Productivity Rates Research Articles

Challenges in Sesame Production and Marketing: Insights from Kerala's Onattukara Region, India

Sesame is one of the nine major oilseeds grown in India, with cultivation spread across every state. Although sesame is grown in 11 districts in Kerala, the sesame cultivated in the Onattukara tract has unique characteristics. In Kerala, sesame is cultivated on 326.51 hectares, with a total production of 163.1 tonnes and a productivity rate of 499 kg per hectare. This study aims to analyze the challenges faced by farmers in the production and marketing of sesame in the Onattukara region of Kerala. The districts of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, and Kollam were purposively selected for the study, as the Onattukara region is located within these three districts. A total of 163 farmers were included in the sample, comprising eighty farmers each from Kollam and Alappuzha districts and three farmers from Pathanamthitta. Constraints faced by farmers in sesame cultivation were ranked using the Garrett ranking technique. Sesame cultivation in the Onattukara region faces various challenges in both production and marketing, such as inadequate seed availability, high input costs, low yields, labor shortages, low prices, weather-related issues, price fluctuations, delayed payments, low demand for the final product, and the lack of institutional market mechanism. Similarly, sesame processing unit owners also encounter issues in production and marketing, including raw material shortages, a lack of skilled labor, poor raw material quality, costly production methods, lack of support, low product prices, price volatility, inadequate storage facilities, inefficient markets for final products, and limited consumer awareness. A micro-level study on sesame production and marketing would help producers make informed and specific decisions to improve their income. These insights can guide producers in making informed decisions and assist policymakers in implementing corrective measures like resource allocation for inputs, training and capacity building, improving market linkages to enhance sesame production, productivity, and market stability. These interventions, grounded in micro-level data, could substantially support both short-term gains and long-term sustainability in sesame production, demonstrating the practical utility of the research in enhancing both farmers livelihoods and local agricultural policy.

Growth and Decomposition Analysis of Major Fruits Grown in Punjab

Background: Punjab has been gifted with the suitable agro climatic conditions and topography for the cultivation of horticultural crops, particularly fruits and vegetables. Due to its easy cultivation on sandy loam soils, increased profitability and good market value in comparison to several other crops in the state, Punjab has gained popularity among fruit growers. Methods: The study was based on secondary data obtained on the basis of the largest area sown over the period of 13 years i.e., from 2010-11 to 2022-23. Statistical tools like Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), instability index and decomposition analysis were used to analyze the trends in area, production and productivity of major fruits in Punjab. Result: Results revealed that growth rates of area, production and productivity had shown positive and significant in all the major fruits during the study period. The growth rate of area and production under kinnow was found to be lowest due to decline in area and production during the last three years. Cuddy-Della Valle Index indicates that fluctuations in area and production was found to be tremendously high under lemon and litchi. Decomposition analysis revealed that area under kinnow was the major contributing factor causing the change in production but it was the yield that played a major role in other fruits.

Organic matter accumulation under the Middle-Upper Ordovician tectonic transition on the western margin of the North China platform

The tectonic of the Middle and Late Ordovician in the western margin of the north China Platform is complex, and the accumulation models of organic matter of the Wulalike Formation formed during this period are still unclear. Total organic carbon (TOC) content, mineral composition, organic carbon isotope composition, as well as the major and trace elements in the shale samples were all measured in this study. The Wulalike Formation was formed during a tectonic transition from a passive continental margin to an active continental margin. Hydrocarbon-forming organisms are mainly algae. Primary productivity, terrigenous input, and sedimentation rates influence input, dilution, and degradation of organic matter. The degree of degradation, redox, and basin restriction control the preservation of organic matter. The TOC of the Wulalike Formation is determined by the input and preservation degree of organic matter at different sedimentary periods. The organic matter accumulation model in the Wulalike Formation is controlled by regional structures, dominated by sedimentation rate and preservation conditions.

Statistical and source characterization of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Türkiye earthquake sequence

AbstractWe studied seismic features of the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Türkiye earthquake sequence by analyzing the spatiotemporal behavior of the b- and -p values and source characteristics of the mainshocks. We complemented our study by determining the regional stress field. The b-values in the region varied from 0.45 to 1.15. We observed a slight b-value decrease (Δb≈0.2) months before the two mainshocks. Our results exhibited complex b-value patterns on the fault planes and regular aftershock productivity rates (1.14 < p < 1.25). We compare static stress drop estimates derived from effective fault dimensions to those of finite-fault dimensions. Total effective stress drops (the sum of the stress drops of all fault segments) for the earthquake doublet were almost identical (~ 2.05 MPa), while those from finite-fault dimensions are somewhat lower (0.35 and 0.96 MPa). Based on a complete stress drop case, effective seismic efficiency was 0.65 and 0.43 for both mainshocks. The amount of partial stress drop was used to discriminate between different stress drop models. No clear model is discerned for the first mainshock, but a partial or even complete stress drop, assuming finite-fault dimensions, is supported by our measurements. Stress drop estimations derived from spectral analysis (25.46 and 34.39 MPa) agreed with global studies but larger than finite and effective fault estimates. Stress inversion results indicated that in the fault segments where the mainshocks occurred, the orientation of principal axes was consistent with a strike-slip regime. Conversely, the normal-faulting regime dominates adjacent areas of the main fault system.

Measuring Total Factor Productivity in General Technical Progress Framework

The classical Solow's total factor productivity accounting assumes that technical progress is Hicks neutral, which is a special situation in the reality of world economy. This paper expands the setting of technical progress into general technical progress framework, which can cover Hicks neutral technical progress, Harrod neutral technical progress, Solow-neutral technical progress, and various factor-biased technical changes. According to the principle of statistical index number, this paper decomposes the output index into a total factor input index and a total factor productivity index, and adopts normalized CES production function with factor-augmenting technical progress to derive the calculation formulas of the total factor input index and the total factor productivity index, and constructs a new economic growth accounting system, and finds the counteraction and compensation mechanism for diminishing marginal returns. If the factor substitution elasticity is 1 or there is no technical progress bias and factor allocation bias, then the new accounting equation degenerates into the classic Solow growth accounting equation. The new accounting system can measure the influence of total factor input and total factor productivity to economic growth, but also can measure the influences of factor input intensity and factor allocation bias in the growth rate of total factor input, and the influences of technical progress intensity and technical progress bias in the growth rate of total factor productivity. Therefore it is more precise and accurate than classical method.

Abstract 4134935: Impact of COVID-19 on Cardiology Fellows and Faculty in the United States: Two Years Later

Introduction: Recent data demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected cardiovascular fellows in training (cFIT) and faculty in terms of educational disruption and search for job prospects, respectively. However, less is known about the pandemic's effect on cFIT and faculty in terms of general well-being, shifts in personal and professional priorities, quantitative measures of stress levels, and research productivity. Methods: A national survey targeting cFIT and faculty was developed to assess the effect of the pandemic two years later on these parameters. Fifty-four participants, including 21 cFIT and 33 faculty, responded to the survey. The survey was distributed between October 2021 and May 2022 to program directors of ACGME-accredited general cardiology fellowship programs in the United States. Results: 30% of cFITs perceived impaired clinical training during the pandemic; 36% of fellows experienced a decline in their clinical skills in the cardiac catheterization lab, while 27% experienced a decrease in their echocardiographic skills. Additionally, a significant percentage of cFIT reported negative interference in their competencies in nuclear cardiology (27%) and electrophysiology (12%). Most participants (76%), including faculty and fellows, reported several health issues such as sleep problems, low energy, changes in appetite, difficulty concentrating, and restlessness due to the pandemic. 43% of the faculty and 61% of cFIT reported high rates of impaired short-term productivity (Figure). Conclusion: In this national survey, we found that two years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, cardiology fellows and faculty continued to experience significant concerns for decreased hands-on training and diminished research productivity. While faculty were not distressed regarding decreased clinical competencies, concerns about short-term and long-term research productivity persisted. Faculty and fellows all experienced increased stress levels and impaired productivity. Although limited by a small sample size, which can introduce bias, these results signal the importance of performing a follow-up study on the impact of COVID-19 on wellness as well as the impact on career.

Energy-exergy analyses of hydrogen enriched⸺ diesel and blended biofuel (Azolla pinnata macroalgae) on the dual fuel diesel engine

Hydrogen fuel has gained global attention as a potential alternative to conventional fuels as it reduces greenhouse gas emissions and addresses energy sustainability challenges. In addition, biofuel (Azolla pinnata) is highly productive having limited negative impacts with an exemplary productivity rate. The energy-exergy analysis in CI engine's is an effective method for determining its efficiency and effectiveness. This paper highlights the effects of diesel, H2 enriched diesel, and H2 enriched B40 (60% diesel + 40% Algal Biodiesel) on the energetic and exergetic efficiency of a dual-fuel diesel engine with a rated speed and power of 1500 rpm and 3.5 kW respectively. The analysis was done at varying engine loads: low loads (25%), medium loads (50%), and high loads (75%), respectively. The energy and exergy for 40% hydrogen-enriched B40 increased by 8.77% and 23.85%, respectively, compared to neat diesel operation at higher loads. In addition, the irreversibility of 40% hydrogen-enriched B40 decreased by 13.82% at higher load conditions as compared to base diesel operation. The sustainability index of 40% hydrogen-enriched B40 was 1.38 compared to 1.28 of diesel, showing an improvement of 7.82%. The theoretical energy-exergy analyses showed an error less than 5% compared to BTE validating the results of the energy-exergy analyses performed theoretically.

Twenty-five years of Accounting History: A bibliometric analysis

This article reviews the 25 years of Accounting History. Using bibliometric analysis, we provide a summary of bibliometric statistics to present an overview of the peer-reviewed journal's publication landscape. For this reason, we use a sample of 566 documents from the Scopus database between 1996 and 2021. We document publication and citation data indicating an increased rate of productivity and influence. We identify the leading authors, institutions and countries and find that most contributions stem from Australia-based affiliations. We also apply network analysis to reveal the major themes, collaboration patterns and existing relationships among topics. We discover that the journal displays global views that are not limited to the wisdom of one country. We classify dominant topics into 11 clusters and suggest promising avenues for future research.

Advanced Machine Learning Algorithms for Predictive Maintenance in Industrial Manufacturing Systems

In industrial manufacturing systems, predictive maintenance is the process of increasing the rate of productivity and minimizing the time that equipment takes to be out of order through early identification of the equipment that is likely to fail. The main focus of this research is to analyze the possibility of using modern approaches in machine learning to enhance the methods of predictive maintenance. We compare multiple current approaches of deep learning, ensemble methods, and anomaly detection to determine their effectiveness in predicting the maintenance requirements utilizing the sensor and operational data. With the help of a large amount of data, we consider the results of the work of each algorithm for the assessment of the predictive accuracy, the ranking of features, and the detection of anomalies. The findings highlight disparities in the effectiveness of the algorithms in terms of accuracy, precision, and recall, and the deep learning models’ ability to grasp intricate and anomalous patterns. The performance of the maintenance predictions is depicted by the use of visualizations of the performance metrics and feature importance. It also describes the drawbacks of the existing models, such as the problem of data quality and generalization. The study draws attention to the possibility of applying sophisticated machine-learning methods to improve the effectiveness of PM in industrial environments. Possible directions of future research are to enhance the generalization ability of the developed models and to expand the usage of modern trends in the machine learning field to enhance maintenance strategies.

Use of small-sized units when spreading fertilizers on mountain slopes

BACKGROUND: The results of RD on a laboratory sample of the unit for spreading mineral fertilizers on mountain slopes, which can increase labor productivity and yield rate of mountain forage lands by 15–20%, are presented. AIM: Development of a small–sized laboratory sample of the unit for surface spreading of mineral fertilizers, ensuring accelerated restoration of productive and qualitative functions of natural grass stands of fallow forage lands. METHODS: The technical expertise and testing of the unit and the technology were carried out in the mountainous zone of the Republic of North Ossetia — Alania (Dargava basin, the station of North Caucasian Research Institute of Highland and Piedmont Agriculture) at an altitude of 1540 meters above sea level. The indicators of the test conditions and functional performance of the unit have been determined according to the OST 10.5.1-2000 industry standard. Surface fertilization was carried out according to the OST 10.7.1.-2000. “Testing of agricultural machinery. Machines for applying mineral fertilizers, lime materials and gypsum” industry standard. The study subject was the technology of spreading granular fertilizers, the design of the unit and working bodies: pendulum spreading devices, spreading rates and method of spreading fertilizers. RESULTS: A laboratory sample of the small-sized unit based on the KChG-2.4 cultivator of North Caucasian Research Institute of Highland and Piedmont Agriculture design for surface application of mineral fertilizers has been developed and manufactured. The block module is a hinged frame structure with a tow-lifting device, pendulum spreading tubes and rolling rollers installed on it. The considered motion of the mining unit is across the slope from top to bottom in a shuttle manner with rolling of the sown granules by rolling rollers. The tests were carried out on a rarefied section of the northern slope with a steepness of 13–16° in the area “Sugsadtanrag”. CONCLUSION: The practical application of the small-sized unit for surface spreading of mineral fertilizers with their subsequent rolling in areas in mountainous and foothill zones will ensure a reduction in the degradation processes of slope areas by accelerating the restoration of the quality and quantity of perennial grasses of fallow forage lands.

How Different Distribution of Assortments on Worksites Influences Forwarder Performance in Coniferous Plantations

Forwarders often load logs organized in large piles by modified farm tractors, skidders, animals, other forwarders, etc., but currently, there are no studies on how the different concentrations of logs affect forwarder performance in terms of time consumption, productivity, and costs in forwarding operations. A study was conducted in three locations situated in Bulgaria (sites A and B) and in southern Italy (site C): in site A the logs were spread in the stand, in site B they were concentrated in large piles at the roadside, whereas in site C the logs were organized at the roadside in piles of medium size. The average forwarder productivity in site A obtained at an average forwarding distance of 1780 m, an average payload volume of 9.83 m3, and an average number of grips of logs with the crane grapple, during loading (22.97) and during unloading (8.97) per cycle, is 10.43 m3·PMH-1 (PMH, productive machine hour) and 9.93 m3·SMH-1 (SMH, scheduled machine hour), respectively. In site B the productivity rate was lower than that registered by the forwarder operated in site A: 9.38 m3·PMH-1 and 8.81 m3·SMH-1, respectively, at an average forwarding distance of 3760 m, average payload volume of 15.04 m3, and a mean number of grips of logs with the crane grapple, during loading and during unloading, of 23.57 and 14.10 per cycle, respectively. With regard to site C, the average machine productivitiy was 12.39 m3·PMH-1 and 11.85 m3·SMH-1, travelling a mean forwarding distance of 1630 m, transporting a mean load volume of 13.63 m3, and performing an average number of grips of logs with the crane grapple, during loading of 26.52 and during unloading of 12.36 per cycle. The ratio between the number of grips of logs with the crane grapple during loading and unloading operations in site A is on average 2.56, but in site B it is significantly smaller – mean of 1.67, due to the larger number of logs in the grapple when loading from large piles. Site C shows a loading and unloading number of grips ratio intermediate between the two Bulgarian sites. This ratio is characterized by the concentration of logs in the stand. Concentration in larger piles results in a larger volume of grappled logs by crane, and hence, lower time for loading of the forwarder and higher productivity. The obtained results show that the dispersion of small piles of logs results in a smaller volume grappled, a greater number of crane cycles and a larger loading distance, which generally, increases loading time. The larger volume of logs in the crane grapple and the shorter loading distance, when the loading operation is carried out from larger piles at the roadside, lead to less loading time. Gross costs for forwarders were 65.14 € PMH-1 at Site A, 72.96 €·PMH-1 at Site B, and 85.58 €·PMH-1 at Site C. When the forwarders were productive, the costs were 6.35 €·m-3 in site A, 7.90 €·m-3 in site B, and 6.90 €·m-3 in site C.

Impact of Natural and Human Factors on Dryland Vegetation in Eurasia from 2003 to 2022.

Eurasian dryland ecosystems consist mainly of cropland and grassland, and their changes are driven by both natural factors and human activities. This study utilized the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), gross primary productivity (GPP) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) to analyze the changing characteristics of vegetation activity in Eurasia over the past two decades. Additionally, we integrated the mean annual temperature (MAT), the mean annual precipitation (MAP), the soil moisture (SM), the vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and the terrestrial water storage (TWS) to analyze natural factors' influence on the vegetation activity from 2003 to 2022. Through partial correlation and residual analysis, we quantitatively described the contributions of both natural and human factors to changes in vegetation activity. The results indicated an overall increasing trend in vegetation activity in Eurasia; the growth rates of vegetation greenness, productivity and photosynthetic capacity were 1.00 × 10-3 yr-1 (p < 0.01), 1.30 g C m-2 yr-2 (p < 0.01) and 1.00 × 10-3 Wm-2μm-1sr-1yr-1 (p < 0.01), respectively. Furthermore, we found that soil moisture was the most important natural factor influencing vegetation activity. Human activities were identified as the main driving factors of vegetation activity in the Eurasian drylands. The relative contributions of human-induced changes to NDVI, GPP and SIF were 52.45%, 55.81% and 74.18%, respectively. These findings can deepen our understanding of the impacts of current natural change and intensified human activities on dryland vegetation coverage change in Eurasia.

In ovo injection of organic zinc effects on hatching rate of broiler breeder hen eggs and productivity of broilers

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of in ovo injection of organic zinc on the characteristics of broiler chickens and the performance of broiler chickens A total of 320 eggs from Ross 308 strain with an average weight of 65 grams were randomly divided into four groups, negative control (no injection), positive control (in ovo injection of 0.272 ml of normal saline solution) and two experimental groups, eggs in the first received in ovo injection of 0.272 mg of organic zinc whereas in the second the eggs were injected with 0.544 mg of the same organic zinc. The injection was done in the amniotic sac on the 10th day of incubation. The effect of injection on hatching traits and then on functional traits, blood parameters, immune response, carcass characteristics and cecal microbial population of resulting broilers were measured. The results showed that the percentage of hatched broiler chickens in the zinc-treated groups was significantly lower compared to the two control groups. However, the intraocular injection of zinc caused a significant increase in the final weight gain of the birds and their feed consumption. Blood parameters were also affected in experimental treatments and blood glucose increased and blood triglyceride, cholesterol and lipoproteins decreased compared to negative and positive control (P&lt;0.01). On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was observed in the immune response, microbial population and carcass characteristics among the experimental groups. In conclusion, the intra egg injection of organic zinc can show favorable results in the performance indicators of broiler chickens, although it had no effect on the immune response and microbial population.

Serious Games for Serious Business: Unravelling Trends and Distribution Dynamics

Objective: To analyse the impact and applications of Serious Games in the corporate realm, evaluating both benefits and challenges associated with their adoption. Methodology: A literature review is conducted through a descriptive bibliometric analysis. The distribution of publications and citations of studies by year, affiliations and authors with the highest productivity rate, and most cited articles are analysed. Results: A marked increase in publications on Serious Games is observed, indicating a growing interest in research. Citation analysis shows an upward trend, with the year 2022 standing out as the most prolific. INRAE and Wageningen University Research are leading institutions in this field, and prominent authors include Mayer, Dumont, and Russell-Bennett. Limitations: There is potential bias in article selection and a narrow focus on the benefits and challenges of Serious Games in enterprises, overlooking long-term sustainability. This could be addressed by comparing the effectiveness of Serious Games in employee training versus customer interaction and evaluating their applicability across different sectors. Practical implications: Serious Games are useful for simulating business creation, developing entrepreneurial skills through a playful approach, as well as citizen decision-making and its impact on carbon emissions. In the tourism sector, the effectiveness of gamification through Serious Games is evidenced by increased brand loyalty. The article provides an understanding of the landscape of Serious Games and their implementation in companies across different sectors. It observes the practical implications of this learning tool and its interaction with consumers, to enhance their experience.

Growth, Productivity and Nutrient Uptake Rates of Ulva lactuca and Devaleraea mollis Co-Cultured with Atractoscion nobilis in a Land-Based Seawater Flow-Through Cascade IMTA System

To advance environmentally friendly technologies in the aquaculture of Atractoscion nobilis, and simultaneously to diversify seafood production, a 79-day trial was conducted to assess the performance of Ulva lactuca and Devaleraea mollis cultured in the effluent from A. nobilis in a land-based integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system in southern California, USA. Water quality and performance of macroalgae were measured weekly. The impacted factors on the growth of macroalgae and nutrient uptake rate of macroalgae were assessed. The specific growth rate of juvenile A. nobilis was 0.47–0.52%/d. Total ammonia nitrogen in effluents of A. nobilis tanks ranged from 0.03 to 0.19 mg/L. Ulva lactuca and D. mollis achieved an average productivity of 24.53 and 14.40 g dry weight (DW)/m2/d. The average nitrogen content was 3.48 and 4.89% DW, and accordingly, the average nitrogen uptake rate was 0.88 and 0.71 g/m2/d, respectively. Temperature and nutrient concentration were key factors impacting macroalgae growth, and light intensity also impacted the growth of D. mollis. The high protein content of U. lactuca and D. mollis would make them good for use as human or animal food, or for use in other industries. Research on the interaction effects between seawater exchange rates and aeration rates on the performance and nutrient uptake rates of macroalgae will be conducted in future studies.

Organizational Influence on Security Development in Open-Source Software Projects

Increasing technological complexity, intensified competition, and security requirements have driven open-source software (OSS) projects to become a crucial part of organizations' software development. This study focuses on the OSS project TensorFlow (TF) and uses a case study to examine how organizations and their associated developers collaborate to identify, fix and prevent security vulnerabilities. Social Network Analysis (SNA) of archived security data from software repositories is used to gain insight into security activities. The study examines the internal structure and evolution of security code collaboration, organizational networks, and top organizational contributors to TF. It also examines productivity, homophily, development diversity, and turnover rates among developers across various software releases. The in-depth insights from this research enhance our understanding of collaborative patterns in OSS communities within open software ecosystems, particularly in the security context.

Siphon-based scalable and salt-resistant multistage thermal desalination system

Recent advances in thermal localization-based passive solar desalination provide a great opportunity for the economical generation of freshwater, particularly in regions with insufficient energy and water infrastructure. Yet, the capillary-assisted passive desalination systems with a high-water productivity flux (measured in Lm−2 h−1) suffer from the issue of performance degradation due to salt accumulation and the inability to be scaled up. In this work, we propose siphon-based supply of saline water over the evaporator that enables scale up of the desalination system to a size significantly higher than the capillary rise height of the hydrophilic evaporator while preventing salt accumulation on the evaporator. The composite siphon comprises insulating fabric wick and a metallic grooved surface for localizing heat to evaporate a thin layer of saline liquid over the evaporator. We perform heat and mass transfer analysis to show that the thermal-to-vapor efficiency depends on the inlet mass flow rate and air gap between the evaporator and the condenser. We propose a methodology to passively control the mass flow rate to maximize the thermal to vapor efficiency at different input heat flux and initial concentration of the brine. A grooved condenser avoids mixing of brine and the freshwater, even at air gaps as low as 2 mm. A siphon-assisted 10-stage desalination system with a footprint area 15 cm × 15 cm and an air gap of 2 mm is shown to have a high water productivity flux of ∼5.73 Lm−2 h−1 from 3.5 wt% saline water at an applied heat flux 1000 W/m2, which increases to a record high distillate flux of ∼6.23 Lm−2 h−1 and thermal to water collection efficiency of ∼423 % for a 15-stage system. The ability of the desalination system to maintain a high-water productivity flux even when the evaporator area is increased by 4 times demonstrates its scalability to achieve higher desalinated water productivity rate.

PRODUKTIVITAS SERASAH MANGROVE DI DESA POPALO GORONTALO UTARA

Popalo Village is located in Anggrek Sub-district, one of the sub-districts administratively located in Gorontalo Utara Regency, and has a mangrove area of 51.08 hectares. Some conditions of mangrove areas in Popalo Village have changed land use into ponds by the community; this has led to concerns about a decrease in the function and role of mangrove areas as nutrient converters. This study was conducted to determine the productivity and decomposition rate of litter of each component, including leaves, twigs, fruits, and flowers in mangrove vegetation, and the percentage of mangrove litter decomposition. The research method was sampling using litter traps with observation time every 15, 30, 45, and 60 days. The analysis carried out was to calculate the productivity of mangrove leaf, twig, fruit, and flower litter—the decomposition rate and percentage of litter decomposition of each mangrove component. The results showed that litter productivity in each part of the mangrove plant, namely leaves, twigs, flowers, and fruit that became the research sample, experienced a downward trend during the 60 days of observation, while the results of the percentage of decomposition showed a fluctuating trend. This condition is caused by several environmental factors essential to decomposing litter. Influencing factors include temperature at the research site, seawater salinity, daily tides, and the activity of microorganisms in the soil that support the decomposition process.

Genetic analysis for reproductive and longevity traits in Landlly sows

The rate of reproduction and lifetime productivity of the animals determine the success of a herd. As these features significantly impact sow productivity, welfare, and profitability, there is considerable interest in global swine breeding programmes to genetically select better sows for these attributes. In this scenario, reliable heritability estimates and genetic correlations between traits are essential for the success of genetic selection for such traits. The goals of the current study were to examine the reproductive and longevity traits and to estimate the genetic and phenotypic parameters for these traits in Landlly sows kept at a swine production farm, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India. The effect of non-genetic factors on different reproductive traits was estimated using SPSS version 16.0 and Bayesian approach which were utilized to estimate the genetic parameters for reproductive and longevity traits. The current study’s finding that the year and season of birth significantly affect reproductive traits generally suggests that there is potential for boosting productivity by optimising managemental practices. The heritability estimates were low for the reproductive and longevity traits, indicating a very little additive genetic variance in these traits, and individual selection will not be helpful for improving them. As some traits, such as LSB_FF &amp; LSW_FF and LSB _SF &amp; LSW_SF, have a moderate genetic correlation, indirect selection can be used to improve these two pairs of features.

Circular economy – perception of its essence and comparison of selected indicators in Slovakia and the Czech Republic

The circular economy (CE) is crucial for achieving sustainable development by minimizing waste and optimizing resource use. This study aimed to compare the perception of the CE concept in the Czech Republic and Slovakia through a questionnaire survey and analyze the development of selected CE indicators. The respondents were stakeholders involved in the relevant issue, meeting the condition of operating within the forestry and wood industry sector in the analyzed countries. The results revealed that a majority of respondents in both countries were familiar with the CE concept and recognized its importance for sustainable development. Statistical analysis indicated positive trends in Resource Productivity and Circular Material Use Rate in both countries, highlighting progress towards sustainable economic practices. However, the need for continuous awareness-raising efforts remains evident.