THE EFL 8TH GRADERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF COMPETENCY-BASED INSTRUCTION IN LISTENING COMPREHENSION AT A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN KIEN GIANG, VIETNAM

Listening skill is a vital component of language acquisition on the grounds that it can foster the improvement of other language skills. Therefore, enhancing students’ listening is constantly gaining the prominent attention of most English teachers at secondary schools. Besides, applying competency-based instruction into teaching listening is a novel method that helps teachers attain students’ attitudes, affecting their listening comprehension. Therefore, this current study aimed to examine students’ attitudes toward using competency-based instruction in listening for a main idea and specific information. The study employed a qualitative approach to determine 45 8th graders’ attitudes at a secondary school in Kien Giang province. The students’ diaries were the critical data collection. The study’s findings showed that their views affected their listening skills. Most of them had positive attitudes toward the utilization of competency-based instruction in listening comprehension.  Article visualizations

Design of switchable "smart" surfaces for biomedical and nanotechnological applications

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, June 2005.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter 1. An Introduction to Self-Assembled Monolayers & Surface Characterization A brief summary of the formation, structure, and characterization techniques of self assembled monolayers (SAMs) is described. The characterization techniques include contact angle goniometry, ellipsometry, grazing-angle Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), sum-frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Chapter 2. A Reversibly Switching Surface The design of surfaces that exhibit dynamic changes in interfacial properties such as wettability in response to an electrical potential is described. The change in wetting behavior was caused by surface-confined, single-layered molecules undergoing conformational transitions between a hydrophilic and a moderately hydrophobic state. Reversible conformational transitions were confirmed both at a molecular level using sum-frequency generation spectroscopy and at a macroscopic level using contact angle measurements. This type of surface design enables amplification of conformational transitions at a molecular level to macroscopic changes in surface properties without altering the chemical identity of the surface. Such reversibly switching surfaces may open new opportunities in interfacial engineering.Chapter 3. A Synthetic Chemical Route for the Formation of Homogeneously- Mixed Self-Assembled Monolayers A novel way to produce self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) uniformly mixed on the molecular length scale is described.(cont.) Initially, a precursor SAM was formed from molecules that are derived from 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) and contain a globular end group. Self-assembly of these molecules resulted in a SAM that is densely packed with respect to the space-filling end groups, but shows low-density packing with respect to the hydrophobic chains. Subsequent cleavage of the space-filling end groups established a low-density SAM of MHA. A mixed monolayer of MHA and n-butanethiol was formed by backfilling the low-density monolayer of MHA with the corresponding alkanethiol. The new "mixed" SAM was characterized by optical ellipsometry, contact angle goniometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and reductive desorption voltammetry. The results indicate a uniformly mixed monolayer as compared to a SAM generated by coadsorption of mixtures of the same MHA and n-butanethiol molecules. This approach provides a way to produce SAMs that are uniformly mixed using a synthetic chemical route, which affords considerable flexibility in composition and also in the ratio of the different molecules in the mixed SAM. Chapter 4.(cont.) Design of Oligonucleotide Arrays Using Homogeneously Mixed Self - Assembled Monolayers We have employed two quantitative techniques, quart-crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D) and surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPR) to quantify the hybridization efficiency of a 25-mer oligonucleotide probe to two different surfaces: a dense 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid self-assembled monolayer (MHA SAM) and a homogeneously-mixed (HM) SAM generated from the method described in Chapter 3 that allows for regular spacing of functional -COOH groups. This reduced density of functional groups led to reduced attachment of oligonucleotide probes to the surface, increasing the area per probe, and allowed more space in which complimentary sequence can bind. Reducing the density of immobilized probes led to the improvement in hybridization efficiency as demonstrated in both SPR and QCM-D results, which are comparable to previous reports. Our method paves the way for customizing binding efficiency and target probe density based on the distance between functional groups. By changing the headgroup size of the precursor monolayer, different distances between functional group can be formed, allowing for an ability to tailor distances between molecules. This method may allow for improvement in DNA array technology.Chapter 5. Long-Term Stability of Self-Assembled Monolayers in Biological Media The study of long term stability of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) in biological media is of importance in evaluating its usefulness for applications in implantable biochips, biosensors, or biological microelectromechanical system (bioMEMs) devices for drug delivery.(cont.) To minimize biofouling effects, researchers have investigated protein/cell adhesion resistant surface-bound materials such as poly(ethylene glycol) or oligo(ethylene glycol) terminated self-assembled monolayers. However, no long term study in biological media has been done. To address the issue of moderate to long-term stability of SAMs for bioMEMS device modification, alkanethiol and oligo(EG) terminated alkanethiol monolayers were prepared and studied after immersion in either phosphate buffer saline (PBS) or calf serum. Here, undecanethiol (CllH23SH) and tri(ethylene glycol) terminated undecanethiol (HO(C2H40)3C H22SH) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on clean gold surfaces were prepared and characterized. The SAMs were then immersed into either phosphate buffered saline (PBS) or calf serum. The SAM samples were emmersed and investigated using several analytical techniques at numerous points over the next 35 days. Contact angles and current densities in voltammetry changed dramatically for the PBS samples over the time period, particularly after 21 days. Results indicate substantial loss of the integrity of the SAM. Similar alterations with time were observed for the calf serum samples in both contact angle and voltammetry measurements. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates that the likely origin is desorption of the alkanethiol moiety as evidenced by appreciable loss of the S 2p signal after 35 days. Additionally, this work may serve as a starting point for further studies of surface chemical modification methods for moderate to long-term minimization of biofouling for in vivo applications.by Thanh-Nga T. Tran.Ph.D

Communication Mix of Start-up Company

Diplomová práce se zabývá návrhem komunikačního mixu začínající firmy. Tato strategie přitom vychází z teoretických poznatků z oblasti mezinárodního marketingu, marketingové komunikace a také z analýzy rozborů vnějších a vnitřních faktorů firmy.Master’s thesis deals with the proposal of communication mix for start-up company. This strategy is based on theoretical knowledge of international marketing, marketing communications as well as the analysis from the study of external and internal factors of the company.

Fabrication and Magnetic Properties of Sintered SrFe12_{12}O19_{19}-NiFe2_{2}O4_{4} Nanocomposites

Two series of SrFe$_{12}$O$_{19}$/NiFe$_{2}$O$_{4}$ nanocomposite ferrites sintered in air at 850\rc{}C and 950\rc{}C were prepared using SrFe$_{12}$O$_{19}$ and NiFe$_{2}$O$_{4}$ nanopowders obtained via sol-gel method. The phase composition, surface morphology and magnetic properties of the composites were investigated using XRD, SEM and VSM respectively. For the SrFe$_{12}$O$_{19}$/NiFe$_{2}$O$_{4}$ ferrites with volume ratio ranging from 61 to 21 and sintered in 850$\r{}$C for 5 hours in air, all the specimens are composed of two phases but exhibit a typical single-phase magnetic behavior, indicating the existence of exchange coupling (EC) between the magnetically hard and soft phases. The value of coercivity H$_{c}$ decreases from 6.19 kOe to 0.574 kOe when volume of SrFe$_{12}$O$_{19}$ decreases from 6 to 1. While the samples with a mass ratio of $R_{m}$= SrFe$_{12}$O$_{19}$/ NiFe$_{2}$O$_{4}$ varying from 31 to 13 sintered in 950\rc{}C for 5 hours characterized with a ``bee waist'' type hysteresis loop. These results reveal that the magnetically hard and soft magnetic phases are not exchange- coupled. The saturation magnetization ($M_{S}$) increases from 36 emu/g to 43.3 emu/g when $R_{m}$ decreases from 31 to 13 and then decreases with $R_{m}= 12$ and 13

Digital Transformation of the Banking Industry in Developing Countries

Purpose:  The study's objective is to test the impact of digital transactions on banking performance. Based on the previous research and the actual situations, it has been recognized that the critical role of digital banking is in developing the banking industry, especially in developing countries.   Theoretical framework:  In the next section, the study presents background information to promote the research. The digital transformation has changed how customers use financial services. This has pushed banks to adapt more quickly to the wave of digital transformation if they don't want to lose their valuable customer base.   Design/methodology/approach:  the methodology applied uses POOL, FEM, REM, and FGLS models to examine the impact of banking transactions made by digital technology on the bank's deposit and lending revenue. This article studies banking operations on digital platforms from 2012 to 2019 in developing countries.   Findings: The article's findings showed that digital banks' flexible products and services bring many benefits with a high level of interaction, such as supporting the relationship between customers and banks and improving operating revenue.   Research, Practical & Social implications: Practical implications enhanced the development potential of digital banking is relatively large, stemming from the market demand development orientation of the banking industry.   Originality/value: The paper's originality and value help banks invest in digital technology as the way forward to better serve their customers

Iron and calcium nutrition interventions among Vietnamese women

Iron and calcium deficiencies remain a concern amongst working-age women in low to middle-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nutritional intervention on the improvement of the iron status and calcium intake of this population. Non-pregnant workers at a company were divided into two groups. The intervention group (n=118) received nutritional intervention including nutritional education and an 8-week course of oral nutritional supplements (ONS). The control group (n=106) did not receive any intervention. Nutritional assessment, level of Hb concentration, serum iron, and ferritin were taken at baseline and after eight weeks. The results showed iron and calcium intake increased significantly in the intervention group. The effective intervention of serum iron was 33.3%. In conclusion, nutritional intervention such as nutritional education and ONS consumption is effective for improving iron status and calcium intake in working-age women

DIFFICULTIES IN STUDYING TOEIC LISTENING COMPREHENSION OF NON–ENGLISH MAJORED FRESHMEN AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

TOEIC Certificate is becoming more and more popular all over the world in general and in particular, Vietnam. It is considered as one of the most compulsory demands for graduating university, especially at Tay Do university. Listening seems to be a skill that many students usually face difficulties in learning. Therefore, the survey research “Difficulties in studying TOEIC Listening Comprehension of non – English majored freshmen at Tay Do University” was conducted to figure out common difficulties in studying TOEIC listening of non-English majored students. Freshmen of Bachelor of Tourism and Travel Management class at Tay Do university were chosen as the participants. Questionnaire and interview were used as instruments to collect the data. The findings of the study would point out learners’ difficulties consisting of general difficulties (vocabulary, pronunciation, background knowledge and psychological) and difficulties in each part in the TOEIC listening test. Thanks to the results, some solutions would be suggested for students’ improvement. Article visualizations

Communication activities of students with the social cultural environment during floods: A case study in Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam

This study   aims to explore the variances in communication behaviours among undergraduate students within the social-cultural context.  A total of 104 participants (40 lecturers and six managers) were selected from two universities, namely Hue University of Science and Hue University of Education. The collected data was subsequently evaluated. The findings suggest that there are   slight differences between male and female students. This   study highlights significant differences in involvement among Kinh ethnic students   and students from other ethnic groups. Furthermore, the geographical location and sociocultural environment of a region significantly influence the communication behaviors and preferences of students. Students demonstrate higher mean scores in diverse communication activities as compared to lecturers. The results highlight the significance of gender, ethnicity, geographic location   and student status in influencing students' participation in communication. Recognizing and addressing these differences can help in the development of effective communication strategies, the development of inclusive environments   and the encouragement of positive social interactions among various groups of students.  The implications for students' well-being, academic success and intercultural competency might be explored in more detail in further studies by examining the fundamental variables that lead to these differences