Entry Barriers Research Articles

Decoding the Future of Finance: An Examination of Asset Tokenization and Web 3.0

This paper explores the rapidly evolving landscape of asset tokenization within the broader context of Web 3.0. Asset tokenization, the process of converting rights to an asset into a digital token on a blockchain, presents a transformative opportunity for various sectors, especially finance. This paper delves into the technicalities of asset tokenization, discusses its potential impacts, and forecasts its role in the future of digital economies. It argues that asset tokenization, fueled by the advancements in Web 3.0, will play a pivotal role in the democratization of finance, reducing entry barriers, and creating more efficient and transparent systems.

Hi5 Protocol for the Use of Microfocused Ultrasound with Visualization.

Microfocused ultrasound with visualization (MFU-V) is used for lifting and tightening of facial tissues. Standard protocols are completed in a single session. Despite excellent outcomes, we identified several barriers of entry for a significant number of patients. Therefore, we devised an individualized pan-facial protocol that is delivered as a series of short, intense treatments to address these issues. We enrolled 12 participants with mild-to-moderate skin and fibromuscular laxity to receive one superficial and one deep pass per visit (average 280 lines). Qualitative improvements were rated by both patients and physicians at 6 or 10 months due to COVID-19 delays. Changes in the submentum and eyebrow heights were quantified. Ten patients (age range: 31-61 years) underwent an average of four MFU-V treatments. Two patients were excluded after massive weight gain. Skin and fibromuscular ptosis and overall soft tissue laxity improved in all patients. Mean brow height increased by 1.7 mm, whereas the mean submental lift was 78.7 mm2. All patients and treating physicians rated an improvement in appearance, whereas independent physicians rated improvements in 87% of cases. Four patients self-rated as "markedly improved." Pain was rated at up to 6.2 (out of 10). Although mask-wearing was mandatory, loss of elasticity, wrinkles, and skin roughness all improved. Superficial welts (n = 5), erythema (n = 3), tenderness (n = 3), and mild bruising (n = 2) occurred, but all resolved within a few days and no severe or permanent adverse events occurred. The Hi5 protocol was noninferior to standard single-session protocols and improved brow heights and submental lifting.

TheiaEuk: a species-agnostic bioinformatics workflow for fungal genomic characterization.

The clinical incidence of antimicrobial-resistant fungal infections has dramatically increased in recent years. Certain fungal pathogens colonize various body cavities, leading to life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, the identification and characterization of fungal isolates in laboratories remain a significant diagnostic challenge in medicine and public health. Whole-genome sequencing provides an unbiased and uniform identification pipeline for fungal pathogens but most bioinformatic analysis pipelines focus on prokaryotic species. To this end, TheiaEuk_Illumina_PE_PHB (TheiaEuk) was designed to focus on genomic analysis specialized to fungal pathogens. TheiaEuk was designed using containerized components and written in the workflow description language (WDL) to facilitate deployment on the cloud-based open bioinformatics platform Terra. This species-agnostic workflow enables the analysis of fungal genomes without requiring coding, thereby reducing the entry barrier for laboratory scientists. To demonstrate the usefulness of this pipeline, an ongoing outbreak of C. auris in southern Nevada was investigated. We performed whole-genome sequence analysis of 752 new C. auris isolates from this outbreak. Furthermore, TheiaEuk was utilized to observe the accumulation of mutations in the FKS1 gene over the course of the outbreak, highlighting the utility of TheiaEuk as a monitor of emerging public health threats when combined with whole-genome sequencing surveillance of fungal pathogens. A primary result of this work is a curated fungal database containing 5,667 unique genomes representing 245 species. TheiaEuk also incorporates taxon-specific submodules for specific species, including clade-typing for Candida auris (C. auris). In addition, for several fungal species, it performs dynamic reference genome selection and variant calling, reporting mutations found in genes currently associated with antifungal resistance (FKS1, ERG11, FUR1). Using genome assemblies from the ATCC Mycology collection, the taxonomic identification module used by TheiaEuk correctly assigned genomes to the species level in 126/135 (93.3%) instances and to the genus level in 131/135 (97%) of instances, and provided zero false calls. Application of TheiaEuk to actual specimens obtained in the course of work at a local public health laboratory resulted in 13/15 (86.7%) correct calls at the species level, with 2/15 called at the genus level. It made zero incorrect calls. TheiaEuk accurately assessed clade type of Candida auris in 297/302 (98.3%) of instances. TheiaEuk demonstrated effectiveness in identifying fungal species from whole genome sequence. It further showed accuracy in both clade-typing of C. auris and in the identification of mutations known to associate with drug resistance in that organism.

Tutorial on time series prediction using 1D-CNN and BiLSTM: A case example of peak electricity demand and system marginal price prediction

Although research on time series prediction based on deep learning is being actively carried out in various industries, deep learning technology still has a high entry barrier for researchers who have not majored in computer science. This paper presents a tutorial on time series prediction using a deep learning-based model. The entire process of time series data prediction is presented—from data collection to evaluation of prediction results. The details of each step are shown through a case example of predicting peak electricity demand and system marginal price of Jeju Island in Korea using the 1D-CNN and BiLSTM model. In Jeju Island, the proportion of renewable energy in the total power generation capacity is increased to 67% in 2021, requiring more accurate electricity demand forecasts. Therefore, using 808 days of training data from February 2018, electricity demand and SMP for the next 21 days were predicted. To make it easier for readers to follow, the example uses only open public data, and the entire Python source code is shared via a GitHub repository. The prediction error calculated by WRMSSE showed 0.42 in electricity demand and 0.63 in SMP max. A WRMSSE value less than one means that the forecast was relatively good, that is, better than naïve forecasting. This tutorial is not limited to the energy industry but can be utilized for any application requiring time-series data prediction. This article is expected to be of great help to researchers who need to understand the process of time series prediction using deep learning and use it for application in their industry.

Registro empresarial: Política de desenvolvimento econômico e adaptação institucional

The Federal Constitution of 1988 raised private business activity as an indispensable element for achieving the primacy established by the economic and social order. In turn, the participation of the State in the economy, especially through the legal regulation of economic activity, gained new contours from the middle of the first quarter of the 20th century, so that a market economy system averse to state regulation is no longer conceived. In this conformation, the analysis of the business register – a necessary act for the regular and formal exercise of business activity by the private agent - is proposed as a mechanism to induce development and, therefore, able to integrate the political agenda of the Brazilian State, through the tool of institutional adaptation. The article uses the deductive method to conclude that business register must be an element of attraction and encouragement to the private agent, and not an entry barrier to entrepreneurship. Through the institutional adaptation policy, the rules of business registration also need to reflect the State’s commitment to create conditions for the free exercise of business activity, since it is determinant to the country’s economic and social development, as indicated by the recent legislative changes promoted, like the Law 13.874/2019 – Economic Freedom Act – and Law 14.195/2021 – Business Environment Law.

Interrogating critical digital literacies in the Chinese context: insights from an ethnographic case study

ABSTRACT Building on Darvin and Norton’s (2015. “Identity and a Model of Investment in Applied Linguistics.” Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 35:36–56) model of investment that recognises the intersection of identity, capital, and ideology, this ethnographic case study traces a Chinese EFL learner – Frances (Pseudonym) and examines how she transcends the barriers of entry to engage in critical digital literacies in the wider transcultural and transnational digital world. The analysis of data from multiple sources reveals that what constitutes Frances’s criticality as a digitally literate person includes: (1) the stance she adopted to interrogate technological affordances and constraints; (2) the great deal of capital she was able to negotiate in the digital wilds; (3) the positions she agentively took for self-expression and equitable communication in the multicultural, diverse, and unjust world. The findings also highlight that critical digital literacies can present a socially imaginable and cosmopolitan future for Chinese college students in the era of globalisation. Based on the discussion of these findings, a situated understanding of critical digital literacies and a critical digital pedagogy model are proposed to advance the agenda of critical digital language education in China and beyond.

Theoretical investigation of hydroxylated analogues of valinomycin as potassium transporter

Valinomycin is a potent ionophore known for its ability to transport potassium ions across biological membranes. The study focuses on the hydroxylated analogues of valinomycin (HyVLMs) and compares their energy profiles and capabilities for transporting potassium ions across phospholipid membranes. Using metadynamics, we investigated the energy profiles of wildtype valinomycin (VLM_1) and its three hydroxylated analogues (VLM_2, VLM_3, and VLM_4). We observed that all analogues exhibited energy maxima in the centre of the membrane and preferred positions below the phospholipid heads. Furthermore, the entry barriers for membrane penetration were similar among the analogues, suggesting that the hydroxyl group did not significantly affect their passage through the membrane. Transition state calculations provided insights into the ability of valinomycin analogues to capture potassium ions, with VLM_4 showing the lowest activation energy and VLM_2 displaying the highest. Our findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms of potassium transport by valinomycin analogues and highlight their potential as ionophores. The presence of the hydroxyl group is of particular importance because it paves the way for subsequent chemical modifications and the synthesis of new antiviral agents with reduced intrinsic toxicity.

Design, Construction, and Screening of Diversified Pyrimidine-Focused DNA-Encoded Libraries.

Pyrimidine is a ubiquitous component in natural products and approved drugs, providing an ideal modular scaffold for generating libraries with drug-like properties. DNA-encoded library technology introduces a novel library modality where each small molecule is covalently linked to a unique oligo tag. This technology offers the advantages of rapidly generating and interrogating large-scale libraries containing billions of members, substantially reducing the entry barrier to their use in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. In this Letter, we describe the synthesis of three DNA-encoded libraries based on different functionalized pyrimidine cores featuring diversified chemoselectivity and regioselectivity. Preliminary screening of these DNA-encoded libraries against BRD4 identified compounds with nanomolar inhibition activities.

MODERN MARKETING: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF DIGITAL STRATEGIES ON BUSINESS GROWTH

The integration of a digital marketing complex allows modern businesses to automate customer interactions, provide personalized services at their convenience, facilitate effective feedback, and conduct highly efficient advertising campaigns. By employing the latest internet marketing techniques, businesses can enhance their competitiveness and even establish entry barriers in some markets. This article explores the fundamental principles of digital marketing, delves into its influence on the business structure, and highlights the evolving business landscape. The challenges companies face while adopting digital technology and digital marketing are also discussed. Various strategies and techniques commonly employed in digital marketing are explored, along with the success stories of companies that have effectively applied these strategies and achieved significant results.

Network advantage: Uncontested structural holes and organizational performance in market crises

AbstractResearch SummaryWe examine how crisis conditions affect the link between structural holes and organizational performance. Since brokerage offers early access to diverse perspectives and autonomy in exchange relations, the benefits of brokerage should rise when crises erupt. However, evidence on the subject has been inconclusive, raising the question of whether crisis actually imposes a boundary condition on structural hole theory. Using longitudinal data on investment banks, and exploiting the 2000 dot.com crisis as well as the 2008 financial crisis, we explore whether crises moderate the favorable effect of brokerage on performance. Our results reveal that only exclusive, and not shared, structural holes are advantageous for performance, as they facilitate ambidextrous responses to crisis. Implications for brokerage theory and new research on crisis are discussed.Managerial SummaryCrises, in the form of pandemics, wars, or market crashes, affect the relationship between a firm's position in collaboration networks and its future performance. Our analyses bring into focus a finding of interest to managers of firms operating as brokers in these networks: when a crisis erupts, a firm that serves as the sole bridge between its otherwise disconnected collaborators performs especially well. Uncontested by other intermediaries, such firms achieve a better mix of search and stability, and thus higher performance, amidst crisis. These advantages disappear when other intermediaries are present. This implies that firms frequently exposed to crisis may benefit from constructing entry barriers around their bridging positions in collaboration networks.

A technopreneurial venture’s dilemma with product selection

Learning outcomes This case is designed to provide learners with strategic decision-making skills. It also introduces the various nuances of establishing a technopreneurial venture and creating and sustaining a competitive advantage. The setting allows learners to comprehend the significance of assessing the business environment and the advantage of being a first mover in any business sector. The case allows a rare glimpse into the strategic decision framework of a scale-wise relatively much small tech firm that is competing with global giants and creating waves, and winning accolades for its performance. The case also allows learners to understand the analysis and decision-making parameters studied by a company while selecting a product. After working through and discussing this case, learners should be able to identify the strategic decision framework in which Aeron undertakes a product selection decision; analyze the conditions in the operating environment that made Aeron possess a competitive advantage; and design the product choice strategy for Aeron. Case overview/synopsis This case is about the journey of two friends, Abhijeet Bokil and Ashwani Shukla, who started a company together in Pune, India, in 2008 and achieved great success. The case discusses their tryst with different products and industrial sectors. It unfolds the journey of their startups and their finding the desired product category. It also discusses the various hurdles they face while establishing the business. The journey was tough as it occurred in the unpredictable background of the dynamic international technology and policy environment. The common challenges to entrepreneurship were present throughout their journey. The team encountered various financial and technological trials during these years. The case explains how excellent strategic choices made the team overcome those challenges. The biggest dilemma faced by the team was to select between two of their products. The one who gave them visibility and success or the new upcoming one with more entry barriers. The case deals with the issue of product selection in the sectors of telematics and weather monitoring. Complexity academic level The case is appropriate for courses in Business management, Strategy management programs & innovation and Entrepreneurship management courses. The case would suit BBA and MBA students learning various management models. Supplementary material Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.

An Insight into Indonesia's Challenges in Implementing Newborn Screening Programs and Their Future Implications.

Due to high entry barriers, countries might find it daunting to implement the NBS program, especially those just trying to start it. This review aims to discuss Indonesia's barriers that hinder newborn screening (NBS) implementation while discussing the future implications. Literature in Pubmed and Google Scholar was scoured with keywords such as "Newborn Screening", "Neonatal Screening", "Indonesia", "Asia Pacific", "Barriers", and "Challenges". We also searched for relevant references in those published articles. Grey literature, such as state regulations, informative webinars on the topics by experts regarding current situations, and press releases by the Indonesian Minister of Health (MoH), was also searched. Newborn screening is no longer considered just a laboratory test but an array of well-harmonized systems that must be orchestrated well. Some of the barriers Indonesia faces in implementing NBS are a lack of prevalence data, ethical issues, infrastructure, cost-benefit analysis, logistical issues, government support, patient issues, a lack of commitments, and a lack of healthcare workers, specialization, and training. Government support with professional advocates and support groups, proper infrastructure, and a single-payer system for NBS programs are necessary to accelerate NBS programs in Indonesia.

Structure and Conduct of the Ocean Freight Cargo Container Industry

The existence of globalization increases economic activity between countries. International trade activities are divided into two categories: exports and imports. Sea mode transportation requires tools to transport goods safely from the origin country to the destination country. These tools are called containers or cargo containers. The cargo container shipping industry is an industry that provides containers. The purpose of this study are to: 1) prove that the market structure in the ocean freight container cargo industry is oligopoly, 2) analyse the influence of market structure on behaviour in the ocean freight container cargo industry, and 3) prove the existence of market power in the ocean freight container cargo industry. This research uses time series data from 2010–2022 and cross section data from 100 companies. Data collection was conducted through non-participant observation and interviews. By using secondary data from companies in the global cargo container industry and interviews. Using SCP theory, the analysis techniques used are concentration ratio, HHI, market entry barriers, behaviour, and market performance. The results of the study found that the cargo container industry market is a moderately low-concentration oligopoly with high market entry barriers. Market structure influences corporate behaviour in the container industry. Market structure and company behaviour affect market performance through market power.

Regulation of reinsurance activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Reinsurance is important for ensuring the financial stability of the country’s insurance market, which determines the need for sufficiently strict legal control over this segment of the insurance market. The purpose of this article is a critical understanding of modern legislation governing the development of reinsurance activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan and the identification of those norms and requirements that significantly affect the development of the reinsurance market in the country. The results of the study showed that restrictive reinsurance measures, tested by world insurance practice, are applied in the country. The author made an attempt to identify the specifics of regulatory norms in the Republic of Kazakhstan, which impede cooperation in the field of reinsurance with the international community. Attention is drawn to the established high entry barriers for the participation of non-resident reinsurers in the reinsurance market of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which involves the purchase of reinsurance coverage mainly from leading foreign reinsurers. In order to expand the reinsurance capacity and reduce the cost of reinsurance, the author proposes to use the internal reserves of the national insurance market, as well as alternative reinsurance markets, one of which can be considered a single reinsurance space within the integration association of the EAEU countries. In this regard, it is necessary to harmonize the laws of these countries, especially in terms of determining the financial stability of insurance companies and assessing the solvency of reinsurers. The results of the study can be used to bring the legal regulation of reinsurance activities in the Republic of Kazakhstan in line with international practice.

Tracking Progress in Multi-Agent Path Finding (Student Abstract)

In this work, we introduce a set of methodological and visualisation tools to track progress and state-of-the-art performance in the area of Multi-Agent Path Finding (MAPF). Our objectives are to lower the barriers of entry for new researchers and to further promote the study of MAPF.

IoT Based Temperature Mask Scan Entry Barrier

IoT-enabled barriers that detect face masks and measure body temperature using machine learning. The suggested model can be applied to any entry, including those to a mall, a hotel, an apartment complex, etc. As a result, a dependable and affordable way for creating a healthy environment utilising AI and sensors.

Struktur, Perilaku dan Kinerja Pasar Tandan Buah Segar (TBS) Kelapa Sawit

This study aimed to identify marketing channels and analyze the behavioral structure and market performance of palm oil FFB in Ngabang District. The research location determined by using purposive sampling, namely three villages in Ngabang District. The respondents of this study were palm oil farmers and all institutions involved in marketing palm oil FFB. The results showed that there are three marketing channels for oil palm FFB, namely marketing channel 1, farmers selling to collectors, and then selling to large agents who distribute FFB to factories. In marketing channel 2, farmers sell to large agents and then sell them directly back to factories. In marketing channel 3, farmers sell to collectors and then sell directly to factories. The market structure of the FFB market for palm oil leads to an oligopoly market which seen from the market share value, concentration ratio, Herfindahl index, and market entry barriers from each marketing agency, showed values ​​that are not too different. Market performance in each marketing channel showed that the largest margin, farmers' share, and profit are in marketing channel 2.

Real estate security token offerings and the secondary market: Driven by crypto hype or fundamentals?

Tokens, the digital form of assets, are an innovation that has the potential to disrupt how to transfer and own financial instruments. We hand-collected data on 173 real estate tokens in the USA between 2019 and 2021 and trace back 238,433 blockchain transactions. We find that tokens provide broad real estate ownership to many small investors through digital fractional ownership and low entry barriers, while investors do not yet hold well-diversified real estate token portfolios. We analyze the determinants of the success of security token offerings (STOs), secondary market trading, and daily aggregated capital flows. In addition to some property-specific determinants, we find that crypto-market-specific determinants, such as transaction costs and the related sentiment, are relevant both to the STO and capital flows.

Uni-GBSA: an open-source and web-based automatic workflow to perform MM/GB(PB)SA calculations for virtual screening.

Binding free energy calculation of a ligand to a protein receptor is a fundamental objective in drug discovery. Molecular mechanics/Generalized-Born (Poisson-Boltzmann) surface area (MM/GB(PB)SA) is one of the most popular methods for binding free energy calculations. It is more accurate than most scoring functions and more computationally efficient than alchemical free energy methods. Several open-source tools for performing MM/GB(PB)SA calculations have been developed, but they have limitations and high entry barriers to users. Here, we introduce Uni-GBSA, a user-friendly automatic workflow to perform MM/GB(PB)SA calculations, which can perform topology preparation, structure optimization, binding free energy calculation and parameter scanning for MM/GB(PB)SA calculations. It also offers a batch mode that evaluates thousands of molecules against one protein target in parallel for efficient application in virtual screening. The default parameters are selected after systematic testing on the PDBBind-2011 refined dataset. In our case studies, Uni-GBSA produced a satisfactory correlation with the experimental binding affinities and outperformed AutoDock Vina in molecular enrichment. Uni-GBSA is available as an open-source package at https://github.com/dptech-corp/Uni-GBSA. It can also be accessed for virtual screening from the Hermite web platform at https://hermite.dp.tech. A free Uni-GBSA web server of a lab version is available at https://labs.dp.tech/projects/uni-gbsa/. This increases user-friendliness because the web server frees users from package installations and provides users with validated workflows for input data and parameter settings, cloud computing resources for efficient job completions, a user-friendly interface and professional support and maintenance.

Strategies of the Russian Companies in the E-Grocery Market

The COVID-19 pandemic, as the main, but not the only factor, led to a rapid increase in consumer demand for grocery delivery services ordered via the Internet (e-grocery), as well as in the revenue of Russian companies on the e-grocery market during the period from 2019 to 2021. This article examines in detail main factors of the external and internal environment that influenced the change in the shares of companies on the Russian e-grocery market and provided strategic competitive advantages to leaders in the long-term period. As the result of studying the market situation during the period from 2019 to 2021, it was revealed that over the three years of the development of the e-grocery market in Russia, in each of the period different players were in the lead. Utkonos, X5 Retail Group and Sbermarket occupied from 13% to 19.5% of the total market. Based on data obtained during the market analysis using SV Matrix, the Russian e-grocery has moved from the stage of formation, competition between small players to the stage of maturity and struggle between consolidated alpha-companies. High entry barriers to a mature market require new companies to have sufficient capacity already at the start to secure their positions.