Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos

The validation of methods for understanding the effects of many diseases and treatments requires the use of animal models in translational research. In this context, sheep have been employed extensively in scientific studies. However, the imposition of experimental conditions upon these animals may...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Beatriz Leandro Bonafini, Lukas Breuer, Lisa Ernst, René Tolba, Lucas Ferrari de Oliveira, Mauren Abreu de Souza, Michael Czaplik, Carina Barbosa Pereira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Animals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3398
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1846124583912996864
author Beatriz Leandro Bonafini
Lukas Breuer
Lisa Ernst
René Tolba
Lucas Ferrari de Oliveira
Mauren Abreu de Souza
Michael Czaplik
Carina Barbosa Pereira
author_facet Beatriz Leandro Bonafini
Lukas Breuer
Lisa Ernst
René Tolba
Lucas Ferrari de Oliveira
Mauren Abreu de Souza
Michael Czaplik
Carina Barbosa Pereira
author_sort Beatriz Leandro Bonafini
collection DOAJ
description The validation of methods for understanding the effects of many diseases and treatments requires the use of animal models in translational research. In this context, sheep have been employed extensively in scientific studies. However, the imposition of experimental conditions upon these animals may result in the experience of discomfort, pain, and stress. The ethical debates surrounding the use of animals in research have resulted in the adoption of Directive 2010/63/EU. The present study proposes a non-contact method for monitoring the respiration rate of sheep based on video processing. The Detecron2 model was trained to segment the sheep’s body, abdominal, and facial regions in the video frames. A motion-tracking algorithm was developed to assess abdominal movement associated with the sheep’s respiratory cycle. The method was applied to videos of Rhön sheep under experimental and housing conditions, utilising two types of cameras to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The mean average error (MAE) obtained was 0.79 breaths/minute for the visible and 1.83 breaths/minute for the near-infrared (NIR) method. This study demonstrates the feasibility of video technology for simultaneous and non-invasive respiration monitoring, being a crucial parameter for assessing the health deterioration of multiple laboratory animals.
format Article
id doaj-art-78b06e7ff6a2497d9b61b553a16d9494
institution Kabale University
issn 2076-2615
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Animals
spelling doaj-art-78b06e7ff6a2497d9b61b553a16d94942024-12-13T16:21:03ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152024-11-011423339810.3390/ani14233398Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared VideosBeatriz Leandro Bonafini0Lukas Breuer1Lisa Ernst2René Tolba3Lucas Ferrari de Oliveira4Mauren Abreu de Souza5Michael Czaplik6Carina Barbosa Pereira7Post Graduate Program in Technology in Health, Polytechnique School, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba 80215-901, BrazilDepartment of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, GermanyInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science & Experimental Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, GermanyInstitute for Laboratory Animal Science & Experimental Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, GermanyDepartment of Informatics, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81530-000, BrazilPost Graduate Program in Technology in Health, Polytechnique School, Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, Curitiba 80215-901, BrazilDepartment of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, GermanyDepartment of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, GermanyThe validation of methods for understanding the effects of many diseases and treatments requires the use of animal models in translational research. In this context, sheep have been employed extensively in scientific studies. However, the imposition of experimental conditions upon these animals may result in the experience of discomfort, pain, and stress. The ethical debates surrounding the use of animals in research have resulted in the adoption of Directive 2010/63/EU. The present study proposes a non-contact method for monitoring the respiration rate of sheep based on video processing. The Detecron2 model was trained to segment the sheep’s body, abdominal, and facial regions in the video frames. A motion-tracking algorithm was developed to assess abdominal movement associated with the sheep’s respiratory cycle. The method was applied to videos of Rhön sheep under experimental and housing conditions, utilising two types of cameras to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The mean average error (MAE) obtained was 0.79 breaths/minute for the visible and 1.83 breaths/minute for the near-infrared (NIR) method. This study demonstrates the feasibility of video technology for simultaneous and non-invasive respiration monitoring, being a crucial parameter for assessing the health deterioration of multiple laboratory animals.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3398animal welfarerespiration ratesheep modelvideo signal processingwelfare assessmentrefinement
spellingShingle Beatriz Leandro Bonafini
Lukas Breuer
Lisa Ernst
René Tolba
Lucas Ferrari de Oliveira
Mauren Abreu de Souza
Michael Czaplik
Carina Barbosa Pereira
Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos
Animals
animal welfare
respiration rate
sheep model
video signal processing
welfare assessment
refinement
title Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos
title_full Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos
title_fullStr Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos
title_full_unstemmed Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos
title_short Simultaneous, Non-Contact and Motion-Based Monitoring of Respiratory Rate in Sheep Under Experimental Condition Using Visible and Near-Infrared Videos
title_sort simultaneous non contact and motion based monitoring of respiratory rate in sheep under experimental condition using visible and near infrared videos
topic animal welfare
respiration rate
sheep model
video signal processing
welfare assessment
refinement
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/23/3398
work_keys_str_mv AT beatrizleandrobonafini simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT lukasbreuer simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT lisaernst simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT renetolba simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT lucasferrarideoliveira simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT maurenabreudesouza simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT michaelczaplik simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos
AT carinabarbosapereira simultaneousnoncontactandmotionbasedmonitoringofrespiratoryrateinsheepunderexperimentalconditionusingvisibleandnearinfraredvideos