Image analysis to calibrate French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) pods

In order to control the characteristics of a variety, bean breeders have to calibrate pods. This calibration is manually realized, workers have to pass pods through a sieve with holes of different diameter in it, each hole corresponding to a caliber. Pods are weighted, and a repartition in the different calibers in weight is given. This calibration is very tedious, moreover, there is an inter and intra-variability between workers, and the number of characteristics measured is limited.  A new automatic method based on image analysis has been performed, it permits in a limited time, to extract and calculate different pods’ characteristics such as the length, the diameter and the curvature, it offers the possibility to conserve images that is helpful for the traceability of products, and it requires less labor than the actual system (manual ones). Moreover, a relation between surface of pods and weight has been found, allowing the program to give directly the repartition in the different caliber in weight.  An acquisition chain as been installed, composed of a mono CCD sensor camera, manually configured, with a backlight fluorescent system of 5000°K, a tripod and a computer. Images are taken in RAW format, which contrarily to the JPEG is not compressed and avoid edges effects.  Images are pre-processed in order to eliminate the noise and converted in binary images. Then algorithms principally based on morphological mathematics, are applied in order to calculate the different characteristics.  The validation of the program has been performed on more than 150 batches of different varieties of French and butter bean pods along 2008 and 2009.  In this presentation, the image analysis system is described, results obtained with the image analysis system are explained and compared to the manual system

Image analysis to calibrate French Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) pods

Bean pod caliber is an important breeding criterion in the development of new French bean cultivars. Grading is manually performed with workers passing pods through a sieve with holes of different diameters. Each hole corresponds to a grade. Then, pods are weighed and a grade is given based on weight. This size grading is very tedious. Moreover, there is an inter- and intra-variability between workers, and the number of characteristics measured is limited. A new automatic method based on image analysis has been performed. It permits in a limited time, to extract and calculate different pod characteristics such as length, diameter and curvature. It offers the possibility to store images that could be helpful for traceability, and requires less labour than the current manual system. A correlation between the surface of pods and weight has been found, allowing the program to directly separate into grades based on weight. An acquisition chain has been installed and an image analysis program has been developed to calculate the different characteristics. The validation of the program has been performed on more than 150 batches of different cultivars of French and butter bean pods during 2008 and 2009. In this paper, the image analysis system is described. Results obtained with the new system are explained and compared to the manual system

Diadromous life cycle and behavioural plasticity in freshwater and estuarine Kuhliidae species (Teleostei) revealed by otolith microchemistry

cited By 10International audienceOtolith microchemistry and microstructure were examined in juveniles of 3 Kuhlia species (Teleostei) from fresh and brackish environments in order to examine their migratory histories. All species presented with strontium:calcium (Sr:Ca) and barium:calcium (Ba:Ca) profiles in the inner region of the otoliths that suggested an obligatory marine larval phase. At approximately 0.3 to 0.6 mm from the otolith core, all individuals showed a sharp increase in Ba:Ca ratios that were generally associated with variation in the Sr:Ca ratio, indicating recruitment into rivers. Microchemical profiles in the outer region of the otoliths indicated a freshwater habitat for most K. rupestris and K. sauvagii and an estuarine habitat for most K. munda. Microstructure analyses validated the presence of an otolith check mark deposited during the habitat shift in K. rupestris and K. sauvagii, but not in K. munda. We hypothesise that this difference was due to lower osmotic stress for the fish moving from the sea to estuaries than from the sea to freshwater. This study demonstrated the ability of otolith multi-elemental microchemistry and microstructure to provide important insights on life history traits of species that lack basic biological information, such as those in the genus Kuhlia. The information provided in this study is critical for the conservation and management of these species. © Inter-Research 2012

Utilisation d'acquisitions et d'analyse d'images automatisées pour déterminer des paramètres physiques et biologiques des semences

Pour assurer le suivi de germination d’au moins 400 semences, un outil d’acquisition automatique d’images, composé de 4 caméras a été développé sur une table de Jacobsen

Genetic relatedness reveals total population size of white sharks in eastern Australia and New Zealand

Abstract Conservation concerns exist for many sharks but robust estimates of abundance are often lacking. Improving population status is a performance measure for species under conservation or recovery plans, yet the lack of data permitting estimation of population size means the efficacy of management actions can be difficult to assess, and achieving the goal of removing species from conservation listing challenging. For potentially dangerous species, like the white shark, balancing conservation and public safety demands is politically and socially complex, often leading to vigorous debate about their population status. This increases the need for robust information to inform policy decisions. We developed a novel method for estimating the total abundance of white sharks in eastern Australia and New Zealand using the genetic-relatedness of juveniles and applying a close-kin mark-recapture framework and demographic model. Estimated numbers of adults are small (ca. 280–650), as is total population size (ca. 2,500–6,750). However, estimates of survival probability are high for adults (over 90%), and fairly high for juveniles (around 73%). This represents the first direct estimate of total white shark abundance and survival calculated from data across both the spatial and temporal life-history of the animal and provides a pathway to estimate population trend

Analysis of plasticizers in PVC medical devices: performance comparison of eight analytical methods.

International audienceA wide variety of medical devices (MDs) used in hospitals are made of flexible plasticized polyvinylchloride (PVC). Different plasticizers are present in variable amounts in the PVC matrix of the devices and can leach out into the infused solutions and may enter into contact with the patients. The ARMED1 project aims to assess the migration of these plasticizers from medical devices and therefore the level of exposure in patients. For the first task of the project, eight methods were developed to directly detect and quantify the plasticizers in the PVC matrix of the MDs. We compared the overall performances of the analytical methods using standardized and validated criteria in order to provide the scientific community with the guidance and the technical specifications of each method for the intended application. We have shown that routine rapid screening could be performed directly on the MDs using the FTIR technique, with cost-effective analyses. LC techniques may also be used, but with limits and only with individual quantification of the main plasticizers expected in the PVC matrix. GC techniques, especially GC–MS, are both more specific and more sensitive than other techniques. NMR is a robust and specific technique to precisely discriminate all plasticizers in a MD but is limited by its cost and its low ability to detect and quantify plasticizer contamination, e.g. by DEHP. All these results have been confirmed by a real test, called the " blind test " carried out on 10 MD samples

Premières journées francophones des utilisateurs de système d’aide à la décision en pharmacie clinique : retour d’expériences et perspectives [First French-speaking days of users of decision support system in clinical pharmacy: Feedback and perspectives]

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are tools that have been used for several years by clinical pharmacy teams to support pharmaceutical analysis, with a perspective of contributing to the quality of care in collaboration with the other health care team members. These tools require both technical, logistical and human resources. The growing use of these systems in different establishments in France and in Europe gave birth to the idea of meeting to share our experiences. The days organized in Lille in September 2021 aimed at proposing a time of exchange and reflection on the use of these CDSS in clinical pharmacy. A first session was devoted to feedback from each establishment. These tools are essentially used to optimize pharmaceutical analysis and to secure patient medication management. This session outlined the clear advantages and common limitations of these CDSS. Two research projects were also presented to put the use of these tools into perspective. The second session of these days, in the form of workshops, addressed 4 themes that surround the implementation of CDSS: their usability, the legal aspect, the creation of rules and their possible valorization. Common problems were raised, the resolution of which requires close collaboration. This is a first step proposing a beginning of harmonization and sharing that should be deepened in order not to lose the dynamics created between the different centers. This event ended with the proposal to set up two working groups around these systems: the creation and structuring of rules for the detection of risk situations and the common valorization of the work