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As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the stock market returns has received much attention from researchers and practitioners, the evidence on the government invention on stock market returns in frontier markets in the Asia-Pacific is very scanty. This study first revisits the relationship between COVID-19 and stock market returns using large data from 23/01/2020 to 28/05/2021. Second, this study examines how the Vietnamese stock market reacts to government actions during the COVID-19 outbreaks. Using the fixed effects model, the findings show stock market returns are negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although most sectors face a sharp decline in returns, positive returns are found in some sectors such as Energy, Healthcare, and Utilities, which is the opportunities for investors amid the pandemic. When observing the effect of government intervention, the stock market reacts to it negatively. The same is true for the announcements of social distancing and economic support measures. However, the stock market responds to containment and health measures with positive returns. More importantly, social distancing policy measures further enlarge the negative impact of COVID-19 on stock market returns – thus the government should take these measures with caution. The results also emphasize that economic support policy measures benefit indirectly via the channel of decreasing new infections. As a whole, the study offers some suggestions for the best and most proactive policy actions that governments, market participants, and investors in other emerging markets with similar financial institutions to Vietnam’s should use in the event of exogenous shocks like the COVID-19.

This article aims to empirically examine the role of competition and concentration on Vietnamese bank stability efficiency in Vietnam using data from 25 commercial banks from 2007 to 2020 using the Tobit regression method is utilized. The results suggest that banks exhibit greater stability in a highly competitive environment. This connection between competition and the efficiency of Vietnamese banks remains significant even amidst financial crises. Furthermore, we employ various alternative risk indicators and exclude state-owned banks from our sample to reassess the nexus between competition and bank stability efficiency, with results that remain steadfastly robust. This study represents a pioneering endeavor to investigate the impact of competition on bolstering banks’ stability through the utilization of the stochastic frontier approach. Our study findings suggest that the implementation of expansion policies that promote competition can improve the efficiency of bank stability in developing markets.

ABSTRACTEarly life gut microbiome composition has been correlated with childhood obesity, though microbial functional contributions to disease origins remain unclear. Here, using an infant birth cohort (n = 349) we identify a distinct fecal microbiota composition in 1-month-old infants with the lowest rate of exclusive breastfeeding, that relates with higher relative risk for obesity and overweight phenotypes at two years. Higher-risk infant fecal microbiomes exhibited accelerated taxonomic and functional maturation and broad-ranging metabolic reprogramming, including reduced concentrations of neuro-endocrine signals. In vitro, exposure of enterocytes to fecal extracts from higher-risk infants led to upregulation of genes associated with obesity and with expansion of nutrient sensing enteroendocrine progenitor cells. Fecal extracts from higher-risk infants also promoted enterocyte barrier dysfunction. These data implicate dysregulation of infant microbiome functional development, and more specifically promotion of enteroendocrine signaling and epithelial barrier impairment in the early-life developmental origins of childhood obesity.

Objective: To investigate the evolving patterns of antimicrobial resistance against beta-lactam antibiotics in Escherichia coli isolates from urinary tract infection patients in Vietnam, covering the period from 2005 to 2022. Methods: 29 Descriptive studies published between 2010 and 2022 in English and Vietnamese were included in the analysis. Data on resistance rates to beta-lactam antibiotics, including cephalosporins and carbapenems, were extracted and analyzed. Weighted pooled resistance rates were calculated using random-effects models. Annual trends in resistance were assessed using linear regression analysis. Results: Among the beta-lactam antibiotics studied, Escherichia coli exhibited varying levels of resistance, with cephalosporins showing higher resistance rates compared to carbapenems. Weighted pooled resistance rates were 66% for cefotaxime, 65% for ceftriaxone, 54% for ceftazidime, and 56% for cefepime. In contrast, carbapenems demonstrated lower resistance rates, with weighted pooled resistance rates ranging from 3% to 4% for meropenem, ertapenem, and imipenem. Resistance rates were also observed for amoxicillin/clavulanate (35%), ticarcillin/clavulanate (26%), and piperacillin/tazobactam (12%). Significant annual increases in resistance were noted for imipenem (0.56%, P

Abstract Background Studies examining factors associated with patient referral to early supported discharge (ESD)/outpatient rehabilitation (OPR) programs and utilization of ESD/OPR services after discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation (IPR) are scarce. Accordingly, we examined utilization of ESD/OPR services following discharge from IPR and patient factors associated with service utilization. Methods Stroke patients discharged from IPR facilities in Alberta between April 2014 and March 2016 were included and followed for one year for ESD/OPR service utilization. Multivariable linear and negative binomial regressions were used to examine association of patients’ factors with ESD/OPR use. Results We included 752 patients (34.4% of 2,187 patients discharged from IPR) who had 40,772 ESD/OPR visits during one year of follow-up in the analysis. Mean and median ESD/OPR visits were 54.2 and 36 visits, respectively. Unadjusted ESD/OPR visits were lower in females and patients aged ≥ 60 years but were similar between urban and rural areas. After adjustment for patient factors, patients in urban areas and discharged home after IPR were associated with 83.5% and 61.9%, respectively, increase in ESD/OPR visits, while having a right-body stroke was associated with 23.5% increase. Older patients used ESD/OPR less than their younger counterparts (1.4% decrease per one year of older age). Available factors explained 12.3% of variation in ESD/OPR use. Conclusion ESD/OPR utilization after IPR in Alberta was low and varied across age and geographic locations. Factors associated with use of ESD/OPR were identified but they could not fully explain variation of ESD/OPR use.

Abstract Wireless and battery-free radio-frequency (RF) sensors can be used to create physical spaces that ambiently sense and respond to human activities. Making such sensors ultra-flexible and transparent is important to preserve the aesthetics of living environments, accommodate daily activities, and functionally integrate with objects. However, existing RF sensors are unable to simultaneously achieve high transparency, flexibility, and the electrical conductivity required for remote room-scale operation. Here, we report 4.5 µm RF tag sensors achieving transparency exceeding 90% that provide capabilities in room-scale ambient wireless sensing. We develop a laser-assisted water-based adhesion-reversion process to digitally realize computer-aided RF design at scale. By individually tagging multiple objects and regions of the human body, we demonstrate multiplexed wireless tracking of human-environment interactions and physiological signals at a range of up to 8 m. These radio-frequency identification sensors open opportunities for non-intrusive wireless sensing of daily living spaces for applications in health monitoring and elderly care.

The main concerns for nations worldwide in accomplishing long-term development goals are avoiding the adverse effects of climate change, lowering emissions, and enhancing environmental sustainability. This study examines the effects of 53 nations' use of renewable energy, trade openness, global tourism, and innovation on carbon emissions from 1990–2019 by using FMOLS, DOLS, GMMSystem estimator. The results demonstrate that renewable energy, trade openness, and innovation reduce emissions, whereas global travel increase environmental degradation. The findings have major policy implications for adopting trade openness policies to enhance environmental quality. Innovation that enhances the environment's quality for both country groups may be a remarkable discovery for the authorities. Findings suggest that renewable energy and technological innovation are essential for sustainable development.

AbstractGenus Penicillium comprising the most important and extensively studied fungi has been well-known as a rich source of secondary metabolites. Our study aimed to analyze and investigate biological activities, including in vitro anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties, of metabolites from a marine-derived fungus belonging to P. levitum. The chemical compounds in the culture broth of P. levitum strain N33.2 were extracted with ethyl acetate. Followingly, chemical analysis of the extract leaded to the isolation of three ergostane-type steroid components, namely cerevisterol (1), ergosterol peroxide (2), and (3β,5α,22E)-ergosta-6,8(14),22-triene-3,5-diol (3). Among these, (3) was the most potent cytotoxic against human cancer cell lines Hep-G2, A549 and MCF-7 with IC50 values of 2.89, 18.51, and 16.47 µg/mL, respectively, while the compound (1) showed no significant effect against tested cancer cells. Anti-inflammatory properties of purified compounds were evaluated based on NO-production in LPS-induced murine RAW264.7 macrophages. As a result, tested compounds performed diverse inhibitory effects on NO production by the macrophages, with the most significant inhibition rate of 81.37 ± 1.35% at 25 µg/mL by the compound (2). Interestingly, compounds (2) and (3) exhibited inhibitory activities against pancreatic lipase and α-glucosidase enzymes in vitro assays. Our study brought out new data concerning the chemical properties and biological activities of isolated steroids from a P. levitum fungus.

Abstract Implanted bioelectronic devices can form distributed networks capable of sensing health conditions and delivering therapy throughout the body. Current clinically-used approaches for wireless communication, however, do not support direct networking between implants because of signal losses from absorption and reflection by the body. As a result, existing examples of such networks rely on an external relay device that needs to be periodically recharged and constitutes a single point of failure. Here, we demonstrate direct implant-to-implant wireless networking at the scale of the human body using metamaterial textiles. The textiles facilitate non-radiative propagation of radio-frequency signals along the surface of the body, passively amplifying the received signal strength by more than three orders of magnitude (>30 dB) compared to without the textile. Using a porcine model, we demonstrate closed-loop control of the heart rate by wirelessly networking a loop recorder and a vagus nerve stimulator at more than 40 cm distance. Our work establishes a wireless technology to directly network body-integrated devices for precise and adaptive bioelectronic therapies.

Abstract Heatwaves are increasing in frequency, duration, and intensity in ocean, coastal, and lake ecosystems. While positive water temperature trends have been documented in many rivers, heatwaves have not been analyzed. This study examined heatwaves in rivers throughout the United States between 1996 and 2021. Riverine heatwaves increased in frequency over the study period, with the most robust increases occurring in summer and fall, in mid‐ to high‐order streams, and at free‐flowing sites and sites above a reservoir. The increase in heatwave frequency was accompanied by an increase in moderate strength heatwaves as well as a doubling of the annual mean total number of heatwave days at a site. Riverine heatwaves were often associated with normal or below‐normal discharge conditions and at sites with a mean annual discharge ≤ 250 m3 s−1. These results provide the first assessment of heatwaves in rivers for a large geographic area in the United States.

ABSTRACTThe Covid-19 pandemic’s economic effect led to tighter credit standards and a decline in the market for many types of loans. With a rich database of 1,231 banks in 90 countries from 2018Q1 to 2021Q4, we conducted a timely, broad-based international study to investigate whether non-interest activities, serving as a shock absorber, can promote bank performance before and during the Covid−19 pandemic. When using a dynamic panel data model with a system GMM estimator, our findings indicate that banks should be encouraged to diversify their income sources to reduce the adverse effects of the shock. With comparative analysis, we also found heterogeneous effects of income diversification on bank performance by its components, in pre-Covid−19 and during-Covid−19 periods, in both developed and developing countries. This study implies that bank managers should diversify income sources, especially fee-based services, trading activities, and foreign currency, to foster financial performance and stability during exogenous shocks.

AbstractThis study investigated whether income diversification moderates the relationship between Intellectual Capital and bank performance in Vietnamese commercial banks period 2007–2020 using the system generalised method of moments (GMM).” The results indicate that the value added intellectual coefficient (VAIC) and its components (“human capital efficiency (HCE), “ capital employed efficiency (CEE), and “structural capital efficiency (SCE)) have positive effects on bank performance. Second, the study examines that income diversification (ID) has a negative and considerable impact on bank performance. Finally, the findings show that income diversification, as a moderating element, lowered the overall impact of IC (Value Added Intellectual Capital (VAIC)) efficiency on bank performance. The role of income diversification in modulating the link between the distinct components of VAIC (HCE, SCE and CEE). While revenue diversification improved the influence of SCE on bank performance, it weakened the impact of HCE. Furthermore, income diversification had little effect on bank performance in terms of mitigating the effects of CEE. Therefore, this finding highlights the contribution by suggesting that non-traditional banking activities influence the relationship between Intellectual Capital and bank performance in Vietnam

Abstract The synthesis and electrochemical insertion of lithium into the Wadsley–Roth NaNb13O33 phase is studied. Lithium intercalation to form LixNaNb13O33 reaches a value of up to x~15, between 3.0 and 1.0 V vs. Li+/Li at a slow cycling rate, a capacity of 233 mAh g−1. Within this voltage window, two sharp peaks and one broad peak are observed in the differential capacity plots of lithium intercalation suggesting multiple two‐phase regions. High Li‐ion conductivity and rate capability was demonstrated. The lithium diffusion constant is about an order of magnitude greater than TiNb2O7. The average voltage is about 1.6 V and its high‐rate capability makes NaNb13O33 potentially useful as an anode in a fast‐charge Li‐ion battery application.