Investment In Equipment Research Articles

Recent progress and future prospects for mechanized harvesting of fruit crops with shaking systems

Mechanized harvesting technologies with shaking systems for fruit industry have been widely investigated and significantly developed over the past several decades which were presented by a large amount of literature. This paper reviews the research and development progress of mechanized harvesting of fruits systematically with a focus on the theoretical study, fruit crop variety, shaking system categories, abscission chemical agents, and their actual applications. Based on the comprehensive review, mechanized harvesting systems for different fruit crops appear multifarious shaking modes with various vibratory mechanisms and structural dimensions. Major advantages in the development of fruit mechanical harvesting with effective vibratory patterns and catching frames provide a series of economic and agronomic benefits, such as reducing labor costs, promoting standardized planting, and increasing productivity. However, fruit injury and tree damage are the main reasons why mechanical shaking systems are rarely used for fresh fruit harvesting because of tenderness and frangibility of the fruit crops. Therefore, more efforts should be concentrated on the innovative shake-and-catch system with suitable frequency and amplitude to achieve low fruit damage or even nondestructive harvesting for fresh fruit market. This overview summarized the advantages and bottlenecks of these shaking systems for fruit harvesting and proposed the challenges and some constructive prospective viewpoints aimed at the major issues of mechanical harvesting techniques. In addition, employing sorting technologies to classify the postharvest fruits provide a new direction for the further development of mechanized harvesting in high-value fruit crops, as well as bring more benefits to growers and increase their interest in equipment investment on the mechanical shaking harvester for the fruit industry. Keywords: fruit crop, mechanized harvesting, shaking system, fruit injury, postharvest classification DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe.20231601.7954 Citation: Pu Y J, Wang S M, Yang F Z, Ehsani R, Zhao L J, Li C S, Xie S Y, et al. Recent progress and future prospects for mechanized harvesting of fruit crops with shaking systems. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2023; 16(1): 1–13.

INVESTIGAÇÃO E PREVENÇÃO DE RISCO ESPORTIVO NO ENSINO DO TÊNIS DE MESA

ABSTRACT Introduction: Among college students who are not majoring in sports, table tennis is well accepted, highly popular, and has low requirements regarding equipment investment. Therefore, many students choose this sport, although there are also certain sports risks in the course of the sport. Objective: Investigate the sporting risks of teaching table tennis and its preventive measures. Methods: Before each class exercise, the physical education teacher led the experimental class to rigorously complete the warm-up. In contrast, the control class maintained the basic program configuration without the warm-up phase. After 24 hours of practice, students in the experimental class and the control class were tested with the FMS. Results: The experimental class stability score increased from 1.58 points to 1.84 points, and the trunk rotation stability score increased from 1.68 points to 2.05 points. Conclusion: Warm-up activities before sports can further reduce sports risks in the table tennis teaching process by providing a better and safer higher education environment for students. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment outcomes.

Special regime “Territory of Advanced Development” in mono-profile municipal entities

Today, performance efficiency of the territories with a special regime of conducting entrepreneurial activities is assessed by comparing planned targets with actual indicators in terms of the number of recruited residents, new workplaces created, the resident’s actual investment. Another efficiency indicator is the ratio of public budgetary funds per one ruble’s worth of private investments. However, these indices do not gauge the need itself for the territories to be granted the special territory status. The article compares performance results during 2016–2020 registered by mono-profile municipal entities, which have acquired the status of priority development territories, with the indicators achieved by similar company cities without any special status. For pair-to-pair comparison, a selection was made of company cities in the Ural region of Russia with approximately similar population and belonging to the same category in terms of the level of the socio-economic situation. Analysis was made of such indicators as population, investments in property, plant and equipment, revenues of the local budget, wages and salaries. The results of the above comparative analysis allow us to conclude that in the short-term perspective, the key indices of special company cities and company cities without status do not differ much.

Transport infrastructures and mobility for Portugal 2030: insights from the environmental assessment study of the national investments’ plan

Major strategic investments in infrastructures and equipment across four different areas have been outlined by the National Investments’ Program (PNI 2030) in Portugal. This paper in built on the environmental assessment study of the PNI 2030 and focus on its key methodological contributions and policy recommendations addressing the transport and mobility area that represents around 52% of the total investment. One innovative feature of the study is the multi-level system of indicators’ framework developed to assess and monitor impacts along time, within the scope of the five “Critical Decision Factors”, namely “Climate change and energy transition for decarbonisation”, “Territorial cohesion, mobility and accessibility, “Competitiveness and innovation”. Finally, the set of policy recommendations to promote a better incorporation of environmental and sustainability issues are outlined.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COOPERATIVE AND CORPORATE BUSINESS MODELS IN BULGARIIAN AGRICULTURE

Cooperative is a form of cooperation and mutual assistance to achieve a common goal. Through the cooperative model, prosperous cooperation in economic activity is achieved with real economic benefit. The collective management of the factors of production under market conditions is most often a manifestation of some of the following postulates, that when the individual size of the factors are highly limited and the possibilities for their increase are not profitable, the need for association is manifested. According to F. Raiffeisen's maxim, which states that "when one can't achieve something alone, everyone can do it together", referring to the cooperation of their efforts. In addition, when the production factors owned by the individual owners have technological qualities that allow them, when combined, to perform the relevant work more efficiently and optimally, the LLC as a legal organizational form is suitable in agricultural activity, when there is ownership of property and land fund, which can hardly be differentiated. In order to fairly organize the relations and overcome the contradictions between the owners, the fragmentation of the land, it is necessary to apply this structural form of the enterprise. The effectiveness of this form of enterprise is also expressed in economic cases of lack of financial capital for its investment in expensive equipment and facilities that are beyond the capabilities of an individual individual. In this regard, the partners in the LLC can be not only natural persons, but also legal entities.

ЦЕНТРЫ КОЛЛЕКТИВНОГО ПОЛЬЗОВАНИЯ КАК НОВЫЙ ИНСТРУМЕНТ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ ИННОВАЦИОННОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ ГОРОДА МОСКВЫ

In modern conditions, the creation of urban infrastructure is becoming one of the main tasks of the regional economy. The creation and implementation of state centers for collective use is carried out in order to increase the innovative potential, since the state provides an opportunity to establish a pilot production of innovators without attracting large investments in industrial equipment. It is important to note that for the majority of owners and managers of organizations, the economic crisis has reduced the ability and desire to take risks, while innovation is always accompanied by it. As a result, organizations’ budgets for additional areas, such as the development of innovative lines of business, have declined in favor of budgets for normal operating costs. This was the reason for the increased interest in the centers of collective use and in large business, modernizing the innovation policy of the city of Moscow. The purpose of the article is to propose promising models for the use of collective use centers for the development of post-industrial high-tech production; the subject is industrial relations when creating such centers. The creation of a collective use center as a tool for implementing the city’s innovation policy to support enterprises developing the economy is considered.

Energy storage economy research and sensitivity analysis applied to photovoltaic primary frequency modulation scenario

In practical engineering applications, the investment, income, subsidies and other costs of energy storage batteries have a certain impact on the overall economic benefits of primary frequency modulation. The larger the capacity of the configured battery energy storage system, the better the primary frequency modulation effect will be, but at the same time, the problem is that the cost of investment in the energy storage system will increase, which will offset the benefits of primary frequency modulation loss reduction of its auxiliary photovoltaic station from an economic perspective. Therefore, this paper will clarify the benefits and costs of the primary frequency modulation application environment of the energy storage system, and establish an economic analysis model from delaying the investment of photovoltaic station equipment, reducing the cost of light waste, environmental benefits, direct benefits, government subsidies, energy storage investment costs and other aspects. Finally, a photovoltaic station is taken as an example to simulate and analyse the sensitivity.

An economic evaluation of phacoemulsification and extracapsular cataract extraction in cataract surgery

Background/Aim. Cataract surgery is one of the most often performed surgical interventions. The predominant method in Western countries is phacoemulsification, while in developing countries, the extracapsular cataract extraction (ECCE) method remains popular. The aim of the study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these two cataract surgery techniques from the provider?s perspective if operation complications were the outcome of the interest. Methods. The data were obtained from the Department of Ophthalmology of the General Hospital Krusevac during a one-year period. A total of 1,179 surgeries by five surgeons were performed. The cost-effectiveness was evaluated using the decision tree. All probabilities were calculated based on the likelihood of the occurrence during the study period. Only direct costs were considered, and values were taken from the documentation at the hospital and the official price list of health services. One- and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed. Results. The total cost per patient in the phacoemulsification group was 71,008.70 Serbian dinars (RSD), while the total cost in the ECCE group was 74,340.36 RSD. At the same time, phacoemulsification shows higher effectiveness than the ECCE method, with 87% and 57% of patients without complications, respectively. With these results, phacoemulsification was the dominant strategy compared to ECCE. The sensitivity analysis revealed that the results are sensitive to the number of performed operations per year. Conclusion. The phacoemulsification technique seems to be the preferred technique for cataract surgery. All the investment in phacoemulsification equipment and consumables is justified if the number of surgeries per year exceeds 350.

The current state and prospects for the development of the Lost Foam Casting process

Increasing the capacity of foundry production can play a decisive role in the recovery of the machine-building and defense sectors of the Ukrainian industry. The current state and prospects for the development of foundry technology — Lost Foam Casting (LFС) process, as well as its possibilities for increasing the volume of metal processing into finished parts on the example of China, are considered. For foundries of low-volume casting, which need fast production of foundry patterns, the LFС method contributes to the minimization of capital and current costs. The melting, casting and finishing processes in LFС are the same as in typical foundry processes, with the exception of the need for a 30—50 oC higher pour temperature. The process of making patterns from polystyrene foam (EPS) has been developed in several variants and can initially be implemented on a small scale to obtain trial castings. An existing foundry, after successful trials with a simplified LFC process, can increase batch sizes of castings along with increased investment in tooling and equipment to do so. Mechanical processing when obtaining foam patterns is beneficial for volumes of less than 100 castings, and for a series of more than 1000 castings (common use of LFС) sintering of granulated EPS in molds is used, including the use of automated equipment for this. In terms of the amount of solid and gaseous waste, LFС in forms with dry vacuumed sand is ecologically superior to most foundry processes. The LFС process is constantly developing and improving, easily includes 3D technologies in the sequence of its operations and is amenable to digitization, automation, robotization and scaling, refers to high-precision casting in sand molds using noncapital- intensive equipment. The example of China shows the possibility of a rapid increase in the production of castings in a wide range of their weight, nomenclature and type of used metal alloys.

Testing unified growth theory: Technological progress and the child quantity‐quality tradeoff

A core mechanism of unified growth theory is that accelerating technological progress induces mass education and, through interaction with child quantity‐quality substitution, a decline in fertility. Using unique new data for 21 OECD countries over the period 1750–2000, we test, for the first time, the validity of this core mechanism of unified growth theory. We measure a country's technological progress as patents per capita, R&D intensity, and investment in machinery, equipment, and intellectual property products. While controlling for confounders, such as income growth, mortality, and the gender wage gap, we establish (1) a significant impact of technological progress on education (positive) and fertility (negative); (2) that accelerating technological progress stimulated the fertility transition; and (3) that the baseline results are supported in 2SLS regressions using genetic‐distance weighted foreign patent‐intensity, compulsory schooling years, and minimum working age as instruments.

Analysis for Decarbonization Pathways for Shipping

As regulations and goals for reducing carbon emissions in shipping become increasingly clear, decarbonization will become the top priority for the development of shipping industry in the coming decades. Currently, the main source of CO2 emissions from marine engines comes from the combustion of fossil fuels, while the operation of merchant ships typically requires striking a balance between equipment investment costs and the efficiency of CO2 emissions reduction. Thus, choosing a more suitable approach for ships is a hot topic of concern. This article summarizes three decarbonization methods, including reduction of energy consumption by speed reduction and air lubrication, using low-carbon and carbon-free fuels to substitute conventional marine fuels, and carbon capture. These methods are analysed for their technical feasibility, decarbonization capacity, safety, economy, and technical readiness. To achieve the short-term CO2 emissions reduction goal, there are various technologies to be applied, individually or in combination. Carbon-free fuels internal combustion engines can meet the long-term goal and its fuel cells will be the ultimate choice for net-zero scenario.

Study on the preparation process and sintering performance of doped nano-silver paste

AbstractAfter tin–lead solders are banned, the widely used electronic packaging interconnect materials are tin–silver, tin–copper, and other alloy solders. With the application of high-power devices, traditional solders can no longer meet the new requirements. Nano-silver (Ag) paste, as a new solder substitute, exhibits excellent properties, such as excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, sintering at lower temperatures, and service at high temperatures. However, many organic devices still cannot withstand this temperature, and are often not suitable for the connection of nano-Ag paste packaging materials, therefore, it is very urgent to further reduce the sintering temperature of nano-silver paste. Based on the transient liquid phase sintering technology, by doping the nano-Ag paste with the nano-tin paste with a lower melting point to make the two uniformly mix, pressureless sintering at low temperature can be realized, and a sintered joint with a connection strength greater than 20 MPa can be formed. Considering that tin is easy to be oxidized, and the core–shell material can prevent the oxidation of tin, and at the same time ensure the uniform distribution of tin in silver, the doping scheme of the core–shell structure is determined. Heterogeneous flocculation method refers to the particles with different properties of charges which attract each other and agglomerate. It is a continuous reduction method for preparing core–shell materials. This method has the advantages of mild reaction conditions and less equipment investment, so the heterogeneous flocculation method is selected to prepare Sn@Ag core–shell nano paste. And research its sintering performance and strengthening mechanism.

Thermo-economic analysis of combined transcritical CO2 power cycle based on a novel liquefied-biomethane energy storage system

The Chinese government has been encouraging to accelerate the development of energy storage systems to support the rapid growth of renewable energy power generation. For the purpose of achieving flexible and economic energy storage, in this study, a combined transcritical CO2 power cycle is added to biomethane plants to form a liquefied-biomethane energy storage system. A mathematical model that includes terms of energy, exergy, and economy is established to assess the performance of the combined transcritical CO2 power cycle. The effects of critical parameters on the thermo-economic performance are studied. A sensitivity analysis is used to evaluate the extent of the influence of critical parameters. According to the simulation results, the characteristics of the liquefied-biomethane energy storage system are calculated and evaluated. The results show that at a liquefied-biomethane mass flow rate of 1 kg/s, the maximum net power output of the combined transcritical CO2 power cycle reaches 909.81 kW by adjusting the pressure and temperature. High turbine inlet temperature, pump pressure ratio, and methane purity have positive effects on system performance. Among these, the inlet temperature of turbine 2 is the most sensitive factor. Simultaneously, the maximum energy storage density and round-trip efficiency of the liquefied-biomethane energy storage system are 106.8 Wh/L and 52.7 %, respectively. Benefiting from less upfront equipment investment, the lowest power capital cost of the liquefied-biomethane energy storage system is 885.3 $/kW. In conclusion, the liquefied-biomethane energy storage system integrated with a combined transcritical CO2 power cycle exhibits good performance in terms of power output and economy.

An optimal coordinated planning strategy for distributed energy station based on characteristics of electric vehicle charging behavior under carbon trading mechanism

Under the dual-carbon goal, the number of electric vehicle (EV) has surged, and the uncertainty of the temporal and spatial characteristics of the load has become prominent, which brings the challenge for higher requirements to the equipment composition of distributed energy station (DES) and performance of station-network. This paper proposes a collaborative planning method for low-carbon DES with networks, which is focusing on the characteristics of EV charging behavior. First of all, based on the quantitative analysis of the temporal and spatial distribution of charging load of four typical types of EV, including private vehicle, public vehicle, taxi and bus, the Monte Carlo method is used to construct the charging load modeling of EV in the region area. In addition, the low-carbon DES is modeled equipped with photovoltaic (PV) and power to gas (P2G) devices, and the Prim algorithm is adopted to search for the optimal network layout of energy transmission pipelines in the region area. Under carbon trading mechanism, aiming at the lowest annualized total cost of the regional station-network, a station-network collaborative planning modeling strategy for the capacity allocation of low-carbon DES with networks is established. Finally, the case study for a project in Beijing China is implemented on MATLAB, to prove the effectiveness of the method proposed in the paper. The time-of-use electricity price scheme changes the temporal and spatial characteristics of EV load. For example, more than 2 MW the EV load can be brought into the valley price range, which reduces the carbon transaction cost and energy purchase cost of DES by 50 thousand yuan almost when peak-valley electricity price difference is close to 1.2 yuan. At the same time, the growth of EV charging load(the penetration rate of EV can reach up to 20%) in the planning area has not increased the investment and operation-maintenance costs of DES equipment.

Assessment of the Potential and Prospects for the Development of High-Technology and Medium-High-Technology Types of Industrial Activities in Ukraine

The main ideas about modern technological innovations, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, global value chains, and the role of high-technology and medium-high-technology types of industrial activities in the process of technological transformation of the world economy are highlighted. An assessment of the potential and prospects for development of high-technology and medium-high-technology types of industrial activities in Ukraine are completed from the standpoint of the relationship between investment activity and the level of production as a prerequisite for increasing the technological level of the national economy and its integration into global value chains on a more profitable basis in modern and post-war conditions. Based on the analysis of the level of expenses that enterprises invest in the modernization and acquisition of tangible and intangible assets, it is concluded that the production and technological potential of high- and medium-high-tech branches of the industry in the pre-war period was increased, and it was found that their priority is capital investment in machines and equipment, and capital investments into intangible assets are financed according to the residual principle. It is determined that the manufacturers of pharmaceutical products and preparations, motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, and other vehicles have the highest production productivity, which indicates the competitiveness of the products manufactured by them and their importance for the national industrial sector. According to the results of the correlation and regression analysis, a strong dependence between the volumes of sold products and capital investments in the pharmaceutical industry and the electrical equipment manufacturing industry and a weak dependence in the chemical industry have been proven, which requires further scientific research t

Digital Transitions in Higher Education: European Dimension

In the article, the trends and approaches to digital transitions in higher education in the context of quality assurance are revealed based on the analysis and synthesis of the strategies of the global and European dimension, presented in the documents of the UN and the European Commission, as well as in the analytical and guiding documents of the EHEA. The global social development goals of the UN and the European Education Area are agreed primarily in terms of equal access to quality higher education for vulnerable populations, modernization of higher education institutions to create an inclusive educational environment, and are required the introduction of digitalization in higher education in order to achieve them. A trend towards the spread of digitally enhanced learning and teaching (DELT) in the EHEA covering both the traditional format of providing higher education and distance education has been revealed. The main approaches to providing digital higher education have been determined. A partnership approach to assuring high-quality and inclusive digital higher education requires the consolidation of public efforts based on the partnership of various stakeholders, and national policies and legislation should provide for such partnership and mechanisms for its implementation. The investment approach to financing the resource provision of quality digital higher education involves attracting appropriate investments in connectivity, equipment, and organizational potential and skills for successful digital transition in higher education. Digitally competency approach to the development of professional standards for University teachers and their professional development, re-training and professional excellence in the context of digital transition. An open approach to creating digital courses on platforms available for obtaining degree qualifications, partial qualifications and micro-credentials. A systematic approach to the creation and development of digital study programmes, which provides for high-quality educational content and quality assurance of digital higher education, in particular digital teaching, learning and assessment. It is emphasized that national strategic and other documents in higher education should be harmonized with international documents and strategies regarding digital transition in higher education to effectively introduce high-quality digital higher education in Ukraine and overcome the challenges of the state of war.

Liquidity Windfalls and Reallocation: Evidence from Farming and Fracking

Financing frictions may create a misallocation of assets in a market, thus depressing output, productivity, and asset values. This paper empirically explores how liquidity shocks generate a reallocation that diminishes this misallocation. Using a unique data set of agricultural outcomes, I explore how farmers respond to a relaxation of financial constraints through a liquidity shock unrelated to farming fundamentals, namely exogenous cash inflows caused by an expansion of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) leases. Farmers experiencing positive cash flow shocks increase their land purchases, which results in a reallocation effect. Examining purchases across areas, I find that farmers in high-productivity areas who receive cash flow shocks buy farmland in low-productivity areas, but farmers in low-productivity areas receiving positive cash flow shocks do not. Moreover, farmers increase their purchases of vacant (undeveloped) land. Average output, productivity, equipment investment, and profits all increase significantly following these positive cash flow shocks. Farmland prices also rise significantly, consistent with a cash-in-the-market pricing effect. These effects are consistent with an efficient reallocation of land toward more productive users. This paper was accepted by Tyler Shumway, finance. Funding: This work was supported by the Kritzman and Gorman Research Fund Grant. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4602 .

Hierarchical Analysis of Factors Determining the Impact of Forest Certification in Mexico

Forest certification is a private, voluntary and market-driven instrument designed to promote responsible forest management. This paper focused on the FSC and the NOM NMX-AA-143-SCFI-2008 schemes used in Mexico for the certification of sustainable forest management. In this paper we used the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) to study the factors that determine the main impacts of forest certification in México. A panel of 30 experts was selected as decision-makers to find which principles, criteria and indicators are considered as the most relevant while implementing forest certification. For decision-makers, the environmental principle occupied the first place with 40.26% of importance in the implementation of forest certification, followed by the social principle, and the economic principle with 32.15% and 27.59% of importance, respectively. Regarding the criteria, forest management and production, biodiversity, and forest protection were considered to be the most relevant. Regarding the indicators, the results indicated that forest certification in Mexico can have a positive impact on the existence of educational institutions, community services such as water, energy, medical services and drainage, the quality of the forest management plans, investment in forest management, machinery and equipment, environmental services, recreation, tourism, research, development and community education, planning for the conservation of biological diversity, and planning for biodiversity conservation.

STUDI KELAYAKAN PEMANFAATAN PRODUK BERBABAHAN BAKU PALA

The aims of this study were 1) to find out the process of refining nutmeg oil in the sole owner of the plantation (parkenir) from the Dutch heritage of Van Den Broeke and the surrounding nutmeg farmers to meet the raw materials for producing nutmeg oil. 2) Analyze the feasibility of refining nutmeg oil. 3) Analyze sensitivity. Market aspect analysis was carried out by searching digital markets such as shopee, Bukalapak to find out nutmeg oil products with various packages and nutmeg oil content abys aromatherapy and selling prices for various package sizes. The number of buyers for various sizes shows the consumer's response to nutmeg oil as aromatherapy. Analysis of technical aspects is obtained by collecting data on technology, processing, and investment in distillation equipment at the Van den Broeke parkenir in Walang village, Banda sub-district. These data form the basis of production capacity analysis. Investment planning, the need for raw materials and labor increased gradually over three years. The number of workers in the micro industry is not more than five people. This research was conducted at Parkenir Van den Broek, Walang Village, Banda sub-district, Central Maluku Regency. The determination of the research location was carried out purposively, with the consideration that Parkenir Van den Broek is the only nutmeg plantation with an area of ​​12.5 ha and has distillation equipment in Banda. The results of the calculation of the investment feasibility criteria in this production process are: 1. The NPV (Net Present Value) of the nutmeg oil refining industry generates an NPV or net profit at the end of the project, which is Rp. 53,836,063 Because the NPV value is > 0, this business is feasible. 2. Net B/C (Net Benefit Cost Ratio) The nutmeg oil refining industry produces a Net B/C value of 1.26. This means that the nutmeg oil refining industry is feasible because the Net B/C value is > 1. 3. The IRR (Internal Rate Of Return) The nutmeg oil refining industry is feasible because it obtains an IRR > 18%, namely 54%.

Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling with Job and Machine Acceptance and Renewable Resource Allocation

In this paper, an unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem with job (product) and machine acceptance and renewable resource constraints was considered. The main idea of this research was to establish a production facility without (or with minimum) investment in machinery, equipment, and location. This problem can be applied to many real problems. The objective was to maximize the net profit; that is, the total revenue minus the total cost, including fixed costs of jobs, job transportation costs, renting costs of machines, renting cost of resources, and transportation costs of resources. A mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and several heuristics (greedy, GRASP, and simulated annealing) are presented to solve the problem.