Sanitation safety planning in Hanoi helps identify and manage health risks to workers, farmers and consumers from reuse of wastewater

Sanitation Safety Plannings (SSPs) are currently under a piloting phase by World Health Organisation (WHO). SSPs supplement and act as practical application guidance the four volumes of the 2006 WHO Guidelines for the Safe Use of Wastewater, Excreta and Greywater. Two pilot sites were selected in Hanoi, Vietnam to test WHO’s upcoming Sanitation Safety Planning manual: (1) large scale agriculture on the outskirts of Hanoi which uses untreated sewage; and (2) an organic composting site which uses effluent from a purpose built on-site sewage treatment plant for moisture control of the compost. This paper presents a summary of how SSPs helped identify and manage health risks to workers, farmers and consumers of produce from reuse of wastewater. Simple risk-based prioritised low cost improvement plans are summarised

Foreign Ownership and Stock Return Volatility in Vietnam: the Destabilizing Role of Firm Size

This study aims to examine the relevance of foreign ownership to stock return volatility in the Vietnam stock market over ten years (2008 - 2017). After applying the fixed effects regressions and the extended instrumental variable regressions with fixed effects, we find that foreign ownership decreases the volatility of stock returns. However, the stabilizing impact of foreign ownership on stock return volatility becomes weaker in large firms since the coeffcient of the interaction term between firm size and foreign ownership turns out to be significantly positive. The estimated results remain robust when we use the future one-year volatility, other than the current one, as an alternative measure of the dependent variable

What Shapes Undergraduate Students’ Satisfaction in Unstable Learning Contexts?

This paper investigates what determinants, and to what extent, they influence students’ satisfaction in unstable learning contexts. Using a national-scaled sample of Vietnamese HEIs with a sound theoretical background, we find that regardless of instabilities from external shocks, the key factors that shape students’ satisfaction are fixed by traditional norms (self-efficacy, infrastructure, lecturer) rather than occasional factors occurring from each event. We find in particular that self-efficacy is the most influential factor for students’ satisfaction and friendship is the most prominent element that enhances students’ self- efficacy. Overall, this paper enriched the literature on student satisfaction, especially during unstable contexts. Thus, it has important implications for educators and HEIs stakeholders in management planning in the time to come

Development of Spray Pyrolysis System for Deposition of Nano-structure Materials

In this paper, we report the development of the spray pyrolysis technique for preparing different nano-structure materials toward the application in thin film solar cells. The spray pyrolysis system can heat up the substrate to 6000C with less than 0.01% full scale. The ramping rate can be set to 100C per minute. The effective coating area can be up to 100 x 100 mm2. Using this technique, the thickness and roughness of the films can be controlled. The obtained morphology, the microstructure of the thin-films, given by scanning electron microscope, X ray diffraction…showed that the system is suitable for deposition of different layers of the dye sensitized solar cell

Serum interleukin 6 concentration in patients with pemphigus

Pemphigus is a rare autoimmune blistering disease that detrimentally affects the integumentary system and decreases patients’ quality of life. Recent studies have shown that interleukin 6 (IL-6) is closedly involved in the immunophathogenesis of pemphigus. Therefore, this study was performed to evaluate the role of IL-6 in the pathogenesis and severity of pemphigus disease. The case-series study was conducted in Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Dermato-Venereology from January 2022 to August 2022, involving 26 patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV), 4 patients with pemphigus foliaceus (PF), and 20 healthy volunteers. The serum IL-6 concentrations of patients with PV and PF were significantly higher than those of the healthy volunteers (P < 0.001). Serum IL-6 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with a positive than a negative Nikolsky sign (P < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between the serum IL-6 concentration and the pemphigus disease area index (r = 0.8, P < 0.001). Our results suggest that IL-6 may play an important role in the pathogenesis and severity of pemphigus. Therefore, new therapies targeting IL-6 may be a promising choice for treating pemphigus, especially in its severe forms

Environmental impact assessment of the pangasius sector in the Mekong Delta

In the past seven years the export of white pangasius fillets grew fast. The culture method shifted to intensive production of striped catfish (Ca Tra) in deep ponds because this is more efficient than the pen and cage culture of Ca Basa. Today, striped catfish comprises more than 90 % of the culture. The increased production was achieved by producers investing in large ponds. The market chain is gearing towards vertical integration. Most farms keep fish at relatively high densities of 15 to 25 fish/m3 in ponds having a depth of up to 4m, and are advised to exchange daily 20 to 40% of the water. The sustainability of the sector is threatened due to the increased environmental pressure, and hampered by the growing cost of inputs and reduced farm-gate prices of the fish. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) intends to identify measures for preventing or mitigating the environmental impacts of catfish culture in the Mekong Delta. The EIA was a seven-step process during which we interacted twice with part of the main stakeholders. To build trust among the stakeholders from the sector, we conducted the scoping and goal setting with them

Synthesis of Cu+^+/bipyridyl Based Complex Towards Dye Sensitized Solar Cell Application

This study aims to synthesize the Cu+/bipyridyl-based complex using Sonogashira cross coupling. The structure of the ligand and the complex were investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; by single crystal X-ray diffraction and by UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. The obtained experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical calculations. The complex is a potential candidate to be the photo sensitizer in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Study protocol: Early neurological deterioration in patients with minor stroke, frequency, predictors, and outcomes in Vietnam single-centre study

Early neurological deterioration (END) is progressive neurological deterioration with an increase in NIHSS score of 2 points or more in the first 72 hours from the onset of acute ischemic stroke. END increases the risk of poor clinical outcomes at day 90 of ischemic stroke. We will study the frequency, predictors, and outcomes of patients with END in a case-control study at a comprehensive stroke centre in Vietnam. of the design is a descriptive observational study, longitudinal follow-up of patients with minor stroke hospitalized at the Stroke Center of Bach Mai Hospital from December 1, 2023, to December 1, 2024. Minor stroke patients characterized by NIHSS score ≤ 5 hospitalized within 24 hours of symptom onset will be recruited. The estimated END rate is about 30%, relative accuracy ε = 0.11, 95% reliability, expected 5% of patients lost data or follow-up, and an estimated sample size of 779 patients. This study will help determine the END rate in patients with minor stroke and related factors, thereby building a prognostic model for END. Our study determined the END rate in patients with minor stroke in Vietnam and also proposed risk factors for minor stroke management and treatment

Electrosynthesis of a poly(1,5-diaminonaphthalene) - polypyrrole nanowire bilayer for trichlorfon insecticide biosensing

In this study, an acetylcholinesterase enzyme biosensor was developed based on a bilayer of poly(1,5-diaminonaphthalene) and polypyrrole nanowire structures modifying carbon screen-printed electrodes (SPEs). A polypyrrole nanowire inner layer was electrodeposited on the surface of SPEs to enhance conductivity and specific areas. A poly(1,5-diaminonaphthalene) outer layer was used for immobilizing acetylcholinesterase through glutaraldehyde agent. On the basis of the inhibition of organophosphate pesticides on the enzymatic activity of acetylcholinesterase enzyme, the acetylcholinesterase-immobilized bilayer of the conductive polymer electrode was designed for electrochemical determination of trichlorfon insecticide, one of the popular organophosphate pesticides. Keywords. Acetylcholinesterase, biosensors, poly(1,5-diaminonaphthalene), polypyrrole nanowire, trichlorfon