REFUGEES FROM SYRIA CAUGHT BETWEEN WAR AND BORDERS: A JOURNEY TOWARDS PROTECTION

This dissertation examines the global crisis of protection through the lens of the Syrian refugee crisis and the particular experiences of refugees’ journeys to Sweden. In doing so, the dissertation challenges the dominant narratives that represent refugees either as victims who deserve aid in their regions, or as threats when they exert their agency and journey towards the global north. In the same vein, the dissertation problematizes the dominant narrative of the “European crisis of migration” and proposes that the “unauthorized” arrivals of refugees in Europe are reflections of a global crisis of protection, a crisis that develops as a result of a failing protection regime and bordering practices against refugees from the global south. These practices are based to a large degree on government policies designed to contain refugees in their regions and deter them from reaching the states of the global north where they believe they can have better access to rights. The dissertation proposes that such practices do not deter desperate refugees from arriving in the global north, but rather increase the “human cost” (Spijkerboer, 2007) of their journeys by reducing the legal and safe pathways and forcing refugees into illegality and precarity. The dissertation examines the journeys of refugees from Syria towards Sweden. These refugees escaped the war in their homeland, only to find themselves trapped between a failing protection regime and a global system of border controls. Those who decide to journey towards other destinations are transformed from being refugees, who deserve protection, into “irregular migrants”, who are criminalized for challenging the regime of borders. Due to such precarity and illegality, refugees arrive at their intended destinations with a heavy load of pain, fear, and confusion, which influences their sense of identity and belonging and affects their ability to integrate into their new localities. Informed by the knowledge of refugees and through their stories, the dissertation develops a conceptual framework of the refugee journey. It addresses the journey as an act of survival and resistance that is messy and complex and involves high degrees of agency but also precarity, which entails a transformative impact on a refugee’s role, positionality, and identity. The dissertation centralizes refugees as the prime source of knowledge and presents them as real individuals with various backgrounds and aspirations. It focuses on people’s own experiences and stories which are often left out of policymaking, and absent from high-level discussions between government leaders, policymakers, and international organizations including the United Nations

Modélisation des micro-plasmas, conception des circuits micro-ondes, Coupleur Directionnel Hybride pour Mesures et des applications en Télécommunication

L'intégration des nouveaux éléments basés sur la physique des plasmas dans le domaine des circuits et des systèmes micro-ondes est l'objectif de ce travail. En profitant des caractéristiques électromagnétiques des plasmas et en jouant sur leur architecture, on développe des micro-commutateurs micro-ondes et d'autres circuits radio et hyperfréquences en technologies microrubans ou en guide d'onde… La simulation de la propagation des ondes électromagnétiques dans un plasma et les études de l'interaction entre un plasma et les ondes électromagnétiques nécessite la connaissance des paramètres fondamentaux du plasma comme la permittivité. C'est pour cela qu'on étudie aussi les mesures plasmas par différents techniques comme la transmission/réflexion des ondes électromagnétiques, la perturbation des cavités résonnantes, ... Un schéma électrique équivalent modélisant un micro-commutateur hyperfréquence en plasma, est obtenu grâce aux mesures des courants de décharge électrique, à la rétro-simulation et aux techniques de modélisation numérique. Un coupleur directif hybride compact est utilisé pour les mesures plasmas en assurant la protection du matériel et de l'équipement de mesure des signaux d'un plasma. ABSTRACT : Integration of new plasma-based elements for RF and microwave circuits and systems is the goal of this work. Taking advantage of electromagnetic characteristics of plasmas and playing on their architecture, we develop microwave micro-switches and other RF and microwave circuits by different technologies such as microstrip, waveguide circuits. The simulation of the propagation of electromagnetic waves in plasma and studying the interaction between plasma and electromagnetic waves require a pre-knowledge of its basic intrinsic parameters such as permittivity for that we also study measures and plasma different techniques like transmission/reflection of an electromagnetic waves, cavity perturbation technique... An equivalent electrical circuit modeling the plasma will be used for modeling microwave micro-switches. It is obtained by measurements of electric discharge currents, the reverse CAD simulation and numerical modeling techniques. A compact hybrid directional coupler is used to measure plasma and to protect test equipment from dangerous signals of the electrical discharge

National governance, corporate governance and firm performance : empirical evidence from two MENA countries ‒ Jordan and UAE

Experts’ analysis of the report conducted by The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) in 2011 shows that weak governance practices have been among the key causes, or at least exacerbate, the recent financial crisis and the severe corporate failures in the US market and elsewhere around the world. Therefore, governments and other regulatory bodies have been convinced to impose strict regulatory requirements and implement effective plans to ensure sound corporate governance practices. By reviewing extant literature, I find a clear gap in studying the effect of governance variables on firm performance in emerging markets in general and in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA) capital markets in particular, where the existence of majority (controlling) shareholders is predominant, and institutional framework is less developed. This research aims to examine the effect of country- and firm-level corporate governance mechanisms on the performance of non-financial firms listed in Jordan and in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This study uses the Two-Step Dynamic System Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimator to examine this relationship over a seven-year period from 2008 to 2014. The empirical analyses include three studies. The first study examines the effect of firm-level corporate governance variables (e.g., ownership and board of director’s structures) on firm performance using the panel dataset of 113 nonfinancial listed firms on the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) in Jordan. The second study examines the impact of the selected firm-level governance variables on firm performance using a panel dataset of 40 non-financial listed firms on the Emirates Securities Market (ESM) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Finally, I use the combined panel dataset of the nonfinancial firms (153) listed in both markets to examine the impact of a series of country- and firm-level governance variables on firm performance. This study provides evidence that governance of listed firms in Jordan and in the UAE, is characterised by the presence of strong blockholders (including; institutional and family investors). Importantly, in line with recent advances in corporate governance research (i.e., Wintoki et al., 2012; Nguyen et al., 2014, 2015), this research provides evidence that the one-year lagged firm performance is significantly positively correlated with current firm performance and governance practices. This support the notion presented by recent advances in corporate governance research that dynamic framework should be applied when examining the relationship between governance and performance. Moreover, the results in general suggest that the effect of ownership structure on firm performance persists in both markets. For the Jordanian market, the results indicate that the three ownership structure variables (family ownership, institutional ownership, and ownership concentration) appear to have statistically positive significant effects on firm performance. On the other hand, board of directors’ variables ‒board size, duality and independence‒ seem to have no significant implications on firm performance using Jordanian dataset. This may imply that strong presence of controlling shareholders may substitute the implications of board of directors’ variables. For the UAE’s market, the results show that only ownership concentration has a positive effect on firm performance. The type of the dominant shareholder has no implications in this context. Furthermore, similar to the Jordanian case, board of director variables ‒board size and independence‒ have no implications on firm performance in this country. These results remain robust even after using alternative firm performance indicators i.e., ROA and ROE. The results of the third study, using the combined sample of 153 nonfinancial listed firms in Jordan and UAE, indicate that only ownership structure variables ‒family ownership, institutional ownership and ownership concentration‒ are significantly positively related to firm performance. Board of directors’ variables ‒size, duality and independence‒ still showing no important implications on firm performance. These results highlighting the importance of ownership structure (concentration) as the most important at firm-level governance mechanisms in such small emerging markets. The main findings remain robust even after using alternative governance and performance metrics. These results are in line with the efficient monitoring hypothesis of blockholders as suggested by agency theory. At the country-level governance, the empirical analyses executed in the third study show that higher national governance quality levels –such as legal protection of shareholders, the rule of law, government effectiveness and regulatory quality– are associated with higher firm performance. These results are in line with the institutional theory predictions about the ability of external (country-level) governance instruments in improving firm performance and reducing its variability by encouraging low-risky investments. This study is one of the first studies to examine the relationships between a suite of country- and firm-level corporate governance mechanisms and firm performance using a dynamic modelling approach for the Jordanian and the UAE’s capital markets. The findings of this thesis significantly contribute toward a better understanding of how the country-level governance and firm-level governance influence operational and market performance of the firms operating in the emerging markets of the MENA region ‒ a context has been ignored in the prior governance literature. The practical potential of this research in terms of policy is to inform decisions relating to institutional infrastructure and functions as well as pointing to possible effects of financing consequences as well as corporate control, ownership and governance decisions connected shaping a firm’s market and operational outcomes

Influence of Vitamins and Exogenous Enzymes Combination on alleviating Heat Stress in Lactating Ewes under Egyptian Summer Conditions

The present experiment was designed to study the effects of vitamin mixtures and exogenous enzymes ZADO® in alleviaties heat stress in ewes in summer temperatures (25-44°C) compared with winter temperatures (8-22°C). Fifty lactating Ossimi ewes were divided randomly into 5 treatment groups. In summer, the experiment included four treatments: (i) control i.e., normal summer conditions, no supplements (control 2), (ii) ewes supplemented with 10 g/head/day of ZADO® mixed in the concentrate, (iii) ewes supplemented with vitamin AD3E (250 mg/kg BW) and C (45 mg/kg BW) mixture, and (iv) ewes supplemented with ZADO® and vitamin mixture as above. In winter, the treatment comprised of assessments only under normal winter condition (8 to 22°C) without any additives (control 1). Blood and milk samples from each ewe were collected biweekly throughout lactation. Results indicate that plasma total protein, total lipids and glucose, and milk production and composition were decreased (P<0.01) in summer compared with winter. Addition of ZADO® increased plasma total protein, glucose, milk production, protein and lactose as compared with summer control (control 2). Vitamin mixture increased (P<0.01) plasma total protein, milk production and milk protein, but had no effect on total lipids, glucose, milk fat and lactose. Combination of vitamin mixture with ZADO® addition increased the ability of lactating ewes to alleviate hea

Airway Management in ICU Settings

Maintenance of patent airway, adequate ventilation, and pulmonary gas exchange is very important in critically ill patients. Airway management in intensive care patients differs significantly from routine surgical procedures in the operating room. The airway competence in intensive care unit (ICU) should be coping with the rapidly evolving advances in airway management. Therefore, efforts should be focused on the three pillars of airway master: airway providers as intensivists or critical care physicians, equipment, and operational plans. Not all institutions can afford all airway equipment in the market; however, they should make sure that critical care providers have a full access to the available tools and they are comfortable using it. Educational sessions and refresher courses should be tailored to meet the competence level of the ICU providers and equipment availability. Operational plan includes developing institutional airway protocols and implementing difficult airway guidelines. The protocols should consider different staffing models of ICU and make sure all the time at least one member of the team with the highest experience in airway should be always available. The aim of writing this chapter is to enable the intensivist to optimize their use of airway equipment and managing high‐risk patients in ICU

Analysis of the Impact of Fintech Firms’ Lending on the Expansion of Service Base Companies in Jordan

The purpose of this research was to analyze the impact of lending by fintech firms on the expansion of service- based companies in Jordan. The studys population included 210 service-based enterprises located in Jordan. The research used a sample size of 136 respondents from registered service-based enterprises in Jordan. The researchers used a structured questionnaire to gather data from the participants. The data acquired in this study were evaluated using a combination of basic percentage calculations and Pearson product moment analysis. The research has reached the conclusion that the lending activities of Fintech firms have a noteworthy impact on the expansion of service-based companies in Jordan. The study suggests that it would be advantageous for the Fintech service provider to engage in advertising efforts aimed at promoting their services, with the goal of increasing the adoption of their mobile money product among a wider range of business professionals. This would lead to an increased number of entrepreneurs using Fintech as a means to augment the expansion of their businesses. The scope of the research was limited to a small number of service-based organizations. However, it is important to include other service-based companies that were not included in this study. To get a comprehensive understanding, a comparison study should be conducted to explore other characteristics that were not addressed in the current research. The field of financial technology (fintech) has seen significant growth in recent years. This growth can be measured by the degree of utilization observed in various fintech applications and services

Treatments for chronic pruritus outside of the box

Patients with chronic pruritus are in desperate need of novel treatment options, as current therapeutic possibilities are often not effective, have a poor level of evidence and are mostly off-label. In recent years, much effort has been put into the identification of potential targets for the treatment of chronic pruritus. More importantly, a number of promising new drugs that are aimed at treating pruritus in different conditions are currently in advanced stages of clinical trials. Here, current pharmacological developments leading to potential new drugs for the treatment of chronic pruritus within various conditions are summarized. Hopefully, these new approaches will result in effective and safe therapies for our patients with chronic pruritus associated with dermatological or non-dermatological diseases in the near future