Gender income gap in Vietnam in the 2000s : evidence from household surveys

This paper investigates the determinants and characteristics of changes in the gender wage gap between 2004 and 2010 in Vietnam. Labour force structure, employment by gender, education, and skill level, labour force participation, types of enterprises, geographical area, and wage structure are key determinants analyzed in this study. Results reaffirm that traditional concepts and social bias towards women prevent their access to education and training, selection of occupations, and opportunities to improve professional and technical qualifications. Policy implications are reviewed

OPTIMIZING THE PRODUCTION OF A FUNCTIONAL TYPE A RECOMBINANT ENDOCHITINASE FROM Trichoderma asperellum IN Escherichia coli

Chitinases from the genus Trichoderma fungi are mainly responsible for their anti-fungal activities, which allow them to become the most widely used fungal biocontrol. Therefore, several Trichoderma chitinases have been cloned and expressed to facilitate their production and applications. A previous study of the same authors has characterized an endochitinase from a relatively novel Trichoderma spp., Trichoderma asperellum. To produce this enzyme more economically and efficiently, we reported the synthesis and expression of its synthetic encoding gene in the Escherichia coli M15 strain and established the optimal conditions for preparative scale production of the enzyme in its functional form. By lowering the induction temperatures, we observed substantial improvement in the expression levels of the active enzyme.  At 30 oC and 0.5 mM IPTG induction, 1 L of cells yielded approximately 80 - 100 mg of soluble protein, accounting for about 9-11 % of total soluble protein. This figure may be an underestimation of the actual yield, as deduced from the SDS-PAGE data. The recombinant enzyme can be retrieved by simple repeated freezing and thawing cycles and purified to near homogeneity using Ni-NTA chromatography. The purified enzyme showed in vitro colloidal chitin hydrolysis activity. These results could be scaled up to produce soluble 42 kDa chitinase in E. coli. The study demonstrated an economical method to produce chitinases for various agricultural and environmental applications

Organizational Culture Factors Affect Employees’ Organizational Commitment: A Research in Ho Chi Minh City Logistics Enterprises, Vietnam

Research aims: The research aims to evaluate several factors of organizational culture affecting the organizational commitment of employees in logistics enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).Design/Methodology/Approach: The data were collected based on a survey of respondents who were employees working at logistics enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City. The collected data, consisting of 227 survey questionnaires, were described through statistical analysis, checking Cronbach’s Alpha reliability assessment, employing Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and testing the fit of the research model. Research findings: The results showcased that five components had a statistically significant impact on an employee’s organizational commitment, including (from high to low impact in order) consistency in governance policy, communication within the organization, training and development, rewards and recognition, and teamwork.Theoretical contribution/Originality: The study contributes to and supplements the array of organizational culture topics related to the commitment of employees at companies.Practitioner/Policy implication: The research contributes to the logistics companies' understanding of how to improve the organizational culture to maintain the loyalty of employees in the organization.Research limitation/Implication: The research limitation is that only Ho Chi Minh City logistics enterprises were chosen for the survey. However, there are many cities in Vietnam where logistics companies are located. Thus, the other research can be implemented in other regions in Vietnam and other countries for future studies

TẠO DÒNG GEN MÃ HÓA CHITINASE 42 kDa CỦA TRICHODERMA ASPERELLUM VÀ DỰ ĐOÁN ĐẶC TÍNH CỦA ENZYME

Chitinase is an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolytic reaction of chitin by cleaving 1,4-N-acetyl-β-glucosaminide linkages. Chitinase has been widely used in various fields, especially pest control, pollution reduction, and basic and applied biology. Chitinase from microorganisms is an essential source, typically from Trichoderma. After removing intron sequences, the gene encoding chitinase 42 kDa (chi42) from Trichoderma asperellum SH16 was synthesized and cloned into the pUC19 vector. The gene chi42 digested by BamHI and SacI was successfully cloned into the pQE30 vector, which was expressed in E. coli. The primary in silico analysis of the protein structure shows that chitinase is an extracellular protein. The secondary structure analysis reveals that chitinase has 15 α helices and 13 β sheets, while the dimension structure of chitinase is highly homological with the chitin hydrolytic enzyme from T. harzianum. The chitinase from T. asperellum is resistant to temperatures higher than 65 °C and exhibits acidic catalysis activity. Our results would provide basic information for heterologous expression and scale-up production of chitinase 42 kDa.Chitinase là enzyme xúc tác thủy phân chitin bằng cách phân cắt liên kết 1,4-N-acetyl-β-glucosaminide. Chitinase được ứng dụng rộng rãi trong nhiều lĩnh vực khác nhau, đặc biệt trong kiểm soát dịch bệnh, giảm thiểu ô nhiễm, nghiên cứu sinh học cơ bản và ứng dụng. Nguồn thu nhận chitinase chủ yếu là từ vi sinh vật, điển hình từ các chủng nấm Trichoderma. Gen mã hóa chitinase 42 kDa (chi42) của Trichoderma asperellum SH16 sau khi tạo dòng vào vector pUC19 được ghép nối thành công vào vector pQE30 để biểu hiện ở E. coli M15. Chitinase là enzyme ngoại bào. Cấu trúc bậc 2 của chitinase bao gồm 15 chuỗi xoắn α và 13 phiến β với cấu trúc không gian tương đồng cao với enzyme thủy phân chitin ở T. harzianum. Chitinase có khả năng chịu nhiệt độ cao hơn 65 °C và hoạt tính xúc tác mang tính acid. Kết quả nghiên cứu là cơ sở cho các nghiên cứu biểu hiện và sản xuất enzyme tái tổ hợp

Dry Eyes Status on Des Scale and Related Factors in Outpatients at Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology

BACKGROUND: Dry eye (DE) can effect on quality of life by pain, inability to perform certain activities that require prolonged attention (driving, reading,…) and productivity at work and finally effect to Q0L associated with DE. OSDI is scale questionnaire is created team to measure the quality of life related to ocular surface disease. AIM: To describe the dry eye disease according to OSDI scale and related factors of this disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on outpatients (≥ 16-year-old) who were examined and diagnosed with dry eyes at Vietnam National Institute Of Ophthalmology from April to July 2018. Data was collected using the OSDI questionnaire. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 44.6 years; 80.9% of patients were female; 39.9% were identified having mild dry eye. The related factors have been identified that associated with severe dry eye, including age OR = 1.03 (95%CI: 1.01-1.05, p = 0.005), binocular good vision OR = 0.11 (95%CI: 0.05-0.23; p < 0.0001), medical history OR = 17.09 (95%CI: 2.24-130.25; p < 0.0001), chronic conjunctivitis OR = 0.36 (95%CI: 0.14-0.91; p = 0.027), refractive errors OR = 0.14 (95%CI: 0.04-0.48; p < 0.0001), Sjogren's syndrome OR = 31.13 (95%CI: 7.08-136.76; p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Several related factors have been identified associated with severe dry eye, including: age, binocular good vision, medical history, chronic conjunctivitis, refractive errors, Sjogren's syndrome

A Measure of Smoothness in Synthesized Speech

The articulators typically move smoothly during speech production. Therefore, speech features of natural speech are generally smooth. However, over-smoothness causes "muffleness" and, hence, reduction in ability to identify emotions/expressions/styles in synthesized speech that can affect the perception of naturalness in synthesized speech. In the literature, statistical variances of static spectral features have been used as a measure of smoothness in synthesized speech but they are not sufficient enough. This paper proposes another measure of smoothness that can be efficiently applied to evaluate the smoothness of synthesized speech. Experiments showed that the proposed measure is reliable and efficient to measure the smoothness of different kinds of synthesized speech

Transformation Chlorophyll a of Spirulina platensis to Chlorin e6 Derivatives and Several Applications

BACKGROUND: Spirulina platensis contains a large amount of chlorophylls, chlorophyll a, that are starting materials to synthesize functionalized chlorins. Chlorin e6 (Ce6) as well as its derivatives are second generation sensitizers using in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of various cancers. In this study, we transfer chlorophyll a of S. platensis to Ce6derivatives and determine their several applications. AIM: to evaluate the effects of Ce6 derivatives to treat cancer cells. METHODS: Ce6 trimethylester was created from methyl pheophorbide a2 in S. platensis provided by the Hidumi Company, Nghe An province, Viet Nam. Hela cells were incubated with Ce6 trimethylester and the irradiated with the diode laser dose of 1.2 J/cm2/min through the system of filters £ 650 nm. MTT assay and clonogenic assay were used to determine survival rate and cloning efficiency of cells. Antimicrobial effect of Ce6 trimethylester with halogen light were studied with Propionibacterium acnes VTCC 0218 and Staphylococcus aureus VTCC 0173. RESULTS: From dry biomass (700 g) of S. platensis, after extracting chlorophyll a and methanolysis, 4.2 g of methyl pheophorbide a was obtained. The reaction to give Ce6 trimethylester with 82% yield was performed with potassium hydroxide (KOH) in MeOH/THF/CHCl3. After irradiation with a 650 nm laser at 1.2 J, the cell viability in all samples decreased with Ce6 trimethylester treatment, the survival declining trend of Hela cells treated with Ce6 trimethylester were proportional when concentration of Ce6 trimethylester increased. The rate of colony formation was declined as the concentration of Ce6 trimethylester treated was increased. The growth of both S. aureus and P. acnes can be inactivated by Ce6 trimethylester PDT. The MIC99 value against P. acnes VTCC 0218 and S. aureus VTCC 0173 of Ce6 trimethylester with halogen light was 1.25 μg/ml. CONCLUSION: The Ce6 trimethylester from S. platensis cultivated in Viet Nam could be used as a potential photosentizer for photodynamic therapy for treatment of cancer and acne

ĐIỆN CỰC NANO CẤU TRÚC 3D - PHÂN LỚP DỊ THỂ CỦA CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 TRONG VIỆC NÂNG CAO HIỆU SUẤT TÁCH NƯỚC QUANG ĐIỆN HÓA

In this work, we report the synthesis of the hierarchical structure of a CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 electrode for photoeletrochemical water splitting application. The photoanode was synthesized via the hydrothermal and atomic layer deposition methods. The morphological and structural properties of CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 nanoplates were carefully investigated by using SEM, TEM, and XRD techniques. The CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3-based photoelectrode has a photocurrent density of 8,5 mA·cm-2 and a photoconversion efficiency of 7.9% at a supplied potential of –0,85 V in a 0.5 M Na2S solution. This photocurrent density is twice higher than that of the CdS/ZnO/FTO electrode. Due to built-in potential and efficiently collecting the photo-carriers generated from the ZnO/CdS heterojunction under illumination, the CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 electrode exhibits enhanced performance of the photoelectrochemical cell. This is a promising approach to the synthesis of heterojunction layers of semiconductor together with nanostructures for fabricating photoelectrodes of the photoelectrochemical cell to enhance hydrogen production efficiency.Trong bài báo này, chúng tôi nghiên cứu chế tạo điện cực có cấu trúc 3D phân lớp dị thể (cây – cành – nhánh) CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3 ứng dụng cho tách nước quang điện hóa. Điện cực được tổng hợp bằng phương pháp thủy nhiệt và lắng đọng lớp nguyên tử. Hình thái học, cấu trúc tinh thể, và thành phần nguyên tố của điện cực này được nghiên cứu bằng kính hiển vi điện tử quét (FE–SEM), kính hiển vị điện tử truyền qua (HR–TEM) và nhiễu xạ tia X (XRD). Nghiên cứu tính chất quang điện hóa của cấu trúc CdS/ZnO/Pt/WO3, chúng tôi thu được mật độ dòng quang điện là 8,5 mA·cm-2 và hiệu suất chuyển đổi năng lượng ánh sáng mặt trời thành năng lượng hydro 7,9 %% tại thế cung cấp –0,85 V trong dung dịch chất điện ly Na2S với nồng độ 0,5 mol/L. Cấu trúc 3D phân lớp này có mật độ dòng quang điện của điện cực cao hơn gấp hai lần so với các cấu trúc CdS/ZnO trên điện cực thủy tinh phủ oxit thiếc pha tạp bằng flo. Đây là một hướng tiếp cận rất hứa hẹn tổng hợp các cấu trúc nano phân lớp dị thể nhằm nâng cao hiệu quả sản xuất hydro

Anatomical Characteristics and Variants of Prostatic Artery in Patients of Benign Hyperplasia Prostate by Digital Subtraction Angiography

AIM: This work is aimed to describe anatomical features and variants of the prostatic artery (PA) using digital subtraction angiography (DSA). METHODS: This is a descriptive statistic study. We reviewed the DSA of 348 patients, who had a PA embolisation to reduce the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) symptoms at Radiology Department of Bach Mai Hospital from Oct – 2014 to Oct – 2018. RESULTS: PA was found at 660 pelvic halves, of which 30 pelvic halves (4.5%) had two PAs, 630 pelvic halves had one PA. In terms of the origin of PA, in total 690 PAs, the percentage of type 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 was successively 33.9%, 13.9%, 18.3%, 23.9% and 10.4%, respectively. Atherosclerosis of PA observed in 20.9%. The ‘corkscrew’ pattern was found in 30.4%. The average diameter of PA was 1.5 ± 0.34mm. The anastomosis of PA with surrounding arteries was common. PA may supply rectum (6.1%), seminal vesical (9.6%), bladder (5.2%), contralateral prostatic parenchyma (13.0%), surrounding soft-tissues (3.5%). CONCLUSION: The common trunk with SVA superior vesical artery was the most common origin of PA. Anastomoses of PA with surrounding tissues were complex

Dexamethasone and long-term outcome of tuberculous meningitis in Vietnamese adults and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone has been shown to reduce mortality in patients with tuberculous meningitis but the long-term outcome of the disease is unknown. METHODS: Vietnamese adults and adolescents with tuberculous meningitis recruited to a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of adjunctive dexamethasone were followed-up at five years, to determine the effect of dexamethasone on long-term survival and neurological disability. RESULTS: 545 patients were randomised to receive either dexamethasone (274 patients) or placebo (271 patients). 50 patients (9.2%) were lost to follow-up at five years. In all patients two-year survival, probabilities tended to be higher in the dexamethasone arm (0.63 versus 0.55; p = 0.07) but five-year survival rates were similar (0.54 versus 0.51, p = 0.51) in both groups. In patients with grade 1 TBM, but not with grade 2 or grade 3 TBM, the benefit of dexamethasone treatment tended to persist over time (five-year survival probabilities 0.69 versus 0.55, p = 0.07) but there was no conclusive evidence of treatment effect heterogeneity by TBM grade (p = 0.36). The dexamethasone group had a similar proportion of severely disabled patients among survivors at five years as the placebo group (17/128, 13.2% vs. 17/116, 14.7%) and there was no significant association between dexamethasone treatment and disability status at five years (p = 0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive dexamethasone appears to improve the probability of survival in patients with TBM, until at least two years of follow-up. We could not demonstrate a five-year survival benefit of dexamethasone treatment which may be confined to patients with grade 1 TBM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01317654