Matching poultry production with available feed resources: issues and constraints

Corn and soyabeans may not be available in many countries particularly those which do not have sufficient foreign currency or the capacity to grow them. This paper outlines strategies that may be important under these circumstances. Alternative feedstuffs and various feeding systems may be used to support poultry production. Alternative ingredients such as rice bran, pearl millet, cottonseed meal and grain legumes are discussed. Evidence is presented showing that amino acid requirements of layers and broilers may be too generous particularly in countries where climate, management and disease can impose production constraints. The ability of finishing broilers to perform well on very low-energy diets allows the inclusion of alternative feeds and by-products into formulations. Very low protein diets based on cereals and free amino acids can be used for layers without loss of performance. Self-selection of feedstuffs may be an important strategy in reducing feed costs of broilers and layers. The concept of matching production with available feed resources may compromise broiler growth and egg production, but in many countries this may be the most economical choice. Countries in the humid tropics usually have reduced poultry performance. The effects of high temperature and humidity are difficult to overcome. The vexed questions of the escalation in the price of fossil fuel and the outbreak of avian influenza, both seemingly without a solution, are clouds hanging over an otherwise buoyant industry.

Machine learning for matching astronomy catalogues

An emerging issue in the field of astronomy is the integration, management and utilization of databases from around the world to facilitate scientific discovery. In this paper, we investigate application of the machine learning techniques of support vector machines and neural networks to the problem of amalgamating catalogues of galaxies as objects from two disparate data sources: radio and optical. Formulating this as a classification problem presents several challenges, including dealing with a highly unbalanced data set. Unlike the conventional approach to the problem (which is based on a likelihood ratio) machine learning does not require density estimation and is shown here to provide a significant improvement in performance. We also report some experiments that explore the importance of the radio and optical data features for the matching problem.

Matching commercial clips from TV streams using a unique, robust and compact signature

One of critical challenges in automatic recognition of TV commercials is to generate a unique, robust and compact signature. Uniqueness indicates the ability to identify the similarity among the commercial video clips which may have slight content variation. Robustness means the ability to match commercial video clips containing the same content but probably with different digitalization/encoding, some noise data, and/or transmission and recording distortion. Efficiency is about the capability of effectively matching commercial video sequences with a low computation cost and storage overhead. In this paper, we present a binary signature based method, which meets all the three criteria above, by combining the techniques of ordinal and color measurements. Experimental results on a real large commercial video database show that our novel approach delivers a significantly better performance comparing to the existing methods.

Binocular interaction:Contrast matching and contrast discrimination are predicted by the same model

How do signals from the 2 eyes combine and interact? Our recent work has challenged earlier schemes in which monocular contrast signals are subject to square-law transduction followed by summation across eyes and binocular gain control. Much more successful was a new 'two-stage' model in which the initial transducer was almost linear and contrast gain control occurred both pre- and post-binocular summation. Here we extend that work by: (i) exploring the two-dimensional stimulus space (defined by left- and right-eye contrasts) more thoroughly, and (ii) performing contrast discrimination and contrast matching tasks for the same stimuli. Twenty-five base-stimuli made from 1 c/deg patches of horizontal grating, were defined by the factorial combination of 5 contrasts for the left eye (0.3-32%) with five contrasts for the right eye (0.3-32%). Other than in contrast, the gratings in the two eyes were identical. In a 2IFC discrimination task, the base-stimuli were masks (pedestals), where the contrast increment was presented to one eye only. In a matching task, the base-stimuli were standards to which observers matched the contrast of either a monocular or binocular test grating. In the model, discrimination depends on the local gradient of the observer's internal contrast-response function, while matching equates the magnitude (rather than gradient) of response to the test and standard. With all model parameters fixed by previous work, the two-stage model successfully predicted both the discrimination and the matching data and was much more successful than linear or quadratic binocular summation models. These results show that performance measures and perception (contrast discrimination and contrast matching) can be understood in the same theoretical framework for binocular contrast vision. © 2007 VSP.

Performance of small and medium enterprises and the impact of environmental variables: evidence from Vietnam

thesis is developed from a real life application of performance evaluation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam. The thesis presents two main methodological developments on evaluation of dichotomous environment variable impacts on technical efficiency. Taking into account the selection bias the thesis proposes a revised frontier separation approach for the seminal Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model which was developed by Charnes, Cooper, and Rhodes (1981). The revised frontier separation approach is based on a nearest neighbour propensity score matching pairing treated SMEs with their counterfactuals on the propensity score. The thesis develops order-m frontier conditioning on propensity score from the conditional order-m approach proposed by Cazals, Florens, and Simar (2002), advocated by Daraio and Simar (2005). By this development, the thesis allows the application of the conditional order-m approach with a dichotomous environment variable taking into account the existence of the self-selection problem of impact evaluation. Monte Carlo style simulations have been built to examine the effectiveness of the aforementioned developments. Methodological developments of the thesis are applied in empirical studies to evaluate the impact of training programmes on the performance of food processing SMEs and the impact of exporting on technical efficiency of textile and garment SMEs of Vietnam. The analysis shows that training programmes have no significant impact on the technical efficiency of food processing SMEs. Moreover, the analysis confirms the conclusion of the export literature that exporters are self selected into the sector. The thesis finds no significant impact from exporting activities on technical efficiency of textile and garment SMEs. However, large bias has been eliminated by the proposed approach. Results of empirical studies contribute to the understanding of the impact of different environmental variables on the performance of SMEs. It helps policy makers to design proper policy supporting the development of Vietnamese SMEs.

Grayscale and colour image Codec based on matching pursuit in the spatio-frequency domain

This report presents and evaluates a novel idea for scalable lossy colour image coding with Matching Pursuit (MP) performed in a transform domain. The benefits of the idea of MP performed in the transform domain are analysed in detail. The main contribution of this work is extending MP with wavelets to colour coding and proposing a coding method. We exploit correlations between image subbands after wavelet transformation in RGB colour space. Then, a new and simple quantisation and coding scheme of colour MP decomposition based on Run Length Encoding (RLE), inspired by the idea of coding indexes in relational databases, is applied. As a final coding step arithmetic coding is used assuming uniform distributions of MP atom parameters. The target application is compression at low and medium bit-rates. Coding performance is compared to JPEG 2000 showing the potential to outperform the latter with more sophisticated than uniform data models for arithmetic coder. The results are presented for grayscale and colour coding of 12 standard test images.

Perception of concurrent sentences with harmonic or frequency-shifted voiced excitation:performance of human listeners and of computational models based on autocorrelation

Keyword identification in one of two simultaneous sentences is improved when the sentences differ in F0, particularly when they are almost continuously voiced. Sentences of this kind were recorded, monotonised using PSOLA, and re-synthesised to give a range of harmonic ?F0s (0, 1, 3, and 10 semitones). They were additionally re-synthesised by LPC with the LPC residual frequency shifted by 25% of F0, to give excitation with inharmonic but regularly spaced components. Perceptual identification of frequency-shifted sentences showed a similar large improvement with nominal ?F0 as seen for harmonic sentences, although overall performance was about 10% poorer. We compared performance with that of two autocorrelation-based computational models comprising four stages: (i) peripheral frequency selectivity and half-wave rectification; (ii) within-channel periodicity extraction; (iii) identification of the two major peaks in the summary autocorrelation function (SACF); (iv) a template-based approach to speech recognition using dynamic time warping. One model sampled the correlogram at the target-F0 period and performed spectral matching; the other deselected channels dominated by the interferer and performed matching on the short-lag portion of the residual SACF. Both models reproduced the monotonic increase observed in human performance with increasing ?F0 for the harmonic stimuli, but not for the frequency-shifted stimuli. A revised version of the spectral-matching model, which groups patterns of periodicity that lie on a curve in the frequency-delay plane, showed a closer match to the perceptual data for frequency-shifted sentences. The results extend the range of phenomena originally attributed to harmonic processing to grouping by common spectral pattern.

Colour image coding with matching pursuit in the spatio-frequency domain

We present and evaluate a novel idea for scalable lossy colour image coding with Matching Pursuit (MP) performed in a transform domain. The idea is to exploit correlations in RGB colour space between image subbands after wavelet transformation rather than in the spatial domain. We propose a simple quantisation and coding scheme of colour MP decomposition based on Run Length Encoding (RLE) which can achieve comparable performance to JPEG 2000 even though the latter utilises careful data modelling at the coding stage. Thus, the obtained image representation has the potential to outperform JPEG 2000 with a more sophisticated coding algorithm.

Exploring novel auditory displays for supporting accelerated skills acquisition and enhanced performance in motorsport

This paper explores the design, development and evaluation of a novel real-time auditory display system for accelerated racing driver skills acquisition. The auditory feedback provides concurrent sensory augmentation and performance feedback using a novel target matching design. Real-time, dynamic, tonal audio feedback representing lateral G-force (a proxy for tire slip) is delivered to one ear whilst a target lateral G-force value representing the ‘limit’ of the car, to which the driver aims to drive, is panned to the driver’s other ear; tonal match across both ears signifies that the ‘limit’ has been reached. An evaluation approach was established to measure the efficacy of the audio feedback in terms of performance, workload and drivers’ assessment of self-efficacy. A preliminary human subject study was conducted in a driving simulator environment. Initial results are encouraging, indicating that there is potential for performance gain and driver confidence enhancement based on the audio feedback.

Do work placements improve final year academic performance or do high-calibre students choose to do work placements?

This study investigates whether the completion of an optional sandwich work placement enhances student performance in final year examinations. Using Propensity Score Matching, our analysis departs from the literature by controlling for self-selection. Previous studies may have overestimated the impact of sandwich work placements on performance because it might be the case that high-calibre students choose to go on placement. Our results, utilising a large student data set, indicate that self-selection is present, but the effects of a placement on student performance still have an impact. This robust finding is found to be of a remarkably similar magnitude across two UK universities.

The effects of writing process instruction on the writing and reading performance of students with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of a writing process approach for the instruction of language arts with learning disabled elementary students. A nonequivalent control group design was used. The sample included 24 students with learning disabilities who were in second and third grade. All students were instructed in resource room settings for ninety minutes per day in language arts. The students in the treatment group received instruction using the writing process steps to create complete meaningful compositions on self-chosen topics. A literature-based reading program accompanied instruction in writing to provide examples of good writing and to provide a basis for topic selection. The students in the control group received instruction through the use of the county-adopted textbooks and accompanying worksheets. The teacher followed basic textbook and curriculum guide suggestions which consisted mainly of fill in the blank and matching type exercises. The treatment group consisted of 12 students: five second-graders and seven third-graders. The control group consisted of 12 students: four second-graders and eight third-graders. All students were pretested and posttested using the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised (WJ-R ACH) for writing samples and the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test (WRMT) for reading achievement. T-tests were also done to investigate the gain from pre to post for each reading or writing variable for each group separately. The results showed a highly significant difference from pretest to posttest for all writing and reading variables for both groups. Analysis of Covariance showed that the population mean posttest achievement scores for all variables adjusted for the pretest were higher for the treatment group than those for the control group.

Matching human resource and corporate strategies

Increasing use of the term, Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM), reflects the recognition of the interdependencies between corporate strategy, organization and human resource management in the functioning of the firm. Dyer and Holder (1988) proposed a comprehensive Human Resource Strategic Typology consisting of three strategic types--inducement, investment and involvement. This research attempted to empirically validate their typology and also test the performance implications of the match between corporate strategy and HR strategy. Hypotheses were tested to determine the relationships between internal consistency in HRM sub-systems, match between corporate strategy and HR strategy, and firm performance. Data were collected by a mail survey of 998 senior HR executives of whom 263 returned the completed questionnaire. Financial information on 909 firms was collected from secondary sources like 10-K reports and CD-Disclosure. Profitability ratios were indexed to industry averages. Confirmatory Factor Analysis using LISREL provided support in favor of the six-factor HR measurement model; the six factors were staffing, training, compensation, appraisal, job design and corporate involvement. Support was also found for the presence of a second-order factor labeled "HR Strategic Orientation" explaining the variations among the six factors. LISREL analysis also supported the congruence hypothesis that HR Strategic Orientation significantly affects firm performance. There was a significant associative relationship between HR Strategy and Corporate Strategy. However, the contingency effects of the match between HR and Corporate strategies were not supported. Several tests were conducted to show that the survey results are not affected by non-response bias nor by mono-method bias. Implications of these findings for both researchers and practitioners are discussed. ^

High performance shift invariant motion estimation and compensation in wavelet domain video compression

The contributions of this dissertation are in the development of two new interrelated approaches to video data compression: (1) A level-refined motion estimation and subband compensation method for the effective motion estimation and motion compensation. (2) A shift-invariant sub-decimation decomposition method in order to overcome the deficiency of the decimation process in estimating motion due to its shift-invariant property of wavelet transform. ^ The enormous data generated by digital videos call for an intense need of efficient video compression techniques to conserve storage space and minimize bandwidth utilization. The main idea of video compression is to reduce the interpixel redundancies inside and between the video frames by applying motion estimation and motion compensation (MEMO) in combination with spatial transform coding. To locate the global minimum of the matching criterion function reasonably, hierarchical motion estimation by coarse to fine resolution refinements using discrete wavelet transform is applied due to its intrinsic multiresolution and scalability natures. ^ Due to the fact that most of the energies are concentrated in the low resolution subbands while decreased in the high resolution subbands, a new approach called level-refined motion estimation and subband compensation (LRSC) method is proposed. It realizes the possible intrablocks in the subbands for lower entropy coding while keeping the low computational loads of motion estimation as the level-refined method, thus to achieve both temporal compression quality and computational simplicity. ^ Since circular convolution is applied in wavelet transform to obtain the decomposed subframes without coefficient expansion, symmetric-extended wavelet transform is designed on the finite length frame signals for more accurate motion estimation without discontinuous boundary distortions. ^ Although wavelet transformed coefficients still contain spatial domain information, motion estimation in wavelet domain is not as straightforward as in spatial domain due to the shift variance property of the decimation process of the wavelet transform. A new approach called sub-decimation decomposition method is proposed, which maintains the motion consistency between the original frame and the decomposed subframes, improving as a consequence the wavelet domain video compressions by shift invariant motion estimation and compensation. ^

Control of MNC environmental performance and the challenges of subsidiary network dimensions

The trend of green consumerism and increased standardization of environmental regulations has driven multinational corporations (MNCs) to seek standardization of environmental practices or at least seek to be associated with such behavior. In fact, many firms are seeking to free ride on this global green movement, without having the actual ecological footprint to substantiate their environmental claims. While scholars have articulated the benefits from such optimization of uniform global green operations, the challenges for MNCs to control and implement such operations are understudied. For firms to translate environmental commitment to actual performance, the obstacles are substantial, particularly for the MNC. This is attributed to headquarters' (HQ) control challenges (1) in managing core elements of the corporate environmental management (CEM) process and specifically matching verbal commitment and policy with ecological performance and by (2) the fact that the MNC operates in multiple markets and the HQ is required to implement policy across complex subsidiary networks consisting of diverse and distant units. Drawing from the literature on HQ challenges of MNC management and control, this study examines (1) how core components of the CEM process impact optimization of global environmental performance (GEP) and then uses network theory to examine how (2) a subsidiary network's dimensions can present challenges to the implementation of green management policies. It presents a framework for CEM which includes (1) MNCs' Verbal environmental commitment, (2) green policy Management which guides standards for operations, (3) actual environmental Performance reflected in a firm's ecological footprint and (4) corporate environmental Reputation (VMPR). Then it explains how an MNC's key subsidiary network dimensions (density, diversity, and dispersion) create challenges that hinder the relationship between green policy management and actual environmental performance. It combines content analysis, multiple regression, and post-hoc hierarchal cluster analysis to study US manufacturing MNCs. The findings support a positive significant effect of verbal environmental commitment and green policy management on actual global environmental performance and environmental reputation, as well as a direct impact of verbal environmental commitment on green policy management. Unexpectedly, network dimensions were not found to moderate the relationship between green management policy and GEP.