An Improved Method for Broiler Weight Estimation Integrating Multi-Feature with Gradient Boosting Decision Tree.

Broiler weighing is essential in the broiler farming industry. Camera-based systems can economically weigh various broiler types without expensive platforms. However, existing computer vision methods for weight estimation are less mature, as they focus on young broilers. In effect, the estimation error increases with the age of the broiler. To tackle this, this paper presents a novel framework. First, it employs Mask R-CNN for instance segmentation of depth images captured by 3D cameras. Next, once the images of either a single broiler or multiple broilers are segmented, the extended artificial features and the learned features extracted by Customized Resnet50 (C-Resnet50) are fused by a feature fusion module. Finally, the fused features are adopted to estimate the body weight of each broiler employing gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT). By integrating diverse features with GBTD, the proposed framework can effectively obtain the broiler instance among many depth images of multiple broilers in the visual field despite the complex background. Experimental results show that this framework significantly boosts accuracy and robustness. With an MAE of 0.093 kg and an R2 of 0.707 in a test set of 240 63-day-old bantam chicken images, it outperforms other methods.

ARSCP: An antimicrobial residue surveillance cloud platform for animal-derived foods.

Antibiotics have been widely used for improving human and animal health and well-being for many decades. However, the enormous antibiotic usage in agriculture especially for livestock leads to considerable quantities of antibiotic residues in associated food products and can reach potentially hazardous levels for consumers. Therefore, timely detection and systematical surveillance on residual antibiotics in food materials are of significance to minimize the negative impact caused by such unwanted antibiotic leftovers. To this end, we constructed a cloud-platform-based system (ARSCP) for comprehensive surveillance of antibiotic residues in food materials. With the system, we collected 126,560 samples from 68 chicken farms across China and detected the antibiotic residues using a rapid detection colorimetric commercial (Explorer 2.0) kit and UPLC-MS/MS. Only 108 (0.085 %) of the samples contained residual antibiotics exceeding the MRLs and all data were subjected to ARSCP system to provide a landscape of antibiotic residues in China. As a proof-of-concept, we provided an overview of residual antibiotics based on data from China, but the system is generally applicable to track and monitor the antibiotic residues globally when the data from other countries are incorporated. We used the combined Explorer 2.0 and MS data to construct ARSCP, an antimicrobial residue surveillance cloud platform for raw chicken samples. ARSCP can be used for rapid detection and real-time monitoring of antibiotic residues in animal food and provides both data management and risk warning functions. This system provides a solution to improve the management of facilities that must monitor antibiotic MRLs in food animal products that can reduce the pollution of antibiotics to the environment.

New stilbenes and phenolic constituents from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis.

A pair of stilbenes with γ-lactam unit [(+)-1 and (-)-1], a new phenolic glucoside (2), and a new isoflavone glucoside (3), together with two known compounds (4-5) were isolated from the rhizomes of Belamcanda chinensis. The chemical structures of the undescribed compounds were elucidated on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analyses. Compounds 1, 4, and 5 (10 µM) exhibited anti-inflammatory activities with inhibition rates of 30.46%, 60.34%, and 37.91%, respectively, against the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Two New Iridoid Glucosides from the Whole Plant of Patrinia scabiosifolia Link.

As a traditional Chinese medicine, Patrinia scabiosifolia Link has been used to treat various inflammatory-related diseases, and recent studies have shown that it possesses potent anti-inflammatory activity. Therefore, phytochemical investigation on whole plants of P. scabiosifolia were carried out, which led to the isolation of two new iridoid glucosides, patriniscabiosides A (1) and B (2), together with six known compounds (3-8). The structural elucidation of all compounds was performed by HRESIMS and extensive spectroscopic analyses including IR, 1D, 2D NMR, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD). All the isolated compounds were tested for their anti-inflammatory activity using the NF-κB-Dependent Reporter Gene Expression Assay, and compound 3 displayed anti-inflammatory activity through the inhibition of the NF-κB pathway, with an inhibitory rate of 73.44% at a concentration of 10 µM.

Cassane and nor-cassane diterpenoids from the roots of Erythrophleum fordii.

Detailed phytochemical investigation of the roots of Erythrophleum fordii furnished seven undescribed cassane-type diterpenoids, erythrocassanoids A-E and erythro-norcassanoids A, B and two known clerodane diterpenes, 15-hydroxy-3-cleroden-2-one and methyl ester of 2-oxopopulifolic acid. Their structures were determined by 1D, 2D NMR and HRESIMS analysis. The antiviral activities of these compounds were evaluated. Among them, 15-hydroxy-3-cleroden-2-one and methyl ester of 2-oxopopulifolic acid showed antiviral activities against influenza virus and coxsackie virus with IC50 values ranging from 11.11 to 29.60 µM.

Epidemiological investigation of Mycoplasma Synoviae in native chicken breeds in China.

BACKGROUD: Mycoplasma synoviae (M. synoviae) is widely distributed around the world, and leads to serious economic losses in the world every year. Nevertheless, the incidence and epidemiology of M. synoviae infection in China have remained unclear. RESULTS: In this study we demonstrate that over 9773 broiler chicken flocks in 16 Chinese provinces were affected by M. synoviae between 2010 and 2015. Our epidemiological study revealed that M. synoviae was widely prevalent in multi-aged Chinese native breeder chickens, and the prevalence of M. synoviae in embryos of breeders reached up to 16.29%. In addition, our data showed that chickens aged 14 days or younger carried simultaneously high levels of maternal antibody against M. synoviae and high M. synoviae infection (10%), and low M. synoviae antibody levels in breeders and high proportion of M. synoviae infection in embryos could increase the chances of incidence in the offspring. Finally, our results also indicated that 3- to 7-week-old chickens might be most the susceptible to M. synoviae and, therefore, might play a key role in the horizontal transmission of M. synoviae. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that M. synoviae is widely circulating in Chinese native chickens, accordingly, effective control measures are urgently needed to control the spread.

Phylogenetic and pathogenic analysis of Mycoplasma Synoviae isolated from native chicken breeds in China.

Mycoplasma synoviae (M. synoviae) infection leads to serious economic losses in the world every year. Between 2013 and 2014, the infectious synovitis, caused by M. synoviae infection, occurred in native chickens in China and resulted in the loss of millions of chickens in Chinese poultry farms. However, there has been no data about phylogenetic and pathogenic analysis of Chinese M. synoviae isolates. In this study, a total of 110 M. synoviae strains were isolated from M. synoviae infected chickens. The isolates identified in the present study were classified into a new distinct subgroup based on analysis of the 5'-end vlhA sequences, tentatively termed the K group. In addition, though the pathogenicity was significantly different among isolates, there was no close relationship between pathogenicity and genotype for Chinese M. synoviae based on a pathogenic analysis of the 5'-end of the vlhA gene.

Isolation and characterization of a subtype C avian metapneumovirus circulating in Muscovy ducks in China.

Subtype C avian metapneumovirus (aMPV-C), is an important pathogen that can cause egg-drop and acute respiratory diseases in poultry. To date, aMPV-C infection has not been documented in Muscovy ducks in China. Here, we isolated and characterized an aMPV-C, designated S-01, which has caused severe respiratory disease and noticeable egg drop in Muscovy duck flocks in south China since 2010. Electron microscopy showed that the isolate was an enveloped virus exhibiting multiple morphologies with a diameter of 20-500 nm. The S-01 strain was able to produce a typical cytopathic effect (CPE) on Vero cells and cause death in 10- to 11-day-old Muscovy duck embryos. In vivo infection of layer Muscovy ducks with the isolate resulted in typical clinical signs and pathological lesions similar to those seen in the original infected cases. We report the first complete genomic sequence of aMPV-C from Muscovy ducks. A phylogenetic analysis strongly suggested that the S-01 virus belongs to the aMPV-C family, sharing 92.3%-94.3% of nucleotide identity with that of aMPV-C, and was most closely related to the aMPV-C strains isolated from Muscovy ducks in France. The deduced eight main proteins (N, P, M, F, M2, SH, G and L) of the novel isolate shared higher identity with hMPV than with other aMPV (subtypes A, B and D). S-01 could bind a monoclonal antibody against the F protein of hMPV. Together, our results indicate that subtype-C aMPV has been circulating in Muscovy duck flocks in South China, and it is urgent for companies to develop new vaccines to control the spread of the virus in China.

In vitro infection with classical swine fever virus inhibits the transcription of immune response genes.

BACKGROUND: Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) can evade the immune response and establish chronic infection under natural and experimental conditions. Some genes related to antigen processing and presentation and to cytokine regulation are known to be involved in this response, but the precise mechanism through which each gene responds to CSFV infection remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study, the amplification standard curve and corresponding linear regression equations for the genes SLA-2, TAP1, SLA-DR, Ii, CD40, CD80, CD86, IFN-α, and IFN-ß were established successfully. Real-time RT-PCR was used to quantify the immune response gene transcription in PK-15 cells post CSFV infection. Results showed that: (1) immune response genes were generally down-regulated as a result of CSFV infection, and (2) the expression of SLA-2, SLA-DR, Ii and CD80 was significantly decreased (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: We conclude that in vitro infection with CSFV inhibits the transcription of host immune response genes. These findings may facilitate the development of effective strategies for controlling CSF.

Global transcriptional profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cell during classical swine fever virus infection.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is an etiologic agent that causes a highly contagious disease in pigs. Laying a foundation to solve problems in its pathogenic mechanism, microarray analysis was performed to detect the gene transcriptional profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) following infection with a Chinese highly virulent CSFV strain Shimen. Three susceptible pigs were inoculated intramuscularly with a lethal dose (1.0x10(6) TCID(50)) of CSFV. Pigs showed classical CSF signs, depletion of lymphocytes and monocytes consistent with CSFV infection, and the CSFV genome was also confirmed in the PBMC. The PBMC were isolated at 1, 3, 6 and 9 days post-inoculation (dpi). Total RNA were extracted and subjected to microarray analysis. Data showed that expression of 847 genes wherein 467 genes were known function and the remaining 380 genes were unknown function, and 541 up- and 306 down-regulation, altered after infection. There were 54, 181, 438 and 354 up- and 61, 120, 218 and 145 down-regulated genes presented on 1, 3, 6 and 9dpi, respectively. These genes were involved in immune response (14.5%), apoptosis (3.3%), signal transduction (7.6%), transcription (4.4%), metabolism (11%), transport (3.9%), development (6.8%) and cell cycle (3.7%). Results demonstrated its usefulness in exploring the pathogenic mechanisms of CSFV.