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Highlights A broiler mortality removal robot was successfully developed. The broiler shank was the target anatomical part for detection and mortality pickup. Higher light intensities improved the performance of detection and pickup performance. The final success rate for picking up dead birds was 90.0% at the 1000-lux light intensity. Abstract. Manual collection of broiler mortality is time-consuming, unpleasant, and laborious. The objectives of this research were: (1) to design and fabricate a broiler mortality removal robot from commercially available components to automatically collect dead birds; (2) to compare and evaluate deep learning models and image processing algorithms for detecting and locating dead birds; and (3) to examine detection and mortality pickup performance of the robot under different light intensities. The robot consisted of a two-finger gripper, a robot arm, a camera mounted on the robot’s arm, and a computer controller. The robot arm was mounted on a table, and 64 Ross 708 broilers between 7 and 14 days of age were used for the robot development and evaluation. The broiler shank was the target anatomical part for detection and mortality pickup. Deep learning models and image processing algorithms were embedded into the vision system and provided location and orientation of the shank of interest, so that the gripper could approach and position itself for precise pickup. Light intensities of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 1000 lux were evaluated. Results indicated that the deep learning model “You Only Look Once (YOLO)” V4 was able to detect and locate shanks more accurately and efficiently than YOLO V3. Higher light intensities improved the performance of the deep learning model detection, image processing orientation identification, and final pickup performance. The final success rate for picking up dead birds was 90.0% at the 1000-lux light intensity. In conclusion, the developed system is a helpful tool towards automating broiler mortality removal from commercial housing, and contributes to further development of an integrated autonomous set of solutions to improve production and resource use efficiency in commercial broiler production, as well as to improve well-being of workers. Keywords: Automation, Broiler, Deep learning, Image processing, Mortality, Robot arm.

International audience; Le travail présenté ici porte sur l'étude du couplage magnétoélastique en tant que méthode du contrôle non destructif. Cette communication rapporte les mesures expérimentales hystérétiques et piézomagnétiques effectuées sur un acier dual-phases soumis à différentes conditions de champ magnétique et de contrainte. L'effet du champ magnétique et de la contrainte mécanique, compte tenu des amplitudes statiques ou variables, est discuté. Enfin, Une nouvelle modélisation multiéchelle de l'hystérésis piézomagnétique est proposée.

THE TREATMENT OF WASTEWATER IN PORTOVIEJO CANTON AND ITS POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTRESUMENEl trabajo aborda la situación del tratamiento de las aguas residuales en las condiciones de la Planta de tratamiento del Cantón de Portoviejo, en la provincia de Manabí, considerando la actualidad e importancia que, en el mundo, se concede a esta actividad. Su realización tiene como objetivo identificar si el efluente descargado al cauce del río Portoviejo cumple con la norma técnica de calidad ambiental, vigente para el territorio nacional de la República del Ecuador. Se consideraron indicadores de carácter físico, químico, orgánico - biológicos y microbiológicos y se aplicaron métodos de medición y observación, en correspondencia con los intereses de la investigación. Se constató que, de manera general los resultados del funcionamiento de la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas residuales estudiada se ajustan a las normas establecidas en la legislación vigente, sin embargo, fue posible identificar algunos elementos de carácter negativo para la relación con el entorno.PALABRAS CLAVE: Monitoreo, impacto, evaluación, ambiente.ABSTRACTThe paper addresses the situation treatment of wastewater in the General Terms of the treatment plant city of Portoviejo in the province of Manabí, considering present and importance in the world, is given to this activity. Its realization is to identify whether the effluent discharged to the river Portoviejo meets the technical standard of environmental quality, valid for the national territory of the Republic of Ecuador. Indicators of physical, chemical, organic character were considered - biological and microbiological methods and measurement and observation, were applied in correspondence with the research interests. It was found that generally the results of operation of the plant Wastewater Treatment studied conform to the standards set by current legislation, however, it was possible identifier some elements of negative character for the relationship with the environment.KEYWORDS: monitoring, impact assessment, environment.

Purpose The purpose of this research is to compare the mission statements of the hospitals listed on the 2014 US News & World Report’s Best Hospitals List to investigate the research question, “Are high ranking hospitals (HRH) more likely than low ranking hospitals (LRH) to address cultural diversity in strategic statements?” Design/methodology/approach The strategic statements of 44 HRH and 56 LRH were compared using chi-square and Fisher’s exact test. Findings While the data do not support the notion that HRHs are more likely than LRHs to address diversity in strategic statements, HRHs are more likely than LRHs to actually devote resources to address the issues of cultural diversity. Research limitations/implications The current research is limited to a sample taken from the US News & World Report Best Hospitals. This is not a definitive list, and a multitude of third-party hospital raters exist – each with its own unique metrics. Practical implications The results do not show a relationship between a hospital’s mission statement and its ranking in the US News List of Best Hospitals. However, the findings suggest that hospitals that maintain a dedicated diversity manager/office do tend to be higher ranked. Originality/value This is the first known investigation of the relationship between the inclusion of diversity in hospital mission statements and hospital rankings. The research suggests that addressing diversity in strategic statements is simply not enough and that dedicated, ground-level resources are necessary to properly impact quality care and third-party ratings.

International audience; This work deals with the study of magnetoelastic coupling in the framework of non-destructive testing. Experimental hysteretic and cyclic piezomagnetic measurements carried out on a dual-phase steel submitted to different magnetic field and stress conditions are reported. The effect of concomitant magnetic field and stress, considering static or variable amplitudes, is discussed. A new multiscale modeling of piezomagnetic hysteresis is finally proposed.

Performance analysis for basketball development programs are based on the athletes’ movement patterns, playing position on an area, and ball acquisition. The objective of the system is to automate the performance analysis by providing raw statistical data based on the player’s behaviors produced through tracking the player inside the basketball court. Using visual features described by SURF, unoccluded players are localized using a tracking by detection approach with an observed accuracy of 40%. Player positions are also adjusted to compensate for distortions, which improves player localization by 0.11%, on average.

Broiler production requires significant expenditures for heating fuel year round. Poor thermal envelope performance leads to reduced live performance, increased energy use, and reduced profitability. Poultry house building component thermal resistance (Rvalue) is subject to change over time. To characterize the thermal envelope heat transmission and building component R-value of two broiler houses of different ages, conductive heat flux (W/m²) and temperature gradient (Delta T °C) were monitored with heat flux meter (HFM) arrays and temperature sensors over a 13-month period. Net heat loss and building component (walls and ceiling) thermal resistance were determined from the data. Results showed differences in net heat loss were observed for the ceiling zones where 84% more heat was lost through the ceiling of the older house than that of the newer house (P <0.05). R-values determined from field measurements for both houses were below estimated theoretical composite R-values. Observed R-values were greater for ceiling envelope zones of the newer house when compared to the older house. Increased heat loss and reductions in ceiling envelope zone R-values for the older house were attributed to shifting and settling of the loose-fill cellulose attic insulation material, which was especially prevalent at the ceiling peak zone. To verify the feasibility of using sol-air temperature in lieu of outside air temperature to account for radiant load during warm conditions, field measurements of temperature (°C) (interior air, exterior air, and exterior surface) and solar radiation (W/m²) were recorded of a broiler house. Sol-air temperatures were calculated from these data. Observed maximum daily air temperatures were significantly different (P=0.2144, P=0.1544). Simulations of conductive heat transfer by air and sol-air temperatures using climatic data showed heat gain as calculated by sol-air Delta T was considerably higher when compared to heat gain calculated by air Delta T. This study supports the rationale that the sol-air temperature concept results in improved estimates of conductive heat transfer during daytime conditions which can be used to optimize insulation and ventilation requirements for broiler houses during warm conditions.

Summary When Shell began an ultraheavy-oil development in Alberta, Canada, the field plan was based on manual pad positioning without consideration for surface hazards, trajectory constraints, or injector/producer slot requirements arising from the prefabricated-pad configuration. Shell teams were challenged to investigate alternative field-development plans to reduce the initial investment. The volume of wells, surface hazards, trajectory constraints, and pad slot configuration requirements for injector/producer ratios made this a formidable task. Shell leveraged the expertise of third-party consultants and powerful software to generate numerous development scenarios, which enabled the Shell staff to focus on the economics of each plan. An aerial image that delineated surface hazards, an elevation grid, and injector/producer targets were loaded into the 3D subsurface-visualization environment of the software to generate pad-placement simulations, including trajectory designs. The software followed the Shell planning constraints and avoided all surface hazards. The analyses were conducted for the highest, lowest, and median number of pads. From these three scenarios, a value analysis was plotted. This value analysis enabled the planning team to identify the optimal surface-to-reservoir configuration and to maximize the value of the field by delivering all of the reservoir targets, while minimizing the number of pads needed to drill. The output also yielded field cumulative values, including total and nominal well length, to support future economic analyses. The analysis determined that 87 pads maximized the value of the field when 42-slot configured pads were considered. Additional studies determined that when 50-slot configured pads were considered, more than 99% of the planned reservoir targets could be drilled from 72 major and four or fewer minor pads. In either case, a significant reduction from the original 98 pads was realized. Through the combined efforts of Shell engineers and third-party consultants, as well as the use of state-of-the-art software, this optimization was completed in only 8 worker-weeks. This paper describes the software and processes used to reduce Shell's estimated field-development costs and to minimize the environmental effect of the field by reducing the number of pads required.