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Thang Tran Tat,1 Ky Ngo Duc,2 Phuong Pham Hong,3 Huynh Nguyen Sa,1 Kien Nguyen Trung,4 Ha Nguyen Thi Thu,5 Khoa Le Ha,6 Dung Nguyen Huu,7 Thang Thai Doan,8 Thang Le Viet5 1Department of Cornea and Conjunctiva, Nghe An Eye Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam; 2Department of Endocrinology, Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam; 3Department of Cardiology, Nghe An Friendship General Hospital, Nghe An, Vietnam; 4Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 5Organ Transplantation Center, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 6Hanoi Medical University, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 7Hemodialysis Center, Bach Mai Hospital, Ha Noi, Vietnam; 8Department of Epidemiology, TTH Vinh General Hospital, Nghe An, VietnamCorrespondence: Thang Le Viet, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, 261 Phung Hung, Ha Dong, Ha Noi, Vietnam, Tel +84982249968, Email lethangviet@yahoo.co.ukAim: To determine the prevalence of dry eye (DE) and some related factors in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN).Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study on 338 people, who were divided into 2 groups: 169 T2DN patients and 169 patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) without renal complications as a control group. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and test fluorescein tear-film break-up time (TBUT) were done in all 338 subjects. Patients with OSDI scores < 13 and TBUT values equal to or under 10 seconds were diagnosed with dry eye.Results: The prevalence of DE in T2DN patients was significantly higher than T2DM group (55.6% versus 37.3%). The T2DN groups with dry eye had a median duration of DM, the proportion of hypertension, peripheral nerve complications, anemia, proportion of using insulin, and concentration of plasma glucose, HbA1C, urea, creatinine, CRP-hs significantly higher than those of T2DN without dry eye. Advanced age, high HbA1C level, and decreased eGFR were independent factors associated with dry eye in T2DN patients.Conclusion: Dry eye was a common condition associated with advanced age, high HbA1C levels, and decreased GFR in T2DN patients.Keywords: type 2 diabetic nephropathy, dry eye, glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin A1C

AIM: To determine the dry eye (DE) rate and its relationship with disease stage in patients with primary hypertension. METHODS: A cross-sectional study included 432 patients with primary hypertension (with an equal number of patients in each group: 144 in stage I, II, and III hypertension) and 144 healthy subjects as a control group. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Schirmer I test without anesthetics were conducted on all 576 subjects. Subjects with OSDI scores

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting isolation measures created an increase in the usage of smart devices and internet among adolescents. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of internet addiction, the prevalence of high level of anxiety as well as to examine factors associated with the high level of anxiety among adolescents in Hanoi, Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method Data was collected using respondent-driven sampling and Google online survey forms from a sample of 5,325 school students aged 11–17 in Hanoi between October and December 2021. A short scale consisting of 5 items was used to measure internet addiction and the GAD-7 was used to measure adolescent anxiety level. Results The findings revealed that 22.8% and 7.32% of adolescents experienced moderate and severe anxiety. About 32.7% of the study sample exhibited at least three internet addiction indicators. Logistic regression analysis identified significant predictors for high levels of adolescent anxiety. Being female, family experiencing economic difficulties, and exposure to domestic violence were associated with higher risk of anxiety disorder (OR 1.78, 1.45, and 2.89, respectively). Both average daily online time and internet addiction demonstrated gradient association with high level of anxiety. Conclusion The prevalence of internet addiction and high level of anxiety were high among adolescents in Hanoi, Vietnam during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study highlights the importance of implementing measures at the family and school levels to promote a balanced and healthy approach to smart device use among adolescents.

In the context of economic integration and climate change, the companies need to conduct corporate social responsibility practices to meet the sustainable development. This study attempts to assess the extent of corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) in case of 601 listed Vietnamese enterprises. Data is gathered from Vietnamese listed annual reports, financial statements, and other sources. The amount of voluntary and mandatory CSRD is measured by Global Reporting Initiatives (GRI) recommendations and Vietnamese regulations, respectively. The findings indicate that the general level of CSRD in Vietnam is low, no mandatory CSR items are revealed by all enterprises, and the amount of CSRD varies by industry sector. To enhance the CSRD of Vietnamese listed firms, local government is suggested to strengthen propaganda for enterprises on the obligations and benefits of implementing CSR.

Abstract In practical applications of passive sonar principles for extracting characteristic frequencies of acoustic signals, scientists typically employ traditional time-frequency domain transformation methods such as Mel-frequency, Short time Fourier transform (STFT), and Wavelet transform (WT). However, these solutions still face limitations in resolution and information loss when transforming data collected over extended periods. In this paper, we present a study using a two-stage approach that combines pre-processing by Cubic-splines interpolation (CSI) with a probability distribution in the hidden space with Siamese triple loss network model for classifying marine mammal (MM) communication signals. The Cubic-splines interpolation technique is tested with the STFT transformation to generate STFT-CSI spectrograms, which enforce stronger relationships between characteristic frequencies, enhancing the connectivity of spectrograms and highlighting frequency-based features. Additionally, stacking spectrograms generated by three consecutive methods, Mel, STFT-CSI, and Wavelet, into a feature spectrogram optimizes the advantages of each method across different frequency bands, resulting in a more effective classification process. The proposed solution using an Siamese Neural Network-Variational Auto Encoder (SNN-VAE) model also overcomes the drawbacks of the Auto-Encoder (AE) structure, including loss of discontinuity and loss of completeness during decoding. The classification accuracy of marine mammal signals using the SNN-VAE model increases by 11% and 20% compared to using the AE model (2013), and by 6% compared to using the Resnet model (2022) on the same actual dataset NOAA from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - United State of America.

Toan Nguyen Duy,1,2 Quyen Dao Bui Quy,3 Loc Nguyen Duc,4 Diem Ho Viet Le,5 Khoa Le Ha,6 Tuyen Do Gia,6 Kien Nguyen Trung,1,2 Tam Nguyen Van,1,2 Oanh Nguyen Oanh,1,2 Thang Le Viet1,2 1Military Hospital 103, Hanoi, Vietnam; 2Vietnam Military Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 3Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; 4An Sinh Hospital, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam; 5Link-02 Clinic, Pham Ngoc Thach, Da Lat, Lam Dong, Vietnam; 6Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, VietnamCorrespondence: Thang Le Viet, Military Hospital 103, Vietnam Military Medical University, Department of Nephrology and Hemodialysis, 261 Phung Hung, Ha Dong, Hanoi, Vietnam, Tel +84982249968, Email lethangviet@yahoo.co.ukObjective: To evaluate the value of contrast volume/glomerular filtration ratio (Vc/eGFR ratio) and urine Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin (uNGAL) in predicting the progression contract associated-acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in planned percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients.Patients and Methods: We examined 387 adult patients who had undergone planned percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We determined acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) using the criteria set by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO). We calculated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using the CKD-EPI formula based on serum creatinine levels. To determine the Vc/eGFR ratio, we considered the contrast medium volume and eGFR for each patient. Additionally, we measured urine NGAL levels using the ELISA method.Results: The percentage of CA-AKI patients who developed CKD after planned PCI was 36.36%. Within the CA-AKI to CKD group, the Vc/eGFR ratio was 2.82, and uNGAL levels were significantly higher at 72.74 ng/mL compared to 1.93 ng/mL for Vc/eGFR ratio and 46.57 ng/mL for uNGAL in the recovery CA-AKI group. This difference was statistically significant (p< 0.001). Diabetic mellitus, urine NGAL concentration, and Vc/eGFR ratio were found to be independent factors in the progression of CA-AKI to CKD. The Vc/eGFR ratio and uNGAL showed predictive capabilities for progressing CA-AKI to CKD with an AUC of 0.884 and 0.878, respectively. The sensitivity was 81.3% for both, while the specificity was 89.3% for Vc/eGFR ratio and 85.7% for uNGAL.Conclusion: The Vc/eGFR ratio and uNGAL were good predictors for CA-AKI to CKD in planned PCI patients.Keywords: planned percutaneous coronary intervention, contract associated-acute kidney injury, CA-AKI progression to CKD, Vc/eGFR ratio, uNGAL

The vitality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) toward sustainability has been rising rapidly in business activities. Good CSR practices are one of the most critical instruments to satisfy stakeholders’ interests and improve business performance. This study explores the nexus between economic, social, and environmental dimensions of CSR and firm performance based on a balanced scorecard. The sample includes 336 Vietnamese enterprises, excluding financial firms. The survey was conducted from March to June 2021. The empirical results of the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) demonstrate that CSR significantly affects company performance. The economic dimensions of CSR have the strongest impact on financial performance (p < 0.01; t > 2.57; sample mean is 0.362). However, the environmental dimensions of CSR have not been found to influence customer performance. This study also finds that the three dimensions of CSR positively impact learning and growth, which lead to higher internal business processes and then better customer performance, eventually positively influencing profitable results. Consequently, the firm’s leaders should have strategies for effective CSR implementation to increase financial performance and achieve sustainable development goals. Furthermore, the government and other organizations should actively improve legal policies and regulations related to CSR in order to ensure organizational and national sustainability. AcknowledgmentThis study is funded by Funds for Science and Technology Development of the University of Danang under project number B2020-DN07-08.

AbstractVocabulary plays a significant role in the learning process of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students, especially undergraduates who need to read academic materials and listen to specialized lectures in English. However, retaining lexical items is still a challenging task for many EFL learners. The current study seeks to examine the effectiveness of a constructivist approach in improving EFL learners’ vocabulary retention, mainly meaning recall, as well as investigate their attitude towards this learning method. To achieve this aim, a quasi-experimental design, including a pretest and a posttest, was employed with the participation of 75 EFL Vietnamese undergraduates. The participants were assigned into two groups: the control group (Group 1, N = 37) and the experimental group (Group 2, N = 38). While Group 1 was taught in a conventional way, Group 2 received vocabulary training following the constructivist approach. At the end of the eight-week treatment, a questionnaire was administered to the experimental group to gauge their view on vocabulary learning using constructivism. The results showed that Group 2 retained lexical items more effectively than Group 1. Furthermore, the experimental group had a favorable opinion of learning vocabulary in the constructivist approach. Recommendations for future studies as well as implications for teachers regarding vocabulary and constructivism, were presented in detail.

AbstractThere are legal requirements for a bank to be officially listed on the Vietnam stock exchange; hence by the end of 2020, Vietnam’s banking industry had 43% of banks officially listed on the stock exchange and 57% of banks not officially listed. Accordingly, the difference between these two groups of banks is clear. This study aims to find empirical evidence for a one-way relationship between corporate social responsibility expenditure (CSRE) and the financial performance of Vietnamese commercial banks. In addition, the study also looks for the influence of each component of CSRE, including Community, Government, and Employee Responsibility, on the financial performance of listed and unlisted banks. Using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) controlling for heteroscedasticity, serial correlation, and endogeneity effects, the research results of the study show that CSRE as a cost reduces the bank’s financial efficiency; however, social responsibility spending with the community is a positive factor that increases the bank’s financial efficiency through creating an image and good impression with society and customers. Especially significantly stronger for commercial banks that have been officially listed on the stock exchange. Research results show the need to strengthen CSR implementation in the banking industry.

The study aims to provide empirical evidence for a one-way relationship between corporate environmental responsibility (CER) and financial performance (FP) in the banking industry, with special consideration into the moderating role of legal regulations and ownership structures. Net interest margin (NIM), return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) are selected to measure FP while the content analysis method is adopted to examine CER. The study used regression analysis with the two-step system generalised method of moments (Sys-GMM) on a sample of 29 Vietnamese commercial banks from 2012 to 2019, and the positive impacts of CER on banks’ FP were identified. Analysis of these data revealed that listed banks have a higher level of information disclosure than unlisted banks, but the positive relationship between CER and FP is weaker in listed banks. Similarly, while state-owned banks have a higher degree of disclosure than privately-controlled banks, the relationship between their CER and FP is weaker. The paper also provides some recommendations and suggests future research implications.

Quinazolinone synthesis usually requires employing sensitive substrates, hazardous solvents, large excess oxidants, and expensive catalysts. In this study, an efficient and environmentally benign pathway was developed to synthesize 2-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one via oxidative coupling between commercially available and stable chemicals, including 2-aminobenzamide and benzyl alcohol without toxic oxidizing agents and transition-metal catalysts. A high yield of the desired product (up to 84%) was obtained at 120°C for 24 h in the presence of oxygen as a green oxidant and t-BuONa as a base. Importantly, the study scope was expanded toward successfully producing various 2-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one derivatives in moderate-to-good yields. Furthermore, control experiments proposed that the conversion involved the initial partial oxidation of benzyl alcohol to the benzaldehyde intermediate under basic conditions, followed by the condensation, intramolecular nucleophilic addition, and oxidative dehydrogenation to 2-phenylquinazolin-4(3H)-one.

Reformatory students are those whose deviant behaviors and habits prevent them from receiving education under normal educational conditions. These students frequently lead a careless, undisciplined lifestyle, being unwilling to work and learn eager to play and demanding. Therefore, when they are admitted to reformatories with severe study and lifestyle requirements, they have great psychological difficulty adjusting to their new environment. Students' psychological issues in adapting to reformatory learning and living regimes are difficult and psychological deficits make it challenging for students to adapt to reformatory learning and living conditions. In Vietnam, 665 students from reformatory schools were polled to determine the causes of psychological issues. According to the findings, a variety of elements contribute to students' psychological difficulties. Individual student conditions such as health, awareness, attitudes and actions as well as inappropriate habits, living without goals or aspirations, etc. are on the subjective side of the equation. On the objective side are the students' conditions, family, education and psychological obstacles brought on by less-than-ideal circumstances which will make it more difficult for community students to adapt. Both the new school and society must pay more attention to reformatory students in order to establish the conditions necessary for successful integration into the new school and ultimate readmission into society for these students.

The problem of juvenile delinquency is a social phenomenon that has existed throughout the history of humanity and a social issue that not only affects the growth of the economy and the maintenance of social security and order, but also has a significant impact on the function and role that the family of juvenile offenders play in society. Using quantitative research design and descriptive statistical methodologies were in the study. The purpose of our study is to evaluate the self-reports of 665 adolescents attending detention centres in Vietnam. This analysis will consider the adolescents' level of ability to self-awareness and expectations of the future maintained by adolescents; The research also discusses the efforts that adolescents have taken to achieve their expectations. The findings indicate that adolescents have a high level of self-awareness regarding regret for previous mistakes, and that self-awareness is indicative of a person who always tries for development and cares about the future. In addition, adolescents assert that they have lofty aspirations for the future and that, despite attending a remedial school, they are making positive efforts to achieve their objectives. Significant theoretical and practical contributions have been made as a result of the research. Providing educators and policymakers with a theoretical framework on which to develop the measurements and strategies that will help young people achieve their goals and be able to reintegrate into the community.

BackgroundCorrect olfactory identification requires familiarity with the odor stimuli and is culturally dependent. Existing smell identification tests (SIT) are not culturally specific and may not be reliable in detecting hyposmia in all populations. This study aimed to develop a smell identification test suitable for Vietnamese patients (VSIT).MethodsThe study included 4 phases: 1) survey-based evaluation of the familiarity of 68 odors to identify 18 odors for subsequent testing (N = 1050); 2) smell identification test of 18 odors in healthy patients (N = 50) to determine which 12 should be included in the VSIT; 3) comparison of VSIT scores on 12 odors in patients with hyposmia (N = 60; Brief smell identification test (BSIT) score

Technology integration in second language acquisition (SLA) has become prevalent and prominent in the modern age. Quizlet has emerged as a vocabulary learning tool integrated not only into computers (CALL) but also into mobile phones (MALL), over the years; its effectiveness has already been proved via several quasi-experimental studies. However, such research is still limited; some did not even include a control group. Further, whether learners' individual differences may have any impact on Quizlet effectiveness in promoting lexical gains remains unknown. To address these gaps, this study was conducted with the participation of 68 Vietnamese undergraduates, following a pretest-posttest design together with semi-structured interviews. While the control group (N = 35) reviewed lexical items in a conventional way, the experimental group (N = 33) used Quizlet for vocabulary revision. Prior to the five-week treatment, all participants took the pretest, receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge tests, and three working memory tests. When all revision sessions were completed, all participants took the posttest. Then, five random learners in the experimental group were invited to join the semi-structured interviews. Results showed that while revision on Quizlet led to greater lexical gains, working memory and prior vocabulary knowledge did not play any significant role in predicting such improvements. Pedagogical implications for teachers and recommendations for future research were also provided to address vocabulary retention, individual differences, and the use of Quizlet more effectively.

Global higher education, including that of Asia, has been facing many challenges, notably declining government funding and simultaneously increased influences of neoliberalism on its outlook, aspirations, policies and practices. This reality has put the role and purpose of higher education (HE) under testament, particularly in unprecedented crisis-induced situations such as natural catastrophes and pandemics. This article, while focussing on an Asian context, is situated in the larger picture of HE's responses to crises and what transformations that may be enabled in the process. In unprecedented crisis-induced challenges, how does HE serve the interests of the public and society? Likewise, in this context, how can HE maintain equity and social justice as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda? These very questions are critical for many societies and invite serious scholarly examination. Engaged with the literature on HE as a public/private good, HE and neoliberalism, and HE in times of crisis, this article discusses the case of the University of Dhaka -- the leading university in Bangladesh -- in its responses to the COVID-19 crisis (2020-2022). We show how HE as a public good is utmost important as governments everywhere are finding ways to incorporate the SDGs into every aspect of their HE systems. We also posit that the COVID-induced transformations of higher education in the case of the University of Dhaka have proved HE as a public good to be a robust and resilient pillar for fulfilling various stakeholders' needs and aspirations. Such transformations have affirmed the values of humanity, access and equity in HE, and these values are here to stay.