Marginal Analysis Research Articles

Effect of different storage media on elemental analysis and microhardness of cervical cavity margins restored with a bioactive material.

This study aimed to investigate the elemental analysis and microhardness of a bioactive material (Activa) and marginal tooth structure after storage in different media. Fifteen teeth received cervical restorations with occlusal enamel and gingival dentin margins using the tested material bonded with a universal adhesive, 5 of them on the 4 axial surfaces and the other 10 on only the 2 proximal surfaces. The first 5 teeth were sectioned into 4 restorations each, then stored in 4 different media; deionized water, Dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline (DPBS), Tris buffer, and saliva. The storage period for deionized water was 24 hours while it was 3 months for the other media. Each part was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis for different substrates/distances and the wt% of calcium, phosphorus, silica, and fluoride were calculated. The other 10 teeth were sectioned across the restoration, stored in either Tris buffer or saliva for 24 hours or 3 months, and were evaluated for microhardness of different substrates/areas. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and Tukey's post hoc test. Enamel and dentin interfaces in the DPBS group exhibited a significant increase in calcium and phosphorus wt%. Both silica and fluoride significantly increased in tooth structure up to a distance of 75 μm in the 3-month-media groups than the immediate group. Storage media did not affect the microhardness values. SEM-EDS analysis suggests an ion movement between Activa and tooth structure through a universal adhesive while stored in DPBS.

Evaluation method of environmental carrying capacity of tourist attraction to be developed based on marginal utility analysis

Evaluation method of environmental carrying capacity of tourist attraction to be developed based on marginal utility analysis

Don't bet the Farm on Crop Insurance Subsidies: A Marginal Treatment Effect Analysis of French Farms 

Don't bet the Farm on Crop Insurance Subsidies: A Marginal Treatment Effect Analysis of French Farms 

Dynamic Graph Regularized Broad Learning With Marginal Fisher Representation for Noisy Data Classification.

Broad learning system (BLS) is an effective neural network requiring no deep architecture, however it is somehow fragile to noisy data. The previous robust broad models directly map features from the raw data, which inevitably learn useless or even harmful features for data representation when the inputs are corrupted by noise and outliers. To address this concern, a discriminative and robust network named as dynamic graph regularized broad learning (DGBL) with marginal fisher representation is proposed for noisy data classification. Different from the previous works, DGBL eliminates the effect of noise before the random feature mapping by the proposed robust and dynamic marginal fisher analysis (RDMFA) algorithm. The RDMFA is able to extract more robust and informative representations for classification from the latent clean data space with dynamically generated graphs. Furthermore, the dynamic graphs learned from RDMFA are incorporated as regularization terms into the objective of DGBL to enhance the discrimination capacity of the proposed network. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experiments conducted on numerous benchmark datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed model compared to several state-of-the-art methods.

Evaluation method of environmental carrying capacity of tourist attraction to be developed based on marginal utility analysis

Evaluation method of environmental carrying capacity of tourist attraction to be developed based on marginal utility analysis

Case study on Ukrainian farm gross margin and direct cost analysis of wheat production

Case study on Ukrainian farm gross margin and direct cost analysis of wheat production

Optimization of Agricultural Economic Management Model and Risk Control Based on Marginal Analysis Approach

Abstract The basic feature of intertwining natural reproduction and economic reproduction in agricultural economic management determines its high risk. This paper calculates the marginal value of each variable input factor in the agricultural economic management mode through the total income function and analyzes the optimal combination between each variable input factor and agricultural output by combining with the theory of diminishing marginal returns so as to maximize the economic returns in the agricultural economic management mode and achieve the optimization of risk management and control in the agricultural economic management mode. The results of the example show that if the incremental index in the agricultural economic management model of Gansu Province is greater than the level of the previous year, the growth of expenses in the agricultural economy is considered effective. It is also found that the risk of natural disasters is the highest in the agricultural economic management model in Gansu Province, especially the average risk value of wind and hailstorms reaches 1.143, which is much higher than the risk of grain production (0.031), which has the lowest risk level. This paper provides an effective reference for optimizing the effective control of risk in the agricultural economic management model and lays the foundation for improving the economic efficiency of the agricultural economic management model.

ANALYSIS OF TOTAL DEBT TO ASSET RATIO AND PROFIT MARGIN AS A MEASURE OF COMPANY FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

This research aims to analyze the Total Debt to Asset Ratio (TDTAR) and Profit margin as a measure of a company's financial performance. TDTAR is used to measure a company's debt level in relation to its total assets, while Profit margin is used to measure a company's efficiency in generating net profit from its operating income. These two ratios provide valuable insight into a company's financial condition and profitability. This research identifies that the relationship between TDTAR and Profit margin has important implications in company decision making. A high TDTAR can indicate greater financial risk, especially if it is not balanced with a healthy Profit margin. Conversely, a low Profit margin can indicate operational efficiency problems that need to be corrected. In addition, this research highlights the importance of good financial risk management in managing the relationship between TDTAR and Profit margin. Companies need to understand the impact of these two ratios on their profitability, financial stability and financial decisions. Clear communication with stakeholders is also a key factor in building trust and support. In conclusion, TDTAR and Profit margin analysis are important tools in measuring a company's financial performance. Wise use of these two ratios can help companies plan, manage risks and achieve their financial goals well. This research provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between these two ratios and their implications in the context of corporate decision making.

Economic analysis of poverty among cashew nut marketers in Ogbomoso north local government area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Nigeria was ranked the second largest producer of cashew after Vietnam. Ogbomoso North Local Government, Oyo State has a thriving domestic cashew nut trade but despite this, cashew nut marketers face pervasive income poverty, necessitating an in-depth investigation into the root causes. This study therefore focused on the economic analysis of poverty among cashew nut marketers in Ogbomosho north local government area of Oyo state, Nigeria. Primary data were collected and descriptive statistics, Gross Margin Analysis, Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), Two-Third of the Mean Per Capital Household Expenditure approach as well as Logistic regression analysis were employed to analyze the data collected. The result revealed that majority of the cashew nut marketers (48.50%) were between the age range of 36 and 50 years, 43.40 percent of them had secondary school education and 40.40 percent had 11-20 years of cashew nut marketing experience. The result further showed that cashew nut marketing is profitable in the study area with the average total revenue, average gross margin, average profit and BCR of ₦61,022,881.31; ₦7,421,099.545; ₦6,495,495.505 and 1.12. Also, total fixed cost and age of the respondents significantly influenced their poverty status while poor marketing information, finance constraints, transportation issues, storage difficulties, and seasonality of the supply/demand among others were also identified as prevalent concerns of cashew nut marketing in the study area. The study therefore recommended cost reduction strategies, proper drying of the cashew nuts, government intervention in market price stabilization, and financial support for the cashew nut marketers.

Determinants of charcoal production and marketing in the Mankranso forest district in the Ashanti region of Ghana

This study sought to investigate the determinants of participating in charcoal production and trade as well as explore the marketing strategies used by charcoal value chain actors and the challenges confronting the charcoal business. A multistage sampling approach was employed to sample 120 respondents in five communities in Ahafo Ano South District. Descriptive statistics, binary probit regression and qualitative approaches were used to analyze the data. The results revealed that education, household size, marital status, ethnicity, farm size, proximity to the production site and regulations on charcoal production are the significant determinant of charcoal production with diverse effects. Also, gender, education, marital status, ethnicity, the quantity of charcoal produced, cost of packaging material, FBO membership, availability of storeroom, regulation of charcoal production, and ready market are the determinants of charcoal marketing. The qualitative discussion revealed that charcoal producers and traders utilise a couple of marketing strategies. Thus, pricing strategies such as pan seasonal, pan territorial, cost plus pricing and competitive pricing are all used by the respondents. Also, charcoal is packaged into different sizes and weight which ranges from mini bag, maxi bag and jumbo bags. Again, the margin analysis indicated that retailers make more margins than the other authors in the charcoal value chain. Averagely, retailers make 28.30 per 50 kg bag when dealing directly with farmers. The most pressing challenges faced by the respondents are levies paid, the tedious nature of charcoal production and trade, limited access to credit, lack of government support, limited transport system and lack of storage facilities. It is therefore recommended that other tribes in the producing areas need to be educated on the potential fortunes in charcoal production to orient them towards engaging in the venture. Moreover, investment should be channelled towards developing charcoal markets and also improving accessibility by improving road networks and making available means of transport to the producing areas to aid market access.

Design and exploration of vertically stacked complementary tunneling field-effect transistors

The purpose of this letter is to study the design and explore vertically stacked complementary tunneling field-effect transistors (CTFETs) using CFET technology for emerging technology nodes. As a prior work, the CTFET’s device-level simulations are implemented and deliberated in strict compliance with the experimental settings. This work comprises the study of physical and DC analyses by scaling the p- to n-CTFET separation (D pn ), being a significant factor in CFET/CTFET design for its process difficulty. By utilizing the 50% benefit in footprint, the work is further extended to CTFET static random access memory implementation and characterization with hold/read noise margin analysis.

Analisis Pemasaran Beras Organik di Provinsi Sumatera Barat

Rice is one of the leading commodities for organic products, organic rice commodities are one of the widely consumed organic products. West Sumatra Province is one of the regions that have the largest organic rice land in Indonesia. The development of Organic Agriculture has become a policy of the West Sumatra Provincial Government since 2006. There are several problems in marketing organic rice, namely the lack of market access by farmers so that only a small portion of the harvest of organic rice farmers is absorbed as the final product of organic rice and the product is sold at the price of conventional rice. The purpose of this research was to determine and analyze the marketing efficiency and marketing operations (margin, farmer's share, and profit ratio) of organic rice in West Sumatra. The research location is decided by purposive method. To find farmer respondents using purposive sampling and trader respondents using snowball sampling. Qualitative descriptive analysis is used to analyze organic rice marketing channels. Meanwhile, quantitative descriptive is used to measure the marketing efficiency of organic rice using marketing margin analysis, and farmer's share. The results showed that organic rice marketing in West Sumatra consists of 4 marketing channels, which involve five marketing institutions, namely intermediary traders, large traders, city farmers, small-scale retailers, and large-scale retailers (supermarkets). Farmers - intermediary traders - wholesalers - small-scale retailers (channel 2) is the channel pattern chosen by most farmers which are 50%. The most efficient channel pattern is channel 4 because it is the shortest channel with the lowest margin of Rp. 5,500 and the highest farmer's share value of 50%.

QUALITY OF LIFE OF OLDER ADULTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: RACIAL DISPARITIES AND SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS

Abstract Social connectedness is crucial for well-being, especially among older adults. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened mental distress in society due to prolonged social isolation practices aimed at curbing the virus’s spread. This study examined disparities in older adults’ self-reported quality of life during the pandemic and the influence of family and friends interaction. This study utilizes secondary data from the coronavirus worries and social isolation among older adults study by AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research on individuals aged 50 years and above (N=1,051). We aim to observe the effect of social interactions on the self-reported quality of life (QoL) of adults. Logistic regression analysis and marginal effect post-estimation analysis were utilized in this study, with adjustments made for race, education, gender, and income. The result showed that individuals who meet with family and friends more often (AOR=17.19, 95% CI=3.75-78.88, p< 0.05), or about as often (AOR=2.24, 95% CI=1.15-4.36, p< 0.05), are more likely to report a high quality of life than those who meet with them less frequently. A marginal effect analysis revealed that White adults had an 89.5% probability of reporting a high quality of life, non-Hispanic Black adults had an 83.4% probability of high quality of life, Hispanic adults had an 88.3% probability of high quality of life, and individuals from other ethnic groups had an 83.3% probability of high quality of life. These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions that address social isolation, especially among older adults, particularly those from racial and ethnic minority groups.

Cost benefit analysis of diversified farming systems across Europe: Incorporating non-market benefits of ecosystem services

Crop diversification can enhance farm economic sustainability while reducing the negative impact on the environment and ecosystem services related. Despite the market and non-market benefits of crop diversification, monocropping is a widely used dominant practice in Europe. In this context, this works aims to assess the overall economic impact of several crop diversification systems across Europe and compared it to the monocropping system. For this purpose, an economic valuation by integrating market and non-market values for eight case studies distributed across three different European pedoclimatic regions (Southern Mediterranean, Northern Mediterranean and Boreal) is proposed. The economic valuation was conducted both in the short and medium-long term. For the short-term we conducted a social gross margin analysis, while for the medium-long term a cost-benefit analysis is developed. The results show an improvement in social gross margins for most of the diversification scenarios assessed when environmental and socio-cultural benefits are considered in the short-term. In the medium and long-term the transformation of cropping towards a more diversified agriculture is encouraged by greater economic benefits. These results provide a first insight in global economic performance of diversified cropping systems, whose main contribution relies on the integration of market and non-market values of ecosystem services from crop diversification. They are expected to be useful for guiding policy makers to promote crop diversification practices as a key instrument for building resilience in farming systems for an adaptive management to climate change.

Resource Use Efficiency in Paddy Production in the Salinity Affected and the Unaffected Areas of Alappuzha District in Kerala: An Economic Analysis

Rice is one of the foremost and principal food crops in the world, feeding more than four billion people primarily in Asia and India stands second in the production of rice after China with highest production. Even though rice is a staple food of Kerala, it occupies less than 7.7 per cent of the total cropped area. Kerala is known for its cultivation of paddy below the sea level. Salt water intrusion is the major problem in these areas. In this context, the present study aims to examine the efficiency of resource-use in paddy production in the salinity affected and the unaffected areas of Alappuzha District in Kerala. The study was based on the primary data collected from 50 rice farmers, viz 25 from salt water affected and 25 from unaffected areas and Cobb Douglas production function was used to estimate the resource use efficiency. The study revealed that the inputs viz., hired labour, manures and fertilizers, soil ameliorants, plant protection chemicals, machine and bullock labour power had a positive and significant effect on the rice yield in both salinity affected and unaffected areas. The returns to scale worked out for unaffected and affected farmers was 2.24 and 1.31 respectively. Chow test revealed that there is a significant difference in coefficients between the factors affecting yield of paddy among the salt water affected and the unaffected farmers. Marginal productivity analysis revealed that economic efficiency of all the variables except manures and fertilizers was more than one, indicating their sub-optimum usage and there exist the chances of improving the yield by the enhanced application of these inputs.

Marketing Analysis of Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) in Cialam Jaya Village, South Konawe District

Costs of marketing and the length of marketing channels will influence the marketing margin. This research aims to determine the marketing channels for lemongrass, marketing margins, and efficiency of the marketing channels for lemongrass. A quantitative descriptive approach with marketing margin analysis was used to measure marketing margins and efficiency. The research results show that the marketing channels for lemongrass are Producers, Wholesalers, Retailers, Consumers, and Producers, Collectors, Wholesalers, Retailers, and Consumers. The performance of the lemongrass marketing channel in Marketing Channel I is a marketing margin of IDR 4,000/Kg and IDR 3,000/Kg with a marketing profit of IDR 3,083/Kg and IDR 2,432/Kg, while in Marketing Channel II the marketing margin is IDR 2,000/Kg, IDR 2,000/Kg and IDR 3,000/Kg with marketing profits of IDR 1,130/Kg, IDR 1,348/Kg and IDR 2,558/Kg. The results of the analysis show that the percentage of price share received by producers (Famer's Share) from the two marketing channels each shows above 50%, which means that both marketing channels are efficient.

Analysis of weakly nonlinear Darcy–Brinkman bio-thermal convection in a porous medium under gravity modulation and internal heating effect

In this study, we consider Newtonian fluid with gyrotactic microorganisms flowing through a porous medium. The effects of gravity field and internal heating are investigated on Darcy–Brinkman bio-thermal convection. The threshold Rayleigh number expression in the form of stationary mode is derived to study the onset of bioconvection. Further, heat transfer is investigated using Nusselt number, which is governed by Ginzburg–Landau equation. The influence of internal Rayleigh number, Vadasz number, modified bioconvective Rayleigh–Darcy number, cell eccentricity, modulation frequency and modulation amplitude on heat transfer is explored by the research and depicted graphically. Also the effect of the above parameters on the threshold Rayleigh number against the wave number is studied graphically. These graphical study is called as marginal stability analysis. Also, a comparative graph is plotted to study modulated and unmodulated effect of gravity on Nusselt number. This highlights the effectiveness of the gravity modulation and internal heating effect in controlling heat transport within the system.

Design Space Exploration and Evaluation Using Margin-Based Trade-Offs

Abstract Design space exploration and margin analysis can inform critical decisions early in engineering design, helping to handle the uncertainties of early design while ensuring design performance. In practice, the complexity of many products makes such decision-making challenging. This paper addresses the challenge with a new design framework that relies on the margin value method to evaluate sets of concepts that are combinatorially generated from an enhanced function-means tree. The basis for concept comparison is the margin value in each design alternative. The margin value method is expanded to address a broad class of design problems by using surrogate models and novel metrics for evaluating different conceptual alternatives. Visualization tools are introduced to support the evaluations. The efficacy of the framework is demonstrated using the design of a structural aero-engine component involving simulation models and uncertain load specifications. Overall, this paper shows how design concepts can be compared objectively and distilled to a set of alternatives that would retain their values throughout product development.

Watermelon Production under Protected Culture in Missouri, USA, to Reach the Local Fourth of July Market

Eating watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) is a traditional part of the Fourth of July holidays in the United States; however, growing watermelon in Missouri, USA for the local Fourth of July market requires an early growing season start (beginning of April) under protected culture because of low temperatures and the risk of freezing. Therefore, ‘Yellow Doll’ watermelon production was investigated under low tunnel (LT) and caterpillar high tunnel [HT (walk-in movable two-row tunnel)], and the economic feasibility was assessed by marginal analysis for both protected cultures. Planting in early April allowed harvest to start 1 to 2 weeks before the target market date. In addition, yield increased under HT in comparison with LT and open field (Op). Marginal analysis under the conditions of this study and prices obtained from local farmers’ markets showed a positive marginal rate of return for HT in comparison with the control Op. The marginal rate of return sensitivity study suggests that differences in marketable yield of 300–400 and 200–250 lb/1200 ft2 are necessary under HT and LT, respectively, for the protected culture to be economically feasible with watermelon prices above $0.75/lb and/or $1.00/lb as obtained in local farmers’ markets. Therefore, it is possible and there is potential to produce watermelon under protected culture for the local Fourth of July market. A gain in market share with potential premium prices for watermelon may increase the sustainability of small and medium-size specialty crop farmers in Missouri. To accomplish this, it is necessary to use early cultivars (70 to 80 days to maturity), plant in early April with transplants grown in greenhouses, and make sure to manage tunnels properly to maintain favorable growing conditions, protect against freezing temperatures and ensuring good pollination.

Hypochlorous acid hygiene solution in patients affected by blepharitis: a prospective randomised study

Background/aimsTo investigate the clinical outcomes and antimicrobial activity of an hypochlorous acid hygiene solution compared with hyaluronic acid wipes for blepharitis treatment in patients with dry eye disease (DED).MethodsThis study...