Small Size Categories Research Articles

Estimation of Marketed Surplus and Marketing Efficiency of Milk in Andhra Pradesh, India

A study was conducted to analyze milk's marketed surplus and marketing efficiency in the Vishakhapatnam and Chittoor districts of Andhra Pradesh. The study randomly selected 80 dairy farmers from four villages in Chittoor and Vishakhapatnam districts. According to the study, average milk production and marketable surplus increase as herd size increases. The average marketed surplus is highest for the large size category (58.75 lit/day) followed by Medium (45.40 lit/day) and small size category (19.01 lit/day). Because of the lowest price spread and highest producer share in consumers' rupee, the most efficient marketing channel was producer-consumer (Channel-I), followed by producer-creameries-consumer (Channel-II). The study suggests that producers' choice of supply network influences their profitability.

Domestic Energy Consumption and Its Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Insights from Koulikoro Urban Community, Sudano-Sahelian Zone of Mali in West Africa

The objective of this study is to estimate the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by domestic energy (firewood and charcoal) in the urban commune of Koulikoro, Mali. This study employed questionnaire survey to identify the type of energies used, their costs, the quantity consumed, and the difficulties of access to these energies and their impact on natural resources in Koulikoro. The consumption of each family per neighbourhood was extrapolated to its total population to determine the carbon emitted and the carbon dioxide released. Thus, the carbon dioxide emitted in tonnes per neighbourhood was determined. The findings revealed three types of energy in the urban commune of Koulikoro, mainly firewood 72%, charcoal 25% and Gas 3%. The use of these energy sources depends on accessibility and availability. The increase in consumption per district is a function of the number of people. Daily used charcoal was estimated at 2 kg day-1 and 7 kg day-1 for firewood. Overall, average firewood using was highest in largest household size and it was 62% higher than in small size category which recorded the lowest. Annual amount of charcoal used was 676 kg year-1 and 2294 kg year-1 for firewood. However, annual amount of fuelwood per person was higher in small size category and 178% greater than in largest household group than other household size. Carbon consumption per capita per year was greater in small household group estimate to be 477 kg pns-1 year-1. Thus, the urban commune of Koulikoro has a significant carbon dioxide emission and firewood emits more CO2 than charcoal.

Plio-Pleistocene African megaherbivore losses associated with community biomass restructuring.

Fossil abundance data can reveal ecological dynamics underpinning taxonomic declines. Using fossil dental metrics, we reconstructed body mass and mass-abundance distributions in Late Miocene to recent African large mammal communities. Despite collection biases, fossil and extant mass-abundance distributions are highly similar, with unimodal distributions likely reflecting savanna environments. Above 45 kilograms, abundance decreases exponentially with mass, with slopes close to -0.75, as predicted by metabolic scaling. Furthermore, communities before ~4 million years ago had considerably more large-sized individuals, with a greater proportion of total biomass allocated in larger size categories, than did later communities. Over time, individuals and biomass were redistributed into smaller size categories, reflecting a gradual loss of large-sized individuals from the fossil record paralleling the long-term decline of Plio-Pleistocene large mammal diversity.

Disease Classification Model Based on Multi-Modal Feature Fusion

Aiming at the application of classification tasks in deep learning in disease classification, this paper proposes a disease classification model based on multi-modal feature fusion. In this model, chest X-ray images of patients are used as image modal data, and corresponding disease descriptions are used as text modal data. By innovatively pro-posing an adaptive multi-modal attention mechanism, the feature vectors extracted from the two modal data are fused for classification by classifier. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model in disease classification, this paper uses Chest X-ray dataset in open I database. In order to solve the problem of small sample size and unbalanced sample categories in this dataset, SMOTE algorithm is used to expand the samples and ablation study is designed to compare the model effects. The results show that the model based on both image and text modes and sample expansion by SMOTE algorithm can solve the problems of overfitting, low recall and F1 value due to small samples and unbalanced samples. In addition, the classification accuracy of multi-modal model using image and text is improved by about 0.55% and 2.69% respectively compared with single-modal model using only image or text. Similarly, the addition of adaptive multi-modal attention mechanism also improves the classification effect of the model by about 0.41% compared with the feature fusion method using vector concatenation simply.

Economics of milk production and its constraints: A case study of Himachal Pradesh

An attempt has been made in this investigation to work out the cost and returns from milk production across different milch species of animals. Tabular analysis was employed to workout the cost and returns while Garrett’s Ranking Technique (GRT)was used to identify the major constraints in milk production. The multistage random sampling technique was adopted to select the sample of 60 dairy farmers. Average milk yield per day per animal was found to be significantly higher in the case of crossbred cows (7.06 litres) as compared to local cows (2.88 litres).Similarly, net maintenance cost per milch animal per day was found to be relatively higher in crossbred cows ( 200.76) as compared to local cows ( 113.76). The per litre cost of milk production was observed to be significantly higher in case of local cows ( 35.09) followed by crossbred cows ( 26.34). The net income per day was relatively higher in case of crossbred cows ( 64.62) as compared to local cows ( 4.29), while it was found lowest in the small herd size category for local cows (0.54). The net return from crossbred cows was more than that of local cows indicating that crossbred milking cow was more economical than the local cow in the study area. High cost of concentrate, unavailability of veterinary services and low milk productivity were the major constraints in milk production in the study area. Therefore, efforts should be made to impart knowledge to dairy farmers regarding advanced animal husbandry techniques through extension services.

Carbon storages and sequestration potentials in remnant forests of different patch sizes in northern Ethiopia: an implication for climate change mitigation

Abstract Background Forests provide various ecosystem services. They are natural capitals that enhance nature to regulate itself via carbon sinks. However, anthropogenic and natural factors have altered their CO2 sequestration and carbon storage potentials. This study is aimed for examining the effect of patch size and biomass extraction on carbon stocks in northern Ethiopia. A total of 61 sample plots measuring 20 m × 20 m size each (0.04 ha) had been systematically assigned on patches classified into three size categories. However, the numbers of plots taken per patch were different with their sizes. Moreover, stump density has been computed at each plot to estimate the difference in the level of disturbance among patches. Carbon stocks had been estimated via models previously developed. One-way ANOVA was used to examine a variation in carbon stocks and sequestration potentials. Besides, a linear regression analysis was discretely done to examine the relationship between patch sizes, disturbance level, and carbon stocks. Results The overall aboveground biomass (ton ha−1) for the studied patches was 2059.13. There was a statistically significant variation in carbon stocks (ton ha−1) among patch size categories. The mean levels of disturbance ranges from 10.83% ± 1.30 to 30.8% ± 4.04. However, statistically significant difference in the level of disturbance was observed between large and small patch size categories, respectively (p < 0.05). Besides, a regression analysis confirmed a significant and negative relationship between patch size and patch disturbances (R2 = 0.65, p < 0.05). However, significant positive relation between carbon stocks (ton ha−1) and patch size (R2 = 0.53, p < 0.05) had observed. Conclusions In general, patch size and biomass extinction significantly influenced carbon stocks and CO2 sequestration potentials of forests. Consequently, with the pressing need to mitigate the effects of rising atmospheric CO2, maximizing carbon storage in the forest ecosystem is increasingly considered a viable management strategy. Therefore, disturbed land restoration, increasing forest patch size, sustainable management, and conservation of the existing remnant forest patch is needed to enhance carbon stocks and CO2 sequestration potentials.

Postharvest Losses of Cucumber Production at Farm Level in Selected Areas of Bangladesh

The study assessed the volume and value of postharvest losses of cucumber in Rajshahi, Rangpur and Bandarban districts of Bangladesh. The survey covered 180 cucumber farmers. Multistage stratified random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Postharvest loss was calculated by evaluating the quantitative and qualitative losses of cucumber. Among the respondents 71% were belonged to small farm size category followed by medium (21%) and marginal farm size category (6%). Average per hectare postharvest loss was 3929 kg in the survey areas. Postharvest loss was found highest in Rangpur (5781kg) followed by Rajshahi (4075kg) and Bandarban (1931kg). Total postharvest loss was 51.79% due to complete physical damage and the rest (48.21%) was due to partial physical damage. Sorting and grading stages accounted to 27.52% and 24.98% respectively were responsible for complete physical damage and partial physical damage. The least postharvest loss (3.61%) was due to storing of cucumber, whereas the highest loss (24.03%) was due to insect infestation. Besides, rotten and skinning causes for complete and partial physical damages of cucumber in Rajshahi district, where it was due to insect infestation in Bandarban and Rangpur district. The farmer of Rangpur district spent 81720 per hectare of cucumber cultivation, whereas it was Tk. 62354 and Tk. 34826 Rajshahi and Bandarban district respectively.
 Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 45(3): 269-277, September 2020

Individual Characteristics and Abiotic Factors Influence Out-Migration Dynamics of Juvenile Bull Trout

Fragmentation of rivers through anthropogenic modifications poses an imminent threat to the persistence of migratory fish, necessitating direct actions such as trap-and-haul programs to restore and conserve the migratory life-history component in populations of partially migratory species such as bull trout Salvelinus confluentus. We used a PIT-tag system to assess how biological and abiotic factors influence the out-migration dynamics of juvenile bull trout in Graves Creek, Montana, USA. The largest fish within a cohort were more likely to out-migrate at age 1 when compared to smaller fish within the cohort, and this was particularly evident in a high-density year-class (2018), where large bull trout out-migrated an average of 115 days earlier than bull trout in the medium size category, and 181 days earlier than bull trout in the small size category. Relative changes in abiotic factors, including discharge, water temperature, and photoperiod, appeared to act as cues to out-migration, with the direction of change varying by season. These results highlight the complex interplay between individual characteristics, population dynamics, and environmental conditions, which influence out-migration dynamics and can be used to inform management actions to conserve the migratory component in bull trout populations.

The Relative Power of Structural Genomic Variation versus SNPs in Explaining the Quantitative Trait Growth in the Marine Teleost Chrysophrys auratus.

Background: Genetic diversity provides the basic substrate for evolution. Genetic variation consists of changes ranging from single base pairs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) to larger-scale structural variants, such as inversions, deletions, and duplications. SNPs have long been used as the general currency for investigations into how genetic diversity fuels evolution. However, structural variants can affect more base pairs in the genome than SNPs and can be responsible for adaptive phenotypes due to their impact on linkage and recombination. In this study, we investigate the first steps needed to explore the genetic basis of an economically important growth trait in the marine teleost finfish Chrysophrys auratus using both SNP and structural variant data. Specifically, we use feature selection methods in machine learning to explore the relative predictive power of both types of genetic variants in explaining growth and discuss the feature selection results of the evaluated methods. Methods: SNP and structural variant callers were used to generate catalogues of variant data from 32 individual fish at ages 1 and 3 years. Three feature selection algorithms (ReliefF, Chi-square, and a mutual-information-based method) were used to reduce the dataset by selecting the most informative features. Following this selection process, the subset of variants was used as features to classify fish into small, medium, or large size categories using KNN, naïve Bayes, random forest, and logistic regression. The top-scoring features in each feature selection method were subsequently mapped to annotated genomic regions in the zebrafish genome, and a permutation test was conducted to see if the number of mapped regions was greater than when random sampling was applied. Results: Without feature selection, the prediction accuracies ranged from 0 to 0.5 for both structural variants and SNPs. Following feature selection, the prediction accuracy increased only slightly to between 0 and 0.65 for structural variants and between 0 and 0.75 for SNPs. The highest prediction accuracy for the logistic regression was achieved for age 3 fish using SNPs, although generally predictions for age 1 and 3 fish were very similar (ranging from 0–0.65 for both SNPs and structural variants). The Chi-square feature selection of SNP data was the only method that had a significantly higher number of matches to annotated genomic regions of zebrafish than would be explained by chance alone. Conclusions: Predicting a complex polygenic trait such as growth using data collected from a low number of individuals remains challenging. While we demonstrate that both SNPs and structural variants provide important information to help understand the genetic basis of phenotypic traits such as fish growth, the full complexities that exist within a genome cannot be easily captured by classical machine learning techniques. When using high-dimensional data, feature selection shows some increase in the prediction accuracy of classification models and provides the potential to identify unknown genomic correlates with growth. Our results show that both SNPs and structural variants significantly impact growth, and we therefore recommend that researchers interested in the genotype–phenotype map should strive to go beyond SNPs and incorporate structural variants in their studies as well. We discuss how our machine learning models can be further expanded to serve as a test bed to inform evolutionary studies and the applied management of species.

Production, consumption and marketing of milk in Eastern Region of India: Afarm level analysis

The present study was undertaken in the eastern region of India comprising of the states of Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand with the objective to determine milk production, consumption and marketed surplus at farm level (in continuation of the above line) The study found that, inspite of low dairy development in the region, milk production and productivity was considerably high among the sample households. An average dairy household was producing about 36 litre of milk per day having average productivity of 10 litre per day per animal which was significantly higher than national averages. The milk was drawn more from crossbred cows on Small households and from local cow and buffalo on large households. The highest milk productivity on large farms emphasize for removing the resource limitation and promote better feeding and management practices among small and medium herd size categories. The consumption of liquid milk among producer households was 207 gm per day per capita which was higher than per capita availability in the region. Of the 10 per cent of the milk production retained at household level, 40 per cent was consumed as liquid milk and 60 per cent was converted into milk products. The later share was higher among small herd size category catering to the rural non-milk producing households. The halwais/ dudhiyas/private dairies were the major marketing channel counting for 61 per cent of the total marketed surplus and only 21 per cent of the milk was sold through cooperatives. The share of milk sold through later channel by small farmers was still lower (10%) inspite of the fact that the marketed surplus per household was substantially higher (24.02 L/day). Â Â An analysis in to the factor affecting marketed surplus found that being membership of dairy cooperatives had the highest influence on marketed surplus of small farms

Increasing the success of artificial insemination through control of local cattle estrus as a genetic resource

This paper aims to find out the application of I.B. in cows and the control of estrus to determine fertility and conception rate in cows. The research was conducted in two stages: field research to determine the influence of I.B. time on conception rate. Local cows in I.B. amounted to 62 heads, and crossbred cows with as many as 100 heads were grouped based on I.B. time and parity and analysed with the Z test. Fertility is determined by the size of the dominant follicle using ultrasonography, and the number of gardenings is determined 30 days after I.B. and 60 days of rectal palpation. Average conception rate at the beginning of estrus (45.70%), middle estrus (60.59%), end of estrus (68.91%), and six hours after estrus (61.55%). I.B. time had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the conception rate. Based on the results of this study, it was revealed that parity-3 had the highest pregnancy rate for local cattle (70.34%), while crossbreed cattle had the highest pregnancy rate at parity-2 (56.79%). The follicle size in Bali cattle was the same as that of local south coast cattle, including the small follicle size category.

Predation of the crab Acanthocyclus albatrossis on seeds of the bivalve Mytilus chilensis under different environmental conditions: Importance of prey and predator size

Predation is one of the most important interactions in biology, playing a fundamental role in the ecology of populations and communities. In southern Chile, the mussel Mytilus chilensis supports a large aquaculture industry. This species cohabits with one of its predators, the crab Acanthocyclus albatrossis, both in wild bivalve beds and in suspended culture systems. In this investigation, we assessed the predator-prey interaction between these two species, addressing the following aspects: a) the vulnerability pattern of M. chilensis to predation by A. albatrossis; b) prey sizes that are free of predation (the refuge in size); c) the attack rate and d) the effects of temperature and salinity on predation by different-sized A. albatrossis crabs. The prey sizes most likely to be attacked were 7.5, 12 and 14 mm (valve length) respectively for the three predator size categories evaluated. The sizes of the mussels that are free of predation were > 12, > 18 and > 22 mm respectively for each predator size. The mean attack rate was affected by the size of M. chilensis, with the smallest prey (6–12 mm) exposed the highest predation pressure. Temperature exhibited a positive linear effect on the median attack rate only for crabs in the smallest size category; no pattern was observed for the effect of temperature on the other sizes of crabs. Salinity showed no evident effects on the median attack rate at any size category. Our results indicate that A. albatrossis could be an important predator of M. chilensis recruits in wild bivalve beds, and of seeds in suspended culture systems.

Role of wastewater treatment plants in pollution reduction - evaluated by grey water footprint indicator

The study assesses the pollution discharged from 251 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) throughout the Odra river basin in the Czech Republic. The development of pollution production over a period of 15 years (2004–2018) together with a number of WWTPs in the Odra river basin were analyzed. The grey water footprint (GWF) of discharged pollution was determined both in terms of individual size categories of WWTPs and in terms of the parameter that most affects the level of pollution. The share of the small WWTPs size categories (up to 2,000 PE) on the total GWF value of discharged pollution is only 8%, although these are the most numerous. The share of the WWTPs of the size category > 10,000 PE on the total GWF value of discharged pollution is 82%. Total phosphorus (at large WWTPs) and ammonium nitrogen (at small WWTPs) were identified as the key pollutants that most determine the value of the grey water footprint of discharged pollution.

Dynamics of the rank (social) structure of artificial spruce stands cultivated for high-quality wood

The paper discusses the results of 30 years of research on the dynamics of the rank (social) structure of a European spruce plantation. In 1985, in these stands trees of all size categories were pruned to a height of 7.0 m. As a result of the research, it was found that all forest stands retain their rank structures, which is confirmed by a strong correlation (with the coefficient of 0.9 and higher) between the tree diameters measured at the beginning and end of the study period. The rank law of growth in stands has been confirmed, since the diameter increment was directly proportional to the original tree size in all variants with pruning. The conclusion was made that pruning branches in all trees of the small size category and in trees of the middle category with the tree diameters below the average is inefficient.

How Did Orthopaedic Surgeons Perform in the 2018 Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services Merit-based Incentive Payment System?

The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) is the latest value-based payment program implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. As performance-based bonuses and penalties continue to rise in magnitude, it is essential to evaluate this program's ability to achieve its core objectives of quality improvement, cost reduction, and competition around clinically meaningful outcomes. We asked the following: (1) How do orthopaedic surgeons differ on the MIPS compared with surgeons in other specialties, both in terms of the MIPS scores and bonuses that derive from them? (2) What features of surgeons and practices are associated with receiving penalties based on the MIPS? (3) What features of surgeons and practices are associated with receiving a perfect score of 100 based on the MIPS? Scores from the 2018 MIPS reporting period were linked to physician demographic and practice-based information using the Medicare Part B Provider Utilization and Payment File, the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System Data (NPPES), and National Physician Compare Database. For all orthopaedic surgeons identified within the Physician Compare Database, there were 15,210 MIPS scores identified, representing a 72% (15,210 of 21,124) participation rate in the 2018 MIPS. Those participating in the MIPS receive a final score (0 to 100, with 100 being a perfect score) based on a weighted calculation of performance metrics across four domains: quality, promoting interoperability, improvement activities, and costs. In 2018, orthopaedic surgeons had an overall mean ± SD score of 87 ± 21. From these scores, payment adjustments are determined in the following manner: scores less than 15 received a maximum penalty adjustment of -5% ("penalty"), scores equal to 15 did not receive an adjustment ("neutral"), scores between 15 and 70 received a positive adjustment ("positive"), and scores above 70 (maximum 100) received both a positive adjustment and an additional exceptional performance adjustment with a maximum adjustment of +5% ("bonus"). Adjustments among orthopaedic surgeons were compared across various demographic and practice characteristics. Both the mean MIPS score and the resulting payment adjustments were compared with a group of surgeons in other subspecialties. Finally, multivariable logistic regression models were generated to identify which variables were associated with increased odds of receiving a penalty as well as a perfect score of 100. Compared with surgeons in other specialties, orthopaedic surgeons' mean MIPS score was 4.8 (95% CI 4.3 to 5.2; p < 0.001) points lower. From this difference, a lower proportion of orthopaedic surgeons received bonuses (-5.0% [95% CI -5.6 to -4.3]; p < 0.001), and a greater proportion received penalties (+0.5% [95% CI 0.2 to 0.8]; p < 0.001) and positive adjustments (+4.6% [95% CI 6.1 to 10.7]; p < 0.001) compared with surgeons in other specialties. After controlling for potentially confounding variables such as gender, years in practice, and practice setting, small (1 to 49 members) group size (adjusted odds ratio 22.2 [95% CI 8.17 to 60.3]; p < 0.001) and higher Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) scores (aOR 2.32 [95% CI 1.35 to 4.01]; p = 0.002) were associated with increased odds of a penalty. Also, after controlling for potential confounding, we found that reporting through an alternative payment model (aOR 28.7 [95% CI 24.0 to 34.3]; p < 0.001) was associated with increased odds of a perfect score, whereas small practice size (1 to 49 members) (aOR 0.35 [95% CI 0.31 to 0.39]; p < 0.001), a high patient volume (greater than 500 Medicare patients) (aOR 0.82 [95% CI 0.70 to 0.95]; p = 0.01), and higher HCC score (aOR 0.79 [95% Cl 0.66 to 0.93]; p = 0.006) were associated with decreased odds of a perfect MIPS score. Collectively, orthopaedic surgeons performed well in the second year of the MIPS, with 87% earning bonus payments. Among participating orthopaedic surgeons, individual reporting affiliation, small practice size, and more medically complex patient populations were associated with higher odds of receiving penalties and lower odds of earning a perfect score. Based on these findings, we recommend that individuals and orthopaedic surgeons in small group practices strive to forge partnerships with larger hospital practices with adequate ancillary staff to support quality reporting initiatives. Such partnerships may help relieve surgeons of growing administrative obligations and allow for maintained focus on direct patient care activities. Policymakers should aim to produce a shortened panel of performance measures to ensure more standardized comparison and less time and energy diverted from established clinical workflows. The current MIPS scoring methodology should also be amended with a complexity modifier to ensure fair evaluation of surgeons practicing in the safety net setting, or those treating patients with a high comorbidity burden. Level III, therapeutic study.

Onion Setsʼ Yield and Quality as Affected by Seed Rate of Two Onion (Allium cepa L.) Cultivars

Onion bulb crop production using sets as planting material has been increasing for the last decade in response to the high demand and because of their high yielding capacity and adaptability to the continuously changing growing environment. The objective of this experiment, therefore, was to investigate the effect of seed rate on the yield and quality of onion setsas a highly demanded planting material. Treatments comprised two cultivars (Kamlin and Saggai) and three seed rates (60,120 and 180 kg/ha.). They were arranged in a split plot design with three replications. Cultivars were in themain plots and seed rates in the subplots. Average set weight and total set yield decreased with increasing seed rate. The highest yield was produced at 60 kg/ha and the lowest at 180 kg/ha. seed rate. Yield of the set size distribution categories was significantly affected by seed rate; seed rate of 120kg/ha resulted in the highest yield of medium set (best for production ofbulbs), followed by 60 and 180 kg/ha. Yield of set size categories decreased with increasing seed rate except for small set size category which significantly increased with increasing seed rate

Financial assumptions of Slovak municipalities for their active participation in regional development

Local self-government, represented by municipalities, is not only obliged to ensure all competencies set by legislation, whether original or transferred, but also to play an increasingly important role in the economic development of entrusted territory. One of a key challenge of the municipalities is also to act as an activator of development, either independently by using their own financial resources or in cooperation with potential investors who want to start new, whether social or economic activities in the respective area. Based on the published studies, the authors looked for suitable indicators to evaluate the financial conditions of Slovak municipalities to participate actively in the regional development of a particular region. They evaluated financial data of municipalities not only from the perspective of eight Slovak regions, but also in terms of size categories of municipalities, since they want to find out, how individual size categories of municipalities contribute to the healthy and viable financial condition of considered regions. In terms of analysis, a high degree of territorial fragmentation can be observed in Slovakia, which in the case of small size categories of municipalities (up to 3,000 inhabitants) negatively affects their ability to participate in regional development, because they have worse financial and property conditions. The athours ealuate quantitative financial and demographic data on Slovak municipalities for the period between 2014 and 2018, which they obtained from the Slovak DataCentrum and Ineko websites.

Assessment of Production and Utilization Pattern of Milk and Milk Products in Madhya Pradesh

The study was carried out by collecting information from 80 milk producers-cum-consumers and 50 consumers from the rural and urban areas, respectively, to assess the production and utilization pattern of milk and milk products at the household level. The selected 80 producer households were further post stratified into three categories, namely, 42 small (1-2 milch animals), 26 medium (3-4 milch animals), and 12 large (5 and above milch animals) herd size categories. The analysis revealed that indigenous cattle were dominating the bovine composition among the various species. However, buffaloes contributed the largest quantity of milk (35.79 percent), followed by indigenous cattle and crossbred cows with 34.57 and 29.64 percent, respectively. Across the various herd size categories, medium category households were contributing the highest milk (38.93 percent), followed by small (30.54 percent) and large herd size category households (30.52 percent). It was found that overall per capita milk availability and milk consumptions were 1.49 and 0.37 litres/day, respectively, in the study area. The utilization pattern show that rural consumers ed consumed 53.78 percent of their retained milk as liquid milk, whereas urban consumers consumed 46.54 percent. Overall, 49.69 percent of the total milk was utilized for intake in liquid form, while 50.31 percent was utilized for making milk products. Overall, among milk products, a nearly equal proportion of milk was utilized for making curd (22.57 percent) and ghee (22.41 percent). The proportion of milk consumed in the form of khoa (3.8 percent) and paneer (1.39 percent) was very less.

Size matters: Development and cooperation of municipalities in the Brno metropolitan area (Czech Republic)

The Czech Republic is typical for its fragmented settlement structure with a high number of small self-governing municipalities. Such a distinction causes many problems, including a non-effective way of their management. Even though various integration methods have already been applied in Europe for several decades, the Czech Republic, due to its historical development influenced by the period of communism, is still looking for intermunicipal cooperation opportunities at a higher (metropolitan) level. The presented text aims to evaluate a municipalities’ willingness to cooperate on particular activities and participate in selected topics on strategic and spatial planning at a metropolitan level. Their willingness is analysed according to the population size category of municipalities so that diverse approaches towards the willingness to cooperate could be identified for municipalities in different categories. The results are demonstrated by the example of the Brno Metropolitan Area, which is regarded to be a leader in the development of inter-municipal cooperation at a metropolitan level in the Czech Republic. The results were obtained from a questionnaire survey carried out with the mayors of the Brno metropolitan area in 2020. From a total of 184 municipalities, 175 municipalities took part in the questionnaire survey. Thus, the return was 95%. The results show that the assumption of the importance of the municipality population size is significant when making decisions about future development and cooperation within a metropolitan area. Although most municipalities in all size categories consider it useful to engage in cooperation and solve selected topics together at a metropolitan level, the municipalities in the smallest size categories of up to 1,000 inhabitants had a significantly lower proportion of very positive responses (definitely yes) than municipalities in the other categories. This fact may be attributed to the specific development of the Czech settlement system and the so-called historical memory of the residents from small municipalities during the directive merger in the 1970s and 1980s.

Determining the Factors Affecting Investment in Punjab Agriculture

Investment is the expenditure incurred for real capital formation. A sample of 150 farmers was taken with 23 (15.3%), 28 (18.7%), 46 (30.7%), 43 (28.67%) and 10 (6.7%) farmers selected from marginal, small, semi-medium, medium and large farm size categories respectively in proportion to the share of respective category in total farmers in Punjab. Income, consumption, funds available post-consumption and investment level of the respondent farmers was worked out to find the factors that affect farm investment. Information related to education level, family type, cropping pattern and credit availability was also collected to see if they affect the level of investment. Income, consumption and funds available post-consumption were higher for larger farm households. The level of investment was higher on large farms but the investment per hectare was highest on marginal farms. The availability of credit was more on larger farms but per cent share of credit in investment decreased as the farm size increased as large farmers were using owned funds extensively. The regression analysis revealed that the size of the operational holdings, saving and the credit availability showed positive relation with the level of investment while the education level, family type and cropping intensity were non-significant.