Regulatory Cooperation on Cross-Border Banking – Progress and Challenges After the Crisis

This paper surveys the recent academic literature on the economics of cross-border regulatory cooperation as well as recent policy developments in this area. While institutional arrangements of cross-border regulatory cooperation used to focus on day-to-day supervisory tasks, the crisis has given an impetus to a focus on cooperation at the bank resolution stage, with an array of different cooperation forms. A growing theoretical literature has documented different externalities arising from national supervision of cross-border banks, while empirical evidence has been relatively scarce. The paper concludes with a forward looking agenda both for policy reform and academic research in this area

Electrostatic fluctuations in cavities within polar liquids and thermodynamics of polar solvation

We present the results of numerical simulations of fluctuations of the electrostatic potential and electric field inside cavities created in the fluid of dipolar hard spheres. We found that the thermodynamics of polar solvation dramatically changes its regime when the cavity size becomes about 4-5 times larger than the size of the liquid particle. The range of small cavities can be reasonably understood within the framework of current solvation models. On the contrary, the regime of large cavities is characterized by a significant softening of the cavity interface resulting in a decay of the fluctuation variances with the cavity size much faster than anticipated by both the continuum electrostatics and microscopic theories. For instance, the variance of potential decays with the cavity size $R_0$ approximately as $1/R_0^{4-6}$ instead of the $1/R_0$ scaling expected from standard electrostatics. Our results suggest that cores of non-polar molecular assemblies in polar liquids lose solvation strength much faster than is traditionally anticipated.Comment: 10 pp, 10 fig

The inverse solution of the atomic mixing equations by an operator-splitting method

The quantification problem of recovering the original material distribution from secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) data is considered in this paper. It is an inverse problem, is ill-posed and hence it requires a special technique for its solution. The quantification problem is essentially an inverse diffusion or (classically) a backward heat conduction problem. In this paper an operator-splitting method (that is proposed in a previous paper by the first author for the solution of inverse diffusion problems) is developed for the solution of the problem of recovering the original structure from the SIMS data. A detailed development of the quantification method is given and it is applied to typical data to demonstrate its effectiveness

Therapeutic Efficacy of Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine and Prevalence of Resistance Markers in Tanzania Prior to Revision of Malaria Treatment Policy: Plasmodium Falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase and Dihydropteroate Synthase Mutations in Monitoring in Vivo Resistance.

Prior to the 2001 malarial treatment policy change in Tanzania, we conducted trials to assess the efficacy of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) and the usefulness of molecular markers in monitoring resistance. A total of 383 uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria patients (between 6 and 59 months old) were treated with SP and their responses were assessed. Mutations in the P. falciparum dihydrofolate reductase (pfdhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (pfdhps) genes in admission day blood samples were analyzed. Results indicated that 85.6% of the patients showed an adequate clinical response, 9.7% an early treatment failure, and 4.7% a late treatment failure. The quintuple mutant genotype (pfdhfr 51 Ile, 59 Arg, and 108 Asn and pfdhps 437 Gly and 540 Glu) showed an association with treatment outcome (odds ratio = 2.1; 95% confidence interval = 0.94-4.48, P = 0.045). The prevalence of the triple pfdhfr mutant genotype (51 Ile, 59 Arg, and 108 Asn) at a site of high SP resistance (23.6%) was four times higher compared with that observed at sites of moderate SP resistance (6.8-14.4%) (P = 0.000001). The genotype failure index calculated by using this marker was invariable (1.96-2.1) at sites with moderate SP resistance, but varied (3.4) at a site of high SP resistance. In conclusion, our clinical and molecular findings suggest that SP may have a short useful therapeutic life in Tanzania; thus, its adoption as an interim first-line antimalarial drug. The findings also point to the potential of the triple pfdhfr mutant genotype as an early warning tool for increasing SP resistance. These data form the baseline SP efficacy and molecular markers profile in Tanzania prior to the policy change

John Donne's Double Vision : Basic Dualities in the Sermon Literature

This thesis is concerned with establishing the basis for evaluating John Donne's sermon literature as a thematic whole. In order to demonstrate this thematic unity and continuity, this study shows how Donne employes several bodies of imagery which reflect his double vision of man and sin and provide the basis for discussing the basic dualities in the bulk of Donne's 160 extant sermons

Understanding Workplace Meetings: A Qualitative Taxonomy of Meeting Purposes

Purpose - Meetings are a workplace activity that deserves increased attention from researchers and practitioners. Previous researchers attempted to develop typologies of meeting purpose with limited success. Through a comparison of classification methodologies, we consider a taxonomy as the appropriate classification scheme for meeting purpose. The goal of our study is to propose a taxonomy of meeting purpose. We then utilize the developed taxonomy to investigate the frequency with which a representative sample of working adults engaged in meetings of these varying purposes. Our proposed taxonomy provides relevant classifications for future research on meetings and serves as a useful tool for managers seeking to use and evaluate the effectiveness of meetings within their organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This study employs an inductive methodology using discourse analysis of qualitative meeting descriptions to develop a taxomomy of meeting purpose. Our discourse analysis utilizes open-ended survey responses from a sample of working adults (N = 491). Findings - Our categorical analysis of open-ended questions resulted in a 16 category taxonomy of meeting purpose. The two most prevalent meeting purpose categories in this sample are “to discuss ongoing projects” at 11.6% and “to routinely discuss the state of the business” at 10.8%. The two least common meeting purpose categories in this sample are “to brainstorm for ideas or solutions” at 3.3% and “to discuss productivity and efficiencies” at 3.7%. The taxonomy is analyzed across organizational type and employee job level to identify differences between these important organizational and employee characteristics. Implications – The data suggest that meetings are institutionalized in organizations making them useful at identifying differences between organizations as well as differences in employees in terms of scope of responsibility. Researchers and managers should consider the purposes for which they call meetings and how that manifests their overarching organizational focus, structure, and goals. Originality/value - This is the first study to overtly attempt to categorize the various purposes for which meetings are held. Further, this study develops a taxonomy of meeting purposes that will prove useful for investigating the different types of meeting purposes in a broad range of organizational types and structures

Assessment of maximum aerobic capacity and anaerobic threshold of elite ballet dancers

An athlete’s cardiorespiratory profile, maximal aerobic capacity and anaerobic threshold, is affected by their training regimen and competition demands. The purpose of the present study is to ascertain whether there are company rank differences in maximal aerobic capacity and anaerobic threshold in elite classical ballet dancers. Seventy-four volunteers (M=34, F=40) were recruited from two full-time professional classical ballet companies. All participants completed a continuous incremental treadmill protocol with a 1 km.h-1 speed increase at the end of each 1-minute stage until termination criteria had been achieved (e.g. voluntary cessation, RER <1.15, heart rate ±5b.min-1 of estimated HRmax). Peak VO2 (5-breathe smooth) was recorded and anaerobic threshold calculated using ventilatory curve and ventilatory equivalents methods. Statistical analysis reported between-subject effects for gender (F1,67=35.18; p<0.001) and rank (F1,67=8.67; p<0.001); post hoc tests reported soloists (39.5 ±5.15 ml.kg-1.min-1) as having significantly lower VO2 peak than artists (45.9 ±5.75 ml.kg-1.min-1, p<0.001) and principal dancers (48.07 ±3.24 ml.kg-1.min-1, p<0.001). Significant differences in anaerobic threshold were reported for age (F1,67=7.68; p=0.008), rank (F1,67=3.56; p=0.034); post hoc tests reported artists (75.8 ±5.45%) having significantly lower %AT than soloists (80.9 ±5.71, p<0.01) and principals (84.1 ±4.84%, p<0.001). The observed differences in VO2 peak and anaerobic threshold between the ranks in ballet companies is probably due to their different rehearsal and performance demands

"Ordinary, the same as anywhere else": notes on the management of spoiled identity in 'marginal' middle class neighbourhoods

Urban sociologists are becoming increasingly interested in neighbourhood as a source of middle-class identity. Particular emphasis is currently being given to two types of middle-class neighbourhood; gentrified urban neighbourhoods of ‘distinction’ and inconspicuous ‘suburban landscapes of privilege’. However, there has been a dearth of work on ‘marginal’ middle-class neighbourhoods that are similarly ‘inconspicuous’ rather than distinctive, but less exclusive, thus containing sources of ‘spoiled identity’. This article draws on data gathered from two ‘marginal’ middleclass neighbourhoods that contained a particular source of ‘spoiled identity’: social renters. Urban sociological analyses of neighbour responses to these situations highlight a process of dis-identification with the maligned object, which exacerbates neighbour differences. Our analysis of data from the ‘marginal’ middle-class neighbourhoods suggests something entirely different and Goffmanesque. This entailed the management of spoiled identity, which emphasized similarities rather than differences between neighbours.</p

Is more finance better? Disentangling intermediation and size effects of financial systems

Financial systems all over the world have grown dramatically over recent decades. But is more finance necessarily better? And what concept of financial system – a focus on its size, including both intermediation and other auxiliary “non-intermediation” activities, or a focus on traditional intermediation activity – is relevant for its impact on real sector outcomes? This paper assesses the relationship between the size of the financial system and intermediation, on the one hand, and GDP per capita growth and growth volatility, on the other hand. Based on a sample of 77 countries for the period 1980–2007, we find that intermediation activities increase growth and reduce volatility in the long run. An expansion of the financial sectors along other dimensions has no long-run effect on real sector outcomes. Over shorter time horizons a large financial sector stimulates growth at the cost of higher volatility in high-income countries. Intermediation activities stabilize the economy in the medium run especially in low-income countries. As this is an initial exploration of the link between financial system indicators and growth and volatility, we focus on OLS regressions, leaving issues of endogeneity and omitted variable biases for future research

Locating the Youngest HII Regions in M82 with 7 mm Continuum Maps

We present 7mm Very Large Array continuum images of the starburst galaxy M82. On arcsecond scales, two-thirds of the 7mm continuum consists of free-free emission from HII regions. In the subarcsecond resolution map, we identify 14 compact sources, including 9 bright HII regions with N_Lyc > 10^51 sec^-1. Four of the HII regions have rising spectra, implying emission measures > 10^8 cm^-6 pc. Except for one compact source with peculiar features, all other compact radio sources are found in dust lanes and do not have optical or near-infrared continuum counterparts. Four regions of extended, high brightness (EM > 10^7 cm-6 pc) radio emission are found in our high resolution map, including some as large as ~2", or 30 pc, representing either associations of small HII regions, or sheetlike structures of denser gas. The good correlation between 7 mm emission and Spitzer IRAC 8 micron continuum-removed PAH feature suggests that PAH emission may track the recently formed OB stars. We find an excellent correlation between molecular gas and star formation, particularly dense gas traced by HCN, down to the ~ 45 pc scale in M82. We also find star formation efficiencies (SFEs) of 1-10% on the same scale, based on CO maps. The highest SFE are found in regions with the highest dense gas fractions.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in A