Optical emission spectroscopy characterization of an atmospheric pressure Nitrogen DBD afterglow under unipolar and bipolar pulsed excitation

International audienc

Using millimetre-wave radar for monitoring sow postural activity in individual pen: first results

Session 65, Theatre 9International audienceA millimetre-wave radar is tested in an INRAE experimental unit to monitor sow postural activity in presence of herpiglets. A total of 16 sows of the Large White breed with piglets aging from 7 to 15 days are monitored inside farrowingpens with measurement sequences lasting 2 to 3 hours at different dates. The radar is attached to the farrowing penentrance at a distance to ground of 1.8m, and the sow’s position is remotely estimated from the backscattering ofelectromagnetic waves. The radar-based detection technique does not require equipping animals with radiofrequencytags. The automatized system records 3D images are built from the simultaneous azimuth (digital) and elevation(mechanical) radar beam scannings with a time resolution of 3 seconds. By applying an algorithm based on ConstantFalse Alarm Rate, undesirable radar echoes from the pen are mitigated and only radar detections of the sow are recordedover time. A clustering algorithm is applied to the detections to obtain the 3D position of the sow. A classification ofsow postures is performed from a Quadratic Discriminant Analysis of the 3D positions. Ground-truth postures of soware annotated manually from video recordings. The two following classes of postures are finally analysed: the ‘standingand transition’ and the ‘lying’ classes (‘transition’ refers here to both ‘sitting’ and ‘kneeling’ postures). The trainingdata is composed of radar detections of 4 sows for the total monitoring duration of around 8 hours, or equivalentlyfor 7,097 detections. The tested data is composed of 34,356 radar detections of 12 other sows for a total monitoringduration of 38 hours. The precision and sensitivity are 88.3 and 90% for the ‘standing and transition’ class, and 97.9and 98% for the ‘lying’ class. Precision and sensitivity of the classification may vary from one sow to another dueto the difficulty to classify correctly ‘transition’ postures for some of them. Based on these first encouraging results,future work will be devoted to further develop the radar detection method, and detect the motion of the sow accordingto changes in her location in the pen

Using millimetre-wave radar for monitoring sow postural activity in individual pen: first results

Session 65, Theatre 9International audienceA millimetre-wave radar is tested in an INRAE experimental unit to monitor sow postural activity in presence of herpiglets. A total of 16 sows of the Large White breed with piglets aging from 7 to 15 days are monitored inside farrowingpens with measurement sequences lasting 2 to 3 hours at different dates. The radar is attached to the farrowing penentrance at a distance to ground of 1.8m, and the sow’s position is remotely estimated from the backscattering ofelectromagnetic waves. The radar-based detection technique does not require equipping animals with radiofrequencytags. The automatized system records 3D images are built from the simultaneous azimuth (digital) and elevation(mechanical) radar beam scannings with a time resolution of 3 seconds. By applying an algorithm based on ConstantFalse Alarm Rate, undesirable radar echoes from the pen are mitigated and only radar detections of the sow are recordedover time. A clustering algorithm is applied to the detections to obtain the 3D position of the sow. A classification ofsow postures is performed from a Quadratic Discriminant Analysis of the 3D positions. Ground-truth postures of soware annotated manually from video recordings. The two following classes of postures are finally analysed: the ‘standingand transition’ and the ‘lying’ classes (‘transition’ refers here to both ‘sitting’ and ‘kneeling’ postures). The trainingdata is composed of radar detections of 4 sows for the total monitoring duration of around 8 hours, or equivalentlyfor 7,097 detections. The tested data is composed of 34,356 radar detections of 12 other sows for a total monitoringduration of 38 hours. The precision and sensitivity are 88.3 and 90% for the ‘standing and transition’ class, and 97.9and 98% for the ‘lying’ class. Precision and sensitivity of the classification may vary from one sow to another dueto the difficulty to classify correctly ‘transition’ postures for some of them. Based on these first encouraging results,future work will be devoted to further develop the radar detection method, and detect the motion of the sow accordingto changes in her location in the pen

CIReine - Conception d’Indicateurs de qualité des Reines d’abeilles

The objectives of this project were to develop early and non-invasive indicators for queen’s quality. Inthe same time, it proceeded (1) to the development of an electronic device to record the activity ofqueens inside the hive and to (2) test the relevance of different simple indicators (weight, colonydynamics) in connection with the performance of the colonies. It also contributed (3) to the developmentof sets of genomic markers to ensure the quality of queen mating with drones.This work began with the evaluation of the glues used for marking bee queens by beekeepers. Theresults of this study guide beekeepers towards less harmful glues for their bees. Then variousexperiments, gradually, allowed developing a system to automatic record the position of a queen insideher colony thanks to a RFID technology. This very innovative system has resulted in the creation of sixdevices that are thus available to apidologist researchers for their future research on the behavior ofbees. Experiments that have made it possible to finalize the device already bring some usefulknowledge, the absence of differences between daytime and nocturnal activity for example. It turns out,however, that the activity of a queen within her colony is relatively little related to the dynamics of it.The follow-up of nearly 300 queens throughout the project made it possible to study and disseminateknowledge on the impact of the dynamics of a colony, linked to the queen spawning, on all beekeepingperformances. The link between colony dynamics and dynamics of Varroa infestations has been studiedin detail and raised the importance of monitoring infestations on highly populated colonies in season,which, if they appear ideal for producing honey, are also subject to very strong varroas infestations.Unfortunately, simple and easily accessible criteria for beekeepers, such as the weight of queens,remained too unreliable to predict the quality of queens.The search for genetic markers to know the origin of the males which fertilized the queens should soonlead to a product available to beekeepers. It will allow breeders and conservatories to ensure the qualityof their fertilization areas.Les objectifs de ce projet étaient de développer des indicateurs précoces et non invasifs de qualité desreines d’abeilles. En parallèle, il a donc procédé (1) au développement d’un outil d’enregistrement del’activité des reines dans la ruche ainsi qu’au (2) test de la pertinence de différents indicateurs simples(poids, dynamique de colonies) en lien avec les performances des colonies. Il a par ailleurs contribué(3) à la mise au point de jeux de marqueurs génomiques permettant de s’assurer de la qualité desaccouplements des reines avec les faux bourdons.Ce travail a démarré par l’évaluation des colles utilisées pour le marquage des reines d’abeilles par lesapiculteurs. Les résultats de cette étude permettent d’orienter les apiculteurs vers des produits moinsnocifs pour les abeilles. Puis différentes expérimentations, étape par étape, ont permis de développerun système d’enregistrement automatique de la poistion d’une reine dans sa colonie grâce à unetechnologie RFID. Ce système totalement innovant a donné lieu à la création de six dispositifs qui sontainsi à disposition des chercheurs apidologues pour leurs recherches futures sur le comportement desabeilles. Les expérimentations qui ont permis de finaliser le dispositif apportent d’ores et déjà quelquesconnaissances utiles, l’absence de différences entre activité diurne et nocturne par exemple. Il s’avèreen revanche que l’activité d’une reine au sein de sa colonie est assez peu liée à la dynamique de celleci.Le suivi de près de 300 reines sur l’ensemble du projet a permis d’étudier puis diffuser lesconnaissances sur l’impact de la dynamique d’une colonie, liée à la ponte de la reine, sur toutes lesperformances d’intérêt apicole. Le lien entre la dynamique des colonies et la dynamique desinfestations de varroas a ainsi pu être étudié finement et soulever l’importance de suivre les infestationssur des colonies très populeuses en saison qui, si elles apparaissent idéales pour produire du miel, sontaussi sujetes à des infestations de varroas très fortes. Malheureusement, des critères simples etfacilement accessibles pour les apiculteurs, comme le poids des reines, demeurent trop peu fiablespour prédire la qualité des reines.La recherche de marqueurs génétiques, permettant de connaitre l’origine des mâles ayant fécondés lesreines, devrait bientôt aboutir à un produit disponible pour les apiculteurs. Il permettra ainsi auxéleveurs et aux conservatoires de s’assurer de la qualité de leurs zones de fécondation