Structure learning of undirected graphical models for count data

Biological processes underlying the basic functions of a cell involve complex interactions between genes. From a technical point of view, these interactions can be represented through a graph where genes and their connections are, respectively, nodes and edges. The main objective of this paper is to develop a statistical framework for modelling the interactions between genes when the activity of genes is measured on a discrete scale. In detail, we define a new algorithm for learning the structure of undirected graphs, PC-LPGM, proving its theoretical consistence in the limit of infinite observations. The proposed algorithm shows promising results when applied to simulated data as well as to real data

Toxic Omissions and Cancerous Growths: Addressing the Unexamined Assumption of Sustainable Consumption in Technologically Innovative Societies

This study challenges existing dogma of economists and environmentalists with a finding that sustainable consumption in industrial societies is impossible within standard models of growth because the approaches that are being taken to investments (in new technologies) are linked with and dependent on increased consumption as a requirement of innovation and as part of ideology in societies. Though slight reductions of resource consumption are being reported in some societies that have high environmental standards, existing high levels of consumption in these industrial societies still continue to overshoot the biocapacity of the earth and technological policies are linked with the cause of the problem rather than with the solution. This speed and rate of reductions in consumption that new technologies bring is not sufficient to ensure the possibility of sustainability on the planet. These countries are locked into a situation that cannot be changed because certain ideologies of infinite economic growth coupled with the realities of current production practices and political choices currently prevent it to do so. The study examines existing international data, offers a case study of innovationconsumption in Sweden and Denmark, offers thought experiments on social change pathways, and presents a preliminary model of a sustainable technological society. A radical change in thinking and in policy approaches appears to be needed in order to continue technological advances within the biocapacity of the earth (and accessible nearearth resources). The author offers policy recommendations to governments to replace Ministries of Trade and generate new planning agencies and systems of measuring links between technology and consumption. It also advises researchers, non-governmental organisations, civil society and social thinkers to reorient ideologies and the goals of society and technology towards uneconomic motivations; a major global culture change, different from the approaches currently offered by those who call for sustainable growth or even sustainable development

Introducing health information systems to aged care in Vietnam

Similar to many other countries worldwide, Vietnam is facing a challenge of an ageing population. This challenge is even more difficult to overcome because Vietnam is a developing country lacking an established aged care infrastructure and system. Many aspects of aged care have largely been relied on families of aged people due to a strong influence of Confucian philosophy. Looking after aged parents has always been seen as a responsibility and filial piety of children and their extended families. Therefore, providing healthcare for aged people in their family and community context is important. The paper offers a rich description and an analysis of the current situation of the health state of and healthcare for aged people in Vietnam. The paper also suggests directions for integrating information communication technology into aged care in Vietnam.<br /

The host genetics of typhoid fever in Vietnam

Typhoid fever is a systemic infection caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. It remains a major public health problem throughout the developing world with over 22 million people infected each year. The emergence of resistance to chloramphenicol and other antimicrobials has been a major setback and we now face the very real prospect that untreatable typhoid fever will emerge. Understanding host genetics may yield answers that lead to the development of new therapeutics for infectious disease such as typhoid fever. Using a genetic approach we aim to investigate a number of immune response genes that may be important in the defense against typhoid fever. Here we describe studies investigating the genetic variation within some human innate immunity genes which may play an important role in susceptibility to typhoid fever. The TLR4 gene encoding the principal receptor for bacterial endotoxin recognition, an element of innate immunity that contributes to the first line of defense against infectious disease was investigated. We determined the extent of genetic variation within TLR4 in a Vietnamese kinh population and identified a number of novel missense mutations. It appears that this gene may be involved in defense against typhoid fever, as evidenced by weak associations with two SNPs and the presence of low frequency non-synonymous SNPs in only typhoid fever cases which may have the potential to alter protein function. The haplotypic structure of a 150Kb genomic region encompassing TNFA was determined in a Vietnamese population. This allowed the identification of 15 haplotype tagging SNPs which were genotyped in a case/control genetic association study. Seven polymorphisms across three key genes in the TNF region were associated with typhoid fever. A haplotype spanning this region (*12122*1111) was strongly associated with protection from typhoid fever. Polymorphisms in the chemokine and other immune response gene cluster on chromosome 17q11.22-q22 were also investigated. Our results show that the NOS2A gene within this region, which encodes iNOS, plays an important role in typhoid fever as polymorphisms within NOS2A were shown to be associated with protection from typhoid fever. A number of genes or genomic regions encoding components of the innate and acquired immune responses contribute to an individual’s ability to mount an appropriate immune response to S. typhi infection during typhoid fever. Genetic variation in any of these genes may lead to the alteration of the host immune response with deleterious effects. Together with environmental factors and pathogen virulence, host genetic factors contribute to typhoid fever susceptibility, and studies of candidate genes and genomic regions add to our overall understanding of protective disease mechanisms

The Curriculum for English Language Teacher Education in Australian and Vietnamese Universities

This paper examines the curricula for English language teacher education in two universities, one in Australia and the other in Vietnam. Specifically, it analyses the structures of the two curricula, compares and contrasts them, and examines how the development of the curricula was shaped by distinctive contextual factors. Sources of data include relevant literature, policy and curriculum documents, and interviews with curriculum developers from the two universities. Analysis of data revealed great variation across and within the two curricula in terms of structure and content. Findings also reveal specific contextual factors that influenced the development of the curricula. Although the findings are specific to the two teacher education institutions under research, the study suggests that curriculum development for second language teacher education needs to account for the context of teacher learning and offer substantial opportunity for preservice teachers to develop key domains of knowledge

Preservice EAL teaching as emotional experiences: Practicum experience in an Australian secondary school

Drawing on activity theory, this qualitative case study examines the emotional experiences of Maria, a preservice teacher of English as an additional language (EAL) during the practicum in an Australian secondary school setting and the factors shaping these emotions. Data included interviews with the preservice teacher before and after the practicum, a stimulated recall session, and her reflections after lessons. Furthermore, an interview was also conducted with Maria’s school mentor teacher. The study found that during the practicum, the preservice teacher experienced strong positive and negative emotions as a result of the influence of personal factors and the sociocultural context of preservice teaching, especially the contradictions inherent within the teacher learning context. The findings provide insights that can be useful for developing learning experiences that foster student teachers’ growth

The Preservation of Culture-Specific Items in Translation from Vietnamese to English

The article uses statistical, comparative, quantitative and qualitative methods, to determine the frequency of using certain translation strategies for translating CSIs (in the Dumb luck novel). The data generated by this method is a statistic showing the frequency of each translation strategy applied. From studying the application of CSI translation strategies, the article have been explored to find out the handling of cultural issues in translation, whether the translators are able to convey culture-specific items from the original to the translation English, and methods to optimize CSI translation. This study will provide results that help translators understand better how to use CSI translation strategies and evaluate the effectiveness of their work in the best way, how to preserve Vietnamese cultural values when translate Vietnamese to English

Social work to children affected by violence: Perceptions and Policy implementation

The 13th Next-Generation Global Workshop第13回次世代グローバルワークショップテーマ: New Risks and Resilience in Asian Societies and the World 日程: 21-23 November, 2020 開催場所: ベトナム社会科学院(ハノイ)/Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences(No. 1 Lieu Giai street, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam) ※Due to the COVID-19, the workshop will be held at ONLINE for overseas participants(not from Vietnam)/ONSITE for Vietnamese participants.Ensuring that " No child is left behind", Vietnamese government has developed more effective and equitable social and economic policies to protect children affected by domestic, school and community violence, especially in social work field over the past decade. This article aims to reflect on the pros and cons of implementing policies related to protect children from violence through the perceptions of local social workers, based on the policy analysis and a qualitative survey involving 30 participants, conducted in 2020. It outlines a framework for practising social work with children, focusing national policies to protect children affected by various forms of violence in the current Vietnamese context. Secondly, the paper examines the awareness of local social workers of those policies and how they performed child protection in three areas: home, school and community. Subsequently, how advantages and disadvantages of performing social work in this domain will be shown for policy recommendation

Influences on preservice writing instruction during the secondary English as an Additional Language practicum in Australia

Informed by a sociocultural perspective on second language teacher education, the present qualitative study investigates three preservice teachers’ (PSTs) writing instruction during the English as an Additional Language (EAL) practicum in Australian secondary schools in relation to the multidimensional context of the practicum and the PSTs’ personal backgrounds. Sources of data included individual interviews with the PSTs and their school mentors, lesson plans and recordings, teaching materials, the PSTs’ self-reflections, and analysis of the schools’ EAL programs. Data analysis revealed that the main factors shaping PSTs’ writing instruction included the EAL programs at the schools, school teachers and the mentors support, EAL students’ background, proficiency levels and responses to tasks, and the PSTs’ knowledge, prior education and work experiences. Based on the findings, the paper discusses implications for enhancing the quality of EAL teacher education, especially for promoting productive coursework and placement experiences for PSTs