Fiat-Shamir in the Wild

peer reviewedThe Fiat-Shamir transformation is a key technique for removing interactivity from cryptographic proof systems in real-world applications. In this work, we discuss five types of Fiat-Shamir-related protocol design errors and illustrate them with concrete examples mainly taken from real-life applications. We discuss countermeasures for such vulnerabilities.CryptoFi

The discovery and characterization of tungsten insertase in tungsten cofactor biosynthesis

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Environmental Literacy and Teaching Activities of Preschool Teachers in Vietnam

In this study we modeled the environmental literacy of Vietnamese preschool teachers. 324 in-service preschool teachers from Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam contributed to the study via an online survey. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypotheses of the relationships between environmental knowledge (KN), environmental awareness (AS), decision attitude (DA), personal behavior (PB) and environmental teaching activities (ACT) of these teachers. The results showed that the level of environmental literacy of preschool teachers in Vietnam was moderate with mean score for AS, DA, PB, and ACT ranged from 3.18 to 4.32 on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The results also indicate that the preschool teacher’s KN had a positive impact on AS and DA; PB was influenced by AS, but not by KN or DA. In addition, a correlation analysis showed AS and PB had a positive impact on ACT, while DA had a negative influence on ACT. These findings imply that preschool teachers with certain desirable environmental literacy had more tendencies to implement ACT. Based on the findings, recommendations and implications are provided for policy makers, preschool teachers, and researchers in Vietnam and other countries

THE READING CULTURE OF ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

In the 21st century, the development of many modern entertainment facilities makes people rarely focus on reading books. So, the reading culture gradually fell into oblivion. In reality, when teachers ask students about their reading habit, students often say “we seldom read books”, they mostly read books because of teacher requests or school assignments. Therefore, the research “The reading culture of English majored students at Tay Do University” was conducted with the purpose of helping English linguistic students to acknowledge the importance of reading books. Thanks to this, they can find their own situations and spend more time reading books. The participants of this study were 100 English majored students of four classes including English Linguistic 10B, 11A, 12C and 13A at Tay Do University that were chosen randomly. The instrument used in this thesis was the questionnaire. The data from questionnaires were statistically analyzed by SPSS English version 20.0 package. Based on research results, the researcher found out some common students’ thoughts on reading culture as well as solutions to develop their reading culture in the future.  Article visualizations

Impact of pasteurisation and storage conditions on the physicochemical properties of acerola jelly

Acerola, a fruit rich in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and vitamin C, is highly susceptible to degradation under temperature influences. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pasteurisation and storage conditions on the stability of these compounds in acerola jelly. Analytical findings revealed that thermal treatment at 80°C for 5 minutes effectively eradicated total aerobic bacteria and mould yeast content. Furthermore, this treatment preserved the vitamin C and phenolic content, as well as the sensory quality of the jelly, better than other samples. The study also discovered that during storage, the degradation of vitamin C and polyphenols in acerola jelly adhered to the first-order model and the Arrhenius model. In contrast, attributes such as total soluble solids (TSS), pH, and titratable acidity (TA) remained constant during pasteurisation and storage. Kinetic parameters, including D-value, k-value, z-value, and activation energy (Ea), indicated high stability of the product when stored at a low temperature of 4-6oC. These findings suggest that acerola jelly has considerable potential for commercial production

TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA HỌC TẬP LIÊN TỤC, KẾT NỐI HỆ THỐNG, LÃNH ĐẠO CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐẾN CHIA SẺ TRI THỨC TRONG CÁC TỔ CHỨC: NGHIÊN CỨU TRƯỜNG HỢP CÁC DOANH NGHIỆP DU LỊCH KHU VỰC QUẢNG NAM – ĐÀ NẴNG – THỪA THIÊN HUẾ

Knowledge sharing is one of the crucial approaches to maintaining competitiveness in today's increasingly dynamic business environment. This quantitative research employs a questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale and the PLS-SEM data processing approach on 181 managers in tourism businesses in the Quang Nam - Da Nang - Thua Thien Hue region to investigate the relationships between continuous learning, system connections, strategic leadership, and knowledge sharing within organizations. The research findings indicate that strategic leadership is the most influential factor, followed by system connections and continuous learning. This study provides valuable insights for tourism businesses in the three aforementioned regions to enhance knowledge-sharing practices for effective collaboration.Chia sẻ tri thức là một trong những cách quan trọng để duy trì lợi thế cạnh tranh trong bối cảnh môi trường kinh doanh ngày càng nhiều biến động như hiện nay. Nghiên cứu định lượng này sử dụng bảng câu hỏi với thang Likert 5 điểm và cách tiếp cận xử lý dữ liệu PLS-SEM trên 181 nhà quản lý doanh nghiệp thuộc hệ sinh thái kinh doanh du lịch ở khu vực Quảng Nam - Đà Nẵng - Thừa Thiên Huế để kiểm tra mối quan hệ giữa học tập liên tục, kết nối hệ thống, lãnh đạo chiến lược với chia sẻ tri thức trong tổ chức. Kết quả nghiên cứu chỉ ra rằng lãnh đạo chiến lược là yếu tố tác động lớn nhất, tiếp đến là kết nối hệ thống và học tập liên tục cũng có tác động tích cực đến chia sẻ tri thức. Nghiên cứu này cung cấp thông tin hữu ích cho các doanh nghiệp trong lĩnh vực du lịch ở ba khu vực trên nhằm cải thiện hoạt động chia sẻ tri thức để hợp tác hiệu quả

Factors affecting consumer’s bargaining behavior: The case of fashionable clothing

Shopping is one of the current trends of the Vietnamese. According to Nielsen’s research results about consumer confidence in the fourth quarter of 2017, more than half of Vietnamese people (51%) use their spare money to buy new clothes at modern business models such as supermarkets, shopping centers, or at very traditional models like street vendors and wet markets where haggling (also known as bargaining) is considered as a common habit for Vietnamese. This is due to business characteristics from a very long time ago in Viet Nam. The bargaining behavior is not so hard to recognize in shopping. Even now, a large part of foreign tourists is familiar with the bargaining culture. This study aimed to discover bargaining behavior, the factors affecting such a behavior in buying fashionable clothing of the consumers in Ho Chi Minh City, and to consider whether the differences in bargaining behavior exist among different groups of gender, age, and income. The research was conducted using mixed methods concluding qualitative research (in-depth interview and focus group) and quantitative one (survey). The results showed that Attitude towards bargaining, Perceived behavioral control, Interest in bargaining affect Consumer’s bargaining behavior when buying fashionable clothes. Results were validated in Ho Chi Minh City context, and some conclusions were also presented

Reference Ranges for Bone Mineral Density and Prevalence of Osteoporosis in Vietnamese Men and Women

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different reference ranges in bone mineral density on the diagnosis of osteoporosis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This cross-sectional study involved 357 men and 870 women aged between 18 and 89 years, who were randomly sampled from various districts within Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. BMD at the femoral neck, lumbar spine and whole body was measured by DXA (Hologic QDR4500). Polynomial regression models and bootstraps method were used to determine peak BMD and standard deviation (<it>SD</it>). Based on the two parameters, we computed T-scores (denoted by <it>T</it>_VN) for each individual in the study. A similar diagnosis was also done based on T-scores provided by the densitometer (<it>T</it>_DXA), which is based on the US White population (NHANES III). We then compared the concordance between <it>T</it>_VNand <it>T</it>_DXAin the classification of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In post-menopausal women, the prevalence of osteoporosis based on femoral neck <it>T</it>_VNwas 29%, but when the diagnosis was based on <it>T</it>_DXA, the prevalence was 44%. In men aged 50+ years, the <it>T</it>_VN-based prevalence of osteoporosis was 10%, which was lower than <it>T</it>_DXA-based prevalence (30%). Among 177 women who were diagnosed with osteoporosis by <it>T</it>_DXA, 35% were actually osteopenia by <it>T</it>_VN. The kappa-statistic was 0.54 for women and 0.41 for men.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data suggest that the <it>T-</it>scores provided by the Hologic QDR4500 over-diagnosed osteoporosis in Vietnamese men and women. This over-diagnosis could lead to over-treatment and influence the decision of recruitment of participants in clinical trials.</p

A paper-based, cell-free biosensor system for the detection of heavy metals and date rape drugs.

Gräwe A, Dreyer A, Vornholt T, et al. A paper-based, cell-free biosensor system for the detection of heavy metals and date rape drugs. PloS one. 2019;14(3): e0210940.Biosensors have emerged as a valuable tool with high specificity and sensitivity for fast and reliable detection of hazardous substances in drinking water. Numerous substances have been addressed using synthetic biology approaches. However, many proposed biosensors are based on living, genetically modified organisms and are therefore limited in shelf life, usability and biosafety. We addressed these issues by the construction of an extensible, cell-free biosensor. Storage is possible through freeze drying on paper. Following the addition of an aqueous sample, a highly efficient cell-free protein synthesis (CFPS) reaction is initiated. Specific allosteric transcription factors modulate the expression of 'superfolder' green fluorescent protein (sfGFP) depending on the presence of the substance of interest. The resulting fluorescence intensities are analyzed with a conventional smartphone accompanied by simple and cheap light filters. An ordinary differential equitation (ODE) model of the biosensors was developed, which enabled prediction and optimization of performance. With an optimized cell-free biosensor based on the Shigella flexneri MerR transcriptional activator, detection of 6 mug/L Hg(II) ions in water was achieved. Furthermore, a completely new biosensor for the detection of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a substance used as date-rape drug, was established by employing the naturally occurring transcriptional repressor BlcR from Agrobacterium tumefaciens

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