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The purpose of this research is to help manufacturing companies identify the key performance evaluation criteria for achieving customer satisfaction through Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) approaches. To explore the causal relationships among the four dimensions of business performance in Balanced Scorecard as well as their key performance criteria, a MCDM approach combining DEMATEL and ANP techniques is adopted. Subsequently, the MCDM framework is tested using Delphi method and a questionnaire survey is conducted in 24 manufacturing firms from Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand. The research findings indicate that manufacturing companies should focus more on improving customer perspectives such as customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by integrating products and services innovation and providing diversified value-added product–service offerings as well as developing close long-term partnership with customers. In addition, the classification of importance and improvability into four strategic planning zones provide practicing managers with a decision making tool for prioritizing continuous improvement projects and effectively allocating their resources to those key criteria identified in the strategic map for business performance improvement. By identifying critical criteria and their interrelationships, our research results can help manufacturing companies enhance their business performance in both financial and non-financial perspectives. They can also serve as valuable guidelines and references for manufacturing companies to achieve better customer satisfaction through sustainable product–service system practices.

Objective In patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), morning stiffness is linked more to functional disability and pain than disease activity, as assessed by joint counts and markers of inflammation. As part of the Asia Pacific Morning Stiffness in Rheumatoid Arthritis Expert Panel, a group of eight rheumatologists met to formulate consensus points and develop recommendations for the assessment and management of morning stiffness in RA. Methods On the basis of a systematic literature review and expert opinion, a panel of Asian rheumatologists formulated recommendations for the assessment and medical treatment of RA. Results The panel agreed upon 10 consensus statements on morning stiffness, its assessment and treatment. Specifically, the panel recommended that morning stiffness, pain and impaired morning function should be routinely assessed in clinical practice. Although there are currently no validated tools for these parameters, they should be assessed as part of the patients' reported outcomes in RA. The panel also agreed on the benefits of low-dose glucocorticoids in RA, particularly for the improvement of morning stiffness. Conclusions These recommendations serve to guide rheumatologists and other stakeholders on the assessment and management of morning stiffness, and help implement the treat-to-target principle in the management of RA.

The aerobic rice system is a new promising water-saving cultivation technique; however, rice sensitivity to aerobic conditions limits its use. We investigated morphological and physiological responses of seedlings of two upland rice genotypes (Beodien and Sensho) and two lowland rice genotypes (KD18 and Koshihikari) to flooded condition (control) and three aerobic conditions (32, 22, and 14% soil moisture content (SMC), w/w) in 2013 and to a flooded condition and aerobic condition (32% SMC) in 2014. Under aerobic conditions, shoot growth was limited because of a reduction in water uptake. Water uptake capacity was highly controlled by root traits such as root dry weight and root length. Under aerobic conditions, leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, and root hydraulic conductance declined. We found that the 32% SMC condition was the most favorable aerobic condition whereas 22% and 14% SMC conditions strongly suppressed rice growth. Genotypic variations in physio-morphological traits were more clearly detected under well-irrigated conditions (32% SMC) than other two aerobic conditions. In both years, cultivar Sensho adapted to the 32% SMC condition, whereas Koshihikari did not adapt to the aerobic rice system, probably because of its limited root growth and lower root plasticity. The positive correlation between root traits and water uptake indicate that root traits are important for improving rice performance under an aerobic rice system.

Scaffold is an important component of tissue engineering. Dentin is a potential material satisfying not only the physical and chemical characteristics of a standard scaffold, but also the inductive factors demand for dentin regeneration. Therefore, it is a promising material for tissue engineering. In this study, we aimed to create and characterize dentin scaffolds in order to serve as bioactive scaffolds for human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) toward dentin-like tissue regeneration. Human dentin scaffolds were obtained from extracted teeth and irrigated in 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 19% citric acid as chelate agents to remove smear layer. The treated scaffolds were examined morphology, the presence and secretion of dentin matrix protein, and in vitro cytotoxicity. The results demonstrated that 17% EDTA and 19% acid citric effectively removed smear layer. The presence of dentin matrix proteins, including transforming growth factor beta-1 and dentin matrix protein-1 were found to be secreted from human treated dentin scaffolds (hTDSs) during 5 days of investigation. hTDSs showed low level of cytotoxicity, which elicited a safe manner. Moreover, hTDSs provided a suitable surface for the attachment of hDPSCs, as well as supported their proliferation. When culturing hDPSCs onto the scaffolds, the formation of dentin-like tissue indicated their potential in directing differentiation of hDPSCs into dentin regeneration process, possibly, via bioactivity of the secreted dentin matrix proteins. Taken together, these data demonstrated that our proposed protocol was effective in generating hTDSs, and maintaining their compromising properties for application in regeneration of human dentin.

The aims of this study was to evaluate the quality of coffee in Vietnam market.Two methods Soxhlet and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were used to investigate the content of caffeine in 15 coffee samples; in which, 8 sample of roasted coffee and 7 sample of instant coffee. –The content of caffeine in 15 samples was different, and dependent on the object of the manufactures; caffeine is in charge of contribution of bitter and alert for customers. The content of caffeine was about 0.3% - 1.79% for the roasted coffee and 0.32% - 0.88% for the instant coffee. This study was also found out the method to extract the volatile compounds by using SDE and SPME. The major volatile compounds were pyrazine, furan, pyrrole, and pyridine. The number of the volatile compounds was 45 and 49 for SDE and SPME, respectively.

Vibrio cholerae non-O1, non-O139 (VC_NAG) organisms are universally present in the aquatic environment and regarded as non-pathogenic bacteria. However, considering that they do occasionally induce gastroenteritis, a study of their virulence and antibiotic resistance genes is important. The presence of enteropathogenic genes, including ctxA, VC_NAG-specific heat-stable toxin gene (st), hemolysin (hly), and zona occludens toxin (zot) was determined by PCR in 100 VC_NAG strains isolated in southern Vietnam in 2010-2013 from 94 environmental and six human origins. These 100 VC_NAG strains were also tested phenotypically and genotypically for the presence of the New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1). Of the 100 VC_NAG strains tested, six were positive for ctxA; five from the environment and one of human origin. The st gene was detected in 17 isolates, 15 and two of which were of environmental and human origins, respectively. Gene hly was detected in 19 VC_NAG strains examined, two of which were isolated from humans and 17 from environments. The zot gene was not detected in any of the strains tested. Three VC_NAG strains of environmental origin were confirmed to produce NDM-1 and the blaNDM-1 gene was detected in those strains by PCR. Of note, one of the three NDM-1-producing VC_NAG strains was confirmed to carry ctxA, st and hly genes concurrently. This is the first report of isolation of NDM-1-producing VC_NAG strains in Vietnam.

A monitoring plan of residual antibiotics in food of animal origin was conducted in Vietnam from 2012 to 2013. Meat samples were collected from slaughterhouses and retail stores in Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. A total of 28 antibiotics were analyzed using a LC-MS/MS screening method. Sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and tilmicosin were detected in some of the samples. Sulfaclozine and fluoroquinolones were mainly detected in chicken samples, and sulfamethazine was mainly detected in pork samples. High levels of sulfonamide residues, ranging between 2500 and 2700 μg/kg sulfaclozine and between 1300 and 3600 μg/kg sulfamethazine, were present in two chicken and three pork samples, respectively. Tilmicosin was detected at ranges of 150-450 μg/kg in 10 chicken samples. Positive percentages were 17.3, 8.8, and 7.4% for chicken, pork, and beef, respectively, for an average of 11.9%. The results suggest an appropriate withdrawal period after drug administration had not been observed in some livestock.

Breast cancer, affecting women mostly, is the second common cancer in the world. Previous studies showed that miRNAs played a role in the regulation of signal transduction pathways in many different stages of cancer. The SNPs that occur on miRNA can have broad impact in cancer by many different ways. It was found that SNP rs11614913 C>T in miR-196a2 related to breast cancer risk in Asia. In addition, the association between SNP rs6977848 T> G in miR-148a and breast cancer have early proven on the Australian. In this study, a combination of Tetra-Arms-PCR and PCR product melting analysis,was used to screen for the presence of the allele of rs11614913 and rs6977848 in Vietnamese breast cancer patients. The results showed that the frequency of C and T allele ofrs11614913 were 58.96 % and 41.04 % respectively; the frequency of T and G allele of rs6977848 were 99 % and 1 %, respectively. Based on the genotype frequencies in the HapMap, rs11614913 is predicted to be associated with breast cancer while rs6977848 is probably not related to breast cancer in Vietnam due to a highly dominant frequency of only one type allele. However, there is still need for further research on a larger sample size to confirm the association between the two SNPs with breast cancer in Vietnam.

Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is an important lipid regulator of membrane signaling and remodeling processes. Accumulating evidence indicates a link between PIP2 metabolism and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, a key transducer of immune responses such as inflammation, phagocytosis, and autophagy. Microglia are immune effector cells that serve as macrophages in the brain. Here, we examined the potential role of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase α (PIP5Kα), a PIP2-producing enzyme, in TLR2 signaling in microglial cells. Treatment of BV2 microglial cells with lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a TLR2 agonist, increased PIP5Kα expression in BV2 and primary microglial cells, but not in primary cultures from TLR2-deficient mice. PIP5Kα knockdown of BV2 cells with shRNA significantly suppressed LTA-induced activation of TLR2 downstream signaling, including the production of proinflammatory cytokines and phosphorylation of NF-κB, JNK, and p38 MAP kinase. Such suppression was reversed by complementation of PIP5Kα. PIP5Kα knockdown lowered PIP2 levels and impaired LTA-induced plasma membrane targeting of TIRAP, a PIP2-dependent adaptor required for TLR2 activation. Besides, PIP5Kα knockdown inhibited phagocytic uptake of E. coli particles and autophagy-related vesicle formation triggered by LTA. Taken together, these results support that PIP5Kα can positively mediate TLR2-associated immune responses through PIP2 production in microglial cells.

Lipid components in biological membranes are essential for maintaining cellular function. Phosphoinositides, the phosphorylated derivatives of phosphatidylinositol (PI), regulate many critical cell processes involving membrane signaling, trafficking, and reorganization. Multiple metabolic pathways including phosphoinositide kinases and phosphatases and phospholipases tightly control spatio-temporal concentration of membrane phosphoinositides. Metabolizing enzymes responsible for PI 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) production or degradation play a regulatory role in Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and trafficking. These enzymes include PI 4-phosphate 5-kinase, phosphatase and tensin homolog, PI 3-kinase, and phospholipase C. PI(4,5)P2 mediates the interaction with target cytosolic proteins to induce their membrane translocation, regulate vesicular trafficking, and serve as a precursor for other signaling lipids. TLR activation is important for the innate immune response and is implicated in diverse pathophysiological disorders. TLR signaling is controlled by specific interactions with distinct signaling and sorting adaptors. Importantly, TLR signaling machinery is differentially formed depending on a specific membrane compartment during signaling cascades. Although detailed mechanisms remain to be fully clarified, phosphoinositide metabolism is promising for a better understanding of such spatio-temporal regulation of TLR signaling and trafficking. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(7): 361-368]

A new, simple, and sensitive method was developed for extraction of ochratoxin A (OTA) in beer combined with HPLC-fluorescence detector. Samples were extracted by stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) followed by liquid desorption using commercially available Twister® EG-Silicone. The main parameters influencing SBSE, including phase ratio, extraction time, stirring speed, ionic strength, organic modifier, pH, temperature, desorption mode, desorption solvent, and desorption time were optimized. Under the optimal conditions, assay was performed on 4 mL of samples acidified at pH 1.5. The samples were extracted for 180 min at a stirring speed of 800 rpm followed by desorption of analyte using 1 mL methanol under sonication for 45 min. The extract was evaporated at 50°C under a gentle nitrogen stream, then redissolved in 200 μL of methanol–water (50 + 50, v/v). After each use, the stir bar was cleaned by sonication in methanol for 30 min three times. The method provided good linearity of the calibration curve with coefficients of determination greater than 0.999. Recoveries of OTA were greater than 83% with RSD lower than 10%, and LOD of OTA in beer was 0.64 ng/L. This method was applied to determine OTA in 19 beer samples. OTA was detected in 12 samples (63%) in the range of 0.01–0.27 ng/mL.

A total of 144 breakfast cereal and snack samples collected from six areas in the United States (U.S.) were surveyed for the presence of ochratoxin A (OTA). All samples are the processed products including mainly corn, oat, wheat, and rice. The analytical methods in this study were immunoaffinity columns (IAC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection (FLD). The method provided recoveries of OTA from all sample matrices in the range of 95–100%. The limits of detection and limits of quantification for OTA were 0.032 and 0.10 ng/g for corn, wheat, and rice based samples; 0.038 and 0.12 ng/g for oat based samples, respectively. Analytical results showed that 75 samples (52%) were contaminated with OTA in the range of 0.10 and 7.43 ng/g. Among the OTA contaminated samples, 40% were labeled as organic and 60% were conventional with mean concentrations of 1.21 and 1.07 ng/g, respectively. There were ten contaminated samples, all from oat based products, exceeding the maximum limits for OTA by European Commission Regulation (3 ng/g) in cereal based products.

The Late Paleozoic – Early Mesozoic sedimentary formations in the South – eastern region have exhumed incomplete, and they have more complex geological characteristics, related to the closure process of the Paleo-Tethys ocean and the Indosinian orogeny occured from late Permian to late Trias. Sedimentary sequences in this period were classifed to Ta Not, Hon Quan, Song Sai Gon and Chau Thoi formations. The results from researches on petrography at areas of Chau Thoi formation such as Chau Thoi, Buu Long, Minh Duc, Loc Thanh have indicated that the pyroclasic rocks such as tuff, agglomerate, tuffaceous conglomerate, tufaceous sandstone conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone… are also present with the mainly lithological component of formation as conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone... Reseach on the lithological composition and geochemical content from the number of rock samples of the Chau Thoi formation show that the Chau Thoi formation is formed in rift setting as backarc basin type.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), generated by PI 4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP5K), regulates many critical cellular events. PIP2 is also known to mediate plasma membrane localization of the Toll/IL-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor protein (TIRAP), required for the MyD88-dependent Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signaling pathway. Microglia are the primary immune competent cells in brain tissue, and TLR4 is important for microglial activation. However, a functional role for PIP5K and PIP2 in TLR4-dependent microglial activation remains unclear. Here, we knocked down PIP5Kα, a PIP5K isoform, in a BV2 microglial cell line using stable expression of lentiviral shRNA constructs or siRNA transfection. PIP5Kα knockdown significantly suppressed induction of inflammatory mediators, including IL-6, IL-1β, and nitric oxide, by lipopolysaccharide. PIP5Kα knockdown also attenuated signaling events downstream of TLR4 activation, including p38 MAPK and JNK phosphorylation, NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation, and IκB-α degradation. Complementation of the PIP5Kα knockdown cells with wild type but not kinase-dead PIP5Kα effectively restored the LPS-mediated inflammatory response. We found that PIP5Kα and TIRAP colocalized at the cell surface and interacted with each other, whereas kinase-dead PIP5Kα rendered TIRAP soluble. Furthermore, in LPS-stimulated control cells, plasma membrane PIP2 increased and subsequently declined, and TIRAP underwent bi-directional translocation between the membrane and cytosol, which temporally correlated with the changes in PIP2. In contrast, PIP5Kα knockdown that reduced PIP2 levels disrupted TIRAP membrane targeting by LPS. Together, our results suggest that PIP5Kα promotes TLR4-associated microglial inflammation by mediating PIP2-dependent recruitment of TIRAP to the plasma membrane. Background: Phosphoinositides are involved in regulating TLR4 signaling. Results: PIP5Kα knockdown in BV2 microglial cells inhibits LPS-induced inflammatory responses, PIP2 increase, and TIRAP translocation to the plasma membrane. Conclusion: PIP5Kα-derived PIP2 facilitates TLR4-mediated microglial inflammatory responses through recruitment of TIRAP to the plasma membrane. Significance: Regulation of PIP5Kα-dependent PIP2 pool may modulate TLR4-associated immune function in microglia.

The beauty of thinking resides not only in finding answers but also in challenging already existing ones and creating intelligible networks of thoughts and ideas of many different perspectives. Understanding that the essence of critical thinking presents in the flows of questions and answers and aiming at a tool of augmenting it, we propose a new knowledge representation model based on bipartite graphs and a set of functions aided to explore those graphs. A bipartite graph has two disjoint vertex sets that are question and answer sets. Every edge connects a question to an answer holds an evidence for the answer and every edge connects an answer to a question holds an argument raised from the answer. The directional search mechanism is particularly designed to reuse reasoning flows in the debate graphs by a projecting function between the question and answer sets. We also introduce a framework placing the model and the search mechanism altogether in collaborative applications. Many philosophical debates are collected to demonstrate the advantages of the bigraph model besides its simplicity. The analysis and experiments on optimizing semantic search show a sufficient performance for a real-time application.

Among mitotic kinases, Aurora kinases are the most widely studied, since their expression is restricted to mitosis. They play a key role in chromosome segregation and cell polyploidy. Aurora kinases are important therapeutic targets, and several research groups have directed their efforts toward the identification of kinase inhibitors. The aim of this study is to screen and characterize Aurora kinase inhibitors from natural substances extracted from plants that are used in the Vietnamese pharmacopoeia. We have characterized in vitro Derrone, extracted from Erythrina orientalis L. MURR, as a novel Aurora kinase inhibitor. This compound exhibited an ability to inhibit the phosphorylation of histone H3 at ser10 both in kinase assay and at the cellular level. The compound was more effective against Aurora kinase B, with a lower IC50 value as compared to Aurora A. Moreover, it impaired the mitotic spindle checkpoint and led to endoreduplication in cancer cells, a phenomenon caused by an Aurora B inhibitor. Interestingly, using the xCelligence system and real-time cell analysis (RTCA) software, we set up a comparison of cell proliferation profiles between cancer cells treated with Derrone and VX680-a well-known Aurora kinase inhibitor-and we found that these profiles exhibited considerable similarity in cell morphology, growth, and death. Additionally, Derrone significantly inhibited the formation and growth of MCF7 tumor spheroids.

Morinda citrifolia L. is a valuable medicinal plant, used to treat many diseases, such as sleeplessness, backache, high blood pressure... To study the shoot morphogenesis in Morinda citrifolia L. for propagation in the future, we examined the effects of BA, Zeatin and NAA on adventitious shoot formation of hypocotyl. The results showed that the regeneration of adventitious shoot comprised three steps of morphogenesis. In this process, Zeatin 1mg/l stimulated the formation of shoot primordia in dark (after a week), earlier than BA at the same concentration. Shoot generation was slow (after five weeks) on MS medium supplemented with 0,1mg/l and Zeatin 1mg/l. Roles of respiration rate and endogenous hormones were discussed to understand the physiological changes in the adventitious root formation.

Introduction: Breast cancer is the one of the most common types of cancer as well as the second leading cause of cancer death in women in the world. In recent studies, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to play a crucial role as a new potential biomarker in the association with breast cancer. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) located on specific miRNA may result in breast cancer. Among the SNPs, SNP rs353291 has shown to be associated with breast cancer in individuals of Caucasian background. Furthermore, this SNP is observed in a high percentage of mutant alleles in the Vietnamese population. Thus, SNP rs353291 was selected as a candidate SNP for investigation in this study. The frequency of SNP rs353291 was evaluated by High Resolution Melting (HRM) method, which is a highly powerful method to detect variants in DNA sequence, especially for SNP genotyping. Methods: In this study, the association between this SNP and risk of breast cancer in the Vietnamese population was evaluated in 90 cases and 96 healthy controls via genotyping using an optimized HRM protocol. Result: The genotyping results revealed that SNP rs353291 is a polymorphism in the Vietnamese population. We have successfully identified frequencies of AA, AG and GG to be 40%, 42.2% and 17.8%, respectively. In particular, the calculated frequencies of allele G was 61.1% while risk allele A was 38.9%. The association between this SNP and breast cancer in Vietnam revealed that there is an obvious decreased risk of breast cancer among Vietnamese population when comparing G allele to A allele (G vs A: OR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.62-1.36, p= 0.677); the results also showed that heterozygote model had a reduced risk of breast cancer compared to dominant model (GA+GG vs AA: OR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.52-1.70, p=0.839). Conclusion: However, since the p-values were >0.05, our results only show a correlation rather than a significant association between SNP rs353291 and breast cancer risk in the Vietnamese population.

Morinda citrifolia L. is a valuable medicinal plant, used to treat many diseases, such as sleeplessness, backache, high pressure... Recent studies show that Morinda citrifolia L. can regenerate adventitious roots in-vitro. To study the root morphogenesis in Morinda citrifolia L., we examined the effects of some auxin on regeneration of adventitious root in hypocotyl and leaf. The results showed that the concentration of 0,1mg/l NAA stimulated the formation of callus and primordia root in hypocotyl and leaf, in the first week, and the elongation of primordia root in the second week. Roles of respiration rate and endogenous hormones were discussed to understand the physiological changes in the formation of adventitious root.

Two-dimensional aerodynamic models of unsteady flapping wing motions are analyzed with focus on advanced rotation and the wing's rotation axis to explain the force peak at the end of each half stroke. In this model, the translational velocity of the wing along the stroke plane is constant for most of the time except near end and the beginning of each stroke where it slows down to zero and then speeds up again for the next stroke. The flapping wing motions with various combination of controlled translational and rotational velocity of the wings along horizontal or inclined stroke planes with straight-line trajectory are investigated numerically through two-dimensional Navier-Stokes solutions. CFD programs based on Finite Volume Method are used to simulate the flow around a thin airfoil in combined translational and rotational motions. The simulation provides the flow patterns, pressure fields from which the aerodynamic forces and moments are obtained.

The Ti-doped Zno films were deposited onto glass substrates from ceramic targets ZnO with various Ti concentrations using a DC magnetron sputtering. The experimental results show that all thin films are transparent and conductive oxide films, with the appropriate Ti concentration (⁓1.5% Ti), the conductance of films can be improved. Optical characteristics of thin films was determined by UV-V is spectroscopy. The thickness of thin films was measured by Stylus method. The electrical resistivity was measured by four-point probe, and the roughness of films was determined by AFM.

A rapid, simple, and reliable method using ultra-performance LC/MS/MS (UPLC/MS/MS) was developed for determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in processed cereal products. OTA was ultrasonically extracted from the sample with acetonitrile–water (80 + 20, v/v), and the extract was then injected into the UPLC/MS/MS system after filtration. The calibration curves had good linearity with coefficients of determination greater than 0.999. Recoveries of OTA were in the range of 90–104%. LOD and LOQ of OTA in samples were 0.6 and 2.0 ng/g, respectively, and no significant matrix effect was found. This method was applied to determine OTA in 25 oat-based cereal samples. OTA was detected in five samples (20%) in the range of 2.4 to 7.3 ng/g.

The objective of the paper is to test the impact of corporate disclosure on the cost of equity capital for firms listed on Vietnam’s stock market. We use the Botosan (1997) scoring methodology and the residual income valuation model to measure disclosure level and the implied cost of equity capital. Our findings suggest that, taking into account other determinants, disclosure has a significant reducing impact on the cost of equity capital.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women worldwide. GWASs have found several potential breast cancer associated SNPs in some populations. Among them, rs13281615, rs889312, rs10941679 and rs3803662 have been found to have strong relationship with breast cancer risk in different populations. Rs3803662 were statisti¬cally significantly associated with breast cancer risk in Asian population, while three others SNPs were showed to have stronger association with breast cancer in American, European and Australian than Asian. In this study, focusing on Vietnamese people only, four these SNPs were investigated to understand more about the association between these variations with breast cancer disease. An optimized genotyping method was used to genotype 600 samples including 300 controls and 300 cases. The result showed that rs13281615, rs889312, and rs10941679 were not associated with Vietnamese breast cancer patients (P>0.05). However, rs3803662 has strong association with breast cancer risk in Vietnamese population (P = 0.00122, OR = 1.454, 95%CI = 1.159-1.826). Allele A plays the role of increasing the risk of breast cancer and the genotype AA shows strongly affecting to increase breast cancer risk. Rs3803662 may involve in the list of markers using for diagnosis breast cancer in Vietnamese people in the future. A further study on larger sample size is certainly required to increase the reliability of the study. We also suggest doing more association studies for other SNPs and analyzing the haplotype to identify multiple breast cancer risk prediction markers for Vietnamese population

Vibrio cholerae non-O1, non-O139 (VC_NAG) organisms are universally present in the aquatic environment and regarded as non-pathogenic bacteria. However, considering that they do occasionally induce gastroenteritis, a study of their virulence and antibiotic resistance genes is important. The presence of enteropathogenic genes, including ctxA, VC_NAG-specific heat-stable toxin gene (st), hemolysin (hly), and zona occludens toxin (zot) was determined by PCR in 100 VC_NAG strains isolated in southern Vietnam in 2010-2013 from 94 environmental and six human origins. These 100 VC_NAG strains were also tested phenotypically and genotypically for the presence of the New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM-1). Of the 100 VC_NAG strains tested, six were positive for ctxA; five from the environment and one of human origin. The st gene was detected in 17 isolates, 15 and two of which were of environmental and human origins, respectively. Gene hly was detected in 19 VC_NAG strains examined, two of which were isolated from humans and 17 from environments. The zot gene was not detected in any of the strains tested. Three VC_NAG strains of environmental origin were confirmed to produce NDM-1 and the blaNDM-1 gene was detected in those strains by PCR. Of note, one of the three NDM-1-producing VC_NAG strains was confirmed to carry ctxA, st and hly genes concurrently. This is the first report of isolation of NDM-1-producing VC_NAG strains in Vietnam.

The aim of this research is to construct a new collaborative mashup system, named Web-based Environmental Education (WEE), for global environmental monitoring research and education in which all participants could associatively organize multimedia data about physical environments and visually monitor various environmental topics based on timeseries multi-geographical views. The main features of this system are: (1) collaborative multimedia database creation using “social sensors”, (2) information aggregation from Web resources, (3) content-based image and document retrieval, and (4) big-picture visualization with spatiotemporal view controllers and content-based image, document retrieval. In this paper, a new designed usage of social network services as an educational tool and a new method for gathering environmental information from Web resources are presented. We also present three promising educational scenarios to examine the applicability of the system.

A number of studies in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have suggested that corporates accountable for social responsibilities had better financial performance. However, this relationship had remained undiscovered in Vietnam. The purpose of this research was to examine a link between Corporate Social Responsibility disclosures and firm value in Vietnam. A sample of 50 companies listed on stock exchanges in Hochiminh City (HOSE) and Hanoi (HNX) were investigated from 2010 to 2013. Content of annual reports were analyzed to measure corporate social responsibilities, and Tobin’s Q ratio was proxied for firm value. Regression analysis tests indicated that social responsibility disclosures are associated with following year’s firm value. Specifically, the relationship between environmental information provision and following year’s firm value was positive, while that between employee disclosures and firm value was negative. The results show a positive sign for Vietnamese firms that take on environmental responsibilities.