Does Inflation Harm Economic Growth in Jordan?. An Econometric Analysis for the Period 1970-2000.

It is expected that inflation we will be an important issue in Jordan because the central bank of Jordan is adopting an easy monetary policy to help promoting the financial market.Therefore, this paper explores the relation between inflation and economic growth to check whether if this relation has a structural breakpoint effect or not.This paper shows that the structural breakpoint effect occurs at inflation rate equal to 2% and after this level the effect turns to be negative. This result says that the maneuver of the monetary policy will be very limited. And, the central bank of Jordan should pay attention to the inflation phenomenon while conducting the new monetary policy.Inflation, Economic Growth, Jordan, Arch Models

Recent Evidence on Improved Inventory Control: A quarterly Model of the US Economy for the period 1959-2001

This Paper aimed to re-test the hypothesis whether the improved inventory control affects the inventory investment or not. This paper used Bechter and Stanley (1992) model. The contribution of this letter has two dimensions; first, this paper extends the time horizon by using a quarterly data of the U.S. economy for the period 1959-2001. Also, it modifies Bechter and Stanley model under certain assumption and use the adjusted model to re-exam the hypothesis. The results of the paper support the idea that improved inventory control has a significant impact on the behavior of inventory investment. In addition, it shows that the improvement vary from one sector to another. Further, the paper showed that the speed of adjustment will be faster if the firms ignore holding inventories as a buffer stock.inventory control, model, economy, USA

The central bank cost constraint and output-inflation variability: a note on Cecchetti and Ehrmann 2000

The goal of this paper is to extend the model of Cecchetti and Ehrmann 2000 to study the case of developing countries that have a constraint in conducting their monetary policies. Contrary to Cecchetti and Ehrmann 2000 model, our model shows that the existence of such a constraint i.e. cost restriction allows the aggregate demand shock to affect the output-inflation variability. Our model also shows that adding a monetary policy cost restriction to the central bank loss function leads to either a steeper or flatter efficient frontier. This implies that the effect of monetary policy to offset aggregate demand and supply shocks is reduced.Central bank losses

Investigation of the Effect of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction on the Adsorption Capacity of Date Pits

This thesis aims to develop and investigate an innovative use of date pits, a common and abundant agricultural waste in the UAE. It is suggested that date pits may be used to produce date pit oil, and the powder residue from this extraction process may be used as a low cost adsorbent for removal of lead from water. This thesis aims to investigate the effects of the parameters pressure, temperature, and particle size on the extraction yield when using supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂) to extract oil from date pit powder. This oil is a valuable component which has many applications in pharmaceutics and foodstuff. The residue powder, symbolized by CO₂-DP, is then investigated as a possible adsorbent for removal of lead ions from water. The adsorption capability of CO₂-DP is then compared to that of raw date pits (R-DP) and the residue powder of Soxhlet extraction (S-DP). A Box-Behnken RSM design is used to optimize the adsorption parameters, namely adsorbent dose, lead concentration, and adsorbent type. The highest yield of date pit oil obtained from SCCO₂ extraction, 10.29%, was achieved at pressure 500 bar, temperature 40, and particle size range \u3c63 μm. The maximum extraction yield of SC-CO₂ is about the same as the extraction yield obtained from Soxhlet extraction, 10.3%, indicating that SC-CO₂ extraction is a reliable method for extracting oil from date pits. Furthermore, out of the three adsorbents tested, adsorbent type was not found to have a significant effect on the adsorption capacity for lead removal. At a constant pH of 4, the optimum adsorption conditions were found to be: dose of 0.0052 g/mL solution, lead concentration 196 ppm, time of 10 hours, and adsorbent type CO₂-DP. It is therefore suggested that oil be extracted from the date pits powder and the residue used in adsorption. In this way two useful products are produced from a readily available agricultural waste

Resource Optimization in Wireless Sensor Networks for an Improved Field Coverage and Cooperative Target Tracking

There are various challenges that face a wireless sensor network (WSN) that mainly originate from the limited resources a sensor node usually has. A sensor node often relies on a battery as a power supply which, due to its limited capacity, tends to shorten the life-time of the node and the network as a whole. Other challenges arise from the limited capabilities of the sensors/actuators a node is equipped with, leading to complication like a poor coverage of the event, or limited mobility in the environment. This dissertation deals with the coverage problem as well as the limited power and capabilities of a sensor node. In some environments, a controlled deployment of the WSN may not be attainable. In such case, the only viable option would be a random deployment over the region of interest (ROI), leading to a great deal of uncovered areas as well as many cutoff nodes. Three different scenarios are presented, each addressing the coverage problem for a distinct purpose. First, a multi-objective optimization is considered with the purpose of relocating the sensor nodes after the initial random deployment, through maximizing the field coverage while minimizing the cost of mobility. Simulations reveal the improvements in coverage, while maintaining the mobility cost to a minimum. In the second scenario, tracking a mobile target with a high level of accuracy is of interest. The relocation process was based on learning the spatial mobility trends of the targets. Results show the improvement in tracking accuracy in terms of mean square position error. The last scenario involves the use of inverse reinforcement learning (IRL) to predict the destination of a given target. This lay the ground for future exploration of the relocation problem to achieve improved prediction accuracy. Experiments investigated the interaction between prediction accuracy and terrain severity. The other WSN limitation is dealt with by introducing the concept of sparse sensing to schedule the measurements of sensor nodes. A hybrid WSN setup of low and high precision nodes is examined. Simulations showed that the greedy algorithm used for scheduling the nodes, realized a network that is more resilient to individual node failure. Moreover, the use of more affordable nodes stroke a better trade-off between deployment feasibility and precision

Deposit Rate and Lending Rate in Jordan, Which leads Which? A Cointegration Analysis

This study intends to investigate empirically the long-run relationship between deposit and lending rates in Jordan by utilizing quarterly data over the period (1994-2010). Empirically, we search to identify the dominant interest rate; either deposit rate or lending rate. To achieve the current study goals, we employ the error correction model technique and the asymmetric short-run dynamic model. The empirical evidence of the Jordanian economy illustrates deposit and lending rates have a long-run relationship. Deposit rate leads lending rate. As a result, the short-run lending rate adjustment for the deviation from the long-run equilibrium by about 22 percent in the current period. In the long-run, lending rate adjusts by 90 percent for a change in deposit rate

Nodular Sarcoidosis Masquerading as Cancer.

Nodular lung disease is a rare pulmonary manifestation of sarcoidosis and resembles metastatic neoplasm disease. Nodular sarcoidosis is rare, varying from 1.6% to 4% of patients with sarcoidosis. Radiographic nodules measure from 1 to 5 cm in diameter that typically consist of coalescent granulomas. There is limited data on this form of sarcoidosis and its presentation can mimic primary or metastatic pulmonary neoplasms. Nodular sarcoidosis has a favorable prognosis, and resolution can be seen with oral corticosteroids. Herein, we present such a case of nodular pulmonary sarcoidosis with a lung nodule measured up to 6 cm

Deposit Rate and Lending Rate in Jordan, Which leads Which? A Cointegration Analysis

This study intends to investigate empirically the long-run relationship between deposit and lending rates in Jordan by utilizing quarterly data over the period (1994-2010). Empirically, we search to identify the dominant interest rate; either deposit rate or lending rate. To achieve the current study goals, we employ the error correction model technique and the asymmetric short-run dynamic model. The empirical evidence of the Jordanian economy illustrates deposit and lending rates have a long-run relationship. Deposit rate leads lending rate. As a result, the short-run lending rate adjustment for the deviation from the long-run equilibrium by about 22 percent in the current period. In the long-run, lending rate adjusts by 90 percent for a change in deposit rate

Strategies to Sustain Public Private Partnership: A Lebanese Agency Case Study

Four public private partnerships have been created in Lebanon to fulfill the promises of better public value and accelerated economic development for sustainable business development. The problem is some business owners embark on public private partnership projects without following known documented strategies that ensure business sustainability. The purpose of the single case study was to explore the strategies business owners used to sustain public private partnership businesses in Lebanon. The conceptual framework included the theory of X-efficiency and the new public management model. The Northern Lebanon public private partnership was chosen for the study. All 7 business owners participated through interviews for data collection. The emergent themes from the interviews were compared and contrasted across participants\u27 responses and were cross referenced with the academic literature and printed agency reports. Data interpretations were triangulated through member checking. The business owners identified 7 specific strategies to monitor the agency\u27s work. The top 3 strategies were proper selection of partners, the need for a strong technical director, and hiring of professional staff. Three additional strategies noted were the articulation of a clear mission and vision, followed by the development of bylaws and the identification of international best practices. Holding monthly partners\u27 meetings to discuss emerging needs was the last strategy identified for consistent follow up and forward movement of the businesses. The findings over time could promote social change in Lebanon by revealing how municipalities can partner with the private sector and nongovernment organizations to reduce poverty, create jobs, and ensure local economic development

Diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in idiopathic hypereosinophilia with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) encompasses numerous diverse conditions resulting in peripheral hypereosinophilia that cannot be explained by hypersensitivity, infection, or atopy and that is not associated with known systemic diseases with specific organ involvement. HES is often attributed to neoplastic or reactive causes, such as chronic eosinophilic leukemia, although a majority of cases remains unexplained and are considered idiopathic. Here, we review the current diagnosis and management of HES and present a unique case of profound hypereosinophilia associated with warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia requiring intensive management. This case clearly illustrates the limitations of current knowledge with respect to hypereosinophilia syndrome as well as the challenges associated with its classification and management