Risk mitigation practices of the Lebanese banking sector: a proactive approach to maintain resilience through prudential regulations

The thesis reflects the student's field of interest and provides a unique exploration of the risk mitigation strategies of the Lebanese banking regulators. Its argument concerns the prudential regulation of financial stability and the key factors involved in maintaining the resilience of the banking system; hence the thesis explores the continuity of the system across the entire Lebanese banking sector and its application in the context of the Middle East. The thesis reviews and investigates the banking system in Lebanon and the issues derived from external factors imposed on the Lebanese economy. It discusses ways to mitigate risk and looks at the role of the banking authorities and supervision mechanisms that assure all policies and procedures are being implemented correctly by commercial banks. Moreover, the research highlights best practice as applied in the International Standard Banking Practice (ISBP) by the United States (US) and European Union (EU) and compares it to that applied in Lebanon. The aim of the thesis is to leverage the research outcomes to other countries in the Middle East and to make recommendations based on the lessons learned. Additionally, the thesis opens up new avenues for future researchers and practitioners. The core of the empirical research discussion of this thesis is built around the prudential regulations of the Lebanese banking system. Four sets of ratios and their scope of implementation in the field are investigated: Capital adequacy ratios, Liquidity ratios, Asset quality ratios and Profitability ratios. The research utilises transcripts from interviews with key stakeholders to ascertain their perception of the regulations' value and any problems they perceive with it. An interpretive approach has been employed to assess the likely response of the banking system to economic turmoil. The research has adopted a qualitative methodological approach to present an explanation for the choice of the methodology, which itself was influenced by the author's choice of Interpretivism, that is, the use of Interviews as the method for data collection. As a result, gaps were identified and analysed. The Research Questions, which have been framed and fine-tuned for this, the final document, Document 5 – The Thesis, are illustrated in a conceptual framework. The robustness of the conceptual framework is the result of the critical literature review, which provides an overview of the literature in relation to all the main concepts and ideas that this thesis explores. The empirical research concludes by identifying the main contributions the results can make to the business and academic fields. Briefly, the results concern the main characteristics of the Lebanese banking sector; the existence of a relationship between financial crisis and banking regulations; the policies and procedures used by Lebanese banks to set their financial ratios and the main indicators used to illustrate the resilience, stability and continuity of the banking sector; the central role played by the economic monitor Banque du Liban (BDL) in maintaining robust monetary policies; the weaknesses of the Lebanese banking sector and the necessity for Lebanese banks to adopt adequate corporate governance as well as the importance of political stability. Finally, the thesis closes by suggesting the importance of the research findings and their application in the context of the Middle East

The Security Blanket of the Chat World: An Analytic Evaluation and a User Study of Telegram

The computer security community has advocated widespread adoption of secure communication tools to protect personal privacy. Several popular communication tools have adopted end-to-end encryption (e.g., WhatsApp, iMessage), or promoted security features as selling points (e.g., Telegram, Signal). However, previous studies have shown that users may not understand the security features of the tools they are using, and may not be using them correctly. In this paper, we present a study of Telegram using two complementary methods: (1) a labbased user study (11 novices and 11 Telegram users), and (2) a hybrid analytical approach combining cognitive walk-through and heuristic evaluation to analyse Telegram’s user interface. Participants who use Telegram feel secure because they feel they are using a secure tool, but in reality Telegram offers limited security benefits to most of its users. Most participants develop a habit of using the less secure default chat mode at all times. We also uncover several user interface design issues that impact security, including technical jargon, inconsistent use of terminology, and making some security features clear and others not. For instance, use of the end-to-end-encrypted Secret Chat mode requires both the sender and recipient be online at the same time, and Secret Chat does not support group conversations

Diagnose und Therapie okulomotorischer Defizite bei Patienten mit Möbius-Sequenz

Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über das Spektrum möglicher Motilitätseinschränkungen und Stellungsanomalien der Augen bei Patienten mit Möbius-Sequenz. Die augenmuskelchirurgischen Behandlungsoptionen werden diskutiert und es wird ein operatives Stufenschema vorgestellt

Molecular and Functional Characterization of the Odorant Receptor2 (OR2) in the Tiger Mosquito Aedes albopictus

In mosquitoes, the olfactory system plays a crucial role in many types of behavior, including nectar feeding, host preference selection and oviposition. Aedes albopictus, known also as the tiger mosquito, is an anthropophilic species, which in the last few years, due to its strong ecological plasticity, has spread throughout the world. Although long considered only a secondary vector of viruses, the potential of its vector capacity may constitute a threat to public health. Based on the idea that an improved understanding of the olfactory system of mosquitoes may assist in the development of control methods that interfere with their behavior, we have undertaken a study aimed at characterizing the A. albopictus Odorant Receptors. Here we report the identification, cloning and functional characterization of the AalOR2 ortholog, that represents the first candidate member of the odorant receptor (OR) family of proteins from A. albopictus. AalOR2 is expressed in the larval heads and antennae of adults. Our data indicate that A. albopictus OR2 (AalOR2) shares a high degree of identity with other mosquito OR2 orthologs characterized to date, confirming that OR2 is one of the most conserved mosquito ORs. Our data indicate that AalOR2 is narrowly tuned to indole, and inhibited by (-)-menthone. In agreement with this results, these two compounds elicit two opposite effects on the olfactory-based behavior of A. albopictus larvae, as determined through a larval behavioral assay. In summary, this work has led to the cloning and de-orphaning of the first Odorant Receptor in the tiger mosquito A. albopictus. In future control strategies this receptor may be used as a potential molecular target

Outcomes of Bilateral Cataract Surgery in Infants 7 to 24 Months of Age Using the Toddler Aphakia and Pseudophakia Treatment Study Registry

Purpose To evaluate outcomes of bilateral cataract surgery in children aged 7 to 24 months and compare rates of adverse events (AEs) with other Toddler Aphakia and Pseudophakia Study (TAPS) registry outcomes. Design Retrospective clinical study at 10 Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS) sites. Statistical analyses comparing this cohort with previously reported TAPS registry cohorts. Participants Children enrolled in the TAPS registry between 2004 and 2010. Methods Children underwent bilateral cataract surgery with or without intraocular lens (IOL) placement at age 7 to 24 months with 5 years of postsurgical follow-up. Main Outcome Measures Visual acuity (VA), occurrence of strabismus, AEs, and reoperations. Results A total of 40 children (76 eyes) who underwent bilateral cataract surgery with primary posterior capsulectomy were identified with a median age at cataract surgery of 11 months (7–23); 68% received a primary IOL. Recurrent visual axis opacification (VAO) occurred in 7.5% and was associated only with the use of an IOL (odds ratio, 6.10; P = 0.005). Glaucoma suspect (GS) was diagnosed in 2.5%, but no child developed glaucoma. In this bilateral cohort, AEs (8/40, 20%), including glaucoma or GS and VAO, and reoperations occurred in a similar proportion to that of the published unilateral TAPS cohort. When analyzed with children aged 1 to 7 months at bilateral surgery, the incidence of AEs and glaucoma or GS correlated strongly with age at surgery (P = 0.011/0.004) and glaucoma correlated with microcornea (P = 0.040) but not with IOL insertion (P = 0.15). Conclusions Follow-up to age 5 years after bilateral cataract surgery in children aged 7 to 24 months reveals a low rate of VAO and very rare glaucoma or GS diagnosis compared with infants with cataracts operated at < 7 months of age despite primary IOL implantation in most children in the group aged 7 to 24 months. The use of an IOL increases the risk of VAO irrespective of age at surgery

Outcomes of Bilateral Cataracts Removed in Infants 1 to 7 Months of Age Using the Toddler Aphakia and Pseudophakia Treatment Study Registry

Purpose To evaluate outcomes of bilateral cataract surgery in infants 1 to 7 months of age performed by Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS) investigators during IATS recruitment and to compare them with IATS unilateral outcomes. Design Retrospective case series review at 10 IATS sites. Participants The Toddler Aphakia and Pseudophakia Study (TAPS) is a registry of children treated by surgeons who participated in the IATS. Methods Children underwent bilateral cataract surgery with or without intraocular lens (IOL) placement during IATS enrollment years 2004 through 2010. Main Outcome Measures Visual acuity (VA), strabismus, adverse events (AEs), and reoperations. Results One hundred seventy-eight eyes (96 children) were identified with a median age of 2.5 months (range, 1–7 months) at the time of cataract surgery. Forty-two eyes (24%) received primary IOL implantation. Median VA of the better-seeing eye at final study visit closest to 5 years of age with optotype VA testing was 0.35 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR; optotype equivalent, 20/45; range, 0.00–1.18 logMAR) in both aphakic and pseudophakic children. Corrected VA was excellent (<20/40) in 29% of better-seeing eyes, 15% of worse-seeing eyes. One percent showed poor acuity (≥20/200) in the better-seeing eye, 12% in the worse-seeing eye. Younger age at surgery and smaller (<9.5 mm) corneal diameter at surgery conferred an increased risk for glaucoma or glaucoma suspect designation (younger age: odds ratio [OR], 1.44; P = 0.037; and smaller cornea: OR, 3.95; P = 0.045). Adverse events also were associated with these 2 variables on multivariate analysis (younger age: OR, 1.36; P = 0.023; and smaller cornea: OR, 4.78; P = 0.057). Visual axis opacification was more common in pseudophakic (32%) than aphakic (8%) eyes (P = 0.009). Unplanned intraocular reoperation occurred in 28% of first enrolled eyes (including glaucoma surgery in 10%). Conclusions Visual acuity after bilateral cataract surgery in infants younger than 7 months is good, despite frequent systemic and ocular comorbidities. Although aphakia management did not affect VA outcome or AE incidence, IOL placement increased the risk of visual axis opacification. Adverse events and glaucoma correlated with a younger age at surgery and glaucoma correlated with the presence of microcornea

The snow must go on: Ground ice encasement, snow compaction and absence of snow differently cause soil hypoxia, CO2 accumulation and tree seedling damage in boreal forest

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Epigenetic reprogramming at estrogen-receptor binding sites alters 3D chromatin landscape in endocrine-resistant breast cancer

Endocrine therapy resistance frequently develops in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we show that 3-dimensional (3D) chromatin interactions both within and between topologically associating domains (TADs) frequently change in ER+ endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells and that the differential interactions are enriched for resistance-associated genetic variants at CTCF-bound anchors. Ectopic chromatin interactions are preferentially enriched at active enhancers and promoters and ER binding sites, and are associated with altered expression of ER-regulated genes, consistent with dynamic remodelling of ER pathways accompanying the development of endocrine resistance. We observe that loss of 3D chromatin interactions often occurs coincidently with hypermethylation and loss of ER binding. Alterations in active A and inactive B chromosomal compartments are also associated with decreased ER binding and atypical interactions and gene expression. Together, our results suggest that 3D epigenome remodelling is a key mechanism underlying endocrine resistance in ER+ breast cancer