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The rapid development of blockchain technologies creates a new paradigm of economic relations, requiring a rethinking of traditional approaches to management and business organization. The relevance of Ethereum research is due to its significant potential for creating new forms of economic coordination that go beyond existing institutional structures. With the growing complexity of global economic systems, Ethereum offers a unique approach to solving trust, transparency, and transaction efficiency problems. The purpose of the work is to substantiate the role of blockchain as a new management technology using the example of the Ethereum platform, as well as to reveal the mechanisms for projecting imaginary autonomy in the process of its design and institutionalization through the activities of various actors. The study focuses on the formation of alternative modes of economic coordination of entrepreneurial structures and social organization. Key characteristics of the “governance through transactions” implemented in Ethereum are identified, including the focus on exchange and association relationships, the epistemological gap between the calculation and meaning of transactions, and the specific processes of forming and articulating these transactions. The process of institutionalization of the autonomy of cryptoassets is analyzed, demonstrating the complex interaction of various actors, technologies and social practices. A conceptual model of the evolution of digital economy management has been developed, reflecting the development trajectory from fragility to antifragility using the example of Ethereum. The transformational potential of Ethereum for existing economic and social structures is substantiated. This platform is considered an alternative proposal for managing the digital economy, capable of changing the fundamental principles of organizing economic activity. Problems and limitations associated with the implementation of decentralized systems are also identified, including technical challenges of scalability, difficulties of coordination, and risks of excessive algorithmization of social relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to propose a qualitative antifragility model for Iranian financial organizations. The research methodology, in terms of data collection and execution, is qualitative. To design the model, thematic analysis was employed. Subsequently, the validity of the model's dimensions was determined using content validity indices (CVI, CVR, and S-CVI). The statistical population of the study consists of managers of financial organizations and university professors in Iran. The theoretical saturation was reached after conducting interviews with 10 experts in the field related to the research topic. The research findings led to the identification of 79 codes and 19 themes, categorized into four main groups: (1) Random and Environmental Category, which includes components such as flexibility, financial crisis, resilient performance, agility, and adaptability; (2) Financial Performance Category, including components like cost control, financial performance of institutions, central bank independence, inflation volatility, and cash flow management; (3) Managerial Category, comprising components such as risk management, economic growth improvement, capital management, financial policies, and government relations; and (4) Organizational Category, including components such as innovation and creativity, adaptability, resistance and confrontation, integration, and service empowerment. Additionally, the model's validity results indicate that it possesses a high level of content validity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Framing of the research: In today's volatile and complex business environment, organizations face challenges that demand new adaptation and communication capabilities. Organizational management is increasingly exposed to disruptions and crises that test the traditional approaches to crisis communication and strategy. Purpose of the paper: This paper explores the concept of antifragility and its application to crisis communication in this environment of perpetual disruptions and uncertainty. Methodology: Qualitative research methodology was employed, involving 22 in-depth interviews with industry professionals. Data was analyzed using grounded theory and theories-in-use approaches. Findings: The study identified six critical factors for antifragile crisis communication: experimentation, option generation, stress, redundancy, subtraction, and creativity. These factors contribute to an organization's ability to thrive in the face of ongoing disruptions, aligning with the principles of antifragility. Research limits: The research is based on qualitative data from a specific set of participants and may not be fully generalizable. Further quantitative research could validate these findings. Practical implications: Organizations can enhance their crisis communication strategies by integrating the identified factors, promoting adaptability, and leveraging uncertainty to thrive in the new business environment. Originality of the paper: This research offers a novel perspective by applying antifragility principles to crisis communication, bridging the gap in existing literature and providing valuable insights into managing crises in the contemporary business landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural economy strives to increase productivity to feed the world's growing population. In this regard, agricultural digitalization has been enormously concerned and proffered. Digitalizing agriculture must be incorporated into most developing countries to gain benefits. For this purpose, every developing country needs to define a digitalization strategy. Many governments face a challenge while assessing digitalization options. Without an appropriate assessment technique, selecting the best solution is hardly possible among the many available technologies. This paper aims to conceptualize a new framework for assessing strategies. Antifragility analysis algorithm (AAA), introduced in the present study, is a state-of-the-art future-based scenario method that can maximize decision outcomes. According to the literature, an antifragile system increases its capability to thrive due to shocks, volatility, attacks, etc. In this research, the heuristic involves altering model inputs for future scenarios by considering the most significant environmental factors shaping future uncertainty. An antifragile strategy produces better average results than the current scenario after adjustments. Finally, antifragile strategies are ranked based on their antifragility scores. To explain the technique, we examined seven strategies for digitalizing the small farming sector in northern Iran. Then, we showed the alternatives' priority based on six key indicators that formed the future scenarios. According to the results, among the digitalization strategies implementable in the small farming sector in Iran, IoT will be the most antifragile strategy considering future scenarios, and following, the sensor strategy will be the next option. While considering the most important elements of decision-making, i.e., complexity and uncertainty, the proposed approach can benefit managers, organizations, policymakers, in making strategic decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antifragility is a concept that has been described as beyond resilience – not simply resisting shock but becoming better as a result. Using a nationally representative survey of 783 low-income U.S. veterans in 2022–2023, a measure of antifragility was developed and tested. The results were replicated on a supplementary sample of 245 veterans. A 12-item measure of antifragility was developed, consisting of three factors/subscales labeled Benefit from Difficulty, Benefit from Ambiguity and Benefit from Stress. The scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. In main and replication samples, 2–4% reported overall antifragility ‘often’ or ‘nearly all the time’. Respondents reported antifragility in various areas of life, the most common being 60–61% in family life/children and 60–62% in social relationships/friends. These findings suggest antifragility is common in many areas of life, but high levels are rare. This study provides a measure of antifragility, and further testing is needed to assess its predictive value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Panorama Económico (1870-2171) is the property of Economic Panorama Magazine / Revista Panorama Economico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper delves into the concept of antifragile leadership and organizational development within developing countries, employing a robust conceptual framework and case studies. It explores how entities thrive under conditions of uncertainty and stress by becoming antifragile, which is particularly pertinent in volatile environments found in developing nations. Through theoretical insights and analyses of real-world applications in organizations like Grameen Bank, BRAC, and M-PESA, the paper illustrates how these principles are not merely theoretical but have practical, impactful applications. These organizations leverage local adversities as catalysts for innovation and growth, showcasing the potential of antifragile strategies to foster resilience and progressive development. The study highlights the need for further empirical research to expand the understanding of antifragility across different sectors and regions, suggesting a significant potential for antifragile principles to enhance the strategic agility of organizations facing diverse challenges in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to expand the portfolio selection horizon beyond the mean and variance metrics derived from the Markowitz model and widely used in CAPM. Although well built theoretically, it is well known that CAPM does not work empirically. Would there be market portfolios higher than the theoretical CAPM market portfolio? This study seeks to answer this question by initially optimizing purely convex attributes. In addition, this study proposes, in a pioneering way, beyond the higher order moments, an antifragile metric, called CVIX, which seeks to evaluate the conditional correlation in relation to the VIX (Volatility Index). Thus, this approach incorporates non-convex attributes through evolutionary algorithms, resulting in an empirical multi-objective optimization proposition involving convex and non-convex attributes. In-sample optimizations were applied in the US market and sample tested from 1994 to 2017. The results indicated that the optimization of purely convex attributes produces worse results than optimizations involving the Sharpe, Omega and the naive portfolio (1/n). On the other hand, tests using the antifragile metric and higher-order attributes presented superior results in all scenarios, indicating that investors can may take other attributes than the mean and variance in the assembly of their portfolios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article develops the theoretical foundations of marketing management to ensure business resilience in the BANI world. The relevance of this area of research is due to the events and transformations that take place in the world and cause evolutionary changes in all spheres of life. The unstable VUCA world was replaced by a more complex, fast, turbulent BANI world, the consequences of which caused destabilization, disorder, spontaneity and cardinal changes. Business adaptability, which was the goal of management in the VUCA world, has been transformed into the need to ensure its resilience in the BANI world. In connection with the formation of new conditions and rules in the external environment, entrepreneurs, managers, and marketers faced an extremely difficult task to ensure the recovery of business after losses and increase its resilience to new shocks in the future. To solve it, the need to introduce new methods of marketing management has been determined. The conception of opportunity marketing is proposed, the basic principles of which are defined on the basis of the BANI-method, which includes components (creation of the new, optimism and audacity, non-standard approaches, awareness of reality), which are peculiar responses to the features of the BANI-world (fragility, anxiety, nonlinearity, incomprehensibility). The necessity of adhering to the following principles is substantiated: speed, proactivity, optimism and positive thinking, creativity, critical thinking; this will allow you to change the focus of the company, which has lost its relevance, to define a new strategic vision; identify and/or purposefully create new opportunities for business development; initiate innovation and implement changes to improve the product, processes, technology, service, communications, brand. Marketing management based on the principles of the conception of opportunity marketing will ensure the resilience of the business, in particular its ability to withstand the challenges and threats of the BANI world, and find new opportunities for further development.

Drug dose response curves are ubiquitous in cancer biology, but these curves are often used to measure differential response in first-order effects: the effectiveness of increasing the cumulative dose delivered. In contrast, second-order effects (the variance of drug dose) are often ignored. Knowledge of second-order effects may improve the design of chemotherapy scheduling protocols, leading to improvements in tumor response without changing the total dose delivered. By considering treatment schedules with identical cumulative dose delivered, we characterize differential treatment outcomes resulting from high variance schedules (e.g. high dose, low dose) and low variance schedules (constant dose). We extend a previous framework used to quantify second-order effects, known as antifragility theory, to investigate the role of drug pharmacokinetics. Using a simple one-compartment model, we find that high variance schedules are effective for a wide range of cumulative dose values. Next, using a mouse-parameterized two-compartment model of 5-fluorouracil, we show that schedule viability depends on initial tumor volume. Finally, we illustrate the trade-off between tumor response and lean mass preservation. Mathematical modeling indicates that high variance dose schedules provide a potential path forward in mitigating the risk of chemotherapy-associated cachexia by preserving lean mass without sacrificing tumor response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While after a crisis, organizational robustness and resilience are associated with the return to pre-shock conditions, antifragility is characterized by the tendency to take advantage of the shock to improve the organization's position. Understanding how to create antifragility is important to ensure rapid recovery from a crisis. This is especially true for innovative start-ups, which if they are particularly fragile also have the opportunity to improve their unstable situation by adapting to the new context. However, studies on the subject are rare. To fill this gap, a survey was carried out with 181 Italian innovative start-ups to investigate the relationship between antifragility and intangible resources, tangible surplus resources, and absorptive capacity. The results show that antifragility is supported by a combination of tangible and intangible resources that can help innovative start-ups thrive when other organizations succumb. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For almost 20 years we have been working as an équipe one day a week, and through time our customer was more and more consisting of families sent to us by the social services. We have progressively developed an intervention model based on systems: multiproblematic families systems, judicial system, Social Services and psychiatric Services, therapeutic system. We refer to this kind of intervention as perisystemic tangential, to identify a movement of circular connection that touches all the systems that are involved in taking charge of the family and, without being part of it, is capable of activating the families' and systems' resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the dynamic field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), strategic integration is crucial to avoid the pitfall of optimizing peripheral processes at the expense of organizational goals. This paper presents a nuanced AI strategy framework that combines Causal Loop Diagrams (CLD) with Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) to address the intricacies of complex, growth-oriented organizations. By marrying empirical data with theoretical constructs and broad meta-knowledge, this approach enables the practical application of common sense to AI planning. The use of CLDs helps reveal and tackle ingrained patterns that could hinder organizational progress, while ABM facilitates the testing of AI strategies through extensive simulations within varied market and product scenarios. This study exemplifies the benefits of a causal-model-enabled AI strategy for strategic alignment and sustainable growth, suggesting a shift from mere efficiency-driven AI applications to those grounded in a thorough comprehension of complex system interdependencies. The proposed framework paves the way for organizations to develop a robust, anti-fragile AI ecosystem that is attuned to the nuances of their operational environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumer literature on branding to date coalesces around the notion that brands are constantly contested. Brand contestation arises where the actions of consumer brand actors meet, and sometimes confront, those of the brands' legal owners. This article integrates the extant branding research, a qualitative prestudy, and two complementary empirical studies to advance a theoretical process model of brand contestation. First, an in-depth analysis of thirty historical cases reveals its dynamics and how both the magnitude of contestation and the momentum of mobilization affect brand contestations' scope and evolution. Second, interviews with upper-level marketing and branding executives add an emerging perspective that brand managers can use the energy generated by consumers' contestation to develop antifragility—a brand's ability to grow and thrive as a result of contestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of redundancy and robust supplier relationships in enhancing supply chain resilience, specifically focusing on the cosmetics industry. It explores strategic redundancy measures such as maintaining safety stock levels, diversifying transportation modes, strategic distribution center locations, and collaborating with backup suppliers. The study further discusses the importance of robust supplier relationships and details strategies to strengthen these relationships, including effective communication, collaborative planning, aligning goals, and fair and ethical treatment. To illustrate these concepts, the paper leverages case studies from global corporations, including Unilever, Estée Lauder, Toyota, Nike, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Apple, and Walmart. Conclusively, it provides future outlooks and actionable recommendations for enhancing resilience in the cosmetics industry's supply chain.

This research suggests an Antifragile, Sustainable and Agile Supply Chain Network Design (ASASCND) as a new network design that integrates these concepts considering resiliency, robustness, risk, and environmental requirements. The cost function combines a novel method with robust stochastic optimization and Entropic Value at Risk (EVaR). This model combines expected value, maximum and EVaR of cost as an objective function. This research adds antifragility by the effect of learning on variable parameters, sustainability by considering the environmental and social issues, resiliency and agility by flexible capacity, and multi-resource and demand satisfaction constraints to the model. The case study is in the automotive industry. This model compares the main problem by considering antifragility without thinking about antifragility. The ASASCND cost is − 0.3% less than without considering antifragility. In addition, when the conservatism coefficient grows, the cost function increase. In addition, the antifragility coefficient and the confidence level affect positively, and the agility coefficient negatively affects the cost function. Expanding the model scale changes the cost function and time computation because the antifragility coefficient changes variable cost. Finally, managerial insights and practical implications are explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human health is strongly mediated by the gut microbiota ecosystem, which, in turn, depends not only on its state but also on its dynamics and how it responds to perturbations. Healthy microbiota ecosystems tend to be in criticality and antifragile dynamics corresponding to a maximum complexity configuration, which may be assessed with information and network theory analysis. Under this complex system perspective, we used a new analysis of published data to show that a children's population with an industrialized urban lifestyle from Mexico City exhibits informational and network characteristics similar to parasitized children from a rural indigenous population in the remote mountainous region of Guerrero, México. We propose then, that in this critical age for gut microbiota maturation, the industrialized urban lifestyle could be thought of as an external perturbation to the gut microbiota ecosystem, and we show that it produces a similar loss in criticality/antifragility as the one observed by internal perturbation due to parasitosis by the helminth A. lumbricoides. Finally, several general complexity-based guidelines to prevent or restore gut ecosystem antifragility are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This text discusses what fragility is, how many ways it has been interpreted and how many ways we can interpret it. The first section starts from some etymological and historical-cultural reflections. The second one discusses some paradigms of fragility, and some existential and historical models: from ancient to modern and post-modern times. In the final part, the paper addresses the ambiguities hidden in the term resilience and discusses the so-called theory of the anti-fragile, indicating its possibilities and limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Helping individuals and teams achieve their goals by being resilient is an established research field in sport. How sport organisations can be resilient in adversity is comparatively neglected, so the purpose is to provide firm foundations for conceptualising organisational resilience in sport management. "How can organisational resilience best be theorised for sport management research and practice?" From a critique of the resilience literature, a new Framework for Organisational Resilience Management (FfORM) is developed, based on the theory of organisational resource conversion and the separation of normative and descriptive levels. The FfORM is applied to sport management contexts, including the resilience of National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) to reductions in UK Sport funding. Organisational resilience is conceptualised as a means to an end, to achieve externally generated goals, emphasising its dynamic, temporal nature. The FfORM illuminates the challenges for NGBs in developing organisational resilience because of trade-offs in the actions they take. As well as being an evaluation tool, the FfORM will be of utility to sport organisations addressing the unprecedented challenges arising from COVID-19. Development of theory on organisational resilience, for use in both sport and other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Zelus renardii is one of the alien insects recently acclimatised to the Mediterranean basin. The trivial name "leafhopper assassin bug" preludes the reduviid prey preference. In the Mediterranean, Zelus renardii adapted to preying on vicarious indigenous species, including Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae), the European vector of Xylella fastidiosa. Reduviidae has several thoracic glands, pair or unpair, whose secretions may regulate adult insect behaviours, such as defence, alarm, and mating. Zelus renardii also possesses a pair of Brindley's glands, each consisting of about one hundred elements secerning in a reservoir with an outlet that opens at the thoracoabdominal limit. Stressful events elicit the production and secretion of a semiochemical bouquet, acting as alarm pheromones. This bouquet comprises 2-methyl-propanoic acid, 2-methyl-butanoic acid and 3-methyl-1-butanol as significant components, effectively repel conspecifics and suggest the role of Brindley's glands as alarm pheromone foci. Zelus renardii reduces the production of alarm pheromones and the chance of being detected by prey interacting with P. spumarius. Alternatively, the alarm pheromone could help the predator to mark its territory, avoiding interaction with a conspecific. Evidence of the ability of Philaenus spumarius to perceive and react to the predator's semiochemical would provide a further means to manage transmission and infection by Xylella fastidiosa. Alien species must adapt to new biogeographical regions to acclimatise and survive. We consider a species to have become invasive if it establishes negative interactions after acclimatisation. Xylella fastidiosa Wells, Raju et al., 1986 (XF) represents Italy's and Europe's most recent biological invasion. In Apulia (southern Italy), the XF-encountered Philaenus spumarius L. 1758 (Spittlebugs, Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) can acquire and transmit the bacterium to Olea europaea L., 1753. The management of XF invasion involves various transmission control means, including inundative biological control using Zelus renardii (ZR) Kolenati, 1856 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). ZR is an alien stenophagous predator of Xylella vectors, recently entered from the Nearctic and acclimated in Europe. Zelus spp. can secrete semiochemicals during interactions with conspecifics and prey, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that elicit conspecific defence behavioural responses. Our study describes ZR Brindley's glands, present in males and females of ZR, which can produce semiochemicals, eliciting conspecific behavioural responses. We scrutinised ZR secretion alone or interacting with P. spumarius. The ZR volatilome includes 2-methyl-propanoic acid, 2-methyl-butanoic acid, and 3-methyl-1-butanol, which are consistent for Z. renardii alone. Olfactometric tests show that these three VOCs, individually tested, generate an avoidance (alarm) response in Z. renardii. 3-Methyl-1-butanol elicited the highest significant repellence, followed by 2-methyl-butanoic and 2-methyl-propanoic acids. The concentrations of the VOCs of ZR decrease during the interaction with P. spumarius. We discuss the potential effects of VOC secretions on the interaction of Z. renardii with P. spumarius. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1997 Mexico implemented the Management Units for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Wildlife (UMA by its initials in Spanish) scheme. However, socio-environmental problems and the lack of a multidisciplinary approach prevented it from offering sustainable solutions. Taxonomic and functional diversity in UMAs and their interactions are essential for the preservation of biodiversity and the processes that maintain their ecosystemic integrity. Ecological benefits are insufficient without a multidisciplinary vision. This article addresses a proposal for the management of UMAs and other conservation schemes with three objectives: (1) to include the "socio-ecological system" approach; (2) the recognition of their complexity; and (3) the epistemological transition from ecosystem integrity to antifragility. UMAs constitute integral socio-ecological systems that manage wildlife and habitat as a complex adaptive system precursor to ecosystem antifragility. En 1997 México implementó el esquema de Unidades de Manejo para la Conservación y Aprovechamiento Sustentable de la Vida Silvestre (UMA). Empero, problemáticas socioambientales y la falta de un enfoque multidisciplinario impidieron ofrecer soluciones sustentables. La diversidad taxonómica y funcional en UMA y sus interacciones son imprescindibles en la preservación de la biodiversidad y los procesos que mantienen su integridad ecosistémica. Los beneficios ecológicos resultan insuficientes sin una visión multidisciplinaria. Este artículo aborda una propuesta de gestión de UMA y otros esquemas de conservación en tres objetivos: (1) enfoque de "sistema socioecológico", (2) reconocimiento de su complejidad, (3) transición epistemológica de integridad a antifragilidad ecosistémica. Las UMA constituyen sistemas socioecológicos integrales que manejan la vida silvestre y el hábitat como un sistema adaptativo complejo precursor de antifragilidad ecosistémica. En 1997, le Mexique a mis en œuvre un schéma d'Unités de Gestion pour la Conservation et Usage Durable de la Vie Sauvage (UMA en espagnol). Cependant, des problématiques socio-environnementales et le manque de perspective pluridisciplinaire ont empêché d'offrir des solutions durables. La diversité taxonomique et fonctionnelle des UMA et leurs interactions sont essentielles à la préservation de la biodiversité et des processus qui maintiennent l'intégrité de leurs écosystèmes. Les bénéfices écologiques qui en résultent sont insuffisants en l'absence une vision pluridisciplinaire. Ce travail aborde une proposition de gestion d'UMA et d'autres schémas de conservation à travers trois objectifs : 1) une perspective de « système socio-écologique » ; 2) la reconnaissance de leur complexité ; 3) une transition épistémologique de l'intégrité à l'anti fragilité écosystémique. Les UMA constituent des systèmes socio-écologiques intégraux qui gèrent la vie sauvage et l'habitat en tant que système adaptatif complexe précurseur d'une anti fragilité systémique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the role of redundancy and robust supplier relationships in enhancing supply chain resilience, specifically focusing on the cosmetics industry. It explores strategic redundancy measures such as maintaining safety stock levels, diversifying transportation modes, strategic distribution center locations, and collaborating with backup suppliers. The study further discusses the importance of robust supplier relationships and details strategies to strengthen these relationships, including effective communication, collaborative planning, aligning goals, and fair and ethical treatment. To illustrate these concepts, the paper leverages case studies from global corporations, including Unilever, Estée Lauder, Toyota, Nike, Coca-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Apple, and Walmart. Conclusively, it provides future outlooks and actionable recommendations for enhancing resilience in the cosmetics industry's supply chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper to evaluate the level of antifragility in the supply chain of a Daroopakhsh company. To improve the company's competitive position and confrontation to disruptions and breakdowns, the supply chain must move towards antifragility. Accordingly, the supply chain, in addition to being prepared to deal with and respond to disruptions, has the ability to recover pre-disruption conditions and create even better conditions. To move in this direction, it is necessary for decision makers to properly recognize the current position of their supply chain and make the right decisions to improve its dominance. Methodology: To achieve this goal, the present study intends to determine the declining performance of this supply chain system in optimal, current and minimum conditions using Demetel technique, graph theory method and matrix approach. Finally, using the importance-performance analysis method, the components of supply chain are analyzed and prioritize the improvement of each factor. Findings: Based on the results, respectively, supply chain structure, improvement and recovery, learning, flexibility and innovation are in the first to fifth priority to improve the dominance structure of the company's supply chain. Originality/Value: This research supports organizations in assessing the level of sufficiency of their supply chain and facilitates decision making. The following approach can simplify the dynamic nature of the environment for managing supply chain disruptions and even allow managers to compare different supply chains. Continuous assessment and monitoring of the level of chain volatility enables the creation of a competitive advantage to achieve greater market share even during a disruption or ongoing disruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social adversity not only causes severe psychological diseases but also may improve people's ability to learn and grow. However, the beneficial effects of social adversity are often ignored. In this study, we investigated whether and how social adversity affects learning and memory in a mouse social defeat stress (SDS) model. A total of 652 mice were placed in experimental groups of six to 23 mice each. SDS enhanced spatial, novelty, and fear memory with increased synaptosome associated protein 25 (SNAP-25) level and dendritic spine density in hippocampal neurons among young but not middle-aged mice. Chemogenetic inhibition of hippocampal CaMK2A + neurons blocked SDS-induced enhancement of learning or memory. Knockdown of SNAP-25 or blockade of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit GluN2B in the hippocampus prevented SDS-induced learning memory enhancement in an emotion-independent manner. These findings suggest that social adversity promotes learning and memory ability in youths and provide a neurobiological foundation for biopsychological antifragility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the existential public health and economic fragilities of the civil aviation industry. To prevent future public health disruptions, the civil aviation industry is gaining interest in becoming more "resilient" but rarely elaborates on its meaning, hampering decision-making and strategy development. When looking into the academic literature it seems that a proliferation of resilience-related concepts occurred. Although enriching resilience, it also dilutes its meaning and reduces its use for practice. This paper aims to create concept clarity regarding resilience by proposing a categorization of resilience. Based upon a scoping review, this categorization dissects resilience into four reoccurring aspects: fragility, robustness, adaptation, and transformation. This categorization is expected to support sensemaking in disruptive times while assisting decision-making and strategy development on resilience. When applying this categorization in the civil aviation and public health context, the transformative aspect seems underused. Further research will focus on maturing the categorization of resilience and its use as a sensemaking tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new digital environment and the COVID-19 crisis, having drastically increased the amount of teleworking and e-commerce, seem to have benefited GAFAM and digital platforms. Under the current conditions, SMEs and traditional businesses are forced to look for adaptive strategies. Some researchers (e.g. A. Carmeli and G.D. Markman) argue that they SMEs and traditional businesses need to build entrepreneurial and organizational resilience . And it is in this respect, in particular, that psychology can be usefully mobilized to analyze new forms of economic competition. On these grounds, the authors of the paper defend the idea that the SMEs and traditional businesses will be able to exist and assert themselves against their new competitors. In this new interconnected, turbulent and uncertain environment, this self-assertion passes through a strategic and organizational reconfiguration, but also and above all, through entrepreneurial action in its effectual logic which can lead to resilience and, moreover, to antifragility .

We extend techniques and learnings about the stochastic properties of nonlinear responses from finance to medicine, particularly oncology, where it can inform dosing and intervention. We define antifragility. We propose uses of risk analysis for medical problems, through the properties of nonlinear responses (convex or concave). We (1) link the convexity/concavity of the dose-response function to the statistical properties of the results; (2) define "antifragility" as a mathematical property for local beneficial convex responses and the generalization of "fragility" as its opposite, locally concave in the tails of the statistical distribution; (3) propose mathematically tractable relations between dosage, severity of conditions, and iatrogenics. In short, we propose a framework to integrate the necessary consequences of nonlinearities in evidence-based oncology and more general clinical risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most models of complex systems have been homogeneous, i.e., all elements have the same properties (spatial, temporal, structural, functional). However, most natural systems are heterogeneous: few elements are more relevant, larger, stronger, or faster than others. In homogeneous systems, criticality—a balance between change and stability, order and chaos—is usually found for a very narrow region in the parameter space, close to a phase transition. Using random Boolean networks—a general model of discrete dynamical systems—we show that heterogeneity—in time, structure, and function—can broaden additively the parameter region where criticality is found. Moreover, parameter regions where antifragility is found are also increased with heterogeneity. However, maximum antifragility is found for particular parameters in homogeneous networks. Our work suggests that the "optimal" balance between homogeneity and heterogeneity is non-trivial, context-dependent, and in some cases, dynamic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on interacting with insects and their ectosymbiont (lato sensu) microorganisms for environmentally safe plant production and protection. Some cases help compare ectosymbiont microorganisms that are insect-borne, -driven, or -spread relevant to endosymbionts' behaviour. Ectosymbiotic bacteria can interact with insects by allowing them to improve the value of their pabula. In addition, some bacteria are essential for creating ecological niches that can host the development of pests. Insect-borne plant pathogens include bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These pathogens interact with their vectors to enhance reciprocal fitness. Knowing vector-phoront interaction could considerably increase chances for outbreak management, notably when sustained by quarantine vector ectosymbiont pathogens, such as the actual Xylella fastidiosa Mediterranean invasion episode. Insect pathogenic viruses have a close evolutionary relationship with their hosts, also being highly specific and obligate parasites. Sixteen virus families have been reported to infect insects and may be involved in the biological control of specific pests, including some economic weevils. Insects and fungi are among the most widespread organisms in nature and interact with each other, establishing symbiotic relationships ranging from mutualism to antagonism. The associations can influence the extent to which interacting organisms can exert their effects on plants and the proper management practices. Sustainable pest management also relies on entomopathogenic fungi; research on these species starts from their isolation from insect carcasses, followed by identification using conventional light or electron microscopy techniques. Thanks to the development of omics sciences, it is possible to identify entomopathogenic fungi with evolutionary histories that are less-shared with the target insect and can be proposed as pest antagonists. Many interesting omics can help detect the presence of entomopathogens in different natural matrices, such as soil or plants. The same techniques will help localize ectosymbionts, localization of recesses, or specialized morphological adaptation, greatly supporting the robust interpretation of the symbiont role. The manipulation and modulation of ectosymbionts could be a more promising way to counteract pests and borne pathogens, mitigating the impact of formulates and reducing food insecurity due to the lesser impact of direct damage and diseases. The promise has a preventive intent for more manageable and broader implications for pests, comparing what we can obtain using simpler, less-specific techniques and a less comprehensive approach to Integrated Pest Management (IPM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper explores the relationship between antifragility and business model innovation in the context of digital transformation. Through a literature review and case studies of disrupted industries, we identify strategies for adopting an antifragile approach to business model innovation and discuss the ethical implications of this approach. Key points include the importance of continuous innovation, the role of antifragility as a driving force for innovation, and the challenges and opportunities associated with adopting an antifragile approach. The implications of this research are significant for businesses facing digital transformation, as it highlights the need to embrace disruption and prioritize ethical considerations to remain competitive in a rapidly changing environment. The paper concludes by suggesting areas for further research, such as the impact of antifragility on different industries and business models and the role of government and policy in promoting sustainable business practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A therapy's outcome is determined by a tumor's response to treatment which, in turn, depends on multiple factors such as the severity of the disease and the strength of the patient's immune response. Gold standard cancer therapies are in most cases fragile when sought to break the ties to either tumor kill ratio or patient toxicity. Lately, research has shown that cancer therapy can be at its most robust when handling adaptive drug resistance and immune escape patterns developed by evolving tumors. This is due to the stochastic and volatile nature of the interactions, at the tumor environment level, tissue vasculature, and immune landscape, induced by drugs. Herein, we explore the path toward antifragile therapy control, that generates treatment schemes that are not fragile but go beyond robustness. More precisely, we describe the first instantiation of a control-theoretic method to make therapy schemes cope with the systemic variability in the tumor-immune-drug interactions and gain more tumor kills with less patient toxicity. Considering the anti-symmetric interactions within a model of the tumor-immune-drug network, we introduce the antifragile control framework that demonstrates promising results in simulation. We evaluate our control strategy against state-of-the-art therapy schemes in various experiments and discuss the insights we gained on the potential that antifragile control could have in treatment design in clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]