Sustainable Growth and Ethics: a Study of Business Ethics in Vietnam Between Business Students and Working Adults

Sustainable growth is not only the ultimate goal of business corporations but also the primary target of local governments as well as regional and global economies. One of the cornerstones of sustainable growth is ethics. An ethical organizational culture provides support to achieve sustainable growth. Ethical leaders and employees have great potential for positive influence on decisions and behaviors that lead to sustainability. Ethical behavior, therefore, is expected of everyone in the modern workplace. As a result, companies devote many resources and training programs to make sure their employees live according to the high ethical standards. This study provides an analysis of Vietnamese business students’ level of ethical maturity based on gender, education, work experience, and ethics training. The results of data from 260 business students compared with 704 working adults in Vietnam demonstrate that students have a significantly higher level of ethical maturity. Furthermore, gender and work experience are significant factors in ethical maturity. While more educated respondents and those who had completed an ethics course did have a higher level of ethical maturity, the results were not statistically significant. Analysis of the results along with suggestions and implications are provided

Laboratory and field investigations in granular soils to correlate relative density, relative compaction and grain size

An attempt has been made to correlate relative density and relative compaction based on laboratory and field test data. In this investigation, 185 sandy soil samples were tested in the laboratory. The experimental investigations include classification tests, maximum and minimum density tests, and standard and modified Proctor and in-situ density tests. The values of the dry unit weight of these samples obtained by performing different tests fall between 14.7 kN/m(3) and 20.8 kN/m(3). Based on these results, linear and multivariate regression analyses were carried out to (a) relate relative compaction and relative density, (b) relate maximum (e(max)) and minimum void ratios (e(min)), and (c) express e(max) and e(min) in terms of median grain size (D-50) and uniformity coefficient (C-u). Experimental and predicted values varied +/- 5%, with a 95% confidence interval for the relation between relative compaction and relative density, and for other relations the variation was +/- 10%. The proposed equations were validated using a new data set which had not been used for the development of the correlations. Proposed equations were also compared with equations presented by various other researchers. Validation of the proposed equations suggests that these equations may be used for future prediction of the respective variables

Acute symptomatic seizures in critically ill children: Frequency, etiology and outcomes

Background: Critically ill individuals have an increased risk of acute symptomatic seizures secondary to systemic illnesses; unrecognized or untreated seizures can quickly convert into status epilepticus, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality.Objective: The aim of this study was to determine frequency, etiology, and outcome of seizures in critical ill children admitted in intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital.Materials and methods: Retrospective review of medical records of all children admitted in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the Aga Khan University from January 2016 to December 2018 and who had a new-onset seizure irrespective of underlying diagnosis was carried out after ethical review committee approval. Data were collected on a structured proforma; it included demographic information as well as relevant clinical and outcome information. The data were analyzed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software program, version 19.0. The descriptive statistics frequency and percentage was computed for qualitative variable. Mean and standard deviation were computed for quantitative variable, and univariate analysis was performed.Results: During the study period, a total 2053 patients were admitted in the PICU. One hundred six (5%) had seizure. Sixty-three (59.5%) were males. Meningitis 21 (20%), sepsis 21 (20%), complicated pneumonia 18 (17%) were the major primary diagnosis in these children. Mean age of the study population was 75 months (standard deviation [SD] ± 54.4) and 72 (68%) were age, whereas 63 (59.5%) were males. The seizures lasted \u3e10min in 10 (10%) and were associated with high had neurological deficit (P = 0.001). We did not observe any correlation with electrolyte imbalance, renal failure, need of ventilator support with duration of seizure, and type of seizure (P \u3e 0.005).Conclusion: Infection was the most common etiology associated with a new-onset seizure in children admitted in our PICU. Seizures lasting for \u3e10min were observed with high neurological deficit. We did not find any association of mortality with seizure duration

Identification of New Drug Candidates Against \u3cem\u3eBorrelia burgdorferi\u3c/em\u3e Using High-Throughput Screening

Lyme disease is the most common zoonotic bacterial disease in North America. It is estimated that .300,000 cases per annum are reported in USA alone. A total of 10%–20% of patients who have been treated with antibiotic therapy report the recrudescence of symptoms, such as muscle and joint pain, psychosocial and cognitive difficulties, and generalized fatigue. This condition is referred to as posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome. While there is no evidence for the presence of viable infectious organisms in individuals with posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome, some researchers found surviving Borrelia burgdorferi population in rodents and primates even after antibiotic treatment. Although such observations need more ratification, there is unmet need for developing the therapeutic agents that focus on removing the persisting bacterial form of B. burgdorferi in rodent and nonhuman primates. For this purpose, high-throughput screening was done using BacTiter-Glo assay for four compound libraries to identify candidates that stop the growth of B. burgdorferi in vitro. The four chemical libraries containing 4,366 compounds (80% Food and Drug Administration [FDA] approved) that were screened are Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds (LOPAC1280), the National Institutes of Health Clinical Collection, the Microsource Spectrum, and the Biomol FDA. We subsequently identified 150 unique compounds, which inhibited .90% of B. burgdorferi growth at a concentration of ,25 µM. These 150 unique compounds comprise many safe antibiotics, chemical compounds, and also small molecules from plant sources. Of the 150 unique compounds, 101 compounds are FDA approved. We selected the top 20 FDA-approved molecules based on safety and potency and studied their minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. The promising safe FDA-approved candidates that show low minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values can be chosen as lead molecules for further advanced studies

In vitro and in vivo evaluation of cephalosporins for the treatment of Lyme disease.

BackgroundLyme disease accounts for >90% of all vector-borne disease cases in the United States and affect ~300,000 persons annually in North America. Though traditional tetracycline antibiotic therapy is generally prescribed for Lyme disease, still 10%-20% of patients treated with current antibiotic therapy still show lingering symptoms.MethodsIn order to identify new drugs, we have evaluated four cephalosporins as a therapeutic alternative to commonly used antibiotics for the treatment of Lyme disease by using microdilution techniques like minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). We have determined the MIC and MBC of four drugs for three Borrelia burgdorferi s.s strains namely CA8, JLB31 and NP40. The binding studies were performed using in silico analysis.ResultsThe MIC order of the four drugs tested is cefoxitin (1.25 µM/mL) > cefamandole (2.5 µM/mL), > cefuroxime (5 µM/mL) > cefapirin (10 µM/mL). Among the drugs that are tested in this study using in vivo C3H/HeN mouse model, cefoxitin effectively kills B. burgdorferi. The in silico analysis revealed that all four cephalosporins studied binds effectively to B. burgdorferi proteins, SecA subunit penicillin-binding protein (PBP) and Outer surface protein E (OspE).ConclusionBased on the data obtained, cefoxitin has shown high efficacy killing B. burgdorferi at concentration of 1.25 µM/mL. In addition to it, cefoxitin cleared B. burgdorferi infection in C3H/HeN mice model at 20 mg/kg

Understanding the Interconnectedness of Interna-tional Trade Theories: A Case in Point of Cuba in Transition

This paper summarizes the arguments and counterarguments within the academic discussion on the issue of international trade and various barriers that hinders it. The main purpose of this article is to provide an overview of several foundational international trade theories related to exporting, importing, and trade restrictions for the national economy of a small socialist country, Cuba, with the United States of America

Theoretical approach of freeze seawater desalination on flake ice maker utilizing LNG cold energy

YesIn this work, a novel concept in freeze desalination (FD) was introduced. Nowadays the total liquefied natural gas (LNG) production capacity has reached 290 Megatons per year. Its enormous cold energy released from re-gasification can be used in the freeze desalination process to minimize the overall energy consumption. A process of FD on flake ice maker utilizing LNG cold energy was designed and simulated by HYSYS software. An ice bucket on flake ice maker was chosen as seawater crystallizer mainly due to its continuous ice making and removing ice without heat source. A dynamic model of the freezing section has been developed and simulated through gPROMS software. The results show that the consumption of 1 kg equivalent LNG cold energy can obtain about 2 kg of ice melt water. In addition, it is shown that the power consumption of this LNG/FD hybrid process is negligible

Examining the Efficacy of the Common Law Tort of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Bullying in the Context of the Employment Relationship

This article explicates the elements of the tort and illustrates those elements in the context of wrongful discharge, bullying, and discrimination/harassment lawsuits. The authors discuss the implications of the tort, particularly for management; and provide recommendations to employers on how to avoid liability, especially by bully-proofing the organization, and also to employees on how to sustain an IIED cause of action

An Analysis of the Relationship between Regulatory Control and Corruption based on Product and Market Regulation and Corruption Perceptions Indices

This paper focuses on the relationship between two important business indices: the degree to which a country’s business is centrally regulated, and the level of business corruption perceived in that country. The main purpose and methodology is to analyze the data from 47 globally dispersed countries based on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Product and Market Regulation Index and Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index from 2013

HIV associated high-risk HPV infection among Nigerian women

Background: In developed countries, the incidence of cervical cancer has remained stable in HIV+ women but the prevalence and multiplicity of high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection, a necessary cause of cervical cancer, appears different comparing HIV+ to HIV- women. Little is known about HIV and HPV co-infection in Africa. Methods: We enrolled women presenting at our cervical cancer screening program in Abuja, Nigeria between April and August 2012, and collected information on demographic characteristics, risk factors of HPV infection and samples of exfoliated cervical cells. We used Roche Linear Array HPV Genotyping Test® to characterize prevalent HPV and logistic regression models to estimate the association between HIV and the risk of hrHPV infection. Results: There were 278 participants, 54% (151) were HIV+, 40% (111) were HIV-, and 6% (16) had unknown HIV status. Of these, data from 149 HIV+ and 108 HIV- women were available for analysis. The mean ages (±SD) were 37.6 (±7.7) years for HIV+ and 36.6 (±7.9) years for HIV- women (p-value = 0.34). Among the HIV+ women, HPV35 (8.7%) and HPV56 (7.4%) were the most prevalent hrHPV, while HPV52 and HPV68 (2.8%, each) were the most prevalent hrHPV types among HIV- women. The multivariate prevalence ratio for any hrHPV and multiple hrHPV infections were 4.18 (95% CI 2.05 – 8.49, p-value <0.0001) and 6.6 (95% CI 1.49 – 29.64, p-value 0.01) respectively, comparing HIV + to HIV- women, adjusted for age, and educational level. Conclusions: HIV infection was associated with increased risk of any HPV, hrHPV and multiple HPV infections. Oncogenic HPV types 35, 52, 56 and 68 may be more important risk factors for cervical pre-cancer and cancer among women in Africa. Polyvalent hrHPV vaccines meant for African populations should protect against other hrHPV types, in addition to 16 and 18