Diagnosis of lameness via data mining algorithm by using thermal camera and image processing method in Brown Swiss cows.

Lameness is one of the culling factors such as mastitis, low milk yield, and infertility that cause economic losses in herd management as they threaten animal health and welfare. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early detection of lameness in Brown Swiss cattle by using a data mining algorithm by both integrating lameness scores and some image parameters such as Lab (CIE L*, a*, b*), HSB (hue, saturation, brightness), RGB (red, green, blue) by processing thermal images with ImageJ program. In the study, the variables obtained as a result of processing the skin surface temperatures and thermal images taken at the fetlock joint of 33 Brown Swiss cattle were used as independent variables. Also, healthy cows (lameness scores 1 and 2) and unhealthy cows (lameness scores 3, 4, and 5) used in the diagnosis of lameness were used as a binary response variable. Classification and regression tree (CART) was used as a data mining algorithm in the diagnosis of lameness. As a result, the CART algorithm correctly classified 12 of the 13 heads unhealthy cows according to locomotion scores. According to locomotion scores by using CART analysis in this study, independent variables that are used to classify healthy and unhealthy (lame) animals were determined as maximum temperature (Tmax), green (mean), L (max), and age (P<0.05). The cut-off values of these independent variables were predicted as 32.40, 149.14, 97.11, and 5.50 for Tmax, green (mean), L (max), and age, respectively. Also, the sensitivity, specificity, and area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the CART algorithm for locomotion scoring were found as 92.31%, 95%, and 93.7% respectively. The area under ROC curve (AUC) was found to be significant in the diagnosis of lameness (P<0.01). Results showed that the use of CART classification algorithm together with thermal camera and image processing methods is a usefull tool in the detection of lameness in the herds. It is recommended that more comprehensive studies by increasing the number of animals in the future would be more beneficial.

Assessment of A1 and A2 variants in the CNS2 gene of some cattle breeds by using ACRS-PCR method.

The aim of this study is to reveal ß-casein polymorphism of some cattle breeds and also the potential to produce A2 milk from existing animals and to develop strategies in this area. Therefore, a total of 400 cattle, 100 animals from each breed of Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Simmental raised commonly in Turkey, were obtained, and C > A polymorphism in 67th amino acid in the 7th exons of ß-casein gene was determined by TaqI enzyme with PCR-ACRS method. Blood samples were collected from dairy cattle farms raising Holstein, Brown Swiss and Jersey breeds from Konya province and Simmental breed from Kütahya province in Turkey. A1 and A2 allele frequencies in Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Simmental cattle breeds were determined as 0.475/0.525, 0.370/0.630, 0.215/0.785 and 0.440/0.560, respectively. The highest A2 allele frequency (0.785) was found in Jersey breed. A1A1 genotypes in Holstein, Brown Swiss, Jersey and Simmental breeds were 0.240, 0.150, 0.030 and 0.160, respectively; A1A2 genotypes were 0.470, 0.440, 0.370 and 0.560, respectively; A2A2 genotypes were determined as 0.290, 0.410, 0.600 and 0.280, respectively. In these breeds, the highest A2A2 genotype frequency was found in Jersey (0.600), the lowest A1A1 genotype frequency (0.030) was found in Jersey and the highest A1A2 genotype frequency (0.560) was found in Simmental. Holstein, Brown Swiss, Simmental and Jersey populations were at the level of Hardy-Weinberg in terms of ß-casein gene (p > 0.05). The average Ho, He and PIC values were calculated as 0.460, 0.469 and 0.605, respectively. In conclusion, the frequency of commonly reared cattles in Turkey especially Brown Swiss, and Jersey breeds in A2A2 genotype are satisfactory, but it can be said that the use of animals with A2 allele in selection is extremely important for increasing A2 milk producing potential in the future.

Evaluation of some factors on birth and weaning weights in Awassi sheep by using GLM and CART analysis.

Birth weight (BW), which is the first physiological record of the postnatal period, is an important indicator that affects growth and development, reproduction, and some yields of living things in the future. The present study was carried out using the birth records of 5417 heads of Awassi lambs from 2013 to 2018 in MeMuTa dairy sheep farm in Zengen town of Eregli district of Konya city in Türkiye. In this study, the effects of some environmental and genetic factors on birth and weaning weight in Awassi lambs were evaluated using both general linear model (GLM) and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. As a result of the GLM analysis, the least squares' means of birth and weaning weights (BW and WW) were determined as 4.15 ± 0.05 kg and 16.39 ± 0.13 kg, respectively. Fixed genetic factors such as birth type and sex, and environmental factors such as season and year were found to be significant on birth weight (P < 0.01). As for weaning weight, other factors except birth type were found to be similarly important like birth weight (P < 0.01). Also, linear regression of birth weight on weaning weight was found to be significant (P < 0.01). In GLM and CART analyses, the determination coefficient (R2) was determined to be 23.80% and 11.70% for BW, and 24.11% and 13.18% for WW, respectively. The findings of the analysis results showed that the factors in the model have a similar tendency both in terms of their relative ratios in the total variation in the GLM analysis and in their relative importance in the CART algorithm. It was seen that CART data mining algorithm in the prediction of some genetic and environmental factors on birth and weaning weights using some factors in Awassi lambs produced successful results in predictive performance. Briefly, it was determined that there is a similar tendency to GLM analysis according to CART algorithm analysis in the current study.

Effect of inseminator on reproductive performance in dairy cattle.

The reproductive efficiency of dairy cattle is critical to the economic success and sustainability of the enterprise. Due to its many advantages, artificial insemination has inevitably taken its place in herd management today, and different artificial insemination methods have been developed until today. At the same time, artificial insemination is carried out by commercial artificial insemination operators or do-it-yourself operators in cattle farms. One of the factors affecting the success of artificial insemination is inseminators. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of inseminators on conception rates in reproductive challenges and to reveal the differences between the success rates of inseminators. A total of 227,297 artificial insemination acts carried out by 35 inseminators for 4 years belonging to the Konya Cattle Breeders' Association in Turkey were assessed for this purpose. In the study, the insemination success rate was determined as 41.36%. In addition, the percentage of inseminators with a total insemination success rate of more than 50% is very low, such as 2.9%, and the percentage of those who achieved 35.9% and below was 9.3%. As a result, it can be stated that the inseminators having a lower success rate than the overall should be retrained to avoid costs or losses in the farms.

Relationships between FAMACHA© scores and parasite incidence in sheep and goats.

One of the most important activities in animal raising is parasite control. Since parasites share what animals eat on one hand, they have disease-causing effects on the other hand, they are parasites that must be fought. In fact, they can be responsible for the decrease in yield and can also cause death. Haemonchus contortus parasite from the Trichostrongylidae family is a blood parasite that causes anemia in sheep and goats. In this study, using the FAMACHA© card, which is widely used in the determination of anemia caused by Haemonchus contortus in the world, the color of the conjunctiva was scored in Akkaraman sheep and Hair goats raised in the Sizma district of Konya, and the relations between the score and the parasite type and density were determined. Accordingly, while no animals with 1 and 5 scores were observed in sheep, the numbers of animals with scores of 2, 3, and 4 were determined as 7.84%, 40.2%, and 52.96%, respectively. Parasite eggs belonging to the Trichostrongylidae family were observed in 96.07% of the sheep. On the other hand, no animal with score 1 or 2 was observed in goats. The numbers of animals with 3, 4, and 5 scores were determined as 6.12%, 54.08%, and 39.80%, respectively. Eimeria, the most common parasite species, was found in 68.18% of the goats and parasite eggs from the Trichostrongylidae family were observed in 17.05%. As a result, it was concluded that the card in question was a practical, easily available, and cheap tool in the detection of anemia by using the relationships between FAMACHA© card scoring and parasite loads.

Highly conserved protective epitopes on influenza B viruses.

Identification of broadly neutralizing antibodies against influenza A viruses has raised hopes for the development of monoclonal antibody-based immunotherapy and "universal" vaccines for influenza. However, a substantial part of the annual flu burden is caused by two cocirculating, antigenically distinct lineages of influenza B viruses. Here, we report human monoclonal antibodies, CR8033, CR8071, and CR9114, that protect mice against lethal challenge from both lineages. Antibodies CR8033 and CR8071 recognize distinct conserved epitopes in the head region of the influenza B hemagglutinin (HA), whereas CR9114 binds a conserved epitope in the HA stem and protects against lethal challenge with influenza A and B viruses. These antibodies may inform on development of monoclonal antibody-based treatments and a universal flu vaccine for all influenza A and B viruses.

Premarital hemoglobinopathy screening in Kocaeli, Turkey: a crowded industrial center on the north coast of Marmara Sea.

OBJECTIVE: Premarital hemoglobinopathy screening is one of the important procedures of hemoglobinopathy control program. This is the first report about the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in Kocaeli. METHODS: Study covered screening from July 2005 to the end of the December 2008. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and Regional Health authorities blood samples of the couples were obtained during admission to the wedding office. Complete blood counts and hemoglobin variant analysis were performed with automatic counter and high pressure liquid chromotography technique. A genetic counseling was given to carriers of abnormal hemoglobins. RESULTS: A total of 88888 people were screened. The frequency of ß -thalassemia trait and sickle cell anemia trait were 0.89% and 0.05% respectively. The frequency of high risk couples was 0.01%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of ß -thalassemia trait and sickle cell anemia trait was quite low as a reflection of the frequency of eastern and northern Anatolia and migration to Kocaeli from these geographic regions. Although frequency is low, chronic transfusion requirement, high cost of chelating, organ damage, painful crisis and other crisis, availability of stem cell transplantation for a limited number of patients with compatible sibling donors justify premarital screening studies even in less prevalent regions as Kocaeli.