Inventory Techniques Research Articles

Evaluation of critical determinants of inventory management techniques on universities’ performance in Ethiopia

Evaluation of critical determinants of inventory management techniques on universities’ performance in Ethiopia

Inventory and diversity of dragonflies (Odonata) at Kuningan Resort of Mount Ciremai National Park, West Java Province

The presence of dragonflies regarding the sensitivity of nymphs towards environmental changes is considered a bioindicator that can indicate changes in water quality and the environment. The purpose of this study is to take inventory of the species and the diversity of dragonflies at the Kuningan Resort, Mount Ciremai National Park in several representative aquatic habitats. The dragonfly inventory technique used a modified line transect method with observation plots that are not limited by a certain distance or area but by a set time of 15 minutes for each plot observation. The results of the inventory obtained 24 species of dragonflies from 8 families, as many as 591 dragonflies consisting of 58.2% of common dragonflies including of suborder Anisoptera consists of Aeshnidae, Gomphidae, Libellulidae and 41.8% of needle dragonflies including of suborder Zygoptera consist of Platystictidae, Calopterygidae, Chlorocyphidae, Euphaeidae, Coenagrionidae. The dragonfly diversity index (H’ = 1.94 – 2.32) (medium), the species richness index, or the values of Margalef’s diversity index (Dmg) ranged from 1.99 to 2.87 (low), the species evenness index ranges from 0.39 – 0.6)(low – medium).

Leaf-Off and Leaf-On UAV LiDAR Surveys for Single-Tree Inventory in Forest Plantations

LiDAR technology has been proven to be an effective remote sensing technique for forest inventory and management. Among existing remote sensing platforms, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are rapidly gaining popularity for their capability to provide high-resolution and accurate point clouds. However, the ability of a UAV LiDAR survey to map under canopy features is determined by the degree of penetration, which in turn depends on the percentage of canopy cover. In this study, a custom-built UAV-based mobile mapping system is used for simultaneously collecting LiDAR and imagery data under different leaf cover scenarios in a forest plantation. Bare earth point cloud, digital terrain model (DTM), normalized height point cloud, and quantitative measures for single-tree inventory are derived from UAV LiDAR data. The impact of different leaf cover scenarios (leaf-off, partial leaf cover, and full leaf cover) on the quality of the products from UAV surveys is investigated. Moreover, a bottom-up individual tree localization and segmentation approach based on 2D peak detection and Voronoi diagram is proposed and compared against an existing density-based clustering algorithm. Experimental results show that point clouds from different leaf cover scenarios are in good agreement within a 1-to-10 cm range. Despite the point density of bare earth point cloud under leaf-on conditions being substantially lower than that under leaf-off conditions, the terrain models derived from the three scenarios are comparable. Once the quality of the DTMs is verified, normalized height point clouds that characterize the vertical forest structure can be generated by removing the terrain effect. Individual tree detection with an overall accuracy of 0.98 and 0.88 is achieved under leaf-off and partial leaf cover conditions, respectively. Both the proposed tree localization approach and the density-based clustering algorithm cannot detect tree trunks under full leaf cover conditions. Overall, the proposed approach outperforms the existing clustering algorithm owing to its low false positive rate, especially under leaf-on conditions. These findings suggest that the high-quality data from UAV LiDAR can effectively map the terrain and derive forest structural measures for single-tree inventories even under a partial leaf cover scenario.

Beyond the Plateau: pL Dependence of Proton Inventories as a Tool for Studying Ribozyme and Ribonuclease Catalysis.

Acid/base catalysis is an important catalytic strategy used by ribonucleases and ribozymes; however, understanding the number and identity of functional groups involved in proton transfer remains challenging. The proton inventory (PI) technique analyzes the dependence of the enzyme reaction rate on the ratio of D2O to H2O and can provide information about the number of exchangeable sites that produce isotope effects and their magnitude. The Gross-Butler (GB) equation is used to evaluate H/D fractionation factors from PI data typically collected under conditions (i.e., a "plateau" in the pH-rate profile) assuming minimal change in active site residue ionization. However, restricting PI analysis to these conditions is problematic for many ribonucleases, ribozymes, and their variants due to ambiguity in the roles of active site residues, the lack of a plateau within the accessible pL range, or cooperative interactions between active site functional groups undergoing ionization. Here, we extend the integration of species distributions for alternative enzyme states in noncooperative models of acid/base catalysis into the GB equation, first used by Bevilacqua and colleagues for the HDV ribozyme, to develop a general population-weighted GB equation that allows simulation and global fitting of the three-dimensional relationship of the D2O ratio (n) versus pL versus kn/k0. Simulations using the GPW-GB equation of PI results for RNase A, HDVrz, and VSrz illustrate that data obtained at multiple selected pL values across the pL-rate profile can assist in the planning and interpreting of solvent isotope effect experiments to distinguish alternative mechanistic models.

Inventory Control Analysis Hospital Bed Manual Unit PI-108MS, PI-208MS, PI-308MS Forecasting and Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) At PT. XYZ

Raw material inventory control is a series of things to determine the level of inventory, the time of purchase and the amount of inventory that must be provided. The Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) method is one of the inventory management techniques by considering storage costs and ordering costs. The value is generated by the term reorder point. This value is used to place orders that the company needs to place. 44 units, 68 units, and 36 units are the quantities needed by PT XYZ in every order. So PT XYZ had to do 46 times, 73 times, and 27 unit orders to fulfill their needs.

Emission inventory of greenhouse gases and sustainable energy for mobile telecommunication facilities in Nigeria

The annual emission rates of three key greenhouse gases and their total carbon dioxide equivalents were determined for the operation of several thousands of diesel fueled electric power generators deployed across the base transceiver stations (BTS) of telecommunication industries in Nigeria. Emission inventory technique was adopted for the determination of annual emission rates of individual greenhouse gas while and global warming potentials were used to convert these emissions to carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). Results showed that the annual levels of N20, CH4 and CO2 which were 242.88 ton/year, 80.76 ton/year and 1617 kton/year, respectively in 2012 rose to 317.42 ton/year, 105.54 ton/year and 2113 kton/year in 2014. By the end of 2020, these had risen to 561.97 ton/year, 186.86 ton/year, and 3741 kton/year, respectively. The total GHG emission rose from 1.7 × 106 tCO2e in 2012 to 2.2 × 106 tCO2e in 2014 and by 2020 it had reached 3.9 × 106 tCO2e. Going by the projected 80,000 diesel fueled electric power generators, the total emission rate of the three GHGs (tCO2 eq) is expected to hit 5.8 × 106 tCO2e in the nearest future. Considering the implications of these on the global climate, the deployment of hybrid renewable energy sources is considered necessary as against burning of diesel.

Environmental DNA metabarcoding as a useful tool for evaluating terrestrial mammal diversity in tropical forests.

Innovative techniques, such as environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, are now promoting broader biodiversity monitoring at unprecedented scales, because of the reduction in time, presumably lower cost, and methodological efficiency. Our goal was to assess the efficiency of established inventory techniques (live-trapping grids, pitfall traps, camera trapping, mist netting) as well as eDNA for detecting Amazonian mammals. For terrestrial small mammals, we used 32 live-trapping grids based on Sherman and Tomahawk traps (total effort of 10,368 trap-nights); in addition to 16 pitfall traps (1,408 trap-nights). For bats, we used mist nets at 8 sites (4,800 net hours). For medium and large mammals, we used 72 camera trap stations (5,208 camera-days). We identified vertebrate and mammal taxa based on eDNA analysis (12S region, with V05 and Mamm01 markers) from water samples, including a total of 11 3-km transects for stagnant water sampling and seven small streams for running water sampling. A total of 106 mammal species were recorded. Building on sample-based rarefaction and extrapolation curves, both trapping grids and pitfall were successful, recording 91.16% and 82.1% of the expected species for these techniques (~22 and ~9 species), and 16.98% and 6.60% of the total recorded mammal species, respectively. Mist nets recorded 83.2% of the expected bat species (~48), and 34.91% of the total recorded species. Camera trapping recorded 99.2% of the predicted large- and medium-sized species (~31), and 33.02% of the total recorded species. eDNA recorded 75.4% of the expected mammal species for this technique (~68), and 47.0% of the total recorded species. eDNA resulted in a useful tool that saves on effort and reduces sampling costs. This study is among the first to show the large potential of eDNA metabarcoding for assessing Amazonian mammal communities, providing, in combination with conventional techniques, a rapid overview of mammal diversity with broad applications to monitoring, management and conservation. By including appropriate genetic markers and updated reference databases, eDNA metabarcoding method can be extended to the whole vertebrate community.

QUALISIGN, SINSIGN, AND LEGISIGN IN GREAT EXPECTATIONS BY CHARLES DICKENS

This study aims to describe the semiotics of Charles Sanders Pierce based on the representament in the novel. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The Great Expectations, novel by Charles Dickens as a source of research data and text excerpts in the form of narration, dialogue, and monologues containing qualisign, sinsign, and legisign as data. Data collection techniques are done by reading techniques and inventory techniques. Stages of data analysis techniques are carried out by means of data reduction, data presentation, explanation of the results of the study as well as the conclusion and verification of research results. The results showed that the semiotics in the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens were divided into: (1) qualisign in the form of verbal markers in the form of characters' conversations about other characters and nonverbal markers in the form of activities or activities of characters, time settings, and character reactions. (2) sinsign in the form of verbal markers of the character's conversations with other characters and conversations about other characters as well as nonverbal markers in the form of bodily movements or expressions, character's activities or activities, character's physical characteristics, settings, thoughts or feelings of the characters, and character's reactions. (3) Legisign of verbal markers in the form of characters' conversations with other characters and conversations about other characters and nonverbal markers in the form of body movements or expressions of characters.

HEIGHT, DIAMETER AND TREE CANOPY COVER ESTIMATION BASED ON UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV) IMAGERY WITH VARIOUS ACQUISITION HEIGHT

The forest inventory technique by applying remote sensing technology has become a new breakthrough in technological developments in forest inventory activities. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) imagery with camera sensor is one of the inventory tools that produce data with high spatial resolution. The level of spatial resolution of the image is strongly influenced by the flying height of the UAV for a certain camera’s focus. In addition, flight height also affects the acquisition time and accuracy of inventory results, although there is still little research on this matter. The study aims to (a)evaluate the effect of various flying heights on the accuracy of tree height measurements through UAV imagery for every stand age class, (b).estimate the trees diameter and canopy cover for every stand age class. Stand height was estimated using Digital Surface Models (DSM), Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and Orthophoto. DSM and DTM were built by converting orthophoto to pointclouds using the PIX4Dmapper based on Structure From Motion (SFM) on the photogrammetric method to reconstruct topography automatically. Meanwhile, the tree cover canopy was estimated using the All Return Canopy Index (ARCI) formula. The results show that the flight height of 100 meters produces a stronger correlation than the flying height of 80 meters and 120 meters in estimating tree height, based on the high coefficient of determination (R2) and the low root mean square error (RMSE) value. In addition, tree canopy estimation analysis using ARCI has a maximum difference of 9.8% with orthophoto visual delineation. 
 Key words: canopy height model (CHM), digital surface models (DSM), digital terrain models (DTM), forest inventory, UAV image

Model of The Group Guidance Service Design Using The Cinema Therapy Method In Helping Student Achievement of Development Tasks

The research objectives describe:1.The task profile of students' developmental achievement in class XI SMAN 3 Mukomuko. 2.Implementation of group guidance in helping the achievement of developmental tasks carried out by the Guidance and Counseling Teacher. 3.The group guidance service design model using the cinema therapy method in helping the achievement of student developmental tasks. This study uses a mixed method. Dataanalysis techniques for Development Task Inventory(ITP). While qualitative research,techniques used in data processing through data reduction,data presentation and conclusion drawing. Based on the results of research the following conclusions can be drawn:1.The profile of the task of achieving the development of students in class XI of SMAN 3 Mukomuko seen from the Inventory of Development Tasks is generally at the level of self-awareness. 2.Implementation of group guidance in assisting the achievement of developmental tasks carried out by the Guidance and Counseling Teacher,providing monotonous group guidance, discussions, homeroom. 3.Thedesign model of group guidance services using the cinema therapy method in helping the achievement of student developmental tasks. Based on the results of the research,it can be recommended that the Guidance and Counseling Teachers be able to apply the group guidance service design model using the cinema therapy method.

JUST IN TIME INVENTORY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE AND SUPPLY CHAIN PERFORMANCE IN PROCESSING FIRMS IN KENYA: A CASE OF CROWN PAINTS LIMITED

ABSTRACT The main objective of the study was to investigate the effect of just in time inventory management technique on supply chain performance in processing firms in Kenya with focus to Crown Paints Limited. This study analyzed several theories majoring on the deterministic inventory which deterministic models of stock control are utilized to decide the ideal stock levels in the company. This study adopted descriptive research design. Target population of this study was 279 staff working in various department at Crown Paints Limited. Stratified random sampling technique was used in this study to come up with a sample size of 81 respondents. Questionnaires were used to collect primary data. Qualitative and quantitative data was collected where quantitative data was coded in the SPSS (Version 22). Data has been presented using frequency tables and figures while interpretation has been done in prose form. Inferential statistics was used to establish relationship between just in time inventory management technique on supply chain performance. The study concluded that customer order cycle influence supply chain performance. There was significant relationship between customer order cycle and supply chain performance. The study concludes that supply chain cycle contributes to supply chain performance, and that there was significant relationship between supply chain cycle and supply chain performance. The study concludes that there was linear relationship between Takt Time and supply chain performance. There was significant influence of Takt Time on supply chain performance. The study concludes that pull system contributes to the supply chain performance. The study concludes that the overall significant relationship between pull system and supply chain performance. The study recommends that organizations should have multiple objectives like enhanced competitiveness, better customer service and increased profitability among other. To seek these objectives organizations should employ various defensive as well as offensive business performance improvement approaches. In order to receive an accurate result using takt time formula on supply chain performance, organizations should put both the production time available and the customer demand into frames. Goods should simply be produced according to the pace of consumption in the market a market demand-pull supply chain system.

SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTICES AND ORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN THE AGRIBUSINESS INDUSTRY IN KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF AMIRAN (K) LIMITED

ABSTRACT Globally, firms in the agribusiness supply chain have found it increasingly difficult to satisfy customers due to their ever changing demands. Firms must be quick in responding to market demands since customer requirements and market conditions keep on changing. The study examined the effect of inventory management and assessed the effect of collaborative relationships on organizational performance in Amiran (K) Limited. Descriptive research design was used and a census was done involving all the workers in the five departments of Amiran (K) Limited. Both quantitative and qualitative data was gathered and analyzed using quantitative and qualitative procedures. The study found that the organization has adopted inventory management techniques to improve efficiency and the overall performance. The study established that the organization is keen on collaborative relationships with suppliers and is open to sharing information with partners. The findings revealed that inventory management plays a significant role in enabling the organization to enjoy competitiveness and achieve operations efficiency. The study found that collaborative relationships helps the suppliers improve products quality and there is willingness of collaboration in strategic decision making. The study concluded that inventory management has enabled the organization to put in place proper material handling processes and there is a significant influence of collaborative relationships and organization performance. The study recommends that Agribusiness firms should come up with policy frameworks to facilitate the inventory management techniques implementation. Managers should also give special attention to information sharing through collaborative relationships in order to improve organizational performance. Keywords: Agribusiness, Market Demands, Organizational Performance, Supply Chain.

Above-ground biomass references for urban trees from terrestrial laser scanning data.

Background and AimsWithin extending urban areas, trees serve a multitude of functions (e.g. carbon storage, suppression of air pollution, mitigation of the ‘heat island’ effect, oxygen, shade and recreation). Many of these services are positively correlated with tree size and structure. The quantification of above-ground biomass (AGB) is of especial importance to assess its carbon storage potential. However, quantification of AGB is difficult and the allometries applied are often based on forest trees, which are subject to very different growing conditions, competition and form. In this article we highlight the potential of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) techniques to extract highly detailed information on urban tree structure and AGB.MethodsFifty-five urban trees distributed over seven cities in Switzerland were measured using TLS and traditional forest inventory techniques before they were felled and weighed. Tree structure, volume and AGB from the TLS point clouds were extracted using quantitative structure modelling. TLS-derived AGB estimates were compared with AGB estimates based on forest tree allometries dependent on diameter at breast height only. The correlations of various tree metrics as AGB predictors were assessed.Key ResultsEstimates of AGB derived by TLS showed good performance when compared with destructively harvested references, with an R2 of 0.954 (RMSE = 556 kg) compared with 0.837 (RMSE = 1159 kg) for allometrically derived AGB estimates. A correlation analysis showed that different TLS-derived wood volume estimates as well as trunk diameters and tree crown metrics show high correlation in describing total wood AGB, outperforming tree height.ConclusionsWood volume estimates based on TLS show high potential to estimate tree AGB independent of tree species, size and form. This allows us to retrieve highly accurate non-destructive AGB estimates that could be used to establish new allometric equations without the need for extensive destructive harvesting.

Inventory pooling technique from the car rental industry: now and in the autonomous future

Inventory pooling technique from the car rental industry: now and in the autonomous future

Inventory control techniques in a two-echelon supply chain model with fuzzy demand and learning effect

Inventory control techniques in a two-echelon supply chain model with fuzzy demand and learning effect

Forest Degradation Assessment Using UAV Optical Photogrammetry and SAR Data

The sequestration of carbon in the forest is very high after soil and ocean; this is one of the major factors which makes monitoring of forests very much essential. The traditional inventory techniques were very much exhaustive and needed encroachment into the inaccessible forest area, which create lot of difficulties to foresters and other researchers, that is why, most of the areas of intense forests are untouched for monitoring purposes. The degradation of the forest area is highly prominent in the hilly terrain; activities such as lopping and forest fire are very common in these areas. In this research, UAV optical photogrammetric technique is used for the extraction of canopy metrics as well as for the generation of DSM and DTM, which is further used for the validation of the results obtained with the Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-1A data. The Sentinel-1A of C-band data is used for the generation of backscatter image, texture images. Sentinel-2 is used for the calculation of various vegetation-based indices for the evaluation of the proficiency of the degradation in the forest area. On the basis of various vegetation indices and texture images calculated, the degradation of the forest can be quantified. The random forest classifier is used for the classification of the forest into degraded and non-degraded classes. The classification accuracy obtained for three classes, i.e. degraded, non-degraded, non-forest is 0.86 and precision is 0.75. The correlation is 0.72 for the classes, whereas error rate is found to be 0.13. Hence, the integration of UAV optical photogrammetry and SAR data can give much appreciated results; also, this technique is very much helpful in monitoring and management of inaccessible forest areas.

Estimating the value, ownership structure and turnover rate for investible commercial real estate from transaction datasets

PurposeCommercial real estate (CRE) is a major investment asset. Yet detailed information on the value of investible CRE in different cities is lacking. The authors propose an innovative method to measure the value of investible CRE using transaction datasets.Design/methodology/approachThe authors take transaction prices and index them to produce a time series of values for each asset. The sum of the values at each point represents the value of investible CRE at that date. The authors’ method is applied to transaction data for New York, London and Toronto.FindingsLondon had the highest proportions of institutional and foreign ownership, and its turnover was more resilient to the downturn in global CRE following the GFC. The results illustrate the potential of the authors’ method to shed light on the characteristics of investible CRE markets.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors use data from Real Capital Analytics (RCA). This provides good coverage of transactions for investible CRE in the cities that the authors examine, but data from other sources might lead to different estimates.Practical implicationsMeasuring the value and turnover of investible CRE is important for portfolio strategies that account for the size and liquidity of investment markets. Knowledge of these features, and of ownership patterns, provides a better understanding of market operation.Originality/valueThe authors’ modification of the perpetual inventory technique is simple, novel and practical. The authors propose this approach given the absence of a building-by-building inventory of investible CRE in many markets.

An analysis of the Inventory Level of Consumables in the Wards of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in South India

Material management is important and crucial for all healthcare industries because it not only deals with thefinancial aspects but also deals with the well-being of the hospital and quality care of the patient. Reducinginventory cost is a critical responsibility of healthcare managers in hospitals. Inventory management shouldbe done with the help of proper value analysis. This study attempts to assess the inventory techniques andmonthly maintenance figure which have contributed to efficient inventory management in a tertiary careteaching hospital

A Limited Rapid Assessment of Forest Regeneration in 24 Cypress and Tupelo Bottomland Swamps Following Clearcutting and Shovel Logging in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina

A rapid regeneration survey within twenty-four deepwater swamps between stand ages 2 and 14 years in the North Carolina coastal plain was conducted by using a narrow rectangular inventory technique (“strip cruise”). Inventoried tracts predominantly contained cypress (Taxodium distichum) and tupelo (Nyssa species) before being harvested via clearcutting methods. Single transects on each tract began at coordinates located in the interior of the harvest areas in locations representing general tract conditions. Each transect was perpendicular to the flow of the major stream drainage associated with the harvest area. Counts and measures of dead and live stumps and seed-sourced regeneration were recorded. About 52 percent of desirable timber species stumps tallied had coppice growth. However, coppice alone was not sufficient on any tract to exceed 1112 trees ha−1. Seventy-one percent of tracts had stocking levels (coppice and seed source) at least 1112 trees ha−1 of desirable timber species or black willow (Salix nigra). Across 24 tracts, 42 percent regenerated cypress and/or tupelo to levels exceeding 1112, trees ha−1. This assessment revealed that forest regeneration success was limited on sites with altered hydrology, rampant invasive species, and/or lack of seed source. In some cases, active forest management may improve the regeneration cohort. Overall, shovel logging methods that were used on evaluated sites appear to be compatible with adequate regeneration of desirable timber species if the proper conditions exist. Additionally, we assessed species’ composition within a harvested stand measured at age eight years (a previous study) and age 68 years (measured for this study), for a comparison perspective. Results revealed a species composition change from willow at age eight years to a mixed stand of desirable timber species at age 68 years. This finding supports other studies that have recorded the successional pattern of pioneering willow shifting to desirable timber species as willow stagnates and diminishes in abundance due to natural mortality.

Reading-Metacognitive Strategy Awareness and Use in Reciprocal Teaching Settings: Implementing a Computerized RMSA System

The present experiment was composed of both qualitative and quantitative methods and aimed at investigating Reading Metacognitive Strategy Awareness (RMSA) and use by the aid of three inventory techniques including a questionnaire, a think-aloud protocol, and a Computerized RMSA System. The computerized system was specifically designed and validated to satisfy the needs of this study in measuring and practicing Reading Metacognitive Strategies. It also tried to explore any possible effects of Computerized RMSA System on reading comprehension of the participants. To this end, a sample of 25 university students majoring in English Translation and English Literature from a University in Iran were selected based on purposive and clustered sampling. The research data were selected using a number of instruments including the reading section of Test of English as a Foreign Language as pre/posttest, a researcher-made Reading Metacognitive Strategies questionnaire, think-aloud protocol and a Computerized RMSA System. The research findings show that the questionnaire, think-aloud and Computerized RMSA System results vary significantly. Moreover, Computerized RMSA System has a positive effect on reading comprehension of learners of English as a Foreign Language. Pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed.