Abstract: A space divider of a milking parlor arrangement for at least one milking parlor for milking milk-producing animals, wherein the space divider is arranged approximately parallel to a longitudinal axis of the animal to be milked, has an arm device having a milking cluster, which can be adjusted from a parking position to a working position and back. The arm device is arranged with the milking cluster in the parking position in the space divider and can be adjusted into the working position laterally to the animal to be milked between the front and rear legs thereof. The space divider may include a replaceable service unit.

Abstract: A mobile quantitative feeding-spraying integrated system and method. The system includes at least one hull equipped with a propeller, a feeder housing fixedly arranged on the hull, a feed box arranged on the feeder housing, a flip assembly provided at an upper end of the feed box, a blanking device arranged in the feeder housing to quantitatively control the bait blanking amount, a casting device and a spraying device. An upper end of the blanking device is a feeding end, which supports and is connected to the lower end of the feed box. A lower end of the blanking device is the discharging end. An upper side of the casting device is connected with the lower end of the blanking device, and the lower side of the casting device is provided with a discharging end facing the aquaculture water body.

Abstract: A method of atomizing a liquid comprising providing the liquid to a liquid duct in a dispensing body, providing a gas to a gas duct in the dispensing body, and introducing the liquid into a head via a plurality of liquid duct channels. The method further includes introducing the gas into a pressure chamber of a pressure cap, the pressure cap positioned proximate the dispensing body such that the head is positioned between the pressure cap and the dispensing body. The gas is expelled through a plurality of pressure chamber exit orifices, the pressure chamber exit orifices positioned proximate a plurality of liquid supply channel exit openings via an alignment spacer defined on the head. The method includes expelling the liquid from the liquid supply channel exit openings and through the pressure chamber exit orifices, such that the liquid and the gas interact and form atomized droplets of the liquid.

Abstract: A destruction-resistant pet toy for a canine includes a main body for biting, grasping, or playing by the canine with its mouth; an attractant for attracting the canine, the attractant includes a scent source for emitting a scent; a cavity disposed in the main body for holding the attractant; and a plurality of scent passages for passing the scent to the canine, each scent passage having a first end at the cavity and a second end at an exterior surface of the main body. The destruction-resistant pet toy further includes an access channel for passing the attractant to the cavity, the access channel extending from an exterior surface of the main body to the cavity.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a first farming plant including a central tank and one or more surrounding tanks, where the central tank is used for water treatment and the one or more surrounding tanks are used for the farming of fish. The fish farming plan may also include one or more flow applicators, whereby the flow rate of the water in the surrounding tanks are individually independent of the water exchange rate. The fish farming plant may include several movable permeable section walls in each of the surrounding tanks dividing each surrounding tank into tank sections. Each surrounding tank is equipped with one or more outlets and one or two inlets, and a substantially horizontal/laminar flow structure of the water in each one of the surrounding tanks is provided.

Abstract: A top-fill hummingbird feeder is provided having a nectar container with a liquid flow opening at a lower end and a removable cap at an upper end, a feeding basin positioned below the nectar container, and a sealing mechanism associated with the liquid flow opening and the feeding basin. The sealing mechanism includes a bottle seal assembly configured for removable coupling with a base of the feeding basin, and a float valve captured by said bottle seal assembly to prevent rotation thereof while allowing the float valve to move upwardly and downwardly with changing nectar levels in the feeding basin. The float valve includes a float having a frame with a buoyant member mounted thereon, the buoyant member being made of a closed-cell foam.

Abstract: A protective animal harness has a collar portion having a substantially annular shape with a first central opening configured for receiving a neck of an animal. The harness further has a torso portion having a substantially annular shape with a second central opening configured for receiving a torso of the animal. The harness further has a connecting strap connecting at least a portion of the collar portion to the torso portion and configured to extend between the front legs of the animal. A protective apron is connected to the collar portion. The protective apron has an arcuate shape that extends over a portion of a circumference of the collar portion. The protective apron has a flexible covering extending between a plurality of radially spaced apart reinforcement members.

Abstract: An insecticide fumigator including a chemical cartridge mount on which a chemical cartridge is configured to be mounted, a heater disposed near the chemical cartridge mount and configured to heat the chemical cartridge such that an insecticide in the chemical cartridge is evaporated from a fumigation part of the chemical cartridge, a light source disposed near the fumigation part and configured to emit light having a first wavelength range to attract insects, and a housing provided with the chemical cartridge mount and receiving the heater and the light source, in which the light source includes a UV LED and a substrate on which the UV LED is mounted, and the housing has a light passage hole through which light emitted from the light source passes.

Abstract: The process for producing mycelium biomaterial provides fresh oxygen to the growing mycelium biomaterial while removing waste heat and waste carbon dioxide by forced aeration through large volumes of material. In a first phase of fungal expansion, humidified air at a programmed temperature is passed upwardly and through a fungal inoculated substrate of discrete particles to allow the fungal inoculum to expand and dominate the substrate. Nutrient is added to the inoculated mixture and a second phase of fungal expansion is performed wherein humidified air at a programmed temperature is passed upwardly and through the nutrient enriched fungal inoculated substrate to allow the fungal inoculum to bond the discrete particles into a self-supporting biocomposite. The process and apparatus of the invention allows for the processing of grown materials bound by mycelium at depths of greater than 6? and particularly in the range of from 24? to 28?.

Abstract: The pot for culturing an epiphyte is integrally injection molded from a transparent plastic. The pot has a bottom, a lower edge, an upper edge and a sidewall extending between the lower edge and the upper edge. The sidewall of the pot is provided with an outwardly protruding lip at the level of the upper edge. A cross section through the sidewall of the pot, tangent to the lower face of the lip, has a substantially hexagonal or octagonal shape. Consequently, the pot, at least at the top, is hexagonal or octagonal, thus allowing more pots to be positioned per unit area compared to a round shape having the same diameter as the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the hexagonal or octagonal shape.

Abstract: An indoor gardening appliance includes a liner defining a grow chamber and a grow module mounted within the grow chamber for receiving a plurality of plant pods. The grow module defines a root chamber and a plurality of apertures for positioning a root end of the plant pod in the root chamber. A resonator may be positioned on each plant pod or at each of the plurality of apertures for generating a unique sound signature when a specific plant pod is inserted into a specific aperture. A detection device, such as a microphone, measures the sound waves generated by the resonator and a controller determines a location and/or a type of the plant pod based on the unique sound signature.

Abstract: A vision guided intelligent system for automated crab meat picking operates in a fully automated or semi-automatic modes of operation using a crab meat picking routine based on (a) the CNN model localization of back-fin knuckles algorithm, and/or (b) the Deep Learning model which accurately locates not only knuckle positions, but also crab legs and crab cores, with a high pixel accuracy (up to 0.9843), and low computation time. The subject system uses a concept of analyzing crab morphologies obtained from digital crab images, and, using a Deep Learning architecture integrated in the system, segments crab images into five regions of interest in a single step with high accuracy and efficiency. The image segmentation results are used for generating crab cut lines in XYZ and angular directions, determining starting cutting points in Z plane, and guiding cutting tools and end effectors to automatically cut crabs and harvest crab meat.

Abstract: Provided herein is a method of neutralizing cotton seeds, including the steps of providing delinted cotton seeds having a pH of less than about 3.3, and applying an alkyl amine to the delinted cotton seeds to produce neutralized delinted cotton seeds having a pH of greater than about 3.5.

Abstract: An air leaf stripping system and an agricultural machine equipped with such system. The system is used in viticulture for stripping leaves from vinestocks. The system can be mounted on a tractor and includes adjustment mechanism consisting of a rotary joint and coupling for rotating a housing and includes an arm that has a main longitudinal axis and includes the supply line and an attachment part intended to be mounted on the agricultural machine directly or via a frame. The supply line-is guided along the attachment part and connected to the leaf stripping members through a junction in the housing via the rotary joint. The rotating member being arranged so that the housing can be rotated about a first axis passing through the junction and substantially perpendicular to the main longitudinal axis of the arm, between at least two separate angular positions relative to the first axis.

Abstract: A process for harvesting fish eggs is provided, in particular fish eggs from Salmon. The process comprises rearing sexually immature salmon in an aquatic environment in stages during which at least the light exposure and time span is adjusted. The rearing includes at least a winter-summer period that comprises a winter life-cycle stage, within which the broodstock is exposed to light that simulates winter light exposure, and a subsequent summer life-cycle stage, within which the broodstock is exposed to light that simulates summer light exposure, wherein the total Accumulated Thermal Unit (ATU) during the winter-summer period is no more than 5000. The inventions also provides salmon eggs that are produced by the disclosed process.

Abstract: A method for weaning calves from their mothers without direct human intervention. The method consists of a specialized weaning gate that allows calves to creep graze into an adjacent paddock but does not allow the mother to follow. The gate allows the calves to return to the mothers, to acclimate the calves to moving through the gate and grazing independently and to acclimate the mothers to being temporarily separated from the calves. Once the calves have reached the appropriate age to be weaned, the gate is adjusted to become a one-way gate so that the calves will creep graze into the adjacent field but will not be able to return to the original field with the mothers, which allows the calves to be fully weaned without direct human intervention.

Abstract: The invention relates to an end-effector device and automated selective thinning system. The system includes vision acquisition hardware, kinematic targeting and heuristic programming, a robotic arm, and a pomologically designed end-effector. The system is utilized to improve efficiency for the fruit-thinning process in a tree orchard, such as peach thinning. By automating the mechanical process of fruit thinning, selective fruit-thinners can eliminate manual labor inputs and further enhance favorable blossom removal. Automation used in conjunction with a heuristic approach provides improvements to the system. The system may also be configured as a robotic arm or as a handheld system by including a battery and switching microcontroller with handle or wrist straps. Handheld thinning devices that are mechanical in nature may also be part of the system.

Abstract: The livestock halter may comprise a headstall, a noseband, a throatlatch, a connecting strap, a left cheekpiece, a right cheekpiece, coupled via a plurality of connecting rings to form headgear adapted to be worn by livestock. As non-limiting examples, the livestock may be equines or camelids. The headstall may be adapted to be detachable at one end for donning the halter such that the headstall is not forced over ears of the livestock. A crown buckle for adjusting the fit of the headstall may be located on the right side of the halter such the crown buckle does not interfere with the operation of a closure snap. A tie ring for connecting a lead rope may be a tie-down ring instead of a traditional ring and triangle for increased strength and easier sliding.

Abstract: A system for cultivating plants or vegetables, includes a carrier for holding trays accommodating the plants or vegetables, the carrier having an interior formed by a bottom and raised edges extending circumferentially along the bottom to form a container for holding a liquid for cultivating plants or vegetables, and an opening arranged at the bottom; a frame to support the carrier; a supply duct for supplying the liquid towards the carrier, the supply duct arranged at least partly under the carrier; a sprayer device which is at one end fluidly connected to the supply duct and which is at the other provided with a nozzle to direct a flow of liquid to the interior of the carrier; wherein the sprayer device is arranged through the opening of the carrier, the nozzle protruding into the interior of the carrier when the carrier is positioned on the frame.

Abstract: Animal transmitters are provided that can include: a transducer configured to transmit a signal; process circuitry coupled to the transducer; and an energy harvesting element coupled to the process circuitry. Animals having a transmitter coupled thereto are also provided with the transmitter including an energy harvesting element in operational alignment with the animal's musculoskeletal system. Methods for transmitting the location of an animal are also provided with the methods including: coupling a transmitter powered by an energy harvesting element to the animal; and monitoring the transmissions of the transmitter.