Positive Growth Effects Research Articles

Effect of copy number variation of PLA2G2A gene to growth traits in Chinese cattle.

As a member of genetic polymorphism, copy number variation has been a commonly used method in the world for investigating effect of genetic polymorphism on gene expression. Effect of genetic polymorphism made on livestock development has been more and more important in beef cattle molecular breeding. The characteristics of Chinese cattle are excellent meat quality, tolerant to rough feeding, good environmental adaptability and so on. But there are some obvious weaknesses still exist in the process of cattle growth and development, such as weak hindquarters and growth slowly. To improve the growth performance and market competitiveness of Chinese cattle, a lot of studies have been made about finding and investigating effective molecular marker. In this study, Q-PCR and data association analysis were used for PLA2G2A gene copy number variation detection and related effect analysis in Chinese cattle. Results showed that PLA2G2A gene has a significant effect on two breeds of Chinese cattle on growth traits, which could be a basic materials and effective information of cattle molecular markers breeding. PLA2G2A, member of secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2) in superfamily of phospholipase A2, could catalyze the process of glycerophospholipids hydrolysis from position of sn-2 acyl with the release of free fatty acids and lysophospholipids. Researches about PLA2G2A gene are mostly focus on disease, including tumors and diabetes, the number of study occurred on animal breeding is weak. In this study, blood samples were collected from five breeds of Chinese cattle (Qingchuan cattle, Xianan cattle, Yunling cattle, Pinan cattle and Guyuan cattle) for PLA2G2A gene CNV type detection. SPSS 20.0 software and method of ANOVA were used to analyzed the association between types of CNV and growth traits. Results reveal that the distribution of different copy number types in different cattle breeds is different. In QC, XN and GY cattle, the frequencies of Deletion and Duplication are about 40%; in YL cattle, the frequency of Deletion type exceeds 60%; in PN cattle, the frequency of Duplication is closed to 80%. Association analysis indicate that CNV of PLA2G2A gene showed a positive effect in cattle growth: in QC cattle, Chest depth with Normal type copy number possess a increased trend (P<0.05); individuals with Deletion type copy number have better performance on Height at sacrum, Heart girth and Body height in GY cattle (P<0.05). The functional role and molecular mechanism of PLA2G2A gene in animal growth and development are still unclear, and it is necessary for processing a further research. This research aims to provide basic materials for molecular breeding of Chinese cattle.

Impact of Blockchain Technology on Maritime Transport in the Shipping Industry

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to assess the empirical evidence that shows blockchain technology has been a significant contributor to the growth of maritime transport in the shipping industry. Design/methodology/approach - Employing a generalized linear model using data from 2010 to 2019, this paper presents empirical evidence to demonstrate the positive impact of the adoption of blockchain technology on the maritime transport industry. Findings - Results from Granger causality tests confirm that there is a positive unidirectional causality from blockchain technology to maritime transport. This paper also demonstrates the positive effects of information technology (IT) and GDP growth on maritime transport. On the other hand, maritime transport is negatively influenced by the tax burden. Research implications or Originality - The results of this paper suggest a potential sustainable development strategy for the maritime transport industry involving the redirection of economic resources toward blockchain technology. Adopting other forms of IT and reducing the tax burden are also useful strategies for the development of the industry.

Effect of domestic greywater reuse for irrigation on soil physical and chemical characteristics and tomatoes growth.

This study aimed at determining the effect of laundry greywater on the growth of tomatoes and physical and chemical properties of a sandy loam Perrox in the Eastern province of Rwanda, Kayonza district, Mwiri sector. The experimental design consisted of plots planted with tomatoes (Lepersicon Esculantum) in a randomized complete block design with three replications and four treatments. Treatment 1: Tomatoes irrigated with pure greywater; Treatment 2: Tomatoes irrigated with a mixture of tap water and greywater at 1:1 ratio; Treatment 3: Alternation of greywater and tap water in a consecutive manner; and Treatment 4: only tap water serving as a control. Results showed that the following soil chemical parameters were significantly increased with greywater application: pH, EC, Av P, Na and SAR. Conversely, soil concentration in Mg and Ca significantly decreased with increase in greywater application. With the exception of soil bulk density, other measured physical properties such as soil hydraulic conductivity, aggregate stability and porosity were significantly reduced with greywater application. The highest values for soil hydraulic conductivity, aggregate stability and porosity were found for soil irrigated with tap water which ranged between 1.01 to 2.1 times higher than that of greywater, mixed or alternated with tap water. The alternate application of greywater and tap water did not affect significantly the stem height and weight of tomatoes. We concluded that the absence of positive growth effect of application of greywater was due to low concentration in essential plant nutrients in greywater, and induced adverse effects on soil chemical, physical, and biological properties. However, alternate application of the greywater and tap water preserved approximately the same soil physico-chemical characteristics as with application of tap water. Thus, among the irrigation treatments involving greywater, the latter should be considered as the most environmentally friendly. We propose combination of greywater with various forms of composts as the one of the most promising investigations on the reuse of greywater in irrigation.

Does economic globalisation promote economic growth? A meta‐analysis

AbstractA large volume of econometric literature has studied the effects of economic globalisation on economic growth around the world. Reported results, however, vary considerably, which makes it difficult to draw valid conclusions. This paper applies meta‐analysis and meta‐regression methods to a novel dataset consisting of 5542 estimates on globalisation–growth effects reported in 516 primary studies. We find evidence for publication selection bias in favour of positive growth effects of globalisation. After correcting for this bias, the size of the effect of economic globalisation on output growth is more than halved, but it remains positive. The growth‐promoting effect, however, is due to trade globalisation, as we cannot reject the hypothesis that the impact of financial globalisation on growth is, on average, zero. The meta‐regression results also reveal that the growth effects of economic globalisation have varied over time, and that education and institutions serve as significant moderator variables.

Institutional Quality, Infrastructure, and Economic Growth in Africa

Abstract We use a panel data set of 46 African countries over the 2003–15 period to study the role of institutional quality in infrastructure-led growth. Based on the causal analysis, we show large positive effects of growth for countries with strong institutional quality in comparison to their counterparts with weak institutional quality. This result is not sensitive to the choice of a particular measure of infrastructure or institutional quality. Our results suggest the presence of nonlinearities when estimating infrastructure-led growth and emphasize the importance of complementarities influencing such an estimation.

Joe Biden: A Bearer of Hope

Abstract Expectations on Biden’s Presidency are immense. The international community hopes for a paradigm shift away from US unilateral policies and towards more international cooperation. International economic experts expect positive growth effects far beyond the United States. President Biden’s early actions point towards reversing some of President Trump’s core economic policies. President Biden’s reform proposals include large-scale fiscal expansions, a substantial increase of the corporate income tax rate and increased international cooperation in the upcoming years.

The Demographic Window of Opportunity and Economic Growth at Sub-National Level in 91 Developing Countries

Data for low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) are used to investigate the effect of the demographic transition on economic growth at sub-national level. We introduce a detailed classification of demographic window phases, determine how these phases are distributed among and within LMICs, and analyze the relationship between the demographic window of opportunity (DWO) and economic growth for 1921 urban and rural areas of sub-national regions within 91 LMICs. Many areas in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have entered the window, but most of Sub-Saharan Africa is still in the traditional or pre-window phase. Our analyses reveal higher growth rates in areas passing through the DWO. Positive growth effects are particularly strong in rural and more educated regions and in countries with lower levels of corruption. Policy measures aimed at effectively using the DW for achieving growth should combine investments in education and rural development with better governance.

Психологічний стан дітей, хворих на синдром біологічно неактивного гормона росту

Мета дослідження: вивчити психологічний стан дітей із синдромом біологічно неактивного гормона росту (СБНГР) та оцінити вплив специфічної рістстимулюючої терапії на поліпшення психосоціальної адаптації хворих у суспільстві. Матеріали та методи. У дослідженні брали участь 46 дітей із СБНГР у період статевого дозрівання, серед них — 30 хлопців і 16 дівчат. Для дослідження психологічного стану дітей із СБНГР проводили анкетування за шкалою самооцінки депресії до початку застосування специфічної гормональної рістстимулюючої терапії та через 6 місяців після безперервного лікування. Контрольну групу становили 25 здорових дітей. Результати. Проведене нами тестування показало, що 72 % серед опитуваних пацієнтів із СБНГР мали схильність до депресивних станів, тоді як серед здорових дітей схильність до депресивних станів мали тільки 24 %. За умов початку лікування дітей із низькорослістю рекомбінантним гормоном росту (рГР) та аналогами гонадотропін-рилізинг-гормона протягом шести місяців і при досягненні більшої швидкості росту в них схильність до депресії залишилася тільки у 27,6 % хворих. Висновки. Низькорослість серед дітей із СБНГР призводить до заниженої самооцінки та проявів схильності до депресивного стану. Лікування дітей рГР із мотивацією на позитивний ростовий ефект значно покращує їх психологічний стан та адаптацію в суспільстві. Рекомендовано проводити анкетування пацієнтів із СБНГР за шкалою самооцінки депресії, за наявності проявів схильності до депресивного стану бажано консультуватися в медичного психолога або фахівця із психосоматичної медицини.

Boosting economic growth through energy in Africa: the role of Chinese investment and institutional quality

ABSTRACT In 2019, Chinese investment rose to $110 billion across all sectors in Africa. However, there are many criticisms that the Chinese presence is a curse to the development of Africa. Hence, we direct our attention to unravel the truth about these allegations by examining the underlying effect of institutional quality and Chinese investment in Africa on energy consumption (EC) and its impact on economic growth. We applied a panel corrected standard error (PCSE) econometric procedure for a selected 21 sub-Saharan African countries. Our results show that energy consumption promotes economic growth. Similarly, the study revealed that the institutional quality and Chinese investment in Africa were the underlying factors for the positive effect of energy consumption and economic growth. Therefore, our results expand the economic growth literature and inform policymakers of the need to pay attention to bilateral trade and investment with China.

Can global aquaculture growth help to conserve wild fish stocks? Theory and empirical analysis

AbstractCan fed aquaculture growth alleviate overfishing and foster the conservation of wild fish stocks? To examine this question we present a stylized fishery model of trade in edible fish and fishmeal that incorporates both market linkages and biological (predator–prey) linkages between the aquaculture sector and capture fisheries. We study the effects of local aquaculture growth, as induced by an increase in aquaculture feed‐efficiency (technology shock), and of external or global aquaculture growth as experienced by either a drop in the price of edible fish or as an increase in the price of fishmeal (price shocks). While domestic (or “local”) aquaculture growth increases wild fish stocks due to positive market interactions, the effects of external (or “global”) aquaculture growth are generally ambiguous and depend on the strength of biological linkages. A stylized empirical application of the cod (predator) and capelin (prey) fisheries in the Barents Sea illustrates that the biological linkages between cod and capelin reduce the positive impact of aquaculture on cod conservation roughly by 50%.Recommendations for Resource Managers: Fishery managers should differentiate between the effects of local, technology‐driven aquaculture growth and the effects of global, price‐driven aquaculture growth. The latter may have negative impacts on local fish stocks and the economy. Real fishmeal prices increased substantially since the year 2000. For multispecies fisheries that are not properly managed, this can increase pressure on fish stocks if predator–prey linkages are strong, if prey species regeneration is slow, and if pelagic prey species are relatively easy to catch. An empirical application shows that predator–prey linkages reduce but not overthrow the positive effects of global aquaculture growth on the conservation of local predator fish stocks. This provides some evidence that a reallocation of fishing effort from higher to lower trophic levels can conserve fish stocks at higher trophic levels.

Public–Private Partnership Infrastructure Investment and Sustainable Economic Development: An Empirical Study Based on Efficiency Evaluation and Spatial Spillover in China

Public–private partnership (PPP), an innovative mode of infrastructure investment, has been widely applied in China and has become an essential policy tool with which to promote sustainable economic development. In order to comprehensively evaluate the economic consequences, using 31 provinces in China from 2003 to 2018 as samples, first, stochastic frontier analysis was performed to measure the input–output efficiency of infrastructure investment to evaluate the economic sustainability and efficiency of PPP compared to single government-led investment mode. Next, the overall economic growth effect of PPP was verified. Further, from the perspective of sustainable development of regional economies, the double-fixed effect spatial Durbin model was adopted to empirically test the spatial spillover effect of PPP and clarify its industrial heterogeneity. The results show the following. (1) The average input–output efficiency of infrastructure is 0.449, revealing a distribution law of decreasing from east to west and remarkable regional variation. However, a good trend of improvement emerged, reflecting the economic sustainability of infrastructure investment, and PPP has played a positive role in promoting it. (2) PPP has significant and positive economic growth and spatial spillover effects, which can promote regional economic integration, embodying its economic sustainability function. (3) The economic impact of PPP has significant industrial heterogeneity. Transportation PPP can bring greater economic benefits, confirming the vital position of transportation infrastructure in the sustainable development of regional economies. Energy and water PPP have positive externalities. All of this provides powerful and reliable proof of the realization of sustainable economic development under the regional virtuous circle driven by infrastructure investment through PPP.

Foreign direct investment in sub-Saharan Africa: Beyond its growth effect

This study relates foreign direct investment (FDI) to economic growth, institutional quality and manufacturing value added, using panel data techniques that allow for parameter heterogeneity and non-stationarity. The results confirm that economic growth, institutional quality, and natural resources, each play a positive role in attracting FDI. Besides, institutional quality is itself affected by these variables: economic growth enhances institutional quality, FDI is detrimental to certain aspects. The evidence also reveals the existence of ‘institutional’ resource curse. Furthermore, FDI has contributed to the ‘premature’ deindustrialization of the region, except in a few cases where it is non-resource seeking. While confirming established results, the study also identifies detrimental institutional and deindustrializing effects of FDI which have hitherto been overlooked. A policy implication is that countries should be selective on the type of FDI they try to attract by weighing its positive growth effect against its deindustrializing and adverse institutional effects.

THE EFFECTS OF FDI AND ECONOMIC GROWTH ON CO2 EMISSIONS IN SADC

This study investigates the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth, and capital stocks on the CO2 emissions in 16 Southern African Development Community (SADC). The analysis includes panel data from 1990 to 2014. To examine the effect, both statics and dynamics estimation models were used in this research. The results from panel statics using pooled ordinary least square and dynamic panel estimation using system general methods of the moments suggest a positive and significant effect of FDI and economic growth on CO2 emissions in SADC. While in contrast, capital stocks have negative and significant effects on CO2. These results indicate that FDI inflow has been damaging the environment in SADC countries. While when investing in clean energy the CO2 emissions tend to reduce. Hence, these countries should adopt policies that encourage the use of environmentally friendly technology and keep pursuing sustainable development goals while protecting the environment.

Updated Global Black Carbon Emissions from 1960 to 2017: Improvements, Trends, and Drivers.

Accurate estimation of black carbon (BC) emissions is essential for assessing the health and climate impact of this pollutant. Past emission inventories were associated with high uncertainty due to data limitations, and recent information has provided a unique updating opportunity. Moreover, understanding the drivers that cause temporal emission changes is of research value. Here, we update the global BC emission estimates using new data on the activities and emission factors (EFs). The new inventory covers 73 detailed sources at 0.1° × 0.1° spatial resolution and monthly temporal resolution from 1960 to 2017. The estimated annual emissions were 32% higher than the average of several previous inventories, which was primarily due to field-measured EFs for residential stoves and differentiated EFs for motor vehicles. In addition, the updated emissions show an inverse U-shaped temporal trend, which was mainly driven by the interaction between the positive effects of population growth, per capita energy consumption, and vehicle fleet and the negative effects of residential energy switching, stove upgrading, phasing out of beehive coke ovens, and reduced EFs for vehicles and industrial processes. Urbanization caused a significant increase in urban emissions accompanied by a more significant decline in rural emissions.

The influence of regional economy- and industry-level environmental munificence on young firm growth

This study examines the impact of environmental munificence on young firm revenue growth. One hundred and ninety young U.S.-based firms from 42 states are studied for their growth over a three-year period. Specifically, we find that the environmental munificence in terms of entrepreneur’s selected industry has a significant impact on young firms’ revenue growth but the state’s economic condition has no such impact. However, the positive effect of industry growth on young firms’ revenue growth is significantly stronger in states with declining GDP. The findings suggest that state economy may not be as important for starting a business for its revenue growth, and the choice of industry for the business is more important in a declining regional economy than has been previously understood.

Carbon Nanoparticle Exerts Positive Growth Effects with Increase in Productivity by Down-Regulating Phytochrome B and Enhancing Internal Temperature in Rice

The effects of carbon nanoparticle (CNP) on rice variety Swarna (MTU7029) were investigated. CNP induced effects similar to shade avoidance response (SAR) of Arabidopsis, with increase in shoot length, root length, root number, cotyledon area, chlorophyll content and total sugar content in rice seedlings. In mature plants, CNP treatment resulted increase in plant height, number of productive tillers per plant, normalized difference vegetation index, quantum yield and root growth. A total of 320mg of CNP per plant administered in four doses resulted in improved grain traits such as filled grain rate, 100-grain weight, grain length/width ratio, hulling rate, milling rate and head rice recovery. Seeds from the CNP-treated plants showed increase in amylose, starch and soluble sugar contents compared to controls. Strikingly, CNP treatment showed an average of 17.5% increase in yield per plant. Upon investigation to the molecular mechanism behind CNP induction of SAR, a significant downregulation of phytochrome B transcript was found. Decrease in perception of red wavelengths led to responses similar to SAR. Increase in plant's internal temperature by 0.5°C±0.1°C was recorded after CNP treatment. We suggest that the internalized CNP aggregates may serve to absorb extra photons thereby increasing the internal temperature of plants. Phytochrome B accounts the hike in internal temperature and initiates a feed-back reduction of its own transcription. We suggest that moderate SAR is beneficial for rice plants to improve agronomic traits and yield. It presents a potential non-transgenic method for improving rice yield by CNP treatment.

Symmetric and Asymmetric Impact of Poverty, Income Inequality, and Population on Carbon Emission in Pakistan: New Evidence From ARDL and NARDL Co-Integration

Several researchers have studied the relationship between poverty and environmental degradation, as these concerns are remained at top priority in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, the symmetric and asymmetric impact of poverty and income inequality along with population and economic growth on carbon emissions (CO2e) has not been studied in the case of Pakistan. For this purpose, the short and long-run impact of poverty, income inequality, population, and GDP per capita on CO2e investigated by applying the Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) along with Non-linear Autoregressive Distributive Lag (NARDL) co-integration approach in the context of Pakistan for period 1971–2015. The symmetric results of the current study show poverty and population density along with GDP per capita increase carbon emissions in both the short and long-run, while income inequality has no impact on carbon emissions in the short-run. While in the long-run the symmetric results show that income inequality weakens environmental degradation in terms of carbon emissions. The analysis of NARDL also supports the results obtained from ARDL and suggests a positive effect of poverty, population, and economic growth on carbon emission in Pakistan. The empirical findings of the current study provide policy implications in light of the United Nation's SDGs for the development of Pakistan.

Supply chain performance and economic growth: The impact of COVID-19 disruptions

Reliable supply chains are crucial to the productivity and economic growth of nations. Despite the recognition of its importance, especially brought to the forefront by the challenges of the coronavirus crises, formal research on the contribution of supply chain logistics is less forthcoming. This paper uses data on 130 nations to examine the relative effects of different aspects of supply chain logistics, including overall logistics performance, and the performance of the input and output dimensions of logistics, on economic growth. The results show that improvements in the supply chain logistics performance yield positive growth dividends. Further, the input and output dimensions of logistics performance have positive growth effects, with some quantitative differences. Significantly, the growth impact of logistics performance varies across nations with different growth rates. Implications for public policy and spillovers for COVID-19 initiatives are discussed.

The Relationship between Rhizobacteria Auxin Production and Wheat Biomass Productivity is Negative

ABSTRACT Auxin, a plant growth-promoting hormone, is known to be produced by many if not all bacteria. Research has shown that bacteria produced auxin is associated with both positive and negative plant growth effects. Here we determined the relationship between auxin production capacity and wheat biomass productivity in culturally isolated bacteria. A total of 4320 individual bacteria were isolated and characterized based on colony size as either fast (>2 mm) or slow (<2 mm) growing, from the rhizospheres and endorhizospheres of wheat plants grown in two soils that differ in pH and texture. The bacteria were assayed for auxin production based on a Salkowski reagent microplate assay. The relationship between auxin production and wheat biomass was largely negative under all conditions and characterizations, and non-significant (R2 0.04 to 0.26). When examined across all treatments, the lowest auxin producers originated from the highest biomass plants and the highest auxin producers from the lowest biomass plants (p value < .0001). Fast growing colonies produced significantly higher auxin production than slow growing colonies, overall (p value ≤ 0.005). The results suggest that auxin production by culturally isolated bacteria, as determined by the Salkowski reagent, is negatively associated with wheat biomass productivity.

Wages, Income Distribution and Economic Growth: Long-Run Perspectives in Scandinavia, 1900–2010

ABSTRACT This article views analysis of the influence of capital–labour income distribution on economic growth from a historical perspective, using data from 1900 onwards. We study the three Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Denmark and Norway, where conventional accounts of the postwar growth miracles in these small, open economies have emphasized the role of wage restraint, favouring profits and investment over consumption. Instead, we show that the 1950s and 1960s saw growing wage shares, and use the Bhaduri–Marglin model to econometrically analyse the effects on consumption, investment, exports and imports and the total effects on GDP. Furthermore, we estimate the effects of wage pressure on labour productivity. Growing wage shares have had a small positive effect on GDP growth in Sweden, Denmark and Norway, and the positive effect was larger in the postwar period than in other times. However, the positive growth effects of wage pressure were modest as the demand was only weakly wage-led. In contrast, supply side effects were large. Labour productivity was stimulated by vigorous wage increases, as argued by the Swedish Rehn–Meidner model as well as by post-Keynesian economists. The present investigation opens several further avenues for research on the distribution–growth nexus.