Search

An international summer course in dendrochronology, "Tree Rings, Climate, Natural Resources, and Human Interaction", was held in Amman, Jordan, in summer 2023. Drs. Ramzi Touchan and David M. Meko from the University of Arizona Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research were course instructors. The course, with 10 students from Jordan, Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan, Greece, and the USA, included training in core-sample collection, sample preparation, crossdating, detrending, and climate signal identification. Students applied their training in group precipitation reconstruction projects. Fifty-two Pinus halepensis core samples were collected at Dibeen Forest Reserve, Jordan, which were used to develop a tree-ring chronology (1925-2022) and then used for the reconstruction models. Two reconstructions extended precipitation for Dibeen using: (1) measured October-April precipitation data (R²adj. = 0.63), and (2) gridded November-April precipitation data (R²adj. = 0.61). A third reconstruction used the Dibeen chronology and three low-elevation tree-ring chronologies in Cyprus to extend gridded December-April precipitation data for the eastern Mediterranean region (R²adj. = 0.55). Results from the class projects demonstrated the success of reconstruction techniques in regions with sparse measured climate data and tree-ring chronologies. Future training classes in these regions will also promote the importance of understanding historic climate variability, which is essential for water resource managers and planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the policies taken by Jordanian tourism sector before and after COVID-19; it is divided into two parts: the first dealt with the period 2011-2019 which followed the events of Arab Spring, the second focused on the postCOVID-19 period. A mixed methodology was used as for the Arab Spring case a quantitative approach that aimed at measuring the satisfaction of 54 travel agents about policies taken by public tourism sector was used. A Structure Equation Modelling analysis was conducted to test the relationship between specific satisfaction about promotional and economic policies as independent variables, and the general satisfaction as a dependent variable. As for the case of COVID-19, a different approach was used where the Tourism National Strategy 2021-2025 and reports on the influence of COVID-19 on Jordanian Economy were referred to make an evaluation of governmental performance. There was an obvious absence of the concept of “Crisis Management" in tourism national strategies (MOTA, 2003 ; 2010 ; 2015) ; where the focus was on diversifying the tourism product, enhancing the image of the country and increasing competitiveness [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Academica Turistica is the property of University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Tourism is one of the most effective solutions for overcoming poverty in rural areas. Jordan has many renowned tourist attractions situated in urban and rural areas. Tourism plays an integral role to boost the national economy of Jordan. In an increasingly globalized society, rural tourism is expected to rise, thus it is important to examine how the locals feel about tourism development. The study aims to examine how the locals in the rural areas of Jordan's Ajloun and Jerash governorates perceive the effects of tourism development. For the analyses, 395 households of data were used. Residents' attitudes toward the development of tourism have been evaluated using multiple regression along with descriptive statistics, both positively and negatively. IBM AMOS 22.0 has been used to complete the statistical analysis. The results indicated that tourism in the selected villages is in the predevelopment stage and respondents strongly supported the development of the tourism industry because it creates jobs, attracts investment, and increases the value of agricultural products by creating a market. However, respondents expressed little concern about the adverse effects, such as the loss of traditional value, environmental degradation, pollution, and traffic congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sets out to investigate the effects of COVID-19 on the tourism industry in Jordan by studying the satisfaction of tourists after the lockdown. This study focuses on three main areas that may influence tourists' satisfaction. The tourist satisfaction study was conducted using a questionnaire designed and distributed among tourists who used the services. Other than that, all the tourist guides from the six travel agencies involved in this study were interviewed for cross-checking purposes. There was a shift in the satisfaction level after the pandemic's peak. The three main areas that determine satisfaction are services provided by travel agencies, facilities for tourists at their destinations, and accommodations. The findings suggested the tourists demanded proper COVID-19 standard operating procedures in addition to the basic requirements of the services provided. Data will inform stakeholders on the preparation of services provided for the post-COVID-19 tourism industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At a single-sex secondary school in Jordan, interviews with 28 teachers and 40 students found both groups agreeing that good discipline is necessary for teaching and learning. Teachers and students had different views of good discipline, as did younger and older students. (SK)

Background: The objective of this study was to examine waterpipe tobacco smoking patterns, places of smoking, and prices paid among university students in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was administered to a convenience sample of university students in three countries. Participants were young adults (18–29 years) who were ever waterpipe smokers, from Egypt (n = 728), Jordan (n = 790), and Palestine (n = 722). Measures included past-30-day waterpipe smoking, frequency, intensity, place of smoking, and prices paid per waterpipe smoking session and for packaged waterpipe tobacco. Logistic regression models evaluated the factors associated with past-30-day waterpipe smoking. Results: Past-30-day waterpipe smoking (prevalence) was observed among 60.7%, 67.7% and 63.1% of students from Egypt, Jordan, and Palestine, respectively. Among past-30-day smokers, past-5-day waterpipe smoking (frequency) was observed among 28.9%, 51.5%, and 48.6% of participants, respectively. Smoking in a café was highest among participants from Egypt (74.0%), followed by those from Palestine (44.8%), and Jordan (43.0%). Mean price paid per session was USD 0.99 (Egypt), USD 8.07 (Jordan), USD 6.05 (Palestine). The corresponding mean prices per packet were USD 0.86, USD 4.96, and USD 5.55, respectively. Predictors of past-30-day waterpipe smoking included younger age of initiation, male gender, employment, and smoking waterpipe alone. Conclusions: This study contributes to our understanding of waterpipe smoking patterns, places of smoking, and prices paid among young adults in a region with alarmingly high smoking rates. Understanding waterpipe smoking behaviors can inform the design of policy and educational interventions to curb its rising threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jordan Medical Journal is the property of University of Jordan and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and purpose: Health warning messages specific to waterpipe smoking (WPS) have not been tested enough in literature. This study evaluated university students' response to such messages. Specifically, this study (1) assessed the extent to which certain warning messages and pictorial signs motivate participants to quit WPS smoking; (2) identified the best location to place the warning signs of waterpipe as perceived by participants; and (3) assessed participants' intention to quit WPS. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 397 university students in Jordan using an Internet-based survey. The following data were collected: intentions regarding WPS, response to nine warning messages, and responses to four pictorial signs. Results: The message that had the highest motivation to quit smoking was " WPS during pregnancy can harm your baby" (79.3%), whereas the highest pictorial sign was regarding "Protect your children" (64.2%). Most (69.5%) participants believed that WPS products and accessories should contain warnings, and the best suggested location was the pipe handle (52.4%). Participants who reported quitting WPS and those who had an intention to quit had significantly higher responses to both types of health warning labels (HWLs). Conclusion: Both text-only and pictorial HWLs were found to encourage quitting WPS among university students. Knowing that participants are having an intention to quit mandates extra efforts to make WPS experience less appealing through reminding them regarding its harms. Implications for practice: Support is needed by health care providers to put those effective health warning messages in action. Furthermore, providers can use such health warnings in motivating their patients to quit WPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is written in the context of the tourism industry. The research purpose is to examine the satisfaction of tourism in terms of different factors related to the destination. The Dead Sea of Jordan was selected as the destination and American tourists were the study participants. Three factors related to the destination services were used for determining the satisfaction level of American tourists. The three factors include services related to accommodation, facilities at destination and services related to the travel agency. Further, the elements of these factors help in evaluating the satisfaction level of American tourists. The data was collected with the designed questionnaire distributed among American tourists by different travel agencies. The data gathered was analyzed using SPSS, which includes distribution of frequency, analysis of regression, t-test and analysis of factors. The findings of the research showed that elements related to the services of accommodation, services of travel agency and facilities at the Dead Sea were the strongest predictor of the satisfaction level of American tourists in Jordan. The scores of the mean for these three factors and their elements were above the neutral (unbiased) point. These statistical results confirm that American tourists were highly satisfied with their vacation at the Dead Sea, in terms of services provided and facilities available at the Dead Sea in Jordan. This paper provides insights about increasing the satisfaction level of tourists. It assists the tourism and hospitality market to increase the satisfaction level of tourists by focusing on the three mentioned factors in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Global surge of COVID-19 forced most countries to impose variable measures to curb the disease. Jordan imposed one of the strictest lockdowns from mid-March through April 2020. Hospitals deferred elective cardiac catheterization procedures and most of those performed during that period were limited to urgent presentations. Our purpose is to evaluate the impact of strict lockdown on cardiac catheterization procedural volume. Methods and Results: We collected data about the numbers of all coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures performed in 5 tertiary care hospitals in Amman, Jordan, from January through June 2020. We compared the volume of procedures performed in April 2020 (the strict lockdown month) to the corresponding period of prior year (April 2019) and to volumes performed prior to the lockdown in January-February 2020. There was a 64% decline in CA and PCI volumes in April 2020 compared to April 2019. Comparing number of procedures performed in April 2020 to those in January-February 2020, there was 59% decline in CA and a 60% decline in PCI volumes. Following partial lifting of lockdown in May-June 2020, procedural volumes increased gradually. Conclusion: Strict COVID-19-related lockdown in Jordan was associated with drastic declines in cardiac catheterization procedural volumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first to provide data on the extent of illegal hunting practices in Jordan using posts on social media. During January 2015–January 2016 photographs from seven hunter groups on Facebook recorded the killing of 4,707 native animals of 59 species, of which birds constituted the majority, followed by mammals and reptiles. Flouting of Jordanian laws was widespread, with daily bag limits exceeded on many occasions, and in the case of chukar partridge Alectoris chukar , the most popular quarry, some hunters exceeded the limit by 3,000%. Of even greater concern, a total of 34 species with special protection under Jordanian law were killed, and the hunting of large mammals, especially ibex Capra nubiana and gazelles (Gazella spp.), with already depleted populations, was particularly excessive. It also appeared that a significant number of gazelles were shot by unlicensed hunters from Arabian Gulf countries. Overall, the survey indicates an alarming picture of overhunting of threatened species and ineffective enforcement of hunting laws, despite the efforts of key government and voluntary agencies. We recommend urgent action to address the causes of the problem and to improve the management of hunting through better collaboration, mobilization of resources and awareness raising. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the civil protection of registered trademarks related to the Olympic symbol of five interlocking rings on a white background. Topics covered include the history of the Olympic symbol protection, the role of the Jordanian Olympic Committee in the protection of Olympic symbol marks, and the position of the trademark laws in Jordan with regards to trademarks related to the Olympic symbol.

This paper presents an overview of the protection of handicrafts in Jordan under several intellectual property Laws. The article will define 'handicraft' and give a brief background to handicrafts in Jordan. Handicraft can have reputation, external appearance, and know-how; therefore, it is necessary to examine reputation and distinctiveness in the light of the Trademarks Law, Geographical Indications Law, and Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Law. Moreover, the external appearance of handicrafts will be discussed under the Copyright Protection and Related Rights Law and the Industrial Designs and Industrial Models Law. Finally, the article will discuss know-how associated with handicrafts in the light of the Patent Law and Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article comments on a Jordanian Constitutional Court decision No. 2 for the year 2013 on whether Article 51 of the Arbitration Law No. 31 of 2001 is in violation of the provisions of Article 6(1) and Article 128(1) of the Constitution. The author review the relevant provisions of the Arbitration Law and consider the problems raised by the Constitutional Court's decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the regulation of the in-kind contributions in public shareholding companies and the liquidation of companies under the Companies Law 22 of 1997 and its amendments in Jordan. It discusses several industrial and commercial property rights such as patents, regulated under the Patent Law 32 of 1999 and its amendments, trademarks under the Trademarks Law 34 of 1999 and its amendments along with the regulation of the industrial designs and industrial models.

This study examined the factors affecting the willingness of tourists to visit the cultural heritage sites (CHS) located in the Northern Badia of Jordan, and estimated expenditures for their visit to the CHS. A questionnaire was developed to collect demographic and economic information about tourists during their visit to Jordan. Three hundred tourists were included in the survey at nine different sites during the summer of 2010. A logistic regression model was employed in the analyses. Factors that affected tourism at CHS included: education, variety of sites, multiple destinations, cost, and reasons for the visit. These factors had a significant impact on tourists' willingness to travel to CHS in the Northern Badia. This study recommends improving CHS and working closely with local communities to expand training and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents an overview of the copyright issues arising from tweets and re-tweets from a Jordanian prospective. While this is not a comparative study, the author refers in brief to other jurisdictions, in particular to the US Copyright Act and the United Kingdom Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, in addition to selected cases from the above-mentioned jurisdictions. This article addresses the following three main questions. The first issue questions whether the 140-character limit enjoys copyright protection? And, therefore, would a re-tweet constitute copyright infringement? The second issue concerns whether posting an original image on a Twitter post can be considered a copyright infringement. The final issue to be discussed in this article is whether reposting a Tweet constitutes fair dealing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article discusses Jordanian legislation concerning Instructions for Regulating the Work of the Internet Centers and Cafés and the Bases for their Licensing for the year 2001 and its amendments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the differences between the cases of cancellation under the Trademark Law and the Geographical Indications Law in Jordan and international agreements. The grounds for cancellation of a trademark according to the Jordanian Trademarks Law include no justification for registration of the trademark. The persons entitled to file the application for the cancellation of trademark according to geographical indications law are also mentioned.

The article discusses the characteristics, as well as the legal forms of the exempt companies in Jordan. The provision of creating an exempt firm was introduced by the country in its bid to attract investors. It claims that the Jordanian Companies Law is similar to the Lebanese Decree Law 46 of 1983 and the United Arab Emirates Jebel Ali Free Zone Offshore Companies Law. The various forms of exempt company are also explained including as a public shareholding company and as a limited partnership in share company.

The article examines the possible overlap between the Trademark laws and Industrial Designs and Industrial Model Law with respect to three-dimensional logos or marks in Jordan. It states that though the Jordanian Trademarks Law and Regulations do not define nor address three-dimensional marks, the Registrar of Trademarks accept applications for this trademark designs. The author suggests that the law should be amended to include provisions specifically for three-dimensional marks.

Land degradation caused by water erosion affects large areas of the world. In the arid regions, erosion is accentuated by fragile environmental conditions and limited economic and/or technical mitigation alternatives. Cropping systems are seen as promising tools. A 2-year experiment was conducted at Jordan University Station for Arid Land Research at Muwaqqar to investigate the influence of plant densities (250, 300, and 350 plants m-2) under different cropping systems (sole cropping, traditional sole cropping - up-and-down the slope - and contour strip intercropping) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) yields, soil and water losses. Average intercropping yields of vetch and barley were significantly increased (by more than 50%), especially at plant density of 350 plants m-2 as compared to their sole crops planted under similar plant density. This increase in yield was generally associated with a reduction in water and soil losses. Traditional sole cropping gave the highest significant runoff coefficients (above 0.30), and the lowest significant yields. Runoff coefficients were reduced to 0.17 as a result of planting barley and vetch under contour strip intercropping at a plant density of 350 plants m-2. The average land equivalent ratios (LER) for most intercropping treatments were greater than one, which indicates the superiority of intercropping over the sole cropping system. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was highly correlated with yields, water, and to some extent, soil losses. This indicated the possibility of using remote sensing to build an inventory of spatial and temporal variation of vegetation cover to serve land degradation mitigation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the applicability of Pont's Index to a Jordanian population and to compare the results with those obtained from studies of different ethnic subjects. Dental casts of 144 Jordanians (71 males and 73 females; mean age, 15.5 years) with 'normal' occlusions were selected from the records of a random stratified sample of 383 Jordanian schoolchildren in the 10th grade. The mesiodistal widths of the maxillary permanent incisors, as well as intercanine, interpremolar, and intermolar arch widths, were measured directly on the selected dental casts using a digital calliper. An independent sample t-test was used to determine significant differences in tooth and/or arch width values for males and females. Correlation coefficients determined between the measured arch width values and those calculated according to Pont's Index were low in all cases, with r values ranging from 0.25 to 0.39. It was concluded that Pont's Index should not be used to pre-determine ideal arch width values in Jordanian individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the approaches of Jordanian, Egyptian and Lebanese Law on intellectual property rights to temporary reproduction of literary and artistic property. According to the author, reproduction of work in any means temporary or permanent includes photographic, cinematographic reproduction, electronic or digital recording. The differences between storage and memory devices are discussed, as well as the legality of temporary reproduction.

The article examines the solutions of Jordanian government to protect domain names that can create conflict with trademarks. Although the National Information Centre (NITC) is responsible for registering Country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), the center has no resolution policy to resolve its conflict related to domain names. These solutions include administrative lawsuit to cancel the decision of domain name registration, unfair competition lawsuit, and liability of tort lawsuit.

Background. Prevention of stroke and systemic embolism (SE) prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has radically changed in recent years. Data on contemporary utilization of oral anticoagulants (OACs) and cardiovascular outcome in Middle Eastern patients with AF are needed. Methods. The Jordan atrial fibrillation (JoFib) study enrolled consecutive patients with AF in Jordan from May 2019 through October 2020 and were followed up for one year after enrollment. Results. Overall, 2020 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 67.9 + 13.0 years. Nonvalvular (NVAF) was diagnosed in 1849 (91.5%) patients. OACs were used in 85.7% of high-risk patients with NVAF (CHA2DS2-VASc score>3 in women, and>2 in men), including direct OACs (DOACs) in 64.1% and vitamin K antagonists (VKA) in 35.9%. Adherence rate to the use of the same OAC agent was 90.6% of patients. One-year cardiovascular (CV) mortality was 7.8%, stroke/SE was 4.5%, and major bleeding events were 2.6%. Independent predictors for all-cause mortality in patients with NVAF were age>75 years, heart failure, major bleeding event, type 2 diabetes mellitus, study enrollment as an in-patient, and coronary heart disease. The use of OACs was associated with lower all-cause mortality. The strongest independent predictors for stroke/SE were high-risk CHA2DS2-VASc score and prior history of stroke. Conclusions. This study of Middle Eastern AF patients has reported high adherence to OACs. The use of OACs was associated with a lower risk for all-cause mortality. One-year rates of stroke and major bleeding events were comparable to those reported from other regions in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. There is a scarcity of studies that evaluate adherence to the utilization of guideline-recommended oral anticoagulant agents (OACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in the Middle East. The Jordan Atrial Fibrillation (JoFib) Study evaluated baseline clinical profiles and the utilization of OACs, including vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) and direct OACs (DOACs), in patients with valvular AF (VAF) and nonvalvular AF (NVAF) according to the 2019 focused update of the 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS guidelines. Methods. Consecutive patients with AF were enrolled in 29 hospitals and outpatient clinics. The use of OACs was evaluated in patients with VAF and NVAF according to the prespecified guideline. Results. Of 2000 patients, 177 (8.9%) had VAF and 1823 (91.1%) had NVAF. A VKA was prescribed for 88.1% of the VAF group. In the NVAF group, 1468 (80.5%) of patients had a high CHA2DS2-VASc score, i.e., a score of ≥3 in women and ≥2 in men; 202 (11.1%) patients had an intermediate CHA2DS2-VASc score, i.e., a score of 2 in women and 1 in men; and 153 (8.4%) patients had a low CHA2DS2-VASc score, i.e., a score of 1 in women and 0 in men. Of patients with a high CHA2DS2-VASc score, 1204 (82.0%) received OACs, including DOACs for 784 (53.4%) and VKA for 420 (28.6%) patients. Among patients with an intermediate score, OACs were prescribed for 148 (73.3%) patients, including 107 (53.0%) who received DOACs and 41 (20.3%) patients who received VKA. In patients with a low score, OACs were omitted in 94 (61.4%) patients and prescribed for 59 (38.6%) patients. Multivariate analysis showed that age between 50 and 70 years, CHA2DS2-VASc score of ≥2, a diagnosis of stroke or systemic embolization, and nonparoxysmal AF were significantly associated with increased odds of OAC prescription. Conclusions. The current status of the utilization of OACs in Middle Eastern AF patients appears to be promising and is consistent with the 2019 focused update of the 2014 AHA/ACC/HRS guideline. This trial is registered with NCT03917992. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]