Strong Causal Relationship Research Articles

Teachers’ perceptions of the utilization of emotional competence by their school leaders in Gauteng South Africa

Attempts to improve poor academic performance in South African public schools resulted in the Schooling 2025 mandate, which stipulated the academic standards that learners needed to achieve by 2014. As school leaders must do this through their teachers the emotional tensions associated with such changes are likely to increase. This paper investigates the use of emotional competence by school leaders via the perceptions of their teachers. Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses of the data obtained from a random sample of 2386 teachers indicated that the postulated five sub-dimensions associated with emotional competence could be reduced to two, namely intrapersonal and interpersonal. The Structural Equation Model suggested a strong positive causal relationship between the two competences and hence a good understanding and regulation of one’s own emotions, influences, understanding and relationships with others. A school leader with a good understanding of their personal emotional competence will have a greater influence on social orientation towards others and possibly lead to improved interpersonal competence. In the South African context it was found that both competences are associated with gender, school type, socio-economic contexts of the learners and home language of the educators.

Characteristics of autobiographical memories and prospective imagery across a spectrum of hypomanic personality traits

Evidence of a strong causal relationship between mental imagery and emotion has informed psychological conceptualisations of disordered positive mood states (i.e., mania). Holmes et al.'s cognitive model of bipolar disorder asserts a prominent role for intrusive and affect-laden positive imagery of the past and the future in the amplification and maintenance of positive mood and associated manic behaviours. The aims of the current study were two-fold: (1) to test aspects of this model in a non-clinical population sampled for hypomanic personality traits and (2) to examine the phenomenological characteristics of positive autobiographical memories and imagery of the future. Undergraduate students (N = 80) completed a battery of self-report questionnaires and rated their positive and negative memories and images of the future on a number of dimensions. We found significant positive correlations between hypomanic tendencies and the (1) everyday experience and use of mental imagery, (2) experience of intrusive mental imagery of future events, (3) emotional intensity and sensory detail of positive but not negative autobiographical memories. Results are discussed in the context of their theoretical and clinical implications, and directions for future research are considered.

Peer Monitoring and Microcredit: Field Experimental Evidence from Paraguay

Given the substantial amount of resources currently invested in microcredit programmes, it is more important than ever to accurately assess the extent to which peer monitoring actually reduces moral hazard among borrowers faced with group liability. We conduct a field experiment with women about to enter a group loan programme in Paraguay and then gather administrative data on their repayment behaviour in the 6-month period after the experiment. In addition to the experiment, which is designed to measure individual propensities to monitor one's peers, we collect a variety of other potential correlates of behaviour and repayment. Controlling for other factors, we find a very strong causal relationship between the average monitoring propensity of a person's loan group and repayment. Our most conservative estimate suggests that borrowers in highly monitored groups are 36% less likely to have problems repaying their portions of the loan. In addition, confirming previous results, we also find some evidence that risk preferences, social preferences and cognitive skills affect repayment.

The Impact of Chinese Import Penetration on Danish Firms and Workers

The impact of imports from low-wage countries on domestic labor market outcomes has been a hotly debated issue for decades. The recent surge in imports from China has reignited this debate. Since the 1980s several developed economies have experienced contemporaneous increases in the volume of imports and in the wage gap between high- and low-skilled workers. However, the literature has not been able to document a strong causal relationship between imports and the wage gap. Instead, past studies have attributed the widening wage gap to skill biased technological change. This paper finds evidence for the direct impact of low wage imports on the wage gap. Using detailed Danish panel data for firms and workers, it measures the effects of Chinese import penetration at the firm level on wages within job-spells and over the longer term taking transitions in the labor market into account. We find that greater exposure to Chinese imports corresponds to a negative firm-level demand shock, which is biased towards low-skill intensive products. Consistent with this an increase in Chinese import penetration results in lower wages for low skilled employees.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy and risk of suicide in former athletes

BackgroundIn the initial autopsy case studies of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), some researchers have concluded that the proteinopathy associated with CTE is the underlying cause of suicidality and completed suicide...

Retrospective real world study to explore use of parenterally administered Kudiezi in combination with other medications based on hospital information study data

Parenterally administered Kudiezi (KDZ) is used in real world clinical situations to treat coronary heart disease and cerebral infarction. This paper analyzes its clinical use with other drug combinations. Clinicians' experiences of using such treatments are also referred to. Hospital information system (HIS) data from 18 hospitals, comprising records of 6 032 patients with Coronary heart disease and 3 468 patients with cerebral infarction were analyzed. Comparison and analysis between varying courses of KDZ plus different drug combinations was carried out. The mean single dose of KDZ, death rate and improvement rates along with drug combinations were ascertained with various illustrations given. Although data showed some clinical correlations between factors analyzed, strong causal relationships are yet to be found. Hence, there is a need for further exploration and analysis.

Investigating Coupled Impacts of Climate Change and Socioeconomic Transformation on Desertification by Using Multitemporal Landsat Images: A Case Study in Central Xilingol, China

A case study is conducted in Xilingol Rangeland, Inner Mongolia, China, to investigate the driving factors of temporal dynamics of desertification by using time-series Landsat images. The spectral characters of sand dunes and urban lands in the arid and semiarid grassland environments are very similar, and thus, it is hard to discriminate them with traditional image classifiers. Nine available scenes of Landsat images without cloud cover from 1985 to 2010 are chosen for the case study. An object-oriented image classification (OOIC) is developed to classify sand dunes. The classification results are assessed with the ground reference points in 1985, 2004, and 2010, the land-cover maps produced from other classifiers in literature, and Google Earth historical aerial photo archives. Second, the areas of sand dunes derived from OOIC at the nine times are extrapolated into a 26-year time-series data set from 1985 to 2010 by applying several extrapolation techniques commonly used in regional geographic studies. Afterward, six climate factors and nine socioeconomic variables during the same study period along with the sand dune area are composed into a completed data set to investigate the coupled impacts of climate change and socioeconomic transformation on the temporal dynamics of desertification. Three types of regression models (climate model, economic model, and the coupled model) are explored, respectively, to examine which factors contribute more to the desertification dynamics. The findings confirm that the desertification process in Xilingol Rangeland is very complicated although it shows a strong causal relationship with several socioeconomic factors.

A comparison and Causality analysis between the Construction and Agriculture Sectors of Malaysia (2000-2010)

Malaysia has been trying to shift toward from developing nation status to developed nation status. Hence it becomes important for the Malaysian government to study and understand the dynamics of inter sectoral linkages in order to obtain positive growth, development to sustain the economic growth momentum and to achieve higher level of socio-economic development. The objective of this study is to investigate the causal relationship and make a comparative analysis between the two key sectors (construction and agriculture) of the Malaysian economy. A descriptive statistics is used for comparison and sophisticated econometric techniques. Granger causality test and the vector auto regression (VAR) technique used to determine the causality link between the two sectors and measure the effect of changes in the output of one sector on the output of another sector. Results of empirical analysis exhibit that there is strong correlation and bi-directional causal relationship between construction and agriculture sectors of Malaysia. Agriculture sector takes only 3 quarters to respond to the impact of shock emanating from the construction industry while the construction sector responding time is 13 quarters against the shock of agriculture sector.

The internationalization of small firms: The relationship between the global mindset and firms’ internationalization behavior

Some firms in internationally oriented industries are internationalized while other comparable firms in the same sector or industry do not. Observing this difference in strategic behavior among small firms led us to consider how differences in CEOs’ attitudes, international orientation, and mindset might explain it. Therefore, this study adopts a cognitive perspective on management to explore the formation of the global mindset and the relationship between the global mindset of small-firm decision makers and their firms’ internationalization behavior. A theory-based conceptual model and measurement instrument are developed and—using structural equation modeling—the model is estimated based on empirical data from cross-sectional samples of small Norwegian and Portuguese firms. The study finds: (1) a strong causal relationship between the global mindset and firms’ internationalization behavior; (2) the combination of the findings and substantive theory indicates that the main driver of firms’ internationalization operates through the global mindset. This study also covers the factors that strongly influence the formation of a global mindset, especially the decision makers’ work experience and personal characteristics in terms of propensity to interdisciplinary collaboration, cognitive flexibility, and networking capability. Based on these findings, suggestions are made for policies that can foster the internationalization of small firms.

Zircon U-Pb Geochronology Links the End-Triassic Extinction with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province

The end-Triassic extinction is characterized by major losses in both terrestrial and marine diversity, setting the stage for dinosaurs to dominate Earth for the next 136 million years. Despite the approximate coincidence between this extinction and flood basalt volcanism, existing geochronologic dates have insufficient resolution to confirm eruptive rates required to induce major climate perturbations. Here, we present new zircon uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronologic constraints on the age and duration of flood basalt volcanism within the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. This chronology demonstrates synchroneity between the earliest volcanism and extinction, tests and corroborates the existing astrochronologic time scale, and shows that the release of magma and associated atmospheric flux occurred in four pulses over about 600,000 years, indicating expansive volcanism even as the biologic recovery was under way.

Do Imports and Foreign Capital Inflows Lead Economic Growth? Cointegration and Causality Analysis in Pakistan

The article investigates the impacts of imports and foreign capital inflows on economic growth of Pakistan over the period 1990 to 2010. We have applied the structural break autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to examine the long-run relationship between the variables. The vector error correction model (VECM) Granger causality multivariate framework is used to investigate the causal relationship between the series. Empirical analysis in this article confirms the long-run relationship between foreign capital inflows, imports and economic growth. The results indicate that foreign capital inflows and imports have positive and significant effect on economic growth in case of Pakistan. Causality analysis reveals the bidirectional causality between the variables, but strong causal relation is running from foreign capital inflows and imports to economic growth.

Causality between public policies and exports of renewable energy technologies

This article investigates the causal relationship between public policies and exports of renewable energy technologies using panel data from 18 countries for the period 1991–2007. A number of panel unit root and cointegration tests are applied. Time series data on public policies and exports are integrated and cointegrated. The dynamic OLS results indicate that in the long run, a 1% increase in government R&D expenditures (RAD) increases exports (EX) by 0.819%. EX and RAD variables respond to deviations from the long-run equilibrium in the previous period. Additionally, the Blundell–Bond system generalized methods of moments (GMM) is employed to conduct a panel causality test in a vector error-correction mechanism (VECM) setting. Evidence of a bidirectional and short-run, and strong causal relationship between EX and the contribution of renewable energy to the total energy supply (CRES) is uncovered. CRES has a negative effect on EX, whereas EX has a positive effect on CRES. We suggest some policy implications based on the results of this study.

Intraday volatility spillovers between spot and futures indices: Evidence from the Korean stock market

Abstract This study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between spot and futures markets in Korea. In particular, the study focuses on the volatility spillover relationship between spot and futures markets by using three high-frequency (10 min, 30 min, and 1 h time-scales) intraday data sets of KOSPI 200 spot and futures contracts. The results indicate a strong bi-directional causal relationship between futures and spot markets, suggesting that return volatility in the spot market can influence that in the futures market and vice versa. Thus, the results indicate that new information is reflected in futures and spot markets simultaneously. This bi-directional causal relationship provides market participants with important guidance on understanding the intraday information transmission between the two markets. Thus, on a given trading day, there may be sudden and sharp increases or decreases in return volatility in the Korean stock market as a result of positive feedback and synchronization of spot and futures markets.

Electricity consumption and economic growth in Algeria: A multivariate causality analysis in the presence of structural change

This article addresses the issue of electricity consumption, petroleum price and economic growth in Algeria. The primary objective is to investigate and analyze the causal relationship between electricity consumption (EC), Brent oil price (BOP) and economic growth (GDP) for Algeria over the period of 1971–2010. To examine short-run, long-run and joint causality relationships we used a multivariate cointegration approach based on the recent advances in time series econometrics (e.g., Zivot–Andrews test; Gregory–Hansen cointegration test; Vector Error Correction Models (VECM)). The empirical results show that there is evidence of short-run and a strong long-run bi-directional causal relationship between EC and real GDP in Algeria. Findings indicate also the absence of causal relationship between BOP and EC. Our empirical findings support the idea that there a link between electricity consumption and economic growth and disproves the neo-classical assumption referred to as the “neutrality hypothesis”.

Causality between trading volume and returns: Evidence from quantile regressions

We analyse the causality between past trading volume and index returns in the Pacific Basin countries. OLS results indicate no causal link between volume and returns. However, the quantile regression method reveals strong nonlinear causality: positive for high return quantiles and negative for low ones. Causality in quantiles is not a statistical artefact of causality in periods of high volatility, i.e., causality does not occur in a clustered manner. Causality in quantiles helps to explain the lack of causality between volume and raw returns on the one hand and a strong causal relationship between volume and return volatility on the other.

Drivers of consumer–brand identification

The concept of consumer–brand identification (CBI) is central to our understanding of how, when, and why brands help consumers articulate their identities. This paper proposes and tests an integrative theoretical framework of the antecedents of CBI. Six drivers of CBI, a moderator, and two consequences are posited and tested with survey data from a large sample of German household consumers. The results confirm the influence of five of the six drivers, namely, brand–self similarity, brand distinctiveness, brand social benefits, brand warmth, and memorable brand experiences. Further, we find that all five of these antecedents have stronger causal relationships with CBI when consumers have higher involvement with the brand's product category. Finally, CBI is tied to two important pro-company consequences, brand loyalty and brand advocacy. Theoretical and managerial significance of the findings are discussed.

Risedronate-associated scleritis: a case report and review of the literature

This paper presents the first reported case of risedronate-associated scleritis and conducts a review of bisphosphonates and inflammatory eye diseases. A case of scleritis associated with risedronate use in a 73-year-old Chinese woman is reported. The English medical literature was reviewed for bisphosphonates and their association with inflammatory eye diseases. Cases of ocular inflammation in patients taking bisphosphonates have been reported since the early 1990s. Reported cases include both nitrogen- and non-nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates and with both intravenous and oral use. We report the first case of risedronate-induced scleritis. The case involves a 73-year-old woman who developed scleritis following exposure to risedronate in 2007 with recurrence of scleritis upon risedronate exposure again in 2009. Discontinuation of risedronate and treatment with intravenous and topical corticosteroids resulted in both clinical and radiological improvements within 24h. Applying Naranjo's adverse drug reaction probability scale, a causality assessment was made which categorized this reaction as definite with a score of 9. In our case, there was a strong causal relationship between the use of risedronate and scleritis. Although rare, ocular adverse effects of bisphosphonates may be serious and should be made known to prescribing physicians. This is important in the practice of rheumatology as many of the patients are prescribed this class of medication for either prevention or treatment of osteoporosis. Moreover, ocular inflammation can be a sign of systemic disease, and such patients may be referred to a rheumatologist.

Von Willebrand factor plasma levels, genetic variations and coronary heart disease in an older population

High von Willebrand factor (VWF) levels are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it remains unclear whether VWF is causally related to the occurrence of CHD or primarily mirrors endothelial dysfunction, which predisposes to atherosclerosis and subsequent CHD. Because VWF is largely determined by genetic factors, we investigated whether VWF antigen levels (VWF:Ag) and the risk of CHD are affected by common variations in the VWF gene. We included 7002 participants (≥ 55 years) from the large prospective population-based Rotterdam Study in the discovery cohort. The extension cohort of the Rotterdam Study, consisting of 3011 participants, was used as a replication cohort. We determined VWF:Ag levels and genotype data of 38 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in VWF. Subsequently, hazard ratios for CHD were calculated and genetic analyses were performed to assess the relationship between SNPs, VWF:Ag levels and CHD risk. We identified and replicated three SNPs that were associated with VWF:Ag: rs216321 (β = 0.10 [95% confidence interval, CI, 0.06;0.13]) (Ala852Gln), rs1063856 (β = 0.05 [95% CI 0.03;0.07]) (Thr789Ala) and rs2283333 (β = 0.09 [95% CI 0.05;0.21]) (intron 15). However, genetic polymorphisms in the VWF gene were not associated with the risk of CHD. In this study we have shown that genetic variations in VWF strongly affect VWF plasma levels, but are not associated with the risk of CHD. Our findings therefore do not support a strong causal relationship between VWF and CHD in elderly individuals of ≥ 55 years, but suggest that VWF is primarily a marker of CHD.

Spillover Effects between Exchange Rate and Stock Price in Asian Emerging Markets

This study examined the returns and volatility spillover effects in Asian emerging markets to investigate the dynamic interaction between exchange rate and equity price for markets in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan, employing the Granger causality test and bivariate GARCH model. The main findings of this study can be summarized as follows. First, there was no long-term equilibrium relationship between the exchange rate and equity price in the emerging Asian region. Second, we found strong causal relationship between the exchange rate changes and equity returns. This evidence supports the flow-oriented approach that the change of exchange rates leads to that of stock prices. Third, we found strong bidirectional volatility spillover between the exchange rate changes and equity returns, except in the case of Hong Kong. This study’s analysis can provide a better understanding of the linkages between the exchange rate and equity markets in emerging Asian countries and the nature of the risks that the participants in both markets have to deal with.

Modeling nonlinear Granger causality between the oil price and U.S. dollar: A wavelet based approach

In this paper, we use a wavelet approach to study the linear and nonlinear Granger causality between the real oil price and the real effective U.S. Dollar exchange rate. Instead of analyzing the time series at their original level, as it is usually done, we first decompose the two macroeconomic variables at various scales of resolution using wavelet decomposition and then we study the relationships among the decomposed series on a scale by scale basis. A major finding of this paper is that the linear and nonlinear causal relationships between the real oil price and the real effective U.S. Dollar exchange rate vary over frequency bands as it depends on the time scales. Indeed, there is a strong bidirectional causal relationship between the real oil price and the real dollar exchange rate for large time horizons, i.e. corresponding to fundamentalist traders, especially fund managers and institutional investors. But, for the first frequency band which corresponds to a class of traders whom investment horizon is about 3-months and whom trading is principally speculative (noise traders), the causality runs only from the real oil prices to real effective U.S dollar exchange rate.