THE EFL 8TH GRADERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF COMPETENCY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN KIEN GIANG, VIETNAM

Listening skill is a vital component of language acquisition on the grounds that it can foster the improvement of other language skills. Therefore, enhancing students’ listening is constantly gaining the prominent attention of most English teachers at secondary schools. Besides, applying competency-based instruction into teaching listening is a novel method that helps teachers attain students’ attitudes, affecting their listening comprehension. Therefore, this current study aimed to examine students’ attitudes toward using competency-based instruction in listening for a main idea and specific information. The study employed a qualitative approach to determine 45 8th graders’ attitudes at a secondary school in Kien Giang province. The students’ diaries were the critical data collection. The study’s findings showed that their views affected their listening skills. Most of them had positive attitudes toward the utilization of competency-based instruction in listening comprehension.  Article visualizations

Efecto de los TLC de nueva generación en la innovación de productos sostenibles: evidencia empírica de empresas textiles vietnamitas quecotizan en bolsa

Introduction: The covid-19 pandemic has significantly changed consumption habits, with by cutting unnecessary spending on fashion products, and focusing on sustainable products. Therefore, greener textile innovation is currently a rapidly growing trend, bringing new sales and flexible production capabilities. The article presents impact of new generation FTA like EVFTA, CPTPP on sustainable textile product innovation. Problem: Greener production is dominant in several export industries. After the Covid-19 pandemic shifting from fast fashion to sustainable fashion is more and more changing. Objective: The aim of this study is to examine impact directly as well as indirectly the relationship between FTA expectation on SPIC via 2 mediating variable such as environmental regulation and CEO’s perception. Methodology: The study is exploratory research, it was modeled using PLS-SEM to test the relationships in the model. Results: Both Environment Regulation and CEO\u27s perception play an important role as partial mediation in the relationship between FTA expectation and sustainable product innovation capability. Conclusion: This project seeks to generate a change in the behavior of the use towards efficiency and modification of user practices to favor the sustainability standard of the textile and garment firm. Originality: Through this research, integrated and sustainable textile and garment management strategies are formulated for green marketing strategies in Vietnam. Limitations: The lack of information provided by the municipality and access to the sampling points.Introducción: Este documento es el producto de la investigación “Efecto de los TLC de nueva generación en la innovación de productos sostenibles: evidencia empírica de empresas textiles cotizadas en Vietnam” desarrollada en la Universidad de Thuongmai (TMU) y la Universidad de Industria de Hanoi (HaUI) entre 2021 y 2023. La pandemia de COVID-19 ha cambiado significativamente los hábitos de consumo hacia la reducción de gastos innecesarios en productos de moda y centrándose en productos sostenibles. Por lo tanto, la innovación textil más ecológica es actualmente una tendencia de rápido crecimiento, que genera nuevas ventas y capacidades de producción flexibles. El artículo presenta los impactos de los acuerdos de libre comercio (TLC) de nueva generación como el Acuerdo de Libre Comercio entre la Unión Europea y Vietnam (EVFTA) y la Asociación Transpacífica Integral y Progresista (CPTPP) en la innovación de productos textiles sostenibles. Problema: La producción más ecológica es dominante en varias industrias de exportación. Después de la pandemia de COVID-19, el cambio de la moda rápida a la moda sostenible es cada vez más urgente. Objetivo: El objetivo de este estudio es examinar los impactos directos e indirectos de las expectativas del FTA en la capacidad de innovación de productos sostenibles (SPIC) a través de dos variables mediadoras, como las regulaciones ambientales y la percepción del CEO. Metodología: El estudio involucra una investigación exploratoria, utilizando PLS-SEM para probar las relaciones en el modelo. Resultados: Tanto la regulación ambiental como la percepción del CEO juegan un papel importante como mediación parcial en la relación entre la expectativa de TLC y la capacidad de innovación de productos sostenibles.  

Microwave-assisted solvent extraction of banaba crude oil and its antibacterial activity

Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa) is a deciduous tropical flowering tree found in India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. It is known worldwide especially for its antidiabetic and antiobesity abilities. The active ingredient responsible for these properties in humans is corosolic acid, a triterpenoid compound that stimulates glucose uptake by enhancing insulin receptor phosphorylation. Although conventional methods have been used to extract banaba, they lead to low extraction efficiency, long extraction time, and even loss of some volatile compounds. Recently, microwave - assisted extraction with solvent (MASE) has been found to be widely used for herbal extraction because of its increased efficiency, reduced extraction time, and environment-friendliness. Thus, MASE was investigated for banaba leaves and fruits in this study. Ethanol and ethyl acetate were used as solvents for extracting from banaba fresh leaves. The effect on yield of banaba extract was studied for the following parameters: 300W, 500W, and 800W microwave power; 2 minute and 6 minute extraction time; 6ml/g, 8ml/g, and 10ml/g solvent-to-material ratio; and, 50oC, 60oC, and 70oC temperature. The active compound in banaba extract, corosolic acid, was identified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of banaba extract was tested by Kirby–Bauer method with two gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and two gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis). Extraction of banaba by MASE obtained, on the one hand, the highest yield of 63.95% for ethanol, which made a good solvent for this process, compared to the highest yield of 7.9625% for ethyl acetate. The best conditions that gave the highest yields, on the other hand, were at 500W of power, 10:1(ml of ethanol/g of material) solvent-to-sample ratio, 6 minute, and 70oC yielding 63.95% for fresh banaba leaves; and, at 500W power, 8:1(ml of ethanol/g of material) solvent-to-sample ratio, 6 minute, and 60oC yielding 79.65% for fresh banaba fruits. Corosolic acid was identified by HPLC analysis with the peak at around 8.5 minute, the yield of corosolic acid was 0.248% at the best conditions for MAE extraction with banaba fresh leaves extract. However, no presence of corosolic acid was observed in banaba fruits extract. Measurement of five physico-chemical properties of the resulting banaba crude oil—i.e., pH, specific gravity, refractive index (RI), acid values, and ester values—gave the following characterization ranges: pH of 4–5, specific gravity of 0.927–1.012, and RI of 1.34–1.35. Banaba crude oil obtained a low range of acid values at 2.14–3.6 but obtained a high range of ester values at 12–15 for leaves, specifically giving 96.58 for fresh fruits and 117.67 for dried fruits. Antibacterial testing of the extracts of banaba showed positive inhibition for antibacterial activity, which demonstrated the applicability of banaba extracts of leaves and fruits in the pharmaceutical and medical industries. The level of antibacterial ability varied with the extract product and with the bacteria used. All four microorganisms, however, exhibited activity at 100mg/ml with E. coli as the most sensitive and with the extract showing the lowest zone of inhibition diameter with B. subtilis. The best inhibition was exhibited by the extract of fresh banaba leaves while the worst inhabitation was displayed by the extract MASE with ethyl acetate as solvent

The complete mitochondrial genome of Paragonimus ohirai (Paragonimidae: Trematoda: Platyhelminthes) and its comparison with P. Westermani congeners and other trematodes

We present the complete mitochondrial genome of Paragonimus ohirai Miyazaki, 1939 and compare its features with those of previously reported mitochondrial genomes of the pathogenic lung-fluke, Paragonimus westermani, and other members of the genus. The circular mitochondrial DNA molecule of the single fully sequenced individual of P. ohirai was 14,818 bp in length, containing 12 protein-coding, two ribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNA genes. As is common among trematodes, an atp8 gene was absent from the mitogenome of P. ohirai and the 50 end of nad4 overlapped with the 30 end of nad4L by 40 bp. Paragonimusohirai and four forms/strains of P. westermani from South Korea and India, exhibited remarkably different base compositions and hence codon usage in protein-coding genes. In the fully sequenced P. ohirai individual, the non-coding region started with two long identical repeats (292 bp each), separated by tRNAGlu. These were followed by an array of six short tandem repeats (STR), 117 bp each. Numbers of the short tandem repeats varied among P. ohirai individuals. A phylogenetic tree inferred from concatenated mitochondrial protein sequences of 50 strains encompassing 42 species of trematodes belonging to 14 families identified a monophyletic Paragonimidae in the class Trematoda. Characterization of additional mitogenomes in the genus Paragonimus will be useful for biomedical studies and development of molecular tools and mitochondrial markers for diagnostic, identification, hybridization and phylogenetic/epidemiological/evolutionary studies

EVALUATION OF SOLAR RADIATION ESTIMATED FROM HIMAWARI-8 SATELLITE OVER VIETNAM REGION

The development of Solar energy system is growing rapidly in Vietnam in recent years by encouragement of the Government in renewable energy. Requirement for accurate knowledge of the solar radiation reaching the surface is increasingly important in the successful deployment of Solar photovoltaic plants. However, measurements of different components of solar resources including direct normal irradiance (DNI) and global horizontal irradiance (GHI) are limited to few stations over whole country. Satellite imagery provides an ability to monitor the surface radiation over large areas at high spatial and temporal resolution as alternatives at low cost. Observations from the new Japanese geostationary satellite Himawari-8 produce imagery covering Asia-Pacific region, permitting estimation of GHI and DNI over Vietnam at 10-minute temporal resolution. However, accurate comparisons with ground observations are essential to assess their uncertainty. In this study, we evaluated the Himawari-8 radiation product AMATERASS provided by JST/CREST TEEDDA using observations recorded at 5 stations in different regions of Vietnam. The result shows good agreement between satellite estimation and observed data with high correlation of range 0.92-0.94, but better in clear-sky episodes.Because of AMATERASS outperform, we used it for validating ERA-Interim reanalysis in the spatial scale. The comparison was made dividedly for 7 climate zones and 4 seasons. The conclusion is that ERA-Interim is also well associated with satellite-based estimates in seasonal trend for all season, but in average the reanalysis has negative bias towards satellite estimates. This underestimation is more pronounced in the months of JJA and SON periods and in the north part of Vietnam because of unpredicted cloud in the ERA reanalysis

The ribosomal transcription units of Haplorchis pumilio and H. taichui and the use of 28S rDNA sequences for phylogenetic identification of common heterophyids in Vietnam

Background: Heterophyidiasis is now a major public health threat in many tropical countries. Species in the trematode family Heterophyidae infecting humans include Centrocestus formosanus, Haplorchis pumilio, H. taichui, H. yokogawai, Procerovum varium and Stellantchasmus falcatus. For molecular phylogenetic and systematic studies on trematodes, we need more prospective markers for taxonomic identification and classification. This study provides near-complete ribosomal transcription units (rTU) from Haplorchis pumilio and H. taichui and demonstrates the use of 28S rDNA sequences for identification and phylogenetic analysis. Results: The near-complete ribosomal transcription units (rTU), consisting of 18S, ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2 and 28S rRNA genes and spacers, from H. pumilio and H. taichui from human hosts in Vietnam, were determined and annotated. Sequence analysis revealed tandem repetitive elements in ITS1 in H. pumilio and in ITS2 in H. taichui. A phylogenetic tree inferred from 28S rDNA sequences of 40 trematode strains/species, including 14 Vietnamese heterophyid individuals, clearly confirmed the status of each of the Vietnamese species: Centrocestus formosanus, Haplorchis pumilio, H. taichui, H. yokogawai, Procerovum varium and Stellantchasmus falcatus. However, the family Heterophyidae was clearly not monophyletic, with some genera apparently allied with other families within the superfamily Opisthorchioidea (i. e. Cryptogonimidae and Opisthorchiidae). These families and their constituent genera require substantial re-evaluation using a combination of morphological and molecular data. Our new molecular data will assist in such studies. Conclusions: The 28S rDNA sequences are conserved among individuals within a species but varied between genera. Based on analysis of 40 28S rDNA sequences representing 19 species in the superfamily Opisthorchioidea and an outgroup taxon (Alaria alata, family Diplostomidae), six common human pathogenic heterophyids were identified and clearly resolved. The phylogenetic tree inferred from these sequences again confirmed anomalies in molecular placement of some members of the family Heterophyidae and demonstrates the need for reappraisal of the entire superfamily Opisthorchioidea. The new sequences provided here supplement those already available in public databases and add to the array of molecular tools that can be used for the diagnosis of heterophyid species in human and animal infections

Interdisciplinary education in the context of protection of water resources: A case study in Vietnam

The incorporation of interdisciplinary education, a topic of significant global interest, is increasingly being recognized as a key aspect of educational innovation in Vietnam. This recognition extends to several fields, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education.This research aims to design and implement a STEM situation associated with the context of water protection in Vietnam for 10th-grade students in which students mobilize the knowledge of Physics (specific gravity, Archimedes' principle) and Mathematics (volume) to design a salinometer. This device measures the salinity of the water. The research methodology is based on the observed increase in saline levels in the coastal regions of Vietnam in recent years, which has had a substantial impact on agriculture and the livelihoods of millions of people. This methodology aims to provide realistic scenarios for students to address and resolve these problems. A total of forty students in the 10th grade were involved in a teaching situation that consisted of five distinct phases. Forty 10th-grade students participated in a teaching situation conducted in five phases. The results showed that the situation helped students strengthen and connect their physics and mathematics knowledge, create a vibrant learning atmosphere, enhance communication, and develop problem-solving competency. Furthermore, the teaching situation also needs to be revised regarding the measurement practices of Vietnamese students. The situation contributes to educating students' awareness of current events, protecting Vietnamese water resources, and the importance of sustainable development. In addition, we can use the same teaching process as in this research to develop other STEM teaching situations

Asymptotic behavior of solutions of quasilinear differential-algebraic equations

This paper is concerned with the asymptotic behavior of solutions of linear differential-algebraic equations (DAEs) under small nonlinear perturbations. Some results on the asymptotic behavior of solutions which are well known for ordinary differential equations are extended to DAEs. The main tools are the projector-based decoupling and the contractive mapping principle. Under certain assumptions on the linear part and the nonlinear term, asymptotic behavior of solutions are characterized. As the main result, a Perron type theorem that establishes the exponential growth rate of solutions is formulated

Biodiversity research and conservation in Cat Ba National Park with updated records from recent field surveys

Among the protected area system of Vietnam, Cat Ba appears as an ideal national park for biodiversity research and conservation. It covers a large area of karst landscape including islands and different ecosystems ranging from forests, wetland, mangroves, caves and others. Since the establishment of Cat Ba National Park in 1986, biodiversity research and conservation within the park have been strongly promoted and raised. The park has been well known as home to highly diverse flora and fauna with many species endemic to the archipelago and Vietnam. A series of projects and programmes have been effectively implemented for urgent and long-term conservation of threatened species. However, results from scientific research also indicated that many sites and species are still almost unstudied while several sections of the park’s buffer zone are affected by human activities including unscientific development of ecotourism. We recently conduct a field survey and recorded 2 bat species and echolocation calls in their natural habitats. This paper provides an overview of achievements with recent records and recommendations for strengthening conservation of biodiversity and habitats in the park and surroundings.Trong hệ thống khu vực bảo vệ của Việt Nam, Cát Bà là một vườn quốc gia có điều kiện thuận lợi đối với công tác nghiên cứu và bảo tồn đa dạng sinh học. Vườn quốc gia này bao gồm diện tích lớn cảnh quan núi đá vôi với các đảo và hệ sinh thái đặc trưng như rừng trên núi, đất ngập nước, rừng ngập mặn, hang động và nhiều hệ sinh thái khác. Từ khi thành lập Vườn Quốc gia Cát Bà năm 1986, công tác nghiên cứu và bảo tồn đa dạng sinh học được quan tâm và thực hiện ngày càng nhiều. Vườn quốc gia cũng chứa đựng khu hệ động vật và thực vật đa dạng với nhiều loài đặc hữu cho quần đảo và Việt Nam. Nhiều dự án và chương trình đã được thực hiện nhằm bảo tồn cấp bách và lâu dài những loài bị đe dọa. Tuy nhiên, những kết quả nghiên cứu khoa học cũng cho thấy nhiều khu vực trong phạm vi vườn quốc gia gần như chưa được nghiên cứu trong khi một số tiểu khu thuộc vùng đệm đang bị ảnh hưởng bởi hoạt động của con người như sự phát triển du lịch. Chúng tôi đã ghi nhận được 2 loài dơi cùng với tiếng kêu siêu âm trong môi trường sống tự nhiên của chúng qua thời gian điều tra thực địa vừa qua. Bài báo này cung cấp dẫn liệu tổng quan và cập nhật về những kết quả đã đạt được với những thông tin cập nhật và đề xuất nhằm thúc đẩy công tác bảo tồn đa dạng sinh học và sinh cảnh ở vườn quốc gia và vùng phụ cận trong tương lai