INTERRELATED BANK STRATEGIES, FINANCIAL FRAGILITY AND CREDIT EXPANSION: A POST KEYNESIAN APPROACH

This paper aims at clarifying the relationship between individual bank and banking industry behavior in credit expansion. We argue that the balance sheet structure of an individual bank is only partially determined by its management decision about how aggressively to expand credit; it is also determined by the balance sheet positions of other banks. This relationship is explicitly shown by a disaggregation of the variable that enters into the simple money multiplier. The approach developed here opens a way to integrating the micro and macro levels in a Keynesian banking-system analysis.

Sulfide toxicity kinetics of a uasb reactor

The effect of sulfide toxicity on kinetic parameters of anaerobic organic matter removal in a UASB (up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket) reactor is presented. Two lab-scale UASB reactors (10.5 L) were operated continuously during 12 months. The reactors were fed with synthetic wastes prepared daily using glucose, ammonium acetate, methanol and nutrient solution. One of the reactors also received increasing concentrations of sodium sulfide. For both reactors, the flow rate of 16 L.d-1 was held constant throughout the experiment, corresponding to a hydraulic retention time of 15.6 hours. The classic model for non-competitive sulfide inhibition was applied to the experimental data for determining the overall kinetic parameter of specific substrate utilization (q) and the sulfide inhibition coefficient (Ki). The application of the kinetic parameters determined allows prediction of methanogenesis inhibition and thus the adoption of operating parameters to minimize sulfide toxicity in UASB reactors

Biology, ecology, control and management of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish: An updated integrated assessment

Venomous Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois miles and P. volitans) are now established along the Southeast U.S.A. and parts of the Caribbean and pose a serious threat to reef fish communities of these regions. Lionfish are likely to invade the Gulf of Mexico and potentially South America in the near future. Introductions of lionfish were noted since the 1980s along south Florida and by 2000 lionfish were established off the coast of North Carolina. Lionfish are now one of the more numerous predatory reef fishes at some locations off the Southeast U.S.A. and Caribbean. Lionfish are largely piscivores that feed occasionally on economically important reef fishes. The trophic impacts of lionfish could alter the structure of native reef fish communities and potentially hamper stock rebuilding efforts of the Snapper –Grouper Complex. Additional effects of the lionfish invasion are far-reaching and could increase coral reef ecosystem stress, threaten human health, and ultimately impact the marine aquarium industry. Control strategies for lionfish are needed to mitigate impacts, especially in protected areas. This integrated assessment provides a general overview of the biology and ecology of lionfish including genetics, taxonomy, reproductive biology, early life history and dispersal, venom defense and predation, and feeding ecology. In addition, alternative management actions for mitigating the negative impacts of lionfish, approaches for reducing the risk of future invasions, and directions for future research are provided

Post-Norris Ambiguities: Unanswered Questions For Women and the Pension Industry

On April 25, 1978, the United States Supreme Court decided Los Angeles Department of Water and Power v. Manhart in a way that was bound to have a profound effect on the pension industry. The division of opinion in the Manhart Court was indicative of the difficulty of the question presented. In Part I, this article examines the Court\u27s findings in Manhart, as well as its conclusions in a more recent case, Arizona Governing Committee v. Norris, in which the Supreme Court extended its Manhart holding in a way bound to have an equally significant impact on pension programs. In Parts II and III, this article addresses two issues concerning the future of the pension industry which the Court has left unanswered: whether the relief granted to compensate for past sex discrimination in pension programs is to be retroactive or prospective only; and whether the size of these awards is to be determined by topping up, i.e., by requiring that benefits payable to the formerly disadvantaged sex be raised to the level now payable to the favored sex, or by the adoption of unisex actuarial tables which average the mortality experience of the sexes and provide mid-level benefits to all employees. In Part IV, this article contemplates the cost and Economic Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) consequences which could accrue from possible solutions to the problem of remedying past sex discrimination in pension programs. Finally, Part V of this article deals with other practical ramifications likely to result from the Manhart and Norris decisions

The correlation between Self-regulated Learning Behaviors and Academic Classification for HBCU Students Participating in Online and Remote Learning Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic placed tremendous pressures on economic, medical, and educational infrastructures and systems around the world. Educational leaders were advised to “shutdown” schools which meant teachers and students were forbidden to gather in the same physical space to deliver and receive instruction. Pressures were transferred to technology leaders to create, maintain, and sustain technology infrastructure that depended on instructional technologies to mediate interactions among students, content, and instructors to provide learners with quality environments, experiences, and services while adhering to social distancing mandates. From a social cognitive perspective, this study is concerned with the relationship between abrupt environmental alteration created by the pandemic and the behavioral implications of deploying motivational and learning strategies empirically proven to contribute to academic success in traditional and online environments. The study showed undergraduate students at an HBCU participating in remote and online learning demonstrated slightly above average self-regulatory strategy use in environmental structuring (3.85), task strategy use (3.26), and time management (3.51). There is a statistically significant correlation between environmental structuring strategy use and academic classification; and a statistically significant correlation between time management strategy use and academic classification. This study does bring attention to environmental conditions of students served by HBCUs; and the implications of these factors on learning behaviors they rely on in technology-mediated learning environments and experiences

Defining categories of Fintechs: A Categorization Proposal Based on Literature and Empirical Data

Purpose – The analysis of the competitive impact of FinTechs requires the standardization of their categories to compare their products and services with the already delivered by incumbent banks. In this study, we address the problem of the multiplicity of FinTechs categories and provide a solution using content and cluster analysis.Theoretical framework – The literature about FinTechs. In our bibliographical research, we do not find works aiming to present a standard definition of categories of FinTechs. This type of work is almost nonexistent and categorization of FinTechs is defined as a “blurry issue”.Design/methodology/approach – In this study, we address the problem of the multiplicity of FinTechs categories and provide a solution using content analysis, cluster analysis, and the software Gephi.Findings – The result is a model comprised of nine FinTechs categories: Payments and Transfers; Exchange; Lending; Insurance; Investments; Advice; B2B; Digital Banks; and Others. We also elaborate a portfolio with 157 products and services offered by Brazilian incumbent banks, which allows the comparison between these two types of companies.Originality/value – The main contribution is the use of objective criteria and existing literature, as well as Gephi software, to build categories of FinTechs analysis, an emerging theme in financial market studies

The correlation between Self-regulated Learning Behaviors and Academic Classification for HBCU Students Participating in Online and Remote Learning Experiences

The COVID-19 pandemic placed tremendous pressures on economic, medical, and educational infrastructures and systems around the world. Educational leaders were advised to “shutdown” schools which meant teachers and students were forbidden to gather in the same physical space to deliver and receive instruction. Pressures were transferred to technology leaders to create, maintain, and sustain technology infrastructure that depended on instructional technologies to mediate interactions among students, content, and instructors to provide learners with quality environments, experiences, and services while adhering to social distancing mandates. From a social cognitive perspective, this study is concerned with the relationship between abrupt environmental alteration created by the pandemic and the behavioral implications of deploying motivational and learning strategies empirically proven to contribute to academic success in traditional and online environments. The study showed undergraduate students at an HBCU participating in remote and online learning demonstrated slightly above average self-regulatory strategy use in environmental structuring (3.85), task strategy use (3.26), and time management (3.51). There is a statistically significant correlation between environmental structuring strategy use and academic classification; and a statistically significant correlation between time management strategy use and academic classification. This study does bring attention to environmental conditions of students served by HBCUs; and the implications of these factors on learning behaviors they rely on in technology-mediated learning environments and experiences