Foreign direct investment, exports and economic growth: evidence from two panels of developing countries

The purpose of this article is to examine the causal relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), exports and economic growth in two panels of developing countries (eight European developing countries and eight Asian developing countries). Panel- VECM causality is employed for investigating a tri-variate model of FDI, exports and GDP. Causality results in the European developing panel indicate bidirectional causality between GDP and FDI, and unidirectional causality from GDP and FDI to exports in the shortrun. The empirical results of the Asian developing panel indicate bidirectional causality between exports and economic growth in the short-run. Moreover, there is evidence of long-run causality from export and FDI to economic growth, and long-run causality from economic growth and export to FDI for both of the aforementioned panels

Investigation of the Relation between Economic Globalization and Government Size in Asian Developing Countries

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relation between government size and openness for a 26-years panel of 30 Asian developing countries. It is argued that there is a negative relation between country size and government size and also between country size and openness. Considering that, some researchers concluded that there is a positive relationship between openness and the size of government. To reveal the relation between these two variables, we used two proxies for measuring the extent of openness. The proxy used for openness is the economic dimension of KOF index of globalization. Employing a non-stationary panel data technique and DOLS estimator, the results show that there is a positive relationship between economic globalization and government size

Investigating Capital Mobility and Saving- Investment Relationship: Case Study of MENA Countries

This paper determines the degree of capital mobility and saving- investment association by using the Feldstein- Horioka (1980) approach among Middle East and North African (MENA) countries during 1990-2011. According to the Feldstein- Horioka hypothesis, in a country with high degree of capital mobility there should be no relationship between domestic saving and domestic investment and inversely, in a country with low degree of capital mobility there is a high correlation between domestic saving and domestic investment. Using panel data and employing Random effect Model to estimate the model, the obtained results show that capital is highly mobile in these countries

Chemo-Diversity and Antiradical Potential of Twelve Matricaria chamomilla L. Populations from Iran: Proof of Ecological Effects

Matricaria chamomilla L. is a popular medicinal herb that is used for healing various diseases and is widely distributed worldwide in temperate climate zones, and even in the subtropical climate of Southern and Western Iran. This study was aimed at comparing the volatile oil constituents, along with antiradical potential and HPLC analysis of methanolic extracts from twelve plant samples growing in Iran. The present research was carried out for the first time on these populations. Among seventeen identified volatile chemicals evaluated by GC/MS and GC/FID, representing 92.73–97.71% of the total oils, α-bisabolone oxide A (45.64–65.41%) was the major constituent, except in case of “Sarableh” as a new chemotype, where (E)- and (Z)-γ-bisabolene (42.76 and 40.08%, respectively) were the predominant components. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes (53.31–74.52%) were the most abundant compounds in the samples excluding “Sarableh” with 91.3% sesquiterpene hydrocarbons. “Sarableh” also exerted the most potent antioxidant capacity with EC50 = 7.76 ± 0.3 µg/mL and 6.51 ± 0.63 mmol TE (Trolox® equivalents)/g. In addition, populations “Lali” and “Bagh Malek” contained the highest amounts of apigenin and luteolin with 1.19 ± 0.01 mg/g and 2.20 ± 0.0 mg/g of plant material, respectively. Our findings depict a clear correlation between phytochemical profiles and antiradical potential of M. chamomilla and geographical factors

The integrative multi-omics approach identifies the novel competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network in colorectal cancer

Circular RNAs (circRNA) are known to function as competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) in various cancers by regulating microRNAs (miRNA). However, in colorectal cancer (CRC), the precise pathological role of circ000240/miRNA/mRNA remains indeterminate. The expression level of hsa_circ_000240 was evaluated using qRT-PCR in matching pairs of CRC tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples in our laboratory. Then, to determine whether hsa_circ_000240 acted as a ceRNA in CRC, the linked miRNAs and gene targets were retrieved. Topological analysis of candidate genes using a network approach identified the most critical hub genes and subnetworks related to CRC disease. Microarray and bulk RNA sequencing analyses were utilized to comprehensively evaluate the expression levels of both miRNA and mRNA in CRC. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis was also used to evaluate the significant overall survival (OS) genes at the cellular level. ATAC-seq data provided insights into candidate genes' accessible chromatin regions. The research uncovered a considerable upregulation of hsa_circ_000240 in CRC tissues. Three miRNAs interacted with the target circRNA. One thousand six hundred eighty intersected genes regulated by three miRNAs were further identified, and the relevant functionality of identified neighbor genes highlighted their relevance to cancer. The topological analysis of the constructed network has identified 33 hub genes with notably high expression in CRC. Among these genes, eight, including CHEK1, CDC6, FANCI, GINS2, MAD2L1, ORC1, RACGAP1, and SMC4, have demonstrated a significant impact on overall survival. The utilization of single-cell RNA sequencing unequivocally corroborated the augmented expression levels of CDC6 and ORC1 in individuals with CRC, alongside their noteworthy connection with the infiltration of immune cells. ATAC-seq analyses revealed altered accessibility regions in Chr2, 4, and 12 for CDC6 and ORC1 high-expression. Correlation analysis of CDC6 and ORC1 further highlighted the association of candidate gene expression with exhaustion markers such as CTLA4, CD247, TIGIT, and CD244. The candidate genes exhibit a positive correlation with chromatin remodeling and histone acetylation. These epigenetic modifications play a significant role in influencing the cancer progression following expression of CDC6 and ORC1 in CRC. Additionally, results showed that the methylation rate of the promoter region of CDC6 was elevated in CRC disease, confirming the functional importance of CDC6 and their interaction with hsa_circ_000240 and associated ceRNA in CRC. In conclusion, this study highlights hsa_circ_000240's role as a ceRNA in CRC. It opens new avenues for further dissection of CDC6, ORC1, and underlying novel epigenetics and immunotherapy targets for CRC therapy

A Survey on the Existence of Price Discrimination Behavior in Iran’s Saffron Exporting Market by Using PTM Model

One of the most important effects of exchange rate movements is its effection the exporting price of different products. According to the new trade theories, market structure plays an important role in relating exchange rate depreciations to price declines. In Iran, exchange rate has increased in recent years. Inspired by this assumption, this paper attempts to investigate the impact of exchange rate movements on the export price of saffron (which is the most important non-oil export product after pistachio)in Iran over the period of 2001-2012. As shown by the results of the present study, the country effect (λi) for each destination is significant except for United States. In addition, the exchange rate’s coefficient is significant for all countries in our sample. Accordingly, as also indicated by the related literature,the hypothesis of the existence of competitive market is rejected, and this lends support to the idea that price discrimination in saffron market is regularly applied by Iranian exporters,which suggests that the government should try to support this strategic product by suitable policies

Antibiotic resistance properties and molecular characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) referred to Gholhak Pathobiology Laboratory in Tehran city during 2016-2018

Background and Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are often heterogeneous and antibiotic resistant strains. Our work therefore focused on the antibiotic resistance properties of these P. aeruginosa strains isolated from Iranian patients, as well as the genetic diversity analysis by a repetitive-element-based molecular assay. Methods: This cross-sectional study performed on 100 strains of P. aeruginosa isolated from CF patients. The isolates were diagnosed using standard biochemical tests, and their antibiotic resistance patterns were determined. Molecular diversity investigated by ERIC-PCR and BOX-PCR methods, and the correlation between molecular types and antimicrobial resistance patterns determined by Pearson's chi-square test. Results: The prevalence of multiple drug resistant isolates was 35%, and in terms of hypermutator [HP] phenotypes, only two isolates were HP. Most isolates (96%) were resistant to Rifampin, and the highest susceptibility to Streptomycin, Imipenem, and Meropenem were 96%, 93%, and 94%, respectively. Molecular analysis demonstrated that BOX-PCR fingerprinting produced 24 patterns in eight clusters, while ERIC-PCR resulted in 26 patterns in nine clusters. Conclusion: The detection of large proportions of diversity and multi-antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa strains in CF patients within Iran indicates that this pathogen can be a threat to our public health. Our findings are useful for understanding the evolution of P. aeruginosa population in CF patients and identifying new targets for control of CF chronic infections

Barriers to the Development of Agricultural Production Cooperatives Strategic Agricultural Products with Emphasis on Government Supportive Policies (Integration)

Given the obstacles in cooperatives, one of the ways to increase the share of the cooperative sector in the Iranian economy is to implement supportive policies by the public sector. The statistical population includes all active cooperatives producing agricultural sector, including 23 cooperatives in Shahroud city, which using random sampling method and Cochran's sampling formula out of 170 main members of companies 115 of them to study selection The research method was descriptive-correlational, which was performed in terms of data collection by survey, using the pre-test "researcher-made" questionnaire. At least three people from each company and a maximum of seven people participated in the study.The reliability and validity of the research instruments were confirmed by calculating the coefficients of KMO and Cronbach's alpha (α> 0.7) and by the panel of experts. Data analysis was performed with spss22 software. The results of the study showed that the members of the studied cooperatives are not well aware of the obstacles and problems of the agricultural sector and only see the supportive policy in injecting liquidity. Also, the most important obstacles to land consolidation in the agricultural sector from the point of view of the people studied are "lack of culture building in the field of ship together" and "lack of appropriate and sufficient training and extension courses in the field of ship together".Also, based on factor analysis, the barriers to agricultural production cooperatives were emphasized by emphasizing supportive policies in the managerial, personality and psychological factors, policy and supportive categories

Quality Assessment of Clinical Education in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences from the Perspective of Clerkships and Interns in 2019

Background and purpose: Acquisition of basic skills and professionalism in medicine depends on the quality and quantity of education in clinical settings. This study aimed at assessing the quality of clinical education in different departments of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and methods: This descriptive study was conducted in medical clerkships and interns (n=175). The participants were selected via census sampling in 2019. Data were collected using a checklist based on clinical education standards of Iran Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Written comments from clerkships and interns on the compliance of morning report training programs, clinical trainings, clinical rounds, grand rounds, journal club, and clinical skills center with clinical training standards were received. Data analysis was performed in SPSS V16. Results: The morning report program and clinical skills center program had the highest (85.1%) and lowest (72.2%) scores in clinical education. We observed significant differences between these scores and the scores for other clinical programs (P>0.05). The quality of all clinical education programs was similar according to men and women. The clerkship and interns had different ideas about the status of all clinical education programs except in the morning report program and the clerkship were more satisfied with clinical education programs. Conclusion: From the students' point of view, the morning report program was of acceptable quality, but the clinical training programs, club journal, grand rounds, and clinical skills center had some drawbacks. Training workshops for clinical professors is recommended to enhance the standards of clinical training programs