Developing a multi-Kinect-system for monitoring in dairy cows: object recognition and surface analysis using wavelets.

Camera-based systems in dairy cattle were intensively studied over the last years. Different from this study, single camera systems with a limited range of applications were presented, mostly using 2D cameras. This study presents current steps in the development of a camera system comprising multiple 3D cameras (six Microsoft Kinect cameras) for monitoring purposes in dairy cows. An early prototype was constructed, and alpha versions of software for recording, synchronizing, sorting and segmenting images and transforming the 3D data in a joint coordinate system have already been implemented. This study introduced the application of two-dimensional wavelet transforms as method for object recognition and surface analyses. The method was explained in detail, and four differently shaped wavelets were tested with respect to their reconstruction error concerning Kinect recorded depth maps from different camera positions. The images' high frequency parts reconstructed from wavelet decompositions using the haar and the biorthogonal 1.5 wavelet were statistically analyzed with regard to the effects of image fore- or background and of cows' or persons' surface. Furthermore, binary classifiers based on the local high frequencies have been implemented to decide whether a pixel belongs to the image foreground and if it was located on a cow or a person. Classifiers distinguishing between image regions showed high (⩾0.8) values of Area Under reciever operation characteristic Curve (AUC). The classifications due to species showed maximal AUC values of 0.69.

Universal PCR primers for detection of phytopathogenic Agrobacterium strains.

Two PCR primer pairs, based on the virD2 and ipt genes, detected a wide variety of pathogenic Agrobacterium strains. The endonuclease domain of VirD2 protein, which cleaves transferred DNA (T-DNA) border sequences, is highly conserved; primer oligonucleotides specific for the endonuclease portion of virD2 detected all pathogenic strains of Agrobacterium tested. PCR primers corresponding to conserved sequences in ipt, the T-DNA-borne cytokinin synthesis gene, detected only Agrobacterium tumefaciens and distinguished it from Agrobacterium rhizogenes. The virD2 and ipt primer pairs did not interfere with each other when included in the same PCR amplification, and this permitted simultaneous detection of both genes in a single reaction. One nonpathogenic Agrobacterium radiobacter strain contained virD2 but not ipt; we speculate that this strain arose from a pathogenic progenitor through a deletion in the T-DNA. The virD2 primer pair appears to be universal for all pathogenic Agrobacterium species; used together, the primer sets reported here should allow unambiguous identification of Ti plasmid DNA in bacteria isolated from soil and plants.

Parental smoking. Its effects on fetus and child health.

Smoking is a risk factor in pregnancy. Maternal smoking reduces the birthweight by 150-250 g (dose-response relationship), shifting the birthweight (and length) distribution to the left. Reduction of birthweight without shortening of gestation creates a group of small-for-date babies. Intrauterine hypoxia seems responsible for the growth retardation in smokers' babies as in babies of mothers living at high altitudes. Cigarette smoking of the mother affects fetal oxygenation, due to high levels of COHb in the blood of both mother and child. This observation is strongly supported by animal experiments. The total of (abortions), stillbirths, early and late neonatal mortality (especially stillbirths) is higher in babies of smoking than in those of nonsmoking mothers and highest among the poor. Approximately 5% of all stillbirths and neonatal deaths must be attributed to the increased mortality risk for the infant of mothers who smoke during the second half of pregnancy. Pregnancies of smoking mothers show about the same increase in infant wastage as pregnancies at high altitudes. The babies of smoking mothers show little excess of congenital malformations, if any. The placenta coefficient is increased. This symptom of compensatory placental hypertrophy cannot avert some impairment of fetal nutrition. There is less preeclamptic toxemia in smokers than in nonsmokers, but a higher incidence of antepartum hemorrhage and placental separation. Concerning long-term effects, smoking during pregnancy seems to be associated with a slight impairment of mental and physical growth. When the mother is nonsmoker and the father smokes more than ten cigarettes daily, an increase in perinatal mortality seems probable. Smoke aggravates the asthma of children in about two-thirds of those whose parents smoke. Healthy children of smokers are sick more frequently (primarily respiratory illness) than those of nonsmokers. Smoking parents and teachers stimulate their children and pupils to start smoking. Once smokers children may remain smokers. From the polemics on cause (smoking) and association (smoker) regarding the effects of parental smoking on the health of the fetus, the conclusion must be that health workers involved in obstetrics have great responsibilities in the antismoking campaign.