Impact of electronic word of mouth to the purchase intention - the case of Instagram

This research aims to discover and confirm the factors of e-WOM that influence users' shopping intentions on Instagram. The data was collected from 700 customers who belong to Gen Y and Gen Z from 18 to 39 years old who live and work in Vietnam. The research model and the scales were built from the empirical research of e-WOM from Lim (2016); Park et al. (2007); Prendergast et al. (2010). Quantitative methods were performed by Cronbach's Alpha reliability testing, EFA discovery factor analysis, regression, and ANOVA test. The research results showed that the fourth factor of e-WOM positively impacts users' purchase intent on Instagram with decreasing levels as Information Provider's Expertise, the quantity of e-WOM, and the Source credibility of e-WOM, and the quality of e-WOM, respectively. Also, users' purchase intention on Instagram under the impact of e-WOM varies by gender, but there is no difference by age and income

A Simple Procedure for Extraction of Surface Protein of Salmonella Serotypes and Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Poultry and Pigs

Salmonella and E.coli possess different surface protein structures that can induce protective immune responses. Identification of these proteins capacitates development of diverse applications in prevention and diagnosis that contribute to effectively control disease-causing enterobacteria pathogens such as Salmonella and E.coli. A simple procedure for obtaining protein complexes of Salmonella serotypes and E.coli is performed in this study. A sonication process with heat treatment of whole bacteria induced the release of protein complexes. Concentration of the protein extract was quantified using protein quantification Kits-Rapid, and protein complex profile was obtained by SDS-PAGE (Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) and silver staining. The concentrations of protein ranged from 29.45 to 45.35 µg/mL in the  Salmonella protein extracts, and from 25.35 to 36.72 µg/mL in the E.coli protein extracts. Six major groups of proteins from E. coli (YfiO, NipB, OmpF, YfgL, Talc, YaeT) and four major groups of proteins from Salmonella (Flagellin, OmpA, Porin, SEF21) were preliminarily determined by a simple procedure of extraction based on the molecular weight

Determinants of customer's apartment purchase intention: is the location dominant?

The purpose of this research is to identify and measure the factors affecting the intention to buy apartments of customers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The survey carried out with the participation of 200 customers. The authors explore five factors which affect customer's apartment purchase intention include location, features, brand, finance, and subjective norm. The result from Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) shows that location, features, finance, and subjective norm have a significant effect on the intention to buy customers' apartments. In which, location in Ho Chi Minh City context is the most influential factor, so, it strongly confirm the research of Adair et al. (1996), Clark et al. (2006), Daly et al. (2003), Kaynak and Stevenson (2007), Opoku and AbdulMuhmin (2010), Sengul et al. (2010), Tu and Goldfinch (1996), Xiao and Tan (2007) and Wang and Li (2006). The study also proposes some recommendations to increase the attractiveness of the apartment. What is more, developers, marketers, real estate policymakers can use the results of this research to understand the needs of customers better and satisfy customers

The relationship between brand equity and intention to buy: the case of convenience stores

The research aims to identify the components of brand equity that affect consumer purchasing intentions and measure the effect of brand equity components on the intention of consumer purchases at the convenience stores in Ho Chi Minh City. The authors conduct the group discussions, expert discussion, and then analyze data from 200 valid questionnaires with four components of brand equity, namely perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand association, brand awareness. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) show that all four elements have a positive effect on the customer' intention to purchase in the convenience store of Ho Chi Minh City. In particular, the brand association factor has the strongest influence, followed by perceived quality, brand awareness, and brand loyalty. This research contributes that the results confirm the theory of Aaker (1991), Brown and Stayman (1992), Cobb-Walgren et al. (1995), MacKenzie (1986) in the new context of convenience stores in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Besides, the study gives some recommendations to help convenience stores improve the elements of brand equity and it, to enhance attraction for consumers

Using Bioinformatics to predict potential targets of Microrna-144 in osteoarthritis

MicroRNAs are short endogenous non-coding RNA molecules, typically 19-25 nucleotides in length, which negatively regulate gene expression through binding to 3’UTR of target mRNAs, leading to repression of protein translation or target mRNA degradation. MicroRNA-144 (miR-144) was found as an abnormal expression in various diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). We have identified increased microRNA-144 expression in early phase and end stage of OA. However, the molecular mechanism of this increase has not been yet to be determined yet. Using bioinformatics tools, we found more than 4,000 mRNAs that are predicted to be potential direct targets of miR-144, including mRNAs involved in the critical signaling pathways in OA e.g. TGFβ/Smad2/3 and WNT/β-catenin. Results from this research provide information for future ex periments to validate miR-144 potential targets

Viral Metagenomic Analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid from Patients with Acute Central Nervous System Infections of Unknown Origin, Vietnam.

Central nervous system (CNS) infection is a serious neurologic condition, although the etiology remains unknown in >50% of patients. We used metagenomic next-generation sequencing to detect viruses in 204 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from patients with acute CNS infection who were enrolled from Vietnam hospitals during 2012-2016. We detected 8 viral species in 107/204 (52.4%) of CSF samples. After virus-specific PCR confirmation, the detection rate was lowered to 30/204 (14.7%). Enteroviruses were the most common viruses detected (n = 23), followed by hepatitis B virus (3), HIV (2), molluscum contagiosum virus (1), and gemycircularvirus (1). Analysis of enterovirus sequences revealed the predominance of echovirus 30 (9). Phylogenetically, the echovirus 30 strains belonged to genogroup V and VIIb. Our results expanded knowledge about the clinical burden of enterovirus in Vietnam and underscore the challenges of identifying a plausible viral pathogen in CSF of patients with CNS infections

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Factors affecting the intention to purchase townhouse

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors affecting the intention of buying a townhouse by customers in District 9, Ho Chi Minh City. To conduct the research, there is 192 validrespondents and the authors determine six factors affecting the intention of buying customers' houses in District 9 of Ho Chi Minh City: developer brand, price, location, housing characteristics, social influence and legal. The results of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) show that all of these six factors affect the intention to buy townhouses in the District 9 area of customers. The contribution of the study is that the authors confirm the theory of Ajzen and Fishbein (1975), Ajzen (1985), Ajzen (1991) and compare some empirical studies of Salah et al. (2015), Julius et al. (2016), Haddad et al. (2011), Nguyen (2013), Vo (2013), Vo (2016), Pham (2013). Also, from qualitative and research-related studies, the authors adjusted the scale and analyzed data in the current context. Based on that, research and propose solutions to improve the intention of buying houses in District 9 of customers and orienting for further research

Factors affecting employee satisfaction: the case of land plot sales staffs

The purpose of this research is to explore the scale and identify factors affecting employee satisfaction in a particular business; namely, land sales staff in Ho Chi Minh City area. To conduct the research, the authors do group discussions and expert discussion and then analyzed 201 observations with six factors: The nature of work, promotion and training, leadership, co-worker, income and working environment. The results of Exploratory Factor Analysis(EFA) show that there are five factors: Work nature, promotion and training, co-worker, income and working environment that has a positive impact on employee satisfaction; besides, the interesting result from the research is that the leading factor negatively affects the satisfaction of land sales staffs in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The contribution of this study is that the authors confirm the theory of Herzberg (1966), Ludy (2005), Nunnally and Bernstein, Spector (1997), Smith et al (1969) and Vroom (1964) in the context of the land plot sales staffs. Also, from qualitative studies and relevant studies, the author has adjusted the scale and analyzed data in a new context. Based on that, the research recommends the necessary management solutions to increase employee satisfaction and open a new field for further research