Visual Estimation Research Articles

222 Effect of electronically controlled floor cooling pad on thermoregulatory performance of Duroc boars during the summer heat stress period

Abstract The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of using electronically controlled floor cooling pad (ECP) to reduce physiological heat stress response during the summer season in a boar stud in Scottsville, Kentucky. Boars (n = 60; 526 ± 188 d of age) were placed in two rows of pens (2.06 x 0.66 m) of a 350 head tunnel ventilated boar barn and were randomly assigned to either CONTROL (n = 30; no ECP) or ECP treatments (n = 30). The ECP had 4.25 L cold water flushed through a group of 5 pads connected to each other, when temperature sensors reached 27°C or every 4 min for sensors placed on 5th pad and 24°C or every 4 min for sensors placed on 1st pad. Boars experienced a natural summer heat stress environment (daily temperature, humidity and dew point: mean = 24.03°C, 87.9%, 21.7°C, hourly mean high = 28.9°C, 83.4%, 25.8°C) for a period of 30 d from July 15, 2023 to August 14, 2023 wherein the cooling pad remained on and were flushing based on the set points mentioned above. Daily physiological measurements included respiration rate (RR), rectal temp (RT) and feed refusal (FR) collected during the hottest part of the day (1300 to1600 h) via counting chest or belly rises, using rectal thermometer and visual estimation, respectively. A mixed model in SAS (v.9.4) including the fixed effects of ECP, week, day, boar ID and their interactions with day in the week included as a random effect was used for the statistical analysis. Both RR and RT were decreased by ECP (P < 0.001), week (P = 0.027 and P = 0.005, respectively) and treatment by week interactions (P < 0.001). The overall RR and RT for boars on ECP (Mean = 15.2 breaths/minute, 38°C) were more stable compared with Control (Mean = 43.4 breaths/minute, 38.4°C). Increased RR (Mean = 55.7 breaths/min; daily high = 164 breaths/minute) and RT (Mean = 38.7°C; daily high = 40°C) were noted in wk 30 and 33 for CONTROL group while ECP group remained stable. The wk 30 and 33 RR and RT are caused by increased environmental temperatures and humidity (hourly mean high: temperature = 28.9°C, humidity = 84.9%, dewpoint = 21°C). FR increased as barn temperatures increased and treatment by week interactions were significant (P < 0.001), with a tendency for ECP to be overall less than CONTROL at P = 0.064. CONTROL boars had greater FR than ECP boars for wk 31 (P < 0.001), 32 (P = 0.001) and tendency for wk 33 (P = 0.098). These results indicate that the ECP effectively reduced the RR, RT and FR across the weeks with greater effects seen during the hottest weeks in the 30-d trial.

Rehabilitation and Return-to-Sport After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury and Reconstruction: Exploring Physical Therapists’ Approaches in Argentina

To investigate the current clinical practice regarding pre- and post-surgical rehabilitation and return to sport (RTS) criteria following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Cross-sectional design. Online survey. Survey platform. Argentinian physical therapists (PTs). The survey consisted of a combination of 39 open- and closed-ended questions, divided across 3 sections: (1) demographic and professional information, (2) clinical practice and rehabilitation strategies, and (3) return-to-running (RTR) and RTS. A total of 619PTs completed the survey. Considerable variability was observed in preoperative rehabilitation, criteria used for rehabilitation progression and RTS decision-making criteria used by PTs. From the total surveyed, 336 (54.3%) carried out RTS assessment in their clinical practice. Most of PTs (53.3%) use visual estimation to assess knee range of motion. Only 20% of the PTs reported incorporating patient-reported outcome measures in their decision-making. From PTs who use strength assessment as a criterion of RTS (68.8%), 16.6% extrapolate this from jump tests and 15.3% use manual muscle testing. Less than the 50% of the PTs recommended nine months or more to allow patients to RTS. Current rehabilitation practices of Argentinian PTs following ACLR are largely variable and not aligned with current evidence and scientific guidelines. To achieve better rehabilitation and RTS practices better knowledge dissemination and implementation are required.

Optimization in Visual Motion Estimation.

Sighted animals use visual signals to discern directional motion in their environment. Motion is not directly detected by visual neurons, and it must instead be computed from light signals that vary over space and time. This makes visual motion estimation a near universal neural computation, and decades of research have revealed much about the algorithms and mechanisms that generate directional signals. The idea that sensory systems are optimized for performance in natural environments has deeply impacted this research. In this article, we review the many ways that optimization has been used to quantitatively model visual motion estimation and reveal its underlying principles. We emphasize that no single optimization theory has dominated the literature. Instead, researchers have adeptly incorporated different computational demands and biological constraints that are pertinent to the specific brain system and animal model under study. The successes and failures of the resulting optimization models have thereby provided insights into how computational demands and biological constraints together shape neural computation.

A Deep Learning Method for Log Diameter Measurement Using Wood Images Based on Yolov3 and DeepLabv3+

Wood volume is an important indicator in timber trading, and log diameter is one of the primary parameters used to calculate wood volume. Currently, the most common methods for measuring log diameters are manual measurement or visual estimation by log scalers, which are laborious, time consuming, costly, and error prone owing to the irregular placement of logs and large numbers of roots. Additionally, this approach can easily lead to misrepresentation of data for profit. This study proposes a model for automatic log diameter measurement that is based on deep learning and uses images to address the existing problems. The specific measures to improve the performance and accuracy of log-diameter detection are as follows: (1) A dual network model is constructed combining the Yolov3 algorithm and DeepLabv3+ architecture to adapt to different log-end color states that considers the complexity of log-end faces. (2) AprilTag vision library is added to estimate the camera position during image acquisition to achieve real-time adjustment of the shooting angle and reduce the effect of log-image deformation on the results. (3) The backbone network is replaced with a MobileNetv2 convolutional neural network to migrate the model to mobile devices, which reduces the number of network parameters while maintaining detection accuracy. The training results show that the mean average precision of log-diameter detection reaches 97.28% and the mean intersection over union (mIoU) of log segmentation reaches 92.22%. Comparisons with other measurement models demonstrate that the proposed model is accurate and stable in measuring log diameter under different environments and lighting conditions, with an average accuracy of 96.26%. In the forestry test, the measurement errors for the volume of an entire truckload of logs and a single log diameter are 1.20% and 0.73%, respectively, which are less than the corresponding error requirements specified in the industry standards. These results indicate that the proposed method can provide a viable and cost-effective solution for measuring log diameters and offering the potential to improve the efficiency of log measurement and promote fair trade practices in the lumber industry.

Technical Considerations in One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass-the Israeli Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Experience.

One anastomosis gastric bypass (OAGB) is gaining popularity worldwide due to its safety and effectiveness. OAGB is the most commonly performed metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) in Israel. Israel is the only country where OAGB is the most prevalent MBS. Our aim is to address OAGB technical aspects using a national survey completed by members of the Israeli Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ISMBS). An online-survey composed of a 17-item-based questionnaire was sent to ISMBS members. All responses were collected and analyzed. A total of 47/64 (73.4%) ISMBS members participated in the survey. Most surgeons (74.5%) had > 10years of MBS experience, and most (61.7%) performed > 100 MBS/year. The majority (78.7%) perform OAGB as their most common procedure. Most surgeons fashion a 10-15-cm pouch and use a 36-Fr bougie, (57.4% and 38.3%). Regarding bowel length measurement, 70% use visual estimation and 10.6% routinely measure total small bowel length (TSBL). The most common reasons for creating a longer biliopancreatic limb (BPL) were high body mass index (BMI) and revisional surgery (83.3% and 66%, respectively). In a primary procedure of a patient with a BMI = 40, most (76.6%) would create a 150-200-cm BPL. In patients with a BMI > 50 or revisional cases, most (70.2% and 68.0%) would create a 175-225-cm BPL. OAGB is the most prevalent MBS performed in Israel. This survey showed common preferences and variations among ISMBS members. Further studies are needed in order to standardize and build a consensus on OAGB technique.

The reliability and concurrent validity of goniometric and visual estimation in participants with unilateral shoulder pain

IntroductionThe Constant-Murley Score (CMS) uses universal goniometry (UG), and the Shoulder Functional Reach Score (SFRS) uses visual estimation (VE). The CMS has validity challenges, and the SFRS has been critiqued for using VE. This study sought to determine the reliability and concurrent validity of VE when compared to the UG for shoulder flexion and abduction. Differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic shoulder and expert and novice raters were also explored. MethodsParticipants were included if they were at least 18 years old with unilateral, symptomatic shoulder pain, with no post-surgical contraindications. All conditions were randomized, and raters were blinded. ResultsThe intertester reliability for UG had Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) values of 0.76–0.91 at visit one. VE had ICC values that ranged from 0.87 to 0.92 at visit one. VE test-retest reliability had ICC values from 0.81 to 0.94. At visit one, concurrent validity was demonstrated by rho values from 0.84 to 0.89. There were statistically significant differences between the shoulders (P ≤ 0.0448), and there were no differences between the raters (P ≥ 0.0960). DiscussionUG and VE of active shoulder flexion and abduction are reliable and concurrently valid. Additionally, there were differences between symptomatic and asymptomatic shoulders, and there were no differences between novice and expert raters. ConclusionThe SFRS may be reliable and valid for measuring shoulder motion using VE within and between treatment sessions. Future research should examine this in larger, more diverse participant populations.

Timing of fractional flow reserve-guided complete revascularization in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with multivessel disease: Rationale and design of the OPTION-STEMI trial.

Current guidelines recommend complete revascularization (CR) in hemodynamically stable patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and multivessel coronary artery disease (MVD). With regard to the timing of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for non-infarct-related artery (non-IRA), recent randomized clinical trials have revealed that immediate CR was non-inferior to staged CR. However, the optimal timing of CR remains uncertain. The OPTION-STEMI trial compared immediate CR and in-hospital staged CR guided by fractional flow reserve (FFR) for intermediate stenosis of the non-IRA. The OPTION-STEMI is a multicenter, investigator-initiated, prospective, open-label, non-inferiority randomized clinical trial. The study included patients with at least one non-IRA lesion with ≥50% stenosis by visual estimation. Patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were randomized into two groups at a 1:1 ratio: immediate CR (i.e., PCI for the non-IRA performed during primary angioplasty) or in-hospital staged CR. In the in-hospital staged CR group, PCI for non-IRA lesions was performed on another day during the index hospitalization. Non-IRA lesions with 50-69% stenosis by visual estimation were evaluated by FFR, whereas those with ≥70% stenosis were revascularized without FFR. The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and all unplanned revascularization at 1 year after randomization. Enrolment began in December 2019 and was completed in January 2024. The follow-up for the primary endpoint will be completed in January 2025, and primary results will be available in the middle of 2025. The OPTION-STEMI is a multicenter, non-inferiority, randomized trial that evaluated the timing of in-hospital CR with the aid of FFR in patients with STEMI and MVD. URL: https://www. gov. Unique identifier: NCT04626882; and URL: https://cris.nih.go.kr. Unique identifier: KCT0004457.

Validation of the lead-in method in a practical shooting scenario.

The ability to determine bullet trajectories after a shooting incident can allow investigators to reconstruct the locations of individuals and the sequence of events that took place. By using trajectory rods, investigators can be provided with an immediate visual estimate as to what the path of the projectile may have been. In certain instances, the use of the probing method with trajectory rods is not appropriate due to their being a single, thin target material, or no secondary bullet impact site. In these cases, other methods such as the lead-in or the ellipse method may be useful. Overall, the lead-in method has not been well studied in the application to practical scenarios, such as those including bullet impacts on vehicle metal surfaces. This study has explored the accuracy of the lead-in method when a bullet impacts a typical vehicle metal surface using three firearm calibers, three blind participants, and two non-blind participants. The results of this study have shown that each caliber has its own characteristic error curve. In general, it was found that the lower the impact angle, the less errors were made by the participants. As the impact angle increases, the measurement errors increased, due to the smaller lead-in area present. The errors were found to have a wide range, with some being as low as 1° and some being as high as 13.9°. Further, it was found there was no significant effect on the errors of blind versus non-blind participants.

Evaluation of black currant dessert varieties and their progeny for anthracnose resistance

The paper presents the results of evaluation of varieties and elite forms of black currant with dessert flavor of berries for resistance to anthracnose. Selection in hybrid and inbred progeny of anthracnose-resistant forms with fruits of dessert flavor was carried out. The research was carried out at the collection and selection breeding plots of the Kokino base station, Federal Horticultural Center for Breeding, Agrotechnology and Nursery (Bryansk region). The object of the research involved 20 varieties from the genetic collection of black currants and 5 elite forms, with high-flavored fruits (>4.5 points). Hybrid and inbred stock was obtained from hybridization, open and self-pollination in 2015-2016. Evaluation of black currant resistance to anthracnose was carried out in 2018 and subsequent seasons by visual estimation in field conditions on a five-point scale, according to the generally accepted methodology for variety investigation. It has been established that years with a high value of the hydrothermal coefficient (HTC>1.4) сcontribute to the greatest spread of anthracnose on blackcurrant plants. The research has identified the varieties with high flavor of fruits as well as field resistance to anthracnose (‘Dar Smolyaninovoy’, ‘Zelenaya Dymka’, ‘Malenkiy Prinz’, ‘Mriya-5’, ‘Podarok Veteranam’). The best combinations of crosses were identified to further select dessert forms with high resistance to the pathogen (Chelyabinskaya×-Dar Smolyaninovoy, 10-141-2 ×Partizanka Bryanskaya, 5-4-2/08×Mriya-3, etc.). The highest flavor scores were given to anthracnose resistant selected forms #9-101-01 (Tiben×Selechenskaya 2), 4-57-01, 4-197-05 (Myth×Litvinovskaya), 5-57-03 (Strelets×Mriya), 5-37-03 (Debryansk×Dar Smolyaninovoy), 4-18-01, 4-18-02 (10-141-2×Partizanka Bryanskaya), 1-3-02 (Mriya-5 open pollination) and others.

Enhancing robotic telesurgery with sensorless haptic feedback.

This paper evaluates user performance in telesurgical tasks with the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK), comparing unilateral teleoperation, bilateral teleoperation with force sensors and sensorless force estimation. A four-channel teleoperation system with disturbance observers and sensorless force estimation with learning-based dynamic compensation was developed. Palpation experiments were conducted with 12 users who tried to locate tumors hidden in tissue phantoms with their fingers or through handheld or teleoperated laparoscopic instruments with visual, force sensor, or sensorless force estimation feedback. In a peg transfer experiment with 10 users, the contribution of sensorless haptic feedback with/without learning-based dynamic compensation was assessed using NASA TLX surveys, measured free motion speeds and forces, environment interaction forces as well as experiment completion times. The first study showed a 30% increase in accuracy in detecting tumors with sensorless haptic feedback over visual feedback with only a 5-10% drop in accuracy when compared with sensor feedback or direct instrument contact. The second study showed that sensorless feedback can help reduce interaction forces due to incidental contacts by about 3 times compared with unilateral teleoperation. The cost is an increase in free motion forces and physical effort. We show that it is possible to improve this with dynamic compensation. We demonstrate the benefits of sensorless haptic feedback in teleoperated surgery systems, especially with dynamic compensation, and that it can improve surgical performance without hardware modifications.

Visual Estimates of Coronary Slow Flow Are Not Associated with Invasive Wire-Based Diagnoses of Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction.

Background: Coronary slow flow (CSF) by invasive coronary angiography is frequently understood to be an indicator of coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) in patients with ischemia with non-obstructive coronary arteries (INOCA). However, the relationship between visual estimates of CSF and quantitative wire-based invasive diagnosis of CMD is uncertain. Methods: We prospectively enrolled adults age ≥18 years with stable ischemic heart disease who were referred for invasive coronary angiography. Individuals with ≥50% epicardial coronary artery stenosis were excluded. Invasive coronary angiography was reviewed for CSF, defined as ≥3 cardiac cycles to opacify distal vessels with contrast. Coronary function testing was performed in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery using bolus coronary thermodilution techniques to measure coronary flow reserve (CFR) and the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR). Invasively determined CMD was defined as abnormal CFR (<2.5), abnormal IMR (≥25), or both. Results: Among 104 participants, the median age was 61.5 and 79% were female. The median CFR was 3.6 (IQR 2.5-4.7) and the median IMR was 21 (IQR 13.3-28.0). Overall, 24.0% of participants had abnormal CFR, 34.6% had abnormal IMR, and 48.1% had a final diagnosis of invasively determined CMD. CSF was present in 23 participants (22.1%). The proportions of patients with CMD (56.5% vs 45.7%, p=0.36), abnormal CFR (17.4% vs 25.9%, p=0.40) and abnormal IMR (43.5% vs. 32.1%, p=0.31) were not different in patients with versus without CSF. Conclusions: Among patients with INOCA, CSF was not associated with abnormal CFR, IMR, or either abnormal CFR or IMR. CSF is not a reliable angiographic surrogate of abnormal CFR or IMR as determined by invasive, wire-based physiology testing.

Assessing current visual tooth wear age estimation methods for Rangifer tarandus using a known age sample from Canada.

Age estimation is crucial for investigating animal populations in the past and present. Visual examination of tooth wear and eruption is one of the most common ageing methods in zooarchaeology, wildlife management, palaeontology, and veterinary research. Such approaches are particularly advantageous because they are non-destructive, can be completed using photographs, and do not require specialized training. Several tooth wear and eruption methods have been developed for Rangifer tarandus, a widely distributed and long-utilized species in the North. This paper evaluates the practicality and effectiveness of three existing visual tooth wear and eruption methods for this species using a large known-age sample from several caribou populations in northern Canada (Bluenose East, Bluenose West, Dolphin-Union, Qamanirjuaq, and Beverly herds). These methods are evaluated based on: (1) the amount of error and bias between estimated and actual ages, (2) suitable and interpretable results, (3) user-friendly and unambiguous procedures, and (4) which teeth and visual features of those teeth are used to record wear and eruption status. This study finds that the three evaluated methods all have variable errors and biases, and two show extensive biases when applied to older individuals. Demographic data is simpler to generate and more flexible to report when methods allow age to be estimated as a continuous or discrete variable, rather than as age ranges. The dentition samples used by two of the previously developed methods impact their applicability to other populations of Rangifer. In one existing method, individuals were unavailable from some age ranges leaving gaps when assigning ages. For another Rangifer-ageing method, the population utilized was too distinct in morphology or diet to be used with the Canadian caribou analyzed here. Additional refinement of tooth wear and eruption ageing methods will benefit zooarchaeological research on reindeer and caribou remains.

Coronary Artery Tree Description and Lesion Evaluation (CatLet) score for functional evaluation of coronary stenosis: a comparison study with pressure wire fractional flow reserve.

Pressure wire fractional flow reserve (FFR) and its derivatives, such as quantitative flow ratio (QFR), computational pressure flow-derived FFR (caFFR), coronary angiography-derived FFR (FFRangio), and computed tomography-derived FFR (FFRCT), have been validated for identifying functionally significant stenosis and guiding revascularization strategy. The limitations of using these methods include the side effects of hyperemia-induced agents, additional costs, and vulnerability to microvascular resistance. FFR is related both to the degree of a stenotic coronary artery and to its subtended myocardial territory. Coronary Artery Tree Description and Lesion Evaluation (CatLet) score (also known as Hexu) is a product of the degree of a stenosis and the weighting of the affected coronary artery (myocardial territory). Hence, we hypothesized that the CatLet score could predict hemodynamically significant coronary stenosis. We retrospectively enrolled consecutive patients with stable coronary artery disease. They attended Sichuan Science City Hospital with at least one lesion of 50-90% diameter stenosis in a coronary artery of 2 mm or larger. FFR measurement was obtained during invasive coronary angiography. The CatLet score was obtained by multiplying a fixed value of 2.0 (for non-occlusive lesions) and the weight of the affected coronary artery. The primary endpoint was the CatLet score's diagnostic accuracy in identifying hemodynamically significant coronary stenosis, with a pressure wire FFR of ≤0.80 being used as reference. We analyzed the FFR and CatLet scores from 206 vessels in 175 patients with stable coronary disease and intermediate coronary lesions. The per-vessel analysis revealed an overall good correlation between the CatLet score and the FFR [r=-0.61; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): -0.69 to -0.52; P<0.01]. We also noted a significant CatLet score-FFR correlation for each of the left anterior descending artery (LAD), left circumflex (LCX), and right coronary artery (RCA). With a CatLet score ≥10 as a predictor of FFR ≤0.80, the overall diagnostic accuracy included a sensitivity of 78.80% (95% CI: 67.00-87.90%), a specificity of 85.00% (95% CI: 78.00-90.50%), a positive likelihood ratio of 5.25, a negative likelihood ratio of 0.25, and an area under the curve of 0.90 (95% CI: 0.85-0.94). Equivalent vessel-specific results were also achieved for each of the LAD, LCX, and RCA. The CatLet score, solely based on visual estimation of the results of coronary angiography, demonstrated good diagnostic performance with respect to myocardial ischemia. Its clinical values in guiding revascularization warrant further investigation.

Trading-Off Safety with Agility Using Deep Pose Error Estimation and Reinforcement Learning for Perception-Driven UAV Motion Planning

Navigation and planning for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) based on visual-inertial sensors has been a popular research area in recent years. However, most visual sensors are prone to high error rates when exposed to disturbances such as excessive brightness and blur, which can lead to catastrophic performance drops in perception and motion planning systems. This study proposes a novel framework to address the coupled perception-planning problem in high-risk environments. This achieved by developing algorithms that can automatically adjust the agility of the UAV maneuvers based on the predicted error rate of the pose estimation system. The fundamental idea behind our work is to demonstrate that highly agile maneuvers become infeasible to execute when visual measurements are noisy. Thus, agility should be traded-off with safety to enable efficient risk management. Our study focuses on navigating a quadcopter through a sequence of gates on an unknown map, and we rely on existing deep learning methods for visual gate-pose estimation. In addition, we develop an architecture for estimating the pose error under high disturbance visual inputs. We use the estimated pose errors to train a reinforcement learning agent to tune the parameters of the motion planning algorithm to safely navigate the environment while minimizing the track completion time. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed approach yields significantly fewer crashes and higher track completion rates compared to approaches that do not utilize reinforcement learning.

An Optimized Recurrent Neural Network for re-modernize food dining bowls and estimating food capacity from images

Maintaining health and preventing chronic diseases requires awareness of the energy and nutrient content of one's diet. Due to the rapid development of computing and Artificial intelligence (AI) technology, nutritional evaluation can be performed using smartphones or wearable food images.Thechallenges of this technology include estimating the visual estimation of the amount of food in a bowl. We describe an innovative approach for determining a bowl's dimensions by sticking a paper ruler throughout the bottom and edges yet photographing the outcome. We used a variety of colored liquids, bowlsand crystallized foods to evaluate the precision of our technique for measuring food volume employing spherical bowls as boxes. Different food-related datasets can have other numbers of images, types of food dining bowls and estimated food capacity from the images represented. Image preprocessing using a wiener filter enhances the estimating of food dining bowl capacity from images. Following preprocessing, a threshold-based approach to image segmentation is used for the resulting data; finally, we used the Gradient Lion Swarm Optimized Discrete Recurrent Neural Network (GLSO-DRNN) model to present an AI-based multi-dish food identification approach. An excellent mAP = 0.96 was found between the results. The suggested model shows great promise as a means of improving dish reporting because of its high classification performance.The GLSO-DRNN performed better toproving its flexibility and efficient discrete parameter optimization. In addition to offering accurate food quantity estimates, it demonstrated significant potential for other uses in the field of smart dining technology. The results highlight aneffective ofthis advanced computational method that is improving food dining bowlsand interactions with components associated with food. In the future, we plan to improve the techniques' performance and incorporate our technology into a working Smartphone based on the cloud environment.

Visual Estimation of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction by Emergency Medicine Residents is More Accurate in Emergency Department Patients

Visual Estimation of Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction by Emergency Medicine Residents is More Accurate in Emergency Department Patients

EVALUATION OF THE RELIABILITY AND CONCORDANCE OF VISUAL WEIGHT ASSESSMENT IN WATER BUFFALO FEMALES

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background.&lt;/strong&gt; For the development of reproductive, nutritional and health programmes, estimation of animal body weight (BW) is a fundamental tool in herd management. &lt;strong&gt;Objective. &lt;/strong&gt;To evaluate of the reliability and concordance&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;of visual weight assessment in water buffalo females. &lt;strong&gt;Methodology. &lt;/strong&gt;Data on visually estimated body weight (VM) and actual body weight (BW) were recorded for 229 female water buffaloes. BW was recorded using a digital scale and visual estimation BW was taken as the average of three observations made by three observers. The measurements obtained by each of the different estimation methods were also compared with the observed weights by inspecting the paired Bland-Altman plots prior to logarithmic transformation. &lt;strong&gt;Results. &lt;/strong&gt;Correlations between observed BW and mean predicted BW for visual methods showed a positive and significant relationship (P&amp;lt;0.001), with an r value of 0.95. According to the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), there was a high degree of reliability in the visual estimates of buffalo weight, due to the similarity in the mean and dispersion of each observer's estimates. Both the Bland-Altman plot and the ICC show that there is a high level of concordance between the buffalo weights obtained by the visual and real methods. &lt;strong&gt;Implications.&lt;/strong&gt; The result of the present study showed that visual assessment highlights the ability of livestock handlers to have a very accurate estimation of BW in female water buffaloes. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusion.&lt;/strong&gt; The results of this study show that visual assessment highlights the ability of livestock handlers to visually estimate BW in female water buffaloes with high reliability and concordance with the animal weighbridge method.&lt;/p&gt;

Enhancing endoscopic measurement: validating a quantitative method for polyp size and location estimation in upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Accurate measurement of polyps size is crucial in predicting malignancy, planning relevant intervention strategies and surveillance schedules. Endoscopists' visual estimations can lack precision. This study builds on our prior research, with the aim to evaluate a recently developed quantitative method to measure the polyp size and location accurately during a simulated endoscopy session. The quantitative method merges information about endoscopic positions obtained from an electromagnetic tracking sensor, with corresponding points on the images of the segmented polyp border. This yields real-scale 3D coordinates of the border of the polyp. By utilising the sensor, positions of any anatomical landmarks are attainable, enabling the estimation of a polyp's location relative to them. To verify the method's reliability and accuracy, simulated endoscopies were conducted in pig stomachs, where polyps were artificially created and assessed in a test-retest manner. The polyp measurements were subsequently compared against clipper measurements. The average size of the fifteen polyps evaluated was approximately 12 ± 4.3 mm, ranging from 5 to 20 mm. The test-retest reliability, measured by the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for polyp size estimation, demonstrated an absolute agreement of 0.991 (95% CI 0.973-0.997, p < 0.05). Bland & Altman analysis revealed a mean estimation difference of - 0.17 mm (- 2.03%) for polyp size and, a mean difference of - 0.4 mm (- 0.21%) for polyp location. Both differences were statistically non-significant (p > 0.05). When comparing the proposed method with calliper measurements, the Bland & Altman plots showed 95% of size estimation differences between - 1.4 and 1.8 mm (- 13 to 17.4%) which was not significant (p > 0.05). The proposed method of measurements of polyp size and location was found to be highly accurate, offering great potential for clinical implementation to improve polyp assessment. This level of performance represents a notable improvement over visual estimation technique used in clinical practice.

Comparison of phenotypic variability of winter durum wheat varieties and lines according to the color characteristics of grain, cereals and pasta

There have been given the study results of grain color characteristics of winter durum wheat varieties and lines (Triticum durum Desf.). There has been studied the effect of factors (‘variety’, ‘year’ and their correlation) on the expression of the main breeding-valuable traits that affect the quality of the final product. The purpose of the current study was to determine the variability of phenotypic characteristics of grain associated with the number of yellow pigments in grain, the color of semolina and finished pasta, to study the correlation between indicators and to identify the most promising ones for further work. Field trials were carried out in the scientific crop rotation laboratory of breeding and seed production of winter durum wheat of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy”. Laboratory and analytical study was carried out in the laboratory of biochemical, technological and agrochemical estimation in accordance with generally accepted methods and GOST. As a result of the study, there has been established that the main effect on such characteristics of grain quality of winter durum wheat as ‘general hardiness’, ‘mass fraction of protein in grain’ and ‘grain color index b’ was produced by the factor ‘year of study’ by 67.0 %, 48 .2 % and 65.4 % respectively. The ‘cereal color index b’, ‘dry pasta color index b’ and visual estimation of dry pasta were mainly influenced by the factor ‘genotype’ by 62.3 %, 82.5 % and 48.3 %, respectively. The severity of the trait ‘content of carotenoid pigments’ depended on all factors. Over the years of the study, the winter durum wheat varieties and lines developed by the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” according to color characteristics met the international requirements for durum wheat grain. As a result, the varieties ‘Grafit’ and ‘Karotinka’ stood out according to several studied characteristics in connection with which we recommend expanding the production crops of these varieties. There can be recommended to use promising lines 1147/19 and 971/19 and the variety ‘Solntsedar’ in the breeding process as sources with high color characteristics of grain and pasta.

The Nuances of Plant Disease Severity Estimation Using Quantitative Ordinal Scales - Lessons Learned Over Four Decades.

We revisit the foundations of the Horsfall-Barratt (HB) scale, a widely cited and applied plant disease visual assessment tool introduced in 1945, a full 37 years prior to T. T. Hebert's 1982 critique that raised concerns regarding the scale's rationale, particularly its reliance on the Weber-Fechner law and visual perception assumptions. Although use of the HB scale and similar ordinal scales persists, comprehensive studies have revealed that direct visual estimation using percentage scales often proves more accurate and reliable. Challenges remain, such as biases due to estimator subjectivity and the potential for misclassification. The logarithmic assumptions of the HB scale have been debunked, and the importance of choosing appropriate interval sizes and numbers of classes in developing ordinal scales is emphasized. Analyzing ordinal scale data appropriately is crucial, and recent advances offer promising methods that reduce type II error rates. The closely related disease severity index (DSI) is noted to have its shortcomings and potential for misuse. The letter underscores the need for continuous refinement and critical evaluation of disease assessment methodologies.