Extra Value Research Articles

Merton's Optimal Investment Problem with Jump Signals

This paper presents a new framework for Merton's optimal investment problem which uses the theory of Meyer $\sigma$-fields to allow for more flexibility in the information structure by adding a signal that possibly warns the investor about impending jumps. By means of dynamic programming, we solve the problem explicitly. In a case study with Gaussian jumps, we find, for instance, that an investor may prefer to disinvest completely even after a mildly positive signal. Our setting allows us also to address questions such as whether it is better to improve signal quality or quantity and how much extra value can be generated from either choice.

The Cognitive Basis of the Conditional Probability Solution to the Value Problem for Reliabilism

AbstractThe value problem for knowledge is the problem of explaining why knowledge is more valuable than mere true belief. The problem arises for reliabilism in particular, i.e., the externalist view that knowledge amounts to reliably acquired true belief. Goldman and Olsson argue that knowledge, in this sense, is more valuable than mere true belief due to the higher likelihood of future true beliefs (produced by the same reliable process) in the case of knowledge. They maintain that their solution works given four empirical assumptions, which they claim hold “normally.” However, they do not show that their assumptions are externalistically acceptable; nor do they provide detailed evidence for their normality claim. We address these remaining gaps in Goldman and Olsson’s solution in a constructive spirit. In particular, we suggest an externalist interpretation of the assumptions such that they essentially spell out what it means for a broad range of organisms capable of belief-like representations to be epistemically adapted to their environment. Our investigation also sheds light on the circumstances in which the assumptions fail to hold and knowledge therefore fails to have extra value in Goldman and Olsson’s sense. The upshot is a deeper understanding of their solution as a contribution to naturalized epistemology and a strengthened case for its empirical validity.

What should lenders be more concerned about? Developing a profit-driven loan default prediction model

Reliable and effective loan default risk prediction can help regulators and lenders effectively identify risky loan applicants and develop proactive and timely response measures to enhance the stability of the financial system. Traditional prediction models concentrate more on improving loan default prediction accuracy, while neglecting to take profit maximization as the goal and evaluation measure of model construction. In this study, a novel profit-driven prediction model is proposed, taking a profit indicator as the optimization objective of the Bayesian optimization to optimize the hyperparameters of the predictor-categorical boosting. The Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) value is then calculated to further interpret the relationship between the input variables and the predicted values. Based on two datasets from Renrendai and Lending Club, the experimental results and statistical test indicate that the proposed model achieves the highest profit-related evaluation metrics values, with the mean average extra profit rate values of 3.0872% and 2.1858% respectively, and the mean Profit values of 5168.8762 and 352.9787 in two datasets respectively. SHAP value further reveals the key factors that will impact predictive output, which provides more valuable information for platforms and lenders for identifying possible defaulters.

Hostile takeovers or friendly mergers? Real options analysis

This study analyzes a real options model of mergers and acquisitions between two firms facing different but correlated uncertainties in profits. It is assumed that firms can choose between two alternatives: a hostile takeover or a friendly merger. The bidder firm obtains extra value in a hostile takeover but incurs takeover costs. Although both firms do not bear takeover costs in a friendly merger, they share extra value through Nash bargaining. We formally define an equilibrium in our timing game under competition and then characterize the equilibrium types to discuss the influences of demand uncertainty, and takeover cost on which firm will act as a bidder and which form of amalgamation will emerge. We show that various types of equilibria can emerge because of the introduction of takeover costs. We also show that a smaller firm can be a bidder to a larger firm in a hostile manner, which is occasionally observed in actual markets. Finally, we also show that a preemptive equilibrium is likely to emerge if the takeover cost (premium) increases, which is consistent with the empirical results.

The additional value of high-resolution vessel wall imaging in screening suitable chronic internal carotid artery occlusion candidates for endovascular recanalization: comparison with digital subtraction angiography.

High-resolution vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI) can provide information about exact occluded length, etiology, and the presence of intraluminal thrombus or residual cavity. To investigate the extra value of HR-VWI in screening patients with chronic internal carotid artery occlusion (CICAO) for recanalization suitability in comparison with digital subtraction angiography (DSA). We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent endovascular recanalization with no internal carotid artery signal on magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) and whose both preoperative DSA and HR-VWI data were available. Patients were classified into type I (focal occlusion distal to ophthalmic artery), type II or III (occlusion proximal or at/distal to clinoid segment), and near-occlusion. Occlusion etiology and suitability for recanalization were analyzed both on preoperative DSA and HR-VWI. Accuracy of occlusion classification and differences in the modified Rankin scale scores between the baseline and follow-up were estimated. A total of 20 patients were included. With intraoperative DSA as the gold standard, we found HR-VWI could additionally show intraluminal thrombi. Preoperative DSA misclassified one near-occlusion, one type I occlusion, and one type II occlusion as type III occlusions, and one near-occlusion as a type II occlusion. Therefore, compared with the preoperative DSA, three additional cases were successfully recanalized based on HR-VWI. The accuracy of HR-VWI was higher than preoperative DSA (100% vs. 80%). Prognosis improvement of type I was significantly better than type II and near-occlusion (P<0.05). HR-VWI can identify occluded etiology, extent, and classification of CICAO. This information is potentially useful in screening candidates for endovascular recanalization and helpful to indicate prognosis.

Workplace Learning in China: Transferring Training Into Practice to Improve Performance

Purpose: The present study seeks to examine the efficacy of different training modalities on increasing workplace learning, representatives' intent to transfer what they learned into their work, and importantly how training impacts actual work performance. These relationships are tested in the context of a Chinese division of a multinational pharmaceutical company, where pharmaceutical representatives are tasked with relaying relevant efficacy and safety information on pharmaceutical products to health care professionals who prescribe them to patients. Methods: The present study employed a three-group between-subjects experimental design. Representatives received varying forms of training (instruction only, instruction plus reflection, and instruction, reflection, plus direct feedback) based on experimental conditions. After three training sessions over the course of six weeks, representatives were assessed on how much they learned in the training and their actual work performance through observer assessment of meetings with health care professionals, facilitated by the representatives. Findings: In this study, it was found that the process of actively reflecting on what was learned in training led to increased learning, as well as increased performance, compared to simply studying the material. However, receiving direct feedback on training performance, combined with active reflection training, did not provide any further benefits in terms of learning or work performance. Notably, there were no differences in intent to transfer learned material to work, as all conditions reported high levels of transfer intention. Conclusion: The finding provides insightful evidence to support the benefits of fostering trainees' active reflections for work-based learning in the Chinese industry training scenario. In contrast, receiving direct comments on how students performed from a manager or trainer, as well as advise on how do better in the future, had no effect on increasing learning or performance. Although the effect of direct feedback is not statistically significant in this context, further research should be done in understanding individuals' thoughts and behaviors when received direct feedbacks received in workplace training. Relatively little workplace research has assessed both workplace learning and performance in the same study, specifically in the Chinese context. While training efficacy likely varies across cultures to begin with, compensation structures in China do not provide the same monetary incentives for workplace learning (i.e. chance to increase income) as Western culture. This means that any way to increase workplace learning should be of extra value, as employees otherwise may not engage in it at all.

Assessing the Financial Value of Decentralized Clinical Trials

BackgroundDeployment of remote and virtual clinical trial methods and technologies, referred to collectively as decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), represents a profound shift in clinical trial practice. To our knowledge, a comprehensive assessment of the financial net benefits of DCTs has not been conducted.MethodsWe developed an expected net present value (eNPV) model of the cash flows for new drug development and commercialization to assess the financial impact of DCTs. The measure of DCT value is the increment in eNPV that occurs, on average, when DCT methods are employed in comparison to when they are not. The model is populated with parameter values taken from published studies, Tufts CSDD benchmark data, and Medable Inc. data on DCT projects. We also calculated the return on investment (ROI) in DCTs as the ratio of the increment in eNPV to the DCT implementation cost.ResultsWe found substantial value from employing DCT methods in phase II and phase III trials. If we assume that DCT methods are applied to both phase II and phase III trials the increase in value is $20 million per drug that enters phase II, with a seven-fold ROI.ConclusionsDCTs can provide substantial extra value to sponsors developing new drugs, with high returns to investment in these technologies. Future research on this topic should focus on expanding the data to larger datasets and on additional aspects of clinical trial operations not currently measured.

Fly with the wings of live‐stream selling—Channel strategies with/without switching demand

Live‐stream selling is becoming increasingly popular in e‐commerce platforms, where streamers sell products through real‐time interactions, while consumers make purchases during live‐stream time. We identify several important factors to evaluate the live‐stream selling: (1) the streamer's ability to sell, which brings an extra value to consumers through real‐time illustrations and social interactions; (2) whether the extra value is positively or negatively correlated to consumers’ preference value; and (3) consumers’ cost to purchase through the live‐stream channel since consumers have to participate in the live‐stream show during a fixed time. We find that adding a live‐stream channel is profit‐enhancing only when the streamer's ability to sell is sufficiently high. If we consider the switching demand to the traditional channel from consumers who would have purchased from the live‐stream channel during the live‐stream time, we find that (1) a single live‐stream channel can be optimal, and (2) a high streamer's ability to sell may result in a profit loss. We also find that regardless of the switching demand, live‐stream selling is always more profitable when the extra value is negatively correlated with the consumer's preference value than the scenario when the extra value is positively correlated. These findings not only contribute to the literature on live‐stream selling and price discrimination but also offer guidelines for firms to make strategic decisions on live‐stream selling.

Classification of Tetanus Severity in Intensive-Care Settings for Low-Income Countries Using Wearable Sensing.

Infectious diseases remain a common problem in low- and middle-income countries, including in Vietnam. Tetanus is a severe infectious disease characterized by muscle spasms and complicated by autonomic nervous system dysfunction in severe cases. Patients require careful monitoring using electrocardiograms (ECGs) to detect deterioration and the onset of autonomic nervous system dysfunction as early as possible. Machine learning analysis of ECG has been shown of extra value in predicting tetanus severity, however any additional ECG signal analysis places a high demand on time-limited hospital staff and requires specialist equipment. Therefore, we present a novel approach to tetanus monitoring from low-cost wearable sensors combined with a deep-learning-based automatic severity detection. This approach can automatically triage tetanus patients and reduce the burden on hospital staff. In this study, we propose a two-dimensional (2D) convolutional neural network with a channel-wise attention mechanism for the binary classification of ECG signals. According to the Ablett classification of tetanus severity, we define grades 1 and 2 as mild tetanus and grades 3 and 4 as severe tetanus. The one-dimensional ECG time series signals are transformed into 2D spectrograms. The 2D attention-based network is designed to extract the features from the input spectrograms. Experiments demonstrate a promising performance for the proposed method in tetanus classification with an F1 score of 0.79 ± 0.03, precision of 0.78 ± 0.08, recall of 0.82 ± 0.05, specificity of 0.85 ± 0.08, accuracy of 0.84 ± 0.04 and AUC of 0.84 ± 0.03.

Neural architecture search via reference point based multi‐objective evolutionary algorithm

For neural architecture search, NSGA-Net has searched a representative neural architecture set of Pareto-optimal solutions to consider both accuracy and computation complexity simultaneously. However, some decision-makers only concentrate on such neural architectures in the subpart regions of Pareto-optimal Frontier that they have interests in. Under the above circumstances, certain uninterested neural architectures may cost many computing resources. In order to consider the preference of decision-makers, we propose the reference point based NSGA-Net (RNSGA-Net) for neural architecture search. The core of RNSGA-Net adopts the reference point approach to guarantee the Pareto-optimal region close to the reference points and also combines the advantage of NSGAII with the fast nondominated sorting approach to split the Pareto front. Moreover, we augment an extra bit value of the original encoding to represent two types of residual block and one type of dense block for residual connection and dense connection in the RNSGA-Net. In order to satisfy the decision-maker preference, the multi-objective is measured to search competitive neural architecture by minimizing an error metric and FLOPs of computational complexity. Experiment results on the CIFAR-10 dataset demonstrate that RNSGA-Net can improve NSGA-Net in terms of the more structured representation space and the preference of decision-makers.

A redox-based strategy to enhance propionic and butyric acid production during anaerobic fermentation

This study investigated the selective production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during anaerobic mixed‐culture fermentation. The experiment used chicken manure (CM) as a potential substrate to produce high added‐value propionic acid and butyric acid under an alkaline environment. The conversion of CM into selective VFAs depends highly on operational conditions such as pH and redox balance. Therefore, the current experiment is designed to employ amino acid addition and develop a redox balance control method to control the final VFA profile. This study showed that 0.2–5.0 % valine and threonine addition successfully enhanced propionic acid and butyric acid production during alkaline fermentation and hence decreased the proportion of acetic acid from 83 % to approximately 47 %. The oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) and redox cofactor ratio (NADH/NAD+) were measured to support the selective VFA production mechanism. The results obtained in this study bring extra value to the valorization of CM within the circular economy concept for selective value-added VFA production.

Prediction of Acute and Chronic Mastitis in Dairy Cows Based on Somatic Cell Score and Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Milk.

Simple SummaryMid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy is the method of choice to determine milk components like fat, protein and urea. We examined the potential of MIR spectra analyses for the prediction of clinical mastitis events of dairy cows additionally, or alternatively, to somatic cell count, which is routinely used as an indicator for mastitis monitoring. Prediction models based on MIR spectra and a somatic cell count-derived score (SCS) were developed and compared. A model based on MIR spectra and SCS proved more accurate at predicting mastitis than models based on either indicator alone. Consequently, MIR spectra analyses add extra value in the prediction of clinical mastitis, making them potentially useful for dairy farm management and as an auxiliary trait for the genetic evaluation of udder health.Monitoring for mastitis on dairy farms is of particular importance, as it is one of the most prevalent bovine diseases. A commonly used indicator for mastitis monitoring is somatic cell count. A supplementary tool to predict mastitis risk may be mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy of milk. Because bovine health status can affect milk composition, this technique is already routinely used to determine standard milk components. The aim of the present study was to compare the performance of models to predict clinical mastitis based on MIR spectral data and/or somatic cell count score (SCS), and to explore differences of prediction accuracies for acute and chronic clinical mastitis diagnoses. Test-day data of the routine Austrian milk recording system and diagnosis data of its health monitoring, from 59,002 cows of the breeds Fleckvieh (dual purpose Simmental), Holstein Friesian and Brown Swiss, were used. Test-day records within 21 days before and 21 days after a mastitis diagnosis were defined as mastitis cases. Three different models (MIR, SCS, MIR + SCS) were compared, applying Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis. Results of external validation in the overall time window (−/+21 days) showed area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) of 0.70 when based only on MIR, 0.72 when based only on SCS, and 0.76 when based on both. Considering as mastitis cases only the test-day records within 7 days after mastitis diagnosis, the corresponding areas under the curve were 0.77, 0.83 and 0.85. Hence, the model combining MIR spectral data and SCS was performing best. Mastitis probabilities derived from the prediction models are potentially valuable for routine mastitis monitoring for farmers, as well as for the genetic evaluation of the trait udder health.

Integrating closed‐loop principles in supply chains in emerging markets: The case of the Russian waste management industry

AbstractsThe integration of closed‐loop (CL) principles in supply chain management plays an important role for business and society. The CL supply chain can serve as a good example of an environment‐friendly and sustainable solution because it assumes waste reduction and further usage in production. Hence, the notion of the CL supply chain is premised on the design, control and operation of a system that creates extra value using the entire product life cycle and capture value recovery from various returns over time. In practice, a successful integration of CL principles depends on many contextual factors. This study aimed to identify the factors that support and discourage CL supply chain innovations in emerging markets. The study employed institutional theory as theoretical background and conducted an in‐depth case analysis of a Russian waste management company to present empirical evidence. The results showed that cooperation with an experienced and legitimate partner can drive the introduction of a CL initiative. Meanwhile, a low level of knowledge and trust might become a serious impediment. Thus, investment in knowledge dissemination and reputation building are crucial in an emerging market.

Economic valuation of consumers’ preferences for bush yam attributes: Implications for breeding commercial crop in Ghana

Bush yam has been underutilized and underrated for long due to its undesirable attributes or traits, hence the commercial and food security potentials of the crop have been downgraded and unexploited. This paper, therefore, explored the Ghanaian bush yam consumers’ decisionmaking behaviour towards the crop’s cultivar selection and the values they place on its diverse attributes. With the aim of examining consumers’ preference and willingness to pay for bush yam, we designed a choice experiment which was implemented through a cross-sectional survey, involving 390 bush yam consumers in the Western-North, Eastern and Central Cocoa Regions of Ghana. We employed Conditional logit to model consumers’ preference behaviour for bush yam attributes from the choice experiment and, subsequently, computed their willingness-to-pay for each attribute, following the Lancaster consumer theory, using the ratios of specific product attributes and cost parameter. Our estimates of consumers’ preferences for bush yam attribute revealed a highly significant preference for bigger tuber size, no colour change and sweet taste attributes. Age, education, marital status, and years of consumption were found to have influenced consumers’ preferences for bush yam attributes. Furthermore, we found that bush yam consumers are willing to pay extra price value for improvement in tuber size, colour change and taste to meet their indicated preferences. We, therefore, recommend that, for breeding programmes to be more effective and sustainable towards developing a commercial cultivar, breeding institutions and policy makers should focus on the preferred attributes as indicated by consumers for a successful future commercialization of bush yam in the country

Fishing trials of portable fad on purse seine fisheries

Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) are tools for collecting fish by using various attractors from solid objects that attract fish to gather. Portable FAD uses sound frequency attractors that can be operated in various fishing areas. Portable FAD is not placed permanently in the waters and can be stored until fishing operations are carried out. The purpose of this activity is to calculate the buoyancy and gravity of portable FAD, determine the composition of the catch, and determine the distribution pattern of fish in the morning, afternoon, and evening. For 17 (seventeen) days, this activity was carried out in Yamdena waters, Ambon. The calculation results of the total buoyancy force of portable FAD were 20554.69 gs, total sinking force was 5460.69 gs, and the extra buoyancy value was 73%. The dominant fish caught using purse seiner were skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) of 37.41%, yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) of 33.53%, scad fish (Decapterus russeli) of 11.62%, tuna (Euthynnus affinis) by 8.12%, and sunglir fish (Elagatis bipinnulata) by 5.14%. Portable FAD can attract fish from 15 minutes and continue to increase to a peak at 105 minutes with 160 fish approaching. The highest fish approach to portable FAD was recorded in the morning at 105 minutes at a depth of 20-25 m were 89 fish, the lowest was in the afternoon at 15 minutes at a depth of 5-10 m were 7 fish. The best use of portable FAD is in the morning and evening.

Phraseological modifications in Sepúlveda’sThe Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly

AbstractPhraseological modification (PM) is a recurrent stylistic resource in specific types of texts, mainly journalistic texts, advertisements and literature. Since literary works are complete texts, the analysis of PM in these texts can go beyond the mere identification of the changes that the units have undergone, facilitating, in turn, the exploration of their stylistic effects. This paper explores the use of PM in a fable written by Luis Sepúlveda,The Story of a Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly. The aim is to determine the extra value that modifications bring to the text by finding out not only the number and types of units modified but also the effects achieved. The results show that the author’s choice of phraseological units (PUs) and modification procedures is not arbitrary. In this text, PM directly relates to distinctive features of fables, namely the humanisation of animals and humour, providing new semantic and symbolic dimensions absent in other fables which lack this pervasive use of modifications. Creative PU variation takes animal humanisation a step further by anthropomorphising animals and distancing them from humans at the same time. This, in turn, sustains the moral lessons of the story.

Ultrasound‐assisted extraction of pomegranate peel antioxidants: A green process to obtain a meat preservative

As an agro-food by-product, pomegranate peel is a potential source of bioactive compounds with preservative properties. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) is a green extraction method that is useful in increasing extraction yields and reducing extraction time without using toxic solvents. This study aimed to optimize the UAE of a pomegranate peel for its use as a preservative using water as the solvent, maximizing its antioxidant potential for its particular application to chicken burgers. A Box–Behnken design was applied using extraction time, extraction temperature, and ultrasound amplitude as independent variables. The response surface methodology (RSM) results showed that the highest concentration of the phenolic compound is obtained at amplitude—50%, temperature—38°C, and time—15 min. The extracts with RSM conditions at a concentration of 0.8% indicated that the extracted preservative exerts the ability to delay meat oxidation on days 1, 2, 4, and 7, even better than ascorbic acid. Practical applications The waste and elimination of agro-industrial by-products generate significant environmental impacts and critical economic losses. Today, a sustainable paradigm it seeks to add extra value to these by-products by giving them a new application in the production chains, thus favoring the circular economy. The ultrasound-assisted process is an excellent tool to obtain green compounds that cover the recent concern from the industry and consumers for healthier foods. In this case, the application of the pomegranate peel extract is presented as an alternative to synthetic preservatives due to its great antioxidant capacity.

Influence of the Order of Phase Differentiation and Unwrapping on Retrieval of Temporal Waveforms in Phase-Demodulated φ-OTDR

Generally, phase differentiation and unwrapping are both used to retrieve vibration events in phase-demodulated φ-OTDR. We investigate the influence of the order of these two operations on vibration retrieval, i.e., unwrapping the differential phase (UDP) and differentiating the unwrapped phase (DUP). The results demonstrate the UDP would add an extra DC value on the resulting phase and be unable to exactly restore temporal waveforms of vibration signals. Hence, it is necessary to firstly unwrap the original demodulated phase before performing differentiation to reliably restore the disturbances. Before retrieving temporal waveforms of vibration signals, a sliding rectification average (SRA) is applied to locate multiple events for better noise performance. In our experiment, the temporal waveforms of two different vibration sources at different positions are retrieved by phase changes extracted by the DUP. It is observed that the SNR is considerably improved due to reduction of background noises, and time-domain vibration signals are well recovered by the DUP-acquired phase changes.

Language Styles in Biography: A Descriptive Analysis of Ernle Bradford's 'The Sultan's Admiral: Barbarossa – Pirate and Empire Builder'

Abstract. This research aims to identify the language styles used in a biography book, ‘The Sultan’s Admiral.’ The identification may help us see how various language styles add to non-fiction writing and are structured in a biography book. This current research is a qualitative analysis that uses a content analysis method. The data source is available from the biography ‘The Sultan’s Admiral: Barbarossa’ written by Ernle Bradford and published in English language edition in 2008. The data comes in the form of linguistic elements such as syntax, lexis, and semantic forms of the text. The data analysis technique categorizes or determines stylish language features from the sample and the level of style related to linguistics and stylistics approaches. Lexis, syntactic and semantic level of language style is prior categories of this research. As a result, the technical terms and adjectives are used in the lexical level of style, direct quotations, and em-dashed ( – ) adjuncts in sentences as the structural level of style, idioms, and figures of speech are used in the semantic level of style. Those chosen styles appear with the writer's background to give extra values to the actual story. This research describes and classifies portions among several linguistic features used by the narrator/writer in the development of narrative in Barbarossa's legendary life, to demonstrate the benefits of the technique in incorporating linguistic aspects into the text. Along with the analysis, the current research makes recommendations for future investigations. Keywords: Language Style, Stylistics, Biography, Narratology

Characterization of Tuna Gelatin-Based Hydrogels as a Matrix for Drug Delivery.

The skin of yellowfin tuna is one of the fishery industry solid residues with the greatest potential to add extra value to its circular economy that remains yet unexploited. Particularly, the high collagen content of fish skin allows generating gelatin by hydrolysis, which is ideal for forming hydrogels due to its biocompatibility and gelling capability. Hydrogels have been used as drug carriers for local administration due to their mechanical properties and drug loading capacity. Herein, novel tuna gelatin hydrogels were designed as drug vehicles with two structurally different antitumoral model compounds such as Doxorubicin and Crocin to be administrated locally in tissues with complex human anatomies after surgical resection. The characterization by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) of purified gelatin confirmed their heterogeneity composition, exhibiting three major bands that correspond to the β and α chains along with high molecular weight species. In addition, the Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra of gelatin probed the secondary structure of the gelatin showing the simultaneous existence of α helix, β sheet, and random coil structures. Morphological studies at different length scales were performed by a multi-technique approach using SAXS/WAXS, AFM and cryo-SEM that revealed the porous network formed by the interaction of gelatin planar aggregates. In addition, the sol-gel transition, as well as the gelation point and the hydrogel strength, were studied using dynamic rheology and differential scanning calorimetry. Likewise, the loading and release profiles followed by UV-visible spectroscopy indicated that the novel gelatin hydrogels improve the drug release of Doxorubicin and Crocin in a sustained fashion, indicating the structure-function importance in the material composition.