae is monophyletic, with 100% nodal support. Paragonimus skrjabini miyazakii was resolved as a sister to P. heterotremus. The P. westermani clade was clearly separate from remaining congeners. The latter clade was comprised of 2 subclades, one of the East-Asian and the other of the Indian Type 1 samples. Additional mitogenomes in the Paragonimidae are needed for genomic characterization and are useful for diagnostics, identification and genetic/ phylogenetic/ epidemiological/ evolutionary studies of the Paragonimidae.

Although compelling evidence from observational studies supports a positive association between consumption of cereal fibre and CVD risk reduction, randomised controlled trials (RCT) often target viscous fibre type as the prospective contributor to lipid lowering to reduce CVD risk. The objective of our study is to compare the lipids-lowering effects of viscous dietary fibre to non-viscous, cereal-type fibre in clinical studies. RCT that evaluated the effect of viscous dietary fibre compared with non-viscous, cereal fibre on LDL cholesterol and alternative lipid markers, with a duration of ≥ 3 weeks, in adults with or without hypercholesterolaemia were included. Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Central Register were searched through October 19, 2021. Data were extracted and assessed by two independent reviewers. The generic inverse variance method with random effects model was utilised to pool the data which were expressed as mean differences (MD) with 95 % CI. Eighty-nine trials met eligibility criteria (n 4755). MD for the effect of viscous dietary fibre compared with non-viscous cereal fibre were LDL cholesterol (MD = –0·26 mmol/l; 95 % CI: –0·30, −0·22 mmol/l; P < 0·01), non-HDL cholesterol (MD = –0·33 mmol/l; 95 % CI: –0·39, −0·28 mmol/l; P < 0·01) and Apo-B (MD = –0·04 g/l; 95 % CI: –0·06, −0·03 g/l; P < 0·01). Viscous dietary fibre reduces LDL cholesterol and alternative lipid markers relative to the fibre from cereal sources, hence may be a preferred type of fibre-based dietary intervention targeting CVD risk reduction.

This paper introduces a formal definition of a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) in the spirit of the CPS Framework proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It shows that using this definition, various problems related to concerns in a CPS can be precisely formalized and implemented using Answer Set Programming (ASP). These include problems related to the dependency or conflicts between concerns, how to mitigate an issue, and what the most suitable mitigation strategy for a given issue would be. It then shows how ASP can be used to develop an implementation that addresses the aforementioned problems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potentials of the proposed methodologies.