Right ventricular involvement in anterior myocardial infarction: a tissue Doppler-derived strain and strain rate study

OBJECTIVE: Strain and strain rate imaging is currently the most popular echocardiographic technique that reveals subclinical myocardial damage. There are currently no available data on this imaging method with regard to assessing right ventricular involvement in anterior myocardial infarction. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate right ventricular regional functions using a derived strain and strain rate imaging tissue Doppler method in patients who were successfully treated for their first anterior myocardial infarction. METHODS: The patient group was composed of 44 patients who had experienced their first anterior myocardial infarction and had undergone successful percutaneous coronary intervention. Twenty patients were selected for the control group. The right ventricular myocardial samplings were performed in three regions: the basal, mid, and apical segments of the lateral wall. The individual myocardial velocity, strain, and strain rate values of each basal, mid, and apical segment were obtained. RESULTS: The right ventricular myocardial velocities of the patient group were significantly decreased with respect to all three velocities in the control group. The strain and strain rate values of the right mid and apical ventricular segments in the patient group were significantly lower than those of the control group (excluding the right ventricular basal strain and strain rate). In addition, changes in the right ventricular mean strain and strain rate values were significant. CONCLUSION: Right ventricular involvement following anterior myocardial infarction can be assessed using tissue Doppler based strain and strain rat

THE COST STRUCTURE OF MICROFINANCE INSTITUTIONS IN EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

Microfinance institutions are important, particularly in developing countries, because they expand the frontier of financial intermediation by providing loans to those traditionally excluded from formal financial markets. This paper presents the first systematic statistical examination of the performance of MFIs operating in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. A cost function is estimated for MFIs in the region from 1999-2004. First, the presence of subsidies is found to be associated with higher MFI costs. When output is measured as the number of loans made, we find that MFIs become more efficient over time and that MFIs involved in the provision of group loans and loans to women have lower costs. However, when output is measured as volume of loans rather than their number, this last finding is reversed. This may be due to the fact that such loans are smaller in size; thus for a given volume more loans must be made.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/40195/3/wp809.pd

The impact of deregulation and re-regulation on bank efficiency: evidence from Asia

Following the 1997 crisis, banking sector reforms in Asia have been characterised by the emphasis on prudential regulation, associated with increased financial liberalisation. Using a panel data set of commercial banks from eight major Asian economies over the period 2001-2010, this study explores how the coexistence of liberalisation and prudential regulation affects banks’ cost characteristics. Given the presence of heterogeneity of technologies across countries, we use a stochastic frontier approach followed by the estimation of a deterministic meta-frontier to provide ‘true’ estimates of bank cost efficiency measures. Our results show that the liberalization of bank interest rates and the increase in foreign banks' presence have had a positive and significant impact on technological progress and cost efficiency. On the other hand, we find that prudential regulation might adversely affect bank cost performance. When designing an optimal regulatory framework, policy makers should combine policies which aim to foster financial stability without hindering financial intermediation

How has the global financial crisis affected syndicated loan terms in emerging markets? Evidence from China

This paper examines the impact of the recent global financial crisis on the cost of debt capital (syndicated loans) in a leading emerging market, namely China, using the difference-in-differences approach. Before the crisis China adopted banking reforms allowing the entry of foreign banks and more domestic participation in the syndicated loan market. As a result, during the crisis the volume of syndicated loans grew steadily, in contrast to other countries. In addition, the amount of foreign syndicated loans decreased and average maturity increased compared to the pre-crisis period. Our findings provide useful information to policy makers for devising effective responses to financial crises

The Inter-temporal relationship between Risk, Capital and Efficiency: The case of Islamic and conventional banks

The paper investigates the relationship between risk, capital and efficiency for Islamic and conventional banks using a dataset spanning 14 countries over the 2000-2012 period. We use the z-score as a proxy for insolvency risk, cost efficiency is estimated via a stochastic frontier approach and capitalisation is reflected on the equity to assets ratio. An array of bank-specific, macroeconomic and market structure variables are used in a system of three equations, estimated using the seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) technique. We find that the capitalisation response to increases in insolvency risk is more pronounced for Islamic banks but has an approximately five-times smaller effect on risk mitigation compared to conventional banks. Higher cost efficiency is related to lower risk for conventional banks, but the opposite is true for Islamic banks. The link between cost efficiency and capitalisation attests to a substitutional effect for the case of conventional banks, but a complementary effect for Islamic banks. Our findings give new insights on the use of efficiency to gauge capital requirements for financial institutions and are particularly relevant for regulators and policy makers in countries where both bank types operate

Interactions between local people and lakes: An example from Turkey/Gyvenvietės ežerų apylinkėse. Naudojimasis ir jiems daroma žala (Turkijos pavyzdys)/Приозерные поселения. Использование озер и наносимый им вред (на примере Tурции)

The interaction of rural settlements by the Egirdir Lake and surroundings has been discussed in this study that has been conducted in order to support the studies of the Egirdir Lake Management Plan that is stated as a result of two‐year study and to provide local participation for these studies. The method used in this study is based on questionnaire, interviews, and direct observations. Besides several meetings about rural settlements and the Egirdir Lake were conducted among local people, stakeholders and expert groups. According to the results of this study, the Egirdir Lake surroundings have been an important centre of attraction for human settlements from the past to the present. The people that established settlements around the Lake benefited from the Lake for various purposes. The benefit from the Egirdir Lake had not reached the sizes that could affect the hydrology of the Lake until 1960s. However, start of benefiting from the Lake for the purpose of agricultural irrigation in those years and the variation of benefit in the following years have been a significant element of pressure on the Lake. By reasons of these benefits, the Lake has consistently showed water deficit, and the pollution of the Lake has reached considerable sizes as well. When effectively managed by means of the Lake Management Plan, prepared with a participatory approach, the Lake can be protected from these negative effects. Santrauka Nagrinėjamas Egirdir ežero ir jį supančių kaimo gyvenviečių nevienareikšmis ryšys – nauda turima iš ežero ir jam daroma žala. Tyrimas buvo atliekamas dvejus metus kurtam Egirdir ežero tvarkymo planui papildyti. Tyrimo metodas pagrįstas apklausomis, interviu ir tiesioginiais stebėjimais. Buvo organizuota keletas vietinių žmonių, tarpininkų ir ekspertų grupių susitikimų dėl Egirdir ežero tvarkymo. Šio ežero aplinka visada buvo svarbus traukos centras žmonėms įsikurti. Žmonės, apsistoję aplink ežerą, naudojosi juo įvairiais tikslais. Iki 1960 m. tai ežero hidrologijai didesnės įtakos neturėjo. Situacija pablogėjo ežerą pradėjus naudoti žemės naudmenoms drėkinti. Labai suaktyvėjo ir ežero tarša. Efektyviai laikantis planingų tvarkymo priemonių, ežeras gali būti apsaugotas nuo neigiamo poveikio. Резюме Исследуется взаимосвязь сельских поселений вблизи озера Эгирдир и окружающей среды: польза, получаемая от озера, и наносимый ему вред. Исследование дополняет план обустройства озера Эгирдир и предоставляет сведения об участии местных жителей в подобных исследованиях. Метод, применявшийся в исследованиях, основан на опросах людей, интервью и непосредственных наблюдениях. Состоялись встречи местных жителей, посредников и групп экспертов по вопросам заселения поселений и обустройства озера Эгирдир. На основании исследований установлено, что окрестности озера Эгирдир были и остаются важным центром притяжения людей с целью поселиться там. Поселившиеся там люди используют озеро в различных целях. Использование озера Эгирдир до 1960 г. не оказало значительного воздействия на гидрологию озера, однако после того, как озеро стало использоваться для орошения сельскохозяйственных угодий, ситуация ухудшилась. Увеличилась загрязненность озера. Избежать негативного влияния на озеро можно, если эффективно применять меры, предусмотренные планом по обустройству озера. First Published Online: 14 Oct 2010 Reikšminiai žodžiai: Egirdir ežeras, tarša, ežero tvarkymo planas, dalyvavimas, kaimo gyvenvietės, Turkija. Ключевые слова: озеро Эгирдир, загрязненность, план по обустройству озера, участие, сельские поселения, Турция