The dynamics of foreign bank ownership - evidence from Hungary

The early start of the process of bank restructuring and privatization in Hungary provides a longer and richer amount of evidence than that available for any other transition economy. The authors analyze the dynamics of bank restructuring in Hungary with a focus on the role played by foreign ownership. They explore the performance over time of foreign-owned Hungarian banks and study the extent to which efficiency gains are affected by the chosen acquisition strategy-strategic acquisition in contrast with investment in a newly established bank (greenfield investment)-or by the management style adopted after the acquisition. The authors supplement previous results on the effects of foreign bank ownership in three ways. First, they explicitly consider the time span required for the change of ownership to affect bank performance. Second, the authors explore how important the chosen acquisition strategy is for the success of an acquisition. And third, they study how relevant the adopted management style is to this end, as proxied by the degree of reliance on foreign management.Payment Systems&Infrastructure,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Banks&Banking Reform,Decentralization,Banks&Banking Reform,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,International Terrorism&Counterterrorism,Financial Intermediation,Economic Theory&Research

Undergraduate student aspirations, awareness and knowledge of postgraduate study options: A preliminary, qualitative investigation

Little attention has been directed to the attitudes of undergraduate university students towards postgraduate studies and little is known about the extent of undergraduates awareness of postgraduate degrees. Research in the careers arena has revealed inconsistencies in factors that impact on a students decision to pursue postgraduate study. Using focus groups across different levels of Bachelor of Business students, this study examines the attitudes of university undergraduate students towards postgraduate study. Factors that impact on an undergraduate decision to pursue postgraduate study are also explored

Language and literacy learning through art - Methodological and theoretical background and curriculum

PrefaceIn post-industrial societies, employment and social inclusion crucially depend on the acquisition of basic and soft skills, including home and/or local language literacy, intercultural communication and social abilities. Research shows that less qualified and less skilled adults are economically and socially marginalised; they hold low-wage jobs while their low literacy competence contributes to low self-esteem, and at a macro-economic level, a high percentage of people with low literacy levels reduces the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]/Statistics Canada, 2000). For instance, a 2011 survey in France showed that only 7.7% of adults aged 16–65 attained the highest levels of literacy compared with the average of 11.8% in other participating OECD countries (OECD, 2011). Furthermore, the percentage of adults with the lowest literacy scores is higher in France (21.6%) than in other OECD countries, with an average of 15.5% (OECD, 2011). Therefore, the development of new pedagogical tools aiming at promoting basic and soft skills amongst less qualified adults and instructing migrants in the host country’s language and culture are crucial at both individual (personal growth) and social levels (a fairer and more equal society). The Language and literacy learning through art (LALI) project embeds language and literacy learning in cultural education by articulating tasks in museums and classrooms. Thus, in addition to classrooms, learning is transferred into a real-world environment, specifically, to a museum that creates stimulating conditions for peer learning. Art (i.e., a central component of culture) therefore becomes a vital resource for fostering social and linguistic integration. This manual is part of the set of different products and kits for professionals that is available through an online resource centre created by LALI (http://www.lali-project.eu/materials/). Additionally, LALI has developed a mobile application called Art App to support and reinforce the learning that occurs in museums. Specifically, the Art App helps teachers prepare the in situ tasks, facilitates language and literacy retention and practice, as well as creates an opportunity for the participants to practise their digital skills. LALI also offers teachers[1] a video-based assessment tool and a toolkit that allow them to improve their pedagogical skills and to evaluate and adapt their approaches and methods to the participants’ specificities between workshops. The video recordings help the teachers to continuously adjust their teaching, allowing them to optimise communication with the participants during the project. The video recordings of the museum workshops and watching the episodes selected by the teachers will help the participants to improve their performance and enhance their basic foreign language and culture vocabulary. This approach also permits individualised follow-ups and the creation of individual learning paths (Eloranta & Jalkanen, 2015).  This manual provides the theoretical background and the curriculum of the LALI approach. The LALI members who have collaborated on this manual hope that the readers find it inspiring and that it will contribute to facilitating beginning learners’ integration to society. Throughout this manual, we refer to teachers. However, in the museum context, instead of a teacher, a facilitator (e.g., an art mediator) might be present to guide the learning session. All the materials will be available for other teachers, educators and other professionals involved in teaching adults with low skills. </p

Kielen ja luku- ja kirjoitustaidon opetus taiteen avulla. Metodologinen ja teoreettinen viitekehys sekä opetusmenetelmä

Jälkiteollisissa yhteiskunnissa työllisyystilanne ja sosiaalinen osallisuus riippuvat ratkaisevasti perustaitojen ja ns. pehmeiden taitojen osaamisesta, joihin kuuluvat koti- ja/tai paikalliskielen luku- ja kirjoitustaidot, kulttuurienvälisen viestinnän taidot ja sosiaaliset taidot. Tutkimukset osoittavat, että vähemmän koulutetut ja heikompitaitoiset aikuiset ovat taloudellisesti ja sosiaalisesti väliinputoajien asemassa; he työllistyvät matalapalkkaisille aloille, samaan aikaan kun heidän heikot luku- ja kirjoitustaitonsa vaikuttavat madaltavasti heidän omanarvontuntoonsa. Makrotalouden tasolla heikosti lukevien ja kirjoittavien suuri määrä laskee maan bruttokansantuotetta (BKT) (taloudellinen yhteistyö- ja kehittämisjärjestö [OECD]/Kanadan tilastokeskus Statistics Canada, 2000). Esimerkiksi vuonna 2011 Ranskassa toteutettu kyselytutkimus osoitti, että 16–65-vuotiaista aikuisista vain 7,7 % saavutti korkeimman luku- ja kirjoitustaidon tason verrattuna 11,8 % keskiarvoon muissa tutkimukseen osallistuneissa OECD-maissa (OECD, 2011). Lisäksi heikoimman luku- ja kirjoitustaitotuloksen saaneiden aikuisten prosenttimäärä on korkeampi Ranskassa (21,6 %) kuin muissa OECD-maissa, joissa keskiarvo on 15,5 % (OECD, 2011). Siksi on ratkaisevan tärkeää kehittää uusia pedagogisia työkaluja, joilla parannetaan vähemmän koulutettujen aikuisten perustaitoja ja pehmeitä taitoja sekä opetetaan maahanmuuttajille isäntämaan kieltä ja kulttuuria sekä henkilökohtaisella (henkilökohtainen kasvu) että sosiaalisilla tasoilla (reilumpi ja tasa-arvoisempi yhteiskunta). Kielen ja luku- ja kirjoitustaidon opetus taiteen avulla (Language and literacy learning through art – LALI) -projekti sisällyttää kielen ja luku- ja kirjoitustaidon oppimisen kulttuuriopetukseen liittämällä mukaan tehtäviä museossa ja luokkahuoneessa. Luokkahuoneen lisäksi oppimista siirretään tosielämän ympäristöön, erityisesti museoihin, mikä luo stimuloivia olosuhteita vertaisoppimiselle. Taiteesta (eli kulttuurin keskeisestä osasta) tulee siten ratkaiseva resurssi sosiaalisen ja kielellisen integraation edistämisessä. Tämä opas on osa erilaisten ammattilaisille suunnattujen tuotteiden ja työkalupakkien sarjaa, joka on saatavilla LALI:n luoman verkkoresurssikeskuksen kautta (http://www.lali-project.eu/materials/). Lisäksi LALI on kehittänyt mobiilisovelluksen nimeltä Art App, joka tukee ja vahvistaa museoissa tapahtuvaa oppimista. Pääasiallisesti Art App auttaa opettajia valmistelemaan paikan päällä tapahtuvia tehtäviä, helpottaa kielitaidon ja luku- ja kirjoitustaidon kehittämistä ja harjoittelemista sekä tarjoaa osallistujille mahdollisuuden harjoittaa myös heidän digitaalista osaamistaan. LALI tarjoaa opettajille myös videopohjaisen arviointityökalun ja työkalupakin, joilla opettajat voivat kohentaa pedagogisia taitojaan sekä arvioida ja mukauttaa omia lähestymistapojaan ja metodejaan ryhmäkohtaisesti työpajojen välissä. Videotallenteet auttavat opettajia alati muokkaamaan omaa opetustaan, mikä auttaa heitä kommunikoimaan tehokkaammin osallistujien kanssa projektin aikana. Videotallenteet museotyöpajoista ja opettajien valitsemien jaksojen katseleminen auttavat osallistujia parantamaan suoritustaan ja kehittävät heidän vieraan kielen ja kulttuurisanaston perusosaamistaan. Tämä lähestymistapa sallii myös yksilöllisen seurannan oppimispolkujen luomisen (Eloranta & Jalkanen, 2015). </p

Dose-finding study of ibrutinib and venetoclax in relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma

Relapsed Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is often treated with Bruton\u27s tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi); however, post-BTKi relapse can be challenging. Adding venetoclax (VEN) to ibrutinib (IBR) has shown synergy in preclinical MCL models. Prior MCL studies of the combination show promising efficacy but have conducted limited dose finding. We sought to identify the optimal dosing combination, based on efficacy and toxicity, utilizing a continual reassessment method of 6 combinations of IBR (280 mg, 420 mg, and 560 mg by mouth daily) and VEN (max dose of 200 mg and 400 mg by mouth daily). Eligible participants were not previously exposed to BTKi and not high risk for tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). VEN, initiated first at 100 mg, then at 20 mg by mouth daily after a TLS event, was started prior to adding IBR and ramped-up based on the dose level assigned. Combination treatment continued for six 28-day cycles. Thirty-five participants were enrolled and treated. One TLS event occurred with starting dose of 100 mg VEN; no TLS was seen with 20 mg. The optimal dosing combination was considered to be VEN 200 mg and IBR 420 mg with an overall response rate (ORR) of 93.8% (95% CI: 73.6% to 99.7%) and DLT incidence of 6.2% (95% CI: 0.3% to 26.4%). ORR for all arms was 82.3% (28/34; 95% CI: 65.5% to 93.2%) with a complete response (CR) rate of 42.4% (14/33; 95% CI: 25.5% to 60.8%). A participant was not allocated to IBR 560 mg and VEN 400 mg. ORR benefit was not seen with higher dosing combinations and toxicity was higher; a comparison made within the limitations of small cohorts. Resistance was seen in nearly all arms. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov #NCT02419560

Physical pretreatment of biogenic-rich trommel fines for fast pyrolysis

Energy from Waste (EfW) technologies such as fluidized bed fast pyrolysis, are beneficial for both energy generation and waste management. Such technologies, however face significant challenges due to the heterogeneous nature, particularly the high ash contents of some municipal solid waste types e.g. trommel fines. A study of the physical/mechanical and thermal characteristics of these complex wastes is important for two main reasons; (a) to inform the design and operation of pyrolysis systems to handle the characteristics of such waste; (b) to control/modify the characteristics of the waste to fit with existing EFW technologies via appropriate feedstock preparation methods. In this study, the preparation and detailed characterisation of a sample of biogenic-rich trommel fines has been carried out with a view to making the feedstock suitable for fast pyrolysis based on an existing fluidized bed reactor. Results indicate that control of feed particle size was very important to prevent problems of dust entrainment in the fluidizing gas as well as to prevent feeder hardware problems caused by large stones and aggregates. After physical separation and size reduction, nearly 70. wt% of the trommel fines was obtained within the size range suitable for energy recovery using the existing fast pyrolysis system. This pyrolyzable fraction could account for about 83% of the energy content of the 'as received' trommel fines sample. Therefore there was no significant differences in the thermochemical properties of the raw and pre-treated feedstocks, indicating that suitably prepared trommel fines samples can be used for energy recovery, with significant reduction in mass and volume of the original waste. Consequently, this can lead to more than 90% reduction in the present costs of disposal of trommel fines in landfills. In addition, the recovered plastics and textile materials could be used as refuse derived fuel

Apprentissage de la langue par la médiation artistique. Activités pédagogiques.

Elaboré dans le cadre du projet LALI (Apprentissage d ela langue et d ela littératie à travers l'art), et fruit d'une coopération interdisciplinaire, ce manuel a été conçu par des spécialistes provenant de quatre pays européens. L'objectif de ce projet a été de construire un ensemble d'outils pédagogiques afin de développer des compétences de base et ainsi d'améliorer l'insertion sociale de personnes vivant dans la grande précarité, issues de l'immigration, ne maîtrisant pas la langue locale du pays d'accueil, ou venant de milieu non francophone.L'élément innovant de notre approche est une méthodogie mixte, qui articule des ressources visuelles puisées systématiquement dans l'histoire de l'art avec l'apprentissage de langue et, ou, de littératie. Ce manuel comprend un corpus d'activités pédagogiques qui peuvent être utilisés dans un milieu muséal ou en classe, pour préparer des visites en musée. Les oeuvres d'art offrent une base idéale pour lancer des discussions et/ou pour créer des interactions entre les participants, et ce à plusieurs niveaux; autour des oeuvres elles-mêmes ou en rapportant avec les différences interculturelles des patrimoines du pays d'roginen et du pays d'acceuil.</p