Effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis on developing Asia's Economic Growth

The aim of this paper is to study macro aspect of the virulent impacts of the 2008 financial crisis on Asian developing economies. To do this, we apply the Pedroni panel co-integration technique developed to examine the long-run relationship between economic growth, exports and inward FDI on a sample of selected Asian developing countries over the period 1995-2008. Our main finding is that FDI inflows and exports exert a significant and positive impact on developing Asia's economic growth. The 2008 global financial crisis is, therefore, likely to have a significant effect on developing Asia's economic growth through two main transmission channels - FDI and exports channels.Financial crisis, Exports, FDI, Economic growth, Developing countries.

Does trade integration matter for reducing intra-regional disparities? ASEAN evidence from a panel co-integration approach

Needless to say, it is necessary to study the relative scales of the trade creation effect and the trade diversion effect to evaluate success of ASEAN trade integration and to determine whether or not the intra-bloc trade share is appropriate as an indicator of the progress of reducing intra-regional disparities in ASEAN. Therefore, this paper first uses descriptive statistics and some key indicators to track the progress in economic growth and in trade integration that is the main pillar of building ASEAN Economic Community. Second, we make an attempt to provide answers to the question of whether trade integration matters for reducing intra-regional disparities among ASEAN member states over the period 1995-2007. We perform the panel co-integration method developed by Pedroni (1999) that allows for heterogeneity across ten ASEAN countries. Our major finding shows that trade integration, which is captured by intra-regional exports and imports flows, is appropriate as an indicator of progress of reducing income disparities in the ASEAN zone. Finally, applying the General Method of Moments (GMM) estimation, we also find that deepening of intra-regional trade integration creates more trade flows among ASEAN member states without diverting trade flows with non-members.Growth, Trade Integration, Intra-regional disparities, Co-integration, ASEAN

Does exchange rate policy matter for economic growth? Vietnam evidence from a co-integration approach

Both economic growth and exchange rate theories suggest that the exchange rate regime could have consequences for the medium-term growth of a country, directly, through its effects on the adjustment to shocks, and indirectly, through its impact on the important determinants of growth. It is, however, surprising that there was little empirical work investigating the indirect relationship between the exchange rate policy and economics growth in the case of a specific country. In a co-integration framework, our research attempts to fill the gap by econometrically investigating the possible impacts of exchange rate regime on economic growth through two main channels - Foreign direct investment (FDI) and Exports - in the case of Vietnam - a successful example of a transitional economy.Exports, Exchange Rate, FDI, Growth, Co-integration

Developing a plant virus-based expression system for the expression of vaccines against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Virus-based expression systems have been widely exploited for the production of recombinant proteins in plants during the last three decades. Advances in technology have boosted scale-up manufacturing of plant-made pharmaceuticals to high levels, via the complementation of transient expression and viral vectors. This combination allows proteins of interest to be produced in plants within a matter of days and thus, is well suited for the development of plant-made vaccines or therapeutics against emerging infectious diseases and potential bioterrorism agents. Several plant-based products are currently in varying stages of clinical development. To investigate the viability of virus-based expression systems for plant-made subunit vaccines against Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), I have developed several viral vectors which express partial PRRSV glycoprotein 5 (GP5). In this thesis, I demonstrated that viral vectors can increase the expression of proteins for vaccine development in a variety of host plants. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the C-terminus of GP5 fused with GFP (GP5C-GFP) were expressed at up to 37.29 mg/kg and 4.36 mg/kg fresh weight of leaf tissue, respectively, in soybean plants via biolistic bombardment, using viral vectors derived from Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV). A Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV)-based vector was employed to display chimeric virus particles, presenting the neutralizing epitope (NE) of GP5, at levels as high as 35.84 mg/kg of cucumber leaf fresh weight, via agroinfiltration. In addition, GFP and the ectodomain of GP5 fused with GFP (GP5e-GFP) were successfully produced at up to 2.03 g/kg and 36.53 mg/kg fresh weight of leaf tissue, respectively, in Nicotiana benthamiana using transient expression of Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV)-based vectors. Co-infiltration of viral vectors with p19, a silencing suppressor, can help to mitigate the toxicity of GP5e to plant tissue and enhance the accumulation of this protein. These plant-made products may be tested as oral subunit vaccines against PRRSV in pigs during future experimental trials. Overall, the results demonstrate that viral systems can produce low-cost, versatile and robust vaccines that have a great impact in the fight against viral diseases, especially in developing countries

Energy management systems and market value: Is there a link?

This paper aims to advance in the knowledge of the economic impacts of ISO 50001 certification on firms' performance. The study hypothesizes that ISO 50001 is associated with improvements in market value of firms. We employ, on one hand, event study methodology for a sample of 40 companies listed on different stock exchanges. On the other hand, we use market reaction to the announcement of ISO 50001 as a proxy for changes in firm performance. We reveal that market reaction to the adoption of ISO 50001 is negative but statistically insignificant. However, this result is not suggesting that getting ISO 50001 is a bad investment, but rather that inflated expectations of financial performance improvement due to the adoption of ISO 50001 has still been unfounded

A modelling study of environmental fate and effects of oil leakage from abandoned wells

Master's thesis in Environmental EngineeringPotential environmental consequences of oil leakages are taken into consideration in the ongoing development of plug and abandonment (P&A) activities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The P&A on the NCS has been required to reach a “zero leakage” target, while environmental regulations and risk monitoring for permanent abandonment are still needed. Thus, a modelling study of fate and effects of oil leakage from abandoned wells is the topic of this thesis. The research covers an investigation into applicable models and scenario modelling of a theoretical oil leak case study on the NCS. Lessons from natural oil seeps are utilized to understand potential exposure and effects of the oil leakages. In order to estimate the chronic biological exposure and effects from continuous low-rate oil leakages, the modelling is executed via a software developed by SINTEF. An Environmental Impact Factor (EIF) tool is used to compute impacted areas and risks of different oil droplets. The results show that the smaller the droplets are, the greater the impact they have on the environment. EIFs or risks develop in time and become more stable over long periods, meanwhile impacted areas with risk > 5% become denser in a certain location of a few hundred meters from the release site. Chronic exposure and effects on organisms potentially occur with a steady state effect over a long period. Some unacceptable risks, which are exceeding the conventional accepted level of 5%, appear surrounding the release site, indicating a need of mitigation measures. Under variation of currents and winds, dilution, dispersion, evaporation, oxidation and biodegradation are parts of the influence processes on fate and effects of the oil leakage. Toxic hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, naphthalene 1, C4 benzene and C7 to C9 saturates should be of concern regarding hydrocarbon contributions to risks.publishedVersio

THE INFLUENTIAL FACTORS ON LAND VALUATION: A STUDY COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD AND LESSONS FOR VIETNAM

Through research, it has been shown that within each group of directly or indirectly impacting factors, there are always factors with varying degrees of influence. Regarding natural factors, the location of the land parcel has the most significant impact on land prices, followed by factors such as shape, area, and soil fertility. However, assessing the extent of influence of these factors on land prices is relative, and the degree of impact depends on the specific context of the land parcel and its users. Each land user has different needs. Studying these influencing factors serves as initial theoretical groundwork for determining appropriate and accurate land pricing policies

Analysis of Ammonia and Volatile Organic Amine Emissions in a Confined Poultry Facility

The National Air Emission Monitoring Study (NAEMS) project was funded by the Agricultural Air Research Council (AARC) to evaluate agricultural emissions nationwide. Utah State University (USU) is conducting a parallel study on agricultural emissions at a Cache Valley poultry facility. As part of this parallel study, samples of animal feed, eggs and animal waste were collected weekly from three manure barns (designated: manure barn, barn 4 - manure belt and barn 5 - high rise) from May 2008 to November 2009. These samples were analyzed to determine ammonia content, total Kjeldahl nitrogen content and ammonia emission. The yearly average calculated NH3 values for manure barn, barn 4 and barn 5 were determined in units of mg NH3/gmanure as: 1.1 ± 0.2, 0.6 ± 0.1 and 0.8 ± 0.1, respectively. The yearly average calculated TKN values in units of % N were determined as: 2.0% ± 0.3, 1.6% ± 0.3 and 1.9% ± 0.3 for manure barn, barn 4 and barn 5, respectively. The yearly average of NH3 emission in units of mg NH3/bird-day was determined to be 440 ± 180 mg NH3/bird-day for barn 4, and 540 ± 190 mg NH3/bird-day for barn 5. The ammonia and organic amines emissions in ambient air at a Cache valley confined poultry facility were measured by using a sulfuric acid trapping solution in an impinger train followed ion chromatography (IC) detection. The yearly average concentrations of ammonia in ambient air at the barns were calculated at 11.9 ± 2.9 ppm at the manure belt barn and 12.7 ± 3.1 ppm at the high rise barn. No organic amines were detected in the collected ambient air samples by the ion chromatography method. Because there were no amines detected by the IC method, limits of detection of organic amines in air were studied. The results showed that the organic amines in the manure must occur at a minimum concentration of 1 ppm in order to have sufficient vapor pressure so that enough is transported to the impingers for trapping and subsequently be detected by the IC

The Effect of Music on Anxiety of the Endoscopic Client in a Private Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam

Gastrointestinal tract cancer is one of the fifth most common cancers in Vietnam and has a high mortality rate in Vietnamese people based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) global cancer statistics. One-third of adults aged 50 or older, the age group at greatest risk of developing colorectal cancer, have not been screened because endoscopy is considered a stressful procedure. The endoscopic patient sometimes refuses to have the procedure. Therefore, using music to ease the anxiety of endoscopic clients has been examined in various studies but the results have been inconclusive. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of music therapy on the anxiety of Vietnamese endoscopic clients in a district private hospital. The quasi-experimental research evaluated changes in vital signs, pain scores, and anxiety levels before and after the endoscopic procedure among participants who listened to music and those who did not. Forty patients participated: 18 who listened to music before and during the procedure and 22 who served as the control group. The Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyze data. There was a significant difference among the anxiety levels of those who chose to listen to music and those who did not listen at p \u3c .000. Those who listened to music appeared to have lower anxiety scores pre, peri, and post procedure. No significant differences in perceived pain were found between groups. In conclusion, while music did not result in shortened procedure times or doses of sedative medications utilized, it did reduce blood pressure and heart rate among patients undergoing endoscopy. Additionally, most of the endoscopic clients were willing to repeat an endoscopic procedure in the future. Limitations of this study included a small sample size and since only one hospital was utilized, data might not be representative of the whole endoscopic patient population in Vietnam. Future studies should expand to include more patients at multiple facilities

The Problems Faced by the Teachers and the Students in Teaching and Learning ESP Reading Skill at Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism

This paper was conducted to see  the problems faced by the teacher and the students in teaching and learning ESP reading skill at Thanh Hoa University of Culture, Sports and Tourism. So as to gather more believable data, the qualitative method including the author\u27s personal observation, the discussion and interview with the students and the colleagues. The collected data revealed the teachers and students’ difficulties in teaching and learning ESP reading and their causes. Based on the author’s experience, the discussion and interview  with the colleagues and students, the researcher gave some possible solutions to improve the quality of teaching and learning ESP reading at school