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The development of mangrove forest environmental services plays a crucial role in human health, economic development, and the security of countries worldwide. This study aims to establish and validate a model for assessing the factors influencing the willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest environmental services. The proposed model comprises four key factors: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavior control, and environmental knowledge. Data were collected by surveying 235 individuals from various households in Phu Long commune, Vietnam. The Partial Least Squares—Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology was employed for data analysis. The research findings reveal that perceived behavior control significantly impacted residents’ willingness-to-pay, followed by attitude, environmental knowledge, and subjective norms. Furthermore, certain demographic characteristics such as gender and family size mediate the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Based on the obtained results, several policy recommendations are put forward.

While the connection between job burnout and quiet quitting is evident, the inhibitor underlying this relationship remains elusive. This research explores the moderating effect of optimism – a personal resource on the relationship between job burnout and quiet quitting. This study utilized a survey method of 405 Vietnamese employees working in 19 Vietnamese banks and analyzed data using PLS-SEM via Smart PLS 4.0. The results reveal that three dimensions of job burnout, namely personal burnout, work-related burnout, and client-related burnout, positively impact quiet quitting. In addition, optimism negatively moderates the links between personal burnout and work-related burnout with quiet quitting. Unexpectedly, optimism does not moderate the linkage between client-related burnout and quiet quitting. These results offer practical implications for human resource practices within Vietnamese banks.

This study investigates the concentrations of atmospheric aerosol particles (PM, including PM2.5 and PM10), as well as the presence and distribution of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in ambient air in Bien Hoa City (Dong Nai province, Vietnam) during the dry and rainy seasons in 2023. The concentrations of 7 PCDDs and 10 PCDFs congeners in PM10 or PM2.5 were determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The results show that the concentration of PM10 and PM2.5 were 54.7 ± 9.4 µg/m3, 65.3 ± 7.6 µg/m3, and 39.6 ± 7.9 µg/m3, 58.9 ± 12.6 µg/m3, in the rainy season and dry season, respectively. This reveals that while only PM2.5 concentration levels in the dry seasonexceed national ambient air quality standards, but all of PM2.5 concentration levels consistently exceeded WHO guidelines. The study highlights the dominance of PM2.5 and its adverse health implications, as evidenced by the PM2.5/PM10 ratio (0.74 and 0.85 for the rainy and dry seasons, respectively) and its association with worse air quality. Analysis of PCDD/Fs concentrations in PM samples demonstrates their comparable levels in both seasons, with OCDD being the most abundant species. Furthermore, the study estimates the toxic equivalency (TEQ) of PCDD/Fs and assesses health risks, revealing a potentially high cancer risk from exposure to these pollutants, particularly PM2.5 under WHO2005-TEQ. Several PCDD/Fs- WHO2005-TEQ congeners exhibit higher concentration levels in PM2.5 compared to PM10, suggesting differential particulate matter dynamics and potential environmental implications. These findings underscore the urgent need for mitigation strategies to alleviate air pollution and reduce associated health risks in the dioxin hotspot of Vietnam.

The topics of employer branding and organization’s image and reputation have been well-researched in the literature. However, most empirical studies were conducted in Europe, Australia, or the United States, but very few were conducted in Asia, especially in Vietnam. In addition, the interaction of image and reputation with the availability of information on social media is poorly understood. Using signaling theory for building a research model, we collected data from 206 Generation Z respondents from the logistics sector in Vietnam. Our findings show that (i) employer branding has positively and significantly related to an organization’s image and reputation; (ii) the organization’s image and reputation had a significant effect on job seekers’ intention to apply; and (iii) the interaction of image and reputation with availability of information on social media to predict the job seeker’s intention to apply. The paper also presented implications for both researchers and practitioners as well as recommendations for future research.

The conservation and sustainable development of mangrove forests play a critical role in stabilizing livelihoods, creating employment opportunities for neighboring communities, and preserving valuable ecosystems. This study assesses the willingness-to-pay residents for the environmental services of mangrove forests. The Theory of Planned Behavior, along with demographic factors, is utilized to investigate the willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest services among residents in Phu Long commune, Hai Phong City, a coastal area in northern Vietnam. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 235 households from four villages in Phu Long commune, employing a contingent valuation scenario and the payment card technique. The interval regression model is applied to analyze the influencing factors and the level of willingness-to-pay for five priority mangrove forest environmental services, which include: (i) greenhouse gas absorption and storage (climate change mitigation), (ii) support for biodiversity conservation, (iii) prevention of extreme weather events, (iv) scenic beauty services, and (v) habitat services for species. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) indices are used to select the most appropriate model. The estimated results from the interval regression model indicate that each household, on average, is willing to pay 327,792 Vietnamese dong (VND) per year for the five priority services. The analysis of factors reveals that attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and knowledge about mangrove forests have the most positive and significant impact on residents' willingness-to-pay. Based on these findings, several policy implications are proposed to enhance residents' willingness-to-pay for mangrove forest environmental services and promote the conservation and sustainable development of mangrove forests.

BackgroundThe Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the corresponding mitigation measures have had a discernible impact on drug utilization among outpatients. However, limited research exists on the prescription trends in the elderly population during the pandemic period in Viet Nam.ObjectivesThis study aims to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on outpatient drug utilization patterns at a national geriatric hospital in Ho Chi Minh City before and after the early onset of the pandemic.MethodsData was collected from the prescriptions and administration claims, encompassing the period from January 2016 to December 2022. The dataset was divided into two periods: Period 1: January 2016 to December 2020 and Period 2: January 2021 to December 2022. The drug utilization was measured using DDD/1000P (defined daily doses-DDD per 1000 prescriptions) on a monthly basis. The analysis employed interrupted time series using Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) to detect changes in drug use levels and rates.ResultsA total of 1,060,507 and 644,944 outpatient prescriptions from Thong Nhat Hospital were included in Period 1 and Period 2, respectively. The median age of the patients were 58 in Period 1 and 67 years old in Period 2. The most common comorbidities were dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. In terms of medication utilization, cardiovascular drugs were the most frequently prescribed, followed by drugs active on the digestive and hormonal systems. The study observed significant surges in the number of prescriptions and the average number of drugs per prescription. However, there were no significant changes in the overall consumption of all drugs. Among the drug groups related to the cardiovascular system, three subgroups experienced a sudden and significant increase: cardiac therapy, beta-blocking agents, and antihypertensives, with increasing consumption levels of 1,177.73 [CI 95%: 79.29; 2,276.16], 73.32 [CI 95%: 28.18; 118.46], and 36.70 [CI 95%: 6.74; 66.66] DDD/1000P, respectively. On the other hand, there was a significant monthly decrease of -31.36 [CI 95%: -57.02; -5.70] DDD/1000P in the consumption of anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products. Interestingly, there was a significant increase of 74.62 [CI 95%: -0.36; 149.60] DDD/1000P in the use of antigout preparations.ConclusionCOVID-19 resulted in a sudden, non-significant increase in overall drug consumption levels among outpatients. Notably, our findings highlight significant increases in the utilization of three drug groups related to the cardiovascular system, specifically cardiac therapy, beta-blocking agents, and antihypertensives. Intriguingly, there was a statistically significant increase in the consumption of antigout preparations, despite a decline in the monthly consumption rate of non-steroidal anti-flammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Further studies in the following years are necessary to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on outpatient drug utilization patterns.

The integration of circadian and metabolic signals is essential for maintaining robust circadian rhythms and ensuring efficient metabolism and energy use. Using Drosophila as an animal model, we show that cellular protein O-GlcNAcylation exhibits robust 24-hour rhythm and represents a key post-translational mechanism that regulates circadian physiology. We observe strong correlation between protein O-GlcNAcylation rhythms and clock-controlled feeding-fasting cycles, suggesting that O-GlcNAcylation rhythms are primarily driven by nutrient input. Interestingly, daily O-GlcNAcylation rhythms are severely dampened when we subject flies to time-restricted feeding at unnatural feeding time. This suggests the presence of clock-regulated buffering mechanisms that prevent excessive O-GlcNAcylation at non-optimal times of the day-night cycle. We show that this buffering mechanism is mediated by the expression and activity of GFAT, OGT, and OGA, which are regulated through integration of circadian and metabolic signals. Finally, we generate a mathematical model to describe the key factors that regulate daily O-GlcNAcylation rhythm.