Scanning electron microscope study of the feather follicle wall attachment in chickens

1. A scanning electron microscope study showed indentations by the follicle wall cells into the feather shaft. In other areas altered cells or keratinised cell fragments form bridges which join the feather to the follicle.

2. In the early stage of growth the feather shaft is held in place by cell indentations, whereas later, bridges are seen which probably hold the feather more firmly.     

Determinants of income-earning strategies and adoption of conservation practices in hillside communities in rural Honduras

Based on the results of participatory diagnostic surveys conducted in 95 rural communities in the hillsides of Honduras, we determine income earning strategies at the community level; identify their main determinants; and analyze the adoption of of conservation practices. Eight income-earning strategies were distinguished that reflect differences in comparative advantage between communities. We explain the choice of income earning strategy using a multinomial logit model that includes biophysical, economic, social and institutional variables. We use a probit model to show that adoption of conservation practices is determined by the type of income earning strategy, population density, market access, and organizational variables.     

Effects of no‐take area size and age of marine protected areas on fisheries yields: a meta‐analytical approach

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are often promoted as tools for biodiversity conservation as well as for fisheries management. Despite increasing evidence of their usefulness, questions remain regarding the optimal design of MPAs, in particular concerning their function as fisheries management tools, for which empirical studies are still lacking. Using 28 data sets from seven MPAs in Southern Europe, we developed a meta‐analytical approach to investigate the effects of protection on adjacent fisheries and asking how these effects are influenced by MPA size and age. Southern European MPAs showed clear effects on the surrounding fisheries, on the ‘catch per unit effort’ (CPUE) of target species, but especially on the CPUE of the marketable catch. These effects depended on the time of protection and on the size of the no‐take area. CPUE of both target species and the marketable catch increased gradually by 2–4% per year over a long time period (at least 30 years). The influence of the size of the no‐take area appeared to be more complex. The catch rates of the entire fishery in and around the MPA were higher when the no‐take areas were smaller. Conversely, catch rates of selected fisheries that were expected to benefit most from protection increased when the no‐take area was larger. Our results emphasize the importance of MPA size on its export functions and suggest that an adequate, often extended, time frame be used for the management and the evaluation of effectiveness of MPAs.     

Blackberry anthocyanins are mainly recovered from urine as methylated and glucuronidated conjugates in humans

The consumption of anthocyanins has been shown to prevent certain chronic diseases. However, anthocyanin metabolism has not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to evaluate anthocyanin urinary excretion in humans receiving a meal containing blackberries and to identify possible metabolites in urine. Five healthy volunteers were fed 200 g of blackberries (960 mumol of anthocyanins). Urine samples were collected and rapidly treated by solid-phase extraction. Anthocyanin metabolites were identified and quantified by HPLC-ESI-MS-MS and HPLC with UV-vis detection, respectively. In addition to native cyanidin 3-glucoside, several other anthocyanin metabolites were identified in the urine: methylated glycosides, glucuronides of anthocyanidins and anthocyanins, a sulfoconjugate of cyanidin, and anthocyanidins. Total urinary excretion of blackberry anthocyanin metabolites was 0.160 +/- 0.020% (n = 5) of the amount of anthocyanins ingested. Monoglucuronides of anthocyanidins represented >60% of this excretion. Urinary excretion of anthocyanins was maximal between 2 and 4 h after the meal, but continued during the 24 h of the experiment. This study highlighted the influence of aglycon structure on anthocyanin urinary excretion. It demonstrated that anthocyanins are not only methylated but also glucuroconjugated and sulfoconjugated in humans and that the main metabolites of blackberry anthocyanins in human urine were anthocyanidin monoglucuronides.     

Occurrence of naturally acetylated lignin units

This work examines the occurrence of native acetylated lignin in a large set of vascular plants, including both angiosperms and gymnosperms, by a modification of the so-called Derivatization Followed by Reductive Cleavage (DFRC) method. Acetylated lignin units were found in the milled wood lignins of all angiosperms selected for this study, including mono- and eudicotyledons, but were absent in the gymnosperms analyzed. In some plants (e.g., abaca, sisal, kenaf, or hornbeam), lignin acetylation occurred at a very high extent, exceeding 45% of the uncondensed (alkyl-aryl ether linked) syringyl lignin units. Acetylation was observed exclusively at the gamma-carbon of the lignin side chain and predominantly on syringyl units, although a predominance of acetylated guaiacyl over syringyl units was observed in some plants. In all cases, acetylation appears to occur at the monomer stage, and sinapyl and coniferyl acetates seem to behave as real lignin monomers participating in lignification.     

Inhibition of pheromone action in Sesamia nonagrioides by Haloacetate analogues

The electrophysiological activity of some halogenated analogues of the major component of the sex pheromone of the corn stalk borer Sesamia nonagrioides Lef. (1) is presented. The analogues comprise a series of fluoro-, chloro- and bromoacetate analogues 4 – 10 as well as trifluoromethyl ketone 11. The fluoro derivatives 4 – 6 displayed remarkable electro-antennogram (EAG) intrinsic activities in comparison with the parent acetate 1, while the remaining analogues elicited significantly lower response. The compounds have also been tested as inhibitors of the sex pheromone perception in EAG and in the field. In the laboratory. fluoro analogues 4 – 6 were better inhibitors than chloro derivatives 7 – 9 , which in turn behaved similarly to the bromoacetate 10 . Trifluoromethyl ketone 11, however, was a poor inhibitor of the pheromone action. In the field, baits of mixtures of compounds 5 – 11 with the corn stalk borer pheromone in 10 :1 ratio inhibited the concomitant attraction of the clover cutworm moth Scotogramma irifolii Rott., while the difluoro analogue 5, trichloroacetate 9 and trifluoromethyl ketone 11 also diminished the number of catches of the armyworm Mythimna unipuncta Haw. The monofluoroacetate 4. trifluoro analogue 6 and bromo derivative 10 significantly disrupted the pheromone action of the corn borer, whereas trifluoromethyl ketone 11 synergistically increased the number of males attracted to the pheromone trap alone. Addition of 11 to baits containing the corn borer pheromone caught S. nonagrioides selectively with regard to the other habitat-sharing species M. unipuncta and S. trifolii.