Factors Affecting Intention to Transact by Electronic Payment in Supermarkets in Hanoi (Vietnam)

The study is conducted based on 391 observational samples in Hanoi with the context that Vietnam is promoting digital transformation in all aspects of life. Research has shown that: “Performance Expectancy”, “Effort Expectancy”, “Social Influence”, “Facility Conditions” and “Security and Privacy” have a positive impact on the e-payment intention of shoppers in supermarkets in Hanoi, especially Facility Condition is the most influential factor. In addition, the result also found that the age variable also acts as a crucial driver factor in the process of forming human intentions, while the gender variable has no impact on that process. The study of factors that can affect the intention of electronic payment contributes more theoretical basis in this field, as well as provide a more realistic view of the situation of using electronic payment in Vietnam in general, creating a driving force for the promotion of the development of electronic payment regularly in terms of frequency of application and diversity of application forms. In this study, the authors, besides inheriting domestic and foreign studies on electronic payment, also develop innovative points compared to previous studies. The study uses the new approach to study electronic payment through transactions in supermarkets and assess the role of demographic variables on user intention. Keywords: electronic payment, supermarket, solutions DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-11-02 Publication date:June 30th 202

EFFECT OF MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING (MAP) AND POSTHARVEST TREATMENTS ON QUALITY OF LITCHI FRUITS DURING STORAGE

In this article, effect of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and different postharvest treatments on quality of litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) fruit was investigated. Quality indexes of litchi during cold storage at 4 ± 1 oC were measured in terms of decay, total soluble solids, titratable acidity, color, anthocyanin content and incidence of microbiological infection. These indexes were determined at harvest and 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days after storage. The results suggested that after 35 days of storage, the pericarp browning and fruit quality deterioration can be improved compared to the control by dipping fruit is hot water at 47 oC in 7 min., followed by oxalic acid solution (pH = 3 in 6 min.) and finally packed in MAP bag (LDPE, thickness of 30 µm incorporated 3-5 % silica additive) and stored at 4 ± 10C and relative humidity of 90 %

Establishment of a ground surface temperature map for climate change response on the basis of Landsat 8 OLI satellite images

In recent years, in Vietnam, there have been studies using the thermal infrared channel to estimate the surface temperature value, studies using Plank's formula to estimate the surface temperature value from the thermal infrared channel without using the surface emissivity, using the emissivity as a common constant for coating objects [1 – 4]. In the area of Bim Son town – Thanh Hoa province – Vietnam, along with the process of urbanization as well as socio-economic development, the quality of the urban environment, surface coverage by plants and use activities have been greatly affected, especially the limestone mining for cement of one of the largest cement plants in the country (Bim Son cement plant) has had a significant impact on the temperature of the area. The monitoring results have not provided an overview of the temperature background of the whole area of Bim Son town in the period of 2017-2023 in order to assess the change in the temperature background of the region, thereby providing solutions to respond to climate change. The article uses Landsat 8 OLI satellite images to establish a surface heat map for the assessment of climate change for the area of Bim Son – Thanh Hoa, thereby making more general assessments for other areas in Vietnam. The experimental results were compared and evaluated to show the relevance of the data as well as the image processing process

Classification Methods for Mapping Mangrove Extents and Drivers of Change in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam during 2005-2018

Mangrove forests have been globally recognised as their vital functions in preventing coastal erosion, mitigating effects of wave actions and protecting coastal habitats and adjacent shoreline land-uses from extreme coastal events. However, these functions are under severe threats due to the rapid growth of population, intensive shrimp farming and the increased intensity of severe storms in Hau Loc and Nga Son districts, Thanh Hoa province. This research was conducted to monitor spatial-temporal changes in mangrove extents using Landsat and Sentinel imageries from 2005 to 2018. Unsupervised and supervised classification methods and vegetation indices were tested to select the most suitable classification method for study sites, then to quantify mangrove extents and their changes in selected years. The findings show that supervised classification was the most suitable in study sites compared to vegetation indices and unsupervised classification. Mangrove forest extents increased by 7.5 %, 38.6 %, and 47.8 % during periods of 2005 - 2010, 2010 - 2015 and 2015 - 2018, respectively. An increase of mangrove extents resulted from national programs of mangrove rehabilitation and restoration during 2005- 2018, increased by 278.0 ha (123.0 %)

Monitoring Changes in Coastal Mangrove Extents Using Multi-Temporal Satellite Data in Selected Communes, Hai Phong City, Vietnam

Mangrove forests are important and known as one of the most productive ecosystems in the tropics. They reduce the impacts of extreme events, provide important breeding grounds for aquatic species and build the resilience of ecosystem-dependent coastal communities. On the contrary, they are also known as one of the most threatened and vulnerable ecosystems worldwide, which have experienced a dramatic decline due to extensive coastal development during the last half-century. Remote sensing techniques have demonstrated a high potential to detect, identify, map, and monitor mangrove conditions and its changes, which is reflected by a large number of scientific papers published on this topic. The aim of this study was to investigate the multi-decadal changes of mangrove forests selected communes in Hai Phong city, North Vietnam, based on using Landsat and Sentinel 2 data from 2000 to 2018. The study used these continuous steps: 1) data pre-processing; 2) image classification using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index; 3) accuracy assessments; and 4) multi-temporal change detection and spatial analysis of mangrove forests. The classification maps in comparison with the ground reference data showed the satisfactory agreement with the overall accuracy was higher than 80.0%. From 2000 to 2018, the areas of mangrove forests in the study regions  increased by 584.2 ha in Dai Hop and Bang La communes (Region 1) and by 124.2 ha in Tan Thanh, Ngoc Xuyen and Ngoc Hai communes (Region 2), mainly due to the boom of mangrove planting projects and good mangrove management at the local community level

The Epidemiology of Interpandemic and Pandemic Influenza in Vietnam, 2007–2010: The Ha Nam Household Cohort Study I

Prospective community-based studies have provided fundamental insights into the epidemiology of influenza in temperate regions, but few comparable studies have been undertaken in the tropics. The authors conducted prospective influenza surveillance and intermittent seroprevalence surveys in a household-based cohort in Vietnam between December 2007 and April 2010, resulting in 1,793 person-seasons of influenza surveillance. Age- and sex-standardized estimates of the risk of acquiring any influenza infection per season in persons 5 years of age or older were 21.1% (95% confidence interval: 17.4, 24.7) in season 1, 26.4% (95% confidence interval: 22.6, 30.2) in season 2, and 17.0% (95% confidence interval: 13.6, 20.4) in season 3. Some individuals experienced multiple episodes of infection with different influenza types/subtypes in the same season (n = 27) or reinfection with the same subtype in different seasons (n = 22). The highest risk of influenza infection was in persons 5–9 years old, in whom the risk of influenza infection per season was 41.8%. Although the highest infection risk was in school-aged children, there were important heterogeneities in the age of infection by subtype and season. These heterogeneities could influence the impact of school closure and childhood vaccination on influenza transmission in tropical areas, such as Vietnam

Chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the essential oils of Cymbopogon citratus L. Grown in phu tho province

Culms and leaves of Cymbopogon citratus L. were collected from two regions of Phu Tho province (Thanh Son and Phu Ninh) and used as materials for essential oil extraction. Oils obtained were steam-distilled, analyzed for chemical composition and evaluated for cytotoxic activity against three different cancer cell lines. The GC/MS analysis showed that citral is the major content of the steam-distilled essential oils which was found in the range of 64.15-76.22%. Camphene was found only in culm oils of both regions but it was not detected in the leaf oils. Interestingly, the isomer forms of ocimene present at higher content in the culm oils than in the leaf oils whereas myrcene content in the leaf oils is higher than that in the culm oils. In a cytotoxicity test, four essential oils of culms and leaves of C. citratus from Thanh Son and Phu Ninh showed potent activity against A549 (human lung carcinoma) cell line with the IC50 values ranging from 4.01±0.39 to 6.3±0.54 µg/ml. The essential oils (culms and leaves) from Phu Ninh exhibited moderate effects on the Hela (human cervical adenocarcinoma) cells with the IC50 values of 19.43±1.16 and 42±2.41 µg/ml, respectively. However, they were inactive against the human hepatocellular carcinoma Hep3B cell line. The essential oils from Thanh Son exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against Hela and Hep3B cell lines with the IC50 values ranging from 1.18±0.26 to 8.91±0.32 µg/ml. The results indicated that the essential oils of C. citratus from Thanh Son, Phu Tho could be considered as a promising candidate for the natural sources of anticancer agents

Combination Antifungal Therapy for Cryptococcal Meningitis

Background Combination antifungal therapy (amphotericin B deoxycholate and flucytosine) is the recommended treatment for cryptococcal meningitis but has not been shown to reduce mortality, as compared with amphotericin B alone. We performed a randomized, controlled trial to determine whether combining flucytosine or high-dose fluconazole with high-dose amphotericin B improved survival at 14 and 70 days. Methods We conducted a randomized, three-group, open-label trial of induction therapy for cryptococcal meningitis in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection. All patients received amphotericin B at a dose of 1 mg per kilogram of body weight per day; patients in group 1 were treated for 4 weeks, and those in groups 2 and 3 for 2 weeks. Patients in group 2 concurrently received flucytosine at a dose of 100 mg per kilogram per day for 2 weeks, and those in group 3 concurrently received fluconazole at a dose of 400 mg twice daily for 2 weeks. Results A total of 299 patients were enrolled. Fewer deaths occurred by days 14 and 70 among patients receiving amphotericin B and flucytosine than among those receiving amphotericin B alone (15 vs. 25 deaths by day 14; hazard ratio, 0.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30 to 1.08; unadjusted P=0.08; and 30 vs. 44 deaths by day 70; hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.97; unadjusted P=0.04). Combination therapy with fluconazole had no significant effect on survival, as compared with monotherapy (hazard ratio for death by 14 days, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.44 to 1.41; P=0.42; hazard ratio for death by 70 days, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.45 to 1.11; P=0.13). Amphotericin B plus flucytosine was associated with significantly increased rates of yeast clearance from cerebrospinal fluid (−0.42 log10 colony-forming units [CFU] per milliliter per day vs. −0.31 and −0.32 log10 CFU per milliliter per day in groups 1 and 3, respectively; P<0.001 for both comparisons). Rates of adverse events were similar in all groups, although neutropenia was more frequent in patients receiving a combination therapy. Conclusions Amphotericin B plus flucytosine, as compared with amphotericin B alone, is associated with improved survival among patients with cryptococcal meningitis. A survival benefit of amphotericin B plus fluconazole was not found

Social Contact Patterns in Vietnam and Implications for the Control of Infectious Diseases

BACKGROUND: The spread of infectious diseases from person to person is determined by the frequency and nature of contacts between infected and susceptible members of the population. Although there is a long history of using mathematical models to understand these transmission dynamics, there are still remarkably little empirical data on contact behaviors with which to parameterize these models. Even starker is the almost complete absence of data from developing countries. We sought to address this knowledge gap by conducting a household based social contact diary in rural Vietnam. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A diary based survey of social contact patterns was conducted in a household-structured community cohort in North Vietnam in 2007. We used generalized estimating equations to model the number of contacts while taking into account the household sampling design, and used weighting to balance the household size and age distribution towards the Vietnamese population. We recorded 6675 contacts from 865 participants in 264 different households and found that mixing patterns were assortative by age but were more homogenous than observed in a recent European study. We also observed that physical contacts were more concentrated in the home setting in Vietnam than in Europe but the overall level of physical contact was lower. A model of individual versus household vaccination strategies revealed no difference between strategies in the impact on R(0). CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: This work is the first to estimate contact patterns relevant to the spread of infections transmitted from person to person by non-sexual routes in a developing country setting. The results show interesting similarities and differences from European data and demonstrate the importance of context specific data

A prospective multi-center observational study of children hospitalized with diarrhea in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

We performed a prospective multicenter study to address the lack of data on the etiology, clinical and demographic features of hospitalized pediatric diarrhea in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. Over 2,000 (1,419 symptomatic and 609 non-diarrheal control) children were enrolled in three hospitals over a 1-year period in 2009-2010. Aiming to detect a panel of pathogens, we identified a known diarrheal pathogen in stool samples from 1,067/1,419 (75.2%) children with diarrhea and from 81/609 (13.3%) children without diarrhea. Rotavirus predominated in the symptomatic children (664/1,419; 46.8%), followed by norovirus (293/1,419; 20.6%). The bacterial pathogens Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Shigella were cumulatively isolated from 204/1,419 (14.4%) diarrheal children and exhibited extensive antimicrobial resistance, most notably to fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. We suggest renewed efforts in generation and implementation of policies to control the sale and prescription of antimicrobials to curb bacterial resistance and advise consideration of a subsidized rotavirus vaccination policy to limit the morbidity due to diarrheal disease in Vietnam