Abstract: The aim of this article was to analyze the relationship between the loyalty of banks´ employees and the acceptance of clients’ needs and to analyze the relationship between the loyalty of banks’ employees and the lack of their productivity in the Czech and Slovak banking sector. Our research has been realized through a questionnaire survey.
The loyalty of banks’ employees was higher in the Czech Republic than in Slovak Republic which has been transformed into a higher acceptance rate of customers’ needs and lower lack of employees’ productivity. Within both countries, it has been found that the approach of loyal employees to the acceptance of clients’ needs is not statistically significantly different from the approach of other employees. It has been also discovered that loyal employees did not work more intensively and did not feel statistically significant lower lack of their own productivity.
Abstract: A computational fluid dynamic (CFD-Fluent 6.2) for two-dimensional fluid flow is applied to predict the pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics of laminar and turbulent flow past staggered flat-tube bank. Effect of aspect ratio ((H/D)/(L/D)) on pressure drop, temperature, and velocity contour for laminar and turbulent flow over staggered flat-tube bank is studied. The theoretical results of the present models are compared with previously published experimental data of different authors. Satisfactory agreement is demonstrated. Also, the comparison between the present study and others analytical methods for the Re number with Nu number is done. The results show as the Reynolds number increases the maximum velocity in the passage between the upper and lower tubes increases. The comparisons show a fair agreement especially in the turbulent flow region. The good agreement of the data of this work with these recommended analytical methods validates the current study.
Abstract: The banking sector poses a lot of problems in Nigeria in general and the non-oil export sector in particular. The banks' lack effectiveness in handling small, medium or long-term credit risk (lack of training of loan officers, lack of information on borrowers and absence of a reliable credit registry) results in non-oil exporters being burdened with high requirements, such as up to three years of financial statements, enough collateral to cover both the loan principal and interest (including a cash deposit that may be up to 30% of the loans' net present value), and to provide every detail of the international trade transaction in question. The stated problems triggered this research. Consequently, information on bank financing of non-oil exports was collected from 100 respondents from the 20 Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in Nigeria. The data was analysed by the use of descriptive statistics correlation and regression. It is found that, Nigerian banks are participants in the financing of non-oil exports. Despite their participation, the rate of interest for credit extended to non-oil export is usually high, ranging between 15-20%. Small and medium sized non-oil export businesses lack the credit history for banks to judge them as reputable. Banks also consider the non-oil export sector very risky for investment. The banks actually do grant less credit than the exporters may require and therefore are not properly funded by banks. Banks grant very low volume of foreign currency loan in addition to, unfavorable exchange rate at which Naira is exchanged to the Dollar and other currencies in the country. This makes importation of inputs costly and negatively impacted on the non-oil export performance in Nigeria.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine co-creation of non-economic values in Islamic banking services and their significance for service science by comparing Islamic and conventional banking services. Although many scholars have discussed co-creation of values in services, most of them have focused on only economic values.
Following Sharia (Islamic principles that are based on Qur’an and Sunnah) traditions, Islamic banking is more concerned with such non-economic values as well-being, partnership, fairness, trust, and justice, than such economic values as money in terms of interest. Therefore, it may be more sustainable and suitable for today’s unpredictable socio-economic environments.
We also argue that Islamic banking is essentially a value co-creation business model that fits better with the so-called Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) than conventional banking. This paper explores a new frontier of value co-creation in services, thereby contributing to further development of service science.
Abstract: In this paper, an extreme learning machine with an automatic segmentation algorithm is applied to heart disorder classification by heart sound signals. From continuous heart sound signals, the starting points of the first (S1) and the second heart pulses (S2) are extracted and corrected by utilizing an inter-pulse histogram. From the corrected pulse positions, a single period of heart sound signals is extracted and converted to a feature vector including the mel-scaled filter bank energy coefficients and the envelope coefficients of uniform-sized sub-segments. An extreme learning machine is used to classify the feature vector. In our cardiac disorder classification and detection experiments with 9 cardiac disorder categories, the proposed method shows significantly better performance than multi-layer perceptron, support vector machine, and hidden Markov model; it achieves the classification accuracy of 81.6% and the detection accuracy of 96.9%.
Abstract: Prediction of sinusoidal signals with time-varying
frequencies has been an important research topic in power electronics
systems. To solve this problem, we propose a new fuzzy
predictive filtering scheme, which is based on a Finite Impulse
Response (FIR) filter bank. Fuzzy logic is introduced here to provide
appropriate interpolation of individual filter outputs. Therefore,
instead of regular 'hard' switching, our method has the advantageous
'soft' switching among different filters. Simulation
comparisons between the fuzzy predictive filtering and conventional
filter bank-based approach are made to demonstrate that the
new scheme can achieve an enhanced prediction performance for
slowly changing sinusoidal input signals.
Abstract: This paper analysis the tourism development on the
Red Sea in Egypt (west bank) and the needed ongoing action toward
a sustainable approach. It addresses, at the first, the development's
evolution occurred in the coastal area, the environmental effects it
left, and how to minimize those impacts in the future. The second
main point is dealing with the most important issues that hinder the
achievement of sustainable tourism development on the Red Sea
coast and how we can overcome them in the future.
Abstract: Electronic banking must be secure and easy to use and
many banks heavily advertise an apparent of 100% secure system
which is contestable in many points. In this work, an alternative
approach to the design of e-banking system, through a new solution
for user authentication and security with digital certificate called
LumaCert is introduced. The certificate applies new algorithm for
asymmetric encryption by utilizing two mathematical operators
called Pentors and UltraPentors. The public and private key in this
algorithm represent a quadruple of parameters which are directly
dependent from the above mentioned operators. The strength of the
algorithm resides in the inability to find the respective Pentor and
UltraPentor operator from the mentioned parameters.
Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus. The treatment of coronavirus-associated SARS has been evolving and so far there is no consensus on an optimal regimen. The mainstream therapeutic interventions for SARS involve broad-spectrum antibiotics and supportive care, as well as antiviral agents and immunomodulatory therapy. The Protein- Ligand interaction plays a significant role in structural based drug designing. In the present work we have taken the receptor Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 and identified the drugs that are commonly used against SARS. They are Lopinavir, Ritonavir, Ribavirin, and Oseltamivir. The receptor Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) was docked with above said drugs and the energy value obtained are as follows, Lopinavir (-292.3), Ritonavir (-325.6), Oseltamivir (- 229.1), Ribavirin (-208.8). Depending on the least energy value we have chosen the best two drugs out of the four conventional drugs. We tried to improve the binding efficiency and steric compatibility of the two drugs namely Ritonavir and Lopinavir. Several modifications were made to the probable functional groups (phenylic, ketonic groups in case of Ritonavir and carboxylic groups in case of Lopinavir respectively) which were interacting with the receptor molecule. Analogs were prepared by Marvin Sketch software and were docked using HEX docking software. Lopinavir analog 8 and Ritonavir analog 11 were detected with significant energy values and are probable lead molecule. It infers that some of the modified drugs are better than the original drugs. Further work can be carried out to improve the steric compatibility of the drug based upon the work done above for a more energy efficient binding of the drugs to the receptor.
Abstract: Aim of this paper is to explore the prospect of a new approach of mobile phone banking in Libya. This study evaluates customer knowledge on commercial mobile banking in Libya. To examine the relationship between age, occupation and intention for using mobile banking for commercial purpose, a survey was conducted to gather information from one hundred Libyan bank clients. The results indicate that Libyan customers have accepted the new technology and they are ready to use it. There is no significant joint relationship between age and occupation found in intention to use mobile banking in Libya. On the other hand, the customers’ knowledge about mobile banking has a greater relationship with the intention. This study has implications for demographic researches and consumer behaviour disciplines. It also has profitable implications for banks and managers in Libya, as it will assist in better understanding of the Libyan consumers and their activities, when they develop their market strategies and new service.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the financing
practices of SMEs in Libya in two different phases of business life
cycle: start-up and matured stages. Moreover, SMEs- accessing bank
loan issues is also identified. The study was conducted by taking into
account the aspect of demand. The findings are based on a sample of
76 SMEs in Libya through the adoption of questionnaires. The results
have pinpointed several things- evidently, SMEs use informal
financing sources which prefer personal savings; SME owners are
willing to apply for bank loan, that the most pressing problem has
been identified, not to apply bank loan is loan with interest (religion
factor).
Abstract: In this paper we present a Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy
System (ANFIS) with inputs the lagged dependent variable for the
prediction of Gross domestic Product growth rate in six countries.
We compare the results with those of Autoregressive (AR) model.
We conclude that the forecasting performance of neuro-fuzzy-system
in the out-of-sample period is much more superior and can be a very
useful alternative tool used by the national statistical services and the
banking and finance industry.
Abstract: Adenylate kinase (AK) catalyse the phosphotransferase
reaction plays an important role in cellular energy homeostasis. The
inhibitors of bacterial AK are useful in the treatment of several
bacterial infections. To the novel inhibitors of AK, docking studies
performed by using the 3D structure of Bacillus stearothermophilus
adenylate kinase from protein data bank (IZIP). 46 Quinoxaline
analogues were docked in 1ZIP and selected the highly interacting
compounds based on their binding energies, for further studies
Abstract: This work presents the first results from the long-term laboratory experiment dealing with impact of drought on soil properties. Three groups of the treatment (A, B and C) with different regime of irrigation were prepared. The soil water content was maintained at 70 % of soil water holding capacity in group A, at 40 % in group B. In group C, soil water regime was maintained in the range of wilting point. Each group of the experiment was divided into three variants (A1 = B1, C1; A2 = B2, C2 etc.) with three repetitions: Variants A1 (B1, C1) were a controls without addition of another fertilizer. Variants A2 (B2, C2) were fertilized with mineral nitrogen fertilizer DAM 390 (0.140 Mg of N per ha) and variants A3 (B3, C3) contained 45 g of Cp per a pot.
The significant differences (ANOVA, P
Abstract: A numerical prediction of flow in a tube bank is reported. The flow regimes considered cover a wide range of Reynolds numbers, which range from 380 to 99000 and which are equivalent to a range of inlet velocities from very low (0.072 m/s) to very high (60 m/s). In this study, calculations were made using the standard k-e model with standard wall function. The drag coefficient, skin friction drag, pressure drag, and pressure distribution around a tube were investigated. As the velocity increased, the drag coefficient decreased until the velocity exceeded 45 m/s, after which it increased. Furthermore, the pressure drag and skin friction drag depend on the velocity.
Abstract: The New Basel Capital Accord (Basel II) influences how financial institutions around the world, and especially European Union institutions, determine the amount of capital to reserve. However, as the recent global crisis has shown, the revision of Basel II is needed to reflect current trends, such as increased volatility and correlation, in the world financial markets. The overall objective of Basel II is to increase the safety and soundness of the international financial system. Basel II builds on three main pillars: Pillar I deals with the minimum capital requirements for credit, market and operational risk, Pillar II focuses on the supervisory review process and finally Pillar III promotes market discipline through enhanced disclosure requirements for banks. The aim of this paper is to provide the historical background, key features and impact of Basel II on financial markets. Moreover, we discuss new proposals for international bank regulation (sometimes referred to as Basel III) which include requirements for higher quality, constituency and transparency of banks' capital and risk management, regulation of OTC markets and introduction of new liquidity standards for internationally active banks.
Abstract: This paper presents the 20-GHz fractional PLL (Phase
Locked Loop) circuit for the next generation Wi-Fi by using 90 nm
TSMC process. The newly suggested millimeter wave 16/17
pre-scalar is designed and verified by measurement to make the
fractional PLL having a low quantization noise. The operational
bandwidth of the 60 GHz system is 15 % of the carrier frequency
which requires large value of Kv (VCO control gain) resulting in
degradation of phase noise. To solve this problem, this paper adopts
AFC (Automatic Frequency Controller) controlled 4-bit millimeter
wave VCO with small value of Kv. Also constant Kv is implemented
using 4-bit varactor bank. The measured operational bandwidth is 18.2
~ 23.2 GHz which is 25 % of the carrier frequency. The phase noise of
-58 and -96.2 dBc/Hz at 100 KHz and 1 MHz offset is measured
respectively. The total power consumption of the PLL is only 30 mW.
Abstract: The history of technology and banking is examined as
it relates to risk and technological determinism. It is proposed that
the services that banks offer are determined by technology and that
banks must adopt new technologies to be competitive. The adoption
of technologies paradoxically forces the adoption of other new
technologies to protect the bank from the increased risk of
technology. This cycle will lead to bank examiners and regulators to
focus on human behavior, not on the ever changing technology.
Abstract: The Czech Republic is a country whose economy has
undergone a transformation since 1989. Since joining the EU it has
been striving to reduce the differences in its economic standard and
the quality of its institutional environment in comparison with
developed countries. According to an assessment carried out by the
World Bank, the Czech Republic was long classed as a country
whose institutional development was seen as problematic. For many
years one of the things it was rated most poorly on was its bankruptcy
law. The new Insolvency Act, which is a modern law in terms of its
treatment of bankruptcy, was first adopted in the Czech Republic in
2006. This law, together with other regulatory measures, offers debtridden
Czech economic subjects legal instruments which are well
established and in common practice in developed market economies.
Since then, analyses performed by the World Bank and the London
EBRD have shown that there have been significant steps forward in
the quality of Czech bankruptcy law. The Czech Republic still lacks
an analytical apparatus which can offer a structured characterisation
of the general and specific conditions of Czech company and
household debt which is subject to current changes in the global
economy. This area has so far not been given the attention it
deserves. The lack of research is particularly clear as regards analysis
of household debt and householders- ability to settle their debts in a
reasonable manner using legal and other state means of regulation.
We assume that Czech households have recourse to a modern
insolvency law, yet the effective application of this law is hampered
by the inconsistencies in the formal and informal institutions
involved in resolving debt. This in turn is based on the assumption
that this lack of consistency is more marked in cases of personal
bankruptcy. Our aim is to identify the symptoms which indicate that
for some time the effective application of bankruptcy law in the
Czech Republic will be hindered by factors originating in
householders- relative inability to identify the risks of falling into
debt.
Abstract: One of the biggest problems of SMEs is their tendencies to financial distress because of insufficient finance background. In this study, an Early Warning System (EWS) model based on data mining for financial risk detection is presented. CHAID algorithm has been used for development of the EWS. Developed EWS can be served like a tailor made financial advisor in decision making process of the firms with its automated nature to the ones who have inadequate financial background. Besides, an application of the model implemented which covered 7,853 SMEs based on Turkish Central Bank (TCB) 2007 data. By using EWS model, 31 risk profiles, 15 risk indicators, 2 early warning signals, and 4 financial road maps has been determined for financial risk mitigation.