Seroprevalence and risk factors for bovine brucellosis in Jordan

We investigated the seroprevalence and risk factors for Brucella seropositivity in cattle in Jordan. The sera from 671 cows were randomly collected from 62 herds. The antibodies against Brucella were detected using a Rose Bengal plate test and indirect ELISA. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on the cattle herds' health and management. A multiple logistic regression model was constructed to identify the risk factors for Brucella seropositivity. The true prevalence of antibodies against Brucella in individual cows and cattle herds was 6.5% and 23%, respectively. The seroprevalence of brucellosis in cows older than 4 years of age was significantly higher than that in the younger cows. The seroprevalence of brucellosis in cows located in the Mafraq, Zarqa and Ma'an governorates was significantly higher than that of the other studied governorates. The multiple logistic regression model revealed that a larger herd size (odd ratio <OR> = 1.3; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.6) and mixed farming (OR = 2.0; 95% CI: 1.7, 3.7) were risk factors for cattle seropositivity to Brucella antigens. On the other hand, the use of disinfectants (OR = 1.9; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.1) and the presence of adequate veterinary services (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.2, 3.2) were identified as protective factors

The Impact of Global Energy Price Volatility on Oil Derivative and Local Price in Jordan: Using DCC-GARCH Model

The central aim of this study is to evaluate the repercussions of global energy price fluctuations on the pricing of local oil derivatives in Jordan, and their subsequent impact on domestic price levels. This research seeks to propose risk mitigation strategies to address the challenges posed by energy price volatility, offering valuable insights for Jordanian policymakers. Given the dearth of understanding among policymakers and industry stakeholders regarding the economic ramifications of global energy prices on local markets, this study posits a statistically significant relationship, at a 5% significance level, between global energy prices, local oil derivative prices, and the prices of commodities and services. To investigate these dynamics, the study employs a DCC-GARCH (Dynamic Conditional Correlation Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity) model, utilizing monthly data spanning from Jan:2008 to Mar:2022, encompassing global energy prices, local energy prices, and the consumer price index. The study's findings reveal that fluctuations in global oil prices, specifically the Brent benchmark, have a discernible impact on local oil derivative prices in Jordan. However, the reverse causal relationship is not supported, indicating a unidirectional link from oil prices to oil derivatives. The estimated DCC-GARCH model further quantifies this connection, demonstrating that a 1% increase in Brent oil prices corresponds to a 0.21% increase in local oil derivative prices within Jordan. Moreover, a 1% uptick in local oil derivative prices corresponds to a 0.23% increase in the consumer price index. Based on these research outcomes, it is strongly recommended that measures be explored to effectively manage the volatility of oil derivative prices in Jordan. The implementation of such measures holds the potential to bolster local price stability and foster a more resilient economic environment

ANALYSIS OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE IN THE JORDANIAN INSURANCE SECTOR

Purpose of the study: This paper aims to examine the impact of capital structure and financial performance of listed insurance companies in Jordon. Methodology: This study used secondary data that was collected from Amman stock exchange and annual report of the selected insurance companies from the year 2007-2017. The static panel data analysis technique is used to examine the impact of capital structure on firm’s performance. The capital structure is measured using short-term debt, long-term debt, and equity financing. Whereas financial performance is measured using Return on Asset (ROA), Return on equity (ROE), and Tobin’s Q. Main Findings: The study findings suggest that capital structure influence the profitability of the listed insurance firms in Jordan. The results also reveal a significantly positive relation between long-term debt to total assets to profitability indicators, namely, return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q. On the other hand, the results also reveal a short-term debt has a significant positive relationship with return on equity (ROE) and returns on assets (ROA). However, a relationship between short-term debt and Tobin’s Q is not statistically significant. Applications of this study: The result of this study may assist the insurance sector in Jordon in making decisions regarding capital structure, which is to significantly rely on equity financing or debt financing to reduce financing risk such as agency cost that borne by the equity holders of the Jordanian insurance firms. Novelty/Originality of this study: The study noted that insurance firms generally play a crucial role in the economic development of every country. This study provides evidence that Jordanian insurance firms need to diversify their sources of financing and not rely significantly on debt financing, as the results prove that equity financing is a profitable source of financing

Antecedents of understanding the investors’ acceptance of artificial intelligence: Perceptions from Jordanian context

This study examined the perception of investors toward the factors of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that impact behavioral intention of AI adoption. TAM was used with the addition of three factors of subjective norms, trust in service and service provider, and training. Jordanian stock market investors with basic investment knowledge were selected as the study participants using a convenience sampling method. The analyzed data were obtained from 610 responses. Results demonstrated the significant impact of trust in service and subjective norms on AI. Attitudes, perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness showed statistical significance toward intention to use AI. Results also showed significant impact of training on perceived ease of use

Risk Factors for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Infection among Camel Populations, Southern Jordan, 2014-2018.

After the first detection of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in camels in Jordan in 2013, we conducted 2 consecutive surveys in 2014-2015 and 2017-2018 investigating risk factors for MERS-CoV infection among camel populations in southern Jordan. Multivariate analysis to control for confounding demonstrated that borrowing of camels, particularly males, for breeding purposes was associated with increased MERS-CoV seroprevalence among receiving herds, suggesting a potential route of viral transmission between herds. Increasing age, herd size, and use of water troughs within herds were also associated with increased seroprevalence. Closed herd management practices were found to be protective. Future vaccination strategies among camel populations in Jordan could potentially prioritize breeding males, which are likely to be shared between herds. In addition, targeted management interventions with the potential to reduce transmission between herds should be considered; voluntary closed herd schemes offer a possible route to achieving disease-free herds

Interaction of Escherichia coli heat -stable enterotoxin (STa) with its receptor on mammalian intestinal tract

We found that insulin up-regulated the interaction between enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) STa and its receptor suggesting that insulin and other growth factors, which occur at high concentrations in the colostrum, may increase the susceptibility of young subjects to STa-induced diarrhea. We also found that, in 2-day-old mice, STa-receptor density and affinity were higher than in older mice. Results of these studies suggest that the increased susceptibility of human infants and newborn animals to STa-induced diarrhea might be due to the increase in the density and affinity of STa-receptor. We studied the distribution of STa-receptor throughout newborn calf intestinal tract and found that STa-receptor density was higher on enterocytes and brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) derived from the ileum than enterocytes and BBMVs prepared from other segments of calf intestine. Additionally, the affinity of the ileum STa-receptors was higher than the affinity of receptors present on the epithelium of other intestinal segments. This study suggests that ileum is the major part of the intestine affected in secretory diarrhea caused by STa-producing ETEC. Challenging newborn calves with diarrheagenic doses of STa resulted in severe profuse watery diarrhea within 2 hours of challenge. Upon necropsy, ileum from STa-challenged calves was markedly engorged with fluids. STa interaction with its receptor was demonstrated, in vivo, using ileal cryostat sections stained with anti-STa and secondary FITC-conjugated antibody. Light and electron microscopic analysis suggested no major ultrastructural changes were caused by STa. Brush border membrane lactase activity was higher in the ileum of STa-challenged calves than in ileum of control calves. A significant increase in the activity of guanylate cyclase in the ileum of STa-challenged newborn calves was observed. Upon analysis of the intestinal contents, we found that Na+ concentration in intestinal contents from the ileum of STa-challenged calves was significantly higher than ileum of control calves. This study supports previous observations on the role of guanylate cyclase in the initiation of STa-induced diarrhea and suggests that the Na+/Cl− coupling may be the major mechanism for ions loss in the diarrheal response that is mostly affected by the ileum in newborn calves

LONG-RUN AND SHORT-RUN RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STOCK MARKET INDEX AND MAIN MACROECONOMIC VARIABLES PERFORMANCE IN JORDAN

Abstract This study aims to investigate whether the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) performance, as measured by the stock price index, is affected by a set of macroeconomic variables. Namely, Real Gross Demotic Product, Consumer Price Index, Credit to Privet Sector, Weighted Average Interest Rate on Time Deposit, and dummy variable explain the global financial crises period. The data used in the study are quarterly data from 1992:Q1-20014:Q1. To examine whether this effect exists or not, Johansen cointegration test and Vector Error Correction model (VECM), Impulse Response Function (IRF) and Variance Decomposition (VD) are employed. The empirical results indicate that there a long run equilibrium relationship among stock market index and the main macroeconomic variables in Jordan. The findings of the study have showed that the speed of adjustment in the VECM is significant and relatively slow. This implies that long run movements of the variables are determined by one equilibrium relationship. The results also indicate that there is a bi-directional long run relationship between stock price index and credit to the private sector, weighted average interest rate on time deposits, and consumer price index. The evidence implies that an increase in the weighted average interest rate on time deposits in the banking system has a greater effect on the stock price index than other macroeconomic and financial variables. Keywords: ASE stock price index, weighted interest rate on time deposit, credit to privet sector, Vector Error Correction model (VECM

Prevalence and risk factors of some arthropod-transmitted diseases in cattle and sheep in Jordan

Aim: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence and associated risk factors of bluetongue virus (BTV) in sheep and bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) in dairy cattle in Jordan. Materials and Methods: A simple randomized study was designed to collect 600 serum samples from sheep and 300 serum samples from dairy cattle located in the Northwestern parts of Jordan. In addition, data regarding farm management were collected using a pre-tested questionnaire through personal interview to determine potential risk factors. The seroprevalences of BEF and BTVs were determined using serum neutralization test and BTV group-specific competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Results: The overall seroprevalence of neutralizing antibodies against BEFV in dairy cattle was 45.37%. The overall seroprevalence of BTV group-specific antibodies in sheep was 47.8% (54% true seroprevalence). Logistic regression analysis identified geographic location (Irbid) (odds ratio [OR]=1.0; confidence interval [CI]=0.5-2.1), no use of disinfectants on the farm (OR=1.0; CI=0.05-0.1), and lack of veterinary services (OR=10; CI=3.5-13.2) as risk factors associated with high seropositivity against BTV in sheep. Geographic location (Jarash) (OR=3; CI=1.0-5.5), age of the animal (1-2 years of age (OR=1; CI=0.3-1.9), and lack of veterinary services (OR=9; CI=4-11) were identified as risk factors associated with high seroprevalence against BEFV in dairy cattle. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that BEFV in dairy cattle and BTV in sheep are endemic in Northwestern regions of Jordan. Implementation of appropriate control measures is, therefore, required to reduce the adverse effects of these diseases on animal health and productivity

Unlocking future learning: Exploring higher education students' intention to adopt meta-education.

Despite the potential of meta-education to transform higher education, there remains a scarcity of research investigating students' adoption intentions. This study aimed to identify factors influencing students' intentions to adopt meta-education using an extended Decomposed Theory of Planned Behavior model (DTPB). Data was collected via an online survey of 596 higher education students from Jordan who were purposefully selected. Structural equation modeling using partial least squares analysis revealed attitude, social influence, and perceived behavioral control as key antecedents of adoption intention. Furthermore, newly added variables including perceived enjoyment, herd behavior, student autonomy, and student innovativeness showed efficiency in explaining variance in attitude, social influence, and perceived behavioral control. Overall, the extended model provided meaningful insights on factors driving students' willingness to adopt meta-education. The study contributes to theory by extending the decomposed TPB model in the context of emerging educational technologies. It also provides practical implications for policymakers and educators aiming to encourage meta-education adoption