Global shock transmission to emerging markets

Author's OriginalThe process of global integration has intensified the competition in world markets during the 1990s. In the new environment, many developing countries are increasingly relying upon greater trade integration for upgrading their international competitiveness and promoting their dynamic comparative advantage. In view of growing global integration, this paper attempts to analyze whether Indian, Hungarian and Polish economies have become more internationalized as a result of economic reforms embraced by each of these countries in early 1990s and hence vulnerable to global economic cycles: the integration hypothesis. The paper applies variance decompositions derived from vector auto regression to assess the degree of economic integration of the three economies with U.S. economy. The study concludes that, in the pre-liberalization period U.S. economy did not influence the Indian, Hungarian and Polish economies. Shocks from U.S. had no impact on their aggregates. In the post liberalization period, however, the results are mixed. Hungarian aggregates show very low degree of integration with US followed by Poland, and India. Although, all the three countries have shown varying degrees of integration in the post-liberalization period, none of the economies are found to be overly vulnerable to international shocks. It can be argued that despite opening of economy and transition towards integration with the global economy, the degree of integration across countries still remains significantly low.Dasari, U., Dhakar, T. S., & Samii, M. (2003, July). Global shock transmission to emerging markets. Paper presented at the Academy of International Business Annual Meeting, Monterey, California. Retrieved from http://academicarchive.snhu.ed

Preparation and storage stability of amla (Phyllanthus emblica) based instant pulihora mix - a South Indian traditional food condiment

Amla (Phyllanthus emblica Linn) is an important crop, indigenous to Indian subcontinent, which is used in alternative medicine, health foods and herbal products. An attempt was made to add value to the highly perishable and seasonable raw material and produce a convenient, shelf stable instant mix for south Indian cuisines. The standardized instant amla pulihora mix (APM) consisted of amla powder (AP, 26%), roasted ground nuts, bengal gram, black gram, green chili, salt (18%) and spices. The titrable acidity of amla powder and amla pulihora mix was 15.1 and 6.4%, respectively. Amla pulihora mix was a rich source of Ca (191.18 mg/100 g), Fe (21.19 mg/100 g) and a considerable amount of proteins (11.2%). The total polyphenol content in amla powder and the amla pulihora mix was found to be 9989 and 3093 mg/100 g, respectively. HPLC analysis revealed that tannic acid and ascorbic acid contents of amla powder were 8102.1, 1601.21 mg/100 g, respectively, and ascorbic acid in amla pulihora mix was found to be 440.21 mg/100 g. Retention of ascorbic acid was higher in the amla pulihora mix (84%), when compared to amla powder (22%), over a storage period of six months. The antioxidant activity (IC50) of amla powder and the amla pulihora mix, as assayed by DPPH and ABTS, were 0.7 and 0.2 mg/ml and 0.28 and 0.17 mg/ml, respectively. Sensory evaluation of the amla pulihora mix indicated that the product was highly acceptable, when mixed with cooked rice in the ratio of 1: 6.9 w/w. The shelf-life of the product was 6 months with a sensory acceptability score of 8. The equilibrium moisture content- relative humidity studies indicated that both the amla powder and amla pulihora mix were non-hygroscopic and stable at room temperature (28±2 °C) up to 6 months when packed in metalized polyester polyethylene pouches. Microbiological analysis indicated both products as safe for consumption up to 6 months storage

A Study of Nuclear Transcription Factor-Kappa B in Childhood Autism

BACKGROUND: Several children with autism show regression in language and social development while maintaining normal motor milestones. A clear period of normal development followed by regression and subsequent improvement with treatment, suggests a multifactorial etiology. The role of inflammation in autism is now a major area of study. Viral and bacterial infections, hypoxia, or medication could affect both foetus and infant. These stressors could upregulate transcription factors like nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a master switch for many genes including some implicated in autism like tumor necrosis factor (TNF). On this hypothesis, it was proposed to determine NF-κB in children with autism. METHODS: Peripheral blood samples of 67 children with autism and 29 control children were evaluated for NF-κB using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA). A phosphor imaging technique was used to quantify values. The fold increase over the control sample was calculated and statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS 15. RESULTS: We have noted significant increase in NF-κB DNA binding activity in peripheral blood samples of children with autism. When the fold increase of NF-κB in cases (n = 67) was compared with that of controls (n = 29), there was a significant difference (3.14 vs. 1.40, respectively; p<0.02). CONCLUSION: This finding has immense value in understanding many of the known biochemical changes reported in autism. As NF-κB is a response to stressors of several kinds and a master switch for many genes, autism may then arise at least in part from an NF-κB pathway gone awry

Adaptation and Coevolution on an Emergent Global Competitive Landscape

Notions of Darwinian selection have been implicit in economic theory for at least sixty years. Richard Nelson and Sidney Winter have argued that while evolutionary thinking was prevalent in prewar economics, the postwar Neoclassical school became almost entirely preoccupied with equilibrium conditions and their mathematical conditions. One of the problems with the economic interpretation of firm selection through competition has been a weak grasp on an incomplete scientific paradigm. As I.F. Price notes, "The biological metaphor has long lurked in the background of management theory largely because the message of 'survival of the fittest' (usually wrongly attributed to Charles Darwin rather than Herbert Spencer) provides a seemingly natural model for market competition (e.g. Alchian 1950, Merrell 1984, Henderson 1989, Moore 1993), without seriously challenging the underlying paradigms of what an organisation is." In this paper we examine the application of dynamic fitness landscape models to economic theory, particularly the theory of technology substitution, drawing on recent work by Kauffman, Arthur, McKelvey, Nelson and Winter, and Windrum and Birchenhall. In particular we use Professor Post's early work with John Holland on the genetic algorithm to explain some of the key differences between static and dynamic approaches to economic modeling.