THE EFFECTS OF PRACTICING KET LISTENING TESTS ON PREPARATION FOR VSTEP LEVEL 2 LISTENING TESTS

In recent years, English has assumed a greater and greater significance in the teaching and learning of languages in Vietnam. Nowadays, most students want to find better jobs with a certificate in a foreign language. As a result, students enroll in the English Center to study VSTEP to reduce career competition. The fact is that teachers create their documents and employ a variety of resources. Nevertheless, the Cambridge Key English KET Test paper is more reliable because it has been accepted by the Ministry of Education and Training (2014) as being similar to the VSTEP level 2. Therefore, the current study intends to investigate whether using KET listening tests can improve listening performance in level 2 VSTEP. This is a quasi-experimental qualitative study with only post-test design. The survey was carried out on 30 non-English major students at a university in An Giang province. Data were then analyzed by using Descriptive Statistics Tests, One-way ANOVA, and One Samples T-Tests in the SPSS software, version 20. The findings showed that students have a positive perception of the effects of using the KET Listening Tests in preparation for VSTEP Level 2 Listening Test. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for further studies are also included.  Article visualizations

Preparation and characterization of magnesium hydroxyapatite coatings on 316L stainless steel

Magnesium hydroxyapatite coatings (MgHAp) were deposited on the surface of 316L stainless steel (316L SS) substrates by electrodeposition technique. Different concentrations of Mg2+ ion were incorporated into the apatite structure by adding Mg(NO3)2 into electrolyte solution containing 3×10-2 M Ca(NO3)2, 1.8×10-2 M NH4H2PO4 and   6×10-2 M NaNO3. With Mg2+ concentration 1×10-3 M, the obtained coatings have 0.2 wt% Mg2+. The influences of scanning potential ranges, scanning times to deposit MgHAp coatings were researched. The analytical results FTIR, SEM, X-ray, EDX, thickness and adhension strength showed that MgHAp coatings were single phase of HAp, fibrous shapes, thickness 8.1 µm and adhesion strength 7.20 MPa at the scanning potential ranges of 0÷-1.7 V/SCE and scanning times of 5 scans. Keywords. 316L SS, Electrodeposition, MgHAp

ELECTRODEPOSITION OF CO-DOPED HYDROXYAPATITE COATING ON 316L STAINLESS STEEL

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) co-doped by magnesium (Mg), strontium (Sr), sodium (Na) and fluorine (F) were deposited on the 316L stainless steel (316L SS) substrate by electrodeposition method. The influences of scanning potential ranges, scanning times, scanning rates to form MgSrFNaHAp coating were investigated. The analytical results FTIR, SEM, Xray, EDX, thickness and adhension of the obtained coating at scanning potential ranges of 0 ÷ -1.7 V/SCE; scaning times of 5, scanning rate of 5 mV/s showed that MgSrFNaHAp coatings were single phase crystals of HAp, rod shape with the thickness 8.9 µm and the adhesion strength reached 8.38 MPa

How to Create, Maintain, and Reinforce Students’ Motivation and Engagement in Online Education: A Discussion

Online (virtual) education is a teaching and learning method selected by many institutions, including Eastern International University (EIU), to overcome the lockdown and curfew periods during the Covid-19 pandemic. In this knowledge transferring mode, maintaining students’ engagement and motivation is the concern of lectures and school administrators. This study discusses the origin, advantages, and disadvantages of online teaching, compared with on-campus face-to-face education. Also, using the results of a student survey conducted by the Student Services Office, this study highlights some serious issues related to online education in the Becamex Business School at Eastern International University, including poor internet connection, lack of interaction between lecturers and students, external noises, and students’ insufficient attention to the lectures. Then, this study proposes four solutions to remedy these problems: (1) student-friendly or familiar examples, (2) technology-aided teaching methods, (3) project-based assessment, and (4) seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education

Electrodeposition of HAp coatings on Ti6Al4V alloy and its electrochemical behavior in simulated body fluid solution

Hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings were prepared on Ti6Al4V substrate by electrodeposition method from electrolyte solution containing Ca(NO3)2, NH4H2PO4 and NaNO3. The results show that the HAp coatings were single phase crystals of HAp. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images present that HAp/Ti6Al4V have flake shapes which arrange to form like-coral agglomerates. In vitro test of the Ti6Al4V and HAp/Ti6Al4V in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution was investigated with different immersion times. pH of SBF solution decreased and the mass of materials increased. SEM images prove the formation of apatite on the surface of Ti6Al4V and HAp/Ti6Al4V. The corrosion current density during immersion time of substrate is always higher than the one of HAp/Ti6Al4V because the deposited HAp can protect well for the substrate

Determinants of organic food purchasing intention: an empirical study of local consumers in Da Nang city, Central Vietnam

With the rapid economic development in the past decades, Vietnamese people are more and more aware of the role of safe food for their health and that of their families. Currently, the trend of organic food consumption is happening faster, especially in urban areas. The study aims to determine the influence of transparent information and knowledge about organic products on consumers' attitudes, trust, and subjective norms affecting their purchase intention of organic products. Data were collected from 420 consumers in Da Nang city, Central Vietnam. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) method and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) were used to evaluate the scale's reliability and identify the impact factors. The results show that attitudes and trust have a positive relationship with the intention to buy organic food. In addition, research shows that trust is a predecessor of attitudes and mediates the relationship between information, knowledge about organic food, and intention to buy organic food. The study's findings are consistent with previous literature and provide implications for food managers, organic food businesses, and the community

ELECTRODEPOSITION OF HYDROXYAPATITE/FUNCTIONALIZED CARBON NANOTUBES (HAp/fCNTs) COATINGS ON THE SURFACE OF 316L STAINLESS STEEL

The coatings of hydroxyapatite/functionalized carbon nanotubes (HAp/fCNTs) were successfully synthesized on the surface of 316L stainless steel (316L SS) by electrodeposition. To improve the dispersion of CNTs into the electrolyte, CNTs were functionalized in the mixture of 67 % HNO3 and 98 % H2SO4 before electrodeposition coatings to form fCNTs. Different amounts of fCNTs were  incorporated into the apatite coatings by adding fCNTs into the  electrolyte solution. In this study, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and mechanical techniques were used to analyze characteristic of fCNTs and the HAp/fCNTs coatings. The FTIR spectra of CNTs before and after acid treated process show that CNTs are functionalized by chemically method with carboxylic acid groups (–COOH) on their surface. The SEM images confirm that the functionalized process by the acid mixture does not change the morphology of CNTs. The nanocomposite coatings contain single phase of HAp and CNTs with the coating thickness of 6.9 µm and the amount of fCNTs in the coatings is 7.25 %. With 0.5 g/L of fCNTs in the electrolyte solution, the solubility of the coating decreases in comparision with pure HAp coatings