680 research outputs found
Economic Performance of U.S. Multinational Agribusinesses: Foreign Direct Investment and Firm Strategy
This paper empirically assesses the sequential relationships among firm strategic factors, FDI activity, and economic performance for a sample of U.S.-based Multinational agribusinesses. The most important findings of this research is a positive direct effect of FDI on performance, the complementary effect between FDI and firm strategic factors (positive and significant interaction terms) on performance, and the positive effect of FDI on performance given some thresholds of firm strategic factors. Specifically, it provides insights about the direct effect of FDI on performance, as well as about the joint effect of firm size and FDI, marketing intensity and FDI, and capital intensity and FDI on performance. These findings provide evidence that FDI activity is an important factor for U.S. agribusiness financial strength.Economic performance, Foreign direct investment, Firm strategic factors, Agribusiness, Agribusiness, International Relations/Trade, Marketing, F230, L250,
Consumer Confidence in the Food System, Media Coverage and Stock Prices of Food Companies: A Regression Analysis
A series of recent and serious food safety incidents have generated a national debate over the significant costs that they impose on various stakeholders - consumers, industry, or the government. This paper examines the impact of media coverage of food safety and defense issues on consumer confidence in food safety, and measures the response of stock prices of food companies to changes in consumer confidence. Results show that, increases in media coverage have a negative impact on consumer confidence, and that decreases in the levels of consumer confidence on food safety have a negative impact on stock prices of food companies, in particular for the larger firms. These findings confirm that the financial performance of food the industry is negatively affected by category-specific food safety events, and the effects of media coverage on consumer confidence in the safety of the food system.Agribusiness, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,
Experimental verification of four wave mixing efficiency characteristics in a few mode fibre
We introduce two techniques to measure the efficiency of inter mode FWM with respect to intra mode FWM. The first technique allows an estimation of the additional FWM penalty for any given system; the second isolates the contribution of each mode. Measurements are compared to an analytical model showing the FWM signal increases by ∼2dB with inter mode phase matching
Efficacy of pre-emergence herbicides in controlling Sumatran fleabane (Conyza sumatrensis) in the off-season
Received: February 1st, 2023 ; Accepted: May 7th, 2023 ; Published: May 19th, 2023 ;
Correspondence: [email protected] herbicides can be effective in controlling Sumatran fleabane
(Conyza sumatrensis [Retz.] E.Walker) at soybean and other crops. The goal was to evaluate the
effectiveness of sulfentrazone/diuron, imazethapyr/flumioxazin, flumioxazin, diclosulam,
s-metolachlor, imazethapyr, clomazone and imazapic/imazapyr in controlling Sumatran fleabane
for application in the off-season before soybean planting. Three experiments were conducted in
the off season, with 9 treatments. The control of Sumatran fleabane was evaluated at 28, 42
and 49 days after application (DAA), at 49 DAA was performed counting of plants per m2
. In
experiment 1, the worst performance was found for s-metolachlor (58.3% final control), in a
situation of lower emergence flow of Sumatran fleabane, with equivalence for the other
herbicides. In experiments 2 and 3, with greater emergence flow of Sumatran fleabane,
clomazone efficacy stood out (≥ 86.3% final control). A micro-encapsulated formulation of
clomazone was used, which causes greater intoxication to this weed due to its slow release into
the soil, and presents less loss to the environment. In conditions of lower emergence of Sumatran
fleabane, sulfentrazone/diuron, imazethapyr/flumioxazin, flumioxazin, diclosulam, imazethapyr,
clomazone and imazapic/imazapyr were effective in controlling it. Even in this condition,
s-metolachlor was not effective in controlling Sumatran fleabane. The application of clomazone
was effective in controlling Sumatran fleabane in the three experiments. Clomazone is
characterized as an important herbicide for use in the off season in the management of this weed
before soybean sowing
Towards a bio-inspired acoustic sensor : Achroia grisella’s ear
Bio-inspiration looks to nature to overcome challenges innovatively. Insects show many examples of efficient approaches to hearing considering the small sizes of their bodies. The nocturnal moth Achroia grisella is capable of directional hearing of wavelengths several times larger than the separation between its tympana. Directionality in this moth seems to be monoaural and dependent exclusively on morphology, so a model is developed to replicate the structure. We start from a simple circular model, progressively incorporating more complex elements to improve the resemblance to the natural system. The goal is to develop a model inspired by Achroia's ear, that behaves similarly to it, and to 3D print devices that agree with the model. Equations, simulations, and 3D printed devices measured through Laser Doppler Vibrometry are compared
Dynamics of tachyonic preheating after hybrid inflation
We study the instability of a scalar field at the end of hybrid inflation,
using both analytical techniques and numerical simulations. We improve previous
studies by taking the inflaton field fully into account, and show that the
range of unstable modes depends sensitively on the velocity of the inflaton
field, and thereby on the Hubble rate, at the end of inflation. If topological
defects are formed, their number density is determined by the shortest unstable
wavelength. Finally, we show that the oscillations of the inflaton field
amplify the inhomogeneities in the energy density, leading to local symmetry
restoration and faster thermalization. We believe this explains why tachyonic
preheating is so effective in transferring energy away from the inflaton zero
mode.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, REVTeX. Minor changes, some references added.
To appear in PR
Spacetime Noncommutativity and Antisymmetric Tensor Dynamics in the Early Universe
This paper investigates the possible cosmological implications of the
presence of an antisymmetric tensor field related to a lack of commutatitivity
of spacetime coordinates at the Planck era. For this purpose, such a field is
promoted to a dynamical variable, inspired by tensor formalism. By working to
quadratic order in the antisymmetric tensor, we study the field equations in a
Bianchi I universe in two models: an antisymmetric tensor plus scalar field
coupled to gravity, or a cosmological constant and a free massless
antisymmetric tensor. In the first scenario, numerical integration shows that,
in the very early universe, the effects of the antisymmetric tensor can prevail
on the scalar field, while at late times the former approaches zero and the
latter drives the isotropization of the universe. In the second model, an
approximate solution is obtained of a nonlinear ordinary differential equation
which shows how the mean Hubble parameter and the difference between
longitudinal and orthogonal Hubble parameter evolve in the early universe.Comment: 25 pages, Revtex file, 4 figures in attachmen
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