STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF THE INFLUENCE OF INTONATION IN ENGLISH ON CONVEYING THE MEANING OF SPEECH IN COMMUNICATION

In communication, intonation plays an important role in conveying the meaning of a speech. In this article, we study students' perception of the influence of intonation in conveying the meaning of speech in communication to propose solutions to help students overcome intonation errors when communicating, as well as, help teachers have appropriate intonation teaching methods. Our data and analysis are based on research documents, surveys, and in-depth interviews with students. According to the study results, most students are well aware of the importance of intonation and of the factors affecting intonation, and they are also aware of the causes of intonation errors. However, students do not apply their knowledge of intonation to speech, they stop at the cognitive level. The study indicates that students often make intonation mistakes in Tag-question, Wh-question, and Imperative sentence in communication.  Article visualizations

Optimization of culture conditions of Streptomyces antibioticus strain 1083 to improve the antimicrobial activity against Aeromonas hydrophila

Fish is a healthy, high protein and low fat food that encourages the health and growth of people, especially children. However, in fact fish is very sensitive to many diseases which affects the productivity and quality of fish. Therefore, identifying the cause of the diseases and finding preventive measures become an urgent task today. In the previous study, we isolated Streptomyces antibioticus strain 1083 that has the ability to antagonize Aeromonas hydrophila - a pathogenic bacterium in fish. Based on the obtained results, we continue to perform this study to determine optimal conditions for the culture of S. antibioticus strain 1083 in order to produce antimicrobial compounds against A. hydrophila. The production of antagonists by the strain 1083 was optimized by controlling the condition of different inoculations such as media, pH, temperature and incubation period. The results indicated that International Streptomyces Project 2 (ISP2) was the best medium for S. antibioticus strain 1083 to produce the highest antimicrobial activity against A. hydrophila with 32 mm in diameter of inhibited zone. The actinomycete strain 1083 could express the maximum antimicrobial activity when they were incubated in shaker incubator (200rpm) at 40oC with pH8 in 8 days. The ability of the actinomycete strain in antagonism against A. hydrophila was evaluated by adding different culture medium volume of S. antibioticus strain 1083. With adding 10% cultured solution volume of S. antibioticus strain 1083 into the culture medium of A. hydrophila, after 1 day of inoculation the number of pathogenic bacteria cells were completely eliminated

STRESS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN TRA CU DISTRICT, TRA VINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM

By using a cross-sectional study, this study aimed to determine the ratio of occupational stress, stress levels and the relationship between stress status and social characteristics of the sample, factors at work, as well as how secondary school teachers respond to stress in Tra Cu District, Tra Vinh Province. The study conducted a survey to investigate 466 teachers currently teaching at 14 secondary schools in Tra Cu District, Tra Vinh Province, from May 2020 to June 2020. Research results showed that the percentage of teachers who suffered mild stress and severe stress was 18.9% and 8.1%, respectively. The signs of stress in teachers correlated with several factors such as job demand, work control and ways of coping at work. When the average score of the assessment “job demand” or “work control” increased by one point, the rate of stress on teachers was reduced by 23% (95% CI: 0.73 – 0.81) and 12% (95% CI: 0.84 – 0.93) respectively. By contrast, the average score of “confrontation” increased by one point  leading to 3.21 times higher (95% CI: 2.61 – 3.96) possibility of causing stress. As well as the average score of "avoidance" increased by one point, the possibility of causing stress in teachers increased 3.03 times (95% CI: 2.45 – 3.74). The findings showed that mental health problems in teachers at secondary schools, in general and in Tra Cu District, Tra Vinh Province in particular, had not received sufficient attention. Therefore, the problems should be taken seriously not only by teachers school administration

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

Alveolar cell response to tracheal occlusion induced stretch in murine congenital diaphragmatic hernia hypoplastic lungs

Fetal tracheal occlusion (TO) is a clinical therapy that has been proven to promote stretch-induced lung growth by blocking the fetal trachea and preventing the egress of lung fluid. TO is offered as a prenatal intervention for patients with severe lung hypoplasia due to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). This is a birth anomaly defect of the diaphragm that allows the abdominal contents to enter the chest during fetal life, leaving insufficient space for normal lung development. The subsequent pulmonary hypoplasia in turn leads to postnatal respiratory insufficiency and pulmonary hypertension. In this project, we plan to investigate the effect of stretch in normal and hypoplastic lung tissue on the progenitor cells that take part in fetal lung development, especially during the canalicular/saccular stages as this coincides with TO therapy in human fetuses. As it is still unknown how TO can lead to lung maturation in CDH patients at the molecular level, and this window of lung development involves the dynamic activities of multiple progenitors/epithelial cells of interest, it will be valuable to investigate whether TO-induced mechanical stretch might affect these cells specifically in CDH hypoplastic lungs. Because the impact of stretch on stem/progenitor cells has never been assessed in an in vivo setting before, performing fetal TO in a mouse model will deliver a rare opportunity to investigate its capability to alter the properties of stem/progenitor cells similarly to previously demonstrated in vitro studies. Also as insufficient lung growth remains a problem after clinical TO, therapies that target lung progenitor cell populations via these mechanotransduction pathways might help improve or replace TO as a CDH treatment.status: publishe

Optimized Conditions for Flavonoid Extraction from Pomelo Peel Byproducts under Enzyme- and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Using Response Surface Methodology

Pomelo (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merrill) peel, which has been considered as a byproduct, is a potential source of flavonoids. In this study, the extraction conditions of total flavonoids from peels of Da Xanh pomelo were optimized using the response surface methodology with the Box–Behnken design. The combination of two novel extraction methods, including enzyme-assisted and ultrasound-assisted extractions, was used for the optimization. The results indicated that the optimal extraction condition was a liquid-to-solid ratio of 142.99 mL/g, enzyme concentration of 3.45%, and the time of 65.23 min for incubation and of 69.26 min for sonication treatment. Total phenolic and total flavonoid contents of the pomelo peel extracts, under optimal condition of the combined method (16.79 mg GAE/g and 10.69 mg RE/g, respectively), were significantly higher than those of the conventional method (6.58 mg GAE/g and 2.42 mg RE/g, respectively). The naringin and hesperidin contents of extracts under optimal condition increased by 5.70% and 1.20%, respectively, compared to the extracts under the conventional method

ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA MỘT SỐ CHẤT TẠO BÔNG ĐẾN HIỆU SUẤT KẾT BÔNG CỦA TẢO SILIC Skeletonema costatum

Microalgae cultivation is an indispensable step in aquaculture hatcheries to create a feed source for larval and juvenile aqua-animal species. One of the problems in the production of large-scale microalgal biomass is that it requires appropriate low-cost biomass harvesting techniques. For the purpose of finding the most suitable method for recovering the biomass of Skeletonema costatum in large-scale cultivation, we have determined the influence of some flocculants on the flocculation efficiency. The results of laboratory studies showed that the recovering efficiency of Skeletonema costatum was 74.15 ± 3.85% at pH 10.5 after 1 hour. The optimal biomass recovering rate was 94.66 ± 3.26% and 91.01 ± 4.65% at FeCl3 200 mg/L and FeSO4 100 mg/L after 15 minutes, respectively. In experiments with AlCl3 and Al2(SO4)3, the recovering efficiency was 95.23 ± 2.87% at AlCl3 50 mg/L and 91.34 ± 3.8% at Al2(SO4)3 100mg/L after 30 minutes. In this study, Al2(SO4)3 and AlCl3 gave higher flocculation efficiencies for Skeletonema costatum and slower cell damage compared with FeCl3and FeSO4 or pH adjustment.Nuôi trồng vi tảo là khâu không thể thiếu trong các trại giống nuôi trồng thủy sản nhằm tạo ra nguồn thức ăn chủ động. Một trong những vấn đề trong sản xuất sinh khối vi tảo quy mô lớn là phải có kỹ thuật thu hoạch sinh khối thích hợp với chi phí thấp. Với mục đích tìm kiếm phương pháp phù hợp nhất để thu hồi sinh khối tảo Skeletonema costatum khi nuôi ở quy mô lớn, trong nghiên cứu này chúng tôi bước đầu đã xác định ảnh hưởng của một số chất tạo bông đến hiệu suất kết bông của chủng tảo này. Kết quả nghiên cứu trong phòng thí nghiệm cho thấy tảo Skeletonema costatum nghiên cứu đạt hiệu quả thu hồi là 74,15 ± 3,85% ở pH 10,5 sau 1 giờ. Hiệu suất tối ưu thu hồi sinh khối lần lượt là 94,66 ± 3,26% và 91,01 ± 4,65% đạt được ở nồng độ FeCl3 200 mg/L và FeSO4 100 mg/L sau 15 phút. Trong thử nghiệm với AlCl3 và Al2(SO4)3, hiệu suất thu hồi là 95,23 ± 2,87% ở nồng độ AlCl3 50 mg/L và 91,34 ± 3,8% ở nồng độ Al2(SO4)3100 mg/L sau 30 phút. Trong nghiên cứu này, Al2(SO4)3 và AlCl3 cho hiệu suất kết bông cao hơn đối với tảo Skeletonema costatum và thời gian tế bào bị tổn thương chậm hơn so với FeCl3, FeSO4 hay sự thay đổi pH

Dried blood spots perform well to identify patients with active HCV infection in Vietnam

International audienceRecently, treatment advances in direct-acting antivirals have radically changed the management of HCV patients. However, in resource-limited countries, identification of patients with active HCV infection is still challenging in remote settings due to the limited access to laboratories able to measure HCV viral load. This study evaluated whether dried blood spots (DBS) transferred to a central laboratory could overcome this challenge. A total of 315 HCV-infected patients, naïve to anti-HCV treatment, provided each three type of samples: plasma, DBS with calibrated quantities of venous blood and DBS with uncalibrated quantities of capillary blood. Qualitative comparison was conducted in terms of detection of HCV viral load on DBS as opposed to plasma to estimate sensitivity and specificity. Quantitative comparisons were conducted by means of correlation estimation. Of the 250 patients with detected plasma HCV viral load, 245 also had detectable DBS HCV viral load (capillary or venous) leading to a sensitivity of 98.0% (95% confidence interval (CI): 95.4%-99.3%); importantly, all measurements with a plasma HCV viral load >118 IU/mL were also detected in DBS. When HCV was not detected in plasma, it was also not detected in DBS resulting in 100% specificity (95% CI: 94.5%-100%). Quantitative HCV viral load results were very similar when utilizing plasma or DBS sample types as illustrated by correlations >0.99. In conclusion, DBS sample types, with either uncalibrated capillary blood or calibrated venous blood, performed well to distinguish patients with active HCV infection, and who therefore need treatment, from other patients

Reference values for ductus venosus doppler indices of normal gestation at 22-37 weeks: A Vietnamese cohort study

Prenatal doppler ultrasound of the ductus venosus plays an important role in the evaluation of fetal circulation and fetal heart function. We aimed to establish the percentile of Resistivity Index (RI) and Pulsatility Index (PI) of the Ductus Venosus (DV) among normal Vietnamese fetuses with a gestation from 22 to 37 weeks in a cohort study. Normal Vietnamese fetuses with a gestation ranging from 22 to 37 weeks were examined in a cohort study. The PI and RI were recorded from the DV. We analyzed 640 participants who all fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria of our study. Results: There was a significant correlation between RI, PI and gestational age as shown with the equations y = 0.077x – 0.003x2 + 3.493e - 5x3 (r=0.97) and y = 0.106x – 0.004x2 + 4.5e - 5x3 (r=0.94), respectively. A centile module was constructed for the DV RI and PI indices among normal Vietnamese fetuses with gestation from 22 to 37 weeks

Drug resistance and the genotypic characteristics of and in rifampicin- and/or isoniazid-resistant isolates in central Vietnam

Objectives Tuberculosis (TB) and drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) are national health burdens in Vietnam. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of rifampicin (RIF) and/or isoniazid (isonicotinic acid hydrazide, INH) resistance in patients with suspected TB, and applied appropriate techniques to help rapidly target DR-TB. Methods In total, 1,547 clinical specimens were collected and cultured using the BACTEC MGIT system (Becton Dickinson and Co.). A resazurin microtiter assay (REMA) was used to determine the proportions of RIF and/or INH resistance. A real-time polymerase chain reaction panel with TaqMan probes was employed to identify the mutations of rpoB and katG associated with DR-TB in clinical isolates. Genotyping of the identified mutations was also performed. Results A total of 468 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were identified using the REMA. Of these isolates, 106 (22.6%) were found to be resistant to 1 or both antibiotics. Of the resistant isolates, 74 isolates (69.8%) were resistant to isoniazid (INH) only, while 1 isolate (0.94%) was resistant to RIF only. Notably, 31 isolates (29.2%) were resistant to both antibiotics. Of the 41 phenotypically INH-resistant isolates, 19 (46.3%) had the Ser315Thr mutation. There were 8 different rpoB mutations in 22 (68.8%) of the RIF-resistant isolates. The most frequently detected mutations were at codons 531 (37.5%), 526 (18.8%), and 516 (6.3%). Conclusion To help prevent new cases of DR-TB in Vietnam, it is crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding of the genotypic DR-TB isolates