Having an Older Brother Is Good or Bad for Your Education And Health? Evidence from Vietnam

This study examines the sex of the first-born children on education and health outcome of later born children. We do not find a significant effect of the sex of the first-born children on health utilization of later born children. However, we find some small effects of education. Once controlled for the number of sibling, having a firstborn brother reduces the probability of school enrolment and the probability of having good academic performance. Although the education outcomes of girls are higher than boys, this evidence still indicates gender bias in education investment of parents in their children in Vietnam

Having an Older Brother Is Good or Bad for Your Education And Health? Evidence from Vietnam

This study examines the sex of the first-born children on education and health outcome of later born children. We do not find a significant effect of the sex of the first-born children on health utilization of later born children. However, we find some small effects of education. Once controlled for the number of sibling, having a firstborn brother reduces the probability of school enrolment and the probability of having good academic performance. Although the education outcomes of girls are higher than boys, this evidence still indicates gender bias in education investment of parents in their children in Vietnam

Evaluation of Asaoka and Hyperbolic Methods for Settlement Prediction of Vacuum Preloading Combined with Prefabricated Vertical Drains in Soft Ground Treatment

This study evaluated the use of the Asaoka and hyperbolic methods to estimate the ultimate settlement of soft ground treated by vacuum preloading combined with prefabricated vertical drains. For this aim, a large-scale physical laboratory model was constructed. The model was a reinforced-tempered glass box containing a soil mass with dimensions of 2.0 × 1.0 × 1.2 m (length × width × depth). Physical models of this scale for the same purpose are rare in the literature. The soil was taken from a typical coastal region in Dinh Vu Hai Phong, Vietnam. The surface settlement near and between the two drains was measured right after the vacuum preloading started. Important properties of the soil were tested to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment method. The measured settlement was used in the Asaoka and hyperbolic methods to predict the potential ultimate settlement. The results showed the superiority of the vacuum consolidation approach in improving fundamental engineering properties of soft soil. Furthermore, the ultimate settlement predicted by both methods showed a good agreement with the measured value, proving that the Asaoka and hyperbolic methods are suitable for the estimation of the ultimate settlement of soft soil treated with vacuum consolidation

Pulse-width modulation direct torque control induction motor drive with Kalman filter

The paper deals with application of Kalman filter in induction motor drive using pulse-width modulation direct torque control (PWM-DTC). In the first part, the conventional PWM-DTC drive is described and Kalman filter is utilized to filter components of stator current vector those are assumed to be disturbed by white noise. The second part contains simulation results that are obtained in different cases of load torque, process and measurement noise covariances. The integral time absolute error (ITAE) performance index, undershoot, ripple of important quantities are used to compare the conventional drive structure and proposed drive structure with Kalman filter. The simulation results confirm the expected dynamic response of the proposed structure

The Impact of Technological Innovation on Business Model Innovation and Start-up Performance

The success rate of start-up firms in Vietnam could be low 20.8%. To address this issue, improving start-up performance through technological innovation and business model innovation is crucial. The relationship between technological innovation, business model innovation (BMI), and start-up performance has yet to be widely examined in developing countries like Vietnam. This study employs Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze data from 425 entrepreneurs. The findings reveal that technological innovation has a positive impact on business model innovation and start-up performance; business model innovation also has a positive impact on start-up performance; and the study identifies the partial mediating role of business model innovation between technological innovation and start-up performance. The results have practical implications for entrepreneurs, start-up founders, and policymakers. It emphasizes investing in technological and business model innovations to improve start-up performance. Lastly, the study highlights some limitations and suggests future research directions.   Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2023-04-03-01 Full Text: PD

Large-scale analysis of putative plasmids in clinical multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolates from Vietnamese patients

IntroductionIn the past decades, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and carbapenem-resistant (CR) Escherichia coli isolates have been detected in Vietnamese hospitals. The transfer of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes carried on plasmids is mainly responsible for the emergence of multidrug-resistant E. coli strains and the spread of AMR genes through horizontal gene transfer. Therefore, it is important to thoroughly study the characteristics of AMR gene-harboring plasmids in clinical multidrug-resistant bacterial isolates.MethodsThe profiles of plasmid assemblies were determined by analyzing previously published whole-genome sequencing data of 751 multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates from Vietnamese hospitals in order to identify the risk of AMR gene horizontal transfer and dissemination.ResultsThe number of putative plasmids in isolates was independent of the sequencing coverage. These putative plasmids originated from various bacterial species, but mostly from the Escherichia genus, particularly E. coli species. Many different AMR genes were detected in plasmid contigs of the studied isolates, and their number was higher in CR isolates than in ESBL-producing isolates. Similarly, the blaKPC-2, blaNDM-5, blaOXA-1, blaOXA-48, and blaOXA-181 β-lactamase genes, associated with resistance to carbapenems, were more frequent in CR strains. Sequence similarity network and genome annotation analyses revealed high conservation of the β-lactamase gene clusters in plasmid contigs that carried the same AMR genes.DiscussionOur study provides evidence of horizontal gene transfer in multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates via conjugative plasmids, thus rapidly accelerating the emergence of resistant bacteria. Besides reducing antibiotic misuse, prevention of plasmid transmission also is essential to limit antibiotic resistance

Growth and quality of hydroponic cultivated spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) affected by the light intensity of red and blue LEDs

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of four light intensities (90, 140, 190 and 240 μmol m-2 s-1) provided by red-blue LED light (spectrum ratio: R660/B450 = 4/1) on the growth and quality of hydroponic cultivated spinach. The results showed that when the light intensity increased, plant height, leaf number, root length, leaf width, shoot fresh weight, shoot dry weight, root fresh weight and root dry weight were increased but specific leaf weight and shoot-to-root ratio did not increase. The highest values of growth parameters were observed under 190 μmol m-2 s-1 treatment, while the lowest values were observed under 90 μmol m-2 s-1 treatment. At higher light intensities, K+, oxalic acid and nitrate contents tended to decrease but not Ca2+ content. Meanwhile, the highest values of Fe2+, crude fiber, soluble-solids, total polyphenol and vitamin C contents were observed under 190 μmol m-2 s-1 treatment, but 190 μmol m-2 s-1 treatment showed the lowest organic acid content. Our results indicated that among all experimental lighting treatments, 190 μmol m-2 s-1 light intensity showed the best effect on the growth and quality of hydroponic cultivated spinach

Kinetics of cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers in paediatric dengue shock syndrome

Glycocalyx disruption and hyperinflammatory responses are implicated in the pathogenesis of dengue-associated vascular leak, however little is known about their association with clinical outcomes of patients with dengue shock syndrome (DSS). We investigated the association of vascular and inflammatory biomarkers with clinical outcomes and their correlations with clinical markers of vascular leakage. We performed a prospective cohort study in Viet Nam. Children ≥5 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of DSS were enrolled into this study. Blood samples were taken daily during ICU stay and 7–10 days after hospital discharge for measurements of plasma levels of Syndecan-1, Hyaluronan, Suppression of tumourigenicity 2 (ST-2), Ferritin, N-terminal pro Brain Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP), and Atrial Natriuretic Peptide (ANP). The primary outcome was recurrent shock. Ninety DSS patients were enrolled. Recurrent shock occurred in 16 patients. All biomarkers, except NT-proBNP, were elevated at presentation with shock. There were no differences between compensated and decompensated DSS patients. Glycocalyx markers were positively correlated with inflammatory biomarkers, haematocrit, percentage haemoconcentration, and negatively correlated with stroke volume index. While Syndecan-1, Hyaluronan, Ferritin, and ST-2 improved with time, ANP continued to be raised at follow-up. Enrolment Syndecan-1 levels were observed to be associated with developing recurrent shock although the association did not reach the statistical significance at the P < 0.01 (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 1.07–3.35, P = 0.038). Cardiovascular and inflammatory biomarkers are elevated in DSS, correlate with clinical vascular leakage parameters and follow different kinetics over time. Syndecan-1 may have potential utility in risk stratifying DSS patients in ICU