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The globe is now in ecological turmoil as a result of the unrelenting increase in global warming. As a result, governments worldwide are committing to decarbonizing the environment, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) playing an important role in this effort. Hence, this paper evaluates the nonlinear (asymmetric) impact of natural gas consumption on renewable energy consumption and economic growth in the KSA and the UAE utilizing data stretching from 1990 to 2020. The study also considers other drivers of renewable energy consumption and economic growth, such as trade openness and CO2 emissions. The study utilizes nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) to evaluate these associations. The outcomes of bounds nonlinear ARDL (NARDL), affirm the long-run association between the variables in both countries. The nonlinear results show that positive and negative shocks in natural gas consumption have a negative impact on renewable energy in both UAE and KSA. In contrast, positive and negative shocks in natural gas consumption impact economic growth positively. The study proposed vital policy recommendations based on these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study delves into the profound repercussions of the resource curse hypothesis within the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) nations from 1991 to 2022, examining the intricate interplay among natural resource abundance, energy consumption, and economic development (ED). Methodologically, it employs the cross‐sectionally augmented Dickey–Fuller test to assess stationarity and utilizes the Westerlund cointegration technique to analyze cointegration. Subsequently, the cross‐sectionally augmented autoregressive distributive lag model is deployed to explore the impact of natural resource availability, renewable and non‐renewable energy utilization, and carbon emissions on ED within these countries. The findings reveal a stark reality wherein both carbon emissions and non‐renewable energy consumption wield a consistently positive influence on short‐ and long‐term economic growth across the BRICS economies. Particularly striking is the dominant impact of non‐renewable energy consumption. However, this comes in stark contrast to the adverse effects identified with excessive resource and coal rents, signifying potential economic setbacks arising from rampant natural resource exploitation. Furthermore, the suboptimal utilization of renewable energy resources hints at a detrimental effect on ED. These results transcend the confines of developing nations, underscoring the universality of the resource curse hypothesis, affecting both developing and developed countries. The study illuminates the grave risks inherent in overreliance and overexploitation of natural resources, elucidating heightened competition that severely impedes the ED trajectory of the BRICS countries in both short and long terms. Policymakers must prioritize economic diversification, implement sustainable resource management, and invest in innovative technologies to mitigate the resource curse in BRICS nations, fostering resilience and sustainable economic growth. In conclusion, This study highlights the severe impact of the resource curse in BRICS nations, stressing the imperative for adept resource management to counter the risks linked with overdependence on non‐renewable resources and bolster sustainable economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sunburn is caused by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun, resulting in redness of the skin as well as tenderness, swelling, and blistering issues. During the healing process, it can cause peeling, irritation, and some long-term effects, including premature aging, pigmentation, and a high risk of skin cancer. Rutin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which could potentially reduce inflammation and soothe sunburned skin. The objective of the current proposal is to develop and create carbopol gel-encased glycerosomes for the treatment of sunburn. The Design of Expert (DoE) technique was used to optimize the proposed formulation and was subjected to various characterization parameters such as nanovesicles size, polydispersity index (PDI), surface charge, entrapment efficiency (EE), and surface morphology. The optimized rutin-loaded glycerosomes (opt-RUT-loaded-GMs) were further characterised for drug release, 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The formulation showed sustained release, greater permeation into the skin, and good antioxidant activity. The dermatokinetic study of opt-RUT-loaded-GMs confirms that the Rutin hydrate had better retention in the epidermis as compared to the dermis, owing to its potential for long lasting protection after topical application. It was observed that the prepared formulation was stable, highly safe, and had good sun protection factor (SPF) values that could be used as a suitable option for topical drug administration to maximize the therapeutic efficacy of the drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study determines the impacts of different types of green intellectual capital such as green human capital, green structural capital, and green relational capital on environmental sustainability in the Sultanate of Oman. It has become a crucial aspect to analyze the effect of green intellectual capital on ecological sustainability. A simple random sample technique is used to assemble data using a structured questionnaire from 205 respondents working at Raysut Cement Company and Salalah Methanol Company in Oman. The covariance-based equation in the structural modeling perspective is used to examine data. The study's results reveal that green structure-based capital is the only dimension of green Intellectual capital that significantly affects environmental sustainability. In contrast, green human capital and relation-based capital do not substantially affect ecological sustainability. Conclusively, this study also provides ecological strategies that can be useful to enrich organizations to accomplish sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global concerns regarding climate change and the related environmental adversities continue to persist alongside rapid development of the world economies, the United Nations declared a set of compressive sustainable development goals (SDG) that are to be realized by the end of 2030. These goals are specifically conceptualized to collectively facilitate the attainment of sustainable socioeconomic development while concurrently improving the quality of the global environment. Hence, this study assesses the interlinkages between economic growth, environmental pollution, financial development, and renewable energy use in light of the objectives of SDG8, SDG13, SDG10, and SDG7 by considering the BRICS nations as a case study. Although the previous studies, in this regard, have predominantly focused on specifically scrutinizing the determinants of these four macroeconomic variables of concern, not much importance was shown to map the interrelationships among these variables. The econometric analysis conducted in this study utilizes quarterly frequency data covering the period from 1990‐Q1 to 2020‐Q4. Overall, the findings from causality and variance decomposition analyses reveal that in the long run these variables are influenced by each other which, in turn, also verifies the cross‐linkages between the four SDG of concern. Besides, the causality‐related findings appear to be robust when alternate causality estimators are employed. Therefore, based on these critically important causal relationships, a set of interactive SDG‐related policies is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficient planning, execution, and management of institutional frameworks for climate change adaptation are essential to sustainable development. India, in particular, is known to be disproportionately vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. This study examines the effects of environmental taxes, corruption, urbanization, economic growth, ecological risks, and renewable energy sources on CO2 emissions in India from 1978 to 2018. Therefore, the ARDL model is used to draw inferences, and Pairwise Granger causality is also applied to demonstrate a cause-and-effect relationship. The empirical results show that corruption, environmental dangers, GDP, and urbanization positively influence India's carbon emissions. However, the results of short-run elasticities show that carbon emissions reduce ecological sustainability. Environmental hazards and costs, like other countries, impact India's carbon emissions. Therefore, decision-makers in India should set up strict environmental regulations and anti-corruption measures to combat unfair practice that distorts competition laws and policies. In addition, the government concentrates more on energy efficiency policies that diminish carbon emissions without hampering economic growth in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From an economic prospective, the relationship between financial innovation and economic growth has always been a critical aspect of the financial system. However, this relationship has not recieved extensive attention in academia. Therefore, this study examines the effect of financial innovation on economic growth in the context of developing and developed countries using 92 cross-sectional data over the period of 2002 to 2020, the fixed effect method of panel regression has been applied to examine the relationship between financial innovation and economic growth. This study has compared the results of developing and developed countries using different combinations of explanatory variables. The results of this study depict that various combinations of variables have varied impacts on dependent variable. This study has revealed the negative relationship between financial innovation and economic growth. However, domestic credit to private sector banks has the best proxy for financial innovation. This study suggests that regulators should focus on encouraging and discouraging financial innovation based on its impact on the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we test the existence of regime changes by using Markov-Switching GARCH model for modeling volatility of the three country petroleum productions, i.e., namely India, Japan, and South Korea. We tested around 32 Markov-Switching GARCH (MSGARCH) models with different regimes (k =1,2,3) for the log- returns of each petroleum productions to test the in-sample analysis of volatility. We compare 32 models for in-sample estimations by using AIC and BIC and select the best fit model for all petroleum production series. Also, the results indicate that the one-day ahead VaR prediction was conducted by the best MSGARCH model. In addition, we test the transition matrix and stable probabilities for MCMC estimation with three regimes. Our results suggest that in most of the cases analysed there are regime changes in the GARCH process. We also find that the MSGARCH model outperforms single regime GARCH model specifications when forecasting the VaR. The results suggest that the use of MSGARCH models may provide accurate VaR forecasts, and hence useful in portfolio optimization and risk management etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper analyses the impact of COVID-19 to investigate the overconfidence bias in 12 cyclical and defensive sectors in pre- and during COVID-19 periods using daily data from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020. The results of VAR show that in the pre COVID-19 phase overconfidence bias is more prevalent in all the cyclical sectors; in particular, MEDIA, METAL and REALTY have highly significant coefficients. In the defensive sectors, the VAR outcomes are not as strong as we expected, except for SERVICES. During the COVID-19 period, the investor shifted their focus to COVID-19-related opportunities, leading to a surge in the IT and PHARMA sectors. In both phases, METAL, MEDIA and REALTY exhibit overconfidence-driven stock trading behaviour. ENERGY is the only sector in both the phases that does not witness overconfidence bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study shows the importance of analysis of financial performance of Public Sector Undertaking. The concept of economic value added was given by the Stern Stewart & Co. in order to measure the surplus value created by investment in 1991. EVA is a modern technique to evaluate the financial performance of an entity. MVA is the sum total of all present values of future EVAs.This study measure the impact of liquidity, profitability and solvency on Economic Value Added and Market Value Added of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. This study is based on the secondary sources of data. The financial data of fifteen years of the HPCL has been taken for an appropriate analysis and interpretation of data to get conclusion for the present study as well as to forward the suggestions for the greater interest of the stakeholders. The independent variables of the study are current ratio, liquid ratio, gross profit ratio, net profit ratio, debt-equity ratio and interest coverage ratio. On the other hand economic value added and market value added are considered as dependent variables. In this study, researcher has used simple regression analysis on SPSS. It is concluded that gross profit ratio, net profit ratio, debt equity ratio and interest coverage ratio have a statistically significant influence on economic value added except liquidity ratios. The MVA was not found satisfactory during the study period. High fluctuations were recorded in MVA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to construct a bi-directional, financial liberalization index for Pakistan by considering various financial policy indicators (reforms). This study, by employing the principal component analysis method over a period of 1980–2018 (39 years), aims to determine the composite outcome in the case of developing a financial index. This study uses 14 financial policy indicators to investigate the degree of financial liberalization over a specified time period. The present study suggests a financial liberalization index for Pakistan considering the real-time change in the implementation process. The formulated index revealed that the recorded profitability of financial reforms was consistently high until 1998. Meanwhile, in the period from 1997 to 2003, the outcomes of financial reforms were surprisingly strong. Beyond 2004 and for the rest of the remaining years until 2018, the liberalization process recorded was comparatively slow. Thus, it was witnessed that all the key indicators, in the sense of regulation and liberalization, included determining the degree of financial liberalization. The consistency track of a liberalization index is a major focus of attention for policy makers, in order to capture the efficiency outcomes from various financial policy indicators, which were implemented beyond 2004. Furthermore, corporate risk in terms of better access to finance is also raised as a consequence of financial liberalization. Financial liberalization also resulted in a decrease in the cost of capital and improved the corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the nexus between CO2 emissions (CO2E), GDP, energy use (ENU), and population growth (PG) in India from 1980–2018 by comparing the "vector error correction" model (VECM) and "auto regressive distributed lag" (ARDL). We applied the unit root test, Johansen multi-variate cointegration, and performed a Variance decomposition analysis using the Cholesky approach. The VECM and ARDL-bound testing approaches to cointegration suggest a long-term equilibrium nexus between GDP, energy use, population growth and CO2E. The empirical outcomes show the existence of a long-term equilibrium nexus between the variables. The Granger causality results show that short-term bi-directional causality exists between GDP and ENU, while a uni-directional causality between CO2E and GDP, CO2E and ENU, CO2E and PG, and PG and ENU. Evidence from variance decomposition indicates that 58.4% of the future fluctuations in CO2E are due to changes in ENU, 2.8% of the future fluctuations are due to changes in GDP, and 0.43% of the future fluctuations are due to changes in PG. Finally, the ARDL test results indicate that a 1% increase in PG will lead to a 1.4% increase in CO2E. Our paper addresses some important policy implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on forecasting the seasonality and growth trend of natural gas (NG) production and consumption will help organize an analysis base for NG inspection and development, social issues, and allow industrials elements to operate effectively and reduce economic issues. In this situation, we handle a comparison structure on the application of different models in monthly NG production and consumption forecasting using the cross-correlation function and then analyze the association between exogenous variables. Moreover, the SARIMA-X model is tested for US monthly NG production and consumption prediction via the proposed method for the first time in the literature review in this study. The performance of that model has been compared with SARIMA (p, d, q) * (P, D, Q)s. The results from RMSE and MAPE indicate that the superiority of the best model. By applying this method, the US monthly NG production and consumption is forecast until 2025. The success of the proposed method allows the use of seasonality patterns. If this seasonal approach continues, the United States' NG production (16%) and consumption (24%) are expected to increase by 2025. The results of this study provide effective information for decision-makers on NG production and consumption to be credible and to determine energy planning and future sustainable energy policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The banking sector plays a crucial role in the economic growth of a nation. The purpose of this study is to examine the long-term association between banks' performance and the economic growth of a developing economy: India. The study used a panel of data of 20 public sector banks for the period 2009 to 2019. It applied the Pedroni and Kao test of co-integration, panel vector error correction model (VECM) dynamic, panel fully-modified ordinary least squires OLS (FMOLS), and dynamic OLS (DOLS) to estimate the relationship of interest margin return on assets, bank investment, and lending capacity of the bank with gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. The identification and incorporation of these bank-related variables are the innovations of this study. The results indicate that the bank-related variables are co-integrated with economic growth. Further analysis indicates a significant relationship between interest margin and return on assets with economic growth. In addition, lending capacity and investment activities are not significantly associated with economic growth, leading to the policy recommendation to improve upon these two factors in order to achieve higher growth rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]