Automatic Detection of Nephrops Norvegicus Burrows from Underwater Imagery Using Deep Learning

The Norway lobster,Nephrops norvegicus,is one of the main commercial crustacean fisheries in Europe.The abundance of Nephrops norvegicus stocks is assessed based on identifying and counting the burrows where they live from underwater videos collected by camera systems mounted on sledges.The Spanish Oceanographic Institute(IEO)andMarine Institute Ireland(MIIreland)conducts annual underwater television surveys(UWTV)to estimate the total abundance of Nephrops within the specified area,with a coefficient of variation(CV)or relative standard error of less than 20%.Currently,the identification and counting of the Nephrops burrows are carried out manually by the marine experts.This is quite a time-consuming job.As a solution,we propose an automated system based on deep neural networks that automatically detects and counts the Nephrops burrows in video footage with high precision.The proposed system introduces a deep-learning-based automated way to identify and classify the Nephrops burrows.This research work uses the current state-of-the-art Faster RCNN models Inceptionv2 and MobileNetv2 for object detection and classification.We conduct experiments on two data sets,namely,the Smalls Nephrops survey(FU 22)and Cadiz Nephrops survey(FU 30),collected by Marine Institute Ireland and Spanish Oceanographic Institute,respectively.From the results,we observe that the Inception model achieved a higher precision and recall rate than theMobileNetmodel.The best mean Average Precision(mAP)recorded by the Inception model is 81.61%compared to MobileNet,which achieves the best mAP of 75.12%.

Epidemiological Predicting of the Fleas on Rattus norvegicus

[Objective]To predict prevalence of fleas via a simple epidemiological model.[Method]The field investigation was carried out in 23 locations in Yunnan Province.A simple epidemiological model was involved mean abundance and variance of abundance.[Result]The prevalence of fleas increased with their mean abundance in logistic curve.A linear correlation of the predicted prevalence against observed prevalence did not differ significantly from unity.[Conclusion]Prevalence could be explained simply by their mean abundance.

RNA Interference-Mediated Downregulation of sAC Gene Inhibits Sperm Hyperactivation in Male Rats(Rattus norvegicus)

Hyperactivation is one of the most critical parts for fertilization, cAMP generated by soluble adenylyl cyclase （sAC） is necessary to activate sperm and is a prerequisite for sperm hyperactivation. The aim of this study is to investigate the function of sAC in hyperactivation in male rats. Four siRNAs of sAC gene were designed and separately transformed into rat sperm using electrotransformation method. Cultured for 12 and 24 h, physiological and biochemical indexes of these sperm were analyzed, and the expressions of some hyperactivation-related genes were detected using real-time PCR. We demonstrated 26.3-30.8% and 49.1-50.5% reduction in sAC at the protein by Western blot and mRNA levels by real-time PCR, respectively. The results showed that two siRNAs, Actb-717 and Actb-4205, were the best RNAi sites for silencing sAC. The VCL （curvilinear velocity） and ALH （amplitude of lateral head displacement） of RNA interference （RNAi）-transfected sperm were reduced, cAMP and protein phosphorylation in RNAi transfected sperm were also decreased. The hyperactivation-related genes, such as CatSper2, LDHC and PKA, were downregulated in the sperm, which sAC was knockdown. These findings demonstrated that sAC might play a critical role in cAMP signaling in the rat sperm hyperactivation, and downregulated sAC gene might prevent the expression of these hyperactivation-ralated genes resulting in sperm dysfunction. These findings suggest that these hyperactivation-ralated genes and sAC are functionally related in sperm hyperactivation and sAC falls into an expanding group of sperm proteins that appear to be promising targets for the development of male contraceptives.

<i>Moringa oleifera</i>Diets Effect on Haematological Parameters of Rat (<i>Ratus norvegicus</i>)

With aim of place at the disposal of the laboratories nonconventional food with food values and which do not have impact on the system haematopoietic of the rats of laboratory in particular the rat of the species Rattus norvegicus, the study of the haematologic parameters of rats nourished with nonconventional food makes containing powder of Moringa oleifera was undertaken. Indeed, analysis of the blood taking away carried out following the administration of five diets container various rates of powder of Moringa oleifera (0% (Control food), 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) respectively codified L3P, L3P25, L3P50, L3P75 and L3P100. These different food formulations were administered to rats (Ratus norvegicus) during three months. The weight of these animals was daily taken, followed by blood samples every 30 days for the determination of the blood count. The results of the study were shown differences between the various food formulations for each period of blood samples in biological parameters. These differences were more significant for platelets. During the three months of study, the hematocrit, platelets, MCV and outside the control group, were reported a slight progressive increase. The leukocyte parameters of all the rats in the investigation, indicated an increase in the second month. In conclusion, the study shows that during the three months of investigation, the tested foods do not disturb the haematological parameters except for thrombocytes which reveal a modification.

Efficacy of anticoagulant-free alternative bait products against house mice(Mus musculus)and brown rats(Rattus norvegicus)

The attractiveness and efficacy of four anonymous anticoagulant-free alternative rodenticides(active ingredients cellulose or plaster)were tested on wild strain groups of house mice(Mus musculus Linnaeus)and brown rats(Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout)in laboratory choice and no-choice experiments.In no-choice tests,the rodenticide product was offered ad libitum to the animals for 21 days(mice)and 10 days(rats),respectively.In choice tests,the rodenticide product and non-poisoned food were offered for 28 days(mice)and 14 days(rats).Two products with cellulose(C1 and C2)as the active ingredient were tested against both mice and rats.In two no-choice tests with mice,all animals died within 14 days(C1)and 21 days(C2);in a third no-choice test,11%(2/18)of mice survived(C1:21 days).In all three tests,numerous incidents of cannibalism were observed.The attractiveness of cellulose baits was tested for one product(C1)in three trials against normal food pellets.In all trials,bait consumption was low and all mice survived(15-34 days).Two no-choice trials with cellulose baits(C1)were conducted on groups of Rattus norvegicus;11 of 12 rats survived the bait feeding period and no cannibalism or sign of aggression between conspecifics was observed.Two plaster-based(CaSO_(4)·0.5H_(2)O)products(P1 and P2)were tested against both mice and rats;in no-choice tests,only one mouse(n=20)and no rats(n=8)were killed,although the baits proved to be attractive for rats and mice in choice tests.The results of these experiments suggest that neither cellulose-based nor plaster-based rodenticides are suitable agents for the control of Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus.

Survival,food consumption and growth of Norway lobster(Nephrops norvegicus)kept in laboratory conditions

Successful commercial aquaculture of crustacean species is dependent on satisfying their nutritional requirements and on producing rapidly growing and healthy animals.The results of the present study provide valuable information for feeding habits and growth of Nephrops norvegicus L.,1758)under laboratory conditions.The aim of the present study was to examine food consumption,growth and physiology of the Norway lobster N.norvegicus under laboratory conditions.N.norvegicus(15 g wet weight)were distributed into 100l tanks consisting of five numbered compartments each.They were fed the experimental diets(frozen mussels and pellets)for a period of 6 months.A group of starved Nephrops was stocked and fasted for 8 months.Although Nephrops grew well when fed the frozen mussels diet,feeding on a dry pellet feed was unsatisfactory.The starvation group,despite the fact that showed the highest mortality(50%),exhibited a remarkable tolerance to the lack of food supply.The study offers further insight by correlating the amino acid profiles of Nephrops tail muscle with the two diets.The deviations from the mussel’s diet for asparagine,alanine and glutamic acid suggest a deficiency of these amino acids in this diet.The results of the present study showed that the concentrations of free amino acids are lower in relative amount than those of protein-bound amino acids,except for arginine,proline and glycine.The present study contributes to the improvement of our knowledge on nutritional requirements of the above species.

Pitx2 suppression at meiotic stages associates with seasonal inhibition of testis development in Rattus norvegicus caraco

The bicoid-related transcription factor 2(Pitx2)plays a crucial role in the development of many organs and tissues by affecting the mitotic cell cycle.Postnatal testis development is related to mitosis and meiosis in mul-tiple cell types,but the role of Pitx2 gene in seasonal inhibition of testicular development remains unknown in rodents.We analyzed PITX2 protein and Pitx2 mRNA expression features using both laboratory and wild male Rattus norvegicus caraco.In postnatal testicle of laboratory colony,we found that PITX2 was expressed in Leydig cells,pachytene spermatocytes,round spermatids,and elongating spermatids rather than spermatogonia and lep-totene/zygotene spermatocytes.Pitx2b expression significantly increased along with the occurrence of pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids,while decreased along with the processes of elongated spermatids.In wild male rats with similar testes weight,a significantly suppressed Pitx2b expression occurred with an active meiotic stage in the inhibited testes in autumn and winter,compared with the normally developing testes in spring and summer.These results indicate that Pitx2b expression suppression plays a crucial role in the seasonal inhibition of testis development.

大鼠UQCRFS1基因的克隆及其表达模式分析

通过克隆获得泛醌-细胞色素C还原酶铁硫蛋白亚基1(Ubiquinol-cytochrome C reductase iron-sulfur subunit 1,UQCRFS1)基因,对基因序列及其编码的蛋白质进行分析,研究了其在大鼠(Rattusnorvegicus)心、脑、肾、肺组织中的表达模式。测序结果显示UQCRFS1基因全长826 bp,RT-PCR结果显示其在大鼠心脏中表达量较高,脑和肺中表达量稍低,肾脏组织中表达量最低,推测UQCRFS1的功能可能与大鼠的心脏发育有关。

广州市郊鼠中检出埃立克体样微生物

目的 了解曾经两次暴发犬埃立克体病流行的广州市郊某养犬基地野生啮齿动物感染埃立克体情况。方法 用 16SrRNA基因埃立克体属特异引物对抓捕的动物全血及脾脏样本进行PCR检测 ,阳性样本克隆测序 ,所得序列与Gen Bank中注册的核苷酸序列进行比较。结果 在所抓捕的 2 6只野生啮齿动物中 ,3份褐家鼠全血样本和一份脾样本检出埃立克体特异阳性带。序列测定结果显示 ,这 3只鼠所携带的埃立克体样微生物基因完全一致。该基因与核酸数据库中的埃立克体Schotti株有最大同源性 (99 0 4 % )。结论 此次发现的埃立克体与该基地流行的犬埃立克体Gzh982株和扁平埃立克体Gzh981株有很大差异。该菌在流行病学上的意义有待进一步研究。

褐家鼠与大仓鼠消化系统比较

为了解褐家鼠(Rattus norvegicus)与大仓鼠(Cricetulus triton)消化系统之间的差异,试验对两种鼠进行解剖。结果表明,褐家鼠食管平均长度占体长比值是大仓鼠的0.873倍;胃(不含内容物)的平均质量占体重比值是大仓鼠的0.462倍;小肠平均长度占体长的比值是大仓鼠的1.557倍,大肠平均长度占体长比值是大仓鼠的0.383倍,盲肠平均长度占体长比值是大仓鼠的0.283倍;肝重与体重比值是大仓鼠的1.190倍。两种鼠的消化系统中器官长度和结构有多处差异,两种鼠对于食物质量选择的分化程度明显,且褐家鼠食物选择广泛,大仓鼠对植物性食物依赖性更高。

Biochemical and histopathological profiling of Wistar rat treated with Brassica napus as a supplementary feed

Metabolic changes together with cardiovascular and hepatic factors are related to the development of diseases like myocardial lipidosis,heart disease,and profound toxicity.The aim of this animal study is to determine the effects of high erucic acid containing rapeseed oil(Brassica napus L.)varieties on liver,kidney and heart muscles in Wistar rats.Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups where each group containing four rats.Group A was considered as control diet group,while Group B rapeseed wild oil group and Group C rapeseed hybrid oil group were considered as experimental diet groups.The levels of aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),alkaline phosphatase(ALP),creatine kinase-MB(CK-MB)and creatinine of two experimental groups were significantly elevated while compared to the control groups(p<0.05–0.001).Nevertheless,an increment in weight retardation(p<0.05)was also observed in rapeseed hybrid oil treated groups.No significant weight retardation found in other two groups(p>0.05).Noticeable tissue injury observed in this study is a sign of the relative toxicity of erucic acid containing rapeseed oil to mammalian species.The use of Brassica napus as a supplementary feed ingredient should be,therefore,thoroughly considered.

The antioxidative effects of some medicinal plants as hypoglycemic agents on chromosomal aberration and abnormal nucleic acids metabolism produced by diabetes stress in male adult albino rats

The objectives of the present study are to evaluate the chromosomal aberrations in somatic and germ cells of alloxanized diabetic rats treated with methanolic extracts of Cleome droserifolia (Sammo), Anastatica hierochuntica (Kafta), Juniperus phoencea (Araar) and Hyphaene thebaica (Doum) as well as their effects on blood glucose, liver and testes total soluble protein, DNA and RNA contents and also nucleases (RNAase and DNAase) activity. The material and Methods: The study was performed in six groups. The first group was the normal healthy control;the second group was rats injected with alloxan (diabetic control). Every one of the other four groups (diabetic rats) was ingested with each of the methanolic extracts of Kafta, Doum, Sammo and Araar (individually). The results: The results of chromosomal analysis showed that, diabetic rats had a highly significant increase of chromosomal aberrations compared to that of normal healthy control. Animals which treated with the four plants methanolic extracts showed significant improvements in the frequencies of chromosomal aberrations. In case of biochemical analysis, blood glucose level was significantly increased but immunoglobulins levels were decreased in diabetic albino rats. Diabetes increased serum total lipids, cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL but serum HDL was decreased. RNA and DNA as well as inhibited the nucleases (RNAase and DNAase) activity of both organs (liver and testes) tissue. The conclusions: It is concluded that diabetes is much harmful in the animal body, whilst the induction of flavonoids extract (by methanol) of Kafta, Somma, Araar and Doum reduced these harmful of diabetes.

Reversible antispermatogenic and antisteroidogenic activities of Feronia limonia fruit pulp in adult male rats

Objective:To explore the antispermatogenic and testicular antisleroidogenic activities of Feronia limonia fruit pulp southern India.Methods:Fourty Wistar male albino rats(Ratios norvegicus)were equally divided into four groups.Experimental groups were administered with the ethanolic extract of Feronia lirnonia(F.limoni)fruit pulp at doses of 250 and 500 nig/kg body weight once daily for 55 days.All treated rats had corresponding recovery groups.At the end of each treatment periods,various spermatological indices,tissue biochemicals and testicular enzymes levels were analysed.Blood profiles were also estimated.Results:Compared with the control,the F.lirnonia.fruit pulp at both dose leveb did not decrease body weight,which were associated with decline in epididymal sperm count,motility,viability and increased percent of abnormal sperm.Further,F.limonia.fruit pulp at 500 mg/kg body weight markedly reduced the epididymal and testicular protein content by 24.58%and 29.86%,respectively,as well as the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and△~5-3β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase)levels by 42.82%and 38.08%,respectively,while a significant elevation was observed in testicular cholesterol and ascorbic acid content.A gradual recovery of all parameters was observed after 55 days of treatment withdrawal.No significant alterations in haematological indices were observed.Conclusions:The present findings indicate that F.lirnonia fruit pulp may have reversible antispermatogenic and antisteroidogenic properties,and could partially support the traditional use as mate contraceptive.

A comparative analysis of differentially expressed genes in rostral and caudal regions after spinal cord injury in rats

The initial mechanical damage of a spinal cord injury(SCI)triggers a progressive secondary injury cascade,which is a complicated process integrating multiple systems and cells.It is crucial to explore the molecular and biological process alterations that occur after SCI for therapy development.The differences between the rostral and caudal regions around an SCI lesion have received little attention.Here,we analyzed the differentially expressed genes between rostral and caudal sites after injury to determine the biological processes in these two segments after SCI.We identified a set of differentially expressed genes,including Col3a1,Col1a1,Dcn,Fn1,Kcnk3,and Nrg1,between rostral and caudal regions at different time points following SCI.Functional enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were involved in response to mechanical stimulus,blood vessel development,and brain development.We then chose Col3a1,Col1a1,Dcn,Fn1,Kcnk3,and Nrg1 for quantitative real-time PCR and Fn1 for immunostaining validation.Our results indicate alterations in different biological events enriched in the rostral and caudal lesion areas,providing new insights into the pathology of SCI.

Genetic boundary and gene flow between 2 parapatric subspecies of brown rats

Two parapatric Rattus norvegicus subspecies,R.n.humiliatus(RNH)and R.n.caraco(RNC),are classified accordi ng to morphological diverge nee and are mainly distributed in North and Northeast China.Here,we aimed to explore the population genetic structure,genetic boundary,and gene flow in these rats using 16 microsatellite loci.Structure analysis and principal component an alysis revealed 3 ancestral clusters.We found that the in termediate cluster exhibited higher genetic diversity and a lower in breeding coefficie nt tha n the other 2 clusters.The genetic differentiation between the 3 clusters was significant but weak,with a higher FST value being observed betwee n the clusters on both sides.The subspecies bou ndary inf erred from microsatellite markers may indicate the existence of an admixture or hybridization area covering Liaoning,Inner Mongolia,and Jilin Provinces,rather than corresponding to the administrative provincial boundaries between Liaoning and Jilin.The RNH and RNC subspecies presented moderate gene exchange and an asymmetric bidirectional gene flow pattern,with higher gene flow from the RNH subspecies to the RNC subspecies,constraining speciation.Such genetic characteristics might be explained by biological processes such as dispersal ability,mate choice,and dynamic lineage boundaries.

Phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial DNA sequences of wild rats, and the relationship with Seoul virus infection in Hubei, China

Seoul virus(SEOV), which is predominantly carried by Rattus norvegicus, is one of the major causes of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(HFRS) in China. Hubei province, located in the central south of China, has experienced some of the most severe epidemics of HFRS. To investigate the mitochondrial DNA(mt DNA)-based phylogenetics of wild rats in Hubei, and the relationship with SEOV infection, 664 wild rats were captured from five trapping sites in Hubei from2000–2009 and 2014–2015. Using reverse-transcription(RT)-PCR, 41(6.17%) rats were found to be positive for SEOV infection. The SEOV-positive percentage in Yichang was significantly lower than that in other areas. The mt DNA D-loop and cytochrome b(cyt-b) genes of 103 rats were sequenced.Among these animals, 37 were SEOV-positive. The reconstruction of the phylogenetic relationship(based on the complete D-loop and cyt-b sequences) allowed the rats to be categorized into two lineages, R. norvegicus and Rattus nitidus, with the former including the majority of the rats. For both the D-loop and cyt-b genes, 18 haplotypes were identified. The geographic distributions of the different haplotypes were significantly different. There were no significant differences in the SEOVpositive percentages between different haplotypes. There were three sub-lineages for the D-loop,and two for cyt-b. The SEOV-positive percentages for each of the sub-lineages did not significantly differ. This indicates that the SEOV-positive percentage is not related to the mt DNA D-loop or cyt-b haplotype or the sub-lineage of rats from Hubei.