Laboratory Tests to Optimize the Milking Machine Settings with Air Inlet Teat Cups for Sheep and Goats

Milking machine design and performance are directly related to the milkability of sheep and goats, with the aim of milking quickly, completely and gently. This leads to an increase in the milk yield with improved quality, and the maintenance of healthy udders. The aim of this study was to carry out laboratory tests to determine the optimal level of vacuum, pulsation rate and pulsation ratio of new milking machines in high and low milk lines for sheep and goats. This study was conducted at the Department of Research and Development, Siliconform, Germany. For this purpose, different levels of vacuum (32, 34, 36, 38 and 40 kPa), milk jet (2, 2.5, 3 and 4 mm), milk line (high line and low line) and pulsation ratio (50:50 and 60:40) were used. First minute water flow (1st WF/kg) was used as an indicator for assessing the best combination in the milking machine. In addition, the cyclic vacuum fluctuation was measured in the inner chamber of the teat cup during the 1st WF/kg with the aid of a Vacuscope device. Statistical analysis was conducted using the mixed procedure in SAS. Our results show that the vacuum level, the milk jet and the pulsation ratio had a significant influence (p < 0.05) on the 1st WF/kg in the two milking machines for goats and sheep. In conclusion, the ideal conditions for milking goats with air inlet teat cups in the milking machine are a vacuum level of 36–38 kPa (low line) and 38–40 kPa (high line), a pulsation rate of 90 cycles/min and a pulsation ratio of 60:40, while the ideal conditions in the sheep milking machines are a vacuum level of 35–36 kPa (low line) and 36–38 kPa (high line), a pulsation rate of 120 cycles/min and a pulsation ratio of 60:40 or 50:50.

Advancement, Collaboration and Effective Combat in Low Resource Setting: Public Health Overview After One year of the Corona Virus Pandemic in Bangladesh

Background: Current Coronavirus pandemic causing millions of deaths and unfathomable damage of nations worldwide, especially in health sector. Bangladesh is dealing with the biggest catastrophic public health event of the history in a courageous and effective way. An evidence based narrative review has been undergone to scientifically describe Bangladesh government’s measures to encounter the Corona pandemic, so far. The aim of this study is to document the collaborative action of different ministries of Bangladesh government during this pandemic to understand the in-depth steps of the healthcare provision and disaster preparedness of the public-private-international association in a low-resource setting. Methods: A literature review over five months has been conducted to write down the evidential narration of the activities against the pandemic damage in Bangladesh. Keyword and result based literatures and current media reports searched has been done. Selection criteria: Both online and offline reports, descriptive articles, governmental portal and ministerial websites were reviewed. The description is reported specifically based on the documents directed by government to fight against COVID-19 from the beginning of the pandemic till the writing period. Findings and discussion: In spite of the resource constraints, government of Bangladesh has been able to limit the damage in an optimal level. The inter- and- inter ministerial functional proposition and collaboration in national and international stakeholders initiated and sustained by the government strengthen the shield against the Coronavirus invasion. Conclusion: The sufferings brought by the pandemic knows no bound. The pandemic damage and ruin are unspeakable and undeniable at the same time. It is time to observe the positivity and critically appreciate the efforts taken by the current governmental authority to make a constructive remark for present situation, and be prepare for future building of the nation. JOPSOM 2021; 40(1): 66-71

Maximizing Coverage, Reducing Time: A Usability Evaluation Method for Web-Based Library Systems

Usability of a Web Based Library Systems (WBLS) is a major quality attribute. Checklists have become common and easy method to evaluate the usability of these WBLS; however the available checklists support evaluation of general usability aspects of WBLS only. The domain specific usability aspects are required to maximize the usability for such systems. This research proposes and validates a checklist based usability evaluation method that supports the evaluation of general as well as specific usability aspects of WBLS. The usability evaluation checklist is proposed based on analysis of literature and data of a controlled experiment. The checklist is validated in comparison to the “Academic Library Website Evaluation Checklist” via another controlled experiment. The proposed checklist is applied to the WBLS of universities in Pakistan. The manual and statistical result shows that, the proposed usability evaluation checklist identifies more general and specific usability aspects. It is found that both the checklists are equally efficient while identifying the usability errors. The proposed checklist is beneficial for the academia as well as industry to evaluate the usability of WBLS to an optimal level.

Analysis Control Of Inventory Of Non Subsidy Fertilizer Merchandise With Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Method In CV. Dohar Agro Mandiri

Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is a mathematical model that determines the number of items that must be ordered to meet the projected demand, with minimized inventory costs. The types of costs to run the business cycle are storage costs and ordering costs. The purpose of this research is to analyze "Analysis of Non-Subsidized Fertilizer Inventory Control with Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) Method at CV. Dohar Agro Mandiri. The total inventory obtained using the EOQ method is 11,003 with a purchase frequency of 3 times. Using the EOQ method the company must reorder when the merchandise inventory is 1,015 zak, with the EOQ method the maximum inventory that the company must maintain is 12,018 per day. The total inventory cost of fertilizer merchandise inventory is 24,648. In other words, inventory control using the EOQ method can help companies achieve an optimal level of inventory ordering and ordering frequency.

Pterygoplichthys spp. (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) meal is suitable for the culture of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Cichlidae) juveniles

ABSTRACT: We search for positive utility impact on the invasive species Pterygoplichthys spp. The optimal level of replacement of sardine meal (SM) by Pterygoplichthys spp. meal (PLM) in practical feeds for fry of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was evaluated. We evaluated six experimental diets: 50% PLM-50% SM, 60% PLM-40% SM, 70% PLM-30% SM, 80% PLM-20% SM, 90% PLM-10% SM and 100% PLM-0% SM. In a recirculation system, 270 sex-reversed tilapia fry were used (0.7 ± 0.1 g). Diets were administered in triplicate and the experiment lasted 56 days with sampling every 14 days. There were no statistical differences in growth. At the end of the experiment, the SGR, ADG, CF, WG, DFI, FCR and PER were determined without significant differences (P > 0.05) between treatments, but there was a tendency that could indicated higher WG and PER in the 90% PLM-10% SM treatment (93.56 ± 0.43% and 8.44 ± 1.18 g, respectively). All survival rates were higher than 90% with no significant differences. Additionally, there were no statistical differences in the chemical composition of the whole fish, while apparent digestibility coefficients of protein (81-90%) and lipids (87-93%) also showed no significant differences. We concluded that 100% PLM can replace 100% SM in feeding fry of O. niloticus without affecting their survival, growth or chemical composition or the apparent digestibility of nutrients.

ERP Systems Enhanced with RFID Technology in Furniture Industry

RFID technology is being widely used in most areas that are supported by ERP systems. With the help of RFID tags and readers placed at various locations throughout a furniture company, the presence of various objects in the factory can be monitored in real time. Readers receiving information from RFID tags can transmit it directly into the system and create databases or initiate business processes. The basic resources that can be tracked using RFID are human and machine resources as well as warehoused inventories, spare parts, tools, semi-finished and finished products. The only condition that must be met by the tracked object is that it can be tagged. The furniture industry is continuously growing. With factories expanding to tens of thousands of square metres and employing thousands of workers, knowledge of who or what is where at any given time is very important for optimising plant operations. Being able to gain this knowledge in real time is very useful and saves a lot of resources over the long term. Monitoring of resources in an ERP system using RFID technology is very popular nowadays. The improvement of the implemented solution leads to an ever increasing degree of control. However, it is important to maintain it at an optimal level, because otherwise it may unnecessarily disturb employees in their daily duties or generate more work for them without returning a measurable benefit.

Quantitative Research on Profitability Measures in the Polish Meat and Poultry Industries

Business entities strive for continuous adaptation to changing situations and needs. The decisions of business entities entangled in multifaceted processes of economic, social, and environmental progress must be taken on the basis of reliable knowledge, developed know-how, scrupulous recognition of the initial state, and foresight of the multiple consequences of business actions over a long horizon. In such a situation, the measurement of financial efficiency in terms of the profitability of enterprises in meat and poultry industries is extremely desired and provides valuable information on the necessary modifications to reduce the potential risks of business operation. The Polish meat and poultry industries should take into account current and future market requirements, competition, and consumer response. The dynamic progress of technology is forced to take appropriate steps to improve and modernize products, services, and methods of solving profit losses. The aim of the paper is to calculate and evaluate the statistical relationships between profitability ratios in Polish meat and poultry enterprises divided into four groups: slaughterhouses, meat enterprises (small, medium, and large), poultry meat enterprises, and meat trade enterprises. In the theoretical part of the study, methods of descriptive, comparative, deductive, and synthetic analyses were used. In the practical part of the study, panel data from the entire meat and poultry industries in the period from 2010 to 2019 were used. For the measurement of financial efficiency, methods, such as financial indicator analysis, panel database modeling, and nonparametric ANOVA, were applied. The ANOVA method was used to test only the statistically significant relationships between profitability ratios across all groups of examined enterprises in the meat and poultry industries. To summarize, the optimal level of profitability was achieved by all groups of examined enterprises, except small meat enterprises. The highest financial efficiency in the area of profitability was reached by poultry enterprises. Moreover, financial support for small companies in the meat industry can bring tangible benefits such as maintaining a diversified product range locally and transforming small meat companies into buying centers for the local community. Both are effective solutions, especially in view of the post-pandemic situation.

Comparative analysis of Lysine and Arginine biosynthesis pathway in Deinococcus genomes

The members of the Deinococcaceae family have the ability to survive extreme environmental conditions. Deinococcus species have a complex cell envelope composed of L-ornithine containing peptidoglycan. Anabolism of L-ornithine is intrinsically linked to L-lysine and L-arginine biosynthetic pathways. To understand these two pathways, we analyzed the L-lysine and L-arginine pathways using 23 Deinococcus genomes, including D. indicus. We used BLAST-P based ortholog identification using D. radiodurans genes as the query. We identified some BLAST-P hits that shared the same functional annotation. We analyzed three (class I aminotransferase, acetyl-lysine deacetylase, and acetyl glutamate/acetyl aminoadipate kinase) from L-lysine biosynthesis pathway and three (bifunctional ornithine acetyltransferase or N-acetyl glutamate synthase protein, nitric oxide synthase-like protein, and Acetyl-lysine deacetylase) from L-arginine biosynthesis pathway. Two proteins showed certain structural variations. Specifically, [LysW]-lysine hydrolase protein sequence and structure level changes indicated changes in oligomeric conformation, which could likely be a result of divergent evolution. And, bifunctional ornithine acetyltransferase or N-acetyl glutamate synthase had its active site pocket positions shifted at the structural level and we hypothesize that it may not perform at the optimal level. Thus, we were able to compare and contrast different Deinococcus species indicating some genes occurring because of divergent evolution.

“Goldilocks” gender mix for maximal innovation likelihood at Indian firms

PurposeGender diversity is known to trigger creative and relationship conflicts alike, the former a boon for innovation and the latter a bane. This study aims to explore the possibility of a gender mix that is “just right” for balancing the intensities of varied forms of conflict to boost innovation in firms in India. Specifically, this paper investigated the presence of an optimal level of women as a percentage of the firm’s full-time permanent employees (Percent-Women) that maximized the firm’s likelihood of product innovation (Product–Innovation–Likelihood).Design/methodology/approachLogistic regression analyses of firm-level data of Indian establishments of varied sizes and industries from World Bank Enterprise Surveys 2014 was performed. Instrumental variable addressed the potential endogeneity of Percent-Women.FindingsThe analysis demonstrated an inverted U-shaped relationship between Product–Innovation–Likelihood and Percent-Women. Product–Innovation–Likelihood peaked when Percent-Women lay between 35% and 58%, i.e. when the firm was gender-balanced or close to it.Practical implicationsThe finding of an optimal level of female inclusion presents to firms a defined target of gender mix to be achieved, failing to which they may be limiting their innovation potential. It compels firms to view gender diversity as a business imperative with definite implications for their long-term performance.Social implicationsFor India, the demonstrated relationship between workplace gender diversity and innovation brings additional reason and urgency to public initiatives, such as female literacy, for boosting female economic engagement. Innovation can power the next stage of the Indian growth story by engaging the heretofore insufficiently tapped female worker.Originality/valueBy demonstrating an optimal degree of female inclusion at which innovation potential peaks, the study reconciled opposing theories of diversity-driven conflicts and went beyond the commonly observed simple linear relationship between female inclusion and innovation. Further, the paper focused on India, a major developing economy with a vast female populace and growing innovation ambitions but scarcely researched for gender diversity’s role in innovation.