ECONOMIC AND MONETARY INTEGRATION IN THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL (GCC): A KUWAITI PERSPECTIVE

The State of Kuwait is has been a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) since its establishment in 1980. Kuwait is a geographically small but oil-rich country, whose economic development in recent years is the result of an increase in both the production and prices of oil, which now accounts for almost 90% of exports. Meanwhile Kuwait imports almost all its local market needs from abroad. In 2010 the Kuwaiti government passed a development plan which was intended to diversify the Kuwaiti economy and promote non-oil economic sectors. Kuwait has an open economy, and is an ally of its GCC neighbours and the West. It is a member of the World Trade Organisation, which helps to enhance the country’s exports and imports. At the same time Kuwait is committed to advancing Economic and Monetary Integration with the GCC countries, and put into practice the guidelines which will make the Currency and Economic Union successful. This study will extend the literature on Economic and Monetary Integration in the context of the GCC monetary union. A literature review of the theory of Optimum Currency Areas (OCA) examines the development of exchange rate policy and monetary unions. Investigating and assessing Kuwait’s national interest in joining the GCC currency union is the main objective of this thesis. The study applies both quantitative and qualitative approaches to estimating the likely costs and benefits. In the study annual published data is used to analyse the country’s main economic structure and indicators, and semi-structured interviews are used to ascertain the opinions of Kuwaiti nationals working in financial institutions concerning monetary union. The conclusion of our study is that Kuwait is ready to join the GCC monetary union, the benefits of membership outweighing the costs. Having an oil-based economy like that of other GCC countries will make it easier for Kuwait to join the GCC monetary union. In addition, Kuwait imports products from abroad to meet local demand and controls inflation through its exchange rate regime. The Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) is the sole authority managing the country’s monetary policy and the financial sector. However, GCC monetary union will subordinate the CBK to the Gulf Central Bank and reduce its flexibility to use its own monetary tools

Impact of multiscale dynamical processes and mixing on the chemical composition of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere during the Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment–North America

We use high-frequency in situ observations made from the DC8 to examine fine-scale tracer structure and correlations observed in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere during INTEX-NA. Two flights of the NASA DC-8 are compared and contrasted. Chemical data from the DC-8 flight on 18 July show evidence for interleaving and mixing of polluted and stratospheric air masses in the vicinity of the subtropical jet in the upper troposphere, while on 2 August the DC-8 flew through a polluted upper troposphere and a lowermost stratosphere that showed evidence of an intrusion of polluted air. We compare data from both flights with RAQMS 3-D global meteorological and chemical model fields to establish dynamical context and to diagnose processes regulating the degree of mixing on each day. We also use trajectory mapping of the model fields to show that filamentary structure due to upstream strain deformation contributes to tracer variability observed in the upper troposphere. An Eulerian measure of strain versus rotation in the large-scale flow is found useful in predicting filamentary structure in the vicinity of the jet. Higher-frequency (6–24 km) tracer variability is attributed to buoyancy wave oscillations in the vicinity of the jet, whose turbulent dissipation leads to efficient mixing across tracer gradients

Anterior Urethral Advancement in Repair of Hypospadias: A Modification of the Technique

Background/Purpose: Anterior Urethral advancement as one stage technique for hypospadias repair was first described by Ti – Shang Cheng in 1984. It was used for repair of distal and midpenile hypospadias. It was also used for treating secondary cases and urethral fistulae. Stricture, fistulae and ventral curvature were among the complications that faced surgeons on applying the original technique. Materials & Methods: In the period between March1997 and December 2008,140 patients with distal penile hypospadias or anterior urethral fistula were treated with anterior urethral advancement technique with certain modifications. Results: The usual complications of the technique (ventral curvature of the penis, urethral fistula and meatal stenosis) were avoided. Conclusion: This study represents certain modifications that helped to a great extent in improving the results and prevented stricture and fistula formation. Index Word: Hypospadias, fistula, urethral advancemen

Effect of sarcoptic mange treatment on growth performance of pigs

Growth performance of 135 sarcoptic mange mite-infested pigs (8 pens of 15-20 pigs each) was evaluated for an 8-week period during June-August, 1985. Pigs in 6 pens were treated with the acaricide TAKTIC EC, whereas two pens were maintained as nontreated controls. Results indicated that although treatment for sarcoptic mange was effective, it did not improve average daily gains in TAKTIC EC-treated pigs.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 20, 198

Effect of Uric Acid and Lipid Profile on Myocardial Infarction in Iraqi Population

Myocardial infarction is a common presentation of coronary artery disease. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of uric acid and lipid profile on myocardial infarction in Iraqi population. The study was conducted on (30) patients acute myocardial infarction, and (30) apparently healthy subjects were taken as control group. The level of uric acid and lipid profile was determined using colorimetric method. Patient group had significantly higher level of uric acid (P < 0.01), total cholesterol (P < 0.01), triglyceride (P < 0.01), low density lipoprotein (P < 0.01), very low density lipoprotein (P < 0.01) and significantly lower level of high density lipoprotein (P < 0.01) than control group. The results of this study also showed a significant difference (P < 0.01) between males and females regarding uric acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein in both study groups. The body weight of the patients demonstrated as body mass index showed a significant association (P < 0.01) with the level of uric acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein in patient group. In conclusion, uric acid may have an effect on precipitating some risk factors of myocardial infarction. Key words: Uric acid, lipid profile, myocardial infarction

Confining Flux Tubes in a Current Algebra Approach

We describe flux tubes and their interactions in a low energy sigma model induced by $SU({N_f}) \rightarrow SO({N_f})$ flavor symmetry breaking in $SO(N_c)$ QCD. Unlike standard QCD, this model allows gauge confinement to manifest itself in the low energy theory, which has unscreened spinor color sources and global $Z_2$ flux tubes. We construct the flux tubes and show how they mediate the confinement of spinor sources. We further examine the flux tubes' quantum stability, spectrum and interactions. We find that flux tubes are Alice strings, despite ambiguities in defining parallel transport. Furthermore, twisted loops of flux tube support skyrmion number, just as gauged Alice strings form loops that support monopole charge. This model, while phenomenologically nonviable, thus affords a perspective on both the dynamics of confinement and on subtleties which arise for global Alice strings.Comment: 29 pages (REVTEX) plus 6 figures, two corrections in the final section and added reference

Towards a new model of light quality assessment based on occupant satisfaction and lighting glare indices

This study looks at the effect of daylighting on human performance. It includes a focus on glare index combined with the actual feeling of users of the classroom as a way to assess indoor lighting quality. The main objective of this research is to understand the impact of daylighting from windows on the glare sensation and also to determine which glare index is the closest to human visual sensation under local daylighting conditions in Biskra, Algeria with highly luminous climate. The study used High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography, Evaglare and Aftab Alpha software to calculate the two glare metrics Daylight Glare, Index (DGI) and the Daylight Glare Probability (DGP). A survey was also used with 90 occupants under different lighting conditions (different configurations) in a design classroom. In order to link the mathematical model and the human assessment of glare, statistical regression analysis was used. We established a statistically compelling connection between daylighting and student performance

Identifying the development in phase and amplitude of dipole and multipole radiation

The spatial variation in phase and the propagating wave-front of plane wave electromagnetic radiation are widely familiar text-book territory. In contrast, the developing amplitude and phase of radiation emitted by a dipole or multipole source generally receive less attention, despite the prevalence of these systems. There is additional complexity in such cases where, in consequence of retardation, the character and features significantly and progressively change as radiation propagates onwards, from the near-field and out towards the wave-zone. Readily developed analytical representations of the electric field, cast as a function of distance from the source, provide illuminating insights into the most prominent and distinctive properties of radiant electromagnetic emission. Graphical implementations and animations of the results prove particularly instructive in revealing the spatial form and temporal evolution of the emergent electromagnetic fields

Developing neural networks to investigate relationships between lighting quality and lighting glare indices

The present work compares the ability of the two most used glare indices, the Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) and the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) Glare Index (CGI), using Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The research investigates the efficiency of indexes in predictive indoor lighting quality. This study was carried out by analyzing data from a survey administered to ninety students in real design classrooms in the city of Biskra, Algeria. The experiment was conducted using three different lighting indoor conditions: natural and artificial lighting and mixed lighting. The true prediction of the Daylight Glare Probability for the variable Comfortable was 60.60%, and for (CIE) Glare Index the prediction values were equal to 44.60% for the same variable

A rare urogenital malformation “Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome” (Ohvira syndrome) discovered during an acute pelvic pain

The Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome (OHVIRA syndrome) is a rare urogenital malformation, characterized by a blind hemivagina, a didelphic uterus, and homolateral renal agenesis, it results from a defect in the development of the muller and Wolf ducts during the embryonic period, of unknown origin, the diagnosis is most often made at puberty during the first menstruation, sometimes late, particularly for non-obstructive forms: infertility or obstetrical complications, the diagnosis is based on pelvic ultrasound especially with 3D reconstructions and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which remains the standard gold for the detection of mullerian anomalies, laparoscopy can also play a double diagnostic and prognostic role in order to study the consequences of the blood reflection (hematosalpinx, inflammatory pelvis, endometriosis. In this work we report the case of an OHVIRA syndrome diagnosed late at the age of 36 years in a multiparous woman with acute pelvic pain simulating the picture of a torsion of the adnexa, we will discuss through this case the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this uterine malformation