Computer-Vision-Based Sensing Technologies for Livestock Body Dimension Measurement: A Survey.

Livestock's live body dimensions are a pivotal indicator of economic output. Manual measurement is labor-intensive and time-consuming, often eliciting stress responses in the livestock. With the advancement of computer technology, the techniques for livestock live body dimension measurement have progressed rapidly, yielding significant research achievements. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the recent advancements in livestock live body dimension measurement, emphasizing the crucial role of computer-vision-based sensors. The discussion covers three main aspects: sensing data acquisition, sensing data processing, and sensing data analysis. The common techniques and measurement procedures in, and the current research status of, live body dimension measurement are introduced, along with a comparative analysis of their respective merits and drawbacks. Livestock data acquisition is the initial phase of live body dimension measurement, where sensors are employed as data collection equipment to obtain information conducive to precise measurements. Subsequently, the acquired data undergo processing, leveraging techniques such as 3D vision technology, computer graphics, image processing, and deep learning to calculate the measurements accurately. Lastly, this paper addresses the existing challenges within the domain of livestock live body dimension measurement in the livestock industry, highlighting the potential contributions of computer-vision-based sensors. Moreover, it predicts the potential development trends in the realm of high-throughput live body dimension measurement techniques for livestock.

The first determination and analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome of Ancistrus temmincki (Siluriformes: Loricariidae).

In order to fully comprehend the evolution and kinship of fishes in the family of Loricariidae, the complete mitochondrial genome of the Loricariidae fish Ancistrus temmincki was firstly characterized in the present study. The whole mitogenome was 16,657 bp in size and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs genes, a control region and origin of light-strand replication. The proportion of coding sequences with a total length of 11,473 bp was 68.88%, which encoded 3,813 amino acids. The genome composition was highly A + T biased (56.29%), and exhibited AT-skew (0.0661) and a negative GC-skew (-0.2740). All protein-coding genes were started with ATG except for GTG in CO1, while stopped with the standard TAN codons or a single T. The control region (D-loop) ranging from 15,635 bp to 16,657 bp was 1023 bp in size. Until now, there is hardly any studies on the complete mitochondrial sequence in the genus of Ancistrus, phylogenetic analysis showed that A. temmincki was most closely related to Ancistrus cryptophthalmus in the genus of Ancistrus. The complete mitochondrial genome sequence has provided a new insight into the taxonomic classification, and a more complex picture of the species diversity within the family of Loricariidae.

LINC00565 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of gastric cancer by targeting miR-665/AKT3 axis.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is involved in gastric cancer (GC). A relevant microarray containing gastric cancer-related lncRNAs was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to analyze LINC00565 and AKT3 expression in tumor tissues and cell lines. Proliferative, colony formation and apoptotic abilities of GC cells after transfection of sh-LINC00565 were determined by CCK-8, colony formation assay and flow cytometry, respectively. RIP was enrolled to detect the interaction between LINC00565, AKT3 and miR-665. Dual luciferase assay was used to confirm the relation between miR-665 and LINC00565 and AKT3. RESULTS: Expression level of LINC00565 in GC tissue was highly expressed in GC, which was negatively correlated to prognosis of GC patients. The results showed that knockdown of LINC00565 decreased proliferative and colony formation abilities, and induced apoptosis of GC cells. Pearson analysis showed that LINC00565 was positively correlated with AKT3. Besides, AKT3 was significantly up-regulated in GC. In addition, knockdown of LINC00565 down-regulated AKT3. In order to explore the mechanism, we found that miR-665 could bind to LINC00565 by bioinformatics. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RIP assay both verified the binding relationship between miR-665 and AKT3. Finally, rescue experiments were carried out to explore whether AKT3 could reverse the anti-cancer effect of low-level LINC00565 on GC development. CONCLUSION: In summary, the expression of LINC00565 is upregulated in GC. LINC00565 can be used as the sponge of miR-665 to up-regulate the expression of AKT3, thus promoting the progression of GC.

Therapeutic effects of Saussurea involucrata injection against severe acute pancreatitis- induced brain injury in rats.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the therapeutic effects of Saussurea involucrata (Sau) injection against severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)-induced brain injury. METHODS: Sodium taurocholate-induced SAP-modeled rats were equally randomized into an SAP model group (SAP group) and a Sau treated group (Sau  +  S group). Healthy rats were equally randomized into a Sau treated group (Sau  +  H group) and a sham operation group (SO group). Serum amylase levels, endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) contents were determined by optical turbidimetry, ELISA and nitrate reductase method respectively. Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (Akt), ET-1, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial NOS (eNOS) while mRNA levels of these biomarkers in brain tissue were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Furthermore, pathological changes, as well as all above indexes of pancreas and brain, were observed at 6, 24 and 48 h after administration. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in mortality between SAP and Sau  +  S groups (P  <  0.05). Serum amylase levels, ET-1 and NO contents, ET-1/NO ratio, relative expression levels of ET-1 and iNOS protein/mRNA of brain tissue in Sau + S group were lower than those in SAP group at 24 and 48 h post-operation (P  <  0.05 or 0.01), meanwhile, pancreas and brain pathological scores showed similar tendency (P  <  0.01). However, both protein and mRNA levels of PI3K, Akt and eNOS of brain tissue in Sau + S group were higher than those in SAP group (P  <  0.05 or P  <  0.01). There were no significant differences in all indexes between Sau + H and SO groups at all designated time points (P  >  0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Sau injection has therapeutic effects on SAP-induced brain injury in rats.

Protective effects of Acanthopanax vs. Ulinastatin against severe acute pancreatitis-induced brain injury in rats.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the protecting effects of Acanthopanax and Ulinastatin against severe acute pancreatitis (SAP)-induced brain injury in rats. METHODS: SAP-modeled rats were equally randomized into three groups: model group, Acanthopanax-treated group and Ulinastatin-treated group. A sham-operation group was used as negative control. Serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 levels were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NF-κB p65) activity in the brain tissue was determined by immunohistochemistry. The mortality, pathological changes of the pancreas and brain, and expression of TNF-α mRNA, IL-6 mRNA and IL-10 mRNA in the brain tissue were observed at 6, 12 and 24h after operations in all groups. RESULTS: The mortality of the model group was significantly higher than that of both treatment groups at 24h (P<0.01). Serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6, activity of NF-κB p65, expression levels of TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA in the brain tissue, and the pathological scores of the pancreas and brain in the two treatment groups were lower than those in the model group at 12 and 24h after operation (P<0.01), while serum IL-10 and IL-10 mRNA expression levels of the brain tissue in the two treatment groups were higher. There was no significant difference in all indexes between Acanthopanax and Ulinastatin groups at all designated time points (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Acanthopanax and Ulinastatin have similar protecting effects against SAP-induced brain injury in rats.