Welcome to CTU Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development

Hematological parameters and hypoglycemia in dogs with canine distemper virus and canine parvovirus infections: Study in veterinary clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Nguyen Vu Thuy Hong Loan*, Nguyen Thi Lan Anh
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This study investigates hypoglycemic symptoms and physiological/ biochemical markers in dogs with parvovirus or distemper in Ho Chi Minh City. The survey of 10 cases of dogs with brown bloody diarrhea showed decreased red blood cell counts of 3.99 million/mm3 (8/10 samples), decreased and increased white blood cell counts (4/10 and 4/10, respectively), and eight cases had extremely elevated AST. The AST, ALT, urea, and creatinine indexes rose in dogs exhibiting neurological symptoms; in contrast, the quantity of red and white blood cells dropped. Findings from the blood physiological index study of dogs infected with the parvovirus reveal that aberrant white blood cell indices (increased or decreased) were present in 50% of blood samples. According to survey results, of the 20 cases that tested positive for parvovirus, 14 cases (70%) had an increased AST index, while 4/20 (20%) had an increased ALT. Thirty cases (58.8%) of reduced blood sugar levels were found in a survey of fifty-one dogs who tested positive for the parvovirus and Carré. Of these, six cases had a minor fall in the blood sugar index, and twenty-four cases had a significant decrease.

Vietnamese learners' mindsets about EFL speaking and role of demographic factors: A survey of university students

Nguyen Thi Bich Nhi*, Nguyen Van Loi
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Language mindsets - beliefs about whether language learning ability is immutable or malleable - have received much attention in psychology and education research due to their vital role in learners’ motivation and achievement. Despite this, research on the language mindsets regarding specific language skills has been under-explored. This study aims to fill this gap by focusing on mindsets about EFL speaking of Vietnamese tertiary students and examining the role of demographic factors in their mindsets. The study employed the mixed-methods approach using a language mindset survey and a semi-structured interview. 226 EFL students at a public university were recruited, using a convenient sampling technique, to respond to the survey. Purposive sampling was also employed for the interviews. Findings revealed that most students endorsed a growth mindset about EFL speaking while over one-third held a mixed mindset. Female students endorsed greater growth mindsets about EFL speaking than male counterparts, whereas more male students demonstrated a mixed mindset than did female students. However, there was no statistical relation between the language mindsets and demographic variables. The study implies that foreign language pedagogy should foster growth mindsets while cultivating mixed mindsets to promote EFL speaking among students.

From online learning to in-person teaching internship: Lived experiences of pre-service education students

James Liven B. Amoro, Ma. Kristel O. Amoro, Gino G. Sumalinog*
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Teaching internship improves teaching abilities and prepares pre-service teachers for the challenges of the profession. This descriptive phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of twelve education teaching interns who completed online training before working in-person at public elementary and secondary schools. This study was conducted at a local college in Cebu, Philippines. The informants have completed the 360-hour internship program at the cooperating school where they were assigned for the internship. To analyze the data, the seven steps of Colaizzi's method were used. After intensive analysis of the data, four themes emerged from this study: emotional and pedagogical challenges, support mechanisms, adaptive teaching, and personal and academic growth. The teaching internship program presents challenges and opportunities for teaching interns that contribute to their personal and professional growth, thereby facilitating adaptive teaching strategies that promote student engagement and learning.

Examining EFL university lecturers' self-perceived assessment roles in classroom formative assessment: A study in the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam

Ly Thi Bich Phuong*, Phuong Hoang Yen
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Drawn on Looney et al. (2017) framework of teacher assessment identity, this study investigated how EFL university lecturers perceived and developed their assessment identity across six dimensions: knowledge, conceptions, self-efficacy, emotional response, reported practice, and contextual factors. The study surveyed 81 EFL lecturers from seven universities in Viet Nam's Mekong Delta region. Results revealed that lecturers' assessment identity is significantly shaped by teaching experience and educational qualifications, with the strongest correlation between teacher confidence and assessment implementation (r= .82). While lecturers demonstrated high competence in communication-focused practices (M= 4.32, SD= 0.59) and strong positive attitudes toward assessment's instructional value (M = 4.44, SD = 0.61), they showed lower performance in theoretical understanding (M = 3.19, SD = 0.95). Teaching experience emerged as a crucial factor, with experienced teachers (>15 years) showing significantly higher assessment knowledge scores. Institutional context influenced assessment practices, with public sector teachers (80.2%) demonstrating more standardized approaches than their private sector counterparts. These findings contribute to understanding assessment identity development in EFL contexts and provide implications for designing professional development programs that address both technical and psychological aspects of assessment literacy tailored to Vietnamese higher education contexts.

Synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of thiazole conjugated amino acid derivatives

Huynh Nhut Linh, Nguyen Truong Giang, Nguyen Thi My Tien, Nguyen Pham Xuan Truc, Bui Minh Thi, Le Trong Hieu, Hong Vinh Quang, Do Minh Kiep, Hiroyuki Morita, Bui Thi Buu Hue*
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This paper presents the three-step synthesis and cytotoxicity evaluation of the thiazole-conjugated amino acid derivatives. Starting from the commercially available benzophenone and thiourea, the thiazole structure was successfully constructed bearing the free amino groups at the C-2 position, which was then coupled with the carboxyl functionality of N-Boc L-phenylalanine, N-Boc L-proline and N-Boc L-tryptophane using CDI as the coupling reagent under mild basic conditions to provide the hybrid thiazole/N-Boc amino acid derivatives 5a-c. Finally, the acidic promoted deprotection of the Boc groups afforded the desired hybrid thiazole/amino acid derivatives 6a-c in reasonable total yields. Cytotoxicity assays indicated that the hybrids thiazole/L-proline (6a) and thiazole/L-tryptophan (6c) exhibited rather good cytotoxicity on the cervical cancer cell line (IC50 =18.86 and 18.25 µM, respectively). Notably, compound 5a having the thiazole conjugated with unprotected N-Boc L-phenylalanine showed very good activity towards the lung cancer (IC50 = 15.72 µM), the cervical cancer (IC50 = 8.98 µM) and the breast cancer cell lines (IC50 = 8.07 µM), which were 1.3-, 1.2- and 2.5-fold, respectively,  stronger activity than 5-FU (IC50 = 20.73, 10.67 and 20.43 µM, respectively).