Knowing the shape of objects is essential to many robotics tasks. However, this is not always feasible. Recent approaches based on point clouds and voxel cubes have been proposed for shape completion ...from a single-depth view. However, they tend to be computationally expensive and require the tuning of many weights. This paper presents a novel architecture for shape completion based on six orthogonal views obtained from a point cloud (they can be seen as the six faces of a dice). Our network uses one branch for each orthogonal view as input–output and mixes them in the middle of the architecture. By using orthogonal views, the number of required parameters is significantly reduced. We also introduce a novel method to filter the output of networks based on orthogonal views and describe algorithms to convert an orthogonal view to voxel cube and point cloud. We compared our approach against state-of-the-art approaches on the YCB and ShapeNet datasets using the Chamfer distance and mean square error measures and showed very competitive performance with less than 5% of their parameters.
This study aimed to evaluate for the first time the temporal dynamic changes in early postmortem proteome of normal and high ultimate pH (pHu) beef samples from the same cattle using a shotgun ...proteomics approach. Ten selected carcasses classified as normal (pHu < 5.8; n = 5) or high (pHu ≥ 6.2; n = 5) pHu beef from pasture-finished Nellore (Bos taurus indicus) bulls were sampled from Longissimus thoracis muscle at 30 min, 9 h and 44 h postmortem for proteome comparison. The temporal proteomics profiling quantified 863 proteins, from which 251 were differentially abundant (DAPs) between high and normal pHu at 30 min (n = 33), 9 h (n = 181) and 44 h (n = 37). Among the myriad interconnected pathways regulating pH decline during postmortem metabolism, this study revealed the pivotal role of energy metabolism, cellular response to stress, oxidoreductase activity and muscle system process pathways throughout the early postmortem. Twenty-three proteins overlap among postmortem times and may be suggested as candidate biomarkers to the dark-cutting condition development. The study further evidenced for the first time the central role of ribosomal proteins and histones in the first minutes after animal bleeding. Moreover, this study revealed the disparity in the mechanisms underpinning the development of dark-cutting beef condition among postmortem times, emphasizing multiple dynamic changes in the muscle proteome. Therefore, this study revealed important insights regarding the temporal dynamic changes that occur in early postmortem of high and normal muscle pHu beef, proposing specific pathways to determine the biological mechanisms behind dark-cutting determination.
•In-depth proteomics exploration of dark-cutting beef condition using three muscle sampling times taken early postmortem.•251 proteins were differentially abundant creating the most comprehensive interconnected pathways of high-pHu beef.•Energy metabolism, cellular stress response and oxidoreductase activity play pivotal roles.•Ribosomal proteins and histones play pivotal role in dark-cutting beef development.•Pathways are proposed to determine the biological mechanisms behind dark-cutting beef of Nellore cattle.
Beef from Bos taurus indicus is associated with toughness compared to Bos taurus taurus, suggesting there is antagonism between adaptability to heat and beef quality. Resistance to cellular stress in ...muscle may be protective postmortem, thereby delaying its conversion to meat. Therefore, our objective was to determine pH decline, calpain-1 and caspase 3 activation, and proteolysis in different biological cattle types. Angus, Brangus, and Brahman steers (n = 18) were harvested, and Longissimus lumborum were assessed postmortem for pH decline, ATP content, protease activation, and calpastatin content; and myofibrillar protein degradation was evaluated in beef aged to 14d. Brahman Longissimus lumborum exhibited resistance to pH decline, greater ATP content at 1 h, and delayed calpain-1 autolysis. Although content of caspase-3 zymogen was lower in Brahman, there was no evidence of caspase-3 mediated proteolysis. Greater resistance to energetic and pH changes early postmortem in Brahman Longissimus lumborum are associated with calpain-1 autolysis but not mitochondria mediated apoptosis.
The aim of this work was to compare the lipidome and metabolome profiling in the Longissimus thoracis muscle early and late postmortem from high and normal ultimate pH (pHu) beef. Lipid profiling ...discriminated between high and normal pHu beef based on fatty acid metabolism and mitochondrial beta-oxidation of long chain saturated fatty acids at 30 min postmortem, and phospholipid biosynthesis at 44 h postmortem. Metabolite profiling also discriminated between high and normal pHu beef, mainly through glutathione, purine, arginine and proline, and glycine, serine and threonine metabolisms at 30 min postmortem, and glycolysis, TCA cycle, glutathione, tyrosine, and pyruvate metabolisms at 44 h postmortem. Lipid and metabolite profiles showed reduced glycolysis and increased use of alternative energy metabolic processes that were central to differentiating high and normal pHu beef. Phospholipid biosynthesis modification suggested high pHu beef experienced greater oxidative stress.
•Multiple reaction monitoring-profiling was used for lipid exploratory analysis.•Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to evaluate metabolic profile.•Lipid and metabolite profiles differentiate high and normal pHu beef.•High pHu beef has greater use of alternative energy metabolic processes.•High pHu beef has a greater response to cellular stress.
ABSTRACT The inclusion of environmental enrichment in conventional broiler rearing can increase mobility, bone mass and muscle. This research aimed to evaluate the use of environmental enrichment in ...the rearing of broilers at different ages and its influence on performance, morphometry, yield and weight of the parts. It was used the completely randomized design in split-plot scheme, being the plots the treatments presence (T1) and absence (T2) of environmental enrichment and the subplots the broiler ages (1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days), with 56 chicks in each treatment (T1 and T2). Data obtained were analyzed by the linear effect model of fixed effects and compared by Tukey’s test of means. The animals were raised in a controlled environment, divided into four boxes with dimensions: 1.5 × 1.0 × 0.7 m, containing rice straw bed. In T1 a ladder with a perch on top was used, distributed every 1.5 m2. Environmental enrichment used did not influence broiler’s zootechnical performance. Broilers’ morphometric properties, parts weight and body weight increased due to environmental enrichment and, improvement was observed in chicks rearing’s final phase. The environmental enrichment was beneficial for muscle and bone mass gain in the main commercial parts of the chicken carcass, in addition to reducing the allometric coefficient of the breasts in chickens.
RESUMO A inclusão do enriquecimento ambiental na criação convencional dos frangos de corte pode causar aumento na mobilidade, massa óssea e músculos. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar o uso do enriquecimento ambiental na criação de frangos de corte em diferentes idades e sua influencia no desempenho, morfometria, rendimento e peso das partes. Foi utilizado o delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema de parcelas subdivididas, sendo que, nas parcelas foram alocados os tratamentos presença (T1) e ausência (T2) de enriquecimento ambiental e nas subparcelas as idades dos frangos (1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 e 42 dias), com 56 aves em cada tratamento (T1 e T2). Os dados obtidos foram analisados pelo modelo linear de efeitos fixos e comparados pelo teste de médias de Tukey. Os animais foram criados em ambiente controlado, dividido em quatro boxes com dimensões: 1,5 × 1,0 × 0,7 m, contendo cama de palha de arroz. Em T1 utilizou-se uma escada com poleiro no topo distribuída a cada 1,5 m2. O uso de enriquecimento ambiental não influenciou no desempenho zootécnico dos frangos de corte. As propriedades morfométricas, peso das partes e o peso corporal dos frangos de corte aumentaram, devido ao uso do enriquecimento ambiental; essa melhoria foi observada na fase final de criação das aves. O enriquecimento ambiental foi benéfico para ganho de massa muscular e óssea nas principais partes comerciais da carcaça de frango, além de reduzir o coeficiente alométrico dos peitos dos frangos.
Acute heat stress may affect the quality of broilers meat, however there are no reports considering thermal conditions commercially available in Brazil. In this way, the present work aimed to fill ...this gap of industrial relevance. Broilers of commercial strain (Cobb 500, n = 540) were randomly assigned to two thermal conditions: acute heat stress (AHS; 35°C; 75 - 85% relative humidity) and not-heat-stress (NS; 22ºC; 83 ± 6.6% relative humidity), for 2 hours prior to slaughter. The mortality rate for AHS broilers reached 37%, which was greater than 5.2% verified for NS. According to the mean values, the broiler chickens were not totally affected in the parameters of pH24h, lightness (L*), cooking loss, and shear force. However, the distributions of data show great variability in the values of pH24h, L* and water holding capacity (WHC) for AHS broilers. It is suggested that AHS broilers, at severe conditions which result in increased mortality, present breast meat with greater incidence of higher pH24h, and lower lightness and WHC values.
We describe an efficient in vitro assay to test growth hormone effects on mRNA levels and fatty acid synthase (FAS, EC. 2.3.1.85) activity. Swine adipose tissue explants were long-term cultured in ...medium containing growth hormone and FAS mRNA levels and enzyme activity were measured. We quantified FAS transcripts by competitive reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) using total RNA from cultured adipose tissue explants and RT-PCR standard-curves were constructed using a cloned 307 bp segment of native FAS cDNA and a shorter fragment from which a 64 bp (competitor, 243 bp) internal sequence had been deleted. A known amount of competitor was added to each PCR as an internal control and mu -actin transcripts were also measured to correct for differences in total RNA extraction and reverse transcription efficiency. In cultures with added growth hormone FAS mRNA levels decreased 70% (p < 0.01) and FAS enzyme activity decreased 22% (p < 0.05). These in vitro growth hormone effects were consistent with those observed in vivo, showing that in vitro adipose tissue culture combined with RT-PCR is a useful and accurate tool for studying growth hormone modulation of adipose tissue metabolism. This technique allowed the diagnosis of lower levels of FAS mRNA in the presence of growth hormone and these low levels were associated with decreased FAS activity in the adipose tissue explants.
Resumen Contexto: Partiendo de las expectativas de evolución del vehículo eléctrico y las estaciones de recarga, se hace necesario estudiar cómo será la interacción entre estos nuevos elementos y la ...red eléctrica. Con este propósito se realizó una revisión de literatura acerca del impacto de los vehículos eléctricos en las redes de distribución, tomando como referencia países como España, Chile y Colombia.Método: Se establecieron los posibles circuitos susceptibles de ser impactados por los vehículos eléctricos y se determinó el impacto de los diferentes modos de transporte eléctrico en la calidad de la energía, mediante simulaciones realizadas en la herramienta MATLAB. La información que sirvió para hacer este trabajo de investigación se obtuvo de varios de los sistemas de gestión de la empresa, de las páginas oficiales de las secretarías de movilidad y de la UPME, trabajos de investigación de universidades nacionales y extranjeras, páginas de internet de fabricantes de vehículos eléctricos y de estaciones de carga y estándares de IEEE, entre otros.Resultados: Se obtuvo una serie de etapas, pasos, actividades, salidas y responsables, asociados con modelos eléctricos, que permiten determinar de una manera ordenada el impacto de los diferentes modos de transporte eléctrico, tanto en la cargabilidad del sistema de distribución, como en la calidad de la energía en cualquier punto de la red. Asimismo, se validó un caso de uso para una ciudad en la que se tuviera información suficiente de sus circuitos eléctricos y de ubicación de posibles sitios de instalación de electrolineras.Conclusiones: Desde la perspectiva de la aplicación de la metodología en un caso de uso, estos resultados permitirán determinar cómo debe adaptarse y cambiar la infraestructura de la red eléctrica de las empresas del sector, cuando haya una incursión masiva de los diferentes modos de transporte eléctrico.
Growth hormone treatment (GH) decreases adipose tissue sensitivity to insulin. However, the exact molecular mechanism(s) involved remains unclear. In the present study, we have evaluated the chronic ...effects of GH on adipose tissue explants cultured in a defined media. The objective was to determine the effects of GH treatment for 24 and 48 hours on the early steps of the insulin signal transduction, including IRS-3. The 24-hour culture media contained no hormones or 100 ng ml GH. The 48-hour culture media contained insulin and dexamethasone supplemented with or without 100 ng ml of GH. Results demonstrated a reduction in the cellular concentration of IRS-1 by around 30% when adipose tissue was chronically treated with growth hormone for either 24 or 48 hours. IRS-3 protein levels were also decreased by 15% after the 24-hour treatment, and by 27% after culture with GH for 48 hours in the presence of insulin and dexamethasone. PI 3-kinase concentrations were also reduced by GH in both experiments by around 25%. At the end of the 24-hour culture with GH adipose explants were stimulated with insulin in a short-term incubation, after which phosphorylation and association of the IRSs with PI 3-kinase were evaluated. After the insulin stimulus, the association of PI 3-kinase with IRS-1 and IRS-3 were decreased in explants chronically cultured with GH by 44 and 28%, respectively. After this short-term insulin stimulus, the IRS-3 phosphorylation was also lowered in GH-treated explants. The results with chronic cultures of adipose presented here are consistent with similar changes in IRS-1 and IRS-2 concentration and phosphorylation observed for liver and muscle after long-term (3-5 days) in vivo treatment with GH. The data suggest that chronic GH treatment alters the early steps of the insulin signal transduction pathway, and may explain the changes in adipose tissue sensitivity to insulin.
Introduction: The increase in longevity demands studies on the promotion of functional aging with greater independence and autonomy. In this context, the use of assistive devices (DAM) for gait to ...prevent falls and improvement the quality of life in this population can be positive, increasing the self-efficacy for fall, but also interfering in a negative way increasing the risk of falls. The objective of this study was to verify if there is a relationship between the use of gait auxiliary devices in increasing self-efficacy for falls in the elderly participants. Method: This is a descriptive study with data from Banco FIBRA-JF with the use of variables of interest. The sample consisted of 280 elderly people, with the use of gaiters and the Self-Efficacy Scale (FES-I) responses. Results: The relationship between self-efficacy and the use of assistive devices was significant in questions concerning climbing or descending stairs, walking on slippery surfaces and climbing up and down a slope. The results of the group without auxiliary gait device (GSDAM) were significant for self-efficacy in the items related to external and social activities. When comparing self-efficacy with the fall event in the GSDAM, a direct relationship was found between individuals who were extremely concerned about falling and those who actually fell. Conclusion: The use of walking aids does not effectively increase self-efficacy for falls in the elderly and cannot be considered as a reliable single tool for falls prevention. Keywords: Cane; Assistive devices; Physiotherapy; Accidents involving falls; Fragile elderly. Introducao: O aumento da longevidade impoe cada vez mais a necessidade de estudos relacionados a promocao do envelhecimento funcional e com maior independencia e autonomia. Neste contexto, a utilizacao dos dispositivos auxiliares para a marcha visando prevencao de quedas e a melhora da qualidade de vida nessa populacao pode ser positiva aumentando a autoeficacia para queda, como tambem interferir de forma negativa aumentando o risco de quedas. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se existe relacao entre o uso de dispositivos auxiliares para marcha no aumento da autoeficacia para quedas nos idosos participantes. Metodo: Trata-se de um estudo descritivo com dados do Banco FIBRA--JF com a utilizacao das variaveis de interesse para os objetivos deste estudo. A amostra foi composta por 280 idosos, sendo verificado o uso de dispositivos auxiliares para a marcha e as respostas da Escala de autoeficacia para quedas (FES-I). Resultados: A relacao da autoeficacia com o uso de dispositivos auxiliares foi significativa nas questoes que dizem respeito a subir ou descer escadas, andar sobre superficie escorregadia e subir e descer uma ladeira. Os resultados do grupo sem dispositivo auxiliar de marcha (GSDAM), foram significativos quanto a autoeficacia nos itens relativos as atividades externas e sociais. Ao compararmos a autoeficacia com o evento de quedas no GSDAM, foi verificada uma relacao direta entre os individuos que se mostraram extremamente preocupados em cair e os que de fato cairam. Conclusao: O uso de dispositivos auxiliares para a marcha nao aumenta efetivamente a autoeficacia para quedas em idosos, e tais dispositivos nao podem ser considerados instrumentos unicos e confiaveis na prevencao de quedas. Descritores: Bengala; Equipamentos assistivos; Fisioterapia; Acidentes por quedas; Idoso fragil. Introduccion: El aumento de la longevidad impone cada vez mas la necesidad de estudios relacionados con la promocion del envejecimiento funcional y con mayor independencia y autonomia. En este contexto, la utilizacion de los dispositivos auxiliares para la marcha para la prevencion de caidas y la mejora de la calidad de vida en esa poblacion puede ser positiva aumentando la auto-eficacia para la caida, como tambien interferir de forma negativa aumentando el riesgo de caidas. El objetivo de este estudio fue verificar si existe relacion entre el uso de dispositivos auxiliares para marcha en el aumento de la autoeficacia para caidas en los ancianos participantes. Metodo: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo con datos del Banco FIBRA--JF con la utilizacion de las variables de interes para los objetivos de este estudio. La muestra fue compuesta por 280 ancianos siendo comprobado el uso de dispositivos auxiliares para la marcha y las respuestas de la Escala de autoeficacia para caidas (FES-I). Resultados: La relacion entre auto-eficacia con el uso de dispositivos auxiliares fue significativa en las cuestiones que se refieren a subir o bajar escaleras, andar sobre superficie resbaladiza y subir y bajar una pendiente. Los resultados del grupo sin dispositivo auxiliar de marcha (GSDAM), cuando no hicieron uso de auxiliares para la marcha con la auto-eficacia de esos pacientes fue significativo en los items relativos a las actividades externas y sociales. Al comparar la auto-eficacia con el evento de caidas en el GSDAM, se verifico una relacion directa entre los individuos que se mostraron extremadamente preocupados en caer y los que de hecho cayeron. Conclusion: El uso de dispositivos auxiliares para la marcha no aumenta efectivamente la auto-eficacia para caidas en ancianos y no pueden ser considerados instrumentos unicos y confiables en la prevencion de caidas. Palabras clave: Bengala; Equipos asistivos; Fisioterapia; Accidentes por caidas; Ancianos fragilizados.
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