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Sample records for biological specimen banks

  1. Evaluation of biological samples for specimen banking and biomonitoring by nuclear methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stone, S.F.; Zeisler, R.

    1984-01-01

    In a pilot program for environmental specimen banking, human livers and marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) were sampled, analyzed and banked. Nuclear methods played a major role in the evaluation of the samples by providing concentration data for up to 37 major, mineral, and trace elements. Instrumental neutron activation analysis was complemented by neutron-capture prompt gamma activation analysis, radiochemical separations and, for the mussels, by instrumental X-ray fluorescence analysis. A cryogenic homogenization procedure was applied for sample preparation and evaluated. Assessment of accuracy was made by analyzing Standard Reference Materials and by intercomparing the techniques. Results are reported for 66 individual human liver specimens, collected at three locations in the United States, and for batches of 65 mussels from a collection made at Narragansett Bay, RI. 19 references, 23 figures, 4 tables

  2. Preliminary investigation of candidate specimens for the Egyptian environmental specimen bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shawky, S.; Amer, H.; Schladot, J.D.; Ostapczuk, P.; Emons, H.; Abou El-Nour, F.

    2000-01-01

    In the frame of establishing an environmental monitoring program related to environmental specimen banking in egypt, some candidate specimens from the aquatic environment (Fish muscle, fish liver; mussels) were investigated. The selection of specimens and sampling sites is described. Specimens are chemically characterised with respect to some major and trace elements and the results are compared with data obtained from comparable specimens collected in aquatic ecosystems of germany

  3. The Alaska Area Specimen Bank: a tribal-federal partnership to maintain and manage a resource for health research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parkinson, Alan J; Hennessy, Thomas; Bulkow, Lisa; Smith, H Sally

    2013-01-01

    Banked biospecimens from a defined population are a valuable resource that can be used to assess early markers for illness or to determine the prevalence of a disease to aid the development of intervention strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality. The Alaska Area Specimen Bank (AASB) currently contains 266,353 residual biologic specimens (serum, plasma, whole blood, tissue, bacterial cultures) from 83,841 persons who participated in research studies, public health investigations and clinical testing conducted by the U.S. Public Health Service and Alaska Native tribal health organisations dating back to 1961. The majority (95.7%) are serum specimens, 77% were collected between 1981 and 1994 and 85% were collected from Alaska Native people. Oversight of the specimen bank is provided by a working group with representation from tribal, state and federal health organisations, the Alaska Area IRB and a specimen bank committee which ensures the specimens are used in accordance with policies and procedures developed by the working group.

  4. National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMonigal, Kathleen A.; Pietrzyk, Robert a.; Johnson, Mary Anne

    2008-01-01

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository (Repository) is a storage bank that is used to maintain biological specimens over extended periods of time and under well-controlled conditions. Samples from the International Space Station (ISS), including blood and urine, will be collected, processed and archived during the preflight, inflight and postflight phases of ISS missions. This investigation has been developed to archive biosamples for use as a resource for future space flight related research. The International Space Station (ISS) provides a platform to investigate the effects of microgravity on human physiology prior to lunar and exploration class missions. The storage of crewmember samples from many different ISS flights in a single repository will be a valuable resource with which researchers can study space flight related changes and investigate physiological markers. The development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Biological Specimen Repository will allow for the collection, processing, storage, maintenance, and ethical distribution of biosamples to meet goals of scientific and programmatic relevance to the space program. Archiving of the biosamples will provide future research opportunities including investigating patterns of physiological changes, analysis of components unknown at this time or analyses performed by new methodologies.

  5. Quantitative X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roomans, G.M.

    1988-01-01

    Qualitative X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens requires an approach that is somewhat different from that used in the materials sciences. The first step is deconvolution and background subtraction on the obtained spectrum. The further treatment depends on the type of specimen: thin, thick, or semithick. For thin sections, the continuum method of quantitation is most often used, but it should be combined with an accurate correction for extraneous background. However, alternative methods to determine local mass should also be considered. In the analysis of biological bulk specimens, the ZAF-correction method appears to be less useful, primarily because of the uneven surface of biological specimens. The peak-to-local background model may be a more adequate method for thick specimens that are not mounted on a thick substrate. Quantitative X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens generally requires the use of standards that preferably should resemble the specimen in chemical and physical properties. Special problems in biological microanalysis include low count rates, specimen instability and mass loss, extraneous contributions to the spectrum, and preparative artifacts affecting quantitation. A relatively recent development in X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens is the quantitative determination of local water content

  6. Antarctic environmental specimen bank. A tool for chemical monitoring

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soggia, F.; Dalla Riva, S.; Abelmoschi, M.L.; Frache, R. [Genoa Univ., Genoa (Italy). Dipt. di Chimica e Chimica Industriale

    2000-02-01

    The work illustrates the project on Antarctic Environmental Specimen Bank (BCAA), which is an integral part of the Italian project on the micropollutants chemistry (sector on chemical contamination of the Italian Antarctic Research program, PNRA), begun in 1994 when the BCAA was installed in the department of chemistry and industrial chemistry (Genoa University, Italy). Its objective underlines an emphasis on environmental chemistry and the establishment of baselines similar to the approaches followed by the other environmental specimen banks, begun at the end of Sixties with the aim of long-term storage of representative environmental specimens in order to study the presence and the evolution of dangerous substances, but focus on the chemical characterization of samples. [Italian] Il lavoro illustra le finalita' del Progetto su una Banca Campioni Ambientali Antartici (BCAA), che e' parte integrante del progetto Chmica dei microinquinannti del Settore Contaminazione chimica del Programma Nazionale di ricerche in Antartide (ONRA), nata nel 1994 presso il dipartimento di chimicia e chimica industriale dell'universita' di Genova. A differenza di altri progetti internazionali che enfatizzano gli aspetti biologici, ecologici e medici, il progetto BCAA enfatizza la chimica ambientale.

  7. Banking biological collections: data warehousing, data mining, and data dilemmas in genomics and global health policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blatt, R J R

    2000-01-01

    While DNA databases may offer the opportunity to (1) assess population-based prevalence of specific genes and variants, (2) simplify the search for molecular markers, (3) improve targeted drug discovery and development for disease management, (4) refine strategies for disease prevention, and (5) provide the data necessary for evidence-based decision-making, serious scientific and social questions remain. Whether samples are identified, coded, or anonymous, biological banking raises profound ethical and legal issues pertaining to access, informed consent, privacy and confidentiality of genomic information, civil liberties, patenting, and proprietary rights. This paper provides an overview of key policy issues and questions pertaining to biological banking, with a focus on developments in specimen collection, transnational distribution, and public health and academic-industry research alliances. It highlights the challenges posed by the commercialization of genomics, and proposes the need for harmonization of biological banking policies.

  8. Specimen banking of marine organisms in the United States: Current status and long-term prospective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Becker, P.R.; Wise, S.A.; Thorsteinson, L.; Koster, B.J.; Rowles, T.

    1997-01-01

    A major part of the activities conducted over the last decade by the National Biomonitoring Specimen Bank (NBSB) has involved the archival of marine specimens collected by ongoing environmental monitoring programs. These archived specimens include bivalves, marine sediments, and fish tissues collected by the National Status and Trends and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Damage Assessment programs, and marine mammal tissues collected by the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program and the Alaska Marine Mammal Tissue Archival Project. In addition to supporting these programs, the specimens have been used to investigate circumpolar patterns of chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations, genetic separation of marine animal stocks, baseline levels of essential and nonessential elements in marine mammals, and the potential risk to human consumers in the Arctic from anthropogenic contaminants found in local subsistence foods. The NBSB specimens represent a resource that has the potential for addressing future issues of marine environmental quality and ecosystem changes through retrospective analysis; however, an ecosystem-based food web approach would maximize this potential. The current status of the NBSB activities related to the banking of marine organisms is presented and discussed, the long-term prospective of these activities is presented, and the importance of an ecosystem-based food web monitoring approach to the value of specimen banking is discussed.

  9. NASA Biological Specimen Repository

    Science.gov (United States)

    McMonigal, K. A.; Pietrzyk, R. A.; Sams, C. F.; Johnson, M. A.

    2010-01-01

    The NASA Biological Specimen Repository (NBSR) was established in 2006 to collect, process, preserve and distribute spaceflight-related biological specimens from long duration ISS astronauts. This repository provides unique opportunities to study longitudinal changes in human physiology spanning may missions. The NBSR collects blood and urine samples from all participating ISS crewmembers who have provided informed consent. These biological samples are collected once before flight, during flight scheduled on flight days 15, 30, 60, 120 and within 2 weeks of landing. Postflight sessions are conducted 3 and 30 days after landing. The number of in-flight sessions is dependent on the duration of the mission. Specimens are maintained under optimal storage conditions in a manner that will maximize their integrity and viability for future research The repository operates under the authority of the NASA/JSC Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects to support scientific discovery that contributes to our fundamental knowledge in the area of human physiological changes and adaptation to a microgravity environment. The NBSR will institute guidelines for the solicitation, review and sample distribution process through establishment of the NBSR Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will be composed of representatives of all participating space agencies to evaluate each request from investigators for use of the samples. This process will be consistent with ethical principles, protection of crewmember confidentiality, prevailing laws and regulations, intellectual property policies, and consent form language. Operations supporting the NBSR are scheduled to continue until the end of U.S. presence on the ISS. Sample distribution is proposed to begin with selections on investigations beginning in 2017. The availability of the NBSR will contribute to the body of knowledge about the diverse factors of spaceflight on human physiology.

  10. Wave basin model tests of technical-biological bank protection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenmann, J.

    2012-04-01

    Sloped embankments of inland waterways are usually protected from erosion and other negative im-pacts of ship-induced hydraulic loads by technical revetments consisting of riprap. Concerning the dimensioning of such bank protection there are several design rules available, e.g. the "Principles for the Design of Bank and Bottom Protection for Inland Waterways" or the Code of Practice "Use of Standard Construction Methods for Bank and Bottom Protection on Waterways" issued by the BAW (Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute). Since the European Water Framework Directive has been put into action special emphasis was put on natural banks. Therefore the application of technical-biological bank protection is favoured. Currently design principles for technical-biological bank protection on inland waterways are missing. The existing experiences mainly refer to flowing waters with no or low ship-induced hydraulic loads on the banks. Since 2004 the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute has been tracking the re-search and development project "Alternative Technical-Biological Bank Protection on Inland Water-ways" in company with the Federal Institute of Hydrology. The investigation to date includes the ex-amination of waterway sections where technical- biological bank protection is applied locally. For the development of design rules for technical-biological bank protection investigations shall be carried out in a next step, considering the mechanics and resilience of technical-biological bank protection with special attention to ship-induced hydraulic loads. The presentation gives a short introduction into hydraulic loads at inland waterways and their bank protection. More in detail model tests of a willow brush mattress as a technical-biological bank protec-tion in a wave basin are explained. Within the scope of these tests the brush mattresses were ex-posed to wave impacts to determine their resilience towards hydraulic loads. Since the

  11. Two spruce shoot candidate reference materials from the German environmental specimen bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Backhaus, F.; Bagschik, U.; Burow, M.; Froning, M.; Mohl, C.; Ostapczuk, P.; Rossbach, M.; Schladot, J.D.; Stoeppler, M.; Waidmann, E.; Byrne, A.R.; Zeisler, R.

    1994-01-01

    Two new materials are introduced that might serve as useful aids for the harmonisation of analytical results. Spruce shoots, cryogenically homogenized and characterized for 50 elements from two sampling sites of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) are presented as possible third generation reference materials that might also act as calibrating materials in speciation analysis. (author)

  12. Scanning transmission ion micro-tomography (STIM-T) of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwertner, Michael; Sakellariou, Arthur; Reinert, Tilo; Butz, Tilman

    2006-01-01

    Computed tomography (CT) was applied to sets of Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy (STIM) projections recorded at the LIPSION ion beam laboratory (Leipzig) in order to visualize the 3D-mass distribution in several specimens. Examples for a test structure (copper grid) and for biological specimens (cartilage cells, cygospore) are shown. Scanning Transmission Micro-Tomography (STIM-T) at a resolution of 260 nm was demonstrated for the first time. Sub-micron features of the Cu-grid specimen were verified by scanning electron microscopy. The ion energy loss measured during a STIM-T experiment is related to the mass density of the specimen. Typically, biological specimens can be analysed without staining. Only shock freezing and freeze-drying is required to preserve the ultra-structure of the specimen. The radiation damage to the specimen during the experiment can be neglected. This is an advantage compared to other techniques like X-ray micro-tomography. At present, the spatial resolution is limited by beam position fluctuations and specimen vibrations

  13. Internet of Things technology-based management methods for environmental specimen banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Lihong; Wang, Qian; Yu, Ang

    2015-02-01

    The establishment and management of environmental specimen banks (ESBs) has long been a problem worldwide. The complexity of specimen environment has made the management of ESB likewise complex. Through an analysis of the development and management of ESBs worldwide and in light of the sophisticated Internet of Things (IOT) technology, this paper presents IOT technology-based ESB management methods. An IOT technology-based ESB management system can significantly facilitate ESB ingress and egress management as well as long-term storage management under quality control. This paper elaborates on the design of IOT technology-based modules, which can be used in ESB management to achieve standardized, smart, information-based ESB management. ESB management has far-reaching implications for environmental management and for research in environmental science.

  14. Prompt and delayed NAA techniques for the characterization of specimen bank materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rossbach, M; Stoeppler, M [Institute of Applied Physical Chemistry, IPC, Research Center Juelich, Juelich (Germany); Byrne, A R [Nuclear Chemistry Department, Josef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana (Slovenia)

    1994-07-01

    The combined application of instrumental-, radiochemical- and prompt gamma neutron activation analysis to two spruce shoot materials from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) resulted in information on 50 elements, covering more than 50% of the total mass. Comparison of the element concentrations in the 'fingerprint' mode clearly indicated a different status of heavy metal pollution at the two distinct collecting sites. (author)

  15. Prompt and delayed NAA techniques for the characterization of specimen bank materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossbach, M.; Stoeppler, M.; Byrne, A.R.

    1994-01-01

    The combined application of instrumental-, radiochemical- and prompt gamma neutron activation analysis to two spruce shoot materials from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) resulted in information on 50 elements, covering more than 50% of the total mass. Comparison of the element concentrations in the 'fingerprint' mode clearly indicated a different status of heavy metal pollution at the two distinct collecting sites. (author)

  16. Effect of monitoring strategies and reference data of the German Environmental Specimen Banking Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paulus, M.; Bartel, M.; Klein, R.; Nentwich, K.; Quack, M.; Teubner, D.; Wagner, G.

    2005-01-01

    The constitution of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) has started in 1985, subsequent to a successful pilot study concerning the feasibility. Since that time, a multitude of technological and methodical standards have been developed, which allow for a high quality of the storage-samples and of the specimen characterization. While the storage-samples are kept for retrospective analysis, by now, already comprehensive data on the material-developing in the environment are available due to a real time monitoring of selected environmental chemicals over a period of up to twenty years. Thus, spatial and temporal trends can be described. Since the state of knowledge on critical tissue concentrations in the sublethal range is extremely low at present, it is however not possible to accomplish a direct assessment of relevancy of the substance concentrations. Hence, within the scope of the German ESB Program, the following strategies on assessment of relevancy are observed: use of biomarkers, histopathological examinations, biometric specimen characterization, use of ecological indicator groups, and development of a reference system with analytical and biometric data. Thus, for example endocrine effects in male breams in the river Saar, which correlate directly to operational discharges from municipal sewage plants, could be detected. By histopathological examinations, fibrotic and necrotic tissue adaptations on the gonads had been ascertained cumulatively, which unambiguously imply a restricted fertility of the male breams. In the river Rhine, an improved growth along the timeline could be described on the basis of biometric characterization of breams, which is regarded as rate for the reaction to all structural and material changes in the water body. Presently, with the development of a reference system based on the data collected in the scope of the Environmental Specimen Bank, a basis for the assessment of monitoring results with accumulation indicators is

  17. Spatial trends of polybrominated diphenyl ethers in avian species: Utilization of stored samples in the Environmental Specimen Bank of Ehime University (es-Bank)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kunisue, Tatsuya; Higaki, Yumi; Isobe, Tomohiko; Takahashi, Shin; Subramanian, Annamalai; Tanabe, Shinsuke

    2008-01-01

    The present study determined concentrations and patterns of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in specimens of open sea, and Japanese coastal and inland avian species, which have been stored in the Environmental Specimen Bank of Ehime University (es-Bank), to examine the spatial trends. PBDEs and PCBs were detected in all the muscle samples analyzed, suggesting that PBDE pollution has spread even to the remote open sea areas, as in the case of PCBs. Japanese coastal and inland birds accumulated higher concentrations of PBDEs than open sea birds. In addition, higher PBDE/PCB concentration ratios were observed in Japanese coastal and inland birds than in open sea birds, indicating the input of PBDEs into the Japanese terrestrial environment. Compositions of PBDEs varied among avian species with a predominance of BDE47 or BDE153. This could be due to differences in their habitat, food habit and/or biotransformation capacity of PBDEs. - Open sea birds have been exposed to PBDEs, but the accumulation levels were lower than those in Japanese coastal and inland birds

  18. Multielement fingerprinting for characterization: Earthworm samples from the environmental specimen bank of the FRG

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rossbach, M.; Stoeppler, M.

    1988-01-01

    Earthworm samples (Lumbricidae) from three different sampling sites in the Federal Republic of Germany were collected for the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB). Subsamples of the cryohomogenized material from two annual samplings were analyzed by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) and mean values are presented in the logarithmic fingerprint mode. The 'identical matrix reference material concept' of the ESB has been applied and proved to be of particular value for multielement determinations. (orig.)

  19. Biology, Ordinary and Higher Grades, Syllabuses and Specimen Question Papers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scottish Certificate of Education Examination Board, Edinburgh.

    Included is the prescribed syllabus in biology for the Scottish Certificate of Education. In two separate sections, the syllabus topics and specimen questions for final examinations are explained. This syllabus is intended to present biology as knowledge about living organisms without making the conventional division between plants and animals.…

  20. Electronprobe X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens improvement of a number of quantification procedures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boekestein, A.

    1984-01-01

    In this thesis an investigation is described to establish which quantification procedures can be used in the X-ray microanalysis of biological specimens. Two classes of specimens have been distinguished from each other, i.e. thick specimens (opaque to the beam electrons) and thin specimens (transparent to the beam electrons). (Auth.)

  1. Method of 10B determination in biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nikitina, R.G.; Frolova, E.I.

    1981-01-01

    The paper is concerned with the methods of 10 B determination in biological specimens (blood, skin and tissues of rats). On the basis of investigations conducted there have been proposed films based on cellulose triacetate with optimal characteristics in terms of their possible utilization as solid detectors to record α-particles and recoil nuclei. The conditions of film staining are also discussed

  2. Elemental microanalysis of biological and medical specimens with a scanning proton microprobe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Legge, G.J.F.; Mazzolini, A.P.

    1979-01-01

    The scanning proton microprobe is shown to be a sensitive instrument for elemental microanalysis of cells and tissues in biological and medical specimens. The preparation of specimens and their behaviour under irradiation are crucial and the application of quantitative scanning analysis to the monitoring of such problems is illustrated

  3. Historical development and future perspectives of Environmental Specimen Bank in China: a mini review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiu, Fang; Meng, Xiang-Zhou; Qiu, Yan-Ling; Huang, Qing-Hui; Liu, Ying; Wu, Ling-Ling; Xiao, Qian-Fen; Sun, Ya-Jie; Wang, Rui; Zhou, Yi-Hui; Yu, Zhen-Yang; Yin, Da-Qiang; Zhu, Zhi-Liang; Zhao, Jian-Fu

    2015-02-01

    Environmental problems as well as their related ecosystem stress and human health risk in China have raised wide concerns along with the rapid economic development in recent years. Numerous studies with a sharp increase in publication number have addressed the ubiquitous of anthropogenic chemicals in various environmental compartments and human tissues. However, very few data were available to clarify the temporal trend and to give the retrospective analysis of chemical pollution in China. Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) is a system for the systematic collection and long-term storage of specimens, which has been established since the 1970s in developed counties and recognized as a fundamental complement for environmental monitoring and scientific research. Currently, the value of ESB is becoming more broadly recognized globally, and China is still at the early stage. This article described the history and status and put forwarded the future key points of Chinese ESB development for illustrating the intensive environmental changes in China and the world.

  4. Measurement of specimen-induced aberrations of biological samples using phase stepping interferometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwertner, M; Booth, M J; Neil, M A A; Wilson, T

    2004-01-01

    Confocal or multiphoton microscopes, which deliver optical sections and three-dimensional (3D) images of thick specimens, are widely used in biology. These techniques, however, are sensitive to aberrations that may originate from the refractive index structure of the specimen itself. The aberrations cause reduced signal intensity and the 3D resolution of the instrument is compromised. It has been suggested to correct for aberrations in confocal microscopes using adaptive optics. In order to define the design specifications for such adaptive optics systems, one has to know the amount of aberrations present for typical applications such as with biological samples. We have built a phase stepping interferometer microscope that directly measures the aberration of the wavefront. The modal content of the wavefront is extracted by employing Zernike mode decomposition. Results for typical biological specimens are presented. It was found for all samples investigated that higher order Zernike modes give only a small contribution to the overall aberration. Therefore, these higher order modes can be neglected in future adaptive optics sensing and correction schemes implemented into confocal or multiphoton microscopes, leading to more efficient designs.

  5. Radiation damage relative to transmission electron microscopy of biological specimens at low temperature: a review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glaeser, R.M.; Taylor, K.A.

    1978-01-01

    When biological specimens are irradiated by the electron beam in the electron microscope, the specimen structure is damaged as a result of molecular excitation, ionization, and subsequent chemical reactions. The radiation damage that occurs in the normal process of electron microscopy is known to present severe limitations for imaging high resolution detail in biological specimens. The question of radiation damage at low temperatures has therefore been investigated with the view in mind of reducing somewhat the rate at which damage occurs. The radiation damage protection found for small molecule (anhydrous) organic compounds is generally rather limited or even non-existent. However, large molecule, hydrated materials show as much as a 10-fold reduction at low temperature in the rate at which radiation damage occurs, relative to the damage rate at room temperature. In the case of hydrated specimens, therefore, low temperature electron microscopy offers an important advantage as part of the overall effort required in obtaining high resolution images of complex biological structures. (author)

  6. Impregnation of soft biological specimens with thermosetting resins and elastomers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    von Hagens, G

    1979-06-01

    A new method for impregnation of biological specimens with thermosetting resins and elastomers is described. The method has the advantage that the original relief of the surface is retained. The impregnation is carried out by utilizing the difference between the high vapor tension of the intermedium (e.g., methylene chloride) and the low vapor tension of the solution to be polymerized. After impregnation, the specimen is subject to polymerization conditions without surrounding embedding material. The optical and mechanical properties can be selected by proper choice from various kinds of resins and different procedures, for example, by complete or incomplete impregnation. Acrylic resins, polyester resins, epoxy resins, polyurethanes and silicone rubber have been found suitable for the method. Excellent results have been obtained using transparent silicone rubber since after treatment the specimens are still flexible and resilient, and have retained their natural appearance.

  7. Track Detection Technique Using CR-39 for Determining Depleted Uranium in Biological Specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murbat, S.M.

    2013-01-01

    Track detecting technique using CR-39 track detector has been implemented for determining depleted uranium concentration in biological specimens (tissues, bones, and blood) of patients infected with cancer diseases. Results were compared with specimens of patients infected with conventional diseases (noncancerous). Specimens were collected from middle and south of Iraq have been contaminated with depleted uranium in the Gulf war in 1991. Results show that this technique is efficient for determining depleted uranium concentration in biological specimens. It was found that all studies samples determine for patients infected with cancer diseases contain a high concentration of depleted uranium (more than the international standard) comparing with noncancerous diseases. Moreover, it was found that persons infected with Leukemia show more sensitive to uranium concentrations to induce the diseases (66-202 ppb), while (116- 1910 ppb) concentrations were needed for inducing cancer diseases in organs and tissues. Result confirmed the correlation between cancerous diseases and the munitions made of depleted uranium used in the Gulf war in 1991 leads to contaminate the Iraqi environment and causes a high risk against people in Iraq.

  8. Biological Activity Alterations of Human Amniotic Membrane Pre and Post Irradiation Tissue Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemr, Waleed; Bashandy, A S; Araby, Eman; Khamiss, O

    Innate immunity of Human Amniotic Membrane (HAM) and its highly active secretome that rich with various types of growth factors and anti-inflammatory substances proposed it as a promising material for many medical studies and applications. This study evaluate the biological activity of cultivated HAM pre and post tissue banking process in which freeze-dried HAM was sterilized by 25 KGray (kGy) dose of γ radiation. The HAM's antimicrobial activity, viability, growth of isolated human amniotic epithelial cells (HAECs), hematopoietic stimulation of co-cultivated murine bone marrow cells (mammalian model), scaffold efficiency for fish brain building up (non-mammalian model) and self re-epithelialization after trypsin denuding treatment were examined as supposed biological activity features. Native HAM revealed viability indications and was active to kill all tested microorganisms; 6 bacterial species (3 Gram-positive and 3 Gram-negative) and Candida albicans as a pathogenic fungus. Also, HAM activity promoted colony formation of murine hematopoietic cells, Tilapia nilotica brain fragment building-up and self re-epithelialization after trypsin treatment. In contrary, radiation-based tissue banking of HAM caused HAM cellular death and consequently lacked almost all of examined biological activity features. Viable HAM was featured with biological activity than fixed HAM prepared by irradiation tissue banking.

  9. Characterization of some biological specimens using TEM and SEM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghosh, Nabarun; Smith, Don W.

    2009-05-01

    The advent of novel techniques using the Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes improved observation on various biological specimens to characterize them. We studied some biological specimens using Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopes. We followed negative staining technique with Phosphotungstic acid using bacterial culture of Bacillus subtilis. Negative staining is very convenient technique to view the structural morphology of different samples including bacteria, phage viruses and filaments in a cell. We could observe the bacterial cell wall and flagellum very well when trapped the negative stained biofilm from bacterial culture on a TEM grid. We cut ultra thin sections from the fixed root tips of Pisum sativum (Garden pea). Root tips were pre fixed with osmium tetroxide and post fixed with uranium acetate and placed in the BEEM capsule for block making. The ultrathin sections on the grid under TEM showed the granular chromatin in the nucleus. The protein bodies and large vacuoles with the storage materials were conspicuous. We followed fixation, critical point drying and sputter coating with gold to view the tissues with SEM after placing on stubs. SEM view of the leaf surface of a dangerous weed Tragia hispida showed the surface trichomes. These trichomes when break on touching releases poisonous content causing skin irritation. The cultured tissue from in vitro culture of Albizia lebbeck, a tree revealed the regenerative structures including leaf buds and stomata on the tissue surface. SEM and TEM allow investigating the minute details characteristic morphological features that can be used for classroom teaching.

  10. Invasive Australian Acacia seed banks: Size and relationship with stem diameter in the presence of gall-forming biological control agents.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthys Strydom

    Full Text Available Australian Acacia are invasive in many parts of the world. Despite significant mechanical and biological efforts to control their invasion and spread, soil-stored seed banks prevent their effective and sustained removal. In response South Africa has had a strong focus on employing seed reducing biological control agents to deal with Australian Acacia invasion, a programme that is considered as being successful. To provide a predictive understanding for their management, seed banks of four invasive Australian acacia species (Acacia longifolia, A. mearnsii, A. pycnantha and A. saligna were studied in the Western Cape of South Africa. Across six to seven sites for each species, seed bank sizes were estimated from dense, monospecific stands by collecting 30 litter and soil samples. Average estimated seed bank size was large (1017 to 17261 seed m-2 as was annual input into the seed bank, suggesting that these seed banks are not residual but are replenished in size annually. A clear relationship between seed bank size and stem diameter was established indicating that mechanical clearing should be conducted shortly after fire-stimulated recruitment events or within old populations when seed banks are small. In dense, monospecific stands seed-feeding biological control agents are not effective in reducing seed bank size.

  11. Utility of QR codes in biological collections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diazgranados, Mauricio; Funk, Vicki A

    2013-01-01

    The popularity of QR codes for encoding information such as URIs has increased exponentially in step with the technological advances and availability of smartphones, digital tablets, and other electronic devices. We propose using QR codes on specimens in biological collections to facilitate linking vouchers' electronic information with their associated collections. QR codes can efficiently provide such links for connecting collections, photographs, maps, ecosystem notes, citations, and even GenBank sequences. QR codes have numerous advantages over barcodes, including their small size, superior security mechanisms, increased complexity and quantity of information, and low implementation cost. The scope of this paper is to initiate an academic discussion about using QR codes on specimens in biological collections.

  12. Utility of QR codes in biological collections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauricio Diazgranados

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The popularity of QR codes for encoding information such as URIs has increased exponentially in step with the technological advances and availability of smartphones, digital tablets, and other electronic devices. We propose using QR codes on specimens in biological collections to facilitate linking vouchers’ electronic information with their associated collections. QR codes can efficiently provide such links for connecting collections, photographs, maps, ecosystem notes, citations, and even GenBank sequences. QR codes have numerous advantages over barcodes, including their small size, superior security mechanisms, increased complexity and quantity of information, and low implementation cost. The scope of this paper is to initiate an academic discussion about using QR codes on specimens in biological collections.

  13. Recommendations for Collection and Handling of Specimens From Group Breast Cancer Clinical Trials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leyland-Jones, Brian R.; Ambrosone, Christine B.; Bartlett, John; Ellis, Matthew J.C.; Enos, Rebecca A.; Raji, Adekunle; Pins, Michael R.; Zujewski, Jo Anne; Hewitt, Stephen M.; Forbes, John F.; Abramovitz, Mark; Braga, Sofia; Cardoso, Fatima; Harbeck, Nadia; Denkert, Carsten; Jewell, Scott D.

    2008-01-01

    Recommendations for specimen collection and handling have been developed for adoption across breast cancer clinical trials conducted by the Breast International Group (BIG)-sponsored Groups and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-sponsored North American Cooperative Groups. These recommendations are meant to promote identifiable standards for specimen collection and handling within and across breast cancer trials, such that the variability in collection/handling practices that currently exists is minimized and specimen condition and quality are enhanced, thereby maximizing results from specimen-based diagnostic testing and research. Three working groups were formed from the Cooperative Group Banking Committee, BIG groups, and North American breast cancer cooperative groups to identify standards for collection and handling of (1) formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue; (2) blood and its components; and (3) fresh/frozen tissue from breast cancer trials. The working groups collected standard operating procedures from multiple group specimen banks, administered a survey on banking practices to those banks, and engaged in a series of discussions from 2005 to 2007. Their contributions were synthesized into this document, which focuses primarily on collection and handling of specimens to the point of shipment to the central bank, although also offers some guidance to central banks. Major recommendations include submission of an FFPE block, whole blood, and serial serum or plasma from breast cancer clinical trials, and use of one fixative and buffer type (10% neutral phosphate-buffered formalin, pH 7) for FFPE tissue across trials. Recommendations for proper handling and shipping were developed for blood, serum, plasma, FFPE, and fresh/frozen tissue. PMID:18955459

  14. A new approach to standardize multicenter studies: mobile lab technology for the German Environmental Specimen Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lermen, Dominik; Schmitt, Daniel; Bartel-Steinbach, Martina; Schröter-Kermani, Christa; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; von Briesen, Hagen; Zimmermann, Heiko

    2014-01-01

    Technical progress has simplified tasks in lab diagnosis and improved quality of test results. Errors occurring during the pre-analytical phase have more negative impact on the quality of test results than errors encountered during the total analytical process. Different infrastructures of sampling sites can highly influence the quality of samples and therewith of analytical results. Annually the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) collects, characterizes, and stores blood, plasma, and urine samples of 120-150 volunteers each on four different sampling sites in Germany. Overarching goal is to investigate the exposure to environmental pollutants of non-occupational exposed young adults combining human biomonitoring with questionnaire data. We investigated the requirements of the study and the possibility to realize a highly standardized sampling procedure on a mobile platform in order to increase the required quality of the pre-analytical phase. The results lead to the development of a mobile epidemiologic laboratory (epiLab) in the project "Labor der Zukunft" (future's lab technology). This laboratory includes a 14.7 m(2) reception area to record medical history and exposure-relevant behavior, a 21.1 m(2) examination room to record dental fillings and for blood withdrawal, a 15.5 m(2) biological safety level 2 laboratory to process and analyze samples on site including a 2.8 m(2) personnel lock and a 3.6 m2 cryofacility to immediately freeze samples. Frozen samples can be transferred to their final destination within the vehicle without breaking the cold chain. To our knowledge, we herewith describe for the first time the implementation of a biological safety laboratory (BSL) 2 lab and an epidemiologic unit on a single mobile platform. Since 2013 we have been collecting up to 15.000 individual human samples annually under highly standardized conditions using the mobile laboratory. Characterized and free of alterations they are kept ready for retrospective

  15. A new approach to standardize multicenter studies: mobile lab technology for the German Environmental Specimen Bank.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dominik Lermen

    Full Text Available Technical progress has simplified tasks in lab diagnosis and improved quality of test results. Errors occurring during the pre-analytical phase have more negative impact on the quality of test results than errors encountered during the total analytical process. Different infrastructures of sampling sites can highly influence the quality of samples and therewith of analytical results. Annually the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB collects, characterizes, and stores blood, plasma, and urine samples of 120-150 volunteers each on four different sampling sites in Germany. Overarching goal is to investigate the exposure to environmental pollutants of non-occupational exposed young adults combining human biomonitoring with questionnaire data. We investigated the requirements of the study and the possibility to realize a highly standardized sampling procedure on a mobile platform in order to increase the required quality of the pre-analytical phase. The results lead to the development of a mobile epidemiologic laboratory (epiLab in the project "Labor der Zukunft" (future's lab technology. This laboratory includes a 14.7 m(2 reception area to record medical history and exposure-relevant behavior, a 21.1 m(2 examination room to record dental fillings and for blood withdrawal, a 15.5 m(2 biological safety level 2 laboratory to process and analyze samples on site including a 2.8 m(2 personnel lock and a 3.6 m2 cryofacility to immediately freeze samples. Frozen samples can be transferred to their final destination within the vehicle without breaking the cold chain. To our knowledge, we herewith describe for the first time the implementation of a biological safety laboratory (BSL 2 lab and an epidemiologic unit on a single mobile platform. Since 2013 we have been collecting up to 15.000 individual human samples annually under highly standardized conditions using the mobile laboratory. Characterized and free of alterations they are kept ready for

  16. Pooled biological specimens for human biomonitoring of environmental chemicals: opportunities and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heffernan, Amy L; Aylward, Lesa L; Toms, Leisa-Maree L; Sly, Peter D; Macleod, Matthew; Mueller, Jochen F

    2014-01-01

    Biomonitoring has become the "gold standard" in assessing chemical exposures, and has an important role in risk assessment. The pooling of biological specimens-combining multiple individual specimens into a single sample-can be used in biomonitoring studies to monitor levels of exposure and identify exposure trends or to identify susceptible populations in a cost-effective manner. Pooled samples provide an estimate of central tendency and may also reveal information about variation within the population. The development of a pooling strategy requires careful consideration of the type and number of samples collected, the number of pools required and the number of specimens to combine per pool in order to maximise the type and robustness of the data. Creative pooling strategies can be used to explore exposure-outcome associations, and extrapolation from other larger studies can be useful in identifying elevated exposures in specific individuals. The use of pooled specimens is advantageous as it saves significantly on analytical costs, may reduce the time and resources required for recruitment and, in certain circumstances, allows quantification of samples approaching the limit of detection. In addition, the use of pooled samples can provide population estimates while avoiding ethical difficulties that may be associated with reporting individual results.

  17. Evaluation of Intraosseous Fluid as an Alternative Biological Specimen in Postmortem Toxicology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodda, Luke N; Volk, Justin A; Moffat, Ellen; Williams, Chinyere M; Lynch, Kara L; Wu, Alan H B

    2018-04-01

    The postmortem redistribution phenomenon is an important factor in the interpretation of blood drug concentrations as a cause or factor in death. Intraosseous fluid (IOF) may serve as an alternative matrix for drug testing. Intraosseous fluid was collected from the left and right tibias and humerus of 29 decedents using the Arrow EZ-IO Intraosseous Vascular Access System. Standard autopsy specimens including blood were also collected at the same time during autopsy. Blood and IOF specimens were screened by immunoassay for opioids, fentanyl analogs, oxycodone, methadone, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamines, phencyclidine, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines and cannabinoids, using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Correlation between cardiac/central blood ELISA and IOF ELISA results was mostly 100% for drug targets. Further blood confirmation analysis was performed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry also showed comparable correlation to IOF screen results. There was no significant difference between the IOF sites or sides of the body. This novel study supports the use of IOF as an alternative postmortem specimen for toxicological investigations as a potentially less-compromised tissue in decomposed or traumatized bodies. Preliminary data is provided for the screening of common drugs of abuse in IOF that may show to be subject to alternative rates of postmortem redistribution than to that of other biological specimens in future studies that quantitate IOF drug concentrations.

  18. A universal fluid cell for the imaging of biological specimens in the atomic force microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kasas, Sandor; Radotic, Ksenja; Longo, Giovanni; Saha, Bashkar; Alonso-Sarduy, Livan; Dietler, Giovanni; Roduit, Charles

    2013-04-01

    Recently, atomic force microscope (AFM) manufacturers have begun producing instruments specifically designed to image biological specimens. In most instances, they are integrated with an inverted optical microscope, which permits concurrent optical and AFM imaging. An important component of the set-up is the imaging chamber, whose design determines the nature of the experiments that can be conducted. Many different imaging chamber designs are available, usually designed to optimize a single parameter, such as the dimensions of the substrate or the volume of fluid that can be used throughout the experiment. In this report, we present a universal fluid cell, which simultaneously optimizes all of the parameters that are important for the imaging of biological specimens in the AFM. This novel imaging chamber has been successfully tested using mammalian, plant, and microbial cells. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. A data bank about wild rodent specimens of Italy / Una banca dati sui roditori selvatici d'Italia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni Amori

    1987-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The setting up of a "data bank" dealing with the findings of Rodents specimens (Families: Gliridae, Arvicolidae, Muridae of peninsular and insular Italy available for 1950-1981 years in the italian museums and collections. The file, wherever possible, has been filled up with cartographic, bioclimatic and synanthropic data. With the use of a microcomputer has thus become possible to make inquires related both to biological and environmental data. Data management allows the following function: file maintenance (insert, delete and modify record; cross - reference search; search index; report generation. In the first phase challenges have been formulated, requiring simple data processing. Some informations were obtained as reply about the prevalences in the capturing referred to sex and season, as well as the connections between Rodents coenosis and bioclimatic condition of the territory. Riassunto È stata avviata una "banca dati" dei rinvenimenti di esemplari di Roditori (Famiglie: Gliridae, Arvicolidae, Muridae dell'Italia peninsulare ed insulare catalogati negli anni 1950-1981 nei Musei e collezioni italiani. L'archivio, laddove possibile, è stato completato con i dati cartografici, bioclimatici e sinantropici. L'uso del microcomputer ha permesso di formulare domande incrociate sia sui dati biologici che su quelli ambientali. La gestione dei dati consente le seguenti funzioni: gestione dell'archivio (inserimento, cancellazione e modifica del record; ricerca incrociata; ricerca per indice; stampa. In una prima fase sono state formulate alcune domande richiedenti semplici elaborazioni sulle preponderanze delle catture in rapporto al sesso ed alla stagione, nonché sui rapporti tra cenosi a Roditori ed assetto bioclimatico del territorio.

  20. Micro-CTvlab: A web based virtual gallery of biological specimens using X-ray microtomography (micro-CT).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keklikoglou, Kleoniki; Faulwetter, Sarah; Chatzinikolaou, Eva; Michalakis, Nikitas; Filiopoulou, Irene; Minadakis, Nikos; Panteri, Emmanouela; Perantinos, George; Gougousis, Alexandros; Arvanitidis, Christos

    2016-01-01

    During recent years, X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) has seen an increasing use in biological research areas, such as functional morphology, taxonomy, evolutionary biology and developmental research. Micro-CT is a technology which uses X-rays to create sub-micron resolution images of external and internal features of specimens. These images can then be rendered in a three-dimensional space and used for qualitative and quantitative 3D analyses. However, the online exploration and dissemination of micro-CT datasets are rarely made available to the public due to their large size and a lack of dedicated online platforms for the interactive manipulation of 3D data. Here, the development of a virtual micro-CT laboratory (Micro-CT vlab ) is described, which can be used by everyone who is interested in digitisation methods and biological collections and aims at making the micro-CT data exploration of natural history specimens freely available over the internet. The Micro-CT vlab offers to the user virtual image galleries of various taxa which can be displayed and downloaded through a web application. With a few clicks, accurate, detailed and three-dimensional models of species can be studied and virtually dissected without destroying the actual specimen. The data and functions of the Micro-CT vlab can be accessed either on a normal computer or through a dedicated version for mobile devices.

  1. Handling of biological specimens for electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bullock, G.

    1987-01-01

    There are many different aspects of specimen preparation procedure which need to be considered in order to achieve good results. Whether using the scanning or transmission microscope, the initial handling procedures are very similar and are selected for the information required. Handling procedures and techniques described are: structural preservation; immuno-and histo-chemistry; x-ray microanalysis and autoradiography; dehydration and embedding; mounting and coating specimens for scanning electron microscopy; and sectioning of resin embedded material. With attention to detail and careful choice of the best available technique, excellent results should be obtainable whatever the specimen. 6 refs

  2. Investigations in space-related molecular biology. [cryo-electron microscopic and diffraction studies on terrestrial and extraterrestrial specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandez-Moran, H.; Pritzker, A. N.

    1974-01-01

    Improved instrumentation and preparation techniques for high resolution, high voltage cryo-electron microscopic and diffraction studies on terrestrial and extraterrestrial specimens are reported. Computer correlated ultrastructural and biochemical work on hydrated and dried cell membranes and related biological systems provided information on membrane organization, ice crystal formation and ordered water, RNA virus linked to cancer, lunar rock samples, and organometallic superconducting compounds. Apollo 11, 12, 14, and 15 specimens were analyzed

  3. Continuing role of a frozen-tissue bank in molecular pathology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Naber, S P

    1996-12-01

    The growth of molecular diagnostics and its application in various clinical laboratories have made it necessary to standardize the methods used to freeze and store tissues used in molecular testing. It may now be advantageous to preserve fresh tissues and other specimen types in a central frozen-tissue bank so that sample preparation and storage conditions are appropriate for molecular applications and so that the specimen inventory can be efficiently managed. The pathology laboratory is a logical site for the facility because the professional and technical expertise available is focused on the complex scientific and regulatory aspects of laboratory medicine. Organizationally, the tissue-bank program should be overseen by a surgical pathologist to integrate it into routine surgical pathology activities. A member of the laboratory technical staff can serve as the tissue-bank coordinator with responsibility for systematic storage and retrieval of specimens and routine maintenance of equipment and supplies. To facilitate the tissue-freezing procedure and efficient storage of multiple types of specimens, 2.0 ml cryogenic vials are used as the uniform storage container. All specimens are stored at -140 to -150 degrees C in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen. The specimen inventory data are maintained with a computerized program specifically designed to manage complex specimen storage. A frozen-tissue bank is easily implemented in a pathology laboratory and is a valuable institutional asset for diagnostic and research purposes.

  4. Ultrastable gold substrates: Properties of a support for high-resolution electron cryomicroscopy of biological specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Russo, Christopher J.; Passmore, Lori A.

    2016-01-01

    Electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) allows structure determination of a wide range of biological molecules and specimens. All-gold supports improve cryo-EM images by reducing radiation-induced motion and image blurring. Here we compare the mechanical and electrical properties of all-gold supports to amorphous carbon foils. Gold supports are more conductive, and have suspended foils that are not compressed by differential contraction when cooled to liquid nitrogen temperatures. These measurements show how the choice of support material and geometry can reduce specimen movement by more than an order of magnitude during low-dose imaging. We provide methods for fabrication of all-gold supports and preparation of vitrified specimens. We also analyse illumination geometry for optimal collection of high resolution, low-dose data. Together, the support structures and methods herein can improve the resolution and quality of images from any electron cryomicroscope. PMID:26592474

  5. [Application of polyguanidine solution for fixation of biological and anatomical specimens].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anichkov, N M; Danilova, I A; Riabinin, I A; Kipenko, A V

    2010-01-01

    A new method for fixation of biological material is described, and its effectiveness is compared to that one of formalin fixation. As an embalming agent, polyhexamethylenguanidine (PHMG) hydrochloride was used. Using the proposed method of fixation, the anatomical and histological preparations of human organs and of chick embryos at developmental 12 days, were produced. The anatomical preparations obtained show the appearance, similar to that of the recently removed organs. Histological preparations were free from significant distortions of the microscopic characteristics of the specimens, which are typical to the material fixed with formalin. The results of the study suggest the possibility of PHMG application in the morphological studies.

  6. Retrospective biomonitoring of chemical contamination in the marine coastal environment of Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) by environmental specimen banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grotti, Marco; Pizzini, Sarah; Abelmoschi, Maria Luisa; Cozzi, Giulio; Piazza, Rossano; Soggia, Francesco

    2016-12-01

    Antarctica offers a good opportunity to investigate planetary-scale pollution and climate change, and provides baseline values for contaminants such as Trace Elements (TEs) and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Literature data on contaminant levels in the Antarctic environment indicate that long-range atmospheric transport is the primary pathway by which pollutants from surrounding continents are carried to this pristine environment. However, local contamination sources represented by the scientific stations are also not negligible. Climate change and global warming are altering the global budget of anthropogenic contaminants and their monitoring in Antarctica ecosystems is very important to protect the global environment. In this work, eighty specimens of Adamussium colbecki (Smith, 1902), a benthic Antarctic scallop, collected from 1996 to 2009 and stored in the Antarctic Environmental Specimen Bank, were analyzed to quantify TEs and POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Metals concentrations were not affected by anthropogenic contributions, highlighting a natural accumulation with the age of the organism. Similarly, no temporal trend was found for PCNs, PCBs and PAHs. However, specimens collected during the summer 1997-98 showed enhanced concentration levels of PCBs and PAHs that could refer to a local anthropogenic source of contamination. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. GenBank

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, Dennis A.; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene; Lipman, David J.; Ostell, James; Sayers, Eric W.

    2008-01-01

    GenBank? is a comprehensive database that contains publicly available nucleotide sequences for more than 300 000 organisms named at the genus level or lower, obtained primarily through submissions from individual laboratories and batch submissions from large-scale sequencing projects. Most submissions are made using the web-based BankIt or standalone Sequin programs, and accession numbers are assigned by GenBank? staff upon receipt. Daily data exchange with the European Molecular Biology Labo...

  8. THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON THICK BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS BY HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetsuji Nagata

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Thick biological specimens prepared as whole mount cultured cells or thick sections from embedded tissues were stained with histochemical reactions, such as thiamine pyrophosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, cytochrome oxidase, acid phosphatase, DAB reactions and radioautography, to observe 3-D ultrastructures of cell organelles producing stereo-pairs by high voltage electron microscopy at accerelating voltages of 400-1000 kV. The organelles demonstrated were Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes, pinocytotic vesicles and incorporations of radioactive compounds. As the results, those cell organelles were observed 3- dimensionally and the relative relationships between these organelles were demonstrated.

  9. ARCTOS: a relational database relating specimens, specimen-based science, and archival documentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarrell, Gordon H.; Ramotnik, Cindy A.; McDonald, D.L.

    2010-01-01

    Data are preserved when they are perpetually discoverable, but even in the Information Age, discovery of legacy data appropriate to particular investigations is uncertain. Secure Internet storage is necessary but insufficient. Data can be discovered only when they are adequately described, and visibility increases markedly if the data are related to other data that are receiving usage. Such relationships can be built within (1) the framework of a relational database, or (1) they can be built among separate resources, within the framework of the Internet. Evolving primarily around biological collections, Arctos is a database that does both of these tasks. It includes data structures for a diversity of specimen attributes, essentially all collection-management tasks, plus literature citations, project descriptions, etc. As a centralized collaboration of several university museums, Arctos is an ideal environment for capitalizing on the many relationships that often exist between items in separate collections. Arctos is related to NIH’s DNA-sequence repository (GenBank) with record-to-record reciprocal linkages, and it serves data to several discipline-specific web portals, including the Global Biodiversity Information Network (GBIF). The University of Alaska Museum’s paleontological collection is Arctos’s recent extension beyond the constraints of neontology. With about 1.3 million cataloged items, additional collections are being added each year.

  10. Imaging and elemental mapping of biological specimens with a dual-EDS dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, J.S.; Kim, A. M.; Bleher, R.; Myers, B.D.; Marvin, R. G.; Inada, H.; Nakamura, K.; Zhang, X.F.; Roth, E.; Li, S.Y.; Woodruff, T. K.; O'Halloran, T. V.; Dravid, Vinayak P.

    2013-01-01

    A dedicated analytical scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with dual energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors has been designed for complementary high performance imaging as well as high sensitivity elemental analysis and mapping of biological structures. The performance of this new design, based on a Hitachi HD-2300A model, was evaluated using a variety of biological specimens. With three imaging detectors, both the surface and internal structure of cells can be examined simultaneously. The whole-cell elemental mapping, especially of heavier metal species that have low cross-section for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be faithfully obtained. Optimization of STEM imaging conditions is applied to thick sections as well as thin sections of biological cells under low-dose conditions at room- and cryogenic temperatures. Such multimodal capabilities applied to soft/biological structures usher a new era for analytical studies in biological systems. PMID:23500508

  11. The AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource: Role in HIV/AIDS scientific discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    McGrath Michael S

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The AIDS Cancer and Specimen Resource (ACSR supports scientific discovery in the area of HIV/AIDS-associated malignancies. The ACSR was established as a cooperative agreement between the NCI (Office of the Director, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis and regional consortia, University of California, San Francisco (West Coast, George Washington University (East Coast and Ohio State University (Mid-Region to collect, preserve and disperse HIV-related tissues and biologic fluids and controls along with clinical data to qualified investigators. The available biological samples with clinical data and the application process are described on the ACSR web site. The ACSR tissue bank has more than 100,000 human HIV positive specimens that represent different processing (43, specimen (15, and anatomical site (50 types. The ACSR provides special biospecimen collections and prepares speciality items, e.g., tissue microarrays (TMA, DNA libraries. Requests have been greatest for Kaposi's sarcoma (32% and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (26%. Dispersed requests include 83% tissue (frozen and paraffin embedded, 18% plasma/serum and 9% other. ACSR also provides tissue microarrays of, e.g., Kaposi's sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for biomarker assays and has developed collaborations with other groups that provide access to additional AIDS-related malignancy specimens. ACSR members and associates have completed 63 podium and poster presentations. Investigators have submitted 125 letters of intent requests. Discoveries using ACSR have been reported in 61 scientific publications in notable journals with an average impact factor of 7. The ACSR promotes the scientific exploration of the relationship between HIV/AIDS and malignancy by participation at national and international scientific meetings, contact with investigators who have productive research in this area and identifying, collecting, preserving, enhancing, and dispersing HIV

  12. Biological specimens for community-based surveillance studies: Method of recruitment matters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Brenda L. Coleman

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Studies requiring the collection of biological specimens are often difficult to perform and costly. We compare face-to-face and telephone interviews to determine which is more effective for return of self-collected rectal swabs from subjects living in rural and semi-rural areas of Ontario, Canada. People interviewed face-to-face in 2006-2007 were asked to provide a rectal swab while the interviewer waited. Those interviewed by telephone were sent a package and asked to return the swab by mail, with one follow-up reminder call. Telephone interviewing resulted in a higher response rate for the completion of household and individual-level questionnaires. However, face-to-face interviews resulted in a significantly higher proportion of interviewees who returned swabs making the participation rate higher for this mode of contact (33.7 versus 25.0 percent. Using multivariable logistic regression, higher rates of rectal swab return were associated with face-to-face interviewing while adjusting for the impact of household size and respondent age and sex. For studies requiring the submission of intimate biological samples, face-to-face interviews can be expected to provide a higher rate of return than telephone interviews.

  13. Imaging and elemental mapping of biological specimens with a dual-EDS dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, J.S., E-mail: jinsong-wu@northwestern.edu [Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Kim, A.M. [Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Bleher, R. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Myers, B.D. [Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Marvin, R.G. [Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Inada, H.; Nakamura, K. [Hitachi High-Technologies Corporation, Ibaraki 312-8504 (Japan); Zhang, X.F. [Hitachi High Technologies America, Inc., 5960 Inglewood Drive, Pleasanton, California 94588 (United States); Roth, E. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Chemistry of Life Processes Institute, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); Li, S.Y. [Northwestern University Atomic and Nanoscale Characterization Experimental (NUANCE) Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 (United States); and others

    2013-05-15

    A dedicated analytical scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with dual energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors has been designed for complementary high performance imaging as well as high sensitivity elemental analysis and mapping of biological structures. The performance of this new design, based on a Hitachi HD-2300A model, was evaluated using a variety of biological specimens. With three imaging detectors, both the surface and internal structure of cells can be examined simultaneously. The whole-cell elemental mapping, especially of heavier metal species that have low cross-section for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be faithfully obtained. Optimization of STEM imaging conditions is applied to thick sections as well as thin sections of biological cells under low-dose conditions at room and cryogenic temperatures. Such multimodal capabilities applied to soft/biological structures usher a new era for analytical studies in biological systems. - Highlights: ► Applications of STEM in characterization of biological samples are demonstrated. ► Elemental analyses are performed by dual EDS and EELS. ► Both the surface and internal structure of cells can be studied simultaneously. ► The imaging contrast in low-dose cryo-STEM has been analyzed.

  14. Imaging and elemental mapping of biological specimens with a dual-EDS dedicated scanning transmission electron microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, J.S.; Kim, A.M.; Bleher, R.; Myers, B.D.; Marvin, R.G.; Inada, H.; Nakamura, K.; Zhang, X.F.; Roth, E.; Li, S.Y.

    2013-01-01

    A dedicated analytical scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) with dual energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detectors has been designed for complementary high performance imaging as well as high sensitivity elemental analysis and mapping of biological structures. The performance of this new design, based on a Hitachi HD-2300A model, was evaluated using a variety of biological specimens. With three imaging detectors, both the surface and internal structure of cells can be examined simultaneously. The whole-cell elemental mapping, especially of heavier metal species that have low cross-section for electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), can be faithfully obtained. Optimization of STEM imaging conditions is applied to thick sections as well as thin sections of biological cells under low-dose conditions at room and cryogenic temperatures. Such multimodal capabilities applied to soft/biological structures usher a new era for analytical studies in biological systems. - Highlights: ► Applications of STEM in characterization of biological samples are demonstrated. ► Elemental analyses are performed by dual EDS and EELS. ► Both the surface and internal structure of cells can be studied simultaneously. ► The imaging contrast in low-dose cryo-STEM has been analyzed

  15. Bright field electron microscopy of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johansen, B.V.

    1976-01-01

    A preirradiation procedure is described which preserves negatively stained morphological features in bright field electron micrographs to a resolution of about 1.2 nm. Prior to microscopy the pre-irradiation dose (1.6 x 10 -3 C cm -2 ) is given at low electron optical magnification at five different areas on the grid (the centre plus four 'corners'). This pre-irradiation can be measured either with a Faraday cage or through controlled exposure-developing conditions. Uranyl formate stained T2 bacteriophages and stacked disk aggregates of Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) protein served as test objects. A comparative study was performed on specimens using either the pre-irradiation procedure or direct irradiation by the 'minimum beam exposure' technique. Changes in the electron diffraction pattern of the stain-protein complex and the disappearance of certain morphological features in the specimens were both used in order to compare the pre-irradiation method with the direct exposure technique. After identical electron exposures the pre-irradiation approach gave a far better preservation of specimen morphology. Consequently this procedure gives the microscopist more time to select and focus appropriate areas for imaging before deteriorations take place. The investigation also suggested that microscopy should be carried out between 60,000 and 100,000 times magnification. Within this magnification range, it is possible to take advantage of the phase contrast transfer characteristics of the objective lens while the electron load on the object is kept at a moderate level. Using the pre-irradiation procedure special features of the T2 bacteriophage morphology could be established. (author)

  16. The RCSB Protein Data Bank: views of structural biology for basic and applied research and education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rose, Peter W; Prlić, Andreas; Bi, Chunxiao; Bluhm, Wolfgang F; Christie, Cole H; Dutta, Shuchismita; Green, Rachel Kramer; Goodsell, David S; Westbrook, John D; Woo, Jesse; Young, Jasmine; Zardecki, Christine; Berman, Helen M; Bourne, Philip E; Burley, Stephen K

    2015-01-01

    The RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB, http://www.rcsb.org) provides access to 3D structures of biological macromolecules and is one of the leading resources in biology and biomedicine worldwide. Our efforts over the past 2 years focused on enabling a deeper understanding of structural biology and providing new structural views of biology that support both basic and applied research and education. Herein, we describe recently introduced data annotations including integration with external biological resources, such as gene and drug databases, new visualization tools and improved support for the mobile web. We also describe access to data files, web services and open access software components to enable software developers to more effectively mine the PDB archive and related annotations. Our efforts are aimed at expanding the role of 3D structure in understanding biology and medicine. © The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  17. BioMagResBank.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ulrich, E.L.; Akutsu, H.; Doreleijers, J.; Harano, Y.; Ioannidis, Y.E.; Lin, J.; Livny, M.; Mading, S.; Maziuk, D.; Miller, Z.; Nakatani, E.; Schulte, C.F.; Tolmie, D.E.; Wenger, R.K.; Yao, H.; Markley, J.L.

    2008-01-01

    The BioMagResBank (BMRB: www.bmrb.wisc.edu) is a repository for experimental and derived data gathered from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic studies of biological molecules. BMRB is a partner in the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB). The BMRB archive consists of four main data

  18. Virtual blood bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kit Fai Wong

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Virtual blood bank is the computer-controlled, electronically linked information management system that allows online ordering and real-time, remote delivery of blood for transfusion. It connects the site of testing to the point of care at a remote site in a real-time fashion with networked computers thus maintaining the integrity of immunohematology test results. It has taken the advantages of information and communication technologies to ensure the accuracy of patient, specimen and blood component identification and to enhance personnel traceability and system security. The built-in logics and process constraints in the design of the virtual blood bank can guide the selection of appropriate blood and minimize transfusion risk. The quality of blood inventory is ascertained and monitored, and an audit trail for critical procedures in the transfusion process is provided by the paperless system. Thus, the virtual blood bank can help ensure that the right patient receives the right amount of the right blood component at the right time.

  19. Establishment of a cervical cancer bio-bank for the Chinese population: from project-based sample collection to routine management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ru; Li, Xiong; Zhou, Hang; Jia, Yao; Zhou, Jin; Huang, Kecheng; Tang, Fangxu; Hu, Ting; Shen, Jian; Chen, Zhilan; Wang, Shaoshuai; Sun, Haiying; Guo, Lili; Wang, Lin; Wang, Hui; Ma, Ding; Li, Shuang

    2015-08-01

    There is an increasing need for the establishment of a cervical cancer bio-bank that will facilitate both clinical and basic research. The cervical cancer bio-bank was first established in January 1999 and included two stages. First, a GWAS-based sample collection was conducted with special emphasis on the diagnosis and the retrieval of the corresponding bio-specimens, especially blood samples. Second, clinical data and their corresponding bio-specimens were routinely collected and handled. Notably, these bio-specimens also included samples from Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County, which has the highest incidence of cervical cancer in China. The specimens were collected from patients with cervical cancer and those with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, while the control samples were collected from normal individuals. With special emphasis on clinical data and blood samples for the GWAS analysis, the collection of other bio-specimens was slow, and the pairing of specimens and clinical data was poor during the first stage. However, in the second stage, the pairing of the clinical data and its corresponding bio-specimens improved. At present, the samples procured and preserved in the bio-bank cover most regions of China and different ethnic groups for both the normal controls and cervical cancer patients of different pathological categories. This bio-bank of cervical cancer specimens from the Chinese population will greatly promote the studies of cervical cancer in China.

  20. Three-Dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy of biological specimens

    KAUST Repository

    De Jonge, Niels

    2010-01-18

    A three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the cytoskeleton and a clathrin-coated pit in mammalian cells has been achieved from a focal-series of images recorded in an aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM). The specimen was a metallic replica of the biological structure comprising Pt nanoparticles 2-3 nm in diameter, with a high stability under electron beam radiation. The 3D dataset was processed by an automated deconvolution procedure. The lateral resolution was 1.1 nm, set by pixel size. Particles differing by only 10 nm in vertical position were identified as separate objects with greater than 20% dip in contrast between them. We refer to this value as the axial resolution of the deconvolution or reconstruction, the ability to recognize two objects, which were unresolved in the original dataset. The resolution of the reconstruction is comparable to that achieved by tilt-series transmission electron microscopy. However, the focal-series method does not require mechanical tilting and is therefore much faster. 3D STEM images were also recorded of the Golgi ribbon in conventional thin sections containing 3T3 cells with a comparable axial resolution in the deconvolved dataset. © 2010 Microscopy Society of America.

  1. Robust and automated three-dimensional segmentation of densely packed cell nuclei in different biological specimens with Lines-of-Sight decomposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathew, B; Schmitz, A; Muñoz-Descalzo, S; Ansari, N; Pampaloni, F; Stelzer, E H K; Fischer, S C

    2015-06-08

    Due to the large amount of data produced by advanced microscopy, automated image analysis is crucial in modern biology. Most applications require reliable cell nuclei segmentation. However, in many biological specimens cell nuclei are densely packed and appear to touch one another in the images. Therefore, a major difficulty of three-dimensional cell nuclei segmentation is the decomposition of cell nuclei that apparently touch each other. Current methods are highly adapted to a certain biological specimen or a specific microscope. They do not ensure similarly accurate segmentation performance, i.e. their robustness for different datasets is not guaranteed. Hence, these methods require elaborate adjustments to each dataset. We present an advanced three-dimensional cell nuclei segmentation algorithm that is accurate and robust. Our approach combines local adaptive pre-processing with decomposition based on Lines-of-Sight (LoS) to separate apparently touching cell nuclei into approximately convex parts. We demonstrate the superior performance of our algorithm using data from different specimens recorded with different microscopes. The three-dimensional images were recorded with confocal and light sheet-based fluorescence microscopes. The specimens are an early mouse embryo and two different cellular spheroids. We compared the segmentation accuracy of our algorithm with ground truth data for the test images and results from state-of-the-art methods. The analysis shows that our method is accurate throughout all test datasets (mean F-measure: 91%) whereas the other methods each failed for at least one dataset (F-measure≤69%). Furthermore, nuclei volume measurements are improved for LoS decomposition. The state-of-the-art methods required laborious adjustments of parameter values to achieve these results. Our LoS algorithm did not require parameter value adjustments. The accurate performance was achieved with one fixed set of parameter values. We developed a novel and

  2. Wildlife as a bioindicator for specimen banking. Final report; Wild als Indikator fuer die Umweltprobenbank. Abschlussbericht

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Holm, J; Wester, D; Wolfsteller, B

    1990-07-01

    The present report summarizes the documentation of five years` work on establishing the standard operation procedures for roe deer (Capreolus Capreolus). The criteria for bioindication of roe deer are listed for the region of Braunschweig, Fallersleben and the Lappwald. The organs investigated are liver, kidney, kidney fat and brain. The organs were collected from shot animals with intact abdomen and are packed uncontaminated in teflon bags. The fresh samples are kept at +4 C and prepared in a laboratory after 24 hours. The organs are analysed for 20 organic and 15 anorganic compounds. 22 detectible contaminats from different collectives are evaluated by using a PC with a SPSS programm. The results show the liver as a good accumulating organ. The size of this organ as well as the regular distribution of the contaminants are further factors in favour of taking the liver. Significant variations of the contaminants can be observed in the months of May to August, while the contaminants stabilize in September to November. Animals <18 months should be selected from fairly narrow and uniform biotopes for specimen banking during the periods of autumn to winter or May. A pooling of the samples is not to be advised. (orig.)

  3. A decade in banking Ewing sarcoma: a report from the children’s oncology group

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott C. Borinstein

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Outcomes for patients with metastatic and recurrent Ewing sarcoma remain poor and a better understanding of the biology of this malignancy is critical to the development of prognostic biomarkers and novel therapies. Therefore, the Children’s Oncology Group (COG has created tissue banking protocols designed to collect high quality clinically annotated tumor specimens that can be distributed to researchers to perform basic science and correlative investigation. Data from the COG Ewing sarcoma tissue banking protocols AEWS02B1 and its successor study AEWS07B1 were reviewed in this study. 635 patients were enrolled on AEWS02B1 and 396 patients have had tissue submitted to AEWS07B1. The average age of participation was 13.2 years. 86% were less than 19 years old and only 6% were greater than 21 years of age at diagnosis. When compared to SEER data, approximately 18% of all cases and only 8% of all patients >20 years old diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma annually in the United States have had tumor banked. The majority of participants submitted formalin fixed paraffin embedded primary tumor and blood samples. In total, fresh frozen tissue was submitted for only 29% of cases. Only 7 metastatic tumor samples have been collected. Although the COG has been successful in collecting tumor samples from patients newly diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, fresh frozen tumor specimens from primary and metastatic disease are critically needed, especially from young adult patients, in order to conduct high quality basic science and translational research investigation with a goal of developing better treatments.

  4. The Chernobyl Tissue Bank — A Repository for Biomaterial and Data Used in Integrative and Systems Biology Modeling the Human Response to Radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Geraldine; Unger, Kristian; Krznaric, Marko; Galpine, Angela; Bethel, Jackie; Tomlinson, Christopher; Woodbridge, Mark; Butcher, Sarah

    2012-01-01

    The only unequivocal radiological effect of the Chernobyl accident on human health is the increase in thyroid cancer in those exposed in childhood or early adolescence. In response to the scientific interest in studying the molecular biology of thyroid cancer post Chernobyl, the Chernobyl Tissue Bank (CTB: www.chernobyltissuebank.com) was established in 1998. Thus far it is has collected biological samples from 3,861 individuals, and provided 27 research projects with 11,254 samples. The CTB was designed from its outset as a resource to promote the integration of research and clinical data to facilitate a systems biology approach to radiation related thyroid cancer. The project has therefore developed as a multidisciplinary collaboration between clinicians, dosimetrists, molecular biologists and bioinformaticians and serves as a paradigm for tissue banking in the omics era. PMID:24704918

  5. Centrifuge-operated specimen staining method and apparatus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clarke, Mark S. F. (Inventor); Feeback, Daniel L. (Inventor)

    1999-01-01

    A method of staining preselected, mounted specimens of either biological or nonbiological material enclosed within a staining chamber where the liquid staining reagents are applied and removed from the staining chamber using hypergravity as the propelling force. In the preferred embodiment, a spacecraft-operated centrifuge and method of diagnosing biological specimens while in orbit, characterized by hermetically sealing a shell assembly. The assembly contains slide stain apparatus with computer control therefor, the operative effect of which is to overcome microgravity, for example on board an International Space Station.

  6. Compressed sensing electron tomography of needle-shaped biological specimens – Potential for improved reconstruction fidelity with reduced dose

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saghi, Zineb, E-mail: saghizineb@gmail.com [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom); Divitini, Giorgio [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom); Winter, Benjamin [Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Leary, Rowan [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom); Spiecker, Erdmann [Center for Nanoanalysis and Electron Microscopy (CENEM), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstraße 6, 91058 Erlangen (Germany); Ducati, Caterina [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom); Midgley, Paul A., E-mail: pam33@cam.ac.uk [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, 27 Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0FS (United Kingdom)

    2016-01-15

    Electron tomography is an invaluable method for 3D cellular imaging. The technique is, however, limited by the specimen geometry, with a loss of resolution due to a restricted tilt range, an increase in specimen thickness with tilt, and a resultant need for subjective and time-consuming manual segmentation. Here we show that 3D reconstructions of needle-shaped biological samples exhibit isotropic resolution, facilitating improved automated segmentation and feature detection. By using scanning transmission electron tomography, with small probe convergence angles, high spatial resolution is maintained over large depths of field and across the tilt range. Moreover, the application of compressed sensing methods to the needle data demonstrates how high fidelity reconstructions may be achieved with far fewer images (and thus greatly reduced dose) than needed by conventional methods. These findings open the door to high fidelity electron tomography over critically relevant length-scales, filling an important gap between existing 3D cellular imaging techniques. - Highlights: • On-axis electron tomography of a needle-shaped biological sample is presented. • A reconstruction with isotropic resolution is achieved. • Compressed sensing methods are compared to conventional reconstruction algorithms. • High fidelity reconstructions are achieved with greatly undersampled datasets.

  7. Compressed sensing electron tomography of needle-shaped biological specimens – Potential for improved reconstruction fidelity with reduced dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saghi, Zineb; Divitini, Giorgio; Winter, Benjamin; Leary, Rowan; Spiecker, Erdmann; Ducati, Caterina; Midgley, Paul A.

    2016-01-01

    Electron tomography is an invaluable method for 3D cellular imaging. The technique is, however, limited by the specimen geometry, with a loss of resolution due to a restricted tilt range, an increase in specimen thickness with tilt, and a resultant need for subjective and time-consuming manual segmentation. Here we show that 3D reconstructions of needle-shaped biological samples exhibit isotropic resolution, facilitating improved automated segmentation and feature detection. By using scanning transmission electron tomography, with small probe convergence angles, high spatial resolution is maintained over large depths of field and across the tilt range. Moreover, the application of compressed sensing methods to the needle data demonstrates how high fidelity reconstructions may be achieved with far fewer images (and thus greatly reduced dose) than needed by conventional methods. These findings open the door to high fidelity electron tomography over critically relevant length-scales, filling an important gap between existing 3D cellular imaging techniques. - Highlights: • On-axis electron tomography of a needle-shaped biological sample is presented. • A reconstruction with isotropic resolution is achieved. • Compressed sensing methods are compared to conventional reconstruction algorithms. • High fidelity reconstructions are achieved with greatly undersampled datasets.

  8. Laser Plasma Soft X-ray Microscope with Wolter Mirrors for Observation of Biological Specimens in Air

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoshino, Masato; Aoki, Sadao

    2006-02-01

    A laser plasma soft X-ray microscope with Wolter mirrors was developed so that specimens could be set in the atmosphere. Silicon nitride membranes 100 nm thick were used as vacuum-tight windows. Using relatively large windows (0.46× 0.46 mm2), an adequate working distance for samples, which was approximately 1.2 mm, was assured. The endurance of the vacuum-tight window was measured briefly. Dry biological cells could be observed with resolution better than 100 nm. A preliminary observation of wet biological cells was carried out using a wet environmental sample holder which was composed of only two sheets of silicon nitride membrane. An X-ray micrograph of wet red blood cells from a chicken was obtained without apparent effects of radiation damage. The properties of a vacuum-tight window and a wet sample holder are discussed.

  9. Laser plasma soft x-ray microscope with Wolter mirrors for observation of biological specimens in air

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoshino, Masato; Aoki, Sadao

    2006-01-01

    A laser plasma soft X-ray microscope with Wolter mirrors was developed so that specimens could be set in the atmosphere. Silicon nitride membranes 100 nm thick were used as vacuum-tight windows. Using relatively large windows (0.46 x 0.46 mm 2 ), an adequate working distance for samples, which was approximately 1.2 mm, was assured. The endrance of the vacuum-tight window was measured briefly. Dry biological cells could be observed with resolution better than 100 nm. A preliminary observation of wet biological cells was carried out using a wet environmental sample holder which was composed of only two sheets of silicon nitride membrane. An X-ray micrograph of wet red blood cells from a chicken was obtained without apparent effects of radiation damage. The properties of a vacuum-tight window and a wet sample holder are discussed. (author)

  10. The biotic sample bank of Chernobyl nuclear accident

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Yu; Min Rui; Cai Jianming

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To built a simple and easy biologic sample bank from irradiated people in nuclear accident, for the long time research of biological effect of low dose ionization radiation on people. Methods: The blood sample is fixed on a piece of filter paper rand sealed up in plastic bottle for keeping, blood sample scribble on glass lice, fixed and dyed as routine clinic examination, and still, reserve a slice of hair of the examined people. Results: Having built a biologic sample bank which from 1162 human body. The samples are come from 958 liquidators of Chernobyl nuclear accident, 46 people in other nuclear accident and 158 people as control groups. It is also having much information details. Conclusions: If the biologic sample bank is combined with the modern bimolecular technique, maybe have much meaningful for the theory and practice of radiobiology. (authors)

  11. Analysis of the learning curve for pre-cut corneal specimens in preparation for lamellar transplantation: a prospective, single-centre, consecutive case series prepared at the Lions New South Wales Eye Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Aifric Isabel; Devasahayam, Rajnesh; Hodge, Christopher; Cooper, Simon; Sutton, Gerard L

    2017-09-01

    This study is the first paper to establish a learning curve by a single technician. Preparation of pre-cut corneal endothelial grafts commenced at Lions New South Wales Eye Bank in December 2014. The primary objective of this study was to review the safety and reliability of the preparation method during the first year of production. This is a hospital-based, prospective case series. There were 234 consecutive donor corneal lenticules. Donor lenticules were prepared by a single operator using a linear cutting microkeratome. Immediately prior to cutting, central corneal thickness values were recorded. Measurements of the corneal bed were taken immediately following lenticule preparation. Outcomes were separated by blade sizes, and intended thickness was compared to actual thickness for each setting. Early specimens were compared to later ones to assess for a learning curve within the technique. The main parameter measured is the mean difference from intended lamellar cut thickness. The mean final cut thickness was 122.36 ± 20.35 μm, and the mean difference from intended cut was 30.17 ± 37.45 μm. No significant difference was found between results achieved with early specimens versus those achieved with later specimens (P = 0.425). Thin, reproducible endothelial grafts can routinely be produced by trained technicians at their respective eye banks without significant concerns for an extended learning curve. This service can reduce perioperative surgical complexity, required surgical paraphernalia and theatre times. The consistent preparation of single-pass, ultrathin pre-cut corneas may have additional advantages for surgeons seeking to introduce lamellar techniques. © 2017 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  12. A Decade in Banking Ewing Sarcoma: A Report from the Children’s Oncology Group

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borinstein, Scott C.; Beeler, Natalie; Block, John J.; Gorlick, Richard; Grohar, Patrick; Jedlicka, Paul; Krailo, Mark; Morris, Carol; Phillips, Sharon; Siegal, Gene P.; Lawlor, Elizabeth R.; Lessnick, Stephen L.

    2013-01-01

    Outcomes for patients with metastatic and recurrent Ewing sarcoma remain poor and a better understanding of the biology of this malignancy is critical to the development of prognostic biomarkers and novel therapies. Therefore, the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) has created tissue banking protocols designed to collect high quality, clinically annotated, tumor specimens that can be distributed to researchers to perform basic science and correlative investigation. Data from the COG Ewing sarcoma tissue banking protocols AEWS02B1 and its successor study AEWS07B1 were reviewed in this study. Six-hundred and thirty five patients were enrolled on AEWS02B1 and 396 patients have had tissue submitted to AEWS07B1. The average age of participation was 13.2 years. About 86% were less than 19 years old and only 6% were greater than 21 years of age at diagnosis. When compared to SEER data, approximately 18% of all cases and only 8% of all patients >20 years old diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma annually in the United States have had tumor banked. The majority of participants submitted formalin fixed, paraffin embedded, primary tumor and blood samples. In total, fresh frozen tissue was submitted for only 29% of cases. Only seven metastatic tumor samples have been collected. Although the COG has been successful in collecting tumor samples from patients newly diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, fresh frozen tumor specimens from primary and metastatic disease are critically needed, especially from young adult patients, in order to conduct high quality basic science and translational research investigation with a goal of developing better treatments. PMID:23519678

  13. Utilizing sediments from biological waste water treatment for spraying spoil banks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bobrov, O G; Zaitsev, Yu S; Kessariiskii, Yu V

    1985-04-01

    Use of anaerobic sludge for prevention of spontaneous combustion of spoil banks consisting of coal and mine stones from underground coal mines and effects of sludge treatment on soil properties which influence spoil bank reclamation are discussed. Sludge from water treatment rich in organic matter (50 to 60%), nitrogen (2 to 5%), phosphorus anhydride (up to 2%), calcium oxide (up to 5%) and humus was used in the Donbass. A spoil bank consisted of sedimentary rocks (sandstones, limestones, shales, clays, mudstone) and coal (size 0 to 200 mm). Coal content ranged from 7-13%, sulfur content amounted to about 5%. Content of coal, sulfur and timber exceeded 20%. The spoil bank was treated with sludge suspension in water. Evaluations showed that the sludge treatment improved soil properties which influenced spoil bank reclamation. Humus content increased 7 to 16 times, content of nitrogen trioxide and phosphorus anhydride increased 10 to 50 times. Chemical activity of rocks forming the spoil bank declined 20 to 25%. Hazards of coal spontaneous combustion decreased. The results of investigations are shown in a table.

  14. Worldwide Protein Data Bank biocuration supporting open access to high-quality 3D structural biology data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westbrook, John D; Feng, Zukang; Persikova, Irina; Sala, Raul; Sen, Sanchayita; Berrisford, John M; Swaminathan, G Jawahar; Oldfield, Thomas J; Gutmanas, Aleksandras; Igarashi, Reiko; Armstrong, David R; Baskaran, Kumaran; Chen, Li; Chen, Minyu; Clark, Alice R; Di Costanzo, Luigi; Dimitropoulos, Dimitris; Gao, Guanghua; Ghosh, Sutapa; Gore, Swanand; Guranovic, Vladimir; Hendrickx, Pieter M S; Hudson, Brian P; Ikegawa, Yasuyo; Kengaku, Yumiko; Lawson, Catherine L; Liang, Yuhe; Mak, Lora; Mukhopadhyay, Abhik; Narayanan, Buvaneswari; Nishiyama, Kayoko; Patwardhan, Ardan; Sahni, Gaurav; Sanz-García, Eduardo; Sato, Junko; Sekharan, Monica R; Shao, Chenghua; Smart, Oliver S; Tan, Lihua; van Ginkel, Glen; Yang, Huanwang; Zhuravleva, Marina A; Markley, John L; Nakamura, Haruki; Kurisu, Genji; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Velankar, Sameer; Berman, Helen M; Burley, Stephen K

    2018-01-01

    Abstract The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the single global repository for experimentally determined 3D structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes with ligands. The worldwide PDB (wwPDB) is the international collaboration that manages the PDB archive according to the FAIR principles: Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability. The wwPDB recently developed OneDep, a unified tool for deposition, validation and biocuration of structures of biological macromolecules. All data deposited to the PDB undergo critical review by wwPDB Biocurators. This article outlines the importance of biocuration for structural biology data deposited to the PDB and describes wwPDB biocuration processes and the role of expert Biocurators in sustaining a high-quality archive. Structural data submitted to the PDB are examined for self-consistency, standardized using controlled vocabularies, cross-referenced with other biological data resources and validated for scientific/technical accuracy. We illustrate how biocuration is integral to PDB data archiving, as it facilitates accurate, consistent and comprehensive representation of biological structure data, allowing efficient and effective usage by research scientists, educators, students and the curious public worldwide. Database URL: https://www.wwpdb.org/ PMID:29688351

  15. Preserving Accuracy in GenBank

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bidartondo, M.I.; Bruns, T. D.; Blackwell, M.

    2008-01-01

    GenBank, the public repository for nucleotide and protein sequences, is a critical resource for molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and ecology. While some attention has been drawn to sequence errors (1), common annotation errors also reduce the value of this database. In fact, for organisms...

  16. X-ray Microscopy as an Approach to Increasing Accuracy and Efficiency of Serial Block-face Imaging for Correlated Light and Electron Microscopy of Biological Specimens

    OpenAIRE

    Bushong, Eric A.; Johnson, Donald D.; Kim, Keun-Young; Terada, Masako; Hatori, Megumi; Peltier, Steven T.; Panda, Satchidananda; Merkle, Arno; Ellisman, Mark H.

    2014-01-01

    The recently developed three-dimensional electron microscopic (EM) method of serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBEM) has rapidly established itself as a powerful imaging approach. Volume EM imaging with this scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method requires intense staining of biological specimens with heavy metals to allow sufficient back-scatter electron signal and also to render specimens sufficiently conductive to control charging artifacts. These more extreme heavy metal s...

  17. Current limitations in super-resolution fluorescence microscopy for biological specimens: How deep can we go from the cover glass?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okada, Yasushi

    2017-04-01

    Diffraction limit of resolution has been one of the biggest limitations in the optical microscopy. Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy has enabled us to break this limit. However, for the observations of real biological specimens, especially for the imaging of tissues or whole body, the target structures of interest are often embedded deep inside the specimen. Here, we would present our results to extend the target of the super-resolution microscopy deeper into the cells. Confocal microscope optics work effectively to minimize the effect by the aberrations by the cellular components, but at the expense of the signal intensities. Spherical aberrations by the refractive index mismatch between the cellular environment and the immersion liquid can be much larger, but can be reduced by adjusting the correction collar at the objective lens.

  18. DNA extraction from herbarium specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drábková, Lenka Záveská

    2014-01-01

    With the expansion of molecular techniques, the historical collections have become widely used. Studying plant DNA using modern molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing plays an important role in understanding evolutionary relationships, identification through DNA barcoding, conservation status, and many other aspects of plant biology. Enormous herbarium collections are an important source of material especially for specimens from areas difficult to access or from taxa that are now extinct. The ability to utilize these specimens greatly enhances the research. However, the process of extracting DNA from herbarium specimens is often fraught with difficulty related to such variables as plant chemistry, drying method of the specimen, and chemical treatment of the specimen. Although many methods have been developed for extraction of DNA from herbarium specimens, the most frequently used are modified CTAB and DNeasy Plant Mini Kit protocols. Nine selected protocols in this chapter have been successfully used for high-quality DNA extraction from different kinds of plant herbarium tissues. These methods differ primarily with respect to their requirements for input material (from algae to vascular plants), type of the plant tissue (leaves with incrustations, sclerenchyma strands, mucilaginous tissues, needles, seeds), and further possible applications (PCR-based methods or microsatellites, AFLP).

  19. Practical aspects of Boersch phase contrast electron microscopy of biological specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Walter, Andreas [Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Structural Biology, Max-von-Laue-Str. 3, D-60439 Frankfurt (Germany); Muzik, Heiko; Vieker, Henning; Turchanin, Andrey; Beyer, Andre; Goelzhaeuser, Armin [University of Bielefeld, Physics of Supramolecular Systems and Surfaces, Universitaetsstr. 25, D-33615 Bielefeld (Germany); Lacher, Manfred; Steltenkamp, Siegfried; Schmitz, Sam; Holik, Peter [Caesar Research Center, Ludwig-Erhard-Allee 2, D-53175 Bonn (Germany); Kuehlbrandt, Werner [Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Structural Biology, Max-von-Laue-Str. 3, D-60439 Frankfurt (Germany); Rhinow, Daniel, E-mail: daniel.rhinow@biophys.mpg.de [Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysics, Department of Structural Biology, Max-von-Laue-Str. 3, D-60439 Frankfurt (Germany)

    2012-05-15

    Implementation of physical phase plates into transmission electron microscopes to achieve in-focus contrast for ice-embedded biological specimens poses several technological challenges. During the last decade several phase plates designs have been introduced and tested for electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM), including thin film (Zernike) phase plates and electrostatic devices. Boersch phase plates (BPPs) are electrostatic einzel lenses shifting the phase of the unscattered beam by an arbitrary angle. Adjusting the phase shift to 90 Degree-Sign achieves the maximum contrast transfer for phase objects such as biomolecules. Recently, we reported the implementation of a BPP into a dedicated phase contrast aberration-corrected electron microscope (PACEM) and demonstrated its use to generate in-focus contrast of frozen-hydrated specimens. However, a number of obstacles need to be overcome before BPPs can be used routinely, mostly related to the phase plate devices themselves. CryoEM with a physical phase plate is affected by electrostatic charging, obliteration of low spatial frequencies, and mechanical drift. Furthermore, BPPs introduce single sideband contrast (SSB), due to the obstruction of Friedel mates in the diffraction pattern. In this study we address the technical obstacles in detail and show how they may be overcome. We use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to identify contaminants responsible for electrostatic charging, which occurs with most phase plates. We demonstrate that obstruction of low-resolution features is significantly reduced by lowering the acceleration voltage of the microscope. Finally, we present computational approaches to correct BPP images for SSB contrast and to compensate for mechanical drift of the BPP. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Various obstacles need to be overcome before Boersch phase plates can be used routinely. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Technical problems include

  20. Practical aspects of Boersch phase contrast electron microscopy of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walter, Andreas; Muzik, Heiko; Vieker, Henning; Turchanin, Andrey; Beyer, André; Gölzhäuser, Armin; Lacher, Manfred; Steltenkamp, Siegfried; Schmitz, Sam; Holik, Peter; Kühlbrandt, Werner; Rhinow, Daniel

    2012-01-01

    Implementation of physical phase plates into transmission electron microscopes to achieve in-focus contrast for ice-embedded biological specimens poses several technological challenges. During the last decade several phase plates designs have been introduced and tested for electron cryo-microscopy (cryoEM), including thin film (Zernike) phase plates and electrostatic devices. Boersch phase plates (BPPs) are electrostatic einzel lenses shifting the phase of the unscattered beam by an arbitrary angle. Adjusting the phase shift to 90° achieves the maximum contrast transfer for phase objects such as biomolecules. Recently, we reported the implementation of a BPP into a dedicated phase contrast aberration-corrected electron microscope (PACEM) and demonstrated its use to generate in-focus contrast of frozen–hydrated specimens. However, a number of obstacles need to be overcome before BPPs can be used routinely, mostly related to the phase plate devices themselves. CryoEM with a physical phase plate is affected by electrostatic charging, obliteration of low spatial frequencies, and mechanical drift. Furthermore, BPPs introduce single sideband contrast (SSB), due to the obstruction of Friedel mates in the diffraction pattern. In this study we address the technical obstacles in detail and show how they may be overcome. We use X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) to identify contaminants responsible for electrostatic charging, which occurs with most phase plates. We demonstrate that obstruction of low-resolution features is significantly reduced by lowering the acceleration voltage of the microscope. Finally, we present computational approaches to correct BPP images for SSB contrast and to compensate for mechanical drift of the BPP. -- Highlights: ► Various obstacles need to be overcome before Boersch phase plates can be used routinely. ► Technical problems include electrostatic charging, mechanical drift, and image artefacts.

  1. Improving Soil Seed Bank Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haring, Steven C; Flessner, Michael L

    2018-05-08

    Problems associated with simplified weed management motivate efforts for diversification. Integrated weed management uses fundamentals of weed biology and applied ecology to provide a framework for diversified weed management programs; the soil seed bank comprises a necessary part of this framework. By targeting seeds, growers can inhibit the propagule pressure on which annual weeds depend for agricultural invasion. Some current management practices affect weed seed banks, such as crop rotation and tillage, but these tools are often used without specific intention to manage weed seeds. Difficulties quantifying the weed seed bank, understanding seed bank phenology, and linking seed banks to emerged weed communities challenge existing soil seed bank management practices. Improved seed bank quantification methods could include DNA profiling of the soil seed bank, mark and recapture, or 3D LIDAR mapping. Successful and sustainable soil seed bank management must constrain functionally diverse and changing weed communities. Harvest weed seed controls represent a step forward, but over-reliance on this singular technique could make it short-lived. Researchers must explore tools inspired by other pest management disciplines, such as gene drives or habitat modification for predatory organisms. Future weed seed bank management will combine multiple complementary practices that enhance diverse agroecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  2. Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (PCDDB): data bank and website design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitmore, Lee; Janes, Robert W; Wallace, B A

    2006-06-01

    The Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (PCDDB) is a new deposition data bank for validated circular dichroism spectra of biomacromolecules. Its aim is to be a resource for the structural biology and bioinformatics communities, providing open access and archiving facilities for circular dichroism and synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectra. It is named in parallel with the Protein Data Bank (PDB), a long-existing valuable reference data bank for protein crystal and NMR structures. In this article, we discuss the design of the data bank structure and the deposition website located at http://pcddb.cryst.bbk.ac.uk. Our aim is to produce a flexible and comprehensive archive, which enables user-friendly spectral deposition and searching. In the case of a protein whose crystal structure and sequence are known, the PCDDB entry will be linked to the appropriate PDB and sequence data bank files, respectively. It is anticipated that the PCDDB will provide a readily accessible biophysical catalogue of information on folded proteins that may be of value in structural genomics programs, for quality control and archiving in industrial and academic labs, as a resource for programs developing spectroscopic structural analysis methods, and in bioinformatics studies. Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  3. Protein Data Bank (PDB)

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive is the single worldwide repository of information about the 3D structures of large biological molecules, including proteins and...

  4. Nuclear microscopy of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watt, F.; Grime, G.W.; Brook, A.J.; Gadd, G.M.; Perry, C.C.; Pearce, R.B.; Turnau, K.; Watkinson, S.C.

    1991-01-01

    Recent developments in technology have enabled the scanning proton microprobe to scan at submicron spatial resolution on a routine basis. The use of the powerful combination of techniques PIXE (proton induced X-ray emission), nuclear (or Rutherford) backscattering (RBS), and secondary electron detection operating at this resolution will open up new areas in many scientific disciplines. This paper describes some of the work carried out in the biological sciences over the last year, using the Oxford SPM facility. Collaborations with biological scientists have drawn attention to the wealth of information that can be derived when these techniques are applied to micro-organisms, cells and plant tissue. Briefly described here are investigations into the uptake of heavy metals by the alga Pandorina morum, the structure of the diatom Stephanopyxis turris, the presence of various types of crystal structures within the cells of Spirogyra, the heavy metal uptake of a mycorrhizal fungus present in the bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) root, the role of sphagnum moss in the absorption of inorganic elements, the measurement of heavy metals in environmentally-adapted cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the elemental distribution in the growing tip of a spore from the plant Equisetum arvense, with special emphasis placed on the visual interpretation of the elemental and secondary-electron maps provided by the nuclear microscopical techniques. (orig.)

  5. Maximizing the phylogenetic diversity of seed banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, Kate E; Balding, Sharon T; Dickie, John B; Lewis, Gwilym P; Pearce, Tim R; Grenyer, Richard

    2015-04-01

    Ex situ conservation efforts such as those of zoos, botanical gardens, and seed banks will form a vital complement to in situ conservation actions over the coming decades. It is therefore necessary to pay the same attention to the biological diversity represented in ex situ conservation facilities as is often paid to protected-area networks. Building the phylogenetic diversity of ex situ collections will strengthen our capacity to respond to biodiversity loss. Since 2000, the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership has banked seed from 14% of the world's plant species. We assessed the taxonomic, geographic, and phylogenetic diversity of the Millennium Seed Bank collection of legumes (Leguminosae). We compared the collection with all known legume genera, their known geographic range (at country and regional levels), and a genus-level phylogeny of the legume family constructed for this study. Over half the phylogenetic diversity of legumes at the genus level was represented in the Millennium Seed Bank. However, pragmatic prioritization of species of economic importance and endangerment has led to the banking of a less-than-optimal phylogenetic diversity and prioritization of range-restricted species risks an underdispersed collection. The current state of the phylogenetic diversity of legumes in the Millennium Seed Bank could be substantially improved through the strategic banking of relatively few additional taxa. Our method draws on tools that are widely applied to in situ conservation planning, and it can be used to evaluate and improve the phylogenetic diversity of ex situ collections. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

  6. Study of Biological Pigments by Single Specimen Derivative Spectrophotometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Jack M.

    1970-01-01

    The single specimen derivative (SSD) method provides an absolute absorption spectrum of a substance in the absence of a suitable reference. Both a reference and a measuring monochromatic beam pass through a single sample, and the specimen itself acts as its own reference. The two monochromatic beams maintain a fixed wavelength difference upon scanning, and the difference in absorbance of the two beams is determined. Thus, the resulting spectrum represents the first derivative of the conventional type absorption spectrum. Tissues and cell fractions have been examined at room and liquid N2 temperature and chromophoric molecules such as the mitochondrial cytochromes and blood pigments have been detectable in low concentrations. In the case of isolated cellular components, the observed effects of substrates and inhibitors confirm similar studies by conventional spectrophotometry. The extension of the SSD concept to the microscopic level has permitted the study of the tissue compartmentalization and function of cytochromes and other pigments within layered tissue. PMID:4392452

  7. Mediterranean banks in EBSA area: Hotspots of biodiversity under threat.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altobelli, Chiara; Perzia, Patrizia; Falautano, Manuela; Consoli, Pierpaolo; Canese, Simonepietro; Romeo, Teresa; Andaloro, Franco

    2017-10-01

    This study demonstrates that, in the Central Mediterranean Sea, the Graham, Nereo and Pantelleria Vecchia Banks of the Strait of Sicily represent, in the wide and diversified 'Sicily Channel' Ecological or Biological Significant Area, unknown hot spots of biodiversity threatened by human activities. The investigated banks show an high ecological and biological value (EBV), assessed through presence/absence of specific indicators. The ecological groups of Graham Bank show the maximum EBV; the same as Nereo and Pantelleria Vecchia, except for the benthic component. All three banks are highly threatened, mainly the benthic and benthopelagic ecological groups. However, these Banks still have wide pristine areas to protect and can be considered eligible sites for the imposition of area-based management measures of conservation. This study represent also a support for decision makers involved in protection of the Mediterranean open sea areas, to pinpoint other priority conservation banks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography for observing biological specimens and organic materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Momose, Atsushi; Takeda, Tohoru; Itai, Yuji

    1995-02-01

    A novel three-dimensional x-ray imaging method has been developed by combining a phase-contrast x-ray imaging technique with x-ray computed tomography. This phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography (PCX-CT) provides sectional images of organic specimens that would produce absorption-contrast x-ray CT images with little contrast. Comparing PCX-CT images of rat cerebellum and cancerous rabbit liver specimens with corresponding absorption-contrast CT images shows that PCX-CT is much more sensitive to the internal structure of organic specimens.

  9. Retrospective monitoring of triclosan and methyl-triclosan in fish. Results from the German Environmental Specimen Bank

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boehmer, W; Ruedel, H; Wenzel, A [Fraunhofer IME, Schmallenberg (Germany); Schroeter-Kermani, C [Umweltbundesamt, Berlin (Germany)

    2004-09-15

    During the last years there were several reports on the appearance of the biocides triclosan (TCS; 5- chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol; CAS No. 3380-34-5) and chlorophene (CP; 4-Chloro-2- (phenylmethyl)phenol; CAS No. 120-32-1) in the environment. TCS is used in numerous personal care products like toothpaste and soaps, but also in textiles and shoes. The current annual consumption in Germany is estimated to be 40 t (0.5 g per capita and year). During use large amounts of TCS and CP are disposed into waste water. Modern waste water treatment plants (WWTP) eliminate approximately 95 % of TCS, mainly by biodegradation and adsorption to sludge. It was observed that during waste water treatment methyl-triclosan (MTCS; 5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)anisole; CAS No. 4640-01-1) is formed, probably due to microbial methylation. In a WWTP effluent up to 1 % MTCS in relation to TCS was detected. The environmental half-life of TCS is assumed to be low, mainly because it is susceptible to photodegradation at environmental pH levels while MTCS is stable under these conditions. The logPow values of 4.7 for TCS and 5.2 for MTCS (estimated with KowWin Vers. 1,67, respectively) indicate potential for bioaccumulation. Based in order to investigate the exposure of aquatic organisms towards CP, TCS and MTCS in Germany a retrospective monitoring of breams (Abramis brama) from representative rivers was initiated. Samples from the period 1994 to 2003 were taken from the archive of the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) to evaluate temporal changes and regional differences of the occurrence of the target compounds.

  10. The Chernobyl Tissue Bank — A Repository for Biomaterial and Data Used in Integrative and Systems Biology Modeling the Human Response to Radiation

    OpenAIRE

    Thomas, Geraldine; Unger, Kristian; Krznaric, Marko; Galpine, Angela; Bethel, Jackie; Tomlinson, Christopher; Woodbridge, Mark; Butcher, Sarah

    2012-01-01

    The only unequivocal radiological effect of the Chernobyl accident on human health is the increase in thyroid cancer in those exposed in childhood or early adolescence. In response to the scientific interest in studying the molecular biology of thyroid cancer post Chernobyl, the Chernobyl Tissue Bank (CTB: www.chernobyltissuebank.com) was established in 1998. Thus far it is has collected biological samples from 3,861 individuals, and provided 27 research projects with 11,254 samples. The CTB ...

  11. Longitudinal Bank for Serum, Plasma and DNA for Detection of Biomarkers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ward, David C. [Nevada Cancer Institute, Las Vegas, NV (United States)

    2009-01-31

    With the support of this DOE appropriation, NVCI has established a biorepository for serum, plasma, DNA and urine specimens. Over 2,500 patients have been consented which is over 90% of all new patients seen at NVCI. The specimens have been coded, centrifuged, aliquoted and frozen at -80°C in a rapid manner so that they are all processed in less than 1 hour from the acquisition. There are over 28,000 aliquoted, coded tubes in our inventory. Specimens from 200 control volunteer subjects without any history of cancer also have been banked. The patient specimens are encoded and the demographics and therapeutic treatments are linked to the Oncore software. This computer program catalogues the specimens and provides a rapid conduit between the biorepository and the NVCI electronic medical record.

  12. Sperm banking for fertility preservation: a 20-year experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Matrika D; Cooper, Amber R; Jungheim, Emily S; Lanzendorf, Susan E; Odem, Randall R; Ratts, Valerie S

    2013-09-01

    Sperm banking is an effective method to preserve fertility, but is not universally offered to males facing gonadotoxic treatment in the United States. We compared the disposition and semen parameters of cryopreserved sperm from individuals referred for sperm banking secondary to a cancer diagnosis to those of sperm from men banking for infertility reasons. We performed a retrospective cohort study that reviewed 1118 records from males who presented to bank sperm at Washington University between 1991 and 2010. We collected and analyzed demographics, semen parameters, and disposition of banked sperm. Four hundred and twenty-three men with cancer and 348 banking for infertility reasons attempted sperm cryopreservation in our unit during the specified time period. The most prevalent cancers in our cohort were testicular (32%), lymphoma (25%), and leukemia (11%). Patients with leukemia had the lowest pre-thaw counts and motility. Most cancer patients (57%) who banked elected to use, transfer to another facility, or keep their specimens in storage. The remaining samples were discarded electively (34%) or following death (8%). Overall semen parameters were similar between the cancer and infertility groups, but demographics, ability to bank a sample, azoospermia rates, length of storage, current banking status, and use of banked sperm differed significantly between the two groups. The majority of cancer patients who banked survived their cancer and chose to continue storage of banked samples. Cancer patients were more likely than infertility patients to use or continue storage of banked samples. Our study provides evidence that sperm banking is a utilized modality of fertility preservation in patients with a myriad of cancer diagnoses and should be offered to all men facing gonadotoxic therapies. Further work is needed to determine where disparities in access to sperm banking exist to improve the potential for future fertility in these males. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier

  13. Should silicone prostheses be considered for specimen banking? A pilot study into their use for human biomonitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allan, Ian J; Bæk, Kine; Kringstad, Alfhild; Roald, Helge E; Thomas, Kevin V

    2013-09-01

    Persistent organic pollutant (POP) biomonitoring in humans is challenging and generally carried out using blood, breast milk or adipose tissue, with concentrations normalised to the lipid content of the sample matrix. The goal of this cross-sectional pilot study was to evaluate the validity and feasibility of explanted silicone prostheses as a matrix for persistent organic pollutant biomonitoring in humans. We postulate that pollutant concentrations in silicone prostheses inserted in the body will equilibrate with that in the body over time and provide a measure of the overall body burden. This study included silicone prostheses from 22 female patients of the Colosseum clinic (Oslo, Norway) collected between September 2010 and April 2012. Absorption of chlorinated and brominated POPs into silicone prostheses during implantation was observed. Relative levels of the different contaminants measured in prostheses were in agreement with those from serum and breast milk analyses from the general Norwegian population. The comparison of serum and breast milk-based literature data with prosthesis concentrations transposed into lipid-normalised concentrations supports the validity of the prosthesis measurements. The median of relative percent differences between measurements with replicate silicone prostheses from 11 patients was below 30%. Observed increases in prosthesis concentrations with patients' age were found to be very similar to literature data from studies of the Norwegian population. Silicone prostheses therefore represent a promising matrix for the biomonitoring of nonpolar and non-ionic pollutants in humans. Sample accessibility and body burden representativeness of the silicone prostheses suggest that specimen banking should be initiated. © 2013.

  14. High resolution IVEM tomography of biological specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sedat, J.W.; Agard, D.A. [Univ. of California, San Francisco, CA (United States)

    1997-02-01

    Electron tomography is a powerful tool for elucidating the three-dimensional architecture of large biological complexes and subcellular organelles. The introduction of intermediate voltage electron microscopes further extended the technique by providing the means to examine very large and non-symmetrical subcellular organelles, at resolutions beyond what would be possible using light microscopy. Recent studies using electron tomography on a variety of cellular organelles and assemblies such as centrosomes, kinetochores, and chromatin have clearly demonstrated the power of this technique for obtaining 3D structural information on non-symmetric cell components. When combined with biochemical and molecular observations, these 3D reconstructions have provided significant new insights into biological function.

  15. Preservation of pathological tissue specimens by freeze-drying for immunohistochemical staining and various molecular biological analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuo, S; Sugiyama, T; Okuyama, T; Yoshikawa, K; Honda, K; Takahashi, R; Maeda, S

    1999-05-01

    Conditions of preserving DNA, RNA and protein in pathological specimens are of great importance as degradation of such macromolecules would critically affect results of molecular biological analysis. The feasibility of freeze-drying as a means of preserving pathological tissue samples for molecular analysis has previously been shown. In the present study, further tests on long-term storage conditions and analyses of freeze-dried samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry are reported. Rat chromosomal DNA of freeze-dried samples stored for 4 years showed slight degradation while RNA degradation was more prominently seen at an earlier stage of storage. However, these 4 year DNA and RNA samples were still able to serve as a template for some PCR and RT-PCR analyses, respectively. Overexpression of c-erbB-2 and p53 protein was demonstrated by western blotting and immunohistochemical staining using freeze-dried human breast cancer tissues. Although macromolecules in freeze-dried samples degrade to some extent during the preservation period, they should still be of value for certain molecular biological analyses and morphological examination; hence, providing more convenient and inexpensive ways of pathological tissue storage.

  16. Parabens in 24 h urine samples of the German Environmental Specimen Bank from 1995 to 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moos, Rebecca K; Koch, Holger M; Angerer, Jürgen; Apel, Petra; Schröter-Kermani, Christa; Brüning, Thomas; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike

    2015-10-01

    Parabens are widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in personal care and consumer products, food and pharmaceuticals. Due to their ubiquity, humans are constantly exposed to these chemicals. We assessed exposure to nine parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, n- and iso-propyl-, n- and iso-butyl-, benzyl-, pentyl- and heptyl paraben) in the German population from 1995 to 2012 based on 660 24h urine samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank (ESB) using on-line HPLC coupled to isotope dilution tandem mass spectrometry. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.5 μg/L for all parabens. We detected methyl-, ethyl- and n-propyl paraben in 79-99% of samples, followed by n-butyl paraben in 40% of samples. We infrequently detected iso-butyl-, iso-propyl- and benzyl paraben in 24%, 4% and 1.4% of samples, respectively. Urinary concentrations were highest for methyl paraben (median 39.8 μg/L; 95th percentile 319 μg/L) followed by n-propyl paraben (4.8 μg/L; 95th percentile 74.0 μg/L) and ethyl paraben (2.1 μg/L; 95th percentile 39.1 μg/L). Women had significantly higher urinary levels for all parabens than men, except for benzyl paraben. Samples from the ESB revealed that over the investigation period of nearly 20 years urinary paraben levels remained surprisingly constant; only methyl paraben had a significant increase, for both men and women. We found strong correlations between methyl- and n-propyl paraben and between n- and iso-butyl paraben. These results indicate that parabens are used in combination and arise from common sources of exposure. Urinary excretion factors are needed to extrapolate from individual urinary concentrations to actual doses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  17. Biological Sexing of a 4000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy Head to Assess the Potential of Nuclear DNA Recovery from the Most Damaged and Limited Forensic Specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loreille, Odile; Ratnayake, Shashikala; Bazinet, Adam L; Stockwell, Timothy B; Sommer, Daniel D; Rohland, Nadin; Mallick, Swapan; Johnson, Philip L F; Skoglund, Pontus; Onorato, Anthony J; Bergman, Nicholas H; Reich, David; Irwin, Jodi A

    2018-03-01

    High throughput sequencing (HTS) has been used for a number of years in the field of paleogenomics to facilitate the recovery of small DNA fragments from ancient specimens. Recently, these techniques have also been applied in forensics, where they have been used for the recovery of mitochondrial DNA sequences from samples where traditional PCR-based assays fail because of the very short length of endogenous DNA molecules. Here, we describe the biological sexing of a ~4000-year-old Egyptian mummy using shotgun sequencing and two established methods of biological sex determination (R X and R Y ), by way of mitochondrial genome analysis as a means of sequence data authentication. This particular case of historical interest increases the potential utility of HTS techniques for forensic purposes by demonstrating that data from the more discriminatory nuclear genome can be recovered from the most damaged specimens, even in cases where mitochondrial DNA cannot be recovered with current PCR-based forensic technologies. Although additional work remains to be done before nuclear DNA recovered via these methods can be used routinely in operational casework for individual identification purposes, these results indicate substantial promise for the retrieval of probative individually identifying DNA data from the most limited and degraded forensic specimens.

  18. Biological Sexing of a 4000-Year-Old Egyptian Mummy Head to Assess the Potential of Nuclear DNA Recovery from the Most Damaged and Limited Forensic Specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Odile Loreille

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available High throughput sequencing (HTS has been used for a number of years in the field of paleogenomics to facilitate the recovery of small DNA fragments from ancient specimens. Recently, these techniques have also been applied in forensics, where they have been used for the recovery of mitochondrial DNA sequences from samples where traditional PCR-based assays fail because of the very short length of endogenous DNA molecules. Here, we describe the biological sexing of a ~4000-year-old Egyptian mummy using shotgun sequencing and two established methods of biological sex determination (RX and RY, by way of mitochondrial genome analysis as a means of sequence data authentication. This particular case of historical interest increases the potential utility of HTS techniques for forensic purposes by demonstrating that data from the more discriminatory nuclear genome can be recovered from the most damaged specimens, even in cases where mitochondrial DNA cannot be recovered with current PCR-based forensic technologies. Although additional work remains to be done before nuclear DNA recovered via these methods can be used routinely in operational casework for individual identification purposes, these results indicate substantial promise for the retrieval of probative individually identifying DNA data from the most limited and degraded forensic specimens.

  19. GenBank.

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, D; Lipman, D J; Ostell, J

    1993-01-01

    The GenBank sequence database has undergone an expansion in data coverage, annotation content and the development of new services for the scientific community. In addition to nucleotide sequences, data from the major protein sequence and structural databases, and from U.S. and European patents is now included in an integrated system. MEDLINE abstracts from published articles describing the sequences provide an important new source of biological annotation for sequence entries. In addition to ...

  20. The Importance of Biological Databases in Biological Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baxevanis, Andreas D; Bateman, Alex

    2015-06-19

    Biological databases play a central role in bioinformatics. They offer scientists the opportunity to access a wide variety of biologically relevant data, including the genomic sequences of an increasingly broad range of organisms. This unit provides a brief overview of major sequence databases and portals, such as GenBank, the UCSC Genome Browser, and Ensembl. Model organism databases, including WormBase, The Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR), and those made available through the Mouse Genome Informatics (MGI) resource, are also covered. Non-sequence-centric databases, such as Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), the Protein Data Bank (PDB), MetaCyc, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), are also discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  1. Detection of thallium and uranium in well water and biological specimens of an eastern Croatian population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curković, Mario; Sipos, Laszlo; Puntarić, Dinko; Dodig-Ćurković, Katarina; Pivac, Nela; Kralik, Kristina

    2013-09-01

    Abstract Using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we measured the concentrations of thallium and uranium in local water resources from three villages (Ćelije, Draž, and Potnjani) in eastern Croatia, with the aim to determine if they were associated with the levels of these same elements in the serum, urine, and hair collected from the residents of this area. The exposure of the local population to thallium and uranium through drinking water was generally low. ICP-MS was capable of measuring the levels of both of the elements in almost all of the analysed samples. Although there were differences in the concentrations of both elements in water samples and biological specimens taken from the residents, they did not reach the maximum contaminant level in any of the four sample types studied. Although hair was previously reported as an excellent indicator of occupational and environmental exposure to various elements, our study did not confirm it as a reliable biological material for tracing thallium and uranium levels, mainly due to the very low concentrations of these elements, often well below the detection limit. However, our results have shown that the concentration of thallium and uranium in drinking water can be effectively traced in urine samples.

  2. Biomarker discovery in biological specimens (plasma, hair, liver and kidney) of diabetic mice based upon metabolite profiling using ultra-performance liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsutsui, Haruhito; Maeda, Toshio; Min, Jun Zhe; Inagaki, Shinsuke; Higashi, Tatsuya; Kagawa, Yoshiyuki; Toyo'oka, Toshimasa

    2011-05-12

    The number of diabetic patients has recently been increasing worldwide. Diabetes is a multifactorial disorder based on environmental factors and genetic background. In many cases, diabetes is asymptomatic for a long period and the patient is not aware of the disease. Therefore, the potential biomarker(s), leading to the early detection and/or prevention of diabetes mellitus, are strongly required. However, the diagnosis of the prediabetic state in humans is a very difficult issue, because the lifestyle is variable in each person. Although the development of a diagnosis method in humans is the goal of our research, the extraction and structural identification of biomarker candidates in several biological specimens (i.e., plasma, hair, liver and kidney) of ddY strain mice, which undergo naturally occurring diabetes along with aging, were carried out based upon a metabolite profiling study. The low-molecular-mass compounds including metabolites in the biological specimens of diabetic mice (ddY-H) and normal mice (ddY-L) were globally separated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) using different reversed-phase columns (i.e., T3-C18 and HS-F5) and detected by electrospray ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ESI-TOF-MS). The biomarker candidates related to diabetes mellitus were extracted from a multivariate statistical analysis, such as an orthogonal partial least-squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), followed by a database search, such as ChemSpider, KEGG and HMDB. Many metabolites and unknown compounds in each biological specimen were detected as the biomarker candidates related to diabetic mellitus. Among them, the elucidation of the chemical structures of several possible metabolites, including more than two biological specimens, was carried out along with the comparison of the tandem MS/MS analyses using authentic compounds. One metabolite was clearly identified as N-acetyl-L-leucine based upon the MS/MS spectra and the retention time on

  3. A cross Canada survey of sperm banking practices in pediatric oncology centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Amy Lee; Gupta, Abha; Punnett, Angela; Nathan, Paul C

    2010-12-15

    Childhood cancer survivors have identified fertility preservation as a major concern. Sperm banking is an established fertility preservation option in pubertal males. We sought to describe current practices in Canadian pediatric oncology programs, and to identify perceived barriers to sperm banking for male adolescents. A questionnaire was developed to (1) describe current sperm banking practices and facilities; (2) report on the utilization of sperm banking; and (3) identify barriers to sperm banking and possible solutions to improve current practices. A healthcare professional with an interest in fertility preservation within each institution was approached to participate in the study. Fifteen of 16 institutions participated, 2 have fertility preservation teams. Only one has written guidelines or adolescent focused educational material. Over 2 years, 50/262 (19%) adolescents in 12 institutions successfully banked a specimen. In 11 of these, additional information was available: of 85/172 (49%) adolescents offered the option to bank, 38/85 (45%) subsequently attempted. Reported barriers to sperm banking included the pressure to start therapy and restricted banking hours. Formal education of healthcare providers in fertility preservation practices, provision of financial support for families, and an adolescent focused approach were identified as important initiatives to improve sperm banking. There is a disparity in current sperm banking practices in Canada and at present, financial support, and improving knowledge translation among professionals and patients may improve the rates of banking. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  4. World bank and the environment. Progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The second annual report describes specific environmental strategies and environmental lending in the Bank's four operational regions: Africa; Asia; Europe, Middle East, and North Africa; and Latin America and the Caribbean. It details the Bank's progress in eight environmental categories: energy and the environment, pollution, urban environment, water resources management, forest and land management, social and cultural, environmental economics, and the global environment. One chapter is devoted exclusively to tropical forests, studying ways in which the Bank is dealing with deforestation as a part of the constant review of its forest policies. Suggestions are made for decreasing the degradation of tropical forests while meeting demands for forest products. This chapter reflects a shift in Bank emphasis from commercial ventures to conservation measures. The publication reports on other initiatives by the Bank during fiscal 1991, including the launching of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)--a pilot program to oversee reduction of global warming, preservation of biological diversity, protection of international waters, and prevention of ozone depletion

  5. A cylindrical specimen holder for electron cryo-tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Palmer, Colin M.; Löwe, Jan

    2014-01-01

    The use of slab-like flat specimens for electron cryo-tomography restricts the range of viewing angles that can be used. This leads to the “missing wedge” problem, which causes artefacts and anisotropic resolution in reconstructed tomograms. Cylindrical specimens provide a way to eliminate the problem, since they allow imaging from a full range of viewing angles around the tilt axis. Such specimens have been used before for tomography of radiation-insensitive samples at room temperature, but never for frozen-hydrated specimens. Here, we demonstrate the use of thin-walled carbon tubes as specimen holders, allowing the preparation of cylindrical frozen-hydrated samples of ribosomes, liposomes and whole bacterial cells. Images acquired from these cylinders have equal quality at all viewing angles, and the accessible tilt range is restricted only by the physical limits of the microscope. Tomographic reconstructions of these specimens demonstrate that the effects of the missing wedge are substantially reduced, and could be completely eliminated if a full tilt range was used. The overall quality of these tomograms is still lower than that obtained by existing methods, but improvements are likely in future. - Highlights: • The missing wedge is a serious problem for electron cryo-tomography. • Cylindrical specimens allow the missing wedge to be eliminated. • Carbon nanopipettes can be used as cylindrical holders for tomography of frozen-hydrated specimens. • Cryo-tomography of cylindrical biological samples demonstrates a reduction of deleterious effects associated with the missing wedge

  6. The Protein Data Bank and Its Uses in Structural Biology Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judith Voet

    2004-05-01

    Full Text Available The Protein Data Bank (PDB is a repository for the structures of proteins and nucleic acids. Itcontains les of their 3-dimensional coordinates, information on how these structures were determinedand references to the journal articles describing them. The PDB was established in 1971 by HelenBerman (it s present director and has grown exponentially so that it now contains 25,000 data lesrepresenting X-ray crystallographic, NMR and other structure determinations. Database queryingand data miningtools and resources at the PDB make it possible to search, compare and infer orpredict the function of newly identied proteins. Computer graphics capabilities make it possible foranyone to easily visualize and study the structural data. The capability to present beautiful graphicrepresentations of the 3-dimesnional structures of proteins and nucleic acids has been a boon to theeducation community. Communicating an understanding of these structures and the chemical forcesdetermining them and their interactions is one of the major aims of biochemistry and molecular biologyeducation. The ability to teach these principles visually has made a great dierence in our abilityto excite our students and provide them with physical interpretations for some abstract concepts inbiochemistry and molecular biology. In this talk we will explore some of the ways that the education community uses the PDB.

  7. Guidelines on product liability for the hospital blood bank. The British Committee for Standards in Haematology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-01-01

    This report aims to clarify the position of the hospital blood bank in the light of product liability legislation contained in the Consumer Protection Act of 1987. Blood has been defined a 'product' under this Act. The potential for the blood bank to be seen in the role of 'supplier', 'keeper' or even 'producer' in the chain of product supply to the patient is explained and advice given on the resulting implications for blood bank practice. It will be necessary to define, adopt and implement standard operating procedures (SOP) for all blood bank activities. Guidance is given on the format, preparation and content of SOPs and specimen examples offered. The fundamental importance of quality assurance is emphasized.

  8. Methods of Payment to Banks: e-Banking. Comparative Study on Three Banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miranda Petronella VLAD

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available E-banking website, majority offers the banks. At first it was electronic-banking, Internet-banking followed, followed by mobile-banking service. These services offer the same facilities, Customer Bank just that varies the channel used for communication with the Bank. The services offered by banks through E-banking, approves: compilation of orders; scheduled payments; orders for payment of wages; internal transfers; pay rates on internal or external; currency exchanges; view balances of accounts at any time; information about foreign exchange rates; view and print account statements; the definition of beneficiaries of direct payments by the client.

  9. ONLINE BANKING IN THE ROMANIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    OpenAIRE

    IMOLA DRIGĂ

    2014-01-01

    In the world of banking, the development of IT has a huge effect on development of more flexible payments methods and more user-friendly banking services. Recently, modern electronic banking services, internet and mobile banking, have rejuvenated banking transactions. Electronic banking over the Internet is one of the newest e-banking services with several benefits both for banks and for customers. The paper aims to provide an overview of online banking services highlighting various aspect...

  10. 12 CFR 619.9140 - Farm Credit bank(s).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Farm Credit bank(s). 619.9140 Section 619.9140 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9140 Farm Credit bank(s). Except as otherwise defined, the term Farm Credit bank(s) includes Farm Credit Banks...

  11. ONLINE BANKING IN THE ROMANIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    IMOLA DRIGĂ

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In the world of banking, the development of IT has a huge effect on development of more flexible payments methods and more user-friendly banking services. Recently, modern electronic banking services, internet and mobile banking, have rejuvenated banking transactions. Electronic banking over the Internet is one of the newest e-banking services with several benefits both for banks and for customers. The paper aims to provide an overview of online banking services highlighting various aspects globally as well as in the Romanian banking system. Even if there already are several studies on web banking, this topic still remains a resourceful area for academic research in the next decade.

  12. Banking system trust, bank trust, and bank loyalty

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Esterik-Plasmeijer, P.; van Raaij, W.F.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test a model of banking system trust as an antecedent of bank trust and bank loyalty. Six determinants of trust and loyalty are included: competence, stability, integrity, customer orientation, transparency, and value congruence. The study provides insights

  13. Relationship Banking in Labor Bank

    OpenAIRE

    三村, 聡

    2012-01-01

    As Labor bank is seemed as business partner of labor union, it contributes each community activities. For example, Labor bank helps retired employee, laborer and inhabitants. In addition, after the amendment of Money Lending Business Act of 2010, labor bank became clearly community based bank by consulting for heavily-indebted people and their education. This paper analyzes the new role of labor bank such as community contribution and enhancing financing service by collecting of the opinion o...

  14. Evaluation of the ARCHITECT urine NGAL assay: Assay performance, specimen handling requirements and biological variability

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Grenier, F.C.; Ali, S.; Syed, H.; Workman, R.; Martens, F.; Liao, M.; Wang, Y.; Wong, P.Y.

    2010-01-01

    Objectives: NGAL (Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin) has emerged as a new biomarker for the identification of acute kidney injury. Reliable clinical evaluations require a simple, robust test method for NGAL, and knowledge of specimen handling and specimen stability characteristics. We

  15. The world bank and the environment. Progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1991-01-01

    The second annual report describes specific environmental strategies and environmental lending in the Bank's four operational regions: Africa; Asia; Europe, Middle East, and North Africa; and Latin America and the Caribbean. It details the Bank's progress in eight environmental categories: energy and the environment, pollution, urban environment, water resources management, forest and land management, social and cultural, environmental economics, and the global environment. One chapter is devoted exclusively to tropical forests, studying ways in which the Bank is dealing with deforestation as a part of the constant review of its forest policies. Suggestions are made for decreasing the degradation of tropical forests while meeting demands for forest products. This chapter reflects a shift in Bank emphasis from commercial ventures to conservation measures. The publication reports on other initiatives by the Bank during fiscal 1991, including the launching of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)--a pilot program to oversee reduction of global warming, preservation of biological diversity, protection of international waters, and prevention of ozone depletion

  16. Bank, Banking System, Macroprudential Supervision, Stability of Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetiana Vasilyeva

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Intensification of financial development during last decade causes transformation of banking sector functioning. In particular, among the most significant changes over this period should be noted the next ones: convergence of financial market segments and appearance of cross-sector financial products, an increase of prevailing of financial sector in comparison with real economy and level of their interdependent, an intensification of crisis processes in financial and especially banking sector and a significant increase of the scale of the crisis consequences etc. thus, in such vulnerable conditions it is become very urgent to identify the relevant factors that can influence on the stability of banking sector, because its maintenance seems to be one of the most important preconditions of the stability of the national economy as a whole. Purpose of the article is to analyze key performance indicators of the Ukrainian banking system, clarify its main problems, identify relevant factors of the stability of the Ukrainian banking system and the character of their influence on the dependent variable. Realization of the mentioned above tasks was ensured by regression analysis (OLS regression. Analysis of key indicators that characterize current situation in the Ukrainian banking system found out the existence of numerous endogenous and exogenous problems, which, in turn, cause worsening most of analyzed indicators during 2013-2015. Unfavorable situation in Ukrainian banking system determined the necessity of identification of relevant factors of banking system stability to avoid transmission of financial shocks. According to the results of regression analysis on the stability of banking sector positively influence such factors as increase of interest margin to gross income ratio, reserves to assets ratio, number of branches, ratio of non-performing loans to total loans. Meanwhile, negative impact on stability of banking system has an increase of liquid

  17. Existing data sources for clinical epidemiology: the Danish National Pathology Registry and Data Bank

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Erichsen, Rune; Lash, Timothy L; Hamilton-Dutoit, Stephen J

    2010-01-01

    of epidemiological research. We describe two recent additions to these databases: the Danish National Pathology Registry (DNPR) and its underlying national online registration database, the Danish Pathology Data Bank (DPDB). The DNPR and the DPDB contain detailed nationwide records of all pathology specimens...

  18. Improving signal to noise in labeled biological specimens using energy-filtered TEM of sections with a drift correction strategy and a direct detection device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramachandra, Ranjan; Bouwer, James C; Mackey, Mason R; Bushong, Eric; Peltier, Steven T; Xuong, Nguyen-Huu; Ellisman, Mark H

    2014-06-01

    Energy filtered transmission electron microscopy techniques are regularly used to build elemental maps of spatially distributed nanoparticles in materials and biological specimens. When working with thick biological sections, electron energy loss spectroscopy techniques involving core-loss electrons often require exposures exceeding several minutes to provide sufficient signal to noise. Image quality with these long exposures is often compromised by specimen drift, which results in blurring and reduced resolution. To mitigate drift artifacts, a series of short exposure images can be acquired, aligned, and merged to form a single image. For samples where the target elements have extremely low signal yields, the use of charge coupled device (CCD)-based detectors for this purpose can be problematic. At short acquisition times, the images produced by CCDs can be noisy and may contain fixed pattern artifacts that impact subsequent correlative alignment. Here we report on the use of direct electron detection devices (DDD's) to increase the signal to noise as compared with CCD's. A 3× improvement in signal is reported with a DDD versus a comparably formatted CCD, with equivalent dose on each detector. With the fast rolling-readout design of the DDD, the duty cycle provides a major benefit, as there is no dead time between successive frames.

  19. Fundamental Principles of Stem Cell Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Changbin; Yue, Jianhui; He, Na; Liu, Yaqiong; Zhang, Xi; Zhang, Yong

    2016-01-01

    Stem cells are highly promising resources for application in cell therapy, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, toxicology and developmental biology research. Stem cell banks have been increasingly established all over the world in order to preserve their cellular characteristics, prevent contamination and deterioration, and facilitate their effective use in basic and translational research, as well as current and future clinical application. Standardization and quality control during banking procedures are essential to allow researchers from different labs to compare their results and to develop safe and effective new therapies. Furthermore, many stem cells come from once-in-a-life time tissues. Cord blood for example, thrown away in the past, can be used to treat many diseases such as blood cancers nowadays. Meanwhile, these cells stored and often banked for long periods can be immediately available for treatment when needed and early treatment can minimize disease progression. This paper provides an overview of the fundamental principles of stem cell banking, including: (i) a general introduction of the construction and architecture commonly used for stem cell banks; (ii) a detailed section on current quality management practices; (iii) a summary of questions we should consider for long-term storage, such as how long stem cells can be stored stably, how to prevent contamination during long term storage, etc.; (iv) the prospects for stem cell banking.

  20. The Response of Performance to Merger Strategy in Indonesian Banking Industry: Analyses on Bank Mandiri, Bank Danamon, and Bank Permata

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murti Lestari

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available This study analyzes the responses of performances of BankMandiri, Bank Danamon, and Bank Permata to merger strategy.This paper harnesses the quantitative approach with structuralbreak analysis method and impulse response function. Theplausible findings indicate that the merger of Bank Permataproduces a better performance response in comparison to theconsolidation of Bank Mandiri and the merger of Bank Danamon.The merger of Bank Permata does not result in performanceshocks, and the structural break does not prevail either. On theother hand, the consolidation of Bank Mandiri and the mergerof Bank Danamon result in structural breaks, particularly in thespread performance. In order to return to the stable position, themergers of Bank Mandiri and Bank Danamon require a longertime than does the merger of Bank Permata. This researchindicates that for large banks, the mergers and acquisitions(retaining one existing bank will deliver a better performanceresponse than will the consolidations (no existing bank. Keywords: impulse response function; merger; structural break

  1. Saltmarsh creek bank stability: Biostabilisation and consolidation with depth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Y.; Thompson, C. E. L.; Collins, M. B.

    2012-03-01

    The stability of cohesive sediments of a saltmarsh in Southern England was measured in the field and the laboratory using a Cohesive Strength Meter (CSM) and a shear vane apparatus. Cores and sediment samples were collected from two tidal creek banks, covered by Atriplex portulacoides (Sea Purslane) and Juncus maritimus (Sea Rush), respectively. The objectives of the study were to examine the variation of sediment stability throughout banks with cantilevers present and investigate the influence of roots and downcore consolidation on bank stability. Data on erosion threshold and shear strength were interpreted with reference to bank depth, sediment properties and biological influences. The higher average erosion threshold was from the Sea Purslane bank whilst the Sea Rush bank showed higher average vane shear strength. The vertical variation in core sediment stability was mainly affected by roots and downcore consolidation with depth. The data obtained from the bank faces revealed that vertical variations in both erosion threshold and vane shear strength were affected primarily by roots and algae. A quantitative estimate of the relative contributions of roots and downcore consolidation to bank sediment stability was undertaken using the bank stability data and sediment density data. This showed that roots contributed more to the Sea Purslane bank stability than downcore consolidation, whilst downcore consolidation has more pronounced effects on the Sea Rush bank stability.

  2. Trendspotting in the Protein Data Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, Helen M; Coimbatore Narayanan, Buvaneswari; Di Costanzo, Luigi; Dutta, Shuchismita; Ghosh, Sutapa; Hudson, Brian P; Lawson, Catherine L; Peisach, Ezra; Prlić, Andreas; Rose, Peter W; Shao, Chenghua; Yang, Huanwang; Young, Jasmine; Zardecki, Christine

    2013-04-17

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB) was established in 1971 as a repository for the three dimensional structures of biological macromolecules. Since then, more than 85000 biological macromolecule structures have been determined and made available in the PDB archive. Through analysis of the corpus of data, it is possible to identify trends that can be used to inform us abou the future of structural biology and to plan the best ways to improve the management of the ever-growing amount of PDB data. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Setting up a Tissue Bank in India: The Tata Memorial Hospital Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajiwala, A L

    2003-01-01

    In India, the procurement of tissues for transplantation is governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994. However, although this law exists, it is primarily applied to organ transplantation and rules and regulations that are specific to tissue banking have yet to be developed.The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) Tissue Bank was started in 1988 as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) programme to promote the use of ionising radiation for the sterilisation of biological tissues. It represents the Government of India within this project and was the first such facility in the country. It is registered with the Health Services Maharashtra State and provides lyophilised amnion, dura mater, skin and bone that have been terminally sterilised with exposure to 25 kGy of gamma radiation from a Cobalt 60 source. These are obtained either from cadavers or live donors.To date the TMH Tissue Bank has provided 6328 allografts for use as biological dressings or in various reconstructive procedures.The TMH Tissue Bank has helped initiate a Tissue Bank at the Defence Laboratory (DL), Jodhpur. At present these are the only two Banks in the country using radiation for terminal sterilisation of banked tissues.The availability of safe, clinically useful and cost effective grafts have resulted in changes in surgical treatment with a concomitant increase in demand for grafts and an interest in developing more tissue banks. The availability of donor tissue however, continues to be a major limitation.

  4. The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe): bringing structure to biology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Velankar, Sameer; Kleywegt, Gerard J.

    2011-01-01

    Some future challenges for the PDB and its guardians are discussed and current and future activities in structural bioinformatics at the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) are described. The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) is the European partner in the Worldwide PDB and as such handles depositions of X-ray, NMR and EM data and structure models. PDBe also provides advanced bioinformatics services based on data from the PDB and related resources. Some of the challenges facing the PDB and its guardians are discussed, as well as some of the areas on which PDBe activities will focus in the future (advanced services, ligands, integration, validation and experimental data). Finally, some recent developments at PDBe are described

  5. The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe): bringing structure to biology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Velankar, Sameer; Kleywegt, Gerard J., E-mail: gerard@ebi.ac.uk [Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe), EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD (United Kingdom)

    2011-04-01

    Some future challenges for the PDB and its guardians are discussed and current and future activities in structural bioinformatics at the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) are described. The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) is the European partner in the Worldwide PDB and as such handles depositions of X-ray, NMR and EM data and structure models. PDBe also provides advanced bioinformatics services based on data from the PDB and related resources. Some of the challenges facing the PDB and its guardians are discussed, as well as some of the areas on which PDBe activities will focus in the future (advanced services, ligands, integration, validation and experimental data). Finally, some recent developments at PDBe are described.

  6. Microscopic dual-energy CT (microDECT): a flexible tool for multichannel ex vivo 3D imaging of biological specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handschuh, S; Beisser, C J; Ruthensteiner, B; Metscher, B D

    2017-07-01

    Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) uses two different x-ray energy spectra in order to differentiate between tissues, materials or elements in a single sample or patient. DECT is becoming increasingly popular in clinical imaging and preclinical in vivo imaging of small animal models, but there have been only very few reports on ex vivo DECT of biological samples at microscopic resolutions. The present study has three main aims. First, we explore the potential of microscopic DECT (microDECT) for delivering isotropic multichannel 3D images of fixed biological samples with standard commercial laboratory-based microCT setups at spatial resolutions reaching below 10 μm. Second, we aim for retaining the maximum image resolution and quality during the material decomposition. Third, we want to test the suitability for microDECT imaging of different contrast agents currently used for ex vivo staining of biological samples. To address these aims, we used microCT scans of four different samples stained with x-ray dense contrast agents. MicroDECT scans were acquired with five different commercial microCT scanners from four companies. We present a detailed description of the microDECT workflow, including sample preparation, image acquisition, image processing and postreconstruction material decomposition, which may serve as practical guide for applying microDECT. The MATLAB script (The Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA, USA) used for material decomposition (including a graphical user interface) is provided as a supplement to this paper (https://github.com/microDECT/DECTDec). In general, the presented microDECT workflow yielded satisfactory results for all tested specimens. Original scan resolutions have been mostly retained in the separate material fractions after basis material decomposition. In addition to decomposition of mineralized tissues (inherent sample contrast) and stained soft tissues, we present a case of double labelling of different soft tissues with subsequent

  7. Cord Blood Banking Standards: Autologous Versus Altruistic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armitage, Sue

    2015-01-01

    Cord blood (CB) is either donated to public CB banks for use by any patient worldwide for whom it is a match or stored in a private bank for potential autologous or family use. It is a unique cell product that has potential for treating life-threatening diseases. The majority of CB products used today are for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and are accessed from public banks. CB is still evolving as a hematopoietic stem cell source, developing as a source for cellular immunotherapy products, such as natural killer, dendritic, and T-cells, and fast emerging as a non-hematopoietic stem cell source in the field of regenerative medicine. This review explores the regulations, standards, and accreditation schemes that are currently available nationally and internationally for public and private CB banking. Currently, most of private banking is under regulated as compared to public banking. Regulations and standards were initially developed to address the public arena. Early responses from the medical field regarding private CB banking was that at the present time, because of insufficient scientific data to support autologous banking and given the difficulty of making an accurate estimate of the need for autologous transplantation, private storage of CB as "biological insurance" should be discouraged (1, 2, 3). To ensure success and the true realization of the full potential of CB, whether for autologous or allogeneic use, it is essential that each and every product provided for current and future treatments meets high-quality, international standards.

  8. Synchrotron radiation microprobe quantitative analysis method for biomedical specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Qing; Shao Hanru

    1994-01-01

    Relative changes of trace elemental content in biomedical specimens are obtained easily by means of synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence microprobe analysis (SXRFM). However, the accurate assignment of concentration on a g/g basis is difficult. Because it is necessary to know both the trace elemental content and the specimen mass in the irradiated volume simultaneously. the specimen mass is a function of the spatial position and can not be weighed. It is possible to measure the specimen mass indirectly by measuring the intensity of Compton scattered peak for normal XRF analysis using a X-ray tube with Mo anode, if the matrix was consisted of light elements and the specimen was a thin sample. The Compton peak is not presented in fluorescence spectrum for white light SXRFM analysis. The continuous background in the spectrum was resulted from the Compton scattering with a linear polarization X-ray source. Biomedical specimens for SXRFM analysis, for example biological section and human hair, are always a thin sample for high energy X-ray, and they consist of H,C,N and O etc. light elements, which implies a linear relationship between the specimen mass and the Compton scattering background in the high energy region of spectrum. By this way , it is possible to carry out measurement of concentration for SXRFM analysis

  9. Development of laser plasma x-ray microscope for living hydrated biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kado, Masataka; Daido, Hiroyuki

    2005-01-01

    Investigating the structure and the function of life object performing advanced life activity becomes important. In order to investigate the life object, it is necessary to observe living specimens with high spatial resolution and high temporal resolution. Since laser plasma x-ray source has high brightness and short pulse duration, x-ray microscope with the laser plasma x-ray source makes possible to observe living specimens. Such as chromosomes, macrophages, bacterium, and so on have been observed by contact x-ray microscopy. The x-ray images obtained by indirect measurements such as the contact x-ray microscopy have difficulty to avoid artificial effect such as irregular due to developing process. Development of an x-ray microscope with laser plasma x-ray source is necessary to avoid such defects. (author)

  10. Bulk specimen X-ray microanalysis of freeze-fractured, freeze-dried tissues in gerontological research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagy, I.

    1988-01-01

    The rationale for choosing the freeze-fracture freeze-drying (FFFD) method of biological bulk specimen preparation as well as the theoretical and practical problems of this method are treated. FFFD specimens are suitable for quantitative X-ray microanalysis of biologically relevant elements. Although the spatial resolution of this analytical technique is low, the application of properly selected bulk standard crystals as well as the measurement of the intracellular water and dry mass content by means of another method developed in the same laboratory, allow us to obtain useful information about the age-dependent changes of ionic composition in the main intracellular compartments. The paper summarizes the problems with regard to specimen preparation, beam penetration and the quantitative analysis of FFFD specimens. The method has been applied so far mainly for the analysis of intranuclear and intracytoplasmic concentrations of Na, C1 and K in various types of cells and has resulted in a significant contribution to our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of aging. 84 references

  11. Maintaining respect and fairness in the usage of stored shared specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mduluza, Takafira; Midzi, Nicholas; Duruza, Donold; Ndebele, Paul

    2013-01-01

    Every year, research specimens are shipped from one institution to another as well as across national boundaries. A significant proportion of specimens move from poor to rich countries. Concerns are always raised on the future usage of the stored specimens shipped to research institutions from developing countries. Creating awareness of the processes is required in all sectors involved in biomedical research. To maintain fairness and respect in sharing biomedical specimens and research products requires safeguarding by Ethics Review Committees in both provider and recipient institutions. Training in basic ethical principles in research is required to all sectors involved in biomedical research so as to level up the research playing field. By agreeing to provide specimens, individuals and communities from whom samples are collected would have placed their trust and all ensuing up-keep of the specimens to the researchers. In most collaborative set-up, laid down material transfer agreements are negotiated and signed before the shipment of specimens. Researchers, research ethics committees (RECs) and institutions in the countries of origin are supposed to serve as overseers of the specimens. There is need to advocate for honesty in sample handling and sharing, and also need to oversee any written commitments by researchers, RECs and institutions at source as well as in recipient institution. Commitments from source RECs and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and in the receiving institution on overseeing the future usage of stored specimens are required; including the ultimate confirmation abiding by the agreement. Training in ethical issues pertaining to sample handling and biomedical research in general is essential at all levels of academic pursuit. While sharing of biological specimens and research data demands honesty and oversight by ethical regulatory agents from both institutions in developing country and recipient institutions in developed countries. Archiving

  12. Mouse mammary tumor virus-like gene sequences are present in lung patient specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodríguez-Padilla Cristina

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous studies have reported on the presence of Murine Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV-like gene sequences in human cancer tissue specimens. Here, we search for MMTV-like gene sequences in lung diseases including carcinomas specimens from a Mexican population. This study was based on our previous study reporting that the INER51 lung cancer cell line, from a pleural effusion of a Mexican patient, contains MMTV-like env gene sequences. Results The MMTV-like env gene sequences have been detected in three out of 18 specimens studied, by PCR using a specific set of MMTV-like primers. The three identified MMTV-like gene sequences, which were assigned as INER6, HZ101, and HZ14, were 99%, 98%, and 97% homologous, respectively, as compared to GenBank sequence accession number AY161347. The INER6 and HZ-101 samples were isolated from lung cancer specimens, and the HZ-14 was isolated from an acute inflammatory lung infiltrate sample. Two of the env sequences exhibited disruption of the reading frame due to mutations. Conclusion In summary, we identified the presence of MMTV-like gene sequences in 2 out of 11 (18% of the lung carcinomas and 1 out of 7 (14% of acute inflamatory lung infiltrate specimens studied of a Mexican Population.

  13. Illicit drugs in alternative biological specimens: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margalho, Cláudia; Franco, João; Corte-Real, Francisco; Vieira, Duarte Nuno

    2011-04-01

    Postmortem tissues (e.g. liver, kidney) have been long used in forensic applications especially in those cases where blood is unavailable. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of the information provided to the forensic toxicologist at the time of carrying out the toxicological analysis, especially in cases where the samples commonly used in forensic toxicology are unavailable. This work describes the toxicological findings in a violent death resulting from a man who was hit by a train. Vitreous humor, liver and kidney were sent for toxicological analysis, once it was not possible to obtain blood and urine. The validated procedures used in the routine casework of Forensic Toxicology Laboratory of the Centre Branch of the National Institute of Legal Medicine, were applied in the analysis of liver, kidney and vitreous humor, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry after solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-flame ionization detector for the analysis of drugs of abuse and ethanol, respectively. Morphine, codeine, cocaine, benzoylecgonine and ecgonine methyl ester were found in the liver and in the kidney and no ethanol was found in the vitreous humor. The method validation included the study of specificity, selectivity, limits of detection, recovery and carryover. Although blood and urine are the most common and preferred matrices used for toxicological studies involving drugs of abuse, sometimes the choice of specimen is determined by the case under investigation. The forensic pathologist must be aware that relevant information must be provided so that the toxicological analysis can be conducted in accordance with case history, particularly when the only samples available for analysis are these "unconventional" specimens, since the interpretation of the obtained results is more difficult. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  14. BANKING BUSINESS MODELS IN UKRAINIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuliya Onyshchenko

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of the paper is to work out and characterize bank business models that are formed in Ukraine. Methodology. Our research we will spend among banks that are functioning on the Ukrainian financial market and are not on the stage of liquidation, so the sample under study in our work is comprised of 131 banks which are different in their ownership structure and size. The core of the methodology is a statistical clustering algorithm that allows identifying the groups of banks (clusters with similar business models as banks with similar business model strategies have made similar choices regarding the composition of their assets and liabilities. The cluster analyses were taken on the base of seven chosen indicators: bank loans, bank liabilities, enterprise loans, enterprise liabilities, household loans, household liabilities and trading assets. Results. The traditional business model of bank is worked out. The bank business models that are functioning in Ukraine are identified on the base of cluster analyses using balance sheet characteristics of 131 Ukrainian banks. We find that in Ukraine were formed three types of bank business models: “Focused retail”, “Diversified retail” and “Corporative retail”. The description of each model is given. Practical implications. More detailed research of distinguished models allows not only to find out the main advantages and disadvantages of each bank model, but also the main problems that follow the development of Ukrainian banking sector. Identifying of bank models and their studying simplifies searching and elaboration of regulatory instruments as there is a two-way causation between regulation and bank business models. This implies a symbiotic relationship between regulation and bank business models: business models respond to regulation which in turn responds to the evolution of new business models. Value/originality. Such survey is conducted at the first time among Ukrainian banks. The

  15. RELATION BETWEEN ISLAMIC BANK AND CENTRAL BANK

    OpenAIRE

    PAKSOY, H. Mustafa; ABAROSS, Nour

    2015-01-01

    This study deals with the nature of Islamic banks and their features, and requirements of these features in terms of control tools and methods appropriate with the particularity of their business and their relation with the traditional central bank. At the same time aims to view the relationship between Islamic bank and central bank. To explain this relation the researcher started to explain what is the central bank, objectives of central bank, and characteristics, what is Islamic bank and ob...

  16. BioMagResBank (BMRB) as a partner in the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB): new policies affecting biomolecular NMR depositions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markley, John L.; Ulrich, Eldon L.; Berman, Helen M.; Henrick, Kim; Nakamura, Haruki; Akutsu, Hideo

    2008-01-01

    We describe the role of the BioMagResBank (BMRB) within the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) and recent policies affecting the deposition of biomolecular NMR data. All PDB depositions of structures based on NMR data must now be accompanied by experimental restraints. A scheme has been devised that allows depositors to specify a representative structure and to define residues within that structure found experimentally to be largely unstructured. The BMRB now accepts coordinate sets representing three-dimensional structural models based on experimental NMR data of molecules of biological interest that fall outside the guidelines of the Protein Data Bank (i.e., the molecule is a peptide with 23 or fewer residues, a polynucleotide with 3 or fewer residues, a polysaccharide with 3 or fewer sugar residues, or a natural product), provided that the coordinates are accompanied by representation of the covalent structure of the molecule (atom connectivity), assigned NMR chemical shifts, and the structural restraints used in generating model. The BMRB now contains an archive of NMR data for metabolites and other small molecules found in biological systems

  17. Tissue banking for management of nuclear casualties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Rita

    2014-01-01

    The proliferation of nuclear material and technology has made the acquisition and adversarial use more probable than ever. Devastating medical consequences would follow a nuclear detonation due to the thermal, blast and radiation effects of the weapon. Atomic explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki demonstrated the human agonies on vast scale. A full range of medical modalities are required to decrease the morbidity and mortality as a result of the use of nuclear weapons. Biological tissues from human donor like bone, skin, amniotic membrane and other soft tissues can be used for repair or reconstruction of the injured part of the body. Tissues from human donor can be processed and banked for orthopaedic, spinal, trauma and other surgical procedures. Processed tissues can be provided by the tissue banks and can be of great assistance in the treatment of injuries due to the nuclear weapon. The use of allograft tissue avoids the donor site morbidity and reduces the operating time, expense and trauma associated with the acquisition of autografts. Further, allografts have the added advantage of being available in large quantities. This has led to a global increase in allogeneic transplantation and development of tissue banking. The aim of the tissue bank is to provide a wide range of processed biological tissues free from any transmissible disease, that help to restore the growth and function of the damaged tissues. Skin dressings or skin substitutes like allograft skin, xenograft skin and amniotic membrane can be used for the treatment of thermal burns and radiation induced skin injuries. Bone allografts can be used for reconstructive approaches to the skeletal system. Tissue banking would thus ensure health care to the military personnel and population following a nuclear detonation. (author)

  18. Tissue banking, biovigilance and the notify library.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strong, D Michael

    2017-06-30

    This issue is dedicated to the contributions of Professor Glyn O. Phillips to the field of tissue banking and the advancement of science in general. The use of ionizing radiation to sterilize medical products drew the interest of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). A meeting in 1976 in Athens Greece to present work on the effects of sterilizing radiation doses upon the antigenic properties of proteins and biologic tissues was my first introduction of Professor Phillips and the role that he was to play in Tissue Banking (Friedlaender, in Phillips GO, Tallentine AN (eds) Radiation sterilization. Irradiated tissues and their potential clinical use. The North E. Wales Institute, Clwyd, p 128, 1978). The IAEA sponsored subsequent meetings in the Republic of Korea, Czechoslovakia and Rangoon, the later including a visit to the tissue bank by Professor Phillips. His advocacy resulted in multiple workshops and teaching opportunities in a variety of countries, one of which led to the establishment of the Asia Pacific Surgical Tissue Banking Association in 1989 (Phillips and Strong, in Phillips GO, Strong DM, von Versen R, Nather A (eds) Advances in tissue banking, vol 3. World Scientific, Singapore, pp 403-417, 1999).

  19. Biological and molecular characterization of silkworm strains from the Brazilian germplasm bank of Bombyx mori.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, N C; Munhoz, R E F; Bignotto, T S; Bespalhuk, R; Garay, L B; Saez, C R N; Fassina, V A; Nembri, A; Fernandez, M A

    2013-06-28

    Brazil has only one public genetic pool of Bombyx mori strains, which was established in 2005 at Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Maringá, Paraná State. This genetic bank has been maintained, and the strains have been characterized using genetic and morphological tools. The quantitative and qualitative traits, directly or indirectly related to productivity, were evaluated in 14 silkworm strains. In addition to biological and productivity analyses, DNA markers related to susceptibility to the B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) were analyzed. BmNPV is a major cause of production loss and is a serious problem for Paraná sericulture. The silkworm strains from diverse geographic origins were found to have different characteristics, including body weight, larval stage duration, cocoon weight, and other biological traits. In terms of productivity, the raw silk percentages were almost uniform, with an overall average of 16.28%. Overall, the Chinese strain C37 gave the best performance in many of the quantitative traits, and it surpassed the other strains in productivity traits. Therefore, it can be used as one of the strains that compose the elite germplasm for silkworm breeding programs. Additionally, genetic molecular markers were efficient in discriminating between B. mori strains that had been identified based on their geographical origin. We found that all Japanese strains produced a 400-bp molecular marker that has been associated with susceptibility to BmNPV.

  20. Is shadow banking really banking?

    OpenAIRE

    Bryan J. Noeth; Rajdeep Sengupta

    2011-01-01

    To those who don't know, the term "shadow banking" probably has a negative connotation. This primer draws parallels between what has been termed the shadow banking sector and the traditional banking sector—showing that they are similar in many ways.

  1. BANK RUN AND STABILITY OF ISLAMIC BANKING IN INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rahmatina A. Kasri

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Bank run is an important economic phenomenon which increasingly occurred in in modern banking system and potentially threatened banking stability as it could trigger a banking crisis. However, most studies related to bank run focus on the occurrence of bank run in conventional banking system. Very few of them discuss the bank run phenomenon under Islamic banking system or dual banking system where Islamic banks jointly operating with conventional banks. Therefore, this study attempts to analyze the determinants of bank run in the Indonesian Islamic banking industry by employing primary data from 256 customers of Indonesia Islamic banks in 2015 and by utilizing factor analysis and descriptive statistics. In theory, Islamic banks tend to be more resilient towards any macroeconomic or financial shocks as compared to conventional banks due to the nature of its asset-based and risk-sharing arrangement. However, the result exhibits that both psychological and fundamental factors (i.e. macroeconomics and bank fundamentals strongly influence the behaviors of Islamic banking depositors to withdraw their funds, which might trigger the occurrence of bank runs in the country. Insider information, macroeconomic condition and bank fundamental factors are also shown to have the highest impacts among all variables. Hence, in the context of banking stability, the finding implies that Islamic banks are not completely immune to the impacts of macroeconomic shocks or financial crisis. As a country with a dual banking system, Indonesia had experienced several bank runs since 1990s. Therefore, the findings of the study should provide the policy makers important insight into research based-policy in order to attain financial stability as one of the main economic goals of the country. Keywords: Bank run, Islamic bank, Factor analysis, Indonesia JEL Classification: C83, G21, G28

  2. Improved specimen reconstruction by Hilbert phase contrast tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barton, Bastian; Joos, Friederike; Schröder, Rasmus R

    2008-11-01

    The low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in images of unstained specimens recorded with conventional defocus phase contrast makes it difficult to interpret 3D volumes obtained by electron tomography (ET). The high defocus applied for conventional tilt series generates some phase contrast but leads to an incomplete transfer of object information. For tomography of biological weak-phase objects, optimal image contrast and subsequently an optimized SNR are essential for the reconstruction of details such as macromolecular assemblies at molecular resolution. The problem of low contrast can be partially solved by applying a Hilbert phase plate positioned in the back focal plane (BFP) of the objective lens while recording images in Gaussian focus. Images recorded with the Hilbert phase plate provide optimized positive phase contrast at low spatial frequencies, and the contrast transfer in principle extends to the information limit of the microscope. The antisymmetric Hilbert phase contrast (HPC) can be numerically converted into isotropic contrast, which is equivalent to the contrast obtained by a Zernike phase plate. Thus, in-focus HPC provides optimal structure factor information without limiting effects of the transfer function. In this article, we present the first electron tomograms of biological specimens reconstructed from Hilbert phase plate image series. We outline the technical implementation of the phase plate and demonstrate that the technique is routinely applicable for tomography. A comparison between conventional defocus tomograms and in-focus HPC volumes shows an enhanced SNR and an improved specimen visibility for in-focus Hilbert tomography.

  3. Simulating Retail Banking for Banking Students

    Science.gov (United States)

    Supramaniam, Mahadevan; Shanmugam, Bala

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation flow and development of retail bank management simulation based training system which could provide a comprehensive knowledge about the operations and management of banks for the banking students. The prototype of a Retail banking simulation based training system was developed based on…

  4. Bank Diversification Effects on Bank Performance and Risk Profile of Bank in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony Lukmawijaya

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available We investigate the relationship of Indonesian bank diversification towards its long term performance and risk profile with Indonesian bank data from 2009 to 2013. Non-interest income to total operating income of the bank measures its bank diversification level. Bank value is measured by the adjusted Tobin's Q and risk profile which is broken down into total risk, idiosyncratic risk, and systematic risk. The result shows that bank non-interest income diversification has a positive influence on its franchise value. There is, however, no strong evidence that diversification can lower a bank's risk profile.

  5. Denying Foreign Bank Entry: Implications For Bank Interest Margins

    OpenAIRE

    Ross Levine

    2003-01-01

    This paper examines the impact of restricting foreign bank entry on bank net interest margins while controlling for (a) impediments to domestic bank entry, (b) the degree of foreign bank ownership of the domestic banking industry, (c) an array of bank-specific characteristics, (c) banking sectorconcentration, and (d) various country traits. Using data on almost 1200 banks across 47 countries, the results suggest that restricting foreign bank entry boosts bank net interest margins. Also, restr...

  6. E-BANKING- MODERN BANKING SERVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MIRANDA PETRONELLA VLAD

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available E-banking is the first of those banking services that really economize time, because it allows to the user to accomplish from behind the computer many operations in the bank account, represents the computational solution that allows to the holder to have

  7. Internet Banking integration within the banking system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constantin Marian MATEI

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Internet Banking developed due to increasing demand of online banking transactions. The biggest advantages of Internet Banking consist of complex banking solutions, 24 hours availability, quick and secure access to the back-end application through Internet. These advantages are due to the use of SOA (service-oriented architecture. SOA appeared as a necessity of companies to integrate big and independent portions of applications, in order to obtain an homogeneous functionality of the system. For the Internet Banking applications, SOA proved to be the optimal architectural solution, for a smoth integration between banking services from the front-end to the back-end.This paper intend to offer an insite analyse of the Internet Banking applications architecture integrated with other banking systems. A SOA oriented analyse will establish the scope of the integration architecture.

  8. Interest Free Banking in Nigeria - Welcome Islamic Banking ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Interest Free Banking in Nigeria - Welcome Islamic Banking; Welcome Christian Banking. ... banks pay interest on deposits, and charge interest on loans and advances, ... However, the literature on interest rates, in relation to Commercial Bank ...

  9. Tissue Banking: Current procedures, ethical consideration and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Tissue banking provides safe and effective cells and tissues for transplantation in reconstruction surgery. Bone, amnion, skin, cartilage, heart valves and xenograft tissues are the most commonly used biological tissues. Acquisition of tissue is dependent on elaborate donor screening criteria based on medical and social ...

  10. Impact of E-Banking on Traditional Banking Services

    OpenAIRE

    Vyas, Shilpan Dineshkumar

    2012-01-01

    Internet banking is changing the banking industry, having the major effects on banking relationships. Banking is now no longer confined to the branches were one has to approach the branch in person, to withdraw cash or deposit a cheque or request a statement of accounts. In true Internet banking, any inquiry or transaction is processed online without any reference to the branch (anywhere banking) at any time. Providing Internet banking is increasingly becoming a "need to have" than a "nice to...

  11. Pengaruh Kualitas Layanan Mobile Banking (M-Banking Terhadap Kepuasan Nasabah di Indonesia [Effect of Mobile Banking (M-Banking Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aditya Wardhana

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The research aim was to assess the influence of the service quality of mobile banking (m-banking against customer satisfaction at the greatest banks in Indonesia. Elements of the quality of mobile banking services (m-banking were speed, security, accuracy, and trust. The population of this study was bank customers from eight of the greatest bank in Indonesia -- Bank Mandiri, Bank BRI, Bank BCA, Bank BNI, Bank CIMB Niaga, Bank Danamon, Bank Permata, and Bank Panin -- who used mobile banking which totaled 19.9 million customers with the size of the sample being 400 respondents. The sampling method used nonprobability sampling by incidental sampling. The results by using a structural equation modeling (SEM found significant influences between service quality of mobile banking (m-banking partially and simultaneously to customer satisfaction.

  12. Increasing the efficiency of digitization workflows for herbarium specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tulig, Melissa; Tarnowsky, Nicole; Bevans, Michael; Anthony Kirchgessner; Thiers, Barbara M

    2012-01-01

    The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium has been databasing and imaging its estimated 7.3 million plant specimens for the past 17 years. Due to the size of the collection, we have been selectively digitizing fundable subsets of specimens, making successive passes through the herbarium with each new grant. With this strategy, the average rate for databasing complete records has been 10 specimens per hour. With 1.3 million specimens databased, this effort has taken about 130,000 hours of staff time. At this rate, to complete the herbarium and digitize the remaining 6 million specimens, another 600,000 hours would be needed. Given the current biodiversity and economic crises, there is neither the time nor money to complete the collection at this rate.Through a combination of grants over the last few years, The New York Botanical Garden has been testing new protocols and tactics for increasing the rate of digitization through combinations of data collaboration, field book digitization, partial data entry and imaging, and optical character recognition (OCR) of specimen images. With the launch of the National Science Foundation's new Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program, we hope to move forward with larger, more efficient digitization projects, capturing data from larger portions of the herbarium at a fraction of the cost and time.

  13. Protein Data Bank (PDB): The Single Global Macromolecular Structure Archive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burley, Stephen K; Berman, Helen M; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Markley, John L; Nakamura, Haruki; Velankar, Sameer

    2017-01-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB)--the single global repository of experimentally determined 3D structures of biological macromolecules and their complexes--was established in 1971, becoming the first open-access digital resource in the biological sciences. The PDB archive currently houses ~130,000 entries (May 2017). It is managed by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank organization (wwPDB; wwpdb.org), which includes the RCSB Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB; rcsb.org), the Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj; pdbj.org), the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe; pdbe.org), and BioMagResBank (BMRB; www.bmrb.wisc.edu). The four wwPDB partners operate a unified global software system that enforces community-agreed data standards and supports data Deposition, Biocuration, and Validation of ~11,000 new PDB entries annually (deposit.wwpdb.org). The RCSB PDB currently acts as the archive keeper, ensuring disaster recovery of PDB data and coordinating weekly updates. wwPDB partners disseminate the same archival data from multiple FTP sites, while operating complementary websites that provide their own views of PDB data with selected value-added information and links to related data resources. At present, the PDB archives experimental data, associated metadata, and 3D-atomic level structural models derived from three well-established methods: crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), and electron microscopy (3DEM). wwPDB partners are working closely with experts in related experimental areas (small-angle scattering, chemical cross-linking/mass spectrometry, Forster energy resonance transfer or FRET, etc.) to establish a federation of data resources that will support sustainable archiving and validation of 3D structural models and experimental data derived from integrative or hybrid methods.

  14. Role of Foreign Banks in Integration of Banking Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roman Šubić

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Dynamic development of financial industry in some last ten years that, considering the kind of financial agents, remained bank-oriented represents a suficient reason to investigate the causes that brought to the present structure of banking system. After having presented theoretical bases of the integration forms and banks connection, the paper analyzes the influence of foreign banks on the development of Croatian bank system. Thus, beside the knowledge of quantitative changes in the banking system, the paper researched the motivations of the banks regarding integration that, among other things, brought to creating the effects of scale and scope economies. However, the concentrations among banks can lead to creation of negative externalities that later become potential dangers for the banking. Pre-cognitions on development of banking system are used to create projection of future banking development while the data basis of the countries from the region enabled the comparative analysis of banks integration in these countries. The conclusion is that the foreign banks have been the largest promoters of bank integration in the Republic of Croatia contributing also to qualitative development of banking market and to deepening of financial market spectrum.

  15. Analisis Perbandingan Bank Umum Konvensional Dan Bank Umum Syariah

    OpenAIRE

    Nuryati; Gendis Gumilar, Amethysa

    2011-01-01

    This study analyzes and compares the financial risk of the two types of commercial banks, namely conventional commercial bank and Islamic commercial bank. Analysis tools used in this study is to use financial ratios and dicriminant values (Z values). Analysis showed that the ratio of liquidity and solvability ratios higher islamic commercial bank than conventional commercial bank. Z values higher islamic commercial bank than conventional commercial bank. The commercial banks are in a state of...

  16. Is banking supervision central to central banking?

    OpenAIRE

    Joe Peek; Eric S. Rosengren; Geoffrey M. B. Tootell

    1997-01-01

    Whether central banks should play an active role in bank supervision and regulation is being debated both in the United States and abroad. While the Bank of England has recently been stripped of its supervisory responsibilities and several proposals in the United States have advocated removing bank supervision from the Federal Reserve System, other countries are considering enhancing central bank involvement in this area. Many of the arguments for and against these proposals hinge on the effe...

  17. Research ethics in Canada: experience of a group operating a human embryo and fetal tissue bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milos, N; Bamforth, S; Bagnall, K

    1999-04-01

    A Canadian research group is establishing a human embryo and fetal tissue bank. Its purpose is to provide researchers with frozen or fixed tissue specimens for use in protein and gene expression studies. Several legal and ethical issues have arisen, including questions about consent, use of these rare tissues, cost recovery, and profit-making. These issues are discussed here in light of the present lack of legislation in Canada. We make recommendations in these areas, and suggest that the bank's operations could legally fall under the jurisdiction of the Human Tissue Gift Act.

  18. Regional Banks in the Russian Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikhail Vitalyevich Leonov

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Despite the lack of a uniform definition of «a regional bank», problems of their activities are widely discussed in the context of increasing regulation of the banking sector and creation of conditions for accelerated development of certain regions. The author analyses the Russian-language scientific literature in order to define «a regional bank» and systematize its key differences from other commercial banks. The researcher shows that the allocation of regional banks in a separate group should be related to specific features of the environment and not by endogenous factors associated with the selection of activities and balance sheet structure. The low level of financial market development and concentration of specific undiversified risks are the principal qualifiers differentiating between regional banks and other credit institutions in Russia. As classification criteria the author uses following: spatial representation (the bank does not have structural subdivisions in Moscow and the ownership structure (among the bank’s owners there are no national and international financial groups that have a direct impact on the operations of the bank

  19. Mobile banking: New trend in the contemporary banking sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sanader Dušica

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the late 1990s and early 2000s, banking has undergone and is still undergoing some considerable changes, adjusting itself to the new circumstances and challenges in its environment. Modern information technologies have granted an opportunity to banks to expand their operations and adjust their offer of products and services, placing them through the new communication channels. The increasing reliance on mobile devices, especially the so-called smart phones, has facilitated the development of a new form of banking, known as mobile banking. Mobile banking is a specific channel of electronic banking, enabling clients to communicate with the bank via mobile devices. The bank's products and services are, thus, available to the clients at any time and at any place, and the banking sector is expected to perfectly understand the needs of today's clients, before implementing mobile banking. The research in this paper focuses on mobile banking, as a segment of electronic banking, which has developed under the influence of modern information technologies. The paper elaborates on the main characteristics of mobile banking, its advantages, but also its drawbacks that the banks and their clients are facing in the process of its utilization (or its implementation in practice. Moreover, the paper presents the trends of using mobile banking in the world and in Serbia, along with the tendencies for developing new services.

  20. FRACTIONAL BANKING

    OpenAIRE

    Maria Klimikova

    2010-01-01

    Understanding the reasons of the present financial problems lies In understanding the substance of fractional reserve banking. The substance of fractional banking is in lending more money than the bankers have. Banking of partial reserves is an alternative form which links deposit banking and credit banking. Fractional banking is causing many unfavorable economic impacts in the worldwide system, specifically an inflation.

  1. X-ray microscopy as an approach to increasing accuracy and efficiency of serial block-face imaging for correlated light and electron microscopy of biological specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bushong, Eric A; Johnson, Donald D; Kim, Keun-Young; Terada, Masako; Hatori, Megumi; Peltier, Steven T; Panda, Satchidananda; Merkle, Arno; Ellisman, Mark H

    2015-02-01

    The recently developed three-dimensional electron microscopic (EM) method of serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBEM) has rapidly established itself as a powerful imaging approach. Volume EM imaging with this scanning electron microscopy (SEM) method requires intense staining of biological specimens with heavy metals to allow sufficient back-scatter electron signal and also to render specimens sufficiently conductive to control charging artifacts. These more extreme heavy metal staining protocols render specimens light opaque and make it much more difficult to track and identify regions of interest (ROIs) for the SBEM imaging process than for a typical thin section transmission electron microscopy correlative light and electron microscopy study. We present a strategy employing X-ray microscopy (XRM) both for tracking ROIs and for increasing the efficiency of the workflow used for typical projects undertaken with SBEM. XRM was found to reveal an impressive level of detail in tissue heavily stained for SBEM imaging, allowing for the identification of tissue landmarks that can be subsequently used to guide data collection in the SEM. Furthermore, specific labeling of individual cells using diaminobenzidine is detectable in XRM volumes. We demonstrate that tungsten carbide particles or upconverting nanophosphor particles can be used as fiducial markers to further increase the precision and efficiency of SBEM imaging.

  2. Increasing the efficiency of digitization workflows for herbarium specimens

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melissa Tulig

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The New York Botanical Garden Herbarium has been databasing and imaging its estimated 7.3 million plant specimens for the past 17 years. Due to the size of the collection, we have been selectively digitizing fundable subsets of specimens, making successive passes through the herbarium with each new grant. With this strategy, the average rate for databasing complete records has been 10 specimens per hour. With 1.3 million specimens databased, this effort has taken about 130,000 hours of staff time. At this rate, to complete the herbarium and digitize the remaining 6 million specimens, another 600,000 hours would be needed. Given the current biodiversity and economic crises, there is neither the time nor money to complete the collection at this rate.Through a combination of grants over the last few years, The New York Botanical Garden has been testing new protocols and tactics for increasing the rate of digitization through combinations of data collaboration, field book digitization, partial data entry and imaging, and optical character recognition (OCR of specimen images. With the launch of the National Science Foundation’s new Advancing Digitization of Biological Collections program, we hope to move forward with larger, more efficient digitization projects, capturing data from larger portions of the herbarium at a fraction of the cost and time.

  3. The world bank and the environment, exercise 1992. Annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-01-01

    The report describes the Bank's activities in assisting countries with environmental management, such as programs to reduce poverty without exhausting natural resources. Included are assessments of the environmental impacts of projects supported by World Bank loans, and accounts of efforts to meet global environmental challenges with coordinated international action through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Among the events in the period covered by the report are the affirmation of the World Bank's participation with United Nations organizations in the GEF and the Bank's administration of pilot programs aimed at finding solutions to such global environmental problems as pollution of international waters, global warming, depletion of the Earth's ozone layer, and dwindling biological diversity; the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development; and the publication of the World Development Report 1992, with its theme of development and the environment

  4. Low tumour cell content in a lung tumour bank: implications for molecular characterisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goh, Felicia; Duhig, Edwina E; Clarke, Belinda E; McCaul, Elizabeth; Passmore, Linda; Courtney, Deborah; Windsor, Morgan; Naidoo, Rishendren; Franz, Louise; Parsonson, Kylie; Yang, Ian A; Bowman, Rayleen V; Fong, Kwun M

    2017-10-01

    Lung cancer encompasses multiple malignant epithelial tumour types, each with specific targetable, potentially actionable mutations, such that precision management mandates accurate tumour typing. Molecular characterisation studies require high tumour cell content and low necrosis content, yet lung cancers are frequently a heterogeneous mixture of tumour and stromal cells. We hypothesised that there may be systematic differences in tumour cell content according to histological subtype, and that this may have implications for tumour banks as a resource for comprehensive molecular characterisation studies in lung cancer. To investigate this, we estimated tumour cell and necrosis content of 4267 samples resected from 752 primary lung tumour specimens contributed to a lung tissue bank. We found that banked lung cancer samples had low tumour cell content (33%) generally, although it was higher in carcinoids (77.5%) than other lung cancer subtypes. Tumour cells comprise a variable and often small component of banked resected tumour samples, and are accompanied by stromal reaction, inflammation, fibrosis, and normal structures. This has implications for the adequacy of unselected tumour bank samples for diagnostic and molecular investigations, and further research is needed to determine whether tumour cell content has a significant impact on analytical results in studies using tissue from tumour bank resources. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Impact of specimen adequacy on the assessment of renal allograft biopsy specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cimen, S; Geldenhuys, L; Guler, S; Imamoglu, A; Molinari, M

    2016-01-01

    The Banff classification was introduced to achieve uniformity in the assessment of renal allograft biopsies. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of specimen adequacy on the Banff classification. All renal allograft biopsies obtained between July 2010 and June 2012 for suspicion of acute rejection were included. Pre-biopsy clinical data on suspected diagnosis and time from renal transplantation were provided to a nephropathologist who was blinded to the original pathological report. Second pathological readings were compared with the original to assess agreement stratified by specimen adequacy. Cohen's kappa test and Fisher's exact test were used for statistical analyses. Forty-nine specimens were reviewed. Among these specimens, 81.6% were classified as adequate, 6.12% as minimal, and 12.24% as unsatisfactory. The agreement analysis among the first and second readings revealed a kappa value of 0.97. Full agreement between readings was found in 75% of the adequate specimens, 66.7 and 50% for minimal and unsatisfactory specimens, respectively. There was no agreement between readings in 5% of the adequate specimens and 16.7% of the unsatisfactory specimens. For the entire sample full agreement was found in 71.4%, partial agreement in 20.4% and no agreement in 8.2% of the specimens. Statistical analysis using Fisher's exact test yielded a P value above 0.25 showing that - probably due to small sample size - the results were not statistically significant. Specimen adequacy may be a determinant of a diagnostic agreement in renal allograft specimen assessment. While additional studies including larger case numbers are required to further delineate the impact of specimen adequacy on the reliability of histopathological assessments, specimen quality must be considered during clinical decision making while dealing with biopsy reports based on minimal or unsatisfactory specimens.

  6. BrainNet Europe's Code of Conduct for brain banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klioueva, Natasja M; Rademaker, Marleen C; Dexter, David T; Al-Sarraj, Safa; Seilhean, Danielle; Streichenberger, Nathalie; Schmitz, Peer; Bell, Jeanne E; Ironside, James W; Arzberger, Thomas; Huitinga, Inge

    2015-07-01

    Research utilizing human tissue and its removal at post-mortem has given rise to many controversies in the media and posed many dilemmas in the fields of law and ethics. The law often lacks clear instructions and unambiguous guidelines. The absence of a harmonized international legislation with regard to post-mortem medical procedures and donation of tissue and organs contributes to the complexity of the issue. Therefore, within the BrainNet Europe (BNE) consortium, a consortium of 19 European brain banks, we drafted an ethical Code of Conduct for brain banking that covers basic legal rules and bioethical principles involved in brain banking. Sources include laws, regulations and guidelines (Declarations, Conventions, Recommendations, Guidelines and Directives) issued by international key organizations, such as the Council of Europe, European Commission, World Medical Association and World Health Organization. The Code of Conduct addresses fundamental topics as the rights of the persons donating their tissue, the obligations of the brain bank with regard to respect and observance of such rights, informed consent, confidentiality, protection of personal data, collections of human biological material and their management, and transparency and accountability within the organization of a brain bank. The Code of Conduct for brain banking is being adopted by the BNE network prior to being enshrined in official legislation for brain banking in Europe and beyond.

  7. Cleaning the GenBank Arabidopsis thaliana data set

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Korning, Peter G.; Hebsgaard, Stefan M.; Rouze, Pierre

    1996-01-01

    Data driven computational biology relies on the large quantities of genomic data stored in international sequence data banks. However, the possibilities are drastically impaired if the stored data is unreliable. During a project aiming to predict splice sites in the dicot Arabidopsis thaliana, we...... through anonymous FTP....

  8. Banking or Bankrupting: Strategies for Sustaining the Economic Future of Public Cord Blood Banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalon, Jeremy; Maiers, Martin; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Navarrete, Cristina; Rubinstein, Pablo; Brown, Colin; Schramm, Catherine; Larghero, Jérome; Katsahian, Sandrine; Chabannon, Christian; Picard, Christophe; Platz, Alexander; Schmidt, Alexander; Katz, Gregory

    2015-01-01

    Cord blood is an important source of stem cells. However, nearly 90% of public cord blood banks have declared that they are struggling to maintain their financial sustainability and avoid bankruptcy. The objective of this study is to evaluate how characteristics of cord blood units influence their utilization, then use this information to model the economic viability and therapeutic value of different banking strategies. Retrospective analysis of cord blood data registered between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011 in Bone Marrow Donor Worldwide. Data were collected from four public banks in France, Germany and the USA. Samples were eligible for inclusion in the analysis if data on cord blood and maternal HLA typing and biological characteristics after processing were available (total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts). 9,396 banked cord blood units were analyzed, of which 5,815 were Caucasian in origin. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the influence of three parameters on the CBU utilization rate: ethnic background, total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. From this model, we elaborated a Utilization Score reflecting the probability of transplantation for each cord blood unit. We stratified three Utilization Score thresholds representing four different banking strategies, from the least selective (scenario A) to the most selective (scenario D). We measured the cost-effectiveness ratio for each strategy by comparing performance in terms of number of transplanted cord blood units and level of financial deficit. When comparing inputs and outputs over three years, Scenario A represented the most extreme case as it delivered the highest therapeutic value for patients (284 CBUs transplanted) along with the highest financial deficit (USD 5.89 million). We found that scenario C resulted in 219 CBUs transplanted with a limited deficit (USD 0.98 million) that charities and public health could realistically finance over the long term. We also found that

  9. Banking or Bankrupting: Strategies for Sustaining the Economic Future of Public Cord Blood Banks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalon, Jeremy; Maiers, Martin; Kurtzberg, Joanne; Navarrete, Cristina; Rubinstein, Pablo; Brown, Colin; Schramm, Catherine; Larghero, Jérome; Katsahian, Sandrine; Chabannon, Christian; Picard, Christophe; Platz, Alexander; Schmidt, Alexander; Katz, Gregory

    2015-01-01

    Background Cord blood is an important source of stem cells. However, nearly 90% of public cord blood banks have declared that they are struggling to maintain their financial sustainability and avoid bankruptcy. The objective of this study is to evaluate how characteristics of cord blood units influence their utilization, then use this information to model the economic viability and therapeutic value of different banking strategies. Methods Retrospective analysis of cord blood data registered between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011 in Bone Marrow Donor Worldwide. Data were collected from four public banks in France, Germany and the USA. Samples were eligible for inclusion in the analysis if data on cord blood and maternal HLA typing and biological characteristics after processing were available (total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts). 9,396 banked cord blood units were analyzed, of which 5,815 were Caucasian in origin. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the influence of three parameters on the CBU utilization rate: ethnic background, total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. From this model, we elaborated a Utilization Score reflecting the probability of transplantation for each cord blood unit. We stratified three Utilization Score thresholds representing four different banking strategies, from the least selective (scenario A) to the most selective (scenario D). We measured the cost-effectiveness ratio for each strategy by comparing performance in terms of number of transplanted cord blood units and level of financial deficit. Results When comparing inputs and outputs over three years, Scenario A represented the most extreme case as it delivered the highest therapeutic value for patients (284 CBUs transplanted) along with the highest financial deficit (USD 5.89 million). We found that scenario C resulted in 219 CBUs transplanted with a limited deficit (USD 0.98 million) that charities and public health could realistically finance over the long

  10. Banking or Bankrupting: Strategies for Sustaining the Economic Future of Public Cord Blood Banks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeremy Magalon

    Full Text Available Cord blood is an important source of stem cells. However, nearly 90% of public cord blood banks have declared that they are struggling to maintain their financial sustainability and avoid bankruptcy. The objective of this study is to evaluate how characteristics of cord blood units influence their utilization, then use this information to model the economic viability and therapeutic value of different banking strategies.Retrospective analysis of cord blood data registered between January 1st, 2009 and December 31st, 2011 in Bone Marrow Donor Worldwide. Data were collected from four public banks in France, Germany and the USA. Samples were eligible for inclusion in the analysis if data on cord blood and maternal HLA typing and biological characteristics after processing were available (total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. 9,396 banked cord blood units were analyzed, of which 5,815 were Caucasian in origin. A multivariate logistic regression model assessed the influence of three parameters on the CBU utilization rate: ethnic background, total nucleated and CD34+ cell counts. From this model, we elaborated a Utilization Score reflecting the probability of transplantation for each cord blood unit. We stratified three Utilization Score thresholds representing four different banking strategies, from the least selective (scenario A to the most selective (scenario D. We measured the cost-effectiveness ratio for each strategy by comparing performance in terms of number of transplanted cord blood units and level of financial deficit.When comparing inputs and outputs over three years, Scenario A represented the most extreme case as it delivered the highest therapeutic value for patients (284 CBUs transplanted along with the highest financial deficit (USD 5.89 million. We found that scenario C resulted in 219 CBUs transplanted with a limited deficit (USD 0.98 million that charities and public health could realistically finance over the long term. We also

  11. Analisis Perbandingan Kinerja Pada Bank Nasional, Bank Campuran, Dan Bank Asing Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia

    OpenAIRE

    Angel, Christania Graciella

    2014-01-01

    Bank performance appraisal is based on bank financial report itself. The financial report can be form balance report which give information about the financial position to the outside of bank that can be used of eksternal to assess the level of risk exist in a bank. Based on ownership consist of national bank, mixture bank and foreign bank. These banks has tight compete to show a good performance to the public. This research aimed to analyze the financial performance difference of national ba...

  12. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WITH INTERNET BANKING IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE BANK

    OpenAIRE

    Inder Pal Singh S/o Roop singh*, Dr. Payal Bassi

    2017-01-01

    E- Banking is about using the infrastructure for digital age to create opportunities, both local & global. IT enables the dramatic lowering of transaction cost and the creation of new types of banking opportunities that address the barriers of time and distance. Banking opportunities are local, global and immediate in e-banking. Internet banking has many advantages over other traditional banking delivery methods. Internet banking provides banks with an increased customer base, cost savings, m...

  13. Electronic Banking And Bank Performance In Nigeria

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2013-03-01

    Mar 1, 2013 ... deploying information Technology in banks therefore can ... profitability indices and other control of financial ..... impact of e-banking on bank profitability ..... [13] Nikolai L. and Bazlay J.D (1997) Intermediate Accounting, South-.

  14. Turbulent mixing over a shelf sea bank: linking physics to fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmer, Matthew; Davis, Clare; Sharples, Jonathan

    2010-05-01

    The interaction between stratified flow and topography has previously been seen to generate enhanced vertical mixing both locally and far field by breaking of an intensified wave field close to the generation point and from waves propagating energy away from the source. Here we present a new series of measurements made during the summer of 2008 that includes transect data from a Scanfish towed CTD that provides a snapshot of the vertical density structure and distribution of chlorophyll over the Celtic Sea from beyond the shelf break to 250km onshelf. The transect supports previous findings of a persistent level of primary production identifiable as a subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM). Intensification of chlorophyll is seen at the shelf break region and provides a biological indicator of mixing. Similarly, we identify a high concentration of chlorophyll over Jones Bank 200km from the shelf break in 120m depth. Measurements from an array of acoustic current profilers, thermistor stings and a turbulence profiler reveal that the shallow sloping bank and strong tides regularly interact to produce hydraulic jumps in the lee of the bank during spring periods identifying Jones Bank as a mixing hotspot. The energy dissipated during these events act to erode the base of the strong thermocline and result in a vertical flux of nutrients into the stable, stratified environment. We suggest that it is the spring-neap modulation of this process which promotes intensified mixing over the bank. Nutrient measurements made during the experiment reveal that the ever changing mixing environment has significant influence on the phytoplankton community at the bank and is likely the key component in promoting enhanced biological production.

  15. 75 FR 20848 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-21

    ... Carolina, Seneca National Bank, Seneca, South Carolina, and The Peoples National Bank, Easley, South... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  16. Electronic Banking And Bank Performance In Nigeria | Abaenewe ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated the profitability performance of Nigerian banks following the full adoption of electronic banking system. The study became necessary as a result of increased penetration of electronic banking which has redefined the banking operations in Nigeria and around the world. Judgmental sampling method ...

  17. 12 CFR 211.22 - Interstate banking operations of foreign banking organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Interstate banking operations of foreign banking organizations. 211.22 Section 211.22 Banks and Banking FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM INTERNATIONAL BANKING OPERATIONS (REGULATION K) Foreign Banking...

  18. 75 FR 49493 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-13

    ... Peoples Bank and Trust Company, both of North Carrollton, Mississippi. B. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  19. PRIVATE BANKING AND WEALTH MANAGEMENT SERVICES OFFERED BY BANKS

    OpenAIRE

    IMOLA DRIGĂ; DORINA NIŢĂ; IOAN CUCU

    2009-01-01

    The paper examines the features of private banking business focusing on the substantial growth in private banking over the last decade as commercial banks have targeted upmarket high net worth individuals. The accumulation of wealth has prompted the development of private banking services for high net worth individuals, offering special relationships and investment services. Private banking is about much more than traditional banking services of deposits and loans. It's about providing a one-...

  20. Banking contracts

    OpenAIRE

    Durčáková, Klára

    2010-01-01

    Resumé - Bank Contracts Bank Contracts are an integral part of our everyday lives. Citizen and bussines entities used bank contracts very often. Despite this fact we can't find legal definition in the Czech law. Banking contracts understand contracts that are signed by banks in their business activities and obligations under these contracts arise. While the banking contracts have been widely used, in Czech law there is not too much literature and judgements abou this issue. Lack of legislatio...

  1. Stabilitas Bank, Tingkat Persaingan Antar Bank dan Diversifikasi Sumber Pendapatan: Analisis Per Kelompok Bank di Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buddi Wibowo

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. The"Competition-fragility" view and The "Competition-stability" view has a contrary logical flow in predicting the relationship between bank stability and competition among banks. According to Berger et al (2009, these two views differ on credit risk aspect of loan portfolio, but on the risks faced by the bank as a whole, these two views have the same prediction. In the credit market which is dominated by few banks with substantial market power, the risk of bank credit portfolio increases as predicted by the view "competition-fragility", but the bank's overall risk does not always go up with the jump in credit portfolio risk. The paper shows that empirical test of the Indonesian banking system support this hypothesis, except in foreign bank group that has its own business model. The relationship of competition and the credit risk of banks in Indonesia also have a U -shape pattern that increasing competition in the early stages can reduce credit risk, which is due to increasing income diversification and diversification of bank credit type, but at a certain point the increasing competition has worsened the quality of bank credit portfolio. Key word: banking competition, risk, stability, fragility, diversification

  2. In-line phase contrast micro-CT reconstruction for biomedical specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Jian; Tan, Renbo

    2014-01-01

    X-ray phase contrast micro computed tomography (micro-CT) can non-destructively provide the internal structure information of soft tissues and low atomic number materials. It has become an invaluable analysis tool for biomedical specimens. Here an in-line phase contrast micro-CT reconstruction technique is reported, which consists of a projection extraction method and the conventional filter back-projection (FBP) reconstruction algorithm. The projection extraction is implemented by applying the Fourier transform to the forward projections of in-line phase contrast micro-CT. This work comprises a numerical study of the method and its experimental verification using a biomedical specimen dataset measured at an X-ray tube source micro-CT setup. The numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the presented technique can improve the imaging contrast of biomedical specimens. It will be of interest for a wide range of in-line phase contrast micro-CT applications in medicine and biology.

  3. Internet Banking integration within the banking system

    OpenAIRE

    Constantin Marian MATEI; Catalin Ionut SILVESTRU; Dragos Stefan SILVESTRU

    2008-01-01

    Internet Banking developed due to increasing demand of online banking transactions. The biggest advantages of Internet Banking consist of complex banking solutions, 24 hours availability, quick and secure access to the back-end application through Internet. These advantages are due to the use of SOA (service-oriented architecture). SOA appeared as a necessity of companies to integrate big and independent portions of applications, in order to obtain an homogeneous functionality of the system....

  4. Middle Eocene (Bartonian) Nummulites perforatus bank from the Transylvanian Basin, Romania: an example from a classical occurrence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szabolcs Attila, Kövecsi; Lóránd, Silye; György, Less; Sorin, Filipescu

    2016-04-01

    Giant uni-cellulars, Nummulites lived in stable oligotrophic environments throughout the Eocene of the Tethys forming large accumulations called "banks" (Arni, 1965), which were identified on the top of the Cǎpusu Formation, Transylvanian Basin (Popescu, 1978). The studied outcrop is located near Cǎpusu village, Cluj County where we studied two sections (CA1, CA2). They consist of medium to coarse grained sands with abundant Nummulites perforatus (A and B forms). Sporadically specimens of Nummulites beaumonti are also present. According to the larger foraminiferal zonation of Serra-Kiel et al. (1998) the studied nummlitic bank is referred to the SBZ 17 Zone (early Bartonian). Specimens were recovered from 6 samples, about 2 kg each, prepared by standard methods. In section CA1 the A/B ratio ranges between 42/1 and 117/1 while in section CA2 the A/B ratio varies between 27/1 and 52/1. The higher A/B ratio suggests that the original Nummulites assemblages was winnowed in situ. By contrast, the lower A/B ratio indicates that the original assemblage was supposedly selectively winnowed (Ainger, 1985), but they are in situ (Seddighi et al., 2015). This interpretation is supported by the fact, that in all samples the Nummulites specimens (both A and B form) are bioeroded and abraded, which indicates a shallow water environment with high hydrodynamic activity (Racey, 2001; Papazzoni, 2008). Based on our observations the studied nummulitic accumulations consist mostly of monospecific assemblages, and they form a bank. The identified biofabrics, the A/B ratio of the assemblages and the presence of both A and B forms support this interpretation. The presence of the abraded Nummulites tests further suggest that the studied deposits were sedimented in a shallow water environment with high hydrodynamic activity, probably in a wave dominant setting. References: Aigner, T. 1982. Event-stratification in nummulite accumulations and in shell beds from the Eocene of Egypt. In

  5. 75 FR 5322 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank...

  6. 75 FR 3904 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-25

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank...

  7. 75 FR 9414 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. [thinsp]225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank...

  8. Central bank capital, financial strength, and the Bank of Japan

    OpenAIRE

    Thomas F. Cargill

    2006-01-01

    This Economic Letter addresses central bank capital and financial strength in the context of Bank of Japan policy (Cargill 2005). Specifically, it reviews general considerations about central bank capital and financial strength, discusses recent Bank of Japan policy in the context of capital structure, evaluates the Bank of Japan's concern in the context of the broader issue of central bank independence, and draws some lessons from recent Bank of Japan policy.

  9. Daily intake and hazard index of parabens based upon 24 h urine samples of the German Environmental Specimen Bank from 1995 to 2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moos, Rebecca K; Apel, Petra; Schröter-Kermani, Christa; Kolossa-Gehring, Marike; Brüning, Thomas; Koch, Holger M

    2017-11-01

    In recent years, exposure to parabens has become more of a concern because of evidence of ubiquitous exposure in the general population, combined with evidence of their potency as endocrine disruptors. New human metabolism data from oral exposure experiments enable us to back calculate daily paraben intakes from urinary paraben levels. We report daily intakes (DIs) for six parabens based on 660 24 h urine samples from the German Environmental Specimen Bank collected between 1995 and 2012. Median DI values ranged between 1.1 μg/kg bw/day for iso-butyl paraben and 47.5 μg/kg bw/day for methyl paraben. The calculated DIs were compared with acceptable levels of exposure to evaluate the hazard quotients (HQs) that indicate that acceptable exposure is exceeded for values of >1. Approximately 5% of our study population exceeded this threshold for individual paraben exposure. The hazard index (HI) that takes into account the cumulative risk of adverse estrogenic effects was 1.3 at the 95th percentile and 4.4 at maximum intakes, mainly driven by n-propyl paraben exposure. HI values of >1 indicate some level of concern. However, we have to point out that we applied most conservative assumptions in the HQ/HI calculations. Also, major exposure reduction measures were enacted in the European Union after 2012.

  10. Integrating research on thyroid cancer after Chernobyl--the Chernobyl Tissue Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, G A; Bethel, J A; Galpine, A; Mathieson, W; Krznaric, M; Unger, K

    2011-05-01

    The only unequivocal radiological effect of the Chernobyl accident on human health is the increase in thyroid cancer in those exposed in childhood or early adolescence. In response to the scientific interest in studying the molecular biology of thyroid cancer after Chernobyl, the Chernobyl Tissue Bank was established. The project is supported by the governments of Ukraine and Russia, and financially supported (in total around US$3 million) by the European Commission, the National Cancer Institute of the USA and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan. The project began collecting a variety of biological samples from patients on 1 October 1988, and has supplied material to 21 research projects in Japan, the USA and Europe. The establishment of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank has facilitated co-operation between these research projects and the combination of clinical and research data provides a paradigm for cancer research in the molecular biological age. Copyright © 2011 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Using the Tools and Resources of the RCSB Protein Data Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costanzo, Luigi Di; Ghosh, Sutapa; Zardecki, Christine; Burley, Stephen K

    2016-09-07

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB) archive is the worldwide repository of experimentally determined three-dimensional structures of large biological molecules found in all three kingdoms of life. Atomic-level structures of these proteins, nucleic acids, and complex assemblies thereof are central to research and education in molecular, cellular, and organismal biology, biochemistry, biophysics, materials science, bioengineering, ecology, and medicine. Several types of information are associated with each PDB archival entry, including atomic coordinates, primary experimental data, polymer sequence(s), and summary metadata. The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) serves as the U.S. data center for the PDB, distributing archival data and supporting both simple and complex queries that return results. These data can be freely downloaded, analyzed, and visualized using RCSB PDB tools and resources to gain a deeper understanding of fundamental biological processes, molecular evolution, human health and disease, and drug discovery. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  12. Characterization of Two Historic Smallpox Specimens from a Czech Museum

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pajer, P.; Dresler, J.; Kabickova, H.; Píša, L.; Aganov, P.; Fucik, K.; Elleder, Daniel; Hron, Tomáš; Kuželka, V.; Velemínský, P.; Klimentová, J.; Fučíková, A.; Pejchal, J.; Hrabáková, Rita; Beneš, V.; Rausch, T.; Dundr, P.; Pilin, A.; Čabala, R.; Hubálek, Martin; Stříbrný, J.; Antwerpen, M.H.; Meyer, H.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 8 (2017), č. článku 200. ISSN 1999-4915 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 ; RVO:67985904 ; RVO:61388963 Keywords : smallpox * variola virus * evolution * next generation suquencing * historic specimen * phylogeny Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Virology; Virology (UZFG-Y); Virology (UOCHB-X) Impact factor: 3.465, year: 2016

  13. Islamic banking

    OpenAIRE

    Pak, Viktoriya

    2010-01-01

    The thesis is focused on introduction of Islamic banking system. Morover part of the work is devoted to a detailed description of the history of Islamic banking, on explanation of the principles on which the banking system is based. Also are analyzed in detail the basic Islamic banking products. And at the end are presented the advantages and disadvantages of the Islamic banking system.

  14. High-intensity x-ray holography: an approach to high-resolution snapshot imaging of biological specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solem, J.C.

    1982-08-01

    The crucial physical and technological issues pertaining to the holographic imaging of biological structures with a short-pulse, high-intensity, high-quantum-energy laser were examined. The limitations of x-ray optics are discussed. Alternative holographic techniques were considered, and it was concluded that far-field Fresnel transform holography (Fraunhofer holography) using a photoresist recording surface is most tractable with near term technology. The hydrodynamic expansion of inhomogeneities within the specimen is discussed. It is shown that expansion is the major source of image blurring. Analytic expressions were derived for the explosion of protein concentrations in an x-ray transparent cytoplasm, compared with numerical calculations, and corrections derived to account for the competitive transport processes by which these inhomogeneities lose energy. It is concluded that for the near term Fresnel transform holography, particularly, far-field or Fraunhofer holography, is more practical than Fourier transform holography. Of the alternative fine grain recording media for use with Fresnel transform holography, a photo-resist is most attractive. For best resolution, exposure times must be limited to a few picoseconds, and this calls for investigation of mechanisms to shutter the laser or gate the recording surface. The best contrast ratio between the nitrogen-bearing polymers (protein and the nucleic acids) and water is between the K-edges of oxygen and nitrogen

  15. High-intensity x-ray holography: an approach to high-resolution snapshot imaging of biological specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solem, J.C.

    1982-08-01

    The crucial physical and technological issues pertaining to the holographic imaging of biological structures with a short-pulse, high-intensity, high-quantum-energy laser were examined. The limitations of x-ray optics are discussed. Alternative holographic techniques were considered, and it was concluded that far-field Fresnel transform holography (Fraunhofer holography) using a photoresist recording surface is most tractable with near term technology. The hydrodynamic expansion of inhomogeneities within the specimen is discussed. It is shown that expansion is the major source of image blurring. Analytic expressions were derived for the explosion of protein concentrations in an x-ray transparent cytoplasm, compared with numerical calculations, and corrections derived to account for the competitive transport processes by which these inhomogeneities lose energy. It is concluded that for the near term Fresnel transform holography, particularly, far-field or Fraunhofer holography, is more practical than Fourier transform holography. Of the alternative fine grain recording media for use with Fresnel transform holography, a photo-resist is most attractive. For best resolution, exposure times must be limited to a few picoseconds, and this calls for investigation of mechanisms to shutter the laser or gate the recording surface. The best contrast ratio between the nitrogen-bearing polymers (protein and the nucleic acids) and water is between the K-edges of oxygen and nitrogen.

  16. LS-SNP/PDB: annotated non-synonymous SNPs mapped to Protein Data Bank structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryan, Michael; Diekhans, Mark; Lien, Stephanie; Liu, Yun; Karchin, Rachel

    2009-06-01

    LS-SNP/PDB is a new WWW resource for genome-wide annotation of human non-synonymous (amino acid changing) SNPs. It serves high-quality protein graphics rendered with UCSF Chimera molecular visualization software. The system is kept up-to-date by an automated, high-throughput build pipeline that systematically maps human nsSNPs onto Protein Data Bank structures and annotates several biologically relevant features. LS-SNP/PDB is available at (http://ls-snp.icm.jhu.edu/ls-snp-pdb) and via links from protein data bank (PDB) biology and chemistry tabs, UCSC Genome Browser Gene Details and SNP Details pages and PharmGKB Gene Variants Downloads/Cross-References pages.

  17. Biological-Physical Interactions on Georges Bank: Plankton Transport and Population Dynamics of the Ocean Quahog, Arctica islandica

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    1997-01-01

    .... These alterations in bank trophic structure may reduce recruitment of higher trophic levels. NPZ and copepod stage structure models embedded in stratified flow over an idealized bank indicate that strong storms...

  18. Integrating Research on Thyroid Cancer after Chernobyl — the Chernobyl Tissue Bank

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, G.A.; Bethel, J.A.; Galpine, A.; Krznaric, M.; Unger, K.

    2011-01-01

    The only unequivocal radiological effect of the Chernobyl accident on human health is the increase in thyroid cancer in those exposed in childhood or early adolescence. In response to the scientific interest in studying the molecular biology of thyroid cancer after Chernobyl, the Chernobyl Tissue Bank was established. The project is supported by the governments of Ukraine and Russia, and financially supported (in total around US$3million) by the European Commission, the National Cancer Institute of the USA and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan. The project began collecting a variety of biological samples from patients on 1 October 1988, and has supplied material to 21 research projects in Japan, the USA and Europe. The establishment of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank has facilitated cooperation between these research projects and the combination of clinical and research data provides a paradigm for cancer research in the molecular biological age. PMID:21345659

  19. 76 FR 59396 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-26

    ... control of Bank of Odessa, both in Odessa, Missouri, Commercial Bank of Oak Grove, Oak Grove, Missouri... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  20. Measuring the Competitiveness of Islamic Banking in Indonesian Dual Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ir Ascarya

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Islamic banks in many countries have emerged as important component of financial system that contributes to the growth and development of the country’s economy. They have proven to be a viable and competitive component of the overall financial system. In the dual banking system, Islamic banks have to be competitive to survive. One of the key to competitiveness is efficiency. This study will measure and compare the efficiency of Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesia using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA methodology. DEA is a non-parametric, deterministic methodology for determining the relative efficiency and managerial performance, based on the empirical data on chosen inputs and outputs of a number of decision making units. DEA allows us to compare the relative efficiency of banks by determining the efficient banks as benchmarks and by measuring the inefficiencies in input combinations (slack variables in other banks relative to the benchmark. Intermediation approach will be applied. This study will identify the sources and level of inefficiency for each of the inputs and outputs of Islamic banks and conventional banks in Indonesia. The result shows that in overall, Islamic banking is relatively more efficient than conventional banking. This means that Islamic banks are competitive enough to compete with conventional banks. Islamic banking is technically more efficient, but less scale efficient than conventional banking. Internal inefficiency is the main source of disintermediation of conventional banking in Indonesia. Furthermore, accelerated expansion, organically and inorganically, is needed to improve scale and overall efficiencies of Islamic banking in Indonesia.Keywords: Banking, Islamic Banking, Efficiency, Data Envelopment Analysis

  1. ANALISIS PERBANDINGAN KINERJA KEUANGAN BANK SYARIAH DAN BANK KONVENSIONAL DI INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dwi Umardani

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT This study aims to compare the financial performance of Islamic banks with conventional banks in Indonesia using financial ratios: CAR, NPL / NPF, ROA, ROE, LDR / FDR, REO / BOPO. The data used are the financial statements published by Bank Indonesia (BI, the annual reports released by banking companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX, the annual reports issued by companies of Islamic banking that are not listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX, and the Indonesian banking supervision reports contained in Bank Indonesia (BI for the years 2005-2012. The analytical method used to compare the financial performance of Islamic banks with conventional banks is statistical test independent t-test. The fact shows that for each financial ratio of Islamic banks and conventional banks in Indonesia: CAR, ROA, ROE, LDR / FDR, and BOPO there are significant differences, while NPL / NPF there is not significant difference. Keywords: Financial performance, Islamic banks, conventional banks

  2. 75 FR 31788 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-04

    ... voting shares of Chino Commercial Bank, N.A., both of Chino, California. Board of Governors of the... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  3. GenBank

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, Dennis A.; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene; Lipman, David J.; Ostell, James; Rapp, Barbara A.; Wheeler, David L.

    2002-01-01

    The GenBank sequence database incorporates publicly available DNA sequences of more than 105 000 different organisms, primarily through direct submission of sequence data from individual laboratories and large-scale sequencing projects. Most submissions are made using the BankIt (web) or Sequin programs and accession numbers are assigned by GenBank staff upon receipt. Data exchange with the EMBL Data Library and the DNA Data Bank of Japan helps ensure comprehensive worldwide coverage. GenBank...

  4. 77 FR 3475 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-24

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or bank...

  5. 12 CFR 614.4070 - Loans and chartered territory-Farm Credit Banks, agricultural credit banks, Federal land bank...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Loans and chartered territory-Farm Credit Banks..., provided such loans are authorized by the policies of the bank and/or association involved, do not constitute a significant shift in loan volume away from the bank or association's assigned territory, and are...

  6. The influence of bank employees on bank customer relationship management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Rootman

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Despite extensive research in services marketing, much is still unknown to specific service providers on the influence of their employees on their services. This paper attempts to address this limitation and investigates the influence of employees on the customer relationship management (CRM of banks. The primary objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of selected independent variables, namely attitude and knowledgeability, on the CRM of banks. Design/Methodology/Approach: An empirical investigation was conducted with a structured questionnaire with items that related to banks' CRM in terms of attitude and knowledgeability. The sample consisted of 290 banking clients in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area and the response rate was 91.03%. Findings: Significant positive relationships exist between both the knowledgeability, and attitude of bank employees and a bank's CRM. These relationships imply that more extensive knowledgeability and more positive attitudes of bank employees lead to improved, maintained relationships between a bank and its clients. Employees play an important role in banks’ client relationships. Implications: Banks should focus on increasing their employees' knowledgeability and improving their attitude to ensure higher levels of CRM. This paper provides strategies for banks and could create greater awareness among South African banks of the advantages of CRM, how their employees influence their CRM, and ways to adapt to these influences. Originality/Value: No study has focused exclusively on CRM within banks in South Africa. Prior research focused on customer service and service quality; both possible results of superior CRM. However, this research differs, as it identifies the variables influencing CRM in banks in South Africa. It is proposed that this paper will be beneficial for South African banks, as the recommendations may be used to ensure higher levels of CRM in banks.

  7. BANKING SYSTEM STABILITY: COMMERCIAL AND CO-OPERATIVE BANKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dumitru-Cristian OANEA

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Commercial banks and co-operative banks are credit institutions, but there are some differences between the main operations proceeded by each of them. Based on these specific characteristics, we want to identify the manner in which financial crisis affected their activity. As we all know, the financial crisis had a major impact in the United States, the “natal” country of the crisis, because great banks such as Lehman Brothers or Merrill Lynch have bankrupted. Even if the Romanian banking system was not affected by such catastrophic situations, surely the financial crisis had a significant impact on it. This topic is worth to be analysed, because we would be able to identify the risk differences between these two types of business: commercial banks versus co-operative banks.

  8. Clinical evaluation of a mobile digital specimen radiography system for intraoperative specimen verification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yingbing; Ebuoma, Lilian; Saksena, Mansi; Liu, Bob; Specht, Michelle; Rafferty, Elizabeth

    2014-08-01

    Use of mobile digital specimen radiography systems expedites intraoperative verification of excised breast specimens. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a such a system for verifying targets. A retrospective review included 100 consecutive pairs of breast specimen radiographs. Specimens were imaged in the operating room with a mobile digital specimen radiography system and then with a conventional digital mammography system in the radiology department. Two expert reviewers independently scored each image for image quality on a 3-point scale and confidence in target visualization on a 5-point scale. A target was considered confidently verified only if both reviewers declared the target to be confidently detected. The 100 specimens contained a total of 174 targets, including 85 clips (49%), 53 calcifications (30%), 35 masses (20%), and one architectural distortion (1%). Although a significantly higher percentage of mobile digital specimen radiographs were considered poor quality by at least one reviewer (25%) compared with conventional digital mammograms (1%), 169 targets (97%), were confidently verified with mobile specimen radiography; 172 targets (98%) were verified with conventional digital mammography. Three faint masses were not confidently verified with mobile specimen radiography, and conventional digital mammography was needed for confirmation. One faint mass and one architectural distortion were not confidently verified with either method. Mobile digital specimen radiography allows high diagnostic confidence for verification of target excision in breast specimens across target types, despite lower image quality. Substituting this modality for conventional digital mammography can eliminate delays associated with specimen transport, potentially decreasing surgical duration and increasing operating room throughput.

  9. Submission to the Georges Bank Review Panel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rankin, E.; Butler, M.; Church, T.

    1999-01-01

    The Georges Bank, off southwestern Nova Scotia, is one of the most biologically productive continental shelf ecosystems in the world. It supports a wide diversity of species, including many seabirds. In 1988, federal and provincial legislation placed a moratorium on petroleum exploration and drilling on the Georges Bank, directing the ministers of Natural Resources Canada, and of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources to make a decision regarding the moratorium by January 1, 2000. This report by the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) asks the Georges Bank Review Panel to recommend extending the moratorium on Georges Bank and adjacent areas until 2012, in part to match the American moratorium. Other reasons why the panel made this recommendation were explored. The principal reason is the EAC concern that when the moratorium is lifted, several oil and gas developments will proceed in this ecologically significant offshore area that could result in the loss of the ecological integrity of Georges Bank. The EAC contends that before oil and gas development in the region could begin, the following issues would have to be resolved: (1) disposal of drill muds and cuttings, (2) volume and disposal of produced water, (3) effects of small and large spills, (4) impact of seismic activities on whales and turtles, and (5) carbon dioxide emission through venting and flaring. Also, the EAC does not believe that developing Georges Bank will create as many jobs in the affected communities as some people suggest. Lifting the moratorium by Canada would also frustrate American environmental goals, as well as compromise Canada`s position in international environmental partnerships such as the Gulf of Maine Council. 19 refs., tabs., figs.

  10. Submission to the Georges Bank Review Panel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rankin, E.; Butler, M.; Church, T.

    1999-01-01

    The Georges Bank, off southwestern Nova Scotia, is one of the most biologically productive continental shelf ecosystems in the world. It supports a wide diversity of species, including many seabirds. In 1988, federal and provincial legislation placed a moratorium on petroleum exploration and drilling on the Georges Bank, directing the ministers of Natural Resources Canada, and of the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources to make a decision regarding the moratorium by January 1, 2000. This report by the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) asks the Georges Bank Review Panel to recommend extending the moratorium on Georges Bank and adjacent areas until 2012, in part to match the American moratorium. Other reasons why the panel made this recommendation were explored. The principal reason is the EAC concern that when the moratorium is lifted, several oil and gas developments will proceed in this ecologically significant offshore area that could result in the loss of the ecological integrity of Georges Bank. The EAC contends that before oil and gas development in the region could begin, the following issues would have to be resolved: (1) disposal of drill muds and cuttings, (2) volume and disposal of produced water, (3) effects of small and large spills, (4) impact of seismic activities on whales and turtles, and (5) carbon dioxide emission through venting and flaring. Also, the EAC does not believe that developing Georges Bank will create as many jobs in the affected communities as some people suggest. Lifting the moratorium by Canada would also frustrate American environmental goals, as well as compromise Canada's position in international environmental partnerships such as the Gulf of Maine Council. 19 refs., tabs., figs

  11. About Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieslak, Raymond F.

    The student manual for high school level special needs students was prepared to provide deaf students with the basic fundamentals of banking. Five units are presented covering the topics of banks and banking services, checking accounts, other services of banks, savings accounts, and other investments. Each lesson was carefully written for easy…

  12. Bank Resolution in the European Banking Union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gordon, Jeffrey N.; Ringe, Georg

    2015-01-01

    The project of creating a Banking Union is designed to overcome the fatal link between sovereigns and their banks in the Eurozone. As part of this project, political agreement for a common supervision framework and a common resolution scheme has been reached with difficulty. However, the resolution...... mechanism deployable at the discretion of the resolution authority must be available to supply liquidity to a reorganizing bank. On these conditions, a viable and realistic Banking Union would be within reach--and the resolution of global financial institutions would be greatly facilitated, not least...... framework is weak, underfunded and exhibits some serious flaws. Further, Member States' disagreements appear to rule out a federalized deposit insurance scheme, commonly regarded as the necessary third pillar of a successful Banking Union. This paper argues for an organizational and capital structure...

  13. Bank Insolvency Procedures and Market Discipline in European Banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angkinand, Apanard; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    for pre-determined bank insolvency procedures that could enable banks to expand cross-border in branches. In the empirical part we show that credibility of non-insurance is maximized with a partial deposit insurance scheme, and that the coverage can be decreased if effective rule-based distress resolution......Predetermined, operational procedures for dealing with banks in distress are conspicuously absent across the world with very few exceptions. Instead governments and regulatory authorities intervene when banks approach failure. Bail-outs of important creditors, sometimes including shareholders......, and blanket guarantees for creditors become the norm. We argue that efficient incentives of banks' creditors, as well as of shareholders and managers, require predetermined rules for dealing with banks in distress, and a group of creditors that are credibly non-insured. Cross-border banking increases the need...

  14. RASIONALITAS KONVERSI BANK KONVENSIONAL KE BANK SYARI’AH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aji Damanuri

    2016-02-01

    Aji Damanuri   Abstract: Shari>’ah banking, for the last ten years, has increased in prosperity not only at the quantity of conventional banks but also at the count of assets and customers. This economical opportunity drives amount of conventional banks both to convert their institutions to be shari>’ah banks and to open officially shari>’ah platform units with their own assets. This system takes a significant question, is the conversion effected by both banker ideological factor and capitalists or pure economical rational calculation? Is a religious consideration linked to economical rationality? This paper is to elaborate the conversion using not only ‘choice theory’ (teori pilihan but also ‘rational action’ (tindakan rasional to seek religious action possibility in a reasonable way of shari>’ah banking.   Keywords: shari>’ah bank, conversion, rational action, religiosity.

  15. Islamic banks and profitability: an empirical analysis of Indonesian banking

    OpenAIRE

    Jordan, Sarah

    2013-01-01

    This paper provides an empirical analysis of the factors that determine the profitability of Indonesian banks between the years 2006-2012. In particular, it investigates whether there are any significant differences in terms of profitability between Islamic banks and commercial banks. The results, obtained by applying the system-GMM estimator to the panel of 54 banks, indicate that the high bank profitability during these years were determined mainly by the size of the banks, the market share...

  16. 78 FR 37541 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-21

    ..., North Dakota, as trustees/administrators, to retain voting shares of the Commercial Bank of Mott Employee Stock Ownership Plan, and thereby indirectly retain voting shares of Commercial Bank of Mott, both... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank...

  17. Bank Resolution in the European Banking Union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gordon, Jeffrey N.; Ringe, Wolf-Georg

    The project of creating a Banking Union is designed to overcome the fatal link between sovereigns and their banks in the Eurozone. As part of this project, political agreement for a common supervision framework and a common resolution scheme has been reached with difficulty. However, the resolution...... at the discretion of the resolution authority must be available to supply liquidity to a reorganizing bank. On these conditions, a viable and realistic Banking Union would be within reach — and the resolution of global financial institutions would be greatly facilitated, not least in a transatlantic perspective....... framework is weak, underfunded and exhibits some serious flaws. Further, Member States’ disagreements appear to rule out a federalized deposit insurance scheme, commonly regarded as the necessary third pillar of a successful Banking Union. This paper argues for an organizational and capital structure...

  18. Does taxation on banks mean taxation on bank-dependent borrowers?

    OpenAIRE

    Masami Imai; Peter Hull

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the economic impacts of bank levies on bank-dependent borrowers, exploiting the surprise announcement of a bank tax by the Tokyo metropolitan government on February 7th, 2000. We find that the tax announcement had negative effects on the abnormal return of firms which depended on soon-to-be taxed banks for external funds. Moreover, the adverse economic effects of the bank tax were larger for smaller and more financially distressed firms, suggesting that bank levies are likely t...

  19. The main directions of banking products promotion in the banking marketing system in Russian commercial banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markova O.M.

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available the article is devoted to the research of directions of client-oriented approach application during bank products promotion in Russian banks. Attention is paid to the development of electronic banking, social networks through which consumers receive the necessary information about beneficial offers and special conditions for providing banking services.

  20. Use of an environmental specimen bank for evaluating the impact of the Prestige oil spill on the levels of trace elements in two species of Fucus on the coast of Galicia (NW Spain)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villares, Ruben; Real, Carlos; Fernandez, Jose Angel; Aboal, Jesus; Carballeira, Alejo

    2007-01-01

    In the present study we investigated possible contamination by trace elements due to the oil slick caused by the shipwreck of the Prestige oil tanker, in two species of brown macroalgae (Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus ceranoides) collected from the coastal area most severely affected by the spill (Galicia, NW Spain). The oil slick apparently did not cause significant increases in the concentrations of the trace elements studied, except vanadium. It appears that the magnitude of terrestrial inputs to coastal waters is sufficiently high to mask the inputs of trace elements from the fuel. The observed exception of V suggests that bioaccumulation of this element by the two species of Fucus may be used to indicate exposure to petrochemical products similar to the Prestige fuel. The findings of the study are another example of the importance of the existence of Environmental Specimen Banks for studies of this type

  1. Use of an environmental specimen bank for evaluating the impact of the Prestige oil spill on the levels of trace elements in two species of Fucus on the coast of Galicia (NW Spain)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Villares, Ruben; Real, Carlos [Area de Ecologia, Escuela Politecnica Superior, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002 Lugo (Spain); Fernandez, Jose Angel; Aboal, Jesus; Carballeira, Alejo [Area de Ecologia, Facultad de Biologia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15706 Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

    2007-03-15

    In the present study we investigated possible contamination by trace elements due to the oil slick caused by the shipwreck of the Prestige oil tanker, in two species of brown macroalgae (Fucus vesiculosus and Fucus ceranoides) collected from the coastal area most severely affected by the spill (Galicia, NW Spain). The oil slick apparently did not cause significant increases in the concentrations of the trace elements studied, except vanadium. It appears that the magnitude of terrestrial inputs to coastal waters is sufficiently high to mask the inputs of trace elements from the fuel. The observed exception of V suggests that bioaccumulation of this element by the two species of Fucus may be used to indicate exposure to petrochemical products similar to the Prestige fuel. The findings of the study are another example of the importance of the existence of Environmental Specimen Banks for studies of this type. (author)

  2. 78 FR 300 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-03

    ... Bancshares, Inc., and thereby acquire control of First Commercial Bank, both of Edmond, Oklahoma. Board of... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  3. 77 FR 60996 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-05

    ... shares of Anchor Commercial Bank, Juno Beach, Florida. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C...

  4. Procurement of Human Tissues for Research Banking in the Surgical Pathology Laboratory: Prioritization Practices at Washington University Medical Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chernock, Rebecca D.; Leach, Tracey A.; Kahn, Ajaz A.; Yip, James H.; Rossi, Joan; Pfeifer, John D.

    2011-01-01

    Academic hospitals and medical schools with research tissue repositories often derive many of their internal human specimen acquisitions from their site's surgical pathology service. Typically, such acquisitions come from appropriately consented tissue discards sampled from surgical resections. Because the practice of surgical pathology has patient care as its primary mission, competing needs for tissue inevitably arise, with the requirement to preserve adequate tissue for clinical diagnosis being paramount. A set of best-practice gross pathology guidelines are summarized here, focused on the decision for tissue banking at the time specimens are macroscopically evaluated. These reflect our collective experience at Washington University School of Medicine, and are written from the point of view of our site biorepository. The involvement of trained pathology personnel in such procurements is very important. These guidelines reflect both good surgical pathology practice (including the pathologic features characteristic of various anatomic sites) and the typical objectives of research biorepositories. The guidelines should be helpful to tissue bank directors, and others charged with the procurement of tissues for general research purposes. We believe that appreciation of these principles will facilitate the partnership between surgical pathologists and biorepository directors, and promote both good patient care and strategic, value-added banking procurements. PMID:23386925

  5. Environmental sample banking-research and methodology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Becker, D.A.

    1976-01-01

    The National Bureau of Standards (NBS), in cooperation with the Environment Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation, is engaged in a research program establishing methodology for environmental sample banking. This program is aimed toward evaluating the feasibility of a National Environment Specimen Bank (NESB). The capability for retrospective chemical analyses to evaluate changes in our environment would provide useful information. Much of this information could not be obtained using data from previously analyzed samples. However, to assure validity for these stored samples, they must be sampled, processed and stored under rigorously evaluated, controlled and documented conditions. The program currently under way in the NBS Analytical Chemistry Division has 3 main components. The first is an extension survey of available literature concerning problems of contamination, losses and storage. The components of interest include trace elements, pesticides, other trace organics (PCBs, plasticizers, etc.), radionuclides and microbiological species. The second component is an experimental evaluation of contamination and losses during sampling and sample handling. Of particular interest here is research into container cleaning methodology for trace elements, with respect to adsorption, desorption, leaching and partial dissolution by various sample matrices. The third component of this program is an evaluation of existing methodology for long-term sample storage

  6. The World Bank and the environment, fiscal 1992, exercise 92. Annual report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-09-01

    The report describes the Bank's activities in assisting countries with environmental management, such as programs to reduce poverty without exhausting natural resources. Included are assessments of the environmental impacts of projects supported by World Bank loans, and accounts of efforts to meet global environmental challenges with coordinated international action through the Global Environment Facility (GEF). Among the events in the period covered by the report are the affirmation of the World Bank's participation with United Nations organizations in the GEF and the Bank's administration of pilot programs aimed at finding solutions to such global environmental problems as pollution of international waters, global warming, depletion of the Earth's ozone layer, and dwindling biological diversity; the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development; and the publication of the World Development Report 1992, with its theme of development and the environment

  7. 77 FR 50689 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-22

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  8. 78 FR 43883 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-22

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  9. 78 FR 38978 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-28

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  10. 77 FR 54917 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-06

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  11. 78 FR 35271 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-12

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  12. 78 FR 49268 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-13

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  13. 77 FR 68121 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-15

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  14. 78 FR 13877 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-01

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  15. 77 FR 58141 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-19

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  16. 78 FR 61352 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-03

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  17. 77 FR 4323 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-27

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  18. 77 FR 66463 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-05

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  19. 78 FR 41929 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-12

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  20. 77 FR 37406 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-21

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  1. 78 FR 51726 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-21

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  2. 77 FR 31612 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  3. 77 FR 9250 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-16

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  4. 78 FR 62301 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-15

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  5. 78 FR 25084 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  6. 78 FR 76834 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-19

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  7. 77 FR 60702 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-04

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  8. 77 FR 16839 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-22

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  9. 78 FR 53457 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  10. 78 FR 45535 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-29

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  11. 77 FR 73031 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-07

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  12. 77 FR 2293 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-17

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  13. 77 FR 64801 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-23

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  14. 77 FR 34385 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-11

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  15. 77 FR 58379 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-09-20

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  16. 77 FR 33459 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-06

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  17. 77 FR 43824 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-26

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  18. 78 FR 39729 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  19. 78 FR 24747 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-26

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  20. 77 FR 72864 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-06

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  1. 78 FR 97 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  2. 78 FR 27389 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-10

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  3. 77 FR 63314 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-16

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  4. 77 FR 19665 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  5. 78 FR 76305 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-17

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  6. 78 FR 49753 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-15

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  7. 78 FR 3425 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-16

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  8. 77 FR 27458 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-10

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank [[Page...

  9. 77 FR 39244 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-02

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  10. 78 FR 3897 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-17

    ... FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and Sec. 225.41 of the Board's Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire shares of a bank or...

  11. Cross-Border Banking

    OpenAIRE

    Jonathan Eaton

    1994-01-01

    The banking systems of some countries export intermediation services to the rest of the world, while many other countries are net exporters of deposits to banks abroad and net importers of loans from banks abroad. Banking center countries typically have lower inflation, deeper financial systems, earn less government revenue from seigniorage, and have lower reserve money relative to bank assets than nonbanking-center countries. This paper develops a stylized model of regulated bank intermediat...

  12. BAGI HASIL DAN BANK SYARI’AH (Solusi terhadap Bunga Bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rudy Haryanto Rudy Haryanto

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: To save money in terms of investation is one of bank’s functions. Interest and production sharing are kinds of investation in banking system. Interest is a marketable entry in conventional banking, however production sharing is known in syari’ah banking system. Some people argue that interest cannot be seperated from the banking activity, in fact Islam recommends the followers to avoid it; hence it could be substituted with term of production sharing. It matches the priciple of musyarakah and mudharabah as being taught by Rasûlullâh SAW. Bank interest is considered ribâ (excessive interest and it is forbidden in Islam. Moreover, production sharing is more useful and beneficial for people. Unfortunately, the value of production sharing (syarî’ah banking product is lower than the value of banking interest (conventional banking product due to the fact that the ralationship established by syari’ah banking and its customer is based on the principle of gotong royong (mutual coorporation and production sharing partnership. Key Words: ribâ, musyarakah, mudharabah, dan bagi-hasil  

  13. Outsourcing central banking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khoury, Sarkis Joseph; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    The literature on Currency Boards (CB) stops at the water edge in terms of dealing with the totality of the functions of a central bank. Monetary policy, and banking supervisioncan be "outsourced" in an open economy with substantial foreign direct investment (FDI)in the banking sector if political...... nationalism does not trump economic rationality. An orthodox CB renders the central banking function redundant in terms of interest rate and exchange rate determination. FDI in banking could perform the same role for the supervisory function of central banks. We use the case of Estonia to illustrate...... the feasibility of, and constraints on, outsourcing of central bank functions. A brief discussion of the Argentinian experience is used for contrast.Key words: Currency Board, Foreign Banks, Supervision, Regional Integration,outsourcing....

  14. The security concern on internet banking adoption among Malaysian banking customers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudha, Raju; Thiagarajan, A S; Seetharaman, A

    2007-01-01

    The existing literatures highlights that the security is the primary factor which determines the adoption of Internet banking technology. The secondary information on Internet banking development in Malaysia shows a very slow growth rate. Hence, this study aims to study the banking customers perception towards security concern and Internet banking adoption through the information collected from 150 sample respondents. The data analysis reveals that the customers have much concern about security and privacy issue in adoption of Internet banking, whether the customers are adopted Internet banking or not. Hence, it infers that to popularize Internet banking system there is a need for improvement in security and privacy issue among the banking customers.

  15. The Protein Data Bank at 40: Reflecting on the Past to Prepare for the Future

    OpenAIRE

    Berman, Helen M.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Nakamura, Haruki; Markley, John L.

    2012-01-01

    A symposium celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Protein Data Bank archive (PDB), organized by the Worldwide Protein Data Bank, was held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) October 28–30, 2011. PDB40’s distinguished speakers highlighted four decades of innovation in structural biology, from the early era of structural determination to future directions for the field.

  16. The effects of shadow banking on the traditional banking system in Zimbabwe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Virimai Mugobo

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The growth of shadow banks changed the face of banking in Zimbabwe. Their inconsistent product nature and complexity of form has been a cause for concern to regulatory authorities. The interrelationship between their financial intermediary role and that of formal banks has made them good substitutes to formal banking. This study conducts a statistical analysis of the country’s monetary aggregates and the total formal bank loan-to-deposits balances. The findings of this analysis show that the shadow banking system has always been a critical element of the formal banking sector which resulted from market needs and it completes the banking system. The shadow banking system does not pose direct threat to the formal banking system but it was a result of failure to attract savers who found shadow banks as a good alternative.

  17. Contribution of Internet Banking toward Profitability of Banking in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Karimzadeh

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The adoption of the Internet in the banking industry on the one hand is closely related to a change in the structure of the organization and nature of operations in banking industry itself, and on the other hand, to the emergence of computer as a significant organizational tool. Banks have always been starving to introduce new technologies to reduce operational costs and expand their businesses. This study is an attempt to investigate the contribution of Internet banking on the performance of the banking system in India. Return on Assets (ROA and Return on Equity (ROE ratios are used to test this effect. The regression analysis showed that there is a significant effect of Internet banking services on the profitability of banks in terms of ROA and ROE in India.

  18. Bank Insolvency Procedures and Market Discipline in European Banking

    OpenAIRE

    Angkinand, Apanard; Wihlborg, Clas

    2005-01-01

    Market discipline in banking requires that explicit and implicit insurance schemes for financial sector firms are limited, and that the lack of insurance of important stakeholders is credible. This credibility cannot be achieved without transparent, predictable procedures for distress resolution for banks, including explicit rules for the liquidation of insolvent banks. We find that very few European countries have explicit procedures for dealing with problem banks. The propositions tested in...

  19. Morphing methods to parameterize specimen-specific finite element model geometries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigal, Ian A; Yang, Hongli; Roberts, Michael D; Downs, J Crawford

    2010-01-19

    Shape plays an important role in determining the biomechanical response of a structure. Specimen-specific finite element (FE) models have been developed to capture the details of the shape of biological structures and predict their biomechanics. Shape, however, can vary considerably across individuals or change due to aging or disease, and analysis of the sensitivity of specimen-specific models to these variations has proven challenging. An alternative to specimen-specific representation has been to develop generic models with simplified geometries whose shape is relatively easy to parameterize, and can therefore be readily used in sensitivity studies. Despite many successful applications, generic models are limited in that they cannot make predictions for individual specimens. We propose that it is possible to harness the detail available in specimen-specific models while leveraging the power of the parameterization techniques common in generic models. In this work we show that this can be accomplished by using morphing techniques to parameterize the geometry of specimen-specific FE models such that the model shape can be varied in a controlled and systematic way suitable for sensitivity analysis. We demonstrate three morphing techniques by using them on a model of the load-bearing tissues of the posterior pole of the eye. We show that using relatively straightforward procedures these morphing techniques can be combined, which allows the study of factor interactions. Finally, we illustrate that the techniques can be used in other systems by applying them to morph a femur. Morphing techniques provide an exciting new possibility for the analysis of the biomechanical role of shape, independently or in interaction with loading and material properties. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Islamic Banking and Green Banking for Sustainable Development: Evidence from Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Nazim Uddin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Green banking is an integral part of Islamic banking that makes a basis of environmental protection. This study attempts to examine the relationship between Islamic banking and green banking that contribute to sustainable development. The study has used the primary data through a structural questionnaire that includes various dimensions on green banking of Islamic banking in Bangladesh. The investigation revealed that Islamic banks had made a significant contribution to green banking that improves the environment as means of cost and energy savings, preservation of natural resources and the need to respect all living things. The study seems to carry an enormous academic value since a few studies have undertaken in this areaDOI: 10.15408/aiq.v10i1.4563

  1. ASSESING THE DETERMINANTS OF BANK LIQUIDITY. CASE STUDY ROMANIAN BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florin Alexandru LUCA

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The financial crisis has highlighted the importance of liquidity risk for the banking system. Therefore, this study focuses on identifing the determinants of liquidity of Romanian banks. The data cover the period from 2006 to 2013 and take into account only bank-specific factors. The empirical study was applied on 16 Romanian banks and based on previous studies and uses different liquidity ratios, encompassing different points of view on liquidity. Regarding the explanatory variables considered in this analysis, they include various items of internal character concerning: capital adequacy, asset quality, profitability, efficiency of financial intermediation and the size of the banks. The results of our regression analysis indicate that bank liquidity is positively related to capital adequacy of banks and bank profitability and negatively related to the rate of non-performing loans, net interest margin and the size of the bank.

  2. ANALISIS KOMPARASI KINERJA KEUANGAN; BANK DEVISA DAN BANK NON DEVISA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nani Hartati

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This research is intended to assess and analyze the financial health of Foreign Exchange Bank and Non-Foreign Exchange Bank. Assessment is done by looking at the financial ratios from 2011 to 2015, the results of each financial ratios performed comparison and analysis. The financial statements were obtained from the Indonesian Stock Exchange website. The conclusions of the analysis were compared with the indicators of Bank Indonesia's financial performance assessment released by Indonesia Bank. There is a significant difference between foreign exchange bank and non-foreign exchange bank. The ratio of financial ratios in the analysis includes NPL, CAR, ROA, LDR, and BOPO.

  3. GenBank

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, Dennis A.; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene; Lipman, David J.; Ostell, James; Wheeler, David L.

    2006-01-01

    GenBank (R) is a comprehensive database that contains publicly available nucleotide sequences for more than 240 000 named organisms, obtained primarily through submissions from individual laboratories and batch submissions from large-scale sequencing projects. Most submissions are made using the web-based BankIt or standalone Sequin programs and accession numbers are assigned by GenBank staff upon receipt. Daily data exchange with the EMBL Data Library in Europe and the DNA Data Bank of Japan...

  4. Strategic positioning in banking industry: Evidence from banking industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hedieh Mashoof

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Strategic positioning has always been a key tool for managers to analyze the position of the firm in different attributes in comparison with competitors. With regard to fierce competition in banking industry, the aim of this study is to analyze the position of Bank Melli Iran with 5 public and private rivals in 6 attributes. The sample of this study was 387 Bank Melli Iran customers. The results of this study were in 14 perceptual maps in which the positions of Bank Melli Iran attributes have been shown compared with bank’s key competitors. The results showed that Bank Melli Iran had strong position and came to the first place in attributes like price, physical equipment and location and security. Moreover, Bank Melli Iran has to improve its position in attributes with no better position.

  5. CONSUMER SWITCHING BEHAVIOR FROM ONLINE BANKING TO MOBILE BANKING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chian-Son Yu

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Through investigating factors that influence consumers to make a transition from online to mobile banking, this empirical study shows that relative attitude and relative subjective norm positively motivated respondents to switch from Internet to mobile banking while relative perceived behavior control deterred respondents from transitioning. Empirical results also demonstrated that Internet banking is superior to mobile banking in terms of consumer relative compatibility, self-efficacy, resource facilitating conditions, and technology facilitating conditions. Meanwhile, mobile banking emerged as superior to Internet banking for other constructs. By adding a comparative concept into an extended decomposed theory of planned behavior (DTPB model, this study may expand the applicable domain of current social psychology theories from the adoption of single products or services to the choice between competing products or services that achieve similar purposes and functions.

  6. 12 CFR 209.2 - Banks desiring to become member banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1821(n)) should not apply until in the process of issuing stock pursuant... ISSUE AND CANCELLATION OF FEDERAL RESERVE BANK CAPITAL STOCK (REGULATION I) § 209.2 Banks desiring to become member banks. (a) Application for stock or deposit. Each national bank in process of organization...

  7. USERS' PREFERENCE TOWARDS TRADITIONAL BANKING VERSUS E-BANKING – AN ANALYSIS

    OpenAIRE

    Dr. S. Anthony Rahul Golden

    2016-01-01

    Banking transactions that takes place in a virtual ambience on the website of a banking company or a financial institution is termed as ‘Internet Banking’. The essence of Internet banking lies in on-line access by customers of banking and financial services. This is the right time to discuss about the customer prefer whether traditional banking or online banking. What are reasons are beyond that for their preference has been analysed here. Finally, it is concluded that as people are very clos...

  8. THE EPISTEMOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF FRACTIONAL RESERVE BANKING AND FULL RESERVE BANKING: WHERE ISLAMIC BANKING SHOULD STAND?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yaser Taufik Syamlan

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Objectives – this research is aimed to compare those epistemological bases to the mindset of Islamic Bank and try to drive the philosophy in practical operation whether based on the Fractional Reserve Banking Sytem (RBS or 100% RBS and analyze the challenges in deploying the 100%RBS. Methods - This research will be conducted based on an extensive literature review.Results - Based on the epistemological analysis of money and the business cycle as well as the views of Islamic scholars, 100%RBS should be the best for Islamic Bank. There are four types of 100% RBS namely Pure Commodity Money, Sovereign Money, Narrow Banking, and Limited Purpose Banking. To deploy it into the economic system, another philosophical work should be done to choose one of the types and strengthen it so that the theory of 100%RBS can be implemented for the goodness of Islamic Bank.  Conclusion - In Conclusions, Based on the epistemology defined by Islamic Scholars, FractRBS has more mafsadah if we compare to the maslahah. Therefore, 100% RBS should be better for the Islamic Bank.

  9. Bank regulation and financial fragility in developing countries: Does bank structure matter?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeroen Klomp

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Using data for 1238 banks located in 94 developing and emerging countries, we explore whether the impact of bank regulation and supervision on banking risk (measured by the banks’ Z-scores depends on bank structure. Our findings suggest that stricter regulation and supervision increases the banks’ Z-scores. Notably capital requirements and supervisory control diminish banking risk. However, the effectiveness of other dimensions of regulation and supervision depends on the organizational structure of banks. Notably activity restrictions reduce risk of large and foreign owned banks, while liquidity restrictions have most effect on the Z-scores of unlisted and commercial banks.

  10. Analisis Kinerja Keuangan Bank Sebelum Dan Sesudah Diakuisisi Oleh Investor Asing: Studi Empiris Pada Bank Central Asia Dan Bank Niaga

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yen Sun

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Banking industry is one of the most influence factors in the economy growth of one country. However, during 1997-1998 Indonesia banking industry went through hard times because of economic crisis. After that years, many banks were liquidated and restructured. The interesting part is through the restructuring process, several bank acquired by foreign investor and became the foreign-domestic bank. In 2010, some of those banks were in the 10 biggest banks in Indonesia based on asset. Hence, the writer interesting to compare the bank’s financial performance before and after being acquired using two banks as samples of empirical study. Data is based on financial statements published by the companies and Central Bank of Indonesia in 1995-1996, and 2003-2004. Two sample of banks have been selected based on several criteria, they are BCA and Bank Niaga. To analyse their financial performance, several analysis tools will be using, specifically CAMELS (CAR, NPL, NIM, BOPO, LDR minus mangement and sensitivity. The result of the study observed that after being acquired, financial performance of BCA and Niaga Bank is getting better in CAR, NIM, BOPO, but NPL and LDR is less favorable for BCA and so NPL is less favorable for Niaga Bank. Moreover, in terms of profitability analysis, both banks shows better performance. While, the result of credit analysis indicates that the credit risk for both banks is in the stable range at CCC.

  11. E-BANKING: A CASE STUDY OF ASKARI COMMERCIAL BANK PAKISTAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Shakil AHMAD

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper has covered the operational issues related to e-banking as well as customer’s perception on usage of e-banking a case study of Askari Bank, Pakistan. 40 staff members and four customers are selected as sample for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to present the results. Descriptive statistics is applied to describe the demographic variables while for operational problems correlation was used. Finally cross case analysis present customers’ perception about e-banking practices. Analysis shows that customer is not ready to adopt new technology that why their satisfaction level with e-banking is low. Internet speed and government policies are not supportive for e-banking in Pakistan. Due to lack of trust on technology and low computer literacy rate, customer hesitates to adopt new technology. : In order to promote IT culture in Pakistan, government has to reduce the internet rate. to promote the benefits of e-banking on media so that more user get facilitated from e-banking services.

  12. A study on relationship between electronic banking and liquidity management on Iranian banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan Ghodrati

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available E-banking has been extensively developed in recent decades and most banks need to have such services in their daily activities. Therefore, it is necessary that banks do a better management on banks’ liquidity risks. Electronic banking and the expansion of its scale from POSs and ATMs to telephone banking, mobile banking and internet banking have increased banking transactions, significantly. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the relationship between the development of e-banking and liquidity management using liquidity ratios. The focus of this investigation has been on the amounts of transaction of ATM machines, POSs and PIN PADs as the most important means of electronic banking. In this respect, the data obtained from 14 private and public bank representatives of banking system over the period 2007-2012 are considered. Our survey indicates that the characteristics of electronic banking significantly influence on liquidity.

  13. National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank: A Platform for Collaborative Research and Mesothelioma Biobanking Resource to Support Translational Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Waqas; Parwani, Anil V; Melamed, Jonathan; Flores, Raja; Pennathur, Arjun; Valdivieso, Federico; Whelan, Nancy B; Landreneau, Rodeny; Luketich, James; Feldman, Michael; Pass, Harvey I; Becich, Michael J

    2013-01-01

    The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB), developed six years ago, gathers clinically annotated human mesothelioma specimens for basic and clinical science research. During this period, this resource has greatly increased its collection of specimens by expanding the number of contributing academic health centers including New York University, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Marketing efforts at both national and international annual conferences increase awareness and availability of the mesothelioma specimens at no cost to approved investigators, who query the web-based NMVB database for cumulative and appropriate patient clinicopathological information on the specimens. The data disclosure and specimen distribution protocols are tightly regulated to maintain compliance with participating institutions' IRB and regulatory committee reviews. The NMVB currently has over 1120 annotated cases available for researchers, including paraffin embedded tissues, fresh frozen tissue, tissue microarrays (TMA), blood samples, and genomic DNA. In addition, the resource offers expertise and assistance for collaborative research. Furthermore, in the last six years, the resource has provided hundreds of specimens to the research community. The investigators can request specimens and/or data by submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI) that is evaluated by NMVB research evaluation panel (REP).

  14. 16 CFR Figure 3 to Part 1610 - Specimen Holder Supported in Specimen Rack

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Specimen Holder Supported in Specimen Rack 3 Figure 3 to Part 1610 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION FLAMMABLE FABRICS ACT... Holder Supported in Specimen Rack ER25MR08.002 ...

  15. Essays on banking

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tumer-Alkan, G.

    2008-01-01

    The banking literature documents various roles for banks in financial systems. Banks are both ‘liquidity providers’ and ‘information producers’. Banks are especially important for small and medium-size enterprises and represent these firms' principal source of external finance. Hence, the banks’

  16. DISTANCE BANKING SERVICES - A SOLUTION FOR THE ROMANIAN MANAGEMENT BANKING SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ELENA SILVIA DINCULESCU

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Involved in the competition to attract and turn the clientele faithful, banks develop a series of activities that could increase their popularity, trust, and acknowledgement. Thus, creating a distance banking service is an opportunity that must be put into value. The present tendency at international level is the significant decrease of the importance of distribution channels through the classic banking network. In this context, active banks in Romania cannot be dissociated from the existing tendencies, and the spectacular dynamics of distance banking services in the last years has shown that, in a future closer than expected, clients might abandon the services of a bank with bad quality e-banking.

  17. Sequencing historical specimens: successful preparation of small specimens with low amounts of degraded DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sproul, John S; Maddison, David R

    2017-11-01

    Despite advances that allow DNA sequencing of old museum specimens, sequencing small-bodied, historical specimens can be challenging and unreliable as many contain only small amounts of fragmented DNA. Dependable methods to sequence such specimens are especially critical if the specimens are unique. We attempt to sequence small-bodied (3-6 mm) historical specimens (including nomenclatural types) of beetles that have been housed, dried, in museums for 58-159 years, and for which few or no suitable replacement specimens exist. To better understand ideal approaches of sample preparation and produce preparation guidelines, we compared different library preparation protocols using low amounts of input DNA (1-10 ng). We also explored low-cost optimizations designed to improve library preparation efficiency and sequencing success of historical specimens with minimal DNA, such as enzymatic repair of DNA. We report successful sample preparation and sequencing for all historical specimens despite our low-input DNA approach. We provide a list of guidelines related to DNA repair, bead handling, reducing adapter dimers and library amplification. We present these guidelines to facilitate more economical use of valuable DNA and enable more consistent results in projects that aim to sequence challenging, irreplaceable historical specimens. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. The Impact of Internet Banking on Bank Performance and Risk: The Indian Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pooja MALHOTRA

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes the current state of Internet banking in India and discusses its implications for the Indian banking industry. Particularly, it seeks to examine the impact of Internet banking on banks’ performance and risk. Using information drawn from the survey of 85 scheduled commercial bank’s websites, during the period of June 2007, the results show that nearly 57 percent of the Indian commercial banks are providing transactional Internet banking services. The univariate analysis indicates that Internet banks are larger banks and have better operating efficiency ratios and profitability as compared to non-Internet banks. Internet banks rely more heavily on core deposits for funding than non-Internet banks do. However, the multiple regression results reveal that the profitability and offering of Internet banking does not have any significant association, on the other hand, Internet banking has a significant and negative association with risk profile of the bank

  19. Tanggung Jawab Bank terhadap Nasabah yang Mengalami Kerugian dalam Penggunaan Elektronik Banking

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Selly Maulina

    2016-12-01

    ABSTRACT. The strong development economy requires a bank as a financial institution that is safe for undertaking various financial activities.The positive impact of developments on financial services is the use of e-bankingis also known as internet banking is the bank services that enable customers to obtain information, communicate and conduct banking transactions through the internet, quickly, can be done anywhere and anytime. Internet banking transactions can also pose some risk, Article 1, paragraph (2 of Bank Indonesia Regulation No. 5/8/PBI/2003 on the Application of Risk Management for Commercial Bank said that the risk is the potential for the occurrence of an event  that can cause harm. Risks experienced by customers of PT. BNIS and PT. BCA. According to the Bank Indonesia Regulation Number 10/10/PBI/2008 on the Settlement of customer complaints,customers who suffered the financial  losses can lodge a complaint by means of submitting a complaint to the bank. The protection from a legal perspective rule has no detail rules yet about internet banking so bank makes initiave on internet banking terms and condition.The agreement prioritize customer client obligations rather than rights.

  20. Production of iodine-123 radiobiological specimen on 25 MeV electron beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oganesyan, Yu.Ts.; Starodub, G.Ya.; Buklanov, G.V.; Korotkin, Yu.S.; Belov, A.G.

    1988-01-01

    The technique is described and experimental results are presented for production of radioactive specimen-iodine-123 for medical biological investigations. It is shown that in ten hour irradiation of 124 Xe enriched target of 10 g weight by the 25 MeV electron beam at MT-25 microtron short lived 123 I with activity of about 200 mCl can be accumulated. The procedure was developed for extraction of radioactive atoms and preparing the solution that permits to obtain during 1-1.5 h after the end of irradiation the specimen which satisfies all pharmacopeia requirements. It follows from the results that using small-size electron accelerators with the beam energy up to 25 MeV permits to organize economical and large-scale production of high quality radioactive specimen of 123 I for servicing a large region of this country. 14 refs.; 4 figs.; 1 tab

  1. Collagen Quantification in Tissue Specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coentro, João Quintas; Capella-Monsonís, Héctor; Graceffa, Valeria; Wu, Zhuning; Mullen, Anne Maria; Raghunath, Michael; Zeugolis, Dimitrios I

    2017-01-01

    Collagen is the major extracellular protein in mammals. Accurate quantification of collagen is essential in the biomaterials (e.g., reproducible collagen scaffold fabrication), drug discovery (e.g., assessment of collagen in pathophysiologies, such as fibrosis), and tissue engineering (e.g., quantification of cell-synthesized collagen) fields. Although measuring hydroxyproline content is the most widely used method to quantify collagen in biological specimens, the process is very laborious. To this end, the Sircol™ Collagen Assay is widely used due to its inherent simplicity and convenience. However, this method leads to overestimation of collagen content due to the interaction of Sirius red with basic amino acids of non-collagenous proteins. Herein, we describe the addition of an ultrafiltration purification step in the process to accurately determine collagen content in tissues.

  2. E-Banking: Risk Management Practices of the Estonian Banks

    OpenAIRE

    Dmitri Sokolov

    2007-01-01

    During the last years the development of e-banking in Estonia has been very significant. According to the report of the World Economic Forum, the Estonian IT-development has been substantial. The success of e-banking in Estonia can be compared to the corresponding success of the Nordic countries. According to the Deutsche Bank Research, around 70-80% of the Internet users in Estonia use Internet banking and in this respect, Estonia could be compared to Finland, Norway and Iceland. Despite of ...

  3. Structural biology data archiving: where we are and what lies ahead.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kleywegt, Gerard J; Velankar, Sameer; Patwardhan, Ardan

    2018-05-10

    For almost 50 years, structural biology has endeavoured to conserve and share its experimental data and their interpretations (usually, atomistic models) through global public archives such as the Protein Data Bank (PDB), Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) and Biologic Magnetic Resonance Bank (BMRB). These archives are treasure troves of freely accessible data that document our quest for molecular or atomic understanding of biological function and processes in health and disease. They have prepared the field to tackle new archiving challenges as more and more (combinations of) techniques are being utilised to elucidate structure at ever increasing length scales. Furthermore, the field has made substantial efforts to develop validation methods that help users to assess the reliability of structures and to identify the most appropriate data for their needs. In this Review, we present an overview of public data archives in structural biology and discuss the importance of validation for users and producers of structural data. Finally, we sketch our efforts to integrate structural data with bioimaging data and with other sources of biological data. This will make relevant structural information available and more easily discoverable for a wide range of scientists. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  4. Bank Ethics:An Empirical Investigation of the Banking in China

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    刘春红; 宋玮

    2004-01-01

    Business ethics is considered critical for the reputation and competitive power of banks, especially in China after WTO Entry. This study applied the theory and research on ethical practices of successful managers and ethics control mechanisms to identify the ethical climates that result in ethical behaviors in the banking. 141 employees from different banks in Shanghai, China, completed measures of all scales in the survey. The results support the theorizing of the value of well-formed business ethics in the banking in China. The correlation and structural equation analysis suggests that ethical practices of successful managers and ethics control mechanisms of banks reinforce three ethical climates of 'service', 'law and rules' and 'caring' that promote the ethical level of employees, and the independence and instrumental climate on the contrary. This study also found that there are three ethics control mechanisms most commonly used in the banking and ethics-focused reward system is believed to be a mostly effective one by the employees of banking in China.

  5. Dividend Payout Policy of Conventional Banking and Islamic Banking in Pakistan

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farhan Ahmed

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the difference between the dividend payout policy of Islamic banks and conventional banks in Pakistan for a period from 2012 to 2016 analyzing the data through regression using Least Square Method (OLS. Specifically, the study aims to study the impact of the profitability, liquidity, revenue growth and financial leverage on the dividend payout policy of the Islamic Banks and conventional banks of Pakistan and how Islamic banks dividend policy differs from conventional banks. This study concludes that the factors like liquidity and financial leverage should be considered and addressed accordingly, because these are key indicators to help policymakers and investors in assessing the performance of the Islamic Banking Industry. DOI: 10.15408/aiq.v10i1.6103

  6. The Banks Rating Analysis The Differences Between The Regional Development Banks And Non-Foreign Exchange Commercial Banks In Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dr. Irwan Ch

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed to analyze the bank rating in terms of differences the financial performance between the Regional Development Banks and Non-Foreign Exchange Commercial Banks. It is consist of capital adequacy asset quality profitability Return On Asset ROA Return on Equity ROE Net Interest Margin NIM and Liquidity Loan to Deposit Ratio. The fulfillment of capital adequacy and asset quality of the bank groups did not differed significantly while in terms of profitability and liquidity there are significant differences. The earning difference is more likely due to the Regional Development Banks sources of funds for the implementation of the Local Government Cash Holder function as the Provincial Government and District City. The difference of liquidity are showed by the performance of Regional Development Banks and the Non-Foreign Exchange Commercial Banks in lendingfinancing whereas the two groups of banks on average are still relatively low in lending.

  7. Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation: Mexican clinical experience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Pardo, M. E.; Ley-Chávez, E.; Reyes-Frías, M. L.; Rodríguez-Ferreyra, P.; Vázquez-Maya, L.; Salazar, M. A.

    2007-11-01

    Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation, such as amnion and pig skin, are a reality in Mexico. These tissues are currently processed in the tissue bank and sterilized in the Gamma Industrial Irradiation Plant; both facilities belong to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) (National Institute of Nuclear Research). With the strong support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the bank was established at the ININ and the Mexican Ministry of Health issued its sanitary license on July 7, 1999. The Quality Management System of the bank was certified by ISO 9001:2000 on August 1, 2003; the scope of the system is "Research, Development and Processing of Biological Tissues Sterilized with Gamma Radiation". At present, more than 150 patients from 16 hospitals have been successfully treated with these tissues. This paper presents a brief description of the tissue processing, as well as the present Mexican clinical experience with children and adult patients who underwent medical treatment with radiosterilized amnion and pig skin, used as biological wound dressings on burns and ocular surface disorders.

  8. Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation: Mexican clinical experience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Martinez-Pardo, M.E. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apdo. postal 18-1027, Col. Escandon 11801 Mexico DF (Mexico)], E-mail: memp@nuclear.inin.mx; Ley-Chavez, E. [ISSEMYM Toluca, Mexico DF (Mexico); Reyes-Frias, M.L. [Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares, Apdo. postal 18-1027, Col. Escandon 11801 Mexico DF (Mexico); Rodriguez-Ferreyra, P. [Hospital ' Dr. Nicolas San Juan' , Toluca, Mexico DF (Mexico); Vazquez-Maya, L.; Salazar, M.A. [Hospital General de Mexico, Mexico DF (Mexico)

    2007-11-15

    Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation, such as amnion and pig skin, are a reality in Mexico. These tissues are currently processed in the tissue bank and sterilized in the Gamma Industrial Irradiation Plant; both facilities belong to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) (National Institute of Nuclear Research). With the strong support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the bank was established at the ININ and the Mexican Ministry of Health issued its sanitary license on July 7, 1999. The Quality Management System of the bank was certified by ISO 9001:2000 on August 1, 2003; the scope of the system is 'Research, Development and Processing of Biological Tissues Sterilized with Gamma Radiation'. At present, more than 150 patients from 16 hospitals have been successfully treated with these tissues. This paper presents a brief description of the tissue processing, as well as the present Mexican clinical experience with children and adult patients who underwent medical treatment with radiosterilized amnion and pig skin, used as biological wound dressings on burns and ocular surface disorders.

  9. Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation: Mexican clinical experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez-Pardo, M.E.; Ley-Chavez, E.; Reyes-Frias, M.L.; Rodriguez-Ferreyra, P.; Vazquez-Maya, L.; Salazar, M.A.

    2007-01-01

    Biological wound dressings sterilized with gamma radiation, such as amnion and pig skin, are a reality in Mexico. These tissues are currently processed in the tissue bank and sterilized in the Gamma Industrial Irradiation Plant; both facilities belong to the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Nucleares (ININ) (National Institute of Nuclear Research). With the strong support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the bank was established at the ININ and the Mexican Ministry of Health issued its sanitary license on July 7, 1999. The Quality Management System of the bank was certified by ISO 9001:2000 on August 1, 2003; the scope of the system is 'Research, Development and Processing of Biological Tissues Sterilized with Gamma Radiation'. At present, more than 150 patients from 16 hospitals have been successfully treated with these tissues. This paper presents a brief description of the tissue processing, as well as the present Mexican clinical experience with children and adult patients who underwent medical treatment with radiosterilized amnion and pig skin, used as biological wound dressings on burns and ocular surface disorders

  10. Diversity in soil seed bank of Sinai and implications for conservation ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Understanding the diversity level of seed bank is important for designing conservation and restoration programs especially in arid ecosystems. A diverse of diversity indices has been used in evaluating seed communities regardless of its suitability to measure the ecological quality of the targeted biological community.

  11. Mud Banks along the southwest coast of India are not too muddy for plankton.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jyothibabu, R; Balachandran, K K; Jagadeesan, L; Karnan, C; Arunpandi, N; Naqvi, S W A; Pandiyarajan, R S

    2018-02-07

    Considering Alappuzha Mud Bank in the southern Kerala coast as a typical case of biologically productive Mud Banks that form along the southwest coast of India during the Southwest Monsoon (June - September), the present study addresses several pertinent missing links between the physical environment in Mud Banks and their influence on plankton stock. This study showed that very strong coastal upwelling prevails in the entire study domain during the Southwest Monsoon, which manifests itself in the form of significantly cool, hypoxic and nitrate-rich waters surfacing near the coast. The upwelled water persisting throughout the Southwest Monsoon period was found to have fuelled the exceptionally high phytoplankton stock in the entire study area, including the Mud Bank region. Having accepted that Mud Banks are special because of the calm sea surface conditions and relatively high turbidity level in the water column around them, the present study showed that except at points close to the sea bottom, turbidity level in the Alappuzha Mud Bank was below the critical level to inhibit the plankton stock. The suspended sediments that form in the Mud Bank occasionally could be attributed to the disturbance of the bottom fluid muddy layer and their vertical spurts.

  12. Evolution of central banking? De Nederlandsche Bank 1814-1852

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Uittenbogaard, R.A.

    2014-01-01

    Nowadays the role of central bank is unquestioned and nearly ubiquitous. But was this always the case? This thesis analyses how De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) developed into a central bank during the first four decades of its existence. Its establishment in 1814 was the result of a combination of both

  13. The Chernobyl Tissue Bank: integrating research on radiation-induced thyroid cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, G A

    2012-03-01

    The only unequivocal radiological effect of the Chernobyl accident on human health is the increase in thyroid cancer in those exposed in childhood or early adolescence. Cancer is a complicated disease and it is unclear whether the mechanism by which radiation gives rise to cancer differs from that involved in the generation of cancers of the same type by other environmental stimuli. The Chernobyl Tissue Bank was established in response to the scientific interest in studying the molecular biology of thyroid cancer after Chernobyl to address this question. The project is supported by the governments of Ukraine and Russia, and financially supported (in total around US$3 million) by the European Commission, the National Cancer Institute of the USA and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan. The project began collecting a variety of biological samples from patients on 1 October 1988, and has supplied material to 23 research projects in Japan, the USA and Europe. The establishment of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank has facilitated co-operation between these research projects and the combination of clinical and research data provides a paradigm for cancer research in the molecular biological age.

  14. The Chernobyl Tissue Bank: integrating research on radiation-induced thyroid cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, G A

    2012-01-01

    The only unequivocal radiological effect of the Chernobyl accident on human health is the increase in thyroid cancer in those exposed in childhood or early adolescence. Cancer is a complicated disease and it is unclear whether the mechanism by which radiation gives rise to cancer differs from that involved in the generation of cancers of the same type by other environmental stimuli. The Chernobyl Tissue Bank was established in response to the scientific interest in studying the molecular biology of thyroid cancer after Chernobyl to address this question. The project is supported by the governments of Ukraine and Russia, and financially supported (in total around US$3 million) by the European Commission, the National Cancer Institute of the USA and the Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation of Japan. The project began collecting a variety of biological samples from patients on 1 October 1988, and has supplied material to 23 research projects in Japan, the USA and Europe. The establishment of the Chernobyl Tissue Bank has facilitated co-operation between these research projects and the combination of clinical and research data provides a paradigm for cancer research in the molecular biological age. (note)

  15. Importance of banked tissues in the management of mass nuclear casualties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Rita; Bhatnagar, P.K.

    2009-01-01

    Nuclear detonations are the most devastating of the weapons of mass destruction. There will be large number of casualties on detonation of nuclear weapon. Biological tissues like bone, skin, amniotic membrane and other soft tissues can be used for repair or reconstruction of the injured part of the body. Tissues from human donor can be processed and banked for orthopaedic, spinal, trauma and other surgical procedures. Radiation technology is used to sterilize the tissues to make them safe for clinical use. This paper highlights the importance of such banked tissues in the management of the casualties. (author)

  16. Bank Stability and Competition: Evidence from Albanian Banking Market

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gerti SHIJAKU

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper analyses the inter-temporal competition – stability nexus after the global financial crises. For this reason, the empirical estimation approach follows a five – step procedure. First, we utilise quarterly macroeconomic and balance sheet and income statement data for 16 banks operating in the Albanian banking sector over the period 2008 – 2015. Second, we calculate a new composite index as a measure of bank stability conditions, which includes a wide set of information rather than focusing only on one aspect of risk. Then, we construct a proxy for bank competition such as the Boone indicator. Empirical estimations are based on the General Method of Moments approach. A set of robustness checks include also the use of other alternative proxy of competition such as the Lerner index and the efficientadjusted Lerner index, profit elasticity and the Herfindahl index. Empirical results strongly support the “competition – stability” view after the global financial crises - that higher degree of competition boosts further bank stability conditions. Results further indicate that greater concentration has also a negative impact on bank stability. Results imply also that bank stability is positively linked with macroeconomic conditions and capital ratio and inverse with operational efficiency. Finally, we do not find a non-linear relationship between competition and stability.

  17. An empirical analysis of macroeconomic and bank-specific factors affecting liquidity of Indian banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anamika Singh

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates bank-specific and macroeconomic factors that determine the liquidity of Indian banks. To explore the association, we perform OLS, fixed effect and random effect estimates on a data set of 59 banks from 2000 to 2013. Studied bank-specific factors include bank size, profitability, cost of funding, capital adequacy and deposits. GDP, inflation and unemployment are the macroeconomic factors considered. We also perform liquidity trend analysis of Indian banks based on ownership. Findings reveal that bank ownership affects liquidity of banks. Based on panel data analysis, we suggest that bank-specific (except cost of funding and macroeconomic (except unemployment factors significantly affect bank liquidity. These include bank size, deposits, profitability, capital adequacy, GDP and inflation. Further, bank size and GDP were found to have a negative effect on bank liquidity. On the other hand, deposits, profitability, capital adequacy and inflation showed a positive effect on bank liquidity. Cost of funding and unemployment showed an insignificant effect on bank liquidity. Our paper highlights new facts for enhanced understanding of liquidity in emerging economies like India.

  18. The Bank Lending Channel of Monetary Policy Transmission in A Dual Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mansor H. Ibrahim

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the impact of monetary policy on bank lending in a dual banking system, i.e. Malaysia. Making use of an unbalanced panel data set of 38 Islamic and conventional banks covering mostly 2001-2014, we find evidence that variations in monetary policy affect lending growth of Islamic banks and, to some extent, conventional banks. The results further reveal that, in conformity with studies using aggregate Islamic financing data, the Islamic financing growth reacts more strongly to monetary policy changes. Moreover, we find no marked difference between full-fledged Islamic banks and Islamic bank subsidiaries in their responses to monetary policy. While we also document some evidence indicating the significant relations between bank-specific variables and lending growth, the bank-specific variables do not seem to have any role in impacting the potency of the bank lending channel. Finally, we find that lending growth is directly related to economic growth, suggesting procyclicality of bank lending/financing in Malaysia. These results have important implications for effective implementation of monetary policy and further development of Islamic banks in Malaysia.

  19. KEWAJIBAN BANK UNTUK LAPOR PERPAJAKAN ATAS DATA NASABAH BANK YANG MENGGUNAKAN JASA KARTU KREDIT DITINJAU DARI PRINSIP KERAHASIAAN BANK

    OpenAIRE

    Haryono, Carissa Amelia

    2016-01-01

    Bank is the main actor in a country's economic. however, bank has a high dependency on their customers, which that means bank cannot operate without the people, in this case the customers who use their services. To maintain its bond with the customers, bank have to at least fulfill three principles, and one of those principles is principle of confidentiality. With the principle of confidentiality, bank have to keep well their customers privacy, but there are some affiliated party ...

  20. An analysis of river bank slope and unsaturated flow effects on bank storage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doble, Rebecca; Brunner, Philip; McCallum, James; Cook, Peter G

    2012-01-01

    Recognizing the underlying mechanisms of bank storage and return flow is important for understanding streamflow hydrographs. Analytical models have been widely used to estimate the impacts of bank storage, but are often based on assumptions of conditions that are rarely found in the field, such as vertical river banks and saturated flow. Numerical simulations of bank storage and return flow in river-aquifer cross sections with vertical and sloping banks were undertaken using a fully-coupled, surface-subsurface flow model. Sloping river banks were found to increase the bank infiltration rates by 98% and storage volume by 40% for a bank slope of 3.4° from horizontal, and for a slope of 8.5°, delay bank return flow by more than four times compared with vertical river banks and saturated flow. The results suggested that conventional analytical approximations cannot adequately be used to quantify bank storage when bank slope is less than 60° from horizontal. Additionally, in the unconfined aquifers modeled, the analytical solutions did not accurately model bank storage and return flow even in rivers with vertical banks due to a violation of the dupuit assumption. Bank storage and return flow were also modeled for more realistic cross sections and river hydrograph from the Fitzroy River, Western Australia, to indicate the importance of accurately modeling sloping river banks at a field scale. Following a single wet season flood event of 12 m, results showed that it may take over 3.5 years for 50% of the bank storage volume to return to the river. © 2011, The Author(s). Ground Water © 2011, National Ground Water Association.

  1. Foreign bank entry impacted domestic-owned banks in Ghana from 1975 to 2008

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nsiah K. Acheampong

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available This article empirically examines the effects of foreign bank entry on the financial performance of Merchant Bank Ghana Limited and Ghana Commercial Banks Limited in Ghana from 1975 to 2008. The main result of the pooled regression was that foreign bank entry relatively increased domestic banks’ return on assets for the period 1992-2008; a period with a high influx of foreign banks into Ghana. This result supported the studies by Beck, Demirguc-Kunt, and Levine (2006 and Boldrin and Levine (2009 that found that foreign bank entry enhanced domestic banks profitability margins. The presence of foreign-owned banks was not detrimental to the financial performance of the domestic-owned banks in Ghana.

  2. Capital Adequacy in Banks: Reflections on Selected Banks in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In principle, bank capital serves two functions. First, it represents the value of shareholder's equity, and secondly, it is the value of the buffer stock available to absorb unexpected losses. Because of this second function, it is argued that a bank's capital must be adequate. Adequate capital is the foundation of any banking ...

  3. Bank Control and the Number of Bank Relations of Japanese Firms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sterken, Elmer; Ogawa, Kazuo; Tokutsu, Ichiro

    2005-01-01

    We explore the determinants of the number of long-term bank relations of listed Japanese firms using a unique data set covering the period 1982-1999. Having a relation with a top-equity holding bank reduces the number of bank relations, while debt-rich and cash-poor firms have more bank relations.

  4. A mechanical microcompressor for high resolution imaging of motile specimens

    OpenAIRE

    Zinskie, Jessica A.; Shribak, Michael; Bruist, Michael F.; Aufderheide, Karl J.; Janetopoulos, Chris

    2015-01-01

    In order to obtain fine details in 3 dimensions (3D) over time, it is critical for motile biological specimens to be appropriately immobilized. Of the many immobilization options available, the mechanical microcompressor offers many benefits. Our device, previously described, achieves gentle flattening of a cell, allowing us to image finely detailed structures of numerous organelles and physiological processes in living cells. We have imaged protozoa and other small metazoans using differenti...

  5. Efficiency and Competition in the Malaysian Banking Market: Foreign versus Domestic Banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rossazana Ab-Rahim

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to investigate efficiency performance of Malaysian banking market using data envelopment analysis approach in the context of the increasing presence of foreign banks. Specifically, two measures of efficiency are constructed, cost and profit efficiency by utilizing bank-level data of Malaysian commercial banks, over the period 2003 to 2014. The results obtained show the domestic banks are more efficient than the foreign banks counterparts for both measures of efficiency. Next, the Lerner Index approach is employed to measure competition and finally, Granger causality tests are undertaken to answer the question, does competition foster efficiency? The results of causality tests support a positive effect of competition on cost and profit efficiency of Malaysian banks. With regard to the financial liberalization, the findings imply that higher competitive pressure may be offset the market power of individual banks; however, eventually it will results in efficiency gains of Malaysian banks.

  6. Does Concentration Matter for Bank Stability? Evidence from the Albanian Banking Sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shijaku Gerti

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Motivated by the debate on the concentration-stability nexus, this paper studies the impact of bank concentration on the likelihood of a country suffering systemic bank fragility. For this reason, we followed a new approach using on-site bank balance sheet information to construct our proxy that represents each bank stability condition and uses a variety of internal and external factors to estimate a balance panel dynamic two-step General Method of Moments (GMM approach for the period 2008 - 2015. First, results provide supportive evidence consistent with the concentration-fragility view. Second, macroeconomic variables seem to have a significant effect on bank stability, which is not found for the sovereignty primary risk. By contrast, the bank-specific variables have also a significant effect on bank stability conditions. Finally, non-systemic banks are found to be more sensitive to macroeconomic condition and market concentration, while the better capitalised banks are less sensitive to fragility at the expense of lower operation efficiency.

  7. Pricing linkage between Islamic banking and conventional banking: The case of Bangladesh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarwar Uddin Ahmed

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Islamic banking is based on profit and loss mechanism where the use of interest is prohibited.  Unlike conventional banks, these banks do not charge a specific rate of interest, rather provides financing in exchange for profit sharing.  However, there are studies claiming that, in practice, Islamic banking is same as conventional banking with regard to the use of interest. It is also claimed that, Islamic deposits are not interest-free, but are closely attached to conventional deposits.   On this background, the objective of this study is to examine the relationship between pricing in Islamic banks vis-à-vis conventional banks by taking the case of Bangladesh. We have used monthly data during the period of 2009-2013. The findings of the study showed that, there is no statistically significant difference between the monthly average lending rates of Islamic banks and conventional banks. However, there is significant difference between deposit rates. The existence of causal relationship was inconclusive, and requires further analysis.

  8. BLC Bank - Lebanon : Leading in Banking on Women

    OpenAIRE

    International Finance Corporation

    2016-01-01

    The overall objective of this study is to learn about the impact of International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Banking on Women (BoW) Program in the Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (EMENA) through BLC Bank of Lebanon. The objective of this specific case study is to understand the success of the BoW program for BLC Bank in Lebanon in terms of the program’s contri...

  9. How community has shaped the Protein Data Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, Helen M; Kleywegt, Gerard J; Nakamura, Haruki; Markley, John L

    2013-09-03

    Following several years of community discussion, the Protein Data Bank (PDB) was established in 1971 as a public repository for the coordinates of three-dimensional models of biological macromolecules. Since then, the number, size, and complexity of structural models have continued to grow, reflecting the productivity of structural biology. Managed by the Worldwide PDB organization, the PDB has been able to meet increasing demands for the quantity of structural information and of quality. In addition to providing unrestricted access to structural information, the PDB also works to promote data standards and to raise the profile of structural biology with broader audiences. In this perspective, we describe the history of PDB and the many ways in which the community continues to shape the archive. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Forest-biological erosion control on coal-mine spoil banks in Bulgaria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haigh, M.J.; Gentcheva-Kostadinova, S.; Zheleva, E.

    1995-01-01

    The forest fallowing of coal-mine spoils helps re-establish the processes of natural, self-sustaining, soil formation. Environmental monitoring in Bulgaria demonstrates that forestation can moderate soil pH (from ph> 3.0 to pH 1.3 g/cm 3 in the 0-5 cm layer) in the case of coal briquette spoils at Pernik, near Sofia. Ground losses from forested, 16-17 degree slope, coal briquette-spoils at Pernik are a quarter of those from an entirely unvegetated section of the same embankment (48.5 vs 12. 1 mm in the period 1988-1994) despite the absence of ground cover beneath the trees. On lignite spoil banks, at Maritsa-Iztok, central Bulgaria, forestation increases the organic content of the soil to greater depths than revegetation with grass, and to a greater degree than conventional agricultural cultivation. On Pinus nigra forested crest sites at Pernik, and in Robinia pseudacacia forested groves on the lignite minespoil banks at Maritsa-Iztok, slopes showed ground advance rather than ground retreat. Slopes protected by mechanical means alone did not allow soil growth and, where the structure broke down, they suffered as much erosion as untreated sites. In sum, the forest fallowing of surface coal-mine disturbed land accelerates organic matter accumulation in the soil, helps improve soil structure, reduces erosion, and may transform soil loss into soil gain, even on steeply sloping sites. 17 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  11. A mechanical microcompressor for high resolution imaging of motile specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zinskie, Jessica A; Shribak, Michael; Bruist, Michael F; Aufderheide, Karl J; Janetopoulos, Chris

    2015-10-01

    In order to obtain fine details in 3 dimensions (3D) over time, it is critical for motile biological specimens to be appropriately immobilized. Of the many immobilization options available, the mechanical microcompressor offers many benefits. Our device, previously described, achieves gentle flattening of a cell, allowing us to image finely detailed structures of numerous organelles and physiological processes in living cells. We have imaged protozoa and other small metazoans using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, orientation-independent (OI) DIC, and real-time birefringence imaging using a video-enhanced polychromatic polscope. We also describe an enhancement of our previous design by engineering a new device where the coverslip mount is fashioned onto the top of the base; so the entire apparatus is accessible on top of the stage. The new location allows for easier manipulation of the mount when compressing or releasing a specimen on an inverted microscope. Using this improved design, we imaged immobilized bacteria, yeast, paramecia, and nematode worms and obtained an unprecedented view of cell and specimen details. A variety of microscopic techniques were used to obtain high resolution images of static and dynamic cellular and physiological events. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Integrative specimen information service - a campus-wide resource for tissue banking, experimental data annotation, and analysis services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schadow, Gunther; Dhaval, Rakesh; McDonald, Clement J; Ragg, Susanne

    2006-01-01

    We present the architecture and approach of an evolving campus-wide information service for tissues with clinical and data annotations to be used and contributed to by clinical researchers across the campus. The services provided include specimen tracking, long term data storage, and computational analysis services. The project is conceived and sustained by collaboration among researchers on the campus as well as participation in standards organizations and national collaboratives.

  13. PREDICTING CUSTOMER CHURN IN BANKING INDUSTRY USING NEURAL NETWORKS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alisa Bilal Zorić

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this article is to present a case study of usage of one of the data mining methods, neural network, in knowledge discovery from databases in the banking industry. Data mining is automated process of analysing, organization or grouping a large set of data from different perspectives and summarizing it into useful information using special algorithms. Data mining can help to resolve banking problems by finding some regularity, causality and correlation to business information which are not visible at first sight because they are hidden in large amounts of data. In this paper, we used one of the data mining methods, neural network, within the software package Alyuda NeuroInteligence to predict customer churn in bank. The focus on customer churn is to determinate the customers who are at risk of leaving and analysing whether those customers are worth retaining. Neural network is statistical learning model inspired by biological neural and it is used to estimate or approximate functions that can depend on a large number of inputs which are generally unknown. Although the method itself is complicated, there are tools that enable the use of neural networks without much prior knowledge of how they operate. The results show that clients who use more bank services (products are more loyal, so bank should focus on those clients who use less than three products, and offer them products according to their needs. Similar results are obtained for different network topologies.

  14. Banking governance: New Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Mihăiţă Duţă

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Banks are companies like any other. However, banks are distinguished by certain intrinsic characteristics of companies that have a different impact on the motivation of stakeholders. Among these features, we mention:partnership and shareholders governance agreements; banks are heavily regulated companies; banking assets is the main source of haze banking and information asymmetry; between the bank and depositors there is a problem of moral hazard.

  15. Splitting tests on rock specimens

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davies, J D; Stagg, K G

    1970-01-01

    Splitting tests are described for a square-section sandstone specimens line loaded through steel or timber packings on the top face and supported on the bottom face either on similar packings (type A specimen) or directly on the lower platen plate of the testing machine (type B specimens). The stress distribution across the vertical central plane and the horizontal central plane were determined from a linear elastic finite element analysis for both types. Two solutions were obtained for the type B specimen: one assuming no friction between the base of the specimen and the platen plate and the other assuming no relative slip between the surfaces. Vertical and horizontal strains were measured at the center of the specimens for all loads up to failure.

  16. BANKING WITHOUT INTEREST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Ilieva

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, there has been increased global awareness of Islamic finance. This topic is mainly opened with respect to the great financial crisis that mostly hit the banking system and the financial markets and caused many bank bankruptcies and state interventions. This paper analyzes the basic principles of Islamic banking. The absolute prohibition of receiving and giving interest (Riba and profit-and-loss sharing (PLS paradigms are elaborated in detail; they are primarily based on mudarabah (profit-sharing and musyarakah (joint venture concepts which nowadays are becoming an accepted way of doing business in several Western multinational banks. An overall comparison of the advantages of Islamic vs. conventional banking is also given. Islamic finance technology solutions have matured and they will face various challenges in the following decades, due to conventional banks offering, increasingly, Islamic products. The need for a more comprehensive environment and regulatory framework is emphasized, so that Islamic banking development can be ensured.

  17. The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe): bringing structure to biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velankar, Sameer; Kleywegt, Gerard J

    2011-04-01

    The Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) is the European partner in the Worldwide PDB and as such handles depositions of X-ray, NMR and EM data and structure models. PDBe also provides advanced bioinformatics services based on data from the PDB and related resources. Some of the challenges facing the PDB and its guardians are discussed, as well as some of the areas on which PDBe activities will focus in the future (advanced services, ligands, integration, validation and experimental data). Finally, some recent developments at PDBe are described.

  18. Bank development; bank development efficiency; bank management; bank.

    OpenAIRE

    Самородов, Б. В.

    2014-01-01

    In the paper the theoretical research of determination of the essence of “management of bank financial development” is realized. The analysis is performed on the basis of substantial considering and comparing the philosophy and economical definitions of the components of its definition.

  19. The Impact of Storage Times of Museum Insect Specimens on PCR Success: Case Study on Moth Collections in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HARI SUTRISNO

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Museum specimens are vast repositories of genetic information of interests to biological researchers. Since a new method in DNA extraction, a non destructive method, has been reported to be successful in extracting DNA of museum specimens even fossils without any morphological damages, using museum specimens as resources of genetic information for molecular studies is becoming popular recently. However, the PCR success depends on the quality of the specimens. To evaluate the impact of the storage times of museum specimens on PCR success, we conducted DNA extraction of 14 dry museum specimens of the moths collected from 1992 to 2010 by using a non destructive method. The results showed that the DNA specimens museum were fragmented into various sizes (100-1000 bp depend on the storage times. On the other hand, fresh specimens which were preserved within absolute ethanol were almost not fragmented. The specimens of < 6 years old (2005-2010 succeed to amplify in 650 bp amplicon but for some specimens of 7 years old (2 of 3 specimens resulted in a very weak amplification. These specimens, however, were able to amplify strongly in 300 bp amplicon. The results also showed that specimens of 1-19 years old were success to amplify in 100 bp amplicon.

  20. Use of side-scan sonar for estimations of Crassostrea brasiliana (Lamarck, 1819 stocks in subtidal banks on the south coast of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gisela Geraldine Castilho Westphal

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Uncontrolled extractivism has led to a worldwide reduction in oyster stocks. The use of new and more efficient management tools for impacted environments must increase. The application of such tools requires previous biological and environmental knowledge of the resident populations of these bivalve mollusks. Technical difficulties are usually associated with studies of submerged oyster banks, and these difficulties result in a considerable lack of biological data on the oysters that inhabit subtidal zones. This study aimed to survey Crassostrea brasiliana (also known as C. gasar stocks in submerged banks and to evaluate a method with which to measure the extent of the banks and identify and quantify the oysters in the banks with the use of side-scan sonar. This study was conducted on 10 oysters banks located in the subtidal zone of Guaratuba Bay, on the south coast of Brazil. The prospection of all these banks was later validated by diving, and oyster samples (n = 20/bank were collected for species identification with a molecular method. Only one bank contained oysters that were generically classified as Crassostrea sp.; those in the remaining banks being identified as C. brasiliana. The prospected banks contained oysters of various sizes (average 1.5 m, n = 1,107 that were heterogeneously scattered in the riverbeds. The total number of oysters in the 10 sampled banks was estimated to be 21,159.13 oysters or 1 oyster/4.5 m², which represents a low oyster density in the study site. The results validate the use of side-scan sonar as an efficient means with which to prospect for oysters in banks located within subtidal zones.

  1. A simple cryo-holder facilitates specimen observation under a conventional scanning electron microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Chih-Yuan; Huang, Rong-Nan; Kuo-Huang, Ling-Long; Kuo, Tai-Chih; Yang, Ya-Yun; Lin, Ching-Yeh; Jane, Wann-Neng; Chen, Shiang-Jiuun

    2012-02-01

    A pre-cryogenic holder (cryo-holder) facilitating cryo-specimen observation under a conventional scanning electron microscope (SEM) is described. This cryo-holder includes a specimen-holding unit (the stub) and a cryogenic energy-storing unit (a composite of three cylinders assembled with a screw). After cooling, the cryo-holder can continue supplying cryogenic energy to extend the observation time for the specimen in a conventional SEM. Moreover, the cryogenic energy-storing unit could retain appropriate liquid nitrogen that can evaporate to prevent frost deposition on the surface of the specimen. This device is proved feasible for various tissues and cells, and can be applied to the fields of both biology and material science. We have employed this novel cryo-holder for observation of yeast cells, trichome, and epidermal cells in the leaf of Arabidopsis thaliana, compound eyes of insects, red blood cells, filiform papillae on the surface of rat tongue, agar medium, water molecules, penicillium, etc. All results suggested that the newly designed cryo-holder is applicable for cryo-specimen observation under a conventional SEM without cooling system. Most importantly, the design of this cryo-holder is simple and easy to operate and could adapt a conventional SEM to a plain type cryo-SEM affordable for most laboratories. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Wildlife specimen collection, preservation, and shipment

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, C. LeAnn; Dusek, Robert J.; Franson, J. Christian; Friend, Milton; Gibbs, Samantha E.J.; Wild, Margaret A.

    2015-01-01

    Specimens are used to provide supporting information leading to the determination of the cause of disease or death in wildlife and for disease monitoring or surveillance. Commonly used specimens for wildlife disease investigations include intact carcasses, tissues from carcasses, euthanized or moribund animals, parasites, ingested food, feces, or environmental samples. Samples from live animals or the environment (e.g., contaminated feed) in the same vicinity as a mortality event also may be helpful. The type of specimen collected is determined by availability of samples and biological objectives. Multiple fresh, intact carcasses from affected species are the most useful in establishing a cause for a mortality event. Submission of entire carcasses allows observation of gross lesions and abnormalities, as well as disease testing of multiple tissues. Samples from live animals may be more appropriate when sick animals cannot be euthanized (e.g., threatened or endangered species) or for research and monitoring projects examining disease or agents circulating in apparently healthy animals or those not exhibiting clinical signs. Samples from live animals may include collections of blood, hair, feathers, feces, or ectoparasites, or samples obtained by swabbing lesions or orifices. Photographs and videos are useful additions for recording field and clinical signs and conveying conditions at the site. Collection of environmental samples (e.g., feces, water, feed, or soil) may be appropriate when animals cannot be captured for sampling or the disease agent may persist in the environment. If lethal collection is considered necessary, biologists should refer to the policies, procedures, and permit requirements of their institution/facility and the agency responsible for species management (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or State natural resource agency) prior to use in the field. If threatened or endangered species are found dead, or there is evidence of illegal take, field

  3. ELECTRONIC BANKING AS ANS COMPETITIVE EDGE FOR COMMERCIAL BANKS OF PAKISTAN: ROE MODEL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sundas Rauf

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The impact of electronic banking on the profitability of commercial banks has been measured by developing the integrated model based on Return on Equity for the period of 2002 to 2012. Three major banks named as National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Metropolitan Bank, and Askari Bank Limited have been incorporated into the sample of this study, by applying the Ordinary Least Square (OLS , it has been concluded that services of E-Banking have significant impact on the profitability of recent adopters in terms of Return on Equity.

  4. Legal and actual central bank independence : A case study of Bank of Indonesia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Artha, I.K.D.S.; de Haan, J.

    2010-01-01

    Indicators of central bank independence (CBI) based on the interpretation central bank laws in place may not capture the actual independence of the central bank. This paper develops an indicator of actual independence of the Bank Indonesia (BI), the central bank of Indonesia, for the period

  5. Small finance banks: Challenges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jayadev M

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available A recent innovation in the Indian banking structure has been the formation of a new banking institution—small finance banks (SFBs. These banks are expected to penetrate into financial inclusion by providing basic banking and credit services with a differentiated banking model to the larger population. In this context the new SFBs have multiple challenges in coming out with a new, differentiated business model. The challenges include building low cost liability portfolio, technology management, and balancing the regulatory compliances. This paper also presents the top of mind views of three senior executives of new small finance banks.

  6. Analisis Perbandingan Kinerja pada Bank Nasional dan Bank Asing dengan Menggunakan Analisis Rasio Keuangan

    OpenAIRE

    Angel, Christania Graciella; Pusung, Rudy

    2014-01-01

    Bank performance appraisal is based on bank financial report itself. The financial report can be form balance report which give information about the financial position to the outside of bank that can be used of eksternal to assess the level of risk exist in a bank. Based on ownership consist of national bank, mixture bank and foreign bank. These banks has tight compete to show a good performance to the public. This research aimed to analyze the financial performance difference of national ba...

  7. Laparoscopic specimen retrieval bags.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smorgick, Noam

    2014-10-01

    Specimen retrieval bags have long been used in laparoscopic gynecologic surgery for contained removal of adnexal cysts and masses. More recently, the concerns regarding spread of malignant cells during mechanical morcellation of myoma have led to an additional use of specimen retrieval bags for contained "in-bag" morcellation. This review will discuss the indications for use retrieval bags in gynecologic endoscopy, and describe the different specimen bags available to date.

  8. Use of globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) to link herbarium specimen records to physical specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Gil; Sweeney, Patrick; Gilbert, Edward

    2018-02-01

    With the advent of the U.S. National Science Foundation's Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections program and related worldwide digitization initiatives, the rate of herbarium specimen digitization in the United States has expanded exponentially. As the number of electronic herbarium records proliferates, the importance of linking these records to the physical specimens they represent as well as to related records from other sources will intensify. Although a rich and diverse literature has developed over the past decade that addresses the use of specimen identifiers for facilitating linking across the internet, few implementable guidelines or recommended practices for herbaria have been advanced. Here we review this literature with the express purpose of distilling a specific set of recommendations especially tailored to herbarium specimen digitization, curation, and management. We argue that associating globally unique identifiers (GUIDs) with physical herbarium specimens and including these identifiers in all electronic records about those specimens is essential to effective digital data curation. We also address practical applications for ensuring these associations.

  9. Taxon and trait recognition from digitized herbarium specimens using deep convolutional neural networks

    KAUST Repository

    Younis, Sohaib; Weiland, Claus; Hoehndorf, Robert; Dressler, Stefan; Hickler, Thomas; Seeger, Bernhard; Schmidt, Marco

    2018-01-01

    Herbaria worldwide are housing a treasure of hundreds of millions of herbarium specimens, which are increasingly being digitized and thereby more accessible to the scientific community. At the same time, deep-learning algorithms are rapidly improving pattern recognition from images and these techniques are more and more being applied to biological objects. In this study, we are using digital images of herbarium specimens in order to identify taxa and traits of these collection objects by applying convolutional neural networks (CNN). Images of the 1000 species most frequently documented by herbarium specimens on GBIF have been downloaded and combined with morphological trait data, preprocessed and divided into training and test datasets for species and trait recognition. Good performance in both domains suggests substantial potential of this approach for supporting taxonomy and natural history collection management. Trait recognition is also promising for applications in functional ecology.

  10. Taxon and trait recognition from digitized herbarium specimens using deep convolutional neural networks

    KAUST Repository

    Younis, Sohaib

    2018-03-13

    Herbaria worldwide are housing a treasure of hundreds of millions of herbarium specimens, which are increasingly being digitized and thereby more accessible to the scientific community. At the same time, deep-learning algorithms are rapidly improving pattern recognition from images and these techniques are more and more being applied to biological objects. In this study, we are using digital images of herbarium specimens in order to identify taxa and traits of these collection objects by applying convolutional neural networks (CNN). Images of the 1000 species most frequently documented by herbarium specimens on GBIF have been downloaded and combined with morphological trait data, preprocessed and divided into training and test datasets for species and trait recognition. Good performance in both domains suggests substantial potential of this approach for supporting taxonomy and natural history collection management. Trait recognition is also promising for applications in functional ecology.

  11. Pengelolaan Likuiditas Bank Syariah

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nurul Ichsan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Islamic Banking Liquidity Management. This article is about management of liquidity which discuss about the position of cash money in the company and its ability to fulfill the obligation (pay the debt on time. Management of liquidity is one of the essential function which is done by banking institution and inside its efficient management, is needed instrument and finance market which is taking not only short term but also long term, and not only conventional banking but also syariat. Through that natural necessity (placement and fulfillment of short term need, for Islamic banking in Indonesia has been availabled some instruments such as (IMA certificate of Mudhorobah Investment between bank, (PUAS market banking regulations between syariat bank, (SWBI Bank of Indonesia Wadiah certificate, (FPJPS provision about short term cost facility for Islamic banks  DOI:10.15408/aiq.v6i1.1371

  12. 12 CFR 583.3 - Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... OFFICE OF THRIFT SUPERVISION, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY DEFINITIONS FOR REGULATIONS AFFECTING SAVINGS AND LOAN HOLDING COMPANIES § 583.3 Bank. The term bank means any national bank, state bank, state-chartered savings bank, cooperative bank, or industrial bank, the deposits of which are insured by the...

  13. STUDI KOMPARATIF KINERJA BANK SYARIAH DAN BANK KONVENSIONAL DALAM MENGHADAPI KRISIS GLOBAL BERDASARKAN RASIO KEUANGAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohmawati Kusumaningtias

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available At the time of financial crisis, one of the influential institutions in society is banking. Banking sector provide soft loans to create productive employment for the community. On the other hand, customers also need the liquidity from bank-ing. These stakeholders' needs can be met by looking at the performance of bank-ing. This study aims to determine differences in the performance of sharia banking and conventional banking during economic crisis. This study uses t-test to analyze the data. From the research, it was found that in general, the performance of conventional banking is better than sharia banking in the economic crisis. Keywords: shariah banking, conventional banking, performance.

  14. Framing a Bank

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holmgreen, Lise-Lotte

    2012-01-01

    Danish bank, Danske Bank, during the 2008 financial crisis and hence in shaping its image projected to the public. Through the study of a number of semantic frames adopted by the Danish print press and those adopted by the Bank, this article will argue for the constructions of the press putting...... considerable strain on the Bank and its image, leading it to reconsider its previous strategy of denial of responsibility...

  15. GenBank

    OpenAIRE

    Benson, Dennis A.; Cavanaugh, Mark; Clark, Karen; Karsch-Mizrachi, Ilene; Lipman, David J.; Ostell, James; Sayers, Eric W.

    2012-01-01

    GenBank? (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) is a comprehensive database that contains publicly available nucleotide sequences for almost 260 000 formally described species. These sequences are obtained primarily through submissions from individual laboratories and batch submissions from large-scale sequencing projects, including whole-genome shotgun (WGS) and environmental sampling projects. Most submissions are made using the web-based BankIt or standalone Sequin programs, and GenBank staff assig...

  16. Integrated Marketing Communication to Enhance Active User of Internet Banking Service: Case Study Bank XYZ

    OpenAIRE

    Prawitasari, Larasati; Hudrasyah, Herry

    2012-01-01

    Internet banking is a form of self-service technology. In the global banking business, Internet banking has a big role for doing the business. In developing country, Internet banking received relatively little attention although has been deployed for years. Only 3% of customer Bank XYZ in Indonesia using Internet banking service actively, although has been 9 years Bank XYZ introduced Internet banking service. This study addressed what factor that drives and influences Internet banking accepta...

  17. Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Nasabah Bank Pengguna Internet Banking Dari Ancaman Cybercrime

    OpenAIRE

    Astrini, Dwi Ayu

    2015-01-01

    Tujuan dilakukan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui bagaimana peratuan Perundang-undangan yang melindungi nasabah bank pengguna internet banking dari ancaman cybercrime, dan bagaimana mekanisme perlindungan dan tanggungjawab yang diberikan pihak bank terhadap nasabah yang mengalami masalah dalam pengguna internet banking. Berdasarkan penelitian normatif disimpulkan bahwa; 1. Sumber hukum formal mengenai bidang perbankan, adalah UUD 1945 (Pasal 1 ayat 3), Undang-undang Nomor 7 Tahun 1992 ...

  18. ROMANIAN BANKS LIQUIDITY MANAGEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BATRANCEA MARIA

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Most transactions or financial commitments have implications for a bank liquidity. Transactions are particularly vulnerable to liquidity problems at a specific institution. Therefore, one can deduce the importance of the correct calculation and liquidity indicator, not only for the bank concerned, but especially for NBR uses that bank risk management tool. That is why the authors took into consideration a sample of banks in Romania to show to what extent the banking crisis has influenced the development banks.

  19. Urine culture - catheterized specimen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culture - urine - catheterized specimen; Urine culture - catheterization; Catheterized urine specimen culture ... urinary tract infections may be found in the culture. This is called a contaminant. You may not ...

  20. Bank Ownership, Board Characteristics and Performance: Evidence from Commercial Banks in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jayati Sarkar

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available We study the effect of board governance in state-owned and private banks by undertaking a study of commercial banks in India that has both bank groups. Covering a ten-year period from 2003 to 2012 that witnessed a large number of governance reforms in India, the results of our empirical analysis provide evidence of strong ownership effects with board independence exhibiting a significant positive correlation with the performance of private banks and a significant but negative correlation with the performance of state-owned banks. The effect of CEO duality is negative in state-owned banks where incidence of CEO duality is high. We find that a longer CEO tenure has significant positive effects on bank outcomes with these effects strengthening in the later years of CEO tenure. Our results have governance implications for strengthening the composition of board of directors and CEO tenure especially in state-owned banks.

  1. Automatic rebuilding and optimization of crystallographic structures in the Protein Data Bank.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Joosten, R.P.; Joosten, K.; Cohen, S.X.; Vriend, G.; Perrakis, A.

    2011-01-01

    MOTIVATION: Macromolecular crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are a key source of structural insight into biological processes. These structures, some >30 years old, were constructed with methods of their era. With PDB_REDO, we aim to automatically optimize these structures to better

  2. The banking union and the financial and banking system reform in EU

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alina Ligia Dumitrescu

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Coordination among supervisors in financial and banking system is vital, but the financial crisis has shown that is not enough, and especially in the context of a single currency would require more common actions in EU. Therefore, the European Commission proposed “the creation of a banking union”, in order to place the banking sector on a more solid base and to restore confidence in the single currency, as part of a longer-term vision for the promotion of the economic and fiscal integration. Therefore, the new direction of the reform of the financial sector is "the creation of a banking union", that will help: to strengthen banks supervision, to ensure better deposits security, to recapitalize banks and last but not least to achieve the centralized management of the banking crises.

  3. HMSRP Hawaiian Monk Seal Specimen Data (includes physical specimens, collection information, status, storage locations, and laboratory results associated with individual specimens)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set includes physical specimens, paper logs and Freezerworks database of all logged information on specimens collected from Hawaiian monk seals since 1975....

  4. Comparing Conventional Bank Credit Vis A Vis Shariah Bank Musharakah: Experimental Economic Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhamad Abduh

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Central Bank of Indonesia with dual banking system – i.e Shariah and Conventional Bank – keep on developing system that considered as an answer to generate the national economic growth. One of the banking activities that emphasized by the Central Bank of Indonesia is fund distribution through either conventional bank credit or shariah bank fi nancing. Having the Experimental Economic Approach based on Induced Value Theory and employing ANOVA, this paper found that shariah bank musharakah fi nancing system would come up with higher profi t opportunity compare to conventional credit system. One main reason is that musharakah fi nancing in shariah bank applies profi t and lost sharing (PLS scheme so that will not be a burden to the customer when he fi nd low profi t.Keywords: Credit Loan, Musharakah Financing, Induced Value Theory, Experimental Economic Approach, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA.

  5. ANALISIS KINERJA PERBANDINGAN BANK DEVISA BUMN DAN BANK DEVISA SWASTA PADA TAHUN 2006-2011

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gatot Nazir Ahmad

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Comparative analysis of performance bank devisa BUMN and bank devisa Swasta. Thesis, Jakarta: Finance Concentration Management, Program Management, Department of Management, Faculty of Economics, University of Jakarta. Researchers aimed to determine the performance bank devisa BUMN and bank devisa Swasta by using the ratio Capital Asset Management (CAR, Return On Asset (ROA, Retrun On Equity (ROE, and Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR. The samples used were four banks devisa BUMN and four banks devisa Swasta status go public. The data used in this study were obtained from the Annual Banking Financial report. The method of analysis used in this study is a descriptive analysis, test Outliers, and Normality Test Data Test different using paired sample t-test. The results of the analysis using a paired sample t-test between the results obtained bank devisa BUMN and bank devisa Swasta generally have a difference except for Capital Asset Ratio (CAR. The results of this study there was no difference between banks devisa BUMN and bank devisa Swasta. This study also shows that bank devisa Swasta have CAR greater than CAR bank devisa BUMN.

  6. Customers’ adoption of electronic banking: An investigation on the commercial banking industry in Zimbabwe.

    OpenAIRE

    Makosana, Musa

    2014-01-01

    The advent of electronic banking offers banking firms a new frontier of opportunities and challenges. This study investigates how social factors, awareness, consumer perceptions and attitudes towards electronic banking influence the adoption of electronic banking in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe little is known and understood about the emergence of electronic banking, this is because electronic banking is new, and so consumer acceptance and use of electronic banking is still limited. This study has r...

  7. The Protein Data Bank archive as an open data resource

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berman, Helen M.; Kleywegt, Gerard J.; Nakamura, Haruki; Markley, John L.

    2014-10-01

    The Protein Data Bank archive was established in 1971, and recently celebrated its 40th anniversary (Berman et al. in Structure 20:391, 2012). An analysis of interrelationships of the science, technology and community leads to further insights into how this resource evolved into one of the oldest and most widely used open-access data resources in biology.

  8. 76 FR 44914 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-27

    ..., and Logan County Bank, Lincoln, Illinois. C. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis (Jacqueline G. King, Community Affairs Officer) 90 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55480-0291: 1. Stephen L. Grobel, Tabb... thereby indirectly acquire voting shares of First Community Bank, Glasgow, Montana. In addition, Stephen L...

  9. Effects of e-banking on growth of customer base in kenyan banks

    OpenAIRE

    Okibo, Bichanga Walter; Wario, Ali Yattani

    2014-01-01

    The study highlights the effects of E-banking services on growth of customer base in Kenyan banks for over the last five years. It addresses issues that affect effective utilization of E-banking facilities by customers. The study generally investigates how lack of technological know-how, illiteracy, unreliability, and transaction limits has hindered growth of on-line customer base in Kenyan banks. E-banking provides enormous benefits to consumers in terms of time saving and cost of transactio...

  10. Banking beyond banks and money a guide to banking services in the twenty-first century

    CERN Document Server

    Aste, Tomaso; Pelizzon, Loriana; Perony, Nicolas

    2016-01-01

    Do you know how banking and money will look like in the new digital age? This book collects the voices of leading scholars, entrepreneurs, policy makers and consultants who, through their expertise and keen analytical skills, are best positioned to picture from various angles the ongoing technological revolution in banking and finance. You will learn how lending and borrowing can exist without banks; how new forms of money can compete to better serve different society needs; how new technologies are banking the unbanked communities in the poorest parts of the world, and how ideas and small projects can be financed by the crowds without the need to rely upon banks. You will learn how, in the new digital age, we will interact with new self-organised and autonomous companies that operate without any human involvement, based on a set of programmed and incorruptible rules. You will learn that new business models will emerge thanks to technology-enabled platforms, upon which one can build new forms of non-hierarchi...

  11. Pengaruh Pengumuman Likuidasi Bank Terhadap Minat Menarik Uang Dari Bank

    OpenAIRE

    Haribowo, Ignatius Novianto

    2017-01-01

    This study aims to examine the factors that influence a person to withdraw all or part of the money from the bank in liquidation of large banks case in Indonesia. This study uses the theory of Lewin to uncover factors that may influence a person to withdraw part or all of the money from the bank if there is a big bank liquidation. Based on Lewin's theory, there are two factors that can influence a person's decision, namely internal factors and external factors. Internal factors in this study ...

  12. EVALUASI PENERAPAN PENGUKURAN KINERJA BANK DENGAN PENDEKATAN BALANCED SCORECARD PADA BANK PAPUA (Persero)

    OpenAIRE

    TRI REJEKI, TALHA

    2014-01-01

    2014 ABSTRAK Evaluasi Penerapan Pengukuran Kinerja Bank Dengan Pendekatan Balanced Scorecard Pada Bank Papua (Persero). Evaluation of the Implementation of Bank Performance Measurement Balanced Scorecard Approach To Bank of Papua ( Persero ) . Talha Tri Rejeki Yulianus Sampe M. Christian Mangiwa Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui gambaran kinerja Bank Papua Persero), Tbk dengan pendekatan balanced scorecard dari segi ...

  13. The Consolidation on Banking Supervision in the Context of a Pan European Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teodora Barbu

    2007-03-01

    Full Text Available The diversity of national banking systems in the European banking system and the absence of consolidated supervision creates the premises for a series of interrogations whose essence is the same: Is it possible to discuss about a Pan European Banking System? The starting point in answering this question was the efforts to create a single banking market, which took place in 1973-1999, and the impact of integration on the European Banking Industry. Among the most representative aspects, it must be emphasized the necessity of consolidating banking supervision at an European level, considering that the International Banking Community studies the problematic of banking regulations at a global level. The two dimensions of the prudential and European bank supervision device – the geographic and the institutional – demand the creation of a structural reform in order to ensure the functioning of a Pan European system of banking supervision and regulations. The considerations on the Consolidation of European Banking Supervision draws into discussion the Financial Supervision Authority which has generalized as an applicable model in numerous European countries and has been mentioned as an alternative of Pan European banking supervision. In the process of the integration of the banking sector, the Basel II Accord represents an opportunity in reaching a convergence of national regulations and practices in matters of risk management, considering that these actions are in line with the preoccupations of realizing a Pan European banking system. Thus, the creation of Pan European banking system involves actions in more directions: legal, institutional, operational meant to ensure the consolidation of banking supervision.

  14. Assessment of the stability of DNA in specimens collected under conditions for drug testing-A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    White, Robert M; Mitchell, John M; Hart, E Dale; Evans, Amy; Meaders, Meredith; Norsworthy, Sarah E; Hayes, Eugene D; Flegel, Ron; Maha, George C; Shaffer, Megan D; Hall, Erin M; Rogers, Kelley

    2018-02-01

    For forensic biological sample collections, the specimen donor is linked solidly to his or her specimen through a chain of custody (CoC) sometimes referenced as a chain of evidence. Rarely, a donor may deny that a urine or oral fluid (OF) specimen is his or her specimen even with a patent CoC. The goal of this pilot study was to determine the potential effects of short-term storage on the quality and quantity of DNA in both types of specimen under conditions that may be encountered with employment-related drug testing specimens. Fresh urine and freshly collected oral fluid all produced complete STR profiles. For the "pad" type OF collectors, acceptable DNA was extractable both from the buffer/preservative and the pad. Although fresh urine and OF produced complete STR profiles, partial profiles were obtained after storage for most samples. An exception was the DNA in the Quantisal OF collector, from which a complete profile was obtained for both freshly collected OF and stored OF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. BANKING UNION - ROMANIAN PERSPECTIVE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Coroiu Sorina Ioana

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The financial crisis showed that banks were not able to face the loss, because there is no framework for a resolution, so that it intervened with money from taxpayers. So, it has been highlighted the need to update the regulations applicable to the banking sector. Creating a single supervisory mechanism in the fall of 2014 was a time reference point to achieve a banking union in Europe. Banking Union is one of the four foundations for a genuine Economic and Monetary Union. The paper’s purpose is to analyze the Banking Union structure, based on three pillars: (i The Single Supervisory Mechanism - the transfer of the main responsibility regarding banking supervision from national to European level, (ii The Single Resolution Mechanism - introduction of common provisions to ensure legal support required to manage bank failures problem, (iii The Deposit Guarantee Schemes - harmonization of deposit guarantee rules. These measures were adopted at European Union level to ensure the stability of the European banking system and to prevent future crises. Because countries that are not part of the euro area are not required to join the Banking Union, the dilemma of these countries lies in the decision to join the Banking Union quickly or to wait. It is the case of Romania, also, so, this paper analyze the opportunity of Romania's accession to the Banking Union before adopting the euro. There are analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of Romania's participation in the Banking Union, showing that, in the context of single currency introduction, Romania's participation is required. So far, there are reduced debates regarding the need, advantages and disadvantages of Romania's participation in the European Banking Union, the top representatives of the National Bank of Romania being among the few who expressed their views in public and published papers on the subject.

  16. Bank Liquidity and Financial Performance: Evidence from Moroccan Banking Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El Mehdi Ferrouhi

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to analyze the relationship between liquidity risk and financial performance of Moroccan banks and to define the determinants of bank’s performance in Morocco during the period 2001–2012. We first evaluate Moroccan banks’ liquidity positions through different liquidity and performance ratios then we apply a panel date regression to identify determinants of Moroccan banks performance. We use 4 bank’s performance ratios, 6 liquidity ratios and we analyze 5 specific determinants and 5 macroeconomic determinants of bank performance. Results show that Moroccan bank’s performance is mainly determined by 7 determinants: liquidity ratio, size of banks, logarithm of the total assets squared, external funding to total liabilities, share of own bank’s capital of the bank’s total assets, foreign direct investments, unemployment rate and the realization of the financial crisis variable. Banks’ performance depends positively on size of banks, on foreign direct investments and on the realization of the financial crisis and negatively on external funding to total liabilities, on share of own bank’s capital of the bank’s total assets and on unemployment rate while the dependence between bank performance and liquidity ratios and bank performance and logarithm of the total assets squared depend on the model used.

  17. Risk Management Practices in Islamic Bank: A Case Study of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited

    OpenAIRE

    Uddin, Md Akther

    2015-01-01

    Islamic banking industry has been growing rapidly for last three decades. As risk is inherent in banking business it is necessary to develop a comprehensive risk management framework and process. In this paper, a humble attempt has been made to study and analyze risk management practices of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited (IBBL), one of the leading Islamic banks in Bangaladesh. Annual reports of IBBL and 7 other full-fledged Islamic banks, Bangladesh Bank, the central bank of Bangladesh, publi...

  18. The Effects of Foreign Bank Participation on the Turkish Banking System and Crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suleyman Degirmen

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available There is an assertion that the participation of foreign banks in emerging markets is often thought to improve overall bank soundness. Therefore, if the share of foreign banks in a national banking system is large, the system will quickly overcome both financial or currency crises, and quickly recover itself. Since Turkey has been experienced mentioned crises, the aim of this study is to reveal if the assertion is valid for Turkey. Our expectation from the study using VAR method is to reach a conclusion that countries with large market share of foreign banks have safely passed the crises by virtue of foreign banks’ best management policies. The test results indicate that foreign banks have more positive effect for helping TBS capital structure; foreign bank participation did not cause any decline in loans and last one, after crisis, existence of foreign banks worsens TBS’ liquidity in interest and exchange rate shocks.

  19. International Islamic Banking

    OpenAIRE

    saleem, shahid

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this exploratory and to some extent descriptive analysis is to highlight the Islamic banking & finance theory, and to explain the practical disparity all over the Muslim Umma along with commonalities of Islamic banking in them. Islamic banking has been now become a value proposition which transcends cultures and will do speedily in next decades despite of cutting throat competition expected in global banking scenario. The size of Islamic Financial Industry has now reached size ...

  20. Islamic Banking in the West : the Need for Islamic Banking in the Uk

    OpenAIRE

    Alowd, Jehad; Wodie, Astede

    2013-01-01

    The Islamic banking system has gained momentum worldwide. The last two decades have witnessed the emergence of Islamic banking as a viable banking system. This study is designed to investigate the awareness, needs, and motives of Muslims towards Islamic Banking in the UK. The objectives of the study are as follow; to find out the motives and needs of Muslims in the UK towards Islamic banking, to test Muslim's attitudes towards some of the principles of Islamic banking, and to find out the lev...

  1. Challenges Faced by Sudanese Banks in Implementing Online Banking: Bankers’ Perception

    OpenAIRE

    Nafis Alam; Ibrahim Hussien Musa Magboul; Murali Raman

    2010-01-01

    Innovations in Information technology have changed the way financial transactions are done in banking industry globally. Online banking uses today’s computer technology to give user the ability to manage their finances more quickly and efficiently, from anywhere around the world, and with just a click of the mouse. Banks perceive online banking as a powerful ‘value-added’ tool to attract and retain new customers while helping to eliminate costly paper handling and tell...

  2. Effect of three rotation systems on weed seed bank of barely fields in Karaj

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    mostafa oveysi

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Rotation can be used as an approach for weed management, because density and combination of weed seed bank may be affected by rotation. In this study effect of rotation in diversity and density of weed seed was studied in three rotation systems (fallow – barely, maize – barely and canola – barely. Results showed that fallow – barely rotation system have high population density in seed bank and highest amount of Shannon diversity index (H = 0.84. In canola – barely rotation system because of different herbicide uses and special traits of canola, population of weed seeds in seed bank was significantly lower that other rotation systems. Results showed that canola – barely rotation system because of combination special herbicide and agronomical and biological characteristic of canola, in comparison with other rotation systems is more successful in decreasing of weed seed bank.

  3. Digestive tumor bank protocol: from surgical specimens to genomic studies of digestive cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Popescu, I; Stroescu, C; Dumitrascu, T; Herlea, V; Paslaru, Liliana; Lazar, V; Boissin, H; Taieb, J; Horeanga, Ionela

    2006-01-01

    Cancer is a complex polygenic and multifactorial disease, resulting from successive dynamic changes in the genome of somatic cells and from the accumulation of molecular alterations in both tumour cells and host cells. For the majority of cancers, including many malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, our current means of diagnosis and treatment of the tumors are grossly insufficient. In recent years the development of several gene expression profiling methods such as comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), differential display, serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) and DNA arrays, together with the sequencing of the human genome, has provided an opportunity to monitor and investigate the complete cascade of molecular events leading to tumor development and progression. Given the central role played by surgeons in the current management of patients with solid cancers, it is of paramount importance for them to know the principles characterizing this laboratory tools to critically assess the results originating from this biotechnology. We describe in this article the scientific partnership between Fundeni Clinical Institute Bucharest, Romania and RNtech Company, Paris, France for the development of a center of biological resources (Biobank) as well as the standardized protocol of working with the biological samples, the ongoing projects and the future perspectives.

  4. TINGKAT SUKU BUNGA BANK KONVENSIONAL DAN KOMITMEN NASABAH MENABUNG DI BANK SYARIAH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muchlis Yahya

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available banking. Shariah banking customers were divided into Moslem customers that only saved money at shariahbank (n1, Moslem customers that saved money both in shariah and conventional banks (n2, non-Moslemcustomers (n3. This study used primary data through questionnaires distributed to 400 people gotten from295.498 customers of shariah bank in Central Java. Then the customer data was analyzed by using logit model.For groups of customers’ n2 and n3, the interest rate had a significant negative effect on the commitment toinvest in shariah banks. However, for n1, the interest rate did not affect anything. n1 customers developedrelationship with shariah bank because of religion ideology motive. The result showed that n2, n3 customershad rational-economic mindset, whereas n1 customers had emotional-ideology mindset. This result showedthat shariah banking customers were dominated by customers that had rational-economic character. The openingof disagreement about the bank interest which was not usury and which was supported by only some socioreligiousorganizations like NU and Muhammadiyah could be an important factor the growth of Islamicbanking.

  5. Banking in Africa

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beck, T.H.L.; Cull, R.; Berger, A.; Molyneux, P.; Wilson, J.

    2014-01-01

    This paper takes stock of the current state of banking systems across Sub-Saharan Africa and discusses recent developments including innovations that might help Africa leapfrog more traditional banking models. Using an array of different data, the paper documents that African banking systems are

  6. Banks on Notice

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2009-01-01

    Regulators issue policies to guide China’s banks as massive loans compromise the banking sector’s ability to contain future risks R egulatory departments are strengthening their supervision over financial institutions to prevent an incomprehensible financial scenario from unfolding: the failure of the Chinese banking

  7. Banks and Banking Business in Russia in the Face of International Sanctions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Galina S. Panova

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The article provides an analysis of the present condition and prospects of development of banks and the banking business in the face of international sanctions. It identifies current trends, problems and the risks of banks and banking in Russia and in the world. Special attention is paid to the analysis of sectoral international sanctions against the Russian banks and the need to minimize negative impact of sanctions on the banking business, both nationally and internationally. Great value in these conditions has the state monetary policy. Anti-crisis policy pursued by the Bank of Russia, in a context of stagnating economy, leads to a reduction in the Russian share in the world economy and increases in the standard of living gap with the developed countries. The article argues that Russia's economic growth opportunities in 2016 are limited by restriction level of bank interest, the high volatility of the exchange rate of the national currency, insufficient development of credit relations, tough, high-budget (at the level of developed Europe tax burden, increasing administrative costs, dramatically increasing the concentration of risks of subjective decisions at the present stage of the electoral cycle. In a situation of uncertainty of predictions regarding the scope and duration of the application of sanctions, the Russian Government and the Central Bank of the Russian Federation had rightly seek to use a combination of anti-sanctions measures of austerity measures on introduction of contra-sanctions to create more comfortable conditions for doing business in Russia and her allies from member countries of Eurasian Economic Union, SCO, BRICS. The article examines the strategic aspects of development banks and banking business in Russia under the new circumstances. Given the practical recommendations on improvement of the development strategy of banks in Russia. The necessity to improve the theoretical, conceptual, methodological, her reasoning

  8. PENGARUH KUALITAS PELAYANAN INTERNET BANKING TERHADAP KEPUASAN DAN LOYALITAS KONSUMEN PADA BANK SWASTA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yusnaini -

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Tujuan Penelitian ini adalah untuk mengkaji mutu internet banking terhadap kepuasan pelanggan. Pesertanya sebanyak 145 pelanggan yang biasanya menggunakan internet banking dalam melakukan transaksi pada 5 perbankan di Palembang. Regresi ganda dan sederhana digunakan untuk menguji hipotesis. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa kualitas internet banking bisa mempengaruhi kepuasan pelanggan. Dimension of tangible, responsiveness and empathy mempunyai dampak yang signifikan, tetapi tidak berlaku untuk dimension of reliability and assurance.  Penelitian ini juga menemukan bahwa kepuasan pelanggan berdampak signifikan terhadap kesetiaan pelanggan bank. AbstractThis study examines the effects of internet banking quality to the customer satisfaction. A number of 145 customers that use internet banking for their transactions in 5 banks located in Palembang are selected as the data. Multiple and simple regressions are used to investigate hypothesis.The result shows that internet banking quality can influence the customer satisfaction. Dimensions of tangible, responsiveness and empathy have significant effects, but dimension of reliability and assurance are unsignificant. This study also finds that the customer satisfaction has significant effect to the bank customer loyalty. Keywords: internet banking; service quality; customer satisfaction

  9. An Evaluation of Banks' Liability in Robbery Incidents at Banks ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The spate of armed robbery attack on banks in the last decade has been alarming. It is hoped with the current Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cashless policy there will be a drastic drop in such incidents. However, the issue of armed robbery attack at the bank premises brings to the fore two issues which are of paramount ...

  10. Bank Syariah Sebagai Alternatif

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adang Sudjana

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available The principle of not allowing interest practices (riba has saved the Syariah Bank and their customers from the effects of monetary crisis. In view of Islamic Principles, interest is forbidden. Therefore, all transactions of syariah banking are based on sale-purchase pattern. Besides, all good banking aspects as applied in conventional banking such as, 5 Cs (capital, collateral, capacity, character, and condition are also applied properly in the line of ukhrawi aspects in managing fund of syariah banking.  The practice of “mark-up” in project funded by syariah bank seems to be very difficult.

  11. Nuclear fuel banks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2010-01-01

    In december 2010 IAEA gave its agreement for the creation of a nuclear fuel bank. This bank will allow IAEA to help member countries that renounce to their own uranium enrichment capacities. This bank located on one or several member countries will belong to IAEA and will be managed by IAEA and its reserve of low enriched uranium will be sufficient to fabricate the fuel for the first load of a 1000 MW PWR. Fund raising has been successful and the running of the bank will have no financial impact on the regular budget of the IAEA. Russia has announced the creation of the first nuclear fuel bank. This bank will be located on the Angarsk site (Siberia) and will be managed by IAEA and will own 120 tonnes of low-enriched uranium fuel (between 2 and 4.95%), this kind of fuel is used in most Russian nuclear power plants. (A.C.)

  12. Excellency in banking services - A new road map for banks in the emerging new competition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. K. Uppal

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The widening gap between desirability and availability is becoming a major cause of dissatisfaction in the banking industry. The bridging of this gap is one of the solutions to make the customers delight. The present study analyzes the widening gap between desirability and availabilityregarding reliability, accuracy, confidentiality, flexibility, e-channels, high attention to customers, low service charges and overall satisfaction of customers in three bank groups i.e. public sector banks, Indian private sector banks and foreign banks. The survey was conducted in Chandigarh in the month of October, 2008. Three banks have been selected one each from three bank groups; PNB from public sector banks, HDFC bank from Indian Private Sector banks and Amro bank from foreign banks have been taken for consideration. On the basis of five point Likert type scale, survey concludes that desirability regarding all the parameters is very high as compared to availability of banking servicesand on the basis of this empirical survey, study recommends some measures to bridge this gap between the D/A of service quality parameters in the banking sector in the emerging competition.

  13. Analysis on Corporate Governance Influences toward Banking Efficiency with Bank Category as Moderator Variable

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lidiyawati Lidiyawati

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Corporate governance system of Sharia financial institution that based on Islamic law may result more  variables principles then conventional owns. The restriction of usury are highly speculative transaction, embedded prohibited matter are main features in Sharia business institution. Sharia Supervisory Board, as board that supervises banking practices conforms to Sharia stipulations, hold strong important role within Islamic banking. Both important points above had direct effects on efficiency which attained by Islamic banking compared with conventional banking. This study examines the influence of corporate governance implementation toward efficiency banking sector with bank category as moderator variable. This study hypothesize that corporate governance has significant influences toward bank’s efficiencies, the influence of corporate governance toward Islamic bank efficiencies is higher than conventional bank, and level of Islamicbank efficiencies is higher than conventional bank. Measurement of efficiencies is using Stochastic Frontier Approach program, and then using SPSS in procces hypothetical model. The results of the study do not support the hypothesis. Examined result shows that statically corporate governance is not influenced by bank efficiency achievement. Corporate governance influences over Islamic bank has not show higher significance than conventional and Islamic bank efficiencies remain steady. Data limitations, complexity of the efficiency measures and the complexity of the operation of Islamic banks may explain the finding.

  14. 78 FR 34384 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-07

    ... Holding Company The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C... bank holding company. The factors that are considered in acting on the notices are set forth in... Johnson Bank as trustee, both of Racine, Wisconsin; to join the existing Johnson Family Control Group and...

  15. What is shadow banking?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Claessens, S.; Ratnovski, L.

    2014-01-01

    There is much confusion about what shadow banking is. Some equate it with securitization, others with non-traditional bank activities, and yet others with non-bank lending. Regardless, most think of shadow banking as activities that can create systemic risk. This paper proposes to describe shadow

  16. THE BANKING UNION – THE SOLUTION TO REDUCE THE EUROPEAN BANKING SYSTEM RISKS?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ALINA LIGIA DUMITRESCU

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The banking union has been seen as "a panacea" for solving the system risks of the EU banking system. This paper objectives are to find out if is the banking union, with is strong and week sides, will be right answer to solve the actual issues that EU banking system has as: the fragmentation in the EU single market, the deterioration in asset quality, the need for recapitalization and the quality of banks’ loan portfolios. According with most of the experts the banking union will strength the process of economic integration. On the other side, the non-euro area member states are questioning about "equal rights and obligations for all Member States" inside the banking union. But, with all pros and cons of the banking union, the ECB's making decisions and tasks can be questioned, although its role of supervisor can not be disputed. The most important thing is that the banking union breaks the vicious circle between banks and sovereign debts, and ends "to big to fail"

  17. Macroeconomic and Bank Specific Determinants of Non-Performing Loans (NPLs in the Indian Banking Sector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Memdani Laila

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The main objective of the paper is to find out the determinants of NPAs in the Indian Banking sector and to study if these determinants vary across the three different ownership structures viz., public sector banks (PSBs, private banks (PBs and foreign banks (FBs, of banks in India. The panel data for all the banks from 2005 to 2014 is collected from the official website of Reserve Bank of India (RBI, the Central Bank of the country. The econometric technique of Fixed Effects model and Random Effects model is used for the purpose. The results reveal that Macro economic factors, like log of percapita income (LPCY and Inflation (INFN, are significantly affecting NPLs in Public Sector Banks (PSBs. In case of private banks (PBs LPCY is highly significant while bank specific variables like size and total loans to total loans of the banking sector (TLTLBS are significant at 10% level. For FBs none of the variables were significant.

  18. 12 CFR 615.5144 - Banks for cooperatives and agricultural credit banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... such activities constitute a materially important line of business to its members. Also, investments... banks. 615.5144 Section 615.5144 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM FUNDING AND FISCAL AFFAIRS, LOAN POLICIES AND OPERATIONS, AND FUNDING OPERATIONS Investment Management § 615...

  19. Bank Financing for SMEs : Evidence Across Countries and Bank-Ownership Types

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beck, T.H.L.; Demirgüc-Kunt, A.; Martinez Peria, M.

    2009-01-01

    Using data for 91 large banks from 45 countries, this paper finds few differences in the extent, type, and pricing of SME loans across foreign, private, and government-owned banks, even though different bank ownership types apply different lending technologies and have different organizational

  20. GenBank

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — GenBank is the NIH genetic sequence database, an annotated collection of all publicly available DNA sequences. GenBank is designed to provide and encourage access...

  1. A compact and versatile microfluidic probe for local processing of tissue sections and biological specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cors, J. F.; Lovchik, R. D.; Delamarche, E.; Kaigala, G. V.

    2014-03-01

    The microfluidic probe (MFP) is a non-contact, scanning microfluidic technology for local (bio)chemical processing of surfaces based on hydrodynamically confining nanoliter volumes of liquids over tens of micrometers. We present here a compact MFP (cMFP) that can be used on a standard inverted microscope and assist in the local processing of tissue sections and biological specimens. The cMFP has a footprint of 175 × 100 × 140 mm3 and can scan an area of 45 × 45 mm2 on a surface with an accuracy of ±15 μm. The cMFP is compatible with standard surfaces used in life science laboratories such as microscope slides and Petri dishes. For ease of use, we developed self-aligned mounted MFP heads with standardized "chip-to-world" and "chip-to-platform" interfaces. Switching the processing liquid in the flow confinement is performed within 90 s using a selector valve with a dead-volume of approximately 5 μl. We further implemented height-compensation that allows a cMFP head to follow non-planar surfaces common in tissue and cellular ensembles. This was shown by patterning different macroscopic copper-coated topographies with height differences up to 750 μm. To illustrate the applicability to tissue processing, 5 μm thick M000921 BRAF V600E+ melanoma cell blocks were stained with hematoxylin to create contours, lines, spots, gradients of the chemicals, and multiple spots over larger areas. The local staining was performed in an interactive manner using a joystick and a scripting module. The compactness, user-friendliness, and functionality of the cMFP will enable it to be adapted as a standard tool in research, development and diagnostic laboratories, particularly for the interaction with tissues and cells.

  2. Neutron scattering for the analysis of biological structures. Brookhaven symposia in biology. Number 27

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schoenborn, B P [ed.

    1976-01-01

    Sessions were included on neutron scattering and biological structure analysis, protein crystallography, neutron scattering from oriented systems, solution scattering, preparation of deuterated specimens, inelastic scattering, data analysis, experimental techniques, and instrumentation. Separate entries were made for the individual papers.

  3. THE RISE OF MOBILE BANKING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    IMOLA DRIGĂ

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available To meet customer’s expectations and needs, electronic banking services have allowed financial transactions to simplify and have increased their attractiveness. Over the past few year, in order to increase customer comfort and maintain profitability, banks around the world have adopted innovative banking technologies and modern e-banking services, such as internet and mobile banking. As a matter of fact, banking over mobile phones is the newest e-banking service with several benefits for both customers and banks. The paper aims to provide an overview of the latest electronic financial channel, underlining various aspects of mobile banking as it represents a key distribution channel for a growing number of customers.

  4. Banking and Trading

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boot, A.W.A.; Ratnovski, L.

    2016-01-01

    We study the interaction between relationship banking and short-term arm’s length activities of banks, called trading. We show that a bank can use the franchise value of its relationships to expand the scale of trading, but may allocate too much capital to trading ex post , compromising its ability

  5. The effect of quality of electronic banking services on agility of a bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hooman Pourmohammad

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Studies have shown that in service organizations, quality can have a growth in customer satisfaction as its consequence, and when it regards the banking services, factors are brought up with regard to the quality of banking services, which include the speed in responding, providing products proportionate to the customer needs, and gaining competence. These concepts are shared by the issue of organizational agility; hence, the qualities as well as the bank's agility of the banking system embrace these concepts in common. Therefore, the study aims at studying the effect of the quality of electronic banking services on the bank's agility, and assesses the role of two mediator variables of the quality of service system and personnel behavior quality. Using a questionnaire comprised of 76 items about the above components and asking the line personnel in Bank Saderat Iran (BSI in the branches both inside and outside of Iran, the research data was collected, and stratified random sampling was used. To analyze the data, the Structural Equation Model (SEM was used and the PLS software was employed to perform the computations. Results indicated that the model of the study has a high Goodness of Fit, and the quality of the electronic banking services had a significant effect on the bank's agility. In addition, the quality of electronic banking services affects the service system quality. The system service quality, also affects the employees' behavior. Therefore, it can be said that the electronic services quality and the bank's agility affect the personnel behavior quality through the mediated effect of the service system quality. The results of the present study can help the bank's executives to promote their bank's agility and the personnel behavior quality.

  6. Screen-film specimen radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shepard, S.J.; Hogan, J.; Schreck, B.

    1990-01-01

    This paper reports on the reproducibility and quality of biopsy specimen radiographs, a unique phototimed cabinet x-ray system is being developed. The system utilizes specially modified Kodal Min-R cassettes and will be compatible with current mammographic films. Tube voltages are in the 14-20-kVp range with 0.1-1.0-second exposure times. A top-hat type compression device is used (1) to compress the specimen to uniform thickness, (2) to measure the specimen thickness and determine optimum kVp, and (3) to superimpose a grid over the specimen for identification of objects of radiographic interest. The phototiming circuit developed specifically for this purpose will be described along with the modified Min-R cassette. Characteristics of the generator and cabinet will also be described. Tests will be performed on phantoms to evaluate the system limitations

  7. Are EU Banks Safe?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    R.J. Theissen (Roel)

    2013-01-01

    markdownabstract__Abstract__ What exactly are the rules banks are subject to, and are they fit for purpose? These are the two questions addressed in this book ‘Are EU banks safe?’ and its descriptive companion book ‘EU banking supervision’. The full rulebook on banks is difficult to find

  8. Data deposition and annotation at the worldwide protein data bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dutta, Shuchismita; Burkhardt, Kyle; Young, Jasmine; Swaminathan, Ganesh J; Matsuura, Takanori; Henrick, Kim; Nakamura, Haruki; Berman, Helen M

    2009-05-01

    The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the repository for three-dimensional structures of biological macromolecules, determined by experimental methods. The data in the archive is free and easily available via the Internet from any of the worldwide centers managing this global archive. These data are used by scientists, researchers, bioinformatics specialists, educators, students, and general audiences to understand biological phenomenon at a molecular level. Analysis of this structural data also inspires and facilitates new discoveries in science. This chapter describes the tools and methods currently used for deposition, processing, and release of data in the PDB. References to future enhancements are also included.

  9. PELAKSANAAN SHARIA COMPLIANCE PADA BANK SYARIAH (STUDI KASUS PADA BANK SYARIAH MANDIRI, JAKARTA)

    OpenAIRE

    Ade Sofyan Mulazid

    2016-01-01

    The Implementation of Sharia Compliance at Islamic Bank (Case Study on Mandiri Syariah Bank, Jakarta). This study is aimed at finding out the controlling system and the implementation of supervision of compliance of Bank Indonesia (BI) and Sharia Supervisory Board toward the Mandiri Syariah Bank; how is the implementation and its internal audit, what are the roles and responsibilities of the director of compliance for all stakeholders of compliance unit of Bank Syariah Mandiri. Th...

  10. The anatomy of bank performance during transition: A separate efficient frontier analysis of Ukrainian banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ihsan Isik

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available By drawing on Ukrainian experience, this paper analyzes the anatomy of bank efficiency in a transitional economy. Acknowledging the vast disparities in the business technology of different size banks, in this comprehensive study, we innovatively estimate group-specific (distinct frontiers for small, medium, and large size banks. The results from separate frontiers reveal that Ukrainian banks record 38% technical inefficiency, 26% pure technical inefficiency, and 17% scale inefficiency on average. Apparently, banks in transition waste about the two fifths of their factor inputs during the production of financial services. The cardinal source of sub-performance in transitional banks seems to be managerial inefficiencies. We also found that banks operating in areas with more political influence and more developed infrastructure outperform the banks operating in politically and economically weaker regions. The results also indicate that larger banks, enjoying public trust in a risky business climate, dominate smaller banks in all forms of efficiency. However, such bias for size causes large banks to suffer from decreasing returns to scale and small banks from idle capacity. Consequently, the policies promoting consolidation between small and large banks may alleviate the excess (idle capacity for large (small banks in a transitional economy.

  11. Elements of banking intermediation in the Algerian Banking system and the means to activate it

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Habbar Abderezak, Dr.

    2014-06-01

    Banking intermediation raises several interrelated issues for banks, the central bank and the Treasury. It is linked to the gross domestic product, money supply and bank liquidity, etc. These elements will be examined in this article to learn the elements of bank intermediation in the Algerian banking system and ways of strengthening it.

  12. Developing Modernization Strategy for CORE Banking Systems among Iran’s Commercial Banks (Case Study: One of the Commercial Banks of Iran

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Rezaeian

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available After more than two decades of the emergence of CORE banking systems in Iran, their inefficiency and lack of accountability to the needs of the banks have become evident. Hence, modernization of CORE banking systems is one of the most serious concerns of the banks' managers. All the customers of the banks can access the services of these systems through online and 7*24 channels such as ATMs, PoS and / or Internet. Even the slightest interruption in the provision of these services can because banks face serious crises; therefore, choosing the right strategy for modernization is of utmost importance. The researcher could identify internal and external factors affecting modernization by distributing a questionnaire among banks' senior managers and experts. Afterwards, we used another questionnaire to identify internal and external factors affecting the target bank. Having formed the matrixes of IFE and EFE and completed the questionnaire, the related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were identified. Strategies were explained based on SWOT method, then the selected strategies were ranked by weighting of the indices with the help of AHP method using QSPM method. Finally, the strategy with the highest rank was determined as the most appropriate strategy for modernization in the target bank.

  13. BANK GUARANTEES

    OpenAIRE

    Vasile NEME

    2012-01-01

    The present study propose the analyse of the irrevocable commitment of a bank entity towards a determined person, through which guarantees a certain legal conduct of its client, and, in case of breach, assumes the payment obligation of a determined amount of money. This kind of legal technique it is called bank guarantee and in the usual business language it is called “Letter of Bank Guarantee”. The determined reason to choose this scientific initiative it is the frequency of this kind of fin...

  14. Freezability and semen parameters in candidates of sperm bank donors: 1992-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yogev, Leah; Paz, Gedalia; Kleiman, Sandra E; Shabtai, Esther; Gamzu, Ronni; Botchan, Amnon; Lehavi, Ofer; Yavetz, Haim; Hauser, Ron

    2012-01-01

    There has been considerable concern worldwide about possible semen quality deterioration over the last 2 decades. The aim of this study was to evaluate freezability and semen quality of healthy young males during the years 1992-2010. A total of 1211 young (20-32 years old) candidates for sperm bank donation were recruited into the study with no exclusion criteria. They were instructed to observe 2 to 3 days of abstinence from sexual activity, and most of them supplied 2 specimens each. Average values of the various semen parameters, including freezing survival, were calculated for each participant. The change in different semen parameters over years, according to yearly and monthly average temperatures, was evaluated by SAS PROC SURVEYREG analysis. During that period, there were significant increases in motility and vitality percentages, as well as in the percentage of thawed sperm motility. The parameters of volume, concentration, normal morphology, total count, and total motile count showed a significant decrease with years (P average yearly temperature (P average monthly temperature contributed significantly to the trend of semen quality parameters (ie, specimen volume, concentration, percentage of normal morphology, and thawed motility). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the occurrence of an improvement in percent thawed motility over the years, and its significance lies in enabling a higher proportion of sperm bank candidates to be suitable for donation. It is suggested that the global warming phenomenon might have only partial contribution to semen variable changes over the years.

  15. Adopting Internet Banking in Ghana

    OpenAIRE

    G.O. Ofori-Dwumfuo; Betty A. Dankwah

    2013-01-01

    This study looks at the benefits, challenges and barriers in adopting Internet banking at a major bank in Ghana. The development of the Internet is changing the way financial services are provided in Ghana. The Internet banking facility has resulted in new ways of delivering banking services. The research is a case study based on the staffs that has worked with the bank for more than three years. In evaluating benefits, challenges and barriers to the bank in adopting Internet banking, intervi...

  16. Commercial Activity or Banking Competition?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rose-Marie Pușcaciu

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The study analyzes the competition on the banking market and proposes an overview of debt collection companies through the economic crisis which has profoundly affected the banking sector. Article scroll through the main features of competition on the banking market as well as the domain weaknesses that negatively influenced the banking system performance. Even if there is not a sufficiently transparent and functional legal framework and debt recovery market is not supervised enough, it is among the few markets that increase from year to year. Increasing competition from adjacent companies that compete with banks, namely, a non-banking entity, it is stimulating the banking system which will thus become more constructive. It is estimated, that in terms of customers, there will be no differentiation between the banking industry and non-banking entities that will reshape the Romanian banking system soon. Also, the study aims to highlight the existence of debt collection companies, implicitly, the specific markets, it is only a consequence of excessive, unnecessary and dangerous borrowing from previous years. Avoiding bad loans from banks, a fair competition from banks and from non-banking institutions, in the long term, it will generate a balance in the market and it will support economic growth of Romania.

  17. The role of bank collapse on tidal creek ontogeny: A novel process-based model for bank retreat

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Zheng; Zhao, Kun; Zhang, Changkuan; Dai, Weiqi; Coco, Giovanni; Zhou, Zeng

    2018-06-01

    Bank retreat in coastal tidal flats plays a primary role on the planimetric shape of tidal creeks and is commonly driven by both flow-induced bank erosion and gravity-induced bank collapse. However, existing modelling studies largely focus on bank erosion and overlook bank collapse. We build a bank retreat model coupling hydrodynamics, bank erosion and bank collapse. To simulate the process of bank collapse, a stress-deformation model is utilized to calculate the stress variation of bank soil after bank erosion, and the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion is then applied to evaluate the stability of the tidal creek bank. Results show that the bank failure process can be categorized into three stages, i.e., shear failure at the bank toe (stage I), tensile failure on the bank top (stage II), and sectional cracking from the bank top to the toe (stage III). With only bank erosion, the planimetric shapes of tidal creeks are funneled due to the gradually seaward increasing discharge. In contrast to bank erosion, bank collapse is discontinuous, and the contribution of bank collapse to bank retreat can reach 85%, highlighting that the expansion of tidal creeks can be dominated by bank collapse process. The planimetric shapes of tidal creeks are funneled with a much faster expansion rate when bank collapse is considered. Overall, this study makes a further step toward more physical and realistic simulation of bank retreat in estuarine and coastal settings and the developed bank collapse module can be readily included in other morphodynamic models.

  18. Code development of the national hemovigilance system and expansion strategies for hospital blood banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Jeongeun

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives : The aims of this study were to develop reportable event codes that are applicable to the national hemovigilance systems for hospital blood banks, and to present expansion strategies for the blood banks. Materials and Methods : The data were obtained from a literature review and expert consultation, followed by adding to and revising the established hemovigilance code system and guidelines to develop reportable event codes for hospital blood banks. The Medical Error Reporting System-Transfusion Medicine developed in the US and other codes of reportable events were added to the Korean version of the Biologic Products Deviation Report (BPDR developed by the Korean Red Cross Blood Safety Administration, then using these codes, mapping work was conducted. We deduced outcomes suitable for practice, referred to the results of the advisory councils, and conducted a survey with experts and blood banks practitioners. Results : We developed reportable event codes that were applicable to hospital blood banks and could cover blood safety - from blood product safety to blood transfusion safety - and also presented expansion strategies for hospital blood banks. Conclusion : It was necessary to add 10 major categories to the blood transfusion safety stage and 97 reportable event codes to the blood safety stage. Contextualized solutions were presented on 9 categories of expansion strategies of hemovigilance system for the hospital blood banks.

  19. Images of paraffin monolayer crystals with perfect contrast: Minimization of beam-induced specimen motion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Glaeser, R.M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); McMullan, G.; Faruqi, A.R. [MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH (United Kingdom); Henderson, R., E-mail: rh15@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk [MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH (United Kingdom)

    2011-01-15

    Quantitative analysis of electron microscope images of organic and biological two-dimensional crystals has previously shown that the absolute contrast reached only a fraction of that expected theoretically from the electron diffraction amplitudes. The accepted explanation for this is that irradiation of the specimen causes beam-induced charging or movement, which in turn causes blurring of the image due to image or specimen movement. In this paper, we used three different approaches to try to overcome this image-blurring problem in monolayer crystals of paraffin. Our first approach was to use an extreme form of spotscan imaging, in which a single image was assembled on film by the successive illumination of up to 50,000 spots, each of a diameter of around 7 nm. The second approach was to use the Medipix II detector with its zero-noise readout to assemble a time-sliced series of images of the same area in which each frame from a movie with up to 400 frames had an exposure of only 500 electrons. In the third approach, we simply used a much thicker carbon support film to increase the physical strength and conductivity of the support. Surprisingly, the first two methods involving dose fractionation in space or time produced only partial improvements in contrast whereas the third approach produced many virtually perfect images, where the absolute contrast predicted from the electron diffraction amplitudes was observed in the images. We conclude that it is possible to obtain consistently almost perfect images of beam-sensitive specimens if they are attached to an appropriately strong and conductive support; however great care is needed in practice and the problem remains of how to best image ice-embedded biological structures in the absence of a strong, conductive support film. -- Research Highlights: {yields}Three ideas were tested to improve the contrast of images of an organic specimen. {yields}High-resolution images of paraffin on thick carbon films can have perfect

  20. Images of paraffin monolayer crystals with perfect contrast: Minimization of beam-induced specimen motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glaeser, R.M.; McMullan, G.; Faruqi, A.R.; Henderson, R.

    2011-01-01

    Quantitative analysis of electron microscope images of organic and biological two-dimensional crystals has previously shown that the absolute contrast reached only a fraction of that expected theoretically from the electron diffraction amplitudes. The accepted explanation for this is that irradiation of the specimen causes beam-induced charging or movement, which in turn causes blurring of the image due to image or specimen movement. In this paper, we used three different approaches to try to overcome this image-blurring problem in monolayer crystals of paraffin. Our first approach was to use an extreme form of spotscan imaging, in which a single image was assembled on film by the successive illumination of up to 50,000 spots, each of a diameter of around 7 nm. The second approach was to use the Medipix II detector with its zero-noise readout to assemble a time-sliced series of images of the same area in which each frame from a movie with up to 400 frames had an exposure of only 500 electrons. In the third approach, we simply used a much thicker carbon support film to increase the physical strength and conductivity of the support. Surprisingly, the first two methods involving dose fractionation in space or time produced only partial improvements in contrast whereas the third approach produced many virtually perfect images, where the absolute contrast predicted from the electron diffraction amplitudes was observed in the images. We conclude that it is possible to obtain consistently almost perfect images of beam-sensitive specimens if they are attached to an appropriately strong and conductive support; however great care is needed in practice and the problem remains of how to best image ice-embedded biological structures in the absence of a strong, conductive support film. -- Research Highlights: →Three ideas were tested to improve the contrast of images of an organic specimen. →High-resolution images of paraffin on thick carbon films can have perfect contrast

  1. Are Foreign Conventional Banks Capable of Adopting Islamic Banking: A Study to Investigate the Issues and Challenges Faced Foreign Islamic Banks in Malaysia.

    OpenAIRE

    Muhamed Saeed Baashar, Yahya Abd Elwahab

    2010-01-01

    Malaysia has witnessed a remarkable growth of Islamic banking industry in the last four decades. It has established its first full-fledged Islamic bank, Bank Islam Malaysia, in 1983. Accordingly, Malaysia is one of the first Islamic countries that place a profound focus on the industry of Islamic banking. The world‟s Islamic banking experiment begun in modern era Egypt - in Mit Ghamr – through the establishment of the Savings Bank first in the 1960s by Dr. Ahmed Al-Najjar. Consequently, the I...

  2. Role of Islamic Banking and Conventional Against Poverty with The Dual Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iwan Setiawan

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Islamic banking in Indonesia is present in a dual banking system. Islamic banking is expected to contribute more in the process of economic development and improving people’s welfare. The  main  objective of  this  study is  to  analyze the  role  of  financing Islamic banking and conventional banking credit to the improvement of people’s welfare as measured by reductions in poverty. The study was conducted using  the explanatory method, applying the  panel  regression estimation techniques simultaneously with the  Two Stage Least Square  method (TSLS  using  data from the period 1992-2012. Results  of the study reveals that the increased of  financing Islamic banking and conventional banking credit assign roles  to poverty reduction in Indonesia. The role of Islamic banking financing is lower  than conventional bank  credit role  in reducing poverty. In addition to improve financing and credit, changes should be applied in the value  of the instruments of monetary policy, economic growth, unequal distribution  of income and  the depreciation  of the local  currency that contribute towards poverty conditions.

  3. Evolution in banking supervision

    OpenAIRE

    Edward J. Stevens

    2000-01-01

    Banking supervision must keep pace with technical innovations in the banking industry. The international Basel Committee on Banking Supervision currently is reviewing public comments on its proposed new method for judging whether a bank maintains enough capital to absorb unexpected losses. This Economic Commentary explains how existing standards became obsolete and describes the new plan.

  4. Perceptions Towards On-line Banking Security: An Empirical Investigation of a Developing Country`s Banking Sector, how secure is On-line Banking

    OpenAIRE

    Bongani Ngwenya; Khanyisa Malufu

    2012-01-01

    The increase in computer crime has led to scepticism about themove made by the banks to introduce on-line banking. Someview this as a noble move which has made the banking systemmore efficient, reliable and secure, while others view it as arisky and insecure way of banking. The aim of this study wasto assess whether on-line banking in the developing countriesis secure or not. The researcher chose a descriptive-quantitativeresearch design. Data was collected using a self constructedquestionnai...

  5. Essays on banking and regulation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Todorov, R.I.

    2013-01-01

    This thesis consists of three chapters that explore issues related to bank capital, multinational bank supervision, and bank lending in a developing country. The first chapter explores the impact of peer banks on bank capital adjustments. The second chapter evaluates the extent to which distortions

  6. THE APPLICATION OF RISK BASED BANK RATING ON BANKRUPTCY PREDICTION OF BANKS IN INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evi Sistiyarini

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The increase of banking products and services which is more complex will increase the risk to the banks. Therefore, to anticipate the rise of financial difficulties in a bank, the early warning system. This study aimed to find the influence RBBR (Risk Based Bank Rating ratio’s to predict bankruptcy of conventional Banks in Indonesia. Ratio of RBBR consisted of risk profile, Good Corporate Governance, profitability and capital. Independent variables used were NPL, PDN, LDR, GCG, ROA and NIM, and CAR. Dependent variable was bank bankruptcy using dummy variable. The population of this study was all of the conventional banks in Indonesia. The data was a secondary data taken form financial report of conventional bank 2011-2015. Technical sampling used was a purposive sampling method with some criteria. The analysis of this study used logistic regression.The result of the study showed that NPL, PDN, LDR, GCG, ROA and NIM, and CARhad no significant influence to bankruptcy of the bank.

  7. Operational Efficiency of Bank Loans and Deposits: A Case Study of Vietnamese Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tram Nguyen

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines whether there is a causal relationship between bank loans and deposits in the Vietnamese banking system and the efficiency of the use of loans and deposits by the Vietnamese banks. In a country such as Vietnam, where inter-bank money markets are relatively underdeveloped, one would expect a reasonably strong relationship between deposits and loans. A pooled cross-sectional sample of financial ratios is collected from annual reports of 44 Vietnamese banks covering the period 2008–2015. The explanatory power of instrumental variables in relation to the endogenous variables is tested. A deterministic frontier model based on corrected ordinary least squares, estimated by three-stage least squares on a simultaneous equations model, is employed to derive the frontiers for the sampled banks as well as to estimate the causality between bank loans and deposits. Our findings suggest that, in an underdeveloped banking system such as Vietnam, bank deposits have a positive and significant impact on bank loans, but the reverse relationship is not significant. It is further suggested that in deposit-taking and loan-creating activities, Vietnamese banks performed moderately well over the period examined; however, in the near future, they should start to focus more on deposit-taking activities.

  8. 12 CFR 7.1003 - Money lent at banking offices or at other than banking offices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Money lent at banking offices or at other than banking offices. 7.1003 Section 7.1003 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE... without violating 12 U.S.C. 36, 12 U.S.C. 81 and 12 CFR 5.30, provided that a third party is used to...

  9. Effects of Ecohydraulic Bank Stabilization Structures on Bank Stability and Macroinvertebrate Community in Surabaya River

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daru Setyo Rini

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available There were 18 accelerated erosion sites identified along 7 km of Surabaya River Fishery Sanctuary Area. A model of ecohydraulic bank stabilization was applied to reduce bank erosion in Surabaya River at Gresik Regency Indonesia. The model is combination of reprofiled and revegetated bank with rock toe reinforcement and  addition of log groynes. Various native plant species were planted and naturally grown to establish multi-strata littoral vegetation structure. This study assessed effects of ecohydraulic bank stabilization on bank morphology, near bank velocity and littoral macroinvertebrate community during September 2014 to August 2016. The study found that rock toe enforcement, log groynes and reprofiled bank slope could stabilized the eroded bank, and littoral vegetation formation reduced near bank velocity at restored sites. There were 31 families of macroinvertebrate found in Surabaya River with high abundance of moderately pollution sensitive taxa Atyidae and pollution tolerant taxa Corixidae, Chironomidae and Tubificidae. The taxa richness, diversity index and abundance of sensitive and moderately sensitive macroinvertebrate group were increased after application of ecohydraulic bank stabilization at restored area. The results shown that ecohydraulic bank stabilization structure provides multi-benefits in improving bank stabilization against erosion and providing new micro-habitats for biotic community. Keywords:  ecohydraulic bank stabilization, macroinvertebrates, riparian restoration

  10. 12 CFR 987.7 - Liability of Banks, Finance Board, Office of Finance and Federal Reserve Banks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Liability of Banks, Finance Board, Office of Finance and Federal Reserve Banks. 987.7 Section 987.7 Banks and Banking FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE BOARD OFFICE OF FINANCE BOOK-ENTRY PROCEDURE FOR CONSOLIDATED OBLIGATIONS § 987.7 Liability of Banks, Finance Board, Office of Finance and Federal Reserve...

  11. Penilaian Tingkat Kesehatan Bank Dengan Menggunakan Pendekatan Risiko (Risk-Based Bank Rating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masnawati .

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available This  study  aimed  to  analyze  techniques  of  the  bank’s  health  assessment  and determine  which  strategies  should  be  done  in  order  to  improve  the  health  of the bank. The method used is the approach of Risk (Risk Based-Bank Rating in accordance with Bank Indonesia Regulation on Rating Bank that PBI Number: 13/1/PBI/2011  which  entered  into  force  on  January  1,  2012.  Bank  health assessment  performed  using  four  (4  factors:  Risk  Profile,  Good  Corporate Governance (GCG, Earning, and Capital. Object  of  this  study  is  PT.  Bank  Pembangunan  Daerah  Kalimantan  Selatan period  2012.  The  results  showed  that  the  health  of  banks  in  PT.  Bank Pembangunan  Daerah  Kalimantan  Selatan  getting  ranked  2,  meaning  can be  categorized  good.  Strategies  to  improve  the  health  value  of  a  bank  is  to improve aspects of Earnings and Capital. Strategis Steps that must to increase credit expansion, improve the quality and quantity of human resources, product innovation, and increase fee-based income. Keywords: Healthy  banks,  Risk  Profile,  Good  Corporate  Governance  (GCG,  Earnings, Capital

  12. [Biological research and security institutes].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darsie, G; Falczuk, A J; Bergmann, I E

    2006-04-01

    The threat of using biological material for ago-bioterrorist ends has risen in recent years, which means that research and diagnostic laboratories, biological agent banks and other institutions authorised to carry out scientific activities have had to implement biosafety and biosecurity measures to counter the threat, while carrying out activities to help prevent and monitor the accidental or intentional introduction of exotic animal diseases. This article briefly sets outthe basic components of biosafety and biosecurity, as well as recommendations on organisational strategies to consider in laboratories that support agro-bioterrorist surveillance and prevention programs.

  13. Monetary policy, bank size and bank lending: evidence from Australia(new version)

    OpenAIRE

    liu, luke

    2012-01-01

    This study explores how monetary policy changes flow through the banking sector in Australia. Drawing on data between 2004 and 2010, we divide banks into three groups according to their size, and examine the impact of cash rate change on lending of different types of loans. We found the response of bank lending after a monetary policy change varies with the size of the bank as well as the types of loan.

  14. Croatian banking sector research: relationship between ownership structure, concentration, owners’ type and bank performance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor Tomičić

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Banks are important financial intermediaries of any national economy, and corporate governance has an important role in banking sector; especially due to processes of the globalization and the internationalization, and also because of the sensitivity of the activities between the interest groups. The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between ownership structure, concentration, owners’ type and bank performance. The authors made a research of banks' ownership structure using publicly available data. Using statistical tools authors discovered relationships between bank ownership structure and bank performance indicators (average asset, total asset, average equity, profit (loss before taxes, profit (loss after taxes, ROAA, ROAE. Further they discuss the relationships between ownership structure and a number of consequences for the bank performance. The authors discovered significant correlation between bank ownership structure and performance indicators variables that are described in the paper.

  15. REFORMING THE EUROPEAN FINANCIAL AND BANKING ARCHITECTURE IN THE CRISIS CONTEXT. THE BANKING UNION CONCEPT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magdalena, RADULESCU

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Deep financial crisis which started in 2007 proved to be extremely contagious affecting the financial and banking EU system. Achieving an integrated banking market is the main component of the European policy in the financial-banking services area. The latest developments underlined that the difficulties faced by the banks can negatively impact on the entire financial stability of the member states. That's why, the European Central Bank will be entitled to supervise any bank of the euro area, especially the ones that benefit of public support. Reforming the financial and banking system must be shaped in the frame of insuring some durable national finances, of an urgent recapitalizing of the banks that need that and of elaborating some common fiscal and financial and banking regulations effective in the eurozone.

  16. 40 CFR 91.205 - Banking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Banking. 91.205 Section 91.205... EMISSIONS FROM MARINE SPARK-IGNITION ENGINES Averaging, Banking, and Trading Provisions § 91.205 Banking. (a... banking. (i) For outboard engines in model year (MY) 1997, a manufacturer may bank positive emission...

  17. Greece and the Missing Banking Union

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    N. Gordon, Jeffery; Ringe, Georg

    2015-01-01

    The Greek Crisis is a crisis rather than a problem due to the vulnerability of Greek banks. While the banks have deep problems, this column argues that these would have been mitigated if a fully operational banking union were in place. A full banking union requires joint banking supervision, join...... bank resolution, and joint deposit insurance. The EZ only has the first so far. Completing the banking union must be part of any long-term solution.......The Greek Crisis is a crisis rather than a problem due to the vulnerability of Greek banks. While the banks have deep problems, this column argues that these would have been mitigated if a fully operational banking union were in place. A full banking union requires joint banking supervision, joint...

  18. Universal banking and the Nigerian banking sector | Osamwonyi ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study we propose that there is a positive relationship between the variables (growth, effective customer service, size of a bank) and universal banking in Nigeria. In support of this proposition, we employed empirical evidence in the investigation. From the result, it was discovered that the size (net assets and market ...

  19. Industries and the bank lending effects of bank credit demand and monetary policy in Germany

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Raabe, K.; Arnold, I.J.M.; Kool, C.J.M.

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents evidence on the industry effects of bank lending in Germany and asks whether bank lending to single industries depends on industry-specific bank credit demand or on monetary policy as determinant of bank credit supply. To this end, we estimate individual bank lending functions

  20. Financial performance after the Spanish banking reforms: A comparative study of 19 commercial banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pison F. Irene

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available A diagnostic review of the Spanish financial system during the 2008 financial crisis reveals the emergency need for banking reform in the sector. In an attempt to evaluate the impact of the Spanish reform, the present study examines the bank´s performance before/after the reform was adopted, using data of 19 Spanish commercial banks extracted from the Global Vantage research database (Standard and Poor’s over the period 2006 to 2013. This study uses multivariable regression method to investigate the impact of the CAMELS rating system: capital adequacy, asset quality, management quality, liquidity and sensitivity to market risks on the bank´s performance such as earnings efficiency. The time-line of the study is essential because it helps us to determine the financial performance of Spanish commercial banks before the banking reforms during the financial crisis and an important set in terms of mergers and acquisition in the banking industry. The empirical results have found strong and positive evidence that Capital Adequacy, Management Capacity, Liquidity and Sensitivity to Market Risk are useful predictors of banks performance (earnings efficiency, thus, any reform pilot toward this banking indicators will eventually have a positive impact on banking performance. Base on the present study, the Spanish reform was so vital for better banking performance. Therefore, this study serves not only to academics but also to policy makers

  1. Perbandingan NPL, LDR, CAR, ROA, dan BOPO Antara Bank BNI Dan Bank BUMN Lain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Wahyuningsih

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to analyze the differences in financial performance of Bank BNI and other BUMN Banks by the measuring the ratio of Non Performing Loan (NPL, Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR, Adecuacy Capital Ratio (CAR, Return on Assets (ROA and BOPO. The study was conducted by using descriptive analysis method. The results of this study explained that the performance NPL, LDR, and Bank BNI's CAR on average during the past eight semesters was still better than BUMN Banks on average, while the performance of ROA and BOPO remained below the average Revenues and Operating Expenses of Operational Income of  Bank BUMN. The results also showed that all BUMN banks still showed good and healthy performance and in accordance with the provisions set by Bank Indonesia. This study also presented the strategy undertaken by Bank BNI to improve its financial performance, that is, the business synergy of all units unit, growth in good-quality assets, optimization of the customer engagement, strengthening the network and develop alliances, optimization of existing resources and simplification of processes, and enhancing customer experiences through improving processes and business models to  digital banking. Keywords: Non-Performing Loans, Loan to Deposit Ratio, Capital Adequacy Ratio, Return on Assets, Revenues and Operating Expenses of Operational Income, Bank BNI, Bank BUMN.

  2. BANKING SUPERVISION IN EUROPEAN UNION

    OpenAIRE

    Lavinia Mihaela GUȚU; Vasile ILIE

    2013-01-01

    The need for prudential supervision imposed to banks by law arises from the action that banking market’s basic factors have. Therefore, it is about banks’ role in economy. The normal functioning of banks in all their important duties maintains the stability of banking system. Further, the stability of the entire economy depends on the stability of the banking system. Under conditions of imbalance regarding treasury or liquidity, banks are faced with unmanageable crisis and the consequences ca...

  3. The forgotten type specimen of the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)) from the island of Amager, Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Morten Tange; Galatius, Anders; Biard, Vincent

    2016-01-01

    The conservation and management of biological diversity rely heavily on clear definitions of appropriate target units, such as populations, subspecies and species. However, the nomenclature of the grey seal [Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius 1791)] has for many years been misled by two persistent...... assumptions; that there was no type specimen for the species and that the type locality lay in Greenland. Here, we describe a grey seal skull held in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, and present written and morphological evidence to demonstrate that this skull is identical...... to Fabricius’ original specimen collected in 1788 near Copenhagen on the island of Amager, Denmark. In addition, we perform genetic analyses to clearly affiliate this specimen with the Baltic grey seal subspecies. Accordingly, we appoint this specimen (ZMUC M11-1525) the holotype of the grey seal...

  4. Probing the potential of neutron imaging for biomedical and biological applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watkin, Kenneth L.; Bilheux, Hassina Z.; Ankner, John Francis

    2009-01-01

    Neutron imaging of biological specimens began soon after the discovery of the neutron by Chadwick in 1932. The first samples included tumors in tissues, internal organs in rats, and bones. These studies mainly employed thermal neutrons and were often compared with X-ray images of the same or equivalent samples. Although neutron scattering is widely used in biological studies, neutron imaging has yet to be exploited to its full capability in this area. This chapter summarizes past and current research efforts to apply neutron radiography to the study of biological specimens, in the expectation that clinical and medical research, as well as forensic science, may benefit from it.

  5. Modern bank's credit risk

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Šabović Šerif

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Credit risk is the most important risk banks have to face with. It occurs due to an obligation created because of debtors' capital and interest rate nonpayment. Debtors obligations non-fulfilment may lead to great losses and insolvency in bank's business. Credit risk is the crucial reason of bank's insolvency. Over 80% of bank's balance sheet is exposed to credit risk.

  6. Janka hardness using nonstandard specimens

    Science.gov (United States)

    David W. Green; Marshall Begel; William Nelson

    2006-01-01

    Janka hardness determined on 1.5- by 3.5-in. specimens (2×4s) was found to be equivalent to that determined using the 2- by 2-in. specimen specified in ASTM D 143. Data are presented on the relationship between Janka hardness and the strength of clear wood. Analysis of historical data determined using standard specimens indicated no difference between side hardness...

  7. NEA data bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-01-01

    This paper is an introduction to the NEA data bank. The essential programs and data for nuclear energy calculations are available from the Data Bank. The Data Bank's role, in co-operation with other centers, is to protect the technological capital represented by the programs and data in its collection, which is unique in covering nearly the whole field of reactor physics at a single center (Saclay). The compilation and exchange of experimental and evaluated neutron and other nuclear data is carried out through a world-wide information network. The tasks now assigned to the Data Bank are in the areas of computer program packaging, neutron data compilation, assembly and benchmark testing of the Joint Evaluated File (JEF) of neutron cross-section data, and servicing the NEA scientific committees, as well as providing a computer service to the main NEA secretariat. In all areas the emphasis is on developing a ''value added'' element to the incoming data or computer codes, by validation documentation and presentation of information in a convenient standard form. The services offered by the Data Bank and the computers used by the Data Bank are presented

  8. Performance Based Islamic Performance Index (Study on the Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Mandiri

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siti Aisjah

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The development of Islamic base banks in Indonesia in recent years show rapid growth. The main challenge for Islamic base banks is how to raise belief from the stakeholders. Stakeholder expectations of the Islamic banks is different from a conventional bank. Since, Islamic banks are built on basic principles of Islamic economics. Therefore, we need a tool to evaluate and measure the performance of Islamic base banks. Islamicity Performance Index is a method which can evaluate the performance of Islamic base banks not only their financial but also justice principles, halal (lawfulness, and tazkiyah (sanctification. There are six financial ratios which are measured from Islamicity Performance Index:profit sharing ratio, zakat performance ratio, equitable distribution ratio, directors-employees welfare ratio, Islamic investment versus non-Islamic investment ratio, Islamic income versus non-Islamic income. This research is intended to figure out the performance of Islamic base Bank in Indonesia based on Islamicity Performance Index. The samples are the Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Mandiri. Sources of data are the financial reports of Bank Muamalat Indonesia and Bank Syariah Mandiri in 2009–2010 period.The results show that the financial performance of Islamic Base Bank in Indonesia during 2009-2010 period have ”quite satisfactory level of  valuation. However, there are two unsatisfactory ratios. They are zakat performance ratio and director-employee welfare contrast ratio. It shows that zakat issued by the Islamic base bank in Indonesia is still low and the contrast of the director-employee welfare is still huge.

  9. Analisis Perbandingan Kinerja Keuangan Bank Swasta Nasional Dan Bank Pemerintah Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia (Bei

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sri Hastuti

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Performance or performance of bank is the image of reached achievement in banking operational in all aspect, covering monetary management of bank and ability of bank’s assets had to yield profit efficiently, so bank can stay and compete in the middle of inflation distortion and policy of Bank Indonesia, hence the bank had to have up to standard performance or performance - condition health of bank determined by Bank Indonesia. This research aim to analyse and prove the difference flattens which isn't it in monetary performance Private National Bank and State Bank pursuant to ratioes of CAMEL. Sampel the used to amount to 12 banks, consist of 9 Private National Bank and 3 taken State Bank pursuant to Purposive Sampling with criterion enlist in Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI, routine deliver financial statement, period of year 2005-2007.

  10. ANTESEDEN ATTITUDE TOWARDS M-BANKING DAN DAMPAKNYA TERHADAP BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TO ADOPT M-BANKING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Titon Adrinanto

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The background of this research was m­banking users in Indonesia is still low despite the mobile phone users in developed and developing countries in the world has increased rapidly since 21st century. Some bank companies in Indonesia has been offering m­banking service but the use of m­banking for financial transaction is still low and limited. The objectives of this research was to analyze the antecedents of attitude towards m­banking and its impact on behavioral intention to adopt m­banking. The design of this research applies hypothesis testing. 200 samples selected from prospective user of 3 government bank. The sampling technique was purposive sampling with cross­sectional study. Data analysis used in this research was collected by questionnaire technique with item of statements for each variable. In order to obtain valid and reliable instrument tool, validity and reliability test has been done. The result of this research conclude that there is positive effect perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived competence, perceived communication, perceived privacy and security, society influence, and facilitating condition on attitude towards m­banking. This study supports that there is positive influence on attitude towards m­banking on behavioral intention to adopt m­banking.

  11. LPTR irradiation of LLL vanadium tensile specimens and LLL Nb--1Zr tensile specimens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    MacLean, S.C.; Rowe, C.L.

    1977-01-01

    The LPTR irradiation of 14 LLL vanadium tensile specimens and 14 LLL Nb-1Zr tensile specimens is described. Sample packaging, the irradiation schedule and neutron fluences for three energy ranges are given

  12. Bank and sovereign debt risk

    OpenAIRE

    Darracq Paries, Matthieu; Faia, Ester; Rodriguez-Palenzuela, Diego

    2013-01-01

    Euro area data show a positive connection between sovereign and bank risk, which increases with banks' and sovereign long run fragility. We build a macro model with banks subject to incentive problems and liquidity risk (in the form of liquidity based banks' runs) which provides a link between endogenous bank capital and macro and policy risk. Our banks also invest in risky government bonds used as capital buffer to self-insure against liquidity risk. The model can replicate the positive conn...

  13. Banking towards development: Evidence from the Spanish banking expansion plan

    OpenAIRE

    Pere Arqué-Castells; Elisabet Viladecans-Marsal

    2013-01-01

    During the period 1965-1987 Spain was an emerging market in full transition from developing to developed status. During the same period the Spanish banking system underwent an unprecedented episode of expansion growing from 5,000 to over 30,000 bank branches. We examine whether the latter process partly caused the former by focusing on the relationship between branch expansion and entrepreneurship in the wholesale and retail trade industries. To address the non-random allocation of bank branc...

  14. E-BANKING: A CASE STUDY OF ASKARI COMMERCIAL BANK PAKISTAN

    OpenAIRE

    Muhammad Shakil AHMAD; Shahid RASHID; Muhammad Tahir MASOOD; Ehtesham UL MUJEEB

    2011-01-01

    This paper has covered the operational issues related to e-banking as well as customer’s perception on usage of e-banking a case study of Askari Bank, Pakistan. 40 staff members and four customers are selected as sample for this study. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used to present the results. Descriptive statistics is applied to describe the demographic variables while for operational problems correlation was used. Finally cross case analysis present customers’ perception abo...

  15. Bank of China Becomes Banking Partner of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2004-01-01

    @@ Beijing Olympic Committee announced recently that Bank of China become a partner of 2008 Olympic Games. Bank of China will provide abundant fund, banking financial products and related services for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and China Olympic Committee and China Sports team to participate in 2006 Winter Olympic Games and 2008 Olympic Games.

  16. The Determinants of Banking Performance: Empirical evidence from Tunisian Listed Banks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khalfaoui Hamdi

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper aims to identify the determinants of performance of the Tunisian banking sector. The results found, following an empirical study using panel data of Tunisian banks listed on the stock market over the period 2000-2013, show that credit risk, liquidity, total assets and disclosure of information relating to credit are the main determinants of banking performance.

  17. 31 CFR 103.187 - Special measures against Myanmar Mayflower Bank and Asia Wealth Bank.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Special measures against Myanmar... measures against Myanmar Mayflower Bank and Asia Wealth Bank. (a) Definitions. For purposes of this section...) Myanmar Mayflower Bank means all headquarters, branches, and offices of Myanmar Mayflower Bank operating...

  18. Georeferencing Animal Specimen Datasets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Erp, M.G.J.; Hensel, R.; Ceolin, D.; van der Meij, M.

    2014-01-01

    For biodiversity research, the field of study that is concerned with the richness of species of our planet, it is of the utmost importance that the location of an animal specimen find is known with high precision. Due to specimens often having been collected over the course of many years, their

  19. Nothing special about banks : Competition and bank lending in Britain 1885-1925

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Braggion, Fabio; Dwarkasing, Narly; Moore, Lyndon

    2017-01-01

    We investigate the impact of increasing bank concentration on bank loan contracts in a lightly regulated environment. This environment allows us to abstract from possible confounding effects of regulation to focus on the “pure” effects of competition on bank lending. We study over 30,000 British

  20. Branch of bank, change of its status and its value in contemporary Czech banking system.

    OpenAIRE

    Čížek, Martin

    2009-01-01

    This study concerns view of contemporary branch of bank. It shortly deals with history of bank branch in Czech environment after 1989. Further the study analyses its importance, advantages and disadvantages comparing direct banking - online banking in particular. The key point of the study is to answer the question if there is a future of branch of bank. Whether it will cooperate successfully with internet online channels of communication or it will be superseded by online banking at all.

  1. 78 FR 20643 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-05

    ... (Jacqueline G. King, Community Affairs Officer) 90 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55480-0291: 1... voting shares of Northview Bank, Sandstone, Minnesota, and First Independent Bank, Russell, Minnesota...

  2. Domestic Systemically Important Banks: A Quantitative Analysis for the Chinese Banking System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yibing Chen

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper serves as a response to the official assessment approach proposed by Basel Committee to identify domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs in China. Our analysis presents not only current levels of domestic systemic importance of individual banks but also the changes. We also consider the systemic risk of the whole banking system, by investigating how D-SIBs and non-D-SIBs are correlated before and after the recent financial crises using Copula. We find that the systemic importance of major banks is decreasing, while some banks becoming more systemically important should require tight regulations. D-SIBs as a whole subsystem display stronger correlation with non-D-SIBs than the individual D-SIBs, which alerts the regulatory to pay attention to “too-many-to-fail” problems. Contagion effects between D-SIBs and non-D-SIBs exist during the subprime crisis, but did not exist during the European debt crisis. This yields good signal of a more balanced banking system in China.

  3. PATHWAYS TO SUSTAINABLE BANKING MANAGEMENT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dragan (Santamarian Oana Raluca

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes one of the major challenges of the future: the sustainable development of the society. Sustainability is now increasingly recognized as central to the growth of emerging market economies. For the banking sector, this represents both a demand for greater social and environmental responsibility as well as a new landscape of business opportunity. Several years ago, the main part of the banks did not consider the social and environmental problems relevant for their operations. Recently, the banks began to realize the major impact of the sustainable development over the way of ulterior development of the society and, implicitly over the way of creating of the banking value in the future. In this context, the development of a banking management system, based on sustainable principles represents one of the provocations of these days.Starting from literature in the sustainable banking management field in this paper are presented several relevant issues related to risk management in the context of sustainable banking financing: the need to implement the sustainable management principles in financial and banking industry; the role of banks in sustainable development of society; social and environmental risk management policies, events that have shaped the role of the banking sector in sustainable development; international standards regarding sustainable banking management such us: Equator Principles for sustainable investment projects’ financing or GRI principles for sustainable reporting. Furthermore, we developed a practical case study related to the implementation of sustainable banking management at Bank of America.

  4. Fundamental Technical Elements of Freeze-fracture/Freeze-etch in Biological Electron Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freeze-fracture/freeze-etch describes a process whereby specimens, typically biological or nanomaterial in nature, are frozen, fractured, and replicated to generate a carbon/platinum "cast" intended for examination by transmission electron microscopy. Specimens are subjected to u...

  5. Status quo of management of the human tissue banks in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Ching-Pang; Chou, Szu-Cheng; Chen, Ying-Hua; Chen, Yu-Hsuan; Lee, Ming-Shin

    2017-03-01

    As the technologies associated with transplantation and biological tissue engineering continue to advance, human cells and tissues form an integral part to the practice of regenerative medicine. The patient's use of tissues entails the risk of introducing, transmitting and spreading communicable diseases. To prevent such risk and to ensure that the human organs, tissues and cells remain intact and functional after being handled and processed, the transplanted tissues must be subject to good management standards through all stages of collection, screening, processing, storage and distribution as the safety of the users is of the utmost importance. On February 2009, the government of Taiwan promulgated the Regulations for Administration on Human Organ Bank that requires all human tissues banks to adhere to the Good Tissue Practice for Human Organ, Tissue and Cell in terms of establishment and operation in order to cope with the international management trend and the development and management need of the domestic industry. Six years have passed since the law became effective. This article seeks to introduce the current management mechanism and status quo of management of human tissue banks in Taiwan. We also conducted statistical analysis of the data relating to the tissue banks to identify potential risks and the room for improvement. The study concludes that human tissue banks in Taiwan are on the right track with their management practice, leading to a state of steady development and progress.

  6. Customer loyalty in Internet banking

    OpenAIRE

    Eriksson, M.; Schuster, C.

    2008-01-01

    In the recent years the way to do banking has changed. Internet banking has grown and a lot of niche banks working mainly with the Internet as a medium has entered the Swedish bank market. How to keep the customer loyal online in a very competitive environment has become a main question for the banks. The aim of this dissertation is to test what factors impact bank customer loyalty in an online environment. A positivistic research philosophy, a deductive research approach, an explanatory pur...

  7. Measuring brand equity in banking industry: A case study of Mellat Bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maryam Nadernezhad

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available This study examines the influencing factors on brand equity in banking industry. The proposed study designs a questionnaire consists of 16 questions for measuring brand loyalty, brand awareness, brand compatibility and perceived quality in one of Iranian banks named Mellat Bank. Using a descriptive and non-experimental study, the proposed study gathers data and analyze them using t-student test. The results indicate that three components including brand loyalty, brand awareness and brand equity compatibility on brand equity of Mellat bank branches in Mazandaran province are in desirable level but the effect of perceived quality indicator on brand equity of Mellat Bank is not desirable. The study provides necessary suggestions to improve the quality of services for the proposed case study.

  8. PENGARUH RASIO KESEHATAN BANK TERHADAP KINERJA KEUANGAN BANK SYARIAH PERIODE 2010-2013

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iwan Fakhruddin

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The research was aimed to analyze the effect of risk base bank ratio to the financial performance of syariah bank listed in Central Bank of Indonesia. The population covered all syariah Bank and the sample was 11 syariah Bank. Then, the data analyze through double regression. The research showed that Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR, Non Performing Ratio (NPF, Operational efficiency Ratio (OER, Financing to Deposit Ratio (FDR, Quality of Productive Active (KAP effected simultaneously to Return of Asset (ROA. CAR variable had positive and significant effects to ROA. NPF contributed negative and significant effects to ROA. OER comprised negative and significant effect to ROA. FDR had positive and significant effect to ROA. KAP got negative and significant effect to ROA.

  9. Banks, regions and development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pietro Alessandrini

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available From the 1980s onwards the banking sectors in all the industrialised countries have been experiencing intense restructuring, aggregation and consolidation, radically changing their ownership structures and geography. Whatever the reasons behind such restructuring processes, the globalisation of the credit markets, the consolidation of banking structures, the removal of barriers to the free location of banks and their penetration of peripheral markets pose two main questions. Will integration of the banking systems lead to a narrowing or a widening of the development gap between regions? What relations will there be between financial centres and the periphery, and how will financial labour be divided between national (international banks and local (regional banks? The aim of this paper is to address such questions in the light of recent developments in the theoretical and empirical literature on financial integration.

  10. Bank of China Becomes Banking Partner of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2004-01-01

      Beijing Olympic Committee announced recently that Bank of China become a partner of 2008 Olympic Games. Bank of China will provide abundant fund, banking financial products and related services for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and Paralympic Games, Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and China Olympic Committee and China Sports team to participate in 2006 Winter Olympic Games and 2008 Olympic Games.……

  11. Credit Risk Management in Banking Institutions: Comparison between Chinese Banks and UK Banks

    OpenAIRE

    YU, LIN

    2009-01-01

    The recent international financial market turmoil has a great effect on the banking industry; accordingly it is very necessary to investigate the topic of the credit risk management. This paper mainly discusses the importance, current situation, ways and guidelines of the credit risk management for the banking industry. A large number of literatures are integrated in order to illustrate and explain recent developments in both methods and principles of credit risk management. Meanwhile, some e...

  12. An experimental comparison of conventional two-bank and novel four-bank dynamic MLC tracking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davies, G A; Clowes, P; McQuaid, D; Evans, P M; Webb, S; Poludniowski, G

    2013-01-01

    The AccuLeaf mMLC featuring four multileaf-collimator (MLC) banks has been used for the first time for an experimental comparison of conventional two-bank with novel four-bank dynamic MLC tracking of a two-dimensional sinusoidal respiratory motion. This comparison was performed for a square aperture, and for three conformal treatment apertures from clinical radiotherapy lung cancer patients. The system latency of this prototype tracking system was evaluated and found to be 1.0 s and the frequency at which MLC positions could be updated, 1 Hz, and therefore accurate MLC tracking of irregular patient motion would be difficult with the system in its current form. The MLC leaf velocity required for two-bank-MLC and four-bank-MLC tracking was evaluated for the apertures studied and a substantial decrease was found in the maximum MLC velocity required when four-banks were used for tracking rather than two. A dosimetric comparison of the two techniques was also performed and minimal difference was found between two-bank-MLC and four-bank-MLC tracking. The use of four MLC banks for dynamic MLC tracking is shown to be potentially advantageous for increasing the delivery efficiency compared with two-bank-MLC tracking where difficulties are encountered if large leaf shifts are required to track motion perpendicular to the direction of leaf travel. (paper)

  13. FogBank: a single cell segmentation across multiple cell lines and image modalities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalfoun, Joe; Majurski, Michael; Dima, Alden; Stuelten, Christina; Peskin, Adele; Brady, Mary

    2014-12-30

    Many cell lines currently used in medical research, such as cancer cells or stem cells, grow in confluent sheets or colonies. The biology of individual cells provide valuable information, thus the separation of touching cells in these microscopy images is critical for counting, identification and measurement of individual cells. Over-segmentation of single cells continues to be a major problem for methods based on morphological watershed due to the high level of noise in microscopy cell images. There is a need for a new segmentation method that is robust over a wide variety of biological images and can accurately separate individual cells even in challenging datasets such as confluent sheets or colonies. We present a new automated segmentation method called FogBank that accurately separates cells when confluent and touching each other. This technique is successfully applied to phase contrast, bright field, fluorescence microscopy and binary images. The method is based on morphological watershed principles with two new features to improve accuracy and minimize over-segmentation. First, FogBank uses histogram binning to quantize pixel intensities which minimizes the image noise that causes over-segmentation. Second, FogBank uses a geodesic distance mask derived from raw images to detect the shapes of individual cells, in contrast to the more linear cell edges that other watershed-like algorithms produce. We evaluated the segmentation accuracy against manually segmented datasets using two metrics. FogBank achieved segmentation accuracy on the order of 0.75 (1 being a perfect match). We compared our method with other available segmentation techniques in term of achieved performance over the reference data sets. FogBank outperformed all related algorithms. The accuracy has also been visually verified on data sets with 14 cell lines across 3 imaging modalities leading to 876 segmentation evaluation images. FogBank produces single cell segmentation from confluent cell

  14. Banking crises : A review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Laeven, L.

    2011-01-01

    This review surveys the theoretical and empirical literature on the causes and consequences of banking crises, and summarizes the lessons learned from policy interventions to resolve banking crises. Despite their different origins, banking crises display similar patterns. Their causes lie in

  15. 78 FR 20919 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-08

    ... the Citizens Bank and Trust, both in Jackson, Kentucky, and Farmers Deposit Bank, Middleburg, Kentucky.... Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, April 3, 2013. Michael J. Lewandowski, Assistant...

  16. The Consolidation on Banking Supervision in the Context of a Pan European Banking System

    OpenAIRE

    Teodora Barbu; Georgeta Vintila

    2007-01-01

    The diversity of national banking systems in the European banking system and the absence of consolidated supervision creates the premises for a series of interrogations whose essence is the same: Is it possible to discuss about a Pan European Banking System? The starting point in answering this question was the efforts to create a single banking market, which took place in 1973-1999, and the impact of integration on the European Banking Industry. Among the most representative aspects, it must...

  17. The impact of the recent banking crisis on customer loyalty in the banking sector

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skowron, Lukasz; Kristensen, Kai

    2012-01-01

    . The second part of the paper demonstrates statistical analysis of the obtained data from the Polish and European banking sector. The authors also present socio-demographic characteristic of the research samples and the character of the bank-client relations, comparative analysis of customer satisfaction...... and loyalty levels than clients of banks in Western Europe. Second, the recent banking crisis has affected the level of customer satisfaction much more strongly in developing European countries than in developed ones. Third, the recent banking crisis has changed the character of the process of building...... customer satisfaction and loyalty in Poland by strengthening the influence of the image area. Originality/value – Hardly anyone has tried to measure the influence of the banking crises at the level of customers’ satisfaction and the structure of the process of building long-term relations between banks...

  18. Tissue Banking, Bioinformatics, and Electronic Medical Records: The Front-End Requirements for Personalized Medicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, K. Stephen; Sarojini, Sreeja; Youssif, Maher; Nalley, Kip; Milinovikj, Natasha; Elloumi, Fathi; Russell, Steven; Pecora, Andrew; Schecter, Elyssa; Goy, Andre

    2013-01-01

    Personalized medicine promises patient-tailored treatments that enhance patient care and decrease overall treatment costs by focusing on genetics and “-omics” data obtained from patient biospecimens and records to guide therapy choices that generate good clinical outcomes. The approach relies on diagnostic and prognostic use of novel biomarkers discovered through combinations of tissue banking, bioinformatics, and electronic medical records (EMRs). The analytical power of bioinformatic platforms combined with patient clinical data from EMRs can reveal potential biomarkers and clinical phenotypes that allow researchers to develop experimental strategies using selected patient biospecimens stored in tissue banks. For cancer, high-quality biospecimens collected at diagnosis, first relapse, and various treatment stages provide crucial resources for study designs. To enlarge biospecimen collections, patient education regarding the value of specimen donation is vital. One approach for increasing consent is to offer publically available illustrations and game-like engagements demonstrating how wider sample availability facilitates development of novel therapies. The critical value of tissue bank samples, bioinformatics, and EMR in the early stages of the biomarker discovery process for personalized medicine is often overlooked. The data obtained also require cross-disciplinary collaborations to translate experimental results into clinical practice and diagnostic and prognostic use in personalized medicine. PMID:23818899

  19. Specimen size effects in Charpy impact testing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, D.J.; Klueh, R.L.

    1989-01-01

    Full-size , half-size, and third-size specimens from several different steels have been tested as part of an ongoing alloy development program. The smaller specimens permit more specimens to be made from small trail heats and are much more efficient for irradiation experiments. The results of several comparisons between the different specimen sizes have shown that the smaller specimens show qualitatively similar behavior to large specimens, although the upper-shelf energy level and ductile-to-ductile transition temperature are reduced. The upper-shelf energy levels from different specimen sizes can be compared by using a simple volume normalization method. The effect of specimen size and geometry on the ductile-to-ductile transition temperature is more difficult to predict, although the available data suggest a simple shift in the transition temperature due to specimen size changes.The relatively shallower notch used in smaller specimens alters the deformation pattern, and permits yielding to spread back to the notched surface as well as through to the back. This reduces the constraint and the peak stresses, and thus the initiation of cleavage is more difficult. A better understanding of the stress and strain distributions is needed. 19 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs

  20. Stress Testing of the Montenegrin Banking System with Aggregated and Bank-Specific Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vuković Sanja

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available There are many different approaches to the process of stress testing and two of them will be investigated in this paper. The first one is a stress test performed on aggregated data i.e. the banking system as a whole. The variable of interest in both exercises is the Loan Loss Provision ratio (hereinafter: the LLP. The main goal of the thesis is to find an answer to the following question: what are the macroeconomic variables that influence LLP the most and how will LLP, as a variable of interest, behave in a situation when all these variables were to experience negative performance at the same time? The resilience of the banking system to such scenario will be tested through the capital adequacy ratio. In order to find out more about the management practices of banks, microlevel data on banks were also used in the analysis. The focus was to see which of the variables are able to explain the LLP ratio for each bank individually and how is this information helpful for possible improvements in the banking sector. The relations between these variables will be able to explain some of the banks’ losses and some of the banks’ practices regarding credit activities. The analysis there will provide for some recommendations for the banks but also for the Central Bank and its way to influence the practices in the banking sector.

  1. 77 FR 35680 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-14

    ..., New York, New York 10045-0001: 1. Muhammad Habib, Zurich, Switzerland; to retain a controlling... of Habib American Bank, New York, New York. B. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Chapelle Davis...

  2. Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty Among Internet Banking Users of Philippine National Bank in Batangas City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    EDWARD KERVIN B. MOJARES

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available One of the most vital challenges of the Internet as a service delivery channel is providing and maintaining service quality. This study aimed to describe the profile of the respondents with regards to socio-demographic and bank-related variables; to identify the effects of internet banking among its clients in Batangas City; to determine the level of customer’s satisfaction in terms of speed and accuracy, accessibility and convenience, and security features; to determine the respondents level of loyalty; to test the relationship between effects of internet banking service and customer satisfaction and loyalty variables; and lastly, to propose effective measures on how to enhance the quality of internet banking service offered by PNB in Batangas City. The descriptive-correlation method was utilized in the conduct of the study. The respondents of the study are the top 100 or 30% of the three hundred thirty four active users of internet banking service of Philippine National Bank in Batangas City during the period of October 2012 as generated by the bank’s system. The study revealed that the respondents are generally satisfied with the speed and accuracy, accessibility and convenience, and security features of the internet banking service facility. It was also found out that only speed and accuracy showed significant relationship on the effect of internet banking. Internet banking users are still considering the speed and accuracy of the banks service to make them satisfied despite that internet banking provides lower cost delivery channel, gives customers to almost any type of banking transactions and gives breadth and depth customer service. However, customers’ level of loyalty is not affected by the effects of internet banking services. This proves that as long as the customers are being provided with an excellent service, customer loyalty/retention could still be possibly attained by the bank

  3. RELIGION AND BANKING SYSTEM: THE FUTURE OF SYARIAH BANKING PRACTICES Historical and Contemporary Fiqh Perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamka Siregar

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The momentum of the development of Sharia banking has been noticed since the 1970s, which generally had two patterns: first, establishing the Islamic bank side by side with conventional one (dual-banking system as practiced in Egypt, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Bangladesh; and second, restructuring the banking system as a whole in accordance with Islamic Sharia (full-fledged Islamic financial system as applied in Sudan, Iran and Pakistan. The development of the Sharia-based banks which have been established across the world since the 1970s, became the motivation of the Indonesian ulemas to draft law on Sharia banking, so that Sharia banking could also be developed. As a result, these last few years, the banking world in Indonesia has witnessed the establishment of the public Sharia banks and Sharia business units, like Bank Muamalat and Bank Syariah Mandiri to mention a few. Using historical and contemporary jurisprudence perspective, this paper provides discussion on the future of Sharia banking.

  4. Mobile banking in Asia

    OpenAIRE

    Anne Ho

    2010-01-01

    Technology has transformed the banking industry with the introduction of mobile banking services that offer unprecedented convenience and accessibility to customers. This Asia Focus report describes the various approaches to mobile banking in Asia, and examines how particular countries have addressed regulatory issues.

  5. Using Banks: Teaching Banking Skills to Low-Income Consumers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shurtz, Mary Ann; LeFlore, Ann Becker

    This module, one of six on teaching consumer matters to low-income adults, discusses banking skills. Topics include banking services (savings accounts, safety deposit boxes, Christmas clubs, loans, etc.), checking accounts (deposits, checkwriting, check registers, opening an account), how to use the check register (cancelled checks, deposits),…

  6. The protein circular dichroism data bank, a Web-based site for access to circular dichroism spectroscopic data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whitmore, Lee; Woollett, Benjamin; Miles, Andrew J; Janes, Robert W; Wallace, B A

    2010-10-13

    The Protein Circular Dichroism Data Bank (PCDDB) is a newly released resource for structural biology. It is a web-accessible (http://pcddb.cryst.bbk.ac.uk) data bank for circular dichroism (CD) and synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectra and their associated experimental and secondary metadata, with links to protein sequence and structure data banks. It is designed to provide a public repository for CD spectroscopic data on macromolecules, to parallel the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for crystallographic, electron microscopic, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic data. Similarly to the PDB, it includes validation checking procedures to ensure good practice and the integrity of the deposited data. This paper reports on the first public release of the PCDDB, which provides access to spectral data that comprise standard reference datasets. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. BANKING SUPERVISION IN EUROPEAN UNION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lavinia Mihaela GUȚU

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The need for prudential supervision imposed to banks by law arises from the action that banking market’s basic factors have. Therefore, it is about banks’ role in economy. The normal functioning of banks in all their important duties maintains the stability of banking system. Further, the stability of the entire economy depends on the stability of the banking system. Under conditions of imbalance regarding treasury or liquidity, banks are faced with unmanageable crisis and the consequences can be fatal. To ensure long-term stability of the banking system, supervisory regulations were constituted in order to prevent banks focusing on achieving rapidly high profits and protect the interests of depositors. Starting from this point, this paper will carry out a study on existing models of supervision in the European Union’s Member States. A comparison between them will support identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

  8. BANK RATING. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Batrancea Ioan

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Banks in Romania offers its customers a wide range of products but which involves both risk taking. Therefore researchers seek to build rating models to help managers of banks to risk of non-recovery of loans and interest. In the following we highlight rating Raiffeisen Bank, BCR-ERSTE Bank and Transilvania Bank, based on the models CAAMPL and Stickney making a comparative analysis of the two rating models.

  9. Bank equity connections, intellectual property protection and enterprise innovation – A bank ownership perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Liu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This study investigates the effects of bank equity connections and intellectual property protection on enterprises’ innovation behavior, and the regulating effect of intellectual property protection on the relationship between bank equity connections and innovation. In general, bank equity connections and intellectual property protection not only significantly increase innovation input, but also improve innovation performance. However, the efficiency of bank equity connections is influenced by the heterogeneity of enterprises and the value orientation of the subjects. Bank equity connections have a more significantly positive effect on innovation in private and central enterprises, whereas the principal-agent problem and government intervention may weaken the marginal contribution of bank equity connections to the innovation of local state-owned enterprises. Bank equity connections and intellectual property protection are complementary in promoting enterprise innovation. Not only are the combined effects of bank equity connections and intellectual property protection greater than the individual effects, but when the latter is relatively weak, the former’s positive effect on innovation is obviously weakened and may even crowd out innovation.

  10. The Impacts of Liquidity on Profitability in Banking Sectors of Iraq: A Case of Iraqi Commercial Banks.

    OpenAIRE

    Sardar Shaker Ibrahim

    2017-01-01

    This study examines the influence of liquidity on the profitability of Iraqi commercial banks. Five banks based in Iraq namely: North bank, Iraqi Islamic bank, Sumer bank, Dar Es-Salam bank and Babylon bank randomly selected and analyzed for the current study over the period 2005 to 2013. Moreover,  annual reports of these banks have studied and the main ratios of profitability and liquidity were calculated. These reports are available at Iraqi Stock Exchange site. The variables that were ide...

  11. Danske Bank - Imagekrise

    OpenAIRE

    Agerlin, Anne; Holmqvist, Maja

    2014-01-01

    This report examines and analyses the difference between Danske Bank's perception of themselves and the world's perception of the bank. The difference is illustrated, because tendency shows that boundaries have an effect on Danske Bank's image. We search through collected articles in a social constructivist perspective to handle both Danske Bank’s perception and the world’s perception. The empirical foundation has made it possible to process and interpret the stated problems. The adaptation i...

  12. The National DNA Data Bank of Canada: a Quebecer perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milot, Emmanuel; Lecomte, Marie M J; Germain, Hugo; Crispino, Frank

    2013-11-20

    The Canadian National DNA Database was created in 1998 and first used in the mid-2000. Under management by the RCMP, the National DNA Data Bank of Canada offers each year satisfactory reported statistics for its use and efficiency. Built on two indexes (convicted offenders and crime scene indexes), the database not only provides increasing matches to offenders or linked traces to the various police forces of the nation, but offers a memory repository for cold cases. Despite these achievements, the data bank is now facing new challenges that will inevitably defy the way the database is currently used. These arise from the increasing power of detection of DNA traces, the diversity of demands from police investigators and the growth of the bank itself. Examples of new requirements from the database now include familial searches, low-copy-number analyses and the correct interpretation of mixed samples. This paper aims to develop on the original way set in Québec to address some of these challenges. Nevertheless, analytic and technological advances will inevitably lead to the introduction of new technologies in forensic laboratories, such as single cell sequencing, phenotyping, and proteomics. Furthermore, it will not only request a new holistic/global approach of the forensic molecular biology sciences (through academia and a more investigative role in the laboratory), but also new legal developments. Far from being exhaustive, this paper highlights some of the current use of the database, its potential for the future, and opportunity to expand as a result of recent technological developments in molecular biology, including, but not limited to DNA identification.

  13. The National DNA Data Bank of Canada: A Quebecer perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emmanuel eMilot

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available The Canadian National DNA Database was created in 1998 and first used in the mid-2000. Under management by the RCMP, the National DNA Data Bank of Canada offers each year satisfactory reported statistics for its use and efficiency. Built on two indexes (convicted offenders and crime scene indexes, the database not only provides increasing matches to offenders or linked traces to the various police forces of the nation, but offers a memory repository for cold cases. Despite these achievements, the data bank is now facing new challenges that will inevitably defy the way the database is currently used. These arise from the increasing power of detection of DNA traces, the diversity of demands from police investigators and the growth of the bank itself. Examples of new requirements from the database now include familial searches, low-copy-number analyses and the correct interpretation of mixed samples. This paper aims to develop on the original way set in Québec to address some of these challenges. Nevertheless, analytic and technological advances will inevitably lead to the introduction of new technologies in forensic laboratories, such as single cell sequencing, phenotyping, and proteomics. Furthermore, it will not only request a new holistic/global approach of the forensic molecular biology sciences (through academia and a more investigative role in the laboratory, but also new legal developments. Far from being exhaustive, this paper highlights some of the current use of the database, its potential for the future, and opportunity to expand as a result of recent technological developments in molecular biology, including, but not limited to DNA identification.

  14. Can taxes tame the banks?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Devereux, Michael P.; Johannesen, Niels; Vella, John

    In the wake of the financial crisis, a number of countries have introduced levies on bank borrowing with the aim of reducing risk in the financial sector. This paper studies the behavioral responses to the bank levies and evaluates the policy. We find that the levies induced banks to borrow less...... but also to hold more risky assets. The reduction in funding risk clearly dominates for banks with high capital ratios but is exactly offset by the increase in portfolio risk for banks with low capital ratios. This suggests that while the levies have reduced the total risk of relatively safe banks......, they have done nothing to curb the risk of relatively risky banks, which presumably pose the greatest threat to financial stability...

  15. 76 FR 11781 - Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisitions of Shares of a Bank or Bank Holding Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-03

    ... Bank, both of Hazel Green, Alabama. 3. P. Byron DeFoor, Ooltewah, Tennessee, and Winston A. Porter... indirectly acquire voting shares of Northside Bank, both of Adairsville, Georgia. 4. Michael Hull Erdman...

  16. E-banking services impact and customer satisfaction in selected bank branches in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo state, Nigeria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haadi Babatunde Asiyanbi

    2018-09-01

    Full Text Available This study perused the impact of E-banking services on customer satisfaction of selected bank customers in bank branches located in Challenge, Dugbe, Agbeni, Gbagi, Ojoo, and Secretariat districts in Ibadan metropolis. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design and convenience sampling technique. One hundred (100 bank customers were surveyed through a self-report questionnaire. Four research questions and two hypotheses were tested using Pearson correlation analysis and, t-test for independence at p≤ 0.05. The results revealed high utilization of electronic banking products (ATM (98%, internet banking (85%, electronic transfer (97%. Constraints experienced include internet network failure, bank fraud and business loss due to failed e-transactions. Customers were satisfied with e-banking due to its cashless nature, cash accessibility, saves time from bank visitation and seamless transactions. The study exhibited that customers used and were glad with e-banking products. Customers’ segmentation and more investment in e-banking infrastructure were advised for promoting electronic banking services.

  17. Deep-water scleractinian corals (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from 2010-2011 INDEMARES expeditions to the Galicia Bank (Spain, northeast Atlantic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altuna, Alvaro

    2017-11-23

    During surveys in the Galicia Bank (northeastern Atlantic) in the years 2010-2011 (INDEMARES project), 25 species of scleractinian corals corals were collected in a depth interval of 744-1764 m. Most interesting species are described and depicted. Additionally, species list and remarks are given for the 23 species dredged in the bank during the 1987 SEAMOUNT 1 expedition at 675-1125 m depth.From a literature review and new records from Galicia Bank given herein, 31 species of scleractinian corals are known from this seamount in a depth interval of 614-1764 m depth. Six are colonial and 25 solitary, with 17 occurring on hard bottoms and 14 on soft bottoms. Desmophyllum dianthus, Lophelia pertusa and Madrepora oculata are the most widely distributed species in both number of stations and depth range of specimens collected alive. Some species were recorded outside their previously known bathymetric ranges in the northeastern Atlantic. Javania pseudoalabastra is first documented for the Iberian Peninsula and Spanish faunas. Thrypticotrochus sp. is first collected from the Atlantic Ocean.

  18. Banking Competition Measurement and Banking Sector Performance: Analysis of 4 ASEAN Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Buddi Wibowo

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Many believe concentrated  banking industry which is dominated by few  big banks creates lower  competition, high profitability, and low efficiency. The main issue in empirical testing of this hypothesis is how to measure banking competition level. Traditional measures of competition are  concentration ratio and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index. This study uses three measures of banking level competition which are widely used in recent  financial literature: Boone Indicator, Lerner Index and H-Panzar-Rosse  statistics.  Lerner Index and H-Panzar-Rosse statistics resulted a similar competition level conclusion, while Boone Indicator produced slightly different output. Industry concentration produced opposing results with those three level of industry competition measurement methods. The results show  banking competition tend to be a monopolistic competition in ASEAN countries, especially in Indonesia which banks’ strategy basically were non-pricing strategy. Competition significantly caused lower profitability, while banking efficiency was not significantly affected by level of competition.DOI:  10.15408/sjie.v6i1.4547

  19. DNA damage in preserved specimens and tissue samples: a molecular assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cantin Elizabeth

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The extraction of genetic information from preserved tissue samples or museum specimens is a fundamental component of many fields of research, including the Barcode of Life initiative, forensic investigations, biological studies using scat sample analysis, and cancer research utilizing formaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Efforts to obtain genetic information from these sources are often hampered by an inability to amplify the desired DNA as a consequence of DNA damage. Previous studies have described techniques for improved DNA extraction from such samples or focused on the effect of damaging agents – such as light, oxygen or formaldehyde – on free nucleotides. We present ongoing work to characterize lesions in DNA samples extracted from preserved specimens. The extracted DNA is digested to single nucleosides with a combination of DNase I, Snake Venom Phosphodiesterase, and Antarctic Phosphatase and then analyzed by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS. We present data for moth specimens that were preserved dried and pinned with no additional preservative and for frog tissue samples that were preserved in either ethanol, or formaldehyde, or fixed in formaldehyde and then preserved in ethanol. These preservation methods represent the most common methods of preserving animal specimens in museum collections. We observe changes in the nucleoside content of these samples over time, especially a loss of deoxyguanosine. We characterize the fragmentation state of the DNA and aim to identify abundant nucleoside lesions. Finally, simple models are introduced to describe the DNA fragmentation based on nicks and double-strand breaks.

  20. 12 CFR 225.115 - Applicability of Bank Service Corporation Act in certain bank holding company situations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Applicability of Bank Service Corporation Act... Applicability of Bank Service Corporation Act in certain bank holding company situations. (a) Questions have... Service Corporation Act (Pub. L. 87-856, approved October 23, 1962) in cases involving service...