Commodity exchange and institutional changes: Case of Iranian agricultural commodity exchange

In this study, an attempt is to figure out the institutional changes that initiate the agricultural commodity exchange (ACE). To assess the affecting factors, new institutional economics approach has been chosen. The framework consisting of four levels of social analysis introduced by Oliver E.Williamson is used to analyze the social environment, institutional rules, institutional arrangements and finally the agency level economics (Neo-classical economics). Regarding this framework, the institutional changes that have initiated the Iranian ACE is analyzed and its constraints to further improvement are discussed. --Agricultural Commodity Exchange,institutional economics,Iran

Effects of Cooking Medium and Batter Formulation on Quality Attributes Of Fried Fish Fillets

Fried breaded fish fillets are consumed for their unique flavor and textural characteristics which are contributed by the preparation and the breading process. However, the cooking process can cause detrimental changes to the highly valued lipid characteristics of the fish lipid. Therefore, this study was carried out with the objectives of evaluating the changes that could be brought upon by the presence of breading materials, preparation process (pre-frying and pre-drying) and the cooking methods on the desired quality attributes of the breaded fish fillets. The effects of resistant starches on the quality attributes of the breaded fillets were also evaluated. The breaded and non-breaded black pomfret (Parastromateus niger) fillets were deep-fried in sunflower oil and palm olein and evaluated for the physico-chemical properties such as fat content, moisture loss, texture and color changes. The frying process significantly (P<0.05) changed the fat and moisture content in the fillets. The presence of breading materials decreased significantly (P<0.05) the moisture loss and the fat uptake. However, the lipid compositions were observed to change significantly. The n-3/n-6 ratios were decreased in all fried samples. The palm olein fried samples had significantly (P<0.05) higher n-3/n-6 ratio than the sunflower oil fried samples. Breaded fillets were also pre-fried prior to frozen storage to evaluate the effect of pre-frying on the lipid profile of the samples. The pre-frying treatments resulted in the decrease of the saturated fatty acids concentration and an increase of the monounsaturated fatty acids for all samples. The polyunsaturated fatty acids content was found to increase in the sunflower oil fried samples and decreased in the palm olein fried ones. The effects of three final cooking methods on the quality attributes of breaded fillets were also determined. Among the three methods, oven cooking had the least changes in the parameters evaluated. The concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the oven cooked samples was about two times higher than the samples cooked by other methods. Oven cooking methods also showed lower thermal oxidation and higher n-3/n-6 ratio than the other two cooking methods. The highest and lowest values of hardness in the final product were observed for those fried and microwaved, respectively. Pre-drying before frying of breaded fillets affected the moisture content, the fat content and the hardness of the final product significantly (P<0.05). A positive correlation (r = 0.90) between the pre-drying time and moisture content, and between pre-drying time and hardness (r = 0.96), and a negative correlation between the pre-drying time and the fat uptake (r = -0.78) were found. The incorporation of the resistant starches in the batter formulation affected all trends of moisture and fat migration in and out of the breading materials. The moisture content increased while the fat content decreased significantly (P<0.05) in all breaded samples containing resistant starches as compared to the control. A significant (P<0.05) increase in hardness and crispiness of the samples containing resistant starches were also observed

Commodity exchange and institutional changes: Case of Iranian agricultural commodity exchange

In this study, an attempt is to figure out the institutional changes that initiate the agricultural commodity exchange (ACE). To assess the affecting factors, new institutional economics approach has been chosen. The framework consisting of four levels of social analysis introduced by Oliver E.Williamson is used to analyze the social environment, institutional rules, institutional arrangements and finally the agency level economics (Neo-classical economics). Regarding this framework, the institutional changes that have initiated the Iranian ACE is analyzed and its constraints to further improvement are discussed

Bonsai in the time of COVID

The study sought to find out to what extent engagement with serious leisure, in this case, bonsai growing, can help people deal with challenging times, such as a global pandemic. In particular, how bonsai enthusiasts use their hobbies to manage uncertainty and stress during the lockdown and how they have shared their lived experiences on this topic via social media. The researcher employed a user-generated contents analysis approach to address the questions and explored a collection of comments from a sample of the most visited bonsai videos posted during the pandemic. The serious leisure perspective has been used as a theoretical framework to conceptualise the data based on the qualities that differentiate serious leisure from casual leisure. The findings showed that engagement in this hobby helps bonsai enthusiasts to develop social connectedness and cope with their stress caused by the pandemic

The passion and pleasure of information sharing in pottery practice

The paper reports selective findings from a broader study about information behaviour in the context of the pottery hobby as a form of serious leisure. Among all the information activities in this context, the paper focuses on the affective and emotional aspects of information sharing. The Serious Leisure Perspective (SLP) is the theoretical framework of the study. The required data were collected via a purposeful and criteria-based sampling method. A sample of user-generated content (UGC) on YouTube was collected to form the dataset. The collected data were analysed through inductive content analysis to identify patterns of embedded concepts and themes in the dataset.Results. Seven categories were identified. These categories summarise the major emotional reactions that viewers expressed and shared in their comments: (1) amazement, (2) excitement, (3) gratitude, (4) joyfulness, (5) admiration, (6) serenity, (7) inspiration. The overall ambience of the videos and commenters’ reactions were positive and joyful. The paper concludes that information sharing on a popular hobby via a publicly available platform, like YouTube, can evoke a range of positive emotions and establish social bonds. These social ties are the building blocks to form communities of interest and communities of practice to produce and share information on the chosen activity.Peer Reviewe

Pectoral girdle bones in eurypterygian fishes

Bones of the pectoral girdle skeleton in representatives of 48 genera in 41 families of eurypterygian fishes were studied. The structure and position of the pectoral girdle is relatively stable in eurypterygians. It consists of the extrascapula, posttemporal, supracleithrum, cleithrum, postcleithrum, scapula, coracoid, actinosts, and fin rays. An ectocoracoid is present in some Gasterosteiformes. Most eurypterygians have a posttemporal with distinct dorsal and ventromedial processes. The dorsal process ligamentously articulates with the epioccipital and the ventromedial process with the intercalary when present, and when absent, with the posteroventral margins of the pterotic and exoccipital. In most taxa, the supracleithrum bears a sensory canal and articulates with the posttemporal anteriorly and with the cleithrum posteriorly. The cleithrum is Y-shaped consisting of the anterodorsal, posterodorsal, and ventral rami. Dorsal and ventral postcleithra are present in some Eurypterygii. The scapula articulates with the cleithrum and bears a foramen which is complete or open anteriorly and bordered by the cleithral ventral ramus. Most taxa have four autogenous actinosts that increase in size gradually from the first to the fourth, but in some, the first actinost is fused. The dorsalmost ray is rudimentary in some taxa