Le Thai Ha has become the only female Vietnamese scientist to be named among the top 100,000 most-cited researchers in the world. Vietnamese female scientist Le Thai Ha is named among the top 100,000 most-cited researchers in the world. The list was compiled by Metrics Group, including professors Jeroen Baas, Kevin Boyack, and John P.A. Ioannidis from Stanford University. The group made use of citations from Scopus, an international scientific database, in order to catalog the 100,000 most-cited scientists out of more than 200,000 featured in its database. Ha, 34, is currently working as the managing director of the VinFuture Prize of the VinFuture Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Ph.D. in Economics from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore where she completed her Ph.D. within two years at the age of 24. Prior to joining VinFuture Foundation, Ha was the director of research and a senior faculty member at Fulbright School of Public … [Read more...] about Vietnam female scientist named among most influential globally
Female scientists lego set
‘Love hormone’? Not so fast, new study suggests
The "love hormone" oxytocin has long been thought key to behaviours including pairing up with a partner and nurturing offspring, but a new study in prairie voles is raising doubts. The research found that voles bred to lack functioning receptors for oxytocin were still able to form strong pairs, produce young and nurse -- all behaviours previously believed to depend on the hormone. Prairie voles are one of the few mammals that mate for life, and are often used to study social behaviours like pair-forming in animals. In past studies, voles given drugs that stopped oxytocin being processed no longer formed pairs, and mothers failed to produce milk for their young. Psychiatrist Devanand Manoli and neurobiologist Nirao Shah produced genetically altered prairie voles without working oxytocin receptors, and then observed how the mutant male and female voles behaved. To their shock, the mutant voles appeared to have no difficulty pairing up with non-genetically altered partners, … [Read more...] about ‘Love hormone’? Not so fast, new study suggests
Out of Nile, into tile: Young Egyptians battle plastic plague
Entrepreneurial young Egyptians are helping combat their country's huge plastic waste problem by recycling junk-food wrappers, water bottles and similar garbage that usually ends up in landfills or the Nile. At a factory on the outskirts of Cairo, run by their startup TileGreen, noisy machines gobble up huge amounts of plastic scraps of all colours, shred them and turn them into a thick liquid. The sludge -- made from all kinds of plastic, even single-use shopping bags -- is then moulded into dark, compact bricks that are used as outdoor pavers for walkways and garages. "They're twice as strong as concrete," boasts co-founder Khaled Raafat, 24, slamming one onto the floor for emphasis. Each tile takes about "125 plastic bags out of the environment", says his business partner Amr Shalan, 26, raising his voice above the din of the machines. Raafat said the company uses even low-grade plastics and products "made of many different layers of plastic and aluminium that are nearly … [Read more...] about Out of Nile, into tile: Young Egyptians battle plastic plague
Gojek just the ticket for struggling shopkeepers
Gojek offers training as well as digital and financial tools With a ramshackle beverage and snack cart located in Tan Binh district in Ho Chi Minh City, 55-year-old Le Thi Yen is the breadwinner of her 5-member family. The vendor’s eldest son has his own family but the couple, who used to engage in the tourism sector, have been unemployed since the pandemic peak. Meanwhile, Yen’s youngest son has just entered a university, financially burdening the woman. Yen said her business comes largely from the purchase of students and workers who are limited in spending. In the past, she had a fairly stable business. However, keeping it this way was becoming increasingly difficult. “The pandemic greatly dented the pockets of everyone, making it harder for us to maintain the business,” Yen said. “All spending has depended on me but my income remains unstable due to limited sales. If I’m lucky enough, my sales could be about VND1-2 million ($45-90) a day, but the profit is meagre after … [Read more...] about Gojek just the ticket for struggling shopkeepers
Vietnam shares experience in ensuring food security, agricultural development
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (centre) (Photo: VNA) Davos (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on January 17 attended, delivered speeches at important sessions, and had bilateral meetings, as part of his activities at the 53rd World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos , Switzerland. At a discussion of the Food Action Alliance, Ha shared Vietnam’s experience in ensuring food security and agricultural development, saying the country has attached special importance to agriculture, taking it an economic spearhead. The Party and the State have rolled out sound policies on agriculture and rural development, he said, noting that farmers, scientists, businesses and the State have been linked together and attention paid to international cooperation, notably the tripartite collaboration with the European Union (EU) and Africa. Regarding food transformation, Ha highlighted opportunities in energy transition in parallel with food transformation, and the … [Read more...] about Vietnam shares experience in ensuring food security, agricultural development
The pride of agricultural backbone
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan Last year, Vietnam’s agricultural industry spectacularly overcame hurdles with impressive growth. The profound meaning behind those impressive numbers is the pride in contributing to ensuring the social security of nearly 10 million farmers and the country’s food security. In 2022, the whole country faces challenges globally, such as inflation and obstacles in the production and export of agricultural products in the context the prices of domestic inputs are escalating. In addition, many key export markets are still tightening spending due to inflation. However, Vietnam’s agriculture has cemented its position as the backbone of the economy with an export turnover of $53 billion, higher by $3 billion than the initial target assigned by the government. The sector contributed partly to the economy’s general growth and to ensure social security, especially food security. The Russia-Ukraine conflict together with other … [Read more...] about The pride of agricultural backbone
☕ Afternoon briefing on January 17
Hanoi (VNA) - The following is a brief review of the day’s events as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a ceremony in Hanoi on January 17 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam (Paris Peace Accords) (January 27, 1973-2023). Prominent among the participants was former Vice President and former Foreign Minister Nguyen Thi Binh, who was head of the negotiation delegation of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam at the Paris Conference. Read full story - Counsellor at the Cuban Embassy Joi Puente has affirmed his country’s support for Vietnam under all circumstances, particularly the past Paris Agreement negotiations. Read full story - A postage stamp collection on the Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam (Paris Peace Accords) is set to be issue on January 27, also the date on which the document was reached … [Read more...] about ☕ Afternoon briefing on January 17