City University Research Articles

A Study on Native-Like Pronunciation Matters Encountered by Third-Year English Majors at University of Food Industry In Ho Chi Minh City

This study investigates the pronunciation challenges faced by third-year English majors at Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI) in achieving native-like pronunciation. Pronunciation plays a crucial role in effective communication, yet it is often neglected in English language instruction. Using a mixed-methods approach, this research examines the current pronunciation proficiency of students and identifies factors contributing to their difficulties, such as limited exposure to authentic English sounds and insufficient phonetic training. The study also explores strategies to enhance pronunciation, including the use of audiovisual tools, problem-solving techniques, and voice control systems. Cultural awareness and phonological knowledge are highlighted as critical components in improving pronunciation. The findings show that while students recognize the importance of accurate pronunciation, many still struggle with distinguishing English sounds and applying proper intonation and stress patterns. Recommendations are provided to improve pronunciation instruction, focusing on integrating more engaging and systematic pronunciation exercises in the curriculum. The results emphasize the need for targeted pronunciation training to help students develop clear and intelligible English speech, thereby enhancing their overall communicative competence.

Predictors of Social Justice: Critical Thinking Disposition and Student Personal Responsibility

The increase in diversity in society and, thus, in schools brings the possibility of an increase in the number of students exposed to prejudice and discrimination due to their differences. Therefore, there is a need for teachers who can support students' perceptions of social justice. This study aims to examine the predictive power of CT disposition and SP responsibility on social justice attitudes in prospective social studies teachers. 341 prospective social studies teachers from universities in various cities of Turkey participated in the study. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data. The results showed that CT disposition predicted social justice, while SP responsibility did not have a significant effect. The study's results underline the importance of increasing CT disposition to increase prospective teachers' social justice attitudes. It is necessary to include CT disposition development in studies on social justice.

“The City of Two Origins – Euro-Asian City”, “Tatar Moscow”, “University City”: Images and Myths of Kazan in the 19th Century Texts

“The City of Two Origins – Euro-Asian City”, “Tatar Moscow”, “University City”: Images and Myths of Kazan in the 19th Century Texts

Influencing Factors and Prevalence of Anxiety in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: While current research highlights student anxiety globally, limited data exists on the specific situation of Vietnamese medical students. This study addresses this gap by investigating the prevalence and contributing factors of anxiety within this population, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of their mental health experiences.
 Methods: Utilizing a convenience sampling technique, 400 medical students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine & Pharmacy were surveyed using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and a custom questionnaire assessing factors contributing to anxiety. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation.
 Results: Findings revealed mild to moderate anxiety levels among medical students (M = 49.68 ± 11.54), with significant differences based on gender, academic year, and academic performance. Males (M = 51.27 ± 12.26) and senior students (M = 53.18 ± 12.50) reported higher anxiety levels. Key contributors to anxiety included financial concerns, major examinations, and discrepancies between perceived and desired academic performance. Notably, a strong positive correlation was found between academic performance discrepancies and anxiety levels (r = 0.888, p < 0.001).
 Conclusion: The study highlights a potentially higher prevalence of anxiety among medical students than previously reported, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. Understanding the multifaceted nature of anxiety and its contributing factors is crucial for fostering a supportive learning environment, ultimately nurturing well-equipped and resilient healthcare professionals.

Are Top Management Teams Compensated as Teams? A Structural Modeling Approach

I develop two empirical models to quantify agency friction caused by moral hazard in top management teams. They capture shareholders’ distinct perspectives on compensating top managers: the Individual Model, in which managers in a firm unilaterally shirk, and the Team Model, in which managers choose effort jointly. The Team Model rationalizes observed compensation better than the Individual Model, underlining the importance of managerial coordination and team-based incentives. This paper also offers novel estimates of agency friction in a team production setting. Risk premium explains a large portion of the pay differential across and within firms. Firm value would have dropped between 4% and 15% if managers shirked. Additional counterfactual estimation suggests that shareholders could reduce the total compensation by up to $17 million if they were to switch from the individual perspective to the team perspective. This paper was accepted by Shivaram Rajgopal, accounting. Funding: This work was supported by the Professional Staff Congress and the City University of New York (PSC-CUNY) [Grant 67780-00 45]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2024.4982 .

The changing face of my jazz photographic practice

This article is a reflection on my jazz photography practice and how it has changed with my involvement in academic research after becoming actively involved in the Jazz Studies cluster at the Birmingham Centre for Media and Cultural Research (BCMCR), Birmingham City University and starting a close collaboration with jazz scholar Dr Pedro Cravinho. My practice evolved from photographing musicians playing at gigs to visualising the jazz scene and musicians from a different perspective which includes aspects of their off-stage lives. Through our discussions and common interests in the local jazz scene(s), Cravinho and I began developing a research process in which photography is the visual driver but is underpinned by Pedro’s rigorous academic input. Our collaboration is built on my documentary photography practice and Pedro’s ethnomusicological research background.

THE EFFECTS OF PORTFOLIOS ON DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ WRITING ABILITY

This study aimed to look into the effects of portfolios in developing writing skills among students who major in tourism at a university in Ho Chi Minh City. The study was conducted on fifty third-year students. Random assignment of participants to an experimental or control group of twenty-five students each. For fulfilling the objective, a quasi-experimental research design was utilized. Both groups were given a pre-test to determine their writing performance and sub-skills of focus, elaboration, organization, vocabulary, and mechanics before the treatment. Throughout the study, the experimental group was instructed with portfolio assessment, whereas the control group was trained in the conventional method. After receiving the treatment, students in the experimental group were also required to complete a survey regarding the effectiveness of using portfolios to improve writing skills in English classes. The attitude survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Other data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with learners who are representative students at different levels. The results of student questionnaires and student interview data showed that most students had positive attitudes regarding using portfolios to improve their writing skills in English classes. They all believe portfolios could help develop their writing ability. Though the limitation is unavoidable, the study is expected to benefit teachers, students, and researchers of the related studies.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/lit/0757/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

The Effects of Blooket oThe Effects of Blooket on Motivation in Learning English among First-Year Non-English Majors at A University in Ho Chi Minh Cityn Motivation in Learning English among First-Year Non-English Majors at A University in Ho Chi Minh City

This study reviews Blooket's impacts on 51 non-English major university students' vocabulary and reading skills through their intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in comparing when teachers use traditional and technological methods in teaching based on Ryan and Deci's self-determination framework (2020). The research conducted by Shliakhtina et al. (2023) has indicated that old-fashioned approaches, like the Grammar Translation Method with appropriate teacher support, can also enhance students' motivation. However, students sometimes need more support learning vocabulary and reading skills because it is a learned-by-heart process. The study gathered data on students' motivation levels when exposed to different teaching approaches by conducting action research. This data can help identify the effectiveness of Blooket in enhancing students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, according to the research of Tran (2022) and Thu & Dan (2023). The results indicate that incorporating elements of extrinsic motivation, such as points or badges within Blooket, also contributes to overall motivation. Students may feel a sense of achievement and be further motivated to participate actively in language learning activities. The interactive nature of Blooket, along with its ability to create a supportive learning environment, fosters a sense of learning and self-awareness among learners. This, in turn, allows students to understand their strengths and weaknesses and take ownership of their learning process.

Impact of chronic kidney disease stages on surgical and functional outcomes in robot-assisted partial nephrectomy for localized renal tumors.

The influence of chronic kidney disease stage on robot-assisted partial nephrectomy outcomes remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess the impact of chronic kidney disease stage on functional and surgical outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and identify preoperative predictors of significant postoperative 1-year renal-function loss (RFL). Clinical data of 408 patients who underwent robot-assisted partial nephrectomy at Yokohama City University Hospital between 2016 and 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. The da Vinci Surgical System was applied in all patients, and outcomes assessed included surgical parameters, postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, trifecta and pentafecta achievements, and complications. Significant RFL was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate reduction ≥ 25% from baseline. Higher chronic kidney disease stages correlated with older age, hypertension, diabetes, and solitary kidneys. Postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate decline was most pronounced in patients with chronic kidney disease stages 4-5. Although the chronic kidney disease stage did not significantly affect most surgical parameters, pentafecta achievement was higher in patients with chronic kidney disease stage 3 than in those with stages 4-5. Two patients required hemodialysis after robot-assisted partial nephrectomy. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative hemoglobin level and maximum tumor diameter were significant predictive factors for significant RFL. In conclusion, preoperative CKD stage did not influence on surgical outcome except for pentafecta achievement. RAPN may be feasible for patients with CKD stages 4-5 because of no rapid progression to hemodialysis induction and no procedure-related mortality. Preoperative hemoglobin levels and tumor diameter emerged as predictors of significant RFL.

Sampling of atmospheric Hgo using home-made gold-coated sand sorbent prior to analysis by atomic absorption spectrometry

Gold-coated sand for amalgamation was synthesized and applied for the determination of mercury in ambient air using a home-made dual gold trap unit coupled to atomic absorption spectrometer. Gold-coated sand is prepared by chemical reduction of Au(III) solution with hydroxylamine depositing elemental gold on acid-etched sand. A home-made dual gold trap unit which focused time-resolved mercury trapped from the sampling/first trap provided an increase in sensitivity and reliability for the analysis of ultra-trace mercury in air was designed and tested. Instrumental detection and quantitation limits (IDL and IQL) of system were 3.9 and 13pg Hg, respectively. Method detection and quantitation limits (MLOD and MLOQ) of system were 0.04 and 0.13ngHg.m-3 for sampling flow rate of 200mL.min-1 and sampling time of 8 hours. Sampling system for gaseous elemental mercury was set up and cooperated with home-made desorption system were preliminarily applied for analysis of atmospheric mercury in samples collected at Hochiminh city University of Science. The atmospheric mercury concentrations were in range of 2.7 – 8.1ng Hg. m-3 which were comparable to Hg concentration found in other cities in the world.

Frontiers in Operations: Waiting Experience in Open-Shop Service Networks: Improvements via Flow Analytics and Automation

Problem definition: We study open-shop service networks where customers go through multiple services. We were motivated by a partnering health screening clinic, where customers are routed by a dispatcher and operational performance is measured at two levels: micro-level, via waits for individual services, and macro-level, via overall wait. Both measures reflect customer experience and could support its management. Our analysis revealed that waits were long and increased along the service process. Such long waits give rise to negative waiting experience and the increasing shape is detrimental as it is known to create perceived waits that are even longer. Our goal is hence to analyze strategies that shape and improve customers’ perceived experience. Methodology/results: Analytically, we use a stylized two-station open-shop network to show that prioritizing advanced customers, jointly with pooling (virtual) queues, can improve both macro- and micro-level performance. We validate these findings with a simulation model, calibrated with our clinic’s data. Practically, we find that an automated routing system (ARS), recently implemented in the clinic, had a negligible impact on overall wait—It simply redistributed waiting among wait-for-routing and wait-for-service. However, ARS renders applicable sophisticated priority and routing policies (that were infeasible under the manual routing practice), specifically the ones arising from the present research. Managerial implications: Our study amplifies performance benefits of accounting for individual customers’ system status in addition to station-level load information. We offer insights into the implementation of new technologies: Firms better plan for fundamental changes in their operation rather than harness new technology to their existing operation, which may be suboptimal due to past technical limitations. History: This paper has been accepted in the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Frontiers in Operations Initiative. Funding: M. Chen acknowledges the support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72301280]. O. Baron acknowledges the support from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada. J. Wang acknowledges the support from the City University of Hong Kong [Grant 11505421]. A. Mandelbaum is partially supported by the Israel Science Foundation [Grant 491/22]. Supplemental Material: The online appendices are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2022.0590 .

A service improvement project to improve follow up screening rates of women with gestational diabetes

Diabetes in pregnant women presents significant implications for long-term health. The best way to manage them in practice is outlined here by Joanna Stace A history of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) can have significant implications for women's long-term health. Despite these risks, primary care rates for post-natal screening are low. A Service Improvement Project (SIP) was implemented as part of an MSc in Advanced Diabetes Care undertaken at Birmingham City University. Its aims were to improve post-natal follow-up care for women with GDM, reduce the risk of developing T2DM enhancing their long-term health. A key success of the SIP is the improved knowledge of the importance of post-natal screening amongst staff and women. Increased numbers of women being correctly coded and offered post-natal screening highlighting the importance of healthcare integration for better patient outcomes. Work continues to improve referral rates and attendance of the National Diabetes Prevention Programme with the roll out of an Electronic Care Pathway.

Risk Factors for Severe Seafood Allergy Among Adults in an Urban City in Vietnam.

Increasing seafood consumption is associated with more frequent reports of food allergy. Little is known about seafood allergy (SFA) among adults in Vietnam. We investigated the characteristics of individuals with SFA and the risk factors for severe SFA. A cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted among individuals aged ≥ 18 years from universities in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) between December 2021 and July 2022. The survey was based on a structured, validated questionnaire related to FA. Strict definitions of "convincing allergy" were used. Multivariate analysis was used to estimate the risk factors for severe SFA after adjusting for covariates. Data were analyzed using JASP (v.0.16.3) and SPSS (v.22.0). Totally, 1038 out of 2137 (48.57%) individuals completed the questionnaire, of whom 285 (27.46%) had reported SFA. Convincing SFA accounted for 20.13% (209/1038) of the cases, with convincing shellfish allergy being more common than fish allergy. Participants with comorbid shellfish and fish allergy had higher prevalence of atopic dermatitis, peanut/nut allergy, other food allergy, and cutaneous and upper airway symptoms compared to participants with shellfish allergy (p < 0.05). The spectrum of reactive seafood was diverse and characterized by local species. The age of symptom onset was most commonly during late childhood and adolescence, with most reactions persisting into adulthood. A history of anaphylaxis, comorbid peanut, and tree nut allergy, and ≥3 allergens were associated with severe SFA. Features of causative, coexisting seafood allergy, and risk factors for severe SFA were demonstrated, which can provide a reference for future studies.

Comparison of Ictal SPECT with 99mTc-HMPAO versus MRI for the Epileptic Seizure Onset Zone Detection in Saudi Patients

Background: In the presurgical evaluation of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ictal brain perfusion SPECT with the chemical microspheres 99mTc-HMPAO are widely used for diagnosing the seizure onset zone (SOZ). For both modalities, there is theoretical controversy over favoring one over the other. This study aimed to compare the performance of 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT with MRI for SOZ identification in EEG-proved epileptic Saudi patients. Methods and Results: For this observational retrospective study, the database of the nuclear medicine departments at the Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) and King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAAUH) were searched for male and female patients with suspected unifocal epilepsy in whom ictal brain perfusion SPECT and MRI had been performed for presurgical evaluation. A total of 14 adult epileptic patients above 18 years were included who have undergone SPECT scans using 99mTc-HMPAO and MRI between Jan 2014 and Dec 2021. 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT and MRI scans were performed simultaneously for each patient, and there was almost general agreement that 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT accurately localized and detected the SOZ in 12/14 patients (sensitivity 85.71%). It was superior to MRI, which detected and localized the SOZ in only 7/14 patients (sensitivity 50.0%). Unfortunately, the specificity of ictal brain perfusion SPECT, by using 99mTc-HMPAO in seizure localization in epileptic patients, was not detected due to the shortage of data that led to all the EEG findings being 100% positive. Conclusion: This study reported that ictal SPECT using 99mTc-HMPAO provides more valuable information about SOZ localization than MRI. However, future studies with a larger sample size are needed to assess the specificity of 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT in detecting the SOZ.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Physical Education Teaching toward Students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Vietnam

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Online Physical Education Teaching toward Students at Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education, Vietnam

Research on measures to improve the physical health of students majoring national defense and security education at Ho Chi Minh city University of Education, Vietnam

Research on measures to improve the physical health of students majoring national defense and security education at Ho Chi Minh city University of Education, Vietnam

Building a Pipeline for Real-Time Topical Polling: Grove City College

Building a Pipeline for Real-Time Topical Polling: Grove City College

Campus Cultural and Creative Product Design Based on Spatial Narrative Perception: The Case of City University of Macau

Campus cultural and creative design is in an emerging period, so the development is not mature enough and there are some problems and challenges. In this paper, we use spatial narrative theory to design campus cultural and creative products with common emotional memories of users and campuses. Through interviewing and extracting the classification elements, we reconstructed a new narrative using spatial narrative theory and designed a handbook product with the common emotional memory of the user and the campus. The booklet consists of a book jacket cover, a functional book, a three-dimensional bookmark and a highlighter pen. The design is a fusion of subconscious perception design and figurative memory extraction design, and allows the user to use the pen to participate in the process and to construct a shared memory with CityU. Therefore, this study proposes a design framework for campus cultural and creative products based on spatial narrative perception and a specific application of handbook design, hoping that the framework and the design practice can provide new ideas and methods for the design and practice of campus cultural and creative products, and contribute to the enhancement of campus culture transmission and promotion.

FACTORS EFFECTING JOB SATISFACTION FOR ONLINE EDUCATION AMONG LECTURERS IN BANGLADESH

The global pandemic caused by Covid-19 infectious disease during the year 2020 has pierced the life of humankind in almost all countries and all members of the society. This pandemic issue limits one to cope with a changing work environment and it induces both structural and functional consequences on the education system. Thus, the online education system emerged and repositioned itself as one of the most effective mediums of education system recently. This study examined decision factors such as happiness, quality of work-life commitment and attitude toward online education and its influence on job satisfaction of academic staffs in Bangladesh. A quantitative research approach has been taken using a random sampling method to collect data from 293 lecturers working in colleges and universities in the metropolitan city of Dhaka. For the study, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modelling techniques were performed. The findings helped in filling the satisfaction-behavioural gap in understanding attitude measures of academic staffs toward conducting courses in online mode.

Impacts of Complete Endophytic Renal Tumors on Surgical, Functional, and Oncological Outcomes of Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy.

Objective: Complete endophytic renal tumors (CERTs) are the most challenging for robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN). This study aimed to determine the impact of CERT on outcomes of RAPN. Methods: All RAPN cases for localized renal tumor undertaken at Yokohama City University Hospital between 2016 and 2023 were enrolled. Tumor characteristics and surgical, functional, and oncologic outcomes of RAPN were compared between CERT and non-CERT groups. Results: Consecutive 666 patients were enrolled, and 76 (11.4%) were identified as CERT (3 points of "E" score). CERT showed smaller tumor diameters (p < 0.001), more predominant hilar tumor (p = 0.029), higher "N" scores (p < 0.001) and "L" scores (p = 0.006) than non-CERT. The CERT group showed longer warm ischemia times (p < 0.001), more frequent positive surgical margins (p = 0.028), and relatively lower trifecta achievement rates (p = 0.101) than the non-CERT group. In multivariable analysis, the CERT was an independent predictor for trifecta achievement but not for pentafecta achievement. Conclusions: CERT was associated with longer warm ischemia time, positive surgical margin, and lower trifecta achievement, but not with surgical complication and pentafecta achievement in RAPN. This study suggested that CERT had limited influence on long-term renal functional preservation; however, it had strong impacts on short-term surgical outcome.