Tạp chí Khoa học Trường Đại học Trà Vinh
Tra Vinh University Journal of Science (TVUJS)
FACTORS AFFECTING INDIVIDUAL MORTGAGE CUSTOMERS’ ABILITY TO REPAY LOANS ON TIME AT KIEN LONG COMMERCIAL JOINT STOCK BANK, CAN THO BRANCH, VIETNAM
This study examined the factors affecting the ability of individual mortgage customers to repay loans on time at Kien Long Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Can Tho branch. Data were collected from the records of 150 individual mortgage customers with mortgage loans outstanding as of December 31, 2021, at the Kien Long Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Can Tho branch, using non-probability sampling, of which 119 repaid their loans on time. The data were analyzed by SPSS 20.0 software with methods used such as descriptive statistics, and binary logistic regression for six proposed factors: occupation, loan term, education level, income, guaranted property value, loan amount, and purpose of capital use. The research results show all six factors affecting the ability of individual mortgage borrowers to repay loans on time at a good statistical significance level. Based on the obtained results, the study offered several recommendations and policy implications to help improve individual mortgage customers’ ability to repay loans on time, contributing to minimizing risks for the bank.
MIGRATION OF WOMEN – SOCIAL ISSUES NEED TO CONCERN IN THE RURAL REGION OF THE MEKONG DELTA, VIETNAM
This article describes an overall picture of the migration process and the change in the population structure, the division of labor in the family, and the traditional role of emigrating women spatially and temporally over the past decade (2009-2019). By combining analysis of previous related research reports and qualitative research methods, the research results show that the causes of the change in the population structure in the Mekong Delta region are the process of industrialization and modernization of the country along with the partial impacts of climate change. These trends have adversely affected the economic life of a fraction of people in rural areas in the Mekong Delta and forced the unemployed workers in rural areas to leave their hometowns in search of new sources of livelihood, especially female workers. Migration has changed the population structure in rural families and led to social problems, particularly changes in the division of labor in families with migrant women causing increased burden to families and reduced care for the elderly and children remaining at home.
INVESTIGATING MEDICAL STUDENTS’ LEARNING OF SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY IN ENGLISH AT TRA VINH UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM
This study investigated a group of medical students’ perspectives on common difficulties in learning specialized vocabulary in English or English for Specific Purposes in their program. The study employed a quantitative method, which used a five-point Likert scale questionnaire to survey 214 medical students at Tra Vinh University. The study results revealed that as the students realized the importance of the specialized course, they had set clear goals for their studies. In particular, specialized vocabulary in English materials is one of the obstacles that students encounter in their learning process. Besides, the participants admitted that they also faced learning problems due to teaching methods. The study also found that they had difficulties in learning specialized vocabulary due to many problems, such as multi-syllabic words which made them difficult to enunciate, write, memorize, identify meanings, abbreviate terms, and associate collocations. Recommendations for related stakeholders such as the Faculty of Specialization and Foreign Languages were included to improve the learning and teaching of specialized vocabulary in English at Tra Vinh University.
EXOPOLYSACCHARIDES OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA: THE MANIPULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSES TO MODULATE BIOSYNTHESIS FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS
Exopolysaccharides are biopolymers produced by microorganisms in response to adverse environmental conditions. Exopolysaccharides of lactic acid bacteria are applied in many different fields such as food, pharmaceuticals, and medicine. This review discusses the biological functions of the exopolysaccharide derived from lactic acid bacteria and their response to exopolysaccharide synthesis under environmental stresses. Environmental stress can alter the expression of eps genes, resulting in changes in yield and monosaccharide composition of obtained exopolysaccharides. Therefore, the evaluation aims to clarify the feasibility of using environmental stress to modify exopolysaccharide biosynthesis in lactic acid bacteria for various applications.
INVESTIGATING THE HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN CHILDREN WITH DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER NEWLY HOSPITALIZED AT TRA VINH OBSTETRICS AND PEDIATRICS HOSPITAL, VIETNAM
The study described several hematological parameters in children with Dengue hemorrhagic fever newly hospitalized at Tra Vinh Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital in 2022. The retrospective study investigated 400 selected children. The results showed that children with severe Dengue hemorrhagic fever accounted for 5.5\%. For epidemiological characteristics, within the population of children with the disease, 43.75\% were aged 10 to 16 years old, the male/female ratio was 1.18/1, the majority were Kinh ethnic group (77.5\%) and lived in rural areas (71.8\%). For characteristics of hematological indicators, platelets and white blood cells decreased, PT \% decreased, and APTT prolonged. The factors, including age group, the decrease in platelet counts, the increase in hematocrit, and the increase in APTT time, are associated with the incidence of severe dengue in children. The study results contribute to identifying a group of patients at risk of severe dengue in the first test after being hospitalized, which helps doctors closely monitor and detect early serious complications for timely treatment.
REARING TIRE TRACK EEL (Mastacembelus favus) FROM FRY TO FINGERLING IN RECIRCULATING AQUACULTURE SYSTEM IN TRA VINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM
The rearing experiment of tire track eel (Mastacembelus favus) in the recirculating aquaculture system was conducted at the Freshwater Experimental Research Station, Tra Vinh University from April to June 2022. The experiment concluded four treatments: two experimental treatments in a recirculation aquaculture system with the rearing density of 1,500 individuals/m3 for the first experiment and 2,000 individuals/m3 for the second experiment, two control treatments in a free water system with 1,500 individuals/m3 for the first control and 2,000 individuals/m3 for the second control, and each treatment was designed with triplicates. The fry with an average initial weight of 0.016 g/fish and an average length of 1,033 cm/fish were reared in the 500-L composite tank. Fish were fed with Moina, worms and pellets (40% protein) and the feed was adjusted to the needs of fish in each treatment. After 60 days of rearing, the highest growth rate was at the first experiment (0.019 g/day and 7.08%/day) and was significantly higher than the two control treatments (p > 0.05). The second control treatment had the lowest growth rate (0.010 g/day and 6.11%/day). The first experiment had the highest survival rate (50.6%), which was significantly different (p < 0.05) from the second experiment (38.9%) and the second control treatment (33%). Thus, rearing fry of tire track eel in the recirculating aquaculture system with a stocking density of 1,500 individuals/m3 achieved the best results.
INVESTIGATING THE INFLUENCE OF BRASSINOLIDE ON THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF PEANUT IN TRA VINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM
Brassinolide is a growth regulator contributing to plant growth and development, flowering and fruiting capacity, resulting in high yields for crops such as soybean, rice, strawberry, and grapes. This research project investigated the effect of Brassinolide on the growth and development of peanuts grown in sandy soil in Tra Vinh Province. The experiment utilized a completely randomized block design with two factors: four Brassinolide rates (0 ppm, 0.05 ppm, 0.10 ppm, and 0.15 ppm) and four injection points (15, 35, 50 days after sowing, and 15+35+50 days after sowing). The results indicated that a concentration of 0.15 ppm Brassinolide, combined with spraying three times on days 15+35+50 days after sowing, achieved higher efficiency in height, number of buds, number of flowers/tree, and number of fruits/plants, compared to the trial without Brassinolide.
DETERMINING THE ALGAE CELL DENSITY AND TOTAL CAROTENOID CONTENT OF HETEROTROPHIC MARINE MICROALGAE - SCHIZOCHYTRIUM AND THRAUSTOCHYTRIUM ON THE COAST OF TRA VINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM
This study aimed to determine the biomass culture capacity and total carotenoid content of heterotrophic marine microalgae genera, including the genus Schizochytrium and Thraustochytrium on the coast of Tra Vinh Province. Five strains of these genera, DH41.79, CN27, DH10, CN15, and CN47, were cultured for biomass and carotenoid content. The study showed that the cell density of CN47 was highest with different periods under three different dilution levels (10%, 20%, and 30%), with a positive relationship between cell density and dry weight of algae strains (R2 ≈ 1 > 0). Besides, the results indicated that all densities of strain CN47 showed carotenoid content of this strain (7,613 µg/kg) was significantly higher than that of the 04 remainings and previous studies. The research results contribute to the foundation for scientific works on the heterotrophic marine microalgae Thraustochytrids, which have a high potential for applications in biomass production, extraction of high-value nutritional compounds for aquaculture, towards sustainable development through replacing fish oil sourced from natural exploitation in Tra Vinh Province.
FACTORS AFFECTING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ON SERVICE QUALITY AT SAN HA RETAIL GROUP
This study proposes a research model of the factors affecting customer satisfaction with the service quality of San Ha Retail Group. The study proposes a service quality measurement model with five factors and 20 observed variables. The study used the method of testing the reliability of the model scale by Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient, the exploratory factor analysis, and the multivariate regression analysis to explore the results of interviews with 130 customers who have used products and services of San Ha Retail Group. The results show that customer satisfaction with the service quality of San Ha Retail Group is influenced by five factors, including empathy, responsiveness, tangibles, reliability, and service capacity. The findings from the research suggest solutions to increase customer satisfaction when using products and services for San Ha Retail Group.
DEVELOPING AESTHETIC COMPETENCE FOR 6TH GRADERS THROUGH FOLKTALES: THE CASE OF HIGH SCHOOLS IN TRA VINH PROVINCE, VIETNAM
The study was conducted to survey and analyze the level of aesthetic perception through Thanh Giong and The Legend of Ho Guom - the two 6th grade folktales. The study involved the participation of 138 pupils and 6 teachers teaching 6th grade Literature at Cang Long Ethnic Minority Boarding and Huyen Hoi Secondary School in Cang Long District, Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam. In this study, group discussion and role-playing pedagogy were the two methods utilized combining the Rubric technique to evaluate the experimental results. The results showed that there is a positive change in students’ aesthetic perception ability when using the active learning method with pre-test score is 5.9, and post-test score is 8.0 for the story of Thanh Giong. As for The Legend of Ho Guom, the pre-test score is 6.4, and 8.1 for the posttest score. These results contribute to motivating teachers to improve teaching methods, enhance the quality of transmission, and develop aesthetic competence for 6th grade students through teaching and learning folktales in particular as well as in teaching and learning the subject of Literature in general.
INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENT AUTONOMY IN A VIRTUAL EFL WRITING CLASSROOM
The study investigates whether the design of a combined intervention with selfanalysis of re-contextualized sample texts and subsequent peer interactions might be promising in supporting writing skills development of Vietnamese EFL students in a virtual environment. A pretest-posttest control group design with switching replications was set up with one experimental condition of the combined intervention and one conventional condition with teacherled analysis of textbook-based samples. Participants included 97 Vietnamese English-majored undergraduate students in the third year in a university in Mekong Delta, Vietnam: 46 students in the experimental condition and 51 students in the control condition. Univariate covariance analyses showed that experimental condition had a positive effect on quality of texts. For writing fluency, students of the experimental condition wrote longer texts in the second panel (posttest 2); the effect could not be seen immediately in the first panel (posttest 1). Implications for EFL writing pedagogy and research, including research planning to avoid the effect of topic on quality of writing, importance of writing topics relevant to L2 student writers, and organization of prewriting sessions are discussed in the last part of the paper.
TOTAL FLOAT MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE UNDER THE FLOAT AND RESOURCE LOADING
Schedule delays in construction projects are a common occurrence and have a significant impact on the overall project duration. Plentiful delay analysis techniques have been proposed and utilized to resolve these issues. The total float management method is widely accepted and considered the most fundamental approach as it effectively resolves four major delay issues and measures float consumption. However, current delay analysis techniques have often overlooked the allocation of float and resources, which can remarkably affect the determination of delay responsibilities for involved parties. This study aims to enhance the total float management approach by intensively incorporating float and resource loading considerations before delay analysis implementation. The research methodology includes an extensive literature review, identification of crucial issues related to schedule delays arising from the lack of resource and total float allocation, and the application of enhanced total float management under float and resource loading through a case study for test validation. The research findings provide transparent insights into delay liability considering both time delays and float consumption and emphasize the importance of float and resource allocation in the early stages of construction projects for a consensus before analyzing and assigning delay responsibilities. Future studies could focus on legalizing the procedural considerations of float ownership and resource allocation in contract agreements.
UTILIZING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE THE CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCY OF CONTROL SYSTEM FOR TRANSMISSIBLE DISEASES IN HO CHI MINH CITY
A research and development study was conducted from September 2020 to April 2023 involving 9 hospitals, 24 district health centers and 319 commune health stations. The main objective of the study was to establish, refine, and update a system for controlling directly transmitted diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as assess its practical implementation. Before the system update, the study identified limitations in disease surveillance, particularly in monitoring cases that were not examined or treated at hospitals. The existing reporting mechanisms also resulted in incomplete disease data, with subpar data quality due to delays and inadequate processing of reported cases. Considering the prevailing circumstances, management requirements and usage needs, the system underwent enhancements and integrated GIS capabilities. This allowed healthcare personnel to swiftly and accurately identify disease cases, determine contacts, establish epidemiological zones, trace transmission chains, and monitor the implementation of control measures. The improved control system has been successfully implemented, ensuring effective management of community-based hand, foot, and mouth disease. Additionally, the system demonstrates the potential for broader applicability in managing other directly transmitted diseases.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE QUALITY OF ORANGE PEEL TEA
The aim of this study was to develop the technological process of making herbal tea bags from orange peels. In order to achieve this purpose, the effects of blanching, drying conditions, and mixing ratio of orange peels, green tea, and stevia were examined. The results showed that orange peel blanched in hot water at 80oC for 6 minutes helps to retain the green color and has high sensory value. Upon being dried at 70oC for 210 minutes, the total polyphenol content is 420.69 mg GAE/g dry weight with a final moisture content of 9%. With the mixing ratio of 70% orange peel, 25% green tea, and 5% stevia, the product has the highest sensory value-specifically color (3.84), flavors (4.07), tastes (3.61), and sweetness (3.92) -and with total polyphenols of 516.51 mgGAE/g dry matter and antioxidant activity of 119.18%.
SNAIL COMPOSITION AND ITS CERCARIAE IN HIEP PHUOC RICE FIELD OF NHA BE DISTRICT, HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
A study of cercariae and snail composition by morphological analysis method in Hiep Phuoc rice field of Nha Be District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, was carried out in October 2022 (the wet season) and February 2023 (the dry season). A total of 738 snails were collected, and eight snail species belonging to eight genera and six families were identified. Six snail species were found in the wet season, and seven snail species were found in the dry season. Only Sermyla tornatella was infected with trematode (cercariae stage), and the prevalence in the dry season (1.4%) was higher than in the wet season (0.9%) (P > 0.05). The other seven snail species were cercariae-free. Four cercariae morphotypes were recovered from Sermyla tornatella, including Transvesotrema cercariae, Pleurolophocercous cercariae, Xiphidio cercaria, and Echinostome cercariae. Further research on snails and their cercariae in other waterbodies should be done in Nha Be District to identify the snail diversity and sources of trematodes to contribute to developing tilapia culture and other fish species with trematode free.
AN EVALUATION OF ROBO-ADVISOR RISK ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRES IN SELECTED ASIA PACIFIC ECONOMIES
This study was conducted to evaluate the risk assessment questionnaires of a sample of 30 robo-advisors from seven selected Asia Pacific economies. Using a descriptive research approach, the study initially classified the questions gathered from the robo-advisor risk assessment questionnaires into risk capacity and risk tolerance, and further divided them into 26 subcategories. Then a comparison of the number of questions in each robo-advisor’s questionnaire was followed, where the risk tolerance wa found to have a higher proportion of questions than risk capacity. Next, the comparison of the questions per subcategory for each sample economy was done and reported that questions on investment amount dominate the risk capacity category, while risk versus return preference prevails in the risk tolerance category. Lastly, an analysis of the correlation between the answer value and percentage of equity in the recommended portfolios of robo-advisors in each sample economy was performed. The findings revealed that most of the robo-advisors formulate their portfolio recommendations without utilizing all the parameters or questions in the risk assessment questionnaires. The key influences of robo-advisors’ portfolio recommendations were asset allocation choices of the investors, followed by the investors’ attitude towards risk and risk versus return preference. This paper enriches the literature on robo-advisors by evaluating the risk assessment questionnaires adopted in the Asia Pacific region. In terms of practical implications, the results highlight the deficiencies of the existing questionnaires and assert that they should be reviewed and redesigned to more accurately capture investors’ risk characteristics and reflect all information gathered in the portfolio recommendations.
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL APPLIED TO ADVANCED ENGLISH READING: A CASE STUDY OF ENGLISH MAJORS AT THAI BINH DUONG UNVERSITY, VIETNAM
Self-study is considered one of the indispensable skills of learners in general and university students in particular in the 4.0 technology era. In order to develop the spirit of active inquiry, knowledge acquisition, and a flexible learning environment, this study examined the application of the flipped classroom model for an academic Advanced Reading course for students majoring in English. It aimed to find out the factors affecting students’ awareness and understanding of students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the flipped model for this subject. Research results collected through indepth interviews with 15 students showed that there were many positive responses to this model and pointed out the limitations of the model for Advanced Reading, suggesting how teachers can develop more effective teaching methods in this area.
ANALYZING GIT LOG IN AN CODE-QUALITY AWARE AUTOMATED PROGRAMMING ASSESSMENT SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY
Automated programming assessment systems have transformed the evaluation of programming assignments, providing detailed feedback and reducing instructors' workload. This paper explores the benefits of Git log analysis in ProgEdu, a code-quality aware automated programming assessment system. ProgEdu was utilized for assessing Java homework assignments and web programming projects over two semesters. The integration of Git log analysis in ProgEdu highlights its potential in tracking student progress, predicting performance, determining student groups based on submission behaviors, identifying inequality in group projects, and facilitating instructors' intervention. The study emphasizes the importance of enhancing software industrial practices in programming courses, including code version control, static code quality checking, unit testing, and automation tools. By incorporating these practices, students benefit from hands-on learning and situated learning experiences. Embracing these practices enhances the learning experience, improves student performance, and fosters a collaborative programming environment. It highlights the benefits for students and instructors, urging institutions to invest in software industrial practices and demonstrating the potential impact on programming education.
EVALUATION OF VISION TRANSFORMER ON WEATHER IMAGE RECOGNITION
This study implements Vision Transformer 16x16 Words model for weather images classification. Its performance is compared with other traditional convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures, namely EfficientNetB2, DenseNet201, EfficientNetB7 and MobileNetV2. These models are implemented by transfer learning techniques for classification of images. In order to ensure the comparative performance, the same hyper-parameters of their models, such as dropout rate, optimizer and learning rate are employed identically. Furthermore, the same dataset on weather image phenomena applied on all those models with the same training, validation and testing dataset of weather images classification. The dataset of 11 different image classes that are collected from different resources of weather images with various kinds of weather phenomena are employed. The test results of performance show that the Vision Transformer gives the best results at 86.20%, which is suitable for application in evaluating weather images classification problem.
DESIGN AND EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE OPERATING PARAMETERS FOR SUGARCANE PEELER ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF CIRCULAR BRUSH
This paper presents a two-stage experimental process to determine the reasonable operating parameters of the sugarcane peeling machine based on the principle of circular brush. The first stage is to qualitatively determine the quality of sugarcane peeling to determine the speed range of the brush disk. The second stage specifies the value of rotational speed and cane push speed to be able to clean sugarcane with a diameter of the cane stem about 20-40 mm. Based on a reasonable set of parameters, the authors designed and fabricated a prototype of a sugarcane peeling machine with a spinning speed of 750 rpm and a cane pushing speed of 15-20 s/m. The machine has a productivity of 70 canes/hour and wears away an average thickness of about 0.767 mm, satisfying the condition of cleaning sugarcane. The research results are the basis for the mass production of sugarcane peeling machines according to the principle of circular brush with lower cost and higher productivity than other types of sugarcane peeling machines according to the principle of knife.
A FINITE ELEMENT STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF SLOPE AND RAINFALL INTENSITY ON SUBSURFACE OUTFLOW OF PERMEABLE FRICTION COURSE PAVEMENT
Permeable friction course pavement is designed with high porosity so that water can infiltrate into its pores and drain out laterally through the side. This study observes the subsurface outflow of a permeable friction course pavement via the finite element analysis program SV Flux 2D. A series of analyses were conducted for the permeable friction course pavement with different slope and rainfall intensity values. The results showed that different slope values provided different results for the subsurface outflow. As the slope increased, the subsurface outflow of the permeable friction course pavement increased. It is noticed that the effect of slope on the subsurface outflow decreased when the slope increased from 6% to 8%. In addition, this study also found that as the time of rain events increased, the subsurface outflow pavement was reduced. The investigation of the effect of rainfall intensity on the subsurface outflow of the permeable friction course pavement showed that as the rainfall intensity increased, the subsurface outflow steadily increased. However, it is noted that at the higher rainfall intensity, the pavement became saturated faster and the overflow happened earlier. In the future, further studies focused on the drainage of permeable friction course pavement including subsurface and surface outflow should be carried out.
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS FROM BROWN ALGAE
Recently, macroalgae has found extensive utilization within the domain of biotechnology. Based on their variety of bioactive components, species of class Phaeophyceae are involved in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. Studies have proved that these unique compounds show beneficial activities for human health. With peculiar properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral activities, and related functionalities, each compound holds potential value for human health. This review discusses the bioactive compounds of brown algae and the recent multiple applications of those components that make up algae’s potential in industrial companies. The review was conducted by searching and selecting references related to the content of interest with popular web search engines such as Google Scholar and PubMed.
CONSUMER PURCHASE BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ORGANIC POTATO IN VIENTIANE CAPITAL, LAO PDR
The paper aims to analyze consumer purchase behavior towards organic potatoes in Vientiane Capital, Laos, by estimating the consumer's valuation of organic potatoes relative to conventional potatoes and determining the information effect on an organic potato. This study used the questionnaire to conduct face-to-face interviews in four organic markets in Vientiane Capital; the questionnaire was distributed to 300 samples. The experiment was divided into three treatments: (1) no information (did not provide any information), (2) positive information (the positive impacts of conducting organic agriculture), and (3) negative information (the negative impacts of not conducting organic agriculture). The study findings indicate that shoppers are interested in purchasing a total average price of a 32 percent premium of potatoes over regular potatoes. The mean willingness to pay for organic potatoes through the information treatments shows that the no information treatment is the highest, followed by positive and negative information with the lowest. Besides, the insignificant effect of positive and negative information on purchasing organic vegetables significantly reduces the willingness to pay. It also shows that age, gender, education, income, and household size insignificantly influence willingness to pay. However, the study found that consumers’ preferences for organic are relative to conventional potatoes, but their preferences did not change their value for organic potatoes, even though they were provided positive information. This study suggests that the Lao government should continue to promote organic products and marketing strategies to the consumers in terms of the policy.
A NOVEL SYSTEM FOR PREDICTING THE DAMAGE OF RICE DISEASES IN AN GIANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM
Many researchers have recently considered information technology applications to support smart agriculture. Numerous solutions and information technology systems have been implemented to benefit farmers, such as an e-commerce website for exchanging agricultural products, an agricultural information system, a livestock information management system, and an agricultural environment monitoring system. This paper presents a novel system that combines artificial back-propagation neural networks with genetic algorithms for predicting the damage of rice diseases in An Giang province. The system predicts rice disease damage in the coming weeks in 11 districts in An Giang based on input parameters such as climate conditions and previous rice disease damage. The approach was evaluated on a dataset collected by the An Giang Plant Protection Department over 22 years. The rice diseases forecasting system produced promising results and received positive feedback from forecast department specialists, with an RMSE of 19.31 on the test dataset (ha).
RESEARCH ON THE SEQUENTIAL QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING DIFFERENTIAL EVOLUTION, JAYA, AND JAYA'S EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM
This study focuses on researching and comparing optimization algorithms such as Sequential Quadratic Programming, Differential Evolution, Jaya, and Jaya's evolutionary algorithm. Sequential Quadratic Programming is an optimization method based on mathematical programming, where constraints and objective functions are represented by convex and differentiable functions. Differential Evolution is a combinatorial evolutionary algorithm that utilizes genetic operators such as crossover and mutation to generate new generations of individuals. Jaya is an optimization algorithm based on continuous improvement of the population, where individuals are updated based on the current best solution. This study focuses on the specific application of the Jaya evolutionary algorithm (iJaya) compared to other algorithms and compares the performance of these algorithms in solving optimization problems through real-world examples of fiber orientation optimization in stiffened composite plates. Experiments on popular optimization problems and measure factors such as runtime, accuracy, and the ability to search for optimal solutions were conducted. The research results will provide an overview of the performance and advantages of each algorithm, thereby providing recommendations for selecting the appropriate algorithm for corresponding problems in the construction field.
OPTIMIZATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING ON THE QUALITY OF LUCUMA (Pouteria lucuma) JAM
This research aims to survey the factors in the process of quality of lucuma jam (Pouteria lucuma). The main contents included (i) Investigating the effects of added water (v/w) (60%, 80%, 100%, 120%, 140%); (ii) Optimize the ratio of sugar (50%, 60%, 70%), acid citric (0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%) and pectin (0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5%). The results showed that by adding 100% water, the jam product achieved the highest sensory score and attractive color for L*, b* of 30.12 , and 30.96, respectively. The ratio of sugar (70%), citric acid (0.2%) and pectin (1.0%) in the supplementary mixture resulted in a total polyphenol of 21.53 mgGAE/L and 62.67oBx of the final product and gained the highest scores from the sensory panel, which evaluated the jam by perceptive color, flavor, taste , and texture.
EFFECT OF THREE TYPES OF GROWING MEDIA AND VERMICOMPOST TEA ON THE GROWTH AND INDIVIDUAL WEIGHT OF CHINESE KALE (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra Bailey)
The intensive use of inorganic fertilizers is an effective means to promote crop productivity. However, continuous and improper use of inorganic fertilizers alone can lead to soil degradation, resulting in lower yield, environmental pollution, and human health. Organic fertilizers maintain soil quality, increase soil organic matter, and improve soil properties, consequently enhancing crop yield. This present study aimed to investigate the effects of growing media and vermicompost tea on the growth and yield of Chinese kale plants under pot conditions. Consequently, the experiment of the present study included six treatments, including control. The results showed that mixing cow manure and vermicompost with growing media and VT application significantly positively affected plant height, number of leaves, stem diameter, and individual weight of Chinese kale plants. Particularly, the highest plant height, the number of leaves, and individual weight were seen in the T6 treatment [GM3 (the mixture of 50% soil, 20% cocopeat, and 30% vermicompost) + VT application], but T2 treatment [GM2 (the mixture of 50% soil, 20% cocopeat, and 30% cow manure) + no VT application] had the highest stem diameter. Noticeably, VT application increased the individual weight of the plants in the T4 treatment (GM of 100% soil + VT application) by 119.9%, as compared to the control (GM of 100% soil + no VT application). Consequently, the findings of this present study demonstrated that vermicompost tea may have great potential for use as a foliar fertilizer for leaf vegetables to promote growth in plant height and weight.
AWARENESS ON GENDER VIOLENCE AT ETHNIC MINORITY AREAS: A CASE STUDY IN BUON HO TOWN, DAK LAK PROVINCE, VIETNAM
The problems of gender violence is still existing in ethnic minority communities when traditional point of view and prejudice are available. This study aims to find out awareness of male and female of the E De ethnic minority on gender violence in Buon Ho town, Dak Lak province, Vietnam. The study was conducted based on collecting primary information from structured interviews with 135 ethnic minority households and in-depth interviews with 06 key informants in the community, as well as collecting related secondary information. The research findings indicated that although awareness on gender violence has significantly improved in both male and female, there is still a part of local people who do not understand correctly. This group has clear prejudice about the different role and status between male and female in the family. The point of view that females must accept disadvantage or accept the fate of being the weak is still going on.
PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS ON ENTERTAINING EDUCATIONAL CONTENT FOR LEARNERS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER
This paper reports on an ongoing study regarding the needs of autism spectrum disorder learners for entertaining learning materials. Previous researchers have introduced a number of assistive technologies, but the use of assistive technologies is problematic for students with autism spectrum disorder. The lack of entertaining learning material for autism spectrum disorder students may be one of the reasons. Therefore, this study proposed student–centred learning and self–paced learning approaches to better help autism spectrum disorder students for learning. The methods of fieldwork and semistructured interviews were utilized to investigate the needs of autism spectrum disorder learners for entertaining learning materials. During the fieldwork, the favorite or main leisure activities at home of the participants were collected. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with teachers in special schools to investigate students’ needs for entertaining learning materials. The study results indicated that there are very few entertaining learning materials developed specifically for learners with autism spectrum disorder, but the need is urgent.
THE RITUAL OF WELCOMING TEVADA CHNAM THMAY: SIGNIFYING THE CIRCULATION OF GODS AND THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR TIME CYCLE OF THE KHMER PEOPLE IN SOC TRANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM
The ritual of welcoming Tevada Chnam Thmay is a meaningful and indispensable event in the Khmer New Year. This ritual denotes the time of a year’s transition and welcomes the new Tevada. The study adopted the theory of symbolic anthropology proposed by Victor Turner to explain the meaning of ritual symbols and considers ritual symbols as a mechanism for maintaining traditional society. By employing the participant observation and sociological interview method in Soc Trang Province, the study contributes to clarifying the appearance, role, and meaning of the Tevada Chnam Thmay in the spiritual life of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam.