A Review of Milk Production in Bangladesh with Particular Emphasis on Small-Scale Producers

The purpose of the study is to assess the economics of dairy farming in Bangladesh and the prospects for improving the dairy income for small-scale producers, which currently form the backbone of the dairy industry. The document begins with a general overview of milk production in the country, followed by a detailed study of dairy farming in the in the northern district of Sirajganj. The study applies a method of farm-level economic analysis developed by the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN) which is based on the concept of 'typical farms'. Three farm types were identified as 'typical' in the district and were subjected to detailed analysis: A two cow farm with 0.4 ha of land, a ten cow farm with 1.6 ha of land and a 25 cow farm with 1.8 ha of land. Each farm is described in detail with assets, production costs, profits and other economic information presented both graphically and in the text. Preliminary estimates of the margins in the dairy chain are provided. The study concludes that milk production from bovines in Bangladesh is not competitive internationally and that under a liberal trade regime for dairy products dairy farmers in Bangladesh are unlikely to fully benefit from the vast increase in milk demand predicted to occur over the next ten years unless productivity is significantly improved.Costs of production, Bangladesh, milk, policy, poverty reduction, small scale dairy, typical farms, Livestock Production/Industries,

Microscopic Approach To Irreversible Thermodynamics. I. General Theory

In this paper we show how an extension of the nonequilibrium-statistical- operator method, relying upon the maximum-entropy principle set up by Jaynes [Am. J. Phys. 33, 391 (1965)], may be used to describe the time evolution of an arbitrary many-body system. The Gibbs space of the observables describing the macrostates of the system is extended to include not only the conserved variables, but additional ones whose origin is directly related to the microscopic nature of the system manifested in its Hamiltonian. This allows us to go beyond linear irreversible thermodynamics and enter into the domain of what is now known as extended irreversible thermodynamics (EIT). Transport equations for the extended basic set of macrovariables are derived, showing that the Maxwell-Cattaneo-Vernotte equations of EIT are obtained. The relaxation times and transport coefficients contained therein can be calculated from the microscopic dynamics of the system averaged over an appropriate nonequilibrium coarse-grained probability density. Other outstanding features of the methods are emphasized and related to already-established results for nonequilibrium systems. © 1991 The American Physical Society.43126622663

Control adaptativo del acabado superficial en la de procesos de torneado automatizados

El objetivo principal de este trabajo es el diseño y desarrollo de un sistema de control on-line del acabado superficial en procesos de torneado automatizado CNC. El sistema de control se divide en dos fases principales: en la primera fase, se diseña un sistema de monitorización del acabado superficial basado en el análisis de las fuerzas de corte del proceso de mecanizado; en la segunda fase, se desarrolla un sistema de control adaptativo en lazo cerrado basado en la información obtenida durante la monitorización del proceso de corte. Este sistema permite mantener el acabado superficial dentro de un rango de valores óptimos mediante el ajuste on-line del avance a través de la comunicación con el PLC del torno CNC. El sistema de control desarrollado logra mantener la rugosidad superficial dentro de los valores preestablecidos en la fase de diseño detectando y corrigiendo errores durante la ejecución del mecanizado

Water buffalo production in the Brazilian Amazon Basin: a review

The Brazilian Amazon has witnessed, in the last decades, an increase in the water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) inventory, with interesting productivity results. As the Brazilian Amazon contains the main water buffalo population in the Americas, the aim of this work is to review its most relevant production systems and some peculiarities about meat and milk production in this territory. The opening section describes the Amazon Basin, the most common water buffalo breeds, a brief history of the local livestock farming beginning in 1644. Also, it presents how water buffaloes gradually replaced bovine herds, especially where the latter had a lower productive performance. The use of extensive or more intensified models is pointed out and the ecosystems in which buffaloes are raised are detailed since native or cultivated pastures can be used in floodplains or drylands. Buffalo raising is favored in the Amazon due to the climate, soil, genetic variability of forages, animal adaptability, and physical space. Thus, it is clear that buffaloes have a high potential for meat and milk production and are an alternative in the use of altered areas of the Amazon; and, in the recent past, the low profitability of buffalo farming in traditional production systems in the Amazon was the reason which made this activity economically unattractive. Most recent technologies as outdoor confinements and silvopastoral systems are pointed out as more suitable regarding land-use policies, and buffalo farming for meat and milk production fits perfectly in this context, with productivity and beneficial socioeconomicinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Using EcoYieldSAFE to compare soil carbon dynamics under future climate in two contrasting agroforestry systems

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Prospective dark matter annihilation signals from the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal

The Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal galaxy (Sgr) is investigated as a target for dark matter (DM) annihilation searches utilizing J-factor distributions calculated directly from a high-resolution hydrodynamic simulation of the infall and tidal disruption of Sgr around the Milky Way. In contrast to past studies, the simulation incorporates DM, stellar and gaseous components for both the Milky Way and the Sgr progenitor galaxy. The simulated distributions account for significant tidal disruption affecting the DM density profile. Our estimate of the J-factor value for Sgr, JSgr = 1.48 × 1010 M2☉ kpc−5 (6.46 × 1016 GeV cm−5), is significantly lower than found in prior studies. This value, while formally a lower limit, is likely close to the true J-factor value for Sgr. It implies a DM cross-section incompatibly large in comparison with existing constraints would be required to attribute recently observed gamma-ray emission from Sgr to DM annihilation. We also calculate a J-factor value using a NFW profile fitted to the simulated DM density distribution to facilitate comparison with past studies. This NFW J-factor value supports the conclusion that most past studies have overestimated the dark matter density of Sgr on small scales. This, together with the fact that the Sgr has recently been shown to emit gamma-rays of astrophysical origin, complicate the use of Sgr in indirect DM detection searches

An empirical examination of the relation between attention and motivation in computer-based education: a modeling approach

Attention is considered a pre-requisite to achieve greater motivation in the classroom. However, empirical evidence of this relationship in educational setting is scarce since the measurement of attention requires specialized equipment such as clinical electroencephalograms (EEG) or fMR1. With the advent of portable, consumer-oriented EEG it is now possible to estimate levels of attention and shed light onto this relationship in the context of a computer-based educational setting. To that end, students (N=40) interacted for an average of 9.48 minutes (SD = .0018) with an assessment exercise in a virtual world. Participants' attention levels were monitored via a portable EEG and incorporated into an attention model capable of deciding on strategies to correct low levels of attention. The participants' motivation was assessed using a self-reported motivation questionnaire at pre-test and post-test times. The results indicated that students with higher self-reported motivation and self-reported attention answered significantly more correct answers. However, no direct evidence was found of a relation between EEG readings and self-reported attention or self-reported motivation. This suggests student's own perceptions of motivation and attention influence performance. Future work consists of defining new models of attention considering self-perceived attention and motivation as baseline as well as improving the model of attention combining EEG reading with an indication of the students' gaze

Distributions of dissolved trace metals (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Ag) in the southeastern Atlantic and the Southern Ocean

International audienceComprehensive synoptic datasets (surface water down to 4000 m) of dissolved cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), lead (Pb) and silver (Ag) are presented along a section between 34° S and 57° S in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Southern Ocean to the south off South Africa. The vertical distributions of Cu and Ag display nutrient-like profiles similar to silicic acid, and of Cd similar to phosphate. The distribution of Mn shows a subsurface maximum in the oxygen minimum zone, whereas Pb concentrations are rather invariable with depth. Dry deposition of aerosols is thought to be an important source of Pb to surface waters close to South Africa, and dry deposition and snowfall may have been significant sources of Cu and Mn at the higher latitudes. Furthermore, the advection of water masses enriched in trace metals following contact with continental margins appeared to be an important source of trace elements to the surface, intermediate and deep waters in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Hydrothermal inputs may have formed a source of trace metals to the deep waters over the Bouvet Triple Junction ridge crest, as suggested by relatively enhanced dissolved Mn concentrations. The biological utilization of Cu and Ag was proportional to that of silicic acid across the section, suggesting that diatoms formed an important control over the removal of Cu and Ag from surface waters. However, uptake by dino- and nano-flagellates may have influenced the distribution of Cu and Ag in the surface waters of the subtropical Atlantic domain. Cadmium correlated strongly with phosphate (P), yielding lower Cd / P ratios in the subtropical surface waters where phosphate concentrations were below 0.95 μM. The greater depletion of Cd relative to P observed in the Weddell Gyre compared to the Antarctic Circumpolar Current could be due to increase Cd uptake induced by iron-limiting conditions in these high-nutrient-low-chlorophyll waters. Similarly, an increase of Mn uptake under Fe-depleted conditions may have caused the highest depletion of Mn relative to P in the surface waters of the Weddell Gyre. In addition, a cellular Mn-transport channel of Cd was possibly activated in the Weddell Gyre, which in turn may have yielded depletion of both Mn and Cd in these surface waters

Optical And Physical Properties Of Er3+-yb3+ Co-doped Tellurite Fibers

In this work we present results of physical and optical properties of Er3+-Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glasses and fibers. The Double Clad Tellurite Fibers (DCTFs) are based on glasses with the composition: TeO2-WO3-Nb2O5-Na 2O-Al2O3-Er2O3-Yb 2O3. The DCTFs were fabricated by using the rod-in-tube technique and a Heathway drawing tower. The optical absorption spectra (ranging from 350 to 1750 nm) of these fibers were measured using an Optical Spectrum Analyzer (OSA). The emission spectra, around 1550 nm band, of these fibers (lengths varying from 1 to 60 cm) were obtained by using a 980nm diode laser pump. The optimal Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) spectra were observed for fiber lengths ranging from 2 to 6 cm. The Er 3+/Yb3+ co-doped DCTFs show an efficient up-conversion process in comparison with the Er3+-doped DCTF. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).8120The Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE)Murugan, G.S., Suzuki, T., Ohishi, Y., Raman characteristics and nonlinear optical properties of tellurite and phosphotellurite glasses containing heavy metal oxides with ultrabroad Raman bands (2006) J. of Appl. Phys., 100, p. 023107Nandi, P., Jose, G., Ytterbium-doped P2O5-TeO2 glass for laser applications (2006) IEEE J. of Quat. Electron., 42, pp. 1115-1121Man, S.Q., Pun, E.Y.B., Chung, P.S., Tellurite glasses for 1.3 mm optical amplifiers" (1999) Opt. Comm., 168, pp. 369-373Wang, J.S., Vogel, E.M., Snitzer, E., Tellurite Glass: A New Candidate for Fiber Devices" (1994) Opt. Mat., 3, pp. 187-203Xu, S., Sun, H., Dai, S., Zhang, J., Jiang, Z., Upconversion luminescence of Tm3+/Yb3+-codoped oxyhalide tellurite glasses" (2005) Sol. St. Comm., 133, pp. 89-92Bookey, H.T., Lousteau, J., Jha, A., Gayraud, N., Thomson, R.R., Psaila, N.D., Li, H., Kar, A.K., Multiple rare earth emissions in a multicore tellurite fiber with a single pump wavelength" (2007) Opt. Express, 15, pp. 17554-17561Qin, G., Mori, A., Ohishi, Y., Brillouin lasing in a single-mode tellurite fiber" (2007) Opt. Lett., 32, pp. 2179-2181Zweig, A.D., Frenz, M., Romano, V., Weber, H.P., A comparative study of laser tissue interaction at 2.94 μm and 10.6 μm" (1988) Appl. Phys. B, 47, pp. 259-265Zhang, J., Dai, S., Wang, G., Sun, H., Zhang, L., Hu, L., Fabrication and emission properties of Er3+/Yb3+ codoped tellurite glass fiber for broadband optical amplification (2005) J. of Lum., 115, pp. 45-52Shixun, D., Tiefeng, X., Qiuhua, N., Xiang, S., Xunsi, W., Fabrication and gain performance of Er3+/Yb3+-codoped tellurite glass fiber (2008) J. of Rare Earths, 26, pp. 915-918Jakutis, J., Gomes, L., Amancio, C.T., Kassab, L.R.P., Martinelli, J.R., Wetter, N.U., Increased Er3+ upconversion in tellurite fibers and glasses by co-doping with Yb3+ (2010) Opt. Mat., 33, pp. 107-111Hruby, A., Evaluation of glass-forming tendency by means of DTA (1972) Czech J. Phys B, 22, pp. 1187-119