Hasil untuk "Home economics"

Edward J. Taylor

Daniel W. O'Neill, Stefano Vrizzi, Noemi Luna Carmeno et al.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing exponentially and is likely to have profound impacts on human wellbeing, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Here we argue that the "alignment problem" in AI research is also an economic alignment problem, as developing advanced AI inside a growth-based system is likely to increase social, environmental, and existential risks. We show that post-growth research offers concepts and policies that could substantially reduce AI risks, such as by replacing optimisation with satisficing, using the Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries to guide development, and curbing systemic rebound with resource caps. We propose governance and business reforms that treat AI as a commons and prioritise tool-like autonomy-enhancing systems over agentic AI. Finally, we argue that the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) may require a new economics, for which post-growth scholarship provides a strong foundation.

Taisija Gricenko, Alise Zommere, Jorens Kviesis et al.

Berry press residues represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds, particularly anthocyanins and polyphenols, which exhibit strong antioxidant properties. Berry press residues have wide application potential in food systems due to their health benefits as well as colouring capabilities. However, the effects of drying on anthocyanin stability are not fully understood across berry species and drying methods. This study evaluated the effects of conventional hot air and vacuum drying at temperatures ranging from 30 to 90 °C, as well as freeze drying, on the total polyphenolic content (TPC), total anthocyanin content (TAC), antioxidant activity (DPPH assay), and individual anthocyanin profiles in press residues from 10 berry species. Freeze drying preserved the highest levels of both TPC and TAC, while vacuum drying at moderate temperatures (30–60 °C) demonstrated comparable stability and outperformed conventional drying. All thermal methods showed accelerated degradation of anthocyanins above 75 °C, with notable compound losses at 90 °C. Species-specific responses were observed, with chokeberries and honeysuckle berries being particularly susceptible to high-temperature degradation. Chromatographic analysis revealed that rutinoside and glucoside anthocyanins were more thermally stable than sambubioside and diglucoside forms. Strong correlations were found between TPC and antioxidant activity (r = 0.89), whereas the contribution of anthocyanin was more variable (r = 0.66). This study provided a systematic cross-species comparison of 10 berry press residues dried under identical conditions, revealing species-specific degradation thresholds and demonstrating vacuum drying as a method for the substitution of freeze drying. Clear structure-stability relations across 24 individual anthocyanins were demonstrated, offering novel mechanistic insights for optimisation of industrial anthocyanin-rich by-product valorisation. Future research should explore the molecular mechanisms underlying anthocyanin degradation and assess process scalability for industrial applications. Optimising drying protocols may enable sustainable upcycling of berry by-products into high-value functional ingredients.

Begizew Golla, Nigussie Dechassa, Wassu Mohammed et al.

Soil acidity is a major constraint to maize production in western Ethiopia, where maize is used as a major staple crop. This problem severely limits yield, threatening food security and farmers’ livelihoods. To manage soil acidity and enhance maize productivity, this study was initiated to evaluate the effect of combined application of biochar and inorganic fertilizers. A two-year field experiment (2023/24 and 2024/25) was conducted at Bako, western Ethiopia, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD) arranged in a factorial with three replications. Treatments included three rates of biochar (0, 5, and 10 t ha−1), nitrogen (0, 46, and 92 kgha−1), and phosphorus (0, 34.5, and 69 kgha−1 P2O5). Major agronomic parameters were measured to assess treatment effects. The results showed that combined application of biochar and inorganic fertilizers significantly increased maize leaf area index (P > 0.01) and grain yield, and significantly (P > 0.05) increased biomass, grain number, and grain weight. The highest grain yield obtained with 5 or 10 t ha−1 biochar combined with 92 kgha−1 N and 69 kgha−1 P2O5. Economically, 5 t ha−1 biochar with the same N and P rates was optimal for acid-prone soils. This treatment increased grain yield by 24.1 % over recommended inorganic fertilizer alone and improved biomass, grain number per ear, and grain weight by 33.9 %, 23.2 %, and 12.2 %, respectively. The combined application reduced soil acidity, improved soil properties, and enhanced maize productivity. As the study covered only two seasons, long-term experiments are required to verify the persistent effects of biochar.

C. Dustmann, Joseph-Simon Görlach

Many migrations are temporary -- a fact that has often been ignored in the economic literature on migration. Such omission may be serious in that expected migration temporariness can impart a distinct dynamic element to immigrants' economic behavior, generating possible consequences for nonmigrants in both home and host countries. In this paper, we provide a thorough examination of the various aspects of temporary migrations that matter for the analysis of economic phenomena. We demonstrate the extent of temporary migrations in population movements. We show how temporariness can affect the various economic choices and how better data have improved both the measurement of nonpermanent migrations and the analyses of various aspects of migrant behavior. We propose a general theoretical framework for modeling temporary migration decisions, based on which we outline the various motives for temporariness while simultaneously reviewing related literature and available data sources. We discuss the possible consequences of migration temporariness for nonmigrants in both home and host countries. (JEL F22, F24, J11, J61, K37, O15)

Camelia Oprean-Stan

The goal of this study is to propose a new concept, Sustainable Economic Value, to define it logically, and to build a simplified model for its evaluation.

Hamidah Oderinwale, Anna Kazlauskas

Despite data's central role in AI production, it remains the least understood input. As AI labs exhaust public data and turn to proprietary sources, with deals reaching hundreds of millions of dollars, research across computer science, economics, law, and policy has fragmented. We establish data economics as a coherent field through three contributions. First, we characterize data's distinctive properties -- nonrivalry, context dependence, and emergent rivalry through contamination -- and trace historical precedents for market formation in commodities such as oil and grain. Second, we present systematic documentation of AI training data deals from 2020 to 2025, revealing persistent market fragmentation, five distinct pricing mechanisms (from per-unit licensing to commissioning), and that most deals exclude original creators from compensation. Third, we propose a formal hierarchy of exchangeable data units (token, record, dataset, corpus, stream) and argue for data's explicit representation in production functions. Building on these foundations, we outline four open research problems foundational to data economics: measuring context-dependent value, balancing governance with privacy, estimating data's contribution to production, and designing mechanisms for heterogeneous, compositional goods.

Seid Reza Falsafi, Sneh Puniabangar, Monica Trif et al.

Abstract The development of bioformulations based on food protein hydrolysates (FPHs) has gained significant traction in the food and pharmaceutical sectors due to their biophysical and biochemical properties, including health‐promoting effects, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, the oral delivery of FPHs presents notable technical challenges, largely due to their inherent limitations such as (bio)stability, permeability, bioavailability, and molecular size. This review provides a comprehensive overview of FPHs, including their structural characteristics, origins, methods of preparation, and associated health benefits. Additionally, it highlights the challenges related to their oral delivery. Recent advancements in the formulation and delivery of FPHs through biopolymeric controlled release systems—such as micro‐ and nanoparticles, hydrogels, biofunctional films and composites, and electrospun fibers—are discussed. We also explore lipid‐based delivery platforms, including liposomes, chitosomes, emulsions, Pickering emulsions, nanostructured lipid carriers, solid lipid nanoparticles, and surfactant‐based carriers. Furthermore, this article emphasizes the importance of controlled delivery and targeted release of FPHs following oral administration. The challenges in designing effective lipid/biopolymer‐based carriers for FPHs, along with future prospects and opportunities in this growing field, are also thoroughly examined.

Kexia Chen, Lifang Xiao, Bing Xiao et al.

ObjectiveTo investigate the association between Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) and chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression in gastric cancer patients.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study analyzed 562 gastric cancer patients receiving chemotherapy at two Chinese medical centers from January 2022 to December 2024. The exposure variable was PNI, calculated from serum albumin and lymphocyte count. The primary outcome was myelosuppression after the first chemotherapy cycle, defined according to CTCAE 5.0 criteria. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for demographics, health status, tumor characteristics, treatment factors, and laboratory parameters.ResultsMyelosuppression occurred in 75.1% of patients. After full adjustment, each one-unit increase in PNI reduced myelosuppression risk by 13% (OR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.79–0.96, p = 0.004). Patients with PNI ≤ 48 had a significantly higher risk of myelosuppression (OR = 14.50, 95%CI: 4.93–42.65, p < 0.001). Significant effect modification was observed by sex (interaction p < 0.001), with stronger protective effects in males (OR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.60–0.84).ConclusionPNI is an independent predictor of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression in gastric cancer patients, with a threshold of ≤48 identifying high-risk individuals. This readily available biomarker may guide personalized preventive strategies, particularly for male patients.

Kasper A. Hettinga, Chris H. P. van den Akker, Nils Billecke et al.

This Review Article summarizes outcomes from the ILSI Europe expert workshop on plant-based proteins in infant formula, held in November 2024. Experts from academia, clinical nutrition, and food science evaluated the current use and future potential of plant-based protein sources in infant formula, considering nutritional adequacy, allergenicity, sustainability, processing technologies, and regulatory constraints. While soy and hydrolyzed rice proteins are already approved and in use, emerging sources such as pea, lentil, and faba beans show promise but require further validation of their amino acid profiles, digestibility, safety, and suitability for infants. Key research priorities identified include the development of improved protein extraction methods, in vitro digestion and allergy modeling, and targeted clinical studies. This review synthesizes current evidence and expert perspectives to support the development of sustainable, nutritionally adequate plant-based infant formulas.

Xinyi Zhang, Changzheng Shi, Zhaoxin Lu et al.

In the food industry, bacterial cells usually adhere to equipment surfaces, forming biofilms that may cause persistent contamination. This study aimed to identify the key genes responsible for the stronger biofilm-forming capability of the Listeria monocytogenes LMB 33426 strain compared to that of the L. monocytogenes CICC 21662 strain through comparative genomics. Additionally, the expression of genes and related metabolic pathways of LMB 33426 and CICC 21662 strains were analyzed at the transcriptional level by high-throughput sequencing technology to uncover key differentially expressed genes between planktonic and biofilm cells of those two strains. Subsequently, the key genes found to present differences that were uncovered by those genome-wide and transcriptomic analyses were used to construct gene deletion strains. The crystalline violet assay and motility assay showed that GL002291, GL002712 and lmo1438 genes were involved in the regulation of biofilm formation as well as motility. The hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation ability assay results demonstrated an association between the clpB, lmo1438, and lmo0294 genes and bacterial adhesion. However, no significant differences were found regarding this association in the GL002291 and GL002712 genes. This study elucidates some potential regulatory genes associated with biofilm formation in L. monocytogenes, and laying a theoretical foundation for future research.

Christian Vedel

In 1825 a storm cut a new channel through Denmark's Limfjord, providing an exogenous shock to first-nature geography. Difference-in-differences estimates show the channel increased trade immediately and, within a generation, lifted population by 26.7 percent - an elasticity of 1.6 relative to the improved market access. Higher fertility and economic growth of new industries, not migration, drove the expansion. A mirror experiment - the waterway's closure circa 1086-1208 - caused symmetric declines in medieval coin and building finds, bolstering external validity. These results offer the first robust causal evidence that first-nature geomorphology shapes the location of economic activity.

Thiago C. Silva, Paulo V. B. Wilhelm, Diego R. Amancio

This study examines the effects of de-globalization trends on international trade networks and their role in improving forecasts for economic growth. Using section-level trade data from nearly 200 countries from 2010 to 2022, we identify significant shifts in the network topology driven by rising trade policy uncertainty. Our analysis highlights key global players through centrality rankings, with the United States, China, and Germany maintaining consistent dominance. Using a horse race of supervised regressors, we find that network topology descriptors evaluated from section-specific trade networks substantially enhance the quality of a country's GDP growth forecast. We also find that non-linear models, such as Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightGBM, outperform traditional linear models used in the economics literature. Using SHAP values to interpret these non-linear model's predictions, we find that about half of most important features originate from the network descriptors, underscoring their vital role in refining forecasts. Moreover, this study emphasizes the significance of recent economic performance, population growth, and the primary sector's influence in shaping economic growth predictions, offering novel insights into the intricacies of economic growth forecasting.

Anton Korinek

This paper examines the profound challenges that transformative advances in AI towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will pose for economists and economic policymakers. I examine how the Age of AI will revolutionize the basic structure of our economies by diminishing the role of labor, leading to unprecedented productivity gains but raising concerns about job disruption, income distribution, and the value of education and human capital. I explore what roles may remain for labor post-AGI, and which production factors will grow in importance. The paper then identifies eight key challenges for economic policy in the Age of AI: (1) inequality and income distribution, (2) education and skill development, (3) social and political stability, (4) macroeconomic policy, (5) antitrust and market regulation, (6) intellectual property, (7) environmental implications, and (8) global AI governance. It concludes by emphasizing how economists can contribute to a better understanding of these challenges.

Koen Ponse, Aske Plaat, Niki van Stein et al.

Accurate economic simulations often require many experimental runs, particularly when combined with reinforcement learning. Unfortunately, training reinforcement learning agents in multi-agent economic environments can be slow. This paper introduces EconoJax, a fast simulated economy, based on the AI economist. EconoJax, and its training pipeline, are completely written in JAX. This allows EconoJax to scale to large population sizes and perform large experiments, while keeping training times within minutes. Through experiments with populations of 100 agents, we show how real-world economic behavior emerges through training within 15 minutes, in contrast to previous work that required several days. We additionally perform experiments in varying sized action spaces to test if some multi-agent methods produce more diverse behavior compared to others. Here, our findings indicate no notable differences in produced behavior with different methods as is sometimes suggested in earlier works. To aid further research, we open-source EconoJax on Github.

Minjeong Jeong, Jinhyun Kim, Dahye Han et al.

Objectives A campus-based intervention to enhance food literacy (FL) and establish exercise habits among college students was developed and the program’s effectiveness was evaluated. Methods The 13-session program was developed based on the transtheoretical model and social cognitive theory. Junior and senior students majoring in food and nutrition and physical education were asked to participate as mentors, with freshmen and sophomores from varied majors as mentees. The program encompassed food, nutrition, and exercise lessons including cooking sessions. Data were collected via pre- and post-program surveys using a questionnaire consisting of items on FL and nutrition behaviors and physical fitness measurements. Results Among 39 participants (35.9% male, 64.1% female), the overall FL score increased significantly from 64.1 to 70.6 post-program (P = 0.001). Significant increases were observed in the nutrition and safety (P < 0.001), cultural and relational (P = 0.023), and socio-ecological (P = 0.001) domains, as well as knowledge (P = 0.001), self-efficacy (P = 0.013), attitude (P < 0.001), and behavior (P = 0.005) items in three domains of FL. Additionally, meal duration increased significantly (P = 0.007) and sit-up performance among female showed a meaningful change (P = 0.046). Changes in dietary behaviors significantly progressed (P = 0.015) while that in exercise habits approached a marginal significance (P = 0.053) after the intervention. Conclusion The results reveal positive changes in FL and some modifications in eating habits, although the program had limited effects on physical activity and fitness measurements. These findings suggest that strategic approaches to foster exercise behavior changes in college students are required. This pilot program can serve as foundational data for improving and expanding multicomponent health promotion programs for this population.

Marouane Daoui

This article conducts a literature review on the topic of monetary policy in developing countries and focuses on the effectiveness of monetary policy in promoting economic growth and the relationship between monetary policy and economic growth. The literature review finds that the activities of central banks in developing countries are often overlooked by economic models, but recent studies have shown that there are many factors that can affect the effectiveness of monetary policy in these countries. These factors include the profitability of central banks and monetary unions, the independence of central banks in their operations, and lags, rigidities, and disequilibrium analysis. The literature review also finds that studies on the topic have produced mixed results, with some studies finding that monetary policy has a limited or non-existent impact on economic growth and others finding that it plays a crucial role. The article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of research in this field and to identify areas for future study.

Christoph F. Strnadl

Ecosystems enjoy increasing attention due to their flexibility and innovative power. It is well known, however, that this type of network-based economic governance structures occupies a potentially unstable position between the two stable (governance) endpoints, namely the firm (i.e., hierarchical governance) and the (open) market (i.e., coordination through the monetary system). This paper develops a formal (mathematical) theory of the economic value of (generic) ecosystem by extending transaction costs economics using certain elements from service-dominant logic. Within a first-best setting of rational actors, we derive analytical solutions for the hub-and-spoke and generic ecosystem configurations under some uniformity assumptions of ecosystem participants. Additionally, we are able to infer a generic condition for the welfare-maximizing and utility-maximizing price of the hub-and-spoke configuration in the familiar form of Lerner indices and elasticities. Relinquishing a first-best rational actors approach, we additionally derive several general propositions on (i) necessary conditions for the economic feasibility of ecosystem-based transactions, (ii) scaling requirements for ecosystem stability, and (iii) a generic feasibility condition for arbitrary provider-consumer ecosystems. Finally, we present an algebraic definition of business ecosystems and relate it to existing informal definition attempts. Thereby we demonstrate that the property of "being an ecosystem" of a network of transacting actors cannot be decided on structural grounds alone.

Maria Shishanina, Anatoly Sidorov

The article discusses the basic concepts of strategic planning in the Russian Federation, highlights the legal, financial and resource features that act as restrictions in decision making in the field of socio-economic development of municipalities. The analysis concluded that to design an adequate model of socio-economic development of municipalities is a very difficult task, particularly when the traditional approaches are applied. To solve the task, we proposed to use the semantic modeling as well as cognitive maps which are able to point out the set of dependencies that arise between factors having a direct impact on socio-economic development.

Yanyan Wang, Luna Liu, Junming Han et al.

Introduction: Obesity is associated with an increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), whereas not all obese individuals have the same effect. In individuals with obesity, the role of metabolic status in the readmission of IBD remains unclear. Our study aimed to evaluate the association between different obesity metabolic phenotypes and the prognosis of IBD patients. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal cohort study using Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) (2018 sample). Out of 12,928,231 discharge records, 63,748 records with a discharge diagnosis of IBD were identified for analysis. Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: During a 180-day follow-up in IBD patients with different obesity metabolic phenotypes, all-cause readmission rate, inpatient mortality rate, unplanned readmission rate, total charge, hospitalized length of stay were statistically different (all p &lt; 0.001). After multivariate Cox regression analysis, IBD patients with metabolically unhealthy nonobese (MUNO) had higher risk of readmission (all-cause and unplanned) (HR 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00–1.08 and HR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.02–1.10), and those with metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) had higher risk of unplanned readmission (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02–1.15). In subgroup analysis, both the MUNO group and MUO group had higher risk of readmission (all-cause and unplanned) in the ulcerative colitis (UC) subgroup, but only the MUNO group had higher risk of readmission (all-cause and unplanned) (HR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.00–1.10 and HR 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01–1.12) in the Crohn’s disease (CD) subgroup. Conclusion: Metabolic abnormalities were associated with an increased risk of readmission in patients with IBD, regardless of obesity.