Bank Area Research Articles

Sonar investigation of the old Nubian Villages in the bottom topography of Nasser Lake, Egypt

Underwater sonar survey using Side Scan Sonar (SSS) and Single beam Echo-sounder (SBES) was used for the investigation of the old Nubian archaeological villages buried within the bottom topography of Nasser Lake. The research objective involved emphasizing the efficiency of marine geophysical techniques in the detection of the submerged old Nubian Villages in Nasser Lake behind the High Dam, the study also aimed to study riverbed topography and determining the old course of the Nile River in the area. The resulted bathymetric maps showed that the two former banks of the Nile River in the study area were characterized by two distinct natures, while the shoreline has retreated with different extents starting from 250 m at the southern regions up to 3 km in the northern parts. The high-resolution sonar images of the bottom uncovered distinctive acoustic patterns according to difference in the returned backscatter strength. Submerged Nubian houses were detected along some areas of the eastern bank, which were found either standing over elevated rocky cliffs or built on multiple tiered levels. Precise target measurements were applied on the detected houses and different dimensions were obtained, which suggest that these houses were built according to the availability of suitable land to construct such dwellings.

Evaluation of two biostimulants in soybean production

The results of a study of soybean (Glycine max, (L.)) are presented, which was developed in areas of the Basic Sugarcane Seed Bank of the province of Cienfuegos, located in areas of the Espartaco community with the variety INIFAT- 70. The study was planted on May 24 and harvested on September 12 with 111 days, the application of biostimulants was carried out on July 19 at 55 days after planting, the randomized block design was used with 3 treatments (Control, FitomasEC and Fitomasplus) and 5 replicates, in plots of 36 m2. The seed used was basic from the bank itself with more than 95% germination and the study area was not fertilized. The treatments used were: Witness and/or control, FitomasEC an application at 2 liters ha-1, Fitomasplus an application 2.0052 liters ha-1 (tank mix 2 liters ha-1 of FitomasEC and 5.2 milliliters ha-1 of enerplant), The variables evaluated were ton ha-1 and the economic valuation. A simple classification analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed and as there were significant differences between the treatments, the mean comparison test was performed using the multiple range test with Tukey's p<0.05 test. For data analysis, the statistical package Statgraphics Plus 5.0 was used. It was obtained as a result that the application of biostimulants increased soybean production, resulting significant with Fitomasplus, which achieved increases compared to the control of 25% and compared to FitomasEC of 22%, the Benefit/Cost ratio reported a positive effect of 1.02 for the FitomasEC and 1.25 for Fitomasplus with respect to the control.

The Integration of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain in the Banking Industry: A Critical Practice Based Evaluation of the Present Applications, Adoption, and Future Issues

Digital transformation has resulted in tremendous changes in the banking area, with FinTech serving as the primary driving force within it. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain technology, in particular, are the most innovative technologies in the banking business. Similarly, AI breakthroughs such as Chatbots in commercial banking and Robo-advisors in investment banking have brought banks into the whole virtual environment. This paper main objectives are: to critically evaluate and determine the current application of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain in the banking industry, discuss the challenges faced by banks in adapting Artificial Intelligence and blockchain technology, and to provide new insights on future banking in the industry in this digital era. This article underlined the widespread usage of Artificial Intelligence robotic systems in banking. Chatbots and Robo-advisors, for example, could increase the productivity of frontline bank staff who are frequently involved in client relationship management, sales, and marketing. Additionally, robo-advisors are an advanced AI technology used in investing and portfolio management. When a decentralised digital ledger technology is utilised for financial transactions, blockchain will expedite digital transformation. Yet, this is the polar opposite of traditional centralised digital banking, and adoption of these technologies is still in its early stages. Collaboration with robots, improving platform performance, and so forth. Employment, performance, security, privacy and trust, cost, ethical and regulatory problems are the most typical challenges. To avoid obstacles, banks should focus on techniques such as collaborating with robots, improving platform performance, and so on. Ultimately, this study discusses the future of the banking business. In the future, banking consumers can experience totally virtual and customer-oriented financial services. In this sense, the integration of all technology as well as collaborative human effort is critical..

The Species Composition and Distribution of Free-Living Nematodes (Nematoda) in the Area of the Methane Seep Posolskaya Bank of Lake Baikal

The Posolskaya Bank methane seep (southern Baikal, depths of ~300–500 m) is characterized by weak metha-ne discharge and the deep occurrence of gas hydrates. The species composition and distribution of nematodes from 44 samples of meiozoobenthos on the seeps (gas unloading point and gas hydrate) and background stations were analyzed. 31 species of nematodes from 12 genera, 8 families and 6 orders were identified; 94% of them were found at background stations and/or in other areas of the lake. The ratio of Baikal endemic and Siberian-Palearctic species was 6 : 1. Endemic species of the genera Paratrilobus and Tripyla dominated occurrence frequency and population density. The data obtained on the heterogeneous distribution of nematodes, the relationship between the density of their population and the presence of filaments of sulfur bacteria, copepod detritus, and ferromanganese crusts in the bottom sediments, as well as the habitation of worms with different types of food. These data are discussed.

Customer Satisfaction for Retail Banking Services in India: A Comparative Study of Private and Public Sector Banks

Any successful business depends on its ability to keep customers happy, and this is certainly true of India's banking sector. An important area of Indian banking is retail banking, which provides financial services to private citizens and small enterprises. Banks in both the public and commercial sectors are vying to offer their customers the best services possible as a result of the intensifying market rivalry. Customers now demand more from businesses and anticipate seamless, convenient banking experiences because of the growth of digital banking and mobile payments. Indian banks, both public and private, are particularly focused on ensuring customer satisfaction for their retail banking services.Customers' preferences for online banking services have changed significantly in recent years, marking a substantial shift in consumer behaviour. Customers still place a high value on the usefulness of in-branch banking services and the high standard of customer care offered by bank employees. For this reason, banks must concentrate on offering a seamless and integrated multichannel experience that fulfills customer expectations.

Difficulty, Discrimination and Pseudo - Guessing Indices of West African Examinations Council Core Mathematics Multiple Choice Items: Theoretical and Practical Implications of Using Item Response Theory

Viewing from the psychometric models of modern assessment, it is imperative to note that assessment has been undergoing major constructive modifications. One of the main modifications is the transition from the use of classical test theory (CTT) to modern test models (IRT) as well as methods used in test construction. This is to say that the pendulum swing in test construction techniques is from CTT to IRT. Clearly, the properties of IRT create several benefits in the area of test design and item banking over CTT. This paper estimated the IRT psychometric proprieties (difficulty-1PL, discrimination-2PL and guessing indices-3PL) of West African Examinations Council (WAEC) 2020 core mathematics objectives test examination in Ghana within the remit of IRT. The study revealed that averagely, the 2020 core mathematics objectives test examination were within the difficulty level (1PL) of the examines. In terms of discrimination level (2PL), the psychometric properties indicated that most of the items discriminated among the examinees. However, on the Pseudo-guessing parameter (3PL), it was found that most items were subjected to pseudo-guessing. Theoretically and practically, the way items are constructed could have influenced outcome. Therefore, we strongly advocate and recommend that item writers for examination body like West African Examinations Council (WAEC) should rigorously be trained to be more conscious of theoretical and practical implications of the guessing parameter. This will help in avoiding test items that are prone to pseudo-guessing.

Three-dimensional migratory behaviour of European silver eels (Anguilla anguilla) approaching a hydropower plant.

The global population of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is rapidly declining, and migration barriers in rivers are believed to be one of several key causes. While progress has been made in the development of bypass solutions, they are often constructed based on a limited knowledge of swimming behaviour. A bypass close to the stream bed is often recommended at fish passage facilities to accommodate downstream eel migration. The results of this recommendation are poorly studied, and the few studies that exist show varying bypass efficiencies. The current study used acoustic telemetry with depth sensors to explore the three-dimensional migratory behaviour of downstream-migrating silver eels. The eels were tracked as they approached a hydropower plant with a state-of-the-art angled bar rack and full-depth bypass. Downstream and upstream swimming differed in preferred vertical and lateral positions. During periods of local downstream movement, the density of observations was largest in the upper middle section, away from the river boundaries and in higher velocities. Conversely, when moving upstream, eels tended to avoid the upper layers of the middle part of the river, swimming closer to the riverbed and using the bank areas to a greater extent. Downstream-moving fish swam higher in the water column during night and in turbid conditions (high discharge). When approaching the impassable bar rack and the full-depth bypass, the eels searched most intensely but not exclusively along the bottom third of the rack, often exploring at new depths after changing direction. The impediment passage efficiency was 100% when both bypass solutions were considered. The study provides knowledge of the swimming behaviour of silver eels, which is relevant for the design of bypass solutions for eels at migration barriers.

High‐resolution drone imagery reveals drivers of fine‐scale giant otter habitat selection in the land‐water interface

AbstractNeotropical freshwater habitats are particularly sensitive to degradation by human activity. Piscivorous semi‐aquatic freshwater megafauna inhabit both the terrestrial and aquatic mediums and thus may be good indicators of wetland habitat quality. However, the drivers of their space use at the terrestrial and aquatic landscape levels are not well understood. We studied the spatial behavior and habitat use of giant otters in Madre de Dios, Peru, inhabiting areas with variable levels of protection. We combined unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and satellite images to develop different terrestrial and water‐associated land cover variables. We tested the influence of these predictors on giant otter habitat use at multiple spatial scales, comparing used and available locations. Giant otters favored bank areas with dense forest canopy cover. In the aquatic medium, giant otters showed positive selection for open water and fallen logs and avoided floating vegetation. These findings may be explained by preference for optimal fish habitat to maximize foraging yield and bank areas that provide more cover from predators and higher quality denning locations. Variables developed from UAV images outperformed satellite‐derived variables. Despite recent signs of deforestation in lake banks in unprotected areas, spatial model predictions indicated that unprotected oxbow lakes did not differ in their habitat suitability from protected freshwater habitats. Management implications of our findings include identification of factors driving habitat suitability to guide policy and decisions regarding protection or restoration of oxbow lake ecosystems to support giant otter populations. In addition, we demonstrate that UAVs have value in complementing satellite‐derived images and providing a cost‐effective methodology to assess habitat quality for semi‐aquatic species at the land‐water interface.

Water Circulation, Temperature, Salinity, and pCO2 Distribution in the Surface Layer of the East Kamchatka Current

The ship-borne observations of the temperature, salinity, pCO2 (1995–2020) and satellite geostrophic velocity fields, SST, and chlorophyll concentration are used to identify the factors that determine the spatio-temporal variability of seawater parameters on the western boundary of the subarctic North Pacific. In winter, the surface layer of the East Kamchatka Current (EKC) was characterized by two types of water: the waters with a negative temperature (−1.0–−0.5 °C) and salinity of 32.4–32.9 and waters with a positive temperature (0.4–1.7 °C) and salinity of 33.0–33.1. The source of water with negative (positive) temperature and decreased (increased) salinity for the EKC zone is the Bering Sea shelf (Aleutian Basin). The surface waters in the eastern Kamchatka area in winter were close to gas equilibrium with the atmosphere or supersaturated with carbon dioxide (pCO2 = 380–460 µatm). In summer, extremely low pCO2 values (140–220 µatm) in the surface layer of the eastern Kamchatka and the northern Kuril Islands regions have been associated with the decreased salinity (32.1–32.6) of the waters. The distributions of the temperature, salinity, and pCO2 in the surface layer of the central Kuril Islands are determined by the location and intensity of the Kuril eddies and the EKC stream jets. The water mixing in the central Kuril Straits and the Kruzenshterna Bank area leads to increased salinity (33.2–33.4) and high values of pCO2 (480–670 µatm) in the surface layer of the EKC. The comparison of the pCO2 data collected in winter demonstrates an increase in pCO2 between 1998/2001 and 2018/2020 at about 50 µatm in the surface waters with a salinity of 33.0–33.1, which is in agreement with an increase in pCO2 in the atmosphere at 46 µatm (from 368 to 414 µatm) during this period.

An Analysis of Factors Influencing the Adoption of Internet Banking in Mauritius

The advent of ICT has transformed industries around the world. The benefits resulting in better quality service, speedier services, cost reduction, business process re-engineering, more valued employments, among others are well-documented. However, adoption of ICT comes with its own risks and criticisms like potential loss of privacy, security of data, issues around trust, and so on. Notwithstanding the potential downsides of ICT adoption, these technologies are the realities of the present and certainly of the future. The question is no longer whether or not to adopt ICT but on how to deploy it for the survival and growth, for profits and profitability, for competitiveness. The Banking and Financial Services Sector has been one of the sectors whereby ICT has been most adopted. The option not to adopt ICT in the banking and financial services sector would in fact tantamount to death of the organization. Internet Banking (IB) has gained increasing popularity around the world as online services are perceived as being more attractive than those provided by traditional banking channels. This paper briefly reviews the literature in the area of internet banking and the issues surrounding its adoption and non-adoption. It goes on to tests hypotheses to scientifically prove the factors enhancing the adoption or non-adoption of Internet Banking by citizens in Mauritius. Banks may be inspired by the findings to shape their future policies in increasing Internet Banking penetration.

Shoreline Recognition Using Machine Learning Techniques

Coastal areas have emerged to be the most significant and dynamic regions worldwide. Therefore, automating shoreline recognition will aid non-profit conservation authorities to reduce public budget expenditures, relieve erosion damage, and increase the climate resilience of the natural environment. In this paper, advanced ML boosting algorithms including XGBoost, and LGBM are firstly applied into shoreline recognition with aerial images (of Lake Ontario in this study). This paper first discussed the significance and a literature review of recent progress in shoreline detection. Then, this paper adopted semantic segmentation instead of detecting shoreline directly, which enables the (Machine Learning) ML model to achieve relatively high accuracy with a small amount of data. 5 high-resolution images are used for training the model in which shorelines are detected. The work was carried out in four steps: 1) labeling the contents of shoreline images as areas of water and banks; 2) training ML algorithms; 3) using the trained algorithms to classify the image content as either water or land objects; 4) post-processing by de-noising image pixels (applying a Fourier transform algorithm) to obtain a defined shoreline. The averaged training time per image for Random Forest, XGBoost, and LGBM algorithms are 195.2 sec, 71.0 sec, and 8.6 sec, respectively. The averaged accuracy is 95.6%, 96.0%, and 94.8%, respectively; the XGBoost algorithm has slightly higher accuracy, while LGBM has a significantly shorter runtime. Cross-validation of the LGBM algorithm reduced the training time by around 23% (7.0 sec) and increased the accuracy by only 1.1% (to 95.9%).

E&P Notes (November 2022)

E&P Notes (November 2022)

Challenges and issues of green banking in Islamic and traditional banks of Pakistan

This study investigates the current challenges and issues in adopting green banking activities in Pakistan’s banking sector, especially in Islamic banks, due to their close link with green and ethical banking. A total of 26 interviews have been conducted (19 green banking officers and seven heads of the Shariah department) via a semi-structured questionnaire. The study reveals eight factors in priority order, causing hindrance in implementing green banking in Pakistan. These are lack of awareness, knowledge and skills, the culture of adoption to change, lack of pressure, lack of incentives, lack of legal power, culture, and infrastructure. Among the four green banking areas, interviewees have identified environmental risk management as the most challenging area. Most banks have demanded revision in green banking guidelines with legal power and incentives. The study is the first literature that identifies the problems in priority orders with reasons and after-effects. This study supports Jeucken’s and Chapra’s green and Islamic banking models, respectively. The study will help formulate the policy for revising green banking guidelines and environmental laws in Pakistan. The study will further help in achieving Maqasid-e-Shariah in Islamic banks.

Report from Brussels: Pending legislative initiatives by the European Commission in the area of financial services in the EU – content and state of play

Abstract This report aims at giving an overview on the procedural state of play as well as the content of important pending legislative initiatives by the European Commission in the area of financial services in the EU, in particular in the area of banking and capital market law. The report continues and follows in its approach earlier reports from 2018 (ZBB 2018, 340) and 2019 (ZBB 2019, 272). This report (with a cut-off date on 4 October 2022) is timely since it takes stock of developments at ‘half time’ of the current Commission’s mandate.

Global networks of money and information at the crossroads: Correspondent banking and SWIFT

AbstractThis article explores how transaction information is a fundamental element enabling and fostering global flows of money. Financial systems, constructed around account‐based money, require infrastructure, which is separated into two parts: messaging and settlement, performed via trusted agents. This separation has allowed the geographical expansion of banking, and to this day constitutes a key architecture of increasingly global networks of money. Focusing on the correspondent banking system and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, this article demonstrates the workings of this infrastructure in cross‐border payments and in enacting economic sanctions. This sociotechnical infrastructure is a crucial yet overlooked area of global banking, which makes global economic and financial activity possible in the first place. Importantly, by analysing the organizational architecture of the global payments system and including the actors and agencies within it, we elucidate the (changing) relationships between data/information, geographies and power, contributing to the formation of a literature that conceptualizes financial infrastructure.

Size of maturity for blue king crab Paralithodes platypus in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk

We determined the size of sexual maturity of male and female blue crabs in the northwestern part of the sea (zone of cold core action), as well as in the northeastern part of the sea and the local cluster near the Iona bank (zone of comparatively warm waters). Morphological 50% maturation of males in the northwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk was observed at the carapace width of 73.3 mm. Similar width were demonstrated for the northeastern part of the sea and for the Iona Bank area – respectively 88.5 mm and 91.0 mm. Females in samples from the northwestern part of the sea reached functional 50% maturity at the carapace width of 71.7 mm, from the northeastern part – of 79.4 mm, and from the Iona Bank – of 81.0 mm. Comparison with available literature data showed that blue crab in the northwestern part of the Sea of Okhotsk has probably the slowest growth rate, and the crabs have the smallest size at maturity compared to individuals in the other areas.

Comparative Study of Indicator Organisms in Different Water Sources in North Bank Area of Makurdi

This study compared the presence of indicator organisms in different domestic water sources in the North Bank area of Makurdi. The water sources included stream waters, well waters, and borehole waters. Total bacteria count, total coliform count, microscopic examination, and biochemical tests were the parameters measured. The results obtained showed that all the different water sources had the presence of total bacteria and coliforms except the borehole water along Ter Guma Street (B1) which only showed the presence of total bacteria. The total bacteria count was found to be more (2.91 x 107 cfu/ml) in the stream water samples along University of Agriculture Road (ST2) and least in B2 water samples (6.76 x 106 cfu/ml) with no significant difference (p>0.05). Total coliform counts were found in all the water sources except in B1 water sample, while, the well water sample from Old Lafia Road (W2), had the highest total coliform count (1600 MPN/100 ml). Coliform isolates including Escherichia coli, Streptococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were found in the water samples, with well water from Old Lafia Road (W2), having more of the isolates. This study reveals that all the water sources studied were contaminated by the presence of microorganisms including indicator organisms, above the recommended by WHO, for a domestic water source. Further study to investigate the physicochemical parameters of these water sources is suggested.

Coherence and potential drivers of stock assessment uncertainty in Northeast US groundfish stocks

Abstract Failure to account for the impacts of climate and ecosystem change on stock dynamics can introduce uncertainty to stock assessments that can make meeting the objective of sustainable fisheries management challenging. The increased prevalence and magnitude of uncertainty in New England groundfish stock assessments (i.e. retrospective patterns) in recent years suggest that there may be common drivers impacting these stocks that are currently unaccounted for in the stock assessment. We examined the coherence in retrospective patterns across groundfish stock assessments and evaluated candidate drivers of retrospective patterns, including large-scale climate and ecosystem change, as well as significant management and monitoring changes. We found high coherence in moving window Mohn's rho time series for groundfish within the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank areas. Fluctuations in Gulf of Maine groundfish Mohn's rho values were most strongly related to lagged bottom temperature and spiny dogfish biomass time series, whereas fluctuations in Georges Bank groundfish Mohn's rho values were strongly related to lagged time series of warm core rings formation from the Gulf Stream. Our identification of coherence in retrospective patterns across groundfish stocks by region supports the idea of common regional drivers with climate and ecosystem changes emerging as the leading contributing factors.

Deposit mobilization and its determinants: evidence from commercial banks in Ethiopia

Deposit mobilization is the most important service and an integral part of banking operations. In Ethiopia, mobilizing savings through intense deposit collection has been regarded as the major task of banking. However, managing deposits is impossible without understanding and controlling the factors that influence them. Thus, this study examined the bank-specific and macroeconomic determinants of deposit mobilization in Ethiopian banking sectors using balanced panel data of 14 commercial banks from 2011 to 2020. Secondary data sources from sampled commercial bank audited financial statements were used to achieve the stated objective. A quantitative approach and explanatory design were employed. The model result demonstrated that loan to deposit ratio, capital adequacy, economic growth, inflation, population growth, and political stability have a negative and statistically significant effect on commercial bank deposit mobilization. On the other hand, the bank's profitability has a positive and statistically significant impact on commercial bank deposit growth. The study suggests that Ethiopian commercial banks need to improve deposit mobilization by paying more attention to internal factors controlled by management, while keeping in mind the influence of the overall economic and political dynamic. This study provides useful insights for bank managers, owners, analysts, policymakers, depositors, and other stakeholders on the deposit growth of commercial banks and its determinants. Meanwhile, academic researchers and students may use the findings and suggestions to conduct a study in the banking area. Unlike the previous studies, the present study examined the effect of population growth and political stability on deposit mobilization and contributes to the limited stock of existing knowledge in the area.

Insights into the Landslides Triggered by the 2022 Lushan Ms 6.1 Earthquake: Spatial Distribution and Controls

On 1 June 2022, a magnitude Ms 6.1 (Mw 5.8) earthquake, named the 2022 Lushan earthquake, struck the southern segment of the Longmenshan fault zone, with an epicenter at 30.395°N, 102.958°E and a focal depth of approximately 12.0 km. To gain insight into the landslides triggered by this event and the characteristics of coseismic landslides in the Longmenshan fault zone, we collected multitemporal satellite images and carried out field investigations. The results reveal that the 2022 Lushan event triggered at least 1288 landslides over an affected area of 1470 km2. The total landslide area is 5.33 km2, and the highest landslide concentration reaches 22.3 landslides/km2. The landslide distribution has a hanging wall effect, and the right bank area of the Qingyi River, featuring deep-cutting gorges, is part of an area with obvious concentrated landslides; this area consists mainly of intrusive rocks, including granite, gabbro and hornblende. The coseismic landslides in the Longmenshan fault zone have hanging wall effects, and the landslides triggered by the 2022 Lushan event are distributed in higher and steeper areas.