How Microfinance Can Close Asymmetrical Information on Peer-to-Peer Platforms

Peer-to-peer lending has sprung up in recent years, defined by its flexibility to meet the needs of loan applicants from a range of financial backgrounds. Institutional investors’ reluctance to fund small business owners has facilitated the widespread acceptance of peer-to-peer lending, which represents a convenient investment medium for prospective borrowers, individual investors, and P2P companies. Though, the inclusive model inherent in P2P lending breeds practical concerns for investors who expect to maximize returns while minimizing default risks. This paper proceeds to explore the value of information, the importance of information in principle-agent relationships, and how information must be leveraged further by P2P platforms to maintain high returns on investments for individual investors. Due to the importance of accurate, up-to-date borrower information, the literature herein suggests that P2P companies should outsource the procurement of borrower information to increase investment values and attract larger volumes of credit from individual investors. As a result of the absence of academic literature that explores the incorporation of microfinance institutions’ core competencies into the P2P business model, advantages of this business partnership are thus considered on a foundational level, leaving room for further empirical research in the future. Hence, this paper represents a working solution to be explored over time

The local experiences of reformist Islam in a “Muslim” town in colonial India: the case of Amroha

Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008. Published version reproduced with the permission of the publisher.This article discusses shifts within Islamic life, ritual and practice in the town of Amroha in the United Provinces of India, during the eventful period of approximately 1860-1930. Based primarily upon Urdu writings produced about or by residents of the town during this period, it examines the ways in which wider religious reformist movements such as those associated with Aligarh, Deoband and Bareilly were received and experienced within nearby smaller, supposedly marginal urban settlements. The article argues that broader currents of religious reform were not unquestioningly accepted in Amroha, but were often engaged in a constant process of dialogue and accommodation with local particularities. The first section introduces Amroha and its population, focusing upon how the town’s integrity was defined and described. The second section examines a plethora of public religious rites and institutions emerging during this period, including madrasas and imambaras, discussing how these were used by eminent local families to reinforce distinctly local hierarchies and cultural particularities. A third section considers public debates in Amroha concerning the Aligarh movement, arguing that these debates enhanced local rivalries, especially those between Shia and Sunni Muslims. A final section interrogates the growing culture of religious disputation in the town, suggesting that such debate facilitated the negotiation of religious change in a transitory social environment

Use Of Functional Manual Therapy and a Strengthening Program in the Treatment of a 41-Year-Old Female with Low Back and Sciatica Pain: A Case Report

Background and Purpose: Although low back pain is a common diagnosis treated in physical therapy clinics, there is disagreement in the literature as to the preferred interventions for this patient population. The purpose of this case report is to describe the outcome of a patient with acute onset of low back and sciatica pain with a treatment directed towards Functional Manual Therapy and a strengthening program based on initial examination findings. Case Description: The patient was a 41 year-old female secretary with four day history of low back and sciatica pain that initiated after straining during a bowel movement. The client presented with pain, decreased ROM, decreased strength, and functional disability. Intervention was directed by initial examination findings and consisted of components including Functional Manual Therapy and a strengthening program. Outcomes: All of the patient’s impairments improved and she was able to return to work at the beginning of the final week of treatment without any functional difficulties. Discussion: Use of Functional Manual Therapy and a strengthening program may result in positive outcomes related to pain and functional disability in patients with acute onset of low back and sciatica pain

Cochrane acute respiratory infections group's stakeholder engagement project identified systematic review priority areas

Objective: Cochrane acute respiratory infections (ARIs) group conducts systematic reviews of the evidence for treatment and prevention of ARIs. We report the results of a prioritization project, aiming to identify highest priority systematic review topics. Study Design/Setting: The project consisted of two phases. Phase 1 analyzed the gap between existing randomized controlled trials and Cochrane systematic reviews (reported previously). Phase 2 (reported here) consisted of a two-round survey. In round 1, respondents prioritized 68 topics and suggested up to 10 additional topics; in round 2, respondents prioritized top 25 topics from round 1. Results: Respondents included clinicians, researchers, systematic reviewers, allied health, patients, and carers, from 33 different countries. In round 1, 154 respondents identified 20 priority topics, most commonly selecting topics in nonspecific ARIs, influenza, and common cold. Fifty respondents also collectively suggested 134 additional topics. In round 2, 78 respondents prioritized top 25 topics, most commonly in the areas of nonspecific ARIs, pneumonia, and influenza. Conclusion: We generated a list of priority systematic review topics to guide the Cochrane ARI group's systematic review work for the next 24 months. Stakeholder involvement enhanced the transparency of the process and will increase the usability and relevance of the group's work to stakeholders

Statistical mechanics and thermodynamics of viral evolution

This paper analyzes a simplified model of viral infection and evolution using the 'grand canonical ensemble' and formalisms from statistical mechanics and thermodynamics to enumerate all possible viruses and to derive thermodynamic variables for the system. We model the infection process as a series of energy barriers determined by the genetic states of the virus and host as a function of immune response and system temperature. We find a phase transition between a positive temperature regime of normal replication and a negative temperature 'disordered' phase of the virus. These phases define different regimes in which different genetic strategies are favored. Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates that the system has a real thermodynamic temperature. For normal replication, this temperature is linearly related to effective temperature. The strength of immune response rescales temperature but does not change the observed linear relationship. For all temperatures and immunities studied, we find a universal curve relating the order parameter to viral evolvability. Real viruses have finite length RNA segments that encode for proteins which determine their fitness; hence the methods put forth here could be refined to apply to real biological systems, perhaps providing insight into immune escape, the emergence of novel pathogens and other results of viral evolution.Comment: 39 pages (55 pages including supplement), 9 figures, 11 supplemental figure

Implementation Strategies for Change Initiatives

Many change initiatives fail because business leaders often lack the strategies for successful implementation. The inability of business leaders to successfully implement change initiatives can result in missing deadlines, increasing costs, and reduced employee productivity and morale. Grounded by Lewin\u27s change management model and Kotter\u27s 8-step change model, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies aerospace manufacturing managers in the Midwest Region of the United States used to implement successful change initiatives. Data were collected through face-to-face semistructured interviews with 3 aerospace manufacturing managers and a review of company documents. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation, coding, and thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes. Three main themes emerged from the data analysis: well-defined and measurable goals improved the ability to track and measure the change implementation, teamwork improved employee involvement and collaboration, and communication improved transparency and employee support. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve aircraft safety by reducing aviation accidents and keeping communities safe from loss of life

The Shi'a Muslims of the United Provinces of India, c 1890-1940

This dissertation examines religious, social and political change among the Shia Muslims of the United Provinces of colonial India, c. 1890-1940. Focusing especially, upon the towns of Lucknow and Amroha but discussing the region as a whole, it traces the formation of a community identity among Shia Muslims, and questions how disparate Shi'a populations were able to construct a consciousness of solidarity. The dissertation is based on a combination of archival and printed sources in English and Urdu. The first chapter assesses processes of sectarian organisation and the formation of a number of Shia institutions and societies in Lucknow in the thirty year period from 1890, including several madrasas and the All India Shi'a Conference. The second chapter examines manifestations of religious renewal among Indian Shi'as. Forms of religious proselytisation are discussed, particularly the contribution of the printing press and the changing role of preaching. The development of religious conflict is outlined, through examinations of religious debates and the reformation of Muharram rites. A third chapter examines Shia responses to the so-called '`Aligarh movement', considering reactions to educational reform and the Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College at `Aligarh. A fourth chapter discusses Shia responses to the campaigns of jihad and pan-Islamism current among many Muslims in the early twentieth century. Together, these two chapters demonstrate the expansion and politicisation of sectarian differences, and the attempts by some Shi'as to organise separately from wider Muslim institutions. The final chapter assesses a series of Shi'a-Sunni conflicts in Lucknow in the 1930s. It examines some of the contributory factors and discusses the conflicts in the light of the processes of sectarian organisation discussed in earlier chapters. The conclusion evaluates the implications of the thesis for our understanding of Indian Shia Muslims and, more generally, of sectarian identities and conflicts in Indian Islam