In the wake of recent pandemic of COVID-19, we explore its unprecedented impact on the cryptocurrencies' market. Specifically, we check how the changing intensity of the COVID-19 represented by the ...daily addition in new infections worldwide affects the daily returns of the top 10 cryptocurrencies according to the market capitalization. The results from Quantile-on-Quantile Regression (QQR) approach reveal that the changing intensity levels of the COVID-19 affect the Bearish and the Bullish market scenarios of cryptocurrencies differently (asymmetric impact). Additionally, there are differences between these currencies in their responses to the changing levels of this pandemic's intensity. Most of the currencies absorbed the small shocks of COVID-19 by registering positive gains but failed to resist against the huge changes except Bitcoin, ADA, CRO, and up to some extent Ethereum. Our results reveal new and asymmetric dynamics of this emerging asset class against an extremely stressful and unpredictable event (COVID-19). Moreover, these results are robust to the use of alternative proxy (COVID-19 deaths) for pandemic intensity. Our findings help to improve investors and policymakers' understanding of the cryptocurrencies' market dynamics, especially in the times of extremely stressful and unseen events.
•We study the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on the top 10 cryptocurrencies' returns.•The QQR approach reveals an asymmetric impact of pandemic intensity on othe Bearish and Bullish scenarios in cryptocurrencies.•Majority of the cryptocurrencies performed better against small shocks of COVID-19.•Bitcoin, ADA, CRO and Ethereum performed better against the negative effects of the highest intensity of COVID-19.•Our results are robust to the use of alternative proxy for the pandemic.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The present study examines the asymmetrical effect of temperature on COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease) from 22 January 2020 to 31 March 2020 in the 10 most affected provinces in China. This study used ...the Sim & Zhou' quantile-on-quantile (QQ) approach to analyze how the temperature quantities affect the different quantiles of COVID-19. Daily COVID-19 and, temperature data collected from the official websites of the Chinese National Health Commission and Weather Underground Company (WUC) respectively. Empirical results have shown that the relationship between temperature and COVID-19 is mostly positive for Hubei, Hunan, and Anhui, while mostly negative for Zhejiang and Shandong provinces. The remaining five provinces Guangdong, Henan, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Heilongjiang are showing the mixed trends. These differences among the provinces can be explained by the differences in the number of COVID-19 cases, temperature, and the province's overall hospital facilitations. The study concludes that maintaining a safe and comfortable atmosphere for patients while COVID-19 is being treated may be rational.
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•Ø This paper examines the interlinkages between temperature and COVID-19 in the top ten coronavirus affected Chinese provinces.•Ø QQ approach of Sim and Zhou is applied to explore some nuanced features of temperature and COVID-19 nexus.•We find mostly positive relationship for Hubei, Hunan and Anhui between temperature and COVID-19.•Zhejiang and Shandong provinces are showing mostly negative impacts between temperature and COVID-19.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
As regional economic integration and climate change are among the most important phenomena influencing economic and social sustainability in the modern world, a huge volume of research is directed ...towards these topics nowadays. The aim of this study is to explore the impact of financial globalization and human capital on environmental degradation in One Belt One Road (OBOR) countries in a cultural context that is largely under-explored in spite of being immensely crucial for fulfilling the United Nations’ agenda on climate change mitigation. Owing to the presence of vast cultural differences, we check if the national scores on “Power Distance Index” and “Uncertainty Avoidance” in these countries matter for the environment. To this end, we use the latest and annual data set comprising 31 OBOR countries from 1996 to 2018, and employ panel econometric techniques that effectively deal with the threat of endogeneity. Results show that human capital improves environment while financial globalization deteriorates it. Interestingly, high power distance and uncertainty avoidance can reverse the positive impact of human capital. Similarly, financial globalization is favorable for environment in countries with low power distance and uncertainty avoidance. The findings are robust to the use of alternative specifications. Theoretical underpinnings and implications are discussed arising from the interesting reversal of traditional impacts in different cultural scenarios. Specifically, we recommend a culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, and inclusivity, promoted through increased tolerance towards risk-taking and participative decision-making to reap the benefits of human capital and globalization in improving the environment. Our results have important implications for climate change mitigation endeavors in OBOR countries and understanding the cultural context in this regard. Additionally, our study opens a vast avenue for the related research work in the future.
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CEKLJ, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 disease has caused immense damage to our health and economic and social life. This research article helps to determine the impact of climate on the lethality of ...this disease. Air quality index and average humidity are selected from the family of climate variables, to determine its impact on the daily new cases of COVID-19-related deaths in Wuhan, China. We have used wavelet analysis (wavelet transform coherence (WTC), partial (PWC), and multiple wavelet coherence (MWC), due to its advantages over traditional time series methods, to study the co-movement nexus between our selected data series. Findings suggest a notable coherence between air quality index, humidity, and mortality in Wuhan during a recent outbreak. Humidity is negatively related to the COVID-19-related deaths, and bad air quality leads to an increase in this mortality. These findings are important for policymakers to save precious human lives by better understanding the interaction of the environment with the COVID-19 disease.
ABSTRACTBased on the panel data of China’s listed companies from 2009 to 2020, this paper examines the relationship between multi-dimensional competition among local governments and corporate green ...innovation. It also investigates the influencing mechanism of performance pressures in this relationship. The results show that (1) Government competition with different motives has heterogeneous effects on green innovation. Growth and fiscal competition negatively affect green innovation, while investment attraction and regulation competition significantly positively affect green innovation. (2) The performance pressure significantly reduces the negative effect of fiscal competition and enhances the positive effect of investment attraction and regulation competition. (3) The regional heterogeneity analysis shows that investment attraction competition positively affects green innovation in the eastern, central, and western regions. While the impact of growth and fiscal competition in the eastern region is insignificant, the former is significantly negative in the central and western regions.
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CEKLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
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•Impact of natural resource mining on sustainable economic development in China.•Influencing mechanism of green innovation and education in mitigating/exacerbating the role of natural ...resources.•Natural resource mining hurts sustainable development, verifying the “resource curse” effect.•Green innovation and education restrain the negative impact of resource mining.
As the extraction and usage of natural resources continue to be a double-edged sword – supporting economic growth but deteriorating the environment- we study the impact of natural resource mining on sustainable economic development in the largest (PPP) economy – China. We use province-level data from 2001 to 2020 and employ econometric panel techniques, such as fixed effects, two-stage least squares, and a battery of robustness tests. We further explore the potential effects of education and green innovation in mitigating/exacerbating the role of natural resources in the Chinese provincial economy. The results show that: (1) Natural resource mining hurts sustainable development, verifying the “resource curse” effect. (2) Green innovation and education restrain the negative impact of resource mining on sustainable development, turning the curse into a blessing. (3) A regional heterogeneity is observed in the impact of resource mining on sustainable development, showing more significant effects in the Western and low-urbanized regions. (4) Green innovation and education can assuage the curse effect of natural resources into gospel effect. Policy implications and recommendations are proposed in light of the findings to promote sustainable economic development in China.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This study focusses on the synthesis of carboxymethyl guar gum (CMG) via monochloroacetic acid under alkaline conditions. The reaction conditions were also optimized during the course of experiment. ...Guar derivative with variable degree of substitution (DS) were prepared and were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The DS was determined quantitatively by titration method for each derivative. The synthesized guar gum derivatives, being the natural thickners, have been used in textile printing technology. Substituted guar gum has been proved environmental friendly thickener as compared to synthetic thickeners. Penetration properties, fixation ability, colour fastness, levelness and fabric handling was compared with alginate thickener (commercially available). Guar gum thickeners showed enhanced properties versus alginate thickener and can be used as an alternative to synthetic thickeners in view of its green, non-hazardous and economical derivatives. Guar gum is the outstanding natural thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent and could possibly be used in various industrial units including food, cosmetic, textile, oil fracturing and mining.
Currently, the green route for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) using plants leaf extract is an emerging research area in nanotechnology. The present study was explored for synthesis, ...characterization and catalytic application of Ag NPs using
fresh leaf extracts. Factors affecting the synthesis were optimized and optimum conditions were pH of 8.6, silver nitrate (AgNO
) concentration of 1.5 mM and 10 mL leaf extract. Formation of Ag NPs was observed by change in color of reaction mixture from pale yellow to reddish brown. The synthesized Ag NPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectrophotometer, EDX, XRD and SEM analyses. UV-Vis spectrophotometer showed maximum absorbance peak in the range of 407 nm at different time intervals indicating formation of Ag NPs. SEM and XRD analysis confirmed face centered cubic structure and crystalline nature of biologically synthesized Ag NPs with average particle size of 27 nm. The purity of synthesized Ag NPs was revealed by EDX. Finally, photo catalytic activity (PCA) of Ag NPs was studied and 72.91% decolorization of industrial waste water was obtained at 54 h. Some important parameters like pH, turbidity, conductance; TSS, TDS, sulphide, sulphates, etc. were also monitored before and after treatment with Ag NPs.
Innovation capability of manufacturing industry is one of the most important factors that determine a country's competitiveness. This paper expounds the theoretical and empirical relationship among ...innovation capability (IC), capital enrichment (CE) and total factor productivity (TFP) by using the yearly panel data of 28 Chinese manufacturing segments from 2011 to 2018. The intermediary effect model and threshold model are used for empirical analysis, findings suggest that 1) IC not only directly promotes TFP but also indirectly through CE, indicating that CE has an intermediary effect on the relationship between IC and TFP. 2) The positive effect of CE on TFP is influenced by the "double threshold effect" of IC. Compared with industries having low IC, this positive effect in high IC industries is first enhanced then weakened and later re-enhanced. 3) There is a significant difference in IC and CE among different manufacturing segments.
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CEKLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer networks that are hydrophilic and capable of retaining a large amount of water. Hydrogels also can act as vehicles for the controlled delivery of active ...compounds. Bio-polymers are polymers that are derived from natural sources. Hydrogels prepared from biopolymers are considered non-toxic, biocompatible, biodegradable, and cost-effective. Therefore, bio-polymeric hydrogels are being extensively synthesized and used all over the world. Hydrogels based on biopolymers finds important applications in the agricultural field where they are used as soil conditioning agents as they can increase the water retention ability of soil and can act as a carrier of nutrients and other agrochemicals. Hydrogels are also used for the controlled delivery of fertilizer to plants. In this review, bio-polymeric hydrogels based on starch, chitosan, guar gum, gelatin, lignin, and alginate polymer have been discussed in terms of their synthesis method, swelling behavior, and possible agricultural application. The urgency to address water scarcity and the need for sustainable water management in agriculture necessitate the exploration and implementation of innovative solutions. By understanding the synthesis techniques and factors influencing the swelling behavior of these hydrogels, we can unlock their full potential in fostering sustainable agriculture and mitigating the challenges posed by an ever-changing environment.
Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer networks that are hydrophilic and capable of retaining a large amount of water.
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