Indirect Channels Research Articles

Air Pollution and Mental Health: Evidence from China

We estimate the short-run effect of air pollution on mental illness. Using the China Family Panel Studies covering 12,615 urban residents during 2014-2015, we find a significantly positive effect of air pollution-instrumented by thermal inversions—on mental illness measured by the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Specifically, a 1 SD (18.04 mu-g/m3) increase in PM2.5 concentrations over a month increases the probability of having a score value associated with severe mental illness by 7.58 percentage points, or 0.37 SD. We find suggestive evidence that indirect channels—like reduced exercise and physical health—play a role in the effect.

An experimental investigation on the novel hybrid indirect direct evaporative cooling system

The Evaporative Cooling Technology has revived in the past few decades owing to the gradual shift of economies towards investing in sustainable cooling systems which has led to many governments defining sustainability targets in reducing GHG emissions and achieving climate neutrality with many EU countries aiming to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The major contribution towards GHGs are the conventional air conditioning systems which incorporate energy intensive compressor units and refrigerants as working fluids. A great deal of research has been done on the Evaporative Cooling Technology particularly, the DEC – Direct Evaporative Cooling systems due to their cost-effectiveness, design simplicity and feasibility. The present study proposes a HIDEC – Hybrid Indirect Direct Evaporative Cooling System as an alternative to the conventional vapor compression systems which is unique considering its compact and two in one design incorporating both Indirect and Direct Cooling Channels in a single system. The HIDEC Experimental System is developed passing through the stages of fabrication and design, followed by realtime testing in the hot and humid, and hot and dry sub tropical climatic conditions of Islamabad. The HIDEC Experimental System when operated in Dual Hybrid Mode provides a substantial supply air temperature drop to 24.8 °C with a maximum achievable COP of 35.2 and Cooling Capacity of 16.8 kW. The overall wet bulb effectiveness of the system elevates to 85%, whereas the dew point effectiveness reaches a maximum of 80%.

Smart city and green innovation: Mechanisms and industrial emission reduction effect

Green innovation is essential for environmentally sustainable development. The construction of smart cities offers significant potential for developing green innovation through optimizing urban administration and improving the allocation of critical resources. Using Chinese city data from 2005 to 2019, this study adopts a causal identification framework based on the multi-temporal difference-in-difference method to explore the impact of smart city construction on green innovation and the mechanism and joint industrial emission reduction effect between them. A positive and significant relationship with a weak inverted U-shaped trend was found between smart city construction and green innovation. Besides the direct channel, labor factor allocation, venture capital attractiveness, and market accessibility are essential indirect channels between the two concepts. Furthermore, the effects of smart city construction on green innovation varied depending on the marketization level, administrative rank, population size, and geographic location of the city. In addition, the interaction of the two constructs negatively affected industrial emissions, which helped optimize the environment. These findings suggest that smart city construction offers a digital dividend for developing green innovation and creating an efficient, sustainable environment.

Both parents migrating and left-behind children's cognitive ability in rural China: does it pay?

While the well-documented negative correlation between both parents migrating and the academic performance of left-behind children (LBC) in rural China is widely acknowledged, it's important to recognize that statistical data reveals millions of children experiencing both parents migrating. This discrepancy between the documented negative impact and the prevalence of both parents migrating can be attributed to previous studies primarily focusing on the direct effects. Employing national representative panel data and FE model, this study estimates the direct impact of both parents migrating and the indirect effects of both parents migrating through private tutoring, family tutoring, family income, and boarding school participation. Finally, we consolidate the direct and indirect impacts to determine whether both parents migrating has a positive or negative net effect on LBC's cognitive ability. The direct effect of both parents migrating on LBC's standardized cognitive ability is -0.140, indicating a negative direct impact of both parents migrating on LBC's cognitive ability. However, the indirect effects of both parents migrating through private tutoring, family tutoring, family income, and boarding school participation are -0.017, -0.008, 0.306 and 0.119 respectively. The toal effect of both parents migrating on LBC's standardized cognitive ability is 0.260. The initially observed negative direct impact of both parents' migrating can be completely offset by the indirect impact channels, including private tutoring, family tutoring, family income, and boarding school participation. In contrast to prior research, this study unveils a positive overall impact of both parents' migration on LBC's school performance.

INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND MARKET STRUCTURE AS DRIVERS OF BANKING INDUSTRY PERFORMANCE

We analyze the effects of market concentration, income diversification, and institutional environment on banking industry performance. We used a sample of 168 countries for the 1994-2019 period and the GMM estimators for dynamic panel data regressions. Our results show that market concentration and diversification have a positive effect on bank performance. The institutional environment, both public-political and private-regulatory, has a negative effect on bank profitability, showing that these financial institutions obtain higher returns in countries with institutional weaknesses. When countries have a high institutional quality, the positive impact of market concentration and income diversification is reversed. Strengthening countries’ institutional quality makes it possible to combine competition between banks and specialization in traditional activities with higher performance. These results are relevant for bank stability and financial policy design, given that the institutional framework includes both direct and indirect channels that affect the general behavior and strategies of banks in the industry.We analyze the effects of market concentration, income diversification, and institutional environment on banking industry performance. We used a sample of 168 countries for the 1994-2019 period and the gmm estimators for dynamic panel data regressions. Our results show that market concentration and diversification have a positive effect on bank performance. The institutional environment, both public-political and private-regulatory, has a negative effect on bank profitability, showing that these financial institutions obtain higher returns in countries with institutional weaknesses. When countries have a high institutional quality, the positive impact of market concentration and income diversification is reversed. Strengthening countries’ institutional quality makes it possible to combine competition between banks and specialization in traditional activities with higher performance. These results are relevant for bank stability and financial policy design, given that the institutional framework includes both direct and indirect channels that affect the general behavior and strategies of banks in the industry.

Ultrafast Imaging of Jahn-Teller Distortion and the Correlated Proton Migration in Photoionized Cyclopropane.

The Jahn-Teller (JT) distortion is one of the fundamental processes in molecules and condensed phase matters. For photoionized organic molecules with high symmetry, the JT effect leads to geometric instability in certain electron configurations and thus has a significant effect on the subsequent isomerization and proton migration processes. Utilizing the femtosecond pump-probe Coulomb explosion method, we probe the isomerization dynamics process of a monovalent cyclopropane cation (C3H6+) caused by proton migration and reveal the relationship between proton migration and JT distortion. We found that the C3H6+ cation evolves from the D3h symmetric equilateral triangle geometry either to the acute triangle via two elongated C-C bonds (JT1) or to the obtuse triangle via a single elongated C-C bond (JT2). The JT1 pathway does not involve proton migration, while the JT2 pathway drives proton migration and can be mapped into the indirect dissociation channel of Coulomb explosion. The time-resolved experiment indicates that the delay time between those two JT pathways can be as large as ∼600 fs. After the JT distortion, the cyclopropane cation undergoes a subsequent structural evolution, which brings a greater variety of dissociation channels.

Cryptocurrency use and tax collections: Direct and indirect channels of influence

Using a recent global sample, this paper estimates the effect of cryptocurrency usage on tax revenue collections. We hypothesize that greater cryptocurrency use undermines tax collections, and this result generally holds across overall tax collections, VAT revenues, and GST revenues. The other contribution lies in dissecting the direct and indirect channels of cryptocurrency use on tax collections. Results show that greater cryptocurrency usage reduces tax collections. Furthermore, larger government sizes increase tax collections, while the COVID-19 pandemic undermined tax collections. Finally, significant differences were found in the direct and indirect effects. The main results withstand a number of robustness checks.

Unveiling the direct and indirect effects of sibling size on happiness: evidence from adults in early and mid-adulthood in China

As China grapples with the dual policy challenges of declining birth rates and the pursuit of individual happiness, understanding the relationship between these two factors is important. This study empirically examined the influence of sibling size on happiness in China, distinguishing between direct and indirect channels of impact. Using data from the 2008 Chinese General Social Survey, this analysis focused on how sibling size shapes individual income and education levels, which are both key determinants of happiness. It addressed the endogeneity issue inherent in sibling size by employing variations in the implementation of family planning policies across provinces in the 1970s as instrumental variables. The findings revealed an indirect relationship between sibling size and happiness; an increase in sibling size negatively affected both income and education levels, subsequently reducing happiness. This study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on the relationship between family size and individual happiness in China by offering nuanced insights into the channels through which these effects occur. This study also highlights the policy implications, suggesting that initiatives to raise the birth rate should be accompanied by efforts to enhance income and educational opportunities to foster individual happiness.

Tác động của hợp đồng mua sắm công tới việc sử dụng tín dụng thương mại của doanh nghiệp và hàm ý chính sách cho Việt Nam

This paper investigates the impact of government contracts on trade credit using World Bank Enterprise Surveys with 45.690 observations of 105 countries, from 2006 to 2020. By using the Pool OLS model, empirical results demonstrate that government contracts have a negative impact on trade credit. The negative relationship between government contracts and trade credit can be explained through two channels: the direct channel from the characteristics of government contracts and the indirect channel through the signaling role of public procurement. These findings have important policy implications for Vietnam: Contracting with the government helps businesses reduce their dependence on trade credit by switching to other cheaper financing sources, especially for enterprises whose financial statements are certified by external auditors or enterprises with foreign investment.

Mediating effect of firm efficiency on the controlling shareholdings–firm performance nexus: evidence from public listed firms in Malaysia

This study examines how controlling shareholders influence firm performance through the mediating role of firm efficiency in transforming inputs into outputs. To achieve this objective, it conducts a mediation analysis with 5,000 bootstraps on a dataset of 2,849 firm-year observations of publicly listed firms in Malaysia from 2009 to 2019. The findings reveal a positive relationship between controlling shareholdings and firm performance, with both total and indirect effects having this positive relationship. Moreover, while controlling shareholdings improve firm performance, firm efficiency partially mediates this relationship. Thus, improved firm efficiency plays a critical role in understanding the relationship between governance by controlling shareholders and enhanced firm performance. In summary, this study contributes to the existing literature by expanding our understanding of the complex relationship between controlling shareholdings, firm efficiency, and firm performance. In addition, the findings shed light on the importance of indirect channels in shaping organizational outcomes. As such, this study provides a valuable direction for future research in this area.

Climate change as a veiled driver of migration in Bangladesh and Ghana

People living in deltaic areas in developing countries are especially prone to suffer the effects from natural disasters due to their geographical and economic structure. Climate change is contributing to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme events affecting the environmental conditions of deltas, threatening the socioeconomic development of people and, eventually, triggering migration as an adaptation strategy. Climate change will likely contribute to worsening environmental stress in deltas, and understanding the relations between climate change, environmental impacts, socioeconomic conditions, and migration is emerging as a key element for planning climate adaptation. In this study, we use data from migration surveys and econometric techniques to analyse the extent to which environmental impacts affect individual migration decision-making in two delta regions in Bangladesh and Ghana. The results show that, in both deltas, climatic shocks that negatively affect economic security are significant drivers of migration, although the surveyed households do not identify environmental pressures as the root cause of the displacement. Furthermore, environmental impacts affecting food security and crop and livestock production are also significant as events inducing people to migrate, but only in Ghana. We also find that suffering from environmental stress can intensify or reduce the effects of socioeconomic drivers. In this sense, adverse climatic shocks may not only have a direct impact on migration but may also condition migration decisions indirectly through the occupation, the education, or the marital status of the person. We conclude that although climate change and related environmental pressures are not perceived as key drivers of migration, they affect migration decisions through indirect channels (e.g., reducing economic security or reinforcing the effect of socioeconomic drivers).

Peer desirability and academic achievement

SummaryUsing the random assignment of university engineering students to peer groups during introductory freshmen weeks, this paper studies how a student's parental income and facial attractiveness affect the grade outcomes of peers. The results show that exposure to highly desirable peers with respect to socioeconomic background and beauty improves grades. The results operate chiefly through a direct spillover channel and also through an indirect marriage market channel, through which exposure to high‐desirability peers improves well‐being. A field experiment suggests that the marriage market mechanism is likely to be limited to students not currently in a romantic relationship.

Influence of molecular orientation on the photodissociation process of LiH molecules

AbstractRegulation of photodissociation dynamics of oriented LiH molecules in different dissociation channels is proposed based on time dependent quantum wave packet theory. The enhancement of molecular orientation on the photodissociation of LiH is obvious with our theoretical scheme. The results show that the molecular orientation in the ground state has a great effect on the angular distributions of wave packets. By using the proper laser pulses and controlling the polarization direction of the laser pulses, the enhancement of the photodissociation could be realized. After the molecular orientation, an optimal dissociation channel is observed with an improved dissociation probability. Compared with the results without molecular orientation, the maximal dissociation probability is increased by 8.1% in the indirect dissociation channel and 30.7% in the direct dissociation channel. The enhancement effect is more obvious in the direct dissociation channel, which provides a possible method to manipulate the dissociation of LiH molecules experimentally. Additionally, the photodissociation process of LiH also relies on the electric intensity and delay time of two pump pulses.

Searching for dark matter annihilation with IceCube and P-ONE

We present a new search for weakly interacting massive particles utilizing ten years of public IceCube data, setting more stringent bounds than previous IceCube analysis on massive dark matter to neutrino annihilation. We also predict the future potential of the new neutrino observatory, P-ONE, showing that it may even exceed the sensitivities of Fermi-LAT gamma-ray searches by about 1–2 orders of magnitude in 1–10 TeV regions. This analysis considers the diffuse dark matter self-annihilation to neutrinos via direct and indirect channels, from the galactic dark matter halo and extra-galactic sources. We also predict that P-ONE will be capable of pushing these bounds further than IceCube, even reaching the thermal relic abundance utilizing a galactic center search for extended run-time.

Can the Process of Evaluation and Recognition Effectively Promote Water Conservation in Cities? Evidence from China

Water-saving construction is a crucial technique for China to address water resource scarcity and tackle the water-use issues. Can evaluation and recognition result in urban water-saving construction, and can it produce a more effective water-saving effect with the help of smart city construction? Based on the unbalanced panel data of prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper empirically discusses the impact of China’s National Water-saving City Selection on urban water conservation by using the multi-time point difference-in-differences method, and on this basis, it includes the consideration of smart city construction, so as to investigate the strengthening role of urban digital management in urban water-saving construction. The findings show the following: (1) the National Water-saving City Selection has significantly improved water conservation in the evaluated cities, and it has contributed to the positive effect via direct and indirect channels. (2) The water-saving effect generated by the policy varies with the total urban water supply or the number of people with a higher education in the city. (3) The implementation of the smart city pilot policy has significantly strengthened the city’s existing water-saving construction, and a further mechanism analysis shows that it not only strengthens the existing direct impact channels but also compensates for past construction shortcomings.

Income distribution and sustainable development nexus: Fostering poverty reduction and integrated sustainability amidst multi-dimensional regional integration

This study investigates the impact of income distribution as poverty reduction on sustainable development (SD), by taking the moderating role multidimensional regional integration (MRII) in fostering the integrated sustainability across 64 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries from 2005 to 2020. Utilising Sys-GMM methodology, the findings support the notion that countries within the BRI are theoretically aligned with a sustainable development path as suggested by economic theory. Moreover, MRII significantly contributes to the integrated sustainability path. The direct channel analysis reveals a negative yet significant effect of income distribution on sustainable development, indicating an increase in disparity and capital management system. Conversely, the indirect channel suggests a reduction in disparity and regionally integrated BRI boost the sustainable poverty reduction. This study identifies positive contributions from macroeconomic conditions, institutional quality, and population size to BRI countries' sustainable development. Additionally, it suggests the inefficient utilisation of resources by BRI countries, particularly in government consumption. The study underscores the need for enhanced regional policies aimed at increasing income and reducing poverty to foster sustainable development. Upcoming research should investigate the unexplored effects of household consumption, financial inclusion, financial aid, and energy poverty influence on integrated sustainability, regarding global financial integration.

Impact of crude oil price volatility on Indian stock market returns: A quantile regression approach

This paper examines the heterogenous effect of oil price volatility on Indian sectoral stock returns for the period January 2011 to September 2022 using the quantile regression method, which helps us to analyse the impact in bearish, normal, and bullish periods. The results show that total and sectoral stock returns are negatively affected by oil price fluctuations and the negative effect is stronger during the bearish period. In the normal and bullish periods, oil price volatility does not affect stock returns greatly. The interest rate and exchange rate changes have a stronger effect on sectoral returns in the bearish period in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, banking and finance, IT, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), and consumer durables sectors. The study shows that the impact of oil price volatility on sectoral returns is less than the impact of interest rate and exchange rate changes. The study also shows that oil price volatility directly impacts market portfolio returns initially, which subsequently spills over to sectoral returns, which implies that sectoral returns are impacted by oil price volatility through an indirect channel.

Conceptual Model for Retail Distribution in Nanostores: The case of the Southwest of Barranquilla, Colombia

This article designs a conceptual model for the procurement and distribution processes in nanostores in the southwest of Barran-quilla, Colombia considering 256 nanostores. The data collection involved identifying the nanostores through a visit to the area and creating a data collection instrument with specific questions covering various variables. As a result of the model, the procurement process comprises stages such as ordering, order processing, preparation and dispatch, distribution, payment, return, and after-sales. The findings show that nanostores primarily use indirect distribution channels, establishing relationships with suppliers and placing orders directly or through sales agents. Based on the research findings, the article suggests implementing digital marketing platforms to facilitate order placement and delivery for nanostore owners, reducing their transportation costs and improving the condition of products received. This study contributes to understanding procurement and distribution dynamics in nanostores, providing valuable insights for nanostore owners, policymakers, and researchers, improving the operations and competitiveness of nanostores, benefiting both the local economy and the broader retail sector.

Exploring the ultrafast and isomer-dependent photodissociation of iodothiophenes via site-selective ionization.

C-I bond extension and fission following ultraviolet (UV, 262 nm) photoexcitation of 2- and 3-iodothiophene is studied using ultrafast time-resolved extreme ultraviolet (XUV) ionization in conjunction with velocity map ion imaging. The photoexcited molecules and eventual I atom products are probed by site-selective ionization at the I 4d edge using intense XUV pulses, which induce multiple charges initially localized to the iodine atom. At C-I separations below the critical distance for charge transfer (CT), charge can redistribute around the molecule leading to Coulomb explosion and charged fragments with high kinetic energy. At greater C-I separations, beyond the critical distance, CT is no longer possible and the measured kinetic energies of the charged iodine atoms report on the neutral dissociation process. The time and momentum resolved measurements allow determination of the timescales and the respective product momentum and kinetic energy distributions for both isomers, which are interpreted in terms of rival 'direct' and 'indirect' dissociation pathways. The measurements are compared with a classical over the barrier model, which reveals that the onset of the indirect dissociation process is delayed by ∼1 ps relative to the direct process. The kinetics of the two processes show no discernible difference between the two parent isomers, but the branching between the direct and indirect dissociation channels and the respective product momentum distributions show isomer dependencies. The greater relative yield of indirect dissociation products from 262 nm photolysis of 3-iodothiophene (cf. 2-iodothiophene) is attributed to the different partial cross-sections for (ring-centred) π∗ ← π and (C-I bond localized) σ∗ ← (n/π) excitation in the respective parent isomers.

ASSIMILATION OF COMMERCIAL AND ECONOMIC BORROWINGS OF TURKIC ORIGIN IN ENGLISH: ETYMOLOGY AND SEMANTIC EVOLUTION

Linguistic interactions arise from the intricate interplay of linguistic, cultural, and historical factors, constituting a pivotal facet of intercultural communication. Of particular intrigue are the Turkic lexical components, actively woven into the linguistic fabric of diverse languages. This research article undertakes the comprehensive examination of trade and economic vocabulary within the English language, encompassing elements either stemming from Turkic origins or acquired via the conduit of Turkic languages. The article delves into the nuanced exploration of the catalysts, pathways, and timelines governing the infiltration of Turkicisms into the domain of trade and economic terminology. It intricately dissects the trajectories of morphological and word-formation assimilation, elucidating their pivotal role in lexicon augmentation and the evolution of language.
 A paramount emphasis is accorded to etymological inquiries and the meticulous tracing of lexical lineages. An integral facet of this scholarly investigation revolves around the discernment of the influence exerted by Turkic-origin trade and economic lexicon on the molding of English language vocabulary. The article conducts a rigorous examination of the etymological underpinnings and semantic metamorphosis inherent to words such as ‘kiosk’, ‘magazine’, and ‘bazaar’ within the purview of the English language, alongside an exploration of their counterparts’ functionality within the Turkish language.
 Through a comparative analysis of diverse languages, it becomes evident that the phenomenon of lexical borrowing is a universal linguistic phenomenon. It stands as a defining element imbued with linguistic significance, determining the absolute or relative chronology of their integration into various linguistic systems. Turkicisms, assimilated into the lexical-semantic framework of the recipient language, augment the corpus of lexical units within the English language and other linguistic contexts. They illuminate the mechanisms governing their assimilation and the degree of adaptation, all while considering the unique lexical and phonetic potential inherent to each language.
 It is noteworthy that Turkic borrowings encompass not only words of direct Turkic origin but also lexical elements introduced into English via other intermediary languages, including Arabic and Persian. These have left their imprint on English lexicographic sources. Hence, the term ‘Turkism’ encompasses words integrated into the English language, whether through direct Turkic influences or indirect channels via Turkic languages, with all sharing a common Turkic phase within their historical trajectory.