MEDICAL STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF AN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES COURSEBOOK: A CASE IN VIETNAM

The current study investigates students’ evaluation of the English for Specific Purposes (ESP) coursebook taught at a medical college in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. After using it for a year, the users, including medical students and their teachers, have given some unofficial feedback on the book. This study provided insightful official information about how its student users perceive the coursebook they were adopting. Data on the evaluations of the ESP coursebook were gained from questionnaires administered to 166 students majoring in nursing and pharmacy in charge of ESP programs. Semi-structured interviews were employed with four students to get more specific apprehension. The results of this study indicated that students were satisfied with the ESP coursebook in terms of the covering of four skills, the presence of vocabulary and grammar, relevant content, understandable social and cultural context, suitability for mix-level students. In addition, participants perceived that communicative skills were not sufficiently presented, examples in grammar were not more interesting, the illustrations were not diverse and enough, and the cover was simple but not appealing. Suggestions regarding the pedagogical implications for the adoption and evaluation of the coursebook were discussed

MODIFICATION OF POLYSULFONE ULTRAFILTRATION MEMBRANES WITH PVA AND TiO2 FOR BETTER ANTIFOULING

The objective of this study was to investigate anti-fouling property of modified polysulfone ultrafiltration  (UF) membranes.  Polysulfone UF membranes were modified  by  coating  a  thin film of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), or a mixture of polyvinyl alcohol and titanium dioxide (TiO2) on  surface.  Effects  of  curing  temperature  on  the  coated  membranes  were  also  studied.  The modified  membranes  were  tested  with  0.5  g/L  sodium  alginate  solution  and  industrial  dye wastewater.  Curing  temperature  influenced  remarkably  flux  and  fouling  property  of  the membranes. Among experiments studied, 85 oC was the best curing temperature. The PVA and PVA/TiO2-coated membranes reduced fouling significantly. Dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles on membrane surface improved considerably bacteria removal of the membranes

ĐÁNH GIÁ HIỆU QUẢ TẠI CÁC MÔ HÌNH DOANH NGHIỆP THAM GIA QUẢN LÝ RẠN SAN HÔ VÌ MỤC ĐÍCH DU LỊCH SINH THÁI Ở VỊNH NHA TRANG

The models of coral reef management for the development of ecological tourism were conducted under the coordination among the 3 businesses (Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company, Vinpearl Nha Trang and Tri Nguyen Tourism), Institute of Oceanography and Khanh Hoa Department of Natural Resources Environment. The analysis of trends of coral cover, density of reef fishes and big size invertebrates at 3 sites allowed assessing effectiveness of 3 years’ management. The stability of hard coral cover, except the decline at southern Hon Tam due to impacts of the typhoon in Nov., 2017 indicated no increased damage to corals from human activities. However, the dominance of small size fish ( 10 cm in length), the decline of density of larger size fish and the poorness of large size invertebrate showed continuous overexploitation at these managed areas.Mô hình quản lý rạn san hô vì mục đích du lịch sinh thái được thực hiện với sự tham gia của Viện Hải dương học, Sở Tài nguyên và Môi trường Khánh Hòa và 3 doanh nghiệp bao gồm Công ty TNHH Nhà nước MTV Yến Sào, Công ty TNHH Vinpearl Nha Trang và Công ty Du lịch Trí Nguyên. Hiệu quả sau 3 năm quản lý được đánh giá thông quan phân tích xu thế biến động về độ phủ san hô, mật độ cá rạn và sinh vật đáy kích thước lớn. Sự ổn định độ phủ san hô ở khu vực Sau Sao - Vinpearl và Bãi Sạn - Hòn Miếu chứng tỏ san hô không bị suy thoái. Trong khi đó, độ phủ san hô ở Nam Hòn Tằm tăng rõ rệt trong giai đoạn 2015–2017 nhưng giảm đột ngột vào năm 2018 do bão số 12 diễn ra vào tháng 11/2017. Tổng mật độ cá rạn biến động không rõ rệt với ưu thế là nhóm cá có kích thước nhỏ hơn 10 cm, trong khi nhóm cá có kích thước lớn suy giảm đáng kể về mật độ. Mật độ động vật đáy kích thước lớn rất thấp và chủ yếu thuộc về các nhóm không có giá trị kinh tế. Phân tích này chứng tỏ rằng hoạt động quản lý đã ngăn chặn được tác động của con người gây suy thoái san hô nhưng chưa có hiệu quả với hoạt động khai thác nguồn lợi quá mức

Preparation of Ti/TiO2-PANi electrodes by combining method of thermal treatment with polymerization processing and their electrochemical property

Ti/TiO2-PANi-electrodes were synthesized by combining method of thermal treatment of titanium substrate with chemical polymerization processing of aniline on which. Their morphological structure was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The presence of PANi and TiO2 were indicated by infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction, respectively. Their electrochemical properties were characterized by cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy. The results showed that their photoelectrochemical property with light on in 0.5 M H2SO4 indicating a n-conductor that depended on PANi thickness covered TiO2-layer among them the best one obtained by oxidative temperature of 500 oC for 30 minutes during thermal treatment of titanium substrate connected with an immersing into acidic aniline solution for only 8 min during polymerization

Some preliminary results of paleo-tsunami study in the coastal region of the Nghe An province, Vietnam

In the coastal region of the Nghe An province, the geomorphology is characterized by appearances of fields of arca granosa with placura placenta and hills of placura placenta with arca granosa, namely: The hills of placura placenta with the arca granosa shells in the Quynh Van and Nghi Tien communes; the fields of arca granosa with the placura placenta: deep-seated in the Quynh Nghia, Dien Chau and along the Nghi Yen coast  which have age of 4,500 - 4,300 yrs.; The appearance of the placura placenta-arca granosa shell’s fields and hills which do not originate from either marine transgression in the Holocene epoch, tectonic movement or artificiality; Our results suggest that there were three tsunami events occurring in the past during the periods of 4,500 - 4,300; 4,100 - 3,900 and 900 - 600 yrs., respectively in the region

Chemical diversity of essential oils of rhizomes of six species of Zingiberaceae family

In this study, the essential oils from the rhizomes of six species belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, including Zingiber zerumbet, Curcuma pierreana, Globba macrocarpa, Alpinia conchigera, Stahlianthus campanulatus and Amomum sp., collected in Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve were isolated using hydrodistillation, and their constituents were identified via Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry. A total of 91 constituents have been identified from essential oils. These compounds were classified into 4 clusters by Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) analysis. The principal constituents of the essential oils isolated from four species, C. pierreana, S. campanulatus, A. conchigera, and Z. zerumbet contained camphene (18.82%), α-copaene (11.75%), p-xylene (21.86%), and α-santalene (17.91%), which were significantly different from those in previous reports. Furthermore, this study revealed the chemical constituents of essential oils of G. macrocarpa and Amomum sp. for the first time. Accordingly, artemisia triene (22.21%), β-pinene (13.57%), 4,6,8-trimethylazulene (11.1%), 2-tert-butylquinoline (9.86%), β-patchoulene (7.06%), α-elemene (6.93%), and β-ocimene (6.0%) were the major compounds in essential oils of G. macrocarpa rhizomes whereas the oil of Amomum sp. was found to be rich in 2-carene (21.82%), fenchyl acetate (14.26%), 3-carene (8.28%), bornyl acetate (7.7%), and D-limonene (7.13%)

Megastigmans and other compounds from Antidesma hainanensis Merr.

Four megastigmans 7-megastigmene-3-ol-9-one 3-O-[α-L-arabinofuranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside]  (1),  alangionoside L (2),  alangioside (3), ampelopsisionoside (4), and other constituents as N–trans-feruloyloctopamide (5), trans-linalool-3,6-oxide-β-D-glucopyranoside (6),  5α,8α-dipioxiergosta-6,22-diene-3β-ol (7), and (Z)-2-hexenyl β-D-glucopyranoside (8) were isolated from the methanol extract of the Antidesma hainanensis leaves. Their chemical structures were successfully determined using NMR and ESI-MS analysis as well as in comparison with the reported data. This is the first report of these compounds from Euphorbiaceae family

Chemical Components of Essential Oils From the Leaves of Seven Species Belonging to Rutaceae Family from Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Vietnam

Several plant species of the Rutaceae family are medicinal plants, oil bearing and food crops. To provide more information for utilization of some species of this family in Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, we extracted essential oils from the leaves of seven species of the Rutaceae family: Acronychia pedunculata (L.) Miq., Atalantia citroides Pierre ex Guillaumin, Clausena excavata Burm.f., Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC., Luvunga scandens (Roxb.) Buch.-Ham. ex Wight & Arn, Melicope pteleifolia (Champ. ex Benth.) T.G. Hartley, and Micromelum sp., via hydrodistillation, and identified their components using GC/MS analysis. A total of 60 compounds were identified from essential oils of seven species. The main components of the essential oils isolated from five species, including A. pedunculata, C. excavata, M. pteleifolia, G. pentaphylla, and Micromelum sp., were caryophyllene (57.63% and 55.41% in A. pedunculata and C. excavata, respectively), 1,9-decadiyne (32.59%, M. pteleifolia), β-ocimene (23.10%, G. pentaphylla), and 3-carene (58.03%, Micromelum sp.). Additionally, this study revealed the chemical composition of essential oils of L. scandens and A. citroides for the first time. The main constituent of A. citroides was 7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0] heptane, 3-oxiranyl- (53.91%) and that of L. scandens was caryophyllene (34.66%). These findings provide the basis for further application of these species in medicine

Risk factors for cannula-associated arterial thrombosis following extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support: a retrospective study

Background Hemostatic dysfunction during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) due to blood-circuit interaction and the consequences of shear stress imposed by flow rates lead to rapid coagulation cascade and thrombus formation in the ECMO system and blood vessels. We aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors for cannula-associated arterial thrombosis (CaAT) post-decannulation. Methods A retrospective study of patients undergoing arterial cannula removal following ECMO was performed. We evaluated the incidence of CaAT and compared the characteristics, ECMO machine parameters, cannula sizes, number of blood products transfused during ECMO, and daily hemostasis parameters in patients with and without CaAT. Multivariate analysis identified the risk factors for CaAT. Results Forty-seven patients requiring venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO) or hybrid methods were recruited for thrombosis screening. The median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score was 11 (interquartile range, 8–13). CaAT occurred in 29 patients (61.7%), with thrombosis in the superficial femoral artery accounting for 51.7% of cases. The rate of limb ischemia complications in the CaAT group was 17.2%. Multivariate analysis determined that the ECMO flow rate–body surface area (BSA) ratio (100 ml/min/m2) was an independent factor for CaAT, with an odds ratio of 0.79 (95% confidence interval, 0.66–0.95; P=0.014). Conclusions We found that the incidence of CaAT was 61.7% following successful decannulation from VA-ECMO or hybrid modes, and the ECMO flow rate–BSA ratio was an independent risk factor for CaAT. We suggest screening for arterial thrombosis following VA-ECMO, and further research is needed to determine the risks and benefits of such screening

Secondary metabolites from Dipterocarpus obtusifolius Teijsm. Ex Miq

Six known compounds daphneresinol (1), (+)-neo-olivil (2), methyl gallate (3), bergenin (4), asiatic acid (5) and blumenol A (6) were obtained from the organic extract of the leaves of Dipterocarpus obtusifolius Teijsm. Ex Miq. by various chromatographic techniques. Structural elucidation of the metabolites was carried out by analysis of their spectroscopic data and by comparison with those reported in the literature. Compounds 1-4 and 6 were isolated from this plant for the first time