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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global health concern. The development of vaccines with high immunogenicity and safety is crucial for controlling the global COVID-19 pandemic and preventing further illness and fatalities. Here, we report the development of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, Nanocovax, based on recombinant protein production of the extracellular (soluble) portion of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that Nanocovax induced high levels of S protein-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies in three animal models: BALB/c mouse, Syrian hamster, and a non-human primate ( Macaca leonina ). In addition, a viral challenge study using the hamster model showed that Nanocovax protected the upper respiratory tract from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nanocovax did not induce any adverse effects in mice ( Mus musculus var. albino) and rats ( Rattus norvegicus ). These preclinical results indicate that Nanocovax is safe and effective.

Urban wetland has played an important role in creating a live well environment for people and creatures. The rapid urbanization was considered to be the main cause of narrowing wetland area instead of impervious surfaces and construction areas. Thu Thiem is an only remaining wetland in Ho Chi Minh metropolitan where is facing a series of urban problems such as urban heat island, air pollution episodes and flooding. This research aims at investigating plant diversity in the entire Thu Thiem wetland area covering various landuse. The findings show that plant species of Thu Thiem is considered to be diverse with 137 species of tracheophyta plants of 121 genera, 58 families with dominant species. The Shannon diversity index is 3.36, 3.6 and 4.11 for wetland located in forest land-cover, agriculture land-cover, and bare soil respectively. The simultaneous existence of both brackish and freshwater plant species was also found in this research area. In addition, water quality in 75 investigation points of Thu Thiem wetland was analysed based on modern physicochemical method. Water quality index shows that this area has been organically polluted. Based on these findings and ecological function of an urban wetland, various suggestions have been proposed for sustainable development strategies, design and planning which aim at mitigating the various urban problems e.g. water pollution, flooding, ecological landscape and urban life in the metropolitan of Ho Chi Minh.

Studies in Mekong Delta (MKD) proves that experiments and observations in water management over generations lead the indigenous people to the understanding of complex physical - ecological principles of the environment and thereby to sustain local resources. By studying the complexity of MKD landscape system on both natural and urban aspects, the paper shows (1) the logic of complex equilibrium principle in territorial organization and (2) that the combination of indigenous wisdom \"living with flood\" helps to maintain local landscape system in the context of serious flooding threats in the lower Mekong region. It is argued that functions of indigenous landscape and wisdom of \"living with flood\" should be respected and applied to urban design to enhance flood adaptation over time.

The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a dire global health concern. The development of vaccines with high immunogenicity and safety is crucial for control of the global COVID-19 pandemic and prevention of further illness and fatalities. Here, we report development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate, Nanocovax, based on recombinant protein production of the extracellular (soluble) portion of the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that Nanocovax induced high levels of S protein-specific IgG, as well neutralizing antibody in three animal models including Balb/C mice, Syrian hamsters, and non-human primate (Macaca leonina). In addition, the viral challenge study using the hamster model showed that Nanocovax protected the upper respiratory tract from SARS-CoV-2 infection. No adverse effects were induced by Nanocovax in swiss mice (Musmusculus var. Albino), Rats (Rattus norvegicus), and New Zealand rabbits. These pre-clinical results indicated that Nanocovax is safe and effective Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Environmental protection has become a significant issue around the globe. The extensive use of renewable energy and green finance is considered as the solution to this dramatic issue, especially in the Covid-19 lockdown. To answer this demand, the present study examines the impact of green financial development such as green credit, green investment, and green securities along with corporate social responsibility (CSR) in reporting renewable energy investment based on evidence from an emerging economy. Economic growth was used as the control variable of the study. The data was gathered from the central bank and World Development Indicators (WDI) from 1976 to 2020. The error correction model (ECM) was used to test the nexus among the variables. The findings revealed that green credit, green investment, and green securities along with CSR reporting and economic growth have a significant positive nexus with renewable energy investment in the selected emerging economy. These outcomes are helpful for new arrivals to investigate this area in the future along with regulators who want to formulate policies related to green finance and renewable energy usage and investment in the context of emerging and developing countries.

Fungal endophytes colonizing plant tissues are considered a reservoir of secondary metabolites that exhibit diverse bioactivities applicable in biomedicine. This study aims to reveal for the first time endophytic fungi associated with Keteleeria evelyniana as a potential source of bioactive compounds. A total of 24 fungal endophytes were successfully isolated from K. evelyniana and classified into 10 genera: Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Xylaria, Talaromyces, Nodulisporium, Apiospora, Neopestalotiopsis, Diaporthe, and Hypoxylon. Screening for antimicrobial activity revealed that 8 out of 24 ethyl acetate extracts inhibited antimicrobial activity against at least one tested pathogen. Among them, Xylaria sp. KET18 showed the most potent antimicrobial activity with inhibition diameters ranging from 16.5 to 21.5 mm. In addition, the KET18 extract showed the most significant cytotoxic effects against A549 (IC50 = 18.8 ± 3.1 µg/mL) and MCF7 cell lines (IC50 = 24.1 ± 2.5 µg/mL). The KET18 extract showed moderate antioxidant activity against hydroxyl and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radicals. The chemical characterization and structural elucidation indicated the presence of four bioactive compounds that have not been found in fungi, including methyl pyroglutamate, prunetin, macrolactin A, and macrolactin F. These findings demonstrated that K. evelyniana is a host of endophytic fungi with antimicrobial, anticancer, and antioxidant potential.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) is an important factor in building a strong economy for a country, particularly in developing and emerging markets. Both domestic enterprises and policy makers have been motivated to attract FDI for the benefits of FDI, such as technological transfers, spillover benefits, and rising competition. There is a need for a functional model to assess how the competitive index affects FDI attractiveness. Therefore, in this study, the authors use an integrated model of Grey Delphi, the Data Envelopment Analysis Super Slack-Based Measure Model (DEA–Super SBM), and the Malmquist Model (DEA–Malmquist) to evaluate the FDI attractiveness of Vietnamese provinces from 2017 to 2021. Firstly, ten critical dimensions of the provincial competitive index (PCI) affecting the number of FDI by cases and amount of FDI capital were validated via the Grey Delphi method. Secondly, the Super-SBM model is applied to assess the FDI efficiency of 63 provinces in Vietnam from 2017 to 2021. Then, the DEA–Malmquist model is employed to analyze the total change in the productivity of 63 provinces’ FDI performance in Vietnam. The findings of this study revealed that the efficiency of FDI in Vietnam’s provinces is relatively low, and there is a significant variation in the attractiveness of FDI among the provinces. This study can provide valuable insights for policy makers and other stakeholders in developing effective strategies to attract FDI and foster economic development.

A plethora of present studies has the purpose of analyzing the connection related to the effect of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) on business performance. However, it has still not been able to bring out comprehensive results because of using a single metric to measure performance. Due to that, this research will: (i) use the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to measure transportation firms’ performance and (ii) use OLS regression to explore the relationship between ESG combined score and business performance. In the first stage, we found out that 43 out of 56 firms work inefficiently. The managers of those companies should utilize their resources and refer to the benchmarking as a sample to follow. The environmental and social scores positively affect business performance in the second stage. Thus, managers should consider ESG as an investment, primarily when transportation is categorized as an “environmentally sensitive industry”. Besides, investors should pay more attention to a company that has ESG activities because that firm has the chance to improve its business performance and deal with its commitments.

Amentotaxus yunnanensis H.L.Li is a threatened conifer distributed only in China, Laos, and Vietnam, whose fungal endophytes have not been exploited yet. The aims of this study were to screen and characterize antioxidant metabolites from endophytic fungi obtained from A. yunnanensis. Using the surface sterilization method, sixteen endophytic fungi were isolated from A. yunnanensis and classified into seven genera including Fusarium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, Diaporthe, Neopestalotiopsis, Purpureocillium, and Simplicillium through the analysis of Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) gene sequences. Among the ethyl acetate crude extracts, Fusarium foetens AQF6 contained the highest amount of polyphenol (117.76 ± 0.94 mg gallic acid equivalent/g) and flavonoid (169.01 ± 2.09 mg quercetin equivalent/g). Importantly, 400 µg/mL AQF6 extract exhibited 95.75 ± 1.1% and 85.66 ± 1.91% of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical-scavenging activities, respectively. Chemical investigation led to the isolation and identification of a new bisabolane-type sesquiterpene fusafoetriol (FUS) and 14 known compounds, among which six pure compounds showed free-radical scavenging activity against DPPH and hydroxyl radicals. Under H2O2 stress, the yeast model Saccharomyces cerevisiae treated with 4 mM FUS showed 43.31% increase in viability. FUS has the potential to be applied in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and food technological applications. Thus, this is the first report demonstrating the presence of endophytic fungi inhabiting A. yunnanensis and their potential as a prolific source of antioxidant metabolites.

The paper proposes a new approach to efficiently control a three-dimensional overhead crane with 6 degrees of freedom (DoF). Most of the works proposing a control law for a gantry crane assume that it has five output variables, including three positions of the trolley, bridge, and pulley and two swing angles of the hoisting cable. In fact, the elasticity of the hoisting cable, which causes oscillation in the cable direction, is not fully incorporated into the model yet. Therefore, our work considers that six under-actuated outputs exist in a crane system. To design an efficient controller for the 6 DoF crane, it first employs the hierarchical sliding mode control approach, which not only guarantees stability but also minimizes the sway and oscillation of the overhead crane when it transports a payload to a desired location. Moreover, the unknown and uncertain parameters of the system caused by its actuator nonlinearity and external disturbances are adaptively estimated and inferred by utilizing the fuzzy inference rule mechanism, which results in efficient operations of the crane in real time. More importantly, stabilization of the crane controlled by the proposed algorithm is theoretically proved by the use of the Lyapunov function. The proposed control approach was implemented in a synthetic environment for the extensive evaluation, where the obtained results demonstrate its effectiveness.