Analyzing customer behavior and retention strategies in the edible vegetable oil e-commerce industry

The research article explores consumer behaviour on e-commerce platform and proposes strategies to enhance customer retention within the edible vegetable oil industry. The growing adoption of e-commerce presents a crucial opportunity to understand purchasing patterns and consumer preferences compared to traditional retail models. The study is based on data collected from 200 respondents, providing valuable insights into customer behaviour regarding edible oils like soybean oil, palm oil, and sunflower oil, which dominate both the Indian and global markets. The research examines factors influencing customer loyalty, including brand awareness, online promotions, pricing, and product quality. The findings are expected to offer significant insights for companies seeking to optimize operations in the edible oil industry while refining e-commerce strategies. Additionally, the study aims to support the development of long-term customer relationships in a highly competitive market

Adaptive routing in agricultural supply chains: Harnessing Q-learning for optimal decision-making in dynamic environments

In this study, the authors try to emphasize how Q-learning, a model-free reinforcement learning (RL) technique can be used for optimizing routing in a grid-based environment. This study aims to assess the efficacy of Q-learning in enhancing routing for agricultural supply chains, investigate its flexibility in dynamic environments, and compare its performance across several real-world scenarios. In this specific case of the banana chain, an agent is moving through various entities in the system - from local growers to small traders and warehouses. It models the routing problem as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and the goal is to optimize cumulative reward. Several possible cases are simulated, e.g. the finding of an optimal route for a given visit sequence that optimizes charging time and non-drivable paths left over when unexpected blockages occur to avoid energy wear penalties as well as how to best save costs; These results demonstrate the adaptability and durability of Q-learning in dynamic environments to obtain near-optimal solutions across diverse settings. Indeed, the present study adds to a growing body of research on the application of RL in logistics and supply chain management, highlighting its potential to enhance decision-making in complex and variable environments. The findings suggest that Q-learning can effectively balance multiple objectives, such as minimizing distance, reducing costs, and avoiding high-wear areas, making it a valuable tool for optimizing routing in real-world supply chains. Future work will explore broader applications and other RL algorithms in similar contexts

Assessing the carbon footprint of marginal and smallholders farming systems: A typology driven approach

Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with practices such as fertilizer application, soil tillage, and livestock management releasing carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4). To meet the demands of a growing population, it is essential to identify agricultural practices that boost food production while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation. This study aimed to quantify GHG emissions from various farm typologies of marginal and smallholder households in the western regions of Tamil Nadu, India, using the Cool Farm Tool (CFT). Data was collected from 250 households in Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and Erode districts during 2022-2023 and farm typologies were identified through multivariate analysis, revealing four farm types: (i) cereal crop-dominated marginal farms, (ii) livestock-dominated marginal farms, (iii) cash crop-dominated marginal farms, and (iv) plantation crop-dominated small farms. The results show that cash crop and plantation crop dominated farms had the highest emissions, particularly from crop residue burning, fertilizer production and fertilizer application. In contrast, cereal crop-dominated farms recorded lower emissions. Livestock dominated farm type exhibited higher GHG emission from enteric fermentation and manure management due to higher number of livestock. The results of this study highlight the importance of developing farm-specific mitigation strategies to reduce emissions. The study also underscores the value of using tools such as CFT for comprehensive GHG quantification to ensure sustainable agricultural practices

Systematic Review of Potential Health Risks Posed by Pharmaceutical, Occupational and Consumer Exposures to Metallic and Nanoscale Aluminum, Aluminum Oxides, Aluminum Hydroxide and Its Soluble Salts

Aluminum (Al) is a ubiquitous substance encountered both naturally (as the third most abundant element) and intentionally (used in water, foods, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines); it is also present in ambient and occupational airborne particulates. Existing data underscore the importance of Al physical and chemical forms in relation to its uptake, accumulation, and systemic bioavailability. The present review represents a systematic examination of the peer-reviewed literature on the adverse health effects of Al materials published since a previous critical evaluation compiled by Krewski et al. (2007). Challenges encountered in carrying out the present review reflected the experimental use of different physical and chemical Al forms, different routes of administration, and different target organs in relation to the magnitude, frequency, and duration of exposure. Wide variations in diet can result in Al intakes that are often higher than the World Health Organization provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), which is based on studies with Al citrate. Comparing daily dietary Al exposures on the basis of “total Al”assumes that gastrointestinal bioavailability for all dietary Al forms is equivalent to that for Al citrate, an approach that requires validation. Current occupational exposure limits (OELs) for identical Al substances vary as much as 15-fold. The toxicity of different Al forms depends in large measure on their physical behavior and relative solubility in water. The toxicity of soluble Al forms depends upon the delivered dose of Al+ 3 to target tissues. Trivalent Al reacts with water to produce bidentate superoxide coordination spheres [Al(O2)(H2O4)+ 2 and Al(H2O)6 + 3] that after complexation with O2•−, generate Al superoxides [Al(O2•)](H2O5)]+ 2. Semireduced AlO2• radicals deplete mitochondrial Fe and promote generation of H2O2, O2 • − and OH•. Thus, it is the Al+ 3-induced formation of oxygen radicals that accounts for the oxidative damage that leads to intrinsic apoptosis. In contrast, the toxicity of the insoluble Al oxides depends primarily on their behavior as particulates. Aluminum has been held responsible for human morbidity and mortality, but there is no consistent and convincing evidence to associate the Al found in food and drinking water at the doses and chemical forms presently consumed by people living in North America and Western Europe with increased risk for Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD). Neither is there clear evidence to show use of Al-containing underarm antiperspirants or cosmetics increases the risk of AD or breast cancer. Metallic Al, its oxides, and common Al salts have not been shown to be either genotoxic or carcinogenic. Aluminum exposures during neonatal and pediatric parenteral nutrition (PN) can impair bone mineralization and delay neurological development. Adverse effects to vaccines with Al adjuvants have occurred; however, recent controlled trials found that the immunologic response to certain vaccines with Al adjuvants was no greater, and in some cases less than, that after identical vaccination without Al adjuvants. The scientific literature on the adverse health effects of Al is extensive. Health risk assessments for Al must take into account individual co-factors (e.g., age, renal function, diet, gastric pH). Conclusions from the current review point to the need for refinement of the PTWI, reduction of Al contamination in PN solutions, justification for routine addition of Al to vaccines, and harmonization of OELs for Al substances

Chemical modification of 3-HBA-6-hydroxylase by phenylglyoxal: Kinetic acid physicochemical studies on the modified enzyme

The inactivation of 3-HBA-6-hydroxylase isolated from Micrococcus species by phenylglyoxal and protection offered by 3-HBA against inactivation indicate the presence of arginine residue at or near the substrate binding site. The loss of enzyme activity was time and concentration dependent and displayed pseudo-first order kinetics. a 'n' value of 0.9 was obtained thus suggesting the modification of a single arginine residue per active site which led to the loss of enzyme activity. The enzyme activity could be restored by extensive dialysis at neutral pH. Quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence and reduction in the ellipticity value at 280 nm in the near-UV CD spectrum of the enzyme was noticed after its treatment with phenylglyoxal. These observations probably imply distinct perturbations in the environment of adjacent aromatic amino acid residues such as tryptophan as a consequence of arginine modification

Substrate-mediated purification and characterization of a 3-hydroxybenzoic acid-6-hydroxylase from Micrococcus

3-Hydroxybenzoic acid-6-hydroxylase from Micrococcus sp. was purified to homogeneity in a single step using the substrate-mediated interaction of the enzyme with blue-Sepharose. The enzyme was bound to the affinity matrix in the presence of 3-hydroxybenzoic acid and was eluted in its absence. The molecular weight of the purified enzyme is 70,000 with no subunit structure. The flavoenzyme required the exogenous addition of FAD for its complete activity and had a strict preference for NADH over NADPH. The activity of the enzyme was drastically inhibited by Cu2+ and Hg2+ and the inhibition was reversed by thiol reagents

Chemical modification of 3-HBA-6-hydroxylase by phenylglyoxal: Kinetic acid physicochemical studies on the modified enzyme

The inactivation of 3-HBA-6-hydroxylase isolated from Micrococcus species by phenylglyoxal and protection offered by 3-HBA against inactivation indicate the presence of arginine residue at or near the substrate binding site. The loss of enzyme activity was time and concentration dependent and displayed pseudo-first order kinetics. a 'n' value of 0.9 was obtained thus suggesting the modification of a single arginine residue per active site which led to the loss of enzyme activity. The enzyme activity could be restored by extensive dialysis at neutral pH. Quenching of the intrinsic fluorescence and reduction in the ellipticity value at 280 nm in the near-UV CD spectrum of the enzyme was noticed after its treatment with phenylglyoxal. These observations probably imply distinct perturbations in the environment of adjacent aromatic amino acid residues such as tryptophan as a consequence of arginine modification