Prospects for Prudential Policy: Toward Achieving an Efficient and Stable Banking System

This paper examines how public intervention (prudential policy) in the banking area should be pursued and aims at providing points for discussion in considering what kind of system should be established to promote both the efficiency and stability of banking functions. The basic thrust of the paper is that it is effective to utilize market mechanisms to improve the efficiency of banking functions and that public intervention is justified in coping with various market failures if optimality is satisfied. Here, market failure is taken to mean (1) information asymmetry between banks and creditors (especially small-lot depositors) and (2) any negative externality that illiquidity and insolvency transmit in a networked way to other banks, leading to the likely emergence of various risks such as (a) small-lot depositors bearing losses, (b) the collapse of solvent banks due to a liquidity shortage, (c) the spreading by contagion of illiquidity of banks, and (d) the spreading by contagion of insolvency of banks. In examining public intervention to cope with these risks, we conclude that a deposit insurance system with a variable premium and prompt closure action are effective in dealing with risk (a), that the invocation of the central bank's lender of last resort function is effective for risks (b) and (c), and that the introduction of a charge system to internalize externality is effective for risk (d). Arguments in this paper are conceptual in that they are derived based on certain assumptions with respect to entities related to the banking system, and thus do not exhaustively cover all the factors necessary for deciding actual policies. We hope that our conceptual summary provides grounds for future discussions on more specific system design.

Current State of Educational Reform and Approaches to Active Learning in NIT, Gifu College

AbstractStudents’ generic skills cannot be developed only by classroom lectures unilaterally performed by teachers, but they can be developed by a highly practical form of learning such as active learning (AL). Our college is promoting educational reform by practicing AL in all classes. This paper describes current approaches of our college based on the directions of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Japan. Also, regarding the AL classes of respective teachers, the content of an AL class and the actual plan of his/her style of an AL class are stated. Moreover, the content of a practical report on an AL class and the approaches of utilization are reported

Multiple matings of Chysolina aurichalcea (Mannerheim) (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae)

The existence of multiple matings in both males and females of a chrysomelid beetle Chrysolina aurichalcea was examined by measuring the total duration of copulation in one multiple-mating bout and by observing the caged population every two hours for six days. The mean total duration of copulation in one multiple-mating bout was 3.2±1.7 hrs under a plastic container. Observation for six days showed that all five females conducted an average of seven matings with three males. In case of all five males, an average of nine matings with four females were observed except two males which had performed no copulations. The significance of multiple matings of the species was discussed in relation to the effects of selection pressure on genetic variations of discreet populations.Article信州大学理学部紀要 21(1): 23-30(1986)departmental bulletin pape

Thermodynamic stability condition can judge whether a nanoparticle dispersion can be considered a solution in a single phase

Establishing that a nanoparticle dispersion can, in fact, be treated as a solution has an important practical ramification, namely the application of solubility theories for solvent selection. However, what distinguishes a solution and dispersion has remained ambiguously understood. Based on the recent progress in statistical thermodynamics on multiple-component solutions, here we establish the condition upon which a nanoparticle dispersion can be considered a single-phased solution. We shall provide experimental evidence already found in the literature showing the solution nature of nanoparticle dispersions

Cooperativity in micellar solubilization

Sudden onset of solubilization is observed widely around or below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactants. It has also been reported that micellization is induced by the solutes even below CMC and the solubilized solute increases the aggregation number of the surfactant. These observations suggest enhanced cooperativity in micellization upon solubilization. Recently, we have developed a rigorous statistical thermodynamic theory of cooperative solubilization. Its application to hydrotropy revealed the mechanism of cooperative hydrotropy: hydrotrope self-association enhanced by solutes. Here we generalize our previous cooperative solubilization theory to surfactants. We have shown that the well-known experimental observations, such as the reduction of CMC in the presence of the solutes and the increase of aggregation number, are the manifestations of cooperative solubilization. Thus, the surfactant self-association enhanced by a solute is the driving force of cooperativity and a part of a universal cooperative solubilization mechanism common to hydrotropes and surfactants at low concentrations

Statistical thermodynamic foundation for mesoscale aggregation in ternary mixtures

Ternary solvent mixtures with two mutually miscible and one immiscible solvent pairings often exhibit persistent scattering profiles corresponding to mesoscale structure formation. Despite the morphological information on such mesostructures via extensive scattering measurements and simulation, the origin of these mesostructures, why they persist over a wide composition range, and why they appear around the plait point have remained a mystery. Here we answer all these questions through constructing a fundamental molecular thermodynamic theory, synthetizing thermodynamic stability, scattering and the fluctuation solution theory. The plait point condition, when interpreted via differential geometry, is shown to be the origin of the large structure factor persistent over a wide composition range

INITIAL CONDITION PROBLEMS OF FRACTIONAL VISCOELASTIC EQUATIONS

Abstract The 2nd order differential equation with fractional derivatives describing dynamic behavior of a single-degree-of-freedom viscoelastic oscillator, referred to as fractional viscoelastic equation (FVE), is considered. Some types of viscoelastic damped mechanical systems may be described by FVE. The differential equation with fractional derivatives is often called the fractional differential equation (FDE). FDE can be solved for zero initial values, but it can not generally be solved for non-zero initial values. How to solve the problem is one of the key issues in this field. This is called "Initial condition (value) problems" of FDE. In this paper, initial condition problems of FVE are solved by making use of the prehistory functions of unknowns which are specified before the initial instance (referred to as the initial functions) starts. Introduction of initial functions into FDE reflects the physical state in giving the initial values. In this paper, several types of initial function are used to solve unique solutions for a type of FVE (referred to as FVE-I). The solutions of FVE-I are obtained by means of both numerical and analytical methods. Implication of the solutions to viscoelastic material will also be discussed