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Opportunities of delineating inland waters and soil moisture with remote sensed data
95-98Views:118The methodology for delineating water bodies on multispectral remote sensing imagery was examined and evaluated. A supervised approach is tested with the aim to accurately detect inland water, moisturised soil surface and swampy patches on the Landsat TM 7 scene. The goal of this research is to investigate whether the application of remote sensing image interpretation could further refine the possibilities of future soil conductivity measurement research. The methodologies used were the application of supervised classification algorithms based on the training data collected in the area. The achieved overall classification accuracy value of 83.0795% suggests that the methodology could be used as a successful strategy to incorporate remote sensing data interpretation into soil conductivity measurement planning and application. The main conclusion that can be drawn is that processing of multispectral data with further refinement of the presented methodologies can led to very useful outcomes for environmental measurements.
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Interpretation of sustainability in the utilization of renewable energy sources
61-64Views:114The utilization of renewable energy sources (res) is crucial regarding to sustainable reconstruction of energy systems. The target is a balanced, sustainable development of Hungarian energy management considering equally the ecological, social and economic aspects. There are many different technologies of utilization of res varied by sources, conversion processes, size and products. The comparison of each technology and their sustainability assessment are required by the importance of efficient remodeling of energy infrastructure. The group of attributes was composed by numerous important parameters in the course of our analysis with the choice experiment (ce) methodology. The estimation of each attributes’ influence on the individual’s preferences and choices was possible by this method and the preferences of the statistical population was concluded. So thus the utility derived from each attribute was estimated. The result of the ce analysis for the population of experts is demonstrated in the current phase of our research.
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Survival analysis of sow longevity and lifetime reproductive performance – Review
75-80Views:297Sow longevity plays an important role in economically efficient piglet production. Improving sow longevity results increase in the productivity and profitability of a sow herd. Longevity is a complex trait with many factors that can contribute to a sow having a long and productive life. Not only the sow’s genetics, but also nutrition, environment and the management policies are important. In addition, the removal of non-productive sows along with the introduction of replacement gilts is an essential part of maintaining herd productivity at a constantly high level. The objective of this paper was to summarize the current knowledge about the sow longevity and lifetime performance values, as well as, discusses the survival analysis methods for sow longevity traits. This method can estimate the hazard rate indicating proportional risk of sows being culled at any given time, in addition, it is able to investigate the effects of different factors on longevity. Identifying factors that influence the longevity could assist many commercial pig producers in becoming more efficient.
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Methodology adaptation and development to assess salt content dynamics and salt balance of soils under secondary salinization
199-206Views:187The effect of irrigation with saline water (above 500 mg L-1) is considered a problem of small-scale farmers growing vegetable crops with high water demand in the hobby gardens characteristic of the Hungarian Great Plain. In order to simulate the circumstances of such hobby garden, we set up an experiment including five simple drainage lysimeters irrigated with saline water in the Research Institute of Karcag IAREF UD in 2019. We regularly measured the electric conductivity (EC) of the soil referring to its salt content and the soil moisture content with mobile sensors. Before and after the irrigation season, soil samples from the upper soil layer (0-0.6 m) were taken for laboratory analysis and the soil salt balance (SB) was calculated. The actual salt balance (SBact) was calculated of the upper soil layer (0-0.6 m) based on the salt content of the obtained soil samples. The theoretical salt balance (SBth) was calculated by the total soluble salt content of the irrigation water and leachates. During the irrigation season, we experienced fluctuating EC in the topsoil in close correlation with the soil moisture content. Based on the performed in-situ EC measurements, salts were leached from the upper soil layer resulting in a negative SB. Combining SBact and SBth of the soil columns of the lysimeters, we estimated the SB of the deeper (0.6-1.0 m) soil layer. We quantified 12% increase of the initial salt mass due to accumulation. We consider this methodology to be suitable for deeper understanding secondary salinization, which can contribute to mitigating its harmful effect. By repeating our measurements, we expect similar results proving that saline irrigation waters gained from the aquifers through drilled wells in Karcag are potentially suitable for irrigation if proper irrigation and soil management are applied.
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Awareness and adoption of a nurse sow management system among small-scale pig farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya
113-120Views:112This study aimed to assess the level of awareness and adoption of nurse sow management strategies among small-scale pig farmers in Nakuru County, Kenya. The research included a survey of pig farmers who visited the Nakuru Agricultural Show in July 2023. A total of 139 farmers were interviewed within 5 days of the show. The corresponding author interviewed the respondents in a face-to-face engagement, where questions on nurse sow management were initially drafted in English and translated into Kiswahili, i.e. the second language in Kenya. The obtained results indicated that farmers came from two main regions of the county: the northern part (54.7%, 76/139) and the southern part (45.3%, 63/139). Levels of awareness and adoption were insignificant between the two groups (χ2, p<0.05). A major obstacle to the adoption of this strategy was identified as feed challenge at 77.7%; (108/139) and market issue at 59.7%; (83/139). This study identified important aspects and limitations that should be considered when developing sustainable productivity development strategies for Kenyan pig farmers. To assist the sustainable growth of small-scale pig production, the authors suggest government measures that shield farmers against exploitation of feed and marketing components, as well as advocating for effective breeding to increase live born.
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Strategic planning in agribusiness
23-27Views:182Agricultural businesses operate in a complex and dynamic environment, with many challenges and opportunities. It is therefore essential for these businesses to have a strategic plan. It is a critical process that helps businesses navigate in a complex and uncertain environment and achieve long-term goals and objectives. In this article, we have conducted a bibliometric analysis of academic journals to investigate the extent to which strategic planning is a researched topic in agribusiness enterprises. We found that there is no concentrated research, with only three keywords appearing in the literature with at least five repetitions. Even of the two repetitions, only 22 were found. The clustering of keywords helps to identify research directions. The results of a survey of 134 enterprises were then presented. The majority of enterprises do not have a long-term plan or even a written vision. We found that SWOT analysis is still the most common planning method among the companies surveyed. It was also found that there is no difference between industries in this respect. Significant differences were only found in relation to company size, with all large companies having a strategic plan and the vast majority of SMEs not. Only 17 out of 132 firms have a plan longer than three years, and 32 do not have any plan at all. Strategic planning can help to address many of the challenges in the agribusiness area, and it is therefore proposed to improve the proportion of firms planning through knowledge transfer.
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The methodology of the Hooded Crow’s (Corvus cornix L.) colour ringing and the previous results
43-48Views:171The Hooded Crow (CorvuscornixL.) have moved in several Hungarian cities in the last few decades. It is breeding in Debrecen since 1959, and nowdays it’s presence can be detected at all points of the city, it is an permanent breeding species of the bird fauna. Our knowledge about the nature of urban races, including motion patterns, area fidelity is sufficiently incomplete. The aim of our research is to answer these questions by using our colour-ring program. In this study we present in details the methodology of Hooded Crow’s colour-ring program in urban area, and we also report our previous
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Characterisation of basic water balance parameters of Debrecen
35-40Views:212This work aims to develop a hydrological modelling tool to help managers make the right decisions for Debrecen, in the face of water scarcity and the increase in agricultural and domestic needs over time. The methodology was based on the creation of a climatic database, at monthly time steps, from 2016 to 2019, and cartographic (land use, digital elevation model, and hydrological network). As a next step, the watershed was delimitated into sub-basins to determine the shape and the physiographic characteristics of sub-watersheds. Finally, a hydrological study was prepared by calculating the time of concentration to build a database of water resources in the study area. This water resource will be used as an input parameter for urban farming.
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Sow removal patterns in commercial breed-wean herds of Midwest, USA
9-14Views:361An observational retrospective study was done to provide up-to-date information on recent sow removal patterns from 9 breed-wean herds of Midwest USA. The study comprised of sow’s removal reasons and removal types of F1 Landrace x Yorkshire gilts entered in the herds between 1st Jan 2014 and 31st July 2016. Data was extracted from existing database on Dec 2018 and 15% of the sows were still active in the herds hence not included in the study. Descriptive statistics showed that out of the 20,009 removed sows, planned removals comprised of farrowing productivity (FP) 3,523 (17.6%) and old age (OA) 1,785 (8.9%) while unplanned removals consisted of reproductive failure (RF) 7,786 (38.9%), health problems (HP) 2,629 (13.1%), locomotion problems (LP) 1,473 (7.4%) and conformation issues (CI) 1,350 (6.8%).‘Did not conceive’ and “No heat” were observed as the main contributing factors accounting for 37.6% and 32.9% respectively for gilts & sows removed by RF.13.5% of the gilts (Parity 0) were removed from the herds before attaining their first litter of which 64.1% of their removals was due to RF. Removal type consisted of slaughter (S) 85.0%, found dead on the farm (DoF) 10.8% and euthanized (E) 4.2%. The research findings depict an upward trend of sow RF removals in the US swine herds posing a serious concern for US swine producers. Characterization and quantification of sow removals gives a revelation on the deeper intrigues about the vulnerability of the various parity in respect to common causes of RF. This helps swine producers to decisively improve on gilt replacement selection, reproductive efficiency, health and nutrition management all aimed at increasing overall swine productivity and efficiency in management. Swine farmers in the US can now focus their efforts towards curbing unnecessary RF removal within parity specifics.
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Challenges in the mangalitsa sector – present and future
147-153Views:133The Hungarian mangalitza pig sector has experienced numerous structural changes in the past few decades. The increased demand in the foreign markets for the mangalitza pork, changes in the domestic consumer perceptions have increase the number of sows and breeders. After the European Union’s accession started a significant growth in the sector, which was due to the target programme from the year of 2005 for the keeping of animals representing high genetic value, as the breed is indigenous. From 2008 continuous decline can be observed. The main reason for the decrease was the drastic growth of feed costs because of the drought damage in 2007, and the global economic crisis. Since 2010, a further period of supports has been in place, it extands the willingness to keep mangalitza pigs and the number of sows continuously increasing. On the basis of the average farm size (58 sows/farm) in 2011 it can be stated, that after our EU’s accession the medium-sized farms became stronger. To evaluate the geographic concentration of the mangalitza livestock it was analysed the data of sow number among the years of 2000 and 2011. The geographic concentration of mangalitza stock has a medium value over each year under the survey period, except the years of 2004–2007, when the values of Herfindahl-Hirschman index (HHI) have low degrees. Due to the subvention period of indigenous breeds it was established more mangalitza farms in different parts of Hungary. Despite of the growth since 2000, numerous problems are in the segment. The aim of the study is to find out the sectoral problems, which are completed with the objectives tree and draw up the main activities to solve the problems. After estimating the SWOT-matrix according to the methodology of the strategic analysis and the discussions with the secretary of National Association of Mangalitza Breeders is prepared the sectoral problem- and objectives tree. The core problem of the mangalitza sector is that the origin of mangalitza products are not certified in the domestic markets. The reason of it is that the breeders don’t request the certificates of fattening pigs, so it can appear not real mangalitza product on the markets as mangalitza. To solve the problems it is drawn up different suggestions in the objectives tree. This analysis is an useful tool for the decision makers in the mangalitza sector to evolve strategic plans on behalf of the efficient cooperations among chain actors.
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Estimation of direct and maternal genetic parameters for weaning weight in Hungarian Simmental cattle
17-22Views:163The aim of the current research was to estimate variance components and genetic parameters of weaning weight in Hungarian Simmental cattle. Weaning weight records were obtained from the Association of Hungarian Simmental Breeders. The dataset comprised of 44,278 animals born from 1975 to 2020. The data was analyzed using the restricted maximum likelihood methodology of the Wombat software. We fitted a total of six models to the weaning weight data of Hungarian Simmental cattle. Models ranged from a simple model with animals as the only random effect to a model that had maternal environmental effects as additional random effects as well as direct maternal genetic covariance. Fixed effects in the model comprised of herd, birth year, calving order and sex. Likelihood ratio test was used to determine the best fit model for the data. Results indicated that allowing for direct-maternal genetic covariance increases the direct and maternal effect dramatically. The best fit model had direct and maternal genetic effects as the only random effect with non-zero direct-maternal genetic correlation. Direct heritability, maternal heritability and direct maternal correlation of the best fit model was 0.57, 0.16 and -0.78 respectively. The result indicates that problem of (co-)sampling variation occurs when attempting to partition additive genetic variance into direct and maternal components.
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Information and Communication Technologies in tourism
49-53Views:159Technological progress and tourism have gone hand in hand for years. Information communication technology (ICT) and tourism are two of the most dynamic motivators of the emerging global economy. Tourism can be considered as one of the most profitable sectors of the Hungarian economy, and in rural areas it is often the only successful economic activity.
Development of ICTs and the expansion of the Internet have changed dramatically in the past few decades. This process is noticeable in
Hungary, as well. Platform of tourism increasingly get to the Internet nowadays, which is vitally important because tourism is an information-intense industry. Therefore, it is critical to understand changes in technologies in order to maintain the crucial role of this sector in the Hungarian economy.
The aim of my study is to support the significance of tourism in Hungary and especially in the North Plain Region with the help of statistical data. Then, I try to show how ICTs appear in this sector and emphasize the role of these tools with some concrete examples. -
Chromatometric comparison of Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) feathers
19-22Views:195Chromatometric examination of the plumage of birds is a poorly researched topic. We have approached this issue in primarily aspect of differences in plumage of species. Moulted feathers sample collection method has been increasingly used. Reliable identification of feathers becomes an increasingly important issue, hence need for an exact measurement-based methodology. Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and Feral Pigeon (Columba livia domestica) primary, secondary and tail feathers were studied. Chromatometric parameters of feathers were measured in CIELAB color system and then statistical analysis (Independent samples t-test, Descriptive Statistics, Discriminant Analysis) was performed to compare the two species. Instrumental measurements has been confirmed the high similarity between colors of the two species, however species specific differences were also found. Lightless (L*) value were significantly characteristic of particular species, while the red/green (a*) and yellow/blue (b*) value had lower Predictive Power. We identified feathers and the variables which useable to separate the two species and determined the associated Confidence Intervals of these values. Our results may draw attention to a new potential direction for exact identification of the moulted feathers during sample collection.
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Financial Analysis of Agricultural Enterprises’ Economic Results
270-279Views:41The main objective of this paper is to give an overview about the economic results and financial status of agricultural enterprises in Hajdu-Bihar Count, as well as, froa methodology viewpoint,find the place of the used indexes in the system of effectivity indexes in farm management . From the complex database describing the enterprises, the figures on the balance sheets and profit and loss accounts were used and analysed. As a result of the analysis the below statements can be made:
The owner’s equity ratio within the total equity is very different in corporations and in individual farms. The lower values in case of corporations show their indebtedness. At the same time, the figures indicate that it is more difficult for individual farms to receive loans.
The average of dynamic indebtedness indexes, in case of individuals are closer to 0 which generally derives from the low level of liabilities. The same indexes of corporations o the other hand show significant indebtedness. The figures indicate that the yearly cash flow can hardly cover the net liabilities.
The profitability proportional to the production value is generally low, mostly negative, independent from size and organisational form.
As a summary, it can be said, that individual as well as corporate farms suffer financing problems, the nature of these problems is different in the two groups. On the on hand, the operation and development of the individual, mostly the smaller, farms are hindered by the difficulties of acquiring external capital. On the other hand, the results of corporate, mostly the cooperative, farms is impeded by the burdens of liabilities accumulated in previous years. -
Study of the economic involvement of civil organizations
139-145Views:109On the basis of definitions found in the literature, as well as my own, civil organizations are such structures that basically have specific organizational characteristics and their own management tasks in view of their operational principles.In my study, I describe the status quo of civil organizations, as regards their “economic involvement”. On this basis, I examined the level of the economic involvement of civil organizations, more specifically as to the level of economic partnership between representatives of civil organizations and greater society. I placed the economic involvement of civil organizations into three categories: ‘active’, ‘passive’ and ‘has no effect on individuals in society’. During my research, I largely build my investigations on the results I obtain through questionnaires, which I measure on a representative sample. On the basis of this sampling, the County Court of Justice was able to launch its own website. Thus, my research on this topic included the townships in Hajdú-Bihar County.
The results of my research arise from an analysis of data I collected in 2010–2011. This data allowed me to be able to make several observations concerning the specific activities of civil organizations. I have result of the organizations’ annual income, as well as the types of revenues they obtain the county. The results of my analysis of the examined organizations show that more than two-thirds (66.7%) of their available revenues totaled less than one million Hungarian Forints, with no significant difference in the amount of revenue existing between the two organizational types (association, foundation). The most common source of revenue claimed by the studied organizations was from membership fees and/or various types of funding programs. In examining civil organizations on the basis of their type, I made the observation that in the case of associations, it was the membership fees which were the most characteristic type of income, followed by the 1% donation possibility from personal income tax filings for foundations, but funding proposal possibilities were also important for both types of organization.
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‘Kindergarten’ keeping-system in farrowing house: effect the socialization of piglets on weight performances, fecal cortisol metabolite level and post-weaning behavior
167-174Views:172This study aimed to examine whether litters’ let-together system before weaning (‘kindergarten-system’) has any stress effect and effect on post-weaning behavior, respectively. One week before weaning piglets were socialized by removing four adjacent farrowing crate walls. After weaning, piglets from the same experimental groups were housed in the same rearing crates. The piglet’s body weight was measured at birth than weekly till the 7th life-week. Fecal cortisol metabolites were measured for evaluation of the adrenocortical activity. Personal observation and evaluation were carried out for behavioral analyses after weaning. There were no significant differences in weight development and cortisol metabolite levels between the control and experimental groups. Behavioral analysis showed that pigs grow up in a socialized system, rapidly evolve ranking in the rearing crates, and the self-maintenance and social behavior were more pronounced. In control groups, the activity involving movement (exploring, walking, and running) was much more decisive. Recent work suggested the beneficial effect of the ‘kindergarten’ system in the farrowing house in animal welfare aspects.
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On-line and off-line solutions in the precision weed control
249-252Views:125There are two directions of the development of the methods in precision weed controll. One is the on-line, either is the off-line solutions. The advantige off the on-line method is that it covers all the territory of the field, therefore there are no problems in sampilng methodology. At the same time picture processing is slow and the performance of the machines is low. We have choosen the off-line precision weed controll in Hungary to start with and we have solved the precision wedd controll of wheat, maize and sunflower successfully. We have also conducted on-line developments with the application of Weed Seeker sensor.
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Examination of the interval between litters (IBL) of different genotype HLW sows using survival analysis
13-17Views:186In this study our aim was to find out if there is a difference between the genotypes determined for the previously identified mutations of seven genes of the Hungarian Large White in terms of the time spent in production. We identified the previously determined alleles of the seven genes (BF, EGF, ESR, FSHβ, H2AFZ, LEP, PRLR) related to proliferation that were and performed the survival analysis between breeds indicating the risk of culling and the time spent in production on the given farm. Based on the results of survival analysis by Log-rank test, Breslow (Generalized Wilcoxon) and Tarone-Ware test we concluded that they indicated a significant difference in case of the genes BF (Breslow and Tarone-Ware tests) the EGF (Log-rank and Tarone-Ware tests) and ESR (Log rank test) based on which the curves of the survival of the certain genes varied form one another significantly.
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The methodology of Event History analysis and its application in the quality control of raw milk
74-79Views:80Event-history analysis is among the most frequently adopted mathematical methods, mainly due to the numerous types of models, available in the analysis. This method is also appropriate for analysing risk. Specifically, it has been employed in medical and animal-breeding science to manage risks. In this article, I give a presentation of the basic concepts, the basic types of models and their theoretical basis. I deal with the nonparametric Kaplan Meier and the parametric Cox proportional hazard model. The case study is also analysed with these methods. The results shows, that the 16-stall caroussel is the most effective facility from the viewpoint of quality. Milking into assay crucible (sample- cup) is more effective than to the floor after 16 decades.
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The social basis of regional development in the North Great Plain Region
57-65Views:205It is a widely accepted practice in the European Union to break down countries into regions according to their stage of development, their cultural and economic characteristics. The basis of this methodology is the EU-conform MOTS system, which distinguishes territorial units on five levels. Besides the MOTS system, Hungary uses another system, too, which is the basis of our public administration, and whose roots go back to the times of King Saint Stephen: the county system. In Hungary, developmental decisions are taken by a county’s general assembly; at the same time, from an economic point of view the characteristics and competitive advantages of a county can be defined more precisely than those of a region.
Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County and Hajdu-Bihaur County may be described with completely different characteristics, albeit both of them are part of the North Great Plain Region. On a county level economically important and justified developmental areas may be mapped more precisely.
Hajdu-Bihar County is the 4th most populous county in Hungary. With 80.2% of the population living in cities, the county is significantly urbanized. 2010 statistics show that the birth rate per 1,000 people in the county is practically the same as the birth rate of the country and that of the North Great Plain Region. Following the trends in developed countries, mothers now tend to give birth in an older age. Almost half (44.5%) of the children in Hajdu-Bihar County are born after their mother’s 30th birthday.
The general health condition of the population of Hajdu-Bihar County can be described with various indicators. In terms of medical and hospital care no difference can be observed between regional and national data, the county’s health care does not straggle behind. In sum, with the health care system of the county, estimated life expectancy of men is higher than the regional average, and in case of women it is higher than both the regional and national average, according to the given year’s mortality.
Children’s ratio among the county’s population is 15.9%, which is more than 1% over the national average. The ratio is higher in case of girls and boys alike. The income of the county’s population depends not only on labour income but also on social benefits. According to the analysis, the proportion of old-age pensioners and those receiving pension-like allowances within the whole population is somewhat lower in the county than the national average. The number of children receiving child-welfare and daytime care is prominent in the county.
The number of families and children receiving child-care allowance has not changed significantly in recent years. All important elements of social benefits have increased in the last decade. The quality of life of the county’s population is largely affected by the presence (or absence) of basic infrastructure in their environment. Research conducted at the settlements of the county shows that currently the greater part of the population has access to basic public utility services which form part of everyday services. Although they affect the general quality of life, the network of roads and passenger traffic have their real significance in terms of economic development. The county’s modern, paved road-system had already been built earlier.
Roads and pavements in inner-city areas have been paved up to 70%. The technical condition of roads and pavements can seriously impede the population’s mobility and it may hinder the development of certain settlements and districts.
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Terrain Analysis and Stochastic modelling for Archaeological site prediction and landscape reconstruction in the Lake Manyara area, Northern Tanzania
47-53Views:180In this study we focus on paleontological sites in the area of Lake Manyara and the Makuyuni River Basin, Northern Tanzania. This region is known for Middle Pleistocene fossil finds and artefacts. To analyze the spatial distribution of potential paleontological find locations we applied two different methodologies based on statistical mechanics and on boosted regression trees. The first one is able to handle presence-only datasets such as the locations proper. The second approach was used to study the variable importance and to derive information on the related geo-processes for classified paleontological sites. The locations and their spatial distribution were retrieved from literature and collected by own field work over the last years. For the modeling we utilized environmental information such as spatially continuous layers of topography (30 m SRTM DEM), derivatives of topography, vegetation information as well as ASTER multispectral data as predictor variables. The results reveal
potential areas where further fossil sites may be located. Moreover, we assessed the processes that are related to sites with specific archaeological evidences. Therefore, the sites were grouped in three categories: i) artefacts sites, ii) fossil sites and iii) mixed sites. We applied boosted regression trees to analyse the processes related to the classified sites. The methodology considers not only site specific characteristics but implicitly also the related pedogenetic and morphogenetic processes. We were able to differentiate between artefact and fossil sites. Moreover, our analyses indicate an influence of transportation processes on the artefacts, whereas deposition of fossils does not seem to involve large scale transportation. Finally, we show that also the landscape can be reconstructed such as the former lake margin. -
Application of molecular genetic methods for birds (literature review)
37-41Views:136Ornithology studies have been extended by molecular genetic techniques. In this paper we are dealing with the most common use of areas. Our basic aim is to give a comprehensive view of the most commonly used methods in ornithological studies, including the available results by their use. We also deal with the following areas: an essential step during examination namely the applicability of sample collecting methods, and the unique identification, also the sex determination, methodology of DNA barcoding, as well as the role of molecular methods to protect endangered species. We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the methods, such as the current trend for each method.
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Examination of repeatability of ultrasound scanning technique in young bulls
43-48Views:140The author’s goal with the methodology examination was to determine repeatability of taking and evaluating ultrasound images. In the trial an operator person took two images about the ribeye area and rump fat thickness (P8) of every young bull, which were measured by the same person in four repetitions. Also, we had altogether eight images about the same part of the body. Images were collected using Falco 100 (Pie Medical) real-time ultrasonic scanner equipped with an ASP 3,5 MHz, 18 cm linear array transducer.
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Examination of soil parameters based on the evaluation of the spectroradiometric reflectance characteristics of the topsoil
75-80Views:159In this article we are presenting the methodology applied to analyse and interpret the topsoil surface reflectance parameters of multiple samples collected in the Mugello valley area in northern Italy in October 2012. The main aim of the whole project was to discover geomorphological behaviour and situation of the area ino order to improve potential for correct dating of certain archaeological artefacts found in the nearby areas. One of the crucial problem researchers are facing in the area is the lack of understanding of the underlying geological and geomorphological processes that were describing and characterizing the area and that played important role not only in the current geography and landscape formation but also in the transportation of various sediments and artefacts. In this particular research the main aim is to examine the possibility of developing a quick way to assess low level properties of the soil using hand held spectrometer and rapid analysis of cross-section using in situ measurement techniques. In this work we collected over 2000 individual samples of topsoil surface reflectance properties that we organized into a spectral library. This library is then to be used to describe physical and chemical processes in the soil. To support the analysis results were compared to analysis results from different kind of assessments in the same area. Our results show a great potential of application of hand held imaging spectrometer in soil property analysis based on the top soil surface reflectance parameters.
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Heat-No-Service: Reproductive lifetime performance of gilts inseminated on first versus second observed estrus in commercial piglet producing herds
77-80Views:292Heat No Service (HNS) is an increasing managerial decision made in commercial piglet producing herds. Performance of gilts has been shown to be influenced by initial decisions made on them at their introduction in the breeding herds. Lifetime Reproductive performance comprising of parity total born piglets and lifetime total born piglets of gilts initially bred on first observed estrus (0HNS) was compared with that of gilts bred on second observed estrus (1HNS). Stored data from Porcitec database consisted of 2.072 gilts bred on first observed estrus (0HNS) and 2.453 gilts bred on second observed estrus (1HNS) totaling to 4.525 gilts. Data was statistically analyzed using the GLM procedure of IBM SPSS version 25. The results showed a significance difference (p<0.001) in lifetime total born performance of gilts bred at 0HNS (mean 93.9) and 1HNS (mean 95.7). There was also a significant difference (p<0.001) of total born piglets in parity 1, 5 and 6 in the 2 groups. There was an observed increased parity total born and lifetime total born when first time insemination of gilts was delayed to second estrus. The findings in this study favor the 1HNS breeding with an overall increased lifetime total born. Gilts inseminated at 1HNS produce 1.57 more pigs for lifetime as compared with those inseminated at 0HNS when observation is made up to P6. Producers in piglet producing herds could re examine their decisions for increased productivity by promoting many gilts into 1HNS but still maintaining the balance between breed targets and production schedules to remain competitive and profitable in the current global swine industry.