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Simple Summary: This research evaluates the production efficiency of broiler batches using the production efficiency factor and unit cost of production. Employing Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), it considers variables like poultry housing, age at slaughter, feed consumed, mortality, and unit cost, with the total available weight as the output. Among 31 decision-making units (DMUs), only DMU 4 and DMU 23 approached maximum efficiency. Efficient DMUs serve as benchmarks for disseminating best practices to less efficient ones, enhancing overall efficiency and financial sustainability in poultry farming. This study highlights the significance of unit cost in evaluating production efficiency and proposes actionable insights for improving practices in the sector. The production efficiency factor is widely used to measure the zootechnical performance of a batch of broilers. The unit cost of production brings new elements to improve efficiency evaluation and financial sustainability for this activity in agriculture. This research aims to evaluate the production efficiency level of the crop to maximize the return on investment. This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with the computational processing of the SIAD software (Integrated Decision Support System). The variables selected were poultry housing, age at slaughter, feed consumed, mortality, and unit cost. The chosen output variable was the total available weight. The analysis spans 31 decision-making units (DMUs) composed of integrated producers, unveiling a frontier of efficiency delineated by the most exemplary DMUs. Notably, only two DMUs, specifically DMU 4 and DMU 23, approached the threshold of maximum relative efficiency. This research illuminates the critical role of unit cost in enhancing the assessment of production efficiency and financial sustainability within the agriculture environment. By setting benchmarks for efficient management and operational protocols, our findings serve as a cornerstone for improving practices among less efficient DMUs, contributing significantly to the literature on agricultural efficiency and offering actionable insights for the poultry farming sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In serial multi-stage manufacturing systems (SMMS), optimization of part quality inspection planning (PQIP), buffer allocation problem (BAP), and preventive maintenance (PM), individually and jointly, is attracting researchers' attention. The model formulation for complicated manufacturing systems and the previously mentioned joint decisions is very beneficial given the interdependencies between the various manufacturing functions. As a result, this paper evaluates the literature on joint optimization of the multi-stage serial production system. The literature is classified based on the decision variables basis to represent each manufacturing function [inspection sample size and allocation (PQIP), buffer sizing and allocation (BAP), and preventive maintenance scheduling (PM)], and a general example model is presented in each classification, with a summary of recent studies, solution methods, research gaps, and future research recommendations. In the integrated models, almost all the studies considered only two functions, with that it is worth noting that research into the optimization of over two functions is still in its beginning. Furthermore, most studies neglected many of the real industrial settings that should also be integrated into the model. And finally, there was no specific solution technique recommended in the literature, yet a general simulation optimization method was used to generate and evaluate the combinatorial complex joint models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to examine how various growers in the Czech Republic hop-growing regions approached the production of hops (Saaz variety). The work also keeps track of how different growers approach fertilization and nutrition, as well as how often plant protection chemicals containing these ingredients are used. The Saaz hop variety samples from the primary Czech hop-growing regions, gathered in 2020 and 2021, were assessed. The average spindle length (14–18 mm), average number of spindle segments (9.3–11.9 pcs/needle) and conductometric parameters (2.7–4.7% w/w) in the samples were identified.

The production efficiency factor is widely used to measure the zootechnical performance of a batch of broilers. The unit cost of production brings new elements to improve efficiency evaluation and financial sustainability for this activity in agriculture. This research aims to evaluate the production efficiency level of the crop to maximize the return on investment. This study uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) with the computational processing of the SIAD software (Integrated Decision Support System). The variables selected were poultry housing, age at slaughter, feed consumed, mortality, and unit cost. The chosen output variable was the total available weight. The analysis spans 31 decision-making units (DMUs) composed of integrated producers, unveiling a frontier of efficiency delineated by the most exemplary DMUs. Notably, only two DMUs, specifically DMU 4 and DMU 23, approached the threshold of maximum relative efficiency. This research illuminates the critical role of unit cost in enhancing the assessment of production efficiency and financial sustainability within the agriculture environment. By setting benchmarks for efficient management and operational protocols, our findings serve as a cornerstone for improving practices among less efficient DMUs, contributing significantly to the literature on agricultural efficiency and offering actionable insights for the poultry farming sector.

Copyright of Informe Gepec is the property of Informe Gepec and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Recent agricultural policies require the complementary use of area-based and product-based environmental indicators to assess agricultural system transitions because both alleviating productivity-environment trade-offs and increasing food value chain sustainability are crucial in successful policy decisions. However, there is a dilemma due to the exclusiveness between representing trade-offs in the transition paths and connecting the calculated results to the assessment of downstream food products. Here, this paper proposes a procedure to resolve the dilemma. Methods: The dilemma-resolving procedure is to partition product footprint changes into yield and environmental improvement effects in the same unit as the product footprint. After specifying a typology of transition toward agricultural sustainability, the partitioning procedure was developed on the basis of mapping from a two-dimensional space (area-based indicators) to a one-dimensional space (product-based indicators). To demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of the partitioning procedure, this paper applied it to the three categories of agricultural system transitions, including those to organic agriculture, integrated production, and production systems involving new agricultural inputs such as microbial inoculants and biostimulants, using the cases of the impact category of global warming (carbon footprint). The transition dataset (matched pairs) was constructed using a bibliographical survey. Results and discussion: The results indicate that the partitioning procedure is effective and has good performance: (1) it was able to apply to all the cases in the dataset and to classify all the cases into six specified transition types; (2) it was differentiable between the three transition categories; and (3) it was able to explain the features of each transition category. These results imply that the perspective on agricultural system transitions can be integrated with the perspective on food value chains. Therefore, productivity-environment trade-offs during the research and development phase of agricultural technologies can be linked to environmental mitigation practices along the food value chains. Conclusions: The results imply that, by applying the partitioning procedure, the recent agricultural policy framework contained two exclusive perspectives can be explained consistently. Every stakeholder related to agricultural policy making should be explicit about product-environment trade-offs during agricultural system transitions, as well as about food value chain sustainability. The partitioning procedure facilitates such stakeholder practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the opportunities for resource- and energy-efficient biojet fuel production from forest-based biomass utilising existing industrial infrastructure in Sweden. Two categories of production pathways are considered: one including technologies that are certified for the production of biojet fuel, and the other uncertified technologies under development. Aspects included are production potential, regional balance between biomass feedstock and eligible host industries, potential demand and supply of biogas-based hydrogen for upgrading, economic incentives for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and future markets for the co-products generated. The overall conclusion is that energy integration through the use of combined heat and power plants, sawmills and pulp mills to produce biofuel intermediates leads to a lower net demand for biomass feedstock, which can be met by the long-term sustainable potential of forestry residues and sawdust. The regional balance between the long-term, sustainable availability of forestry residues and sawdust, and the demand at eligible host industries is good where over 80% of this demand can be met by regionally produced biomass feedstock. The biofuel intermediates can then be upgraded to biojet fuel in centralised refineries connected to the gas grid in the southwest of Sweden, and with current Swedish policy tools it is economically motivated to use biogas-based hydrogen. Co-product demand will not limit commercial development since the future markets are predicted to grow when replacing fossil counterparts. Thus, current policy tools that promote biojet fuel with low life-cycle GHG emissions provide important incentives for the commercial development of resource- and energy-efficient combined biojet fuel and biofuel production systems based on biomass residues and existing industrial infrastructure.

The current study aimed to examine how various growers in the Czech Republic hop-growing regions approached the production of hops (Saaz variety). The work also keeps track of how different growers approach fertilization and nutrition, as well as how often plant protection chemicals containing these ingredients are used. The Saaz hop variety samples from the primary Czech hop-growing regions, gathered in 2020 and 2021, were assessed. The average spindle length (14-18 mm), average number of spindle segments (9.3-11.9 pcs/needle) and conductometric parameters (2.7-4.7% w/w) in the samples were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluctuations in Meloidogyne densities and fungal egg parasitism were determined from February 2015 to July 2016 in four vegetable production sites conducted under organic production and two sides conducted under integrated standards. At each site, the soil nematode densities at transplanting and at the end of the crops, the galling index, the number of eggs in roots, and the percentage of fungal egg parasitism were determined, and the fungal species were identified. In addition, two pot experiments were conducted with soil taken from each site in February 2015 and 2016 to assess the fungal egg parasitism comparing non-sterile and sterile soil from each site. In field conditions, the nematode population densities in the soil decreased along the crop rotations. The maximum number of eggs per plant was recorded in the spring–summer crops. Egg parasitism ranged from 11.2 to 55% in the organic sites and from 0.8 to 16.5% in the integrated production sites. Pochonia chlamydosporia was the only fungal species isolated in five of the six sites. In both pot experiments, the number of eggs per plant was lower in non-sterile than in sterile soils, except for the M10.45 site, where fungal egg parasites were not recovered. P. chlamydosporia was the only fungal species isolated, ranging between 11 and 74%. Therefore, P. chlamidosporia was the most prevalent fungal species related to Meloidogyne suppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the potential environmental impact of the integrated extraction process of byproducts from orange processing, i.e., essential oil and pectin. A cradle-to-gate attributional Life Cycle Assessment was performed, considering 1 kg of pectin as the functional unit, following the ISO 14040/44 standards, The product system includes from the raw material (orange) to the stages to obtain the essential oil and pectin. The impact assessment considered eight categories from the ReCiPe Midpoint (H) v.1.02 method, using SimaPro® software as a supporting tool for modeling the product system. In addition, mathematical modeling was developed using Scilab 6.0.1 software seeking to discuss performance trade-offs versus environmental impact and process improvements. The impact assessment found that pectin production is the main hotspot, most attributed to the hydrolysis operating unit. Electricity, hydrochloric acid, and water consumption contributed most to negative environmental impacts. From the perspective of process modeling, the conventional temperature (373 K), the reduction of pH (pH=1.5), and the greater volume of water in the tank corresponded to the best effects in terms of yield, which is not necessarily related to the best environmental performance. The sensitivity analysis showed the best scenarios regarding environmental impacts correlating temperature with the energy source (SAl) and the pH with the acid used for the extraction SA2). The analysis revealed that natural gas is the best alternative as an energy source, reducing emissions in six of the eight impact categories compared to the standard scenario. Citric acid increases emissions in all impact categories assessed due to the greater amount needed to achieve the simulated optimal extraction pH (1 5). The conventional scenario (hydrochloric acid) becomes the best alternative in this condition. These results bring a combined approach to life cycle sustainability with process modeling, identifying opportunities to improve the environmental performance of products based on cit:rus residues, contributing to the achievement of the 12th and 13th Sustainable Development Goals, and providing strategies to implement the Circular Economy in the citrus chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Family farming has been on the agenda worldwide. Portugal is no exception. Act No. 64/2018, published in 2018, establishes the Family Farming Statute. Its preponderance in food and in the sustainability of families and territories has been reinforced by the sustainable development paradigm. However, competitiveness constraints assigned to the production system is often seen as an obstacle. Combining the theoretical frameworks of integrated agriculture and work organizations, we offer a lean sociological perspective on family farms producing lettuce. We concluded that their production system is characterized by a set of innovative practices very close to a lean approach. However, there is room for improvements in a production system that seems to maintain a family-based workforce and traditional know-how.

Over the past 20 years, integrated decision making for production systems has gained the interest of researchers and practitioners. Many studies have shown that integrated decision making can lead to substantial amount of savings. Yet, a few research work has been conducted on the areas of integrated maintenance, production and quality in dynamic environments. This paper provides an integrated multi-period, maintenance, production and quality-inspection scheduling model, which is formulated as a Markov decision process. The model minimizes the total expected maintenance, production and quality inspection costs. The structural properties of the proposed model are mathematically investigated and with using sensitivity analysis, practical insights are also provided. We mathematically provide conditions to guarantee that the optimal inspection policy is monotone non-decreasing in the state of the machine. Furthermore, we show that the optimal production policy decreases by one unit as the state of inventory increases by one unit. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the production parameters affect both, maintenance and inspection decisions. In addition, the maintenance parameters affect inspection decisions. Finally, it is found that among the inspection parameters (i.e., cost-of-inspection and inspection-errors), type-II error mainly affects maintenance decisions.

Abstract Background Chromochloris zofingiensis is emerging as an industrially relevant alga given its robust growth for the production of lipids and astaxanthin, a value-added carotenoid with broad applications. Nevertheless, poor understanding of astaxanthin synthesis has limited engineering of this alga for rational improvements. Results To reveal the molecular mechanism underlying astaxanthin accumulation in C. zofingiensis, here we conducted an integrated analysis by combining the time-resolved transcriptomes and carotenoid profiling in response to nitrogen deprivation (ND). A global response was triggered for C. zofingiensis to cope with the ND stress. Albeit the little variation in total carotenoid content, individual carotenoids responded differentially to ND: the primary carotenoids particularly lutein and β-carotene decreased, while the secondary carotenoids increased considerably, with astaxanthin and canthaxanthin being the most increased ones. The carotenogenesis pathways were reconstructed: ND had little effect on the carbon flux to carotenoid precursors, but stimulated astaxanthin biosynthesis while repressing lutein biosynthesis, thereby diverting the carotenoid flux from primary carotenoids to secondary carotenoids particularly astaxanthin. Comparison between C. zofingiensis and Haematococcus pluvialis revealed the distinctive mechanism of astaxanthin synthesis in C. zofingiensis. Furthermore, potential bottlenecks in astaxanthin synthesis were identified and possible engineering strategies were proposed for the alga. Conclusions Collectively, these findings shed light on distinctive mechanism of carotenogenesis for astaxanthin biosynthesis in C. zofingiensis, identify key functional enzymes and regulators with engineering potential and will benefit rational manipulation of this alga for improving nutritional traits.

This paper considers a single-vendor and single-buyer production system in which the lead-time is controllable with an extra investment under a long-term agreement between the two trading partners. The vendor produces at a finite rate, ships the outputs in lots of equal size within a production cycle, and delays those shipments for a certain period when the buyer’s inventory approaches the capacity limits. Therefore, the arrival of these shipments does not lead to an increase in the buyer’s inventory. Meanwhile, the buyer holds the payment until the complete consumption of the products. The holding cost consists of a storage component and a financial component. A joint EOQ/EPQ model is then established under cases where the buyer’s unit storage holding cost might be greater or less than that of the vendor to jointly determine the number of shipments, the size of each shipment, the number of delayed shipments, and the lead time that minimise the yearly joint total expected cost (JTEC) of the system. An efficient solution procedure is provided to solve the non-linear integer optimisation model that defined the system under consideration. A method to determine the integer global optima from the real global optima is also presented. Two numerical experiments are conducted to illustrate the procedure and the results show that considering the combined effect of adopting a consignment stock policy and lead time crashing opportunities may lead to a better result than any of these two policies considered separately. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The phyllosphere comprises the aerial parts of plants and is colonized by a great diversity of microorganisms, either growing inside (as endophytes) or on the surface (as epiphytes) of plant tissues. The factors that structure the diversity of epiphytes and the importance of these microorganisms for host plant protection have been less studied when compared to the case of endophytes. In this work, the epiphytic fungal communities from fruits of the olive tree (olives) in different maturation stages (green and semi-ripened), obtained from different olive orchard managements (integrated and organic production) and from distinct cultivars displaying different susceptibilities to olive anthracnose (Cobrançosa and Madural), are compared by using a metabarcoding approach. We discuss whether such differences in host resistance against anthracnose depend on both the fungal taxa or fungal community composition. A total of 1565 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were obtained, mainly belonging to the Ascomycota phylum and Saccharomycetes class. Although significant differences on epiphytic fungal richness were observed among olives obtained in different production systems and maturation stages, these factors in addition to host cultivar did not influence the composition of the epiphytes. Despite these results, a co-inertia analysis showed that Aureobasidium spp. and Sporocadaceae spp. were positively associated with the green olives of the cv. Madural produced under integrated production, while Saccharomycetales spp. (Kluyveromyces, Candida, Kazachstania and Saccharomyces) were positively associated with the semi-ripened olives of the cv. Cobrançosa obtained from organic production. The discriminant power of these fungi, some of them recognized as biocontrol agents, suggest that they might be important in conferring differences on host plant susceptibility to anthracnose.

In Galicia (NW Spain), kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa) is intensively produced using conventional practices (CONV) that ensure high yields, despite the fact that the excessive use of agrochemical inputs leads to soil organic matter depletion, increased water pollution and biodiversity losses. Although more sustainable practices have been implemented in the area (i.e., integrated, INT and organic farming, ORG), it remains unclear how these practices will affect C dynamics mediated by soil biota. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of agricultural management practices and earthworm additions (macrofauna) on soil C losses [CO2 emissions and dissolved organic carbon (DOC)] in relation to the amount of bioavailable soil carbon [salt extractable organic carbon (SEOC) and microbial carbon indicators (microbial biomass or Cmic and the Cmic/Corg ratio)]. The experimental design consisted of a 105-days laboratory incubation of intact soil cores collected in the field (40 from each agroecosystem) and earthworm additions over ambient (2.43 ± 0.05 g/earthworm) to half of the experimental units (+EW), with the remaining half acting as controls. Our results showed that earthworm additions led to significant increases in their abundance in all three management treatments, but with the ORG soils sustaining the greatest population sizes. However, no significant effect on soil C transformations were observed in response to these earthworm increases, and instead, legacy agricultural practices overrode macrofauna control on C turnover. Consequently, more C was lost from the CONV treatments than from the ORG ones (on average, 60% more CO2 and 53% more DOC) as a result of CONV practices promoting microbial-mediated processes and hence, amplifying C mineralization versus C stabilization. Furthermore, C release from the INT soils was intermediate between the other two treatments, which suggests that more sustainable farming practices could help in achieving climate change mitigation. These findings provide clear evidence of how local adaptation (at farm level) toward a more environmentally friendly land management could represent a promising strategy to increase soil C sequestration. Future agricultural approaches would need to incorporate the potential benefits from other agroecosystem services beyond those derived from productivity and market values.

This study compared the various meat cuts and fabricated parts of selected domesticated and non-domesticated neotropical mammals. The domesticated animals utilized were eight chicken (Gallus domesticus) and eight rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), whilst the non-domesticated species were eight agoutis (Dasyprocta leporina) and three manicous (Didelphis marsupialis insularis). The carcasses were processed in two ways; four carcasses were singed and the other four carcasses were processed by removing the skin with a knife. The manicous' carcasses were only singed. They were captured by hunters in comparison to the chickens, rabbits and agoutis which were reared in captivity. The agoutis were fed local crops and vegetables and were supplemented with commercial ration (Mastermix®). However, for the chickens and the rabbits, the majority of their diets consisted of commercial ration (Mastermix ®). The chickens and rabbits had the greater live weights in comparison to the agoutis. The chickens had the highest live weight (3725 ± 167 g), the agoutis had the lowest live weight (2614 ± 354 g) and the rabbits had a live weight of 2691 ± 283 g, between that obtained from the chickens and agoutis. The agoutis and manicous also had less hot carcass weights in comparison to the chickens and rabbits. There were no live weights recorded for manicous, due to the fact that the manicous were collected by hunters in the forests. The hunters only recorded the carcass weights after the animals were eviscerated. The manicous and the agoutis produced less carcass weight and meat in comparison to the domesticated species, but were considered more sustainable because they can be fed crop and agricultural by-products, which are not fit for human consumption, and convert them into animal protein for human consumption. Further work must be done on the non-domesticated species to attain the growth rates and the most economical time period for market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the objectives of integrated production (IP) are rationalizing the use of pesticides. For conilon coffee (Coffea canephora), a coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix) management system based on IP principles needs to be proposed and validated. Thus, this study aimed to quantify the economic and environmental effects of rust management based on disease monitoring for decision-making regarding fungicide use in conilon coffee (integrated coffee production, ICP-Conilon). The ICP-Conilon system was compared with the conventional rust management system (CS) based on a fixed schedule of fungicide application by delineating two plots of C. canephora clonal fields. The incidence of leaf rust in the plants from each clone was quantified monthly and, in the ICP-Conilon plots, systemic fungicide was applied only to the clones/planting rows with monthly disease incidence of ≥5%. The ICP-Conilon system resulted in an average reduction of 71.3% in the fungicide volume applied/ha/year, compared to that in the CS plots. Thus, it was possible to reduce, on average, 21% of the rust management cost in clonal conilon coffee plantations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substitution of fossil gaseous fuels with biomass-based gases is of interest to the iron and steel industry due to its role in the mitigation of anthropogenic CO 2 emissions. In switching from fossil fuels to biomass-based gases, a systems analysis of the full value chain from biomass supply to the production and supply of final gas products becomes crucial. This study uses process and heat integration methods in combination with a supply chain evaluation to analyse full value chains of biomass-based gases for fossil gas replacement within the iron and steel industry. The study is carried out as a specific case study in order to understand the implications of utilizing bio-syngas/bio-SNG as heating fuels in iron- and steel-making, and to provide insights into the most sensitive parameters involved in fuel switching. The results show a significant cost difference in the fuel production of the two gas products owing to higher capital and biomass use in the bio-SNG value chain option. When tested for sensitivity, biomass price, transportation distance, and capital costs show the most impact on fuel production costs across all options studied. Trade-offs associated with process integration, plant localisation, feedstock availability and supply were found to varying extents. • Options to replace natural gas with biomass-based gases in iron and steel industry. • Integrated gas production at the steel plant has the lowest overall costs. • Supply of gas becomes cost-competitive with biomass supply at longer distances. • Trade-offs across key factors are observed to varying extents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nativa is the property of Revista Nativa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Chromochloris zofingiensis is emerging as an industrially relevant alga given its robust growth for the production of lipids and astaxanthin, a value-added carotenoid with broad applications. Nevertheless, poor understanding of astaxanthin synthesis has limited engineering of this alga for rational improvements. Results: To reveal the molecular mechanism underlying astaxanthin accumulation in C. zofingiensis, here we conducted an integrated analysis by combining the time-resolved transcriptomes and carotenoid profiling in response to nitrogen deprivation (ND). A global response was triggered for C. zofingiensis to cope with the ND stress. Albeit the little variation in total carotenoid content, individual carotenoids responded differentially to ND: the primary carotenoids particularly lutein and β-carotene decreased, while the secondary carotenoids increased considerably, with astaxanthin and canthaxanthin being the most increased ones. The carotenogenesis pathways were reconstructed: ND had little effect on the carbon flux to carotenoid precursors, but stimulated astaxanthin biosynthesis while repressing lutein biosynthesis, thereby diverting the carotenoid flux from primary carotenoids to secondary carotenoids particularly astaxanthin. Comparison between C. zofingiensis and Haematococcus pluvialis revealed the distinctive mechanism of astaxanthin synthesis in C. zofingiensis. Furthermore, potential bottlenecks in astaxanthin synthesis were identified and possible engineering strategies were proposed for the alga. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings shed light on distinctive mechanism of carotenogenesis for astaxanthin biosynthesis in C. zofingiensis, identify key functional enzymes and regulators with engineering potential and will benefit rational manipulation of this alga for improving nutritional traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The planning problem in the context of a multi-site procurement-production-distribution system (MSPPDS) considered in this paper is motivated from a real life case of a multinational consumer goods company. A robust optimisation model considering model robustness and solution robustness in the objective function is developed for integrated planning in three dimensions. Detailed production, procurement and distribution plans are integrated; countrywide aggregate production plan is integrated with a detailed plan. Similarly the detailed production plans from the previous planning cycle are integrated with current production plans. Constraints on storage space, production capacity and the time lag between procurement, production and distribution activities are captured in the model. Procurement and production plans are treated as 'here-and-now' decisions and the distribution plans are treated as 'wait-and-see' decisions to be implemented based on the realised demand scenario. The model is illustrated using an example problem and also successfully applied to the data of a consumer goods company involving 104,000 variables (with 832 integer variables) and 21,000 constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the single-vendor single-buyer integrated production inventory problem, the lot is transferred by some researchers in shipments of equal and/or unequal sizes. For a given total number (n) of shipments, the minimal number (m) of unequal sized shipments is selected satisfying a constraint. Due to the complex dependence of m on n, there remained a conjecture about the convexity of the total cost (C) in n. Consequently, for a known n, lower and upper bounds on the minimal total cost are imposed and this cost is obtained through a search over n based on the convexity of C in the lot size (Q). Here it is demonstrated that m thus selected might not be the minimal and a method for obtaining the minimal m is developed. A formula for the minimal n based on the convexity of C in n (given m and Q) is also derived. Integrating the ways of finding the minimal m and n, along with the convexity of C in Q, an alternative minimal cost solution technique is presented. Finally, a comparative theoretical analysis of the methods along with numerical illustration is carried out to show the efficiency of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In livestock enterprises, with the developing technology, the use of automation instead of control with manpower has become widespread. With the use of automation, it provides easy and reliable production, healthy product, decrease of labor force, prevention of economic losses, periodic and systematic operation and keeping data record regularly. In this way, it is possible to evaluate all records of animal production in digital environment. Control element (PC, PLC, PIC, Microprocessor, Electronic Cards), Activation Element (Motors, Cylinders, motion elements, etc.), Process (Production, temperature, control, chemical, events, etc.), Adjustment in automation used in animal husbandry Element (Acceleration, Angle, Speed, Flow, Encoders, Force, Load, Price, Pressure, Temperature, Slope, Torsion, Vibration Measurement Elements). Thanks to the intelligent sensors and controllers of these elements, feed and water of animals are recorded from central computers in automation control. In the studies, S7-300 PLC was used to carry out the general operation and collect the data. In addition, SCADA is used for central system supervision and control, data collection and storage, irrigation and feeding, warning and warning for security. In this study, it is aimed to give information about the use of automation in industrial animal husbandry enterprises.

Blood and blood products are vital resources for the surgery and the treatment of certain diseases. As a scarce and perishable resource, they require sophisticated management to minimize waste in order to address this challenge, the present study revolves around the idea of the management of the production, supply and distribution of blood products. In this research, two questions of robust and flexible have been investigated for the production, inventory and routing blood products. The flexibility is incorporated into the problem through introducing the possibility of sharing inventory among network entities by transferring blood products between hospitals and also the possibility of meeting a blood group's need with another compatible blood type or replacement. The problem is then solved by heuristic (local search) and meta-heuristic (Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS)) algorithms, which are the methods of choice in particular for NP-hard problems. Finally, the results obtained from the two algorithms are compared it is shown that the heuristic algorithm outperforms the Adaptive Large Neighborhood Search (ALNS) in both models, that can lead to reduction is cost and required transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An integrated scheduling problem in a three-stage supply chain is studied. • The completed jobs are delivered by transporters with fixed departure times. • The objective is to minimize sum of weighted number of late jobs, inventory and delivery cost. • Computational complexity and solution algorithms are investigated. • Numerical studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. This study considers an integrated production, inventory, and outbound distribution scheduling model that arises in a three-stage supply chain consisting of three parts: a supplier, a manufacturer, and several customers. The manufacturer receives a set of two-stage orders to process a specific set of jobs (products) for the customers. These jobs are first partly processed by the supplier, and delivered to the manufacturer by vehicles immediately at additional delivery costs depending on the delivered jobs. The partly processed jobs are then processed by the manufacturer, and delivered to their respective customers by transporters with fixed delivery departure times. A finished job is either kept in a temporary warehouse before it is delivered at an inventory cost, or delivered to its customer immediately. Each job is associated with a desired due date, and late deliveries are not accepted. The objective is to determine schedules for processing the jobs, and identify delivery schedules from the manufacturer to all customers such that the weighted sum of the weighted number of late jobs, inventory cost, and delivery cost is minimized. For each considered problem, we investigate its computational complexity, and develop pseudo-polynomial or polynomial-time solution algorithm, if viable. Using randomly generated data, we conduct extensive numerical studies to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The massive use of pesticides in recent years has led to an increase in the resistance of diseases, pests and weeds. The first sustainability publication was more than 100 years ago. For the period 1914-1946, an additional 11 cases of sustained resistance were reported. All this is a result of the massive introduction of pesticides into agricultural production and other human activities. The main approach in sustainability management is to implement Integrated Plant Protection, because then there is pest monitoring, economic harm is observed, no pesticide methods are used, such as organic, agrotechnical, sanitary and, most importantly, host plants resistant to major diseases and pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Sensitivity to management differed between earwig species acting as aphid enemies. • Adjacent woody habitats reduced earwig abundance in integrated orchards. • Landscape composition and plant species richness did not alter earwig abundance. • Management affected aphids and Forficula pubescens but not F. auricularia in Spain. • Woolly apple aphid infestation was augmented by orchard cover in Germany. Abstract Organic management, connective woody habitats, and landscape complexity are supposed to enhance beneficial arthropods and biological pest control in agro-ecosystems. We studied earwigs (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) as generalist predators and aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) as key pests serving as earwig prey in a total of 58 commercial apple orchards differing in management (integrated production (IP) versus organic) in Germany and Spain. We focused on the effects of local agri-environmental structures, orchard management, and composition of the surrounding landscape on earwig populations and on tree infestation by the woolly apple aphid (WAA), Eriosoma lanigerum. Surprisingly, the common earwig, Forficula auricularia, did not benefit from organic management in either country, and we found even slightly higher earwig abundances in IP than in organic orchards in Germany. In Spain, we found a negative impact of IP compared to organic management on abundance of the earwig Forficula pubescens , whereas orchard management did not affect the abundance of F. auricularia. The presence of woody habitats adjacent to the orchard reduced the abundance of F. auricularia in IP but not in organic orchards in Germany. We did not study the effects of woody habitats in Spain, where these structures were very scarce. There was no effect of high plant species richness at the orchard boundary or compositional landscape heterogeneity on earwig abundance in either country. In Germany, WAA infestation was very low and driven by landscape characteristics rather than orchard management. In Spain, WAA infestation differed strongly between management types (higher in organic orchards). There were no strong, consistent correlations between earwig abundance and WAA infestation in either country. Our study shows that adjacent woody structures and orchard management may affect earwigs in perennial cropping systems. The consequences of orchard management, however, seem to strongly depend on earwig species. Our study suggests that woody elements may serve as sink habitats – potentially attracting earwigs by providing alternative prey and shelter – in IP (but not in organic) orchards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment (75 days) was conducted in twelve fiberglass tanks (5 m 3 ) to study the effects of stocking density of gray mullet ( Mugil cephalus ) on water quality, growth performance, nutrient conversion rate, and microbial community structure in the white shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei ) integrated system. Gray mullet (body weight of 1.50 g) were added into nine shrimp tanks with three different densities, namely at 10, 20, and 30% of the initial shrimp biomass as poly-culture treatments. White shrimp (size of 0.50 g) were stocked at a density of 300 shrimp.tank −1 . Three tanks stocked only with shrimp served as monoculture treatment (control treatment). Shrimp were fed four times a day using 38%, 35% protein (feed #1, #2, respectively) commercial pellet (Grobest Co. Ltd. Vietnam) with feeding rate was 3 to 10% of shrimp biomass. No external feed was given to the fish during the experiment. The results showed that the mean values of water quality parameters were not significantly different ( p  > 0.05) between treatments, except TSS, TAN, NO 2 -N concentration. The best shrimp growth performance, total biomass, and FCR (0.14 g.day − , 2928.68 g.tank − , 1.06 respectively) were found in the low gray mullet density treatment (10% of the initial shrimp biomass), which were significantly better than those in control and other poly-culture treatments. The nutrient conversion rate in poly-culture, which retained 30.41–40.32% of total nitrogen feed input and 25.26–33.54% of total phosphorous feed input, was significantly different between treatments. DGGE bacterial profile from the cultured water illustrated a dynamic microbial community structure in the water column of the experimental tanks, and a considerable difference in community structure between treatments. The phylogeny of the selected band sequences obtained from the DGGE gel was affiliated within the ˠ- Proteobacteria, α- Proteobacteria, Bacterioidetes, Planctomycetes, and Terrabacteria group . The results indicate that gray mullet can be co-cultured with white shrimp at the fish stocking density of 10% shrimp biomass to improve water quality, overall productivity and nutrient utilization efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial oils can be used for biodiesel production and fumaric acid (FA) is widely used in the food and chemical industries. In this study, the production of lipids and FA by Aureobasidium pullulans var. aubasidani DH177 was investigated. A high initial carbon/nitrogen ratio in the medium promoted the accumulation of lipids and FA. When the medium contained 12.0% glucose and 0.2% NH4NO3, the yeast strain DH177 accumulated 64.7% (w/w) oil in its cells, 22.4 g/l cell biomass and 32.3 g/l FA in a 5-L batch fermentation. The maximum yields of oil and FA were 0.12 g/g and 0.27 g/g of consumed sugar, respectively. The compositions of the produced fatty acids were C14:0 (0.6%), C16:0 (24.9%), C16:1 (4.4%), C18:0 (2.1%), C18:1 (57.6%), and C18:2 (10.2%). Biodiesel obtained from the extracted oil burned well. This study provides the pioneering utilization of the yeast strain DH177 for the integrated production of oil and FA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coordinated decision-making approach for considering sequential activities of the supply chain results in additional benefits by optimizing production, inventory, and distribution operations. Accordingly, this paper proposes a mixed integer linear mathematical model to optimize a multi-period production routing problem utilizing electric vehicles. The proposed model optimizes the total cost associated with fixed and variable production, holding inventory, and routing, including the fixed cost of utilizing electric vehicles and travel time. However, mileage limitation is one of the main restrictions of utilizing electric vehicles in performing deliveries which is strongly affected by the consumed energy. Although optimization of the routes of vehicles can facilitate using them, considering the variation of travel speed network links during different times of the day because of traffic conditions can obviously affect the required energy to perform the assigned deliveries. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to study simultaneous multi-period dynamic production routing problems using a set of heterogenous electric vehicles whose travel time of links can vary by dividing each production period into several hourly time intervals to capture different traffic conditions. Finally, a series of capable and hybrid metaheuristic algorithms are designed and implemented to solve this problem in a real-case dimension, and all proposed algorithms are compared. • Proposing a multi-period dynamic electric vehicles production routing problem. • Developing a coordinated decision support system to optimize the supply chain. • Considering the variation of travel speed network that affect energy consumption. • Designing a mix integer linear mathematical model to address proposed problem. • Developing a set of capable metaheuristic algorithms to solve proposed problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The allergen Mal d 1 is often responsible for adverse allergic reactions to fresh apples in northern and central Europe. The Mal d 1 content and isoallergen profile are proposed to have an impact on the allergenic potential of the fruit. Therefore, we investigated the impact of the cropping system on the Mal d 1 content and the isoallergen profile of apples by mass spectrometry for the varieties 'Jonagored' and 'Topaz'. To monitor the impact of storage time and conditions, apples of the varieties 'Santana' and 'Jonagold' were stored for up to 12 weeks under regular air (RA), under RA in combination with 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) treatment, and under a controlled atmosphere (CA). The impact of the cropping system (integrated production vs organic production) was negligible. However, a significant increase in the Mal d 1 content during storage was observed, being higher when stored under CA conditions than under RA conditions. An additional treatment with 1-MCP prior to RA storage drastically reduced the level of Mal d 1 expression in the flesh of the apples by ∼50%. Furthermore, the content of isoallergens 1.03 and 1.06 increased disproportionately under CA conditions, while under RA conditions, only isoallergen 1.06 was affected. With the 1-MCP treatment, no changes in the isoallergen profile were obvious.

Conventional management of Mediterranean vineyards strongly contributes to land degradation. In Portugal, the use of integrated production has been encouraged by governmental subsidies because it is assumed to be a farm management system that protects the environment and favours agriculture sustainability. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of minimum tillage and regulated fertilization practices, driven by integrated production, on runoff and associated sediment and nutrient exports (total phosphorous – TP, total nitrogen – TN and nitrates – NO 3 ). A vineyard in the Bairrada wine region was instrumented with six runoff plots (80–122 m 2 ). Plots were monitored on a weekly to bi-weekly basis (depending on the rainfall pattern), over two hydrological years (from October 2012 to September 2014). Results indicated that annual runoff coefficients ranged from 10% to 20%, sediment losses from 1.1 to 29.0 Mg ha −1  yr −1 , TP exports from 0.4 to 6.5 kg ha −1  yr −1 , TN exports from 0.2 to 20.0 kg ha −1  yr −1 and NO 3 exports from 0.1 to 0.8 kg ha −1  yr −1 . These results highlight the susceptibility of vineyards to land degradation and their role as a diffuse source of pollution. Rainfall strongly influenced runoff as well as sediment and nutrient concentrations, leading to relevant inter-annual and seasonal differences. Over the study period, about 60% of runoff and >85% of sediments and nutrients exported by runoff were recorded during winter. Management practices, namely inter-row tillage deeply influenced sediment exports, whereas fertilization, had a strong effect on nitrate exports. Although integrated production lead to lower runoff and nutrient exports than conventional viticulture, additional measures are needed to effectively prevent soil erosion and nutrient losses in Mediterranean vineyards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]