A Case of Successful Pregnancy in a Ewe with Uterus Didelphys

Uterus didelphys is a rare congenital abnormality of the reproductive tract. Although it occurs in various species, there are no published reports describing pregnancy outcome in association with this abnormality. Herein we describe a case of successful unilateral singleton pregnancy in a ewe incidentally found to have uterus didelphys during the course of a biomedical research study. The pregnancy was established using assisted reproductive techniques and interrupted in late gestation, at which point the abnormality was identified. Serial ultrasound assessment of foetal biometry revealed a normal foetal growth trajectory. Despite a 45% reduction in placentome number, total placentome weight was near normal secondary to compensatory placentome growth and development. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed report of normal foetal growth in an animal with uterus didelphys and illustrates the ability of the ovine placenta to adapt to a reduced number of placentomes and maintain foetal nutrient supply.     

Application of a low-cost camera on a UAV to estimate maize nitrogen-related variables

Precision Agriculture - The development of small unmanned aerial vehicles and advances in sensor technology have made consumer digital cameras suitable for the remote sensing of vegetation. In this...     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Achromobacter insolitus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zoogloea ramigera</Emphasis> associated with wheat plants (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Triticum aestivum</Emphasis>)

This study reports for the first time the presence of diazotrophic bacteria belonging to the genera Achromobacter and Zoogloea associated with wheat plants. These bacterial strains were identified by the analysis of 16S rDNA sequences. The bacterium IAC-AT-8 was identified as Azospirillum brasiliense, whereas isolates IAC-HT-11 and IAC-HT-12 were identified as Achromobacter insolitus and Zoogloea ramigera, respectively. A greenhouse experiment involving a non-sterilized soil was carried out with the aim to study the endophytic feature of these strains. After 40 days from inoculation, all the strains were in the inner of roots, but they were not detected in soil. In order to assess the location inside wheat plants, an experiment was conducted under axenic conditions. Fifteen days after inoculation, preparations of inoculated plants were observed by the scanning electron microscope, using the cryofracture technique, and by the transmission electron microscope. It was observed that all isolates were present on the external part of the roots and in the inner part at the elongation region, in cortex cells, but not in the endodermis or in the vascular bundle region. No colonizing bacterial cells were observed in wheat leaves.     

Irrigation of paddy soil with industrial landfill leachate: impacts in rice productivity,plant nutrition,and chemical characteristics of soil

Treated industrial effluents have high levels of nutrients and dissolved organic matter. The irrigation of rice by flooding can increase nutrient uptake and grain yield. Therefore, this study evaluated the nutrient contents in the shoots and grain of the rice crop and also the chemical of the soil after irrigation of the crop with leachate of the treated industrial effluent. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using pots filled with 20 kg of soil in a randomized block design with three replications. The treatments consisted of control (irrigation with distilled water) and four concentrations of the leachate (25, 50, 75, and 100 %) for irrigation. At the end of the experiment, the nutrient contents in tissues of rice plants, sterility of spikelets, and grain mass were evaluated. Results showed that irrigation with the leachate at 25 % content increased the macro- and micronutrients’ concentrations in the shoot biomass and grain, except for potassium and iron. Irrigation with the industrial leachate decreased tillering and grain yield; however, it increased chlorophyll content, sterility of spikelets, and sodium intake at this leachate concentration. The potassium and sodium levels and the electrical conductivity values of soils irrigated with treated industrial leachate were increased. The use of the treated leachate from industrial effluents is an alternative that reuses the nutritional load, but the volume of leachate should be limited and monitored to prevent the sodicity in the soil and problemsdue to eutrophication.     

Micromechanical "Trampoline" magnetometers for use in large pulsed magnetic fields

A silicon micromechanical magnetometer was constructed and successfully used in 60-tesla pulsed magnetic fields of less than 100-millisecond duration. The device is small, inexpensive to fabricate, and easy to use. It features a fast mechanical response (up to 50,000 hertz) and extremely high sensitivity yet is relatively robust against electrical and mechanical noise. Quantum oscillations in the magnetization of a 1-microgram sample of an organic superconductor, kappa-[bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene]2Cu(NCS)2, have been observed with this device.     

Major compositional units of the moon: lunar prospector thermal and fast neutrons

Global maps of thermal and fast neutron fluxes from the moon suggest three end-member compositional units. A high thermal and low fast neutron flux unit correlates with the lunar highlands and is consistent with feldspathic rocks. The South Pole-Aitken basin and a strip that surrounds the nearside maria have intermediate thermal and fast neutron flux levels, consistent with more mafic rocks. There appears to be a smooth transition between the most mafic and feldspathic compositions, which correspond to low and high surface altitudes, respectively. The maria show low thermal and high fast neutron fluxes, consistent with basaltic rocks.