Editorial: Precision livestock farming: a 'per animal' approach using advanced monitoring technologies

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Prediction of Milking Robot Utilization

For the planning of the barn layout, cow traffic and facility locations (such as: cubicles, forage lane, etc.), the farmer has to know the milking robot utilization of his production herd. Therefore, prediction of the milking robot utilization has to be done. The milking robot utilization depends on the cow´s visiting pattern and capacity of the milking robot. The models used for prediction were generalized multiple regression models. Behavioural data were obtained by video observations and electronic measurements. For eleven behavioural variables used in the model from all three experiments, only two (number of cows and sum of milk yields per hour in kilograms) were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) and measurable on a commercial farm. A part from the milking capacity, forage feeding routine influenced utilization of the robot. Combined cow traffic used in experiments appeared to be feasible.Izgled staje, kretanje krava, te raspored pojedinih dijelova staje (npr. ležišta, "krmna zabrana"...) ovisi o stupnju iskorištenja robota za strojnu mužnju u postojećem stadu krava. Zbog toga je važno predvidjeti stupanj iskorištenja robota za strojnu mu.nju. On ovisi o redoslijedu posjeta krava robotu i kapacitetu robota za strojnu mužnju. Statistički modeli korišteni za predviđanje su općeniti modeli multiple regresije. Opisni podaci o kravama su prikupljeni pomoću video opreme i elektronskih mjerenja. Od jedanaest varijabli korištenih u statistikom modelu od tri eksperimenta, samo dvije (broj krava i ukupna količina izmuzenog mlijeka (kg/h)) su bile statistički signifikantne (p ≤0.05) i mjerljive na komercijalnoj farmi. Osim kapaciteta strojne mu.nje na stupanj iskorištenja robota za strojnu mužnju utjecao je i vremenski raspored hranjenja na "krmnoj zabrani". Kombinirani način kretanja krava u staji se pokazao izvediv

Inflammation of the Gonad in Prepubertal Healthy Children. Epidemiology, Etiology, and Management

The prevalence, etiology, and proper management of acute gonadal inflammation in prepubertal children are still controversial, with some reports defining it as rare, while others have found it more prevalent. So far, there is no consensus on imaging studies or standard follow-up procedures. In the minority of the children, the inflammation is related to congenital genitourinary malformation and bacterial infection. The majority of children with gonadal inflammation are healthy and do not have any underlying malformations; in this group, the etiology is related to viral infection or torsion of the gonad appendix. Management is directed towards the etiology. Hence, when bacterial inflammation is suspected, antibiotics should be given and full evaluation of the urinary tract system should be performed. For patients with negative medical history, absence of fever, and normal urinalysis, the diagnosis of bacterial inflammation is very unlikely, and there is neither justification for antimicrobial antibiotic therapy nor for any further urinary tract imaging. Caution should be taken with nonverbal children and infants, or patients with any abnormal parameter. For these patients, we recommend initial management as for bacterial urinary tract infection, until urine cultures results are obtained. This paper provides a comprehensive review with the related medical literature

Coherent, super resolved radar beamforming using self-supervised learning

High resolution automotive radar sensors are required in order to meet the high bar of autonomous vehicles needs and regulations. However, current radar systems are limited in their angular resolution causing a technological gap. An industry and academic trend to improve angular resolution by increasing the number of physical channels, also increases system complexity, requires sensitive calibration processes, lowers robustness to hardware malfunctions and drives higher costs. We offer an alternative approach, named Radar signal Reconstruction using Self Supervision (R2-S2), which significantly improves the angular resolution of a given radar array without increasing the number of physical channels. R2-S2 is a family of algorithms which use a Deep Neural Network (DNN) with complex range-Doppler radar data as input and trained in a self-supervised method using a loss function which operates in multiple data representation spaces. Improvement of 4x in angular resolution was demonstrated using a real-world dataset collected in urban and highway environments during clear and rainy weather conditions.Comment: 28 pages 10 figure

Surgical Reimplantation for the Correction of Vesicoureteral Reflux following Failed Endoscopic Injection

Purpose. In recent years, endoscopic injection became the procedure of choice for the correction of vesicoureteral reflux in the majority of the centers. Unfortunately, endoscopic treatment is not always successful and sometimes requires more than one trial to achieve similar results to that of an open reimplantation surgery. Our aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and success rate of open ureteral reimplantation following failed endoscopic procedure. Patients and Methods. During 2004–2010, we evaluated 16 patients with persistent vesicoureteral reflux (grades II–IV) following failed endoscopic treatment. All patients underwent open ureteral reimplantation. All patients were followed with an ultrasound 6 weeks following surgery and every 6 months thereafter for an average of 22 months. Voiding cystography was performed at 3 months after surgery. Results. During unilateral open ureteral reimplantation, the implanted deposit from previous procedures was either excised, drained, or incorporated into the neotunnel with the ureter. Vesicoureteral reflux was resolved in all patients with 100% success rate. No new hydronephrosis or signs of obstruction developed in any of the patients. qDMSA renal scan was available in 8 patients showing improvement of function in 5 and stable function in 3, and no new scars were identified. Conclusions. Open ureteral reimplantation is an excellent choice for the correction of failed endoscopic treatment in children with vesicoureteral reflux