"Big Bang" Versus Gradualism in Economic Reforms: An Intertemporal Analysis with an Application to China

This paper analyzes issues concerning the speed of adjustment and sequencing of reforms in a transition economy. It presents a dynamic general equilibrium model parameterized with Chinese data. The model is used to generate different policy simulations that highlight the importance of the policy instruments used during the transition period. The simulations consider privatization, tariff reform, and devaluation, as well as alternative speeds of introducing these policies. They show that different speeds of adjustment, as well as sequencing of reforms, will have very different implications for macroeconomic aggregates. Copyright 2003, International Monetary Fund

Inhaled mometasone furoate for the management of refractory oral corticosteroid-dependent asthma: a case report

We report a case study of a 55-year-old white male with severe persistent refractory corticosteroid-dependent asthma receiving inhaled combination therapy with fluticasone propionate 500 μg and salmeterol 50 μg twice-daily in addition to 6-week cycles of oral corticosteroid treatment for the previous 7 months. The patient was switched to high-dose mometasone furoate delivered via a dry powder inhaler (660 μg twice-daily) for 6 weeks

Is Ppp the New Firepower For Islamic Finance That Will Accelerate Progress Towards (SDGS)?

Наявність доступу до основних інфраструктурних послуг має ключове значення для створення економічних можливостей і надання соціальних послуг бідним. Їх дефіцит призводить до ряду негативних наслідків і втрачених можливостей (Світовий банк вказує, що наразі 1 мільярд людей живе без електрики, 663 мільйони людей не мають доступу до безпечної питної води, 840 мільйонів людей знаходяться на відстані більше 2 кілометрів від всепогодних доріг). , а 4 мільярди людей не мають доступу до Інтернету). Систематизація результатів дослідження Світового банку показала, що країни з низьким і середнім рівнем доходу повинні витрачати в середньому 4,5 відсотка ВВП на надання інфраструктурних послуг і досягнення пов’язаних з інфраструктурою цілей сталого розвитку (ЦСР). Актуальність вирішення цієї проблеми полягає в тому, що в багатьох країнах високі обсяги інвестицій, необхідні для інфраструктури, не можуть бути профінансовані лише з державного бюджету. Тому урядам цих країн варто звернути увагу на приватні інвестиції як інструмент додаткового залучення коштів. У статті наведено результати аналізу, які довели, що приватно-державне партнерство все більше стає загальною структурою для надання громадської інфраструктури. Він пропонує урядам і неурядовим організаціям можливість досягти більш ефективних проектів шляхом розподілу ризиків і надання приватному сектору шансу внести інновації в проектування, будівництво, експлуатацію та обслуговування громадської інфраструктури. Дослідження теоретично доводить, що державно-приватне партнерство пропонує грошові та немонетарні переваги для державного сектору, зокрема: дозволяє розподіляти державні кошти на інші місцеві пріоритети, розподіляючи проектні ризики як на державний, так і на приватний сектори, покращує ефективність та реалізацію проекту. процесів надання послуг населенню, наголошується на цінності грошей (VfM) – зосередження на зменшенні витрат, кращому розподілі ризиків, швидшому впровадженні, покращенні послуг і можливому отриманні додаткового доходу. У документі на основі порівняльного аналізу звичайних облігацій та сукук (ісламських облігацій) було зроблено висновок, що звичайні облігації представляють собою чистий борг емітента, тоді як останні пропонують численні переваги: меншу вартість коштів завдяки вищому рейтингу за рахунок підвищення кредиту, доступ до ринків капіталу, диверсифікація джерел фінансування, позабалансове фінансування (через сек’юритизацію), покращення фінансових показників та зниження потенційного ризику.Having access to essential infrastructure services is pivotal in creating economic opportunities and bringing social services to the poor. Their deficiency leads to a number of negative consequences and lost opportunities (the World Bank indicates that currently 1 billion people live without electricity, 663 million people lack access to safe drinking water, 840 million people are located more than 2 kilometers from all-weather roads, and 4 billion people cannot access the Internet). The systematization of the results of World Bank research proved that lower-and middle-income countries need to spend on average 4.5 percent of GDP to deliver infrastructure services and achieve the infrastructure-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The urgency of solving this problem lies in the fact that in many countries, the high levels of investment required for infrastructure cannot be financed by the public purse alone. Therefore, the governments of these countries should pay attention to private investments as a tool for additional fundraising. The article presents the results of the analysis, which proved that the Private-Public Partnership has increasingly become a common structure for the delivery of public infrastructure. It offers the opportunity for governments and nongovernmental bodies to achieve more efficient projects by sharing risks and giving the private sector a chance to bring innovation to the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of public infrastructure. The study theoretically proves that public-private partnership offers monetary and non-monetary advantages for the public sector, in particular: allowing the allocation of public funds for other local priorities, distributing project risks to both public and private sectors, improved efficiency and project implementation processes in delivering services to the public, emphasizes Value for Money (VfM) – focusing on reduced costs, better risk allocation, faster implementation, improved services and possible generation of additional revenue. In the paper, based on a comparative analysis of conventional bonds and Sukuk (Islamic bonds), it was concluded that conventional bonds represent the issuer’s pure debt, while the latter offers multiple benefits: lower costs of funds due to higher rating via credit enhancement, access to the capital markets, diversification of funding sources, off-balance sheet financing (via securitization), improvement of financial ratios, and potential risk reduction

Can private public partnership pullout Lebanon out of its worst economic crisis?

Lebanon is grappling with the worst economic crisis in decades. One cannot escape the reality that Lebanon is broke and is set to face an even more agonizing economic downturn. While Lebanon has lost many past opportunities to develop its infrastructure including its energy, waste management, water, and transport, it is high time that authorities roll up their sleeves and give development a fillip in the country through Public Private Partnership (PPP). Financing a project through a public-private partnership can allow a project to be completed sooner or make it a possibility in the first place. Public-private partnerships allow large-scale government projects to be completed with private funding. The success of PPP project is defined on the basis of repayment of loans without recourse to public sector guarantees or tax revenues and the provision of public services without inflicting a direct or indirect burden on the population, that is already encumbered with huge debt as in the case of Lebanon. On one hand, establishing a railway network in Lebanon via PPP will not only enable mass public transportation but will add significantly to economic growth in the country. Electricity, as well, in the heart of the economic crisis, the government should consider partnering with green power producers via PPP to resolve this issue. Furthermore, Lebanon had two oil refineries, renovating those refineries will allow Lebanon to secure its needs of oil and then eventually to export its surplus. Likewise, Special Economic Zones play a key role in rapid economic development of a country. Hence, upgrading the infrastructure of Tripoli and its port has numerous benefits especially with the intent of reconstructing Syria

Developpement des techniques d'analyse par faisceaux d'ions acceleres elementaires (PIXE PIGE) et structurales (HSF-SIMS): - applications a l'analyse des sols sans traitement prealable

BIASPas de résum

Phosphorous characterization and quantification in CVD SiO2(P,B)/SiO2/si multilayer system by low energy PIXE

BIA

PIXE micro-PIXE and RBS analysis of thermal aged rubber material : on the additive behaviour versus aging time

BIA

Interaction agrégats-surface. Spectrométrie de masse par temps de vol et application analytique à des études sur des médicaments et sur la météorite Paris

Le Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC) poursuit un programme de développement des techniques analytiques pour compléter l analyse par faisceau d ions (IBA). Il a décidé de s équiper d un spectromètre de masse couplée à l imagerie 2D puis récemment 3D avec l acquisition d un spectromètre de masse IONTOF V équipé de deux colonnes ioniques délivrant des faisceaux d agrégats de bismuth et d argon. Dans ce cadre, mon sujet de thèse a porté sur l'optimisation de l instrument nouvellement acquis pour l analyse d échantillons contenant des composés organiques. Les premiers sujets de recherche sont la mise au point du protocole d analyse quantitative de médicaments en utilisant la technique cluster-SIMS-imaging et l analyse de la météorite Paris pour localiser la matière organique et déterminer sa composition. Dans les deux cas une approche multi-technique a été utilisée: IBA au LAEC, -Raman et -IR autour des équipements de Soleil et PIXE réalisée auprès de l accélérateur AGLAE (Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France, C2RMF).L analyse de médicaments a été initiée au Liban en collaboration avec un fabricant local de produits pharmaceutiques (Mediphar Laboratories) dans le but d établir de nouveaux procédés de contrôle qualité de produits finis. Mon étude a montré la complexité du dosage de médicament due à la présence de plusieurs molécules actives (Principe Actif, PA) et de substances organiques et minérales inactives (excipients) mélangées dans des conditions secrètes. Les effets de matrice sont dominants et modifient l émission ionique conduisant à des erreurs systématiques importantes. Cette complexité a été analysée avec l étude du Fludinium possédant deux PAs. Les résultats de cette étude ont permis d obtenir la première courbe d étalonnage du rapport des deux PAs et de quantifier ceux-ci dans les conditions du médicament commercial. Le protocole pour effectuer cette courbe d étalonnage et les contrôles qualité ont été déterminés. Ceux-ci incorporeront une analyse en profil pour contrôler l homogénéité des échantillons et l obtention d étalons produits par le fabricant en suivant ses processus de fabrication. En effet, les expériences ont montré que la réalisation du médicament en laboratoire à partir de ses éléments (PAs et excipients) ne donnait pas la même réponse ionique que le médicament commercial. L analyse de la météorite Paris a été initiée par une collaboration avec une équipe de l Institut d Astrophysique Spatial d Orsay impliquée dans l exobiologie et la recherche des premières molécules pré-biotiques dans des échantillons extraterrestres. Le but des recherches est de caractériser la matière organique représentant quelques pourcents en poids dans une matrice minérale complexe, sans utiliser des méthodes chimiques pouvant induire une modification de ces molécules. Cette étude a démontré l intérêt de l approche multi-technique centrée autour de la spectrométrie de masse couplée à l imagerie ionique pour déterminer les éléments principaux de la matrice minérale et organique. L analyse par PIXE avec une cartographie micrométrique a permis d attribuer les distributions d ions moléculaires et agrégats des spectres de masse aux différents composés minéraux. Ces attributions se poursuivent avec la constitution d une base de données de spectres de référence. La composante organique a été extraite et les premières hypothèses de composition ont été envisagées autour des HAPs (Hydrocarbure Aromatique Polycyclique), MOI (Matière Organique Insoluble) et analogues de carbone amorphe produits par irradiation UV de glaces dont les compositions en gaz représentent différentes hypothèses pour les nuages interstellaires. Les protocoles d analyses multi-techniques établis (incorporant un suivi de l échantillon par spectrométrie de masse et imagerie ionique) permettent le démarrage d analyse d autres échantillons extra-terrestres collectés sur terre ou dans l espace.The Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission (LAEC) is incorporated in a development program of the analytical techniques in order to complete the Ion Beam Analysis (IBA). It was decided to get a mass spectrometer coupled to 2D and recently to 3D imaging, by acquiring an ION TOFVTM system equipped with two ionic columns delivering bismuth and argon cluster beams.In this context, my thesis is focused on the optimization of the instrument, recently purchased, for the analysis of samples containing organic compounds. The first subjects of research are the development of a protocol for quantitative analysis of drugs using the cluster-SIMS-imaging technique and the Paris meteorite analysis to determine its composition and to localize the organic matter. In the last case a multi-techniques approach was used : IBA in LAEC, -Raman et -IR around the Soleil synchrotron equipments and PIXE carried with the AGLAE accelerator (Centre de recherche et de restauration des musées de France, C2RMF).The drug analysis was initiated in Lebanon in collaboration with a local pharmaceutical manufacturer (Mediphar Laboratories) in order to establish new processes for quality control of the final products. My study showed the complexity of the drug quantification which is due to the presence of several active ingredients (AI) and inactive organic and minerals components (excipients) mixed in secret conditions. Matrix effects are dominant and modify the ionic emission leading to significant systematic errors. This complexity has been analyzed with the study of FludiniumTM with two active ingredients. The results of this study allowed to obtain the first calibration curves of the ratio between the two AIs and to quantify them in the commercial drug. The protocol to perform the calibration curve and the quality controls were determined. These incorporate a profile analysis to control the homogeneity of the samples and the obtaining standards produced by the pharmaceutical manufacturer following the same process used for the commercial drug. Indeed, the experiments have shown that the preparation of the drug in the laboratory from its elements (AIs and excipients) doesn t give the same ionic emission as for the commercial drug.The Paris meteorite analysis was initiated by a collaboration with the Institut d Astrophysique Spatiale d Orsay team involved in the exobiology and the research of the first prebiotic molecules in the extraterrestrial samples. The work objective is to characterize the organic matter representing few percents in mass in a complex mineral matrix, without any chemical extraction that can induce a modification of these molecules. This study has demonstrated the interest of the multi-techniques approach centered on the mass spectrometry coupled to the ionic imaging for the determination of the main mineral and organic elements of the matrix. PIXE analysis coupled to the micrometric mapping permits to attribute the distribution of molecular ions and clusters of the mass spectra with different mineral compounds. These attributions continue with the creation of the data base of standard spectra. The organic component was determined and the first hypotheses were considered concerning PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon), IOM (Insoluble Organic Matter) and analogues of amorphous carbon produced par UV irradiation of ices with a gas composition representing different hypotheses for the interstellar clouds. The establish protocols for multi-techniques (incorporating a follow of the sample by mass spectrometry and ion imaging) permits to start the analysis of other extra terrestrial samples collected on earth or in space.PARIS11-SCD-Bib. électronique (914719901) / SudocSudocFranceF

A protocol for a systematic review evaluating the effectiveness of pharmacy-involved IPE activities using Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Evaluation Model.

The Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) defines interprofessional education (IPE) as occasions when two or more professions are learning together with the objective of cultivating collaborative practice to improve the quality of care. This systematic review will utilise this definition as a basis for its inclusion criteria. This research will measure to what extent is the design of pharmacy-involved IPE activities effective through Kirkpatrick’s Four Level Training Evaluation Model? This model allows the reviewers to objectively analyse the effectiveness of a training design by evaluating its aptitude on four-levelled criteria