A New Methodology for Estimating Internal Credit Risk and Bankruptcy Prediction under Basel II Regime

Credit estimation and bankruptcy prediction methods have been utilizing Altman's $z$ score method for the last several years. It is reported in many studies that $z$ score is sensitive to changes in accounting figures. Researches have proposed different variations to conventional $z$ score that can improve the prediction accuracy. In this paper we develop a new multivariate non-linear model for computing the $z$ score. In addition we develop a new credit risk index by fitting a Pearson type-III distribution to the transformed financial ratios. The results from our study have shown that the new $z$ score can predict the bankruptcy with an accuracy of $98.6\%$ as compared to $93.5\%$ by the Altman's $z$ score. Also, the discriminate analysis revealed that the new transformed financial ratios could predict the bankruptcy probability with an accuracy of $93.0\%$ as compared to $87.4\%$ using the weights of Altman's $z$ score.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure in Computational Economics, 201

Design and Analysis of Fractal Monopole Antennas for Multiband Wireless Applications

In this report three antenna designs using fractal geometry have been proposed. Fractal is a concept which is being employed in patch antenna to have better characteristics than conventional microstrip antenna. In the first design, a Sierpinski fractal antenna is proposed for multiband wireless applications. It consists of three-stage Sierpinski fractal geometry as the radiating element. The proposed antenna has compact dimension of 75×89.5×1.5 mm3. The multiband characteristic for a return loss less than 10dB is achieved. The model is applied to predict the behavior of fractal antenna when the height of the antenna is changed. The proposed antenna is considered a good candidate for Multiband Wireless applications. In the second proposal, a Sierpinski Carpet fractal antenna is proposed for multiband wireless applications. It consists of two-stage Sierpinski Carpet fractal geometry as the radiating element. The proposed antenna has compact dimension of 59.06×47.16×1.6 mm3. The multiband characteristic for a return loss less than 10dB is achieved. The major advantage of Sierpinski Carpet antenna is, it exhibits high self-similarity and symmetry. In the third proposal, multiband Koch curve antenna with fractal concept is presented. It consists of two-stage Koch curve as the radiating element. The proposed antenna is a compact dimension of 88×88×1.6 mm3. The multiband characteristic for a return loss less than 10dB is achieved. The proposed design is appropriate for mobile communication systems. CST Microwave Studio Suite 2012 is used to simulate these antennas. All the proposed antennas are fabricated on FR4 substrate of relative permittivity of 4.4 and height 1.6mm has been used

Book review: God in the tumult of the global square: religion in global civil society by Mark Juergensmeyer, Dinah Griego and John Soboslai

In God in the Tumult of the Global Square: Religion in Global Civil Society, authors Mark Juergensmeyer, Dinah Griego and John Soboslai explore new forms of religion emerging in the contemporary moment, drawing upon workshops staged over five years with religious leaders, scholars and public figures in Cairo, Moscow, Delhi, Shanghai, Bueno Aires and Santa Barbara. Nagothu Naresh Kumar praises the book’s lucid mapping of the role of religion in global civil society, but calls for more analysis of post-secular projects