Covid-19 And Factors Affecting Vietnamese Students’ Readiness For Digital Transformation

Education in Vietnam is trying to make use of the values of the digital technology revolution. As one of the eight key fields of National Digital Transformation, education needs to find ways to develop and take advantage of opportunities to be able to shape the future of society with high-quality human resources. As a huge challenge, the Covid-19 pandemic has quickly put pressure on the past predicted trends in education such as the “university of the future”, but, from a positive viewpoint, it also brings a big opportunity for universities to make the transformation, from classic one to the new and trendy university – the digital one. The paper analyzes in-depth the factors affecting the readiness of Vietnamese students for digital transformation in the above context. The research model is built based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) theory and corrects necessary variables. The results show that the impact of Covid-19, self-study ability and attitude are the factors that have the most influence on the willingness to shift the learning method towards digitization. According to the result, the authors will propose several recommendations on improving the readiness of Vietnamese students for the digital transformation of education and training. Thereby helping students change to adapt to learning activities when the pandemic appears, and know how to take advantage of digital transformation. Keywords: digital transformation, Covid-19, awareness, attitude, self-study DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-16-04 Publication date:June 30th 202

The Role of Multi-Sensory Experience Toward Perceived Medical Service Quality: A Research at Vietnam Public Hospital

The theory of Sensory Marketing has been developed as a special approach to help managers understand customers through creating multi-sensory experiences. In medical services, a patient's multi-sensory experience with a medical facility will shape each customer's different perception of service quality. The article evaluates the role of multi-sensory experience in customers’ perceived service quality at public hospitals in Vietnam. Research results have shown that tactile, olfactory, visual and taste stimuli have a significant influence on the perceived service quality of customers when experiencing medical services. Besides, the authors also detected that customer’s expectation and satisfaction have a proportional relationship. Discussions and recommendations on the application of sensory marketing to improve people's perception of the medical service quality have been proposed to enhance the brand image of Vietnam's public hospitals as well as to ensure the interests of the customer during the use of the service. Keywords: sensory marketing, perceived service quality, medical service, public hospital. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/83-02 Publication date: December 31st 202

Synthesis of cuprous oxide nanocubes combined with chitosan nanoparticles and its application to p-nitrophenol degradation

For the first time, cuprous oxide nanocubes (Cu2O NCBs) were successfully combined with chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) to generate Cu2O NCBs/CS NPs composites material with highly optical property and photocatalytic activity using a simple and eco-friendly synthetic approach at room temperature for 30 min. The synthesized Cu2O NCBs NPs/CS NPs were determined characterizations by Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X – ray Diffraction (XRD),  Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). Results show that the Cu2O NCBs/CS NPs composites have an average particle size of ~3-5 nm; in which, Cu2O has the form of nanocubes (Cu2O NCBs) with size ~3-4 nm and chitosan nanoparticles with spherical shape (CS NPs) with size ~4-5 nm. In addition, the percent (%) composition of elements present in Cu2O NCBs/CS NPs composites material have been obtained respective: Cu (23.99%), O (38.18%), and C (33.61%). Moreover, Cu2O NCBs/CS NPs composites material was also investigated for photocatalytic activity applied in p-nitrophenol degradation. The obtained results showed that the catalytic capability of Cu2O NCBs/CS NPs for p-nitrophenol reduction reached the highest efficiency >55% in the treatment time of 25 min, and this efficiency was higher than that result of using ZnO@chitosan nanoparticles (ZnO@CS NPs) catalyst under the same conditions for comparison

Cloning and expression of gene FanC-2NT encoding K99-2NT fimbrial antigen of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from diarrheic post-weaning piglets

Background and Purpose: The K99 (F5) is one pilus adhesin that mediates the attachment of enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) strains to small intestines to cause to diarrhea in piglets, lambs and newborn calves. In this work, we carried out cloning and expression of the mature peptide of FanC subunit, K99 fimbriae, one of the most common adhesive antigens in E. coli. Materials and Methods: E. coli 2NT strain was isolated from fecal samples of post-weaning piglets with diarrhea. The coding sequence of the mature peptide of K99-2NT subunit was isolated by PCR amplification and cloned into pGEM®-T Easy vector for sequencing using fluorescent dideoxy-terminator method. Expression of K99-2NT protein which was inserted into pET200/D-TOPO vector induced with IPTG. The PCR product and expression level of protein was examined by agarose gel electrophoresis and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, respectively. Results and Conclusions: We cloned and expressed successfully the mature peptide of K99 subunit with molecular weight of approximately 17.5 kDa from E. coli 2NT strain (named K99-2NT). Nucleotide sequence of the K99-2NT subunit coding region of fanC-2NT gene is 477 bp in length and is 99% similarity with that of fanC gene (accession no: M35282). Highest expression level occurred after 12 h of induction with 0.75 mM IPTG at 37oC. This subunit antigen will be tested for immune response of rat in the next time

Antibacterial Nanocomposites Based on Fe 3

For the vulcanized natural rubber (NR), incorporation of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the NR matrix did not exhibit the bactericidal property against Escherichia coli (E. coli). However, incorporation of AgNPs into polyethylene (PE) matrix showed good antibacterial activities to both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. In the present work, NR/PE (85/15) blends have been prepared by melt blending with presence of compatibilizer in an internal mixer. To possess antibacterial property, AgNPs (5–10 nm) or Fe3O4–Ag hybrid nanoparticles (FAgNPs, 8 nm/16 nm) were added into PE matrix before its blending with NR component. The tensile test indicated that the presence of compatibilizer in NR/PE blend significantly enhanced the tensile strength and elongation at break (up to 35% and 38% increases, resp.). The antibacterial activity test was performed by monitoring of the bacterial lag-log growth phases with the presence of nanocomposites in the E. coli cell culture reactor. The antibacterial test showed that the presence of FAgNPs in NR/PE blend had a better antibacterial activity than that obtained with the lone AgNPs. Two similar reasons were proposed: (i) the faster Ag+ release rate from the Fe3O4–Ag hybrid nanoparticles due to the electron transfer from AgNP to Fe3O4 nanoparticle and (ii) the fact that the ionization of AgNPs in hybrid nanostructure might be accelerated by Fe3+ ions

A potential low cost medium for cultivation of Dunaliella salina DCCBC15 in Vietnam

Dunaliella salina is a marine alga with high potential for beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A), up to more than 10% of cellular dry weight under appropriate stress conditions of limiting one of the following nutrients: nitrogen, phosphate, high light or high salt. Obtaining high biomass in low cost medium is the essential step of the two-phase culture system for beta-carotene production. For future development of beta-carotene production from Dunaliella in Vietnam, it is our first step to study a low cost medium using natural seawater enriched with industrial fertilizer N-P-K (30-15-10) commercially available in Vietnam. The primary results of biomass, cell density, chlorophyll a as well as growth rate are very promising to use this medium for mass culture of Dunaliella salina. The medium is recommended for growing other marine algae as well

COVID-19 Social Science and Public Engagement Action Research in Vietnam, Indonesia and Nepal (SPEAR): Protocol for a mixed methods study exploring the experiences and impacts of COVID-19 for healthcare workers and vulnerable communities

Background: When the novel coronavirus – SARS-CoV-2 – started to spread globally, there was a call for social and behavioral scientists to conduct research to explore the wider socio-cultural contexts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), to understand vulnerabilities, as well as to increase engagement within communities to facilitate adoption of public health measures. In this manuscript, we describe the protocol for a study conducted in Indonesia, Nepal, and Vietnam. In the study, we explore how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting individuals and their communities. We focus on the wider health and economic impacts of COVID-19, in particular emerging and increased burden on mental health, as well as new or deepened vulnerabilities in the communities. The introduction of vaccines has added another layer of complexity and highlights differences in acceptance and inequalities around access.  Methods: We use mixed methods, combining survey methods and social media surveillance to gain a picture of the general situation within each country, with in-depth qualitative methods to gain a deeper understanding of issues, coupled with a synergistic engagement component. We also include an exploration of the role of social media in revealing or driving perceptions of the pandemic more broadly. Participants include health workers and members of communities from 13 sites across the three countries. Data collection is spread across two phases. Phase 1 is concerned with exploring lived experiences, impacts on working lives and livelihoods, mental health and coping strategies. Phase 2 is concerned with acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines, factors that increase and reduce acceptance, and factors that influence access. Conclusions: We will disseminate findings in multiple ways including short reports and policy briefs, articles in peer-reviewed journals, and digital diaries will be edited into short films and uploaded onto social media sites.</ns3:p