We examine the heterogeneous effects of globalization on the interest rate setting by microfinance institutions (MFIs) around the world. We consider MFIs as a mechanism to overcome the institutional void of credit for small entrepreneurs in developing and emerging economies. Using a large global panel of MFIs from 119 countries, we find that social globalization that embraces egalitarian instit...

BACKGROUND Fatigue, a major cause of disability in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), is associated with reduced quality of life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability and reproducibility of the Persian version of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) in Iranian patients with MS. METHODS This study included 15 subjects with clinically definite MS, 15 hospitalized patient...

Microcredit fights poverty by expanding access to credit. Some microfinance institutions (MFIs) focus on maximizing profits, and do so while lending to the poor. Others seek to maximize access for the poor subject to a budget constraint. Regardless, nearly all MFIs face pressure from policymakers, donors, and investors to eliminate their reliance on subsidies. Economic modeling, policy, and pra...

This paper extends Yeap's [1988] computational theory of cognitive maps, focusing on the problem of computing a raw cognitive map by an autonomous agent. In addition to having a 150° view of the environment as input, the agent also maintains a representation of her immediate surroundings. This representation is referred to as an MFIS, a Memory For one's Immediate Surroundings. Arguments for the...

The magnetic shape-memory alloy Ni-Mn-Ga shows, in monocrystalline form, a reversible magnetic-field-induced strain (MFIS) up to 10%. This strain, which is produced by twin boundaries moving solely by internal stresses generated by magnetic anisotropy energy, can be used in actuators, sensors and energy-harvesting devices. Compared with monocrystalline Ni-Mn-Ga, fine-grained Ni-Mn-Ga is much ea...

A giant magnetic-field-induced strain ~MFIS! of 23100 ppm has been obtained in Heusler alloy Ni52Mn22.2Ga25.8 single crystal in the @001# direction at a temperature from 23 to 31 °C. This MFIS reaches saturation in an applied field about 6 kOe, and exhibits the same amplitude with an opposite sign while the field is perpendicular to the samples. According to a previous model, this MFIS associat...

Microfinance Institutions have the potential to alleviate poverty across the world. However, they face many challenges before they can grow to meet set objectives. The use of information technology holds promise to enable such growth. There are some key challenges that must be addressed by microfinance institutions before the full potential of IT can be realized. This paper articulates five key...

This study evaluated micro-credit programmes of six leading NGOs/MFIs (BRAC, Grameen Bank, PROSHIKA, ASA, SSS and TMSS) in terms of the clients’ views towards the programmes. The objective of this project is to develop a selection criterion to identify the efficient programme. A total of 406 members from the selected NGOs/MFIs operating micro-credit programmes in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Net...

This study focuses on the performance of micro finance institutions (MFIs) in sustainable housing poverty reduction for the majority urban poor in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. The paper assesses the impact, challenges and prospects of MFIs in transforming the urban poor residents’ livelihoods through the provision of Housing Microfinance (HMF) loan product. From available data, Ad...

An inverted index is a core data structure of Information Retrieval systems, especially in search engines. Since the search environments have become more dynamic, many on-line index maintenance strategies have been proposed. Previous strategies were designed for HDDs. Consequently, in order to avoid expensive random access cost, Merge-based strategies have been preferred to In-place index updat...