Characterization of Computational Pipelines for Structural Variant Detection Using Short-Read Sequencing Data in Arctic Charr.

Structural variants (SVs) are an important emerging class of genomic variation with pivotal implications for evolution, adaptation, and phenotypic diversity. As a cold-water salmonid fish displaying extensive niche variation and life history plasticity, the Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) serves as an ideal model to elucidate the genomic underpinnings of adaptability. This study performs an integrated analysis to comprehensively characterize the SV landscape across 30 genomes of farmed Arctic charr strains. Using a multi-algorithm approach employing Delly, Manta and Smoove for variant detection, overall 47,966 high-confidence were identified, including deletions, duplications, inversions and translocations. The results show variable numbers of SV’s between individuals, ranging from 71,866 to 128,116 per fish, and reveal that chromosome 36 is enriched for SVs, containing up to 23% of all structural variations. Additional analyses with sequencing coverage data further support the inferences that patterns in chromosome architecture lead to increased structural variation susceptibility. This project substantiates the ability to reliably capture SVs from short-read resequencing but also highlights limitations when using short-read data. By enumerating SVs differentiated among domesticated strains, this study potentiates future research into SVs allele distributions, segregation, and trait associations in selective breeding programs. Overall, the analytical framework and genomic resources developed considerably advance characterization of structural variation spectra in this salmonid species

Determinants of capital structure decisions among publicly listed Islamic banks

This research aims to examine bank specific, market and regulatory determinants of leverage and capital structure based on a panel data of publicly listed Islamic banks in 12 countries over the period 2008-2017. Apart from testing standard corporate finance parameters using both OLS and M-Estimators, this study adds several idiosyncratic and regulatory environment related determinants of leverage unique to Islamic banks. The significance of potential determinants is tested for market and book leverage as well as newly introduced ‘Islamic banking leverage’. Overall, the results show that Islamic banks with higher growth opportunities, tangibility, low profitability and low risk are likely to have a high leverage. Similarly, the findings suggest important role played by debt market conditions, share of investment accounts and regulatory environment in such decisions, providing an evidence of the significance of trade-off and pecking order theory in capital structure in Islamic banks. The results are more robust for market and Islamic banking leverage, rather than book leverage. The findings offer insights to regulators, standard setters and especially Islamic banks regarding parameters to strengthen their capital, enhance resilience and thus contribute to the stability of relevant financial. This paper is among the few extant studies that focus on listed Islamic banks and tests determinants based on stock market data

Description of Distributable Encapsulated Resource Package and Method for Orchestration of Distributed Automation Systems

Reconfiguration is critical to meet the current demands of manufacturing and production systems. Rapid reconfiguration can offer small batch sizes, customization and many product variants to the manufacturing companies. This thesis is to implement a novel concept of Resource Description and its Executable Capability. This is an implementation of theoretical concept by conceiving a use case scenario based on different stakeholders involved in the manufacturing system designing process. The stakeholders are vendors of physical production resource and system integrator who is the consumer of the physical production resource. The scenario is that the vendor provides the control software package along with resource and system integrator uses the software package to develop a control system. To implement this concept a set of requirements are extracted from resource description and its executable capability concept. Based on these requirements software packages are designed and test case resources are developed. These test case resources are then utilized to design a high-level control system. Realistic test case assembly system is developed and reconfigured. The obtained results present a realistic view of the concept of resource description in a limited scope. The qualitative analysis of test case scenarios proves the ease which can be achieved in reconfiguration of a manufacturing system if the concept of resource description is used in real-world environments

Predicting Distress in Islamic Banks: The Effectiveness of Capital Measures in CAMELS Framework

This study aims to identify key capital adequacy measures and other parameters that effectively predict distress in Islamic banks taking a panel of 65 banks from 13 countries between 2008-2017 using logistic regression model. The paper also intends to see whether simpler ratios perform better than more complex, risk weighted measures in predicting distress in these banks. A total of nine alternative capital and leverage indicators are used in the model that mainly rely on financial and accounting data, which are supplemented by the addition of market leverage for listed banks. In order to capture variability in cross country analysis and impact of economic conditions and shocks, the study also adds several macroeconomic indicators in the model. The results suggest that most of the standard CAMELS indicators are relevant for studying distress in Islamic banks. Further, it is shown that three other capital ratios – Tier 1, tangible common ratio and market leverage - are equally effective in studying Islamic bank failures. The findings, however, reflect that Basel III leverage ratio and other accounting-based ratios do not offer effective early warning signals of Islamic bank stress. Overall, equity based risk-weighted capital ratios offer a more robust framework of regulation and supervision in Islamic banks

An Analysis of Job Related Factors and Personality Traits on Teachers’ Ill-Health, Performance and Job Satisfaction

Teacher’s ill-health & job strains particularly in higher education sector is usually more deceptive as compared to other professions because of its vague nature of roles and is dissimilar to other professions and has substantial connections with numbers of scholars in class, their numerical assessments, workload issues, miserable organizational practices, job insecurity and inadequate recognition. Moreover, the antecedents and consequences of job related strains varies from person to person because of our different personality types and as we are all unique in our perceptions and behaviors. This exploratory research aimed to investigate & explore the factors at the work environment which have a significant impact on faculty well-being, and the possibilities of improvement of the work environment for academic world with particular reference to a public sector university. The results revealed inverse relationship between job strains and performance. The significant job related factors causing stress for male and female faculty members were different. Furthermore female faculty members and faculty members with Type A personality reported higher levels of ill-health. Type A personality also reported higher performance when compared with Type B & Type A

An Analysis of Students Academic Performance: A Case Study of Sarhad University, Peshawar, Pakistan

The researcher has tried to investigate the factors affecting academic performance of graduate students in this article. In the study academic performance (student’s grades/marks) is taken as a dependent variable and the gender, age, Attendance, schooling, Household Income, residential area, medium of schooling; daily study hours and accommodation as independent variables. 100 students were selected though simple random sampling for data collection and the data was collected through structured questionnaire from the different departments of Sarhad University of Peshawar. For analysis, linear regression analysis, correlation analysis, and descriptive analysis are used. It was extracted from the findings that attendance, Household income and daily study hours significantly contribute to the academic performance of graduate students.Â

RISK OR SENTIMENT: VALUE AND SIZE PREMIUM UNDER TERRORISM

This study aims to identify the effect of terrorism on size andvalue premium using value weighted monthly returns for non-financialfirms from January 2001 to December 2010. In addition to independentsize and BE/ME (book equity to market equity) sorted portfolios, twodimensional portfolio formation methodology of Dimson, Nagel, andQuigley is used. The results reveal that market, size, value premiumand terrorism have a significant positive impact on stock returns. Thestudy further suggests that value and size premiums are dependent onthe psychological impact created by terrorist attack. Findings suggestthat the return on small stocks is higher than the returns on largestocks and the size premium occurs mainly during the months of higherterrorism activities. In contrast, value premium is more profoundduring the months of low (high) terrorist activities for portfolios sortedon one (two) dimension. This indicates that both size and BE/MEpremiums are affected by investor sentimen

A Critical Review of Capital Structure Theories

The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize and appreciate the theories of capital structure starting from theory of Miller and Modigliani (1958) of capital structure, which is also known as irrelevance theory of capital structure and also including theory like pecking order theory, trade off theory, market timing theory and agency cost theory. In addition, authors have tried to explain the theories and their contradiction with each other in detail. This paper will be an addition to understand the theories of capital structure