Biliverdin is an important pigment in the eggshell of chickens and other avian species. Determination of the biosynthesis site for biliverdin is essential for understanding the biochemical process and genetic basis of eggshell pigmentation. Either blood or the shell gland could be the biosynthesis site of eggshell biliverdin. A segregation population with full-sib sisters genotyped Oo and oo, w...

The efficacy of color sorting on reducing aflatoxin levels in shelled apricot kernels was assessed. Naturally-contaminated kernels were submitted to an electronic optical sorter or blanched, peeled, and manually sorted to visually identify and sort discolored kernels (dark and spotted) from healthy ones. The samples obtained from the two sorting approaches were ground, homogenized, and analysed...

The focus of contrast-enhanced ultrasound research has developed beyond visualizing the blood pool and its flow to new areas such as perfusion imaging, drug and gene therapy, and targeted imaging. In this work comparison between the application of polymer- and phospholipid-shelled ultrasound contrast agents (UCAs) for characterization of the capillary microcirculation is reported. All experimen...

BACKGROUND A novel polymer-shelled contrast agent (CA) with multimodal and target-specific potential was developed recently. To determine its ultrasonic diagnostic features, we evaluated the endocardial border delineation as visualized in a porcine model and the concomitant effect on physiological variables. METHODS Three doses of the novel polymer-shelled CA (1.5 ml, 3 ml, and 5 ml [5 × 10(8...

For evolutionary biologists reptiles and islands provide rich pickings. One of the world’s largest land reptiles, the komodo dragon, is confined to just a couple of small Indonesian islands, and one of the rarest snakes is found on an islet off the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Even the heavily touristed Mediterranean island of Mallorca boasts its own lizard species on an offshore islet. But f...

Regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) is a useful strategy to reduce the water consumption maintaining fruit quality. The almonds cultivated under RDI conditions are called hydroSOStainable because produced environmentally friendly and present an improved It was demonstrated that almond cultivar agronomical practices, can affect kernel chemical composition consequently parameters for roasting proc...

BACKGROUND The energy content of foods is primarily determined by the Atwater factors, which may not be accurate for certain food groups. Nuts are a food group for which substantial evidence suggests that the Atwater factors may be poorly predictive. OBJECTIVE A study was conducted to determine the energy value of almonds in the human diet and to compare the measured energy value with the val...

Here we report on the first discovery of shelled eggs inside the body cavity of a fossil turtle and on an isolated egg clutch, both referable to the Cretaceous turtle Adocus. These discoveries provide a unique opportunity to gain insight into the reproductive traits of an extinct turtle and to understand the evolution of such traits among living turtles. The gravid adult and egg clutch indicate...