Search

Background: Rice crop is known as very sensitive to water deficit, especially during the reproductive phase when growth of vegetative organs and formation of spikelets are concomitant. The present study questioned whether the maintenance of vegetative organ expansion during a water deficit at the reproductive phase affects the reproductive structure organogenesis, and if relevant traits for adaptation can be identified. To answer these queries, the response to a same reproductive water deficit of six contrasted japonica genotypes has been analyzed under two contrasted climates differing in incident radiation, air hygrometry and temperature (greenhouse in Brazil, Sitis, and growth chamber in France, GC).Results: Under irrigation, plant growth rate was reduced in GC while crop duration was extended: the trade-offs resulted in similar plant height and biomass. From a method able to determine a posteriori the date of panicle initiation (PI), elementary processes were positioned in time, allowing to evaluate how much each process was affected, despite the diversity in phenology across genotypes. Elongation rate decreased with water deficit and was highly associated with an increase in soluble sugars in stem and flag leaf in both experiments, while starch was reduced in Sitis and negligible in GC. This unique response, however, induced a different effect across experiments on branch and spikelet formation. In short, in both experiments, maintenance of spikelet number was highly associated with maintenance of flag leaf and internode width. All variables, including branch and spikelet number, were highly affected with IAC 25 in both experiments, while variations were non-significant with Cirad 409. In addition, some other genotypes expressed a differential response between Sitis and GC, conveying a specific sensitivity to low radiation or to high air temperature. Conclusions: This study highlighted the importance of finely mapping in time elementary growth processes, thanks to PI date determination, in order to detect key traits of adaptation to abiotic stress through phenotyping across genotypes of diverse phenology. The maintenance of flag leaf width or internode diameter under a mild water deficit was highlighted here as a trait associated with the maintenance of yield components.

Sweet and biomass sorghum are expected to contribute increasingly to bioenergy production. Better understanding the impacts of the genotypic and environmental variabilities on biomass component traits and their properties is essential to optimize energy yields. This study aimed to evaluate whether traits contributing to stem biomass growth and biochemical composition at different biological scales (co)vary with the genotype and the water status in sorghum. Height genotypes were studied over two years in field conditions in southern France under two water treatments (well watered vs. 25 days' dry down during stem elongation). Main stem internode number, size, (non)structural carbohydrate, and lignin contents were measured at the end of the stress period and/or at final harvest, together with biochemical and histological analyses of the youngest expanded internode. The tallest genotypes showed the highest stem dry weights and lignin contents. Stem (structural) biomass density was positively correlated with lignin content, particularly in internode parenchyma. Stem soluble sugar and lignin contents were inversely proportional across genotypes and water conditions. Genotypes contrasted for drought sensitivity and recovery capacity of stem growth and biochemical composition. The length and cell wall deposition of internodes expanding under water deficit were reduced and did not recover, these responses being weakly correlated. Genotypic variability was pointed out in the growth recovery of internodes expanding under re-watered conditions. According to the observed genotypic variability and the absence of antagonistic correlations between the responses of the different traits to water availability, it is suggested that biomass sorghum varieties optimizing their responses to water availability in terms of growth and cell wall deposition can be developed for different bioenergy targets.

International audience; Prostate cancer is the most frequent male cancer and the second cause of male cancer mortality in developed countries. Therefore, it represents a major public health issue. Health problem and the development of new therapeutic strategies to address this issue is essential. During a prostatectomy, the surgeon looks for a compromise between an exhaustive removal of pathologic tissue (to achieve the best carcinogenic prognosis) and the functional consequences linked to a wide excision (i.e.: avoid as much as possible urinary incontinence and sexual dysfunction). In this context, the ANR TecSan DEPORRA project regroups French research laboratories (TIMC-IMAG, FEMTO-ST), companies (Endocontrol-Medical, VERMON) and hospital departments (CIC-IT, Urology & pathology Department of the Grenoble University Hospital) to bring innovative tools for radical prostatectomy. These tools will provide to the surgeon new information from several imaging modalities (video, fluorescence and US imaging), and combine them in an augmented environment. We believe that this augmented environment will ultimately help the surgeon to perform his surgical gesture "optimally" and will improve the patient's carcinogenic and functional prognosis.

Resume Cet article presente les objectifs et les principaux resultats obtenus au cours du projet « robot securise d’assistance a la chirurgie endoscopique » (Rosace) (ANR TecSan06), impliquant des partenaires academiques et cliniques ainsi qu’un industriel charge de l’integration continue des technologies developpees au cours du projet. L’objet principal de celui-ci est un robot leger d’assistance a la chirurgie endoscopique, servant en particulier de porte-endoscope. L’enjeu au cours du projet a ete de poursuivre les developpements puis de transferer sur une plateforme industrielle les technologies existant initialement dans les deux laboratoires academiques partenaires du projet. Ces technologies consistaient en un prototype de robot porte-endoscope, une commande haut-niveau du robot par un asservissement visuel sur un instrument et des travaux sur la comanipulation d’un robot par l’utilisateur. Conformement aux objectifs, ces trois aspects du projet ont vu des avancees majeures, que ce soit sur l’architecture materielle du robot pour en ameliorer sa polyvalence ou sur les aspects lies a la commande du robot pour en ameliorer l’efficacite et la simplicite (grâce au suivi d’instrument et la comanipulation). A l’issue des trois annees du projet, le prototype initial de laboratoire est un produit utilise en routine clinique et qui integre deja ou integrera dans les mois qui viennent ces differentes technologies.

The added precision and steadiness of a robotically held camera enables the performance of more complex procedures laparoscopically. In contrast to typical laparoscope holders, the modified lightweight robotic endoscope, the ViKY system is particularly compact, simple to set up and use, and occupies no floor space. Ease and safety of setup was confirmed in a porcine model and several common general surgical procedures were performed. The sterilizable endoscope manipulator is sufficiently small to be placed directly on the operating room table without interfering with other handheld instruments during minimally invasive surgery. The endoscope manipulator and its user interface were tested and evaluated by several surgeons during a series of 5 minimally invasive surgical training procedures in a porcine model. The endoscope manipulator described has been shown to be a practical device with performance and functionality equivalent to those of commercially available models, yet with greatly reduced size, weight, and cost.

Le projet ID2U a porte sur la mise au point de differentes technologies pour la conception d’un instrument articule destine a la chirurgie mini-invasive. Une etude prospective sur les mobilites distales possibles a d’abord ete menee. Puis des technologies d’actionnement fluidique couplees a des structures flexibles ont ete developpees pour realiser l’outil distal. Enfin, une structure mecanique extracorporelle ergonomique a ete proposee pour aboutir a un concept complet et nouveau d’instrument chirurgical.