Abstract: Biotic and abiotic factors control aboveground biomass (AGB) and the structure of forest ecosystems. This study analyses the variation of AGB and stand structure of evergreen broadleaved forests among six ecoregions of Vietnam. A data set of 173 1-ha plots from 52 locations in undisturbed old-growth forests was developed. The results indicate that basal area and AGB are closely correlated with annual precipitation, but not with annual temperature, evaporation or hours of sunshine. Basal area and AGB are positively correlated with trees 〉  30 cm DBH. Most areas surveyed (52.6%) in these old-growth forests had AGB of 100–200 Mg ha −1 ; 5.2% had AGB of 400–500 Mg ha −1 , and 0.6% had AGB of 〉  800 Mg ha −1 . Seventy percent of the areas surveyed had stand densities of 300–600 ind. ha −1 , and 64% had basal areas of 20–40 m 2 ha −1 . Precipitation is an important factor influencing the AGB of old-growth, evergreen broadleaved forests in Vietnam. Disturbances causing the loss of large-diameter trees (e.g., 〉  100 cm DBH) affects AGB but may not seriously affect stand density.

Abstract: A kidney transplant has become an option for many people with end-stage kidney failure. However, not all patients are likely to receive a kidney transplant. This study is conducted to identify some characteristics of patients with renal transplant indications for kidney transplantation from 26 hospitals in Hanoi. According to the research results, in 2020, Hanoi has 3,220 patients on dialysis with the average age of 54, mainly from 46-65, more males than females. More than 95% of the causes of dialysis are chronic glomerulonephritis, hypertension, and diabetes; up to 65% of the dialysis time is over 5 years, blood type O patients account for 43% and 25% of dialysis patients with hepatitis C. Out of a total of 3,220 patients, 2,400 (74%) of patients have indicated a kidney transplant with an average age of nearly 49 years, of which men (55%) are more than women (45%); dialysis time less than 5 years accounts for the highest percentage with 43%, 25% of patients with indicated kidney transplantation are HCV positive; chronic kidney failure due to chronic glomerulonephritis and hypertension, diabetes are two main groups of causes, accounting for 94% of dialysis patients who are indicated for transplant.

Abstract: Melioidosis is a severe acute infectious disease caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, especially high epidemiological risk factors in agricultural operations with people frequently exposed to soil or water sources containing this bacterium. In this study, the thermal and gastric stability of antimicrobial activity of aqueous extracts prepared from pomegranate (Punica granatum) against Burkholderia pseudomallei VTCC 70157 (NA23) was evaluated by agar plate diffusion, minimal inhibitory dilution (MID), and minimal bactericidal dilution (MBD) methods. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of aqueous extract to HEK293, HepG2, and HT29 cell lines was also studied. The results showed that aqueous extracts of different pomegranate parts had a high antibacterial activity with an antibacterial zone diameter in the range of 21-28 mm. MID and MBD values were under 1:256 and 1:128, respectively. At the extraction temperature of 100oC, antibacterial activities were significantly higher than those of 25 and 70oC. This study also demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of the extracts highly remained under simulated gastrointestinal conditionsexcept for the MID value of the twig extracts which was increased by two times. In addition, the extracts exhibited low cytotoxicity with the tested human cell lines, with ID50 values consistently being remarkably higher than the corresponding MID values. The study results suggest that aqueous extracts of pomegranate prepared by decoction according to traditional medicine might be effective through oral administration for the treatment of melioidosis.

Abstract: In this work, paper waste sludge (PWS) collected from the primary settling tank of the paper wastewater treatment plant was utilized to generate hydrochar as a low-cost adsorbent for removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. The characteristics of paper waste sludge hydrochar (PWSH) and the effects of adsorption conditions of Cr(VI) onto PWSH, including solution pH (3-9), contact time (5-240 min), initial Cr(VI) concentration (10-80 mg/L) and the adsorbent dose of 1 g/L at room temperature (25±2°C) were investigated. Adsorption isotherm and kinetics were also predicted in this work. The results indicate that the maximum adsorption capacity achieved 11.89 mg/g at 120 min of contact time, pH 3, and initial Cr(VI) concentration of 60 mg/L. The adsorption isotherm was reflected the best by the Langmuir model (R2 of 0.9968). Whereas, the adsorption kinetic also indicates that the pseudo-second-order model predicted the best for Cr(VI) adsorption process with a R2 of 0.9469. The mechanism of Cr(VI) adsorption process onto PWSH was chemical sorption through electrostatic interaction and ion exchange.

Abstract: We examine the determinants of bank capital structure using a large sample of banks in the world. We find that banks determine their capital structure in much the same way as non-financial firms, except for growth opportunities. We also provide evidence that country-level factors, such as the legal system, bank-specific factors and economic conditions influence banks’ capital decisions through their impacts on bankruptcy costs, agency costs, information asymmetry and liquidity creation. The results show that, besides the direct effects, there are indirect impacts of country-level factors on the decision of bank capital. Our results have potential policy implications for the on-going regulatory reform.

Abstract: The model of Late Pleistocene-Holocene sequence stratigraphy of the subaqueous Red River delta and the adjacent shelf is proposed by interpretation of high-resolution seismic documents and comparison with previous research results on Holocene sedimentary evolution on the delta plain. Four units (U1, U2, U3, and U4) and four sequence stratigraphic surfaces (SB1, TS, TRS and MFS) were determined. The formation of these units and surfaces is related to the global sea-level change in Late Pleistocene-Holocene. SB1, defined as the sequence boundary, was generated by subaerial processes during the Late Pleistocene regression and could be remolded partially or significantly by transgressive ravinement processes subsequently. 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