Finding a Feasible Solution for a Simple LP Problem using Agents

In this paper we will describe a Multi-Agent System which is capable of finding a feasible solution of a specially structured linear programming problem. Emphasis is given to correctness issues and termination detection.multi-agent systems;linear programming

A Review of Indigenous Food Crops in Africa and the Implications for more Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems

Indigenous and traditional foods crops (ITFCs) have multiple uses within society, and most notably have an important role to play in the attempt to diversify the food in order to enhance food and nutrition security. However, research suggests that the benefits and value of indigenous foods within the South African and the African context have not been fully understood and synthesized. Their potential value to the African food system could be enhanced if their benefits were explored more comprehensively. This synthesis presents a literature review relating to underutilized indigenous crop species and foods in Africa. It organizes the findings into four main contributions, nutritional, environmental, economic, and social-cultural, in line with key themes of a sustainable food system framework. It also goes on to unpack the benefits and challenges associated with ITFCs under these themes. A major obstacle is that people are not valuing indigenous foods and the potential benefit that can be derived from using them is thus neglected. Furthermore, knowledge is being lost from one generation to the next, with potentially dire implications for long-term sustainable food security. The results show the need to recognize and enable indigenous foods as a key resource in ensuring healthy food systems in the African continent

Using the Delphi Technique to Identify BPM Capability Areas

Organizations increasingly recognize the need to adopt a process orientation as a means of approaching challenges such as globalization, Enterprise Systems implementations or alternative improvement perspectives. A comprehensive understanding of the operational capacity to support and extend BPM strategies is critical to this endeavour. To this end, organizations require appropriate frameworks, which assist in identifying and evaluating their BPM capabilities. The development of maturity models has long been recognized as a means of assessing capabilities within a given domain. However, due to the idiosyncratic structure of many of the more than 150 available maturity models they can not be translated into tools that are embraced and applied by practitioners. To address this issue, the Delphi technique has been adopted during the development of a maturity model for Business Process Management. This paper presents the design and conduct of the Delphi Study series including the major outcomes being definitions of the six factors critical to BPM (i.e. Strategic Alignment, Governance, Methods, Information Technology, People and Culture) and the identification of capability areas whose measurement is seen to be necessary for assessing the maturity of these factors

New Applications of Hermetic Storage for Grain Storage and Transport

Recent evolution of pesticide-free post harvest hermetic storage for dry commodities as now used in 38 countries is described, and its current application in the storage of grain and other commodities is discussed and illustrated. Results of studies carried out on the protection of seeds, rice, maize, wheat, pulses, cocoa and coffee are presented. Plastic structures suitable for long-term storage systems have been developed and applied. The growing number of types of flexible hermetic containers for various needs, especially in tropical conditions, is documented. Types of hermetic containers include: 1) Portable containers of 60-kg to 2-tonne, called SuperGrainbagsTM which are suitable for seed storage in bulk; 2) Bulk storage for household or farm use and daily withdrawal of grain of   1-tonne called Grainsafe IITM; 3) Flexible enclosures of 5- to 1000-tonne capacity termed storage cubes or CocoonsTM, designed for storage at the farmer-cooperative and small trader level or larger commercial and strategic storage facilities; 4) Hermetic Bunker storage for longterm storage in bulk of 10,000- to 20,000-tonnes; 5) TranSafelinerTM provide quality preservation, insect control, and prevention of condensation during shipment of bagged commodities in containers across intercontinental distances. Recent applications for wheat storage in bunkers in Jordan, and cocoa storage in West Africa, and the growing use of hermetic liners for intercontinental shipments of a variety of commodities, are described. Key performance parameters for safe storage in the face of elevated humidity and temperature in preventing growth of molds and the survival of insects for dry and wet commodities are discussed. Economic analysis is provided for representative applications, including rice, maize and cocoa. Keywords: Hermetic storage, Modified atmospheres, Quality preservation, Storage insect control, Flexible storage structure

Morphologic and functional features of the canine cruciate ligaments

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Creating space for biodiversity by planning swath patterns and field marging using accurate geometry

Potential benefits of field margins or boundary strips include promotion of biodiversity and farm wildlife, maintaining landscape diversity, exploiting pest predators and parasites and enhancing crop pollinator populations. In this paper we propose and demonstrate a method to relocate areas of sub-efficient machine manoeuvring to boundary strips so as to optimise the use of available space. Accordingly, the boundary strips will have variable rather than fixed widths. The method is being tested in co-operation with seven farmers in the Hoeksche Waard within the province of Zuid Holland, The Netherlands. In a preliminary stage of the project, tests were performed to determine the required accuracy of field geometry. The results confirmed that additional data acquisition using accurate measuring devices is required. In response, a local contracting firm equipped a small all-terrain vehicle (quad) with an RTK-GPS receiver and set up a service for field measurement. Protocols were developed for requesting a field measurement and for the measurement procedure itself. Co-ordinate transformation to a metric system and brute force optimization of swath patterns are achieved using an open source geospatial library (osgeo.ogr) and Python scripting. The optimizer basically tests all orientations and relevant intermediate angles of input field boundaries and tries incremental positional shifts until the most efficient swath pattern is found. Inefficient swaths intersecting boundary areas are deleted to create space for field margins. The optimised pattern can be forwarded to an agricultural navigation system. At the time of the conference, the approach will have been tested on several farm fields

The great controversy : the individual's struggle between good and evil in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and in their Jewish and Christian contexts

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs are an early Christian work. The argumentation in this work finds its foundation in the struggle between good and evil. In the Testaments this struggle is applied individually, which is a theme found only in Christian works.Classics and Classical Civilizatio