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This cranio-morphometric study emphasizes a “two-layer model” for eastern Eurasian anatomically modern human (AMH) populations, based on large datasets of 89 population samples including findings directly from ancient archaeological contexts. Results suggest that an initial “first layer” of AMH had related closely to ancestral Andaman, Australian, Papuan, and Jomon groups who likely entered this region via the Southeast Asian landmass, prior to 65–50 kya. A later “second layer” shared strong cranial affinities with Siberians, implying a Northeast Asian source, evidenced by 9 kya in central China and then followed by expansions of descendant groups into Southeast Asia after 4 kya. These two populations shared limited initial exchange, and the second layer grew at a faster rate and in greater numbers, linked with contexts of farming that may have supported increased population densities. Clear dichotomization between the two layers implies a temporally deep divergence of distinct migration routes for AMH through both southern and northern Eurasia.

We have used electron probe microanalysis to examine Southeast Asian nephrite (jade) artifacts, many archeologically excavated, dating from 3000 B.C. through the first millennium A.D. The research has revealed the existence of one of the most extensive sea-based trade networks of a single geological material in the prehistoric world. Green nephrite from a source in eastern Taiwan was used to make two very specific forms of ear pendant that were distributed, between 500 B.C. and 500 A.D., through the Philippines, East Malaysia, southern Vietnam, and peninsular Thailand, forming a 3,000-km-diameter halo around the southern and eastern coastlines of the South China Sea. Other Taiwan nephrite artifacts, especially beads and bracelets, were distributed earlier during Neolithic times throughout Taiwan and from Taiwan into the Philippines.

Objectives. We engaged Vietnamese nail salon workers in a community-based participatory research (CBPR) study to measure personal and area concentrations of solvents in their workplace. Methods. We measured average work-shift concentrations of toluene, ethyl acetate, and isopropyl acetate among 80 workers from 20 salons using personal air monitors. We also collected area samples from 3 salons using summa canisters. Results. For personal measurements, the arithmetic mean was 0.53 parts per million (range = 0.02–5.50) for ethyl acetate, 0.04 parts per million (range = 0.02–0.15) for isopropyl acetate, and 0.15 parts per million (range = 0.02–1.0) for toluene. Area measurements were lower in comparison, but we detected notable levels of methyl methacrylate, a compound long banned from nail products. Predictors of solvent levels included different forms of ventilation and whether the salon was located in an enclosed building. Conclusions. Using a CBPR approach that engaged community members in the research process contributed to the successful recruitment of salon workers. Measured levels of toluene, methyl methacrylate, and total volatile organic compounds were higher than recommended guidelines to prevent health symptoms such as headaches, irritations, and breathing problems, which were frequently reported in this workforce.

This article explores why landscape is a crucial element in researching the relationship between environment and well-being. The main point we make is that human social agents are embedded in particular landscapes, and it is in landscapes that environmental changes are experienced, which can have implications for well-being. We draw from a variety of perspectives on landscape that understands a fundamental creative relation between humans and landscape and recent developments in neo-materialism theorising. Landscape is understood here as an assemblage of different forms of matter, animate and inanimate objects, as well as symbolic and cultural processes. A case study is also presented to indicate how landscape can be studied in relation to environment and change. Using the conceptual ideas laid out in the first section of the article, we analyse landscape, environment and well-being in Xuan Thuy National Park in North Vietnam. The area is part of a precarious coastal region where extreme weather events have impacted on the well-being of both humans and other matter. This article concludes with suggestions on the use of this landscape approach in researching environment and well-being.

Nacre, also called mother-of-pearl, is a naturally occurring biomineral, largely studied by chemists, structural biologists, and physicists to understand its outstanding and diverse properties. Nacre is constituted of aragonite nanograins surrounded by organic matrix, and it has been established that the organic matrix is responsible for initiating and guiding the biomineralization process. The first challenge to study the organic matrix of nacre lays in its separation from the biomineral. Several extraction methods have been developed so far. They are categorized as either strong (e.g., decalcification) or soft (e.g., water, ethanol) and they allow specific extractions of targeted compounds. The structure of the nacreous organic matrix is complex, and it provides interesting clues to describe the mineralization process. Proteins, sugars, lipids, peptides, and other molecules have been identified and their role in mineralization investigated. Moreover, the organic matrix of nacre has shown interesting properties for human health. Several studies are investigating its activity on bone mineralization and its properties for skin care. In this review, we focus on the organic constituents, as lipids, sugars, and small metabolites which are less studied since present in small quantities.

Research has generally outlined that the Neolithic East Asian farmers expanded into Southeast Asia, leading to substantial social and cultural transformations. However, the associated archaeobotanical evidence until now has been insufficient to clarify the exact timing, dispersal route, and farming package of the emergence of agriculture in Mainland Southeast Asia. To clarify these issues, the micro-plant remains of phytolith and starch from three Neolithic sites in Ha Long Bay were extracted and analyzed. This study validates the earliest evidence of co-cropping in northern Vietnam, involving the cultivation of rice together with foxtail millet at 4000 years BP or slightly earlier. Moreover, the results indicate that at least two patterns of subsistence strategy were practiced simultaneously during the initial farming phase in the region. The Trang Kenh people, a regional variant of the Phung Nguyen cultural group often have been seen as the first farmers in northern Vietnam, and they mainly practiced a cereal-based subsistence strategy with more vital cultural characteristics of southern China origin. Meanwhile, the Ha Long people, mainly composed of indigenous hunter-gatherer descendants, continued to utilize a wide range of their preferred plant resources such as taros, yams, and acorns, while they absorbed and incorporated new elements such as millet and rice into their food system. This study provides solid information to understand the diverse economic systems among different cultural groups in Vietnam.

ObjectivesThe purpose of this preclinical study was to evaluate the safety, the local tissue effects and bone healing performance (osteoconduction, osseointegration) of nacre powder in a sheep intraosseous implantation model. This represents the first preclinical study to assess nacre safety and efficacy in supporting new bone formation in accordance with the ISO 10993 standard for biomedical devices.MethodsThe local tissue effects and the material performance were evaluated 8 weeks after implantation by qualitative macroscopic observation and qualitative as well as semiquantitative microscopic analyses of the bone sites. Histopathological characterisations were run to assess local tissue effects. In addition, microarchitectural, histomorphometric and histological characterisations were used to evaluate the effects of the implanted material.ResultsNacre powder was shown to cause a moderate inflammatory response in the site where it was implanted compared with the sites left empty. The biomaterial implanted within the generated defects was almost entirely degraded over the investigated time span and resulted in the formation of new bone with a seamless connection with the surrounding tissue. On the contrary, in the empty defects, the formation of a thick compact band of sclerotic bone was observed by both microarchitectural and histological characterisation.ConclusionsNacre powder was confirmed to be a safe biomaterial for bone regeneration applications in vivo, while supporting bone formation.

Background Influenza A viruses of swine (IAV-S) cause acute and subclinical respiratory disease. To increase our understanding of the etiology of the subclinical form and thus help prevent the persistence of IAV-S in pig populations, we conducted active virologic surveillance in Vietnam, the second-largest pig-producing country in Asia, from February 2010 to December 2013. Results From a total of 7034 nasal swabs collected from clinically healthy pigs at 250 farms and 10 slaughterhouses, we isolated 172 IAV-S from swine at the weaning and early-fattening stages. The isolation rate of IAV-S was significantly higher among pigs aged 3 weeks to 4.5 months than in older and younger animals. IAV-S were isolated from 16 large, corporate farms and 6 family-operated farms from among the 250 farms evaluated. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that “having more than 1,000 pigs” was the most influential risk factor for IAV-S positivity. Farms affected by reassortant IAV-S had significantly larger pig populations than did those where A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses were isolated, thus suggesting that large, corporate farms serve as sites of reassortment events. Conclusions We demonstrate the asymptomatic circulation of IAV-S in the Vietnamese pig population. Raising a large number of pigs on a farm has the strongest impact on the incidence of subclinical IAV-S infection. Given that only some of the corporate farms surveyed were IAV-S positive, further active monitoring is necessary to identify additional risk factors important in subclinical infection of pigs with IAV-S in Vietnam.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is an important indicator of renal function. Many methods have been developed to determine GFR in clinical examinations. This study aims to correlate between radionuclide plasma sampling methods (single and double blood samples, in vitro methods) and in vivo Gate's method using 99mTc-diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) renography. Materials and Methods: 43 patients underwent this study, including 31 renal donors (Group 1) and 12 patients with obstructive uropathy (Group 2). All patients were administered with a range of 5-7 mCi of 99mTc-DTPA. Then, renography performed simultaneously after injection and GFR calculation followed by Gate's method. Blood samples were collected at 60- and 120-min postinjection, samples were counted by a thyroid uptake system, and GFR was calculated using a single plasma sample method (SPSM) and a double plasma sample method (DPSM). Results: The mean GFRs calculated by Gate's method in Groups 1 and 2 were 85.8 ± 18.2 ml/min and 118.4 ± 13.9 ml/min, respectively. Meanwhile, using the in vitro blood sampling methods (DPSM and SPSM), the mean GFRs in Group 1 were 73.8 ± 15.4 ml/min and 56.4 ± 20.9 ml/min, respectively, and in Group 2 were 116.8 ± 12.9 ml/min and 106.3 ± 18.5 ml/min, respectively. There is a high correlation between Gate's method and DPSM in two groups (r = 0.86 and 0.72, respectively), and a moderate correlation was found between Gate's method and SPSM in both groups (r = 0.49 and r = 0.37, respectively). The two in vitro methods (DPSM and SPSM) revealed that moderate correlation in both groups (r = 0.74 and r = 0.67, respectively) was observed. Conclusion: Renography is a simple method but considered inaccurate for GFR determination. However, in vitro plasma sampling is rarely used in Vietnam. In this study, Gate's method correlated well with DPSM and tended to overestimate GFR. Further, the in vitro methods can be applied to correct the in vivo method as a confirmatory test in some cases.

This study investigated the possibility of using remotely sensed data and field surveys for understanding the environmental management practices in two Ramsar sites — U Minh Thong and Tram Chim national parks — in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Enhanced agriculture, infrastructure development, changes in hydrological regime, forest fires, and natural resources exploitation are the key variables that caused the depletion of these two wetland areas. Land cover, particularly vegetation coverage, has been changed considerably during the post-war period and agriculture has been intensified in the surrounding areas of U Minh Thuong and Tram Chim wetlands. The current water management strategies in U Minh Thuong and Tram Chim were designated to ensure proper water circulation during the dry and wet seasons in a way helpful to agriculture in the buffer zones and to prevent forest fires during the dry season. It is found that the water management strategies to prevent forest fires in both the parks resulted in the accumulation of toxic agrochemicals within the park during the wet season. Both U Minh Thuong and Tram Chim wetlands are invaded by alien plant species which is threatening the natural biodiversity of the area. Proper monitoring and control of invasive species is necessary for protecting the natural biodiversity of these wetland ecosystems. Proper law enforcement and an interactive and inclusive wetland management should be practiced in order to conserve these valuable wetland ecosystems.