In this paper, I show how semantic factors constrain the understanding of the computational phenomena to be explained so that they help build better mechanistic models. In particular, understanding what cognitive systems may refer to is important in building better models of cognitive processes. For that purpose, a recent study of some phenomena in rats that are capable of ‘entertaining’ future paths (Pfeiffer and Foster 2013) is analyzed. The case shows that the mechanistic account of physical computation may be (...) complemented with semantic considerations, and in many cases, it actually should. (shrink)

It was Lord Northbourne who gifted to the world the term ‘organic farming’. His 1940 book Look to the Land is a manifesto of organic agriculture. In it he mooted a contest of “organic versus chemical farming” which he foresaw as a clash of world views that may last for generations. Northbourne’s ideas were foundational in launching the worldwide organics movement, and the book was a turning point in his own life. This biography relies on primary sources to draw a (...) picture of Lord Northbourne. He was a very shy man, a talented artist, a capable linguist, a keen sportsman and an Olympic silver medallist, a graduate and lecturer in agriculture of the University of Oxford, a lifelong farmer, he was profoundly spiritual, an accomplished author, and as a wordsmith he could be a compelling advocate for his cause as Look to the Land shows. His interest in biodynamics led him to visit Switzerland in 1939 to invite the leading advocate of the times, Dr Ehrenfried Pfeiffer, to present the first conference on biodynamic farming in Britain, and it was in the following year that Look to the Land appeared. Rather than the mechanics or the practices of organics, Northbourne’s book presents the philosophy, the rationale, and the imperative of organic farming. The ideas of his organics manifesto took on a life of their own and were quickly spread globally, with early uptakes in the USA and Australia. Meanwhile, while maintaining lifelong interests and commitments to agriculture and education, Northbourne became progressively more engaged with spiritual matters, and his subsequent writings reflect his growing interest in metaphysics. He translated books by leading perennialist authors Frithjof Schuon, René Guénon, and Titus Burckhardt. Northbourne led a full life, but it is Look to the Land that is his enduring ideological legacy. This biography examines: firstly, the book, its ideas, history, uptake and impact; secondly, Northbourne’s life before Look to the Land; and thirdly, his life after Look to the Land. (shrink)

Nâng cao chất lượng đội ngũ công chức luôn là yêu cầu cấp thiết đặt ra để hướng đến một nền hành chính hiện đại, chuyên nghiệp, hiệu quả. Trên cơ sở khát quát chính sách đào tạo, bồi dưỡng công chức, đồng thời phân tích thực tiễn áp dụng chính sách này tại các cơ quan chuyên môn thuộc UBND tỉnh Điện Biên, bài viết đưa ra một số kiến nghị góp phần khắc phục những hạn chế trong việc (...) tổ chức thực thi chính sách đào tạo, bồi dưỡng công chức, góp phần xây dựng đội ngũ đáp ứng yêu cầu thực thi công vụ trong bối cảnh hiện nay. (shrink)

The interdisciplinary economics book “Better Economics for the Earth: A Lesson from Quantum and Information Theories” by Prof. Quan-Hoang Vuong and Dr. Minh-Hoang Nguyen introduces a new concept of “growth” and “eco-surplus culture,” aiming toward an economic system that “heals” the Earth.

The multifaceted importance of old forests and large ancient trees is evident in both their ecological and cultural significance. A recent article underscores the urgency of preserving ancient and rare trees due to their crucial role in forest ecosystems. By providing a global perspective on tree biodiversity and analyzing the age distribution and biodiversity of tree species worldwide, the article highlights the critical need to protect these trees to prevent species extinction and foster biodiversity. Furthermore, studies emphasize the importance of (...) rare trees, some of which remain undiscovered, in maintaining the overall health and resilience of forest ecosystems. (shrink)

Tháng 9-2017, trang thông tin The Scottish Wildlife Trust đăng một bài tin ảnh vừa thú vị, vừa kích thích trí tò mò về chim bói cá ở Montrose Basin, Scotland. Bài viết kể về việc nhiếp ảnh gia Ron Mitchell tình cờ nhiều lần bắt gặp cả anh cả chị bói cá “ghim” con mồi lên cành cây! Con mồi ở đây là loài cá gai (tên tiếng Anh: stickleback).

Công tác văn thư, lưu trữ được coi là cầu nối, phản ánh mối quan hệ công tác giữa các bộ phận trong chuỗi hoạt động tổ chức, điều hành, vận hành của cơ quan hành chính nhà nước. Tuy nhiên, thực thi công tác này tại các cơ quan hành chính nhà nước nói chung và tại cơ quan chuyên môn của UBND tỉnh Điện Biên nói riêng vẫn còn những hạn chế nhất định. Bài viết phân tích thực (...) trạng thực thi chính sách về công tác văn thư, lưu trữ tại các cơ quan chuyên môn thuộc UBND tỉnh Điện Biên và kiến nghị một số giải pháp khắc phục. (shrink)

As the current COVID-19 pandemic lingers on with its fallout agonizing several economies on the globe, a number of policy instruments have been summoned by governments to cope with the looming recession. Among those instruments is the contentious “helicopter money”, which has received the endorsement of multiple economists while many others consider it a too risky tactic to follow. This paper is going to discuss the suitability of implementing “helicopter money” in the context of Vietnam during economic crises, particularly with (...) a focus on the ongoing novel coronavirus-induced economic downturn. The author also makes an attempt to clarify certain challenges that Vietnamese legislators should better study carefully if “helicopter money” is ever to be deployed, as well as the circumstances and extent of such deployment. (shrink)

A recent report revealed a staggering 61% drop in the market value of carbon offsets, attributed to adverse findings from both the scientific community and the media. These findings have raised concerns about the effectiveness of carbon credit projects, leading investors to reduce their involvement or withdraw completely, thereby substantially decreasing the market’s overall value [1,2]. This reluctance among buyers is fueled by escalating skepticism about the actual environmental impact of these projects and concerns over potential “greenwashing,” where companies misleadingly (...) present their environmental practices as more eco-friendly than they are. (shrink)

Five years ago, on May 24, 2019, the computer program ‘bayesvl’ was officially published on R under the name “bayesvl: Visually Learning the Graphical Structure of Bayesian Networks and Performing MCMC with ‘Stan’”. This program (or package) was developed by two founders of the SM3D Portal, Vuong Quan Hoang and La Viet Phuong, to improve the productivity of conducting social research. The package was designed with a pedagogical orientation, supporting users in familiarizing themselves with Bayesian statistical methods, MCMC simulation, and (...) visualization of technical diagnoses and results. (shrink)

Like other books of Dr. Vuong, I always had a good laugh and an intellectually stimulating time after reading his book. -/- As someone who has experienced the frustrations of government procedures, the “culture” of doing research, or the poor and crowded streets in Vietnam, I found Dr. Vuong’s observation both hilarious and poignant. This ability to tackle these everyday annoyances with humor and turn them into opportunities for reflection is truly masterful.

If you’re fascinated by how combining different scientific perspectives can offer new insights into socio-economic systems, this book, "Better economics for the Earth: A lesson from quantum and information theories," might be of interest. It introduces an interdisciplinary approach that blends concepts from physics, quantum mechanics, and information theory with the social sciences, particularly economics. By revisiting traditional economic theories and incorporating principles from physics, the book provides a novel way to view complex socio-economic systems.

Despite the numerous benefits of natural solutions, potential challenges and limitations impede their widespread adoption. A recent paper suggests these obstacles may include financial issues through the stock market and eco-deficit of environmental companies and investors. Specifically, natural solutions, such as biological waste management methods utilizing organisms like black soldier flies, face challenges due to financial considerations and the prevailing eco-deficit culture within the business and investment sectors.

For a long time, many people have thought that one cannot have both beauty and wisdom. Therefore, many jokes have spread around about the misplacement of beauty and wisdom. Nonetheless, there’s been no logic or evidence behind the belief and jokes.

Cuộc khủng hoảng 2007-2008 nổ ra ở Hoa Kỳ kéo theo sự lao dốc của các thị trường chứng khoán các nước cho thấy tồn tại tác động lan truyền từ thị trường này sang thị trường khác. Mục tiêu của bài nghiên cứu nhằm kiểm tra mức độ lan truyền trong tỷ suất lợi nhuận và độ biến động tỷ suất lợi nhuận từ các thị trường chứng khoán phát triển (Hoa Kỳ và Nhật Bản) đến tám thị trường (...) các nước mới nổi (Ấn Độ, Trung Quốc, Indonesia, Hàn Quốc, Malaysia, Philippines, Đài Loan, Thái Lan) và Việt Nam. Nghiên cứu sử dụng các biến ngoại sinh là cú sốc từ thị trường Mỹ và Nhật Bản và hiệu ứng ngày trong mô hình ARMA(1,1)-GARCH(1,1) trên dữ liệu của các nước mới nổi khu vực châu Á và Việt Nam nhằm đánh giá tác động lan truyền. Nghiên cứu đưa ra một số kết quả như sau. Thứ nhất, hiệu ứng ngày tồn tại trên sáu trong số chín thị trường chứng khoán được nghiên cứu, ngoại trừ Ấn Độ, Đài Loan và Philippines. Thứ hai, tồn tại tác động lan truyền trong tỷ suất lợi nhuận giữa các thị trường với mức độ khác nhau, trong đó, Hoa Kỳ có tác động mạnh hơn đến thị trường Malaysia, Philippines và Việt Nam; ngược lại, Nhật Bản có hiệu ứng lan truyền cao hơn đến thị trường Trung Quốc, Ấn Độ, Hàn Quốc và Thái Lan; đối với thị trường Indonesia, hiệu ứng lan truyền từ Hoa Kỳ và Nhật Bản là tương đương. Cuối cùng, nghiên cứu không tìm thấy bằng chứng về hiệu ứng lan truyền trong độ biến động từ thị trường Hoa Kỳ và Nhật Bản đến các thị trường mới nổi khu vực châu Á và Việt Nam... (shrink)

Following the joint efforts by participants in the VIASM-HANU BMF Class, part of the Conference on Innovations of Mathematics Teaching in Social Sciences co-organized by the Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics (VIASM) and Hanoi University (HANU) in early November 2023, a joint manuscript was submitted to the VMOST Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. -/- The peer review process was successfully completed in February, and the paper was officially published today (see the screenshot below).

Rapid urbanization in Vietnam significantly impacts the environment and human well-being. Public parks are crucial for enhancing social and environmental sustainability in urban areas, yet their establishment and expansion require substantial funding. This study investigates the factors influencing Vietnamese urban residents’ willingness to donate to planting projects in public parks, utilizing the Bayesian Mindsponge Framework (BMF), which combines Mindsponge Theory’s informational entropy-based notion of value with Bayesian analysis. Analyzing data from 535 residents in major Vietnamese cities, we found that while (...) men visit public parks more frequently, they are less willing to donate to planting projects. Older residents visit parks more often and are more willing to donate, while higher-income individuals show greater willingness to donate. Most motivations—such as relaxation, physical activities, nature enjoyment, socializing, and family time—are positively linked to park visit frequency and indirectly to donation willingness. However, only relaxation and enjoyment of nature are directly associated with willingness to donate. Interestingly, higher education levels and visiting parks for children’s educational activities are associated with lower donation willingness. These findings hint at the possible existence of the free-riding problem, gender inequality, ineffective environmental education, and lack of awareness of public parks’ natural value, as well as opportunities to cultivate an eco-surplus culture through nature interactions in public parks. (shrink)

Today, many people have realized that the climate change and biodiversity loss issues lie in how and to what extent humans consume products for their lives in the Anthropocene era. Consumerism has pushed natural resource exploitation to its peak, and the depletion of resources is becoming increasingly prevalent. The beauty and personal care industry has a large market and high profits, especially in the high-income segment. However, this advantage also carries the risk of facing scrutiny, investigations, and criticism from civil (...) society organizations, environmental activists, and consumers. More than anyone else, the industry is vulnerable to the perils of unfavourable societal assessments, particularly the repercussions of consumer-led boycott actions. In this discourse, we suggest that, given the current circumstances, it is imperative for multinational beauty corporations to take a proactive role in allocating resources towards the development of sustainable agriculture practices. This entails not only advocating for the widespread adoption of environmentally conscious production methods but also dedicating efforts towards conducting research and innovation in the area of nature-friendly manufacturing techniques. Doing so will help demonstrate their commitment to the environment and actively provide convincing evidence to consumers of their social responsibility through emission reduction and biodiversity conservation activities. (shrink)

Thời trang nhanh vốn được biết đến là ngành công nghiệp tỷ đô với những cuộc chạy đua giữa các thương hiệu để cho ra mắt những thiết kế mới liên tục, đi cùng với đó là thời gian từ khâu sản xuất tới khi bị vứt bỏ ngày càng bị cắt ngắn để tối đa hóa lợi nhuận. Đây là một ví dụ rất điển hình của văn hóa thâm hụt sinh thái trong giới kinh doanh [1]. Cũng vì (...) lý do này, ngành công nghiệp thời trang đã bị chỉ trích vì tạo ra nhiều ảnh hưởng tiêu cực đến môi trường, như thải ra 10% tổng lượng khí thải carbon, là ngành công nghiệp xả nước thải lớn thứ 2 trên thế giới, và chỉ riêng việc giặt các loại vải dệt tổng hợp như polyester đã thải ra 35% tổng số hạt vi nhựa trong đại dương [2]. (shrink)

Có thể tất cả chúng ta đều đã nghe đâu đó về cụm từ biến đổi khí hậu và sự nóng lên của trái đất, và kèm theo đó là những hậu quả nghiêm trọng của nó. Tuy nhiên, các thông tin và khái niệm đấy không còn xa xôi trên sách báo hay các nghiên cứu khoa học nữa, mà đang dần trở nên rõ ràng hơn. Điều này đồng nghĩa với việc tình hình biến đổi khí hậu đã (...) trở nên rất nguy cấp. (shrink)

Chứng nhận trung hòa carbon thường được các chính phủ trao cho các doanh nghiệp và tổ chức đã đạt được trạng thái trung hòa carbon một cách đáng tin cậy. Vì thế, những doanh nghiệp và tổ chức đạt được chứng nhận được ghi nhận là có tham gia vào nỗ lực chung để giảm bớt tác động tiêu cực của con người đối với môi trường. Một số doanh nghiệp đã cố gắng có được chứng nhận này và (...) sử dụng nó như một phương tiện truyền thông để “tẩy xanh” và quảng bá cho sản phẩm. (shrink)

The popularity of AI can be seen as a tide of technology that rose rapidly and transformed the entire academic landscape.

Many previous studies evaluated factors influencing entrepreneurial intention including psychological factors, social economic factors, family circumstance, etc. In contrast, there are very few studies examine the relationship between entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial intention. Thus, this paper aim to identify the list of competencies that impact entrepreneurial intention among Southeast Asian students who influenced by Confucianism. The conceptual model was established based on the list of previous studies in this field with a sample size of 1000 students who study in University (...) of Economics-The University of Danang. The main finding indicated that (i) from eleven independent variables listed from previous studies, only six independent variables remain; (ii) there are no evidences to prove that risk management and tenacity/ perseverance were associated with entrepreneurship intention. These results have important values in developing entrepreneurship training programs to promote students' entrepreneurial intention among Southeast Asian Countries. (shrink)

Hostile epistemology is the study of how environmental features exploit our cognitive vulnerabilities. I am particularly interested in those vulnerabilities arise from the basic character of our epistemic lives. We are finite beings with limited cognitive resources, perpetually forced to reasoning a rush. I focus on two sources of unavoidable vulnerability. First, we need to use cognitive shortcuts and heuristics to manage our limited time and attention. But hostile forces can always game the gap between the heuristic and the ideal. (...) Second, we need to trust others, and trust makes us vulnerable. In particular, we need to trust experts whose expertise lies beyond our individual ability to vet. So we must rely on various imperfect signals and proxies, like institutional affiliation, to manage our trust. We are forced to use these imperfect and exploitable forms of reasoning, in order to cope with a cognitively overwhelming world. I present the hostile epistemology framework as a counterbalance to vice epistemology, which tends to locate responsibility for bad beliefs in the character of the believer. I draw two conclusions from my analysis. First: suppose we accept that that only communities and institutions can know about the world. This deeply social approach doesn’t solve the problem of expert identification. The individual still faces a problem: given their incomplete understanding, how should the individual pick which group to trust? Second: we might have hoped to get some kind of static picture of the right principles of reasoning — but hostile epistemology presents a different picture. We have to use risky heuristics and shortcuts, which hostile forces can game and exploit. We can respond by shifting to a different set of heuristics, but this simply shifts the location of our vulnerabilities. These new heuristics are also exploitable. There is no end to this, only a constant struggle to adapt. Limited beings in a hostile epistemic environment are locked in an unending epistemic arms race. (shrink)

I propose an account of aesthetic value, where aesthetic value lies in the process of aesthetic engagement: in our activity of perceiving, guiding our attention, interpreting, and otherwise wrestling with aesthetic objects. It also includes our social activities of engagement: arguing with each other, writing criticism, making top-ten lists. (This is a short summary of a view developed in greater detail elsewhere.).

Ngụ ngôn về ông bói cá cho biết ông là nhân vật khá tinh nghịch, có lúc ngớ ngẩn như trẻ con, nhưng nhiều khi không thiếu những lời triết lý cũng ra gì phết! Vậy nên tác giả bình sách N. P. Tri cho rằng, chuyện của ông dành cho cả trẻ em lẫn người đã trưởng thành cũng rất có lý. Ở một góc nhìn khác, tác giả D. T. M. Phượng lại nhận thấy một dịp để người (...) đọc đồng hành, phiêu lưu cùng với ông “triết gia Xóm Chim” để có thể đánh giá xem ông ấy ngẩn ngơ thật hay không. (shrink)

Trong bối cảnh nhận thức về các vấn đề môi trường như biến đổi khí hậu ngày càng tăng, xu hướng định nghĩa lại khái niệm “phát triển bền vững” ngày càng rõ nét hơn. Sự biến đổi này được thể hiện thông qua các dự án phục hồi môi trường và bảo tồn, như các sáng kiến kiến tạo lại các vùng thiên nhiên hoang dã.

In this note, we consider a Merton model for default risk, where the firm’s value is driven by a Brownian motion and a compound Poisson process.

Đi ngược lại với xu hướng thời trang nhanh này chính là Canada Goose - một thương hiệu thời trang cao cấp của Canada, vốn nổi tiếng với những hoạt động bảo vệ môi trường của mình từ những ngày đầu thành lập.

Văn hóa thặng dư sinh thái là tập hợp các thái độ, giá trị, niềm tin và hành vi bảo vệ và tôn tạo môi trường được chia sẻ bởi một cộng đồng nhằm giảm tác động tiêu cực của con người tới môi trường, giúp bảo tồn và phục hồi thiên nhiên. Đây được xem là giải pháp để con người có thể sống hòa hợp với thiên nhiên và hướng tới bảo vệ môi trường một cách dài hạn (...) và bền vững. Việc phổ biến và xây dựng văn hóa thặng dư môi trường trên quy mô dân số lớn hẳn sẽ gặp nhiều khó khăn, nhưng không phải là không thể. Thành phố Kiel – có dân số xấp xỉ 250 nghìn người và cũng là thành phố đầu tiên của Đức nhận được chứng nhận Zero Waste (Không Rác thải) từ tổ chức Zero Watse Eurpoe (Không Rác thải Châu Âu) – là một ví dụ điển hình. (shrink)

Theo một nghiên cứu mới được công bố trên tập san Environmental Chemistry Letters của các nhà khoa học Nhật Bản, vi nhựa đã được phát hiện trong các đám mây xung quanh Núi Phú Sĩ và Núi Oyama ở độ cao khoảng 1300-3776 m.

Starbucks, nhãn hiệu cà phê nổi tiếng toàn cầu, đã và đang truyền thông về việc theo đuổi mục tiêu phát triển bền vững trong nhiều năm liền. Công ty đã đặt mục tiêu trở sử dụng hiệu quả tài nguyên vào năm 2030, với việc giảm 50% khí thải carbon, nước, và chất thải.

What is the value of intellectual playfulness? Traditional characterizations of the ideal thinker often leave out playfulness; the ideal inquirer is supposed to be sober, careful, and conscientiousness. But elsewhere we find another ideal: the laughing sage, the playful thinker. These are models of intellectual playfulness. Intellectual playfulness, I suggest, is the disposition to try out alternate belief systems for fun – to try on radically different perspectives for the sheer pleasure of it. But what would the cog-nitive value be (...) of such playfulness? I suggest that intellectual playfulness function as, at the very least, a kind of intellectual insurance policy against epistemic traps. An epistemic trap is a belief system that re-directs good-faith inquiry to bad results. Am epistemic trap manipulates background beliefs to fend off contrary evidence. For example, a conspiracy theory might include a set of beliefs about how the mainstream media has been taken over by some vicious cabal. Normal epistemic attempts will be captured by a well-wrought epistemic trap, because normal attempts at inquiry are guided by these background beliefs -- which set what counts as a plausible path to explore, and what is implausible or beyond the pale. And a clever epistemic trap will manipulate those background beliefs for ill effect. Intellectual playfulness, on the other hand, isn’t motivated by an epistemic interest in the truth, but in the sheer pleasure of intellectual exploration. Since intellectual playfulness isn’t oriented towards the truth, it won’t be constrained by an agent’s background beliefs – it won’t, for example, prefer to investigate apparently more plausible pathways. Intellectual playfulness offers an opportunity to escape from epistemic traps. But intellectual playfulness has its own limitations. It will only drive us to explore belief systems when that exploration is fun. What we need is an array of differently-motivated exploratory tendencies – empathy, curiosity, playfulness – each of which will each cover for the others’ limitations. (shrink)

This is a reply to Elisabeth Camp's and Elijah Millgram's probing discussions of "Games and the Art of Agency", in a symposium in Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy. Millgram argues that games cannot function as a guide to life, because they are too different from life. Games are limited in a special way: in life, we deliberate about what goals we want to take on, but in games, the goals are fixed and given to us. Camp argues that there (...) is nothing particularly special about games, because the fluidity of agency is all over ordinary life too - games are just like ordinary life. I respond to Millgram: we do deliberate about our ends, in games, when we aesthetically reflect on which games to play. And I respond to Camp: games are distinctive in the way they regulate how our reasons flow across the game/life border. To respond to these criticisms, I add some substantial new features to my account of the motivational structure of game-play. (shrink)

This is my reply to commentators in the symposium on my book, GAMES: AGENCY AS ART. The symposium features commentary by Thomas Hurka, Quill Kukla, and Alva Noe, and originally appeared in Analysis 81 (2).

Games may seem like a waste of time, where we struggle under artificial rules for arbitrary goals. The author suggests that the rules and goals of games are not arbitrary at all. They are a way of specifying particular modes of agency. This is what make games a distinctive art form. Game designers designate goals and abilities for the player; they shape the agential skeleton which the player will inhabit during the game. Game designers work in the medium of agency. (...) Game-playing, then, illuminates a distinctive human capacity. We can take on ends temporarily for the sake of the experience of pursuing them. Game play shows that our agency is significantly more modular and more fluid than we might have thought. It also demonstrates our capacity to take on an inverted motivational structure. Sometimes we can take on an end for the sake of the activity of pursuing that end. (shrink)

Recent conversation has blurred two very different social epistemic phenomena: echo chambers and epistemic bubbles. Members of epistemic bubbles merely lack exposure to relevant information and arguments. Members of echo chambers, on the other hand, have been brought to systematically distrust all outside sources. In epistemic bubbles, other voices are not heard; in echo chambers, other voices are actively undermined. It is crucial to keep these phenomena distinct. First, echo chambers can explain the post-truth phenomena in a way that epistemic (...) bubbles cannot. Second, each type of structure requires a distinct intervention. Mere exposure to evidence can shatter an epistemic bubble, but may actually reinforce an echo chamber. Finally, echo chambers are much harder to escape. Once in their grip, an agent may act with epistemic virtue, but social context will pervert those actions. Escape from an echo chamber may require a radical rebooting of one's belief system. (shrink)

Nghiên cứu đánh giá hiệu quả của các mô hình học máy trong việc dự đoán biến động của chỉ số VNIndex. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy, phương pháp mạng tích chập thời gian (Temporal Convolutional Networks - TCN) và mạng bộ nhớ dài ngắn (Long Short - Term Memory - LSTM) có khả năng dự báo biến động chỉ số VNIndex với độ chính xác cao, trong đó LSTM thể hiện có hiệu quả dự báo tốt hơn. Phát (...) hiện từ nghiên cứu này không chỉ góp phần vào lý thuyết dự báo tài chính mà còn cung cấp công cụ hữu ích cho các nhà đầu tư và các nhà quản lý quỹ trong việc ra quyết định đầu tư trên thị trường chứng khoán Việt Nam. [This research evaluates the effectiveness of machine learning models in predicting VNIndex fluctuations. Research results show that the method of temporal convolutional networks (TCN) and long short–term memory networks (LSTM) are capable of predicting VNIndex fluctuations with high accuracy, in which LSTM shows better forecasting performance. Findings from this study not only contribute to financial forecasting theory but also provide useful tools for investors and fund managers in making investment decisions in the Vietnamese stock market.]. (shrink)

Starbucks, nhãn hiệu cà phê nổi tiếng toàn cầu, đã và đang truyền thông về việc theo đuổi mục tiêu phát triển bền vững trong nhiều năm liền. Công ty đã đặt mục tiêu sử dụng hiệu quả tài nguyên vào năm 2030, với việc giảm 50% khí thải carbon, nước, và chất thải.

Bài viết nghiên cứu thực trạng hoạt động logistics xanh tại Việt Nam hiện nay, chỉ ra những cơ hội và thách thức đối với doanh nghiệp hoạt động trong dịch vụ logistics xanh. Từ kết quả nghiên cứu, nhóm tác giả đề ra một số giải pháp, kiến nghị nhằm thúc đẩy hoạt động logistics xanh cho các doanh nghiệp logistics tại Việt Nam, giúp giảm lượng khí thải carbon. [This article examines the current state of green logistics practices (...) in Vietnam. It provides general information on costs, human resources, infrastructure in green development investment, and evaluates the effectiveness of businesses. The article also discusses the opportunities and challenges of operating in green logistics services, as well as government policies that support such activities. Based on this research, the author proposes several solutions and recommendations to promote green logistics practices in Vietnam's logistics businesses, intending to reduce carbon emissions.]. (shrink)

This study investigates the nature of academic work in contemporary academia, which is set in an under-researched context, Vietnam. The research context is unique in its blending between long and rich cultural values and Western ideologies in management. The study examines how Vietnamese academics practice their academic roles in response to the interactions of those two domains. -/- Avoiding the approach of seeking for evidence of negative impacts of managerial controls on aspects of academic life as commonly used in the (...) existing literature, this study focuses on analysing the complexities in relationships of individual academics with management and other actors including managers, colleagues, students and scholar community. This approach is advanced in understanding both social and individual meanings in academic work as well as the social and cultural values which shape their perception of academic roles. -/- The research enquiry of producing an insight into academics’ work life and experience in contemporary academia informs a qualitative and interpretive research. The findings suggest that the application of managerial controls is less challenged whilst highly accepted in Vietnamese higher education as a context under the influence of Confucianism. The evidence of academics’ compliance and collective actions underpinned by Vietnamese cultural values in this study offers to reconsider the discrepancy of the nature of these phenomena in the belief of the West and the East. The study’s exploration of being an academic as multi-layered meanings expanding from within and outside of university roles proposes academics’ potential strengths in coping with insecurity and ambiguity at work. It then sharpens the suggestion that contemporary management in higher education needs to be mindful of the emotional-related and meaningful nature of academic profession for the best outcomes of both individual work and organisational aims rather than relying on either soft or hard controls. (shrink)

Văn hóa thặng dư sinh thái là tập hợp các thái độ, giá trị, niềm tin và hành vi bảo vệ và tôn tạo môi trường được chia sẻ bởi một cộng đồng nhằm giảm tác động tiêu cực của con người tới môi trường, giúp bảo tồn và phục hồi thiên nhiên [1]. Đây được xem là giải pháp để con người có thể sống hòa hợp với thiên nhiên và hướng tới bảo vệ môi trường một cách dài (...) hạn và bền vững. (shrink)

According to most accounts of trust, you can only trust other people (or groups of people). To trust is to think that another has goodwill, or something to that effect. I sketch a different form of trust: the unquestioning attitude. What it is to trust, in this sense, is to settle one’s mind about something, to stop questioning it. To trust is to rely on a resource while suspending deliberation over its reliability. Trust lowers the barrier of monitoring, challenging, checking, (...) and questioning. Trust sets up open pipelines between yourself and parts of the external world. Trust permits external resources to have a similar relationship to one as one’s internal cognitive faculties. This creates efficiency, but at the price of exquisite vulnerability. We must trust in this way because we are cognitively limited beings in a cognitively overwhelming world. Crucially, we can hold the unquestioning attitude towards objects and technologies. When I trust my climbing rope, I stop worrying about its reliability. When I trust my online calendaring system, I simply go to the events indicated, without question. But, one might worry, how could one ever hold such a normatively loaded attitude as trust towards mere objects? How could it ever make sense to feel betrayed by an object? Trust is our engine for expanding and outsourcing our agency — for binding external processes into our practical selves. Thus, we can be betrayed by our smartphones in the same way that we can be betrayed by our memory. When we trust, we try to make something a part of our agency, and we are betrayed when our part lets us down. To unquestioningly trust something is to let it in—to attempt to bring it inside one’s practical functioning. This suggests a new form of gullibility: agential gullibility, which occurs when agents too hastily and carelessly integrate external resources into their own agency. (shrink)

Theo một nghiên cứu mới được công bố trên tập san Environmental Chemistry Letters của các nhà khoa học Nhật Bản, vi nhựa đã được phát hiện trong các đám mây xung quanh Núi Phú Sĩ và Núi Oyama ở độ cao khoảng 1300-3776 m.

There seems to be a deep tension between two aspects of aesthetic appreciation. On the one hand, we care about getting things right. On the other hand, we demand autonomy. We want appreciators to arrive at their aesthetic judgments through their own cognitive efforts, rather than deferring to experts. These two demands seem to be in tension; after all, if we want to get the right judgments, we should defer to the judgments of experts. The best explanation, I suggest, is (...) that aesthetic appreciation is something like a game. When we play a game, we try to win. But often, winning isn’t the point; playing is. Aesthetic appreciation involves the same flipped motivational structure: we aim at the goal of correctness, but having correct judgments isn’t the point. The point is the engaged process of interpreting, investigating, and exploring the aesthetic object. Deferring to aesthetic testimony, then, makes the same mistake as looking up the answer to a puzzle, rather than solving it for oneself. The shortcut defeats the whole point. This suggests a new account of aesthetic value: the engagement account. The primary value of the activity of aesthetic appreciation lies in the process of trying to generate correct judgments, and not in having correct judgments. -/- *There is an audio version available: look for the Soundcloud link, below.*. (shrink)

This short paper is to contemplate the results from a 7-year-old paper, published in Palgrave Communications in early 2018, in light of the emergence of the informational entropy-based notion of value, recently introduced in, specifically Chapter 5. This effort is made possible thanks to the clues provided in another seemingly unrelated but useful preprint concerning the notion of Boltzmann entropy.

Khi chúng ta còn trẻ, lời khuyên phổ biến từ cha mẹ thường là "Đừng tin người lạ". Và ở những tình huống khác, họ cũng hay động viên sự tự tin của chúng ta bằng cách nhắc nhở: "Hãy tin vào bản thân mình". Tuy nhiên, khi đối diện với người nào đó có vẻ ngoài giống chúng ta ngay từ cái nhìn đầu tiên, liệu chúng ta có tin tưởng họ không?

Twitter makes conversation into something like a game. It scores our communication, giving us vivid and quantified feedback, via Likes, Retweets, and Follower counts. But this gamification doesn’t just increase our motivation to communicate; it changes the very nature of the activity. Games are more satisfying than ordinary life precisely because game-goals are simpler, cleaner, and easier to apply. Twitter is thrilling precisely because its goals have been artificially clarified and narrowed. When we buy into Twitter’s gamification, then our values (...) shift from the complex and pluralistic values of communication, to the narrower quest for popularity and virality. Twitter’s gamification bears some resemblance with the phenomena of echo chambers and moral outrage porn. In all these phenomena, we are instrumentalizing our ends for hedonistic reasons. We have shifted our aims in an activity, not because the new aims are more valuable, but in exchange for extra pleasure. (shrink)