RECOVERY OF POLY(3-HYDROXYBUTYRATE) FROM Yangia sp. ND199 BY SIMPLE DIGESTION WITH SODIUM HYPOCHLORITE

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a biodegradable polymer synthesized intracellularly by many microorganisms. After extraction from the cells, they possess the common features of non-toxic, biocompatible, biodegradable and recyclable. These features render them highly competitive with polypropylene or other petroleum-derived plastics, especially in medicine. The isolation and purification of PHA from bacterial cells are the key step of PHA production process. There are several methods have been used for OHA purification, these include solvent extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, and chemical digestion. In this study we used chemical digestion method for purification of PHB from Yangia sp. ND199. Among various chemical tested (NaOH, HCl, KOH, NaOCl, and SDS), NaOCl was found as an efficient chemical for PHB recovery and PHB purity from Yangia sp. ND199. The optimal purity and recovery conditions were a ratio of 1:1 (v/v, solution containing 100 g/l bacterial cells and solution containing 6% NaOCl), a 30 oC temperature and a 1 h treatment time. Under such conditions, a purity of 99% and a recovery of 94% were obtained. This method is sumple and can be developed and used for industrial scale

The Determinants of Rice Farmers� Adoption of Sustainable Agricultural Technologies in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Farmers’ adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies guarantees for increasing their income/profit, providing quality agricultural products for the society, and preserving tolerance limits of ecological agriculture. This study analyzes factors affecting the adoption behavior of sustainable agricultural technologies among rice farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam based on the binary logit model. The result shows that factors affecting the adoption behavior are i) human capital; ii) farm size; iii) social capital; iv) extension and v) access to the market. The study also gives policy implications, which make the scientific foundation for policymakers in promoting the adoption of sustainable productio

Job Satisfaction, Leadership Styles, Demographic Variables and Organisational Commitment among Pharmacists in Vietnam

Research Aims: To analyse the organisational commitment of pharmacists in Vietnamese enterprises, incorporating elements such as job satisfaction, leadership style and demographic variables. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on a primary data sample, collected from 300 pharmacists in professional organisations (universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and drugstore chains), and a structural equation model (SEM). Research Findings: The results show that organisational commitment is significantly dependent on perceived job satisfaction, leadership styles and demographic variables by pharmacists. Predictors of pharmacists' organisational commitment differed significantly. Theoretical Contribution/Originality: This is the first study to consider factors affecting organisational commitment among pharmacists in Vietnamese enterprises. Managerial Implications in the Southeast Asian Context: This study could have potential practical implications in pharmacy management. Human resource management systems in each type of organisation (universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and drugstore chains) must be aware of different predictors that affect the pharmacists' commitment to their respective organisations and devise appropriate managerial standards. Research Limitations and Implications: Earlier research has shown that some control variables, such as age, gender, marital status, number of years in an organisation and level of education, which influence organisational commitments in particular, were not included in the model as direct control variables. Further research should use these control variables in their models to obtain a more complete explanation of organisational commitment among pharmacists in Vietnam.&nbsp

Optimizing Active Tuberculosis Case Finding: Evaluating the Impact of Community Referral for Chest X-ray Screening and Xpert Testing on Case Notifications in Two Cities in Viet Nam

To accelerate the reduction in tuberculosis (TB) incidence, it is necessary to optimize the use of innovative tools and approaches available within a local context. This study evaluated the use of an existing network of community health workers (CHW) for active case finding, in combination with mobile chest X-ray (CXR) screening events and the expansion of Xpert MTB/RIF testing eligibility, in order to reach people with TB who had been missed by the current system. A controlled intervention study was conducted from January 2018 to March 2019 in five intervention and four control districts of two low to medium TB burden cities in Viet Nam. CHWs screened and referred eligible persons for CXR to TB care facilities or mobile screening events in the community. The initial diagnostic test was Xpert MTB/RIF for persons with parenchymal abnormalities suggestive of TB on CXR or otherwise on smear microscopy. We analyzed the TB care cascade by calculating the yield and number needed to screen (NNS), estimated the impact on TB notifications and conducted a pre-/postintervention comparison of TB notification rates using controlled, interrupted time series (ITS) analyses. We screened 30,336 individuals in both cities to detect and treat 243 individuals with TB, 88.9% of whom completed treatment successfully. All forms of TB notifications rose by +18.3% (95% CI: +15.8%, +20.8%). The ITS detected a significant postintervention step-increase in the intervention area for all-form TB notification rates (IRR(β6) = 1.221 (95% CI: 1.011, 1.475); p = 0.038). The combined use of CHWs for active case findings and mobile CXR screening expanded the access to and uptake of Xpert MTB/RIF testing and resulted in a significant increase in TB notifications. This model could serve as a blueprint for expansion throughout Vietnam. Moreover, the results demonstrate the need to optimize the use of the best available tools and approaches in order to end TB