The Impacts of Task-Based Activities on Learners’ Grammatical Acquisition and Motivation at Dong Nai Technology University

The study aims to measure the effect of Task-based language teaching on grammatical achievement and the motivation of EFL learners at Dong Nai Technology University. The research will conduct a quick grammar test to administer 48 students at the school to achieve this goal. After sitting the test, the learners will undergo a 6-week course applying task-based language teaching. Before the treatment, one certified instructor-made grammar test about the learning units will be encompassed as the pre-test. Furthermore, a motivation questionnaire will be carried out in this group at the research's beginning and end. Afterward, the learners will learn through the treatment, which is learning through the implementation of Task-based language teaching. After six weeks of treatment, the group will take the same teacher-made grammar test as the post-test. After that, the writer will analyze the data through paired sample t-test. The results demonstrated a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test in the student’s performance on grammar acquisition and the enhancement in learners’ motivation. Based on the findings of this research, it is believed that task-based language teaching can be used in English classes to enhance learners’ grammar achievements and motivation among Vietnamese university learners

The Effects of Collaborative Learning on Young ESL Learners’ L2 Anxiety and Speaking Performance

Foreign Language Anxiety (FLA) is one of the issues of interest attracting researchers in recent decades. However, while collaborative learning introduced a prospective tool for FLA, it has not been much researched in the L2 classroom context, particularly in Vietnam. This paper focuses on using collaborative learning to reduce foreign language anxiety and enhance the L2 speaking performance of young learners at an English center in Ho Chi Minh City. A combination of tools, including Aydin et al.’s (2017) Children Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (CFLAS) for the pre-tests and post-tests, the teacher’s diary, and follow-up interviews, was used to measure the changes in learner’ FLA level and speaking performance. After five-week implementations, these learners’ FLA was slightly alleviated, and their speaking performance was improved using a collaborative learning approach. Moreover, learners were found to have positive attitudes and experience with learning in the new approach. These findings implied that collaborative learning could be a potential treatment to help L2 learners uncover their anxious selves and find more confidence in using the target languag

Effects of water scarcity awareness and climate change belief on recycled water usage willingness: Evidence from New Mexico, United States

The global water crisis is being exacerbated by climate change, even in the United States. Recycled water is a feasible alternative to alleviate the water shortage, but it is constrained by humans’ perceptions. The current study examines how residents’ water scarcity awareness and climate change belief influence their willingness to use recycled water directly and indirectly. Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF) analytics was employed on a dataset of 1831 residents in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an arid inland region in the US. We discovered that residents’ willingness to use direct recycled potable water is positively affected by their awareness of water scarcity, but the effect is conditional on their belief in the impacts of climate change on the water cycle. Meanwhile, the willingness to use indirect recycled potable water is influenced by water scarcity awareness, and the belief in climate change further enhances this effect. These findings implicate that fighting climate change denialism and informing the public of the water scarcity situation in the region can contribute to the effectiveness and sustainability of long-term water conservation and climate change alleviation efforts

Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BACKGROUND Regular, detailed reporting on population health by underlying cause of death is fundamental for public health decision making. Cause-specific estimates of mortality and the subsequent effects on life expectancy worldwide are valuable metrics to gauge progress in reducing mortality rates. These estimates are particularly important following large-scale mortality spikes, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. When systematically analysed, mortality rates and life expectancy allow comparisons of the consequences of causes of death globally and over time, providing a nuanced understanding of the effect of these causes on global populations. METHODS The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 cause-of-death analysis estimated mortality and years of life lost (YLLs) from 288 causes of death by age-sex-location-year in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations for each year from 1990 until 2021. The analysis used 56 604 data sources, including data from vital registration and verbal autopsy as well as surveys, censuses, surveillance systems, and cancer registries, among others. As with previous GBD rounds, cause-specific death rates for most causes were estimated using the Cause of Death Ensemble model-a modelling tool developed for GBD to assess the out-of-sample predictive validity of different statistical models and covariate permutations and combine those results to produce cause-specific mortality estimates-with alternative strategies adapted to model causes with insufficient data, substantial changes in reporting over the study period, or unusual epidemiology. YLLs were computed as the product of the number of deaths for each cause-age-sex-location-year and the standard life expectancy at each age. As part of the modelling process, uncertainty intervals (UIs) were generated using the 2·5th and 97·5th percentiles from a 1000-draw distribution for each metric. We decomposed life expectancy by cause of death, location, and year to show cause-specific effects on life expectancy from 1990 to 2021. We also used the coefficient of variation and the fraction of population affected by 90% of deaths to highlight concentrations of mortality. Findings are reported in counts and age-standardised rates. Methodological improvements for cause-of-death estimates in GBD 2021 include the expansion of under-5-years age group to include four new age groups, enhanced methods to account for stochastic variation of sparse data, and the inclusion of COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality-which includes excess mortality associated with the pandemic, excluding COVID-19, lower respiratory infections, measles, malaria, and pertussis. For this analysis, 199 new country-years of vital registration cause-of-death data, 5 country-years of surveillance data, 21 country-years of verbal autopsy data, and 94 country-years of other data types were added to those used in previous GBD rounds. FINDINGS The leading causes of age-standardised deaths globally were the same in 2019 as they were in 1990; in descending order, these were, ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lower respiratory infections. In 2021, however, COVID-19 replaced stroke as the second-leading age-standardised cause of death, with 94·0 deaths (95% UI 89·2-100·0) per 100 000 population. The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the rankings of the leading five causes, lowering stroke to the third-leading and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to the fourth-leading position. In 2021, the highest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 occurred in sub-Saharan Africa (271·0 deaths [250·1-290·7] per 100 000 population) and Latin America and the Caribbean (195·4 deaths [182·1-211·4] per 100 000 population). The lowest age-standardised death rates from COVID-19 were in the high-income super-region (48·1 deaths [47·4-48·8] per 100 000 population) and southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania (23·2 deaths [16·3-37·2] per 100 000 population). Globally, life expectancy steadily improved between 1990 and 2019 for 18 of the 22 investigated causes. Decomposition of global and regional life expectancy showed the positive effect that reductions in deaths from enteric infections, lower respiratory infections, stroke, and neonatal deaths, among others have contributed to improved survival over the study period. However, a net reduction of 1·6 years occurred in global life expectancy between 2019 and 2021, primarily due to increased death rates from COVID-19 and other pandemic-related mortality. Life expectancy was highly variable between super-regions over the study period, with southeast Asia, east Asia, and Oceania gaining 8·3 years (6·7-9·9) overall, while having the smallest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 (0·4 years). The largest reduction in life expectancy due to COVID-19 occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean (3·6 years). Additionally, 53 of the 288 causes of death were highly concentrated in locations with less than 50% of the global population as of 2021, and these causes of death became progressively more concentrated since 1990, when only 44 causes showed this pattern. The concentration phenomenon is discussed heuristically with respect to enteric and lower respiratory infections, malaria, HIV/AIDS, neonatal disorders, tuberculosis, and measles. INTERPRETATION Long-standing gains in life expectancy and reductions in many of the leading causes of death have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adverse effects of which were spread unevenly among populations. Despite the pandemic, there has been continued progress in combatting several notable causes of death, leading to improved global life expectancy over the study period. Each of the seven GBD super-regions showed an overall improvement from 1990 and 2021, obscuring the negative effect in the years of the pandemic. Additionally, our findings regarding regional variation in causes of death driving increases in life expectancy hold clear policy utility. Analyses of shifting mortality trends reveal that several causes, once widespread globally, are now increasingly concentrated geographically. These changes in mortality concentration, alongside further investigation of changing risks, interventions, and relevant policy, present an important opportunity to deepen our understanding of mortality-reduction strategies. Examining patterns in mortality concentration might reveal areas where successful public health interventions have been implemented. Translating these successes to locations where certain causes of death remain entrenched can inform policies that work to improve life expectancy for people everywhere. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Using the Flipped Classroom Model to Improve Non-English Major Students’ Speaking Skills

The flipped classroom model (FCM) is currently a prominent topic in education circles. While there's been discussion about its positive impacts, there's limited empirical evidence in the literature regarding whether FCM can truly improve the oral proficiency of non-English major learners. In this study, FCM was utilized to explore its benefits in terms of improving students’ oral proficiency. The data was collected through one set of questionnaires, in-class observations and a pre- and post-test with a speaking rubric to check the effect of FCM on students’ speaking skills. In this study, there were 60 non-English major students of Dong Nai Technology University (DNTU) in Vietnam. In class A (the flipped group), 30 students studied the course using FCM, while the remaining students in class B (the traditional group) studied the course using traditional methods. Findings reveal that the use of FCM not only improved students’ speaking skills but also enhanced learners’ motivation. The results can serve as a guide when developing oral proficiency for non-English major students

Enhancing Teachers' Competency In Using Video Games To Boost Students' English Vocabulary And Learning Motivation

In Vietnam, a significant number of university and college students are avid gamers, leading the author to recognize the potential of video games in motivating them to learn English. However, there is limited research on teachers' perspectives in this area. Hence, the author decides to conduct action research to explore how teachers can enhance their skills to effectively incorporate video games into their classes. This study involved 16 teachers and 24 students from the author's school. The teachers were surveyed through interviews and questionnaires, while the students were tasked with playing a selected video game. Combining the teachers' feedback with the author's observations of student progress yielded satisfactory results. The findings demonstrated that there was a substantial change in the students' vocabulary learning performance and increased motivation between the pre- and post-tests. The results of this study suggest that using video games in English classrooms can improve students' motivation and glossary achievements among Vietnamese university students

The Impact of Authentic Material Use on English Language Classes At Nguyen Tat Thanh University

In recent years, due to the remarkable explosion of the Internet and technology as well as the globalization orientation, language teaching has witnessed many new and innovative teaching methods and materials in ESL classrooms. Many teachers have taken advantage of this trend and made the language classroom more attractive with visual aids and interactive teaching methods using technology. Moreover, besides traditional classroom contexts with textbooks, instructors or teachers, whiteboards, and markers, learners themselves nowadays have better access to many other channels of language learning, such as Youtube, one of the most internationally popular platforms, Netflix, BBC, Ted Talks, the news, radio podcasts, etc. where they can actually learn the language as well as an approach to the content they want at their own homes. In fact, it is undoubtedly true that in recent days, it is very difficult to find a teenager or young adult without a smartphone or Internet access, and young Vietnamese students are not excluded. The sharp increase of high school and university students who own a Youtube or Netflix account and the amount of time they spend watching TV shows, viral video clips, soap operas, or movies every day made the researcher wonder if we could use these endless captivating sources of materials to actually enhance learners’ motivation and listening ability in Vietnamese ESL classrooms

The Relationship between Students’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Their English Language Achievement

This study focuses on the influences of self-efficacy beliefs in English learning between male and female university students. There was a total sample of 128 university Non-English majors from Dong Nai Technology University in Bien Hoa city. The quantitative component used a questionnaire asking about students’ background and their self-efficacy beliefs in learning English. Ten students were individually interviewed to be able to clarify the reasons that affected their self-efficacy beliefs and their English performance. T-test was used to find out the gender differences in self-efficacy level and English achievement degree. The result showed that there was a positive relationship between self-efficacy and achievement. Differences between male and female students in their confidence levels and English learning performance were found. The thesis finishes with a set of recommendations for teachers to pay attention to the importance of self-efficacy because it influences learning English achievement

Synergistic effect of metformin and vitamin D3 on osteogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells under high d-glucose conditions

Introduction: Vitamin D3 plays a vital role in bone health, with low levels of vitamin D3 being related to skeletal fragility, fractures, and metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Metformin is known as an antihyperglycemic agent for regulating blood sugar. A correlation between diabetes mellitus and osteoporosis is attracting considerable interest, and research to find the prevention and treatment is gradually being studied. In this study, we investigated the effect of metformin and vitamin D3 on osteogenic differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) under high d-glucose concentrations and optimized by combining vitamin D3 and metformin in the process. Methods: ROS production of AT-MSCs under high d-glucose conditions was measured by DCFH-DA assay. The differentiated AT-MSCs were analyzed by Alizarin Red S staining and optical density measurement. The investigation involved the examination of osteogenic master genes' expressions using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) techniques. Results: Interestingly, the results have shown that human AT-MSCs will exhibit high ROS accumulation and low osteogenic differentiation capabilities, indicated by low calcium deposition, as well as low expression of indicative genes such as ALP, Runx-2 under high d-glucose conditions. The combination of vitamin D3 and metformin remarkedly accelerated the osteogenic differentiation of AT-MSCs under high d-glucose concentrations more effectively than the administration of either agent. Conclusions: This study partially explains an aspect of an in vitro model for pre-clinical drug screening for osteoporosis-related diabetic pathological mechanisms, which can be applied for further research on the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis in diabetic patients

Widely targeted metabolomics reveals the species‐specific, matureness‐specific and post‐harvest‐specific discriminations in the chemical profiles of Vietnamese endemic golden camellias

International audienceSummary Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest diversity of golden camellias in the world, with more than forty endemic species. However, studies on Vietnamese golden camellias need to be expanded to fill a knowledge gap on these species' chemical profiles and pharmacological properties. This qualitative study focuses on six golden camellias: four endemic species from Tam Dao district, Vinh Phuc province, including Camellia hakodae , Camellia phanii , Camellia tamdaoensis , Camellia tienii and two species commonly cultivated in Quang Ninh province including Camellia petelotii and Camellia euphlebia . A mutual profile of 131 metabolites was obtained by using widely targeted metabolomics analysis using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. Comparative metabolomics was performed among leaf extracts of six golden teas, between young and mature leaves and between freeze‐drying and oven‐drying leaves to discriminate these species, and determine the effect of developmental stage and post‐harvesting method on the plant metabolism. The PLS‐DA model successfully illustrated a clear separation of the six species and suggested apigenin C‐glycoside derivatives as chemical markers for the diversity. Young and mature leaves of all six species also produced distinguished metabolomes, differentiated by mostly amino acid derivatives. The multivariate analysis also indicated the conversion of some flavonoids and amino acids induced by heat in the drying process. These results offer metabolite markers for quality control of Vietnamese golden camellias and recommendations for their usage and preparation