Osteogenesis activity of fractions extracted from Clinacanthus nutans (Burm. F.) Lindau

Osteogenesis activity of fractions extracted from Clinacanthus nutans was evaluated on an in vitro model using osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. The results showed that all fractions, including ethanol (EtOH), n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and butanol (BuOH) were not significantly toxic to the osteoblast cells at the test concentrations of 5, 10, 25, and 50 µg/mL. The EtOH and EtOAc fractions exhibited the highest osteogenesis activity in terms of enhancement of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and mineralization activity of MC3T3-E1 cells, especially the EtOAc fraction which increased ALP activity up to 30% and mineralization activity up to 100%. Thus, the EtOAc fraction shows osteogenesis activity through stimulating activites of the two markers for bone generation including ALP and mineralization in osteoblast cells. The fraction is now under extensive investigation to isolate and fully understand the modes of action of the active compounds. 

Diversity of vespid wasps (Vespidae: Hymenoptera) in Lang Son province

Species diversity and abundance of vespid wasps (Vespidae: Hymenoptera) in Cai Kinh, Lang Son is examined. A total of 42 species in 20 genera of vespid wasps are recognized in Cai Kinh. They are 12 social wasp species belonging to 2 subfamilies, Polistinae (12 species) and Vespinae (3 species), and 27 solitary wasps belonging to the subfamily Eumeninae. The nest of Polistes strigosus is described for the first time. The genus Oreumenes of the subfamily Eumeninae is newly recorded for the Vietnamese fauna, represented by Oreumenes decoratus (Smith). The diversity of vespid wasps in the study area during three years (2014, 2015 and 2016) is compared showing that the diversity and evenness index are highest in 2016 (summer), meaning that many vespid species are active in summer. Eumenes quadratus and Delta ensuriens are most abundant in number of specimens.Received 02 December 2016, accepted 20 December 2016

11TH GRADE EFL LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION OF THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE NEW TEXTBOOK ENGLISH 11-TIENG ANH 11

This study investigated EFL students’ perceptions of the authenticity of texts and tasks within the new textbook Tieng Anh 11. The research followed a descriptive approach. The study collected data from questionnaires for 58 EFL students and interviews with six representative students at an upper secondary school in Mekong Delta area, Vietnam. Results from the questionnaire indicated that readings within the textbook were rated very positively while learning tasks received a less positive rating. Further interviews revealed that students emphasized the need for practical tasks for their reallife language use and the development of critical thinking

Analyze the Determinants of Capital Structure for Vietnamese Real Estate Listed Companies

This study adopts a two - step system general method of moments (GMM) approach towards investigating the determinants of capital structure for the listed real estate firms on Ho Chi Minh stock exchange (HSX) in Viet Nam from 2010 to 2015. The determinants of capital structure are mixed and different for short-term and long-term indicators. The real estate firms tend to use more debts to finance their investment. Vietnamese real estate firms should focus on balance structure debt due to complicated impacts of the determinants to their capital structure. There are some implications for the real estate companies and policy of the Government that are based on the empirical results. Keywords: determinants of capital structure, real estate company, general method of moments. JEL Classifications: G32, R

Fragmented implementation of maternal and child health home-based records in Vietnam: need for integration

Background: Home-based records (HBRs) are globally implemented as the effective tools that encourage pregnant women and mothers to timely and adequately utilise maternal and child health (MCH) services. While availability and utilisation of nationally representative HBRs have been assessed in several earlier studies, the reality of a number of HBRs subnationally implemented in a less coordinated manner has been neither reported nor analysed. Objectives: This study is aimed at estimating the prevalence of HBRs for MCH and the level of fragmentation of and overlapping between different HBRs for MCH in Vietnam. The study further attempts to identify health workers’ and mothers’ perceptions towards HBR operations and utilisations. Design: A self-administered questionnaire was sent to the provincial health departments of 28 selected provinces. A copy of each HBR available was collected from them. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews with health workers and mothers were conducted at rural communities in four of 28 selected provinces. Results: Whereas HBRs developed exclusively for maternal health and exclusively for child health were available in four provinces (14%) and in 28 provinces (100%), respectively, those for both maternal health and child health were available in nine provinces (32%). The mean number of HBRs in 28 provinces (=5.75) indicates over-availability of HBRs. All 119 minimum required items for recording found in three different HBRs under nationwide scale-up were also included in theMaternal and Child Health Handbook being piloted for nationwide scaling-up. Implementation of multiple HBRs is likely to confuse not only health workers by requiring them to record the same data on several HBRs but also mothers about which HBR they should refer to and rely on at home. Conclusions: To enable both health workers and pregnant women to focus on only one type of HBR, province-specific HBRs for maternal and/or child health need to be nationally standardised. Moreover, to ensure a continuum of maternal, newborn, and child health care, the HBRs currently fragmented into different MCH stages (i.e. pregnancy, delivery, child immunisation, child growth, and child development) should be integrated. Standardisation and integration of HBRs will help increase technical efficiency and financial sustainability of HBR operations

Impact of professional development activities on teachers’ formative assessment practices

This study aims to explore the impact of professional development (PD) activities on the practice of formative assessment, mediated by outcome expectancy and self-efficacy. The study used a survey method to unveil compelling insights among 5,546 primary teachers within the context of Vietnam. The findings from partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) demonstrated a significant impact of PD on teachers’ outcome expectancy regarding formative assessment and their self-efficacy in practicing it. The study emphasizes that PD significantly enhances the effectiveness of practice when interconnected with outcome expectancy and self-efficacy. When teachers anticipate positive outcomes and possess strong self-belief, PD notably improves their classroom formative assessment practices. These findings underscore the importance of tailoring PD initiatives to bolster teachers’ outcome expectancy and self-efficacy. By emphasizing these aspects, PD can significantly elevate its positive influence on classroom practices, especially in formative assessment. This study provides crucial insights for educational policymakers and institutions aiming to maximize the impact of PD programs for primary educators in Vietnam

The potter wasp genus Allorhynchium from Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species and a new country record (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae)

Species of the potter wasp genus Allorhynchium van der Vecht (Eumeninae: Odynerini) occurring in Vietnam are presented. Seven species have been recorded from Vietnam. Of them, three species are described as new to science: Allorhynchium latum Nguyen, Tran & MT Nguyen, sp. nov., A. moerum Nguyen & AD Nguyen, sp. nov., and A. setosum Nguyen & Engel, sp. nov., and one species, A. argentatum (Fabricius, 1804), is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. An updated key to the Oriental species of the genus is presented

First occurrence of the little-known genus Noteriades (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) from Vietnam: discovery of a new species and a key to the Southeast Asian fauna

The little-known megachiline genus Noteriades Cockerell, 1931 is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. A new species, Noteriades hangkia Tran, Engel & Nguyen sp. nov. is described and figured based on a series of females collected from the provinces of the northern and central highlands of Vietnam. The genus is briefly discussed and a new subtribe is established, Noteriadina Engel, Tran & Nguyen subtrib. nov. of Megachilini. Lastly, an identification key and distribution map are provided for those species occurring in Southeast Asia

Taxonomic notes on the genus Euaspis Gerstäcker (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae) from Vietnam

Taxonomic notes on species of the genus Euaspis Gerstäcker, 1858 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) from Vietnam are presented. Three species of the genus are reported: E. aequicarinata Pasteels is recorded in the central highlands Vietnam (Kon Tum Province) beside the previous record of this species in the northwest (Hoa Binh Province); E. polynesia Vachal is widely recorded throughout Vietnam; the taxonomy of Vietnamese Euaspis basalis (Ritsema, 1874) is a misidentification, and it is indeed Euaspis diversicarinata Pasteels, 1980 and is a new record from Vietnam. A key to the females of Vietnamese species of Euaspis Gerstäcker and a redescription of the female of E. diversicarinata are given with illustrations

The effect of trust on consumers’ online purchase intention: An integration of TAM and TPB

The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of different factors on Vietnamese consumers’ online shopping intention based on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). A questionnaire was designed and sent directly to the respondents through the Internet. After 5 months period of collecting the necessary data, 423 valid replies were collected and analyzed. The data were analyzed in accordance with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and multiple regression techniques. The results show that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude, subjective norm and trust had positive effects on consumers’ online shopping intention