Money growth and Malaysian stock prices: A test of policy ineffectiveness proposition

The policy ineffectiveness proposition proposed by Lucas (1972) and Sargent and Wallace (1975) along the rational expectation model is tested in this study. The proposition claims that unanticipated changes in monetary aggregates exert significant influence on real economic activities while anticipated policy is neutral. In line with this, the efficient market hypothesis indicates that in an efficient market share prices incorporate anticipated information instantaneously leaving only the unanticipated components of the information set to affect share prices. We investigate this proposition on the Malaysian stock returns. Specifically the response of share returns toward changes in actual and decomposed (anticipated and unanticipated) growth of monetary aggregate is analysed. The single equation regressions and the system estimation of Vector Autoregressions (VAR) both point toward the validity of the proposition. The results indicate that positive reactions of share returns to actual money growth are due to the unanticipated components. Movement of share prices is neutral with respect to the anticipated monetary growth. The findings generally favour the policy ineffectiveness proposition that leads to an efficient pricing process for Malaysian shares

Colloidal Nanoparticles Tethered by Oligomers and Short Polymers in Organic and Polymeric Media

Nanoparticles and related nanomaterials are increasingly being utilized in technological applications. Controlling the dispersion and organization of these advanced materials is crucial towards realizing their full potential. In this dissertation, we employ methods of tethering oligomers and short polymers to the surfaces of spherical nanoparticles and 2D crystals. ZnO quantum dots are spherical nanoparticles which are direct bandgap semiconductors (3.37 eV) with large exciton binding energies (60 meV) and show strong photoluminescence. We show that poly (methyl methacrylate) grafted onto ZnO quantum dots via radical polymerization yields polydisperse brushes that are particularly effective in forming stable, fine dispersions in melt-blended nanocomposites. Nanocomposites prepared via this method exhibit tunable properties in refractive index, glass transition temperature and energy bandgap as a result of their linear dependence on ZnO concentration. It is further shown that the glass transition behavior of these nanocomposites is analogous to that of polymer thin films. α-ZrP nanoplatelets are 2D crystals which are being studied for use as a catalyst, drug delivery agent, proton conductor, nanofillers for nanocomposites, etc. Exfoliated α-ZrP nanoplatelets of large aspect ratios tethered by polyoxyalkyleneamines form photonic structures in high polar, aprotic solvents. The polyoxyalkyleneamines form a brush layer on the nanoplatelets allowing the formation of lamellar phases with large d-spacings. Bragg reflection by the mesomorphic structures in the visible wavelengths gives rise to iridescence with brilliant colors that are tunable by adjusting the concentration of nanoplatelets. In epoxy, α-ZrP nanoplatelets tethered by polyoxyalkyleneamines self-assemble into smectic phase when spray-coated onto polyimide substrates. These spray-coated thin films of smectic α-ZrP/epoxy exhibit excellent gas barrier properties that perform consistently in low and high humidity conditions. The highly ordered nanoplatelets are aligned parallel to the substrate forcing gas molecules to traverse a tortuous path resulting in a reduction of permeability in the film. Observations of the occurrence of liquid crystalline phases in the bulk α-ZrP/epoxy liquid shows that the self-assembly behavior of these smectic α-ZrP are consistent with the predictions of Onsager’s theory

Usage pattern of personal stereo players and its potential effect on the hearing of teenagers in Hong Kong

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science (Speech and Hearing Sciences), The University of Hong Kong, June 30, 2007.Thesis (B.Sc)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.Also available in print.published_or_final_versionSpeech and Hearing SciencesBachelorBachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science

Optimization Of RNA Extraction And Generation Of Expressed Sequence Tags From Sargassum Binderi (Sonder) J. Agardh

Brown seaweeds are macroalgae in the marine habitat. They are widely used as food, sources for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, soap, agar, textile, and alginate. Sargassum binderi is one of the most abundant brown seaweeds in Malaysia. Previous studies have shown that S. binderi contains high quality of alginate compared to commercially used seaweeds such as Laminaria hyberborea, Macrocystis pyrifera and Ascophyllum nodosum. Expressed sequence tag (EST) approach is a powerful tool in providing genetic information of an organism, especially for S. benderi in which little genetic information is available. This study presents the first attempt in generating ESTs from S. binden. RNA extraction from seaweeds was the main challenge in this study, as the RNA yield was low and the polysaccharide contamination was difficult to be eliminated. A total of ten different RNA extraction methods (including five modifications) have been carried out to obtain sufficient RNA of high quality to construct a representative cDNA library for ESTs generation. The optimized S. binderispecific CTAB RNA extraction method developed in this study was able to produce high yield of RNA with minimum polysaccharide contamination. Sufficient amount of mRNA was obtained to construct a primary cDNA library with a titer of 9.2 x lo5 pfulml. A total of 2051 ESTs were generated and analyzed from the amplified cDNA library of S. binden (with a titer of 1.31 x lo9 pfulml). The ESTs were putatively identified by comparison to the nonredundant peptide database in NCBI. Approximately 82% of the ESTs were assigned as unknown and novel sequences that are potentially important for new gene discovery, whereas the 18% ESTs with significant matches to the database were classified into various putative functional groups, including protein synthesis, energy, protein destination and storage, metabolism, cell structurel division, diseasel defense, signal transduction, transcription, and miscellaneous. The EST information generated from this study may contribute towards better understanding of the biochemistry and molecular biology of S. binder; and other brown seaweeds in the future

Association of PET-measured myocardial flow reserve with echocardiography-estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

BackgroundPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a known complication of HCM and is a strong predictor of mortality. We aim to investigate the relationship between microvascular dysfunction measured by quantitative PET and PH in HCM patients.MethodsEighty-nine symptomatic HCM patients were included in the study. Each patient underwent two 20-min 13N-NH3 dynamic PET scans for rest and stress conditions, respectively. A 2-tissue irreversible compartmental model was used to fit the segments time activity curves for estimating segmental and global myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR). Echocardiographic derived PASP was utilized to estimate PH.ResultsPatients were categorized into two groups across PASP: PH (PASP > 36 mmHg) and no-PH (PASP ≤ 36 mmHg). patients with PH had larger left atrium, ratio of higher inflow early diastole (E) and atrial contraction (A) waves, E/A, and ratio of inflow and peak early diastolic waves, E/e', significantly reduced global stress MBF (1.85 ± 0.52 vs. 2.13 ± 0.56 ml/min/g; p = 0.024) and MFR (2.21 ± 0.57 vs. 2.62 ± 0.75; p = 0.005), while the MBFs at rest between the two groups were similar. There were significant negative correlations between global stress MBF/MFR and PASP (stress MBF: r = -0.23, p = 0.03; MFR: r = -0.32, p = 0.002); for regional MBF and MFR measurements, the highest linear correlation coefficients were observed in the septal wall (stress MBF: r = -0.27, p = 0.01; MFR: r = -0.31, p = 0.003). Global MFR was identified to be independent predictor for PH in multivariate regression analysis.ConclusionEchocardiography-derived PASP is negatively correlated with global MFR measured by 13N-NH3 dynamic PET. Global MFR is suggested to be an index of PH in HCM patients.</div