A semantic autonomous video surveillance system for dense camera networks in smart cities

Producción CientíficaThis paper presents a proposal of an intelligent video surveillance system able to detect and identify abnormal and alarming situations by analyzing object movement. The system is designed to minimize video processing and transmission, thus allowing a large number of cameras to be deployed on the system, and therefore making it suitable for its usage as an integrated safety and security solution in Smart Cities. Alarm detection is performed on the basis of parameters of the moving objects and their trajectories, and is performed using semantic reasoning and ontologies. This means that the system employs a high-level conceptual language easy to understand for human operators, capable of raising enriched alarms with descriptions of what is happening on the image, and to automate reactions to them such as alerting the appropriate emergency services using the Smart City safety network

In vitro caecal fermentation of carbohydrate-rich feedstuffs in rabbits as affected by substrate pre-digestion and donors' diet

[EN] The influence of substrate pre-digestion and donors’ diet on in vitro caecal fermentation of different substrates in rabbits was investigated. Eight crossbreed rabbits were fed 2 experimental diets containing either low (LSF; 84.0 g/kg dry matter [DM]) or high soluble fibre (HSF; 130 g/kg DM) levels. In vitro incubations were conducted using batch cultures with soft faeces as inoculum and four fibrous or fibre-derived, low-starch and low-protein substrates: D-cellobiose (CEL), sugar beet pectin (PEC), sugar beet pulp (SBP) and wheat straw (WS). Substrates in half of the cultures were subjected to a 2-step pepsin/pancreatin in vitro digestion without filtration, and the whole residue (soluble, insoluble and added enzymes) was incubated at 39°C. Gas production was measured until 144 h, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production at 24 h incubation was determined. Cultures without substrate (blanks) were included to correct gas production values for gas released from endogenous substrates and added enzymes. Pre-digestion had no influence on in vitro gas production kinetic of WS, and only reduced the time before gas production begins (lag time; by 31%; P=0.042) for SBP, but for both substrates the pre-digestion decreased the molar proportion of acetate (by 9%; P≤0.003) and increased those of propionate and butyrate (P≤0.014). For CEL, the pre-digestion increased the gas and total VFA production (by 30 and 114%), shortened the lag time (by 32%), and only when it was combined with LSF inoculum 38 percentage units of acetate were replaced by butyrate (P≤0.039). Treatments had a minor influence on in vitro fermentation traits of SBP pectin. The results showed that the pre-digestion process influenced the in vitro caecal fermentation in rabbits, but the effects were influenced by donors’ diet and the incubated substrate. Pre-digestion of substrate is recommended before conducting in vitro caecal fermentations. The level of soluble fibre in the donors’ diet also influenced the in vitro caecal fermentation, but its effect depended on the type of substrate.Funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Projects AGL2011-23885 and AGL2011-22628) and the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (CAM; Project MEDGAN ABI-2913) is gratefully acknowledged.Ocasio-Vega, C.; Abad-Guamán, R.; Delgado, R.; Carabaño, R.; Carro, M.; García, J. (2018). In vitro caecal fermentation of carbohydrate-rich feedstuffs in rabbits as affected by substrate pre-digestion and donors' diet. World Rabbit Science. 26(1):15-25. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2018.7854SWORD152526

Influence of inoculum type (ileal, caecal and faecal) on the in vitro fermentation of different sources of carbohydrates in rabbits

[EN] Two in vitro experiments were performed to analyse the fermentative potential of ileal content, caecal content, soft faeces and hard faeces from adult rabbits. Experiment 1 evaluated 3 doses (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g fresh digesta/g substrate dry matter [DM]) of ileal and caecal digesta as inoculum in 28 h-incubations. Two ileal and 2 caecal inocula were obtained, each by pooling the ileal or caecal digesta of 2 adult rabbits. Pectin from sugar beet pulp (SBP) and the insoluble residue obtained after a 2-step in vitro pre-digestion of SBP and wheat straw were used as substrates. The 0.5 dose produced the lowest (P0.05) between the 1.0 and 2.0 doses (44.9, 51.6 and 53.8 mL/g substrate DM, respectively; values averaged across inocula and substrates). Experiment 2 evaluated two doses of ileal inoculum (1 and 1.5 g fresh digesta/g substrate DM) and compared ileal digesta, caecal digesta, soft faeces and hard faeces as inoculum for determining in vitro gas production (144-h incubations) of the 3 substrates used in Experiment 1 and wheat starch. Three inocula of each type were obtained, each by pooling either digesta or faeces from 3 rabbits. There were no differences (P>0.05) between the 2 ileal doses tested in gas production parameters, and therefore the 1.0 dose was selected for further ileal fermentations. Starch and pectin showed similar (P>0.05) values of gas production rate and maximal gas production rate when they were fermented with caecal digesta (0.038 vs. 0.043%/h, and 13.7 vs. 15.2 mL/h, respectively), soft (0.022 vs. 0.031%/h, and 9.97 vs. 9.33 mL/h) and hard faeces (0.031 vs. 0.038%/h, and 13.6 vs. 10.8 mL/h), and values were higher than those for SBP and wheat straw; in contrast, values for starch and pectin differed with the ileal inoculum (0.046 vs. 0.024%/h, and 18.4 vs. 6.60 mL/h). Both ileal and caecal gas production parameters were well correlated with those for hard and soft faeces inocula, respectively (r≥0.77; P≤0.040). The ileal inoculum showed a relevant fermentative potential, but lower than that of caecal digesta and soft and hard faeces for all substrates except wheat starch.Funding from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Project AGL2011-22628) and the Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (CAM; Project MEDGAN ABI-2913) is gratefully acknowledged.Abad-Guamán, R.; Larrea-Dávalos, JA.; Carabaño, R.; García, J.; Carro, MD. (2018). Influence of inoculum type (ileal, caecal and faecal) on the in vitro fermentation of different sources of carbohydrates in rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 26(3):227-240. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2018.9726SWORD227240263Abad R., Ibañez M.A., Carabaño R., García J. 2013. Quantification of soluble fibre in feedstuffs for rabbits and evaluation of the interference between the determinations of soluble fibre and intestinal mucin. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech., 182: 61-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2013.04.001Abad-Guamán R., Carabaño R., Gómez-Conde M.S., García J. 2015. Effect of type of fiber, site of fermentation, and method of analysis on digestibility of soluble and insoluble fiber in rabbits. J. Anim. Sci., 93: 2860-2871. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2014-8767Association of Official Analytical Chemists International. 2000. Official Methods of Analysis 17th ed. AOAC International, Washington, DC.Bindelle J., Buldgen A., Lambotte D., Wavreille J., Leterme P. 2007. Effect of pig faecal donor and of pig diet composition on in vitro fermentation of sugar beet pulp. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 132: 212-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2006.03.010Boletín Oficial del Estado (BOE). 2013. Royal Decree 53/2013 of February 1st on the protection of animals used for experimentation or other scientific purposes. BOE nº 34, 11370-11421. https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2013/02/08/pdfs/BOE-A-2013-1337.pdf Accessed January 2017. In Spanish.Bovera F., Calabro S., Cutrignelli M.I., Infascelli F., Piccolo G., Nizza S., Tudisco R., Nizza A. 2008. Prediction of rabbit caecal fermentation characteristics from faeces by in vitro gas production technique: roughages. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 92: 260-271. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2007.00748.xBovera F., D'Urso S., Di Meo C., Piccolo G., Calabro S., Nizza A. 2006. Comparison of rabbit caecal content and rabbit hard faeces as source of inoculum for the in vitro gas production technique. Asian Austral. J. Anim. Sci., 19: 1649-1657. https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2006.1649Bovera F., D'Urso S., Meo C.D., Tudisco R., Nizza A. 2009. A model to assess the use of caecal and faecal inocula to study fermentability of nutrients in rabbit. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 93: 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0396.2007.00795.xCalabrò S., Nizza A., Pinna W., Cutrignelli M., Piccolo V. 1999. Estimation of digestibility of compound diets for rabbits using the in vitro gas production technique. World Rabbit Sci., 7: 197-201. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.1999.401Carabaño R., Fraga M.J., Santoma G., de Blas C. 1988. Effect of diet on composition of cecal contents and on excretion and composition of soft and hard feces of rabbits. J. Anim. Sci 66: 901-1000. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas1988.664901xCarabaño R., García J., de Blas J.C. 2001. Effect of fibre source on ileal apparent digestibility of non-starch polysaccharides in rabbits. Anim. Sci., 72: 343-350. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1357729800055843Falcão-e-Cunha L., Peres H., Freire J.P.B., Castro-Solla L. 2004. Effects of alfalfa, wheat bran or beet pulp, with or without sunflower oil, on caecal fermentation and on digestibility in the rabbit. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol., 117: 131-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2004.07.014García J., Carabaño R., de Blas J.C. 1999. Effect of fiber source on cell wall digestibility and rate of passage in rabbits. J. Anim. Sci., 77: 898-905. https://doi.org/10.2527/1999.774898xGarcía J., Carabaño R., Pérez-Alba L., de Blas J.C. 2000. Effect of fiber source on cecal fermentation and nitrogen recycled through cecotrophy in rabbits. J. Anim. Sci., 78: 638-646. https://doi.org/10.2527/2000.783638xGarcía J., Gidenne T., Falcão-e-Cunha L., de Blas C. 2002. Identification of the main factors that influence caecal fermentation traits in growing rabbits. Anim. Res. 51: 165-173. https://doi.org/10.1051/animres:2002011Gidenne T. 1992. Effect of fiber level, particle-size and adaptation period on digestibility and rate of passage as measured at the ileum and in the feces in the adult-rabbit. Brit. J. Nutr., 67: 133-146. https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19920015Gidenne T. 1994. Effect of a reduction in fiber content on the rate of passage through the digestive-tract of the rabbit-comparison of models for the fecal kinetics of 2 markers. Reprod. Nutr. Dev., 34: 295-307. https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:19940403Goering H.K., Van Soest P.J. 1970. Forage Fiber Analysis (Apparatus, Reagents, Procedures, and Some Applications). USDA Agricultural Research Service, Handbook, Washington, DC.Gouet P., Fonty G. 1979. Changes in the digestive microflora of holoxenic rabbits from birth until adulthood. Ann. Biol Anim. Bioch., 19: 553-566. https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:19790501Littell R.C., Henry P.R., Ammerman C.B. 1998. Statistical analysis of repeated measures data using SAS procedures. J. Anim. Sci., 76: 1216-1231. https://doi.org/10.2527/1998.7641216xMarounek M., Vovk S.J., Skrivanova V. 1995. Distribution of activity of hydrolytic enzymes in the digestive-tract of rabbits. Brit. J. Nutr., 73: 463-469. https://doi.org/10.1079/BJN19950048Menke K.H., Raab L., Salewski A., Steingass H., Fritz D., Schneider W. 1979. The estimation of the digestibility and metabolizable energy of ruminant feedingstuff from the gas production when they are incubated with rumen liquor in vitro. J. Agr. Sci., 93: 217-222. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859600086305Mertens D.R., Allen M., Carmany J., Clegg J., Davidowicz A., Drouches M., Frank K., Gambin D., Garkie M., Gildemeister B., Jeffress D., Jeon C.S., Jones D., Kaplan D., Kim G.N., Kobata S., Main D., Moua X., Paul B., Robertson J., Taysom D., Thiex N., Williams J., Wolf M. 2002. Gravimetric determination of amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber in feeds with refluxing in beakers or crucibles: Collaborative study. J. AOAC Int., 85:1217-1240.Mould F.L., Kliem K.E., Morgan R., Mauricio R.M. 2005. In vitro microbial inoculum: A review of its function and properties. Anim. Feed Sci. Tech., 123: 31-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2005.04.028Murray S.M., Flickinger E.A., Patil A.R., Merchen N.R., Brent J.L., Fahey G.C. 2001. In vitro fermentation characteristics of native and processed cereal grains and potato starch using ileal chyme from dogs. J. Anim. Sci., 79: 435-444. https://doi.org/10.2527/2001.792435xOmed H.M., Lovett D.K., Axford R.F.E. 2000. Faeces as a source of microbial enzymes for estimating digestibility, In: Givens D., Owen E., Axford R., Omed H. (Eds.), Forage Evaluation in Ruminant Nutrition, CAB International, UK, pp. 135-154. https://doi.org/10.1079/9780851993447.0135Padilha M.T.S., Licois D., Gidenne T., Carre B., Fonty G. 1995. Relationships between microflora and caecal fermentation in rabbits before and after weaning. Reprod. Nutr. Dev., 35: 375-386. https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:19950403Pascual J.J., Cervera C., Fernández-Carmona J. 2000. Comparison of different in vitro digestibility methods for nutritive evaluation of rabbit diets. World Rabbit Sci., 8: 93-97. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2000.425Penney R.L., Folk G.E., Galask R.P., Petzold C.R. 1986. The microflora of the alimentary tract of rabbits in relation to pH, diet and cold. J. Appl. Rabbit Res., 9: 152-156.Piattoni F., Demeyer D., Maertens L., 1997. Fasting effects on in vitro fermentation pattern of rabbit caecal contents. World Rabbit Sci., 5: 23-26. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.1997.314Rodríguez-Romero N., Abecia L., Fondevila M., Balcells J. 2011. Effects of levels of insoluble and soluble fibre in diets for growing rabbits on faecal digestibility, nitrogen recycling and in vitro fermentation. World Rabbit Sci., 19: 85-94. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2011.828SAS Institute Inc. 2011. Base SAS® 9.3 Procedures Guide. SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA.Schofield P., Pitt R.E., Pell A.N. 1994. Kinetics of fiber digestion from in-vitro gas-production. J. Anim. Sci., 72: 2980-2991. https://doi.org/10.2527/1994.72112980xTagliapietra F., Williams B.A., Awati A., Bonsembiante M., Schiavon S., Verstegen M.W.A. 2003. In vitro degradation kinetics of four carbohydrates using ileal and faecal inocula from suckling piglets. Ital. J. Anim. Sci., 2: 195-197.Trocino A., García J., Carabaño R., Xiccato, G. 2013. A meta-analysis on the role of soluble fibre in diets for growing rabbits. World Rabbit Sci., 21: 1-15. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2013.1285Van Soest P.J., Robertson J.B., Lewis B.A. 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. J. Dairy Sci., 74: 3583-3597. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(91)78551-2Wang D., Williams B.A., Ferruzzi M.G., D'Arcy B.R. 2013. Different concentrations of grape seed extract affect in vitro starch fermentation by porcine small and large intestinal inocula. J. Sci. 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An intelligent surveillance platform for large metropolitan areas with dense sensor deployment

Producción CientíficaThis paper presents an intelligent surveillance platform based on the usage of large numbers of inexpensive sensors designed and developed inside the European Eureka Celtic project HuSIMS. With the aim of maximizing the number of deployable units while keeping monetary and resource/bandwidth costs at a minimum, the surveillance platform is based on the usage of inexpensive visual sensors which apply efficient motion detection and tracking algorithms to transform the video signal in a set of motion parameters. In order to automate the analysis of the myriad of data streams generated by the visual sensors, the platform’s control center includes an alarm detection engine which comprises three components applying three different Artificial Intelligence strategies in parallel. These strategies are generic, domain-independent approaches which are able to operate in several domains (traffic surveillance, vandalism prevention, perimeter security, etc.). The architecture is completed with a versatile communication network which facilitates data collection from the visual sensors and alarm and video stream distribution towards the emergency teams. The resulting surveillance system is extremely suitable for its deployment in metropolitan areas, smart cities, and large facilities, mainly because cheap visual sensors and autonomous alarm detection facilitate dense sensor network deployments for wide and detailed coveraMinisterio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio and the Fondo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) and the Israeli Chief Scientist Research Grant 43660 inside the European Eureka Celtic project HuSIMS (TSI-020400-2010-102)

Efecto de la pre-digestión del sustrato sobre la fermentación in vitro en conejos

Los trabajos de fermentacion realizados en conejos empleando la tecnica de produccion de gas in vitro desarrollada por Menke et al. (1979) presentan grandes variaciones en lo que se refiere a los inoculos utilizados, el procesado de los sustratos, la relacion inoculo/sustrato y los modelos matematicos de ajuste. En muchos trabajos, los sustratos solo son molidos (Calabro et al., 1999; Bovera et al., 2006), mientras que en otros se utiliza el residuo insoluble procedente de una pre-digestion in vitro donde se Simula la digestion del estomago e intestino delgado (Bindelle et a/. 2007; Rodriguez-Romero et al., 2011). Sin embargo, al estudiar la fermentacion de alimentos fibrosos seria interesante conservar en la muestra la fraccion de la fibra que se solubiliza en el intestino delgado (Abad-Guaman et al., 2015). Por otra parte, en conejos se ha observado que el nivel y tipo de fibra de la dieta de los donantes influye sobre la fermentacion in vitro (Rodriguez-Romero et al., 2011). El presente trabajo compara la fermentacion in vitro de diferentes sustratos cuando se realiza una pre-digesti6n o se incuba directamente el sustrato utilizando cecotrofos procedentes de gazapos alimentados con dos niveles de fibra soluble (FS)

Fermentación in vitro de pepsina/pancreatina con inóculos de conejos

The in vitro gas production of pepsin/pancreatin used in the determination of in vitro digestibility was evaluated using different inocula from rabbits (ileal, caecal and soft faeces from rabbits). In experiment 1 were used 3 different ileal and caecal inocula obtained each one from the combination of the digesta of 3 different 70 d old rabbits

Fusión de sensores de bajo coste para la monitorización de dinámica de vehículos

[ES] La caracterización dinámica de vehículos, permitiendo obtener la posición y orientación espacial de un vehículo en cada instante de tiempo, es fundamental no sólo evaluar cómo se comporta dinámicamente el vehículo y de esa forma hacer los ajustes necesarios en sus componentes para conseguir unas prestaciones determinadas, sino que se trata de, junto con otros sistemas, ser capaces de guiar el vehículo y realizar incluso una “conducción inteligente”. La aplicación de sistemas de caracterización dinámica mediante el uso de sensores de bajo coste en vehículos terrestres es relativamente reciente y está en auge en los últimos años por el gran desarrollo de estos sensores. El presente trabajo presenta los desarrollos de una línea de investigación seguida por los autores que tiene como finalidad investigar las distintas posibilidades que ofrece la fusión de sensores para caracterizar dinámicamente un sistema móvil. El objetivo fundamental es conseguir desarrollar un sistema que pueda ser implementado sobre un vehículo y permita estimar la posición y orientación del mismo, proporcionando información del valor de sus estados en cada instante. Con ello, se pretende ser capaz de evaluar el comportamiento dinámico del automóvil. Se estudian diferentes técnicas para lograr la estimación de los estados de un sistema y se analizarán los distintos tipos de sensores que se pueden emplear para la toma de medidas y el proceso de fusión de los mismos. Todo ello, con la intención de desarrollar una herramienta que permita determinar, de la forma más precisa posible y con unos costes reducidos, aquellas variables que definen la dinámica de los vehículos: balanceo, cabeceo, guiñada, velocidades angulares, aceleraciones, etc.Luque Rodríguez, P.; Álvarez Mántaras, D.; García De Jalón, J.; Bueno López, JL.; Cardenal Carro, J.; Deribe Diaz, Á. (2016). Fusión de sensores de bajo coste para la monitorización de dinámica de vehículos. En XII Congreso de ingeniería del transporte. 7, 8 y 9 de Junio, Valencia (España). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 2565-2574. https://doi.org/10.4995/CIT2016.2015.3549OCS2565257

Marine macroalgae in rabbit nutrition: in vitro digestibility, caecal fermentability, and microbial inhibitory activity of seven macroalgae species from Galicia (NW Spain)

The limitation on the prophylactic use of antibiotics in animal feed in Europe has critically challenged the rabbit meat industry, which urgently needs to find solutions. A feasible alternative could be using macroalgae in the diet to improve the gut health. This research studied seven species of marine macroalgae in four formats (dehydrated, enzymatically hydrolyzed, aqueous extract, and aqueous extract of hydrolyzed macroalgae) in order to select the most promising ones for their use in rabbit feed. Chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, in vitro caecal gas, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, and minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) against common pathogens were studied. All S. latissima products showed high caecal fermentability and VFA production, especially in both types of extracts. The H. elongata aqueous extract was remarkable due to its high in vitro butyrate production, which can be of great interest for improving gut health. The MIC results did not indicate any clear inhibition of the pathogens tested. The macroalgae tested appear to have a potentially prebiotic effect, rather than a direct antimicrobial activity. However, these results must be confirmed in vivo, in order to observe the real benefits of feeding macroalgae during the rabbit weaning period.Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentació

Altered profile of circulating microparticles in rheumatoid arthritis patients

Abstract Microparticles (MPs) could be considered biomarkers of cell damage and activation as well as novel signalling structures. Since rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by immune and endothelial activation, the main aim of the present study was to analyse MP counts in RA patients. Citrated-blood samples were obtained from 114 RA patients, 33 healthy controls (HC) and 72 individuals with marked cardiovascular (CV) risk without autoimmune manifestations (CVR). MPs were analysed in platelet-poor plasma (PPP) and different subsets were identified by their surface markers: platelet-(CD41 + ), endothelial-(CD146 + ), granulocyte-(CD66 + ), monocyte-(CD14 + ) and Tang-(CD3 + CD31 + ) derived. Disease activity score (DAS28), clinical and immunological parameters as well as traditional CV risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and obesity) were registered from clinical records and all data were integrated using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Absolute MP number was increased in RA patients compared with HC and positively correlated with traditional CV risk factors, similar to that of CVR subjects. In addition, frequency of the different MP subsets was different in RA patients and significantly associated with disease features. Moreover, in vitro assays revealed that MPs isolated from RA patients were able to promote endothelial activation and exhibited detrimental effects on human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-I) endothelial cell functionality. Circulating MPs from RA patients displayed quantitative and qualitative alterations that are the result of both disease-specific and traditional CV risk factors. Accordingly, this MP pool exhibited in vitro detrimental effects on endothelial cells, thus supporting their role as biomarkers of vascular damage