A STUDY OF INDONESIA’S STOCK MARKET: HOW PREDICTABLE IS IT?

Using monthly data from January 1995 to December 2017, this paper tests whetherIndonesian stock index returns are predictable. In particular, we use eight macrovariables to predict the Indonesian composite and six sectoral index returns using thefeasible generalized least squares estimator. Our results suggest that the Indonesianstock index returns are predictable. However, the predictability depends not only onthe macro predictor used but also on the indexes examined. Second, we find that themost popular predictor is the exchange rate, followed by the interest rate. Finally, ourmain findings hold for a number of robustness tests.Using monthly data from January 1995 to December 2017, this paper tests whetherIndonesian stock index returns are predictable. In particular, we use eight macrovariables to predict the Indonesian composite and six sectoral index returns using thefeasible generalized least squares estimator. Our results suggest that the Indonesianstock index returns are predictable. However, the predictability depends not only onthe macro predictor used but also on the indexes examined. Second, we find that themost popular predictor is the exchange rate, followed by the interest rate. Finally, ourmain findings hold for a number of robustness tests

TERRORIST ATTACKS AND CORPORATE INVESTMENT IN INDONESIA

Using yearly data from 1997 to 2017, this paper studies the effect of terrorism (number of attacks) on corporate investment in Indonesia. Applying an investment-type model, we show that firms reduce their capital expenditure due to an increase in the number of terrorist attacks. On average, a one standard deviation increase in the number of terrorist attacks reduces corporate investment by 9.23%. We also find heterogenous reactions of firms to terrorism across different sectors and different panels based on firm characteristics. Finally, our main results remain consistent after performing several robustness tests

The process of developing professional capacity for teachers

The primary aim of Vietnam's new educational program is to enhance students' knowledge and skills through practical learning experiences, enabling them to tackle academic and real-world challenges. However, teachers in Dong Thap province face limitations in their professional competencies. Thus, this study aims to address these issues by examining different models for developing teachers' professional competencies. 1,116 participants participated in this study (258 managers and 868 teachers from high schools and preschools) who completed two questionnaires assessing their professional competence and the perceived importance of professional development. The findings reveal that teachers lack subject knowledge, interdisciplinary understanding   and skills in teaching design and assessment. Both school managers and teachers recognize the necessity of professional competence development. A three-step process for enhancing teachers' professional competence is proposed for implementing professional development activities based on these findings

Efficient and fast degradation of 4-nitrophenol and detection of Fe(III) ions by Poria cocos extract stabilized silver nanoparticles

In this study, a simple and environment-friendly method has been successfully applied for the production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using Poria cocos extract. The reaction time of 60 min, the temperature of 90◦ C, and silver ion concentration of 2.0 mM were identified as the best condition for the PC-AgNPs fabrication. The XRD analysis confirmed a highly crystalline face-centered cubic structure of the biosynthesized material. The PCAgNPs were presented separately in a spherical shape with an average crystal size of 20 nm, as endorsed by the TEM and FE-SEM measurement

Immunohistochemical expression of anaplastic lymphoma kinase in neuroblastoma and its relations with some clinical and histopathological features

Background Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) mutations have been identified as a prominent cause of some familial and sporadic neuroblastoma (NB). ALK expression in NB and its relationship with clinical and histopathological features remains controversial. This study investigated ALK expression and its potential relations with these features in NB. Methods Ninety cases of NB at the Department of Pathology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam from 01/01/2018 to 12/31/2021, were immunohistochemically stained with ALK (D5F3) antibody. The ALK expression and its relations with some clinical and histopathological features were investigated. Results The rate of ALK expression in NB was 91.1%. High ALK expression (over 50% of tumor cells were positive with moderate-strong intensity) accounted for 65.6%, and low ALK expression accounted for 34.4%. All the MYCN-amplified NB patients had ALK immunohistochemistry positivity, most cases had high ALK protein expression. The undifferentiated subtype of NB had a lower ALK-positive rate than the poorly differentiated and differentiated subtype. The percentages of ALK positivity were significantly higher in more differentiated histological types of NB (p = .024). There was no relation between ALK expression and: age group, sex, primary tumor location, tumor stage, MYCN status, clinical risk, Mitotic-Karyorrhectic Index, prognostic group, necrosis, and calcification. Conclusions ALK was highly expressed in NB. ALK expression was not related to several clinical and histopathological features. More studies are needed to elucidate the association between ALK expression and ALK gene status and to investigate disease progression, especially the oncogenesis of ALK-positive NB

Acute toxicity evaluation of methanol, ethanol and aqueous extracts of Balanophora latisepala (V.Tiegh.) Lec.

Balanophora latisepala has been used in traditional medicine in Vietnam for many years with both proven and unproven scientific proofs. This study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity effects of B. latisepala by testing safety parameters of hot water, ethanol and methanol extracts of B. latisepala in Mus musculus. The acute toxicity was studied according to the World Health Organisations guideline for the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines. During study, a single dose of 1000, 2000 and 5000 mg/kg of each extract was orally administered to Swiss mice. To determine the median lethal dose, experimental mice were observed in behavior and mortality for 72 hours. Data of organ weight, histopathology,biochemical and hematology were also collected. The results showed that hot water, ethanol and methanol extracts at a dose of 5000 mg/kg did not induce mortality in experimental mice; therefore, LD50 is not determined. Insignificant changes were found in relative organ weight at dose 5000 mg/kg for all of the extracts. Similarly, no significant differences were observed in biochemical indices and organ histology. However, changes in hematological indices in both male and female mice were noticed. In male mice, it is likely that all B. latisepala extracts induced anemia. Moreover, clotting or bleeding abnormalities were also observed in female mice. Methanol extracts had the highest effect to hematology indices (p<0.05). Therefore, B.latisepala in different doses was shown its safety under acute toxicity studies with promising applications in drug therapy

Chemical Components of Essential Oils From the Leaves of Seven Species Belonging to Rutaceae Family from Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, Vietnam

Several plant species of the Rutaceae family are medicinal plants, oil bearing and food crops. To provide more information for utilization of some species of this family in Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu Nature Reserve, we extracted essential oils from the leaves of seven species of the Rutaceae family: Acronychia pedunculata (L.) Miq., Atalantia citroides Pierre ex Guillaumin, Clausena excavata Burm.f., Glycosmis pentaphylla (Retz.) DC., Luvunga scandens (Roxb.) Buch.-Ham. ex Wight & Arn, Melicope pteleifolia (Champ. ex Benth.) T.G. Hartley, and Micromelum sp., via hydrodistillation, and identified their components using GC/MS analysis. A total of 60 compounds were identified from essential oils of seven species. The main components of the essential oils isolated from five species, including A. pedunculata, C. excavata, M. pteleifolia, G. pentaphylla, and Micromelum sp., were caryophyllene (57.63% and 55.41% in A. pedunculata and C. excavata, respectively), 1,9-decadiyne (32.59%, M. pteleifolia), β-ocimene (23.10%, G. pentaphylla), and 3-carene (58.03%, Micromelum sp.). Additionally, this study revealed the chemical composition of essential oils of L. scandens and A. citroides for the first time. The main constituent of A. citroides was 7-oxabicyclo[4.1.0] heptane, 3-oxiranyl- (53.91%) and that of L. scandens was caryophyllene (34.66%). These findings provide the basis for further application of these species in medicine

A Sliced Inverse Regression (SIR) Decoding the Forelimb Movement from Neuronal Spikes in the Rat Motor Cortex

Several neural decoding algorithms have successfully converted brain signals into commands to control a computer cursor and prosthetic devices. A majority of decoding methods, such as population vector algorithms (PVA), optimal linear estimators (OLE), and neural networks (NN), are effective in predicting movement kinematics, including movement direction, speed and trajectory but usually require a large number of neurons to achieve desirable performance. This study proposed a novel decoding algorithm even with signals obtained from a smaller numbers of neurons. We adopted sliced inverse regression (SIR) to predict forelimb movement from single-unit activities recorded in the rat primary motor (M1) cortex in a water-reward lever-pressing task. SIR performed weighted principal component analysis (PCA) to achieve effective dimension reduction for nonlinear regression. To demonstrate the decoding performance, SIR was compared to PVA, OLE, and NN. Furthermore, PCA and sequential feature selection (SFS) which are popular feature selection techniques were implemented for comparison of feature selection effectiveness. Among SIR, PVA, OLE, PCA, SFS, and NN decoding methods, the trajectories predicted by SIR (with a root mean square error, RMSE, of 8.47 ± 1.32 mm) was closer to the actual trajectories compared with those predicted by PVA (30.41 ± 11.73 mm), OLE (20.17 ± 6.43 mm), PCA (19.13 ± 0.75 mm), SFS (22.75 ± 2.01 mm), and NN (16.75 ± 2.02 mm). The superiority of SIR was most obvious when the sample size of neurons was small. We concluded that SIR sorted the input data to obtain the effective transform matrices for movement prediction, making it a robust decoding method for conditions with sparse neuronal information

Experimental cultivation of Spirulina platensis using My An mineral water, Thua Thien Hue province

Spirulina platensis was experimentally cultivated by semi-continuous method at 20m2 scale pilot to effectively use the available bicarbonate and minerals of the My An mineral water, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province, and reduce production cost. Analyses of My An water quality showed that this mineral water source was suitable to cultivate Spirulina Platensis after removing H2S. The average algal yield reached to 10gDW/m2.day. The obtained algal biomass contained high nutrient compositions and was a suitable source for functional food (68.32 % protein, 7.32 % lipids containing Omega-3 and Omega-6, and low heavy metal concentration). The obtained results indicated that the My An mineral water source was indeed a suitable water source for producing Spirulina platensis biomass as a functional food

Determinants of catastrophic costs among households affected by multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam: a prospective cohort study

Background: Globally, most people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and their households experience catastrophic costs of illness, diagnosis, and care. However, the factors associated with experiencing catastrophic costs are poorly understood. This study aimed to identify risk factors associated with catastrophic costs incurrence among MDR-TB-affected households in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Viet Nam. Methods: Between October 2020 and April 2022, data were collected using a locally-adapted, longitudinal WHO TB Patient Cost Survey in ten districts of HCMC. Ninety-four people with MDR-TB being treated with a nine-month TB regimen were surveyed at three time points: after two weeks of treatment initiation, completion of the intensive phase and the end of the treatment (approximately five and 10 months post-treatment initiation respectively). The catastrophic costs threshold was defined as total TB-related costs exceeding 20% of annual pre-TB household income. Logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with experiencing catastrophic costs. A sensitivity analysis examined the prevalence of catastrophic costs using alternative thresholds and cost estimation approaches. Results: Most participants (81/93 [87%]) experienced catastrophic costs despite the majority 86/93 (93%) receiving economic support through existing social protection schemes. Among participant households experiencing and not experiencing catastrophic costs, median household income was similar before MDR-TB treatment. However, by the end of MDR-TB treatment, median household income was lower (258 [IQR: 0–516] USD vs. 656 [IQR: 462–989] USD; p = 0.003), and median income loss was higher (2838 [IQR: 1548–5418] USD vs. 301 [IQR: 0–824] USD; p < 0.001) amongst the participant households who experienced catastrophic costs. Being the household’s primary income earner before MDR-TB treatment (aOR = 11.2 [95% CI: 1.6–80.5]), having a lower educational level (aOR = 22.3 [95% CI: 1.5–344.1]) and becoming unemployed at the beginning of MDR-TB treatment (aOR = 35.6 [95% CI: 2.7–470.3]) were associated with experiencing catastrophic costs. Conclusion: Despite good social protection coverage, most people with MDR-TB in HCMC experienced catastrophic costs. Incurrence of catastrophic costs was independently associated with being the household’s primary income earner or being unemployed. Revision and expansion of strategies to mitigate TB-related catastrophic costs, in particular avoiding unemployment and income loss, are urgently required