Students’ Perceptions and Design Considerations of Flipped Interpreting Classroom

Digital technologies have become a driver of change that exerts tremendous impact across the disciplines, including education. The Flipped classroom model, carried out in a technology-enhanced environment, has been proven to bring educational innovations.  However, in the Vietnamese educational context, the adoption of the flipped model in interpreting courses for undergraduate students has been hardly touched upon in the existing literature. This current study is, therefore, an attempt to examine English-majored students’ perceptions about this teaching model on Moodle Learning Management Platform and put forward some proposals in the design and implementation of the Flipped Interpreting course. The data were collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods, including a Likert-scale questionnaire and individual interviews. The results revealed that students had positive perceptions toward the adoption of Flipped model and Moodle platform. Analyzing the interconnection of three domains in CoI framework and the additional domain of Technology Use, the authors then offer further recommendations for effective implementation of the model in the EFL classroom context

Synthesis and photocatalytic property of Prussian blue/g-C3N4 composite applied to degradation of rhodamine B under visible light

In this work, the Prussian blue/g-C3N4 (PB/g-C3N4) composite was synthesized from Prussian blue and g-C3N4 via a simple method. The composite was characterized by using X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The material’s photocatalytic performance was studied via the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB). The results show that the composite degraded RhB more than pristine Prussian blue under visible light after 60 min. This material is promising for organic waste treatment

The impact of quality management on business performance of manufacturing firms: The moderated effect of Industry 4.0

Purpose: The research aims to investigate the individual quality management (QM) factors impact on business performance in manufacturing firms. We then assess their influence and look at how industry 4.0 affects business performance directly. Furthermore, the study will demonstrate the moderate effect of industry 4.0 on the interaction between QM and business performance. Methodology/Approach: The authors used two methodologies. The first is qualitative methods, by interviewing experts to develop a realistically appropriate model. The second is quantitative methods, by carrying out the survey and getting 84 observations. This research used the multivariate data analysis technique PLS-SEM to evaluate three measurement models: formative measurement model, reflective measurement model, and structural model. Findings: The QM was operationalised as a multi–dimensional construct. According to the findings, these individual QM factors significantly affect the organisation’s performance, including customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and quality performance. Besides, QM and Industry 4.0 have directly impact on performance. The study also shows that industry 4.0 has a positive moderating role in the relationship between QM and business performance. Research Limitation/Implication: The survey was only done in emerging countries and the sample size is limited. There are other QM and business performance measurement parameters that have not yet to be discussed. Originality/Value of paper: The study contributes to the QM literature by building a business quality model, in which the role of Industry 4.0 was explored. Category: Research paper. © 2021 by the authors

Characteristics of shear strength at the interface between two soil layers in ring shear apparatus

The slopes containing discontinuous planes such as bedding planes, rupture, or boundary between two soil layers are often prone to sliding. Thus, the characteristics of shear strength mobilized along the discontinuous planes should be examined. In this study, the shear strength at the interface between two different soil layers will be investigated based on ring shear test. The combined sample comprising of one kaolin layer and one kaolin + bentonite mixture layer was used to simulate the discontinuous planes between two soil layers. A number of ring shear tests were conducted on these samples at a normal stress of 98 kPa and shear rates from 0.02 to 20 mm/min using a multi-stage of shearing rates procedure. The research results indicate that the shear strength at the interface sharply increases to reach the peak value after a small shear displacement, then drops to the residual value. The residual interface strength tends to increase with increasing shear rates above 2 mm/min and the level of increase in residual interface strength depends on the contact surface. Furthermore, the effect of the order sample layer in combined samples can be ignored when determining the peak, the residual interface strengths as well as the rate effect on residual interface strength in the laboratory

Characteristics of shear strength at the interface between two soil layers in ring shear apparatus

The slopes containing discontinuous planes such as bedding planes, rupture, or boundary between two soil layers are often prone to sliding. Thus, the characteristics of shear strength mobilized along the discontinuous planes should be examined. In this study, the shear strength at the interface between two different soil layers will be investigated based on ring shear test. The combined sample comprising of one kaolin layer and one kaolin + bentonite mixture layer was used to simulate the discontinuous planes between two soil layers. A number of ring shear tests were conducted on these samples at a normal stress of 98 kPa and shear rates from 0.02 to 20 mm/min using a multi-stage of shearing rates procedure. The research results indicate that the shear strength at the interface sharply increases to reach the peak value after a small shear displacement, then drops to the residual value. The residual interface strength tends to increase with increasing shear rates above 2 mm/min and the level of increase in residual interface strength depends on the contact surface. Furthermore, the effect of the order sample layer in combined samples can be ignored when determining the peak, the residual interface strengths as well as the rate effect on residual interface strength in the laboratory

Phenolic compounds from leaves of Amensiodendron chinese (Sapindaceae)

From the ethyl acetate extract of the leaves of Amensiodendron chinense (Merr.) Hu (Sapindaceae), we isolated three known phenolic compounds: 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (1), methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (2), and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3). We elucidated their chemical structures from the spectral data and compared them with those reported in the literature.3 hợp chất phenolic được phân lập từ cao chiết ethyl acetate của lá thuộc loài Amensiodendron chinese (Merr.) Hu (Sapindaceae) bao gồm : 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde (1), methyl 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate (2), 3,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid (3). Cấu trúc hóa học được xác định dựa vào dữ liệu phổ và so sánh với tài liệu tham khảo

Effects of yeast extract and methyl jasmonate on the enhancement of solasodine biosynthesis in cell cultures of Solanum hainanense Hance

In this work, the effects of the elicitors methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and yeast extract (YE) on the growth and solasodine production of Solanum hainanense cells were investigated. The results showed that various concentrations of MeJA (50-250 µM) and YE (1-4 g/L) have different eliciting influences. The increase of solasodine content induced by the elicitation of 3 g/L of YE and 50 µM of MeJA at the beginning of cell culture was about 1.9- and 1.3-fold, respectively, as compared with that of the non-elicitated cells. In general, YE (biotic elicitor) was more effective in enhancing solasodine production than MeJA (abiotic elicitor)

Research on chemical constituents, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer effects of components isolated from Zingiber officinale Roscoe from Vietnam

Ginger, a commonly used spice and medicinal herb, is an abundant source of bioactive compounds. However, the utilization of ginger in the pharmaceutical industry is still moderate and not commensurate with the potential of the Vietnamese horticulture industry, mainly due to a lack of information about the quality of input materials. In this study, we compared the volatile compounds of gingers collected from 13 provinces of Vietnam using GC/MS and GC-FID analysis to provide a basis for selecting and standardizing input materials. Furthermore, ginger essential oil from Ben Tre province of Vietnam exhibited significant antibacterial activity particularly in inhibiting Gram-positive bacteria, including S. aureus and S. epidermidis, with inhibition zones of 30.00 ± 1.41 and 24.67 ± 3.30 mm, respectively. However, no significant inhibition was observed against Gram-negative bacteria P. aeruginosa and E. coli. We also isolated 5 non-volatile compounds from ginger extract, namely 6-shogaol (1), quercetin (2), rutin (3), beta-sitosterol (4) and beta-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside (5). Among them, compounds 1–3 displayed cytotoxicity against Hep3B, SK-LU-1, MCF-7, SK-LU-1, SW480 and HepG2 tumour cell lines, with an IC50 values ranging between 62.7 ± 2.1 and 97.6 ± 1.1 µM, using Ellipticine as a positive control. Compounds 4 and 5 showed cytotoxicity against Hep3B and HepG2 tumor cells, with the IC50 values ranging between 21.5 ± 5.1 and 46.9 ± 3.7 µM but did not exhibit any significant cytotoxicity against SW480 and SK-LU-1 cells. Compound 4 also demonstrated middling cytotoxicity against the MCF7 cell line, with an IC50 value of 43.6 ± 5.1 µM. These findings suggest further applications of Vietnamese ginger for the treatment of infectious and cancer-related diseases

Fabrication and Evaluation of the Photocatalytic, Antibacterial Activity of Ag–TiO2_2 Thin Film

Ag–TiO2 thin film was fabricated by DC magnetron sputtering and photoreduction methods. Characteristics of the film such as surface area, crystal structure, and chemical composition were investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X–ray diffractometry (XRD) and UV–vis spectra. The photocatalytic activity of Ag–TiO2 thin film was determined by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under various irradiation conditions. The antibacterial property of Ag–TiO2 thin film was conducted in E. coli bacteria. Results showed that the photocatalytic and antibacterial property of Ag–TiO2 thin film are better than those of pure TiO2 thin film in the visible region. Ag–TiO2 thin film shows a great potential application in the antibacterial and environment field