Association between production and reproduction parameters based on parity and breed of dairy cows in the Czech Republic

Milk production and the efficiency of dairy cow breeding are significantly influenced by reproductive factors. The purpose of our research was to examine the relationships between selected milk production and reproductive parameters. We evaluated 659 dairy cows, including 444 purebreds from the Czech Fleckvieh and Holstein breeds and 215 crossbreds. Our primary objective was to assess the impacts of breed and parity on specific milk production and reproductive parameters. The study revealed significant results regarding the interaction between certain breed groups and parity. In particular, there was a noticeable increase in milk yield with parity. Furthermore, it was also evident that the highest milk yield values were related to the milk content. Breed group H, which represents cows with a more than 50 % Holstein bloodline, had the highest values of the monitored milk content. Our findings show that first-lactation crossbred Czech Fleckvieh cows had a reduced milk yield, decreased fat, and lactose content in milk. However, they had a more favourable calving interval when compared to purebred Czech Fleckvieh and higher-parity Holstein crossbreds. Crossbred H, in comparison to C100 and C50, whether purebred or crossbred with Czech Fleckvieh, showed a relatively higher content of some milk components. The results for service periods and calving intervals were not statistically significant. The findings of this study highlight the promising potential of higher-parity Holstein crossbred cows in terms of milk yield and the advantages of lower-parity ones concerning milk contents.</p

A new approach to estimating the occupation time of the railway infrastructure

The paper describes UIC methodology and a technique used by Slovakian infrastructure managers for estimating railway capacity and proposes a new approach to evaluating the capacity consumption of a track line (occupation time) based on the graphic approach. The new methodology concerns for the assessment of infrastructure occupation time and is a conceptual framework developed by the authors for an easier evaluation of occupation time in the train traffic diagram

Methodik für die Bewertung von Qualitätsstandards in den regionalen Personenverkehr

Quality has a fundamental influence to the services in passenger transport. The main objective of transport is to satisfy customers’ (passengers') requirements on the qualitative, flexible, fast and safe carriage of people and goods. Organisers of transport (public authority), providers of transport services and their customers have a different view on the perception of quality. This fact is influenced by unsystematic assessment to the quality measurement as well as by ignorance of the interaction of the transportation the peoples with the transport system. The paper is focussed on the quality evaluation of performance in regional passenger rail transport in relation to other modes of public transport. Hereby it is necessary to research the perception of quality services as well its value for the client (passenger) as well to on scientific approach. In this point of the technological process of transport, the main bearer of the quality of transport services are the vehicles and the transport infrastructure. Consequently it is needed to set a permanent process of quality evaluation of the provided transport services. The paper is based on the premise that the customer interests present the public ordering body (authority) of the public transportation services.Die Qualität hat einen wesentlichen Einfluss auf die Dienstleistungen im Personenverkehr. Das Hauptziel der ÖPNV ist, die Anforderungen der Kunden an die qualitative, flexible, schnelle und sichere Beförderung zu befriedigen. Die Organisatoren des Verkehrs (die Verkehrsverbunden), Anbieter von Verkehrsdienstleistungen und deren Kunden haben einen anderen Blick auf die Wahrnehmung der Qualität. Diese Tatsache wird durch eine unsystematische Messung der Servicequalität sowie durch der Interaktion des Personenverkehr mit dem Transportsystem beeinflusst. Dieser Beitrag ist an die Schienenpersonenverkehr im Bezug auf andere Arten des öffentlichen Verkehrs gezielt. Hierbei ist es erforderlich, die Wahrnehmung der Qualität der Dienstleistungen als auch seinen Wert für den Kunden auf wissenschaftlichen Ansatz zu erforschen. In diesem Punkt des technologischen Prozess der Transport, die Hauptträger der Qualität der Verkehrsleistungen sind die Fahrzeuge und die Verkehrsinfrastruktur. Folglich ist es notwendig, einen permanenten Prozess der Bewertung der Qualität der angebotenen Verkehrsdienste festlegen. Der Beitrag basiert auf der Prämisse, dass die Interessen der Kunden die öffentliche Organisator der Verkehrssystem repräsentiert

Impact of a Wide Range of Teat Lengths on Udder Healt h and Milking Time in Holstein Cows

The objective of our experiment was to evaluate the impact of teat length on milk yield, actual milking time (AMT), milk conductivity (MC), somatic cell count (SCC) and mastitis incidence during lactation. The effect of teat length was evaluated as the occurrence of non-ideal teats (NIT; shorter than 40 mm or longer than 60 mm) at udder level and as the average length of teats on udder (ALTU). The experiment was conducted on 59 dairy cows of Holstein breed. SAS 9.3 was used for statistical calculation. There were great variances in teat length (22–96 mm) and in the rear/front teat ratio (0.8). Only 33% of the tested cows had optimal length of all teats. No evidence for a negative impact of NIT on udder health was found. ALTU showed a statistically significant effect on AMT and SCC (P < 0.05). Cows in the group of udders with short teats showed the worst results for SCC (P < 0.05) and MC. Udders with short teats showed the fastest AMT (6.78 min; P < 0.05) compared to udders with medium and long teats (7.36 min; P < 0.05 and 7.55 min; P < 0.05, respectively). Our results show that while using an udder friendly milking system, the effect of teat length on udder health could be negligible

Thermal evolution and shale gas potential estimation of the Wealden and Posidonia Shale in NW-Germany and the Netherlands : a 3D basin modelling study

Sedimentary basins in NW-Germany and the Netherlands represent potential targets for shale gas exploration in Europe due to the presence of Cretaceous (Wealden) and Jurassic (Posidonia) marlstones/shales as well as various Carboniferous black shales. In order to assess the regional shale gas prospectivity of this area, a 3D high-resolution petroleum system model has been compiled and used to reconstruct the source-rock maturation based on calibrated burial and thermal histories. Different basal heat flow scenarios and accordingly, different high-resolution scenarios of erosional amount distribution were constructed, incorporating all major uplift events that affected the study area. The model delivers an independent 3D reappraisal of the tectonic and thermal history that controlled the differential geodynamic evolution and provides a high-resolution image of the maturity distribution and evolution throughout the study area and the different basins. Pressure, temperature and TOC-dependent gas storage capacity and gas contents of the Posidonia Shale and Wealden were calculated based on experimentally derived Langmuir sorption parameters and newly compiled source-rock thickness maps indicating shale gas potential of the Lower Saxony Basin, southern Gifhorn Trough and West Netherlands Basin