What is in it for the poor? Evidence from fiscal decentralization in Vietnam

Like other developing countries, Vietnam has attempted to push for greater fiscal decentralization in the hope of a more efficient delivery of social services to targeted citizens. The fiscal decentralization initiative is encouraging and merits pursuit, but the present study however, shows that a misstep in the decentralization process can discriminate disproportionately against the poor. Specifically, an increase in the sub-provincial share of the total provincial expenditures is predicted to bring about an appreciable decrease in the lowest-quintile average monthly income. We suggest that the Vietnamese government require provinces to adopt pro-poor allocation norms rather than reclaiming its control over the provincial expenditure assignment. This paper’s empirical findings sound a note of considerable caution that other developing countries should exercise in their fiscal decentralization efforts to avoid creating unintended consequences for the poor.Fiscal decentralization; Vietnam; poverty reduction

Researchers who lead the trends

Xuan-Hung Doan, Phuong-Tram T. Nguyen, Viet-Phuong La, Hong-Kong T. Nguyen (2019). Chapter 5. Researchers who lead the trends. In Quan-Hoang Vuong, Trung Tran (Eds.), The Vietnamese Social Sciences at a Fork in the Road (pp. 98–120). Warsaw, Poland: De Gruyter. DOI:10.2478/9783110686081-010 Online ISBN: 9783110686081 © 2019 Sciend

Ensemble clustering for result diversification

This paper describes the participation of the University of Twente in the Web track of TREC 2012. Our baseline approach uses the Mirex toolkit, an open source tool that sequantially scans all the documents. For result diversification, we experimented with improving the quality of clusters through ensemble clustering. We combined clusters obtained by different clustering methods (such as LDA and K-means) and clusters obtained by using different types of data (such as document text and anchor text). Our two-layer ensemble run performed better than the LDA based diversification and also better than a non-diversification run

Local structure in nematic and isotropic liquid crystals

By computer simulations of systems of ellipsoids, we study the influence of the isotropic/nematic phase transition on the direct correlation functions (DCF) in anisotropic fluids. The DCF is determined from the pair distribution function by solving the full Ornstein-Zernike equation, without any approximations. Using a suitable molecular-fixed reference frame, we can distinguish between two qualitatively different contributions to the DCF: One which preserves rotational invariance, and one which breaks it and vanishes in the isotropic phase. We find that the symmetry preserving contribution is barely affected by the phase transition. However, symmetry breaking contributions emerge in the nematic phase and may become quite substantial. Thus the DCF in a nematic fluid is not rotationally invariant. In the isotropic fluid, the DCF is in good agreement with the prediction of the Percus-Yevick theory.Comment: to appear in J. Chem. Phy

Robotics in healthcare.

This thesis aims to synthesize and comprehensively analyze existing literature and research on the impact of robots in nursing. The main objective is to provide nurses with a thorough assessment of robots, aiming to enhance future collaboration between healthcare professionals and robotic systems. By examining various academic documents, this thesis seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential role of robots in nursing care, including the advantages and challenges related to integrating them into the healthcare environment. It aims to serve as a valuable resource for nurses, equipping them with the necessary knowledge and understanding to effectively use and collaborate with robots in their practice. Through development work methods, e-poster design, and analysis of existing literature, the thesis will highlight key findings and identify essential information on robots. This information will empower nurses to make informed decisions about integrating robots into their work, ensuring optimal coordination between human healthcare providers and technology partners. Ultimately, the main goal of this thesis is to contribute to the advancement of nursing practice by synthesizing existing information and providing nurses, healthcare organizations, and nursing educators with in-depth assessments of robots in nursing. In conclusion, with a comprehensive understanding of the impact of robots, nurses can address complex issues when incorporating them into their workflow and enhance collaboration to improve patient care outcomes