Earliest Finish Research Articles

Effect of Particle Size and Carbide Band on the Flow Behavior of Ferrite-Cementite Steel

A microstructure-based representative volume element (RVE) method is employed for simulating the mechanical properties of the alloy steel 42CrMo4, a typical ferrite–cementite steel with ferrite (α) and spheroid cementite (θ) phases. A series of 2D RVEs with ferrite matrix and globular cementite particles are generated according to various microstructures, among which the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) accumulation at the α–θ interphase is introduced as a coating layer around the cementite particles. Satisfactory agreement between the simulation and experimental flow curves can be obtained when the ratio of GND layer thickness to particle diameter is 0.25. On this basis, the influences of some modeling parameters such as element type and boundary conditions, as well as some microstructure features like particle size and carbide band, on the mechanical properties are investigated. The results show that small particle size can increase the strength of the material. Carbide band leads to the microstructure inhomogeneity and early finish of uniform elongation, which is potential to cause the loss of ductility and premature failure. These adverse effects become more severe when more cementite particles remain in band or the cementite particles gather denser in carbide band.

Adoptability and effectiveness of livestock emission reduction techniques in Australia’s temperate high-rainfall zone

Significant research has been conducted on greenhouse gas emissions mitigation techniques for ruminant livestock farming, however putting these techniques into practice on-farm requires consideration of adoptability by livestock producers. We modelled the adoptability of a range of livestock greenhouse gas abatement techniques using data from farm case studies and industry surveys, then compared the effectiveness of several techniques in reducing emissions intensity and net farm emissions. The influence of the Australian Government Emissions Reduction Fund on adoptability was included by modelling techniques with and without the requirements of an Australian Government Emissions Reduction Fund project. Modelled adoption results were compared with data obtained from surveys of livestock farmers in northern Tasmania, Australia. Maximum adoption levels of the greenhouse gas mitigation techniques ranged from 34% to 95% and the time required to reach 90% of the peak adoption levels ranged from 3.9 to 14.9 years. Techniques with the lowest adoption levels included providing supplements to optimise rumen energy : protein ratio and feeding high-lipid diets. Techniques with the highest adoptability involved improved ewe reproductive efficiency, with more fertile flocks having higher adoption rates. Increasing liveweight gain of young stock so animals reached slaughter liveweight 5–7 weeks earlier (early finishing) and joining maiden ewes at 8 months instead of 18 months had the fastest adoption rates. Techniques which increased net emissions and reduced emissions per liveweight sold (emissions intensity) had higher adoptability due to profit advantages associated with greater meat and wool production, whereas some techniques that reduced both net emissions and emissions intensity had lower adoptability and/or longer delays before peak adoption because of complexity and costs associated with implementation, or lack of extension information. Techniques that included an Australian Government Emissions Reduction Fund project had reduced maximum adoption levels and reduced rate of adoption due to difficulty of implementation and higher cost. Adopting pastures with condensed tannins reduced net emissions, emissions intensity and had high adoption potential, but had a long delay before peak adoption levels were attained, suggesting the technique may be worthy of increased development and extension investment. These results will be of benefit to livestock farmers, policymakers and extension practitioners. Programs designed to mitigate livestock greenhouse gas should consider potential adoption rates by agricultural producers and time of implementation before embarking on new research themes.

Deadline Constrained based Workflow Scheduling for Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is the emerging trend in distributing computing that facilitates software applications, platform, and hardware infrastructures as a service. Cloud service providers offer these services based on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) which defines user's required Quality of Service (QoS) parameters. Workflow scheduling is one of the major problems in cloud systems. A good scheduling algorithm must minimize the completion time and cost of workflow application along with QoS requirements of the user. Deadline constrained workflow scheduling model is proposed in this paper to execute workflows with manageable cost and priority while meeting the deadline constraint. Deadline is defined as the latest time by which all the tasks should be completed. The proposed model uses Earliest Finish (EF) to find the deadline and job schedule assignment algorithm to define the paths which is used to schedule the tasks. The proposed model reduces the execution cost and completes the application workflows within the available deadline. This paper extends our earlier work on Artificial Bee Colony algorithm to schedule workflow jobs within the deadline while optimizing the cost and the completion time. The proposed model has been simulated using CloudSim toolkit, and the experimental results show that the proposed algorithm meets the deadline constraint while minimising exhibits less completion time, and also within manageable cost.

Level Based Task Prioritization Scheduling for Small Workflows in Cloud Environment

Cloud computing is aimed at delivering computing services as a utility. One of the Cloud computing services is Workflow as a Service (WFaaS). Workflow scheduling is a vital area in WFaaS. The objective of this paper is to propose a scheduling algorithm that meets the Quality of Service constraints such as Makespan and Cost. The proposed algorithm Level Based Task Prioritization (LBTP) follows the list scheduling strategy. The LBTP algorithm alters task prioritization phase and the resource selection phase, where three different algorithms like Earliest Finish Time, Parent Resource Allocation and Round Robin are applied. The LBTP algorithm is tested for small workflows. The performance analysis is done by varying the Communication to Computation Ratio and number of tasks. The scheduling metrics, Makespan and Cost of the proposed algorithm are compared with the Customer Facilitated Cost based Scheduling (CFCSC) algorithm. The experimental results show that Earliest Finish Time resource selection procedure outperforms CFCSC algorithm with respect to Makespan for communication intensive graphs. For computation intensive graphs, the parent resource allocation procedure produces better Makespan. With respect to Cost parameter, irrespective of total number of tasks in the Direct Acyclic Graph, all the resource selection procedures have incurred minimum cost. The proposed algorithm helps the Cloud Provider to select the scheduling algorithm in accordance with the Quality of Service parameters. Further, the LBTP algorithm can be tested with Regular Scientific workflows like Montage and Cybershake.

Metric Distance Ranking Technique for Fuzzy Critical Path Analysis

In this paper, fuzzy critical path analysis of a project network is carried out. Metric distance ranking technique is used to order fuzzy numbers during the forward and backward pass computations to obtain the earliest start, earliest finish, latest start and latest finish times of the project’s activities. A numerical example is presented with a detailed step by step solution. The results of the numerical example presented are in agreement with published results in literature using other fuzzy ranking technique.© JASEM Keywords : fuzzy, metric distance, critical path method, total float

Carcass quality and uniformity of heavy pigs fed restrictive diets with progressive reductions in crude protein and indispensable amino acids

This study investigated the effects of four dietary treatments characterized by 0 to 20% progressive reduction of the dietary crude protein (CP) and indispensable amino acid (AA) contents on carcass quality and uniformity of pigs fed restrictively and slaughtered around 165kg body weight (BW). Carcass data from 233 pigs from a feeding study that involved 3 batches of 80 crossbred pigs each were used. Pigs, offspring of 12 boars, were assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (10 pigs per pen, gilts and barrows, and 2 pens per treatment in each batch) with diets formulated to contain 146 to 117 and 133 to 108g/kg of CP and 7.3 to 5.8 and 5.7 to 4.7g/kg of total Lys in early (90 to 130kg BW) and late (130 to 165kg BW) finishing, respectively. After slaughter, the carcasses were processed and the weight of the commercial lean (neck, loin, shoulder, and ham) and fat cuts (backfat, belly, and jowl) was recorded. The coefficient of variation was used to describe uniformity of the most important carcass traits, and the corresponding confidence intervals were computed to make comparisons across dietary treatments. Carcass weight and midline backfat thickness averaged 137kg and 31mm, respectively, and were not affected by diets. Diets did not influence the weight of commercial cuts and their proportion on carcass weight, with the sole exception of loins. Pigs fed diets containing the 2 lowest CP content had a slight lower proportion of loins in the carcass compared with pigs fed the conventional CP diet (P<0.05). Most carcass traits were affected by sex and by sire effects, but interactions between diet and sex or sire was only episodic. Uniformity of carcass weight, backfat thickness, and weight of loins and dressed hams was not influenced by the dietary treatments. In conclusion, the content of CP, Lys, and other indispensable AA of conventional diets for finishing heavy pigs may be reduced by 20% without impairing the weight of carcass and primal cuts and the yields of dressed hams. This feeding strategy will contribute to the heavy pig industry by reducing feed costs (i.e., decreasing the dietary provision of soybean meal and crystalline AA) and minimizing the nitrogen excretion, without affecting carcass quality.

Herd-of-origin effect on the post-weaning performance of centrally tested Nellore beef cattle.

The objective of a performance test station is to evaluate the performance of potential breeding bulls earlier in order to decrease the generation interval and increase genetic gain as well. This study evaluates the herd-of-origin influence on end-of-test weight (ETW), average daily weight gain during testing (ADG), average daily weight gain during the adjustment period (ADGadj), rib eye area (REA), marbling (MARB), subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT), conformation (C), early finishing (EF), muscling (M), navel (N) and temperament (T) scores, and scrotal circumference (SC) of Nellore cattle that underwent a performance test. We evaluated 664 animals that participated in the performance tests conducted at the Center for Performance CRV Lagoa between 2007 and 2012. Components of variance for each trait were estimated by an animal model (model 1), using the restricted maximum likelihood method. An alternative animal model (model 2) included, in addition to the fixed effects present in S1, the non-correlated random effect of herd-year (HY). A significant HY effect was observed on ETW, REA, SFT, ADGadj, C, and Cw (p < 0.05). The estimated heritability of all traits decreased when the HY effect was included in the model; also, the bull rank, in deciles, changed significantly for traits ETW, REA, SFT, and C. The adjustment period did not completely remove the environmental effect of herd of origin on ETW, REA, SFT, and C. It is recommended that the herd-of-origin effect should be included in the statistical models used to predict the breeding values of the participants of these performance tests.

Keeping Early Finishers Engaged During In-Class Groups

Many professors use in-class group work to engage students. A frequently occurring problem with this approach is that some groups finish the assigned task before others do. This puts the professor in the position of having to manage the early completing groups while waiting for the rest of the class to finish. This Quick Fix article shares two approaches that can be used to address this situation—Question Cubes and Discussion Extender Cards.

In-Feed Use of Heavy Metal Micronutrients in U.S. Swine Production Systems and Its Role in Persistence of Multidrug-Resistant Salmonellae

The study aimed to characterize the role of heavy metal micronutrients in swine feed in emergence of heavy-metal-tolerant and multidrug-resistant Salmonella organisms. We conducted a longitudinal study in 36 swine barns over a 2-year period. The feed and fecal levels of Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) were measured. Salmonella was isolated at early and late finishing. MICs of copper sulfate and zinc chloride were measured using agar dilution. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested using the Kirby-Bauer method, and 283 isolates were serotyped. We amplified pcoA and czcD genes that encode Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) tolerance, respectively. Of the 283 isolates, 113 (48%) showed Cu(2+) tolerance at 24 mM and 164 (58%) showed Zn(2+) tolerance at 8 mM. In multivariate analysis, serotype and source of isolates were significantly associated with Cu(2+) tolerance (P < 0.001). Fecal isolates were more likely to be Cu(2+) tolerant than those of feed origin (odds ratio [OR], 27.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8 to 250; P = 0.0042) or environmental origin (OR, 5.8), implying the significance of gastrointestinal selective pressure. Salmonella enterica serotypes Typhimurium and Heidelberg, highly significant for public health, had higher odds of having >20 mM MICs of Cu(2+) than did "other" serotypes. More than 60% of Salmonella isolates with resistance type (R-type) AmStTeKm (32 of 53) carried pcoA; only 5% with R-type AmClStSuTe carried this gene. czcD gene carriage was significantly associated with a higher Zn(2+) MIC (P < 0.05). The odds of having a high Zn(2+) MIC (≥8 mM) were 14.66 times higher in isolates with R-type AmClStSuTe than in those with R-type AmStTeKm (P < 0.05). The findings demonstrate strong association between heavy metal tolerance and antimicrobial resistance, particularly among Salmonella serotypes important in public health.

Growth performance of heavy pigs fed restrictively diets with decreasing crude protein and indispensable amino acids content

This study aimed to investigate the effect of decreasing dietary crude protein (CP) and indispensable amino acid (AA) content, relative to conventional diets, on growth performance of heavy pigs for dry cured ham production. Four dietary treatments (conventional: CONV, medium-high protein, medium-low protein, and low protein: LP) were formulated by replacing soybean meal with wheat grain to contain 146 to 117 and 133 to 108g CP/kg in early (90 to 130kg BW) and late finishing (130 to 165kg BW) periods, respectively. Within period, diets contained the same amounts of indispensable AA per unit of CP, and the standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys content was 42.2 and 35.5g/kg of CP in early and late finishing periods, respectively. A total of 240 crossbred pigs, grouped in 3 batches of 80 pigs each, were assigned to one of 4 dietary treatments according to BW and sex (10 pigs per pen, gilts and barrows, and 2 pens per treatment in each batch). Pigs were fed restrictively using a single-space electronic feeder, and feed allowance increased from 2.4 at the start (92±10kg BW) to 3.2kg/d at the end of the trial (167±10kg BW), irrespective of sex. Initial and final BW and backfat depth (P2) measures were used to estimate body composition, and lipid and protein retention (Lr and Pr, respectively). These estimates, along with feed intake data, were used to study the partitioning of ME and SID Lys among body functions. Nitrogen excretion (NEx) was estimated as actual N intake – N retention, and N retention was computed as Pr/6.25. Final BW, average daily gain and final P2 backfat averaged 167kg, 0.665kg/d, and 18mm, respectively. Diet had no effect on these traits, as well as on gain to feed ratio (0.253), Lr (265g/d), Pr (95g/d), and the ME available for maintenance (0.845MJ/kg BW0.60). From CONV to LP the SID Lys intake decreased from 137 to 122g/kg Pr, and NEx decreased by 22%. In this production system, a reduction of dietary CP and indispensable AA content is advisable, as no negative impact on growth performance was observed compared to CONV. A reduced inclusion of soybean meal with a minimal supplementation of AA reduces feed costs and NEx. This would increase the number of pigs raised per unit of land where a maximum N load/ha is constrained by law.

Effects of copper sources (copper sulfate and Mintrex Cu) on growth performance, carcass characteristics, barn cleaning, and economics in finishing pigs (2014)

A total of 1,196 mixed-sex pigs (PIC 337 × 1050, initially 56.7 lb) were used in a 111-d study. Pens of pigs were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments in a randomized incomplete block design, with 26 pigs per pen (similar number of barrows and gilts) and 7 to 8 pens per treatment. All diets contained 17 ppm copper from copper sulfate (CuSO4) in the premix and were formulated on a standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine basis at 0.05% below the estimated requirement of the average pig weight during each feeding phase. Treatments included a control diet with no added Cu, diets with either 50 ppm of added Cu from CuSO4 or Mintrex Cu (Novus International, Inc., St. Charles, MO), or 125 ppm of added Cu from CuSO4. The diet containing 50 ppm of Cu from Mintrex Cu and the diet with 125 ppm of Cu from CuSO4 were fed for either the first half of the finishing period (d 0 to 42), at which time they were switched to the control diet, or for the entire duration of the finishing period (d 0 to 111). Overall (d 0 to 111), ADG did not differ among treatments; however, pigs fed either 50 or 125 ppm of Cu from CuSO4 throughout the study had greater ADFI (P < 0.05) than pigs fed either the control or diet with 50 ppm of added Cu from Mintrex Cu fed only in early finishing. As a result, F/G was poorer (P < 0.05) for pigs fed either 50 or 125 ppm of added Cu from CuSO4 fed continuously compared with those fed 50 ppm of Cu from Mintrex Cu only in early finishing. Manure texture, and more importantly, pen wash time, did not differ among treatments, but manure buildup was 1.44 times more likely (P < 0.05) to occur in pens where pigs were fed 125 ppm of added Cu from CuSO4 for the first 42 d of the finishing period compared with those fed no added Cu. For carcass characteristics, pigs fed 50 ppm of Cu from Mintrex Cu in early finishing had reduced backfat (P < 0.05) compared with pigs fed the control or 50 ppm of added Cu from CuSO4 or Mintrex Cu throughout the study. For economics, pigs fed 50 ppm of Cu from CuSO4 throughout the study had a higher (P < 0.05) total feed cost than the

Effects of hard red winter wheat particle size in meal diets on finishing pig growth performance, diet digestibility, and caloric efficiency (2014)

A total of 288 pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 96.4 lb) were used in an 83-d study to determine the effects of hard red winter wheat particle size on finishing pig growth performance, diet digestibility, and caloric efficiency. Pens of pigs were balanced by initial BW and randomly allotted to 1 of 3 treatments with 8 pigs per pen and 12 pens per treatment. The same wheat-soybean meal–based diets were used for all treatments. Diets were fed in three phases in meal form. The 3 dietary treatments were hard red winter wheat ground with a hammer mill to 730, 580, or 330 μ. From d 0 to 40, decreasing wheat particle size decreased (linear; P < 0.05) ADFI but improved (quadratic; P < 0.05) F/G and caloric efficiency (CE), with no change in ADG. From d 40 to 83, decreasing wheat particle size increased (quadratic; P < 0.05) ADG and improved (linear; P < 0.05) F/G and CE, with no change in ADFI. Overall from d 0 to 83, decreasing wheat particle size improved (linear; P < 0.05) F/G and CE on both an ME and NE basis, with no difference in ADG or ADFI. Finally, reducing wheat particle size improved (linear; P < 0.05) DM and GE digestibility. In summary, fine-grinding hard red winter wheat was detrimental to feed intake in early finishing, but improved ADG in late finishing and improved F/G in both periods and overall. Dry matter and GE digestibility as well as CE were all improved for the overall period with fine-grinding wheat. Grinding wheat from 730 to 330 improved the caloric content on an NE basis by 100 kcal/lb.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 20, 2014

Effects of sires with different weight gain potentials and varying planes of nutrition on growth of growing-finishing pigs.

The present study was performed to investigate the effects of two groups of sires with ‘medium’ and ‘high’ weight gain potentials (M-sires and H-sires, respectively) on growth of their progenies on varying planes of nutrition during the growing-finishing period. The ADG of the M-sires’ progeny was greater (P < 0.05) than that of the H-sires’ progeny (0.51 vs. 0.47 kg) during a 26- to 29-d early grower phase beginning from 55 d of age, but the opposite was true (0.66 vs. 0.72 kg) during the latter grower phase. Overall grower-phase ADG was greatest on the high plane of nutrition (H plane) followed by the medium (M) and low (L) planes (0.65, 0.61, and 0.51 kg, respectively; P < 0.05) in the M-sires’ progeny, whereas in the H-sires’ progeny, ADG was greater on the H and M planes vs. L plane (0.63, 0.62, and 0.54 kg, respectively). The ADG of pigs on the M or H plane during the grower phase and switched to the H plane thereafter (M-to-H or H-to-H planes) was greater than that of pigs on the L-to-L planes (0.99 vs. 0.78 kg) during the early finisher phase in the M-sires’ progeny (P < 0.01). However, in the H-sires’ progeny, ADG of pigs on the L-to-L planes did not differ from that of pigs on the M-to-M or H-to-M planes (0.94 vs. 0.96 kg). Results suggest that the H-to-H or H-to-M planes and M-to-M or M-to-L planes are optimal for maximal growth of the M- and H-sires’ progenies, respectively.

An Object-Oriented Program for Critical Path Analysis of Project Networks

In this study, program has been developed in Visual Basic.Net platform for critical path analysis of projects. The critical path forward pass as well as the backward pass has been programmed for any complexity of project network. The program is able to output the earliest start, earliest finish, latest start, latest finish, total float, free float and the independent float of the activities in a project network. The program has been tested on a case study has been found to be very accurate. The results demonstrate that using the computer program will be of invaluable help to students and practitioners in the delivery of Critical Path Analysis.Keywords: Object oriented, critical path method, float, project

EF-based strategies for productivity improvements at wet-etch stations

In complex manufacturing environments, Cycle Time (CT) reductions obtained at critical production steps could generate considerable productivity improvements and lead to capacity increases at no investment costs. A wet-etch station operating in a real semiconductor manufacturing plant has been modelled to investigate the impact of different assignment strategies on CT performance. Assignment strategies based on the “Earliest Finish” (EF) concept have been developed and their productivity efficiency compared with a workload balance-based strategy. The EF-based strategies differ from each other for both computational complexity and amount of real-time information required. Encouraging results obtained for a high detail level EF strategy have inspired the development of conceptually similar strategies characterised by reduced implementation efforts. Fundamental implementation constraints, suggested by the manufacturing engineers familiar with the wet-etch station, have been taken into account throughout the different stages of this study. CT reductions ranging between 11% and 28% could be achieved at the modelled wet-etch station.

Improving Theatre Efficiency in Hand Surgery Lists

The department of health's 2010 spending review dictated that the NHS should deliver efficiency savings of £15–£20 billion between 2011 and 2014. The resulting cuts in hospital budgets have led to renewed efforts to improve efficiency and maximise the use of resources in the public health sector. Operating theatres are a very expensive commodity and evidence suggests that, on average, only 50% of time spent in theatre is actually spent operating. Approximately 20% of the time is spent on patient turnover, with other time being lost to a number of factors including late starts, early finishes, poor list-planning, cancelled sessions or cancellations due to a lack of beds.

Efeitos ambientais e genéticos sobre escores visuais e ganho em peso ao sobreano de bovinos Brangus

This research aimed at studying the effects of age of the cow at calving (IVP), age of the animal at yearling (IDS), the direct additive genetic (AD) and maternal (AM) effects and individual heterozygosity (HI) on visual scores of conformation (CS), early finishing (PS) and muscling (MS) at postweaning and average daily gain from weaning to yearling (GDS) of cattle used to originate the Brangus breed. There were analyzed records on 24 531, 21 166, 24 006 and 25 419 for CS, PS, MS and GDS, respectively, of animals born from 1986 to 2002 belonging to livestock files of Gensys Consultores Associados S/C Ltda. The analyses were performed by the least square method using mathematical models that included contemporary group as class variable and IVP, IDS, AD, AM and HI as covariates. IVP showed linear and quadratic effects (p<0.01) on GDS and linear (p<0.01) on PS, while the quadratic effect of IDS was not significant for PS and GDS. AD and AM were significant (p<0.01) only for PS and MS scores, respectively. All the traits were significantly (p<0.01) influenced by HI. The environmental and genetic effects were important sources of variation for the studied traits and should be taken into account when comparison of animals and selection were performed.

Effects of forage species or concentrate finishing on animal performance, carcass and meat quality1,2

Angus-cross steers (n = 128; initial BW = 270 ± 3.8 kg) were used in a 3-yr study to assess effects of forage species grazed before slaughter versus concentrate finishing on carcass and meat quality. At the completion of the stockering phase, steers were randomly allotted to mixed pasture (MP; n = 36/yr) or corn-silage concentrate (CON; n = 12/yr) finishing treatments. At 40 d before harvest, MP steers were randomly divided into 3 forage species treatments: alfalfa (AL), pearl millet (PM), or mixed pasture (MP). Average daily BW gain was greater (P = 0.001) for CON than for forage-finished (FOR) steers during the early and overall finishing phase. During the late finishing phase when FOR steers were grazing difference forage species, ADG was greater (P = 0.03) for PM than MP or AL. Harvest weight and HCW were greater (P < 0.001) for CON than FOR due to the differences in animal performance. Total fat percentage of the 9th to 11th rib section was 46% less(P = 0.028) for FOR than CON due to reductions (P < 0.001) in the percentage of subcutaneous fat. Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) values at 14 d and 28 d of aging did not differ (P > 0.78) between CON and FOR and were not altered (P > 0.40) by forage species. Trained sensory panel juiciness, initial tenderness, and overall tenderness scores did not differ (P > 0.17) by finishing treatment or forage species. Beef flavor intensity was greater (P < 0.001) for CON than FOR. Beef flavor intensity was greater (P < 0.02) for AL and PM than MP. Off-flavor intensity was greater (P < 0.001) for all forage-fed steaks, regardless of forage species, than CON. Finishing on forages reduced (P = 0.003) total lipid content by 61% for the LM compared with CON finished cattle. Forage species grazed before harvest did not alter (P > 0.05) total lipid content of the LM. Oleic acid concentration and total MUFA of the LM were 21% and 22% less (P = 0.001) for FOR than CON. Concentrations of all individual [linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA), and docosadexaenoic (DHA) acids] and total n-3 fatty acids were greater (P < 0.001) for FOR than CON. Finishing on AL increased (P = 0.017) the concentration of linolenic acid compared with MP or PM. The ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids was greater (P = 0.001) for CON than FOR and did not differ (P = 0.88) by forage species. Concentrate finishing increases carcass weight with same time endpoints and accelerates deposition of MUFA in comparison with FOR, which reduces carcass weight and fat deposition but maintains high concentrations of n-3 and CLA fatty acids. Finishing system or forage species grazed 40 d before slaughter did not alter beef tenderness but FOR had greater off-flavors according to both trained and descriptive sensory panelists.

Multi-objective scheduling in an agent based Holonic manufacturing system

Article history: Received May 12, 2013 Accepted June 22, 2013 Available online July 16 2013 The present paper is aimed at multi-objective scheduling in an agent based holonic manufacturing system to satisfy the goal of several communities namely the product, the resource, and the organization simultaneously. In this attempt, first a multi criteria based priority rule is developed following Simple Additive Weight (SAW) method under Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) environment to rank the products. Accordingly, the products are allowed to select a particular resource for execution by negotiation considering minimum time as criterion. The interests of different communities are accomplished by allocating the ordered rank of products to the ordered rank of resources. Conflict, if arises between products and resources, are resolved by introducing the concept of Early Finish Time (EFT) as criterion for task allocation. A scheduling algorithm is proposed for execution of the rule. In view of machine failure, a cooperation strategy is evolved that also optimizes reallocation of the incomplete task. It is concluded that the proposed scheduling algorithm together with the disturbance handling algorithm are poised to satisfy the agent’s local objective as well as organization’s global objective concurrently and are commensurable with multi agent paradigm. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of replacing soybean meal with pea chips and distillers dried grains with solubles in diets fed to growing-finishing pigs on growth performance, carcass quality, and pork palatability

Twenty-four growing pigs, 12 barrows and 12 gilts (initial BW of 23.18 ± 0.38 kg), were allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments. The control treatment group received corn–soybean meal diets during the growing, early finishing, and late finishing periods. The second treatment group received diets in which 50% of the soybean meal (SBM) was replaced with pea chips and distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and the third treatment group received diets in which 100% of the SBM was replaced with pea chips and DDGS. Pigs were slaughtered at the end of the experiment; standard carcass measurements were collected for longissimus dorsi, gluteus medius, and serratus ventralis muscles. Pork chops were evaluated for tenderness, juiciness, and flavor. In the overall performance, ADFI was reduced (linear, P = 0.02) with pea chips and DDGS inclusion. End live weight (P = 0.04), HCW (P = 0.02), and belly firmness (P = 0.04) were also linearly reduced as field peas and DDGS replaced SBM in the diets. In the gluteus medius, 24-h pH was increased (quadratic, P = 0.05) when pigs were fed the 50% pea chips and DDGS inclusion diet. Percent cook loss, shear force, tenderness, and juiciness of the pork chops were not altered (P > 0.24); however, flavor decreased (linear, P = 0.05) as pea chips and DDGS replaced SBM in the diets. Diets containing the combination of pea chips and DDGS need to be less expensive than corn-SBM diets to be economical to feed to growing and finishing pigs.