Ethnic Disparities in Prenatal Care Utilization in Vietnam

Prenatal care is credited with reducing neonatal, perinatal, and maternal mortality and morbidity. The main purpose of the thesis is to examine the ethnic disparities between majority and ethnic minority women in prenatal care usage. The thesis also analyzes the effects of age, education attainment, female employment, and region on prenatal care utilization in Vietnam. I employ the Demographic and Health Survey 2002 in Vietnam. Descriptive statistic and logistic regression are the two statistical tests employed in this research. Results exhibit evidence of ethnic disparities in type of prenatal care utilization. Although ethnic minority women are likely to enter prenatal checkups at the same time as ethnic majority women, they are less likely to receive three or more prenatal checkups. Ethnic minority women are also less likely to receive prenatal checkups from professionals. When giving birth, minority women are less likely to deliver with a professional birth attendant, in a hospital or health facility. When controlling for other independent variables, education attainment and region show significant effects on prenatal care usage. Uneducated women, or women with less than secondary education, and women residing outside the Red River Delta consumed less professional prenatal care usage

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationBuilding upon the existing theoretical framework and abundant empirical evidence supporting an association between socio-relational resources and health in the United States and other Western countries, this dissertation extended these analyses to the population of contemporary China, which is characterized with rapid economic development, a fast-growing population age 65 and above, epidemic rates of chronic diseases and conditions, and recent transformation of families' and communities' roles in providing long-term care for older adults. Individual level data from the 2010-2012 China Family Panel Studies and the 2007-2010 World Health Organization Study on Global Aging and Adult Health were utilized to empirically examine 1) whether different types of familial and extra familial socio-relational resources influence health behaviors, self-reported health status, and health care utilization among Chinese, as commonly observed in Western countries; 2) whether health behaviors and psychological pathways are contributory to the explanation of the association between socio-relational resources and health; and 3) whether socio-relational resources impact health differently across segments of the population. Mediation and moderation analysis, multilevel approach, and cross-lagged methods were performed to address these research questions. Results showed that social engagement, neighborhood social cohesion, social participation, and other types of socio-relational resources were protective against poor physical and mental health of adults and older adults, as previously observed in other cultures and contexts. Findings from mediation analyses also suggested that lifestyle and psychological wellbeing partially explained the main effects of social engagement on hypertension. Regarding health behaviors, results indicated that cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol consumption among middle aged and older Chinese men were regarded as social bonding activities, which resembles the "social smoking and drinking" phenomenon found in the existing literature. Moderation analyses also depicted the effects of stratification of socio-relational resources on health between men and women, and urban and rural residents

Monte-Carlo Determination of Dose Rates In Spherical Pressurized Water Reactor Shield

The nuclear reactor emits various kinds of nuclear radiations during operation. However, the main contributions to the radiation field in the reactor are given by neutrons and gamma rays. These radiation components are the principal concern of reactor shielding. In our study the neutron and gamma radiation dose rates at different depths in concrete bio-shield of the PWR were calculated based on spherical model for M-C simulation with using MCNP4C2. The simulation results were compared with  the results obtained from calculations based on S$_{8}$P$_{3}$ spherical approximation with using the ANISN code

Examining Vietnam's Success in Controlling COVID-19 Pandemic in Terms of People's Behavior

To deal with an unprecedented pandemic known as COVID-19, every country has developed its own policies to prevent the expansion of Coronavirus. The purpose of this study is to investigate Vietnam’s success in controlling the spread of COVID-19 epidemic from the perspective of people’s behavior. This study applied the Health Belief Model developed by Don Nutbeam and Elizabeth (2004). An online survey engine (docs.google.com/forms) and an offline survey were employed to collect data from citizens in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ninh, Haiphong and other cities. The statistical analysis used 423 questionnaires from 450 respondents, mainly aged 18 to 35. The results demonstrated that people's awareness of COVID-19 as well as their behaviors have contributed significantly to the successful efforts to prevent and control the disease in Vietnam. Keywords: Covid-19 pandemic, controlling Covid-19, people’s behavior, behavior, Vietnam DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-6-07 Publication date:March 31st 202

Elastic and thermodynamic properties of the major clinker phases of Portland cement: Insights from first principles calculations

Portland based cement is one of the most popular materials used in the civil and construction applications. Reliable computational methods to provide an insight into the underlying mechanics of the major phases of this material are of great interest for cement design. The present work investigated the performance of density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the PBE-D2 method to predict the mechanical, thermodynamic properties of four major phases namely Alite C3S, Belite C2S, tricalcium aluminate C3A and tetracalcium aluminoferrite C4AF. The calculated elastic properties were in a good agreement with available experimental data. In addition, a deeper insight into the electron density of state, spin-polarization, atomic charge, as well as free energy and entropy properties were also presented. Further development is necessary to improve the established DFT models for predicting the mechanical properties of the ferrite phase of Portland clinker.publishedVersio

Perceptions of Aging and Disability among College Students in Japan

Japan launched the Long-term Care Insurance program in 2000, and ratified the United Nations` Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2014. Japan has been taking significant steps to support their elderly population and individuals with disabilities. However, information is lacking on the understanding and opinions of either of these groups among Japanese college students, many of whom will have significant impact on the development of relevant programs in the future. The purpose of this study is to explore perceptions of the elderly, individuals with a physical disability, and individuals with a mental disability. Three focus groups were held with a total of 20 college students throughout June and July 2015 in Japan. Lack of formal and human resources are issues for the elderly and people with physical disabilities. It is important to increase awareness of struggles related to physical and mental disabilities. Images of physical and mental disabilities in society and media need to be improved. Future studies need to expand in the following areas: 1) to examine the issues of lack of formal and human resources and its impact on the elderly, families and society; 2) to develop programs to increase awareness of the issues of disabilities and evaluate the effectiveness of the programs; and 3) to examine the impact of media on perceptions of people with a disability. Keywords: aging, disability, perceptions, college students, Japa

Perceptions of Violence against Women among College Students in the United States, Japan, India, Vietnam and China

Violence against women is a global health issue that threatens the health and human rights of women. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence are the most common forms of violence against women. While previous studies examined incidence of IPV and other forms of violence against women in the United States (US), little is known about variations in the perceptions of violence against women among college students in other countries. This study explored differences in perceptions of violence against women among college students in the US, Japan, India, Vietnam and China. A total of 1,136 college students from these countries participated in a self-administered survey in 2012-2013. The students’ perceptions about the prevalence of domestic violence is in their country varied across countries. Furthermore, more than half of the students across the countries perceived alcoholism and drug addiction to be causes of domestic violence against women. It was also found that the levels of knowledge about laws on domestic violence in their country varied among the students. These findings show the importance of understanding country level variations that may affect violence against women. The results of this study provide important insights by documenting cross country variations in students’ perceptions about violence against women that can provide helpful inputs in framing country-specific programs and policies to prevent violence against women. Keywords: Violence against women, perceptions, college students, the United States, Japan, India, Vietnam, Chin

Simultaneously induced mutations in eIF4E genes by CRISPR/Cas9 enhance PVY resistance in tobacco

Tobacco is an important commercial crop and a rich source of alkaloids for pharmaceutical and agricultural applications. However, its yield can be reduced by up to 70% due to virus infections, especially by a potyvirus Potato virus Y (PVY). The replication of PVY relies on host factors, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4Es (eIF4Es) have already been identified as recessive resistance genes against potyviruses in many plant species. To investigate the molecular basis of PVY resistance in the widely cultivated allotetraploid tobacco variety K326, we developed a dual guide RNA CRISPR/Cas9 system for combinatorial gene editing of two clades, eIF4E1 (eIF4E1-S and eIF4E1-T) and eIF4E2 (eIF4E2-S and eIF4E2-T) in the eIF4E gene family comprising six members in tobacco. We screened for CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations by heteroduplex analysis and Sanger sequencing, and monitored PVY(O) accumulation in virus challenged regenerated plants by DAS-ELISA both in T0 and T1 generations. We found that all T0 lines carrying targeted mutations in the eIF4E1-S gene displayed enhanced resistance to PVY(O) confirming previous reports. More importantly, our combinatorial approach revealed that eIF4E1-S is necessary but not sufficient for complete PVY resistance. Only the quadruple mutants harboring loss-of-function mutations in eIF4E1-S, eIF4E1-T, eIF4E2-S and eIF4E2-T showed heritable high-level resistance to PVY(O) in tobacco. Our work highlights the importance of understanding host factor redundancy in virus replication and provides a roadmap to generate virus resistance by combinatorial CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing in non-model crop plants with complex genomes

The status of southern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus siki) in Truong Son key biodiversity area

The Southern white-cheeked crested gibbon, Nomascus siki, is an endemic primate to Vietnam and Laos, and has been identified as a nationally and globally endangered species (EN). However, little information is known on the status of the species in Vietnam generally and in the Truong Son key biodiversity area (Truong Son KBA) particularly. In order to explore the current status of the species in the Truong Son KBA, we conducted field surveys in 2018 and 2019. Analysis of the survey data shows 149 groups of gibbon in the 4 study areas. Combined with results of similar-techniqued survey in 2016 on the same species in Khe Nuoc Trong forest, we identified at least 252 gibbon groups and estimated 425 gibbon groups in the entire Truong Son KBA. These gibbon groups are mainly distributed in medium-rich evergreen closed forests in mountainous areas of the west Truong Son KBA, adjacent to the Vietnam-Laos border.

Sun Protection Behaviors Associated with Self-Efficacy, Susceptibility, and Awareness among Uninsured Primary Care Patients Utilizing a Free Clinic

Background. Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in the United States (US). However, knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes regarding sun protection vary among the general population. The purpose of this study is to examine sun protection behaviors of low-income primary care patients and assess the association between these health behaviors and the self-efficacy, susceptibility, and skin cancer awareness. Methods. Uninsured primary care patients utilizing a free clinic (N=551) completed a self-administered survey in May and June 2015. Results. Using sunscreen was the least common tactic among the participants of this study. Skin cancer awareness and self-efficacy are important to improve sun protection behaviors. Spanish speakers may have lower levels of skin care awareness compared to US born and non-US born English speakers. Male and female participants use different sun protection methods. Conclusion. It is important to increase skin cancer awareness with self-efficacy interventions as well as education on low-cost sun protection methods. Spanish speaking patients would be a target population for promoting awareness. Male and female patients would need separate gender-specific sun protection education. Future studies should implement educational programs and assess the effectiveness of the programs to further promote skin cancer prevention among underserved populations