Preterm birth in Vietnam : direct medical cost assessment and the investigation of parents' experiences and satisfaction with health care services

Preterm birth remains a critical public health challenge and the leading cause of neonatal death in Vietnam. The aim of this thesis was to assess the financial impact of premature deliveries as well as parental experiences and satisfaction with preterm health care services in Vietnam. A mixed methods approach was used to address the main objectives of the study. Our results suggest that preterm births create a considerable burden to families as well as the health system in Vietnam. Out-of-pocket expenditure was generally limited for parents who followed national care seeking guidelines. Parents who bypassed lower-level facilities without referral authorization faced out-of-pocket expenditure about six times higher than those of infants who had a proper transfer. Both premature birth and hospital transfers were caused a major psychological burden and stress for parents. The primary reasons for decision to transfer preterm infants to the national hospital were acute illness, positive perceptions of the quality of care of the national hospital and advice of other parents. Longer length of stay and worsening infant health status were the main factors resulting in lower parental satisfaction with the quality of care provided. Reducing the impact of preterm births likely requires a close cooperation between health professionals and infants’ familie

Vietnamese Family - Change from Tradition to Modernity

Family is a cell of society, the first social institution contributing a fairly decisive part to build personality of each person. The family’s stability is the premise for the development of a civilized and wealthy society. Family organization exists and changes with the existence and change of the social life. Over the last years, Vietnamese society have seen vigorous changes in many aspects thereby Vietnamese family is in transition from traditional family to modern one. This article focuses on clarifying the concept of family, traditional Vietnamese family, features of traditional Vietnamese family, especially pointing out the changes from traditional Vietnamese family to Vietnamese family today. Key word: Family, Vietnam, tradition, modern, change

ATMOSPHERIC PARTICLES IN HOCHIMINH SIZE DISTRIBUTION OF WATER-SOLUBLE INORGANIC IONS

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Online Load Balancing for Network Functions Virtualization

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) aims to support service providers to deploy various services in a more agile and cost-effective way. However, the softwarization and cloudification of network functions can result in severe congestion and low network performance. In this paper, we propose a solution to address this issue. We analyze and solve the online load balancing problem using multipath routing in NFV to optimize network performance in response to the dynamic changes of user demands. In particular, we first formulate the optimization problem of load balancing as a mixed integer linear program for achieving the optimal solution. We then develop the ORBIT algorithm that solves the online load balancing problem. The performance guarantee of ORBIT is analytically proved in comparison with the optimal offline solution. The experiment results on real-world datasets show that ORBIT performs very well for distributing traffic of each service demand across multipaths without knowledge of future demands, especially under high-load conditions

A Multi-Stage Impact Assessment Method for Freight Transport Management Measures – The Example of Vietnamese Rice Production and Logistics

The concept of freight transport management (FTM) is perceived as an aspect of traffic management that has a significant influence on freight transport. A review of relevant literature gives descriptions of numerous FTM measures. Multi-dimensional approaches to optimize freight transport, production and logistics processes should be considered when assessing the impacts of FTM measures. The assessment method utilised during the planning process stages for estimating these impacts should be based on the type of measures being reviewed, and on the sector under consideration. In addition, for efficiency reasons, it is not appropriate to carry out impact assessments of all measures or to select only one single method for all circumstances. Therefore, a multi-stage assessment method is necessary for first assessment and classification, and then a detailed quantitative analysis of the selected measures only needs to occur. With this approach, the risk associated with limitations of individual measures is mitigated in initial preselection stages and efficiency is improved, as a thorough and detailed impact assessment of the core effects of measures shortlisted in the classification stage are examined. The objective of this study is to develop a method to investigate and assess the impacts of FTM measures on production, logistics and traffic. In this study, firstly, a framework for FTM is discussed to provide a theoretical foundation for this study as a whole. It includes freight transport system analysis, an overview of the FTM concept, and a summary of FTM measures identified in various case studies. Secondly, a multi-stage impact assessment method for FTM measures is developed, which enables quick classification of adopted measures, and detailed quantitative impact analysis. Explanation of the development pro-cess starts with a review of the overall transport decision-making process in general and the impact assessment methods for FTM measures in particular. The discussion of pros and cons of existing assessment methods is brought into focus. Subsequently, a multi-stage impact assessment method for FTM measures is developed by which the core effects of the measures can be effectively estimated and captured. The proposed method is composed of two main stages. The first stage serves as a preselection of measures with a focus on defining and classifying the measures based on qualitative or partly-quantitative methods. The second stage investigates the core effects of selected measures using quantitative methods to carry out detailed analysis. The rice industry in Vietnam was selected to be a case study for this application since data is available to test various kinds of impacts caused by FTM measures. Additionally, there is a high level of freight traffic with a bundle of FTM measures applied in the rice industry. Traffic volume due to rice transport is increasing quickly and contributes up to 21% of the total freight traffic volume on some key transport corridors, for example from the Mekong Delta to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). Vietnam is also currently the second largest rice exporter in the world. The rice industry involves various stakeholders such as farmers, collectors, millers, polishers, food companies, wholesalers, retailers and so forth, and knowledge of the decision-making behaviour of those stakeholders is needed to predict their reactions to FTM measures. The results of the first assessment stage in the rice industry show that high ratings have been given to two FTM measures: the establishment of a regional rice logistics centre and the improvement of national highway (NH) 1A from the Mekong Delta to HCMC. The second assessment stage is a detailed impact assessment of preselected measures based on a detailed and comprehensive sector analysis. In this stage, quantitative assessment is carried out to determine impacts related to changes in the supply chain, and impacts on transport mode choices in the rice industry. A total logistics cost (TLC) model serves as the core tool for analysis of the rice industry, differentiating a disaggregated population of rice commodity flows and distribution centre locations. Final assessment results show that an establishment of a regional rice logistics centre can result in a modal shift away from trucks and this is contributing to improved traffic safety and the quality of the environment in affected areas. The improvement of NH 1A is expected to increase average speeds and reduce freight transport time from the Mekong Delta to HCMC. Combining the measures of rice logistics centre establishment and NH 1A improvement can maximise economic efficiency through significant reduction in TLC for the rice industry. Safety and environmental benefits can al-so be achieved at the rice industry and transport network level. In summary, with a multi-stage impact assessment approach it has been demonstrated that it is possible to investigate and assess the impacts of FTM measures on production and logis-tics. Also, the proposed method in this study emphasises the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the assessment process, and allows for capturing and estimating the core effects of these measures. As noted above, the TLC model is utilised to assess the impacts of FTM measures and the application of the TLC model, as in this study, can be seen as one of the key methods in assessing FTM measure impacts that is based on comprehensive sector analysis. The study is expected to be of value for governmental and local transport authorities in providing suitable methods for assessing FTM policies. Although the study has achieved its goal, there are some inevitable limitations. Firstly, detailed quantitative impact assessment can only take place when extensive data is available, which may hinder the application of the proposed method in practice. Secondly, the application of the method developed in this study focuses on the Vietnamese rice industry and the specific constraints and demands of freight transport management in this context. Therefore, it should be applied to other sectors to determine further the potential generalization of findings in other contexts. Lastly, the study addresses a new and complex field of research in its focus on impact assessment methods for FTM measures. However, this field continues to receive less attention than passenger transport due to the complex characteristics of freight transport systems. This study is expected to contribute to enriching the theoretical and empirical understanding of FTM measures and their effective management

Students’ Attitudes Towards Education in Biology-Related Disciplines and the Need for Internationalization : A Survey at a Vietnamese University

This survey examined the attitudes of 538 undergraduate students enrolled at a Vietnamese university towards biology-related disciplines. Employing a structured questionnaire, the study explored several aspects, including students' interests in various biology-related fields, their motivations for pursuing these disciplines, their opinions on teaching methods, their aspirations for internationalization and study abroad experiences, the essential skills they believed were crucial for success, and the areas in teaching that required improvement. The survey results indicated that students acknowledged the significance of fields such as medicine and veterinary sciences, with their motivations largely influenced by job prospects and societal needs. Moreover, the results identified specific areas in teaching that students wanted to have improvement, such as laboratory work, practical skills development, fieldwork experiences, and exchange programs, and their attitude towards internationalization and study abroad opportunities, in relations to the factors such as age, gender, grade, and major. The insights gained from this survey can contribute to the enhancement of educational strategies and the creation of an engaging learning environment for students majoring in biology-related disciplines

AIR POLLUTION REDUCE PRODUCTION AND LEAVE AREA OF RED RADISH (Rapahanus sativus cv. Red Chime) AND CHINESE VEGETABLE (Brassica campestris var. rosularis cv. ATU171)

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart