This study examines the development of postgraduate education programs in Vietnam with a focus on applying international collaborative training models to enhance quality and global competitiveness. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined policy and document analysis, curriculum benchmarking, and expert interviews, the research analyzed 32 policy documents, 15 domestic programs, and 8 international collaborative programs, and collected insights from 18 key stakeholders across three major institutions. The findings highlight significant progress in policy clarity, standardization, and international integration, alongside persistent challenges in research capacity, competency-based curriculum design, and infrastructure readiness. The study proposes strategic directions including curriculum innovation, faculty development, investment in research facilities, and the expansion of collaborative networks. These recommendations aim to position Vietnamese postgraduate education as an active contributor to global academic and research communities while meeting domestic socio-economic demands.
This study examined the recovery and preliminary biochemical characterization of extracellular lipase and catechol-cleaving dioxygenase activities from a bacterial isolate identified phenotypically as Pseudomonas luteola and obtained from petroleum-contaminated soil. Crude enzyme preparations were subjected to ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by gel filtration chromatography. For the dioxygenase preparation, specific activity increased from 15.3 U/mg in the crude extract to 588 U/mg after gel filtration, corresponding to a 38.4-fold enrichment with a final apparent yield of 15.9%. For lipase, specific activity increased from 0.00537 U/mg to 6.99 U/mg, corresponding to a 1302-fold enrichment, while the calculated apparent yield exceeded 100%, indicating increased measurable activity after purification and therefore requiring cautious interpretation. Chromatographic elu tion profiles showed discrete protein peaks associated with the pooled active fractions. The purified lipase displayed highest activity and stability at 30-35 degrees C and near-neutral pH, whereas the dioxygenase preparation showed maximum activity under mesophilic temperatures and around pH 7.0. Taken together, the results indicate that petroleum-associated bacterial isolates can provide enzyme preparations that remain active under mild conditions relevant to environmental biotechnology. The present work should be viewed as a preliminary purification and characterization study; it establishes a biochemical basis for future investigations of enzyme identity, catalytic performance, and direct hydrocarbon biodegradation.
The purpose of this research is to determine the level of computer teachers' information literacy and its reflection on the quality of the educational process in public secondary schools. They need to develop crucial skills in this Information Age, whereby they can effectively access and evaluate the information needed for technology in education and learning settings, which is actually information literacy. Despite the incremental integration of information and communication technologies in education systems worldwide, little empirical evidence exists on how teachers' information literacy competencies translate into instructional quality - particularly in developing educational contexts. The objective of this research is to determine the extent of information literacy among computer teachers and its effect on the quality of the educational process. A quantitative descriptive-correlational research design was utilized to determine the relationship between dimensions of information literacy and teaching quality indicators. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering information literacy dimensions, including information access, evaluation, usage, and ethical/legal awareness in the classroom, and educational quality indicators, including instructional planning, teaching effectiveness, and student engagement, from a target population of 211 computer teachers at public secondary schools in Baghdad, Iraq. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS and AMOS version 23. The findings reveal that the level of computer teachers' information literacy is high (M = 3.88), and the quality of the educational process is also high (M = 3.92), with a significant correlation between information literacy and teaching quality (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). Results of regression analysis showed that information literacy accounted for 48% of the variance in teaching quality, while results of structural equation modeling with maximum likelihood revealed an effect of 50% within the structural model. Information usage skills, among the dimensions of information literacy, were found to be the most significant predictor of instructional quality, while evaluation skills, access skills, and ethical awareness followed closely behind. It advances research on education by evidencing that information literacy operates as a key pedagogical capacity rather than a mere technical capacity. These findings underscore the need to further develop teachers in their use of digital information in the classroom in terms of assessing and effectively implementing it. It also includes evidence-based recommendations for curriculum, teacher training, and education policy, linking the need for some type of information literacy framework in the professional development curriculum.
Cesarean section (CS) is an essential obstetric intervention when clinically indicated, but sustained increases in its use raise concerns regarding avoidable maternal risk, future reproductive consequences, and pressure on health-system resources. Updated local evidence is needed to distinguish between emergency and elective procedures and to describe the indications driving hospital practice. A retrospective hospital-based record review was conducted at Duhok Maternity Hospital, Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and included all deliveries from January 2020 to December 2024. Data were extracted from hospital records on mode of delivery, type of CS (emergency or elective), maternal age, parity, previous cesarean scars, and the primary recorded indication for CS. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize trends, and associations between CS type and maternal characteristics were assessed using the chi-square test, with a pvalue <0.05 considered statistically significant. Among 79,174 total deliveries, 28,062 were cesarean sections, corresponding to an overall CS rate of 36.84%. The total CS rate remained consistently high throughout the study period. Within this overall rate, emergency CS declined over time, whereas elective CS increased significantly (p < 0.001). Maternal age, parity, and number of previous cesarean scars were significantly associated with CS type. Emergency CS was more common among younger and nulliparous women and among women without a previous scar, whereas elective CS predominated among multiparous women and those with one or more previous scars. Fetal distress and failure of progress were the leading recorded indications for emergency CS, while abnormal presentation, post-date pregnancy, bad obstetrical history, and previous cesarean scar were frequent indications for elective CS. Cesarean delivery accounted for more than one-third of all births in this tertiary hospital, substantially exceeding the population benchmark proposed by the World Health Organization. The findings suggest that repeat cesarean delivery is an important contributor to the growing proportion of elective procedures. Regular audit of indications, closer review of primary cesarean decisions, and wider implementation of evidence-based labor management and vaginal birth after cesarean policies may help optimize CS use in this setting.
The growing complexity of socioeconomic processes and the ongoing transformation of the public sector necessitate improvements in the quality and effectiveness of management decisions. However, the absence of well-established and methodologically consistent analytical tools for assessing such decisions complicates informed decision-making and limits the transparency and effectiveness of public policy implementation. Against this background, the development of a comprehensive framework for evaluating the effectiveness of management decisions is of significant theoretical and practical relevance. The aim of this study is to provide a theoretical foundation and develop analytical tools for assessing the effectiveness of management decisions in the public sector, thereby enhancing the quality and soundness of public administration processes. The research employs methods of analysis and synthesis, systemic and structural-functional approaches, comparative and content analysis, economic and statistical methods, as well as generalization and scientific abstraction. The study reveals the theoretical and methodological foundations for evaluating the effectiveness of public-sector management decisions and systematizes scientific approaches to defining effectiveness while accounting for sector-specific characteristics. International experience in applying analytical assessment tools is generalized. As a result, an integrated analytical model for evaluating the effectiveness of management decisions is developed, key influencing factors are identified, and their impact is assessed. The proposed tools may be applied to monitor and evaluate public programs and policies and to support evidence-based public governance.
