The effect of corporate governance elements on corporate social responsibility reporting of listed companies in Vietnam

This paper examines the impact of various corporate governance characteristics on the disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) information in the context of developing markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used data from the annual reports of the top 100 companies listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange from 2019 to 2021 to investigate the relationship between board independence, board size, CEO duality, foreign ownership, government ownership, and the disclosure level of CSR reporting. We employed a content analysis to measure CSR disclosure level by using the CSR reporting index (CSRRI) with 17 items. The panel regressions including three techniques like the pooled-ordinary least squares (OLS), fixed effects model (FEM), and random effects model (REM), were used to analyze the data, and FEM) shows its best fit to the model. The results suggest that board independence and government ownership correlate positively and significantly with companies' decisions to disclose CSR information. In contrast, board size, CEO duality, foreign ownership and was found to be insignificant. Our study extends the literature on CSR particularly in developing countries where governments play a significant role in promoting economic development. It also evaluates the CSR disclosure level of the top listed companies in Vietnam. Since then, the paper's results provide several insights to the policymakers to identify the corporate governance characteristics that will promote CSR reporting in Vietnam's listed companies.

LY3041658/ interleukin-8 complex structure as targets for IL-8 small molecule inhibitors discovery using a combination of in silico methods.

Since interleukin-8 (IL-8/CXCL8) and its receptor, CXCR1 and CXCR2, were known in the early 1990s, biological pathways related to these proteins were proven to have high clinical value in cancer and inflammatory/autoimmune conditions treatment. Recently, IL-8 has been identified as biomarker for severe COVID-19 patients and COVID-19 prognosis. Boyles et al. (mAbs 12 (2020), pp. 1831880) have published a high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of the LY3041658 Fab in a complex human CXCL8. They described the ability to bind to IL-8 and the blocking of IL-8/its receptors interaction by the LY3041658 monoclonal antibody. Therefore, the study has been designed to identify potential small molecules inhibiting interleukin-8 by targeting LY3041658/IL-8 complex structure using an in silico approach. A structure­based pharmacophore and molecular docking models of the protein active site cavity were generated to identify possible candidates, followed by virtual screening with the ZINC database. ADME analysis of hit compounds was also conducted. Molecular dynamics simulations were then performed to survey the behaviour and stability of the ligand-protein complexes. Furthermore, the MM/PBSA technique has been utilized to evaluate the free binding energy. The final data confirmed that one newly obtained compound, ZINC21882765, may serve as the best potential inhibitor for IL-8.

Vietnamese living habits, wellbeing and working adaptation in face of COVID-19's strictest lockdown

Purpose This study explores the impacts of COVID-19's strictest lockdown on Vietnamese citizens' living habits, wellbeing and work-from-home effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a survey questionnaire to gather relevant data from Vietnamese adults during the most recent, strictest lockdown in their cities/provinces since July 2021. The study employs ordinal regression and mediation models to examine the effects of the strict lockdown difficulties on the changes in living habits, wellbeing and work effectiveness of Vietnamese respondents. Findings The empirical result demonstrates that the strictest lockdown adversely affected the living habits of Vietnamese citizens, thus impacting people's wellbeing. Work-from-home lockdown difficulties led to unexpected health issues that bring produce lower working effectiveness. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the changes in citizens' living habits, health and working conditions in adherence to Vietnam's strictest COVID-19 lockdown. This is also the first study to examine the impacts of lockdown difficulties on human wellbeing with the mediating effect of changes in living habits, and the influence of work-from-home lockdown difficulties on work effectiveness, with the mediating effect of lower wellbeing based on the literature. Our study suggests solutions to improve Vietnamese people's health and working productivity during and after a strict lockdown.

Negative Impacts of Pandemic Induced At-Home Remote Learning Can Be Mitigated by Parental Involvement

Format changes in U.S. schooling in response to the COVID-19 pandemic varied by month and by school district, ranging from exclusively home-based to full in-person learning. The impact of these changes on adolescent schooling experiences, and the factors that mitigate such impact, have been challenging to quantify. To address these challenges we employed bi-monthly repeated surveys of youths (N = 6, 546, aged 13–14 years) in a longitudinal study, starting before the pandemic peak (October 2020) and continuing through one year after the pandemic was declared (March 2021). We investigated how school format (in-person vs. remote) impacted objective time spent on academic activities and the subjective experience of school, and how these were influenced by parental engagement. Periods of exclusive at-home remote schooling were pervasive—reported by more than 60% of youths—and linked to a reduction in school enjoyment and time spent on reading, math, and science. In contrast, such periods were linked to more time with parents or guardians helping with school activities, and the frequency of such parental involvement was associated with reductions in negative feelings about school. Results point to potential pathways to mitigate the negative consequences of future school disruptions. Copyright © 2022 Guillaume, Toomarian, Van Rinsveld, Baskin-Sommers, Dick, Dowling, Gonzalez, Hasak, Lisdahl, Marshall, Nguyen, Pelham, Pillai, Sheth, Wang, Tapert and McCandliss.

Impact of COVID-19 on Air Quality in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Vietnam has had one of the fastest growing economies in Asia over the years. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a major hindrance to this growth as the country's GDP plummeted significantly. Air pollution can further amplify the impact of the pandemic since residents exposed to high levels of pollution are likely to increasingly suffer from respiratory illnesses, such as asthma. This paper investigates the impact of COVID-19 on air quality and how air quality can influence the spread of the virus. Finally, the paper proposes suitable machine learning practices for predicting air quality, based on historical trends, using spatial and temporal data. © 2021 IEEE.

Epidemics and Chinese firms' stock returns: is COVID-19 different?

Purpose: This study investigates the Chinese stocks' returns during different epidemic periods to assess their effects on firms' market performance. Design/methodology/approach: The study employs an event study method on more than 3,000 firms listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges during periods of SARS, H5N1, H7N9 and COVID-19 Findings: Epidemics' effect on firms' stock returns is persistent up to 10 days after the event dates. Although the impact varies with types and development of the disease, most firms experience a negative impact of the epidemics. Among the epidemics, COVID-19 has the greatest impact, especially when it grows into a pandemic. The epidemics' impact is uneven across industries. In addition, B-shares and stocks listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange are more negatively influenced by the epidemic than A-shares and those listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Research limitations/implications: The results of the study contribute to the limited literature on the effects of disease outbreaks as an economic shock on firm market performance. Given the possibility of other epidemics in the future, the study provides guidance for investors in designing an appropriate investing strategy to cope with the epidemic shocks to the market. Originality/value: The research is novel in the way it compares and assesses the economic impact of different epidemics on firms and considers their impact at different development stages. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Clinical description of the broad range of neurological presentations of COVID-19: A retrospective case series.

BACKGROUND: Neurological disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection represent a clinical challenge because they encompass a broad neurological spectrum and may occur before the diagnosis of COVID-19. METHODS: In this monocentric retrospective case series, medical records from patients with acute neurological disorders associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection from medicine departments of an academic center in Paris area were collected between March 15th and May 15th 2020. Diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 was ascertained through specific RT-PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs or based on circulating serum IgG antibodies. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection presented with neurological disorders: encephalitis (N=8), encephalopathy (N=6), cerebrovascular events (ischemic strokes N=4 and vein thromboses N=2), other central nervous system (CNS) disorders (N=4), and Guillain-Barré syndrome (N=2). The diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 was delayed on average 1.6 days after the onset of neurological disorder, especially in case of encephalitis 3.9 days, encephalopathy 1.0 day, and cerebrovascular event 2.7 days. CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms that COVID-19 can yield a broad spectrum of neurological disorders. Because neurological presentations of COVID-19 often occur a few days before the diagnosis of SARS-COV-2 infection, clinicians should take preventive measures such as patient isolation and masks for any new admission to avoid nosocomial infections. Anti-SARS-CoV2 antibody detection in RT-PCR SARS CoV-2 negative suspected cases is useful to confirm a posteriori the diagnosis of atypical COVID-19 presentations.