An investigation of cellulase activity assays

Includes vita."The economy of the world has been seriously affected by increased demands for energy and food. The price of gasoline gradually has gone up while more children have died in poor countries before the age of five from malnutrition. Ways must be found to solve these problems for the growing world population. Cellulose is the major organic material in the world with an annual production of 10^11 tons/year 1n the forms of cotton, lumber, pulp wood, etc., which could be converted Into energy and food. Numerous conventional processes have been proposed to obtain other chemicals from cellulosics such as gasification at high temperature to form synthesis gas, liquefaction under high pressure to produce oil, and pyrolysis to charcoal, gas and oil. Several unconventional processes have been developed for the biological conversion of cellulose to useful nutritional products by the hydrolysis of cellulose to glucose. Glucose can be used as food by man and animals, converted microbially into single-cell protein, or fermented to ethanol for use as a fuel."--Introduction.Includes bibliographical references

Teacher learning in Vietnam

In order for Vietnam to seek better international integration into an increasingly globalised world, the Vietnamese government has launched educational reforms, requiring teachers to adopt ‘western’ constructivist pedagogies. This study focuses on pre-service teachers’ learning in Vietnam, where traditional attitudes towards teachers’ and learners’ roles promote passivity amongst students and unquestioning respect for the authority of teachers’ knowledge. The thesis describes a cycle of action research conducted in a major teacher training institution in Vietnam. Through an intervention based on constructivist theories, the researcher set out to investigate factors that enhance teacher learning, and barriers that hinder it, with the aim of contributing evidence to discussions about the most appropriate strategies to be employed to bring about a change for the better in teacher education. The research highlights the importance of Vietnamese teacher educators in promoting change in Vietnam. The data collected comprised tutors’ and student teachers’ questionnaires, staff meeting discussions, student teachers’ journals and the researcher’s field notes. The findings reveal that student teachers were willing to accommodate and accept change and were often very enthusiastic about different patterns of teaching, which included peer evaluation and peer feedback. However, the student teachers' strongly held beliefs about relative roles of students and teachers remained firmly fixed. Other cultural factors also emerged from the findings. The thesis argues that the most productive way of incorporating constructivist learning into Vietnamese teacher education is by gaining a better understanding of the current status quo in order to respect and honour deep seated cultural beliefs. It argues that the imposition of pedagogical change is counter-productive without better engagement of teacher educators and teachers in discussion and debate about the characteristics that Vietnam wishes to see in its teachers and education system in the future. In particular, the thesis argues that the focus for transforming teacher education should be on promoting the responsibility of tutors to create a ‘transfer space’ to introduce students to new ideas about the processes of teaching and learning, and to develop new qualities needed via this ‘transfer space’. Evidence from the study suggests that this strategy is likely to be supportive of student teachers’ development as it allows them to separate the processes of teaching from the culturally dominant beliefs about roles which are part of their established identities

Teacher learning in Vietnam

In order for Vietnam to seek better international integration into an increasingly globalised world, the Vietnamese government has launched educational reforms, requiring teachers to adopt ‘western’ constructivist pedagogies. This study focuses on pre-service teachers’ learning in Vietnam, where traditional attitudes towards teachers’ and learners’ roles promote passivity amongst students and unquestioning respect for the authority of teachers’ knowledge. The thesis describes a cycle of action research conducted in a major teacher training institution in Vietnam. Through an intervention based on constructivist theories, the researcher set out to investigate factors that enhance teacher learning, and barriers that hinder it, with the aim of contributing evidence to discussions about the most appropriate strategies to be employed to bring about a change for the better in teacher education. The research highlights the importance of Vietnamese teacher educators in promoting change in Vietnam. The data collected comprised tutors’ and student teachers’ questionnaires, staff meeting discussions, student teachers’ journals and the researcher’s field notes. The findings reveal that student teachers were willing to accommodate and accept change and were often very enthusiastic about different patterns of teaching, which included peer evaluation and peer feedback. However, the student teachers' strongly held beliefs about relative roles of students and teachers remained firmly fixed. Other cultural factors also emerged from the findings. The thesis argues that the most productive way of incorporating constructivist learning into Vietnamese teacher education is by gaining a better understanding of the current status quo in order to respect and honour deep seated cultural beliefs. It argues that the imposition of pedagogical change is counter-productive without better engagement of teacher educators and teachers in discussion and debate about the characteristics that Vietnam wishes to see in its teachers and education system in the future. In particular, the thesis argues that the focus for transforming teacher education should be on promoting the responsibility of tutors to create a ‘transfer space’ to introduce students to new ideas about the processes of teaching and learning, and to develop new qualities needed via this ‘transfer space’. Evidence from the study suggests that this strategy is likely to be supportive of student teachers’ development as it allows them to separate the processes of teaching from the culturally dominant beliefs about roles which are part of their established identities

Vietnam research situation analysis on orphans and other vulnerable children

This item is archived in the repository for materials published for the USAID supported Orphans and Vulnerable Children Comprehensive Action Research Project (OVC-CARE) at the Boston University Center for Global Health and Development.Addressing the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and mitigating negative outcomes of the growing OVC population worldwide is a high priority for national governments and international stakeholders across the globe who recognize this as an issue with social, economic, and human rights dimensions. Assembling the relevant available data on OVC in one place, and acknowledging the gaps that still exist in our knowledge, will assist policy makers and program implementers to make evidence-based decisions about how best to direct funding and program activities and maximize positive outcomes for children and their caretakers. This Research Situation Analysis, Vietnam Country Brief presents a program-focused summary of available information on: • The number of orphans and vulnerable children in Vietnam. • Current policies, programs and interventions designed and implemented to assist them. • Gaps in these policies, programs and interventions. • OVC research conducted between 2004 -2008. • Gaps in the OVC evidence base. The Brief analyzes the available data for critical gaps in the national response and our understanding about whether current interventions are fulfilling the needs and improving the lives of vulnerable children. The report then recommends actions required to increase the knowledge base for improving the effectiveness and impact of OVC programs.The USAID | Project SEARCH, Orphans and Vulnerable Children Comprehensive Action Research (OVC-CARE) Task Order, is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development under Contract No. GHH-I-00-07-00023-00, beginning August 1, 2008. OVC-CARE Task Order is implemented by Boston University. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding agency

Extremely Hot Ambient Temperature and Injury-related Mortality

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the effects of extremely hot ambient temperatures on the total number of fatal injuries. Data were collected from a population-based mortality registry of Thanh Hoa, a province in the North Central region of Vietnam. This study qualified the distributed lag non-linear model and calculated the RR and 95% CI adjusted for long-term trend and absolute humidity. For the entire study population with 3,949 registered deaths due to injuries collected during 2005-2007, after the onset of extremely hot ambient temperatures, an increased risk of death was observed on the 9th day RR (95% CI) = 1.44 (1.06–1.97) and reached the peak on the 12th day RR (95% CI) = 1.58 (1.14–2.17), and at the 15th day RR (95% CI) = 1.49 (1.08–2.06). Men and old adults were identified as the most vulnerable groups. This study confirmed a positive association between hot temperatures and injury-related deaths in the province of 3.6 million people. The findings motivated further investigation into the effect of warm climate changes and the risk of deaths related to other specific causes such as road traffic, work-related injury, and etc