An Alternative Identification of the Economic Shocks in SVAR Models

The purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach allowing us to identify the structural shocks in the SVAR model. This approach ameliorates substantially the decomposition methods of Bernanke (1986) and Bernanke & Mihov (1998) and improves in the same way the identification procedures pioneered by Blanchard & Quah (1989) and Blanchard & Perotti (2002).SVAR, Economic Shocks, Nonlinearity, Viability, Trajectories, Differential Inclusion.

The impacts of International Financial Crisis on Saudi Arabia Economy: Evidence from Asymmetric SVAR modelling

This paper aims to measure the impacts of International Financial Crisis on the performance of the Saudi Arabian economy from 1968 to 2010. Linear and non-linear SVAR methodologies are used to exhibit the interdependence between the process of international liquidity, net-exports and economic growth. The empirical models show that the impacts of international financial crisis lead to an immediate drop in the net-exports and conduct to reduce gradually real economic growth during roughly three years. In the horizon, the variation in economic growth is largely attributed to domestic supply shocks, but negative shocks of international financial markets drove to reduce the economic growth in the long-run by 1.04

Vitesse de circulation monétaire et son implication sur la demande de monnaie au Maroc

The objective of this paper is to propose a theoretical model for estimating the speed of money circulation in Morocco. This concept is closely related to the implications of the estimation and stability of the demand for money. Theoretically, this relationship is identified in a monetarist framework and consists of an equation linking the amount of real cash held by the public to a scale variable and the opportunity cost of holding it. This investigation is applied to quarterly data covering the period from the first quarter of 2007 to the last quarter of 2020. The estimates were based on several equations (assumptions), including the one that measures the demand for money in the long term, its dynamics in the short term, and the one that captures an empirical estimate of the speed of money circulation. The results confirm that there is indeed a cointegrating relationship in the money demand equation and that the parity of the long-term coefficients is not rejected, which makes the estimation of the speed of money circulation possible. In this case, the results state that the spreads of short and long rates can approximate the opportunity cost of holding money, which makes the speed of money circulation high.Ce travail a pour objectif de proposer un modèle théorique permettant d’estimer la vitesse de circulation monétaire au Maroc. Ce concept est étroitement lié aux implications de l’estimation et la stabilité de la demande de monnaie. Théoriquement, cette relation est cernée dans un cadre monétariste et elle est constituée d’une équation reliant le montant des encaisses réelles détenues par le public à une variable d’échelle et au coût d’opportunité que fait supporter cette détention. Cette investigation est appliquée sur des données trimestrielles couvrant la période du premier trimestre de l’année 2007 jusqu’au dernier trimestre de l’année 2020. Les estimations ont été basées sur plusieurs équations (hypothèses), notamment celle qui mesure la demande de monnaie dans le long terme, et sa dynamique dans le court terme et celle qui capte une estimation empirique de la vitesse de circulation de monnaie. Les résultats confirment qu’il existe certes une relation de cointégration dans l’équation de la demande de monnaie et que la parité des coefficients de long terme n’est pas rejetée ce qui rend l’estimation de la vitesse de monnaie possible. Dans ce cas, les résultats affirment que les écarts des taux courts et longs peuvent approximer le coût d’opportunité de la détention de monnaie ce qui rend la vitesse de réaction élevée

Conservation assessments and Red Listing of the endemic Moroccan flora (monocotyledons)

Morocco constitutes an important centre of plant diversity and speciation in the Mediterranean Basin. However, numerous species are threatened by issues ranging from human activities to global climatic change. In this study, we present the conservation assessments and Red Listing of the endemic Moroccan monocotyledons according to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and categories. For each species, we include basic taxonomic information, local names and synonyms, uses, a distribution map, extent of occurrence, area of occupancy, population size and trend, a description of habitats and ecological requirements, and a discussion of the threats affecting the species and habitats. We assessed the threatened status of the endemic Moroccan monocotyledons at the species level (59 species) using the IUCN Red List criteria and categories (Version 3.1). This study shows the high extinction risk to the Moroccan monocotyledon flora, with 95% of threatened species (20% Critically Endangered, 50% Endangered, 25% Vulnerable) and only 5% not threatened (2% Near Threatened and 3% Least Concern). The flora is thus of conservation concern, which is poorly recognized, both nationally and internationally. The study presents the first part and so far the only national IUCN Red Data List for a large group of Moroccan plants, and thus provides an overview of the threatened Moroccan flora. This IUCN Red List is an important first step towards the recognition of the danger to Moroccan biodiversity hotspots, conservation of threatened species and the raising of public awareness at national and international levels

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Quasistatic thermo-electro-viscoelastic contact problem with Signorini and Tresca's friction

In this article we consider a mathematical model that describes the quasi-static process of contact between a thermo-electro-viscoelastic body and a conductive foundation. The constitutive law is assumed to be linear thermo-electro-elastic and the process is quasistatic. The contact is modelled with a Signiorini's condition and the friction with Tresca's law. The boundary conditions of the electric field and thermal conductivity are assumed to be non linear. First, we establish the existence and uniqueness result of the weak solution of the model. The proofs are based on arguments of time-dependent variational inequalities, Galerkin's method and fixed point theorem. Also we study a associated penalized problem. Then we prove its unique solvability as well as the convergence of its solution to the solution of the original problem, as the penalization parameter tends to zero

Current and temperature distribution in a massive one turn coil used in electromagnetic pulse generator

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