Electricity consumption and economic growth in Vietnam: A cointegration and causality analysis

Using a cointegration and causality analysis, this paper investigates the causal relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth in Vietnam during the period of 1975-2010. Empirical results show that there is no causality effect of per capita electricity consumption on per capita Gross domestic products (GDP) in both short-run and long-run, but a causality relationship running from per capita GDP to per capita electricity consumption in the long-run. This result is helpful to understand the roles of economic growth on making energy policies in Vietnam to deal with the current electricity shortage accompanied with economic growth and to ensure the national energy security

Electricity consumption and economic growth in Vietnam: A cointegration and causality analysis

Using a cointegration and causality analysis, this paper investigates the causal relationship between electricity consumption and economic growth in Vietnam during the period of 1975-2010. Empirical results show that there is no causality effect of per capita electricity consumption on per capita Gross domestic products (GDP) in both short-run and long-run, but a causality relationship running from per capita GDP to per capita electricity consumption in the long-run. This result is helpful to understand the roles of economic growth on making energy policies in Vietnam to deal with the current electricity shortage accompanied with economic growth and to ensure the national energy security

An Empirical Study for Food Consumption in Vietnam

This paper uses a linear approximation of Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) and extended AIDS models to investigate food consumption in Vietnam using the Vietnam Living Standard Survey (VLSS) in 2004. In particular, AIDS models are estimated to calculate income and price elasticities for three different components of food categories. Our results suggest that rice food and meat/fish are normal goods, while non-rice food is luxury. Household characteristics such as age, gender, and education do not appear to affect food consumption significantly, while urban/rural location is important. These results may give empirical evidence for policy-makers to design food policy in Vietnam

Effects of Corporate Governance on the Performance of Private Economic Groups in Vietnam

Using the unique combined dataset of three previous surveys, this paper examines the effects of corporate governance on the performance of large private interprises in Vietnam. Five measures of corporate governance and three variable proxies for performance are employed to investigate effects of corporate governance on performance. Estimated results show that Chair-CEO duality positively correlates with better performance, and increasing the size of the board of directors is negatively associated with worse performance regardless of performance measures. These empirical effects are the same across sectors, export and import–related enterprises, and between female and male CEO enterprises. Independence of the board has no link to performance of enterprises. Such results contribute to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence and shedding light on understanding the effects of corporate governance on the performance of large private enterprises in Vietnam

Effects of Corporate Governance on the Performance of Private Economic Groups in Vietnam

Using the unique combined dataset of three previous surveys, this paper examines the effects of corporate governance on the performance of large private interprises in Vietnam. Five measures of corporate governance and three variable proxies for performance are employed to investigate effects of corporate governance on performance. Estimated results show that Chair-CEO duality positively correlates with better performance, and increasing the size of the board of directors is negatively associated with worse performance regardless of performance measures. These empirical effects are the same across sectors, export and import–related enterprises, and between female and male CEO enterprises. Independence of the board has no link to performance of enterprises. Such results contribute to the extant literature by providing empirical evidence and shedding light on understanding the effects of corporate governance on the performance of large private enterprises in Vietnam

Optimizing EDM for titanium alloys: an in-depth comparison of five MCDM techniques

This experimental study investigates the effect of the cutting parameters of the Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) process of Ti-6Al-4V alloy material on surface roughness (Ra), cutting time (t) and Material Removal Rate (MRR) then solve the Multiple Objective Optimization Problem using separate Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods namely Entropy-Weighted TOPSIS (E-TOPSIS), MOORA, SAW, VIKOR, and WPM. Focusing on nine 3-levels variants including Operating Voltage (OV), Pulse-On Time (Ton), Pulse-Off Time (Toff), Short-Circuit Off Time (AFF), Secondary Voltage (SV), Feed Rate (WF), Tension (WT), Water Pressure (WL) and Material Cutting Speed (F). Due to the large number of variants studied, the Taguchi L27 experimental design was chosen to reduce the number of experiments while still ensuring reliability in assessing the impact of technological parameters on responses in the study. The optimization results from the different methods indicated two distinct optimal outcomes. According to the E-TOPSIS, MOORA, and SAW, the optimal result is a Ra of 3.27 µm, a t of 7.37 min, and an MRR of 7.45 mm3/min. This result suggests a balanced and harmonious optimization among all criteria. On the other hand, the figures VIKOR and WPM methods are 2.87 µm, 9.57 min, and 5.74 mm3/min, respectively. These results indicate a higher priority for certain criteria, reflected in the lower Ra, longer cutting time, and a smaller MRR in comparison to the figures for the remaining MCDM methods. The different optimal results achieved by various methods highlight that each method is suited to and excels with different sets of values. Therefore, in each specific research or production process, comparing and choosing results calculated by different methods provides a comprehensive view, aiding in making appropriate decision

Study on association between SLC2A9 rs3733591 and Gout susceptibility in 481 Vietnamese individuals

Gout is a common form of inflammatory arthritis that is strongly associated with elevated uric acid concentration in the blood. The development of the disease is not only triggered by environmental factors but also genetic variations. Previous studies demonstrated that the genetic associations with gout vary in different populations in the world. This study aimed to identify the relationship between SLC2A9 rs3733591 and gout susceptibility in the Vietnamese population. Total DNAs were extracted from 481 blood samples including 160 patients with gout and 321 age-matched healthy controls. The genotyping of SLC2A9 rs3733591 was performed using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Chi-squared test was used to test whether the genotypes frequencies of rs3733591 follow Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and to check its association with gout in three models (additive, recessive, dominant) and allele form. The result showed that SLC2A9 rs3733591 was in agreement with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (p>0.05). However, there was no association between the rs3733591 and gout in any tested models (p>0.05). This study will contribute to the genetic study of gout susceptibility in Vietnam

Saprochaete Capitata Infection in an 80–Year Old Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patient: A Case Report

BACKGROUND: The fungal disease caused by invasive fungus Saprochaete capitata is becoming an increasingly popular infection. Fungal pathogens mainly occur in patients with immunocompromised disorders such as hematologic malignancies, acute myeloid leukemia, transplant patients. CASE REPORT: In this study, we presented a COPD patient infected with S. capitata. At the first check, the patient showed cough, dyspnea, chest pain on both sides. The clinical laboratory test result was characterized with high White blood cell (12.8 G/L), HIV negative. The X ray showed bronchitis and emphysema. Bronchoscopy illustrated bronchial mucositis. CT scanner demonstrated pneumonia with fuzzy nodular lesions and thick interstitial organization in both lungs. The patient was treated with ciprofloxacin 800 mg/day; cefuroxime 2250 mmg/day. However, the fever appeared 2 weeks thereafter. The S. capitata was discovered in the bronchial fluid. The patient was then treated with fluconazole 400 mg/day for 14 days. At the end of treatment, all signs and symptoms of S. capitata infection disappeared and the patient recovered. CONCLUSION: This case study showed that S. capitata infection can occur in the COPD patients and fluconazole is a pertinent drug for treatment of the infection

The impact of productivity on export transitions: revisited evidence from the Vietnamese manufacturing sectors

The effect of total factor productivity (TFP) on exports particularly interests policy-makers and economists, but empirical evidence is ambiguous. This paper uses the 6-wave panel data in 2010-2015 to investigate the impact of TFP on export transitions at the firm level. We distinguish different types of export transitions, namely start, stop, continuity, fluctuation, and striving, and different phases of export transition. The Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimation is applied to control for endogeneity and unobserved time-invariant specific components. The results reveal that (i) the effect of productivity on export (the self-selection hypothesis) is heterogeneous, depending on specific sectors and types and phases of export transitions; (ii) productivity growth does not necessarily result in positive effects on and lead to participation in types and phases of export transitions. Our results also reveal strong evidence of favourable sunk cost in long-run export striving in nearly all sectors, and unlike previous studies, empirical results show a negative effect of sunk cost in some manufacturing sectors. Policy-makers should create dynamic comparative advantages and favourable environments for new exporters, focus the relevant policies on productivity stimulus, and strengthen the likelihood of survival for the domestic firms in the competitive global markets

AMRViz enables seamless genomics analysis and visualization of antimicrobial resistance

We have developed AMRViz, a toolkit for analyzing, visualizing, and managing bacterial genomics samples. The toolkit is bundled with the current best practice analysis pipeline allowing researchers to perform comprehensive analysis of a collection of samples directly from raw sequencing data with a single command line. The analysis results in a report showing the genome structure, genome annotations, antibiotic resistance and virulence profile for each sample. The pan-genome of all samples of the collection is analyzed to identify core- and accessory-genes. Phylogenies of the whole genome as well as all gene clusters are also generated. The toolkit provides a web-based visualization dashboard allowing researchers to interactively examine various aspects of the analysis results. Availability: AMRViz is implemented in Python and NodeJS, and is publicly available under open source MIT license at https://github.com/amromics/amrviz