A REINFORCEMENT LEARNING (RL) MODEL FOR DYNAMIC OPTIMIZATION OF SWITCH PORT/QUEUE BUFFER ALLOCATION

Techniques are described herein for a reinforcement learning (RL) model for dynamic optimization of switch port/queue buffer allocation. According to the described techniques, a trained neural network model can be installed on a switch or on a network management server to dynamically adjust the shared/dedicated buffer allocation for the low/high priority queues in case of a frame loss. The dynamic buffer adjustment continues till the port/queue no longer experience a frame loss

Budgetary Consequences of the 7th NFC Award

The 7th NFC Award of 2009 has generally been recognised as a historic achievement of the present democratically elected government. Not only was consensus achieved after a gap of 12 years among the Federal and Provincial Governments but major strides have also been made in furthering the process of fiscal decentralisation in the country. The Federal Government will be transferring substantially more resources to the provinces by a major enhancement in the collective share of the latter from the divisible pool taxes. In addition, the provinces have agreed to a horizontal sharing formula that includes multiple criteria and promises greater fiscal equalisation in favour of the more backward provinces. Straight transfers have also been rationalised and the Federal Government has agreed to pay in instalments the substantial arrears that had accumulated under different heads

Effects of replacing soybean meal with corn gluten meal on milk production and nitrogen efficiency in Holstein cows

The objective of the current study was to determine the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal with corn gluten meal on lactation performance and nitrogen (N) efficiency in lactating Holstein dairy cows. Nine multiparous lactating cows in mid lactation (109 ± 19 days in milk) received three treatments in a 3 × 3 Latin square design for 21 days. The three treatments consisted of i) Ctrl: low protein diet with 15.2% crude protein (CP); ii) SBM: soybean meal-based diet with 18.4% CP; and iii) CGM: soybean meal partially replaced with corn gluten meal with 18.3% CP. Two pre-planned orthogonal contrasts were used to compare the treatments: i) Prot compared Ctrl and average of SBM and CGM to see the effect of increasing protein supplies; and ii) Rep compared SBM and CGM treatments. Increasing CP supplies did not affect dry matter intake, whereas it significantly increased milk protein and lactose yield by 3.6% and 3.3%, respectively. Increasing CP supplies decreased milk nitrogen efficiency (MNE) by 10.9%. The milk yield, milk component yield, milk composition and feed efficiency were similar in the SBM and CGM treatments. Similarly, no difference was observed on dry matter, N and net energy for lactation (NEL) intakes between SBM and CGM treatments. However, MNE significantly decreased by 4.8% in the CGM treatment compared with SBM. The results indicated that soybean meal could be partially replaced with corn gluten meal without negatively affecting productive performance.Keywords: Dairy cows, feed efficiency, nitrogen utilization, production performance, protein source

Development and charachterization of barley supllemented flavored chapattis

Food scientist are actively involved to improve the quality of wheat through composite flour technology by supplementing wheat flour with other grain flours. Barley grains are outstanding source of total dietary fibers (TDF) and offers remarkable quantity of active ingredients for health elevation and disease prevention. Purposely, the current research work was designed to improve the nutritional potential of wheat chapattis by including barley flour 10%, 20%, 30% along with the addition of functional blend (Methi powder and garlic paste) 2%, 4%, 6% levels respectively. Wheat and barley composite flour were analyzed for its chemical, mineral, antioxidant and total dietary composition. The supplementation of barley flour and functional blend into wheat flour enhanced the mineral. Addition of barley flour and functional blend increased total phenolic in composite flour 0.41 (control) to 0.69 mg GAE.100g-1 and DPPH from 20.95 - 23.82%. Total dietary fiber in composite flour varied form 3.11% (control) to 7.69% (30% barley flour with 6% functional blend). Total dietary fiber in chapattis ranged from 6.04 (control) to 8.21% (30% barley flour with 6% functional blend). 30% supplementation of barley flour and 4% addition of functional blend presented better sensory response of the prepared chapattis. All the outcomes revealed that nutritionally rich chapattis should be incorporated in daily diet to explore the dietary worth of barley

58Ni(n,p)58Co and 58Ni(n,2n)57Ni reactions at the neutron energy of 14.54 MeV with covariance analysis

241-245The 58Ni(n,p)58Co and 58Ni(n,2n)57Ni reactions cross sections have been estimated relative to 197Au(n,2n)196Au monitor reaction at the incident neutron energy of 14.54±0.0024 MeV from the D-T fusion nuclear reaction using Purnima neutron generator carried through methods of activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometry. The uncertainty propagation and correlation for measured cross sections have been estimated using covariance analysis through considering the partial uncertainties in different attributes. The present measured reaction cross sections data have been analyzed by comparing with the literature data, with various libraries of evaluated data, like ENDF/B-VIII.0, JEFF-3.3, JENDL/AD-2017, ROSFOND-2010 and TALYS-1.9 theoretical calculations

Roasted fox nuts (Euryale Ferox L.) contain higher concentration of phenolics, flavonoids, minerals and antioxidants, and exhibit lower Glycemic Index (GI) in human subjects

Fox nut (Euryale ferox) is categorized among superior quality foods because of its highly nutritious profile. It also serves as a good protein source for vegetarian diets. However, it is not widely consumed, due to soggy texture and bland flavor as compared to other nuts. In this study, we used roasting and seasoning to enhance its consumer acceptance. Furthermore, we have also compared biochemical, nutritional and physical properties of the roasted and unroasted fox nuts; and their Glycemic Index (GI) in human subjects. Results showed that roasting significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved the minerals content (from 0.58 to 0.66%), protein content (from 11.40 to 14.57%), total phenolics (from 346.02 to 470.62 mg GAE/100 g), flavonoids (from 4.15 to 4.43 mg CE/g), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (from 48.54 to 79.13% inhibition) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (from 662.46 to 957.14 μmol FeSO4/g). Consumer acceptance was evaluated with and without seasoning; both salt and spice seasoned roasted nuts had greater overall acceptability as compared to plain roasted and unroasted nuts. Fox nuts also reported low GI (37%) in human subjects (ethical approval #1772/01-06-2020). Thus, roasted fox nuts can be consumed as nutrient rich and low GI snack; not only as a component of healthy diet but can also be served to patients with metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes

Utilization of indigenously isolated single strain starter cultures for the production of sourdough bread

Sourdoughs were prepared with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (T0) and indigenously isolated starter cultures i.e Lactobacillus brevis (T1), Lactobacillus fermentum (T2) and Lactobacillus plantarum (T3). Breads were prepared from all sourdoughs samples in triplicate and analyzed for pH, Total Titratable Acidity (TTA), loaf volume, microbial characteristics (total plate count and fungal count) and sensory profile (internal and external) in triplicate. The breads prepared from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (T0) exhibited the highest pH with the lowest TTA while T1 showed the lowest pH with the highest TTA. The T0 breads got the highest values for loaf volume followed by T1. The breads produced with the addition of hetero-fermentative starter cultures (T1 and T2) showed resistance against the growth of the contaminating microorganisms. In the sensory evaluation, the breads produced with T1 ranked the best for color (crust and crumb), taste, aroma, texture and overall acceptability by the panelists.Â

Histomorphological changes in gonads of Clupisoma naziri during spring and summer season

Present study was conducted to analyse the effect of breeding and non-breeding seasons on histomorphological changes in gonads of Clupisoma naziri. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab, Pakistan, 43 mature fish of both sexes were gathered from the Indus River and its tributaries. In the non-breeding season (spring), both testis and ovaries went through a preparatory phase, with thick tunica albuginea and fast spermatogenesis in testes and the formation of cortical alveoli or yolk vesicles in the cortex of the cytoplasm in ovaries. The testicular lobules were loaded with spermatozoa and some spermatogenic cells during breeding season (summer), while the ovaries were filled with mature ovarian follicles. The breeding season is marked by spermatozoa leaking freely from testes and ovaries brimming with completely mature eggs. The gonadosomatic (GSI) results are consistent with the histomorphological results of gonads, as their values peak during breeding season and drop during non-breeding season. C. naziri breeds once a year during the summer season, according to the current study, and this information will aid aqua breeders in the culturing of this commercially significant catfish in Pakistan

Assessing the capability of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in tandem with chemometric analysis for predicting poultry meat spoilage

Background Use of traditional methods for determining meat spoilage is quite laborious and time consuming. Therefore, alternative approaches are needed that can predict the spoilage of meat in a rapid, non-invasive and more elaborative way. In this regard, the spectroscopic techniques have shown their potential for predicting the microbial spoilage of meat-based products. Consequently, the present work was aimed to demonstrate the competence of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to detect spoilage in chicken fillets stored under aerobic refrigerated conditions. Methods This study was conducted under controlled randomized design (CRD). Chicken samples were stored for 8 days at 4 + 0.5 °C and FTIR spectra were collected at regular intervals (after every 2 days) directly from the sample surface using attenuated total reflectance during the study period. Additionally, total plate count (TPC), Entetobacteriaceae count, pH, CTn (Color transmittance number) color analysis, TVBN (total volatile basic nitrogen) contents, and shear force values were also measured through traditional approaches. FTIR spectral data were interpreted through principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square (PLS) regression and compared with results of traditional methods for precise estimation of spoilage. Results Results of TPC (3.04–8.20 CFU/cm2), Entetobacteriaceae counts (2.39–6.33 CFU/cm2), pH (4.65–7.05), color (57.00–142.00 CTn), TVBN values (6.72–33.60 mg/100 g) and shear force values (8.99–39.23) were measured through traditional methods and compared with FTIR spectral data. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied on data obtained through microbial and quality analyses and results revealed significant changes (P < 0.05) in the values of microbial load and quality parameters of chicken fillets during the storage. FTIR spectra were collected and PCA was applied to illuminate the wavenumbers potentially correlated to the spoilage of meat. PLS regression analysis permitted the estimates of microbial spoilage and quality parameters from the spectra with a fit of R2 = 0.66 for TPC, R2 = 0.52 for Entetobacteriaceae numbers and R2 = 0.56 for TVBN analysis of stored broiler meat. Discussion PLS regression was applied for quantitative interpretation of spectra, which allowed estimates of microbial loads on chicken surfaces during the storage period. The results suggest that FTIR spectra retain information regarding the spoilage of poultry meat. Conclusion The present work concluded that FTIR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate analysis can be successfully used for quantitative determination of poultry meat spoilage

A critical analysis of mobility management related issues of wireless sensor networks in cyber physical systems

Mobility management has been a long-standing issue in mobile wireless sensor networks and especially in the context of cyber physical systems; its implications are immense. This paper presents a critical analysis of the current approaches to mobility management by evaluating them against a set of criteria which are essentially inherent characteristics of such systems on which these approaches are expected to provide acceptable performance. We summarize these characteristics by using a quadruple set of metrics. Additionally, using this set we classify the various approaches to mobility management that are discussed in this paper. Finally, the paper concludes by reviewing the main findings and providing suggestions that will be helpful to guide future research efforts in the area