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How does the viability of a product category shift over time? Studies abound on how categories emerge and become established, or fall out of use. Yet, extant research has often examined the evolution of categories one at a time, leaving open the question of how related categories affect a focal category's viability. In contrast, we consider both intra- and inter-category dynamics. Viewing categories as continuously shaped by actors' efforts to position their products, we argue that these efforts alter the coherence that products exhibit not only within a category (a category's heterogeneity), but also across related categories (a category's distinctiveness). We theorize how the interaction between a category's heterogeneity and distinctiveness shapes its subsequent viability. When a focal category's distinctiveness is low, the heterogeneity–viability relationship takes an inverted U-shape. However, as distinctiveness grows, the relationship flattens and eventually flips to a U-shape. We explain this by considering the trade-off between the "classification" and "valuation" benefits that a category affords. We find support for our argument by tracking 170 categories over an 11-year period on Kickstarter, one of the largest crowdfunding platforms. By providing a nuanced understanding of category dynamics, we shed new light onto the fluctuating viability of categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Various medicinal and aromatic plants possess bioactive components that exhibit therapeutic, cosmetic and pharmaceutical properties. Allium species comprise a subgroup of these medicinal plants which offers these potential advantages. The natural volatile oils derived from these plants have a broad range of functions owing to their richness in bioactive components. Therefore, the interest of presents study is to provide an updated and quantified information regarding the therapeutical commercial products, chemical composition, and biological applications, such as antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Allium genus essential oils. Methods: This work is designed using a mixed methodology; an extensive data search was conducted for the period from 2000 to 2023 (July). The keywords “Essential oil”, “Allium genus”, “Bioactive components”, “Antimicrobial activity”, and “Antioxidant potential”, were utilised to extract the data. The information for the literature review was obtained from the PubMed database, while the SCOPUS online database was used for bibliometric analysis. Results: A total of 294 entries were found in PubMed, out of which only 42 studies were selected for comprehensive review based on their experimental approach, including in vivo (1) and in vitro (41) studies. Apart from this, 244 articles were selected and subjected to bibliometric analysis using the VOSviewer and Bibliometrix software. The Allium genus is one of the most representative genera from Amaryllidaceae family, whose therapeutic benefits are properly consolidated in a wide variety of ailments. Traditionally, the Allium species have been consumed in China as spices and vegetables. Although, modern Chinese medicine system have conducted several studies over the years to address the chemical composition, biological applications and commercially available products containing the essential oils of genus Allium. Conclusion: In this sense, this concise review provides an overview of the composition and biological potential (antioxidant and antimicrobial) of the Allium species-derived essential oils. The results from published works also illustrate that these volatile oils are effective in several microbial species and can be exploited as a multi-potent drug against various ailments with advanced safety and efficacy. Although, the integration of past knowledge with current research underscores the enduring significance of Allium essential oils. Furthermore, it highlights the research patterns and future trends in this research domain, providing valuable insights for future researchers to explore this domain further.

We present an equilibrium model of hedging for commodity processing firms. We show the optimal hedge ratio depends on the convexity of the firm's cost function and the elasticity of the supply of the input and the demand for the output. Our calibrated model suggests that hedging tends to be ineffective. When uncertainty comes exclusively from either the supply or from the demand side, updating the hedge dynamically, and using nonlinear contracts improves hedging effectiveness. However, with both supply and demand uncertainty, hedging effectiveness can be low even with option-based and dynamic hedging strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze whether industry competition influences analyst coverage decisions and whether analysts benefit from covering product market competitors. We find that analysts are more likely to cover a firm when this firm competes with more firms already covered by the analyst. We also find that the intensity of competition among these competitors is additionally important to the coverage decision. Moreover, we find that analysts who cover product market competitors are more likely to obtain analyst star status. These results are consistent with the importance to analysts of industry competition and product market knowledge accumulated through covering product market competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels are hydrophilic, three-dimensional, cross-linked polymers that absorb significant amounts of biological fluids or water. Hydrogels possess several favorable properties, including flexibility, stimulus-responsiveness, versatility, and structural composition. They can be categorized according to their sources, synthesis route, response to stimulus, and application. Controlling the cross-link density matrix and the hydrogels' attraction to water while they're swelling makes it easy to change their porous structure, which makes them ideal for drug delivery. Hydrogel in drug delivery can be achieved by various routes involving injectable, oral, buccal, vaginal, ocular, and transdermal administration routes. The hydrogel market is expected to grow from its 2019 valuation of USD 22.1 billion to USD 31.4 billion by 2027. Commercial hydrogels are helpful for various drug delivery applications, such as transdermal patches with controlled release characteristics, stimuli-responsive hydrogels for oral administration, and localized delivery via parenteral means. Here, we are mainly focused on the commercial hydrogel products used for drug delivery based on the described route of administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the commodities with the highest economic value in the plantation sector in Indonesia is coffee. In 2016 there was a significant difference between the area of robusta and arabica coffee, with the area of robusta coffee being superior. The wide difference between robusta and arabica coffee plantations is because robusta coffee is considered a potential opportunity in developing the community's economy compared to arabica coffee with a particular market. To improve the taste or quality of coffee production, one of the factors is the roasting process. Currently, the demand for coffee production is increasing with the need for maximum quality and taste of coffee beans, so the processing of coffee plants must be very concerned and improved. Therefore this study aims to determine the roasting technique with a roasting machine and its effect on improving the quality and taste of coffee beans that are popular with consumers. This study used a Split Plot Design (SPD) using the basic pattern of a Completely Randomized Design consisting of 2 levels. The first factor is the roasting time as the main plot with four levels. Then the second factor is the roasting temperature with two levels. Each factor was repeated four times so there were 32 experimental units. The results of this study indicate that in the roasting process using slow roast and fast roast techniques, roasting time affects all observation parameters, namely moisture content, pH value, brix value, flavor, aroma, and caffeine. However, the roasting temperature only affects moisture content, brix value, and caffeine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice stands as a crucial staple food globally, with its enduring sustainability hinging on the prompt detection of rice leaf diseases.Hence, efficiently detecting diseaseswhen they have already occurred holds paramount importance for solving the cost of manual visual identification and chemical testing. In the recent past, the identification of leaf pathologies in crops predominantly relies onmanualmethods using specialized equipment,which proves to be time-consuming and inefficient. This study offers a remedy by harnessing Deep Learning (DL) and transfer learning techniques to accurately identify and classify rice leaf diseases. A comprehensive dataset comprising 5932 self-generated images of rice leaves was assembled along with the benchmark datasets, categorized into 9 classes irrespective of the extent of disease spread across the leaves. These classes encompass diverse states including healthy leaves,mild and severe blight,mild and severe tungro,mild and severe blast, as well as mild and severe brown spot. Following meticulous manual labelling and dataset segmentation, which was validated by horticulture experts, data augmentation strategies were implemented to amplify the number of images. The datasets were subjected to evaluation using the proposed tailored Convolutional Neural Networks models. Their performance are scrutinized in conjunction with alternative transfer learning approaches like VGG16, Xception, ResNet50, DenseNet121, Inception ResnetV2, and Inception V3. The effectiveness of the proposed customVGG16 modelwas gauged by its capacity to generalize to unseen images, yielding an exceptional accuracy of 99.94%, surpassing the benchmarks set by existing state-of-the-artmodels. Further, the layerwise feature extraction is also visualized as the interpretable AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on marketing communications through an evaluation research approach. Focused on enhancing personalization, efficiency, and strategic insight, the study explores AI's applications in content creation, customer service, social media, influencer marketing, and predictive analytics. The results reveal a paradigm transition in customer engagement and behavior analysis, highlighting AI's role in providing profound insights and facilitating real-time interactions. Personalized marketing and targeted advertising have evolved, with AI analyzing vast datasets to craft tailored messages, significantly enhancing communication relevance. AI's impact extends to content creation and curation, accelerating processes through natural language generation and improving content personalization. Moreover, AI driven chatbots redefine customer service, providing 24/7 personalized support and actively contributing to marketing strategies. Social media and influencer marketing benefit from AI's optimization of content delivery, personalization, and campaign impact measurement. The synergy between AI and predictive analytics anticipates consumer behavior, enabling precise targeting and optimizing the customer journey. The study concludes with implications for businesses, advocating strategic AI integration for sustained growth, and emphasizes the necessity of staying attuned to emerging AI innovations in future research. This research serves as a roadmap, guiding businesses toward successfully navigating the digital era's evolving marketing communications view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold prices have been of major interest for a lot of investors, analysts, and economists. Accordingly, a number of different modeling approaches have been used to forecast gold prices. In this manuscript, the geometric Brownian motion approach, used in the pricing of numerous types of assets, is used to forecast the prices of gold at yearly, monthly, and quarterly frequencies. This approach allows for simulating one-period-ahead prices and the associated probabilities. The expected prices obtained from the simulated prices and probabilities are found to provide reliable forecasts when compared with the observed yearly, monthly, and quarterly prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between commodity index returns and the Office of Financial Research Financial Stress Index (OFR FSI). Utilizing the S&P GSCI and its five sub-indices (agriculture, livestock, energy, industrial metals, and precious metals), we find that the causal relationship between financial market stress and commodity index returns is conditional on the sample period examined and the methodology employed. We also note that stress in financial markets has a negative relationship with commodity index returns during low commodity return states; however, during high commodity return states, financial market stress exhibits a positive relationship with commodity index returns. Our findings highlight the importance of considering a time-varying framework for analyzing commodity return dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific evidence exists about the association between neurological diseases (i.e., Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis, depression, and memory loss) and oxidative damage. The increasing worldwide incidence of such diseases is attracting the attention of researchers to find palliative medications to reduce the symptoms and promote quality of life, in particular, in developing countries, e.g., South America and Africa. Among potential alternatives, extracts of Cannabis Sativa L. are suitable for people who have neurological disorders, spasticity, and pain, nausea, resulting from diseases such as cancer and arthritis. In this review, we discuss the latest developments in the use of Cannabis, its subtypes and constituents, extraction methods, and relevant pharmacological effects. Biomedical applications, marketed products, and prospects for the worldwide use of Cannabis Sativa L. extracts are also discussed, providing the bibliometric maps of scientific literature published in representative countries from South America (i.e., Brazil) and Africa (i.e., South Africa). A lack of evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Cannabis, besides the concerns about addiction and other adverse events, has led many countries to act with caution before changing Cannabis-related regulations. Recent findings are expected to increase the social acceptance of Cannabis, while new technologies seem to boost the global cannabis market because the benefits of (−)-trans-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) use have been proven in several studies in addition to the potential to general new employment.

Many new products and processes originate from projects. In two studies, the authors consider how a project's organizational design, as captured by its particular task configuration, impacts its ability to promote product and process innovation. Study 1 involves an analysis of panel data spanning 2001 through 2015 and involving 429 business-to-business projects in the construction industry. The authors test hypotheses regarding the role of project size, subcontractor diversity, and task configuration on product and process innovation. Their empirical tests show a pattern of nuanced effects on the two innovation types. A project's task configuration, as reflected in the general contractor's participation in project tasks, plays a coordination role that helps unlock a positive effect of project size on product innovation. At the same time, such participation impedes process innovation due to subcontractor concerns about information leakage. Study 2 bolsters the first study through a survey of 230 subcontractors in the U.S. construction industry to show how leakage concerns arise, their outcomes, and how they are mitigated. The authors also bolster their central study through (1) interviews with professional construction managers and (2) survey evidence across five industries. They draw on their findings to develop implications for innovation management, business-to-business marketing, and marketing organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogels are hydrophilic, three-dimensional, cross-linked polymers that absorb significant amounts of biological fluids or water. Hydrogels possess several favorable properties, including flexibility, stimulus-responsiveness, versatility, and structural composition. They can be categorized according to their sources, synthesis route, response to stimulus, and application. Controlling the cross-link density matrix and the hydrogels’ attraction to water while they’re swelling makes it easy to change their porous structure, which makes them ideal for drug delivery. Hydrogel in drug delivery can be achieved by various routes involving injectable, oral, buccal, vaginal, ocular, and transdermal administration routes. The hydrogel market is expected to grow from its 2019 valuation of USD 22.1 billion to USD 31.4 billion by 2027. Commercial hydrogels are helpful for various drug delivery applications, such as transdermal patches with controlled release characteristics, stimuli-responsive hydrogels for oral administration, and localized delivery via parenteral means. Here, we are mainly focused on the commercial hydrogel products used for drug delivery based on the described route of administration.

Abstract Background Milk thistle is one of the most popular hepatoprotectants, and is often sold in combination with other ingredients. Botanical supplements are known to be vulnerable to contamination and adulteration, and emerging technologies show promise to improve their quality control. Methods Untargeted and semi-targeted metabolomics based on UHPLC-QTOF-ESI+MS techniques, UV spectrometry, and DNA metabarcoding using Illumina MiSeq were used to authenticate eighteen milk thistle botanical formulations (teas, capsules, tablets, emulsion). Results Untargeted metabolomics separated 217 molecules and by multivariate analysis the discrimination between the different preparations was established. The semi-targeted metabolomics focused on 63 phytochemicals, mainly silymarin flavonolignans and flavonoids, that may be considered as putative biomarkers of authenticity. All formulations contained molecules from silymarin complexes at different levels. The quantitative evaluation of silybins was done using in parallel UV spectrometry and UHPLC-QTOF-ESI+MS and their correlations were compared. DNA metabarcoding detected milk thistle in eleven out of sixteen retained preparations, whereas two others had incomplete evidence of milk thistle despite metabolomics validating specific metabolites, e.g., silymarin complex, identified and quantified in all samples. Meanwhile, the DNA metabarcoding provided insights into the total species composition allowing the interpretation of the results in a broad context. Conclusion Our study emphasizes that combining spectroscopic, chromatographic, and genetic techniques bring complementary information to guarantee the quality of the botanical formulations.

The uncontrollable prices of basic commodities, especially food commodities, have resulted in losses for producers and consumers in the city of Cirebon. To be able to bridge these problems, it is necessary to make the right decisions. A prediction system is one of the elements that can be used to support the right decision-making. With an accurate price prediction system for staple food commodities, it is hoped that decisionmaking will be able to decide on good policies from the Cooperative, Small and Medium Enterprises Service for Trade and Industry (DKUKMPP) for the people of Cirebon City. The method used is Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). The data used for the basic prices of food commodities, namely the last 3 years in 2020 - 2022, are sourced from the official website of the Ministry of Trade's Market Monitoring System and Basic Needs using Google Colab tools. 3. Predictions for staple food prices over the last 3 years include rice experiencing an increase of Rp. 275 per percentage of 2.35%, Granulated Sugar experienced an increase of Rp. 1000 with a percentage of 7.7%, Cooking Oil experiencing an increase of Rp. 1200 percent of 9.2%, Flour experienced a difference in the increase of Rp. 3500, a percentage of 50%, Beef Rp. 30,000 a proportion of 26%, Chicken Rp. 0, a percentage of 0%, Chicken Eggs, Rp. 9,000, a percentage of 45%, Red Chilies, Rp. 1,0,000, a percentage of 25%, Shallots, Rp. - 2,700 percent - 9.9%, Garlic IDR 11000 percentage 36.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last 50 years, the number of companies producing automated devices for surgical operations has grown extensively. The population started to be more confident about the technology capabilities. The first patents related to surgical robotics are expiring and this knowledge is becoming a common base for the development of future surgical robotics. The review describes some of the most popular companies manufacturing surgical robots. The list of the company does not pretend to be exhaustive but wishes to give an overview of the sector. Due to space constraints, only a limited selction of companies is reported. Most of the companies described are born in America or Europe. Advantages and limitations of each product firm are described. A special focus is given to the end effectors; their shape and dexterity are crucial for the positive outcome of the surgical operations. New robots are developed every year, and existing robots are allowed to perform a wider range of procedures. Robotic technologies improve the abilities of surgeons in the domains of urology, gynecology, neurology, spine surgery, orthopedic reconstruction (knee, shoulder), hair restoration, oral surgery, thoracic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, and endoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis is the property of Amsterdam University Press 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.)

Quality assessment is the most important step in the production of effective and safe food supplements. The aim of this study is to develop a green, simple, and high-throughput procedure for the quality assessment of Origanum vulgare L. commercial products using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC)/bioautography with a multicriteria decision method, sum of ranking differences (SRD). Direct bioautography assays were developed for the identification of constituents with antibacterial activity tested against Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis, Micrococcus lysodeikticus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) strains, antioxidative (DPPH) activity, and enzyme (α-amylase) activity. Combination of the leave-one-out cross-validation methodology of SRD values and significant differences by post hoc Wilcoxon matched pairs test were used to evaluate commercial varieties. It was proved that suggested bioautography/chemometric screening methodology could be used as guidelines for the selection of any theoretical ideal product. Analysts may have benefits from this time-saving and streamlined quality profiling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a single server implements a two-commodity inventory queueing system. We assume that both commodities have a finite capacity. Customers arrive by a Markovian Arrival Process, there is a need for a single item, and either or both types of commodities are required, and this requirement is modeled using certain probabilities. The lead times are exponentially distributed, and the service times have a PH distribution. We use matrix analytical techniques to investigate the queueing inventory system and adopt an (s, S)-type replenishment policy that is dependent on the type of commodity. In the steady state, the joint and individual probability distribution of the Esystem, inventory level, and server status is obtained. A few significant performance measures are attained. Our mathematical concept is then illustrated with a few numerical examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of research is to determine how satisfied the fans are with the shopping stores where the sports clubs sell their licensed commercial products. Document analysis was used in this study. The website "www.sikayetvar.com" is a platform that tries to protect consumer rights by publishing many shopping-related complaints. In this platform, the complaints of the fans of the four sports clubs (Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor) in Turkey were examined, and their satisfaction with the fan stores was examined within the framework of the cause-effect relationship. The complaint profiles of the brands were examined by considering 569 complaints filed between 01.01 - 31.12.2021 on the website of Kartal Yuvası, Fenerium, GS Store, and TS Club, which are the fan stores of Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray, and Trabzonspor clubs. Complaint texts were analyzed and coded by three experts in the field. Common codes were determined by re-reading and evaluation by the researchers. The themes that could be the main titles of the codes obtained were determined. Themes and codes are tabulated. The data obtained were compared with the results of the survey evaluation conducted by the "www.sikayetvar.com" platform regarding 569 complaints. A descriptive analysis was undertaken to strengthen the validity of the research. As a result, it has been determined that there are many problems under the headings of product and customer relations management, the fans are not satisfied with the stores where the sports clubs sell licensed products, and the sports clubs cannot establish sustainable customer relations with their fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to provide a detailed overview of Indonesia's trade balance on the export-import commodities. This research used data obtained from various sources, including the Indonesian Ministry of Trade for 5 years from 2018 to 2022. This research used secondary data and the method used to explain this research is a descriptive approach. This research provides an overview of Indonesia's trade patterns in 2018-2022, analyzing trends of exports and imports commodities. In addition, this study also examines the impact of various factors, such as trade policy on Indonesia's trade balance. The results of the study explain that the export trade balance is higher than the imports where the export trend value in 2018-2022 is 15% compared to the Import trend value of 6%. It can be concluded that Indonesia's export and import commodities trade balance in 2018-2022 can be called a surplus because the export value from 2018-2022 is greater than the import value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers tend to see themselves in a positive light, yet we present evidence that they are pessimistic about whether they will receive a product's benefits. In 15 studies (N  =   6,547; including nine preregistered), we found that consumers believe that product efficacy is higher for others than it is for themselves. For example, consumers believe that consuming a sports drink (to satisfy thirst), medicine (to relieve pain), an online class (to learn something new), or an adult coloring book (to inspire creativity) will have a greater effect on others than on themselves. We show that this bias holds across many kinds of products and judgment-targets, and inversely correlates with factors such as product familiarity, product usefulness, and relationship closeness with judgment-targets. Moreover, we find this bias stems from consumers' beliefs they are more unique and less malleable than others, and that it alters the choices people make for others. We conclude by discussing implications for research on gift-giving, advice-giving, usership, and interpersonal social, health, and financial choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers often desire to become better versions of themselves. Reflecting this interest in self-improvement, the marketplace offers consumers a wide range of products and services that promise to improve or better the consumer in some way. But, in a world with unlimited opportunities to spend one's time and money, what influences whether consumers will invest in products that enable self-improvement? We demonstrate that the degree to which God is salient has a negative effect on individuals' preferences for consumption choices with self-improvement features compared to equally attractive options that do not include such features. We propose that this is because thoughts of God activate a greater sense of being loved for who you are ("loved 'as-is'"), making self-improvement a lower priority. We demonstrate this basic effect across several experiments as well as archival data, provide process evidence through mediation and moderation, and address alternative explanations. We also identify important boundary conditions: God salience is less likely to decrease interest in self-improvement products when consumers do not believe in God, and when God is considered to be a punishing (vs. loving) entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Management & Agribusiness / Jurnal Manajemen & Agribisnis is the property of IPB University 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.)

The goal of this research was to develop a reliable oil-controlling toner for facial skin with a natural product, Houttuynia cordata Thunb extract (HCE). The developed HCE facial toner showed high stability and had a high satisfaction level. Clinical studies revealed that the sebum value of the skin after using the developed HCE toner for eight weeks decreased (4.6-times lower), which was statistically significant (p-value < 0.05) when compared to the HCE-free toner. The sebum amount on the facial skin after using the HCE toner decreased by approximately two-times compared to the HCE-free toner. In addition, the skin moisture content increased statistically significantly (p-value < 0.05) from the eighth week of treatment compared to the HCE-free toner and was 1.5- and 1.4-times higher for the left and right cheeks, respectively. The average moisture content of the facial skin treated with the HCE toner increased by 2- and 1.4-times compared to the treatment with the HCE-free toner for the left and right cheeks, respectively. Consequently, the HCE toner had anti-sebum and moisturizing efficacy, and the increased reliability of the natural product meant that it could soon be a premium commercial product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1970s, Robert Lowell began to feel financially constrained or insecure. He therefore occasionally meditated on poetic art that would cater to consumerist cravings in the fashion of Dutch seventeenth-century still-life artists and French painters of food such as Chardin and Manet. In his descriptions of dishes and laid tables, Lowell toyed with poetry's ability to construct images of pleasure and obscure the work and procurement mechanisms necessary to obtain these commodities. The poet began to wonder about the market value of such poetically constructed comforts. However, Lowell was also aware of his dissimilarity to the classical still-life artists. His own attempts at representing foodstuffs are irresolute. Moreover, they are volatile, easily giving in to various reflective moods such as vanitas or ethical ponderings on labor. Almost never can Lowell's poetic still lifes be experienced purely sensually. His lack of enthusiasm for such a commodity poetics helps explain the decline of Lowell's posthumous reputation in the subsequent decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses an important asset allocation dilemma, namely whether investors should diversify their portfolios using commodities directly or commodity stocks, which are equity shares of companies that produce commodities or have a strong relationship to them. The results of the study indicate that commodities added to a stock-bond portfolio perform better than commodity stocks in a stock-bond portfolio. The dominance of commodities portfolios is observed during the in-sample, out-of-sample, and current epidemic time periods. At standard levels of statistical significance, the Sharpe ratios of commodities portfolios are statistically significant. An important outcome of the study is that adding commodities to a portfolio consisting exclusively of stocks and bonds will benefit investors. However, portfolios containing only gold will perform substantially better than portfolios containing the whole range of commodities, such as base metals and energy contracts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Indonesian Journal of Business & Entrepreunership is the property of IPB University 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.)

Simple Summary: The tea shot-hole borer (TSHB) is an invasive ambrosia beetle that vectors several fungal plant pathogens that cause Fusarium branch dieback in avocado trees. This study assessed the potential of four commercial products containing the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bb) for managing and mitigating the spread of the TSHB. The formulated fungal products tested were BioCeres WP, BotaniGard WP, BotaniGard ES and Velifer ES. Acquisition of spores by adult beetles dipped in the product suspensions with 2.5 ± 0.1 × 106 spores/mL was assessed. Survival time of beetles after residual exposure to the products in an in vivo avocado bark plug bioassay was also determined. Controls consisted of water only, BotaniGard ES and Velifer ES suspension supernatants with the spores removed. Production of Bb spores on beetles was assessed. Beetles exposed to Velifer ES and BotaniGard ES acquired significantly more spores than those exposed to the other fungal products. Beetles exposed to Velifer ES and BotaniGard ES died faster (6–8 days) compared to beetles treated with the other fungal products (10–11 days) and controls (12 days). Percentage mycosis was highest with beetles exposed to Velifer ES (63%). Spore production on cadavers of beetles dipped in Velifer ES was the highest among all treatments, whereas it was lowest on cadavers of beetles dipped in BotaniGard ES. All fungal products in this laboratory study demonstrated potential for use in management of the TSHB, especially Velifer ES. These Bb-based fungal products should be tested under field conditions to confirm these laboratory results. Euwallacea perbrevis, the tea shot-hole borer (TSHB), is an invasive ambrosia beetle that vectors several fungal pathogens that cause Fusarium branch dieback in avocado trees in southern Florida. This study assessed the potential of four commercial products containing the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Bb) for managing adult TSHB beetles. Formulated products containing Bb strains to which adult beetles were exposed were BioCeres WP, BotaniGard WP, BotaniGard ES, and Velifer ES. Controls consisted of water only and BotaniGard ES and Velifer ES supernatant with spores removed. Acquisition of spores by adult beetles dipped in product suspensions with 2.5 ± 0.1 × 106 spores/mL was assessed. Survival time of beetles after residual exposure to the Bb-based products in an in vivo avocado bark plug bioassay was determined. Production of Bb spores on beetles after being dipped in product suspensions and placed in a moistened bark-plug assay with water only was assessed. Significantly more spores were acquired by beetles exposed to Velifer ES and BotaniGard ES than beetles exposed to the other fungal products. Beetles exposed to Velifer ES and BotaniGard ES died faster (6–8 days) compared to beetles dipped in the other fungal products (10–11 days) and controls (12 days). Percentage of mycosis was highest with beetles exposed to Velifer ES (63%). Spore production on cadavers of beetles dipped in Velifer ES (20 ± 6.4 × 105 spores/cadaver) was the highest among all treatments, whereas it was the lowest on cadavers of beetles dipped in BotaniGard ES (1 ± 0.2 × 105 spores/cadaver). All Bb-based products, especially Velifer ES, demonstrated potential to manage TSHB populations under laboratory conditions. These Bb-based fungal products should be tested under field conditions to confirm these laboratory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring the transparency of machine learning models is vital for their ethical application in various industries. There has been a concurrent trend of distributed machine learning designed to limit access to training data for privacy concerns. Such models, trained over horizontally or vertically partitioned data, present a challenge for explainable AI because the explaining party may have a biased view of background data or a partial view of the feature space. As a result, explanations obtained from different participants of distributed machine learning might not be consistent with one another, undermining trust in the product. This paper presents an Explainable Data Collaboration Framework based on a model-agnostic additive feature attribution algorithm (KernelSHAP) and Data Collaboration method of privacy-preserving distributed machine learning. In particular, we present three algorithms for different scenarios of explainability in Data Collaboration and verify their consistency with experiments on open-access datasets. Our results demonstrated a significant (by at least a factor of 1.75) decrease in feature attribution discrepancies among the users of distributed machine learning. The proposed method improves consistency among explanations obtained from different participants, which can enhance trust in the product and enable ethical application in various industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This work aimed to perform a comprehensive investigation of organic Moroccan honeys obtained from plants of euphorbia, arbutus, and carob, based on the determination of physico-chemical profiles and volatile fingerprints. Methods: The selected analytical approach involved different techniques, including physico-chemical procedures for determination of humidity, acidity, diastase activity; solid-phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to GC-MS for aromatic fraction exploration; and ICP-MS for multi-element analysis. Results: The results obtained from the physico-chemical analyses were highly comparable to those of other commercial honeys. In 50% of samples investigated, the diastase number was just above the legal limit fixed by Honey Quality Standards. The analysis of the volatile fraction highlighted the presence of numerous compounds from the terpenoid group along with characteristic molecules such as furfural, isophorone, and derivatives. In most cases, VOCs were distinct markers of origin; in others, it was not possible to assess an exclusive source for bees to produce honey. Conclusion: The results contributed to place the three varieties of honey investigated among the commercial products available in the market. Many variables determined returned positive indications about quality and safety of these special honeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims at examining whether hedging emerging Eastern Europe stock markets with commodities sectors can help in reducing market risks and whether it has the same effectiveness among different sectors. As an attempt to achieve this goal, we opt for three types of MGARCH model. These are DCC, ADCC and GO-GARCH, which are used with each bivariate series to model dynamic conditional correlations, optimal hedge ratios and hedging effectiveness. Rolling window analysis is used for out-of-sample one-step-ahead forecasts from December 1994 to June 2022. The results have shown that the commodities sectors of industrial metals and energy represent the optimal hedging instruments for emerging Eastern Europe stock markets as they have the highest hedging effectiveness. Additionally, our empirical results have proved that hedge ratios estimated by the DCC and ADCC models are very similar, which is not the case for GO-GARCH, and that hedging effectiveness is preferably estimated by the ADCC model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the 1980s and 1990s the Holdridge Life Zones system was one of the first and most influential ecological classifications used to predict the effects of climate change on vegetation worldwide. This was not its original purpose. This classification, first published in 1947 and revised in 1967, was explicitly designed to boost agricultural efficiency in the Greater Caribbean tropics. Leslie Holdridge, an American forester, developed his life zone scheme while leading extractive American scientific missions to procure Caribbean commodities like rubber and cinchona during World War II. Drawing on these experiences, he theorized that climate naturally shaped discrete ecological regions (life zones), which he believed were inherently suited to certain types of land use, such as the cultivation of particular tropical commodities. This essay thus argues that Holdridge Life Zones constructed climate as a normative force to prescribe efficient and sustainable land use throughout the Greater Caribbean. However, as later ecologists and biogeographers extended the Holdridge Life Zones classification to the global scale, this normativity was successfully erased. This essay thus investigates an overlooked and pioneering intersection of ecology and climate science, moving beyond formalized programs like the International Biological Program to reveal the centrality of resource extraction and the Greater Caribbean in shaping global bioclimatic knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]