Herd behaviour in Southeast Asian stock markets — An empirical investigation

This study examines herd behaviour in four Southeast Asian stock markets, namely Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Empirical results indicate that except for the Philippines, herding exists in the other three markets. Stronger evidence of herding has been detected in these markets when the market is up. When the market is down, it is only the Malaysian market that exhibits significant herding. The study further investigates herding by dividing the entire sample period into two sub-periods: pre-crisis and during economic crisis. We find strong evidence of the existence of herding in Indonesia and Malaysia in both sub-periods. However, the findings are mixed when we additionally examine herding in up and down market scenarios during the two sub-periods by using modified models

Polyphasic evaluation and cytotoxic investigation of isolated cyanobacteria with an emphasis on potent activities of a Scytonema strain

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The datasets presented in this study can be found in online repositories. The names of the repository/repositories and accession number(s) can be found in the article/supplementary material.Cyanobacteria are phototrophic organisms widely found in most types of natural habitats in the tropical regions of the world. In this study, we isolated and identified cyanobacterial strains from paddy soil in Hanoi (Vietnam) and investigated their cytotoxic activities. Five isolated cyanobacterial strains showed distinctive profiles of gene sequences (rRNA 16S and rbcL), phylogenetic placements, and morphological characteristics. Based on the polyphasic evaluation, they were classified as Scytonema bilaspurense NK13, Hapalosiphon welwitschii MD2411, Aulosira sp. XN1103, Desikacharya sp. NS2000, and Desmonostoc sp. NK1813. The cytotoxic screening revealed that the extract of strain Scytonema bilaspurense NK13 exhibited potent cytotoxic activities against four human cell lines of HeLa cells, OVCAR-8 cells, HaCaT cells, and HEK-293T cells, with IC50 values of 3.8, 34.2, 21.6, and 0.6μg/mL, respectively. This is the first time a well-classified Scytonema strain from tropical habitat in Southeast Asia has been recognized as a potential producer of cytotoxic compounds.The Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU).http://www.frontiersin.org/Microbiologyam2023BiochemistryGeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Universality in odd-even harmonic generation and application in terahertz waveform sampling

Odd-even harmonics emitted from a laser-target system imprint rich, subtle information characterizing the system's dynamical asymmetry, which is desirable to decipher. In this Letter, we discover a simple universal relation between the odd-even harmonics and the asymmetry of the THz-assisted laser-atomic system -- atoms in a fundamental mid-IR laser pulse combined with a THz laser. First, we demonstrate numerically and then analytically formulize the harmonic even-to-odd ratio as a function of the THz electric field, the source of the system's asymmetry. Notably, we suggest a scaling that makes the obtained rule universal, independent of the parameters of both the fundamental pulse and atomic target. This universality facilitates us to propose a general pump-probe scheme for THz waveform sampling from the even-to-odd ratio, measurable within a conventional compact setup

Understanding the Effect of Individualism vs. Collectivism on Ethical Decision Making

This project will investigate cross cultural differences in the ethical decision-making process of people at work. The project will involve research collaborators across the globe to gather unique data from several nations and cultures. This multinational research project will examine how culture impacts the ethical decision-making process. Specifically, this study proposes that perceptions of ethical misconduct will mediate the relationship between dark personality characteristics (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) and ethical misconduct, and that culture will moderate these relationships. This research will recruit participants from three different countries: The United States, Chile, and India. This groundbreaking international initiative will allow the researchers to better understand the interaction of individual personality and culture on perceptions of ethical misconduct and counterproductive work behaviors

Functional outcome and muscle wasting in adults with tetanus.

BACKGROUND: In many countries, in-hospital survival from tetanus is increasing, but long-term outcome is unknown. In high-income settings, critical illness is associated with muscle wasting and poor functional outcome, but there are few data from resource-limited settings. In this study we aimed to assess muscle wasting and long-term functional outcome in adults with tetanus. METHODS: In a prospective observational study involving 80 adults with tetanus, sequential rectus femoris ultrasound measurements were made at admission, 7 days, 14 days and hospital discharge. Functional outcome was assessed at hospital discharge using the Timed Up and Go test, Clinical Frailty Score, Barthel Index and RAND 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and 3 and 6 months after discharge using the SF-36 and Barthel Index. RESULTS: Significant muscle wasting occurred between hospital admission and discharge (p70 y of age, functional recovery at 6 months was reduced compared with younger patients. Hospital-acquired infection and age were risk factors for muscle wasting. CONCLUSIONS: Significant muscle wasting during hospitalization occurred in patients with tetanus, the extent of which correlates with functional outcome