Academic achievement and attitudes of Arab-American immigrants

There is no single predictor of economic success in modern America more than one’s education level. There has been much empirical research examining immigrant students and academic achievement, in order to provide the necessary support to increase the likelihood of academic success. However, there has been little research to investigate the case of Arab-American immigrants. The influx of immigrants from Arab countries that have recently experienced much instability due to war and conflict, and the increased negative visibility of Arabs post-September 11, make it vital to examine the experiences of Arab immigrant students and how their experiences affect their academic achievement. This qualitative study consisted of 17 participants, ages 17-28, from the Detroit and Chicago metropolitan areas. One-on-one, face-to-face interviews lasting 20-45 minutes were conducted. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed in order to find recurring themes. Experiences with respect to discrimination and marginalization, parental involvement, and experiences in country of origin and their effects on academic achievement were examined. Results suggest that although discrimination and marginalization were often experienced, these did not affect students’ academic achievement. In fact, the findings suggest that it may have pushed the students to work harder at learning the language to ensure faster integration into mainstream culture. In addition, the challenges that parents may face vis-à-vis parental involvement, in particular, the financial struggles, may affect the students’ academic achievement. Finally, advanced math and science curriculum that the immigrant students had been v exposed to in their countries of origin may indeed play a major role in boosting the student’s academic confidence and academic achievement in the U.S

Svenska Bankers Prognosutveckling för Kreditförluster under Införandet av IFRS 9 : En kvantitativ studie av redovisningsstandardens inverkan på svenska banker

This study examines the impact of the transition from IAS 39 to IFRS 9 on the credit loss forecasting ability of banks, and its implications for value relevance. The implementation of IFRS 9 brought about a shift from the Incurred Credit Loss (ICL) model to the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) model, emphasizing forward-looking information. We analyze data from small and medium sized banks, exploring their ability to forecast credit losses between 2018 to 2022. Our findings reveal that the adoption of IFRS 9 has led to a noteworthy enhancement in medium size banks' credit loss forecasting accuracy. This improvement is consistent with the increased value relevance of the financial information presented. Drawing parallels with studies like Mechelli & Cimini (2021), our results suggest that the refined credit loss forecasting, as facilitated by IFRS 9, contributes to the overall value relevance of financial reporting in the banking sector. This study underscores the significance of regulatory changes and their implications for both financial reporting and market perception in the banking industry.

Svenska Bankers Prognosutveckling för Kreditförluster under Införandet av IFRS 9 : En kvantitativ studie av redovisningsstandardens inverkan på svenska banker

This study examines the impact of the transition from IAS 39 to IFRS 9 on the credit loss forecasting ability of banks, and its implications for value relevance. The implementation of IFRS 9 brought about a shift from the Incurred Credit Loss (ICL) model to the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) model, emphasizing forward-looking information. We analyze data from small and medium sized banks, exploring their ability to forecast credit losses between 2018 to 2022. Our findings reveal that the adoption of IFRS 9 has led to a noteworthy enhancement in medium size banks' credit loss forecasting accuracy. This improvement is consistent with the increased value relevance of the financial information presented. Drawing parallels with studies like Mechelli & Cimini (2021), our results suggest that the refined credit loss forecasting, as facilitated by IFRS 9, contributes to the overall value relevance of financial reporting in the banking sector. This study underscores the significance of regulatory changes and their implications for both financial reporting and market perception in the banking industry.

Human recombinant arginase I [HuArgI (Co)-PEG5000]-induced arginine depletion inhibits ovarian cancer cell adhesion and migration through autophagy-mediated inhibition of RhoA

Abstract Ovarian carcinoma is the second most common malignancy of the female reproductive system and the leading cause of death from female reproductive system malignancies. Cancer cells have increased proliferation rate and thus require high amounts of amino acids, including arginine. L-arginine is a non-essential amino acid synthesized from L-citrulline by the Arginosuccinate synthetase (ASS1) enzyme. We have previously shown that the ovarian cancer cells, SKOV3, are auxotrophic to arginine, and that arginine deprivation by treatment with the genetically engineered human arginase I (HuArgI (Co)-PEG5000) triggers the death of SKOV3 cells by autophagy. In this study we examine the effect of HuArgI (Co)-PEG5000 on ovarian cancer cell migration and we dissect the mechanism involved. Wound healing assays, 2D random cell migration assays and cell adhesion analysis indicate that arginine deprivation decreases SKOV3 cell migration and adhesion. This effect was mimicked when autophagy was induced through rapamycin and reversed with the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine when autophagy was inhibited. This proved that arginine deprivation leads to the inhibition of cancer cell migration through autophagy, in addition to cell death. In addition, we were able to establish through pull-down assays and reversal experiments, that arginine deprivation-mediated autophagy inhibits cell migration through a direct inhibition of RhoA, member of the Rho family of GTPases. In conclusion, here we identify, for the first time, an autophagy-mediated inhibition of RhoA that plays an important role in regulating ovarian cancer cells motility and adhesion in response to arginine depletion