Impact of Macroeconomic Variables on Stock Market Price Levels: Evidence from the Philippines

The study investigates the short and long-run relationship between the Philippine Stock Exchange Index and macroeconomic variables interest rate, foreign direct investment (FDI), and exchange rate. Specifically, the paper analyzed annual secondary data from the inception of PSEi in 1985 to 2019. This study's theoretical and empirical research finds diverse perspectives on how each macroeconomic variable factors into the stock market price levels. The Philippine stock market has also grown remarkably during the past few decades. However, there is little to no comparable study in Philippine literature. So, by employing the ARDL bounds testing approach, the research adds to the body of literature by examining the macroeconomic factors influencing the growth of the Philippine stock market. The study adopted the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model to estimate the causality function, F-Bounds Test to establish long-run causal significance, and Error Correction Term (ECT) to determine how long until the adjustment of short-run errors to re-equilibrate to the long-run equilibrium. The results show that FDI has a positive cointegration in both the short and long run, the exchange rate has a positive cointegration both in the short and long run, and the lag of interest rate is positively significant in the short run and negatively significant in the long run

Automatic LRT ticketing system

The proposed thesis is about an Automatic LRT Ticketing System. This new system uses infrared technology in a card reader. An MC68HC11 microcontroller is used to synchronize the entire operation. The LRT (Light Railway Transit) passengers will just have to purchase these cards from the cashier. The card has a predetermined value from which the fare will be debited. Each time a passenger uses the card, the fare will be debited (by punching holes on the card) from the total value of the card

The effect of self-efficacy on agency and crowding-out theory and its implications on worker effort: An experimental approach

It is the widely accepted belief in the field of economics that wages are the foremost driver of effort in the labor setting. If employers want to elicit higher levels of output among their workers, wages are raised. In the past years, the realm of sociology has presented theories which contest the claim. Through methods of experimental economics, the authors brought the two conflicting fields together to come up with more accurate determinants of worker effort by taking into consideration both incentives and sociological factors. The study revolves around the principal-agent problem which arises when a person compensates another to perform tasks which are beneficial to the former and costly to the latter. After an extensive review of literature, the authors identified variables such as monitoring, management-employee relationships, and a person\u27s confidence in his ability to do hard work as the crucial elements in the worker setting. In a classroom experiment involving real effort conducted on students of De La Salle University-Manila, the authors sought to determine the variables or combination of such that would maximize worker effort

Effect of ascorbic acid on Mycobacterium tuberculosis biofilms Effect of ascorbic acid on Mycobacterium tuberculosis biofilms

Planktonic cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for the lung disease tuberculosis (TB), are highly susceptible to killing by ascorbic acid (vitamin C). As planktonically grown M. tuberculosis are unlikely to be representative of the bacterium during infection, we set out to determine if ascorbic acid was also antibacterial against M. tuberculosis growing as a biofilm. We use biofilm growth as a model for the multiple phenotypic states M. tuberculosis can exist in during an infection. In our experiments we employed bioluminescent M. tuberculosis H37Rv (BSGTB1) in which light production is a non-destructive surrogate measure of bacterial viability. Light levels were monitored before and after treatment with 1mM to 256mM ascorbic acid. After 3 weeks of treatment, biofilms were disrupted, washed and inoculated into fresh media to look for sterilisation. In our experiments we employed bioluminescent M. tuberculosis H37Rv (BSGTB1) in 20 which light production is a non-destructive surrogate measure of bacterial viability. 21 Light levels were monitored before and after treatment with 1mM to 256mM ascorbi

Multi-directional hexagonal robot with stair-climbing capability (HERO)

Typical mobile robots have limited mobility in structured places thereby decreasing the robot\u27s efficiency. The loss of the efficiency of these robots brought a research for mobile (legged) robots into action. This research is geared towards the development of a legged robot capable of traversing leveled terrain as well as staircases. The thesis entitled, Multi-Directional Hexagonal Robot with Stair-Climbing Capability (HERO), is a microcontroller-based six-legged hexagonal robot. It is designed to have greater mobility through its hexagonal body. Legs positioned on every side of the body achieve the system\u27s multi-directionality. Each leg of the system can function as the front leg depending on the direction of the movement. In this robot design, the functionality and performance of the legs have been taken into great consideration dividing the development of the system into several modules. This thesis focused mainly on the development of the system\u27s leg design and functionality. The design and functionality of HERO\u27s leg(s) has been created to satisfy the parameters that have been set for the whole system. The core of the leg\u27s functionality rests on its programming. The programming of the legs included an accurate motor armature-positioning algorithm enabling the leg system to employ high-torqued motors for its joints. Additional programming specification of the leg included the functions of the legs of the system. Locomotion is achieved through a tripod gait with 6 direction movements, namely the front, back, front-left, front-right, back-left and back-right. HERO\u27s leg design and functionality can either be used to create and assemble the complete HERO system or as cornerstone for other legged-robot projects in the future

Dealing with Hidden Threats: The Antimicrobial Effect of the Embalming Process

Individuals naturally carry bacteria and other microbes as part of their natural flora, with some being opportunistic pathogens. Approximately 30% of the population is known to carry Staphylococcus aureus in their nasal cavity, an organism that causes infections ranging from soft tissue abscesses to toxic shock syndrome. This problem is compounded by the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Commensal bacteria present on cadavers pose a risk to those who handle the body. As a Medical School Anatomy laboratory that performs hands-on cadaveric dissection, we wanted to know whether the embalming process is sufficient to kill all commensal bacteria that pose a risk to staff and students. Even if these strains do not cause disease in these individuals, secondary transmission could occur to friends and family, who may be at higher risk of acquiring an infection. Embalming is assumed to eliminate all microbial contamination on the body. However, there are limited studies to confirm this. This study characterises the incidence of antibiotic sensitive and resistant bacteria in cadavers donated for medical teaching and research. We have screened for Methicillin-Resistant Organisms (MRO) and Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) producing bacteria. In this study group of cadavers, approximately 46% (16/35) carry an MRO, while 51% (18/35) carry an ESBL positive organism prior to embalming. By determining the organisms’ presence pre- and post-embalming, we can evaluate the embalming procedure’s effectiveness. Our results show embalming eliminates detectable microbes in about 51% (18/35) of the cadavers. MRO dropped by 75% (16 to 4 positive cadavers), while ESBL organisms went down by almost 95% (from 18 to 1 positive cadaver). There was a further decrease in the number of positive cadavers after storage at 4 °C to 6% (2/32). Thus, although the embalming process does not immediately sterilise all the cadavers, prolonged storage at 4 °C can further reduce the number of viable bacteria

A static transliteration approach for assembly language translation

Migration of software between systems requires the migrated software to be compatible with the new platform. The original machine code in the source machine cannot always be directly ported. The program\u27s source code may not be available for compilation to the new platform or the machine code may not be compatible to the new platform due to architectural differences. An alternative solution to porting software can be achieved through assembly language translation. This study presents the essential considerations in assembly language translation such as handling of the registers, data segment, and code segment. Possible approaches towards are also discussed. © 2016 IEEE