Synergetic Dual-Additive Electrolyte Enables Highly Stable Performance in Sodium Metal Batteries.

Sodium (Na)-metal batteries (SMBs) are considered one of the most promising candidates for the large-scale energy storage market owing to their high theoretical capacity (1,166 mAh g-1) and the abundance of Na raw material. However, the limited stability of electrolytes still hindered the application of SMBs. Herein, sulfolane (Sul) and vinylene carbonate (VC) are identified as effective dual additives that can largely stabilize propylene carbonate (PC)-based electrolytes, prevent dendrite growth, and extend the cycle life of SMBs. The cycling stability of the Na/NaNi0.68Mn0.22Co0.1O2 (NaNMC) cell with this dual-additive electrolyte is remarkably enhanced, with a capacity retention of 94% and a Coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.9% over 600 cycles at a 5 C (750 mA g-1) rate. The superior cycling performance of the cells can be attributed to the homogenous, dense, and thin hybrid solid electrolyte interphase consisting of F- and S-containing species on the surface of both the Na metal anode and the NaNMC cathode by adding dual additives. Such unique interphases can effectively facilitate Na-ion transport kinetics and avoid electrolyte depletion during repeated cycling at a very high rate of 5 C. This electrolyte design is believed to result in further improvements in the performance of SMBs.

Influence of ZIF-9 and ZIF-12 structure on the formation of a series of new Co/N-doped porous carbon composites as anode electrodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

A series of new Co/N-doped porous carbon composites, denoted as Co/CZIF-9 and Co/CZIF-12, containing Co nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon matrices were prepared by annealing Co-based zeolite imidazolate framework materials, ZIF-9 and ZIF-12, as the efficient precursors at different temperatures. The structural features of the as-synthesized composites at 900 °C were determined by analytical methods with high reliability. Consequently, Co/CZIF-12_900 exhibits a high first specific discharge capacity of 971.0 mA h g-1 at a current density of 0.1 A g-1. Notably, the specific discharge/charge capacity of Co/CZIF-12_900 reaches about 508.8 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 after 100 cycles. The outstanding behaviors can be accounted for by the efficient incorporation of hetero-nitrogen doping and the Co nanoparticles within the layered structure of porous carbon, enhancing electrical conductivity and structural stability and limiting volume change during the intercalation/deintercalation of Li+ ions. These findings suggest that the Co/CZIF-12_900 material could be employed as a promising anode electrode for energy storage products.

Local minima and factor rotations in exploratory factor analysis.

In exploratory factor analysis, factor rotation algorithms can converge to local solutions (i.e., local minima) when they are initiated from different starting points. To better understand this problem, we performed three studies that investigated the prevalence and correlates of local solutions with five factor rotation algorithms: varimax, oblimin, entropy, and geomin (orthogonal and oblique). In total, we simulated 16,000 data sets and performed more than 57 million factor rotations to examine the influence of (a) factor loading size, (b) number of factor indicators, (c) factor cross loadings, (d) factor correlation size, (e) factor loading standardization, (f) sample size, and (g) model approximation error on the frequency of local solutions in factor rotation. We also examined local solutions in an exploratory factor analysis of an open source data set that included 54 personality items. Across three studies, all five algorithms converged to local solutions under some conditions with geomin (orthogonal and oblique) producing the highest number of local solutions. Follow-up analyses showed that, when factor rotations produced multiple solutions, the factor pattern with the maximum hyperplane count (rather than the lowest complexity value) was typically closest in mean squared error to the population factor pattern. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The psychometric properties of the Vietnamese Version of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Although recent decades have witnessed a growing interest in mindfulness with the development of many mindfulness scales and their adaptation to different cultures, there has been no attempt at developing or adapting a mindfulness scale for Vietnamese people. To fill this gap and encourage the study of mindfulness in Vietnam, we adapted a 20-item short-form of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-20) into Vietnamese, which we called the FFMQ-V, and examined its psychometric properties in a series of three independent studies. METHODS: In Study 1, using a college sample (N = 412) we conducted several exploratory factor analyses to elucidate the factor structure of the FFMQ-V. In Study 2, using an independent college sample (N = 344) we performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the goodness-of-fit for all obtained factor models from Study 1. In this study, we also examined the discriminant validities of the FFMQ-V by correlating mindfulness and other related psychological constructs, including acceptance, nonattachment, depression, anxiety, and stress. In Study 3, we replicated all data analyses in Study 2 using a community sample of young adults (N = 574). RESULTS: Across all Studies, our results indicated that the hierarchical five-factor model with method factors best captured the latent structure of the FFMQ-V. Our results also showed that the mindfulness facets met our expectations as they correlated positively with the acceptance and nonattachment and negatively with the depression, anxiety, and stress. CONCLUSIONS: In aggregate, our EFA and CFA results provided strong evidence for the hierarchical five-factor model with method factors in both community and college samples, suggesting that the FFMQ-V can be used to measure trait mindfulness of the Vietnamese young adults.

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Adolescents' Psychological Distress: A Multinational Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has continued for more than two years, and the impact of this pandemic on mental health has become one of the most important research topics in psychiatry and psychology. The aim of the present study was to assess psychological distress in adolescents across five countries (Sweden, Morocco, Serbia, Vietnam, and the United States of America) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Using nonparametric analyses we examined the impact of COVID-19 on distress, measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory, in a sample of 4670 adolescents. RESULTS: Our results showed that the association between the COVID-19 impact and psychological distress in adolescents' lives was positive and moderate in Morocco and Serbia, positive and weak in Vietnam and the United States of America, and negative and weak in Sweden. We also found that female adolescents reported higher distress levels than male adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 impacted adolescents and their psychological distress differently depending on their residence.

Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from Villages and Forest Areas of Rural Communes in Khanh Hoa and Binh Phuoc Provinces, Vietnam.

This study presents the diversity of mosquitoes collected from communes, endemic with malaria and dengue, located in Khanh Hoa and Binh Phuoc Provinces, Vietnam. A total of 10,288 mosquitoes were collected in the village and forested sites using standard larval dippers, cow-baited traps, ultra-violet light traps, and mechanical aspirators. Mosquito taxa were identified morphologically and species complexes/groups were further characterized molecularly. Five genera of mosquitoes were morphologically identified: Anopheles Meigen (21 species), Aedes Meigen (2 species), Culex Linnaeus (5 species), Mansonia Blanchard sp., and Armigeres Theobald sp. The PCR-based identification methods allowed the distinction of members of Maculatus Group, Funestus Group, and Dirus Complex; and DNA barcodes enabled the further identification of the Barbirostris Complex. Data reported here include the first report of An. saeungae Taai & Harbach and An. wejchoochotei Taai & Harbach from Vietnam, and re-emphasizes the significance of using molecular data in an integrated systematic approach to identify cryptic species and better understand their role in disease transmission.

The Pup-Proteasome System Protects Mycobacteria from Antimicrobial Antifolates.

Protein turnover via the Pup-proteasome system (PPS) is essential for nitric oxide resistance and virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of tuberculosis. Our study revealed components of PPS as novel determinants of intrinsic antifolate resistance in both M. tuberculosis and nonpathogenic M. smegmatis The lack of expression of the prokaryotic ubiquitin-like protein (Pup) or the ligase, PafA, responsible for ligating Pup to its protein targets, enhanced antifolate susceptibility in M. smegmatis Cross-species expression of M. tuberculosis homologs restored wild-type resistance to M. smegmatis proteasomal mutants. Targeted deletion of prcA and prcB, encoding the structural components of the PPS proteolytic core, similarly resulted in reduced antifolate resistance. Furthermore, sulfonamides were synergistic with acidified nitrite, and the synergy against mycobacteria was enhanced in the absence of proteasomal activity. In M. tuberculosis, targeted mutagenesis followed by genetic complementation of mpa, encoding the regulatory subunit responsible for translocating pupylated proteins to the proteolytic core, demonstrated a similar function of PPS in antifolate resistance. The overexpression of dihydrofolate reductase, responsible for the reduction of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate, or disruption of the Lonely Guy gene, responsible for PPS-controlled production of cytokinins, abolished PPS-mediated antifolate sensitivity. Together, our results show that PPS protects mycobacteria from antimicrobial antifolates via regulating both folate reduction and cytokinin production.

Progress towards rabies control and elimination in Vietnam.

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths each year. The majority of these deaths occur in developing countries in Asia. Canine rabies is endemic to Vietnam, which is, however, moving towards the disease's elimination. Many countries, such as Vietnam, have invested tremendous resources in controlling rabies, highlighting the goal of regional and global elimination of this neglected disease. In Vietnam, rabies is recognised as one of five high-priority, zoonotic diseases by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Investment by the government and by international partners for rabies prevention and control has played a substantial role in reducing human rabies deaths from 404 cases in 1992 to 74 cases in 2017. The catalyst for this effort was the Prime Minister's creation of the National Rabies Program in 1996, which led to increased support and resources for rabies prevention and control. Interventions carried out since then include the expansion of post-exposure prophylaxis centres throughout the country, the introduction or revision of key legislation and guidelines, and improved multisectoral One Health collaboration. In addition, support from international partners, such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has helped to increase awareness, manage dog populations more effectively, and improve Vietnam's surveillance and diagnostic capabilities. To pursue the goal of eliminating dog-mediated rabies in Vietnam, political commitment is crucial. Resources must be made available to enforce the regulations and guidelines that will enable Vietnam to achieve greater canine rabies vaccination coverage. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the animal and human health systems in Vietnam, as well as past, current and future directions of rabies prevention and control.

La rage est une maladie virale à l'issue mortelle faisant chaque année un nombre estimé de 59 000 victimes humaines. La plupart de ces décès surviennent dans les pays en développement d'Asie. Au Vietnam, la rage canine est endémique mais le pays poursuit activement l'objectif d'éliminer la rage de son territoire. À l'instar du Vietnam, plusieurs pays ont investi des ressources colossales pour contrôler la rage, renforçant ainsi la dimension régionale et mondiale de l'objectif d'élimination de cette maladie négligée. Au Vietnam, la rage figure parmi les cinq zoonoses hautement prioritaires prises en compte par le ministère de la Santé et le ministère de l'Agriculture et du développement rural. Les investissements consacrés à la prévention et au contrôle de la rage par le gouvernement et ses partenaires internationaux ont joué un rôle déterminant dans la réduction du nombre de décès humains dus à la rage, qui est passé de 404 cas en 1992 à 74 cas en 2017. L'élément catalyseur de cet effort a été la création en 1996 du Programme national de lutte contre la rage par le premier ministre de l'époque, ce qui a permis de renforcer les ressources et le soutien dédiés à la prévention et à la lutte contre la rage. Depuis lors, les interventions ont porté sur la création de centres de prophylaxie post-exposition sur tout le territoire, l'introduction ou la révision de la législation et des lignes directrices applicables et l'amélioration de la collaboration Une seule santé. En outre, le soutien de partenaires internationaux tels que l'Organisation mondiale de la santé animale (OIE), l'Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture (FAO) et les Centres pour le contrôle et la prévention des maladies (CDC, États-Unis d'Amérique) a abouti à une meilleure sensibilisation, à une gestion plus efficace des populations de chiens et à un renforcement des capacités de surveillance et de diagnostic au Vietnam. Un engagement politique fort est indispensable pour réussir à éliminer totalement la rage transmise par les chiens au Vietnam. Des ressources doivent être rendues disponibles afin de mettre en oeuvre la réglementation et les lignes directrices pertinentes et d'augmenter ainsi la couverture vaccinale de la population canine du pays. Les auteurs décrivent les systèmes de santé animale et publique du Vietnam ainsi que les orientations passées, actuelles et futures de la prévention et du contrôle de la rage dans le pays.

La rabia es una enfermedad vírica fatal, que según las estimaciones mata a 59 000 personas al año, mayoritariamente en países en desarrollo asiáticos. La rabia canina es endémica en el Vietnam, país que no obstante avanza ahora hacia la eliminación de la enfermedad. Como el Vietnam, muchos países han invertido cantidades colosales de recursos en la lucha antirrábica, subrayando con ello su compromiso con el objetivo de eliminar esta enfermedad desatendida a escala regional y mundial. El Ministerio de Salud y el Ministerio de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural del Vietnam tienen catalogada la rabia como una de las cinco enfermedades zoonóticas que revisten máxima prioridad. Las inversiones en prevención y control de la rabia realizadas por el gobierno y por asociados internacionales han ayudado sensiblemente a reducir el número de personas muertas por la rabia, que ha pasado de 404 casos en 1992 a 74 en 2017. El catalizador de este esfuerzo fue la creación en 1996, por iniciativa del Primer Ministro, del Programa Nacional contra la Rabia, que se tradujo en un aumento del apoyo y los recursos destinados a prevenir y combatir la enfermedad. Entre otras intervenciones, desde entonces se ha multiplicado en todo el país el número de centros donde se dispensa profilaxis tras la exposición, se han promulgado o revisado leyes, decretos y directrices fundamentales y se ha mejorado la colaboración multisectorial en clave de Una sola salud. Además, el respaldo de asociados internacionales como la Organización Mundial de Sanidad Animal (OIE), la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS), la Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Alimentación y la Agricultura (FAO) o los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) de los Estados Unidos ha ayudado a generar una mayor conciencia del problema, a gestionar más eficazmente las poblaciones de perros y a dotar al país de mejores medios de vigilancia y diagnóstico. Para hacer realidad el objetivo de eliminar del Vietnam la rabia transmitida por perros, la voluntad política es un factor clave, pues hay que poner sobre la mesa los recursos necesarios para aplicar los reglamentos y normas que permitirán al país ampliar la cobertura de vacunación canina antirrábica. Tras trazar una panorámica de los sistemas sanitario y zoosanitario del Vietnam, los autores describen el rumbo pasado, presente y futuro de las labores de prevención y control de la rabia en el país.

Evaluation of Vietnam's post-exposure prophylaxis delivery system, 2017.

BACKGROUND: Canine-mediated human rabies deaths typically occur in poor and rural populations with limited access to rabies biologics: vaccine and immunoglobulin. A critical aspect of reducing rabies deaths is understanding how these countries procure, deliver, and forecast rabies biologics. Vietnam is one of the few endemic countries where biologics is widely available. However, a formal evaluation of its current rabies biologics distribution system has not been conducted. METHODS: In 2017, we conducted a formal evaluation of Vietnam's rabies biologics distribution system. Our goals were (1) to identify centers providing rabies biologics (2) identify costs to the patient and centers and (3) assess the rabies biologic procurement and delivery system at eligible district and provincial centers (provides and orders biologics for itself and other centers directly from the manufacture). To conduct the formal evaluation, we developed a standardized survey that was distributed to centers. RESULTS: Of the 780 designated rabies biologics centers in Vietnam, 659 (84%) of them provide rabies immunoglobulin (eRIG), vaccine, or both. Of the 177 eligible centers, 90% (160) responded to the survey. The average costs to patients were $8.45 (range: 5.43-12.77) for one dose of IM injection, $13.90 (range: 11.86-16.71) for domestic eRIG, and $23 (21.11-27.11) for imported eRIG. Respondents reported experiencing delays in receiving vaccine in 50 centers and eRIG in 14 centers within the past year. Respondents stated their top three challenges in providing biologics were: delays or shortages from manufactures, lack of funds to pay for biologics, and the high cost of biologics. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Despite the wide availability of biologics in Vietnam, more work is needed to provide affordable and reliable supply of biologics to patients. This includes the expansion of ID injection use throughout the country to lower vaccine demand, and decrease the costs to centers and patients. Furthermore, a more coordinated effort to share biologics among centers, possibly through a more centralized system at the provincial level may alleviate delays and shortages.

Rabies post-exposure prophylaxis initiation and adherence among patients in Vietnam, 2014-2016.

BACKGROUND: Adhering to post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP): wound treatment, vaccine, and rabies immunoglobulin (RIG) is a crucial step in preventing rabies mortality. When PEP is widely available, a lack of adherence to the recommended treatment guidelines can also lead to death. Our objective was to understand characteristics associated with adherence to the vaccine regimen and RIG in Vietnam. METHODS: We obtained individual-level data on PEP adherence from registries at 10 sites located in five provinces. From these registries, we extracted epidemiologic characteristics of patients including the timing of PEP initiation and completion. We used descriptive analyses and logistic regression to examine patient characteristics associated with initiation and completion of RIG and vaccine. Based on reported rabies mortality, the government defined provincial rabies burden as medium-burden (<5 and >2 deaths) and high-burden (≥5 deaths). RESULTS: During 2014-2016, 15,646 patients received PEP in our study. Among 14,296 vaccinated patients, only 41.4% (5847) completed their five-dose intramuscular (IM) injections and 81.6% (133) of patients completed their eight-dose intradermal (ID) injections. Approximately 26% of patients received RIG. Patient characteristics associated with vaccine completion were females (44%), <15 years of age (44%), category 1 exposure (68%, bite location on leg (46%), bite from bat (56%), bite from a healthy animal (45%), high-burden province (86%), and district preventive center (49%). Disparities were revealed among provinces, with high-burden provinces having highest (86%) and lowest (7%) vaccine completion rates. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Vietnam has made tremendous progress towards reducing the burden of rabies. However, despite the wide availability of PEP, we found relatively low rates of vaccine completion. Our findings suggest provider training and patient education is needed to ensure appropriate treatment is completed. Moreover, our data suggest changes to information reported through the national surveillance system for monitoring good clinical practice for rabies prevention and control.

Rabies Vaccine Hesitancy and Deaths Among Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women - Vietnam, 2015-2016.

Human rabies deaths are preventable through prompt administration of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) with rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine after exposure to a rabid animal (1); there are no known contraindications to receiving PEP (1,2). Despite widespread availability of PEP in Vietnam, in 2015 the Ministry of Health (MoH) received reports of pregnant and breastfeeding women with clinically diagnosed rabies. MoH investigated factors associated with these rabies cases. MoH found that, during 2015-2016, among 169 cases reported in Vietnam, two probable cases of rabies were reported in breastfeeding mothers and four in pregnant women, all of whom had been bitten by dogs. All six patients died. Three of the four pregnant women had cesarean deliveries. One of the three newborns died from complications believed to be unrelated to rabies; the fourth pregnant woman contracted rabies too early in pregnancy for the fetus to be viable. Two of the patients sought care from a medical provider or traditional healer; however, none sought PEP after being bitten. In each case, families reported the patient's fear of risk to the fetus or breastfed child as the primary barrier to receiving PEP. These findings highlight the need for public health messaging about the safety and effectiveness of PEP in preventing rabies among all persons with exposures, including pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Fatal wound infection caused by Chromobacterium violaceum in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Chromobacterium violaceum is a proteobacterium found in soil and water in tropical regions which rarely causes infection in humans. Here, we report a fatal bacteremia caused by Chromobacterium violaceum in Vietnam. We describe a number of clinical, microbiological, and molecular aspects associated with this bacterial infection.