Inoculation methods under greenhouse conditions for evaluating soybean resistance to sudden death syndrome

The objectives of this work were to evaluate two greenhouse screening methods for sudden death syndrome (SDS) and to determine which one is best correlated with field resistance of soybean genotypes. The evaluations were done with three sets of genotypes that were classified as partially resistant, intermediate, and susceptible to SDS based on previous field evaluations. These three sets were independently evaluated for greenhouse SDS reactions using cone and tray inoculation methods. Plants were infected using grains of white sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] infested with Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines. Foliar symptom severity was rated 21 days after emergence. The cone and field SDS ratings were significantly correlated and ranged from 0.69 for set 1 to 0.51 for set 3. Correlations of SDS ratings of genotypes between field and greenhouse tray ratings were significant for set 1 and not significant for set 2. The cone method showed the highest correlation with field results and is recommended to screen soybean genotypes for SDS resistance.

Whole-body MRI: comprehensive evaluation on a 48-channel 3T MRI system in less than 40 minutes. Preliminary results

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a comprehensive MRI protocol that investigates for cancer, vascular disease, and degenerative/inflammatory disease from the head to the pelvis in less than 40 minutes on a new generation 48-channel 3T system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All MR studies were performed on a 48-channel 3T MR scanner. A 20-channel head/neck coil, two 18-channel body arrays, and a 32-channel spine array were employed. A total of 4 healthy individuals were studied. The designed protocol included a combination of single-shot T2-weighted sequences, T1-weighted 3D gradient-echo pre- and post-gadolinium. All images were retrospectively evaluated by two radiologists independently for overall image quality. RESULTS: The image quality for cancer was rated as excellent in the liver, pancreas, kidneys, lungs, pelvic organs, and brain, and rated as fair in the colon and breast. For vascular diseases ratings were excellent in the aorta, major branch vessel origins, inferior vena cava, portal and hepatic veins, rated as good in pulmonary arteries, and as poor in the coronary arteries. For degenerative/inflammatory diseases ratings were excellent in the brain, liver and pancreas. The inter-observer agreement was excellent. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive and time efficient screening for important categories of disease processes may be achieved with high quality imaging in a new generation 48-channel 3T system.

Estimativa de biomassa de plantios de eucalipto no Brasil

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar a produção de biomassa de eucalipto, para diferentes regiões do Brasil. Foi avaliado o efeito de características climáticas sobre a produtividade de eucalipto utilizando-se o banco de dados do Programa de Pesquisa em Solos e Nutrição de Eucalipto do Departamento de Solos - UFV. Características climáticas e idade do povoamento foram importantes para obtenção do modelo. Houve variação na produção estimada de biomassa entre regiões, sendo a maior produtividade três vezes superior à menor. A produção de biomassa foi menor nas regiões com menor disponibilidade de água. A proporção de copa em relação ao tronco reduziu com a idade da plantação, de maneira acentuada até à idade de 3,6 anos, e de maneira mais lenta a partir desta idade.

Modelling of mechanical properties of CRFC composites under flexure loading

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Carbon (CFRC) Composites are increasing their applications due to their high strength and Young’s Modulus at high temperatures in inert atmosphere. Although much work has been done on processing and structure and properties relationship, few studies have addressed the modelling of mechanical properties. This work is divided in two parts. In the first part, a modelling of mechanical properties was carried out for two bi-directional composites using a model based on the Bernoulli-Euler theory for symmetric laminated beams. In the second part, acoustic emission (AE) was used as an auxiliary technique for monitoring the failure process of the composites. Differences in fracture behaviour are reflected in patterns of AE.