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Duck production has the potential to play a major role in agricultural economy. Asian countries alone contribute 84.2% of total duck meat produced in the world. Driven by the demand of processed foods among consumers, the global duck meat market is expected to grow at a steady pace, reaching a value of about $11.23 billion in the coming years. Duck meat has higher muscle fibre content in breast meat compared to chicken, and is considered as red meat. Moreover, due to a higher fat content (13.8%) than chicken and a stronger gamey flavour, duck meat can be less appreciated by the consumer. Development and diversification of ready-to-eat duck meat products is expected to increase consumption levels. Hence, the status of duck meat production, physicochemical properties, processing, including traditional products, and development of novel value-added ready-to-eat products from spent duck meat is discussed in detail to explore its importance as an alternative to chicken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When implementing the kanban method in non-serial production lines, an interesting prioritization problem arises. Often a single server station will be linked with M different downstream stations via M separate kanban loops. Then the K-priority problem may be described as determining which kanban card should be processed next, given that empty cards are waiting in more than one loop. The objective in prioritizing the kanbans is to reduce back order or shortage costs and inventory costs at the downstream stations. Utilizing the theory of Markovian decision process and dynamic programming concepts, a solution to the K-priority problem is developed. This solution is labelled the K- rule, and was found to outperform the first-come-first-served and longest queue rules, plus a cost inclusive heuristic rule, in experimental tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides investigative insights into the impact of routeing flexibility, machine flexibility, and product-mix flexibility on the performance of a manufacturing plant. The study employs simulation modelling as the primary tool. The facility modelled is an automobile engine assembly plant consisting of a FMS (flexible manufacturing systems), job shop, and assembly line. A variety of experiments, with the FMS exhibiting one or more of the above three flexibilities at different levels, were simulated on the model. In each experiment the manufacturing performance as given by flow time and work-in-process inventory was tracked. The experiments focused first on the FMS itself, and then on the entire plant. Measures for the three flexibilities are introduced. The simulation results are analysed in detail. The results indicate significant performance benefits in context of the FMS, but little in context of the overall plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This facility layout of a flexible manufacturing system (FMS) involves the positioning of cells within given boundaries, so as to minimize the total projected travel time between cells. Defining the layout includes specifying the spatial coordinates of each cell, its orientation in either a horizontal or vertical position, and the location of its load/unload point. We refer to this problem as the FMS facility layout problem (FLP). In this paper we present a four-step heuristic methodology for solving the FLP. This heuristic combines variable partitioning and integer programming methods to generate an open field type of layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of physical layer impairments (PLIs) in high-speed optical virtual private network (OVPN) over wavelength-division multiplexing/ dense-wavelength division multiplexing network degrades the connection quality (CQ). The quality can be numerically expressed as the quality factor (Q-Factor) of the connection. The CQ can be further affected by the increasing demand of connections and data speed. It is important to have an efficient OVPN control manager (OVPNCM) to maintain the CQ. OVPNCM can ensure better quality of transmission to the OVPN clients. Traditional routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) algorithms have less regards to the PLIs and cannot provide guaranteed OVPN connection (OVPNC) quality. In order to achieve a guaranteed CQ, we proposed a wavelength assignment (WA) scheme and a hybrid crosstalk model based on linear in-band and nonlinear four-wave mixing crosstalk. The performance of the proposed WA scheme with the hybrid crosstalk model is demonstrated. The results show that the proposed hybrid crosstalk model with WA scheme not only provides a guaranteed OVPNC, but also improves the OVPN performance in terms of blocking probability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Intensive characterization studies of iron ore slime carried out by X-ray diffraction spectroscope (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDS), field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), and quantitative mineralogical evaluation by scanning electron microscope (QEMSCAN) are discussed. In slimes, mineral phases like hematite, goethite, gibbsite, kaolinite, and quartz are present in a complex and intricate way. SEM-EDS and QEMSCAN studies indicate that significant amounts of aluminum are associated with both ochreous and vitreous goethite. Hematite and goethite phases are contaminated with some amount of alumina and silica. The liberation of hematite in the coarser fraction (+500 µm) is only 20.6% compared to 40% in the finer fraction (−500 µm) size. A flow sheet, comprising of hydrocyclone and magnetic separation techniques, has been developed to produce an iron concentrate containing ∼63% Fe with 70.7% weight recovery from a feed sample containing 56.8% Fe, 5.1% SiO2, and 6.4% Al2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

1. The effect of soybean meal substitution by different concentrations of sunflower meal on egg quality traits of white and coloured dwarf dam lines was investigated. 2. A total of 144 dwarf hens (38 weeks of age) from the same hatch were randomly divided into 12 groups of 12 birds (4 dietary treatments × 3 replicates). 3. A 2 × 4 factorial design was used to study the effect of 2 lines (Factor A) and substitution of soybean meal (SBM) with 4 concentrations (0, 10, 15 and 20%) of sunflower meal (SFM) [Factor B] on egg quality traits of dwarf dam line hens. 4. All the diets were designed to be isocaloric (11⋅3 MJ ME/kg) and isonitrogenous (180 g/kg crude protein) The duration of the experiment was 12 weeks. 5. Analysis of variance indicated a highly significant line effect. There were non-significant effects of substitution of soybean meal with different concentrations of sunflower meal on egg quality traits except for Haugh unit. 6. White plumaged dwarf broiler breeder dam line produced significantly fewer, but larger, eggs than coloured dwarf dam line hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effect of moisture content on thermo-physical properties of sugarcane, palmyra palm, and date-palm granular jaggery were investigated. Thermal conductivity and diffusivity were determined by line-heat-source transient heat-transfer methodology, while specific heat was calculated from additional data on bulk density of the samples. Thermal conductivity, diffusivity, specific heat, and bulk density was found to vary from 0.08 to 0.39 W m-1 K-1, 0.10 to 0.13 × 10-6 m2 s-1, 1.19 to 2.97 kJ kg-1 K-1, and 510 to 1310 kg m-3, respectively, for a moisture range of 2.0-14.3 (%d.b.); all at an average temperature of 30°C. All these properties except—thermal diffusivity—followed an increasing trend; with the increase in moisture content, each showed a high correlation coefficients. The variation of thermal diffusivity was found to be insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article deals with the analysis of grain-boundary character distribution (GBCD) and microstructural characteristics after iterative processing of austenitic stainless steel, AISI 316L. The steel was subjected to iterative cold reduction and subsequent annealings. After an initial decrease in the fraction of Σ3 boundaries, the number of these increases in subsequent steps. The results relate the importance of iterative processing and the mechanism of obtaining a higher fraction of Σ3 boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physicochemical as well hydrobiological investigations were made in two large tropical ox-bow lakes at monthly intervals during the period of two annual cycles of which the second one experienced an unusual drought. The monthly mean concentrations of total alkalinity, hardness, chloride, phosphate and nitrate of water were greatly increased during the drought-affected second year compared with the first year. Prolonged summer in the region caused about 5 - 25-fold increases in chlorophyll a concentration of nanoplankton and net plankton, respectively. Phytoplankton peaks were less developed during the first year, whereas the summer peak was greatly enlarged during the drought affected second year. There was about a twofold rise in the numbers of zooplankton during the second year as compared with the first year. Benthic invertebrates, on the other hand, were reduced in numbers. Fish production was relatively less during the drought affected second year than during the first year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limnological studies in two tropical Indian aquatic habitats showed that macroinvertebrate communities have greater diversity than other biotic communities present there. Sediment redox potential is found to be an important factor for alteration of macroinvertebrate communities in aquatic bodies. Anthropogenic activities have influenced the changing of sediment redox potential values of the studied sites and thereby affected the macroinvertebrate communities. A positive correlation has been established between rH and Margelef index in our study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active RC circuit employing a single finite-gain amplifier, one two-port and two one-ports, has been presented here for the realization of a general voltage transfer function without positive real axis zeros. The comparative merit of the scheme with respect to that proposed by Rao (1969) are that the synthesis procedure is simpler and the number of passive circuit elements required is smaller. The coefficient of realization of the synthesized transfer function can always be made equal to unity with the scheme. A few examples are included to illustrate the synthesis procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An active R.C. structure using a fixed gain differential amplifier, two resistors and three one-ports, is presented for the realization of general voltage transfer functions including those having zeros on the positive real axis. The comparative merit of the scheme, with respect to the circuit presented recently by Natarajan (1970), is that, a smaller number of passive circuit elements is required for the synthesis of a general voltage transfer function. A few examples are included to illustrate the synthesis procedures.
In this paper, two active R.C. circuits based on a general structure using a fixed gain differential amplifier, two resistors and three R.C. one-ports for realizing general voltage transfer ratios have been proposed. The procedures for the synthesis of such transfer functions have also been presented with a few illustrative examples. The comparative merit of the circuits with respect to that of Natarajan (1970) is that the number of R.C. one-ports has been reduced from five to three, resulting in a smaller number of passive circuit elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the active resistance-capacitance (RC) realization of a non-minimum phase transfer function with adjustable gain constant. Technique in combining the output of a three-terminal network; Importance of the specified transfer function on the Fialkow-Gerst coefficient condition; Use of dual-inputs for two three-terminal RC networks.

A stable oscillator has been developed with an active frequency-selective circuit using a Wien network, adjusted below the threshold of regeneration, by providing amplitude-limited aperiodic positive feedback through a parallel path. With this method the amplitude of oscillation remains stable and can be controlled continuously while the amplitude distortion remains less than 1% even when the frequency is as low as 01 HZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a class of active RC networks using a summation amplifier or a differential amplifier for realizing all-pass transfer functions of arbitrary order, having simple poles restricted to the negative real axis. Examples are given to realize second-order all-pass transfer functions with RC null network and with the phase-shifting network of a Wien bridge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes an amplitude stabilized very low frequency sinusoidal oscillator generating a frequency as low as 001 Hz. It uses a second-order all-pass network and an operational amplifier interconnected in a feedback loop to form a highly selective amplifier. A secondary loop consisting of a squaring network is used to stabilize the amplitude of oscillation. The oscillator is analyzed and the experimental results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]