Online learning's application in the language learning process has become an important topic as the COVID-19 crisis has restricted in-person classes. This study investigates student satisfaction in an online language learning course at a higher educational institution in Vietnam. The study tested the influence of learner-learner, learner-content, and learner-instructor interactions; internet self-efficacy; and self-regulation on student course satisfaction. The effects of student background variables were also explored. Linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the contribution of predictor variables to student satisfaction. The findings showed that student interaction with peers, content, and instructors and self-regulation were good predictors of student satisfaction; however, internet self-efficacy was not a good predictor. Additionally, there were no differences in effects of gender and prior online language learning experience on student course satisfaction.

Studies with an explicit focus on dropouts in blended language learning (BLL) are rare and non-existent in the Asian context. This study replicates the early qualitative interview study by Stracke (2007), who explored why foreign language learners drop out of a BLL class. While the 2007 study was carried out in the German higher education context, we conducted this study at a university in Vietnam, where we conducted semi-structured interviews with five students who had left their blended English course after the first semester of study. Our findings indicate that the successful complementarity and integration of the blend components, the crucial role of teacher support and feedback within a learner-centred environment, interactive learning materials, a high level of interaction, and a good relationship between students and teachers are key for students’ perception of a successful blended class and retention. The lack of complementarity between the components of the blend remains a major reason for students’ dissatisfaction that resulted in them leaving the course in both the 2007 study and this study. Our study allows for a deep understanding of the reasons why Vietnamese EFL students leave a BLL course, thus providing some evidence for pedagogical adjustments for the delivery of current BLL classes in Vietnam and similar contexts. Understanding the reasons why students drop out can help improve the effectiveness of these programs and lead to higher retention rates, a reduction of costs (both financial but also emotional), an increase in student satisfaction, and a better student experience.

27Werner syndrome (WS) is a prototypic heritable adult human progeroid syndrome in which signs 28 of premature aging are associated with genetic instability and an elevated risk of specific types 29 of cancer. We have quantified mRNA and microRNA (miRNA) expression in WS patient 30 fibroblasts, and in WRN-depleted fibroblasts. Genes down-regulated in WS patient fibroblasts 31 were highly enriched in G-quadruplex (G4) DNA motifs. The strength, location and strand 32 specificity of this association provide strong experimental evidence that G4 motifs or motif-33 dependent G-quadruplexes are bound by WRN in human cells to modulate gene expression. 34The expression of many miRNAs was perturbed by loss of WRN function. WRN depletion 35 altered the expression of >500 miRNAs. miRNAs linked to cell signaling, genome stability 36 assurance and tumorigenesis were among the small number of these miRNAs that were 37 persistently altered in WS patient fibroblasts. An unexpected and highly distinct finding in WS 38 cells was the coordinate over-expression of nearly all cytoplasmic tRNA synthetases and their 39 associated AIMP proteins. Our results provide new insight into WS pathogenesis, and identify 40 therapeutically accessible mechanisms that may drive disease pathogenesis in WS and in the 41 general population. 42 43 Introduction 44 Werner syndrome (WS; OMIM #277700) is an autosomal recessive adult human progeroid 45 syndrome caused by loss of function mutations in the WRN RECQ helicase gene (1) that 46 encodes DNA-dependent ATPase, 3ʹ-to -5ʹ helicase and 3ʹ-to -5ʹ exonuclease activities (2, 3). 47The WS clinical phenotype resembles premature aging: graying and loss of hair, bilateral 48 cataract formation and scleroderma-like skin changes appear in the second decade of life in 49 conjunction with short stature. WS patients are at elevated risk for important, age-associated 50 3 diseases such as atherosclerosis with myocardial infarction and stroke; cancer; osteoporosis; 51 and diabetes mellitus. Of note, there is no elevated risk for Alzheimer disease or other 52 dementias apart from those associated with vascular disease (4). 53Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of premature death in WS, most 54 often in the fifth or sixth decades of life (4, 5). The cancer risk in WS patients is limited to a small 55 number of specific neoplasms: acral lentiginous melanoma; meningiomas; soft tissue sarcomas; 56 primary bone tumors, chiefly osteosarcomas; follicular thyroid carcinoma; and likely both 57 leukemia and antecedent myelodysplasia (6). Loss of function mutations in two other members 58 of the five member human RECQ helicase gene family, BLM and RECQL4, respectively cause 59 the cancer predisposition syndromes Bloom syndrome (BS), and Rothmund-Thomson 60 syndrome (RTS) and variants. Both BS and RTS have additional, associated developmental 61 findings (2, 3). 62Biochemical analyses have identified common biochemical substrates for both the WRN and 63 BLM RECQ helicases. These substrates include forked or b...

In recent years, Open educational resources (OER) have developed rapidly and been widely used in higher education institutions in developed countries. OER are believed to be able to expand access, reduce costs, and improve education quality. In Vietnam, OER have been implemented since 2005, but so far, the use of the resources for education in general and higher education in particular has not been as successful as initially expected. The present study adopts the systematic literature review method by incorporating in-depth evaluation of past studies from 2015 to 2021. Thirty-four scholarly papers and scientific reports regarding benefits and limitations of OER, as well as suggestions to improve the use of OER were examined. The results show that for students, the limitations associated with using OER include poor Internet connection in school, lack of guidance on how to use the resources specifically, and low autonomy. From instructors’ perspective, limitations lie in their understanding of copyright and open license issues, as well as the difficulty in selecting and editing OER content to suit the exploiting process. Some recommendations are drawn to address the above limitations, with the hope to help improve the efficiency of the implementation and use of OER in Vietnamese higher education context.