THE RESEARCH OF FACTORS AFFECTING PUBLIC SPEAKING SKILLS OF HIGH-QUALITY ENGLISH STUDIED STUDENT AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

The purpose of the study is to find out the factors affecting the public speaking skills of 45th cohort students majoring in high-quality English and make recommendations to improve and enhance the public speaking ability of EFL students from High-quality English Studies Program. The study participants included 86 high-quality English language third-year students. We used questionnaires to collect data and used SPSS statistical software to analyze data by descriptive statistical method. Research results show that students' ability to speak in public is affected by their lack of confidence in speaking. At the same time, the factors of the study program and the school environment also affect the students' public speaking skills. Based on the research results, the paper makes some pedagogical recommendations.  Article visualizations

VIETNAMESE STUDENT RESEARCHERS’ EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR SUPERVISOR AND SUPERVISION PROCESS

In Vietnam, scientific research is no longer just the work of scientists, graduate students, scholars, or lecturers; tertiary students are also encouraged to conduct scientific research. Therefore, the scientific research work of students receives more attention from educators. The research on carrying out scientific research of students is also therefore increasing. However, researchers do not seem to have paid enough attention to the role of supervisors during the supervision process. The evidence is that there are few studies on supervisors in Vietnam. Therefore, this study was conducted to learn about the role of supervisors from the student's perspective and expectations. Specifically, this study was conducted quantitatively with the use of a questionnaire consisting of 49 questions with a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 100 English-major students at a university in Southwest Vietnam participated in this study by answering the questionnaire. The results from the questionnaire show that students had high expectations from their supervisors. Specifically, students expect their supervisor to be someone who respects their opinions, has good scientific research knowledge, can give constructive comments, and is always willing to help them when needed. Based on research findings, supervisors are encouraged to participate in professional development training related to scientific research to improve their research knowledge and skills. Along with that, supervisors need to be aware of their role during the process of guiding students to do scientific research.  Article visualizations

The impact of using social networks on the work performance of employees of Ho Chi Minh City Open University during the Covid-19 pandemic

This study aims to examine the impact of social networks on the job performance of Ho Chi Minh City Open University staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, through positive emotion variables, job satisfaction, and commitment. The study used descriptive statistical analysis of data, testing of scales, and testing of research models using SmartPLS 3 software. The new point of the study compared to previous studies has added new understanding in terms of aspects theory on the impact of positive emotions on job performance and empirically contributing research when choosing a research context in the educational environment in Vietnam, specifically at Ho Chi Minh City Open University. Research results show that the use of social networks has a positive impact on job performance through mediating variables of positive emotions, job satisfaction, and commitment. From the research results, the author proposes some managerial implications to improve the working efficiency of the staff of Ho Chi Minh City Open University in the period of time the Covid-19 pandemic

EVALUATION OF GENETIC DIVERSITY OF THE BLACK GLUTINOUS RICE BASED ON AGRO-MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERS

The study assessed the variations in nine agro-morphological characters among and within the black glutinous rice (Oryza sativa) population from Chau Thanh District, Tra Vinh Province. The nine quantitative agromorphological characters that were measured include culm length, leaf length, leaf width, number of panicles, panicle length, grain length, grain width, number of firm grain, and number of grain per panicle. The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean method and principal coordinate analysis by the NTSYS program were applied in this study to classify the nine agro-morphological characters. In addition, to compare the variations in quantitative characters between O. sativa populations, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The results showed significant differences between the black glutinous rice populations for all quantitative agro-morphological characters. Moreover, some agro-morphological characters showed positive correlations to each other. The dendrogram generated from the analysis process of the agromorphological data divided the O. sativa populations into two groups with unfamiliar features. However, the O. sativa populations assessed exhibited a wide range of variations in morphological characteristics, both within the same population and among other populations with the same strains

Structure of general-population antibody titer distributions to influenza A virus.

Seroepidemiological studies aim to understand population-level exposure and immunity to infectious diseases. Their results are normally presented as binary outcomes describing the presence or absence of pathogen-specific antibody, despite the fact that many assays measure continuous quantities. A population's natural distribution of antibody titers to an endemic infectious disease may include information on multiple serological states - naiveté, recent infection, non-recent infection, childhood infection - depending on the disease in question and the acquisition and waning patterns of immunity. In this study, we investigate 20,152 general-population serum samples from southern Vietnam collected between 2009 and 2013 from which we report antibody titers to the influenza virus HA1 protein using a continuous titer measurement from a protein microarray assay. We describe the distributions of antibody titers to subtypes 2009 H1N1 and H3N2. Using a model selection approach to fit mixture distributions, we show that 2009 H1N1 antibody titers fall into four titer subgroups and that H3N2 titers fall into three subgroups. For H1N1, our interpretation is that the two highest-titer subgroups correspond to recent and historical infection, which is consistent with 2009 pandemic attack rates. Similar interpretations are available for H3N2, but right-censoring of titers makes these interpretations difficult to validate

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Ảnh hưởng của quá trình tiền xử lý đến chất lượng cam Sành (Citrus sinensis) sấy dẻo

Cam sành là nguồn cung cấp dồi dào hợp chất tự nhiên có hoạt tính sinh học cao. Nghiên cứu phát triển các sản phẩm mới, đặc biệt là sản phẩm cam sấy dẻo, có thể tận dụng nguồn nguyên liệu cam sành dồi dào và cung cấp đầu ra bền vững cho sản xuất trong nước là vấn đề cần thiết. Tuy nhiên, vị đắng trong một số sản phẩm chế biến từ cam là một trong những vấn đề lớn của ngành công nghiệp chế biến. Do vậy, nghiên cứu giảm vị đắng trong cam sấy dẻo là vấn đề cần thiết. Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu là xác định ảnh hưởng của (i) loại hóa chất xử lý (NaOH, Na3C6H5O7, NaOH+Na3C6H5O7, NaCl và Na2CO3) và phương pháp tiền xử lý (ngâm trong dung dịch hóa chất sau đó chần hoặc chần trong dung dịch hóa chất); (ii) ảnh hưởng nồng độ của hóa chất xử lý (0, 50, 100, 150 và 200 ppm) đến khả năng giảm hàm lượng naringin và duy trì giá trị dinh dưỡng của sản phẩm cam sành sấy dẻo. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy cam sành được chần trong dung dịch NaOH với nồng độ 150 ppm giúp giảm được hàm lượng naringin cao (từ 18,75 giảm còn 2,11 mg/100g). Hàm lượng polyphenol và vitamin C trong sản phẩm vẫn còn duy trì ở mức cao, tương ứng là 5,57 mgGAE/g and 71,71 mg/100 g

Design, Fabrication, and Evaluation of Multifocal Point Transducer for High-Frequency Ultrasound Applications

The present study illustrates the design, fabrication, and evaluation of a novel multifocal point (MFP) transducer based on polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film for high-frequency ultrasound application. The fabricated MFP surface was press-focused using a computer numerical control (CNC) machining tool-customized multi-spherical pattern object. The multi-spherical pattern has five spherical surfaces with equal area and connected continuously to have the same energy level at focal points. Center points of these spheres are distributed in a linear pattern with 1 mm distance between each two points. The radius of these spheres increases steadily from 10 mm to 13.86 mm. The designed MFP transducer had a center frequency of 50 MHz and a &#8722;6 dB bandwidth of 68%. The wire phantom test was conducted to study and demonstrate the advantages of this novel design. The obtained results for MFP transducer revealed a significant increase (4.3 mm) of total focal zone in the near-field and far-field area compared with 0.48 mm obtained using the conventional single focal point transducer. Hence, the proposed method is promising to fabricate MFP transducers for deeper imaging depth applications

Biocompatible Chitosan Oligosaccharide Modified Gold Nanorods as Highly Effective Photothermal Agents for Ablation of Breast Cancer Cells

Photothermal therapy (PTT) using biocompatible nanomaterials have recently attracted much attention as a novel candidate technique for cancer therapy. In this work we report the performance of newly synthesized multidentate chitosan oligosaccharide modified gold nanorods (AuNRs-LA-COS) as novel agents for PTT of cancer cells due to their excellent biocompatibility, photothermal stability, and high absorption in the near-infrared (NIR) region. The AuNRs-LA-COS exhibit a strong NIR absorption peak at 838 nm with a mean length of 26 ± 3.1 nm and diameter of 6.8 ± 1.7 nm, respectively. The temperature of AuNRs-LA-COS rapidly reached 52.6 °C for 5 min of NIR laser irradiation at 2 W/cm2. The AuNRs-LA-COS had very low cytotoxicity and exhibited high efficiency for the ablation of breast cancer cells in vitro. The tumor-bearing mice were completely ablated without tumor recurrence after photothermal treatment with AuNRs-LA-COS (25 µg/mL) under laser irradiation. In summary, this study demonstrated that AuNRs-LA-COS with laser irradiation as novel agents pave an alternative way for breast cancer therapy and hold great promise for clinical trials in the near future