Vietnam

In recent years, the idea of ‘swarming’ – that is, simultaneous multidirectional attack or maneuver by large number of independent or semi-independent small units – became a subject of a heated debate. Some believe this is the future of warfare, while others see this belief as ridiculous and dangerous. In the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), specifically, swarming was heralded as the new way of war before the 2006 Second Lebanon War. But during and after the war, the word itself was turned into a derogatory term, symbolizing all that was wrong with the IDF’s performance: relying on new, untested and unrealistic concepts to pretend that the Army has a silver bullet which will solve its problems quickly and easily, ignoring reality in the process. This article draws on six historical case studies, from the American airborne operation in the Normandy Invasion to the Second Lebanon War, to examine the method of swarming, its relevance and its uses. Finally, the article concludes that Swarming is not a revolutionary method, and not ‘The future of conflict’. However it is a very useful method in certain situations, provided that commanders know and understand its possibilities and limitations.

Abstract Shrimp are grown in coastal areas of the tropics primarily for export and have become significant sources of foreign exchange. Japan is the world's single most important importer of seafood products, including shrimp. We examine the nature of linkages ...

Large transportation projects such as highways are expensive, complex, and dynamic in nature. Acquiring large investment capitals for these projects is always a major challenge for every nation. To solve this problem, Vietnamese government has called for the participation of private entities in the form of public-private partnership (PPP). Attracting private investors is a vital and challenging step for implementing PPP transportation projects in Vietnam. This paper examines the similarities and differences of risk perceptions of the public and private sectors for the investment of PPP transportation projects in Vietnam. Questionnaire surveys are used to collect data for assessing the likelihoods of occurrence and impacts of risk factors from 123 experienced professionals from both public and private entities. We found that the two most critical risk factors (CRFs) are land acquisition and compensation, and delay in project approvals and permits. The results from an independent sample t-test indicate the different risk perceptions of the public and private sectors for eight CRFs: (1) corruption, (2) change of project scope, (3) lack of transparency in bidding, (4) inflation, (5) payment issues, (6) inadequate feasibility study, (7) inappropriate allocation of responsibility and risk, and (8) fluctuation of interest rate. These eight CRFs are categorized into three major groups: the tendering process, commercial problems, and payment issues. These results can be used for establishing appropriate public policies to promote private investments in PPP transportation projects. Meanwhile, private investors would also have a better understanding of PPP transportation project development in Vietnam.

Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS; Oriental University, 2019. — 244 pp., ill.
The book is a collection of essays dealing with various aspects of Southeast Asian and Cambodian epigraphy and state formation. The first essay shows the decisive step to the territorial state in Southeast Asia that took place in the seventh century CE. The second essay offers English and Russian translations of the Văt Luong Kău inscription K. 365 issued in honour of the King Devānīka and found near Vat Phou in Laos. Devānīka’s kingdom had no relation to the kingdom of Zhenla, except the possibility that Zhenla conquered the kingdom of Devānīka or his successors. The third essay gives English and Russian translations of the earliest dated Old Kkmer inscription K. 557/600 of 611 CE found in Angkor Borei. The essay includes a short overview of the personal names in the inscriptions of Cambodia. The fourth essay includes English and Russian translations of the Phnom Preah Vihear inscription K. 733 and a discussion of the root vidyā in Old Khmer inscriptions. The fifth essay outlines the history and archaeology of Funan and its transition to Zhenla. The essay is written in Russian. It shows a gradual Indianization of the Lower Mekong River Delta where the kingdom of Funan emerged in the beginning of the Common Era.
Предлагаемая монография «Становление государственности в Юго-Восточной Азии: Фунань и Ченла» состоит из двух частей. Первая написана на английском языке, вторая – на русском. В первой части предлагается концепция формирования территориального государства в регионе в VII в., даны комментированные переводы ключевых ранних надписей, найденных на территории Индокитая. Это санскритская надпись царя Деваники из Ват Пху K. 365, древнейшая датированная древнекхмерская надпись из Ангкор Борея 611 г. K. 557/600 и недатированная санскритская надпись из Преах Вихеар K. 733, в которой упоминаются такие школы индийской философии, как ньяя и вайшешика. Анализ надписей показывает как множественность политических центров в ранней Юго-Восточной Азии и значительные масштабы влияния на неё индийской культуры, так и сложный характер местной антропонимики, в которой одновременно существовали санскритские, древнекхмерские и другие австроазиатские имена. Вторая часть монографии посвящена изложению сведений о древнейших царствах Индокитая – Фунани и Ченле, известных из китайской исторической традиции. Данные письменных источников сопоставляются с результатами археологических исследований в Индокитае. Дана характеристика культуры Окео. В отдельном параграфе рассматриваются царские надписи эпохи Фунани, которые могли быть изданы её правителями или в их честь. Другой параграф показывает циклический характер завоевания Фунани древнекхмерским царством Ченлой: её правители Читрасена-Махендраварман и Ишанаварман оба именуются победителями Фунани в древнекитайских источниках. Особый параграф касается положения зависимых лиц в доангкорской Камбодже – кхнюмов, которых традиционно считают рабами, но чей статус остаётся не вполне ясным.

As an incredibly diverse religious system, Buddhism is constantly changing. The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Buddhism offers a comprehensive collection of work by leading scholars in the field that tracks these changes up to the present day. Taken together, the book provides a blueprint to understanding Buddhism's past and uses it to explore the ways in which Buddhism has transformed in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

The volume contains 41 essays, divided into two sections. The essays in the first section examine the historical development of Buddhist traditions throughout the world. These chapters cover familiar settings like India, Japan, and Tibet as well as the less well-known countries of Vietnam, Bhutan, and the regions of Latin America, Africa, and Oceania. Focusing on changes within countries and transnationally, this section also contains chapters that focus explicitly on globalization, such as Buddhist international organizations and diasporic communities. The second section tracks the relationship between Buddhist traditions and particular themes. These chapters review Buddhist interactions with contemporary topics such as violence and peacebuilding, and ecology, as well as Buddhist influences in areas such as medicine and science.

Offering coverage that is both expansive and detailed, The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Buddhism delves into some of the most debated and contested areas within Buddhist Studies today.

Forest ecosystems deliver valuable services to humanity. However, many forests are being degraded and their services have been undervalued. The main problem lies in the inadequate institutional arrangements for forest governance. This paper aims to assess the effects of alternative forest governance arrangements on the provision and economic values of forest ecosystem services (FES) in Vietnam. The study presents a framework for mapping land use and land cover (LULC) change stemming from actual and hypothetical changes in forest governance regimes, quantifies the resulting changes in the provision of FES, and estimates the associated economic values. In the context of the study site in the North Western uplands of Vietnam, we test three alternative forest gov-ernance scenarios: business as usual, with a dominant government role; a community-based governance regime; and a private, individual-based forestry governance regime. Scenarios are based quite closely on the way these regimes are (or might be expected to be) implemented in Vietnam. For each forest governance scenario, we map LULC changes based on land suitability analysis and transition likelihood for the period 2010 − 2020. The resulting maps are used as inputs into the InVEST (Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Tradeoffs) model, which is used to estimate the quantity of three specific FES: carbon storage/sequestration, sediment yield, and water yield. We apply economic valuation methods to value these services: the social cost of carbon is used to estimate the economic values of carbon storage/sequestration; the cost of removing sediment deposited in reservoirs is applied for valuing the reduction of sediment yield, and the residual value of water supply for hydropower generation is used for valuing water yield. The results show that forest governance regimes have a significant effect not only on forest LULC, but also on the quantity and values of FES derived from forests. The FES are differentially affected by alternative forest governance regimes: some FES increase in quantity and value under some governance regimes and decrease under others. Of the three forest governance regimes examined, there is no one regime that will always be 'better' than the others in terms of provisioning all considered FES. For the specific context of Vietnam, we find that the private forest governance scenario is inferior to the community-based governance scenario, as an alternative to the current state-based governance. Because our results pertain to the scenarios as constructed, rather than generally to broad categories of gov-ernance regimes, there remains the possibility that regimes can be constructed that outperform all of those examined here.

Among about 50 Paragonimus species, Paragonimus proliferus is a rare species characterized by extremely large metacercariae, most of which are present excysted in the crab hosts. Recently, this species was discovered by us in northern Vietnam as the first record outside of China. DNA sequences of both second internal transcribed spacer region (ITS2) and cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (CO1) genes of the metacercariae and adult worms of P. proliferus of the Vietnamese isolates were identical with those of Paragonimus hokuoensis in the DNA database of the GenBank. To confirm those observations and to clarify the molecular phylogenetic status of P. proliferus, we determined the ITS2 and CO1 sequences of the metacercariae of P. proliferus obtained in Yunnan province, China where the original specimen was discovered. The results show that both ITS2 and CO1 sequences of P. proliferus of the Chinese isolates are identical with those of P. proliferus of the Vietnamese isolates and are also identical with those of P. hokuoensis that appeared in the DNA database (obtained in Yunnan province), suggesting the synonymy of P. hokuoensis with P. proliferus. By phylogenetic tree analyses, all samples of P. proliferus from China and Vietnam together with P. hokuoensis constructed a distinct group within, or very close to, Paragonimus skrjabini complex in both trees.

Severe and widespread contamination by arsenic in groundwater and drinking water has been recently revealed in rural and sub-urban areas of the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi with similar magnitude as observed in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India. This fact has prompted the need to investigate the possible mechanisms for such widespread contamination and develop suitable techniques for lowering arsenic concentrations

The etiological spectrum of bloodstream infections is variable between industrialized and developing countries and even within a defined location over time. We investigated trends in bloodstream infections at an infectious disease hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 1994-2008. Amongst 66 111 blood cultures performed, a clinically relevant pathogen was isolated in 7645 episodes (positivity rate; 116/1000 cultures). Salmonella Typhi was the predominant pathogen until 2002; however, a considerable annual decline in the proportion of S. Typhi was observed (OR 0.6993, 95% CI [0.6885, 0.7103], p < 0.0001). Conversely, there was a significant increase in the proportions of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS), Cryptococcus neoformans and Penicillium marneffei, concurrent with increasing HIV prevalence. These data document a substantial longitudinal shift in bloodstream infection etiology in southern Vietnam. We propose such changes are related to increasing economic prosperity and HIV prevalence, and this pattern marks a substantial change in the epidemiology of invasive salmonellosis in Southeast Asia. (S. Baker). diversity in etiology and the proportions of isolated bacteria that exhibit resistance to antimicrobials. 1,2 An understanding of the epidemiology of bloodstream infections in different locations is crucial in the development of rational management and treatment guidelines. In many developing countries in Asia, Salmonella Typhi is the predominant organism isolated from the blood of febrile patients, and isolates that are multidrug resistant (MDR) or exhibit decreased susceptibility to fluoroquinolones 0035-9203/$ -see front matter

In memoriam of an extraordinary Vietnamese national hero and a friend of mine.
My piece covers Đặng Văn Việt, a young Vietminh colonel and his military commander and mentor, General Võ Nguyên Giáp, who helped shape Vietnam's recent history. I also was honored to meet General Giáp. 
Đặng Văn Việt led the regiment that inflicted the first great defeat on France's colonial army in 1950. It was a huge shock to France and the prelude to its final defeat as colonial power at Dien Bien Phu just four years later.

Over the past 25 years, Vietnam has attracted, lobbied and effectively used official development assistance (ODA) capital quite effectively, contributing to the increasing economic growth. Particularly, 2017 ended quite impressively by the achievements of the whole period of 2011-2017. Regarding socio-economy, for the first time in many years, we have completed and exceeded all 13 planned targets. Regarding economic growth, GDP reached 6.81%, exceeding the set plan, which is high compared to other countries in the region and the world. The article will provide evidence and data related to the contribution to Vietnam's economic growth from ODA. Based on the results that we have achieved and taking advantage of the advantages available at home and abroad to be ready to cope with ongoing challenges, specific solutions are required to achieve highly effective and sustainable growth.

Since 1986, Vietnam has undertaken various reform measures in the trade and foreign investment area. This paper finds significant contributions of world trade, and competitiveness and liberalization effects to Vietnam's export growth over the period 1997-2008. Vietnam's exports became more competitive and better complemented the import demand of Vietnam's trade partners. In addition, dynamic comparative advantage became evident in many products, but significant room remains for improving export competitiveness. Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows also increased and helped stimulate Vietnam's exports. FDI inflows have increased in both the short-and long-term, yet are only of a limited magnitude. This necessitates more effective measures to enhance the linkages between FDI and domestic enterprises.a epr_1187 112..131

An evaluation of three new rapid diagnostic test kits for human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1/2), hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), and syphilis involved a two-phase comparison of rapid diagnostic assays using prospectively collected from hospitals and clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. After specificity and sensitivity testing, three new rapid diagnostic test kits were tested in parallel with six commonly used diagnostic test kits. The Determine HIV-1/2 test had fewer indeterminate or equivocal results than the Capillus HIV-1/HIV-2 or HIV Blot 2.2 tests. However, the Determine HIV-1/2 test yielded one false-positive result when compared with the Serodia HIV, HIV Blot 2.2, and microparticle enzyme immunoassay (IMx) HIV tests. The Serodia HBsAg test yielded more false-negative results when compared with the Determine HBsAg diagnostic test kit. The results of the syphilis diagnostic tests evaluated in this clinical trial consistently agreed with those of the rapid plasma reagin test for syphilis. The Determine Syphilis Treponema pallidum (TP) test had three false-positive results compared with the Serodia TP and the Serodia TP•particle agglutination (PA) tests, which had two false-positive results that were confirmed as negative by an ELISA. Application of these serologic tests within this comparative evaluation framework, using the World Health Organization alternative testing strategies, proved to be an effective way to determine serostatus related to HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis.

Culex tritaeniorhynchus, Cx. gelidus, and Cx. quinquefasciatus, known vectors of Japanese encephalitis (JE), are distributed in rice agroecosystems in Asian countries. Very few integrated studies on the breeding habitats of rice-field mosquitoes, including JE vectors, have been conducted in Vietnam. We investigated the mosquito fauna and potential predators in 8 rice growing areas in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam, during the wet and dry seasons of 2009. Mosquitoes and their predators were collected from a variety of aquatic habitats (rice fields, ponds, wetlands, shrimp ponds, ditches, canals, and rivers). We collected 936 Culex spp. (354 Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, 240 Cx. vishnui s.l., 189 Cx. fuscocephala, and 42 Cx. gelidus), 33 Uranotaenia, 25 Anopheles, and 9 Mimomyia (4 Mi. chamberlaini) in the dry season. During the rainy season, we collected 1,232 Culex spp. (132 Cx. vishnui s.l., 66 Cx. tritaeniorhynchus, 9 Cx. gelidus, 4 Cx. fuscocephala, and 2 Cx. bitaeniorhynchus), 236 Anopheles spp. (40 An. vagus and 1 An. sinensis), and 7 Uranotaenia (3 Ur. lateralis). Heteroptera such as Micronecta, Veliidae, and Pleidae were abundant and widely distributed in both seasons. Based on a stepwise generalized linear model, the abundance of mosquitoes and their predators in rice fields was high when the rice plant length was short and water depth was shallow. Therefore, the use of insecticides during the earlier stages of rice growth should be avoided in order to preserve the predator populations.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is reported to be caused by traumatic events that are outside the range of usual human experiences including (but not limited to) military combat, violent personal assault, being kidnapped or taken hostage and terrorist attacks. Initial data suggests that 1 out of 6 returning Iraq War military personnel are exhibiting symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Virtual Reality (VR) exposure therapy has been used in previous treatments of PTSD patients with reports of positive outcomes. The aim of the current paper is to specify the rationale, design and development of an Iraq War PTSD VR application that is being created from the virtual assets that were initially developed for theX-Box game entitled Full Spectrum Warrior which was inspired by a combat tactical training simulation, Full Spectrum Command.

To determine the prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders in an urban Vietnamese population. The Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Disease (COPCORD) Stage I study was carried out in 16 groups in the Trung Liet Commune, Dong Da District, Hanoi City, Vietnam. Phase 1: the WHO ILAR COPCORD Core Questionnaire was applied by primary health care workers to 2119 urban subjects aged 16 years and over. Phase 2: 276 positive responders who had musculoskeletal complaints were interviewed by nurses and examined one week later. Phase 3: 261 positive responders in phase II were examined by 3 rheumatologists and 38% of these subjects required radiographic and blood tests to classify rheumatic disease categories. The response rates were 94.4%, 86.2%, and 94.6% in phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The prevalence of musculoskeletal pain was 14.9%. The most common musculoskeletal complaints were knee pain 18.2%, low back pain 11.2%, and soft tissue disorder 15.4%. Functional dis...

Together with the country researchers, we set out to meet the journalists and media executives in the capital cities-Hanoi, Vientiane and Phnom Penh-where the respective country's major media organizations are located. We wanted to find out whether the Internet has empowered the journalists to report with greater freedom in areas that were previously neglected by their news organizations. Or, has journalism in the Indochina region remain the way it was before the internet ever became part of every day life? Scope of Report This report is in two parts. Part 1 reports on the usage of ICTs by journalists in Hanoi, Vientiane and Phnom Penh. Part 2 proposes a training module for journalists in using ICTs in their daily work. This report does not delve into the history of the mass media and developments of the internet in the three countries. Factual information is available from these websites and reference text:

In this article, an effort has been made to elaborate further on the nature and causes of this combined state terrorism of US and NATO forces, covered up under the more general word “war”, which is more acceptable to the general publics and invokes conditioned conventional patriotic feelings, primarily in the mass unconscious, which then are manifested in the mass consciousness, in various forms; as well as the nature and causes of the success of the Afghan national liberation forces, and of the defeat of imperialist forces, in spite of their incomparable military, technological, and economic superiority.  Such developments involve the dialectical interaction of various contradictions, including those of guerilla and conventional warfares, their development and resolutions. Therefore, some analysis of these has also been included in this article.

There are various types of wars.  On the most basic level, these can be divided into just and unjust wars.  Imperialist, colonial, and neocolonial wars are always unjust wars, while national liberation wars against these are always just wars, Afghanistan national liberation war being one of these.  US and NATO imperialisms were responsible for two unjust wars in that country, that is, the proxy war from 1979 to 1996, which resulted in the rule of Taliban from 1996 to 2001, and then direct invasion and war against that country from 2001 to 2021.  Both these wars were in fact massive imperialist state terrorisms, which caused great devastations in an already impoverished country, killing hundreds of thousands, wounding and maiming millions, causing countless millions to become internally displaced and refugees in other countries, destroying their infrastructures and means of living, and installing subservient puppet governments.

Mangroves play an important role in coastal zones in many aspects e.g. extremely essential habitats for many species, coastlines protection from natural hazards, and so on. However, in Vietnam, like in other developing countries, these mangrove areas have been destroyed and encroached as a consequence of a poorly planned economic development.

This paper investigates the productivity and optimal rotation for economic timber management of Eucalyptus urophylla S.T Blake clones being planted in Northeast Vietnam in Fluvic Gleysol and Ferric Acrisol soils. In the first section of the paper, timber yield functions for all eucalyptus monoculture clones and seedlings are identified. Next, the biological optimum rotation period for maximizing sustained yield is calculated based on the yield functions for each soil type. In the last section, the economically optimal rotation (EOR) lengths for all clones and seedlings planted in the two types of soil are calculated using a modified Faustmann model. The results indicate that eucalypts in Fluvic Gleysol will produce larger timber yields than in Ferric Acrisol. Among the clones commonly planted in Northeast Vietnam, eucalyptus clones U16 and PN14 can yield the largest timber volumes in Fluvic Gleysol and Ferric Acrisol, respectively. Our EOR model reveals that EOR lengths of eucalyptus plantations in Northeast Vietnam are longer than the biological rotation time by 1-3 years under the governmentally subsidized credit scheme for rural households. If growers borrow from commercial and private entities, such rotation period will be substantially shortened and negative site values will appear in a number of cases. Nevertheless, wherever eucalyptus clones are economically qualified, their EOR length is longer than what is currently practiced. To capture the highest profits from eucalypt plantations, growers should extend their current farming business cycle of 7 years to 14-18 years under the subsidized credit scheme and to 10-12 years under the commercial borrowing interest rate. As increasing land use profitability is of great concern across the region, these findings are of practical importance for Vietnamese farmers in choosing clones, land lots, and economic optimal rotation for their farming businesses.

This explorative study assesses perceptions of mental health and help-seeking behavior among adults in Vietnam. Methods included questionnaires (200) and focus group discussions (eight). Respondents were often unable to name specific mental illnesses. Frequently mentioned symptoms of mental illness were talking nonsense, talking/laughing alone and wandering. Pressure/stress and studying/thinking too much were often identified causes. Most respondents showed a preference for medical treatment options, often in combination with family care. The results show that perceptions of mental health and help-seeking behaviour are influenced by a lack of knowledge and a mix of traditional and modern views.

This paper presents the applications of Geoinformatics System (GIS) in three different land-use planning (LUP) approaches. The participatory LUP (PLUP) which strongly consider the local people perceptions for land utilizations, the guidelines for LUP by FAO enhanced with multi-criteria evaluation (FAO-MCE), and the land-use planning and analysis system (LUPAS) using interactive multiple-goal linear programming. The case study was two villages in the coastal area of the Mekong Delta (MD), Vietnam. The land use of the studied area is diverse, quickly shifting and strongly contrasting. The contrast is not only in terms of resources but also in economic profitability and environmental sustainability. GIS plays an important role in the successful of these three LUP approaches. In PLUP, GIS help to integrate the acquired spatial and attribute data from farmer discussions and cross-section walks, and to analyses the changes in not only biophysical, land cover changes but also farmers' perception changes in land utilizations. The conflicts in resources uses, mainly between agriculture and aquaculture, were also mapped and described. In FAO-MCE, a GIS was used to combine biophysical and socio-economic characteristics for land evaluation. A multi-criteria evaluation tool was developed to support the decision maker in trade-off among different stakeholders' interests. In LUPAS, an optimization model was developed. The model is linked with a GIS for data input and results presentation. With the optimization model, the land use planners can explore different land use scenarios with different objectives and constraints, both biophysically and socio-economically. The results of the model are sets of land use option maps with their resources requirements, e.g. labor or capital requirements, and their outputs, e.g. productions of shrimp, rice or total area of forest. This information is very important for the decision-maker to select the most suitable land use plan for the study area.

Posttraumatic nightmares are a hallmark of PTSD and distinct from general nightmares as they are often repetitive and faithful representations of the traumatic event. This paper presents data from a pilot study that examined the use of Imagery Rehearsal in treating combat-related nightmares of 12 Vietnam veterans with PTSD. Three treatment groups, comprising 4 veterans in each, completed standardised treatment across 6 sessions. Treatment effects were investigated using nightmare diaries and established instruments, including the IES-R, BDI, BAI, and SCL-90-R. The data demonstrate significant reductions in nightmares targeted, and improvements in PTSD and comorbid symptomatology. The paper recommends that, on the basis of the promising preliminary data, a randomised control trial be established to assess imagery ability and attidude toward nightmares.

In this study, we examined the effects of military service during the Vietnam War on the quality of life in middle adulthood for a cohort of men characterized by a privileged socioeconomic status. The final sample included 374 men who, upon graduating from an Ivy League college in 1966, performed military service in Vietnam, engaged in military service during this time in regions other than Vietnam, or did not serve in the military. As indices of quality of life in the middle years, we used a set of health-related behaviors, a series of life transitions experienced after the age of 40, and satisfaction with various components of life, as well as life as a whole. Multivariate analyses of variance and chi-square analyses revealed significant differences among the sample subgroups on several quality-of-life indices. The subgroup of Vietnam veterans reported more frequent alcohol use than the nonveterans. In terms of midlife transitions, the Vietnam veterans were most likely to have changed careers and to have moved residence, and the least likely to feel lonely in middle adulthood. Compared to the Vietnam veterans and the Vietnam-era veterans, the nonveteran group was least likely to have questioned their values, experienced depression, or to have moved to a new home. Finally, the Vietnam veterans were significantly less satisfied with their careers, finances, and with life in general, compared to their nonveteran counterparts; however, they reported more satisfaction with their male friendships than did Vietnam-era veterans. These findings suggest that the Vietnam War experience is associated with lower quality of life during middle adulthood in certain domains, even among a select group of individuals, of high socioeconomic status, whose privileged background could have presumably protected them from the adversities of the Vietnam War.

Micronutrient deficiencies are associated with impaired growth and cognitive function. A school-based fortification program might benefit schoolchildren but a high prevalence of parasite infestation might affect effectiveness. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 2 × 2 factorial trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of multimicronutrient fortified biscuits with or without de-worming on growth, cognitive function, and parasite load in Vietnamese schoolchildren. Schoolchildren (n = 510), 6-8 years of age were randomly allocated to receive albendazole or placebo at baseline and four months of multi-micronutrient fortified biscuits (FB) or non-fortified biscuits. Children receiving FB for four months scored higher on two cognitive tests: Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the Digit Span Forward test. Children receiving albendazole plus FB had the lowest parasite load after four months. In children receiving FB, midupper arm circumference was slightly improved (+0.082 cm) but there were no differences in other indexes of anthropometry. Combining multi-micronutrient fortified biscuits with de-worming is an effective strategy.

The importance of the relationships between industry and academia is stressed by strategists, politicians, Vocational Education Training (VET) policy makers, and industrial planners. Industry without knowledge surely dies, and knowledge without application of that knowledge is valueless. This paper focuses on the relationships between the VET providers and industries. More specifically, the purpose of this paper is (1) to discuss the factors which enhance or constrain the strategic partnership, (2) to present the experiences of this relationship in the developing and developed countries, (3) to propose a model that links the two institutions, the VET providers and industries, in the Vietnamese context.

This paper examines whether poor and vulnerable groups in society share in the benefits of a foreseen economic expansion in the demand for fruit, vegetables and flowers from consumers at home and abroad. Primary survey data is collected on the differentiated position of low-income households in different supply structures (with varying levels of vertical coordination) and markets (national, regional and international markets). The data support the following hypotheses: (i) For many resource-poor agents, horticulture-related activities make substantial contributions to their livelihood security-certainly in the short term. (ii) Farming, trading services, small-scale retail, and farm labour are activities to which members of resource-poor and economically vulnerable households have the best access given their endowments. (iii) A move from food production for home consumption towards cash crops or off-farm labour is supported when there are sufficient options to reduce livelihood risk in the household. (iv) Both value creation and the generation of opportunities for (self-) employment in domestic marketing channels are substantial, and possibly outweigh the economic impact of overseas export marketing. Policy support is best tailored to specific conditions and specific actors to achieve a maximum impact on poverty alleviation. For that purpose, a three-tiered grouping of marketing channels for livelihood development is proposed.

Dengue is a pantropic public health problem. In children, dengue shock syndrome (DSS) is the most common life-threatening complication. The ability to predict which patients may develop DSS may improve triage and treatment. To this end, we conducted a nested case-control comparison of the early host transcriptional features in 24 DSS patients and 56 sex-, age-, and virus serotype-matched uncomplicated (UC) dengue patients. In the first instance, we defined the "early dengue" profile. The transcriptional signature in acute rather than convalescent samples (<72 h post-illness onset) was defined by an overabundance of interferoninducible transcripts (31% of the 551 overabundant transcripts) and canonical gene ontology terms that included the following: response to virus, immune response, innate immune response, and inflammatory response. Pathway and network analyses identified STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, IRF7, IRF9, IRF1, CEBPB, and SP1 as key transcriptional factors mediating the early response. Strikingly, the only difference in the transcriptional signatures of early DSS and UC dengue cases was the greater abundance of several neutrophilassociated transcripts in patients who progressed to DSS, a finding supported by higher plasma concentrations of several canonical proteins associated with neutrophil degranulation (bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein [BPI], elastase 2 [ELA2], and defensin 1 alpha [DEF1A]). Elevated levels of neutrophil-associated transcripts were independent of the neutrophil count and also of the genotype of the infecting virus, as genome-length sequences of dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1) (n ‫؍‬ 15) and DENV-2 (n ‫؍‬ 3) sampled from DSS patients were phylogenetically indistinguishable from those sampled from uncomplicated dengue patients (32 DENV-1 and 9 DENV-2 sequences). Collectively, these data suggest a hitherto unrecognized association between neutrophil activation, pathogenesis, and the development of DSS and point to future strategies for guiding prognosis.

Reverse transcriptase loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) is a unique gene amplification method that can be completed within 35 min at 62.5 • C. In the present study, RT-LAMP was used to develop a rapid and sensitive laboratory diagnostic system for the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The sensitivity of the system was 0.1-0.01 plaque-forming units per reaction for HPAI-H5N1 viruses belonging to the genetically and antigenically distinct clade 1, represented by A/Vietnam/JP1203/2004, and clade 2, represented by A/Indonesia/JP283/2006. This RT-LAMP sensitivity is 10-fold higher than the sensitivity of standard one-step RT-PCR. By using viral RNAs extracted from avian influenza viruses of H1-H15 hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes and human pathogenic respiratory viruses, it was confirmed that the RT-LAMP system amplifies specifically RNA of the H5 subtype virus. The system detected H5-HA genes in throat swabs collected from humans as well as from wild birds. These results suggest that the present RT-LAMP system is a useful diagnostic tool for surveillance of recent outbreaks of the HPAI-H5N1 virus.

Artículo publicado en Huffington Post Mexico, 26 abril 2017. Leer en red: http://www.huffingtonpost.com.mx/the-conversation/en-peligro-de-extincion-la-cultura-popular-en-la-publicidad-art/?utm_hp_ref=mx-homepage

Traducción en español del artículo publicado el 19 abril 2017 en The Conversation Global.

Aim The aim of this study was to obtain pharmacogenetic data in a Vietnamese population on genes coding for proteins involved in the elimination of drugs currently used for the treatment of malaria and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Method The main polymorphisms on the cytochrome P450 (CYP) genes, CYP2A6, CYP2B6, CYP2C19, CYP2D6, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5, and the multi-drug resistance 1 gene (MDR1) were genotyped in 78 healthy Vietnamese subjects. Pharmacokinetic metrics were available for CYP2A6 (coumarin), CYP2C19 (mephenytoin), CYP2D6 (metoprolol) and CYP3As (midazolam), allowing correlations with the determined genotype. Results In the CYP2 family, we detected alleles CYP2A6*4 (12%) and *5 (15%); CYP2B6*4 (8%), *6 (27%); CYP2C19*2 (31%) and *3 (6%); CYP2D6*4, *5, *10 (1, 8 and 44%, respectively). In the CYP3A family, CYP3A4*1B was detected at a low frequency (2%), whereas CYP3A5 *3 was detected at a frequency of 67%. The MDR1 3435T allele was present with a prevalence of 40%. Allele proportions in our cohort were compared with those reported for other Asian populations. CYP2C19 genotypes were associated to the S-4′-OH-mephenytoin/S-mephenytoin ratio quantified in plasma 4 h after intake of 100 mg mephenytoin. While CYP2D6 genotypes were partially reflected by the α-OH-metroprolol/metoprolol ratio in plasma 4 h after dosing, no correlation existed between midazolam plasma concentrations 4 h post-dose and CYP3A genotypes. Conclusions The Vietnamese subjects of our study cohort presented allele prevalences in drug-metabolising enzymes that were generally comparable with those reported in other Asian populations. Deviations were found for CYP2A6*4 compared to a Chinese population (12 vs. 5%, respectively; P = 0.023), CYP2A6*5 compared with a Korean population (15 vs. <1%, respectively; P < 0.0001), a Malaysian population (1%; P < 0.0001) and a Chinese population (1%; P < 0.0001); CYP2B6*6 compared with a Korean population (27 vs. 12%; P = 0.002) and a Japanese population (16%; P = 0.021). Pharmacokinetic metrics versus genotype analysis reinforces the view that the predictive value of certain globally common variants (e.g. CYP2D6 single nucleotide polymorphisms) should be evaluated in a population-specific manner.

The development of supermarkets in Vietnam, as in other emerging countries, is accompanied by increasing consumer concern for food quality. This paper investigates whether farmer organizations are able to help small-scale farmers obtain access to supermarkets as well as examines the role that supermarkets and public support play in the emergence and development of these organizations. The paper is based on case studies of a number of stakeholders marketing vegetables, flavored rice and litchi fruit in Vietnam. Eight farmer groups operating in the form of private commercial organizations act as regular supermarket suppliers for the selected products. Their ability to supply supermarkets is related to the combination of functions they make available to their members, especially with regard to promoting and controlling quality for which they receive public support. Their participation in flexible contracts with supermarkets, shops and schools is also a key issue. Supplying supermarkets via farmer associations increases farmers' profits per kilo compared to traditional chains, but the quantities supplied to supermarkets remain limited. The paper argues that changes in farmer organizations are not primarily due to supplying supermarkets, but rather to public and international support for food quality improvement which has been of benefit to supermarkets.

In the Mekong Delta (South Vietnam), the agglomeration of Ho-Chi-Minh (HCM) City, with more than 5 million inhabitants, is confronted with a dramatic shortage of fresh water supply because of the pollution of several aquifers at different depths. The electric tomography, obtained by concurrent inversion of two complementary geoelectrical methods, the Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) and the Magneto-Telluric Sounding (MTS), turned out to be very efficient to provide a complete electrical image of the underground from the surface until about 800 m depth. This methodology constitutes a very cheap guide for the evaluation of the quality of the groundwater resources in the vast alluvial plain of the Mekong Delta. To cite this article: V.N. Pham et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 733-740.  2002 Académie des sciences / Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS electric tomography / hydrogeological investigation / groundwater quality / Mekong Delta Résumé -Investigation hydrogéologique dans le delta du Mékong, autour de la ville de Ho-Chi-Minh (Sud-Vietnam), par tomographie électrique. Dans le delta du Mékong au Sud Vietnam, l'agglomération de Ho-Chi-Minh (HCM), avec plus de 5 millions d'habitants, est confrontée à un énorme problème d'alimentation en eau potable, du fait de la pollution des diverses nappes aquifères superficielles et profondes. La tomographie électrique, obtenue par inversion conjointe de deux méthodes géoélectriques complémentaires, le sondage électrique (SE) et le sondage magnéto-tellurique (SMT), se révèle très efficace pour fournir une image électrique complète du sous-sol, depuis la surface jusqu'à une profondeur de 800 m environ. Cette méthodologie constitue un guide très économique dans l'évaluation de la qualité des ressources d'eau souterraine dans la vaste plaine alluviale du delta du Mékong. Pour citer cet article : V.N. Pham et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 733-740.  2002 Académie des sciences / Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS tomographie électrique / investigation hydrogéologique / qualité de l'eau souterraine / delta du Mékong

Nitrogen (N) loss through ammonia volatilization from paddy fields at three sites in Vietnam was measured using the dynamic chamber method. Two sites were located in northern Vietnam and volatilization was measured in the summer and spring. The third site was in the Mekong Delta region in southern Vietnam and volatilization was measured in the dry and wet seasons. Urea was applied at 20–40 kg N ha−1 as a split application and a total of 80–100 kg N ha−1 was applied in the cropping season. Peaks in the NH3 flux were observed at 1 or 3 days after the application of urea, followed by a sharp decline to generally less than 1 mg N m−2 h−1 within 9 days. The estimated N losses by NH3 volatilization during the first 10-day period after fertilizer application and throughout the cropping period were 0.5–19.7% and 1.7–14.6% of the applied N, respectively, indicating that NH3 volatilization was a significant pathway of N loss from these Vietnamese paddy fields.

Clonal cultures of Alexandrium species collected from a shrimp pond on the northern coast of Vietnam were established and morphologically identified as Alexandrium minutum. Nucleotide sequences of domains 1 and 2 of the large subunit ribosomal (LSU) rRNA gene showed high sequence similarity to A. minutum isolates from Malaysia. Paralytic shellfish toxin profile of the clones was characterized by the dominance of GTX4, GTX1, and NEO. GTX3, GTX2, and dcSTX were also present in trace amount. Toxin content varied among the strains and growth stages, ranged from 3.0 to 12.5 fmol cell À1 . In addition to these known toxin components, a new gonyautoxin derivative was detected by HPLC, eluting between GTX4 and GTX1. The peak of this compound disappeared under non-oxidizing HPLC condition but unchanged either after treated with 0.05 M ammonium phosphate/10% mercaptoethanol or 0.1N HCl hydrolysis. LCMS ion scanning showed a parental ion of [M + H] + at m/z 396, [M À SO 3 ] + at m/z 316, and [M À SO 4 ] + at m/z 298. Based on these results, the derivative was identified as deoxy-GTX4-12ol, and this represents the first report of this toxin analogue. #