ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF AGRITOURISM IN BINH DINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM

This study evaluates the potential for agritourism development in Binh Dinh Province, Central Vietnam. The analytical hierarchical process is used to determine the weights of four factors with 25 measurement criteria to assess agritourism potential. The research results show that Binh Dinh Province has great agritourism potential based on four evaluation factors, including (1) local agricultural tourism resources, (2) the trend for agritourism development and the agritourism market, (3) the local community’s willingness, and (4) the supporting activities of the local government. In particular, the local agricultural tourism resources factor received the highest score, followed by the local community’s willingness and the supporting activities of the local government. The trend for agritourism development and the agritourism market was rated the lowest. Therefore, Binh Dinh has viable opportunities to encourage the growth of agritourism to improve farmers’ livelihoodsDu lịch nông nghiệp đem lại nhiều cơ hội cho phát triển kinh tế cũng như đa dạng hóa các loại hình du lịch và cải thiện đời sống sinh kế của người dân. Nghiên cứu sử dụng phương pháp phân tích thứ bậc (AHP) để tính các trọng số của các tiêu chí đánh giá tiềm năng phát triển du lịch nông nghiệp tại các huyện, thị xã phía bắc tỉnh Bình Định. Tiếp theo, kết quả mô hình hóa sơ đồ mạng cho thấy cả 4 địa phương An Lão, Hoài Ân, Phù Mỹ, thị xã Hoài Nhơn đều được đánh giá ở mức điểm cao về tiềm năng phát triển du lịch nông nghiệp trên các khía cạnh tài nguyên du lịch, xu hướng phát triển du lịch, sự ủng hộ của người dân địa phương và sự quan tâm của chính quyền địa phương. Tuy nhiên, yếu tố xu hướng phát triển thị trường du lịch nông nghiệp được đánh giá ở mức điểm thấp hơn. Điều này cũng xuất phát từ việc phát triển du lịch nông nghiệp tại các huyện, thị xã phía Bắc tỉnh Bình Định cũng mới bắt đầu nhận được sự quan tâm trong vài năm gần đây, số lượt khách tham quan các huyện, thị xã phía Bắc tỉnh Bình Định còn ít so với tiềm năng du lịch của địa bàn

Synthesis of hydroxyl terminated liquid natural rubber by oxidative depolymerization of deproteinized natural rubber

Hydroxyl terminated liquid natural rubber (HTLNR) was prepared by the depolymerization of deproteinized natural rubber (DPNR) in mixture of toluene and water at 60oC for 24 hours in the presence of ammonium persulfate as an initiator and tetrahydrofuran (THF) as a homogenizing agent. GPC analysis revealed that the number-average molecular weight (Mn) and weight-average molecular weight (Mw) of HTLNR were found to be 4.334×103 g/mol and 11.702×103 g/mol, respectively, with polydispersity index (PDI) of  2.7. The chemical structure of HTLNR was determined by FTIR and 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopic analysis. The mechanism of depolymerization and hydroxylation of NR to form HTNR based on the analytical data is also suggested in this study

The relationship between brand equity and intention to buy: the case of convenience stores

The research aims to identify the components of brand equity that affect consumer purchasing intentions and measure the effect of brand equity components on the intention of consumer purchases at the convenience stores in Ho Chi Minh City. The authors conduct the group discussions, expert discussion, and then analyze data from 200 valid questionnaires with four components of brand equity, namely perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand association, brand awareness. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) show that all four elements have a positive effect on the customer' intention to purchase in the convenience store of Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, the brand association factor has the strongest influence, followed by perceived quality, brand awareness, and brand loyalty. This research contributes that the results confirm the theory of Aaker (1991), Brown and Stayman (1992), Cobb-Walgren et al. (1995), MacKenzie (1986) in the new context of convenience stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Besides, the study gives some recommendations to help convenience stores improve the elements of brand equity and it, to enhance attraction for consumers

Adsorption of ciprofloxacin using composite Film from PVA, agarose and maltodextrin

Rintangan antibiotik ialah salah satu masalah yang paling membimbangkan hari ini. Oleh itu, membran komposit telah digunakan secara meluas untuk penyingkiran antibiotik daripada air. Filem PVA/Agarosa/Maltodekstrin telah disintesis dengan tuangan dengan pelbagai nisbah komponen. Ia dinilai untuk ciri melalui kelembapan, keterlarutan, pengembangan dan keputusan BET. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa filem PVA/Agarosa/Maltodekstrin mempamerkan daya maju terbaik dalam persekitaran akuatik melalui keterlarutan rendah (68.88% ± 0.03), bengkak tinggi (431.77% ± 5.89) dan isi padu liang (0.034969 cm³/g). Kapasiti penjerapan PVA/Agarosa/Maltodekstrin telah diuji untuk beberapa antibiotik seperti Ciprofloksacin, Tetracycline, Oxy-Tetracycline dan Chloramphenicol. Keputusan menunjukkan bahawa Ciprofloksacin telah dikeluarkan oleh filem PVA/Agarosa/Maltodekstrin lebih baik daripada antibiotik lain. Penjerapan antibiotik tertinggi diperoleh pada 20 minit, suhu 30 °C, dos 2 g/L, pH 6 dan kepekatan antibiotik 40 mg/L. Penjerapan Ciprofloksacin telah diramalkan melalui model kinetik dan isoterma penjerapan. Keserasian kinetik Pseudo First Order dan isoterma Dubinin-Radushkevich telah menunjukkan bahawa penjerapan berlaku mengikut mekanisme penjerapan fizikal dengan interaksi elektrostatik pada permukaan bahan. Kapasiti penjerapan maksimum direkodkan pada 4.48 mg/g berdasarkan isoterma Dubinin-Radushkevich

The role of classroom observation in the development and assessment of schoolteachers in Vietnam: a review of national policy and research

This paper focuses on the role of classroom observation in the development and assessment of schoolteachers in Vietnam through a narrative review of current policy and cognate research literature. The overall aim of this review was twofold. Firstly, to contribute to a growing bank of Vietnam-based studies to maximise the value of the insights from this scholarly work into recent policy reforms on teachers’ professional development in Vietnam. Secondly, to widen access and exposure to published work on the topic in Vietnamese that is not readily accessible to English-speaking scholars. This review revealed a long history and engrained culture of using observation as a teacher performance evaluation tool. In recent years, there have been policy reforms and research studies that have repositioned observation as a tool for teacher learning and development. However, the implementation of these reforms has been inconsistent across Vietnam, along with recent reform having encountered resistance from a culture of compliance in schools. This paper identifies some of the key issues that policy makers and educational leaders need to address in practice in order to ensure the effective and meaningful implementation of the reforms relating to the use of observation for learning and developmental purposes

Sorting or supporting teachers? An exploration of the imbalanced role of classroom observation in the development and assessment of Vietnamese secondary schoolteachers

In 2018, Vietnam’s National Teacher Education Programme established a new framework for schoolteachers’ professional development. Classroom observation was the dominant method used for teacher monitoring, assessment and development. This paper explores the use and impact of current classroom observation policy and practice on novice teachers in Vietnamese secondary schools. Our study draws on qualitative data from 35 semi-structured interviews across four provinces. Our findings revealed ongoing policy-practice tensions, with the prioritisation and dominance of classroom observation as an assessment tool for sorting rather than supporting teachers. These tensions were indicative of a wider policy-practice disconnect enshrined in recent reform by the Ministry of Education and Training that advocated the adoption of lesson study as the preferred national approach in schools. However, the experiences of our participants reflected a very different picture in practice that reinforced traditional hierarchies of power associated with evaluative models of observation that are designed to standardise and rank teachers’ classroom performance rather than develop the quality of teaching. Instead of the more collaborative and collegial ethos typically associated with inquiry-based approaches like lesson study, observation was being used largely as a high-stakes assessment, resulting in increased levels of anxiety and stress among teachers

Investigation of anti-inflammatory lignans from the leaves of Symplocos sumuntia Buch-Ham ex D Don (Symplocaceae)

Purpose: To investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of Symplocos sumuntia Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don and identify the main secondary metabolites responsible for this effect.Methods: The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the plant extract and isolated compounds was determined in terms of the ability to inhibit the production of nitric oxide (NO), and expressions of iNOS and COX-2 proteins in RAW264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Compounds were isolated and identified by spectroscopic methods.Results: The methanol extract of S. sumuntia leaves showed strong inhibitory effects on nitric oxide (NO) production and expression of iNOS and COX-2 in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. A phytochemical assay-guided fractionation of the methanol extract of S. sumuntia leaves led to the isolation of four lignans which are arctigenin (1), matairesinol (2), monomethylpinoresinol (3) and pinoresinol (4). These compounds were identified for the first time from S. sumuntia. All four compounds inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO), with arctigenin showing the most potent activity with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 4.08 μM.Conclusion: S. sumuntia is a promising source of anti-inflammatory agents, which may clarify to the therapeutic use of this plant in Vietamese traditional medicine.Keywords: Symplocos sumuntia, Symplocos caudata, Lignan, Arctigenin, Anti-inflammator

Tensile, electrical properties and morphology of polyethylene/modified fly ash composites using ultraflow

This paper presents relative melt viscosity, tensile, electrical properties and morphology of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/organo-modified fly ash (MFA) and HDPE/MFA/ultraflow (UTF) composites which were prepared by melt mixing method. Relative melt viscosity of HDPE was decreased with adding MFA and UTF into HDPE. Tensile properties (tensile strength, elongation at break and Young’s modulus) of HDPE/MFA/UTF composites were increased with rising UTF content to 5 wt.% and thereafter, they were dropped with the UTF content more than 5 wt.%. Electric properties (dielectric constant, dielectric loss and volume resistivity) of the HDPE/MFA and HDPE/MFA/UTF composites were investigated. The obtained parameters showed that the HDPE/MFA composites have electric insulation higher than HDPE/MFA/UTF composites. Morphology of the composite materials with and without using UTF was also studied by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) images. The results indicated that the MFA was dispersed more regularly and less agglomerated in HDPE matrix with adding UTF into the HDPE/MFA composites

Investigation of salt-tolerant rhizosphere bacteria from seawater-intruding paddy rice field in Vietnam

Salt‐tolerant plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria (ST‐PGPR) are known as potential tools to improve rice salinity tolerance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the plant growth‐promoting rhizobacteria community richness of the paddy rice fields in Soc Trang and Ben Tre Provinces where were seriously affected by sea level rise. The salinity in the sampling sites ranged from 0.14‰ to 2.17‰ in November 2018, the rainy season. The microbial abundance of samples was evaluated by spreading the samples in tryptic soy agar (TSA) medium supplemented with various concentrations of NaCl. With the increase of salt concentration up to 10% NaCl, a total number of bacteria decreased for all the samples, ranging from 106 to 104 CFU/g, and bacterial colonies were not observed at 30% NaCl. Among a total of 48 salt-resisting bacteria isolated from the rice paddy field mud surrounding the rice root, 22 isolates were able to produce indole-3-acetic acid (IAA: phytohormone for the plant growth). Seventeen out of 48 isolates were able to grow in the medium without nitrogen or phosphor sources. Six isolates having high IAA producing activity, nitrogen fixation and phosphate solubilization were belonged to Bacillus (DT6, LT16, and LHT8), Halobacillus (DT8), Aeromonas (LHT1), and Klebsiella (LHT7) genera. All the sequences of the strains DT6, DT8, LT16, LHT1, LHT7, and LHT8 were registered in the GeneBank with the accession numbers MK335670, MK335671, MK335672, MK335673, MK335674, and MK335675, respectively.

Optimization of the leaching process of the printed circuit boards production’s sludge for copper recovery via electrolysis

Copper is the main component of printed circuit boards (PCBs) which is the main part of an electronic device. The manufacture of PCBs often releases huge amount of sludge which contained copper. Derived from the demand of the industrial park about the wasted sludge treatment and the reducing of the plantation of natural mineral resources, the copper recovery process from PCBs manufacture's wasted sludge was studied. The process of copper leaching by sulfuric acid solution was studied using experimental planning methods using the simulation software Modde 5.0. The parameters were calculated and simulated to evaluate the effect of the acid concentration, leaching time, and the ratio between the solid and liquid phases on the leaching efficiency. The obtained results by simulation were compared with real experimental results. The obtained results from this study are planning in the actual deployment of the Hanoi Urban Environment One Member Limited Company in Vietnam. Keywords. Printed circuit board, copper sludge, leaching