Perspectives of digital agriculture in diverse types of livestock supply chain systems. Making sense of uses and benefits.

Digital technology is being introduced to global agriculture in a wide variety of forms that are collectively known as digital agriculture. In this paper we provide opportunities and value propositions of how this is occurring in livestock production systems, with a consistent emphasis on technology relating to animal health, animal welfare, and product quality for value creation. This is achieved by organizing individual accounts of digital agriculture in livestock systems according to four broad types-commodity-based; value seeking; subsistence and nature-based.

Development and Analysis of the Novel Hybridization of a Single-Flash Geothermal Power Plant with Biomass Driven sCO-Steam Rankine Combined Cycle.

This study investigates the hybridization scenario of a single-flash geothermal power plant with a biomass-driven sCO-steam Rankine combined cycle, where a solid local biomass source, olive residue, is used as a fuel. The hybrid power plant is modeled using the simulation software EBSILONProfessional. A topping sCO cycle is chosen due to its potential for flexible electricity generation.

Influence of sand depth and pause period on microbial removal in traditional and modified biosand filters.

Three different-sized biosand filters (i.e., the center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology v10 concrete filter, a 5-gal bucket filter, and a 2-gal bucket filter with fine sand depths of 54, 15, and 10 cm, respectively), configured with and without the addition of iron nails to the diffuser basin, were evaluated for removal of bacteria, protozoa, and viruses over pause periods ranging from 1 to 72 hrs.

Upgrading the smallholder dairy value chain: a system dynamics ex-ante impact assessment in Tanzania's Kilosa district.

This paper examines ex-ante impacts of two policy interventions that improve productivity of local-breed cows through artificial insemination (AI) and producers' access to distant markets through a dairy market hub. The majority of cattle in Kilosa district in Tanzania are local low productivity breeds kept by smallholders and agro-pastoralists. Milk production is seasonal, which constrains producers' access to distant urban markets, constrains producers' incomes and restricts profitability in dairy processing.

Using the FishSim Animation Toolchain to Investigate Fish Behavior: A Case Study on Mate-Choice Copying In Sailfin Mollies.

Over the last decade, employing computer animations for animal behavior research has increased due to its ability to non-invasively manipulate the appearance and behavior of visual stimuli, compared to manipulating live animals. Here, we present the FishSim Animation Toolchain, a software framework developed to provide researchers with an easy-to-use method for implementing 3D computer animations in behavioral experiments with fish. The toolchain offers templates to create virtual 3D stimuli of five different fish species.

Effect of Sand Bed Depth and Medium Age on Escherichia coli and Turbidity Removal in Biosand Filters.

The main objective of this study was to build several full-scale biosand filters (BSFs) and assess the long-term (9 month) efficacy for particulate and Escherichia coli removal under simulated real-world usage. Four replicates of three different filter designs were built: the traditional concrete BSF and two scaled-down versions that use a 5 or 2 gal bucket as the casing material. The smaller sand bed depths in the bucket-sized filters did not impact filter performance with respect to (i) turbidity and E.

Pressure broadening of H(2)O absorption lines in the 1.3 microm region measured by continuous wave-cavity ring-down spectroscopy: application in the trace detection of water vapor in N(2), SiH(4), CF(4), and PH(3).

A continuous wave cavity ring-down (cw-CRD) spectrometer has been developed for the measurement of trace levels of water vapor by absorption spectroscopy at wavelengths in the vicinity of 1358 nm and 1392 nm. The speed of data acquisition and selectivity make cavity ringdown spectroscopy potentially more useful than current techniques for measurement of trace water in process gases and vacuum environments used for semiconductor manufacture where water vapor contamination has a detrimental effect on the final product. The pressure broadening coefficients (gamma) for bath gases N(2), air, and Ar and semiconductor process gases SiH(4), PH(3), and CF(4) were determined for a range of absorption lines in the 2nu(1) and nu(1) + nu(3) bands of H(2)O.