Dynamics of oil prices, exchange rates and asset prices in the GCC countries

We analyse the relationship between the oil prices, asset prices, and foreign exchange rates in the selected GCC economies, namely United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Using a time-varying parameter VAR we study the coherence, conditional volatility and impulse responses of the exchange rates and stock markets to oil price shocks over specific periods and policy regimes. The model is identified using sign-restrictions imposed on the impulse responses over contemporaneous and long horizons. Our results suggest that the impact of oil prices on the exchange rate and asset prices are time dependent. Hence there is a loss in information when using standard linear models that average out effects over time. The response of the exchange rates and asset prices to oil prices weakens and strengthens depending on the regime of the markets. The period following financial crisis uniformly strengthens the relationships between the variables. The responses also vary across the GCC economies, emphasizing the fact that differences exists across these economies although their economic structures increasingly becoming similar

Automatic grouping of semantic keywords to improve image rendering

The ultimate goal of automatic image rendering is a system that gives at least as pleasing results as a human expert using an image manipulation program. In this article we demonstrate that the exploitation of semantic image keywords is a promising approach towards this ultimate goal. We develop a keyword clas- sification scheme specifically for the purpose of automatic image rendering. Further on, we propose a method to automatically classify keywords into these classes. We discuss the results based on experiments with a database of 40’000 images, annotated on average by five keywords each

Panel cointegration: Long-run relationship between internet, electricity consumption and economic growth. Evidence from OECD countries

The linkage between electricity consumption, internet demand and economic growth is aimed to investigate in this study in 35 OECD countries for the period 1993-2014. Panel cointegration, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) and Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality tests were performed to capture the potential long-run and causal linkages among the three variables. The findings from the FMOLS and DOLS models indicate a positive linkage between electricity, internet demand and economic growth in the long-run. Results from the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality confirm feedback causality between electricity consumption and internet demand and unilateral causality running from economic growth to electricity consumption

Production Efficiency and Total Factor Productivity Growth in Turkish State Agricultural Enterprises

This paper examines the productivity performance of Turkish State Agricultural Enterprises using Data Envelopment Analysis approach. Regarding this, the paper mainly focuses on production efficiency or technical efficiency and total factor productivity growth of the enterprises over the 1999-2003 period. In the second stage of the study, we use a regression analysis to estimate the affects of potential factors influencing the production efficiency of the enterprises. The empirical results indicate that during this period, the agricultural enterprises experienced technical regress, on average, while the technical efficiency improved 1.5 percent. On the other hand,, the total factor productivity decreased 1.2 percent due to 2.7 percent technical regress over the study period. Also, the results of regression estimation indicate that irrigation rate, tractor as an indicator of existing technology, and the geographic regions of enterprises are important determinants of production efficiency

Küçük Menderes havzasında Ödemiş, Tire, Bayındır ve Torbalı ilçelerindeki süt sığırcılığı işletmelerinin teknik etkinliklerinin karşılaştırılması

The objective of the investigates is to suggest production efficiency of dairy farms in the Basin of Küçük Menderes districts of ödemiş, Tire, Bayındır and Torbalı. the research is based on cross section data of the year 2003 and it covering 80 farms chosen by the method of proportional sampling. Production efficiency of the farms was determined by data envelopment analysis (DEA). in the research, 3 outputs and 8 inputs of production were utilized according to the output-oriented approach of evaluation at ödemiş 63%, Tire 65%, Bayındır 62% and at the Torbalı 80% dairy farms appeared to be full efficient as far as assumption of constant return to scale (CRS) taken in consideration . on the other hand overall technical efficiencies of 55% percent of 80 dairy farms selected from for districts in the Basin of Küçük Menderes were calculated as been equal to 1. on the other hand, in ödemiş, Tire, Bayındır and Torbalı districts the average efficiency indices in the dairy farms were calculated under constant returns to scale 0.939, 0.943, 0.984 and 0.989 respectively.Bu çalışmanın amacı Küçük Menderes Havzasmda Ödemiş, Tire, Bayındır ve Torbalı ilçelerinin süt sığırcılığı işletmelerinin üretim etkinliklerini karşılaştırarak ortaya koymaktır. Araştırma 2003 yılı yatay-kesit verilerine dayalı olup, oransal örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilmiş 80 işletmeyi kapsamaktadır. Örneğe giren işletmelerin teknik etkinliklerinin tespiti Veri Zarflama Analizi (DEA) ile yapılmıştır. Ölçeğe göre sabit getiri varsayımı altında çıktı eksenli bir yaklaşımla yapılan bu çalışmada 3 çıktı ve 8 girdiye yer verilmiştir. Ölçeğe göre sabit getiri (CRS) varsayımına göre süt sığırcılığı işletmelerinin sırasıyla Ödemişte %63'ünün, Tirede %65'inin, Bayındırda %62'sinin ve Torbalıda %80'inin tam etkin olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Dört ilçeden seçilen 80 işletmenin teknik etkinliklerinin toplam olarak ölçülmesi sonucu işletmelerin göreceli olarak %55'inin etkinliklerinin l'e eşit olduğu ortaya konmuştur. İlçeler itibariyle ortalama teknik etkinlikleri ise sırasıyla 0.939, 0.943, 0.984, 0.989 olarak ölçülmüştür. Bu verilerden de anlaşılacağı gibi yöredeki süt sığırcılığı işletmelerinde kaynakların yeterince etkin kullanılmadığı, bazı kaynakların israf edildiği ve optimum ölçekte üretim yapılamadığı anlaşılmaktadır

Production Efficiency and Total Factor Productivity Growth in Turkish State Agricultural Enterprises

This paper examines the productivity performance of Turkish State Agricultural Enterprises using Data Envelopment Analysis approach. Regarding this, the paper mainly focuses on production efficiency or technical efficiency and total factor productivity growth of the enterprises over the 1999-2003 period. In the second stage of the study, we use a regression analysis to estimate the affects of potential factors influencing the production efficiency of the enterprises. The empirical results indicate that during this period, the agricultural enterprises experienced technical regress, on average, while the technical efficiency improved 1.5 percent. On the other hand,, the total factor productivity decreased 1.2 percent due to 2.7 percent technical regress over the study period. Also, the results of regression estimation indicate that irrigation rate, tractor as an indicator of existing technology, and the geographic regions of enterprises are important determinants of production efficiency.State agricultural enterprises in Turkey, total factor productivity growth, data envelopment analysis

The value of pathologic evaluation in diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome

Munchausen sendromunda kişi ya kendini yada bir başkasını kendi çabaları ile semptom ve bulgu verecek bir tabloya sokmaktadır. Bu şekilde kendisi veya örneğin çocuğunu hastaymış gibi göstermeyi başaran kişiler, bundan ikincil kazançlar elde etmektedirler. Semptom ve bulguların ortaya çıkması inanılmaz hikayeler içerebil-mektedir. Bizim hastamız, koluna yabancı cisim batırarak sadece kolunda yumuşak doku enfeksiyonlarına yol açmak sureti ile, sorunlu aile hayatından uzakta kalmak adına hastanelerde kalmayı tercih etmekteydi. Sunduğu-muz olgu ile Munchausen sendromu tanısı koyarken kaybedilen para ve zaman kaybına vurgu yapmak ve yapılması gerekenleri tartışmayı amaçladık. Hastamız 27 yaşında olup son iki buçuk yılını değişik hastanelerde ve çok pahalı tedaviler ile tetkiklere maruz kalarak ama kesin tanısız geçirmişti. Hastada bugüne kadar yapılmayan tek tanısal değerlendirme aracı histopatolojik muayene idi. Patolojik değerlendirme sonucunda tanı yapmacık pannikülit olarak kondu. Her ne kadar biz hastayı daha sonra pisikiyatri kıliniğine konsulte edip bazı tedaviler önerdiysek de hastanın tekrar aynı yakınmalar ile hastanelere başvurması halinde, öncelikle bizim kıliniğimizce kabulunun doğru olacağını düşünüyoruz. Böylece zaman ve para israfının önüne geçilebileceğini ümit ediyoruz.Any patient with Munchaussen syndrome causes a clinical case associated with some findings and symptoms on either himself or herself or his or her kid. Their aim by doing so is for profit. It may be associated with unbelievable stories. The patient presented here chose to live in hospitals by separating herself from her family by inserting some foreign bodies into her arm caused soft tissue infections in the right arm merely for a long time. By aiming to emphasis on wasting time and money during the diagnosis of the Münchhausen syndrome and to discuss the things should be done, we presented a 27 year old women treated in several hospitals with different diagnoses for 2 and half years. The only examination method that had not been done on the patient was the histopathologic one. We did it and the pathologic diagnosis confirmed the problem as factitious panniculitis. Although we consulted the patient to the physiciatry department and gave her some treatment, we decided that if the patient comes again with the same symptoms and signs it would be better to admit her to our department to avoid unnecessary searching and treatments by her admission to another department or hospital

The ultrasonographic evaluation of hemodynamic changes in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy after tarsal tunnel decompression

Background Nerve decompression procedures have shown to have promising roles in patients with diabetic polyneuropathy. It is known that not only nerves but also arteries pass through the same compressed anatomical tunnels. The aim of the study is to reveal whether the surgical decompression procedures have a positive effect on hemodynamic and morphological parameters of the arterial structures passing through these anatomic tunnels. Methods Twenty-seven patients who underwent posterior and anterior tarsal tunnel release procedures were retrospectively scanned for preoperative and 3 months postoperative arterial Doppler ultrasound imaging. The preoperative and third month postoperative measurements were compared for flow pattern of artery, flow lumen diameter, pulsatility index (PI), resistance index (RI), and flow volumes by evaluating the hemodynamic and morphological parameters of dorsalis pedis (DPA) and tibialis posterior arteries (TPA). Results For TPA, mean PI values were 5.76 ± 2.78 preoperatively, 7.17 ± 3.08 postoperatively. Mean RI values were 0.94 ± 0.04 preoperatively and 0.89 ± 0.05 postoperatively. For DPA, mean PI values were 5.06 ± 2.14 preoperatively and 6.35 ± 2.31 postoperatively. Mean RI values were 0.93 ± 0.05 preoperatively and 0.86 ± 0.06 postoperatively. When the results are analyzed for both of the arteries, PI values were significantly increased; RI values were significantly decreased when the preoperative measurements were compared with the postoperative measurements (P 0.05). Conclusion According to these results, it can be suggested that the nerve release procedures have a positive effect on the hemodynamic and morphological parameters of the arteries as they pass through the anatomical tunnels as well as its positive effects on the neurological functions of the entrapped nerves. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc