VIETNAMESE STUDENT RESEARCHERS’ EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR SUPERVISOR AND SUPERVISION PROCESS

In Vietnam, scientific research is no longer just the work of scientists, graduate students, scholars, or lecturers; tertiary students are also encouraged to conduct scientific research. Therefore, the scientific research work of students receives more attention from educators. The research on carrying out scientific research of students is also therefore increasing. However, researchers do not seem to have paid enough attention to the role of supervisors during the supervision process. The evidence is that there are few studies on supervisors in Vietnam. Therefore, this study was conducted to learn about the role of supervisors from the student's perspective and expectations. Specifically, this study was conducted quantitatively with the use of a questionnaire consisting of 49 questions with a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 100 English-major students at a university in Southwest Vietnam participated in this study by answering the questionnaire. The results from the questionnaire show that students had high expectations from their supervisors. Specifically, students expect their supervisor to be someone who respects their opinions, has good scientific research knowledge, can give constructive comments, and is always willing to help them when needed. Based on research findings, supervisors are encouraged to participate in professional development training related to scientific research to improve their research knowledge and skills. Along with that, supervisors need to be aware of their role during the process of guiding students to do scientific research.  Article visualizations

High prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants in commensal members of the Enterobacteriaceae in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Antimicrobial-resistant pathogenic members of the Enterobacteriaceae are a well-defined global problem. We hypothesized that one of the main reservoirs of dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes in Vietnam is non-pathogenic intestinal flora, and sought to isolate antimicrobial-resistant organisms from hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized healthy individuals in Ho Chi Minh City. The results identified substantial faecal carriage of gentamicin-, ceftazidime- and nalidixic acid-resistant members of the Enterobacteriaceae in both hospitalized patients and non-hospitalized healthy individuals. A high prevalence of quinolone resistance determinants was identified, particularly the qnrS gene, in both community- and hospital-associated strains. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that a combination of quinolone resistance determinants can confer resistance to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin, even in the apparent absence of additional chromosomal resistance mutations in wild-type strains and laboratory strains with transferred plasmids. These data suggest that intestinal commensal organisms are a significant reservoir for the dissemination of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in Ho Chi Minh City

An Anthropology of Intellectual Exchange: Interactions, Transactions and Ethics in Asia and Beyond

Dialogues, encounters and interactions through which particular ways of knowing, understanding and thinking about the world are forged lie at the centre of anthropology. Such ‘intellectual exchange’ is also central to anthropologists’ own professional practice: from their interactions with research participants and modes of pedagogy to their engagements with each other and scholars from adjacent disciplines. This collection of essays explores how such processes might best be studied cross-culturally. Foregrounding the diverse interactions, ethical reasoning, and intellectual lives of people from across the continent of Asia, the volume develops an anthropology of intellectual exchange itself

Transport Jc in Bulk Superconductors: A Practical Approach?

The characterisation of the critical current density of bulk high temperature superconductors is typically performed using magnetometry, which involves numerous assumptions including, significantly, that Jc within the sample is uniform. Unfortunately, magnetometry is particularly challenging to apply where a local measurement of Jc across a feature, such as a grain boundary, is desired. Although transport measurements appear to be an attractive alternative to magnetization, it is extremely challenging to reduce the cross-sectional area of a bulk sample sufficiently to achieve a sufficiently low critical current that can be generated by a practical current source. In the work described here, we present a technique that enables transport measurements to be performed on sections of bulk superconductors. Metallographic techniques and resin reinforcement were used to create an I-shaped sample of bulk superconductor from a section of Gd-Ba-Cu-O containing 15 wt % Ag2O. The resulting superconducting track had a cross-sectional area of 0.44 mm2. The sample was found to support a critical current of 110 A using a field criterion in the narrowed track region of 1 μV cm-1. We conclude, therefore, that it is possible to measure critical current densities in excess of 2.5 x 108 A m-2 in sections of a bulk superconductor.This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, via a Doctoral Training Award (grant number is EP/L504920/1) and funding from grant number EP/K02910X/1. This work was also supported by the Boeing Company. All data are provided in full in the results section of this paper.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from IEEE via http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TASC.2016.253764

THÀNH PHẦN HÓA HỌC VÀ HOẠT TÍNH CHỐNG OXY HÓA CỦA CÁC DỊCH CHIẾT TỪ HOA XUYẾN CHI (Bidens pilosa)

Bidens pilosa is used in traditional medicine in Vietnam. The antioxidant potential of the ethanol extract and fractions from the flowers of Bidens pilosa was evaluated through DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging and the total antioxidant capacity method. The ethyl acetate fraction exhibits the highest activity with the lowest IC50 value (IC50 = 31.54 μg·mL–1 and IC50 = 35.33 μg·mL–1 for DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacity), and the total antioxidant capacity was 85.05 ± 0.28 mg GA·g–1. The composition of Bidens pilosa flowers: the total phenolic, total flavonoid, polysaccharides, and triterpenoid, was examined by using the colorimetric method, and their quantities are equivalent to 59.35 ± 0.83 mg GAE·g–1, 42.35 ± 1.50 mg QE·g–1, 4.44 ± 0.02%, and 32.88 ± 0.66 mg acid oleanolic·g–1, respectively. Specifically, the polysaccharide and total triterpenoid content of Bidens pilosa flowers was reported for the first time.Xuyến chi đã được sử dụng trong các bài thuốc cổ truyền Việt Nam. Khả năng chống oxy hóa của cao toàn phần và các cao phân đoạn từ hoa cây Xuyến chi được đánh giá thông qua ba mô hình: tổng khả năng chống oxy hoá, khả năng bắt gốc tự do DPPH và khả năng bắt gốc ABTS. Kết quả cho thấy cao ethyl acetate có khả năng chống oxy hóa tốt nhất với IC50 nhỏ nhất (IC50 = 31,54 μg·mL–1 và           IC50 = 35,33 μg·mL–1 tương ứng với khả năng bắt gốc DPPH và ABTS) và hàm lượng các chất chống oxy hóa cao nhất (85,05 ± 0,28 mg·g–1 acid gallic). Hàm lượng các hợp chất có hoạt tính sinh học (tổng các hợp chất phenol, tổng flavonoid, tổng triterpenoid và polysaccharide) trong dịch chiết hoa cây Xuyến chi được xác định bằng phương pháp trắc quang. Hàm lượng tổng các hợp chất phenol và flavonoid là 59,35 ± 0,83 mg GAE·g–1 và 42,35 ± 1,50 mg QE·g–1; hàm lượng polysacharide và triterpenoid là 4,44 ± 0,02% và 32,88 ± 0,66 mg acid oleanolic·g–1. Lần đầu tiên, tổng hàm lượng triterpenoid và polysacharide trong hoa Xuyến chi được công bố

New technologies to improve healthcare in low- and middle-income countries: Global Grand Challenges satellite event, Oxford University Clinical Research Unit, Ho Chi Minh City, 17th-18th September 2019

We report the outputs of a satellite event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, organized as part of the "2 nd Global Grand Challenges of Engineering Summit". The event considered challenges and potential solutions for improving low- and middle-income country (LMIC) healthcare systems, with particular reference to critical care. Participants from key regional and local stakeholders in healthcare and engineering discussed how new advances in technology, especially in the field of Artificial Intelligence, could be of potential benefit. This article summarizes the perspectives and conclusions of a group of key stakeholders from LMICs across South and South East Asia

Intrathecal Immunoglobulin for treatment of adult patients with tetanus: A randomized controlled 2x2 factorial trial [version 2; referees: 2 approved]

Despite long-standing availability of an effective vaccine, tetanus remains a significant problem in many countries. Outcome depends on access to mechanical ventilation and intensive care facilities and in settings where these are limited, mortality remains high. Administration of tetanus antitoxin by the intramuscular route is recommended treatment for tetanus, but as the tetanus toxin acts within the central nervous system, it has been suggested that intrathecal administration of antitoxin may be beneficial. Previous studies have indicated benefit, but with the exception of one small trial no blinded studies have been performed. The objective of this study is to establish whether the addition of intrathecal tetanus antitoxin reduces the need for mechanical ventilation in patients with tetanus. Secondary objectives: to determine whether the addition of intrathecal tetanus antitoxin reduces autonomic nervous system dysfunction and length of hospital/ intensive care unit stay; whether the addition of intrathecal tetanus antitoxin in the treatment of tetanus is safe and cost-effective; to provide data to inform recommendation of human rather than equine antitoxin. This study will enroll adult patients (≥16 years old) with tetanus admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City. The study is a 2x2 factorial blinded randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients will be randomized in a 1:1:1:1 manner to the four treatment arms (intrathecal treatment and human intramuscular treatment, intrathecal treatment and equine intramuscular treatment, sham procedure and human intramuscular treatment, sham procedure and equine intramuscular treatment). Primary outcome measure will be requirement for mechanical ventilation. Secondary outcome measures: duration of hospital/ intensive care unit stay, duration of mechanical ventilation, in-hospital and 240-day mortality and disability, new antibiotic prescription, incidence of ventilator associated pneumonia and autonomic nervous system dysfunction, total dose of benzodiazepines and pipecuronium, and incidence of adverse events. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02999815 Registration date: 21 December 201

Validation and utilization of an internally controlled multiplex Real-time RT-PCR assay for simultaneous detection of enteroviruses and enterovirus A71 associated with hand foot and mouth disease

Background: Hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a disease of public health importance across the Asia-Pacific region. The disease is caused by enteroviruses (EVs), in particular enterovirus A71 (EV-A71). In EV-A71-associated HFMD, the infection is sometimes associated with severe manifestations including neurological involvement and fatal outcome. The availability of a robust diagnostic assay to distinguish EV-A71 from other EVs is important for patient management and outbreak response. Methods: We developed and validated an internally controlled one-step single-tube real-time RT-PCR in terms of sensitivity, linearity, precision, and specificity for simultaneous detection of EVs and EV-A71. Subsequently, the assay was then applied on throat and rectal swabs sampled from 434 HFMD patients. Results: The assay was evaluated using both plasmid DNA and viral RNA and has shown to be reproducible with a maximum assay variation of 4.41 % and sensitive with a limit of detection less than 10 copies of target template per reaction, while cross-reactivity with other EV serotypes was not observed. When compared against a published VP1 nested RT-PCR using 112 diagnostic throat and rectal swabs from 112 children with a clinical diagnosis of HFMD during 2014, the multiplex assay had a higher sensitivity and 100 % concordance with sequencing results which showed EVs in 77/112 (68.8 %) and EV-A71 in 7/112 (6.3 %). When applied to clinical diagnostics for 322 children, the assay detected EVs in throat swabs of 257/322 (79.8 %) of which EV-A71 was detected in 36/322 (11.2 %) children. The detection rate increased to 93.5 % (301/322) and 13.4 % (43/322) for EVs and EV-A71, respectively, when rectal swabs from 65 throat-negative children were further analyzed. Conclusion: We have successfully developed and validated a sensitive internally controlled multiplex assay for rapid detection of EVs and EV-A71, which is useful for clinical management and outbreak control of HFMD. Keywords: Hand foot and mouth disease, Enteroviruses, Enterovirus A71, Real-time RT-PCR, Diagnosi

Лексические средства связности в речи телеведущего в жанре интерактивной белорусскоязычной телебеседы

Материалы XII Междунар. науч. конф. студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов и молодых ученых, Гомель, 16–17 мая 2019 г