Financial development, remittances and economic growth : empirical evidence from Egypt

The relationship between remittances, financial development, and real growth in recent years has increasingly become a topic of interest for scholars and practitioners alike. With the ever presence of globalization, the migratory patterns have fundamentally changed. The migration of people no longer means their total isolation from their home country; but rather a new dynamic environment has emerged with the increased importance of remittances on social, economic and political transformation back in their countries of origins. In addition, the continuing development of the financial systems whether it is in the banking sector or the stock exchange has accelerated in the last few decades. It is important to point out to the accelerating trend in financial development and its impact on real growth. Equally important to highlight the extent to which the financial system influenced the remittance patterns. By looking at Egypt as the country of interest from 1977 to 2014, the thesis investigates the role and impact of financial development and remittances on GDP. Egypt is chosen as the country of interest given its status as the biggest economy in North Africa and the third largest in the continent. Additionally, it is among one of the largest recipient of remittances from its expatriate population

The Contribution of Word Webbing to Project-based Learning in Teaching Vocabulary: A Comparative Study in an EFL Context

This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of applying word web strategy with and without project based learning (PBL) on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. Ninety female EFL learners from a high school in Tehran were the participants of this study. They were at intermediate level of language proficiency and in three intact classes of 30 members. The three classes were randomly assigned as one control and two experimental groups. The homogeneity of three intact groups in terms of general language proficiency and knowledge of vocabulary was determined by comparing their mean scores after performing on a PET and a pretest of vocabulary respectively. After that, the participants received 12- session treatment, including teaching vocabulary using word web (WW) strategy without PBL for one experimental group, and using WW with PBL for another while the control group received the usual instruction of the teacher for the same new words without WW and PBL. At the end of the treatment, the teacher- made vocabulary posttest was administered to the study groups. To test the hypotheses of the study with respect to the violation of the normality assumption, Kruskal-Wallis test was run on participants’ scores. The results showed that the participants in both experimental groups significantly outperformed the participants in the control group in terms of vocabulary learning. The results also showed that the students who received WW with PBL outperformed those who received it without PBL

The Application of Projected Visuals in Teaching Collocations to Intermediate EFL Learners

The present study is an attempt to investigate the effective of using projected visuals, pictures in the form of slides displayed through projectors, in teaching English collocations on students’ learning. To this end, 60 Iranian EFL learners were selected out of 90 based on their performance on a language proficiency test, PET, and were assigned randomly into two homogeneous groups of control and experimental. Both groups took a 40-item researcher-made, validated pretest of collocations whose reliability was calculated as 0.74 through KR-21. 130 collocations were presented to each group in ten sessions through ten tables which consisted of 10 to 15 collocations with their L2 definitions and L1 (Persian) equivalents. The control group was required to make sentences, including the newly instructed collocations following the examples provided by the instructor, while the experimental group was shown a set of slides related to the newly-instructed collocations and was asked to determine the intended collocation related to each picture. After receiving ten treatment sessions, both groups took the posttest. The collected data were analyzed through ANCOVA and the results indicated that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group. Therefore, the use of visuals as instructional aids in teaching English collocations is proved helpful and recommended to those EFL instructors who are seeking for enhancing their students’ learning through more effective materials

The Security of Arithmetic Compression Based Text Steganography Method

Security of a modern design of steganography on lossless compression isstudied in this paper. Investigation of a set of methods presented hereindicates that there are various approaches to establish a hidden and saferelationship with the minimum cost for text files. Although, steganography of information in text is one of the most difficult areas of steganography, many efforts were made in this regard. With regard to the spread of this category and existence of wide volume of approaches, this paper deals with comparison and evaluation of steganography security by a statisticalcompression method called arithmetic coding and other methods of textsteganography. Moreover, this method is available for audio-visual and video files. In addition, stego key was placed in a format that it would not arouse any suspicions. It is notable that this new method of steganography or rewriting and syntactic and semantic review does not reveal the secret message and results in 82.88% improvement in security.DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijece.v3i6.406

On the practicality of group dynamic assessment: A seminal enterprise deserving closer scrutiny

This is the final version of the article. Available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.This paper is a preliminary study designed to scrutinize the way Group Dynamic Assessment (G-DA), suggested by Poehner (2009), has been implemented in L2 classrooms regarding its basic premise: moving the group forward in its ZPD while benefiting individuals as well. Since the one-to-one interaction that characterizes DA framework represents an unrealistic model for classroom teachers who must manage classes of 15 to 30 learners, Poehner (2009) suggests the use of DA with groups of L2 learners rather than individuals and offers examples of two approaches to G-DA: concurrent and cumulative. However, the development of group ZPD cannot be easily traced in the presented approaches, and the process of shifting the activity from the individual to the group is not clarified either. To present a more realistic model of G-DA, this paper suggests the application of small group DA to L2 classrooms. To this end, it has initially delved into the concepts of 'group learning', 'group ZPD', and 'group DA'. Next, the areas of ambiguity in the two suggested approaches to G-DA have been identified. Finally, a less complicated model of classroom DA, namely small group DA is presented

A New Method for Fault Current Limiting and Voltage Compensating in Power Systems Using Active Superconducting Current Controller

In this paper, a new method for both fault current limiting and voltage compensating using Active Superconducting Current Controller (ASCC) is proposed. The main objective of this paper is to present an appropriate control strategy for ASCC to achieve both the fault current limiting and voltage compensation purposes. Three different operating modes are defined for ASCC including normal mode, fault current limiting mode, and voltage compensation mode and a proper control strategy is designed for each mode. For the fault current limiting, the model of a typical three-phase system with ASCC is simulated and different states for current limiting in different levels are defined. Also, for the voltage compensating mode, the PI model for the line is considered and the line transmission matrix is obtained when the ASCC is connected at the sending end and middle of the line. Finally, proper settings for ASCC are determined such that the magnitude of the receiving end and the sending end voltages become equal. Simulation results using MATLAB software confirm the proper performance of the proposed method

Human Embryonic Stem Cell Science in Iran: Pioneering in the Muslim World

La recherche sur les cellules souches embryonnaires humaines (CSEh) est un domaine qui a suscité un vif intérêt dans les milieux scientifiques mais aussi financiers. C’est aussi un champ d’investigation source de dilemmes éthiques et de développements politiques encadrant le statut moral de l’embryon humain, les sources d’embryons ou de gamètes humains destinés à la recherche, le clonage ainsi que l’utilisation thérapeutique des cellules souches. Dans le monde Musulman, l’Iran, une nation pionnière de la recherche sur les SCEh, a reporté l’établissement d’une nouvelle lignée de cellules souches dès 2003. Ce pays a aussi établi des recommandations éthiques nationales pour la recherche et la thérapie utilisant les cellules souches. Le présent manuscrit décrit le développement de la science entourant les CSEh ainsi que d’autres accomplissements scientifiques et bioéthiques connexes en Iran. Il explique aussi comment la recherche sur les CSEh est à la fois guidée et réglementée par les lois et principes éthiques issus de l’Islam, et montre comment l’expérience d’un pays en développement peut servir d’exemple à d’autres sociétés similaires. Cet article présente ensuite une brève revue de l’état actuel de la recherche et de la réglementation de ce domaine dans certains pays Musulmans du Moyen-Orient. En conclusion, on peut argumenter autour du fait que, bien que la science et la religion soient des facteurs clés dans les débats actuels autours des CSEh, d’autres facteurs influencent la manière avec laquelle un nouveau savoir est abordé dans des pays ayant par ailleurs la même obédience religieuse ou des intérêts scientifiques similaires.Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research is a field that has attracted considerable scientific and financial investment and attention in many countries. It is also a field surrounded by ethical controversies and policy developments concerning the moral status of the human embryo, sourcing of human embryos and gametes for research, cloning as well as stem cell (SC) therapy. In the Muslim world, Iran, as a pioneer country in hESC research, reported the establishment of a new SC line in 2003. The country has also established the national ethical guidelines for SC research and therapy. This paper therefore depicts the development of hESC science, as well as some other relevant scientific achievements and bioethics in Iran. It also describes how hESC research is both formed and regulated by Islamic law and ethics, as the experience of a developing country can provide insight to many similar societies. This article then presents a brief review of the current state of this field of science and its regulatory policy in some selected Muslim Middle East countries. In conclusion, it shall argue that, although science and religion are key factors in the current debates around hESC research, additional factors influence the manner in which new knowledge is taken up in countries with the same religious background or scientific interests

Towards a Taxonomy of AI Risks in the Health Domain

The adoption of AI in the health sector has its share of benefits and harms to various stakeholder groups and entities. There are critical risks involved in using AI systems in the health domain; risks that can have severe, irreversible, and life-changing impacts on people's lives. With the development of innovative AI-based applications in the medical and healthcare sectors, new types of risks emerge. To benefit from novel AI applications in this domain, the risks need to be managed in order to protect the fundamental interests and rights of those affected. This will increase the level to which these systems become ethically acceptable, legally permissible, and socially sustainable. In this paper, we first discuss the necessity of AI risk management in the health domain from the ethical, legal, and societal perspectives. We then present a taxonomy of risks associated with the use of AI systems in the health domain called HART, accessible online at https://w3id.org/hart. HART mirrors the risks of a variety of different real-world incidents caused by use of AI in the health sector. Lastly, we discuss the implications of the taxonomy for different stakeholder groups and further research.This project is the result of interdisciplinary research within the PROTECT (Protecting Personal Data Amidst Big Data Innovation) project and has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 813497

131I-Chlorotoxin dosimetry in liver using MCNP simulation code

     Chlorotoxin is a 36 amino acids peptide, which is able to block chloride channels isolated from mouse brain. A derivative of chlorotoxin is synthesized and it is labeled by iodine 131; then animal experiments carry out on rats. Multiple organ doses may be calculated with biological distribution results in rats with labeled compounds using simulated MCNP4C code. Human dose can be calculated using the dose distribution in rats with a conversion ratio for dose distribution. Chloramine T is our method for marking, and electrophilic substitution reactions are methods for iodize of peptides. Simulation of a human phantom to evaluate dose distribution was done using simulation code MCNP4C. To evaluate the dose distribution in the human body, using this code and the accumulated activity in each organ tissue dose is calculated. To study the biological distribution of the radiotracer 131I, 0.37 MBq radiotracer was injected into rat via the tail vein. The accumulated activity in each organ with the agent “ID / g” is determined. Biological distribution of 131I-chlorotoxine in the normal rats is obtained. Its Decay constant in the liver is 0.07h and the effective half-life of the radiotracer is 10h in rat liver. The total number of particles found in the leak from liver tissue was reported 67600. Liver tissue dosimetries originating from other sources (thyroid tissue, stomach, kidney, right & left lung, spleen, and pancreas) were examined. Then, the overall dose to the target tissue will be calculated. Leaked beta particles in liver itself (self-dose) are the most delivered dose to the liver (98%); it is for gamma rays 1.1%, while its source is adjacent tissues in addition to liver (cross-dose); Because of low atomic number of the tissue, delivered dose originated from Bremsstrahlung (braking radiation) is low (0.9%). Radiation dose to the liver in intravenous injection of 0.37 MBq  131I-chlorotoxine radiotracer is 3.44 * 10-6.

Analysis of Sex-Specific Prostanoid Production Using a Mouse Model of Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibition

Background: Prostanoids are a family of lipid mediators formed from arachidonic acid by cyclooxygenase enzymes and serve as biomarkers of vascular function. Prostanoid production may be different in males and females indicating that different therapeutic approaches may be required during disease. Objecti ves: We examined sex-dependent differences in COX-related metabolites in genetically modified mice that produce a cyclooxygenase- 2 (COX2) enzyme containing a tyrosine 385 to phenylalanine (Y385F) mutation. This mutation renders the COX2 enzyme unable to form a key intermediate radical required for complete arachidonic acid metabolism and provides a model of selective COX2 inhibition. Design and Methods: Mice heterozygous for the Y385F mutation in COX2 were mated to produce cohorts of wild-type, heterozygous, and COX2 mutant mice. We investigated whether the genotype distribution followed Mendelian genetics and studied whether sex-specific differences could be found in certain prostanoid levels measured in peritoneal macrophages and in urinary samples. Results : The inheritance of the COX2 mutation displayed a significant deviation with respect to Mendel’s laws of genetics, with a lowerthan- expected progeny of weaned COX2 mutant pups. In macrophages, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon gamma (IFNγ) stimulation was COX2-dependent in both males and females, and data indicated that crosstalk between the nitric oxide (NO) and COX2 pathways may be sex specific. We observed significant differences in urinary PGE2 production by male and female COX2 mutant mice, with the loss of COX2 activity in male mice decreasing their ability to produce urinary PGE2. Finally, female mice across all 3 genotypes produced similar levels of urinary thromboxane (measured as 11-dehydro TxB2) at significantly higher levels than males, indicating a sex-related difference that is likely COX1-derived. Conclusions: Our findings clearly demonstrate that sex-related differences in COX-derived metabolites can be observed, and that other pathways (such as the NO pathway) are affected