EFFECTS OF EFL STUDENTS’ USE OF METACOGNITIVE STRATEGIES IN EXTENSIVE READING TASKS ON THEIR READING PERFORMANCE AND ATTITUDES

Reading plays important role in teaching and learning a second language as in reading, information is acquired and processed before learners can reach the final goal of English learning – communication. Extensive reading is a helpful way to develop students’ reading habits. A quasi-experimental study with one group pretest-posttest design was conducted in the Vietnamese educational context to investigate the effects of students’ use of metacognitive strategies on intermediate learners’ reading performance and attitudes. The results indicated positive changes in learners’ performance and attitudes, especially in higher-order thinking ability. Thirty-two participants from the convenient sampling method attended a 10-week reading course with metacognitive strategies embedded in extensive reading tasks. The scores from tests showed an improvement in reading comprehension ability and higher-order thinking application. The data from the questionnaire and semi-structured interview contributes to the positive attitudes toward students towards reading activities. This study has discovered the significant effects on the awareness of learners and afterwards cognition thinking. Learners have achieved a higher level of cognitive reading, critical reading and positive attitudes towards reading activity.  Article visualizations

Preparation, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity of Silver Nanoparticle-Decorated Ordered Mesoporous Carbon

In this study, Ordered Mesoporous Carbon (OMC) was prepared using resol as a carbon precursor and F127 as a soft template. Small-angle X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images, and nitrogen adsorption and desorption isotherms revealed that OMC possessed ordered hexagonal mesostructures (p6m) with an ordered pore size of 3.2nm, a high specific surface area (SBET) of 539m2/g, and a large total pore volume (Vtotal) of 0.44cm3/g. Subsequently, silver nanoparticles synthesized from an aqueous AgNO3 solution using glucose as a reducing agent and starch as a stabilizing agent were decorated on OMC, producing Ag/OMC. XRD analysis revealed that the composite contained silver crystals. In addition, the content and size of silver nanoparticles in Ag/OMC were 0.71wt% (AAS) and around 25-50nm (TEM), respectively. Due to the surface cover of silver nanoparticles, SBET and Vtotal of Ag/OMC slightly decreased to 417m2/g and 0.38cm3/g, respectively. Both agar and broth dilution techniques were used to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the material against Staphylococcus aureus. Ag/OMC with a Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of 25.0μg/mL is a potential candidate for use against Staphylococcus aureus

Rheological properties of emulsion of crude oil and water

In the paper the rheological properties of crude oil of White Tiger oil-field (Vietnam) and its emulsion with sea-water, including measurement results and analytical approximation formulae for wide range of pressure, temperature and water concentration, are presented. As it is known, the crude oil of White Tiger oil-field is a high-paraffin and high-viscous oil. At the low temperature (T ≤ 40°C) it behaves as non-Newtonian fluid of Bingham-Shvedov group. Therefore, beside the effective viscosity, the effective dynamic shear stress is also measured and approximated. The rheological properties of crude oil and emulsion of crude oil and water are also measured and approximated for the case when the mixture contains 0.1% chemical reagent ES-3363

Efficacy of Oral Isotretinoin in Combination with Desloratadine in the Treatment of Common Vulgaris Acne in Vietnamese Patients

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of oral isotretinoin used alone and in combination with desloratadine in the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris. METHODS: A comparative clinical trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of oral isotretinoin alone and in combination with desloratadine in the treatment of 62 moderate acne vulgaris patients. Patients were randomised into two groups with 31 patients in each group. Each studied group's patient took 20 mg isotretinoin and 5 mg desloratadine per day. In the control group, patients took only 20 mg isotretinoin per day. The treatment time was 16 weeks. The evaluation and follow-up were done at week 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 of the treatment. RESULTS: The studied group had a better curative rate than the control group (45.2% versus 22.6%). The average number of inflammatory lesions in the studied group was significantly lower than the control group (0.19 versus 0.94). The mean GAGS score of the studied group was significantly lower than the control group (3.71 versus 6.52). Acne outbreaks rate of the studied group was lower than the control group (in week 2: 22.6% versus 45.2% and in week 4: 16.1% versus 38.7%, respectively). The rate of itchy was lower in the studied group. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris, oral isotretinoin in combination with desloratadine is more effective and has fewer side effects than using isotretinoin alone

Efficacy of Oral Isotretinoin in Combination with Desloratadine in the Treatment of Common Vulgaris Acne in Vietnamese Patients

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of oral isotretinoin used alone and in combination with desloratadine in the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris. METHODS: A comparative clinical trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of oral isotretinoin alone and in combination with desloratadine in the treatment of 62 moderate acne vulgaris patients. Patients were randomised into two groups with 31 patients in each group. Each studied group's patient took 20 mg isotretinoin and 5 mg desloratadine per day. In the control group, patients took only 20 mg isotretinoin per day. The treatment time was 16 weeks. The evaluation and follow-up were done at week 2, 4, 8, 12 and 16 of the treatment. RESULTS: The studied group had a better curative rate than the control group (45.2% versus 22.6%). The average number of inflammatory lesions in the studied group was significantly lower than the control group (0.19 versus 0.94). The mean GAGS score of the studied group was significantly lower than the control group (3.71 versus 6.52). Acne outbreaks rate of the studied group was lower than the control group (in week 2: 22.6% versus 45.2% and in week 4: 16.1% versus 38.7%, respectively). The rate of itchy was lower in the studied group. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris, oral isotretinoin in combination with desloratadine is more effective and has fewer side effects than using isotretinoin alone

Cassava foliage as a protein source for cattle in Vietnam

The aim of the thesis was to evaluate biomass yield and chemical composition of cassava foliage as influenced by harvesting height and cutting interval (Paper I), the effect of different supplemental levels of dried, ensiled or fresh cassava foliage on rumen fluid parameters, thyroid gland hormones and liver enzymes of cattle fed urea treated fresh rice straw (Paper II to IV), and to determine the changes in live weight gain, thyroid hormones and liver enzymes of heifers supplemented by different levels of dried, ensiled or fresh cassava foliage (Paper V). The experiments were carried out at the experimental farm of Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on fistulated cattle of local yellow breed (Paper II to IV), growing heifers of Sindhi breed (Paper V), and at the field crop station (Paper I). In Paper I, harvesting height and cutting interval influenced the yield of cassava foliage and root tubers and to a lesser extent the nutritional quality of foliage. The highest dry matter foliage yield was 8 times higher at a harvesting height of 30 cm above the ground and 45 day cutting intervals, as compared to only one cut of the green foliage tops at the end of the season. The reverse was seen for tuber production on the same treatments, with only 28% of tuber yield at the highest foliage production. In Paper II to IV, almost all of the cassava foliage was consumed. Mean values of ruminal pH ranged from 6.14 to 7.03. Average NH3-N concentration ranged from 10.41 to 16.25 mg 100 g-1 of ruminal fluid, volatile fatty acids concentration ranged from 80.9 to 93.4 mmol L-1 of ruminal fluid, and both increased with higher amounts of cassava foliage in the rations. Serum triiodothyronine, thyroxin, free thyroxin, thyrotropin-stimulating hormone, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase concentrations were not significantly affected by ensiled cassava foliage and dried cassava foliage. When feeding fresh cassava foliage the triiodothyronine and thyroxin concentrations were lower, and alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and thyrotropin stimulating hormone concentrations were higher. Significant effects of fresh cassava foliage levels were found on triiodothyronine and thyroxin. In Paper V, increasing supplemental levels of ensiled cassava foliage and pelleted cassava foliage increased live weight gain, while the gain was not significant for fresh cassava foliage. Ensiled cassava foliage and pelleted cassava foliage supplements increased the daily weight gain by approximately 50% at the lowest supplementary level of 50 g CP 100 kg-1 LWt day-1 and by 100% at the highest supplementary level of 100 g CP 100 kg-1 LWt day-1. Thyroid hormones and liver enzymes did not differ among treatments with ensiled cassava foliage and pelleted cassava foliage. A significant effect of fresh cassava foliage levels was only found for triiodothyronine, while the levels of thyroxin, free thyroxin, thyrotropin-stimulating hormone, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase were not significantly affected by fresh cassava foliage level. Results indicated that pelleted cassava foliage and ensiled cassava foliage could be safe protein supplemental sources for growing heifers without adverse effects on their performance