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This paper discusses the factors having influences on learning listening skill in a case study non-English majored student at Saigon Techology University (STU), Vietnam. Five main factors, including 18 elements, were identified: texts, listeners, speakers, tasks, and environment. The data were collected through questionnaire, including multiple choice questions and open questions, from 319 students. The results show that the texts and the listeners are 2 factors having close relation and influence each other with different rankings of different features; interesting, “physical and psychological states” is not the important element in this case. Based on statistical results, from a view of readability, the paper deeply analyzes these features to find the solutions in designing course syllabus, selecting materials, proposing teaching methods and improving the listening learning environment to meet the learning outcome; especially, achieving the outcome standard “B1”, shown the scale by the international TOEIC test, being trained at the school.

PurposeThis study examines the relationship between partners' locus of control and their spouses' domains of job satisfaction (job satisfaction and its domains, personal income and promotion) among Australian couples.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from the Household, Income and Labor Dynamics of Australia (HILDA) Survey. Various estimation strategies including ordinary least squares (OLS), Mundlak approach and instrumental variable (IV) method are used to reveal the relationship between spouse's locus of control and domains of job satisfaction.FindingsTo reduce sex heterogeneity, the analysis used in this study is disaggregated by sex. In particular, the findings of this study show that wives' locus of control positively influences husbands' satisfaction with pay and working hours, while there is no relationship between husbands' locus of control and wives' domains of job satisfaction.Social implicationsThe study's findings emphasize the importance of locus of control in couples. A good work–life balance and a healthy marital relationship potentially facilitate positive effects of characteristics from the partner on employees' job satisfaction. Thus, on the organizational level, employers may consider creating a working environment that promotes a healthy marital relationship for their staff, including flexible working schedules, work from home options, family days or family-extended staff events.Originality/valueThis study is the first to reveal the relationship between spousal locus of control and domains of job satisfaction, enriching the current literature on this topic.

From the strains of lactic acid bacterium in the Laboratory of Microbiology, Ho Chi Minh City Universityof Education, 03 of those strains with activated probiotic have been chosen: Lactobacillus agillis (B), Lactobacillus salivarius (N4), Lactobacillus acidophilus (L2). These strains of bacteria have high lactic acid production capacity, strong antagonistic activity, and wide antibacterial spectrum. Specially, they have strongresistance to two bacterial strains causing digestive disorder in pigs such as E.coli and Samonella choleraesuis which resist the four important types of antibiosis including Neomycin (Ne), Nalidixid acid (Ng), Kanamycin (Kn) and Gentamycin (Ge). The optimal conditions for their receiving biomass are: Tomato medium with temperature: 30 - 40oC; Initial pH: 5,5 -6,5; Yeast extract: 1,0 - 2,0%; Saccaroza: 1,0 - 2,0%; The optimal time for receiving biomass is from 24 - 36 hours. On this basis, the biomass of three lactic bacterial strains were studied and used to produce probiotic products for preventing and treating the digestive disorder in pigs.

Repeated bolus injections are associated with higher costs and poor compliance and can hinder the implementation of global immunization campaigns. Here, we report the development and preclinical testing of patches of transdermal core-shell microneedles-which were fabricated by the micromoulding and alignment of vaccine cores and shells made from poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) with varying degradability kinetics-for the preprogrammed burst release of vaccine payloads over a period of a few days to more than a month from a single administration. In rats, microneedles loaded with a clinically available vaccine (Prevnar-13) against the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae induced immune responses that were similar to immune responses observed after multiple subcutaneous bolus injections, and led to immune protection against a lethal bacterial dose. Microneedle patches delivering preprogrammed doses may offer an alternative strategy to prophylactic and therapeutic protocols that require multiple injections.

Academic probation at universities has become a matter of pressing concern in recent years, as many students face severe consequences of academic probation. We carried out research to find solutions to decrease the situation mentioned above. Our research used the power of massive data sources from the education sector and the modernity of machine learning techniques to build an academic warning system. Our system is based on academic performance that directly reflects students' academic probation status at the university. Through the research process, we provided a dataset that has been extracted and developed from raw data sources, including a wealth of information about students, subjects, and scores. We build a dataset with many features that are extremely useful in predicting students' academic warning status via feature generation techniques and feature selection strategies. Remarkably, the dataset contributed is flexible and scalable because we provided detailed calculation formulas that its materials are found in any university or college in Vietnam. That allows any university to reuse or reconstruct another similar dataset based on their raw academic database. Moreover, we variously combined data, unbalanced data handling techniques, model selection techniques, and research to propose suitable machine learning algorithms to build the best possible warning system. As a result, a two-stage academic performance warning system for higher education was proposed, with the F2-score measure of more than 74% at the beginning of the semester using the algorithm Support Vector Machine and more than 92% before the final examination using the algorithm LightGBM.

Purpose This paper presents a systematic review of the literature in the domain of maritime disruption management, upon which future research framework and agenda are proposed. Two review questions, i.e. the measures that are employed to manage disruptions and how these contribute to resilience performance, were pursued. Design/methodology/approach The systematic literature review procedure was strictly followed, including identification and planning, execution, selection, and synthesis and analysis. A review protocol was developed, including scope, databases and criteria guiding the review. Following this, 47 articles were eventually extracted for the systematic review to identify themes for not only addressing the review questions but also highlighting future research opportunities. Findings It was found that earlier studies mainly focused on measures, which are designed using mathematical models, management frameworks and other technical support systems, to analyse and evaluate risks, and their impacts on maritime players at the levels of organisation, transport system and region in which the organisation is embedded. There is, however, a lack of research that empirically examines how these measures would contribute to enhancing the resilience performance of maritime firms and their organisational performance as a whole. Subsequently, a Digitally Embedded and Technically Support Maritime Disruption Management (DEST-MDM) model is proposed. Research limitations/implications This review is constrained by studies recorded by the Web of Science only. Nevertheless, the proposed research model would expectedly contribute to enhancing knowledge building in the specific domain of maritime disruption management and supply chain management overall while providing meaningful managerial implications to policymakers and managers in the maritime industry. Originality/value This research is perhaps one of the first studies which presents a systematic review of literature in maritime disruption management, and proposes a future research framework that establishes the link between disruption management and resilience and organisational performance for empirical validation.

Piezoelectric materials, a type of “smart” material that generates electricity while deforming and vice versa, have been used extensively for many important implantable medical devices such as sensors, transducers, and actuators. However, commonly utilized piezoelectric materials are either toxic or nondegradable. Thus, implanted devices employing these materials raise a significant concern in terms of safety issues and often require an invasive removal surgery, which can damage directly interfaced tissues/organs. Here, we present a strategy for materials processing, device assembly, and electronic integration to 1) create biodegradable and biocompatible piezoelectric PLLA [poly(l-lactic acid)] nanofibers with a highly controllable, efficient, and stable piezoelectric performance, and 2) demonstrate device applications of this nanomaterial, including a highly sensitive biodegradable pressure sensor for monitoring vital physiological pressures and a biodegradable ultrasonic transducer for blood–brain barrier opening that can be used to facilitate the delivery of drugs into the brain. These significant applications, which have not been achieved so far by conventional piezoelectric materials and bulk piezoelectric PLLA, demonstrate the PLLA nanofibers as a powerful material platform that offers a profound impact on various medical fields including drug delivery, tissue engineering, and implanted medical devices.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between education and health amongst Australian women. Design/methodology/approach This study uses the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia data set. Spouse’s education is employed as an instrument to solve the potential endogeneity of educational attainment. Findings The results indicate that an additional year of schooling can lead to an increase in self-reported health, physical health, mental health and a reduced likelihood of having long-term health conditions. Women who are not in the labour force are likely to enjoy higher benefits of education compared to their employed counterparts. The findings also suggest that the relationship between education and health can be explained by the extent of positive health behaviours and social capital as mediators. Research limitations/implications The conclusion from the results might be different in the case of men, reducing the generalisability of the results. Several objective health variables should be used to provide further aspects of health on which education has an impact. Practical implications As the positive effect of education on women’s health is empirically found, investment in women’s education should be seriously considered and reevaluated. Originality/value This paper focuses on Australian women which not only reduces the heterogeneity between genders but also adds to the rare number of studies on this topic in Australia. This paper also employs a formal mediation analysis to examine what are the mechanisms explaining the relationship between education and health.

This field study was performed to demonstrate that Bacillus aquimaris SH6 spores administered as a feed supplement in adequate amounts confer beneficial effects to the whiteleg shrimp. Shrimps were administered either B. aquimaris SH6 spores at 1×106CFU g-1 pellet (SH6 group) or a mixture of SH6 and B. subtilis SH23 spores at 5×105 CFU g-1 pellet for each strain (SH6-SH23 group). After a 28-day feeding period, the number of SH6 spores in the gut of whiteleg shrimp in the SH6 group and the SH6-SH23 group were 5.7×103 CFU gut-1 and 7.7×103 CFU gut-1, respectively. The total bacterial population of these two experimental groups increased about 10-75% compared to that of the control group. The astaxanthin level and red colour score were the highest in the SH6-SH23 group (1.66 μg.g-1 shrimp; 28-29), followed by the SH6 spore group (1.42 μg.g-1 shrimp; 27-28), and were the lowest in the control group (0.61 μg.g-1 shrimp; 26-27). Nevertheless, the growth rate of shrimps was similar (7.8-8%) among the three groups. In conclusion, feed supplements containing SH6 and SH23 spores co-effectively improved live counts and diversity of microbiota in shrimp guts, as well as improved astaxanthin level and red colour of whiteleg shrimps.

The peripheral nervous system (PNS) is an attractive target for modulation of afferent input (e.g., nociceptive input signaling tissue damage) to the central nervous system. To advance mechanistic understanding of PNS neural encoding and modulation requires single-unit recordings from individual peripheral neurons or axons. This is challenged by multiple connective tissue layers surrounding peripheral nerve fibers that prevent electrical recordings by existing electrodes or electrode arrays. In this study, we developed a novel microelectrode array (MEA) via silicon-based microfabrication that consists of 5 parallel hydrophilic gold electrodes surrounded by silanized hydrophobic surfaces. This novel hydrophilic/hydrophobic surface pattern guides the peripheral nerve filaments to self-align towards the hydrophilic electrodes, which dramatically reduces the technical challenges in conducting single-unit recordings. We validated our MEA by recording simultaneous single-unit action potentials from individual axons in mouse sciatic nerves, including both myelinated A-fibers and unmyelinated C-fibers. We confirmed that our recordings were single units from individual axons by increasing nerve trunk electrical stimulus intensity, which did not alter the spike shape or amplitude. By reducing the technical challenges, our novel MEA will likely allow peripheral single-unit recordings to be adopted by a larger research community and thus expedite our mechanistic understanding of peripheral neural encoding and modulation.

Lower basin of Sai Gon – Dong Nai river is lowland. It’s inundated at high tide. Using mathematical model method with the integrated 1D2D model, the inundation hazard due to the high tide in this region has been evaluated through the inundated area. The calculation results also showed that in the case when the damping ability of Can Gio forest is disabled high water level at Nha Be and Phu An can be increased about 2 – 3 cm and the effect will be stronger in the future following the sea level rise. In the case the Can Gio forest is diked to create a reservoir with reasonable in- and outflow directions, the high water level at Nha Be and Phu An can be decreased about 10 - 11 cm and the effect will be stronger in the future following the sea level rise. This water level decrease effect almost compensates the water level increase due to the sea level rise and keeps the maximum water level at Phu An not exceed actual one until 2050 regardless the sea level rise.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to engineer solid dispersion lipid particles (SD-SLs) in which a solid dispersion (SD) was encapsulated to form the core of solid lipid particles (SLs), thereby achieving an efficient enhancement in the dissolution of a poorly water-soluble drug. METHODS: Ultrasonication was introduced into the process to obtain micro/nanoscale SLs. The mechanism of dissolution enhancement was investigated by analysing the crystalline structure, molecular interactions, and particle size of the formulations. RESULTS: The drug release from the SD-SLs was significantly greater than that from the SD or SLs alone. This enhancement in drug release was dependent on the preparation method and the drug-to-polymer ratio of the SD. With an appropriate amount of polymer in the SD, the solidification method had the potential to alter the drug crystallinity to an amorphous state, resulting in particle uniformity and molecular interactions in the SD-SLs. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed system provides a new strategy for enhancing the dissolution rate of poorly water-soluble drugs and further improving their bioavailability.

The study was carried out to set up the evaluation criteria that is satisfactory the level of a green industrial park. A set of criteria consists of 2 parts: screening and evaluation criteria, to evaluate the 2 objects: Investment company IZ infrastructure & factories within the industrial zone. Researchers have applied this set of criteria to evaluate the Tan Thuan Export Processing Zone, HCMC. From the results of the evaluation by the criteria, researchers have proposed 6 solutions and roadmap for implementation of solutions to meet the requirements of a green industrial park.

This study aims to formulate woodapple flavor effervescent tablets in the lab experiment. Four factors with three levels each were investigated including: acid citric (14%, 16%, 18%), natri-bicarbonate (10%, 14%, 18%), saccharose (45%, 50%, 55%), and PEG 6000 (4%, 5%, 6%). Nine profiles were constructed following a fractional factorial design – the Graeco Latin square. Each profile was then measured based on four characteristics/criteria: (1) - flow properties of wood apple powder (before compression process), (2) - weight variation and (3) - disintegration time (after compression process); and (4) wood-apple effervescent tablets which were rated for overall liking by 105 consumers. The results showed that 8 over 9 profiles have a good flow property, meaning that it is capable of compressing tablets. The weight variation among tablets is less than 5%. In addition to that, the disintegration time of an effervescent tablet, about 1 gram into 200 mL water, is less than 300 seconds (5 minutes). Based on the preliminary evaluation of our internal sensory panel, six over eight profiles were chosen for taking the tests to the consumers’ liking based on IPM method. The results showed that profile 2 (A.Citric 14%, NaHCO3 14%, saccharose 50% , PEG 6000 5%,wood apple flavor 16% and vit.C 1%) and profile 5 (A.Citric 16%, NaHCO3 14%, saccharose 50%, PEG 6000 4%, wood apple flavor 15% and vit.C 1%) obtain maximum liking score rated by the consumers. We expect that the results of this study will benefit R&D staff in food and pharmaceutical companies who want to diversify their local products.

Recently, reverse supply chain (RSC)has received significant attention from researchers, governments and industries. Most current studies assumed that parameters in RSC are deterministic or known in advance. In addition, risk and incentive elements in RSC models are neglected. Risk factors normally come from transportation and treatment processes which can lead to the increasing cost of the RSC system. Incentive fee can support consumers to return their end-of-life products. This research aims to minimize the total cost of an RSC model incorporating risk and incentive factors while some key parameters in the model are represented by fuzzy numbers. Fuzzy mathematical programming is utilized to solve the problem and find the optimal locations of facilities as well as the flow of materials in the network. A numerical example of electronic waste (e-waste)is investigated to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model. This study can provide significant implications since it can support managers to determine important strategic decisions in the design of an effective RSC model towards sustainable development. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Water can make a substantial contribution to human life for drinking as well as purposes related to human life and human nature. Because of increasing demand for water, there is a need for dam construction in preparation for agricultural purposes, drinking, industry and also flood control, power generation, etc. Simultaneously, they have had a considerable impact on the environment. A large range of potential impacts and hazards linked to the exploitation of dams and reservoirs, such as: (i) Major change in flow regime, thermal regime, physico-chemical cycles, (ii) reduction or loss of biological diversity, particular in aquatic species, (iii) greenhouse gas emissions, (iv) increases in the number of infectious disease and accumulation of heavy metals in food web...Therefore, there are various potential health risks of the environment and residents. However, whilst dam effects are very well documented elsewhere in the world, little or no information about negative effects of dams on the environment is available from Vietnam. Consequently, this paper provides a brief review of the environmental impact of dam constructions and after that, we will investigate some strategies to deal with the effects for Vietnam. By the way, we give some insight into ​​the first studies on the impacts of dams on the environment, which focuses on aquatic species was also noted in paper.

Due to fast-paced advancements in technology and innovation, new product development (NPD) has received great attention from industries. This development can assist companies to maintain their business's competitive edge. However, NPD task is a risk and complex process which is normally handled by NPD teams. These teams are currently lacking effective procedures to enhance their efforts to develop truly innovative products. Hence, this paper aims to develop a new systematic approach for new product development by integrating TRIZ principles into the Design for six sigma methodology. The proposed method will be effective in triggering creative concepts for innovative products and applied for a wide range of products. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

Approximately 10-15% of the population worldwide is affected by Chronic Kidney Diseases (CKD). The most severe form of CKD is an end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and the treatment for ESRD is either by dialysis or kidney transplantation. Around 30% of patients with ESRD have a willing living donor in time of transplant, but their donors are incompatible due to either blood group incompatibility or human leucocyte antigen sensitization of the recipient against the donor. Kidney Exchange Program (KEP) is a policy that aims to solve this issue by matching incompatible pairs of donors and recipients with other incompatible pairs, thus increasing the chance of both pairs of receiving a kidney. Most existing research applied the exact method to solve the KEP models, but this method has some drawbacks. This research aims to propose a Genetic Algorithms (GA) approach in order to maximize the potential number of transplants in KEP. The proposed method counts and extracts all the cycles and chains prior to starting the algorithm. This step will significantly decrease the computing time needed to run the algorithm, which is one of the drawbacks of using GA. The result showed that solving the KEP by GA approach has the potential of achieving optimal results with 88.8% matching efficiency. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

This paper presents an integrated model for calculation of flood in the Vu Gia – Thu Bon river system. In this model, the flow in rivers and channels is considered as onedimensional and described by the Saint – Venant equations while the flow on the floodplains is considered as two-dimensional and described by the shallow water equations. All equations are solved by finitevolume method. Roads, railway with conducts on floodplains are also included in the model. The floods in years 1999, 2007, 2009 and 2010 were calculated. The results show that floods in the Vu Gia – Thu Bon delta were simulated in detail with reliable accuracy.

The aims of this study are to increase and explain the mechanism of dissolution enhancement of isradipine using the sonoprecipitation method for stable nanosuspensions. There have been still few of published researches on formulation of isradipine using nanoparticle engineering. Nanosuspension systems were prepared upon various factors including amplitude and the time length of ultrasonication. The dissolution test was performed according to the USP paddle method in intestinal fluid (pH 6.8). The crystalline structure of drug, the molecular interaction, morphology and size of nanosuspension were also investigated to determine the mechanism of dissolution enhancement. The sonoprecipitation method with use of HPMC 6 showed its potential in enhancement of the drug release rate. Stable nanosuspension was significantly depended on amplitude and time of ultrasonication since these factors affected on the size of nanoparticles. The synergistic effects of reduction of drug crystallinity and particle size could increase the dissolution rate of isradipine by providing a stable nanosuspension. This work may contribute to a new strategy for improvement dissolution rate of isradipine.

This paper presents a mathematical model for detailed calculate the flooding flow in NhieuLoc – ThiNghe basin. The flow in sewers is considered as one-dimensional while overland flow is modeled using the 1D+2D integrated model. 1D flow was calculated from the Saint – Venant equations and 2D flow was calculated from the shallow water equations. The finite volume method was used. The linkage of models was received a necessary consideration. The application for NhieuLoc – ThiNghe basin case showed that the model could respond to the practical requirements.

Along with the search for new therapeutic agents, advanced formulation and fabrication of drug carriers are required for better targeting, sensing, and responding to environmental stimuli as well as maximizing treatment efficiency. The emergence of intelligent therapeutics involves the use of functional biomaterials to mimic biological system for prolonged circulation and to work harmoniously with the body. One of the main concerns lies in the feasibility of creating systems with well-defined architectures including size, shape, components, and functionality. This review provides an overview regarding current challenges and potential of manufacturing and fabrication of biomaterials at small scales for various biomedical applications. Accordingly, novel lithography-based fabrication approaches are introduced together with their remarkable applications. Besides being popular in microelectronics, lithography techniques have demonstrated a great potential use for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and diagnostic tools.

A high amylase producing Bacillus subtilis WD 161 was used in a co-culture with Clostridium butylicum TISTR 1032 to enhance acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) production from starch. The mixed culture of C. butylicum TISTR 1032 and B. subtilis WD 161 without anaerobic pretreatment by reducing agent and N 2 flushing increased amylase activity 10 folds and enhanced ABE production 5.4 and 6.5 folds from soluble starch and cassava starch, respectively, compared to those of the pure culture of Clostridium itself. The medium optimization for ABE production by the mixed culture without anaerobic pretreatment found that cassava starch concentration of 40 g/L, C/N ratio of 4.35 and the mixed nitrogen sources of 265 mM yeast extract and 100 mM NH 4 NO 3 gave the highest ABE production in terms of final concentration and productivity. The benefits of using this high amylase producing aerobic Bacillus in a co-culture with anaerobic Clostridium were not only increasing substrate utilization and ABE production but there was also no requirement to add any costly reducing agent to the medium or flushing with N 2 to ensure anaerobic condition. This thus makes the anaerobic fermentation more economical and cost effective. This co-culture system may contribute greatly to developing industrialized ABE production.

Marine environment exhibits an enormous diversity of organisms which contains an abundant source of polysaccharides. As polymer matrix carriers, marine-based polymers possess several valuable properties including high stability, non-toxicity, hydrophilicity, biodegradability, with low production cost. Despite notable biological activities of these natural polymers, there are certain limitations in exploring their functions in applications of nano-sized drug delivery systems. The review aims to demonstrate exceptional characteristics of marine-based polymers including fucoidan, alginate, carrageenan, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, and chitosan as well as provide perspectives of current publications on their nanoparticle formulations for biomedical applications.