Distress classification measures in the banking sector

This paper investigates distress classification measures in the banking sector. The power of ten different accounting measures is tested using media coverage as the benchmark for a sample of 1,175 banks which participated in merger and acquisitions or divestiture deals over the past 22 calendar years. According to the results of the study, a bank should be defined as distressed if the ratio of its non-performing loans to total loans is in the two highest deciles of the industry, using a three-year moving average. This measure is typically favored by practitioners, who maintain that other common measures, e.g., those involving provisions for loan losses, are not as accurate as they express only a managerial forecast. Interestingly, measures that capture capital adequacy too often depict the bank as healthy even if it is de facto distressed, while measures of asset quality, though highly correlated with each other, tend to overestimate the number of distressed banks

Distress resolution strategies in the banking sector: Implications for global financial crises

This chapter investigates the effectiveness and the motivation behind the choice of different types of distress resolution strategies in the banking sector. This is a global study that analyzes key financial characteristics of distressed banks that were either acquired by other banks, divested assets, or were subject to government intervention, as well as the change in the financial profile of those distressed institutions from one year pre-deal to three years post-deal. The results show that governments intervene in the (relatively) best performers that only underperform in liquidity ratios, an indication of critical short-term flow problems. Distressed sellers, the underperformers of the three groups, enjoy much improved performance, in particular in cross-border deals. There is some evidence of foreign acquirers ‘cherry picking’ the least distressed banks, though no significant differences in target performance remain post-deal between cross-border and domestic deals. These findings provide some useful guidance for policy makers globally and for future financial crises that impact the banking sector

Birth control knowledge among freshmen of four Italian universities

Since sexual health education (SHE) is not mandatory in Italian schools, we conducted a survey on freshmen of four Italian university campuses in 2012 to investigate the respective level of sexual health knowledge (SHK) in relation to birth control, with the aim to inform public health policy makers. A convenience strategy was employed to sample 4,552 freshmen registered with various undergraduate courses at four Italian universities: Padua university (Veneto Region); university of Milan (Lombardy Region); university of Bergamo (Lombardy Region); university of Palermo (Sicily Region). We investigated the level of SHK on birth control using 6 proxy indicators: (1) the average length of a woman\u2019s period [outcome with 3 levels: wrong (base) vs. acceptable vs. correct]; (2) the most fertile interval within a woman\u2019s period (binary outcome: correct vs. wrong answer); (3) the event between the end of a period and the beginning of the next cycle (binary outcome: correct vs. wrong answer); (4) the average survival of spermatozoa in the womb (binary outcome: correct vs. wrong answer); (5) the concept of contraception (binary outcome: correct vs. wrong answer); (6) the efcacy of various contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancies (linear score: 0\u201317). We ftted 6 separate models of multiple regression: multinomial for outcome 1; logistic for outcomes 2, 3, 4, 6; linear for outcome 6. Statistical estimates were adjusted for a number of socio-demographic factors. Results were expressed as odds ratios (OR) for the 4 multiple logistic regression models, linear coefcients (RC) for the linear regression model and relative risk ratio (RRR) for the multinomial logistic regression model. The level of signifcance of each risk estimate was set at 0.05. The level of SHK of freshmen sampled was rather low, as 60% interviewees did not know the average length of a woman\u2019s period, the average survival of spermatozoa in the womb and the concept of contraception, whilst the most fertile interval within a woman\u2019s period was known only to 55% of interviewees. The mean score of SHK on the efcacy of various contraceptive methods was only 5 (scale 0\u201317). Some categories of students were consistently and signifcantly less knowledgeable on birth control at multivariable analysis: males; students from the university of Palermo; those with vocational secondary school education and those not in a romantic relationship at the time the survey was conducted. The results of this survey clearly call for the introduction of SHE programs in Italian schools, as already done in several European countries. School SHE should start as early as possible, ideally even before secondary school. SHE should be holistic and delivered with a multiple agency coordinated approach involving the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education, University and Scientifc Research (MIUR), families, schools, public health departments, primary health care providers, pharmacists, media, other

Past&Present at Tarchna&Tarquinia: a flexible approach to make visible the invisible

This contribution falls within the topic of the “development of guidelines and best practices” and deals with the study case of the ancient Etruscan city of Tarchna (Tarquinia, central Italy). The “Tarquinia Project” started here in 1982 with the investigations carried out by the Università degli Studi di Milano in two sacred areas and along the fortifications. The Project was endowed since its beginnings with the collaboration of several experts in disciplines other than Archaeology which number has increased in the past years. Their aim is to find out as much as possible about the material aspects of Archaeology to decode their relationship with the invisibility of ancient life. This contribution aims at presenting our approach addressed to put scholars in the condition to handle data according to their own procedures, within the same environment, through an ecosystem of benchmarks and references in ways close to the individual practices, supported by ICTs. This is meant to avoid the use of predetermined terminologies and categories, enhancing the proper methods of every single discipline involved in a multidisciplinary environment, beyond the current work of every individual scholar. We propose a radical change of perspective, starting from the collection of raw data in several fields (material aspects of Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, Architecture, Topography) to grasp the underlining model, thanks to the assessment of recurrent associations among different categories of evidence, instead of starting from preconceived theoretic models and using data to confirm them. Distinct small, medium and large scale investigation methods are integrated for the first time to produce a significant interdisciplinary cognitive tool to shift from the materiality of the leftovers of Ancient Past, to its integrity, to what lies behind at a metaphysical level and is, therefore, invisible to us. This is related to the materiality of rituals, based on the recurrence of cultic practices in the above-mentioned sacred areas, whose gestures might also be revealed by sediments and organic remains, in addition to other archaeological and epigraphic issues. Tarquinia strongly challenges researchers to be open to unconventional and unexploited issues due to the complexity of the site. It is the ideal place to create awareness among the general public about the results of Archaeological research and to disseminate and make visible its acquirements, according to the European Charter for Researchers. The support of Environmental Psychologists helps to ensuring outreach entails initiatives directed to the local population, in order to introduce them to an equilibrated connection between their invisible Past and the local present culture. In this framework students from high school are involved in the Archaeological field activities, since 2012. Our best practices are therefore addressed to give back to the ancient Etruscan city its value of prominent cultural and natural landmark in the Past, to make it possible for the modern community to assess it in the same way. According to current theories of “place identity” and "place attachment" the modern community is in the condition to feeling and experiencing the continuity between past, present and future

Komunikasi Antarbudaya Di Kalangan Mahasiswa Etnik Papua Dan Etnik Manado Di Universitas Sam Ratulangi Manado

Masyarakat Indonesia tergolong dalam masyarakat heterogen karena terdiri dari berbagai keberagaman suku bangsa, agama, bahasa, adat istiadat dan sebagainya. Dalam melakukan komunikasi untuk memenuhi kebutuhan hidupnya individu ataupun kelompok melakukan interaksi baik sesama etnik maupun dengan individu atau kelompok lain yang berbeda latar belakang budaya, maka di situlah tercipta komunikasi antarbudaya. Komunikasi antarbudaya merupakan komunikasi antar orang-orang yang berbeda budaya (baik dalam arti ras, etnik ataupun perbedaan sosio ekonomi).Dari uraian tersebut, maka penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pesan komunikasi verbal dan hambatan-hambatan yang di temui dalam komunikasi antarbudaya di kalangan mahasiswa etnik Papua dan etnik Manado di Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, Universitas Sam Ratulangi Manado.Penelitian ini dilakukan di Fakultas Ilmu Sosial dan Politik (FISPOL), Universitas Sam Ratulangi Manado. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode kualitatif dengan teknik pengumpulan data melalui wawancara, observasi/pengamatan, dan dokumentasi. Adapaun informan adalah mahasiswa FISPOL etnik Papua yang berkuliah selama 1 sampai dengan 4 tahun dan mahasiswa FISPOL etnik Manado yakni: Minahasa, Gorontalo, Sangihe Talaud dan Bolmong yang telah menetap di Provinsi Sulawesi Utara sejak kecil. sedangkan tenik analisis data penulis berupaya dengan jalan bekerja dengan data, mengorganisasikan data, memilah-milahnya menjadi satuan yang dapat dikelola, mensistensikannya, mencari dan menemukan pola dan menemukan apa yang penting dari apa yang dipelajari dan memutuskan apa yang dapa di ceritakan kepada orang lain.Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa komunikasi antarbudaya di kalangan mahasiswa antara etnik Papua dan etnik Manado di fakultas ilmu sosial dan politik (FISPOL) Universitas Sam Ratulangai Manado berjalan cukup baik dapat dilihat dengan mereka masing-masing menyadari perbedaan yang terjadi namun perbedaan tidak menjadi suatu penghalang untuk mereka terus melakukan interaksi karena kedua etnik ini selalu mengedepankan sikap saling menghargai perbedaan baik dari segi budaya berupa bahasa dan dialek, gaya hidup dan perilaku. Akan tetapi berdasarkan hasil penelitian juga menyatakan bahwa makna dalam komunikasi antarbudaya di kalangan mahasiswa antara etnik Papua dan etnik Manado baik melalui komunikasi secara langsung maupun melalui media sosial (facebook, line, dan BBM) belum berjalan secara optimal karena masing-masing etnik masih menggunakan bahasa dan dialek daerah asal dalam melakukan interaksi sehingga masing-masing individu memiliki persepsi yang berbeda dalam menangkap pesan

Some distorted thoughts about ketamine as a psychedelic and a novel hypothesis based on NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic plasticity.

Ketamine, a channel blocking NMDA receptor antagonist, is used off-label for its psychedelic effects, which may arise from a combination of several inter-related actions. Firstly, reductions of the contribution of NMDA receptors to afferent information from external and internal sensory inputs may distort sensations and their processing in higher brain centres. Secondly, reductions of NMDA receptor-mediated excitation of GABAergic interneurons can result in glutamatergic overactivity. Thirdly, limbic cortical disinhibition may indirectly enhance dopaminergic and serotonergic activity. Fourthly, inhibition of NMDA receptor mediated synaptic plasticity, such as short-term potentiation (STP) and long-term potentiation (LTP), could lead to distorted memories. Here, for the first time, we compared quantitatively the effects of ketamine on STP and LTP. We report that ketamine inhibits STP in a double sigmoidal fashion with low (40 nM) and high (5.6 μM) IC50 values. In contrast, ketamine inhibits LTP in a single sigmoidal manner (IC50 value ∼ 15 μM). A GluN2D-subunit preferring NMDA receptor antagonist, UBP145, has a similar pharmacological profile. We propose that the psychedelic effects of ketamine may involve the inhibition of STP and, potentially, associated forms of working memory. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Psychedelics: New Doors, Altered Perceptions'

A Survey on Knowledge, Prevention, and Occurrence of Sexually Transmitted Infections among Freshmen from Four Italian Universities

Background. The peak of sexually transmitted infections (STI) among adolescents/young adults suggests a low level of prevention. In order to assess whether the level of sexual health education (SHE), received by several channels, was effective at improving sexual behaviors, we conducted a survey among freshmen from four Italian universities. Methods. This observational cross-sectional study was carried out with an anonymous self-reported paper questionnaire, administered during teaching lectures to university freshmen of the northern (Padua, Bergamo, and Milan campuses) and southern (Palermo campus) parts of the country. Knowledge of STI (a linear numerical score), knowledge of STI prevention (dichotomous variable: yes vs. no) and previous STI occurrence (polytomous variable: "no"; "don't know"; "yes") were the outcomes in the statistical analysis. Results. The final number of freshmen surveyed was 4552 (97.9% response rate). The mean age of respondents was 21.4 ± 2.2 years and most of them (70.3%) were females. A total of 60% of students were in a stable romantic relationship. Only 28% respondents knew the most effective methods to prevent STI (i.e., condom and sexual abstinence), with a slightly higher prevalence of correct answers among females (31.3%) than males (25.8%). Students with history of STIs were 5.1%; they reported referring mostly to their general practitioner (GP) (38.1%) rather than discussing the problem with their partner (13.1%). At multivariable analysis, a significantly higher level of STI knowledge was observed in older students (25+ years of age), biomedical students, and those from a non-nuclear family; lower levels were found among students of the University of Palermo, and those who completed a vocational secondary school education. Those who had less knowledge about the most effective tools to prevent STIs included males, students from the University of Palermo, students registered with educational sciences, economics/political sciences, those of foreign nationality, and those whose fathers had lower educational levels. The risk of contracting a STI was significantly lower only in students not in a stable relationship (relative risk ratio, RRR = 0.67; 95% confidence interval, 95%CI = 0.48; 0.94), whereas such risk was significantly higher in students with higher STI knowledge (RRR = 1.15; 95%CI = 1.08; 1.22). Discussion and Conclusions. University freshmen investigated in this study had poor knowledge of STIs and their prevention. Unexpectedly, those with higher levels of knowledge had an increased risk of STIs. There have been no educational interventions-with good quality and long-term follow-ups-that increased the confidence that such SHE programs could have population level effects. A new high-quality study is therefore recommended to assess the effectiveness of an intervention generating behavioral changes; increasing only STI knowledge may not be sufficient