The question of quality

Phuong-Thao T. Trinh, Thu-Hien T. Le, Thu-Trang Vuong, Phuong-Hanh Hoang (2019). Chapter 6. The question of quality. In Quan-Hoang Vuong, Trung Tran (Eds.), The Vietnamese Social Sciences at a Fork in the Road (pp. 121–142). Warsaw, Poland: De Gruyter. DOI:10.2478/9783110686081-011. Online ISBN: 9783110686081 © 2019 Sciendo / De Gruyte

Factors Affecting Intention to Purchase Voluntary Pension Insurance in Vietnam

The research was carried out with the aim to identify factors affecting the intention to purchase voluntary pension insurance in Vietnam. With data collected from 334 subjects across the country, mainly in Hanoi, the results showed that attitude towards risk, subjective norms, percieved behavioral control, past experiences and corporate branding have positive influences on the central factor, which is intent. After quantitative analysis, the study proposes recommendations for businesses to improve their services as well as methods of distribution to meet the needs of potential customers to save in pension funds. Additionally, the study will provide the basis for regulators to come up with measures to promote the retirement insurance market and at the same time, raise public awareness about social security. Keywords: voluntary pension insurances, pension funds, puchase intention, TPB, annuity. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-10-06 Publication date:May 31st 2021

Effect of Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction on Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin chain in a longitudinal magnetic field

Using functional integral method for the Heisenberg antiferromagnetic spin chain with the added Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction in the presence of the longitudinal magnetic field, we find out expression for free energy of the spin chain via spin fluctuations, from which quantities characterize the antiferromagnetic order and phase transition such as staggered and total magnetizations derived. From that, we deduce the significant effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction on the reduction of the antiferromagnetic order and show that the total magnetization can be deviated from the initial one under the influence of canting of the spins due to a combination of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and the magnetic field. Besides, the remarkable role of the transverse spin fluctuations due to the above factors on the antiferromagnetic behaviours of the spin chain is also indicated. &nbsp

Growth and development of transgenic peanut (Arachis hypogaea) lines containing chitinase 42 kDa gene from Trichoderma asperellum SH16

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is vulnerable to many diseases. Vietnam and other regions where peanut is widely cultivated have a high threat of fungal and other plant diseases. Various fungicides are available to control the fungal disease but these have various harmful effects on the natural flora, fauna, and environment. Transgenic peanut lines which possess antifungal activity provide a possible solution in managing fungal diseases apart from the traditional resistance and fungicide usage. Therefore, this study evaluated the probable growth and development of chitinase transgenic peanut lines against Sclerotium rolfsii, a pathogen that causes “southern blight” in plants, under greenhouse conditions. This study provided evidence that through Agrobacterium itumefaciens mediated transformation, 42 kDa chitinase genes from Trichoderma asperellum, which is under the regulation of 35S promoter, were successfully incorporated into the peanut’s (A. hypogaea L.) genome and expressed in their plants. This evidence also demonstrated that transgenic peanut lines were suitable for growing and developing in the greenhouse. Further, it was reported that transgenic peanut lines took approximately 133 to 145 days from planting to maturity. These results also revealed that various growth characteristics of transgenic peanut lines having two synthetic genes (syncod Chi42-2 i.e. S2-2, S2-4, S2-6, and syncod Chi42-1 i.e. S1-1, S1-2, S1-3) were greater than that from the wild-type Chi42 (WT-1, WT-2, and WT-3). In addition, yield-related parameters including the number of mature pods, 100 pods weight and 100 seeds weight for all the transgenic peanut lines were higher than that of the non-transformed plant. Among the transgenic lines, line S2-4 exhibited significantly higher growth and yield than the other transgenic lines. These results demonstrated that 42 kDa chitinase genes overexpressing peanut lines could be a candidate for improvement against plants to phytopathogenic fungus S. rolfsii and high yield.

Factors affecting the creativity of high school students

Creativity is a vital personality quality of each individual. Each person has their potential for creativity, and it can be nurtured and developed in an appropriate and safe environment. The purpose of the study was to find out which factors from schools and students themselves affect creativity as well as the association between creativity and age, gender and giftedness of students, which then a basis to adjust and establish appropriate methods from schools, families, and students themselves to develop elements and their creativity. The study was conducted on 108 high school students in three grades from giftedness and non-giftedness schools. The data was collected through a survey method using a self-constructed questionnaire and drawing creativity test TCT-DP to determine students' creativity levels and personal information. The study's finding, which uses mathematical methods and one-way analysis of variance, reveals that factors affecting elements and creativity level are objective factors including education environment from school; behavior of teachers, and subjective factors including interests, perspectives, and thoughts of students. It was also found that there were no significant differences in the components of creativity and creativity among students in different grades, gender, and groups of giftedness schools

A Study on Factors Impacting on Profitability: The Case of Vietnam

This study is conducted to investigate factors influencing the profitability of the Vietnamese food processing firms. Data was collected from audited financial statements from listed food processing firms on the Vietnam Stock Exchange. Panel regression model was applied in this study (PLS). The testing methods used in this research were Pearson model; Modified Wald Test, Wooldridge test (for autocorreclation in panel data), Hausman model, especially the relationship between FEM and REM as well as Multicollinearity test based on VIF coeficient. The results shows that DR, SDR and LDR have negative impacts on profitability. In contrast, TDTELT have positive impacts on the profitability. FATA and SIZE impact return on asset (ROA) without statistical significance. SIZE has positive impact on return on equity (ROE) while it impacts negatively on profit margin (PM). Moreover, AGE, GDP growth, and inflation do not have impact on profitability. Keywords: Factors, Return on assets, Food processing firms, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/RJFA/11-10-07 Publication date:May 31st 202

Evaluation Of Agronomic Traits And Adaptation Of Some Promising Salt Tolerant Rice Lines/Varieties Growing In The Coastal Areas In Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the main food in Vietnam and plays an important role in economic activity in this country. However, rice yield and growing areas are adversely influenced by the threats of the devastation caused by the rise of sea level. This study aimed to evaluate the salt effects in field experiments of 19 promising salt tolerance rice lines/varieties carrying QTL/Saltol, which were selected from the BC2F5 breeding combination between FL479 and Bac Thom 7 (BC7). The field experiments were conducted in two consecutive seasons at three saline-affected rice growing areas, including Nga Son, Hoang Hoa and Quang Xuong districts, Thanh Hoa province. The results showed that among those promising rice lines, the HL15 line had the best yield components in all experimented sites, and good agronomic traits with short plant height and shorter growth duration than the BC7 variety (115-117 days) in the spring season and 102-103 days in the summer season, respectively. All tested had the same level of pest resistance/infection as the control variety BT7 under production conditions using pesticides including HL1, HL13 and HL15, which were mildly infected with the bacterial leaf blight, while HL15 variety showed high resistance to pests and diseases. Moreover, the HL2, HL15 and HL19 lines had scored 3, equivalent to FL478 (tolerant), and the survival rate was over 85% compared with the control variety. Overall, our findings showed that the promising purebred variety HL15 had a range of good agronomic characteristics, resistance to major pests and diseases, high yield potential and salinity tolerance of 6‰. The HL15 variety was renamed as SHPT15 and continued to conduct procedures to recognize it as a new rice variety

When Intervention Becomes Imperative: A Case Report of Spontaneous Vulvar Edema During Pregnancy

Spontaneous idiopathic vulvar edema during the second trimester is a rare condition. The approach to managing this condition involves relieving symptoms, identifying underlying causes, and implementing appropriate treatment. Managing such cases during pregnancy is challenging because of concerns for potential adverse fetal outcomes. Conservative management expects the condition to be relieved spontaneously postpartum, whereas invasive treatment offers a more rapid resolution. Treatment choices are controversial because each method has its pros and cons and influences the delivery process to a certain extent. Surgical drainage becomes a viable option when patients are not responsive to medications. We report a case of spontaneous massive vulvar edema in a 22-year-old primigravida in her 23rd week of pregnancy. After ruling out other notable causes of vulvar edema, we decided to intervene using an invasive procedure because she complained of progressive symptoms and discomfort. Subsequently, the edema subsided postprocedure, and the patient experienced successful labor with no complications. This report aims to alert clinicians that drainage attempts should be considered in pregnant patients with worsening symptoms

Awareness and preparedness of healthcare workers against the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey across 57 countries.

BACKGROUND: Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been concerns related to the preparedness of healthcare workers (HCWs). This study aimed to describe the level of awareness and preparedness of hospital HCWs at the time of the first wave. METHODS: This multinational, multicenter, cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospital HCWs from February to May 2020. We used a hierarchical logistic regression multivariate analysis to adjust the influence of variables based on awareness and preparedness. We then used association rule mining to identify relationships between HCW confidence in handling suspected COVID-19 patients and prior COVID-19 case-management training. RESULTS: We surveyed 24,653 HCWs from 371 hospitals across 57 countries and received 17,302 responses from 70.2% HCWs overall. The median COVID-19 preparedness score was 11.0 (interquartile range [IQR] = 6.0-14.0) and the median awareness score was 29.6 (IQR = 26.6-32.6). HCWs at COVID-19 designated facilities with previous outbreak experience, or HCWs who were trained for dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, had significantly higher levels of preparedness and awareness (p<0.001). Association rule mining suggests that nurses and doctors who had a 'great-extent-of-confidence' in handling suspected COVID-19 patients had participated in COVID-19 training courses. Male participants (mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.46; p<0.001) and nurses (mean difference = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.81; p<0.001) had higher preparedness scores compared to women participants and doctors. INTERPRETATION: There was an unsurprising high level of awareness and preparedness among HCWs who participated in COVID-19 training courses. However, disparity existed along the lines of gender and type of HCW. It is unknown whether the difference in COVID-19 preparedness that we detected early in the pandemic may have translated into disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 burden of disease by gender or HCW type