Relative Impact of Global and Country Specific Uncertainties on Stock Market Returns

This research attempts to uncover the following important relationships: (i) what is the relative impact of global and country specific economic uncertainties on stock market returns of the U.S., U.K. France, Germany, and Japan? (ii) What are the duration of these impacts (if any) i.e., how long does the impact of global and country specific uncertainties on stock returns lasts? It employs the time series data obtained in monthly interval during 1997-2015 on the economic uncertainties and stock market returns for the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Japan. The findings of the impulse response functions generated from a ten variable VAR model suggest the following: (i) consistent with existing research there is a strong negative relationship between economic uncertainty with stock market returns i.e., an increase in economic uncertainty depresses the stock prices in case of all five countries in the sample (ii) there is a significant impact of local uncertainty on stock prices in all the cases (iii) the global uncertainties which have significantly high impact on foreign country’s markets mainly seems to stem from the U.S. and Germany (iv) the impact of local uncertainty is higher in case of U.S. and Germany while the impact of global uncertainty is higher in case of U.K., France, and Japa

Three essays on international transmission mechanism, volatility and spillovers on American Depositary Receipt returns

This dissertation is a collection of three inter-related essays that examine spillovers from interest rates, exchange rates, regional markets, and the U.S. market to the American Depositary Receipt (ADR) returns. The ADRs investigated in this study are from Brazil, Chile, Mexico (Latin America), U.K., Germany, France, Italy (Europe), and Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan (Asia). Essay 1 investigates the price and volatility spillovers as well as the asymmetric impact of positive and negative innovations from interest and exchange rates to ADR returns. Unlike previous studies which use bivariate statistics, the multivariate extension of Nelson\u27s (1991) Exponential Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroscedasticity (EGARCH) model is used to analyze spillover effects. The results indicate the existence of price spillovers from interest rates to ADR returns in all ten countries and from exchange rates to the ADR returns in seven of ten countries considered. With regards to volatility, spillovers exist from interest rates to ADR returns in all countries except Chile and from exchange rates to ADR returns in all countries except France and Italy. Further, negative innovations in interest and exchange rates in all ten countries increase volatility more than positive innovations do. Essay 2 examines the price and volatility spillovers from interest and exchange rates on the portfolios of ADRs from the banking, telecom, and oil & gas sectors. Results indicate that price and volatility spillovers exist from both interest and exchange rates to the industry portfolios but to differing degrees. With regards to response asymmetry, I find that for interest and exchange rates, negative innovations increase volatility more than positive innovations in five of six countries. Essay 3 examines the proportion of ADR and underlying stock returns that are driven by the regional markets as compared to that of the U.S. market. I find evidence of price spillovers from both the respective regional markets and the U.S. market to the ADR portfolios as well as to their underlying stock portfolios. I also find volatility spillovers from the regional markets and the U.S. market to all the country underlying stock portfolios except the Hong Kong. The negative innovations in the regional and the U.S. markets increase volatility more than positive innovations for the ADR and underlying stock portfolios in eight of the ten countries considered. The findings of this dissertation have important implications for investors, portfolio managers, banking authorities, and academicians. It enhances the understanding of ADRs\u27 role in international diversification, their relationship with the U.S. and originating markets, as well as specific pricing factors. For policy makers, the findings suggest that additional steps have to be undertaken in fostering the correct environment to promote a smooth and efficient financial system, as well as providing insights that will help in successfully monitoring financial markets

Prevalence and determinants of tobacco consumption among pregnant women of three Central Indian Districts

Background: About 6.8% of Indian women consume tobacco and only 21.0%  receive ‘full’ antenatal care. Thus, there are chances that women who consume tobacco during the non‑pregnant state will continue to use tobacco during  pregnancy.Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study was conducted across nine health centres in three districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. A total of 3,839 women  admitted in the post‑partum ward of selected hospitals were interviewed about  tobacco consumption during pregnancy. Adjusted odds ratios were calculated to determine the predictors of tobacco consumption during pregnancy.Results: The prevalence of tobacco consumption during pregnancy was 13.1%. Only 4.4% of women who consumed tobacco and 1.6% of women who did not use tobacco were advised against tobacco consumption by frontline health workers. The strongest predictors of tobacco consumption were tobacco consumption by husband [AOR = 36.16 (CI = 22.89–68.86)], neighbor/female friend consuming tobacco [AOR = 22.29 (CI = 13.11–31.82)], and female family members consuming tobacco [AOR = 5.63 (CI = 4.39–7.53)].Conclusion: Awareness among women about adverse effects of tobacco consumption during pregnancy was low. Health system intervention in the form of health education and advice against tobacco consumption was virtually non‑existent.Key words: India; pregnancy; tobacco; women

Reintegration of ex-Military Personnel with Civil Life- A social Issue and Big Challenge: An Empirical Study

Every year a large number of individuals have to quit different military services: army, navy, air force etc. for different reasons all over the world. Among all the reasons, medical discharge is the most unacceptable one. After forced departure from the service, these personnel face several problems as they go through a difficult and sensitive time in their life. Starting from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they go through different mental, psychological, social and psychopathological problems. Further, people look at them in a different way when they come to know that the person had to resign from military services. Moreover, the behavior and attitude of the family members and relatives make the situation worse. Ex-military personnel of this category suffer from depression. However, the person can be turned into a positive and effective power of the society by proper support from the surroundings as the person can use the learning from his/her experience in other occupations as well. The paper draws attention towards this social problem. The benefits of the research will have an impact on the ex-military community of forced departure, as this problem has not been addressed properly in broader context before

The Quality of Private Early Childhood Education and Care Centers: A Ras Al Khaimah-based Case Study

Background: Quality care and education in the first eight years of life play a critical role in young children’s development. Despite how the importance of Early Childhood Education (ECE) has become more widely accepted both in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and across the broader Middle East region, research studies related to child learning and development in ECE context and quality have been sparse. This article presents findings of the Ras Al Khaimah-based ECE research study which investigated the process and structural quality of privately owned Early Childhood Education and Care centers (ECECs). Methods: Data were collected from all 39 licensed private ECECs operational in the emirate between 2016 and 2018 using the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale-Revised Edition (ECERS-R) and Classroom Assessment Scoring Syste

A REVIEW ON CONSTITUENTS, PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES AND MEDICINAL USES OF GLYCYRRHIZA GLABRA

Plants have been one of the important sources of medicines for human being and animals since the ancient time. At present scenario there is an increasing demand for herbal medicines, health products and pharmaceuticals products. Herbal medicines have attained popularity at global level to replace the synthetic chemicals as they have shown less adverse reactions. Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn is a commonly used herb for different diseases. Present review article deals with chemical constituents present in various parts of Glycyrrhiza glabra and pharmacological activities. Present article aim to comply all the updated information on its phytochemical and pharmacological activities, which were performed by widely different methods.  Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn possesses antibacterial, antioxidant, antimalarial, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory and anti-hyper glycemic properties. Various other effects like antiulcer, antiviral, antifungal have also been discussed. This article may be useful for many researchers in discovering potential therapeutic effects and developing new formulations.                       Peer Review History: Received 3 April 2017;   Revised 9 May; Accepted 12 May, Available online 15 May 2017 Academic Editor: Ahmad Najib, Universitas Muslim Indonesia,  Indonesia, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 3.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Cecilia Nwadiuto Amadi, University of Port Harcourt Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria, [email protected] Dr. Mohamed Said Fathy Al-Refaey, University of Sadat City, Menofia, Egypt, [email protected] Similar Articles: PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND IN-VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY POTENTIAL EVALUATIONS OF METHANOLIC EXTRACTS OF COCOS NUCIFERA (L.) LEAVES MURRAYA KOENIGI-A BOON IN DIFFERENT PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS Article is cited by: Noor NM, Nazri NZ, Mohamad-Salam NA, et al. The potential of androgenic alopecia management from plant derivatives. Food Research 2020; 4 (Suppl. 2) : 1 – 13 (Pubmed)

KIDNEY STONES FORMATION AND USE OF MEDICINAL PLANTS AS ANTIUROLITHIATIC AGENTS

There is an old and famous fact “the garden is the poor man’s apothecary” and treatment of each and every disease is hidden in nature. Medicinal plants are highly esteemed all over the world as a rich source of therapeutic agents for the prevention and treatment of various diseases. Since ages, herbs are being used for treating different ailments in different parts of world by different communities. A kidney stone, also known as a renal calculus is a solid concretion or crystal aggregation formed in the kidneys from dietary minerals in the urine. The problem of urinary stones or calculi is a very ancient one these stones are found in all parts of the urinary tract, the kidney, and the urinary bladder and may vary considerably in size. Urolithiasis is a complex process that occurs from series of several physicochemical event including super-saturation, nucleation, growth, aggregation and retention within the kidneys. Present article deals with reason, types of kidney stones, risk factors associated, diagnosis and treatment methods including many medicinal plants as herbal option for treatment of urinary stones. Peer Review History: Received 19 August 2017;   Revised 27 August; Accepted 9 September, Available online 15 September 2017 Academic Editor: Ahmad Najib, Universitas Muslim Indonesia,  Indonesia, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 5.0/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. R. Karthikeyan, Vignan pharmacy college, Guntur, A.P., India, [email protected] Dr. Alfonso Alexander Aguileral, University of Veracruz,  Mexico, [email protected]

TABLET GRANULATION: CURRENT SCENARIO AND RECENT ADVANCES

Granulation is a size enlargement process, in fine or coarse particles converted into physically stronger and larger agglomerates having good flow property, better compression characteristics and uniformity, prevent segregation of the blend components, improve content uniformity, and eliminate excessive amounts of fine particles. Size of granules has a size range of 0.2 to 4.0 mm, depending on their subsequent use. Size of the granules depends on the quantity and feeding rate of granulating liquid. The selection of process to prepare granules requires thorough knowledge of physicochemical properties of the drug, excipients, required flow and release properties, to name a few. At current scenario available technologies includes, spray drying, roller compaction, high shear mixing, and fluid bed granulation etc. The objective of present work is to focus on the commonly used and novel granulation technologies like such as pneumatic dry granulation, steam granulation, moisture-activated dry granulation, thermal adhesion granulation, freeze granulation, and foamed binder or foam granulation. Peer Review History: Received 13 September 2017;   Revised 25 October; Accepted 30 October, Available online 15 November 2017 Academic Editor: Dr. Sally A. El-Zahaby, Pharos University in Alexandria, Egypt, [email protected] Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 3.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 7.0/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Francis Adou Yapo, Felix Houphouet Boigny, University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, [email protected] Dr. Hebatalla Ibrahim Ahmed Abdel Hameed, Al-Azhar University, Faculty of Pharmacy (Girls), Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt, [email protected] Similar Articles: IN VITRO-IN VIVO BIO-EQUIVALENCE CORRELATION STUDY OF ATENOLOL, AND ITS BRANDS OF IMMEDIATE RELEASE TABLET UNDER BIO-WAIVER CONDITION

Percutaneous cystolithotripsy in children and its outcome: A single center experience

Background: Pediatric bladder stone disease is very common in certain regions of India. Traditionally, pediatric surgeons have been managing this by open surgeries. Aim: The aim of the study was to manage vesical calculus in children by percutaneous cystolithotripsy (PCCL). Materials and Methods: All the children up to 18 years of age suffering from vesical calculus were operated by PCCL. Cystoscopy performed first to assess the stone burden. 18 Fr angiocath needle was used to puncture the bladder under vision and 0.035 guide wire was passed. Tract was dilated using single-step screw dilator; a 20 French Amplatz sheath was passed over the screw dilator and nephroscope was introduced. Lithotripsy was done using pneumatic lithotripter. Per urethral Foley catheter was placed and suprapubic puncture site was suture closed. Results: A total of 74 patients were operated in the past 3 years with an age range was 1–18 years with female preponderance. Complete clearance was achieved in all patients while the average duration of surgery was 30 min with range of 15–50 min. All the patients were operated under regional anesthesia and were discharged the next day. Among the study population, three patients had superficial wound infections at the puncture site which was managed conservatively. Conclusion: PCCL is a good option for managing vesical calculus in children. It has minimal morbidity and very small scar as compared to open cystolithotomy. Even in recurrent stones, it can be effectively performed, and in fact, it is easy to learn and reproducible

SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF NOVEL IMIDAZOLE BASED COMPOUNDS

Objective: Some new imidazole derivatives (3i-xii) were synthesized as per design synthetic protocol scheme. The structures of newly prepared compounds were confirmed by modern analytical technique and elemental analysis. Methods: All the synthetic compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity against bacterial results showed good to remarkable activity. The MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) values were determined by comparison to ciprofloxacin (anti-bacterial) and fluconazole (anti-fungal) as standard drug. Among them, compound 3iv and 3x exhibited notable antimicrobial activity. These compounds may be used as new template for the searching of potential antimicrobial agents. Results: The purity of the compound was verified with the help of TLC (B: A, 9:1). % age of yield was found 83% and melting point noted 151-1520C. Compounds (3ii, 3viii and 3ix) were shown moderate activity against E. coli, S. aureus, M. luteus and K. pneumonia, whereas compounds (3iii, 3vii, 3xi and 3xii) showed mild activity against few bacterial strainsμg/ml.  The compounds of electron releasing imidazole derivatives (3ii, 3iv, 3viii, 3ix, 3x and xi) presented comparatively better anti-fungal activity than the compounds of electron withdrawing imidazole derivatives (3iii, 3vii and 3xii). Conclusion: The biological activity result revealed that all the newly synthetic compounds 3i-xii [4-(biphenyl-4-yl)-2-(substituted phenyl)-1H-imidazole] exhibited better antibacterial activity as compared to antifungal activity in compare to reference drug.        Peer Review History: Received 7 February 2017;   Revised 11 March; Accepted 13 March, Available online 15 March 2017 Academic Editor: Dr. Asia Selman Abdullah, Al-Razi university, Department of Pharmacy, Yemen, [email protected] UJPR follows the most transparent and toughest ‘Advanced OPEN peer review’ system. The identity of the authors and, reviewers will be known to each other. This transparent process will help to eradicate any possible malicious/purposeful interference by any person (publishing staff, reviewer, editor, author, etc) during peer review. As a result of this unique system, all reviewers will get their due recognition and respect, once their names are published in the papers. We expect that, by publishing peer review reports with published papers, will be helpful to many authors for drafting their article according to the specifications. Auhors will remove any error of their article and they will improve their article(s) according to the previous reports displayed with published article(s). The main purpose of it is ‘to improve the quality of a candidate manuscript’. Our reviewers check the ‘strength and weakness of a manuscript honestly’. There will increase in the perfection, and transparency. Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Emmanuel O. Olorunsola, Department of Pharmaceutics & Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Uyo, Nigeria, [email protected] Dr. Xinwei Li, Jilin University, China, [email protected] This article has been cited by: Recent developments in orally disintegrating mini tablets Sachin Sarashetti, Vikas Jain, Gowda D V, Pooja Mallya, Satish Babu. International journal of research in pharmaceutical sciences 2020, 11(3), 3606-3612. Pubme