In this study,mean shift algorithm and region merging were combined to automatically segment a digital feather image and remove the noise in digital images more effectively for segmentation of a feather quill and a feather leaf. First, the mean shift algorithm employed to calculate the convergence value of each pixel can obtain a filtered smoothened image; then, setting region merging criteria ...

A comparative study of feather morphogenesis and the development of feather pattern in normal and talpid embryos has been carried out. The development of talpid* CAM grafts shows that the effect of the gene is autonomous in the skin. The most striking effect of the gene upon feather morphogenesis is the failure of normal feather germ condensations to appear within the dermis. This is reflected ...

We present the first explicit theory of the growth of feather shape, defined as the outline of a pennaceous feather vane. Based on a reanalysis of data from the literature, we propose that the absolute growth rate of the barbs and rachis ridges, not the vertical growth rate, is uniform throughout the follicle. The growth of feathers is simulated with a mathematical model based on six growth par...

Feather keratin is highly resistant to degradation, but some keratinase producing microorganisms can easily degrade these insoluble keratins. These keratinase producing species have an important application in removal of poultry waste and recycled into valuable byproduct. A feather-degrading bacterium with high keratinase activity was isolated and identified as Bacillus megaterium (A1). The sel...

Feathers are complex assemblages of multiple morphological innovations. Recent research on the development and evolution of feathers has produced new insights into the origin and diversification of the morphological innovations in feathers. In this article, I review and discuss the contribution of three different factors to the evolution of morphological innovations in feathers: feather tubular...

Psittacine beak and feather disease (PBFD) was diagnosed in an umbrella cockatoo (Cacatua alba) with severe feather dystrophy and loss. Electron microscopically, the intranuclear and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies observed by light microscopy were composed of viral particles forming paracrystalline arrays, whorls, semicircles or concentric circles. Recovered viral particles from the skin and...

We examined whooper swans naturally infected with avian influenza virus (H5N1) to evaluate the possible zoonotic risk of swan feathers. Viruses were isolated from feather calami. Immunohistochemical testing revealed that virus antigens were present in the feather epidermis and feather follicle wall epidermis of some feathers. RT-PCR and genetic sequencing using paraffin sections of swan feather...

Through cyclic regeneration, feather stem cells are molded into different shapes under different physiological states. With its distinct morphology, context-dependent growth, and experimental manipulability, the feather provides a rich model to study growth control, regeneration, and morphogenesis in vivo. Recent examples include novel insights revealed by transient perturbation with chemothera...

This study investigated the feasibility of measuring corticosterone in feathers from cryo-archived raptor specimens, in order to provide a retrospective assessment of the activity of the stress axis in relation to contaminant burden. Feather samples were taken from sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, kestrel Falco tinnunculus, buzzard Buteo buteo, barn owl Tyto alba, and tawny owl Strix aluco and the ...