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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]

The lithography process in semiconductor dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) fabrication plants (fabs) is usually a major bottleneck, and reticle scheduling is complicated by process-specific constraints such as diversity of the product mix and rapidly changing deadlines. This study proposes a three-phase scheduling framework to solve the multi-objective reticle scheduling problem, reducing capacity loss, maintaining line balance and meeting customer demand. The genetic algorithm (GA) and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) are used to optimize the scheduling with a trade-off among the multiple objectives. This study tests the proposed framework based on a real semiconductor DRAM (fab) in Taiwan, which has two unrelated parallel machines in its lithography process. The study finds that the proposed framework results in better scheduling reports, reduced computation times and improvements in the overall performance of lithography equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts a systems firm-centered perspective on the environmental assessment of recyclable glass and PET soft drink containers. We employ LCA and discrete-event simulation modeling for the environmental assessment of the two soft drinks packaging alternatives in operational terms over the entire supply chain over a period of three years. The assessment is based on real data collected from a large soft drink producer and its suppliers. The research and practice contribution of the paper is twofold: first, it introduces a methodological framework for environmental assessment of companies' packaging environmental impact under different product and operations strategies; and secondly, it provides a holistic environmental assessment of the two packaging materials (PET and glass) taking into account specific operational issues, such as product mix and recycling and reuse options, as well as activity interdependences and stochasticity. The results of the simulation experiments confirm at the operations system level, for glass, the importance for sustainability, to increase the number of reuse cycles (for the particular case, for significant improvement, seven reuses) and the percentage of used bottles collected for refilling (80% recovery rate), whereas for PET, to increase the percentage of recycled PET in new bottles (towards 30%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oblique collision and reflection of a detonation wave can lead to extremely high pressure and considerable dynamic load mixing in the resulting product, which has been a focus of research in detonation and defense applications. In this paper, the relationships among wave velocity, mass velocity, pressure, and the specific volume of detonation products (DPs) under overdriven detonation (ODD) conditions are analyzed. Additionally, the equations of state (EOS) of the ODD are calibrated by using real-coded genetic algorithms combined with experimental Hugoniot strong detonation data, and the effects of different DPs on pressure accuracy are assessed. Accordingly, a dynamic evolution model of detonation wave interactions in a collision zone is established, and theoretical calculations of regular and Mach reflections occurring after the interactions of typical condensed explosive [such as PBX9501 (95% HMX, 2.5% Estane, 2.5% BDNPA/F)] detonation waves are carried out. The results show that the overpressure Hugoniot data and the isentropic expansion line can be better fitted by using the JWL (Jones–Wilkins–Lee) + γ equation than other EOSs, and the deviation of the calculated pressure and the height of the Mach stem from the experimental value is within 5%. Additionally, a formula is derived for the slow-variable function k(ξ) by combining the improved Whitham method and the JWL + γ EOS, and a propagation law is obtained for the detonation wave interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A theoretical model has been developed to elucidate the thermal initiation laser ignition process of solid fuel. This model comprehensively explores both the heating process of solid fuel and the mixing process of gas-phase pyrolysis gases with crossflow conditions. A two-dimensional transient numerical model has been established and validated through experimental investigations across a spectrum of crossflow fluxes (ranging from 20 to 150 kg/m2/s) and pressures (ranging from 0.15 to 1.83 MPa). The study involves a quantitative analysis of the influence of key macroscopic parameters, including laser energy levels, combustion pressure, and flow rates, on essential mixing characteristics. The solid fuel heating process is segmented into two distinct phases: a preheating phase and a pyrolysis phase, with the latter exhibiting considerably higher heating rates. Notably, a direct linear relationship is observed between the laser energy levels and the rate of heating. It reveals that the dynamics of pyrolysis product mixing are primarily determined by the solid fuel pyrolysis rate and the prevailing crossflow conditions. The dimensionless penetration depth, which measures the extent of pyrolysis product mixing with crossflow, demonstrates an exponential positive correlation with pyrolysis rates and oxidizer flow rates while displaying a negative correlation with combustion pressure. This analysis includes the quantitative determination of proportionality constants and power exponents within the correlations. Finally, the study delves into the intricate interplay between crossflow conditions and the criteria for laser ignition, specifically ignition temperature and the flammable lower limit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preference mapping (PM), which integrates consumer and descriptive analysis (DA) data to identify attributes that drive consumer liking, is widely employed for product optimization. However, a limited group of trained panelists cannot fully represent the diverse consumer population or reliably predict market acceptance. Consequently, numerous studies have explored consumer-based methodologies as potential replacements for DA; however, their efficacy for product optimization remains limited. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the potential of optimizing products using two consumer-based profiling techniques as alternatives to DA in external preference mapping (EPM). Overall, 8 trained panelists profiled 12 sensory attributes of 7 commercial apple juices, whereas 160 consumers assessed the same attributes using a 5-point rate-all-that-apply (RATA) scale and a 10 cm intensity scale (IS). Danzart's response surface ideal modeling was employed to identify optimal products using DA, RATA, and IS through barycenter calculations, focusing on three products from the original consumer test located around the group ideal point. Overall, the ideal products of the group and their sensory characteristics were successfully identified using DA, RATA, and IS. Regarding sensory intensities, high concordance was observed between DA and RATA (Rv = 0.92) and between DA and IS (Rv = 0.91). Overall liking and preference scores for products mixed at the optimal ratio for each method showed no significant differences in preference among the ideal products identified using DA, RATA, and IS. This study suggests that both RATA and IS are viable alternatives to DA in EPM for identifying ideal sensory profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing popularity of e-commerce, nearly every prominent retailer is aiming to turn omni-channel. One crucial decision in this pursuit is the identification of the joint assortment. In this study, we contribute by examining joint assortment and product prices for a retailer that sells products through both brick-and-mortar and online channels. Our analysis indicates that the optimal assortment should be thought of as a portfolio of two types of products: customized and omni-channel. Customized products are priced in such a way that they are targeted toward customers who prefer to shop from the channel the products are sold through. In contrast, omni-channel products are priced attractively so that all customers consider buying them. The relative mix of these products depends on how flexible customers are in shopping from the channel they do not prefer and the number of customers who prefer each channel. Additionally, we investigate whether the conventional wisdom of selling niche products through the online channel is always optimal. We find that this suggestion may be sub-optimal when the online channel has greater cost of including a product in the assortment and fewer preferring customers compared with the brick-and-mortar channel. With growing popularity of e-commerce, nearly every prominent retailer is aiming to turn omni-channel. One crucial decision in this pursuit is the identification of the joint assortment. Despite the importance of this decision, few studies have addressed this issue. In this study, we contribute by examining joint assortment and product prices for a retailer that sells products through both brick-and-mortar and online channels using the locational choice model. We consider two classes of customers such that customers in one class prefer the brick-and-mortar channel and customers in the other class prefer the online channel. Our analysis indicates that the optimal assortment should be thought of as a portfolio of two types of products: customized and omni-channel. Customized products are priced in such a way that they are targeted toward customers who prefer to shop from the channel the products are sold through. In contrast, omni-channel products are priced attractively so that all customers consider buying them. The relative mix of these products depends on how flexible customers are in shopping from the channel they do not prefer and the size of each class. Additionally, we investigate whether the conventional wisdom of selling niche products through the online channel is always optimal. We find that this suggestion may be suboptimal when the online channel has greater cost of including a product in the assortment and fewer preferring customers compared with the brick-and-mortar channel. We also develop insights on price selection. As more and more retailers are converting from single-channel to omni-channel, they need to reexamine their assortment strategy across existing and new channels. The models, results, and insights presented in this paper would help them in designing a joint assortment policy across channels. History: Ram Gopal, Senior Editor; Jianqing Chen, Associate Editor. Funding: A. Sapra received generous financial support from IIMB Chair of Excellence at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore while working on this study. S. Kumar thanks Temple Center for International Business Education and Research for partially supporting this research. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2021.0596. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle inventory (LCI) databases, such as ecoinvent, are crucial for life cycle assessment (LCA), but lack country‐specific resolution in activity details and trade between regional activities in the supply chain. For example, ecoinvent only provides rest‐of‐world and European datasets for photovoltaic panel production, consuming the same global consumption mix of photovoltaic cells. Global or continental activities and trade limit the use of existing country activities, such as electricity production, and the accuracy and granularity of LCA results. We addressed this issue by disaggregating ecoinvent's global and continental unit processes to the country level and by regionalizing trade using country‐sector‐specific consumption mixes of product origins from the multiregional input–output table EXIOBASE. This produced a consistently regionalized ecoinvent at country level. Comparing the climate change impacts of 195,708 non‐market datasets in our regionalized ecoinvent with reference datasets in ecoinvent reveals manufacturing sectors as the most affected. The study of photovoltaic panel production shows that the differences in climate change impacts are mainly due to the different country‐specific suppliers of components and their electricity mixes, which are lost in the aggregated original data. The water consumption impacts of wheat production show the country differences only when regionalized CFs are applied, indicating that regionalized biosphere and technosphere flow amounts are needed for better results. The mapping quality between ecoinvent and EXIOBASE and inconsistent market definitions were discussed along with further limitations. Our study highlights the potential of incorporating better trade information and regional disaggregation in LCI databases to improve the LCA outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how the setup of special environmental courts is accountable for firms' internal adjustment of production and export across industries with different pollution intensities. Inspired by a simple theoretical model, we find that, after the establishment of environmental courts, firms see a larger decrease in export value, export quantity, export variety as well as export destination in more polluting industries. We further find different impacts on firms with varying ownership and size. These findings imply that companies reallocate their available resources from more polluting varieties to less polluting ones, thus turning green through this within‐firm adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uthukulli Butter has been popular not only in Tamil Nadu but even outside the state, and we can say the town UTHUKULLI, which is near TIRUPPUR, the largest hosiery industrial town, became popular through the Butter (and the Ghee) that is produced in the town for years now. While Uthukulli butter is famous even today, the growth in demand for this niche and fast consuming food product has not been the way it should have been, due to reasons which could be many. The study on the butter, as the product produced in Uthukulli, its features and the associated factors, which were the reasons for the popularity that it could achieve, has been done to bring out knowledge about it from the early days - highlighting the essential aspects for the market success for the Uthukulli butter. A product which becomes a brand is often recalled and longed for, if the same is not found in the store shelves for some time. Uthukuli butter has always been a choice when available, but the stage of brand absence did not seem to have created a void for butter. Other brands and varieties of butter ably met the demand for butter & Ghee. The study is mainly done to find out the special features of the product because of which it became popular, and also the reason why there was no consolidation for increased popularity narrating the factors that worked against for the so called town-brand "Uthukulli". The marketing mix elements of the product and the strength or weakness of each element portray the reasons for the brand Uttukuli suffering the brand popularity that it is due to attain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Osmotically dehydrated cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves were incorporated into Greek salad-type (including OD-treated and air-dried feta cheese trimmings and air-dried olive rings) and green salad-type (including OD-treated and air-dried feta cheese trimmings and roasted ground peanuts) ready-to-eat (RTE) product prototypes, respectively. The osmotic dehydration of cherry tomatoes and spinach leaves was conducted in a pilot scale setting (100 L) in a 60% glycerol-based solution at 35 °C and 25 °C for 180 min and 60 min, respectively. To quantify the moisture transfer between the three ingredients of different moisture content (and water activity), the moisture equilibrium curves for each ingredient of the RTE product were determined. The equilibrium water activity of RTE products was 0.86 and 0.76, respectively. The quality of the RTE products (more specifically, tomato and spinach color and texture, instrumentally measured and sensorially perceived, sensory characteristics) was evaluated. The shelf life of the prototypes (from 4 °C to 20 °C) was kinetically modeled based on sensory deterioration and microbial growth, using the zero-order kinetic model and the Gompertz model, respectively. In the case of the tomato-based product, a shelf life of 54 days (based on sensory deterioration) was achieved at 4 °C, a shelf-life extension of 40 days compared to untreated, fresh-cut tomato. The shelf life of the spinach-based product (based on sensory deterioration) was 36 days at 4 °C, 30 days longer when compared to untreated spinach. Our results indicate that osmotic dehydration was successful in significantly extending the shelf life of such products, contributing to the increased temperature resilience of their keeping quality and allowing for their distribution and storage in a variable cold chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super-absorbents are expected to amend soils as they are capable of retaining water, which turns dry loose powdery substances (also capsule) into hydrogel. These were applied to prevent an artificial regeneration failure due to drought events. Four commercially-available products were mixed with soil from planting holes (the capsule was put to the soil) in order to support bare-root Scots pine and European beech seedlings after a spring planting on eleven clear-cut sites in 2020–2021. The plantations were designed as rows with 4 × 150 plants treated with four hydrogels plus 150 plants without hydrogel as a control. The performance evaluation of new plantations was based on attributes such as mortality/survival and relative height and root-collar diameter increments. The plants, which lost their initial size, due to pine weevil damage, dry tops and damage by game, were excluded from the evaluation. Besides the plant response to the applied super-absorbents, the planting operations were evaluated from economic point of view. The 2020 plantations showed higher mortality than 2021 ones; both years showed an excessive loss. The hydrogels did not help the plants to survive better compared to control and growth data also showed ambiguous results. Therefore, from commercial perspective, the application of all tested super-absorbents just increased the renewal costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the fact that finding the optimal sequence in a flexible flow shop is usually an NP-hard problem, priority-based sequencing rules are applied in many real-world scenarios. In this contribution, an innovative reinforcement learning approach is used as a hyper-heuristic to dynamically adjust the k-values of the ATCS sequencing rule in a complex manufacturing scenario. For different product mixes as well as different utilisation levels, the reinforcement learning approach is trained and compared to the k-values found with an extensive simulation study. This contribution presents a human comprehensible hyper-heuristic, which is able to adjust the k-values to internal and external stimuli and can reduce the mean tardiness up to 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogen infections including Shigella flexneri have posed a significant threat to human health for numerous years. Although culturing and qPCR were the gold standards for pathogen detection, time-consuming and instrument-dependent restrict their application in rapid diagnosis and economically less-developed regions. Thus, it is urgently needed to develop rapid, simple, sensitive, accurate, and low-cost detection methods for pathogen detection. In this study, an immunomagnetic beads-recombinase polymerase amplification-CRISPR/Cas12a (IMB-RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a) method was built based on a cascaded signal amplification strategy for ultra-specific, ultra-sensitive, and visual detection of S. flexneri in the laboratory. Firstly, S. flexneri was specifically captured and enriched by IMB (Shigella antibody-coated magnetic beads), and the genomic DNA was released and used as the template in the RPA reaction. Then, the RPA products were mixed with the pre-loaded CRISPR/Cas12a for fluorescence visualization. The results were observed by naked eyes under LED blue light, with a sensitivity of 5 CFU/mL in a time of 70 min. With no specialized equipment or complicated technical requirements, the IMB-RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a diagnostic method can be used for visual, rapid, and simple detection of S. flexneri and can be easily adapted to monitoring other pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we make use of Vietnam's annual enterprise surveys to investigate the product selection and product mix responses to import competition in manufacturing firms. We estimate the effect of imports from Vietnam's free trade agreement partners on firms' product scope and sales concentration, controlling for firms and industry characteristics and the conditions in export markets. The empirical results consistently indicate that Vietnam's manufacturing firms narrow the product scope and concentrate on better selling products in response to rising import competition. Given the dominant presence of quality sorting in the manufacturing industries, our analysis suggests an aggregate quality improvement as firms reallocate sales towards high-quality products in responses to competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product variety, in combination with today's unstable market environment, brings strong challenges to manufacturing firms. Single-product assembly systems become difficult to implement as the return on investment is difficult to obtain with decreasing lot sizes and unstable customer demands. Multi-product assembly systems are a possible solution to this problem, as they allow to compensate demand fluctuations throughout the product mix. However, variety is a strong barrier to this kind of production systems. A new method is presented in this paper to identify multi-product assembly system architectures adapted to a product family, based on the identification of components for common positioning. This method has been applied to a supplier in the automotive industry and a return of experience of this case study is provided, highlighting its potentials and barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Product Life Cycle (PLC) theory, a strategic marketing concept developed in the 1950s, has been criticized for its conceptual deficiencies and strategic shortcomings. This paper aims to answer whether the PLC curve acts as a guideline for companies in making appropriate strategies or a result of collective strategic efforts of competing firms. The theory prescribes generic strategies at different phases of product life, as market conditions vary across phases. Key strategies include market segmentation, product mix broadening, and improved services. However, the PLC theory has faced criticism from researchers like Dhalla and Yuseph (1976), who questioned the concept’s assumptions and empirical evidence that life cycle patterns of all products do not follow the classic PLC curve. Further research identified eleven unique curve patterns, including cycle-recycle patterns, increasing sales patterns, decreasing sales patterns, and stable maturity patterns. The adoption of a new product by the market from its inception to maturity is influenced by various factors such as market potential, technology, competition, and macroeconomic factors. The demand system, supply system, and supporting resource environment are the main forces that influence the penetration of new products in markets. Understanding the phases of the PLC curve helps managers acquire and use information about events, trends, and relationships in an organization’s external environment, enabling them to plan future actions and adapt to changing external forces. This optimizes the organizational learning process, allowing firms to better adapt to changing external environments and interpret changes. A firm’s understanding of the current phase of the PLC can improve foresight and strategy formulation, providing organizational criteria for interpreting information and insights from changing PLC characteristics. Effective PLC usage is crucial for establishing in-house foresight competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ratemaking and risk‐based pricing revolve around the value at risk, involving a tendency of higher values implying higher premiums. Traditionally, vehicle values are set at "list price" and depreciate over time on a one‐size‐fits‐all factor model. If values change over time, so should premiums, but a single factor table that only goes downward to flat is out of sorts with today. In today's transactional data streams, vehicle features, and values can be easily observed—of note, a shift in product mix that has more options and higher retained values creates a gap in actual versus traditionally expected insurance values. This gap most acutely appears at the vehicle "as built" level, which is more granular than current segmentation levels of insurance ratemaking vehicle valuation analysis. The result is leaving companies to simply raise base rates universally until they can adapt more flexible price‐to‐value methods at an "as built" price accuracy sophistication level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cashew apples are a source of by-products in the cashew industry. In the present work, a juice product made from cashew apples was produced through vacuum concentration (VC). During VC, a temperature range of 60 to 90°C, and a pressure range of 500 to 650 mmHg were investigated. Total ascorbic acid (TAA), total tannin content (TTC), and total polyphenol content (TPC) after VC were also evaluated. The variation in VC time was observed when the temperature was investigated. The sensory value of the products after mixing citric acid and sugar was evaluated. The results showed that the nutritional parameters were affected by temperature and pressure. TAA and TPC reached their maximum value at 80°C. The TTC was strongly hydrolysed with increasing VC temperature. Furthermore, negative correlation between vacuum pressure and nutrition was observed. Cashew apple juice after VC diluted with water (1:5), and mixed with sugar (20 g/L) and citric acid (0.2 g/L) was preferred by consumers. TAA, TPC, and TTC were monitored for 42-day storage under two temperature conditions of 35 and 45°C. The shelf life of the product reached 117 d. These results set the platform for the development of beverage products from cashew apple by-products, thereby improving the economy of the cashew industry in Vietnam and the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If there was abundant fluorine in shotcrete, it might leach out and pollute the soil or migrate to corrode the reinforcement.Therefore, this research mainly investigated the basic properties of high-fluorine alkali free liquid accelerator (HF-AFA) and its occurrence forms in cement hydration products.The macro-test results showed that with the increase of HF-AFA dosage, it appeared excellent coagulation promoting property. However, when the HF-AFA dosage exceeded 7.0%, the 1d compressive strength of mortar was lower than 7.0 MPa. In addition, by measuring the early hydration heat of cement, C3A, C3S, C2S and C4AF pastes with and without HF-AFA, and combining XRD and SEM micro-analysis, the occurrence forms of fluorine in different clinker minerals were obtained.The final analysis results indicated that fluorine mainly existed in the form of CaF2, CaAlF5 and Ca2AlF7 crystals in C3A and C3S minerals, while only little CaF2 crystals appeared in C2S and C4AF minerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Diálogo com a Economia Criativa is the property of Dialogo com a Economia Criativa 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.)

Product mix optimisation is one of the most important strategic decisions determining the product type and the corresponding quantity to maximise the system throughput. This paper proposes a new heuristic named shifting bottleneck-driven TOC heuristic (STOCh) for solving product mix problems with multiple bottleneck resources. STOCh is comprised of master product schedule (MPS) generation and its local adjustment. The major improvement is that STOCh dynamically identifies and utilises shifting bottlenecks, rather than fixed bottlenecks commonly used in the existing literature, to avoid being caught in a local optimum. Besides, local adjustment strategy can refine neighbourhood space and limit the search in a high-quality solution space to gain better solutions. Numerical studies show that STOCh outperforms three most famous TOC heuristics in the existing literature, i.e. RTOCh, TOC_AK and TOC_SN. The average relative deviation of the solutions by STOCh from the optimal solutions by CPLEX is only around 3%. Further results show that STOCh performs particularly well when facing multiple bottleneck scenarios, especially when the capacity of bottleneck resource is very scarce. A case study based on real data from a SME in China demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed STOCh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The plasma-assisted ignition of a mixture of synthesis gas in air is considered, when either the air or synthesis gas is exposed to the discharge after which they are mixed and ignited, or otherwise their mixture is exposed to the discharge. The specific strengths of the electric field of the optimal discharge in terms of shortening the ignition time are determined. It is shown that the processes occurring during the transportation of discharge products to the mixing area can significantly alter the mechanism of the discharge effect on the ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of CO2 in water can yield a variety of volatile products mixed with the starting material and often dinitrogen as an inert gas. While mass spectrometry is ideally suited to the quantitative analysis of gases in low concentrations, the simultaneous detection is usually performed with a preliminary chromatographic separation. In its absence, the mass spectrometric signal at m/z=28 can be due to CO, CO2, and N2. Here, we demonstrate that ionizing the mixture of reaction products under 16 eV results in the selective detection of CO at m/z=28, at the complete exclusion of CO2 and N2. This method is applicable to headspace analysis after a bulk electrolysis and delivers product compositions as they depend on catalyst and applied potential. Furthermore, its immediate nature also enables the experimentalist to perform, in real time, a direct monitoring of the reaction products generated during cyclic voltammetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of products to be offered on the market is a critical decision-making process encountered in all industry sectors. It is not just a matter of maximizing profit or optimizing the utilization of corporate resources but also specifically concerns determining a product portfolio that is most suitably aligned to corporate strengths and that appeals to the most attractive and emerging markets. Hence, corporate competencies such as strategic management and production capabilities must be taken into account concurrently. Starting from this point of view, a twofold decision support system (DSS) has been developed. On the one hand, a theory of constraints (TOC)-based analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach, including a taboo search algorithm, has been developed in order to derive the right product mix for maximizing the total profit amount by considering the bottleneck problem. On the other hand, a GE/McKinsey screen matrix is added to this consolidated approach to support decision-makers in the formulation of product portfolio strategies. The DSS provides a platform to compare outputs coming from the preceding two processes, which allows for the refinement of the solution. The proposed DSS is executed with a problem dataset from the industry to test its accuracy and reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, after determining an appropriate experimental design and testing scheme to test the shear performance suitably, the impacts of pretension and shear interfaces on fibreglass rock bolts were investigated. For this purpose, at the first stage, the double shear testing apparatus was modified to address the issues and shortcomings of the established testing methodology. Then, 20-tonne and 30-tonne rock bolts were tested with pretension loads of 0 kN, 10 kN, 15 kN, and 20 kN for each test scheme. For this, a 40 MPa small aggregate concrete was used for all samples to simulate the host rock. The grout used to anchor the rock bolts was mixed to the product's recommended guidelines to ensure close resemblance to field mixtures. To maintain consistency, all samples were manufactured with the same concrete and grout recipes. The results of double shear tests revealed that increasing the pretension also increased the confining pressures at the shear interfaces for clean joints. This, in turn, reduced the damage propagating from the bolt at the shear interface and decreased the hinge point bending. The results can be applied for further analytical and numerical studies, which could utilise for a better understanding of the shear behaviour of fibreglass rock bolts. Highlights: Two types of fibreglass rock bolts, the 20-tonne and 30-tonne rock bolts, were tested utilising the modified double-shear apparatus. The double-shear testing apparatus was modified to address the issues and shortcomings of the established testing methodology. The double shear performance profiles of the bolts could be described by three regions categorised as the elastic, strain-softening, and failure regions. Increasing the pretension of each rock bolt type resulted in a reduction in the severity of the recorded shear force dip. The increased pretension yielded less physical damage to the rock bolt propagating away from the shear plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries offer a compelling opportunity for next-generation energy storage, due to their high theoretical energy density, low cost, and improved safety. However, their widespread adoption is hindered by an inadequate understanding of their discharge products. Using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, we reveal that the discharge product of all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries is not solely composed of Li2S, but rather consists of a mixture of Li2S and Li2S2. Employing this insight, we propose an integrated strategy that: (1) manipulates the lower cutoff potential to promote a Li2S2-dominant discharge product and (2) incorporates a trace amount of solid-state catalyst (LiI) into the S composite electrode. This approach leads to all-solid-state cells with a Li-In alloy negative electrode that deliver a reversible capacity of 979.6 mAh g−1 for 1500 cycles at 2.0 A g−1 at 25 °C. Our findings provide crucial insights into the discharge products of all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries and may offer a feasible approach to enhance their overall performance. All-solid-state lithium sulfur batteries may avoid some of the drawbacks of their liquid electrolyte counterparts. Here, the authors elucidate the composition of discharge products in all-solid-state cells using spectroscopic techniques and propose a strategy to control the discharge product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of import competition on energy efficiency among firms in China. Using a difference-in-differences approach that exploits industry- and firm-level tariff reductions following China's accession to the WTO, we examine the effects of reduced output tariffs on coal intensity, measured as coal use per output, of Chinese manufacturing firms. Our findings indicate that higher levels of import competition lead to significant reductions in coal intensity, without negatively affecting firm production levels. We also find evidence that these effects are primarily driven by multi-product firms adjusting their product mix to prioritize energy-saving options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Periegetica is the property of WSB University in Poznan 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.)

There is an increasing awareness in scheduling research that human behaviour needs to be considered explicitly in scheduling models. Although most scheduling literature ignores human behaviour, especially sequence-dependent processing times form a good basis for explicit consideration. Hence, a processing time function is derived that considers the effects of learning, forgetting, fatigue and recovery. The necessity for explicit human consideration can be regarded as most urgent for unpaced highly-manual mixed-model assembly lines. Based on real data a simulation study is conducted to determine the effect of explicit human consideration while also taking into account the effects of different idealised schedule types and the product mix. The results strongly indicate that the product mix has a consistently high impact on scheduling objectives, the schedule type affects lower-level objectives like starving and blocking times to a greater extent than higher-level objectives like makespan and flow time, and that for certain objectives the height of the objective values and the relative favourability of schedule types depends on human consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how properties such as shadowing properties, transitivity, and accessibility in non-autonomous discrete dynamical systems carry over to their product systems. The paper establishes a proof that the product system exhibits the pseudo-orbit shadowing property (PSP) if, and only if, both factor systems possess PSP. This relationship, which is both suffcient and necessary, also holds for the average shadowing property (ASP) and accessibility. Consequently, in practical problem scenarios, certain chaotic properties of two-dimensional systems can be simplified to those observed in one-dimensional systems. However, it should be noted that while the point-transitivity, transitivity, or mixing of the product system can be deduced from the factor systems, the reverse is not true. In particular, this paper constructs counterexamples to demonstrate that some of the theorems presented herein do not hold when considering their inverses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Equipment performance helps the manufacturing sector achieve operational and financial improvements despite process variations. However, the literature lacks a clear index or metric to quantify the monetary advantages of enhanced equipment performance. Thus, the paper presents two innovative monetary performance measures to estimate the financial advantages of enhancing equipment performance by isolating the effect of manufacturing fluctuations such as product mix price, direct and indirect characteristics, and cost changes. Design/methodology/approach: The research provides two measures, ISB (Improvement Saving Benefits) and IEB (Improvement Earning Benefits), to assess equipment performance improvements. The effectiveness of the metrics is validated through a three stages approach, namely (1) experts' binary opinion, (2) sample, and (3) actual cases. The relevant data may be collected through accounting systems, purpose-built software, or electronic spreadsheets. Findings: The findings suggest that both measures provide an effective cost–benefit analysis of equipment performance enhancement. The measure ISB indicates savings from performance increases when equipment capacity is greater than product demand. IEB is utilised when equipment capacity is less than product demand. Both measurements may replace the unitary cost variation, which is subject to manufacturing changes. Practical implications: Manufacturing businesses may utilise the ISB and IEB metrics to conduct a systematic analysis of equipment performance and to appreciate the financial savings perspective in order to emphasise profitability in the short and long term. Originality/value: The study introduces two novel financial equipment performance improvement indicators that distinguish the effects of manufacturing variations. Manufacturing variations cause cost advantages from operational improvements to be misrepresented. There is currently no approach for manufacturing organisations to calculate the financial advantages of enhancing equipment performance while isolating production irregularities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's competitive market, consumers have multiple options when it comes to selecting a product. Product design acts as a commanding feature in the product mix. Although product design has been recognized as an influencing attribute, the cognition and affective states of consumers with regard to product design has not been explored. The study investigates cognition and affective states with regard to electronic products based on Mehrabian and Russell's Framework. Cognition and affective states are internal states of an individual in response to a stimulus that leads to a particular response. They are paramount in developing the intention to purchase and in creating an opinion about a product based on its product design. The study aims to identify how product design leads to cognition and affective states within a consumer and its influence on purchase intention, particularly for electronic products like televisions, computers, mobile phones and air conditioners. The findings show that the product design of electronic products has a very strong influence on the cognition and affective states of the consumers. The study implies that consumers judge a product and attach emotions to the brand depending on product design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health issues and the production of differentiated foods influence the consumers' decisions and lead them to opt for products with particular organoleptic characteristics. The objective of this research was to estimate the preferences and willingness to pay for antibiotic-free pork in the municipality of Texcoco, State of Mexico, in order to determine the existence or absence of an incentive for the commercialization of antibiotic-free pork. The Discrete Choice Method of Experiments was used. The attributes considered in the design were: color, fat content, and presence of antibiotics. A survey of 196 consumers was carried out for this purpose. The results were analyzed with the NLOGIT 4.0 software, using a mixed logit model. The most valued attribute was antibiotic content, which means that respondents would be willing to pay an additional premium of $30.65 MXN/kg for antibiotic-free pork. It was found that the higher the income and the higher the frequency of pork consumption, the greater the willingness to pay an additional premium for antibiotic-free meat. A WTP of $5.78 MXN was determined for meat with normal fat, and of $3.73 MXN for red meat. Pork consumers in the eastern part of the State of Mexico would be willing to pay an additional premium for antibiotic-free pork and for such quality aspects as fat content and color. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We study the market response to firm‐specific demand shocks in a natural experiment setting. In 2006, a boycott of Danish products in several Arab countries was devastating for Danish cheese products firms. In Saudi Arabia, their market share collapsed from 16.5 percent in January to below 1 percent in March, and never fully recovered; by 2009, it was 6.3 percent. By analyzing micro‐level (scanner) price and sales data, we find the following. (i) Danish firms lowered prices but kept the product mix the same. (ii) Non‐Danish firms kept prices constant but changed their product mix by introducing new products and new product bundles. (iii) Non‐Danish firms chose to introduce products that were similar to the Danish products in characteristic space in order to compete head‐to‐head. We complement the analysis with a theoretical framework that helps to account for our main findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Probiotics have been used in poultry production to improve the performance and health of chickens raised without antibiotics. The combination of different probiotic strains has been used with the hope of conferring multiple benefits to the host. However, the inclusion of several strains does not necessarily boost benefits. There is a lack of studies that compare the efficacy of multi-strain probiotics to their individual components. In this study, the effects of a Bacillus-based probiotic product mix containing B. coagulans, B. licheniformis, B. pumilus, and B. subtilis against Clostridium perfringens were tested in vitro using a co-culture method. The individual strains and different combinations of the strains used in the product were also tested against C. perfringens. Results: The probiotic product mix tested in this study did not show effects against C. perfringens (P = 0.499). When tested individually, the strain of B. subtilis was the most efficient strain to decrease C. perfringens concentrations (P ≤ 0.01), and the addition of other Bacillus species strains significantly decreased its efficacy against C. perfringens. We concluded that the probiotic mix of Bacillus strains used in this study (B. coagulans, B. licheniformis, B. pumilus and B subtilis) was not effective in decreasing C. perfringens concentrations in vitro. However, when deconstructing the probiotic, the strain of B. subtilis alone or combined with the strain of B. licheniformis were effective against C. perfringens. This suggests that the anticlostridial properties of the particular strains of Bacillus used in this study were negatively affected when combined with other Bacillus spp. strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The isothermal oxidation behavior of Ti2AlC gel-cast foams with an almost completely open porosity of 87 vol% was investigated in the temperature range of 600–1000 °C, in static air, and for exposure times of up to 6.5 h. It was found that the oxidation process obeyed the parabolic rate law. The determined parabolic oxidation rate constants were low, indicating that the material's resistance to oxidation at high temperatures was very good, especially given its highly porous form. The nature of the scale formed on the strut surface of Ti2AlC foams changed significantly with increasing oxidation temperature. After oxidation at 600 °C, gaps/cracks were observed between Ti2AlC layers on the strut surface, and the oxidation products were mixed Ti and Al oxides. At 700–800 °C, the scales were integrated and composed of Ti and Al oxides. At 900–1000 °C, the oxidation products were composed of large elongated plates of TiO2 (rutile) and small, needle-like Al2O3 (corundum) grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses a competition problem in two Pharmaceutical Supply Chains (PSCs) with their exclusive retailer and manufacturer. However, the key to successful manufacturing is not just understanding a Product Life Cycle (PLC), but also proactively managing products throughout their lifetime, applying the appropriate resources and sales and marketing strategies, depending on what stage products are at in the cycle. Providing a competitive pharmaceutical supply chain under a product life cycle and offering Nash and Stackelberg games under the marketing mix strategies (i.e., price, product quality, location, and advertising) and product life cycle (i.e., introduction, growth, and maturity) is a novel idea that needs to be studied. So, a demand function depends on the marketing mix strategies. The competition between PSCs is considered based on the levels of price, quality, access, and promotion (i.e., marketing mix) across different stages of their PLC. Concerning the PLC and the position of a supply chain in a specific period of their PLC, the considered competitions are Nash and Stackelberg. The results of the level of the marketing mix, demand, and profit for each supply chain are obtained by given different games in line with the stage of their PLC. Furthermore, based on investigating the previous annual data, the sensitivity coefficients of the marketing mix of PSCs in the demand function, these coefficients are considered as stochastic fuzzy parameters. Based on the obtained results, the average total profit of the two supply chains in the product life cycle, at Nash equilibrium, is 6.5 times that of Stackelberg. The average total profit of the first supply chain in the product life cycle, at Stackelberg, is 10% higher than Nash equilibrium. Moreover, the average total profit of the second supply chain in the product life cycle, at Nash equilibrium, is 19 times that of Stackelberg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is the first to explore how manufacturing firms adjust their export product mix in response to services liberalization. We focus on the liberalization of services foreign direct investment (FDI) in destination (importing) countries. Our analysis of detailed customs transaction data from China, finds a promotion effect of services FDI liberalization on export diversification of manufactured goods, which is mainly revealed by an increase in export value, variation in the number of product varieties, the dispersion ratio across exported products, and a decrease in the export skewness ratio. However, this diversification‐promotion effect is only found in developing countries, but not present in developed countries. Our study suggests that services liberalization incurred in importing countries play an important role in promoting export scale and diversification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous crystallization technology has attracted rising attention from chemists and material scientists. In this paper, cefminox sodium is selected as a model drug for consecutive antisolvent crystallization using a multistage mixed suspension mixed product removal (MSMPR) crystallizer. The effects of operating parameters on the product crystal particle size, crystal habit, and yield under steady‐state conditions are investigated in detail: operating parameters such as the initial concentration of the crystallization solution, the volume ratio of the crystallization solution to antisolvent, the total flow rate, the amount of seed crystals added, the crystallization temperature, and the mixing rate. The kinetic solubility data of cefminox sodium in two binary aqueous mixed solvents at 278.15–303.15 K are determined by laser dynamic method, and two empirical models are subsequently borrowed to fit the obtained data. This work provides a new crystallization process for cefminox sodium. After optimization, the mass yield is increased to 89.11%, the average particle size Dv(50) is about 164 µm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the determinants of changes to the range of exports at the firm level with a focus on the role played by the firm's local environment. It extends the model developed by Bernard et al. (2010) to a multiregional setting to account for localized externalities. The model is tested using French micro-data on monoregional manufacturing firms covering the period 2002–2007. Our main finding is that the local product space has an impact on exporters' product-market entry and exit decisions. Firms tend to modify their exported product mix to achieve congruence with the core products of the locality. Also, firms receive higher revenue from the export of products that are more related to the core capabilities of the locality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Appropriate product categorisation in warehouses is an issue facing most warehouses and distribution centres around the globe today. The ABC classification scheme aids in determining the most vital values at the warehouse. ABC classification reduces the effects of excess, end-of-life, or huge volumes of phase-out products. Design/methodology/approach: ABC classification is a method for classifying products according to their relevance. Products are divided into three categories using the ABC analysis, with category “A” items being the most important, category “B” as medium important and category “C” items being the least important for the distributor. This research model the ABC classification problem as a multi-knapsack and provides an example of commercial and noncommercial solver usage that enables distributors to categorise assortment according to the ABC classification. Findings: Proposed approach enables the distributor to arrive at the best possible outcomes. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this research is that it does not take into consideration constraints that show that some products cannot be quickly categorised or placed on the shelves because of the availability of storage equipment or warehouse personnel at the time of classification should be considered. Further research may be done on these issues. Practical implications: Performance comparisons between the proposed approach and the traditional ABC classification method provided by the distributors are conducted. Originality/value: The main contribution is the improvement of the classification method used in warehouses these days. The proposed approach allows assigning an optimal product mix to ABC categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using the rotation method, a sharp bound for an n-dimensional Hardy operator on mixed radial-angular central Morrey spaces is obtained. Furthermore, a sharp weak-type estimate for an n-dimensional Hardy operator on mixed radial-angular central Morrey spaces is established. In addition, we also calculate the sharp constant for an n-dimensional m-linear Hardy operator from product mixed radial-angular central Morrey spaces to mixed radial-angular weak central Morrey spaces. Since mixed radial-angular central Morrey spaces are generalizations of both central Morrey spaces and mixed radial-angular spaces, the main theorems in this paper extend various existing results to a more general setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is disagreement among cognitive scientists as to whether a key computational framework – the Simple Recurrent Network (SRN; Elman, Machine Learning,7(2), 195–225, 1991; Elman, Cognitive Science,14(2), 179–211, 1990) – is a feedforward system. SRNs have been essential tools in advancing theories of learning, development, and processing in cognitive science for more than three decades. If SRNs were feedforward systems, there would be pervasive theoretical implications: Anything an SRN can do would therefore be explainable without interaction (feedback). However, despite claims that SRNs (and by extension recurrent neural networks more generally) are feedforward (Norris, 1993), this is not the case. Feedforward networks by definition are acyclic graphs – they contain no loops. SRNs contain loops – from hidden units back to hidden units with a time delay – and are therefore cyclic graphs. As we demonstrate, they are interactive in the sense normally implied for networks with feedback connections between layers: In an SRN, bottom-up inputs are inextricably mixed with previous model-internal computations. Inputs are transmitted to hidden units by multiplying them by input-to-hidden weights. However, hidden units simultaneously receive their own previous activations as input via hidden-to-hidden connections with a one-step time delay (typically via context units). These are added to the input-to-hidden values, and the sums are transformed by an activation function. Thus, bottom-up inputs are mixed with the products of potentially many preceding transformations of inputs and model-internal states. We discuss theoretical implications through a key example from psycholinguistics where the status of SRNs as feedforward or interactive has crucial ramifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce a certain type of warped-twisted product submanifolds which is called warped-twisted product hemislant submanifolds of the form f2M⊥×f1Mθ with warping function f2 on Mθ and twisting function f1, where M⊥ is a totally real and Mθ is a slant submanifold of a globally conformal Kaehler manifold. We prove that a warped-twisted product hemislant submanifold of a globally conformal Kaehler manifold is a locally doubly warped product. Then we establish a general inequality for doubly warped product mixed geodesic hemislant submanifolds and get some results for such submanifolds by using the equality sign of the general inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]