203 research outputs found

    Employee Volunteer Program in the Eyes of College Students

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    The purpose of this study is to understand University of New Hampshire (UNH) students’ opinions about Employee Volunteer Program (EVP), especially what value they place upon EVP and what they are looking for in an ideal EVP. Based on the background and context of EVP among Millennials recently, the paper raises questions about EVP’s value to students generally and how factors like past volunteering experience, gender, and occupation/majors impact students’ valuation of EVP. Data collected from this research leads to several conclusions. Although many students do not fully understand EVP, most of them have positive opinions of the program, leaving great potential for employers’ education and recruiting messages transmission. It also suggests some potential areas for further study and recommendations to employers regarding EVP as a tool to attract top talent and keep employees engaged

    Biochemical Basis of Autoactivity of a Pair of Plant NLR Immune Receptors

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    An immune system enables organisms to defend themselves against a myriad of pathogens and diseases. Plants, which can rely only on innate immunity, have evolved different types of receptors to detect pathogens. Transmembrane receptors can recognize pathogenic conserved structures called pathogen- associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) such as flagellin, leading to PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Intracellular receptors recognize specific molecules delivered by pathogens into plant cells, known as effectors, and activate effector-triggered immunity (ETI) when PTI is overcome. Most of the ETI-mediating intracellular receptors belong to the NLR protein family characterized by a nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeats. NLRs perceive matching effectors, through either physical binding to the effector (direct recognition) or by sensing effector-induced biochemical modifications of a host target (indirect recognition). NLR-dependent signaling often leads to a hypersensitive response (HR), featured by localized cell death at the site of the infection, which stops pathogen spread and disease development. Mis-regulation of NLRs in the absence of pathogens can lead to inappropriate responses of the immune system, known as autoimmunity, causing spontaneous cell death, necrotic lesions and developmental defects. Autoimmunity can occasionally be observed in hybrid plants. This type of hybrid weakness can result from deleterious epistatic interactions between NLR genes from the two parents. In this thesis, I investigated the biochemical mechanism of autoimmunity in hybrids of two natural Arabidopsis thaliana accessions from Umkirch (Southwestern Germany). The two causal genes involved, DM1 (DANGEROUS MIX 1) from Uk-3 and DM2 from Uk-1, both encode NLRs. The causal DM2 variant is located in a multi-gene cluster with diverse NLR members, while DM1 is a single-gene NLR locus. In this study,I showed that signaling mediated by DM1 and DM2 uses the same pathway that other plant NLRs deploy upon non-self recognition. Cell death signaling induced by DM1 and DM2 involves heteromeric association of both proteins through their N-terminal regions including TIR domains, with DM1 forming inactive homo-oligomers in the absence of DM2. Mutations in the P-loop of either DM1 or DM2 suppressed HR, indicating the 1 contribution of both proteins to signaling. The contributions of the two NLRs to downstream signaling are, however, not symmetrical. Mutations in an NLR signature motif that are likely to affect conformation around the ATP binding pocket greatly change the activity of only DM2. Taken together, my results suggest that DM1 acts primarily as a signal transducer, and DM2 as a signal trigger. Autoimmunity triggered by joint action of this NLR pair thus suggests that the activity of the signaling complex depends on the sum of the complementary activities of the partner NLRs. Knowledge of the biochemical basis of autoactivity induced by plant NLR pairs will help us to understand how plant autoimmunity arises through NLR interaction, and how NLR activity is regulated to avoid inappropriate activation to minimize the plant fitness cost in the absence of pathogens

    FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF CAMELLIA NINHII SEED OIL COLLECTED IN LAM DONG PROVINCE

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    The seed oil of Camellia ninhii was studied for the first time on its fatty acid composition by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and antioxidant activity by the DPPH method. The results show that unsaturated fatty acids account for the largest amount, especially oleic acid with 45.43% of the total sample analyzed. In addition, other fatty acids, palmitic, linoleic, pentadecanoic, and two aromatic acids, benzoic and cinnamic, were present. The sample of C. ninhii seed oil exhibited mild antioxidant activity against DPPH free radicals with IC50 = 0.94 mg/mL

    Hierarchical robust fuzzy sliding mode control for a class of simo under-actuated systems with mismatched uncertainties

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    The development of the algorithms for single input multi output (SIMO) under-actuated systems with mismatched uncertainties is important. Hierarchical sliding-mode controller (HSMC) has been successfully employed to control SIMO under-actuated systems with mismatched uncertainties in a hierarchical manner with the use of sliding mode control. However, in such a control scheme, the chattering phenomenon is its main disadvantage. To overcome the above disadvantage, in this paper, a new compound control scheme is proposed for SIMO under-actuated based on HSMC and fuzzy logic control (FLC). By using the HSMC approach, a sliding control law is derived so as to guarantee the stability and robustness under various environments. The FLC as the second controller completely removes the chattering signal caused by the sign function in the sliding control law. The results are verified through theoretical proof and simulation software of MATLAB through two systems Pendubot and series double inverted pendulum

    SOCIAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTION INDEBTED FIRMS IN VIETNAM: CHARACTERISTICS AND MARKET VALUE

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    Abstract: This research is the first to empirically analyse the characteristics of firms that defer the social security contribution for their employees to the Vietnam Social Security agency, which is a chargeable offense starting 2018 as the Vietnam government focuses on ensuring worker welfare. Using data on 873 public firms headquartered in four major cities (Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh, Da Nang, and Hai Phong), we find that non-state-owned firms and firms with lower profitability and higher debts are more likely to be in arrears on social security contribution. On the other hand, the roles of foreign ownership, size, number of employees, and number of branches/offices are insignificant. We further show that being social security contribution indebted would negatively affect shareholders’ interest as it is associated with lower firm market values.Key words: social security contribution, worker welfare, state ownership, foreign ownership, firm market valu

    Further Discussion On Applying Case Study Method In Investment Law Course – A Case Of Education Investment In Vietnam

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    Purpose: The aim of this study is to focus on clarifying using case study method to improve taching law course. Currently, many universities around the world are applying a new teaching method. It can help students absorb knowledge more efficiently and faster. That is the case study. Using a Case Study allows a deeper understanding of cases as a unit, through comparing the similarities and differences of individual cases. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses qualitative analysis, synthesis and inductive methods, together with studies and references from CPTPP, FTA Agreement, as well as Regulations on assurance of business investment activities. Findings: The application of this method to teaching helps learners to approach very applicable situations. The situations or problems close to the theory will also help them to systematize all the knowledge they have learned to apply to solve the assigned problem. Not only use the knowledge learned, but also learn related knowledge outside the program to solve the problem. Case Study is an extremely interesting and interesting learning method, helping us to associate reality and apply it to solve problems and help us remember longer. If you really understand what a case study is, then apply it to your life and work. The results show the regulations on guaranteeing ownership rights as well as ensuring investors' business investment activities have been clearly stipulated in the 2020 Labor Law of Vietnam. These regulations have concretized the constitutional principle of investors' freedom to invest and do business in industries that are not prohibited by la

    Observation of High Doppler Velocity Wings in the Nascent Wind of R Doradus

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    We study the morpho-kinematics in the nascent wind of AGB star R Doradus in the light of high Doppler velocity wings observed in the spectral lines of several species. We probe distances from the star between ∼10 and ∼100 au using ALMA observations of the emission of five different molecular lines. High Doppler velocity enhancements of the line emission are observed in the vicinity of the line of sight crossing the star, reminiscent of those recently interpreted as gas streams in the nascent wind of a similar AGB star, EP Aqr. They are present in both blue-shifted and red- shifted hemispheres but are not exactly back-to-back. They are accelerated at a typical rate of 0.7 km s1^{−1} au1^{−1} up to some 20 km s1^{−1}. Important differences are observed between the emissions of different molecules. We exclude an effect of improper continuum subtraction. However, in contrast to EP Aqr, the line of sight plays no particular role in the R Dor morpho-kinematics, shedding doubt on the validity of a gas stream interpretation. We discuss possible interpretations in terms of stellar pulsations or of rotation of the gas in the environment of the star. We conclude that, in the state of current knowledge, no fully convincing picture of the physics governing the production of such high velocities, typically twice as large as the terminal velocity, can be reliably drawn. New high resolution analyses of observations of the nascent wind of oxygen-rich AGB stars are needed to clarify the issue

    PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF OPHIOCORDYCEPS SOBOLIFERA

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    The aim of study was to determine preliminary phytochemical analysis and the antioxidant potential of Ophiocordyceps sobolifera. The antioxidant activity of Ophiocordyceps sobolifera was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging and total antioxidant activity methods. Phytochemical analyses revealed the presence of steroids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, phenolics, flavoinods, protein, carbohydarte and saponins. The antioxidant activity of the ethanol extracts and water extracts showed high antioxidant activity with the lowest half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values to 0.70 from 0.95mg/mL, realtively. Total antioxidant capacity of the O. sobolifera showed contained from 5.52 ± 0.14 to 12,71 ± 0.23 mg GA/g or from 3.55 ± 0.15 to 7.87 ± .05 μmol AS/g. These data suggest that O. sobolifera is a natural source of antioxidants

    Treatment of landfill leachate through struvite precipitation and nitrogen removal bacteria and poly-phosphate bacteria (in-pots experiment)

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    Abstract— Landfill leacheate is a type of wastewater which contains large amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus, therefore it needed to be treated before releasing to directly to the environment. The combination between struvite precipitation and nitrogen removal and poly-P bacteria into wastewater for landfill leachate treatment has been found to be a cost-effective practive, a viable technology in terms of environmental protection and sustainability, especially in the developing-countries. For optimum struvite crystallization from landfill leachate, the Mg:PO4 molar ratio as (1.2:1) was used, the pH of reaction was adjusted to 9 and the sample was stirred continously during 40 minutes. The supernatant sample was then added 1% nitrogen removal bacteria (Pseudomonas stutzeri D3b strain) and 1% poly-P bacteria (Kurthia sp. TGT1013L strain), 5 g glucose/L and aeration 12/24h during 3 days, ammonium concentration reduced significantly from 1076 mg/L to 1.5 mg/L and orthophosphate concentration decreased noticeably from 24.91 mg/L to 7.6 mg/L

    DETERMINATION THE PRIORITY OF FACTORS INFLUENCING OVERSEAS INVESTMENT DESTINATIONS OF BUSINESSES USING AN ANALYTIC HIERARCHY PROCESS METHOD

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    Because of the great benefits overseas investment brings, countries and businesses are increasingly concerned with the question of an ideal investment destination. Many studies have shown that, factors of the consumption market, the infrastructure and resources, economic and political environment have a significant impact on the decision to choose an investment location, however the priority order of these factors are different for various research spaces. By studying the specific case of Viettel Group - one of the largest telecommunications groups in Vietnam that is having many international investment activities in recent years, the study has been verified the priority order of factors influencing the decision to choose an overseas investment location of this corporation. The research outcomes show that the group of factors that have the most influence on investment decisions is the group "Consumption market", more specifically, the sub-factor "Market Size" is considered more than the others.    Keywords: Investment Destinations, Foreign Investment Decision, Analytic Hierarchy Process
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