Stravogianni Vasiliki, Samaras Theodoros, Boscos Constantin M, Markakis John, Krystallidou Evdokia, Basioura Athina, Tsakmakidis Ioannis A
School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54627 Thessaloniki, Greece.
School of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Mar 24;12(7):829. doi: 10.3390/ani12070829.
Biomedical measurements by specialized technological equipment have been used in farm animals to collect information about nutrition, behavior and welfare. This study investigates the relation of semen quality (CASA analysis, viability, morphology, membrane biochemical activity and DNA fragmentation) with boar behavior during ejaculation. Sensors were placed on the boar’s body. Movement features were collected using an inertial measurement unit (IMU), comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer. Boar, scrotal and dummy temperatures were measured by an infrared (IR) camera and an IR thermometer, while the face salivation of the boar was recorded by a moisture meter (also based on IR technology). All signals and images were logged on a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) using a Bluetooth connection and then transferred wirelessly to the cloud. The data files were then processed using scripts in MATLAB 2021a (MathWorks, Natick, Massachusetts) to derive the necessary indices. Ninety-four ejaculates from five boars were analyzed in this study. The statistical analysis was performed in the Statistics and Machine Learning Toolbox of MATLAB 2021a using a linear mixed effects model. Significant and strong negative correlations (R2 > 0.5, p ≤ 0.05) were observed between boar, dummy and scrotal temperature with the progressive, rapid and slow movement of spermatozoa, VCL (curvilinear velocity), VSL (straight line velocity) and ALH (amplitude of lateral head displacement) kinematics. The volume of the ejaculate was correlated with the scrotal and dummy temperature. Dummy’s temperature was negatively correlated with BCF (beat/cross-frequency), viability and total time of ejaculation, while it was positively correlated with abnormal morphology. Body temperature was negatively correlated with BCF. Positive correlations were noticed between VAP (average path velocity) and total time of ejaculation with body acceleration features, as well as between the overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) and total time of ejaculation. In conclusion, the use of biomedical sensors can support the evaluation of boar sperm production capacity, providing valuable information about semen quality.
通过专门的技术设备进行的生物医学测量已被用于家畜，以收集有关营养、行为和福利的信息。本研究调查了射精过程中精液质量（计算机辅助精子分析、活力、形态、膜生化活性和DNA碎片化）与公猪行为之间的关系。传感器放置在公猪身体上。使用惯性测量单元（IMU）收集运动特征，该单元包括一个加速度计、一个陀螺仪和一个磁力计。通过红外（IR）相机和红外温度计测量公猪、阴囊和假母猪的温度，而公猪面部流涎情况则由湿度计（同样基于红外技术）记录。所有信号和图像通过蓝牙连接记录在移动设备（智能手机或平板电脑）上，然后无线传输到云端。然后使用MATLAB 2021a（MathWorks，马萨诸塞州纳蒂克）中的脚本处理数据文件，以得出必要的指标。本研究分析了来自五头公猪的94份精液样本。使用MATLAB 2021a的统计和机器学习工具箱中的线性混合效应模型进行统计分析。观察到公猪、假母猪和阴囊温度与精子的渐进、快速和缓慢运动、曲线速度（VCL）、直线速度（VSL）和头部横向位移幅度（ALH）运动学之间存在显著且强烈的负相关（R2>0.5，p≤0.05）。射精量与阴囊和假母猪温度相关。假母猪的温度与鞭打/交叉频率（BCF）、活力和射精总时间呈负相关，而与异常形态呈正相关。体温与BCF呈负相关。平均路径速度（VAP）和射精总时间与身体加速度特征之间以及整体动态身体加速度（ODBA）和射精总时间之间存在正相关。总之，生物医学传感器的使用可以支持对公猪精子生产能力的评估，提供有关精液质量的有价值信息。
