Factors Affecting Business Performance: Expanding Theoretical Measurements

Purpose: The article aims to expand a scale system of factors that impacts on business performance.   Theoretical framework: The paper based on the empirical data collected from various types of participants, including accountants (for information providing), managers (for decision-making), sales staff (for work), and lecturers (for research) in Vietnam.   Design/methodology/approach: By descriptive and comparative statistical analysis of SPSS 20 software with 124 valid observations, the survey has proposed the scale system of influencing factors (03 groups of external factors, 05 groups of internal factors) and business performance measures (10 financial and 11 non-financial indicators).   Findings: This study points out the different evaluations according to the demographic features of survey subjects on the group of financial indicators. Specifically, the group of accountants (representing information providers) obtains a lower score than the group of information users. Likewise, the post-graduated participants show stricter assessments of financial indicators in comparison to the rest of the group.   Research, Practical & Social implications: These results suggest the scale system for measuring influencing factors toward business performance in enterprises for further research.   Originality/value: The value of the study is providing an expansion of the factors affecting the efficiency of an enterprise and points out a commonly used set of financial performance measurement indicators. Research results provide useful references for research on related issues

ARSENIC REMOVAL FROM GROUND WATER : RESEARCHES AND PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION CONDUCTED AT INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY, VIETNAMESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Joint Research on Environmental Science and Technology for the Eart

Determination of the relationship between Vietnam national coordinate reference system (VN-2000) and ITRS, WGS84 and PZ-90

In July 2000, Hanoi-72 reference system was replaced by the Vietnam reference system, namely as VN-2000 as an official geodetic background system in Vietnam. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Vietnam has reported the transformation parameters between VN-2000 and WGS84. Nevertheless, there is a need to estimate a new transformation parameter set between VN-2000 and WGS84 because WGS84 has been updated. In addition, there is now a lack of an accurate published set of parameters for transformation from VN-2000 to not only the International Terrestrial Reference System ITRS but also PZ-90. In this study, coordinate transformation parameters between ITRS and VN-2000 are estimated through the use of a least square approach and the common points with known coordinates in both systems. These set of parameters was then deployed to determine the link between VN-2000 and WGS84 as well as PZ-90. The results denoted that the derived transformation parameters, on the basis of the results at the checkpoints, could generated station positions with the accuracy at several cm level for transformation from VN-2000 to the new realizations of ITRS, WGS84 and PZ90 and reversely. These achievements reveals that the set of parameters is great significance for many applications related to positioning in Vietnam

Ontology-Based Workflow Validation

International audienceIn order to ensure a workflow to be executed correctly, many approaches were introduced. But not many of them consider the semantic correctness of the workflow in the design time and the run time. In this paper, a solution to check the semantic correctness of the workflow automatically is presented. To do that, the workflow must be represented in a machine understandable form, an ontology-based approach to represent a workflow is proposed. In addition, we also provide a set of changed operations allowing the users to customize a workflow for using in their organizations. Their change can be made while ensuring the correctness of the workflow. Moreover, a verification method is proposed for checking the semantic correctness of workflow

Effects of different plant growth regulators as the foliar application on growth and flower quality of potted rose (Rosa chinensis Jacq. cv. Nhung)

This study was conducted to evaluate the different concentrations of Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA), Benzyladenine (BA) and Gibberellic acid (GA3­) as foliar applications on growth and flower quality of potted rose Nhung (Rosa chinensis Jacq. cv. Nhung). The experiment was constructed in a completely randomized design, that included seven treatments, such as control (sprayed water), NAA, BA and GA3 at two different concentrations of 25 and 50 ppm, in six replications, with one plant/pot for each replication. The chemical solutions were applied three times at an interval of fifteen days. The results revealed that some plant growth regulators increased the growth and flowering time of rose cv. Nhung. Using pre-harvest foliar sprays of NAA and BA at 25 and 50 ppm concentrations showed maximum bud diameter, flower diameter and flowering duration as compared with the control treatment. The concentration of  GA3 foliar application at 25 ppm increased plant growth (the height of flowering branches and Spad values) without affecting flower quality values and the flowering duration in comparison with the control treatment

A comparison for donor-acceptor interactions between E(PH3)2 and NHEMe ligands (E = C to Pb) of W(CO)5 complexes using energy decomposition analysis method with natural orbitals for chemical valence theory

Quantum chemical calculations at the BP86/TZ2P+ level of theory are performed for a comparison of density functional theory (DFT) between tetrylones [(CO)5W-{E(PH3)2}] (W5-EP2) and tetrylenes [(CO)5W-{NHEMe}] (W5-NHEMe) when E = C to Pb. The EDA-NOCV results suggest that the W-E bond dissociation energies (BDEs) in tetrylone complexes increase from the lighter to the heavier homologues. The W-E bond dissociation energies (BDEs) trend in W5-EP2 comes from the increase in (CO)5W←E(PH3)2 donation and strong electrostatic attraction, and that the ligands E(PH3)2 (EP2) are strong s-donors and very weak π-donors. The W-E BDEs trend in tetrylene complexes W5-NHEMe is opposite to that of the W5-EP2 complexes which decrease from the lighter to the heavier homologues. The NHEMe ligands are strong s-donors and weak π-acceptors. NOCV pairs were used in a description of the chemical bond between the W(CO)5 fragment and the ligands in the transition-metal complexes and the results indicated that the NOCV pairs lead to very valuable description of the bonding situation of the fragment-ligand bond in complexes. Keywords. Density functional theory; Bond dissociation energies (BDEs); Energy decomposition analysis (EDA); Natural Orbitals for Chemical Valence (NOCV)

Transformation Chlorophyll a of Spirulina platensis to Chlorin e6 Derivatives and Several Applications

BACKGROUND: Spirulina platensis contains a large amount of chlorophylls, chlorophyll a, that are starting materials to synthesize functionalized chlorins. Chlorin e6 (Ce6) as well as its derivatives are second generation sensitizers using in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of various cancers. In this study, we transfer chlorophyll a of S. platensis to Ce6derivatives and determine their several applications. AIM: to evaluate the effects of Ce6 derivatives to treat cancer cells. METHODS: Ce6 trimethylester was created from methyl pheophorbide a2 in S. platensis provided by the Hidumi Company, Nghe An province, Viet Nam. Hela cells were incubated with Ce6 trimethylester and the irradiated with the diode laser dose of 1.2 J/cm2/min through the system of filters £ 650 nm. MTT assay and clonogenic assay were used to determine survival rate and cloning efficiency of cells. Antimicrobial effect of Ce6 trimethylester with halogen light were studied with Propionibacterium acnes VTCC 0218 and Staphylococcus aureus VTCC 0173. RESULTS: From dry biomass (700 g) of S. platensis, after extracting chlorophyll a and methanolysis, 4.2 g of methyl pheophorbide a was obtained. The reaction to give Ce6 trimethylester with 82% yield was performed with potassium hydroxide (KOH) in MeOH/THF/CHCl3. After irradiation with a 650 nm laser at 1.2 J, the cell viability in all samples decreased with Ce6 trimethylester treatment, the survival declining trend of Hela cells treated with Ce6 trimethylester were proportional when concentration of Ce6 trimethylester increased. The rate of colony formation was declined as the concentration of Ce6 trimethylester treated was increased. The growth of both S. aureus and P. acnes can be inactivated by Ce6 trimethylester PDT. The MIC99 value against P. acnes VTCC 0218 and S. aureus VTCC 0173 of Ce6 trimethylester with halogen light was 1.25 μg/ml. CONCLUSION: The Ce6 trimethylester from S. platensis cultivated in Viet Nam could be used as a potential photosentizer for photodynamic therapy for treatment of cancer and acne

Depression and Anxiety as Key Factors Associated With Quality of Life Among Lung Cancer Patients in Hai Phong, Vietnam

Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death. People living with cancer experience a variety of symptoms that might profoundly affect their quality of life (QoL).Objective: The study aims to identify factors associated with the QoL of patients with lung cancer at the oncology department of Viet Tiep Hospital, Hai Phong city, Vietnam in 2018.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to collect data from lung cancer inpatients in Hai Phong city, Vietnam. The EQ-5D-5L and the EuroQol (EQ)-visual analogue scale (EQ VAS) were used to assess health-related quality of life (QoL). A multivariable regression analysis was performed on the EQ-5D utility score and the EQ VAS score as dependent variables, and socioeconomic, social support, and psychological factors as potential predictors.Results: A total of 125 lung cancer patients were enrolled in this study. The highest proportion of respondents reporting any problems was in anxiety/depression (92.8%), pain/discomfort (81.2%), usual activities (75.2%), and mobility (60%) dimensions, while the lowest percentage was in self-care dimension (40.8%). The multivariate analyses showed that a low QoL score was significantly associated with depression, incapacity to pay, low response to treatment, and presence of side effects.Conclusion: QoL of lung cancer patients is associated with anxiety/depression and other factors that can be modified by specific interventions. It is therefore possible to take care of psychological aspects to improve the QoL of Vietnamese people suffering from this condition

Effect of Inducers, Incubation Time and Heme Concentration on IC50 Value Variation in Anti-heme Crystallization Assay

Heme detoxification through crystallization into hemozoin has been suggested as a good target for the development of screening assays for new antimalarials. However, comparisons among the data obtained from different experiments are difficult, and the IC50 values (the concentrations of drug that are required to inhibit 50% of hemozoin formation) for the same drug vary widely. We studied the effects of changes in heme concentration (precursor of β-hematin), incubation time and three inducers (SDS, Tween 20 and linoleic acid) on the IC50 of some antimalarials (chloroquine, quinine, amodiaquine, and clotrimazole). The results showed that increasing both inducer concentration and incubation time raised the IC50 of selected antimalarials. Any change in those factors caused the IC50 value to vary. Standardization of assay conditions is, therefore, necessary to increase reproducibility and reduce discrepancies in assay performance. Considering all of the variables, the best choice of inducers is in the order of SDS > Tween 20 > linoleic acid