Banking consolidation and the availability of credit to small businesses

In this study, we use firm-level data from the 1993 National Survey of Small Business Finances to test the hypothesis that banking consolidation has reduced the availability of credit to small businesses. We find that banks in markets where mergers have occurred are more likely than other banks to deny credit to small business loan applicants. However, this relationship disappears after we control for characteristics of the small business firm and its principal owner, the economic environment of the market where the firm is located, and the financial condition of the prospective lender. Moreover, we find that one set of banks, those in the process of acquiring other banks, are less likely to deny credit to small businesses. These results suggest that consolidation in the banking industry may have enhanced rather than restricted the availability of credit to small businesses. However, the data reflect credit availability during 1991-94, and may not be representative of subsequent credit conditions. Nor does the analysis rule out possible changes in the terms of credit available to small businesses.acquisition; bank; bank merger; credit; merger; relationship; small business; SSBF; takeover

Open Access compliance and financial report to RCUK 2015-16

This report provides information in support of Northumbria University’s compliance with the third year of RCUK’s Open Access policy within the context of the University’s wider work to support Open Access (OA) as part of its mission to create and apply knowledge for the benefit of individuals and the economy through ground-breaking research. The data underlying this report is available on Figshare: https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3859023.v

Analysis of Nutrient Cover Solutions

Develop a cover for a manure holding structure that will effectively reduce the accumulated rainfall inside the structure and increase the per gallon value of the manure

2015 ASME Design Competition - Group III Final Report

The 2015 ASME Challenge was to construct a device which manufactures a projectile from a piece of copy paper then launches it as far as possible. At the competition, each team has five minutes to assemble their machine, craft three projectiles and fire them for a cumulative distance. In addition to launching paper projectiles as far as possible, the machines must also be designed to take up as little space as possible while still performing its main function effectively. A team’s final score is the ratio of the cumulative distance of all three projectiles to the volume of a box used to transport their machine

Banking consolidation and the availability of credit to small businesses

In this study, we use firm-level data from the 1993 National Survey of Small Business Finances to test the hypothesis that banking consolidation has reduced the availability of credit to small businesses. We find that banks in markets where mergers have occurred are more likely than other banks to deny credit to small business loan applicants. However, this relationship disappears after we control for characteristics of the small business firm and its principal owner, the economic environment of the market where the firm is located, and the financial condition of the prospective lender. Moreover, we find that one set of banks, those in the process of acquiring other banks, are less likely to deny credit to small businesses. These results suggest that consolidation in the banking industry may have enhanced rather than restricted the availability of credit to small businesses. However, the data reflect credit availability during 1991-94, and may not be representative of subsequent credit conditions. Nor does the analysis rule out possible changes in the terms of credit available to small businesses

Banking consolidation and the availability of credit to small businesses

In this study, we use firm-level data from the 1993 National Survey of Small Business Finances to test the hypothesis that banking consolidation has reduced the availability of credit to small businesses. We find that banks in markets where mergers have occurred are more likely than other banks to deny credit to small business loan applicants. However, this relationship disappears after we control for characteristics of the small business firm and its principal owner, the economic environment of the market where the firm is located, and the financial condition of the prospective lender. Moreover, we find that one set of banks, those in the process of acquiring other banks, are less likely to deny credit to small businesses. These results suggest that consolidation in the banking industry may have enhanced rather than restricted the availability of credit to small businesses. However, the data reflect credit availability during 1991-94, and may not be representative of subsequent credit conditions. Nor does the analysis rule out possible changes in the terms of credit available to small businesses

Nutrient Storage Cover

Smithfield Hog Production has several processing facilities across the state of Iowa along with numerous contract finishing farms where producers grow their pigs. The hog manure on these sites is pumped into a slurry store for storage. A slurry store is a 1.2-million-gallon round tank that is 18-feet-tall and 120-foot diameter. Since the slurry store is open to the weather, it accumulates rain, snow, and other types of precipitation. While evaporation generally equals precipitation, there are some years where precipitation is greater than evaporation. The result is a reduction in manure holding capacity and additional cost to hog production. Also, excess precipitation lowers the per gallon value of the nutrients as a crop fertilizer due to dilution. A cover of some type that would withstand wind and weather would reduce the accumulation of precipitation. Smithfield has investigated cover designs, but the alternatives cost too much for their producers to implement. Many cover solutions have been implemented in other industries, such as human waste, and universities have researched this topic. Our team developed a cover for a slurry store structure that will effectively reduce the accumulated rainfall inside the structure and increase the per gallon value of the manure

Optimising Resources to Develop a Strategic Approach to Open Access - final report

Our Open Access (OA) Pathfinder, a collaboration between the University of Northumbria and the University of Sunderland, aimed to develop and share tools and best practice to enable HEIs with limited external resources to effectively and creatively respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by OA. To achieve this we identified four discrete project objectives and a methodology which emphasised engagement locally and with the other HEI’s that comprised the wider programme. Importantly, the wider context of this focus was our recognition of the global movement towards open research and an impact agenda which demonstrates and rewards value for money from public investment. Subsequently, throughout our project activity we aimed to explore and develop extensible models, policies and procedures which go beyond OA compliance to engage with and shape these wider debates. Throughout the programme we disseminated our preliminary findings and ongoing thinking via our project blog (http://oapathfinder.wordpress.com) as well as fora including conferences and workshops. By the end of the two year programme, our project had successfully delivered against the four objectives and in so doing demonstrated tangible impact. Crucially, for each aspect of our project further work is needed to refine and develop solutions and practice to meet the challenges and opportunities presented by OA. We believe that against a background of a rapidly evolving policy and funding landscape JISC are uniquely positioned to facilitate a community of practice to play a pivotal role in making this happen

Automatic detection of pitching and throwing events in baseball with inertial measurement sensors

Purpose: Throwing loads are known to be closely related to injury risk. However, for logistic reasons, typically only pitchers have their throws counted, and then only during innings. Accordingly, all other throws made are not counted, so estimates of throws made by players may be inaccurately recorded and underreported. A potential solution to this is the use of wearable microtechnology to automatically detect, quantify, and report pitch counts in baseball. This study investigated the accuracy of detection of baseball pitching and throwing in both practice and competition using a commercially available wearable microtechnology unit. Methods: Seventeen elite youth baseball players (mean ± SD age 16.5 ± 0.8 y, height 184.1 ± 5.5 cm, mass 78.3 ± 7.7 kg) participated in this study. Participants performed pitching, fielding, and throwing during practice and competition while wearing a microtechnology unit. Sensitivity and specificity of a pitching and throwing algorithm were determined by comparing automatic measures (ie, microtechnology unit) with direct measures (ie, manually recorded pitching counts). Results: The pitching and throwing algorithm was sensitive during both practice (100%) and competition (100%). Specificity was poorer during both practice (79.8%) and competition (74.4%). Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that the microtechnology unit is sensitive to detect pitching and throwing events, but further development of the pitching algorithm is required to accurately and consistently quantify throwing loads using microtechnology. © 2017 Human Kinetics, Inc

Freeing Energy Data: A Guide for Regulators to Reduce One Barrier to Residential Energy Efficiency

This report advocates for improving entrepreneurs' access to residential energy-use data, thereby increasing the deployment of cost-effective energy-efficiency measures, generating saving and improving the environment. While this report does discuss policy, its focus is on informing policy makers on how to address liability, consumer privacy, and administrative concerns that could arise when third parties receive energy-use data from utilities. What makes this report novel compared to other efforts is that it provides model language for laws or rules that lawmakers or regulators can use as building blocks to open up access to energy data