Nexus between information and communication technologies and life expectancies of low-income countries: Does technological advancement increase their life span?

Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure is inevitable for a higher standard of living for the people of any country. At least, this has been the case for developed countries. This study investigates the link between information and communication technologies (ICT) and life expectancy at birth (LEB) among low-income countries. We use panel data of low-income countries from 2000 to 2017 from the comprehensive World Bank dataset. Our analysis strategy includes employing Driskol and Kraay methodology and feasible generalized least squares to tackle cross-sectional dependence. Furthermore, we also employ the instrumental variable technique to deal with the endogeneity problem. We found that a rise in mobile internet use and Mobile Cellular Subscriptions led to improved LEB among low-income countries. On the contrary, the rise in fixed telephone subscriptions had a negative empirical effect on reducing LEB-however, the magnitude of the effect ranged between 0% and 4%.

Effects of Health Shocks, Insurance, and Education on Income: Fresh Analysis Using CHNS Panel Data.

The most important asset for a person is their health and wellbeing. While it is possible to keep one's health at its best, it is common for people to have health shocks (HSs; negative shocks to an individual's health). In this study, using Chinese Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) panel data, we studied the impact of different HSs on income using new modified methods. Thus, we considered the substantial links among different HSs, levels of education, and insurance types, as well as their impact on people's wealth defined by their income. The core aim of this study is to help devise and guide new policies to reduce the effect of these HSs through the proper use of education and insurance channels. In this research, we used simple pooled OLS regression to measure the different causality estimates of HSs, education, and insurance, as well as their interactions. Obtained through the use of up-to-date panel data, the study results are consistent with previous research using different HS and education measures. The findings of this research suggest revising previous policies concerning education levels and health insurance schemes.

Information Communication Technology and Infant Mortality in Low-Income Countries: Empirical Study Using Panel Data Models.

According to the World Health Organization, lower-income countries suffer from adverse health issues more than higher-income countries. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to resolve these issues. Previous research has analyzed the theoretical and empirical causal effects of ICT on infant mortality at country-specific and global levels for a short period of time. However, the causes and results could be different in low-income countries. The objective of this paper was to examine the deficiencies through the use of panel data from 27 low-income countries from 2000-2017. We applied the predictive mean matching technique to supplement the missing data and then used panel data techniques (i.e., fixed effects (FE) and pooled common correlated effects (PCCE)), and system-GMM to estimate the causal effects. We compared the consistency and the possible heterogeneity of previous results using a set of robust techniques and empirical tests. We found that internet access and, to a lesser extent, cellular mobile subscriptions, two of the three ICT variables used in our research, had a significant positive effect on reducing infant mortality in low-income countries. In conclusion, governments and policymakers of low-income countries should consider the availability of internet-related ICT innovations and make them nationally accessible to reduce health crises such as the infant mortality rate.

The trade-off between economic performance and environmental quality: does financial inclusion matter for emerging Asian economies?

This study examines the role of financial inclusion on the environment-economic performance in the top five Asian emerging economies. The data used for empirical investigation covers the time period from 1995 to 2019. Financial inclusion is measured through bank branches, bank credit, and insurance premiums. To check long-run associations, the panel ARDL approach has been employed for empirical analysis. The empirical evidence confirms the significant associations between financial inclusion-GDP nexus and financial inclusion-CO2 nexus. The findings show that bank branches and bank credit have a significantly positive impact on economic growth and CO2 emissions in the long run. However, insurance premium has no impact on economic growth but it exerts a significant negative impact on carbon emissions in the long run. Furthermore, energy consumption is highly sensitive to economic growth and carbon emissions. The study delivers imperative points for pollution eradication and attaining sustained economic growth. There is a need for government-level efforts to align the targets of financial inclusion with economic growth and environmental policies.

Assessing the dynamic linkage between energy efficiency, renewable energy consumption, and CO2 emissions in China.

Efficient energy is crucial in reducing CO2 emissions. The researchers are digging for a new efficient source of energy in the modern era. Therefore, this study explores the dynamic impacts of energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions from 1991 to 2019 for China. By using the non-linear ARDL approach, we found that a negative shock in energy efficiency has a positive impact on CO2 emissions in long run. Furthermore, renewable energy consumption with positive shock has a negative significant impact on CO2 emissions, but negative shock in renewable energy consumption leads to increase pollution emissions in long run. Besides, positive shocks to energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption have also a favorable negative effect on CO2 emissions in the short run. While a negative shock in energy efficiency has only unobservable negative impacts on CO2 emissions in the short run. Based on findings, some policy measures are suggested to attain environmental sustainability in China.

Geometrical dependence of quantum decoherence in circular arenas with side-wires.

Low-temperature quantum phase coherence lengths were experimentally measured in mesoscopic circular arenas fabricated on InGaAs quantum wells. The arenas are connected to wide sample regions by short side-wires, to investigate the effects of geometry in comparison to intrinsic materials properties on quantum decoherence. Universal conductance fluctuations were used to quantify the phase coherence lengths as a function of temperature and geometry. The experimental data show a dependence of phase coherence lengths on side-wire length and width-to-length ratio, which is accounted for by the competing effects of decoherence by coupling to the classical environment and Nyquist decoherence in ergodic wires. The observed decay of phase coherence lengths with the increasing temperature is consistent with expectations. The work demonstrates that geometrical effects influence the measured mesoscopic quantum decoherence.

Magnetotransport Properties of Epitaxial Ge/AlAs Heterostructures Integrated on GaAs and Silicon.

The magnetotransport properties of epitaxial Ge/AlAs heterostructures with different growth conditions and substrate architectures have been studied under ±9 T magnetic field and at 390 mK temperature. Systematic mobility measurements of germanium (Ge) epilayers grown on GaAs substrates at growth temperatures from 350 to 450 °C allow us to extract a precise growth window for device-quality Ge, corroborated by structural and morphological properties. Our results on Si substrate using a composite metamorphic AlAs/GaAs buffer at 400 °C Ge growth temperature, show that the Ge/AlAs system can be tailored to have a single carrier transport while keeping the charge solely in the Ge layer. Single carrier transport confined to the Ge layer is demonstrated by the weak-localization quantum correction to the conductivity observed at low magnetic fields and 390 mK temperature. The weak localization effect points to a near-absence of spin-orbit interaction for carriers in the electronically active layer and is used here for the first time to pinpoint Ge as this active layer. Thus, the epitaxial Ge grown on Si using AlAs/GaAs buffer architecture is a promising candidate for next-generation energy-efficient fin field-effect transistor applications.