Inflation Sources Across Developed And Developing Countries; Panel Approach

This paper investigates the sources of inflation across a sample of countries in the world. The data set covers around fifty nine countries using yearly data over the period from 1970 through 2007. The model is estimated using a panel model with a random effects specification. Results indicate that the main determinants of inflation for developing countries are different than those for developed countries. Our findings show that the main determinants of inflation for developed countries include government spending, money supply growth, world oil prices, interest rate, nominal effective exchange rate, and population. Whereas, sources of inflation for developing countries are estimated to include government spending, money supply growth, world oil prices, and the nominal effective exchange rate. Findings also report that there is no significant evidence for factors such as interest rate and population to affect the general price levels in developing countries

Effects of oxidative stress, exercise and cardiac rehabilitation on telomerase in T-lymphocytes

PhD ThesisMyocardial infarction (MI) remains the primary cause of death worldwide, despite significant medical advances. Lymphocytes play a key role in both the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and also the healing process following MI. It has been found however, that decreased lymphocyte telomere length correlates with greater risk of MI and worse outcomes. Atherosclerosis is causally linked with MI and can be triggered by myeloid and lymphoid cells, which destabilise and rupture lipid-rich plaques on the arterial wall. Atherosclerosis is also linked with elevated oxidative stress, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Experiments in-vitro have shown that even mild oxidative stress caused telomere shortening and inhibits cell proliferation. Oxidative stress in-vivo can be caused by physical inactivity, which can contribute to atherosclerosis. Telomere length can be maintained by regular physical activity. My results show that hyperoxia enhanced IFN-γ mRNA transcription in Tlymphocytes, whereas hypoxia significantly reduced inflammation. Oxidative stress suppressed a) in-vitro T-cell proliferation in a TERT-dependent way, b) telomerase activity and c) TERT expression in mTert-GFP+ mice by 5-fold (P<0.01) compared to hypoxia. MAPK inhibition (MAPKi) down-regulated IFN-γ mRNA transcription and enhanced splenocyte proliferation equally under both hypoxia and hyperoxia. MAPKi enhanced telomerase activity under hyperoxia by day 10 in culture and significantly increased telomerase activity by day 14 compared to hypoxia. The effect of MAPKi seems to require the presence of TERT and interaction between cells. Voluntary wheel running led to increased telomerase activity in ApoE-/-mTert-GFP+ mice on a high fat diet (HFD) compared to the no exercise group. HFD enhanced both telomerase activity and B-cell numbers under exercise compared to the same mice on a normal diet (ND). In humans, regulatory T-cells were elevated in the acute stage of MI and decreased by 7-fold (P<0.001) following cardiac rehabilitation. However, no significant effect was observed on telomerase activity

Global shocks and their impact on Nigeria: Lessons from global Financial crisis.

Developed a-five variable VAR model of the Nigeria economy for period 1970 – 2010, the study tested the general wisdom, ―Global financial crisis does not impact on Nigeria economy‖. Data were mainly sourced from both the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the publication of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Philips-Perron (PP) tests were used in testing the null hypothesis that there is a unit root in the time series of interest. The variables considered were (1) log of GDP (2) log of FDI (3) log of REM (4) EXR and (5) CPI. Impulse-response functions were employed to examine the recovery from shocks makes full use of the within-country variation. We introduced the constant term and two lagged values of each variable in each equation and found that the impact of financial crisis on Nigeria was possible through financial links, trade links, remittances and other capital flows.This implies that the common believe about the Nigeria economy that global shocks through financial crisis does not have any impact is not quite accurate, for initially the global shocks made unstable the Nigerian economy through the macroeconomic variables understudied although after the initial instability resulting from the global shocks, the Nigeria economy then dependent less on fluctuations in the global economic crisis. We on that premise opined that the crisis presented an opportunity for Nigeria to unbalance the Nigeria economy by concentrate on leading sectors like power, education, agriculture so that the development of these sector can bring about a locomotive growth and results in balanced sector in the long run

Face Recognition System Based on Kernel Discriminant Analysis, K-Nearest Neighbor and Support Vector Machine

Although many methods have been implemented in the past, face recognition is still an active field of research especially after the current increased interest in security. In this paper, a face recognition system using Kernel Discriminant Analysis (KDA) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) with K-nearest neighbor (KNN) methods is presented. The kernel discriminates analysis is applied for extracting features from input images. Furthermore, SVM and KNN are employed to classify the face image based on the extracted features. This procedure is applied on each of Yale and ORL databases to evaluate the performance of the suggested system. The experimental results show that the system has a high recognition rate with accuracy up to 95.25% on the Yale database and 96% on the ORL, which are considered very good results comparing with other reported face recognition systems

Exploiting Wavelet Transform, Principal Component Analysis, Support Vector Machine, and K-Nearest Neighbors for Partial Face Recognition

Facial analysis has evolved to be a process of considerable importance due to its consequence on the safety and security, either individually or generally on the society level, especially in personal identification. The paper in hand applies facial identification on a facial image dataset by examining partial facial images before allocating a set of distinctive characteristics to them. Extracting the desired features from the input image is achieved by means of wavelet transform. Principal component analysis is used for feature selection, which specifies several aspects in the input image; these features are fed to two stages of classification using a support vector machine and K-nearest neighborhood to classify the face. The images used to test the strength of the suggested method are taken from the well-known (Yale) database. Test results showed the eligibility of the system when it comes to identify images and assign the correct face and name

The Effect of an Educational Program by Educational Means on Learning the Technical Performance and the Level of Pupils’ Achievements in the Long Jump

هدف البحث إلى الكشف عن أثر البرنامج التعليمي بالوسائل التعليمية في تعلّم الأداء الفنّي ومستوى الإنجاز في الوثب الطويل، استخدم الباحثان المنهج التجريبي لملاءمته لطبيعة البحث. وتكونت عيّنة البحث من (20) تلميذاً من تلاميذ الصف السادس الابتدائي، وتم تقسيمهم إلى مجموعتين تجريبية وضابطة متساويتين بالعدد بواقع (10) تلاميذ لكل مجموعة،وتم التكافؤ بين مجموعتي البحث في متغيرات (العمر والطول والكتلة وبعض عناصر اللياقة البدنية والحركية المؤثرة في تعلم الأداء الفني والإنجاز في الوثب الطويل) واستخدم الباحثان (الاستبيان والقياس والاختبار والملاحظة العلمية) بوصفها أدوات للبحث، وتم تطبيق البرنامج التعليمي بالوسائل التعليمية على المجموعة التجريبية، في حين تم تطبيق البرنامج التعليمي من دون الوسائل التعليمية على المجموعة الضابطة، واستغرق كل برنامج (8) وحدات تعليمية زمن كل وحدة تعليمية (45) دقيقة. واستخدم الباحثان الوسائل الإحصائية الآتية: (الوسط الحسابي، الانحراف المعياري، معامل الارتباط المتعدد، النسبة المئوية، اختبار (ت) بين وسطين حسابيين مرتبطين، اختبار (ت) لوسطين حسابيين غير مرتبطين). وتوصل الباحثان إلى الاستنتاجين الآتيين: أثر البرنامج التعليمي بالوسائل التعليمية، الذي نفذتهُ المجموعة التجريبية فضلاً عن الأسلوب المتبع في المدرسة،والذي نفذتهُ المجموعة الضابطة إيجابياً في تعلّم الأداء الفني ومستوى الإنجاز في الوثب الطويل لتلاميذ الصف السادس الابتدائي. تفوقت المجموعة التجريبية التي نفذت البرنامج التعليمي بالوسائل التعليمية على المجموعة الضابطة التي نفذت البرنامج التعليمي بدون الوسائل التعليمية في الاختبار البعدي في كل من الأداء الفني ومستوى الانجاز في الوثب الطويل لتلاميذ الصف السادس الابتدائي. &nbsp;The aim of the research was to investigate the effect of the educational program by the educational means in learning the technical performance and the level of achievement in the long jump, the researcher used the experimental method for its suitability the nature of the research. The sample of the research consisted of (20) students of the sixth grade of primary school and they were divided into two groups (experimental&nbsp;&nbsp; and control) of the number of (10) students for each group. The equivalence between&nbsp; two groups were carried out&nbsp; in variables (age, height, mass and some elements of fitness and mobility affecting the learning of technical performance) And the achievement in the long jump) the researcher used&nbsp; (questionnaire, measurement, testing and scientific observation) as tools for research, and the educational program was applied to the experimental group and the educational program without educational means to the control group, and each program (8) units of education , the time of each educational unit (45) minutes. The researcher used the following statistical means (arithmetical mean, standard deviation, correlation coefficient, percentage, t- test for dependent and independent samples. The researcher reached the following conclusion: 1 – The educational program by the educational means, which was implemented by the experimental group, and the educational program without the educational means, which was implemented by the control group, are positively effected in learning the technical performance and the level of achievement in long jump activity for the sixth grade primary school. &nbsp;2 - The experimental group that implemented the educational program by the educational means are excelled on the control group that implemented the educational program without the educational means in the post-test in both the technical performance and the level of achievement in long jump activity for the sixth grade primary school

DIMENSIONS OF THE QUALITY OF SERVICE IN THE JORDANIAN TOURISM COMPANIES AND THEIR RELATIONS TO CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

The present study aimed to reveal the reality of the dimensions of quality of service in the Jordanian tourism companies and their relationship to customer satisfaction. Preliminary data have been collected from customers through questionnaire has been designed for this purpose, after analyzing the data, the study found a positive relationship between reliability, safety, credibility and tangibility and customers satisfaction among Jordanian tourism companies. While there was no relationship between the responsiveness and eligibility and between customer satisfaction in tourism companies The study recommended that the tourism companies have to continue and concern of all the components of service quality and to enhance it in order to get the satisfaction of employees. The Jordanian tourism companies have to concern over the responsiveness and eligibility regard the respond to the customer needs, and the administration of the company should take care of the customers’ complaints and queries. The employees should shorten some of the actions in order to speed customer service. Signboards should be available at the time of provision of services, and provide a sufficient number of staff who provides service to customers. The companies should raise the efficiency of the staff, raise their deductive ability to perform their roles, provide them with the knowledge to their work, to provide staff with adequate information about the service provided, and the company should pay attention that the staff provides the services with highly skilled

Optimizing strength of directly recycled aluminum chip-based parts through a hybrid RSM-GA-ANN approach in sustainable hot forging

Direct recycling of aluminum waste is crucial in sustainable manufacturing to mitigate environmental impact and conserve resources. This work was carried out to study the application of hot press forging (HPF) in recycling AA6061 aluminum chip waste, aiming to optimize operating factors using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Genetic algorithm (GA) strategy to maximize the strength of recycled parts. The experimental runs were designed using Full factorial and RSM via Minitab 21 software. RSM-ANN models were employed to examine the effect of factors and their interactions on response and to predict output, while GA-RSM and GA-ANN were used for optimization. The chips of different morphology were cold compressed into billet form and then hot forged. The effect of varying forging temperature (Tp, 450–550°C), holding time (HT, 60–120 minutes), and chip surface area to volume ratio (A&lt;jats:sub/&gt;S:V, 15.4–52.6 mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;2/mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;3) on ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was examined. Maximum UTS (237.4 MPa) was achieved at 550°C, 120 minutes and 15.4 mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;2/mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;3 of chip’s A&lt;jats:sub/&gt;S: V. The Tp had the largest contributing effect ratio on the UTS, followed by HT and A&lt;jats:sub/&gt;S:V according to ANOVA analysis. The proposed optimization process suggested 550°C, 60 minutes, and 15.4 mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;2 as the optimal condition yielding the maximum UTS. The developed models’ evaluation results showed that ANN (with MSE = 1.48%) outperformed RSM model. Overall, the study promotes sustainable production by demonstrating the potential of integrating RSM and ML to optimize complex manufacturing processes and improve product quality

Optimizing strength of directly recycled aluminum chip-based parts through a hybrid RSM-GA-ANN approach in sustainable hot forging

Direct recycling of aluminum waste is crucial in sustainable manufacturing to mitigate environmental impact and conserve resources. This work was carried out to study the application of hot press forging (HPF) in recycling AA6061 aluminum chip waste, aiming to optimize operating factors using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Genetic algorithm (GA) strategy to maximize the strength of recycled parts. The experimental runs were designed using Full factorial and RSM via Minitab 21 software. RSM-ANN models were employed to examine the effect of factors and their interactions on response and to predict output, while GA-RSM and GA-ANN were used for optimization. The chips of different morphology were cold compressed into billet form and then hot forged. The effect of varying forging temperature (Tp, 450–550°C), holding time (HT, 60–120 minutes), and chip surface area to volume ratio (A&lt;jats:sub/&gt;S:V, 15.4–52.6 mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;2/mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;3) on ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was examined. Maximum UTS (237.4 MPa) was achieved at 550°C, 120 minutes and 15.4 mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;2/mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;3 of chip’s A&lt;jats:sub/&gt;S: V. The Tp had the largest contributing effect ratio on the UTS, followed by HT and A&lt;jats:sub/&gt;S:V according to ANOVA analysis. The proposed optimization process suggested 550°C, 60 minutes, and 15.4 mm&lt;jats:sup/&gt;2 as the optimal condition yielding the maximum UTS. The developed models’ evaluation results showed that ANN (with MSE = 1.48%) outperformed RSM model. Overall, the study promotes sustainable production by demonstrating the potential of integrating RSM and ML to optimize complex manufacturing processes and improve product quality

Changes in expression level of OsHKT1;5 alters activity of membrane transporters involved in K+ and Ca2+ acquisition and homeostasis in salinized rice roots

In rice, the OsHKT1;5 gene has been reported to be a critical determinant of salt tolerance. This gene is harbored by the SKC1 locus, and its role was attributed to Na+ unloading from the xylem. No direct evidence, however, was provided in previous studies. Also, the reported function of SKC1 on the loading and delivery of K+ to the shoot remains to be explained. In this work, we used an electrophysiological approach to compare the kinetics of Na+ uptake by root xylem parenchyma cells using wild type (WT) and NIL(SKC1) plants. Our data showed that Na+ reabsorption was observed in WT, but not NIL(SKC1) plants, thus questioning the functional role of HKT1;5 as a transporter operating in the direct Na+ removal from the xylem. Instead, changes in the expression level of HKT1;5 altered the activity of membrane transporters involved in K+ and Ca2+ acquisition and homeostasis in the rice epidermis and stele, explaining the observed phenotype. We conclude that the role of HKT1;5 in plant salinity tolerance cannot be attributed to merely reducing Na+ concentration in the xylem sap but triggers a complex feedback regulation of activities of other transporters involved in the maintenance of plant ionic homeostasis and signaling under stress conditions