ENHANCING COMPETITIVE CAPABILITY FOR EDUCATION IN VIETNAM IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION

In the trend of globalization, the development of intellectual standard and training of high-quality human resources, who meet the demands of current society, are seen as very significant targets because developing education does not only aim at building intellectuals standard of the people but also to be a major impetus for the development of a country. The process of globalization requires education background in all countries in general and Vietnamese education in particular to have some proactive switches in order to improve the quality of training that meets the requirements of domestic and foreign labor employment. Improving competitiveness for Vietnam education requires several immediate and long term strategies. Therefore, we have to assess the difficulties and advantages of education in Vietnam as well as the ability of other competitors in the region and worldwide, so we will find the most effective solutions to develop our education.  Article visualizations

Assessing and improving rational antimicrobial use in urban and rural health care facilities in Vietnam

The global problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is particularly pressing in developing countries including Vietnam, where the infectious disease burden is high and cost constrains the replacement of older antimicrobials with newer, more expensive ones. Along with surveillance and infection control, responsible use of antimicrobials is one of the main objectives of the Vietnam National Action Plan on combating AMR. This thesis aims to get a better understanding of how antimicrobials are used in the Vietnamese community and how its use can be improved, to tailor evidence-based interventions and inform policies in controlling AMR. To assess the current situation of community access and use of antimicrobials and identify determinants associated with current practice, an observational study was conducted in 30 private pharmacies in northern Vietnam. This study was followed by a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate a point of care (POC) C-reactive protein (CRP, a biomarker of inflammation) test in reducing unnecessary antimicrobial prescribing for patients with non-severe acute respiratory infections (ARI) and analysis of the economic impact and acceptance of this intervention among users. In private pharmacies, profit incentives coupled to poor knowledge about AMR are key drivers of over the counter dispensing of antimicrobials regardless the existence of regulations. Using a simple rapid blood test to identify customers who do not benefit from antimicrobial therapy would be a potential solution. Primary healthcare stations where over-prescription of antimicrobials for self-limiting infections are common, were chosen for the intervention. CRP POC testing reduced unnecessary AB use for ARI patients without compromising patient’s recovery. This supports and extends findings from European trials by showing that such a stewardship approach is applicable even in resource constrained settings. However, there were several obstacles identified among users regarding test adherence associated with large between-site heterogeneity that need to be addressed to maximize the intervention’s effect in the future. More importantly, our cost analysis indicated that to encourage adoption at scale, proper funding mechanisms to balance the invested costs and achieve global impact on AMR is recommended. In summary, antimicrobial use in Vietnam is largely uncontrolled both in the community and the healthcare system leading to overuse and over-prescription for non-severe ARI. Use of commercially available CRP tests can be an effective, scalable and economically viable approach, even in highly resource-constrained settings. For the future, we are looking at ways to optimise use of POC biomarker testing in primary healthcare and private pharmacy setting. The potential for biomarker based tests to be combined with rapid pathogen detection, enhancing test algorithm adherence, use of CRP tests with equal financial incentives as as selling of antimicrobials and introducing pay for performance mechanisms may be crucial parts for optimisation

Object-Oriented Approach: Applying ISO 21001 at Vietnamese Higher Education Institutions

To evaluate whether an educational institution has quality or not, requires standards that reflect all the requirements of the complex relationships operating within the educational institution. At the same time, this standard must be recognized by all nations for it to apply widely. It is in this context that the ISO 21001:2018 series of standards was published. This standard mentioned three areas of activities that an educational organization must pay attention to: training, scientific research, and community service. They are also the main activities that the educational accreditation standards refer to. To meet the requirement of quality guarantee and enhancement, a higher education institution has to apply quality assurance norms in general and quality criteria on management systems. Putting the ISO 21001 quality standard into practice is the choice of Vietnamese educational institutions to ensure they meet the requirements for improving management system quality. There are a set of quality system standards for educational organizations to satisfy their specific needs. Not following the traditional approach as they apply other ISO standard systems, Vietnamese educational institutions have chosen an object-base approach, where the beneficiaries are related to the management system of the university. They then approach the PDCA cycle to build and implement an ISO 21001 quality management system. We found that, according to this orientation, the implementation processes might be ensured given that the quality thresholds set by the university are met in order to satisfy the demands of the learners and related stakeholders. The paper aims to analyze the approach of Vietnamese educational institutions in implementing ISO 21001 standards, and at the same time identify advantages and disadvantages in developing policies in the quality management system at educational institutions. The paper also gives recommendations that can be adjusted by management at other higher education institutions to improve quality assurance activities towards sustainable development. Keywords: ISO 21001:2018, quality assurance, quality management system, PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act), sustainable developmen

Mutagenic effect of antibiotics on Escherichia coli and new genes of antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Tesis doctoral inédita. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología Molecular. Fecha de lectura: 19-03-201

TRAN QUOC TUAN’S POLITICAL THOUGHTS

Tran Quoc Tuan’s political thoughts emerged and developed in the particular historical condition, when Vietnamese people carried out resistance wars three times against Yuan - Mongolian invaders in the 13th century, so his thoughts were deeply realistic. Although his political thoughts did not actually become a coherent ideological system but they were filled with many viewpoints and thoughts which were ahead of his time and had some very unique features and values. They were national characteristic and inheritance feature with positive adaptation and deep humanistic spirit. Tran Quoc Tuan’s political thoughts were expressed in some aspects, such as (1) putting the national interests above all the interests of an individual; (2) dignifying the role and position of the people in the struggle for national construction and national defend; (3) building strategies to construct the country and fight against foreign invaders.  Article visualizations

Uso de variables de mercado en la predicción de dificultades financieras para las empresas que cotizan en Vietnam

This paper aims to investigate the classification power of market variables as predictors in the financial distress prediction model for listed companies in a frontier market as Vietnam securities market. Data is collected from 70 financially distressed companies that suffer a loss in 3 consecutive years and 156 non-financially distressed companies in Vietnam from 2010 to 2017. Four different models have been constructed using Logit regression and SVM analysis technique to make a prediction in 1 to 3-year ahead. The analysis results show that combining accounting ratios with market variables such as price volatility and P/E can improve the classification ability of the ex-ante model. In addition, contrary to the results of related previous researches in emerging markets, in this study, Logit models outperform SVM models. Therefore, for future research, models that apply other machine learning classifiers such as Decision Tree (DT) or Neural Network (NN) should be investigated.Este artículo tiene como objetivo investigar el poder de clasificación de las variables del mercado como factores predictivos en el modelo de predicción de dificultades financieras para las empresas que cotizan en bolsa en un mercado fronterizo como el mercado de valores de Vietnam. Los datos se recopilan de 70 compañías con dificultades financieras que sufrieron una pérdida en 3 años consecutivos y 156 empresas sin dificultades financieras en Vietnam desde 2010 a 2017. Se han construido cuatro modelos diferentes utilizando regresión Logit y la técnica de análisis de SVM para hacer una predicción en 1 a 3 años por delante. Los resultados del análisis muestran que la combinación de ratios contables con variables de mercado como la volatilidad de los precios y el P / E puede mejorar la capacidad de clasificación del modelo ex ante. Además, a diferencia de los resultados de investigaciones anteriores relacionadas en mercados emergentes, en este estudio, los modelos Logit superan a los modelos SVM. Por lo tanto, para futuras investigaciones, se deben investigar los modelos que aplican otros clasificadores de aprendizaje automático, como el Árbol de decisiones (DT) o la Red neuronal (NN)

Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: An Applied Research in Low Income, Lower Middle Income, Upper Middle Income, and High-Income Countries

This research aims to find the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and economic growth at the global scale. The panel data, collected by the World Bank for a set of 135 countries over the period from 1990 to 2015, consists countries of four income groups – low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high – based on gross national income (GNI) per capita. Linear regressions, which take the advantage of the ordinary least squares method, are used for estimating the unknown parameters. The results show that FDI has statistically significant and positive relationship with economic growth. Despite the development level, most countries have positive association with GDP growth. Based on these findings, some policies are recommended to attract more FDI and to use FDI resources more efficiently

The practices of knowledge claims: Reflections from the drive toward constructing 'East Asian International Relations Theory'

The rise of East Asia has generated debate about how International Relations (IR) Theory should respond to ongoing structural change. Most significantly, a vibrant body of literature now exists that advances – or critiques – the imperative and feasibility for East Asian IR Theory (EAIRT). This thesis addresses an understudied but unique dimension of the EAIRT debate: how claims about EAIRT have altered the way academics approach their research, education and other professional activities. This question has been almost completely ignored by both those who study EAIRT directly (whatever their perspective on that debate) and by those who study the relationship between academia and practices more generally. Driven by the question ‘how have academic practices changed in response to the call for EAIRT’, this study investigates the connection between the various claims about EAIRT and the actual practices of academics in bringing their claims to life. In addressing this issue, this research answers three sub-questions: why knowledge claims occur the way they do; how theorists validate and implement these claims in their daily life; and what actually drives those claims and shifting practices (if any). Addressing these questions provides vital and hitherto missing insight into the status, significance and depth of the contemporary EAIRT debate and enables a better appreciation of the theory-practice relationship. To answer these questions, this thesis constructs a ‘sociology of science’ framework and then applies it to assess the Chinese, Japanese, and American IR communities in an EAIRT context. This study finds that whilst there have been some changes adopted by scholars involved in the EAIRT debate, the degree and form of changes vary across cases. In China, the biggest developments are the formulation of a vibrant theory-led debate and a resource mobilization process to pave the way for the construction of a ‘Chinese style’ IR Theory. In Japan, the EAIRT discourse initially presented itself in the form of re-examining the existence of ‘Japanese IR’ in the past. However, it has increasingly shifted toward a ‘post-Western IR’ agenda. Meanwhile shifting EAIRT practices in the US are most clearly found among a small number of American-based East Asia specialists who have attempted to bring the Eastern agency into IR Theory. Yet ‘mainstream American IR’, given its hegemonic status in the field and the adherence of most IR academics in the US to this approach, has proven resilient to EAIRT. This thesis argues that these different responses to EAIRT can be attributable to the uneven impact of social factors on the practices of knowledge claims. These social factors can be classified into two main categories: structural consideration (power shift, socio-political concerns, and academic institutions) and agential choice (personal background, vision of science, and moral choice). These structural and agential factors often intersect and exert impact to varying extents on different national IR academies and individual academics, and therefore shape their respective responses to the call for EAIRT. That explains why claims for EAIRT take various forms in theoretical debates and are implemented in different ways in scholars’ daily practices

The Ability of Teachers at Tuyen Quang Province’s Primary School to Organize STEM Educational Activities

The effectiveness of students' learning is significantly impacted by primary teachers' capacity to plan STEM instructional activities. If the study reveals the precise state of the teachers' capacity to plan STEM education activities in selected primary schools in Tuyen Quang Province. It will serve as the foundation for initiatives that will increase teachers' ability to plan STEM educational activities and improve the standard of instruction in primary schools. 210 administrators, teachers, and 350 students from 7 primary schools in Tuyen Quang Province of were interviewed in-depth using analysis and synthesis of theoretical approaches, questionnaire surveys mixed with observation, and in-depth interviews. We have got preliminary results on the level of teachers' attainment of the capacity to plan STEM educational activities using quantitative data processing techniques on SPSS software. The competencies are often evaluated at an average to slightly above average level. Based on the aforementioned research findings, we offer some suggestions for managers to take into account when developing a strategic plan to enhance teachers' ability to plan STEM-related educational activities

Measuring the progress of the timeliness childhood immunization compliance in Vietnam between 2006-2014: A decomposition analysis

Vietnam launched the national Expanded Program on Immunization in 1981. Since then, this program has contributed signi cantly to the improvement of child health and to the reduction of child mortality rate. Despite of the fact that the coverage of the national EPI keeps expanding, the number of children who complied with the recommended immunization schedule remains low. This article studies the progress of the timeliness childhood immunization compliance among children between 0-5 years of age in Vietnam from 2006 to 2014 and analyzes the socio-economic factors that account for the changes of the compliance rate during this period. The dataset is extracted from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in 2006 and 2014. We rst identify the socio-economic factors that impact on the vaccination compliance rate using a logistic regression model. Next, we apply the decomposition method to determine the contribution of each factor on the evolution of the timeliness childhood immunization compliance. The progress of the timeliness childhood immunization has been positive and the major contribution comes from the structure e ect (unmeasured e ect). Rural areas show a stronger improvement as of 2014. Among the socio-economic factors, mother education and birth order are the ones that have the larger in uence on the childhood immunization compliance rate. However, these factors have di erent implications in urban and rural areas. These ndings are critical to the current context of Vietnam where the government is designing a strategy focusing on the e ectiveness rather than the traditional coverage indicator