Related Lending and Bank Performance: Evidence from Indonesia

After the Asian financial crisis of 1997, it was confirmed that banks lend to their related parties in many countries. The question examined in this article is whether related lending functions to alleviate the problems of asymmetric information or transfers profits from depositors and minority shareholders to related parties. The effects of related lending on the profitability and risk of banks in Indonesia are examined using panel data from 1994 to 2007 comprising a total of 74 Indonesian banks. The effects on return on asset (ROA) varied at different periods. Before and right after the crisis, a higher credit allocation to related parties increased ROA. In middle of the crisis, it turned to negative; and this has also been the case in the most recent period as the Indonesian economy has normalized. Effects of related lending on bank risk measured by the Z-score and non-performing loan is not clear. After undergoing bank restructuring, related lending has decreased and the profit structure of banks has changed.Banks, Loans, Industrial management, Indonesia

Related Lending and Bank Performance: Evidence from Indonesia

After the Asian financial crisis of 1997, it was confirmed that banks lend to their related parties in many countries. The question examined in this article is whether related lending functions to alleviate the problems of asymmetric information or transfers profits from depositors and minority shareholders to related parties. The effects of related lending on the profitability and risk of banks in Indonesia are examined using panel data from 1994 to 2007 comprising a total of 74 Indonesian banks. The effects on return on asset (ROA) varied at different periods. Before and right after the crisis, a higher credit allocation to related parties increased ROA. In middle of the crisis, it turned to negative; and this has also been the case in the most recent period as the Indonesian economy has normalized. Effects of related lending on bank risk measured by the Z-score and non-performing loan is not clear. After undergoing bank restructuring, related lending has decreased and the profit structure of banks has changed

Opiskelijoiden osallistaminen aktiivisemmiksi toimijoiksi : Pohjois- Karjalan koulutuskuntayhtymä Joensuu Tekniikan yksikkö

Kehittämishankkeeni tavoitteena on saada esille mahdollisuuksia, joiden avulla Pohjois-Karjalan koulutuskuntayhtymän Joensuu Tekniikan yksikön opiskelijat saataisiin aktiivisemmin osallistumaan opiskelijakunnan hallituksen (JOPO) järjestämiin tapahtumiin ja tempauksiin. Yhtenä osa-alueena opinnäytetyöni käsittelee osallisuuden tasoja sekä sosiaalisen vahvistamisen käytänteitä, joiden avulla osallisuus toteutuisi nykytilaa paremmin. Osallisuuteen liittyy vahvasti tieto itseä koskevista asioista, eikä myöskään kokemusta itseä koskeviin vaikutusmahdollisuuksiin voi unohtaa. Ammattialalle opinnäytetyöstä tekee ajankohtaisen se kuinka sosiaalinen vahvistaminen toteutuu ammattiopetuksen arjessa. Opinnäytetyössä käsitellään sosiaalisten vahvistamisen näkökulmaa kehitettäessä toiminnasta opiskelijalähtöistä sekä kuinka opiskelijoiden omaa kansalaisvaikuttamista voitaisiin kehittää innostavuudella. Opinnäytetyötä varten hankitun aineiston avulla JOPO saa tietoa, missä formaateissa Tekniikan yksikön opiskelijat haluavat heitä koskevista tapahtumista tiedotettavan sekä millä tasolla opiskelijoiden tietous on heille järjestetyistä tapahtumista. Opinnäyteyö tarjoaa näkökulmia ja idoita, millä keinoin opiskelijalähtöisyyttä voitaisiin kehittää, että Tekniikan yksikön opiskelijat saataisiin paremmin innostettua ja osallistettua yhteisiin tapahtumiin sekä toimimaan aktiivisempina vaikuttajina omassa oppimisympäristössään. Aineistosta sain selville kuinka tapahtumista tiedottamiseen haluttaisiin kehitystä. Vaikutusmahdollisuuksien koetaan paranevan, jos opiskelijat tietäisivät paremmin, kuinka oppilaitoksessa voi vaikuttaa sekä mitkä asiat vaikuttavat opiskelijoiden aktiivisuutta lisäävästi. Tarkastelen opiskelijalähtöisyyttä vertaistuen, sosiaalisen vahvistamisen käytänteiden, osallisuuden tasojen sekä yhteisötoiminnan kautta. Käsittelen myös opiskelijoiden itsensä vastuuta omasta aktiivisuudesta ja osallisuuteen vaikuttavista näkökulmista.The goal of my development project is to bring out ways to get students of Pohjois-Karjalan koulutuskuntayhtymä Joensuu Tekniikan yksikkö to take part in events organized by the student board (JOPO) more active. This thesis partly covers levels of participation and customs of social empowerment which will improve participation. Participation has to do with knowledge of those matters that involves students. This thesis is topical because of how social empowerment occurs in daily professional training. In thesis I process point of view of social empowerment to make activity more student oriented and how to raise students’ civil activity skills by improving motivation. The material acquired for this thesis will give knowledge to JOPO in which formats the students of technical unit want information of events and how well the students think they have been informed about those events. Thesis also offers point of views and ideas how to improve student oriented approach so that students would be more motivated, participate events more active and work mor e active to effect on their school environment. I found out from the material that students wanted that events should be announced earlier. Students feel that their ways to affect would be better if they knew how they can affect in their school. I examine student oriented approaching by peer supporting, knowledge of social empowerment, levels of participation and co-working. I also reflect students’ responsibility of their own activity and the point of views that effect on participation

Indoor navigation using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons

The popularity of indoor navigation has significantly increased during the last decade. Nowadays, many studies aim to develop new indoor navigation systems and improve the accuracy of the already existing ones. Unfortunately, no definitive method for indoor navigation has been approved yet, which is why this type of systems are not as accessible as those used for outdoor navigation. The purpose of this thesis is to introduce the concept of indoor navigation and demonstrate how common electronic devices can be used to create a simple indoor navigation system. In order to do this, a mobile Android application that helps users navigate inside a building was developed. Signal readings and other information broadcasted by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices, known as beacons, were used as reference for this application. In addition to this, adapters and sensors integrated into the mobile device were used to track the user’s movement. The application is also capable of providing information to the user related to their location using additional data attachments associated to the beacons. This application is only a prototype meant to provide an idea of how indoor navigation could be possible using no more than a smartphone and few BLE beacons. Even though the system proved to work quite well within the testing area, there are still plenty of aspects that can be improved

The somatic mutations in Interferon-γ signal molecules in human uterine leiomyosarcoma

Human uterine leiomyosarcoma (U-LMS) is neoplastic malignancy that typically arises in tissues of mesenchymal origin. The identification of novel molecular mechanism leading to human U-LMS formation and the establishment of new therapies has been hampered by several critical points. We earlier reported that mice with a homozygous deficiency for proteasome beta subunit 9 (Psmb9)/β1i, an interferon (IFN)-γ inducible factor, spontaneously develop U-LMS. The use of research findings of the experiment with mouse model has been successful in increasing our knowledge and understanding of how alterations, in relevant oncogenic, tumour suppressive, and signaling pathways directly impact sarcomagenesis. The IFN-γ pathway is important for control of tumour growth and invasion and has been implicated in several malignant tumours. In this study, experiments with human tissues revealed a defective expression of PSMB9/β1i in human U-LMS that was traced to the IFN-γ pathway and the specific effect of somatic mutations of JANUS KINASE (JAK) 1 molecule or promoter region on the locus cording PSMB9/β1i gene. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of human U-LMS may lead to identification of new diagnostic candidates or therapeutic targets against human U-LMS

Excessive daytime napping independently associated with decreased insulin sensitivity in cross-sectional study – Hyogo Sleep Cardio-Autonomic Atherosclerosis cohort study

BackgroundAlthough excessive daytime napping has been shown to be involved in diabetes occurrence, its impact on insulin secretion and sensitivity has not been elucidated. It is speculated that excessive napping disrupts the sleep-wake rhythm and increases sympathetic nerve activity during the day, resulting in decreased insulin sensitivity, which may be a mechanism leading to development of diabetes. We previously conducted a cross-sectional study that showed an association of autonomic dysfunction with decreased insulin sensitivity, though involvement of autonomic function in the association between napping and insulin sensitivity remained unclear. Furthermore, the effects of napping used to supplement to short nighttime sleep on insulin secretion and sensitivity are also unknown. In the present cross-sectional study, we examined the relationships of daytime nap duration and autonomic function with insulin secretion and sensitivity in 436 subjects enrolled in the Hyogo Sleep Cardio-Autonomic Atherosclerosis (HSCAA) Cohort Study who underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (75-g OGTT), after excluding those already diagnosed with diabetes.MethodsDaytime nap duration was objectively measured using actigraphy, with the subjects divided into the short (≤1 hour) and long (>1 hour) nap groups. Insulin secretion and sensitivity were determined using 75-g OGTT findings. Standard deviation of normal to normal R-R interval (SDNN), a measure of autonomic function, was also determined based on heart rate variability. Subgroup analysis was performed for the associations of napping with insulin secretion and sensitivity, with the results stratified by nighttime sleep duration of less or greater than six hours.ResultsSubjects in the long nap group exhibited lower insulin sensitivity parameters (QUICKI: β=-0.135, p<0.01; Matsuda index: β=-0.119, p<0.05) independent of other clinical factors. In contrast, no associations with insulin secretion were found in either group. Furthermore, the association of long nap duration with insulin sensitivity was not confounded by SDNN. Specific subgroup analyses revealed more prominent associations of long nap habit with lower insulin sensitivity in subjects with a short nighttime sleep time (β=-0.137, p<0.05).ConclusionLong daytime nap duration may be a potential risk factor for decreased insulin sensitivity

A Substellar Companion to Pleiades HII 3441

We find a new substellar companion to the Pleiades member star, Pleiades HII 3441, using the Subaru telescope with adaptive optics. The discovery is made as part of the high-contrast imaging survey to search for planetary-mass and substellar companions in the Pleiades and young moving groups. The companion has a projected separation of 0".49 +/- 0".02 (66 +/- 2 AU) and a mass of 68 +/- 5 M_J based on three observations in the J-, H-, and K_S-band. The spectral type is estimated to be M7 (~2700 K), and thus no methane absorption is detected in the H band. Our Pleiades observations result in the detection of two substellar companions including one previously reported among 20 observed Pleiades stars, and indicate that the fraction of substellar companions in the Pleiades is about 10.0 +26.1/-8.8 %. This is consistent with multiplicity studies of both the Pleiades stars and other open clusters.Comment: Main text (14 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables), and Supplementary data (8 pages, 3 tables). Accepted for Publications of Astronomical Society of Japa