Status of professional learning communities in developing countries: Case of Vietnam and Uganda

What is the status of professional learning communities in Vietnam and Uganda? Is there a significant difference between the teaching experience of secondary teachers and how they see the relevance of professional learning communities on professional development in Vietnam and Uganda? The forementioned questions were explored by collecting data from secondary school teachers (n=345) in Vietnam and Uganda through a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey honestly significant difference (HSD) were used to analyze the data. The findings depict that involvement of secondary school teachers in professional learning communities and the associated contribution on professional development is ‘moderate’ in Vietnam whilst, it is ‘minimal’ in Uganda. It was also established that significant difference exists between the teaching experience of secondary teachers and how they recognize the relevance of professional learning communities on professional development. The findings suggest that relevant educational policies and adequate funding ought to be considered in order to make professional learning communities vibrant in both Vietnam and Uganda. This is deemed key to enhance secondary school teacher competence which in turn could lead to higher students’ learning outcome in Vietnam and Uganda respectively

Startup Learning Community Approach: Case Study in Vietnam

Group B: Quality of Education and Educational Polic

Teacher Professional Development in the Context of Education Reform in Vietnam: Policy and Practice

Teacher Professional Development (TPD) plays an important role in the Fundamental and Comprehensive Education Reform in Vietnam. The goal of this study is to describe the situation of TPD in the context of education reform in Vietnam: Describe both the reform policies and practice in school. This study emphasized that Vietnam has actively implemented education policies relating to TPD. Three-dimensional evaluation of TPD included: (i) Teaching plans and materials; (ii) Organization of learning activities; and (iii) Students’ activities. The research results showed a positive moderate to the high correlation between teaching plans and materials and organization of learning activities and Students’ activities. The research results showed an inverse correlation between the average teacher age and the Organization of learning activities. The older teachers tended to underestimate the extent of implementation of Organization of learning activities. This finding led to recommendations to provide older teacher groups with professional development activities

Trimetallic catalyst based on PtRu modified by irreversible adsorption of Sb for direct ethanol fuel cells

In this work, PtRu/C–Sb materials prepared by adding a Sb salt to the ink of commercial PtRu/C were studied as catalysts for ethanol oxidation. The prepared trimetallic catalysts showed enhanced properties for ethanol oxidation through a wide range of surface coverages. However, coverage higher than 0.7 of Sb on PtRu/C causes the decrease of the catalytic activity suggesting that specific sites composed of 3 metals are necessary to achieve the highest performance. In situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy experiments were also performed to compare the reaction products of the bimetallic and trimetallic catalysts. The catalysts were also tested under fuel cell conditions. Also in this case, higher power densities, higher open-circuit voltages and better stability than the bimetallic substrate were found. With this catalyst preparation method, the catalysts showed 2 times higher current densities than for the PtRu catalysts and 6 times better than for pure Pt anodes.The financial support from Aalto University is acknowledged. This work made use of the Aalto University Nanomicroscopy Center (Aalto-NMC) premises. J.M.F. and R.M.A.A. would like to thank MICINN through Project CTQ2013-44083-P

Towards a thermally regenerative all-copper redox flow battery

An all-copper redox flow battery based on strong complexation of Cu+ with acetonitrile is demonstrated, exhibiting reasonable battery performance. More interestingly, the battery can be charged by heat sources of 100 degrees C, by distilling off the acetonitrile. This destabilizes the Cu+ complex, leading to recovery of the starting materials

Techno-Economic Analysis of Biogas Production from Microalgae through Anaerobic Digestion

Microalgae are a promising feedstock for bioenergy due to higher productivity, flexible growing conditions, and high lipid/polysaccharide content compared to terrestrial biomass. Microalgae can be converted to biogas through anaerobic digestion (AD). AD is a mature technology with a high energy return on energy invested. Microalgae AD can bypass energy intensive dewatering operations that are associated with liquid fuel production from algae. A techno-economic assessment of the commercial feasibility of algae-based biogas production was conducted using Cyanothece BG0011 biomass as an example. BG0011 is a naturally occurring, saline cyanobacterium isolated from Florida Keys. It fixes atmospheric nitrogen and produces exopolysaccharide (EPS). Maximum cell density and EPS concentration of 2.7 and 2.1 g afdw1/L (for total algae biomass concentration of 4.8 g afdw/L) were obtained by air sparging. For an areal cell and EPS productivity of 12.4 and 9.6 g afdw/m2/day, respectively, the biomethane production cost was 14.8 $/MMBtu using covered anaerobic lagoon and high-pressure water scrubbing for biogas purification. Electricity production from biogas costs 13 cents/kwh. If areal productivity was increased by 33$/MMBtu and electricity cost to 11 cents/kwh

Enzimatska obrada iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja i njihova primjena u proizvodnji čajnog peciva s velikim udjelom prehrambenih vlakana

Research background. By-products of food industry have been studied as sources of high fibre and antioxidant ingredients for healthy food products, because of their economic and environmental benefits. However, the soluble dietary fibre content of these materials is usually lower than the recommended value that is claimed to bring positive health effects. Enzymatic treatment could be an efficient method for modifying insoluble and soluble dietary fibre contents of these materials. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of enzymatic treatment conditions on soluble, insoluble and total dietary fibre mass fractions in spent green tea leaves, and evaluate the quality of dough and cookies when different mass fractions of untreated and treated leaves were added to the recipe. Experimental approach. The mass fractions of soluble, insoluble and total dietary fibre in spent tea leaf powder was evaluated after the leaves were treated with cellulase amount of 0−25 U/g for 0 to 2 h. Wheat flour was replaced by untreated and treated spent tea leaf powder at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% in cookie formulation. Textural properties of dough, proximate composition, physical properties and overall acceptability of cookies were analysed. Results and conclusions. The appropriate conditions for enzymatic treatment were enzyme loading of 20 U/g and biocatalytic time of 1.5 h, under which the mass fraction of soluble dietary fibre in spent tea leaves increased by 144.5% compared to that of the control sample. The addition of spent tea leaves led to the increase in dough hardness. Increase in the spent tea leaf amount also enhanced fibre mass fraction, antioxidant activity and hardness of cookies but reduced their overall acceptability. Moreover, the enzymatic treatment of spent tea leaves improved the soluble to total dietary fibre ratio of the cookies, which influenced their textural properties and health benefits. The cookies with added 20% untreated or treated spent tea leaves were overall accepted by the panel. Novelty and scientific contribution. For the first time, spent tea leaves have been treated with enzymes to improve their soluble to total dietary fibre ratio. The treated spent tea leaves are a new promising high-fibre antioxidant ingredient for cookie preparation.Pozadina istraživanja. Nusproizvodi prehrambene industrije ispituju se iz ekonomskih i ekoloških razloga kao izvori sastojaka s velikim udjelom prehrambenih vlakana i antioksidacijskim učinkom koji se mogu upotrijebiti u proizvodnji zdrave hrane. Međutim, udjel topljivih prehrambenih vlakana u nusproizvodima je obično manji od preporučenih vrijednosti koje mogu imati pozitivan učinak na zdravlje. Enzimatska obrada bi mogla biti učinkovita metoda modificiranja netopljivih i topljivih prehrambenih vlakana iz otpada prehrambene industrije. Svrha je ovog rada bila ispitati utjecaj različitih uvjeta enzimatske obrade na masene udjele topljivih, netopljivih i ukupnih prehrambenih vlakana u iskorištenim listićima zelenog čaja, te procijeniti kakvoću tijesta i čajnog peciva s dodatkom različitih masenih udjela obrađenih i neobrađenih listića. Eksperimentalni pristup. Maseni udjeli topljivih, netopljivih i ukupnih prehrambenih vlakana u prahu od iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja mjereni su nakon njihove obrade s 0–25 U/g celulaze tijekom 0 do 2 h. U smjesi za čajno pecivo je pšenično brašno zamijenjeno s 0, 10, 20, 30 i 40 % obrađenog ili neobrađenog praha iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja. Ispitani su tekstura tijesta te kemijski sastav, fizikalna svojstva i ukupna prihvatljivost dobivenog čajnog peciva. Rezultati i zaključci. Pri povoljnim uvjetima enzimatske obrade, a to su 20 U/g enzima i vrijeme trajanja biokatalitičkog procesa od 1,5 sata, maseni udjel topljivih prehrambenih vlakana u iskorištenim listićima zelenog čaja porastao je za 144,5 % u usporedbi s kontrolnim uzorkom. Dodatkom iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja povećala se tvrdoća tijesta. Povećanjem količine listića čaja povećali su se i maseni udjel vlakana, antioksidacijska svojstva i tvrdoća čajnog peciva, ali se smanjila njihova prihvatljivost. Osim toga, enzimatskom se obradom iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja poboljšao omjer topljivih i ukupnih vlakana u čajnom pecivu, što je utjecalo na njegovu teksturu i pozitivan učinak na zdravlje. Panel ocjenjivača je okarakterizirao čajno pecivo s dodatkom 20 % obrađenih ili neobrađenih iskorištenih listića čaja kao prihvatljive. Novina i znanstveni doprinos. Prvi put je enzimatskom obradom iskorištenih listića zelenog čaja poboljšan njihov omjer topljivih i ukupnih prehrambenih vlakana. Obrađeni iskorišteni listići zelenog čaja novi su obećavajući sastojak s antioksidacijskim svojstvima koji se može upotrijebiti u pripremi čajnog peciva

Does the income of the chief executive officer affect the quality of corporate financial statements? An evidence from industrial firms in Vietnam

Research aims: This study examines the relationship between the CEOs’ income and the quality of financial statements of industrial firms listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HSX) during the three years from 2018 to 2020. Design/Methodology/Approach: This study investigated the influence of CEOs’ characteristics, particularly their income, on the quality of financial statements of listed firms in the Vietnamese industry by using features of information quality proposed by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Random Effects model (REM), Fixed Effects model (FEM), and Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) regressions were applied for empirical examinations. Research findings: The results of this study demonstrated that a CEO’s income positively affected the quality of corporate financial statements. Additionally, the analysis results confirmed the positive correlation between the firm’s size and the quality of disclosed reports, consistent with prior studies. However, this study uncovered that Big4 auditors did not influence the quality of financial statements. Theoretical contribution/Originality: This study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive perspective on the assessment of corporate financial statements quality and examining its association with the CEO’s income in the context of an emerging economy. Practitioner/Policy implication: The study is useful for investors and other financial statement users to assess the quality of corporate financial statements through the CEO’s profile; it also contributes as a scientific basis for firms to adjust the compensations offered to their CEOs. Research limitation: This study was limited by looking at the mono-directional impact of the CEO’s income on the financial statement quality. The following studies need a larger sample of industries and countries to strengthen the research findings. Also, further studies can broaden their perspectives to investigate the multidimensionality of this relation

IMPROVEMENT OF CO2 PURIFYING SYSTEM BY PHOTOCATALYST FOR APPLICATION IN MICROALGAE CULTURE TECHNOLOGY

By reactive grinding method Vanadium-doped rutile TiO2 nanoparticle material was obtained with an average particle size of 20‐40nm, the Brunauer–Emmet–Teller (BET) specific surface area about 20 m2g−1 and it absorbed strongly in the UV region and increased at the visible wavelength of 430 – 570 nm. This study focused on the improvement of exhaust gas treatment from coal-fired flue gas of the traditional adsorption-catalysis system (Modular System for Treating Flue Gas - MSTFG) by using the V2O5/TiO2 Rutile as photocatalyst. The results showed that integrating both catalytic systems mentioned above increased the gas treatment efficiency: CO from 77 % to over 98 %, NOx from 50 % to 93 %, SO2 was absent as opposed to the input gas component. Also it showed that V2O5/TiO2 Rutile integrated with MSTFG has got high efficiency of CO treatment, also secured the high obtained CO2 concentration as a valuable carbon source for microagal mass culture as well as saving energy and simplifying devices

Beyond the homestay: women’s participation in rural tourism development in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

This study examines the impact of the homestay tourism program in Mekong Delta, Vietnam, on women’s participation and empowerment in rural tourism development. As part of this study, 22 interviews were conducted with homestay owners to explore the benefits and challenges of women’s involvement in this type of tourism. The findings show that homestay tourism program has helped women to generate extra income, strengthen family ties, and increase their social influence while reducing domestic violence. However, cultural expectations and gender roles continue to pose challenges. This study underscores the importance of women’s participation in homestay tourism program and provides suggestions for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in tourism development. The study highlights the potential of women’s involvement in creating a sustainable and inclusive tourism industry and calls for further research and action to promote gender equality and women’s rights in tourism. The findings have practical implications for policymakers and practitioners in the tourism sector