Influencers’ Blogging Patterns and Their Power of Shaping Consumer Purchase Decision: An Analysis from the Consumer’s Perspectives

Objectives: In conducting this thesis, the author primary aims to provide a thorough analysis on typical Influencer’s Blogging patterns that are capable of impacting consumer purchase decision. Secondly, the author intends to shed more light on the identification of the causal relationship between blogger’s recommendation and consumer behavior. Last but not least, author wish to contribute a more holistic information to the research bank about Influencer Marketing, with discussion on both major and minor issues relating to the procedure, conducts and ethical matter of this globally prevalent marketing tactics. Summary: This study benefits International Business research by addressing a global issue of Influencer Marketing strategy application. Related published articles are reviewed and findings were configured using qualitative data collection. In details, two focus group with participants are millennials with exposure to blogs and influencers were conducted. Results was then compared and contrasted to identify commonly perceived blogging patterns practiced by influencers of the field, as well as to pinpoint the scale and weight of consequent recommendations on consumer purchase decision. Discussion chapters follow to explain additional conclusion in accordance with reviewed literature. Main findings are stated along with limitation acknowledgement, international business implication and suggest for future research. Conclusions: Of all patterns mentioned in different research papers, influencers tend to adopt same application standard on content production, blogging frequency, tricks and treats, audience integration and reputation maintenance. Among five patterns, the most impactful one directly affects consumer decisions is content production. Also, the intangible relationship between influencer’s recommendation and purchase decision is solidified. With a proven existence of the correlation, analysis on other minor factors is being put on tray, generating managerial implication for mutual benefits to all of the stakeholder in the industry, namely the brands, the bloggers and the consumers

A Multicentre Molecular Analysis of Hepatitis B and Blood-Borne Virus Coinfections in Viet Nam

Hepatitis B (HBV) infection is endemic in Viet Nam, with up to 8.4 million individuals estimated to be chronically infected. We describe results of a large, multicentre seroepidemiological and molecular study of the prevalence of HBV infection and blood-borne viral coinfections in Viet Nam. Individuals with varying risk factors for infection (n = 8654) were recruited from five centres; Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and Can Tho. A mean prevalence rate of 10.7% was observed and levels of HBsAg were significantly higher in injecting drug users (IDUs) (17.4%, n = 174/1000) and dialysis patients (14.3%, n = 82/575) than in lower-risk groups (9.4%; p<0.001). Coinfection with HIV was seen in 28% of HBV-infected IDUs (n = 49/174) and 15.2% of commercial sex workers (CSWs; n = 15/99). HCV infection was present in 89.8% of the HBV-HIV coinfected IDUs (n = 44/49) and 40% of HBV-HIV coinfected CSWs (n = 16/40). Anti-HDV was detected in 10.7% (n = 34/318) of HBsAg positive individuals. Phylogenetic analysis of HBV S gene (n = 187) showed a predominance of genotype B4 (82.6%); genotypes C1 (14.6%), B2 (2.7%) and C5 (0.5%) were also identified. The precore mutation G1896A was identified in 35% of all specimens, and was more frequently observed in genotype B (41%) than genotype C (3%; p<0.0001). In the immunodominant ‘a’ region of the surface gene, point mutations were identified in 31% (n = 58/187) of sequences, and 2.2% (n = 4/187) and 5.3% (n = 10/187) specimens contained the major vaccine escape mutations G145A/R and P120L/Q/S/T, respectively. 368 HBsAg positive individuals were genotyped for the IL28B SNP rs12979860 and no significant association between the IL28B SNP and clearance of HBsAg, HBV viral load or HBeAg was observed. This study confirms the high prevalence of HBV infection in Viet Nam and also highlights the significant levels of blood-borne virus coinfections, which have important implications for hepatitis-related morbidity and development of effective management strategies

Length–weight relations of 11 goby species (Actinopterygii: Gobiiformes) from mangroves along the Ba Lat estuary of the Red River, Vietnam

Presently reported study examined the length–weight relations for 11 goby species collected from a mangrove estuary of the Red River, Vietnam. A total of 1097 individuals of the following species, representing three goby families, were analyzed: Butis butis (Hamilton, 1822); Butis koilomatodon (Bleeker, 1849); Acentrogobius moloanus (Herre, 1927); Acentrogobius viridipunctatus (Valenciennes, 1837); Apocryptodon madurensis (Bleeker, 1849); Aulopareia unicolor (Valenciennes, 1837); Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton, 1822); Gobiopsis macrostoma Steindachner, 1861; Mugilogobius abei (Jordan et Snyder, 1901); Tridentiger barbatus (Günther, 1861); and Tridentiger trigonocephalus (Gill, 1859). The regression slope values (b) ranged from 2.909 to 3.621. The majority of species had positive allometric or isometric growth pattern with b ≥ 3, except for only one species (G. giuris) which had a negative allometric growth with b = 2.909. This study provided the first LWR information of four gobies that have not been reported in FishBase yet. Besides, the reference for LWRs of other gobies at an ecologically important area like Ba Lat Estuary is also provided

Nutritional Status, Refeeding Syndrome and Some Associated Factors of Patients at COVID-19 Hospital in Vietnam

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome is associated with COVID-19 and can result in reduced food intake, increased muscle catabolism, and electrolyte imbalance. Therefore COVID-19 patients are at high risk of being malnourished and of refeeding syndrome. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of malnutrition and refeeding syndrome (RS) among COVID-19 patients in Hanoi, Vietnam. This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 1207 patients who were treated at the COVID-19 hospital of Hanoi Medical University (HMUH COVID-19) between September 2021 and March 2022. Nutritional status was evaluated by the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) and laboratory markers. GLIM-defined malnutrition was found in 614 (50.9%) patients. Among those with malnutrition, 380 (31.5%) and 234 (19.4%) had moderate and severe malnutrition, respectively. The prevalence of risk of RS was 346 (28.7%). Those with severe and critical COVID symptoms are more likely to be at risk of RS compared to those with mild or moderate COVID, and having severe and critical COVID-19 infection increased the incidence of RS by 2.47 times, compared to mild and moderate disease. There was an association between levels of COVID-19, older ages, comorbidities, the inability of eating independently, hypoalbuminemia and hyponatremia with malnutrition. The proportion of COVID-19 patients who suffered from malnutrition was high. These results underscore the importance of early nutritional screening and assessment in COVID-19 patients, especially those with severe and critical infection

Shifting Identities and Changing Mindsets: A Case of Lecturers Adopting Digital Pedagogies in Vietnam

The advent of COVID 19 accelerated the need for transformational practices in higher education that were both flexible and agile in nature. The demand was that higher education institutions respond in a way that best supported each of their students and staff to find solutions to unpredictable challenges. This chapter reports on a qualitative case study of how university lecturers from three universities, located in disadvantaged regions of Vietnam, were forced to use digital technologies for teaching, and how they came to see themselves, their students and their interdependent roles in new ways that transformed their practice for the long term. Drawing on advice from international educators, over a short period of five months, the Vietnamese lecturers used a collaborative action learning approach to choose and deploy appropriate pedagogical approaches with digital technologies fit for their local context. In the absence of existing policy frameworks for using digital pedagogies and associated technologies, and with very constrained budgets for additional learning support and the expansion of digital infrastructure or new devices, the lecturers were able to make significant changes towards the adoption of appropriate and transformative digital pedagogies. The success is attributed to an approach comprising of four key steps: recognition of the professional learning opportunity, access to capacity building opportunities with existing international partners, formation of an active informal professional learning community among staff members, and capture of evidence of learning to share with others. It is argued that this approach visibly generated a shift to identifying one’s practice more broadly as an educator, as opposed to the role of a traditional lecturer, and promoted a changing mindset about online learning, and the importance of developing digital pedagogic practices that are transformative and sustainable

The Utilization of Machine Learning Algorithms for Assisting Physicians in the Diagnosis of Diabetes

This paper investigates the use of machine learning algorithms to aid medical professionals in the detection and risk assessment of diabetes. The research employed a dataset gathered from individuals with type 2 diabetes in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. A variety of classification algorithms, including Decision Tree Classifier, Logistic Regression, SVC, Ada Boost Classifier, Gradient Boosting Classifier, Random Forest Classifier, and K Neighbors Classifier, were utilized to identify the most suitable algorithm for the dataset. The results of the present study indicate that the Random Forest Classifier algorithm yielded the most promising results, exhibiting a cross-validation score of 0.998 and an accuracy rate of 100%. To further evaluate the effectiveness of the selected model, it was subjected to a testing phase involving a new dataset comprising 67 patients that had not been previously seen. The performance of the algorithm on this dataset resulted in an accuracy rate of 94%, especially the study’s notable finding is the algorithm’s accurate prediction of the probability of patients developing diabetes, as indicated by the class 1 (diabetes) probabilities. This innovative approach offers a meticulous and quantifiable method for diabetes detection and risk evaluation, showcasing the potential of machine learning algorithms in assisting clinicians with diagnosis and management. By communicating the diabetes score and probability estimates to patients, the comprehension of their disease status can be enhanced. This information empowers patients to make informed decisions and motivates them to adopt healthier lifestyle habits, ultimately playing a crucial role in impeding disease progression. The study underscores the significance of leveraging machine learning in healthcare to optimize patient care and improve long-term health outcomes

Conversion of bipolar resistive switching and threshold switching by controlling conductivity behavior and porous volumes of UiO-66 thin films

In the age of big data, a memory with cross-bar array architecture is urgently required to facilitate high-density data storage. To eliminate the sneak path current of integrated circuits, threshold switching-based selectors have been utilized simultaneously with resistive switching memories. In this study, the successful absorption of uric acid (UA) into a UiO-66 matrix was realized at room temperature without any disruption of the host crystalline structure. Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra revealed the presence of UA based on the interaction of its carbonyl group with the UiO-66 matrix, whereas the diffraction peaks in the X-ray diffraction spectra of the (111) and (200) index planes were slightly shifted to the lower 2θ values, demonstrating the interaction of the UA on the system is occupy porous cages and free volume structures. The occupation of UA in the porous volume of the framework has been estimated by the significant vanishing of surface area from 1299 to 950 cm3 g−1 as well as the almost dismission of UiO-66 porous cages of 12.5 Å by BET analysis. The electronic transitions from linkers to metals and intramolecular between nearest linkers of UA absorbed UiO-66 were heavily reduced via the evidence from photoluminescence spectroscopy. These changes in structural and electronic density lead to the change in the electrical conduction mechanism, operating voltage, and resistive switching characteristics from memory switching to threshold switching corresponding to Ag/UiO-66–PVA/Ag and Ag/UA@UiO-66–PVA/Ag device, respectively. The reduction and vanish of porous cages and free volume restrict the formation management of silver conducting filaments through the UA@UiO-66–PVA matrix. This study provides a new approach to controlling the conversion switching behavior between memory and threshold in metal–organic framework materials for high-density cross-bar architecture

Toward Sustainable Learning during School Suspension: Socioeconomic, Occupational Aspirations, and Learning Behavior of Vietnamese Students during COVID-19

The overspread of the novel coronavirus—SARS-CoV-2—over the globe has caused significant damage to manufacturing and service businesses, regardless of whether they are commercial, public, or not-for-profit sectors. While both the short-term and long-term impacts of most companies can be approximately measured or estimated, it is challenging to address the enduring effects of COVID-19 on teaching and learning activities. The target of this research is to investigate students’ manners of studying at home during the school suspension time as a result of COVID-19. Through analyzing original survey data from 420 K6–12 students in Hanoi, Vietnam, this work demonstrates the different learning habits of students with different socioeconomic statuses and occupational aspirations during the disease’s outbreak. In particular, we featured the differences in students’ learning behaviors between private schools and public schools, as well as between students who plan to follow STEM-related careers and those who intend to engage in social science-related careers. The empirical evidence of this study can be used for the consideration of the local government to increase the sustainability of coming policies and regulations to boost students’ self-efficacy, as it will affect 1.4 million students in Hanoi, as well as the larger population of nearly 10 million Vietnamese students. These results can also be the foundation for future investigations on how to elevate students’ learning habits toward Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4)—Quality Education—especially in fanciful situations in which the regular school operation has been disrupted, counting with limited observation and support from teachers and parents

Mosaicism in carrier of Duchenne muscular dystrophy mutation – Implication for prenatal diagnosis

Objective: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe disorder caused by mutation in the X-linked dystrophin gene, therefor carrier testing is required for all female family members. However, there are cases mutation analysis cannot detect any mutation due to a phenomenon called mosaicism. The case report describes a case of mosaicism in a DMD carrier and discusses the approach in diagnosis and counseling of familial disorder. Case report: The proband was diagnosed with DMD at age six. Sequencing of Dystrophin gene identified a 2-nucleotide deletion c.2032_2033delCA, p.Q678DfsX41. Family investigation suggested that the mother was an obligate carrier of Dystrophin mutation. Sequencing of DNA sample from the mother's peripheral blood did not reveal any mutation, there for we take sample from hair follicle for analysis. The result indicated that the mother was a carrier but was masked from initial analysis by mosaicsism. Conclusion: We suggested that more care need to be taken in identifying cases when no mutation was detected in probable or obligate carrier and prenatal diagnosis should remain an option. Keywords: Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Dystrophin, Mosaicism, Counseling, Prenatal diagnosi