An analysis of value-chains and market development to support the smaller-scale production of pork by ethnic minority women in the Northern Mountainous Region of Vietnam

HIGHLIGHTS: *Using information gathered from visits to field sites and interviews with farmers in 2019, the authors of this report or Guidance Memo document the challenges faced by socially and economically-marginalized women in the Northern Mountainous Region (NMR) of Vietnam who raise local or heritage pigs on small-scales to supplement their family income. *These women have been greatly affected by recent growth in industrial-scale pork production in Vietnam. *Moreover, the African Swine Fever crisis in northern Vietnam in mid/late 2019 threatens to put an end to raising local/heritage breeds on small scales in NMR. *But there is clear evidence that smaller-scale pork production in NMR is viable and is good socially, economically, environmentally, and for animal welfare. *A number of concrete, practical ways to support small-scale producers are suggested, from providing training in pig breeding to simple steps like teaching the small producers to use Facebook to attract customers

Alpha-mangostin inhibits the migration and invasion of A549 lung cancer cells

Several studies have indicated that α-mangostin exerts anti-metastasis and anti-subsistence effects on several types of cancer cells. Especially, the anti-metastatic effect of α-mangostin on cancer cells is a prospective function in cancer treatment. However, the metastasis process is complicated, and includes migration, invasion, intravasation, and extravasation; thus, the main target of anti-metastatic effect of α-mangostin is not known. In this study, we investigated the effects of α-mangostin on the invasion, subsistence, and migration of lung cancer cells under co-culture conditions with normal cells and regular mono-culture conditions. We found that α-mangostin killed the lung cancer and normal cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, the alteration in the surface mechanical properties of cells was examined by using atomic force microscopy. Although the α-mangostin concentrations of 5 and 10 µM did not affect the short-term cell viability, they considerably decreased the Young’s modulus of lung cancer cells implying a decline in cell surface actin cytoskeletal properties. Additionally, these concentrations of α-mangostin inhibited the migration of lung cancer cells. In co-culture conditions (cancer cells with normal cells), the invasive activities of cancer cells on normal cells were discernibly observed, and was inhibited after treatment with 5 and 10 µM of α-mangostin. Taken together, α-mangostin suppressed the subsistence of lung cancer cells and displayed anti-metastatic activities by inhibiting the migration and invasion, and reducing the actin cytoskeleton of cancer cells. Our findings suggest that α-mangostin could be a potential therapeutic agent for cancer treatment

Vers un enseignement par compétences de l’interprétation consécutive dans les universités au Vietnam

L’enseignement par compétences devient un impératif au Vietnam, notamment au niveau de la licence afin de répondre aux besoins du marché du travail et de faciliter l’employabilité des diplômés. La mise en œuvre de cette politique éducative nécessite une série d’activités dont la première concerne l’élaboration d’un référentiel de métier-compétences. Cependant, un référentiel de compétences de l’interprète est un sujet peu exploité par les recherches sur l’interprétation en général et sur l’interprétation consécutive en particulier. Au Vietnam, un tel référentiel n’existe pas encore ; les curricula de formation universitaire à l’interprétation consécutive ont été donc conçus grâce aux expériences des enseignants, sans se référer aux besoins du marché du travail. Pour ces raisons, une équipe de recherche de l’Université de Hanoï a mené, de 2018 à 2021, une étude ayant pour objectif d’élaborer un référentiel de compétences professionnelles de l’interprétation consécutive adressé aux universités de langues étrangères vietnamiennes. Un entretien collectif auprès de 16 interprètes chevronnés, un questionnaire renseigné par 93 employeurs ont été réalisés dans le but de comprendre les activités professionnelles et les compétences sous-jacentes dans un contexte vietnamien. Les analyses qualitatives et les statistiques descriptives du corpus ont été triangulées, comparées avec les résultats de recherche des auteurs connus dans le domaine. Le référentiel proposé comprend 6 compétences professionnelles, réparties en 28 sous-compétences, accompagnées des suggestions de critères d’évaluation. Cet outil pourrait servir de base ultérieurement pour la conception des référentiels de formation et d’évaluation par les universités intéressées, en fonction de leurs objectifs et conditions d’assurance de la qualité des programmes de formation.La educación basada en competencias se convierte en un imperativo en Vietnam, especialmente en el nivel universitario, a fin de satisfacer las necesidades del mercado laboral y facilitar la empleabilidad de los graduados. La aplicación de esta política educativa requiere de una serie de acciones, la primera de las cuales es el desarrollo de un marco de competencias, cuestión poco explorada en la investigación sobre la interpretación en general y sobre la interpretación consecutiva en particular. En Vietnam aún no existe un marco de referencia de este tipo; los planes de estudios universitarios de interpretación consecutiva se han diseñado a partir de las experiencias de los profesores y sin tener en cuenta las necesidades del mercado laboral. Por estas razones, un equipo de investigación de la Universidad de Hanoi realizó un estudio entre 2018 y 2021 con el objetivo de proponer un marco de competencias profesionales para la formación en interpretación consecutiva dentro de las universidades de lenguas extranjeras. Se realizó una entrevista grupal a 16 intérpretes experimentados y una encuesta a 93 empresarios con el objetivo de comprender las actividades profesionales y las competencias subyacentes en un contexto vietnamita. Los análisis cualitativos y las estadísticas descriptivas del corpus se han triangulado y comparado con los resultados de las investigaciones de autores conocidos en este campo, obteniendo el marco de referencia propuesto, que consta de 6 competencias profesionales, divididas en 28 subcompetencias, acompañadas de los criterios de evaluación sugeridos. Este marco de competencias podría servir de base para el diseño de marcos de formación y evaluación de las universidades interesadas de acuerdo con sus objetivos y requisitos de garantía de calidad de los programas de formación

Indigenous knowledge in climate change adaptation: Case studies of ethnic minorities in the Northern Mountain Region of Vietnam

This study aims to investigate the indigenous knowledge (IK) of three ethnic minority groups in the Northern Mountain Region (NMR) of Vietnam. The groups include (1) Tay people who live at lower elevations; (2) a Dao community who tend to live in the middle elevations and (3) Hmong farmers who mainly reside at higher elevations areas of the mountain. This research intends to identify climate change (CC) and its impact on agricultural cultivation and find out how these groups can adapt to CC by applying their IK in agriculture practices. Data was collected through focus group discussions (n=9), in-depth interviews (n=80), and participant observation. From the 80 respondents, 27 live in Bac Kan province, 23 in Yen Bai province and 30 in Son La province; those who had experience in agricultural production, elderly and village heads. The results show that the NMR weather has significant changes that negatively impact agriculture cultivation and local livelihood. Although the respondents are from different ethnic minorities, these farmers are highly aware of the CC risks, leading into adaptation practices. While the Tay people's major adaptation strategies include the use of a variety of native plants and changing planting calendars, the Dao and Hmong people apply intercropping and local techniques methods in terracing fields using local varieties of livestock. Our findings highlight the importance of using the IK of ethnic minorities in adaptation towards CC. A better targeting about the use of local resources in future national policies and projects is encouraged.Nghiên cứu này nhằm thu thập kiến thức bản địa (IK) của ba nhóm dân tộc thiểu số ở Miền núi phía Bắc (MNPB) của Việt Nam bao gồm (1) dân tộc Tày chủ yếu sống ở vùng thấp; (2) Người Dao có xu hướng sống ở các độ cao trung bình; và (3) người Hmông chủ yếu cư trú ở các khu vực đồi núi cao. Nghiên cứu này nhằm xác định tình hình biến đổi khí hậu (BĐKH) và tác động của nó đối với sản xuất nông nghiệp, đồng thời tìm hiểu cách thức các nhóm dân tộc thiểu số này có thể thích ứng với BĐKH bằng cách áp dụng các kiến thức bản địa của họ vào thực tiễn sản xuất nông nghiệp. Dữ liệu được thu thập thông qua thảo luận nhóm tập trung (n = 9), phỏng vấn sâu (n = 80) và quan sát người tham gia. Trong số 80 người được hỏi, có 27 người sống ở tỉnh Bắc Kạn; 23 người ở tỉnh Yên Bái và 30 người ở tỉnh Sơn La, là những người có kinh nghiệm sản xuất nông nghiệp, người cao tuổi và trưởng thôn. Kết quả cho thấy thời tiết ở khu vực MNPB đã có những thay đổi so với trước gây tác động xấu đến canh tác nông nghiệp và sinh kế của cộng đồng. Mặc dù những người được hỏi từ các dân tộc khác nhau nhưng họ đều nhận thức được sự thay đổi này của thời tiết, do đó họ đã có những thích ứng riêng. Trong khi người Tày sử dụng giống cây trồng địa phương và thay đổi lịch thời vụ thì người Dao và Hmong chọn phương pháp xen canh và áp dụng kỹ thuật bản địa trên đất ruộng bậc thang và sử dụng gióng vật nuôi bản địa. Các phát hiện của chúng tôi giúp hiểu được tầm quan trọng của việc sử dụng IK trong thích ứng với BĐKH của các dân tộc thiểu số, từ đó có thể hướng đến mục tiêu tốt hơn việc sử dụng các nguồn lực địa phương trong các chính sách và dự án quốc gia trong tương lai

Isolation of lactic acid bacteria with antifungal activity against the common cheese spoilage mould Penicillium commune and their potential as biopreservatives in cheese

Moulds are the most common cheese spoilage organisms which can lead to economic loss as well as raising public health concerns due to the production of mycotoxins. In this study, 897 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from different herbs, fruits and vegetables were screened for their antifungal activity in an agar plate overlay assay. Thirty-six isolates had weak activity, 11 had moderate activity and 12 were confirmed as having strong activity. The strong antifungal isolates were obtained from a range of different sources but were all identified by 16S rDNA sequencing as being Lactobacillus plantarum. The antiftmgal spectra for these 12 isolates were determined against eight other moulds commonly associated with cheese spoilage and all isolates were found to possess inhibition against Penicillium solitum, Aspergillus versicolor and Cladosporium herbarum, but not against Penicillium roqueforti, Penicillium glabrum, Mucor circinelloides, Geotrichum candidum or Byssochlamys nivea. The absence of sodium acetate from MRS agar resulted in no inhibition of Penicilium commune, suggesting the synergistic effect of acetic acid with the antifungal LAB, similarly to that previously reported. To determine their potential as biopreservatives in cheese, LAB isolates were inoculated into cottage cheese prior to the addition of P. commune. All Lb. plantarum isolates were found to prevent the visible growth of P. commune on cottage cheese by between 14 and >25 days longer than cottage cheese that contained either no added LAB or LAB that did not have antifungal activity (Lactococcus lactis, Weissella soli, Leuconostoc inhae and Leuconostoc mesenteroides isolates). The results of this study shows that LAB isolated from various herbs, fruits and vegetables possess antifungal activity and have potential for use as biopreservatives in cheese. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

PILOT SCALE STUDY ON AMMONIUM REMOVAL IN PHAP VAN WATER PLANT, HANOI CITY

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Brand personality and revisit intention: The mediating role of tourists’ self-image congruity

Purpose – Brand personality plays an important role in the development of tourists’ self-image congruence and revisit intention. This paper attempts to shed light on the relationship between brand personality and self-image congruence and revisit intention through a quantitative analysis. Design – Data were collected from 496 Vietnamese tourists who visited the top five tourist sites in Vietnam, including Ha Long, Phu Quoc, Sapa, Nha Trang, and Hoi An. Methodology – By using SEM in AMOS version 24 CFA was performed to test the the overall measurement model. Findings – Multivariate data analysis demonstrated that five dimensions of brand personalitỵ (Excitement, Sincerity, Sophistication, Competence, and Ruggedness) have a positive effect on self-image congruence and revisit intention. While excitement appears to be most helpful for developing self-image congruence, sincerity has the highest benefit for increasing revisit intention, sincerity has the highest utility for increasing revisit intention. In addition, revisit intention is most influenced by excitement and least influenced by sophistication through selfimage congruence. Originality of the research – The findings highlight the important role of attributes associated with tourist destinations. Managers in the tourism sector should be familiar with these characteristics in order to position or strengthen their destination’s brand with the aim of delivering to each tourist group a customized experience that resonate with their shared values. The insights provided by this paper also have important implications for travel companies in the gradual recovery of the country’s smoke-free industry under the conditions of the COVID -19 pandemic

Vers un Enseignement par compétences de l’interprétation consécutive dans les universités au Vietnam

: As lecturers and researchers in translation and interpreting, we are aware of the need to design curricula so that students are well equipped, and able to respond to the requirements of modern society. In the world today, there is an evident gap between what is actually taught in higher education and what should be taught to meet student needs. Even though various studies have already focused on the impact of constructs, such as self-regulation, empathy, or creativity, on performance quality, there is still a long way to go. In order to bridge this gap and highlight the role of the university as a transformational agent, our study uses LifeComp, the European framework for the personal, social, and learning to learn key competence. The objective of this research was firstly to discover the transversal competences that are most highly valued by employers in the language industry sector; and secondly, to identify the competences that need more attention in curricula. For this purpose, a questionnaire-based study was designed and administered to translation companies based in Spain. The results obtained indicate that these competences are necessary to foster employability as well as real wealth creation in a lifelong learning context. This study is part of a broader project within the LifeComp framework, in which a competence-based psycho-educational intervention was designed and is now integrated in the translation and interpreting degree programme at the University of Granada (Spain). Keywords: Competence-based learning, LifeComp, Curriculum design, Higher education, EmployabilityComo docentes e investigadores en el ámbito de la traducción e interpretación, somos conscientes de la necesidad de diseñar los currículos para que los estudiantes de traducción e interpretación estén preparados y, como consecuencia, puedan responder a las necesidades de la sociedad. Hoy en día, hay un amplio consenso sobre el desfase que existe entre lo que se enseña y lo que debería enseñarse para satisfacer las necesidades del estudiantado. Aunque hay algunos estudios que se han centrado en el impacto que constructos como autorregulación, empatía o creatividad tienen en la calidad del rendimiento, aún queda mucho por hacer en el entorno universitario. Para poder solucionar esta situación y con la intención de contribuir al papel que la universidad debe tener como agente transformador, LifeComp, el marco europeo para las competencias clave personal, social y aprender a aprender, se toma como base para (1) explorar cuáles son las competencias transversales que los empleadores del sector de las industrias de la lengua consideran más importantes y, como consecuencia, (2) detectar cuáles son las que necesitan más atención en los currículos. Para este fin, se diseña un estudio basado en cuestionarios que se distribuyen entre las empresas de traducción con base en España. Las conclusiones de este estudio apuntan a la necesidad de este tipo de competencias no solo para mejorar la empleabilidad, sino para un crecimiento real en un contexto de aprendizaje de por vida. Este estudio se inserta en un proyecto de mayor envergadura en el que se ha diseñado una intervención psico-educativa basada en el marco LifeComp que ha sido integrada en el currículo de los estudios de Grado en Traducción e Interpretación de la Universidad de Granada (España). Palabras clave: Aprendizaje basado en competencias, LifeComp, Diseño curricular, Educación superior, EmpleabilidadL’enseignement par compétences devient un impératif au Vietnam, notamment au niveau de licence afin de répondre aux besoins du marché du travail et de faciliter l’employabilité des diplômés. La mise en œuvre de cette politique éducative nécessite une série d’activités dont la première concerne l’élaboration d’un référentiel de métier-compétences. Un référentiel de compétences de l’interprète est un sujet peu exploité par les recherches sur l’interprétation en général et sur l’interprétation consécutive en particulier. Au Vietnam, un tel référentiel n’existe pas encore; les curricula de formation universitaire à l’interprétation consécutive ont été conçus plutôt grâce aux expériences des enseignants, sans se référer aux besoins du marché du travail.&nbsp; Pour ces raisons, une équipe de recherche de l’Université de Hanoi a mené, de 2018 à 2021, une étude ayant pour objectif d’élaborer un référentiel de compétences professionnelles de l’interprétation consécutive adressé aux universités de langues étrangères vietnamiennes. Un entretien collectif auprès de 16 interprètes chevronnés, un questionnaire renseigné par 93 employeurs ont été réalisés dans le but de comprendre les activités professionnelles et les compétences sous-jacentes dans un contexte vietnamien. Les analyses qualitatives et les statistiques descriptives du corpus ont été triangulées, comparées avec les résultats de recherche des auteurs connus dans le domaine. Le référentiel proposé comprend 6 compétences professionnelles, réparties en 28 sous-compétences, accompagnées des suggestions de critères d’évaluation. Ce produit pourrait servir de base ultérieurement pour la conception des référentiels de formation et d’évaluation par les universités intéressées, en fonction de leurs objectifs et conditions d’assurance de la qualité des programmes de formation. Mots-clés : Apprentissage basé sur les compétences, LifeComp, Conception de programmes d'études, Enseignement supérieur, Employabilité