Histopathological Changes in Third-Instar and Adult Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae) After in vitro Heat Treatment

The Mexican fruit fly, Anastrepha ludens Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae), is one of the most harmful pests of mango causing direct damage by oviposition on the fruit pulp. Mango for export is subjected to hydrothermal treatment as a quarantine method for the control of this pest, but exposure to heat for long periods of time reduces considerably the quality and shelf-life of treated fruit. The aim of this work was to study morphological changes of third-instar larvae and adults of A. ludens after in vitro exposure to high temperature at sublethal times. A heating block system was used to expose larvae at 46.1°C for 19.6 and 12.9 min, producing 94.6 and 70% mortality, respectively. Treated larvae were processed for optical microscopy. A fraction of surviving treated larvae was separated into containers with artificial diet to allow development into adults. Adult sexual organs were dissected and processed for transmission electron microscopy analysis. Results showed that 94.6% of the treated larvae died at 46.1°C for 19.6 min and none of the surviving larvae eclosed to adulthood, as they developed as malformed puparia. For the in vitro treatment at 46.1°C during 12.9 min, 70% of the treated larvae died and only 3.75% reached the adult stage, but ultrastructural damage in the male testes and in the female ovaries was observed. Additionally, 11.1% of the adult flies from the in vitro treatment also showed wing malformation and were incapable of flying. The analysis showed that surviving flies were unable to reproduce.     

Bleeding of Farmed Atlantic Cod: Residual Blood,Color, and Quality Attributes of Pre- and Postrigor Fillets as Affected by Perimortem Stress and Different Bleeding Methods

The main objectives of the study were to (a) assess the effect of perimortem stress on blood drainage, (b) compare the efficiency of gill cutting and direct gutting as bleeding methods, and (c) compare pre- and postrigor filleting strategies for presence of residual blood in Atlantic cod fillets. Anesthetized cod had significantly higher drainage of blood compared to stressed fish. Nevertheless, the visual assessments of residual blood were not affected by stress or bleeding method. Some minor, but significant, differences between pre- and postrigor fillets were found. Stressed fish were initially less light in color than those unstressed, but after ice storage there was no noticeable difference. However, initially, the largest difference in fillet color was due to different bleeding methods. Fillets cut from fish subjected to gill cutting were lighter and less red in color than those bled by direct gutting. After 7 and 21 days of storage, the color differences observed in fresh and salted fillets, respectively, were mainly due to the different rigor status when they were filleted, indicating that fillets cut postrigor were superior to fillets cut prerigor. Prerigor filleting resulted in lower water holding capacity after ice storage in anesthetized, direct gutted cod.     

Changes in Cd,Cu, Ni,Pb and Zn Fractionation and Liberation Due to Mussel Shell Amendment on a Mine Soil

Mining activities are related to relevant environmental pollution issues that should be controlled. We used sequential extractions to fractionate Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn retained on unamended or mussel shell‐amended mine soil samples, all of them treated with a mixture of the five heavy metals (total metal concentration of 1·57 mmol L⁻¹), after 1, 7 and 30 days of incubation. In addition, we used the stirred flow chamber technique to study the release of each of the five heavy metals from these different unamended and shell‐amended soil samples. The results indicate that the shell amendment caused a decrease in the most soluble fraction, while increasing the most recalcitrant (least mobile) fraction. With equivalent implications, the stirred flow chamber experiments showed that mussel shell amendment was associated to a decrease in heavy metal release and increased retention. The highest mussel shell dose and incubation time caused the most relevant changes in pH values and thus in metal retention, also indicating the importance of pH modifications in the mechanism of retention acting in the amended samples. In view of these results, the use of mussel shell amendment can be encouraged to increase heavy metal retention in acid mine soils, in order to minimise risks of environmental pollution. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Secoiridoids, tocopherols, and antioxidant activity of monovarietal extra virgin olive oils extracted from destoned fruits

The effect of olive stone removal before processing on the degradation level, secoiridoid and tocopherol contents, and antioxidant activity of monovarietal extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) was studied. EVOOs were extracted from olives of the Leccino, Moraiolo, Frantoio, Pendolino, Taggiasca, and Colombaia varieties both in the presence and in the absence of the stones. The degradation level of EVOOs was evaluated by acidity, peroxide number, and spectroscopic indices K(232) and K(270), according to EU regulation. The secoiridoid compounds typical of EVOO, namely, the oleuropein and ligstroside derivatives, hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and tocopherols were analyzed by HPLC. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the xanthine oxidase/xanthine system, generating superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide, and by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)hydrazyl test. Results showed that EVOOs obtained from both stoned and destoned olives had a very low degradation level, which was not affected by destoning. Destoning lowered slightly the alpha-tocopherol content in EVOOs but increased the total secoiridoid content and the antioxidant activity of EVOOs (up to 3.5-fold). However, these effects were variety-dependent and negligible in some conditions. It was concluded that a better knowledge of the reactions occurring during olive processing, and particularly on the involvement of endogenous pulp and stone enzymes, is essential to predict the effect of destoning on EVOO quality.     

Application of unmanned aerial systems for high throughput phenotyping of large wheat breeding nurseries

Background

Low cost unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have great potential for rapid proximal measurements of plants in agriculture. In the context of plant breeding and genetics, current approaches for phenotyping a large number of breeding lines under field conditions require substantial investments in time, cost, and labor. For field-based high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), UAS platforms can provide high-resolution measurements for small plot research, while enabling the rapid assessment of tens-of-thousands of field plots. The objective of this study was to complete a baseline assessment of the utility of UAS in assessment field trials as commonly implemented in wheat breeding programs. We developed a semi-automated image-processing pipeline to extract plot level data from UAS imagery. The image dataset was processed using a photogrammetric pipeline based on image orientation and radiometric calibration to produce orthomosaic images. We also examined the relationships between vegetation indices (VIs) extracted from high spatial resolution multispectral imagery collected with two different UAS systems (eBee Ag carrying MultiSpec 4C camera, and IRIS+ quadcopter carrying modified NIR Canon S100) and ground truth spectral data from hand-held spectroradiometer.

Results

We found good correlation between the VIs obtained from UAS platforms and ground-truth measurements and observed high broad-sense heritability for VIs. We determined radiometric calibration methods developed for satellite imagery significantly improved the precision of VIs from the UAS. We observed VIs extracted from calibrated images of Canon S100 had a significantly higher correlation to the spectroradiometer (r = 0.76) than VIs from the MultiSpec 4C camera (r = 0.64). Their correlation to spectroradiometer readings was as high as or higher than repeated measurements with the spectroradiometer per se.

Conclusion

The approaches described here for UAS imaging and extraction of proximal sensing data enable collection of HTP measurements on the scale and with the precision needed for powerful selection tools in plant breeding. Low-cost UAS platforms have great potential for use as a selection tool in plant breeding programs. In the scope of tools development, the pipeline developed in this study can be effectively employed for other UAS and also other crops planted in breeding nurseries.

     

Differences between tight and loose cultures: a 33-nation study

With data from 33 nations, we illustrate the differences between cultures that are tight (have many strong norms and a low tolerance of deviant behavior) versus loose (have weak social norms and a high tolerance of deviant behavior). Tightness-looseness is part of a complex, loosely integrated multilevel system that comprises distal ecological and historical threats (e.g., high population density, resource scarcity, a history of territorial conflict, and disease and environmental threats), broad versus narrow socialization in societal institutions (e.g., autocracy, media regulations), the strength of everyday recurring situations, and micro-level psychological affordances (e.g., prevention self-guides, high regulatory strength, need for structure). This research advances knowledge that can foster cross-cultural understanding in a world of increasing global interdependence and has implications for modeling cultural change.     

Protected wading bird species threaten relict centenarian cork oaks in a Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve: A conservation management conflict

Conservation management conflicts frequently arise when an overpopulation of a protected organism has negative effects on other valuable elements in the same ecosystem. We studied the interactions between a colony of protected tree-nesting wading birds and a remnant population of centenarian cork oaks that was part of the formerly dominant forests in the Doñana Biological Reserve (SW Spain). A significant increase in the tree mortality rates has been recorded in areas that are yearly influenced by the bird colony.We analysed a cohort of surviving trees using a gradient of nesting bird influence. Tree-nesting history, bird isotopic signature (δ¹⁵N), tree health-related parameters (defoliation, δ¹³C and leaf surface coverage by faeces) and several soil variables were evaluated. Bird influence was related to increased soil salinity. This increase correlated to increased water-use efficiency for the leaves and to crown defoliation, suggesting that the heavily occupied trees are under higher stress and in poorer health condition than the unoccupied ones. We tested structural equations models (SEM) that were based on hypothesised bird effects on the health of the trees. Soil-mediated effects of the nesting birds best explained the symptoms of the declining health of the trees, whereas the percent of leaves’ surface that was covered by faeces did not improve the fitted SEM model.For the reserve’s managers, a challenging trade-off exists between preserving the relict trees, which have a high genetic diversity and a key ecological role in these savannah-like ecosystems, and maintaining the current nesting area for these protected, but expanding, wading birds.     

Reproducibility and Repeatability of Equine Muscle Thickness Measurements with Ultrasound

This study examined the reproducibility and repeatability of muscle thickness (MT) measurements with ultrasound for the following muscles: extensor carpi radialis, extensor digitorum longus (both flexed and extended), gluteus medius, longissimus lumborum, semitendinosus, and supraspinatus. Three examiners measured thickness of these muscles in five Thoroughbreds on 3 consecutive days. The day of measurement did not have any effect on the mean MT value of the muscles examined (P > .05). The left longissimus lumborum muscle was the only muscle for which the second measurement varied from the first and third (P < .05). The examiners had an effect on the mean coefficient of variation (CV) of the thickness of the flexed left extensor carpi radialis and flexed left extensor digitorum longus. The daily measurements varied more in the case of one of the examiners. Mean CVs higher or close to 10% were reported for both sides of the flexed extensor digitorum longus and for the supraspinatus muscles. The lowest CV was calculated for the longissimus lumborum and the extended semitendinosus (<5%). The largest disagreements between the examiners were observed for both sides of the flexed extensor digitorum longus and the supraspinatus (>10%–<20%). The best agreement was measured for the extended extensor carpi radialis and the longissimus lumborum (>3%–<7%). The results showed that for some muscles, it was difficult to locate the exact anatomical site for taking the MT measurements. To reduce CV, it was suggested that only one examiner should take all the measurements and the whole procedure must be such that it is as comfortable as possible for this particular examiner.     

Bat diversity in montane rainforest and shaded coffee under different management regimes in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico

Differences in alpha and beta bat diversity among montane rainforest and five shaded coffee plantations under different management regimes, as well as some environmental factors and vegetation parameters influencing bat richness, were evaluated for the first time in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico. In each site, bats were captured every 2 months from March 2004 to July 2005, with six mist-nets, during two nights, using the capture-recapture method. We captured 2970 individuals of 43 bat species. Montane rainforest had the greatest alpha diversity (H′ = 2.681; n = 37), whereas alpha diversity was similar among coffee plantations (H′ = 2.229-2.364; n = 23-26). The number of frugivorous and nectarivorous species was similar among the sites; the greatest exchange in species composition (beta diversity) occurred for insectivorous bats, which reduce their number in coffee plantations as pesticides are incorporated. Bat richness species was significantly related to the number of vegetation strata, height, and cover of trees. We suggest that coffee plantations could act as corridors, facilitating connection among different elements of the landscape in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas for some frugivorous and nectarivorous bats.     

State-dependent learned valuation drives choice in an invertebrate

Humans and other vertebrates occasionally show a preference for items remembered to be costly or experienced when the subject was in a poor condition (this is known as a sunk-costs fallacy or state-dependent valuation). Whether these mechanisms shared across vertebrates are the result of convergence toward an adaptive solution or evolutionary relicts reflecting common ancestral traits is unknown. Here we show that state-dependent valuation also occurs in an invertebrate, the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Given the latter's phylogenetic and neurobiological distance from those groups in which the phenomenon was already known, we suggest that state-dependent valuation mechanisms are probably ecologically rational solutions to widespread problems of choice.