An inquiry into the determinants of Vietnamese product export

Export led growth is the model of economic development that Vietnam has been following. While there are a great number of studies on the determinants of aggregate export of Vietnam, there are few that analyze the impacts of different factors on the export of different product groups. This paper aims at filling this gap in research on international trade of Vietnam. The results show that the fast GDP growth of Vietnam, the large population of importing countries, the wide economic gap between Vietnam and the importing countries, the depreciation of domestic currency, the free trade agreements that Vietnam signed and the shared border with the importing countries contribute to the increase of Vietnam’s export of all product groups. In contrast, the GDP of importing countries and population of Vietnam have no clear impacts on the export of any product groups.

Text-To-Speech à base de HMM (Hidden Markov Model) pour le vietnamien : modélisation de la segmentation prosodique, la conception du corpus, la conception du système, et l’évaluation perceptive

The thesis objective is to design and build a high quality Hidden Markov Model (HMM-)based Text-To-Speech (TTS) system for Vietnamese – a tonal language. The system is called VTED (Vietnamese TExt-tospeech Development system). In view of the great importance of lexical tones, a “tonophone” – an allophone in tonal context – was proposed as a new speech unit in our TTS system. A new training corpus, VDTS (Vietnamese Di-Tonophone Speech corpus), was designed for 100% coverage of di-phones in tonal contexts (i.e. di-tonophones) using the greedy algorithm from a huge raw text. A total of about 4,000 sentences of VDTS were recorded and pre-processed as a training corpus of VTED.In the HMM-based speech synthesis, although pause duration can be modeled as a phoneme, the appearanceof pauses cannot be predicted by HMMs. Lower phrasing levels above words may not be completely modeled with basic features. This research aimed at automatic prosodic phrasing for Vietnamese TTS using durational clues alone as it appeared too difficult to disentangle intonation from lexical tones. Syntactic blocks, i.e. syntactic phrases with a bounded number of syllables (n), were proposed for predicting final lengthening (n = 6) and pause appearance (n = 10). Improvements for final lengthening were done by some strategies of grouping single syntactic blocks. The quality of the predictive J48-decision-tree model for pause appearance using syntactic blocks combining with syntactic link and POS (Part-Of-Speech) features reached F-score of 81.4% Precision=87.6%, Recall=75.9%), much better than that of the model with only POS (F-score=43.6%)or syntactic link (F-score=52.6%) alone.The architecture of the system was proposed on the basis of the core architecture of HTS with an extension of a Natural Language Processing part for Vietnamese. Pause appearance was predicted by the proposed model. Contextual feature set included phone identity features, locational features, tone-related features, and prosodic features (i.e. POS, final lengthening, break levels). Mary TTS was chosen as a platform for implementing VTED. In the MOS (Mean Opinion Score) test, the first VTED, trained with the old corpus and basic features, was rather good, 0.81 (on a 5 point MOS scale) higher than the previous system – HoaSung (using the non-uniform unit selection with the same training corpus); but still 1.2-1.5 point lower than the natural speech. The quality of the final VTED, trained with the new corpus and prosodic phrasing model, progressed by about 1.04 compared to the first VTED, and its gap with the natural speech was much lessened. In the tone intelligibility test, the final VTED received a high correct rate of 95.4%, only 2.6% lower than the natural speech, and 18% higher than the initial one. The error rate of the first VTED in the intelligibility test with the Latin square design was about 6-12% higher than the natural speech depending on syllable, tone or phone levels. The final one diverged about only 0.4-1.4% from the natural speech.L’objectif de cette thèse est de concevoir et de construire, un système Text-To-Speech (TTS) haute qualité à base de HMM (Hidden Markov Model) pour le vietnamien, une langue tonale. Le système est appelé VTED (Vietnamese TExt-to-speech Development system). Au vu de la grande importance de tons lexicaux, un tonophone” – un allophones dans un contexte tonal – a été proposé comme nouvelle unité de la parole dans notre système de TTS. Un nouveau corpus d’entraînement, VDTS (Vietnamese Di-Tonophone Speech corpus), a été conçu à partir d’un grand texte brut pour une couverture de 100% de di-phones tonalisés (di-tonophones) en utilisant l’algorithme glouton. Un total d’environ 4000 phrases ont été enregistrées et pré-traitées comme corpus d’apprentissage de VTED.Dans la synthèse de la parole sur la base de HMM, bien que la durée de pause puisse être modélisée comme un phonème, l’apparition de pauses ne peut pas être prédite par HMM. Les niveaux de phrasé ne peuvent pas être complètement modélisés avec des caractéristiques de base. Cette recherche vise à obtenir un découpage automatique en groupes intonatifs au moyen des seuls indices de durée. Des blocs syntaxiques constitués de phrases syntaxiques avec un nombre borné de syllabes (n), ont été proposés pour prévoir allongement final (n = 6) et pause apparente (n = 10). Des améliorations pour allongement final ont été effectuées par des stratégies de regroupement des blocs syntaxiques simples. La qualité du modèle prédictive J48-arbre-décision pour l’apparence de pause à l’aide de blocs syntaxiques, combinée avec lien syntaxique et POS (Part-Of-Speech) dispose atteint un F-score de 81,4 % (Précision = 87,6 %, Recall = 75,9 %), beaucoup mieux que le modèle avec seulement POS (F-score=43,6%) ou un lien syntaxique (F-score=52,6%).L’architecture du système a été proposée sur la base de l’architecture HTS avec une extension d’une partie traitement du langage naturel pour le Vietnamien. L’apparence de pause a été prédit par le modèle proposé. Les caractéristiques contextuelles incluent les caractéristiques d’identité de “tonophones”, les caractéristiques de localisation, les caractéristiques liées à la tonalité, et les caractéristiques prosodiques (POS, allongement final, niveaux de rupture). Mary TTS a été choisi comme plateforme pour la mise en oeuvre de VTED. Dans le test MOS (Mean Opinion Score), le premier VTED, appris avec les anciens corpus et des fonctions de base, était plutôt bonne, 0,81 (sur une échelle MOS 5 points) plus élevé que le précédent système – HoaSung (lequel utilise la sélection de l’unité non-uniforme avec le même corpus) ; mais toujours 1,2-1,5 point de moins que le discours naturel. La qualité finale de VTED, avec le nouveau corpus et le modèle de phrasé prosodique, progresse d’environ 1,04 par rapport au premier VTED, et son écart avec le langage naturel a été nettement réduit. Dans le test d’intelligibilité, le VTED final a reçu un bon taux élevé de 95,4%, seulement 2,6% de moins que le discours naturel, et 18% plus élevé que le premier. Le taux d’erreur du premier VTED dans le test d’intelligibilité générale avec le carré latin test d’environ 6-12% plus élevé que le langage naturel selon des niveaux de syllabe, de ton ou par phonème. Le résultat final ne s’écarte de la parole naturelle que de 0,4-1,4%

“Mapping Vietnamese Identities in Tran Anh Hung’s and Tony Bui’s Films: Femininity and Love”

Many Vietnamese diasporic film directors have presented women as conveyors of Vietnamese culture, with their love symbolizing Vietnamese identity. This identity has been characterized by the virtues of sacrifice, endurance, and cohesion within a patriarchal family. On one hand, their femininity, as well as their female beauty, can be fully realized only when they are viewed through the perspective of a man and connected to his love. This remains true even if female love sometimes becomes overly patient or rebellious. On the other hand, women in diasporic films possess characteristics that resemble the image of a woman in a traditional environment, or more specifically, a Confucian space. Love keeps them alive. However, they sometimes break out, their love causing them to rebel. Inevitably, they will return to the original, traditional space. This paper argues that this interaction between love, femininity and tradition creates a mechanism for the resistance of violence. In particular, it examines two Vietnamese diasporic directors’ perspective on violence in Vietnam, a place where maintaining a state of harmony and non-violence lays at the core of Vietnamese identity. The two films examined are The Scent of Green Papaya (dir. Tran Anh Hung, 1993) and Three Seasons (dir. Tony Bui, 1999)

Labor and Individual Differences: Their Influence on Product Value Perception

The current research examined the impact of self-monitoring propensity on the “IKEA Effect”, in which labor induces greater liking for the products of one\u27s labor, and as a result overvaluation of one’s creation. Whereas there was some research, such as those on toolkits or the “IKEA Effect”, which investigated valuation of self-created or self-build products, there is still little on personality traits influencing such valuations. In the experiment, students evaluated their self-assembled origami crane, cranes made by other participants, or cranes made by someone with high experience doing origami. The valuations made by the groups in different conditions are then compared. Results suggest that labor does not lead to increased valuation and interaction with self-monitoring was not significant but can be qualified as a trend. These finding can have implications for marketing manager decisions, and company employers and managers more generally. Our research discusses alternative explanations, implications, and opportunities for future research

THE EFFECTS OF TEXT-BASED INCIDENTAL VOCABULARY LEARNING ON EFL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION

This paper reports a study that examines the effects of text-based incidental vocabulary learning on EFL high school students’ reading comprehension and explores their attitudes toward text-based incidental vocabulary learning. It was a quasi-experimental study with 70 students from a high school in Kien Giang province. These students were divided into two groups: the control group and the experimental group. The quantitative data from reading tests (for pre-test and post-test) were used to examine students’ reading comprehension over eight weeks. Questionnaires and the qualitative analysis from semi-structured interviews focus on their attitudes towards text-based vocabulary learning in reading comprehension. The findings indicate that text-based incidental vocabulary learning influenced positively students’ reading comprehension after the treatment and that students yielded positive attitudes towards text-based incidental vocabulary learning in their reading lessons.  Article visualizations

Polymorphism of Xenobiotic Detoxification Genes and Male Infertility

Infertility is a multifactorial disease caused by both genetic and environmental factors. It is observed in 10–15% of couples, among which male infertility contributes for half the cases. Thus, identifying underlying causes of male infertility and for proper methods for treating and/or preventing sperm damage is of paramount importance. It is found that one of the factors that has been recently implicated in male infertility is oxidative stress, mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are produced during the metabolic process, as well as during the exposure to environmental chemical agents and their interaction with tissue-specific enzymes. Several studies have identified genetic variations at different loci, connected with male infertility, that may shed light on some idiopathic cases of seminal fluid abnormalities. In this chapter, we make an effort to decipher the contribution of polymorphisms in xenobiotic detoxification genes in the male infertility development

Effectiveness evaluation of a marine protected area in Vietnam : the Cu Lao Cham MPA case study

Planning, implementing and managing MPA not only requires attentions to biological issues which influence the performance of MPA but also to social and economic aspects that can greatly affect the outcome of MPA implementation. This study used data from logbook program over 4 years and face-to-face interview to explore the effectiveness of Cu Lao Cham MPA which is one of 4 MPAs in Vietnam through the performance of ecological (CPUE), economic (income from fishing) and social (perception to the MPA objectives) indicators. Result of study has indicated linkages between ecological, socio and economic issues which often give an insight to direct and immediate feedbacks to MPA and despite the various of problems in management of Cu Lao Cham MPA such as poaching, poor and ineffective enforcement, sustainability…., the performance of ecological, economic and social indicators in this study showed that Cu Lao Cham MPA has achieved a significant amount of success and is one of the few well-managed marine protected areas in Vietnam. This study has also identified a number of indications that the coastal fishery of Cu Lao Cham could be on a transition towards becoming a viable, sustainable characteristic of better-established tropical marine protected areas

INNOVATIONS OF VIETNAMESE PROCESSING AND MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IN THE CURRENT CONTEXT

New technologies create new ways of sourcing to meet the needs of previously traditional markets. The new demands for production and consumption and changing consumer expectations require businesses to change their production, business, design, marketing, and product distribution methods. With globalization taking place more and more strongly and the emergence of the 4.0 industrial revolution, innovation creates a competitive advantage for the country and businesses. In Vietnam, the processing and manufacturing industry has played an essential role in the economy's driving force. This article aims to assess the role and status of innovation for the survival and development of processing enterprises in the Covid–19 epidemic Keywords: Innovation, Technology, Competition, Processing, Manufacturing Enterprises

Second-tier stock market efficiency and dynamic impacts on macroeconomic development: evidence from tropical economies

Background: The Tropics has recently emerged as an important geopolitical region with an economic growth rate outperforming the rest of the world. Second-tier stock markets are wellacknowledged as a critical alternative source of funding for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and can be seen as a key catalyst for innovation. These markets, which offer several benefits for both SMEs and investors, have been increasingly established across the world since the 1990s. This thesis, therefore, centres around second-tier stock markets in the Tropics. Objectives and Scope of the Research: This thesis presents findings from the following three research studies: (1) Evolution of second-tier stock market efficiency and dual long memory in the market under the joint impacts of thin trading, structural breaks, and inflation; (2) Dynamic return and asymmetric volatility transmissions between main stock market and second-tier stock market while accounting for the effects of thin trading, volatility breaks and trading volume; and (3) Dynamic impacts of second-tier stock market development and innovation on macroeconomic indicators within a Kaleckian-Post-Keynesian growth model. Regarding the scope of the research, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia were selected for empirical analysis since these four economies are not only Asian 'tigers' and 'tiger cubs' but also levers for growth in the tropical region. Methodology: Study One adopted a State-Space Non-linear Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity in Mean (GARCH-M) model with Kalman Filter estimation to depict the evolution of weak-form market efficiency. A set of fractionally integrated models such as Autoregressive Fractionally Integrated Moving Average (ARFIMA), Fractionally Integrated GARCH (FIGARCH), Fractionally Integrated Asymmetric Power ARCH (FIAPARCH), and Hyperbolic GARCH (HYGARCH) were used to estimate dual long memory properties in return and volatility. The joint impacts of thin trading, structural breaks and inflation on dual long memory were examined using relevant adjustment techniques that involve an Iterated Cumulative Sum of Squares (ICSS) algorithm and a State-Space Linear AR model with Kalman Filter estimation. In Study Two, a Bivariate Vector Autoregressive (VAR) Asymmetric Baba-Engle-Kraft- Kroner (BEKK) GARCH model was adopted to investigate the dynamic transmissions of return and asymmetric volatility between main stock market and second-tier stock market. The ICSS algorithm was applied to detect multiple volatility breaks in the two stock markets and the State- Space Linear AR model with Kalman Filter estimation was used to adjust for thin trading in second-tier stock market. To control for the joint effects of thin trading, volatility breaks and trading volume, the Bivariate VAR Asymmetric BEKK-GARCH model was extended with a dummy variable indicating volatility breaks, an aggregate trading volume variable, and a dethinned return variable. Study Three was grounded on the Kaleckian-Post-Keynesian theoretical model of growth and distribution to explore the macroeconomic impacts of second-tier stock market development and innovation. This theoretical model is renowned for its effective demonstration of the integrated relationships among behavioural functions of an economy including private investment, domestic savings, income distribution, productivity growth, net exports and employment. In this study, the functions of private investment, domestic savings, productivity growth, and employment were extended with the indicators of second-tier stock market development and innovation. A Structural Vector Error Correction (SVEC) model with short-run restrictions and SVEC Impulse Response Function were adopted to delineate the dynamic impacts of second-tier stock market development and innovation on macroeconomic functions. Results: Study One reports that second-tier stock markets in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are still weak-form inefficient; however, those in Hong Kong and Singapore show tendencies towards efficiency. These tendencies appear to align with the increasing market capitalisation and traded value and several institutional reforms. The inefficiency of the markets is mainly owing to the presence of stationary long memory in return and/or volatility. Thin trading, structural breaks and inflation jointly have diminishing effects on the magnitude and/or statistical significance of dual long memory estimates. In Study Two, Hong Kong shows return transmission from second-tier stock market to the main stock market, while Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia show return transmission in the reverse direction. Only Singapore exhibits volatility transmission from the main stock market to second-tier stock market. Thin trading, volatility breaks and trading volume jointly decrease (increase) the magnitude and significance level of return transmission from second-tier (main) market to the main (second-tier) market. The underlying volatility transmissions dissipate or strengthen in magnitude and significance level. Furthermore, the evidence exposes a causality and a long-run equilibrium relationship from Hong Kong's main market returns to the country's economic development. Given the aforementioned return transmission from second-tier market to the main market in Hong Kong, its second-tier market thus can make an indirect contribution to economic development through the main market channel. Study Three reports that second-tier stock market development and/or innovation in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia have small but positive effects on the economic growth process in the short run. Second-tier stock markets in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand foster growth through the combination of the following three channels: private investment, domestic savings, and productivity growth. On the other hand, innovation in all four countries promotes growth through the combination of the following four channels: private investment, domestic savings, productivity growth and employment. Conclusions: The results of Study One implies the efficacy of institutional reforms and the importance of market development to the tendency towards efficiency in second-tier stock markets of Hong Kong and Singapore. Ignoring thin trading, structural breaks and inflation while modelling dual long memory in return and volatility may overestimate the corresponding true values. Study Two and Study Three indicate that second-tier stock market in Hong Kong can make contribution to economic development directly and indirectly via return transmission with the main market channel. Meanwhile, second-tier stock markets in Singapore and Thailand can only make direct contributions to the economic growth process. Moreover, failure to account for thin trading, volatility breaks and trading volume may distort the transmissions of return and volatility between main markets and second-tier markets. Study Three also indicates a major role of innovation in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia in the process of macroeconomic development. Accordingly, this thesis contains many important implications for academics, policymakers and professional practitioners in developing and investing in second-tier stock markets