Design and development of manually operated gladiolus planter

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (01) ◽  
Author(s):  
TAPAN K. KHURA ◽  
H. L. KUSHWAHA ◽  
SATISH D LANDE ◽  
PKSAHOO . ◽  
INDRA L . KUSHWAHA
Keyword(s):  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Power Source ◽  
Forward Speed ◽  
Cereal Crop ◽  
Maximum Coefficient ◽  
Coefficient Of Uniformity ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Immense Potential

Floriculture is an age-old farming activity in India having immense potential for generating selfemployment and income to farmers. However, the cost of cultivation of flower is high as compared to cereal crop. Level of mechanization for different field operations is one but foremost reason for the higher cost of cultivation. As most of the Indian farmers are marginal and small, a need for manually operated gladiolus planter was felt. The geometric properties of gladiolus corm were determined for designing the seed metering system and seed hopper of the planter. The planter was evaluated in the field when pulled by two persons as a power source and guided by a person. The coefficient of variation and highest deviation from the mean spacing was observed as 12.93% and 2.65cm respectively. The maximum coefficient of uniformity of 90.59% was observed for a nominal corm spacing of 15cm at 0.56 kmh-1 forward speed. An average MISS percentage was observed as 2.65 and 2.25 for nominal corm spacing of 15 and 20 cm. The multiple index was zero for two levels corm spacing and forward speed of operation. The QFI was found in the range of 97.2 and 97.9 percent. The average field capacity of the planter was observed as 0.02 hah-1.The average draft requirement of the planter was found as 821 ± 50.3 N.

scholarly journals LOCOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND ENERGETIC COST OF SIDEWINDING BY THE SNAKE CROTALUS CERASTES

1992 ◽  
Vol 163 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEPHEN M. SECOR ◽  
BRUCE C. JAYNE ◽  
ALBERT F. BENNETT
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Linear Scaling ◽  
Locomotor Performance ◽  
Forward Speed ◽  
Cost Of Transport ◽  
Lateral Undulation ◽  
Crotalus Cerastes ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost

We measured the performance (burst speed and endurance) and the energetic cost of sidewinding locomotion for the viperid snake Crotalus cerastes. The linear scaling regressions relating log mass to log burst speed and log endurance have slopes of 0.29 and 1.01, respectively. Maximal burst speed observed for an individual snake (SVL=41.9cm, SVL is snout-vent length) was3.7kmh−1. Adult snakes were able to match a tread speed of 0.5 km h−1 for times ranging from 33 to more than 180 min, and at 0.7kmh−1 endurance times ranged from 9 to 52 min. Rates of oxygen consumption increased linearly over a range of aerobically sustainable speeds (0.28–0.50kmh−1), with a resulting net cost of transport (NCT) of 0.408mlO2g−1km−1 for eight snakes with a mean mass of 110g. Sidewinding of C.cerastes involves periodic movements with a frequency that increases linearly with mean forward speed. At 0.50 km h−1, the mean (N=8) mass-specific energetic cost per cycle of movement was 0.28 JulO2g−1 cycle−1 for sidewinding. The NCT and the cost per cycle of movement of C. cerastes sidewinding are significantly less than those of similar mass snakes (Coluber constrictor) performing either terrestrial lateral undulation or concertina locomotion. The NCT of C. cerastes sidewinding is also significantly less than that predicted for the terrestrial limbed locomotion of lizards of similar mass. Mean VOO2max of C. cerastes (0.405 ml O2g−1h−1) is only about half that reported for C. constrictor; however, the mean endurance at 0.60 km h−1 (73 min) for sidewinding C. cerastes does not differ significantly from that reported for C. constrictor laterally undulating.

scholarly journals Surveys of the distribution and density of kangaroos in the pastoral zone of South Australia, and their bearing on the feasibility of aerial survey in large and remote areas

1981 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Caughley ◽  
G. C. Grigg
Keyword(s):  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Aerial Survey ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Sampling Intensity ◽  
Southern Half ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost

Kangaroos were censused from the air in 1978, and again in 1979, within the pastoral zone of South Australia, an area of 242,000 km2, three and a half times the size of Tasmania. Logistical problems were minimal despite the remoteness of much of the area, but more than half the time in the air was spent in flying to and between transects. Red kangaroos occurred throughout the zone at the mean density of 4.62 km–2. Western grey kangaroos averaged a density of 1.22 km–2 over the whole area but were restricted to its southern half. Although the area was sampled at the low intensity of 1.3% the estimates were reasonably precise, that for red kangaroos having coefficient of variation of 7% at each survey, that for grey kangaroos, 13%. Estimated numbers did not differ significantly between years. Maps of density and distribution are given for each species. The cost of such a survey is around 6c per km2 for each 1% of sampling intensity.

scholarly journals Sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader-A viable machine to avoid trash burning

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1075-1079 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anil Kumar ◽  
Nadeem Ahmed Malik ◽  
S. Mukesh ◽  
Vijaya Rani ◽  
Nitin Kadwasra
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Field Capacity ◽  
Economic Feasibility ◽  
Forward Speed ◽  
Optimum Performance ◽  
Break Even Point ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Maximum Field

Trash burning is a major problem in sugarcane to overcome this, a sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader was tested at farmer’s field for its performance and economic feasibility. The chopper cum spreader was tested at five levels of moisture content of trash (13.2, 14, 15.15, 16.6, and 18.8% db) and five levels of operationalspeed (2.6, 2.8, 2.9, 3.1, and 3.4 km/h). The performance of the sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader heavily depends on moisture content and speed of operation. The maximum field capacity (0.43ha/h) was obtained at a speed of 3.2 km/h, but maximum shredding efficiency (90.40%) was found at a speed of 2.9 km/h. Maximumuniformity coefficient (0.95) and shredding capacity (4.31 t/h) was obtained at a speed of 2.9 km/h and at a moisture content of 13.13%. Maximum trash lifting efficiency (93.95%) was observed at a speed of 2.76 km/h and at a moisture content of 13.13%. The cost of operation was Rs. 2015/ha with B: C ratio of 1.5. The break-even point ofthe chopper cum spreader was 17.7 ha and payback of the machine was 1.3 years if operated for 250 h/year. The energy consumption of machine was calculated to be 1327.7 MJ ha-1. The optimum performance of sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader was obtained at a moisture content of 13.13% (M5) and forward speed of 2.9 km h-1 (V3). The sugarcane trash chopper cum spreader may be recommended for chopping of sugarcane trash for mulching to avoid burning of trash and conserving natural resources.

scholarly journals Technical note: Inherent benchmark or not? Comparing Nash–Sutcliffe and Kling–Gupta efficiency scores

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 4323-4331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wouter J. M. Knoben ◽  
Jim E. Freer ◽  
Ross A. Woods
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Technical Note ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Model Adequacy ◽  
Robust Model ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Adequacy Assessment

Abstract. A traditional metric used in hydrology to summarize model performance is the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE). Increasingly an alternative metric, the Kling–Gupta efficiency (KGE), is used instead. When NSE is used, NSE = 0 corresponds to using the mean flow as a benchmark predictor. The same reasoning is applied in various studies that use KGE as a metric: negative KGE values are viewed as bad model performance, and only positive values are seen as good model performance. Here we show that using the mean flow as a predictor does not result in KGE = 0, but instead KGE =1-√2≈-0.41. Thus, KGE values greater than −0.41 indicate that a model improves upon the mean flow benchmark – even if the model's KGE value is negative. NSE and KGE values cannot be directly compared, because their relationship is non-unique and depends in part on the coefficient of variation of the observed time series. Therefore, modellers who use the KGE metric should not let their understanding of NSE values guide them in interpreting KGE values and instead develop new understanding based on the constitutive parts of the KGE metric and the explicit use of benchmark values to compare KGE scores against. More generally, a strong case can be made for moving away from ad hoc use of aggregated efficiency metrics and towards a framework based on purpose-dependent evaluation metrics and benchmarks that allows for more robust model adequacy assessment.

scholarly journals Seasonal Influenza and Low Flu Vaccination Coverage as Important Factors Modifying the Costs and Availability of Hospital Services in Poland: A Retrospective Comparative Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5173
Author(s):  
Robert Susło ◽  
Piotr Pobrotyn ◽  
Lidia Brydak ◽  
Łukasz Rypicz ◽  
Urszula Grata-Borkowska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza Season ◽  
Influenza Infection ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Admission Rates ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Retrospective Comparative Study ◽  
The Cost

Introduction: Influenza infection is associated with potential serious complications, increased hospitalization rates, and a higher risk of death. Materials and Methods: A retrospective comparative analysis of selected indicators of hospitalization from the University Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland, was carried out on patients with confirmed influenza infection in comparison to a control group randomly selected from among all other patients hospitalized on the respective wards during the 2018–2019 influenza season. Results: The mean laboratory testing costs for the entire hospital were 3.74-fold higher and the mean imaging test costs were 4.02-fold higher for patients with confirmed influenza than for the control group; the hospital expenses were additionally raised by the cost of antiviral therapy, which is striking when compared against the cost of a single flu vaccine. During the 2018–2019 influenza season, influenza infections among the hospital patients temporarily limited the healthcare service availability in the institution, which resulted in reduced admission rates to the departments related to internal medicine; the mean absence among the hospital staff totaled approximately 7 h per employee, despite 7.3% of the staff having been vaccinated against influenza at the hospital’s expense. Conclusions: There were significant differences in the hospitalization indicators between the patients with confirmed influenza and the control group, which markedly increased the hospital care costs in this multi-specialty university hospital.

The cost of a general stochastic epidemic

1972 ◽  
Vol 9 (02) ◽  
pp. 257-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gani ◽  
D. Jerwood
Keyword(s):  
Recursive Equation ◽  
Stieltjes Transform ◽  
Stochastic Epidemic ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost ◽  
General Stochastic

This paper is concerned with the cost Cis = aWis + bTis (a, b > 0) of a general stochastic epidemic starting with i infectives and s susceptibles; Tis denotes the duration of the epidemic, and Wis the area under the infective curve. The joint Laplace-Stieltjes transform of (Wis, Tis ) is studied, and a recursive equation derived for it. The duration Tis and its mean Nis are considered in some detail, as are also Wis and its mean Mis . Using the results obtained, bounds are found for the mean cost of the epidemic.

scholarly journals Comparison of the costs of HPV testing through community health campaigns versus home-based testing in rural Western Kenya: a microcosting study

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. e033979
Author(s):  
Easter Elizabeth Olwanda ◽  
James G Kahn ◽  
Yujung Choi ◽  
Jessica Yasmine Islam ◽  
Megan Huchko
Keyword(s):  
Community Health ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Health Campaigns ◽  
Capital Goods ◽  
Western Kenya ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Mean Cost

ObjectivesTo estimate the cost of human papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening through community health campaigns (CHCs) and home-based testing.SettingCHCs and home-based testing in six communities in rural Western Kenya.ParticipantsCHCs and home-based screening reached 2297 and 1002 women aged 25–65 years, respectively.Outcome measuresOutcome measures were overall cost per woman screened achieved through the CHCs and home-based testing and the cost per woman for each activity comprising the screening intervention.ResultsThe mean cost per woman screened through CHCs and home-based testing were similar, at $37.7 (range $26.4–$52.0) and $37.1 (range $27.6–$54.0), respectively. For CHCs, personnel represented 49% of overall cost, supplies 25%, services 5% and capital goods 23%. For home-based testing, these were: personnel 73%, supplies 25%, services 1% and capital goods 2%. A greater number of participants was associated with a lower cost per participant.ConclusionsThe mean cost per woman screened is comparable for CHC and home-based testing, with differences in type of input. The CHCs generally reached more eligible women in the six communities, whereas home-based strategies more efficiently reached populations with low screening rates.Trial registration numberNCT02124252.

Optimal stationary strategies in leavable Markov decision processes

1990 ◽  
Vol 27 (01) ◽  
pp. 134-145
Author(s):  
Matthias Fassbender
Keyword(s):  
Transition Probabilities ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Stationary Strategies ◽  
Countable State ◽  
Markov Decision ◽  
Bias Optimality ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Optimal Stationary Strategies ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Reward Criterion

This paper establishes the existence of an optimal stationary strategy in a leavable Markov decision process with countable state space and undiscounted total reward criterion. Besides assumptions of boundedness and continuity, an assumption is imposed on the model which demands the continuity of the mean recurrence times on a subset of the stationary strategies, the so-called ‘good strategies'. For practical applications it is important that this assumption is implied by an assumption about the cost structure and the transition probabilities. In the last part we point out that our results in general cannot be deduced from related works on bias-optimality by Dekker and Hordijk, Wijngaard or Mann.

scholarly journals Addition of Flucytosine to Fluconazole for the Treatment of Cryptococcal Meningitis in Africa: A Multicountry Cost-effectiveness Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinevimbo Shiri ◽  
Angela Loyse ◽  
Lawrence Mwenge ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Shabir Lakhi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cryptococcal Meningitis ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Costing Analysis ◽  
Very High

Abstract Background Mortality from cryptococcal meningitis remains very high in Africa. In the Advancing Cryptococcal Meningitis Treatment for Africa (ACTA) trial, 2 weeks of fluconazole (FLU) plus flucytosine (5FC) was as effective and less costly than 2 weeks of amphotericin-based regimens. However, many African settings treat with FLU monotherapy, and the cost-effectiveness of adding 5FC to FLU is uncertain. Methods The effectiveness and costs of FLU+5FC were taken from ACTA, which included a costing analysis at the Zambian site. The effectiveness of FLU was derived from cohorts of consecutively enrolled patients, managed in respects other than drug therapy, as were participants in ACTA. FLU costs were derived from costs of FLU+5FC in ACTA, by subtracting 5FC drug and monitoring costs. The cost-effectiveness of FLU+5FC vs FLU alone was measured as the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). A probabilistic sensitivity analysis assessed uncertainties and a bivariate deterministic sensitivity analysis examined the impact of varying mortality and 5FC drug costs on the ICER. Results The mean costs per patient were US $847 (95% confidence interval [CI] $776–927) for FLU+5FC, and US $628 (95% CI $557–709) for FLU. The 10-week mortality rate was 35.1% (95% CI 28.9–41.7%) with FLU+5FC and 53.8% (95% CI 43.1–64.1%) with FLU. At the current 5FC price of US $1.30 per 500 mg tablet, the ICER of 5FC+FLU versus FLU alone was US $65 (95% CI $28–208) per life-year saved. Reducing the 5FC cost to between US $0.80 and US $0.40 per 500 mg resulted in an ICER between US $44 and US $28 per life-year saved. Conclusions The addition of 5FC to FLU is cost-effective for cryptococcal meningitis treatment in Africa and, if made available widely, could substantially reduce mortality rates among human immunodeficiency virus–infected persons in Africa.

Effects of the Fractional Laplacian Order on the Nonlocal Elastic Rod Response

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppina Autuori ◽  
Federico Cluni ◽  
Vittorio Gusella ◽  
Patrizia Pucci
Keyword(s):  
Probability Density Function ◽  
Probability Density ◽  
Density Function ◽  
Coefficient Of Variation ◽  
Fractional Laplacian ◽  
Numerical Procedure ◽  
Elastic Rod ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Distributed Forces ◽  
Nonlinear Fashion

In this paper, we yield with a nonlocal elastic rod problem, widely studied in the last decades. The main purpose of the paper is to investigate the effects of the statistic variability of the fractional operator order s on the displacements u of the rod. The rod is supposed to be subjected to external distributed forces, and the displacement field u is obtained by means of numerical procedure. The attention is particularly focused on the parameter s, which influences the response in a nonlinear fashion. The effects of the uncertainty of s on the response at different locations of the rod are investigated by the Monte Carlo simulations. The results obtained highlight the importance of s in the probabilistic feature of the response. In particular, it is found that for a small coefficient of variation of s, the probability density function of the response has a unique well-identifiable mode. On the other hand, for a high coefficient of variation of s, the probability density function of the response decreases monotonically. Finally, the coefficient of variation and, to a small extent, the mean of the response tend to increase as the coefficient of variation of s increases.

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