Sector Analysis And Portfolio Optimisation: The Indian Experience

With changing global financial environment and emergence of new economic powers in recent decades, diversification of investment portfolios at country and sector levels assumed additional significance. Optimum portfolio selection within a capital market is primarily based on the best risk-return trade-off among the industry sectors. Literature suggests that much of market volatility can be attributed to substantial increase in sector specific and sub-sector specific risks. This research has estimated the dynamics of correlations of stock market returns between industry sectors in India using Asymmetric DCC GARCH model and tested efficient portfolios that generates returns above the market average. Analysis of daily and monthly market data for the period April 1997 to April 2007 on a sample of 10 industry sectors selected randomly indicates that investors can substantially improve their reward to risk as compared with the market returns. Major contributions of this research are two fold. It used a computationally efficient model for estimating correlations that can incorporate the changes in correlations over time and it applied the model for the Indian market where research is extremely inadequate

Weak Form Efficiency In Indian Stock Markets

Hypothesis of Market Efficiency is an important concept for the investors who wish to hold internationally diversified portfolios. With increased movement of investments across international boundaries owing to the integration of world economies, the understanding of efficiency of the emerging markets is also gaining greater importance. In this paper we test the weak form efficiency in the framework of random walk hypothesis for the two major equity markets in India for the period 1991 to 2006. The evidence suggests that the series do not follow random walk model and there is an evidence of autocorrelation in both markets rejecting the weak form efficiency hypothesis

Prediction of Damping in Three-phase Fibre-reinforced Composites

Fibre-reinforced composite materials are considered to comprise three components, i.e., fibre, matrix, and the interphase. The interphase is the part of the matrix placed in the vicinity of fibre surface all along its length and has distinct properties from that of the fibre and the matrix. In the present study, it is assumed that the interphase is homogeneous and isotropic. A 2-D and 3-D finite element modelling (micromechanical modelling) of the three-phase system is conducted to predict the four damping cocfficienrs- longitudinal; transverse, longitudinal shear, and transverse shear loss factors. Effect of interphase loss factor in the range 0.002 to 0.500 and the interphase volume fraction on the loss factors have been studied

Embolization of Cyanoacrylate glue in systemic circulation in a case of hepatocellular carcinoma: an autopsy report

We report a case of embolism of the sclerosant dye with subsequent formation of foreign-body giant cell reaction within the veins of pulmonary and portal circulation in an autopsy case of hepatocellular carcinoma developing over an underlying primary biliary cirrhosis

Benzimidazolium Surfactants for Modification of Clays for Use with Styrenic Polymers

Nanocomposites of polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) and high impact polystyrene (HIPS) were prepared with two new homologous benzimidazolium surfactants used as organic modifications for the clays. The morphology of the polymer/clay hybrids was evaluated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), showing good overall dispersion of the clay. The thermal stability of the polymer/clay nanocomposites was enhanced, as evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. From cone calorimetric measurements, the peak heat release rate of the nanocomposites was decreased by about the same amount as seen for other organically-modified, commercially available clays

Generalization of a fixed point theorem of Suzuki type in complete metric space

The aim of this paper is to generalize a fixed point result given by Popescu[17]. Our results complement and extend very recent results proved by Suzuki [T. Suzuki, A generalized Banach contraction principle that characterizes metric completeness, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 136 (2008) 1861 - 1869]. To validate our result an example is given

Medicalization of Nervous and Emotional Problems

Medicalization is the process of defining non-medical problems in medical terms, usually with the implication that a medical intervention is needed. It has been criticized for re-labeling “normal” human experiences as pathological or medical conditions. Some of the driving engines of medicalization include growth of pharmaceutical industry, advertising, managed care, and biotechnology. In the last few decades, serious concerns have also been raised about medicalization of mental health issues. Diagnosis such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and sexual disorders are discussed in context of medicalization. Also, role of various stakeholders in dealing with medicalization are discussed. Keywords: Medicalization, mental health, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), medical marketing, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

IDENTIFICATION OF POTENTIAL SALMONELLA TYPHI BETA-LACTAMASE TEM 1 INHIBITORS USING PEPTIDOMIMETICS, VIRTUAL SCREENING, AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify a potential peptidomimetic S. typhi Beta-lactamase TEM 1 inhibitor to tackle the antibiotic resistance among S. typhi.Methods: The potential peptidomimetic inhibitor was identified by in silico docking of the small peptide WFRKQLKW with S. typhi Beta-lactamase TEM 1. The 3D coordinate geometry of the residues of small peptide interacting with the active site of the receptor was generated and mimics were identified using PEP: MMs: MIMIC server. All the identified mimics were docked at the active site of the receptor using Autodock 4.2 and the best-docked complex was selected on the basis of binding energy and number of H-bonds. The complex was then subjected to molecular dynamics simulations of 30 ns using AMBER 12 software package. The stereochemical stability of the Beta-lactamase TEM 1-WFRKQLKW complex was estimated with the help of Ramachandran plot using PROCHECK tool.Results: In the present study, a new potential peptidomimetic inhibitor (ZINC05839264) of Beta-lactamase TEM 1 has been identified based on antimicrobial peptide WFRKQLKW by virtual screening of the MMsINC database. The docking and molecular simulation studies revealed that the mimic binds more tightly to the active site of the receptor than the peptide. The Ramachandran plot also shows that the Beta-lactamase TEM 1-mimic complex is stereo chemically more stable than Beta-lactamase TEM 1-WFRKQLKW complex as more number of residues (93.6%) are falling under the core region of the plot in case of the former.Conclusion: The study shows that the peptidomimetic compound can act as a potential inhibitor of S. typhi Beta-lactamase TEM 1 and further it can be developed into more effective therapeutic to tackle the problem of antibiotic resistance

The Home Mortgage Disclosure Act And Subprime Lending

This research paper focuses on the analysis of subprime lending activities in specific geographic area in the light of reporting requirements of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). This cross sectional study has focused on the detailed analysis of mortgage data for the selected Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) from a socio-economic perspective. The objective of this research is to assess the impact of predatory lending in selected geographic regions. Another dimension of the research focuses on the role of mortgage lending from a securitization point of view. The study reveals that private securitization (PSEC) mortgages grew dramatically not only by the number of loans but also significantly by the dollar amount due to subprime lending activities during the period of study. The growth in PSEC loans affected mortgage lending in several ways, such as, increasing subprime lending, boosting home prices, and undermining mortgage industry regulations. Additionally, Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) loan originations also increased the number of subprime loans because of relaxed reporting requirements which contributed to increased delinquencies and foreclosures for conforming loans. The study further reveals that HMDA reporting requirements allowed the mortgage industry to conceal the loans that had spreads above the prime rate of up to 3.5 points for Fixed Rate Mortgage or 5 points for Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM). The study of mortgage lending programs, products, and regulatory laws have also been examined to assess the impact of predatory lending on homeownership

Barrier Properties of Graphene-Based Polymer Nanocomposites

Exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (herein called graphene) are nanometer-thin platelets that are being extensively researched for their high stiffness, thermal conductivity, mass transfer barrier properties, and electrical conductivity towards developing a wide range of applications such as polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). These graphene-based PNCs (GPNCs) are expected to have better properties as compared to PNCs made using carbon nanotubes or nano-layered silicates. Graphene platelets are generally hydrophilic in nature hence difficult to disperse in polymers. In the work described here, surface treatment of graphene using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS), as shown by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), results in more hydrophobic graphene which shows better dispersion. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images illustrate the effect of surface treatment on the dispersion of graphene into polyvinyl acetate (PVAc). Barrier properties of treated and untreated graphene in PVAc were measured by sorption tests of GPNCs in water at various filler concentrations and different platelet diameters which show that the graphene platelets form an excellent barrier against diffusion