Automatic Cow Location Tracking System using Ear Tag Visual Analysis.

Nowadays, for numerous reasons, smart farming systems focus on the use of image processing technologies and 5G communications. In this paper, we propose a tracking system for individual cows using an ear tag visual analysis. By using ear tags, the farmers can track specific data for individual cows such as body condition score, genetic abnormalities, etc. Specifically, a four-digit identification number is used, so that a farm can accommodate up to 9999 cows. In our proposed system, we develop an individual cow tracker to provide effective management with real-time upgrading enforcement. For this purpose, head detection is first carried out to determine the cow's position in its related camera view. The head detection process incorporates an object detector called You Only Look Once (YOLO) and is then followed by ear tag detection. The steps involved in ear tag recognition are (1) finding the four-digit area, (2) digit segmentation using an image processing technique, and (3) ear tag recognition using a convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier. Finally, a location searching system for an individual cow is established by entering the ID numbers through the application's user interface. The proposed searching system was confirmed by performing real-time experiments at a feeding station on a farm at Hokkaido prefecture, Japan. In combination with our decision-making process, the proposed system achieved an accuracy of 100% for head detection, and 92.5% for ear tag digit recognition. The results of using our system are very promising in terms of effectiveness.

Development of a sensitive novel diagnostic kit for the highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1) virus.

BACKGROUND: Sporadic emergence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus infection in humans is a serious concern because of the potential for a pandemic. Conventional or quantitative RT-PCR is the standard laboratory test to detect viral influenza infections. However, this technology requires well-equipped laboratories and highly trained personnel. A rapid, sensitive, and specific alternative screening method is needed. METHODS: By a luminescence-linked enzyme immunoassay, we have developed a H5N1 HPAI virus detection kit using anti-H5 hemagglutinin monoclonal antibodies in combination with the detection of a universal NP antigen of the type A influenza virus. The process takes 15 minutes by use of the fully automated luminescence analyzer, POCube. RESUTLS: We tested this H5/A kit using 19 clinical specimens from 13 patients stored in Vietnam who were infected with clade 1.1 or clade 2.3.4 H5N1 HPAI virus. Approximately 80% of clinical specimens were H5-positive using the POCube system, whereas only 10% of the H5-positive samples were detected as influenza A-positive by an immunochromatography-based rapid diagnostic kit. CONCLUSIONS: This novel H5/A kit using POCube is served as a rapid and sensitive screening test for H5N1 HPAI virus infection in humans.

Newly established monoclonal antibodies for immunological detection of H5N1 influenza virus.

The H5N1 subtype of the highly pathogenic (HP) avian influenza virus has been recognized for its ability to cause serious pandemics among humans. In the present study, new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against viral proteins were established for the immunological detection of H5N1 influenza virus for research and diagnostic purposes. B-cell hybridomas were generated from mice that had been hyperimmunized with purified A/Vietnam/1194/2004 (NIBRG-14) virion that had been inactivated by UV-irradiation or formaldehyde. After screening over 4,000 hybridomas, eight H5N1-specific clones were selected. Six were specific for hemagglutinin (HA) and had in vitro neutralization activity. Of these, four were able to broadly detect all tested clades of the H5N1 strains. Five HA-specific mAbs detected denatured HA epitope(s) in Western blot analysis, and two detected HP influenza virus by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. A highly sensitive antigen-capture sandwich ELISA system was established by combining mAbs with different specificities. In conclusion, these mAbs may be useful for rapid and specific diagnosis of H5N1 influenza. Therapeutically, they may have a role in antibody-based treatment of the disease.

Overexpression of spermidine synthase enhances tolerance to multiple environmental stresses and up-regulates the expression of various stress-regulated genes in transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana.

Polyamines play pivotal roles in plant defense to environmental stresses. However, stress tolerance of genetically engineered plants for polyamine biosynthesis has been little examined so far. We cloned spermidine synthase cDNA from Cucurbita ficifolia and the gene was introduced to Arabidopsis thaliana under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. The transgene was stably integrated and actively transcribed in the transgenic plants. As compared with the wild-type plants, the T2 and T3 transgenic plants exhibited a significant increase in spermidine synthase activity and spermidine content in leaves together with enhanced tolerance to various stresses including chilling, freezing, salinity, hyperosmosis, drought, and paraquat toxicity. During exposure to chilling stress (5 degrees C), the transgenics displayed a remarkable increase in arginine decarboxylase activity and conjugated spermidine contents in leaves compared to the wild type. A cDNA microarray analysis revealed that several genes were more abundantly transcribed in the transgenics than in the wild type under chilling stress. These genes included those for stress-responsive transcription factors such as DREB and stress-protective proteins like rd29A. These results strongly suggest an important role for spermidine as a signaling regulator in stress signaling pathways, leading to build-up of stress tolerance mechanisms in plants under stress conditions.