How Foreign Ownership and Competition Affect the Credit Growth of Commercial Banks: Evidence from A Transitional Economy

This study examines the relationship between foreign ownership and market competition, proxied by bank market power, affecting the credit growth of 32 commercial banks in Vietnam from 2010 to 2020. The Random Effects Model and the Dynamic System Generalized Method of Moments were used to analyze an unbalanced panel of 278 annual observations. The findings report that foreign ownership reduces credit growth, with each percentage increase in foreign ownership reducing credit growth by 0.74%. The results indicate an inverse U-shaped relationship between competitive advantage and credit growth, with a turning point of 0.46. The main findings were found to be robust after employing an alternative market power proxy. The study recommends that bank managers and policymakers limit foreign ownership and control commercial banks’ market power to promote sustainable credit growth

Spondylolysis-induced Multilevel Lumbar Spondylolisthesis; Challenges in Lumbar Spine Surgery

Lumbar spondylolysis and multilevel lumbar spondylolysis account for 4.4-5.8% and 0.3% of the general population, and multilevel lumbar spondylolysis resulting in spondylolisthesis is even rarer. Herein, we report two cases of three-level lumbar spondylolisthesis because of spondylolysis: A 49-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital for dull lower back pain over the past 8 months, with exacerbating symptoms when standing and walking. Spasticity at lumbar region and radiculopathy at S1 nerve root was found on examination and a 63-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of numbness and perianal sensory disturbances with difficulty urinating 2 weeks ago, the symptoms gradually increased to the time of examination. Both patients were diagnosed with multilevel lumbar spondylolisthesis because of spondylolysis and were indicated for posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). After surgery, both patients recovered well without any significant complications. The improved treatment results suggest the application of PLIF technique to treat spondylolysis-induced multilevel lumbar spondylolisthesis

A Multi-Center Randomised Controlled Trial of Gatifloxacin versus Azithromycin for the Treatment of Uncomplicated Typhoid Fever in Children and Adults in Vietnam

BACKGROUND: Drug resistant typhoid fever is a major clinical problem globally. Many of the first line antibiotics, including the older generation fluoroquinolones, ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, are failing. OBJECTIVES: We performed a randomised controlled trial to compare the efficacy and safety of gatifloxacin (10 mg/kg/day) versus azithromycin (20 mg/kg/day) as a once daily oral dose for 7 days for the treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever in children and adults in Vietnam. METHODS: An open-label multi-centre randomised trial with pre-specified per protocol analysis and intention to treat analysis was conducted. The primary outcome was fever clearance time, the secondary outcome was overall treatment failure (clinical or microbiological failure, development of typhoid fever-related complications, relapse or faecal carriage of S. typhi). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We enrolled 358 children and adults with suspected typhoid fever. There was no death in the study. 287 patients had blood culture confirmed typhoid fever, 145 patients received gatifloxacin and 142 patients received azithromycin. The median FCT was 106 hours in both treatment arms (95% Confidence Interval [CI]; 94-118 hours for gatifloxacin versus 88-112 hours for azithromycin), (logrank test p = 0.984, HR [95% CI] = 1.0 [0.80-1.26]). Overall treatment failure occurred in 13/145 (9%) patients in the gatifloxacin group and 13/140 (9.3%) patients in the azithromycin group, (logrank test p = 0.854, HR [95% CI] = 0.93 [0.43-2.0]). 96% (254/263) of the Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid and 58% (153/263) were multidrug resistant. CONCLUSIONS: Both antibiotics showed an excellent efficacy and safety profile. Both gatifloxacin and azithromycin can be recommended for the treatment of typhoid fever particularly in regions with high rates of multidrug and nalidixic acid resistance. The cost of a 7-day treatment course of gatifloxacin is approximately one third of the cost of azithromycin in Vietnam. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Controlled-Trials.com ISRCTN67946944

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

CEO overpower and corporate social responsibility of commercial banks: The moderating role of state ownership

AbstractThis study examines the impacts of powerful CEOs and state ownership on commercial banks’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Vietnam, a transitional market in Asia. Given the differences between emerging and developed markets in terms of their institutions and governance, it is essential to explore the impact of CEO power on CSR disclosure in emerging markets. This study collects data from 37 Vietnamese commercial banks from 2010 to 2020. We employ a dynamic system Generalized Method of Moments to overcome endogeneity and heterogeneity issues. The findings show that powerful CEOs negatively reduce CSR programs. CEO power tends to focus less on CSR investments because CSR expenses reduce the operating free cash flow. Meanwhile, our findings indicate a positive relationship between state ownership and CSR developments. This study reports a moderating role of state ownership in empowering powerful CEOs to develop CSR programs in commercial banks. We also perform a robustness test to confirm the persistence of our main findings across subsamples by CEO ages. Our robustness test results indicate that CEOs have the lowest motivation to improve CSR when their ages are from 40 to 60. Our findings align with agency theory, stakeholder theory and prior literature. Finally, our study contributes practical implications for management and policymakers to develop CSR programs sustainably

How do funding diversity and non-performing loans affect bank performance in different economic cycles?

AbstractThis paper aims to study the impacts of bank funding diversity, non-performing loans (NPLs), and business cycles on bank performance. We employ Fixed Effect Models and the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments to examine a sample of 37 Vietnamese banks from 2005 to 2020. Our findings report that a one percentage point increase in the funding diversity index empowers ROA by 0.031 percentage points. Our results indicate that one positive standard deviation of real GDP from the trend calculated by the Hodrick-Prescott filter increases the ROA by 0.004 percentage points. However, a percentage point increase in non-performing loans reduces ROA by 0.075 percentage points. Our findings are also robust in various proxies of bank performance, economic cycles, and FED interest rate cycles. The findings help determine the optimal funding strategy for policymakers and bank managers. These findings suggest that bank managers develop long-term credit policies to control NPLs, improving sustainable performance. Regulators closely monitor macroeconomic factors to maintain banking stability in different economic stages. Our findings align with the diversification theory, trade-off theory, and prior literature

Learners’ Engagement in L2 Computer-Mediated Interaction: Chat Mode, Interlocutor Familiarity, and Text Quality

This study investigated the impact of synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) mode and familiarity with partners on learner engagement in second-language task-based interaction, and whether learner engagement is linked to subsequent joint-written-text quality. Ninety-eight Vietnamese learners of English were assigned into (±) familiar groups and performed a picture-sequencing tasks in two SCMC modes (i.e., video and text chat). Scores of 3 types of learner engagement (cognitive, social, and emotional) were compared across the conditions. Results showed that scores of all engagement types in the video chat were significantly higher than in the text chat. Familiar dyads also showed higher engagement than unfamiliar peers during the interaction. Learners reported different reasons for their preferences of video chat over text chat. Language-related episodes, semantically engaged talk, and mutual help as measures of learner engagement were predictive of the subsequent text quality. The results contribute to the general understanding of the characteristics of video and text chat and their impact on learner engagement and text quality

Cytotoxic Compounds from Brucea mollis

Ten compounds, including soulameanone (1), isobruceine B (2), 9-methoxy-canthin-6-one (3), bruceolline F (4), niloticine (5), octatriacontan-1-ol (6), bombiprenone (7), α-tocopherol (8), inosine (9), and apigenin 7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), were isolated from the leaves, stems, and roots of Brucea mollis Wall. ex Kurz. Their structures were determined using one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. All compounds were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against KB (human carcinoma of the mouth), LU-1 (human lung adenocarcinoma), LNCaP (human prostate adeno-carcinoma), and HL-60 (human promyelocytic leukemia) cancer cell lines. Compound 2 showed significant cytotoxic activity against KB, LU-1, LNCaP, and HL-60 cancer cells with IC50 values of 0.39, 0.40, 0.34, and 0.23 μg/mL, respectively. In addition, compounds 3 and 5 showed significant cytotoxic activity against KB, LU-1, LNCaP, and HL-60 cancer cells with IC50 values around 1–4 μg/mL. Compounds 9-methoxycanthin-6-one (3) and niloticine (5) have been discovered for the first time from the Brucea genus

Tài liệu hướng dẫn xây dựng và quản lý hệ thống nông lâm kết hợp cho cà phê

This document is used as a handout for farmers participating in a series of training on coffee-based agroforestry management practices

Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in molluscs and fish at the Sai Gon - Dong Nai estuary

The aim of this study is to assess the biological accumulation of pesticide residues in aquatic organisms in Sai Gon - Dong Nai (SG-DN) estuary. Fish and mollusks were collected directly at the Soai Rap and Long Tau estuary of the SG-DN river system, washed and separated for taking the tissue. The organochlorine compounds from the tissue were then extracted and analyzed by gas chromatography system. The results showed that, the concentration of OCPs in Tegillarca granosa, Meretrix lyrata, Margaritifera auricularia and Bostrychus sinensis varied from 6.4 to 59.9 μg/kg, 7.2 to 322 μg/kg, 4.5 to 62.1 μg/kg and 2.9 to 114.3 μg/kg fresh weight, respectively. In general, molluscs species that accumulate more heptachlor, aldrin, endrin or dieldrin tend to accumulate less DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Endosulfan was the most commonly found in three bivalve mollusks while DDTs (1.5–75.2 μg/kg, averaging 8.7 μg/kg weight) was the most popular OCPs in the fish (Bostrychus sinensis) samples. In DDT group, the p,p’-DDT metabolite accounted for the largest percentage, reaching 50% of total DDTs. In HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane) group, β-HCH isomer was predominant in almost samples.Mgr đích ccc nghiên cch này là đánh giá tích lũy sinh hhn ccn thuu trr sâu trong các sinh vvn ssnh dưưh nưưh ttư khu vvu ccu sông Sài Gòn - ĐĐn Nai (SG-DN). Cá và nhuyyu thh đưưy llư trry tiiy iicửa sông Soài RRà và Lòng Tàu thuu hh thhu sông SG-DN, đư-D rư- ss-D và tách llc phhh mô thht. Các hhc chh clo hho cơ sau đó đưưđ tách chii và phân tích bbch hh thhh ssh ký khí. Kết quả nghiên cứu cho thấy, dư lượng OCPs tích tụ trong sò điệp (Tegillarca granosa), ngao (Meretrix lyrata), trai nước ngọt (Margaritifera auricularia) và cá bớp (Bostrychus sinensis) dao động tương ứng từ 6,4 đến 59,9 μg/kg, 7,2 đến 322 μg/kg, 4,5 đến 62,1 μg/kg và 2,9 đến 114,3 μg/kg trọng lượng tươi. Nhìn chung, loài nhuyễn thể nào tích lũy nhiều heptachlor, aldrin, endrin hoăc dieldrin có xu hướng tích lũy ít DDT (Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane). Endosunfan là nhóm thuốc được tìm thấy nhiều nhất trong các loài nhuyễn thể nghiên cứu. Ngược lại, nhóm DDT lại phổ biến ở cá Bostrychus sinensis (1.5–75.2 μg/kg, trung bình 8.7 μg/kg trọng lượng). Dạng p.p’-DDT trong nhóm DDT chiếm tỷ lệ cao nhất, tới 50% DDT tổng. Trong khi đó, đồng dạng β-HCH của nhóm HCH (Hexachlorocyclohexane) chiếm đa số trong hầu hết các mẫu