Pork is the meat with the second-largest overall consumption, and chicken, pork, and beef together account for 92% of global meat production. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt more progressive ...methodologies such as precision livestock farming (PLF) rather than conventional methods to improve production. In recent years, image-based studies have become an efficient solution in various fields such as navigation for unmanned vehicles, human–machine-based systems, agricultural surveying, livestock, etc. So far, several studies have been conducted to identify, track, and classify the behaviors of pigs and achieve early detection of disease, using 2D/3D cameras. This review describes the state of the art in 3D imaging systems (i.e., depth sensors and time-of-flight cameras), along with 2D cameras, for effectively identifying pig behaviors and presents automated approaches for the monitoring and investigation of pigs’ feeding, drinking, lying, locomotion, aggressive, and reproductive behaviors.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Pig behavior is an integral part of health and welfare management, as pigs usually reflect their inner emotions through behavior change. The livestock environment plays a key role in pigs' health and ...wellbeing. A poor farm environment increases the toxic GHGs, which might deteriorate pigs' health and welfare. In this study a computer-vision-based automatic monitoring and tracking model was proposed to detect pigs' short-term physical activities in the compromised environment. The ventilators of the livestock barn were closed for an hour, three times in a day (07:00-08:00, 13:00-14:00, and 20:00-21:00) to create a compromised environment, which increases the GHGs level significantly. The corresponding pig activities were observed before, during, and after an hour of the treatment. Two widely used object detection models (YOLOv4 and Faster R-CNN) were trained and compared their performances in terms of pig localization and posture detection. The YOLOv4, which outperformed the Faster R-CNN model, was coupled with a Deep-SORT tracking algorithm to detect and track the pig activities. The results revealed that the pigs became more inactive with the increase in GHG concentration, reducing their standing and walking activities. Moreover, the pigs shortened their sternal-lying posture, increasing the lateral lying posture duration at higher GHG concentration. The high detection accuracy (mAP: 98.67%) and tracking accuracy (MOTA: 93.86% and MOTP: 82.41%) signify the models' efficacy in the monitoring and tracking of pigs' physical activities non-invasively.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Indoor air temperature (IAT) and indoor relative humidity (IRH) are the prominent microclimatic variables; still, potential contributors that influence the homeostasis of livestock animals reared in ...closed barns. Further, predicting IAT and IRH encourages farmers to think ahead actively and to prepare the optimum solutions. Therefore, the primary objective of the current literature is to build and investigate extensive performance analysis between popular ML models in practice used for IAT and IRH predictions. Meanwhile, multiple linear regression (MLR), multilayered perceptron (MLP), random forest regression (RFR), decision tree regression (DTR), and support vector regression (SVR) models were utilized for the prediction. This study used accessible factors such as external environmental data to simulate the models. In addition, three different input datasets named S1, S2, and S3 were used to assess the models. From the results, RFR models performed better results in both IAT (R
= 0.9913; RMSE = 0.476; MAE = 0.3535) and IRH (R
= 0.9594; RMSE = 2.429; MAE = 1.47) prediction among other models particularly with S3 input datasets. In addition, it has been proven that selecting the right features from the given input data builds supportive conditions under which the expected results are available. Overall, the current study demonstrates a better model among other models to predict IAT and IRH of a naturally ventilated swine building containing animals with fewer input attributes.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) has become a halophyte model to study the plant photosynthetic responses C3 photosynthesis to crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), which is accelerated ...by salt stress. However, this adaptive mechanism improves water use efficiency, and water stress tolerance is still poorly known. This study examined the effect of individual and mixture of NaCl and CaCl2 concentrations on morphological parameters and bioactive component contents of ice plants in a plant factory system. Eight salt treatments individually and a combination of sodium chloride (NaCl) and calcium chloride (CaCl2), and Hoagland solutions were applied after the transplanting of ice plants. Morphological parameters like the number of leaves and lateral stems, leaf chlorophyll content (SPAD value), fresh weight, and dry weight of shoots and roots were measured at the adult stage. Concurrently, in the juvenile phase, the area of a canopy was evaluated using an image processing technique in HSV (hue, saturation, value) colour space. Correspondingly, ice plant secondary metabolites such as cations, anions, and radical scavenging activity were assayed in the adult phase correlated to the salt stress. The effects of salt stress on the growth of ice plants and secondary metabolite production were analysed using completely randomized block designs through the variance by one-way ANOVA with a significance level of p < 0.05. This study demonstrated that 400 mM CaCl2 (T4) enhanced the biomass and high sodium (Na+) and calcium (Ca2+) accumulations, and 200 mM CaCl2 (T3) accelerated the potassium (K+), magnesium (Mg2+), phosphate (PO43−), and sulfate (SO42−) accumulations. Moreover, NaCl 400 mM (T1) and combination of 100 mM NaCl and 300 mM CaCl2 (T5) positively influenced the chloride (Cl−) deposition and combination of 200 mM NaCl and 200 mM CaCl2 (T6) improved nitrate (NO3–) accretion. Furthermore, 100 mM CaCl2 (T2) exhibited the highest antioxidant activity in ice plants grown under the plant factory system.
Linear partial least square and non-linear support vector machine regression analysis with various preprocessing techniques and their combinations were used to determine the soluble solids content of ...hardy kiwi fruits by a handheld, portable near-infrared spectroscopy. Fruits of four species, namely Autumn sense (A), Chungsan (C), Daesung (D), and Green ball (Gb) were collected from five different areas of Gwangyang (G), Muju (M), Suwon (S), Wonju (Q), and Yeongwol (Y) in South Korea. The dataset for calibration and prediction was prepared based on each area, species, and in combination. Half of the dataset of each area, species, and combined dataset was used as calibrated data and the rest was used for model validation. The best prediction correlation coefficient ranges between 0.67 and 0.75, 0.61 and 0.77, and 0.68 for the area, species, combined dataset, respectively using partial least square regression (PLSR) method with different preprocessing techniques. On the other hand, the best correlation coefficient of predictions using the support vector machine regression (SVM-R) algorithm was 0.68 and 0.80, 0.62 and 0.79, and 0.74 for the area, species, and combined dataset, respectively. In most cases, the SVM-R algorithm produced better results with Autoscale preprocessing except G area and species Gb, whereas the PLS algorithm shows a significant difference in calibration and prediction models for different preprocessing techniques. Therefore, the SVM-R method was superior to the PLSR method in predicting soluble solids content of hardy kiwi fruits and non-linear models may be a better alternative to monitor soluble solids content of fruits. The finding of this research can be used as a reference for the prediction of hardy kiwi fruits soluble solids content as well as harvesting time with better prediction models.
•An unglazed transpired collector and control system were applied to livestock barns.•The UTC system was operated approximately 7h in the day.•Heat exchange effectiveness (εHX) and efficiency (%) was ...represented inverse correlation.•Electricity consumption was reduced maximum 68.3% by application of the UTC control system.
The application of unglazed transpired collectors (UTCs) in livestock barns is a good solution for reducing not only the energy lost though ventilation and structures but also the electricity consumed by heat lamps. However, a control system and operating strategies need to be developed for the application of UTC systems in pig barns in order to maintain room temperature and increase the efficiency of the UTC systems. Therefore, this research focused on analyzing the control signals and temperatures of pig barns that depended on UTC control systems, thermal performance of the UTC, and electricity consumption through a field test. A UTC fan was operated for a daily average of 7h with the application of a UTC control system and the possibility of reducing the electricity consumption was confirmed. Through the UTC control system, the effect of a temperature rise was confirmed, with an average rise of up to 27.6°C compared with the ambient temperature. A correlation model was verified between solar radiation and collector surface temperature: the linear model was R2=0.93, whereas the nonlinear model was R2=0.92 of solar radiation with a temperature rise (ΔT). It was verified that the heat exchange effectiveness was distributed roughly between 0.5 and 0.7, and tended to decrease as the amount of solar radiation increased (R2=0.49). The efficiency was distributed roughly between 20% and 60%, and the efficiency equation was presented through the inverse relation with the amount of solar radiation (R2=0.77). It was confirmed that it is possible to reduce electricity consumption by approximately 30.8% through the application of a UTC control system.
Fertilizer misapplications have induced widespread environmental deteriorations, climatic catastrophes, and economic losses; meanwhile, the Precision Agriculture (PA) endorsements have been ...influential in alleviating these issues. This study intended to tackle the fertilizer consumption inefficiencies by utilizing non-destructive remote sensing technologies, soil macronutrient distribution analysis, and a deep learning model. Specifically, an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) was used in a cornfield to capture the plant's reflectance information for retrieving the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) during the vegetative and reproductive growth stages. Consequently, the field's soil samples were examined for their Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Carbon (NPKC) macronutrient constituencies. Finally, a Convolutional Neural Network-Regression model was developed to predict infield NPKC spatiotemporal variations in soil using the NDVI measurements. The deep learning model effectively determined the surpluses or shortages of the NPKC macronutrients within the cornfield throughout the growth stages. The model performed vigorously with R 2 values of 0.93, 0.92, 0.98, and 0.83 in predicting N, P, K, and C levels in soil, respectively.
The optimal production of strawberries requires the essential nutrients and favourable media for vegetative and reproductive growth. The present study sought to determine the effectiveness of growth ...parameters and fruit yield of strawberries in different media growing under a greenhouse. To analyze the significant effect for the growth and fruit yield among the growing media, four treatments such as control soil (CS), bio plus compost (T1), the combination of bio plus compost, and synthetic nutrient applied media/integrated media (T2) and synthetic nutrient applied soil media (T3) were assayed. Morphology parameters like plant height, canopy area, fresh weight, dry weight of roots were measured in each stage after eight weeks and sixteen weeks and yield attributing parameter as the number of fruits set per plant and number of fruits per plant were measured at the beginning and end of the reproductive stage eight and sixteen weeks respectively. The effects of growing media for the strawberry plant growth and productivity were analyzed using completely randomized block designs through analyzing the variance with a significance level of p < 0.05. The canopy area of the strawberry plants was calculated using the image processing technique applied in HSV colour space. Correspondingly, the vegetative stage and reproductive stage of T2 plants attained the maximum plant height of 16.93 ± 0.31 cm and 19.34 ± 0.21 cm, canopy area with 23.02 ± 1.94 cm2 and 28.78 ± 0.93 cm2, fresh weight of 18.00 ± 3.06 g, and 20.15 ± 3.49 g, dry weight of 5.15 ± 1.26 g and 6.66 ± 2.34 g and the number of fruits set per plant 18.83 ± 2.64 and number of fruits per plant 24.17 ± 2.14 followed by T1, T3, and CS respectively. A comparison of the relative growth and fruit yield at the vegetative and reproductive phases of plants T2 implied better performance. This study demonstrated that bio plus compost with synthetic nutrients act as a better source for the growth and production of strawberries under the greenhouse.
Growing media; Bio plus compost; Image processing technique; Synthetic nutrient; Strawberry plant.
Abstract
Purpose
This study was performed to investigate leg-length discrepancy (LLD) and associated risk factors after paediatric femur shaft fractures.
Methods
A total of 72 consecutive patients ...under 13 years old (mean age 6.7 years; 48 boys, 24 girls) with unilateral femur shaft fracture, and a minimum follow-up of 18 months, were included. The amount of LLD was calculated by subtracting the length of the uninjured from that of the injured limb. Risk factors for an LLD ≥ 1 cm and ≥ 2 cm were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Results
Hip spica casting, titanium elastic nailing and plating were performed on 22, 40 and ten patients, respectively. The mean LLD was 7.8 mm (sd 8.8) and 29 (40.3%) had a LLD of ≥ 1 cm, while nine (12.5%) had a LLD of ≥ 2 cm. There were significant differences in fracture stability (p = 0.005) and treatment methods (p = 0.011) between patients with LLD < 1 cm and ≥ 1 cm. There were significant differences in fracture site shortening (p < 0.001) and LLD (p < 0.001) between patients with length-stable and length-unstable fractures. Fracture stability was the only factor associated with LLD ≥ 1 cm (odds ratio of 4.0; p = 0.020) in the multivariable analysis.
Conclusion
This study demonstrated that fracture stability was significantly associated with LLD after paediatric femur shaft fractures. Therefore, the surgeon should consider the possibility of LLD after length-stable femur shaft fracture in children.
Level of Evidence
Prognostic level III
Purpose
This study aimed to achieve successful composting and aeration rate and to optimize the carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio to provide favourable conditions for the process. In the current ...experiment, investigation were made on variations in physico–chemical properties, i.e., temperature, ammonia and carbon dioxide emissions, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter (OM) and seed germination index (GI%) of composting chicken manure mixed with sawdust and wood shavings under different aeration rates in a closed reactor system.
Methods
Three cylindrical reactors (total volume, 60 L) were used with three aeration rates of 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 L min
−1
kg
−1
OM. The air was dispensed from the bottom of an air compressor. The ambient and compost temperature were monitored thrice daily over 30 days of composting.
Results
The highest temperatures were 56.9, 55.8 and 48.1 °C, with 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 L min
−1
kg
−1
OM aeration rates, respectively. At the end of composting, lowest ammonia and carbon dioxide emissions were observed with 0.25 L min
−1
kg
−1
OM aeration, indicating that this compost was more stable than other composts. The lowest GI was recorded on day 30 with 0.75 L min
−1
kg
−1
OM aeration, indicating severe phytotoxicity in the substrate. Maximum OM degradation occurred with 0.25 L min
−1
kg
−1
OM aeration.
Conclusion
This study, therefore, suggested that 0.25 L min
−1
kg
−1
OM aeration in the composing of the chicken manure mixed with sawdust and wood shavings in closed a reactor system provided the most favourable conditions for maturation.
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