Diversity and distribution of flower coloration is a puzzling topic that has been extensively studied, with multiple hypotheses being proposed to account for the functions coloration, such as pollinator attraction, protection against herbivory, prevention damage by ultraviolet light. Recent methodologies have allowed studies consider visual system animals other than humans, helping answer quest...

The parasitic nematode Metaparasitylenchus hypothenemi (Tylenchida: Allantonematidae) was first reported infecting the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari); Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in coffee plantations of Chiapas, Mexico (Castillo, Infante, Barrera, Carta, & Vega, 2002), and was later described as a new species (Poinar, Vega, Castillo, Chavez, & Infante, 2004). This...

The effects of N-benzyladenine (BA) and N-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N-phenylurea (CPPU) in combination with gibberellic acid (GA3, 100 mg l ) on berry setting and development and on the endogenous level of polyamines (PAs ) were investigated in order to elucidate the role of PAs in the setting and development of GA3-induced seedless grape berries affected by cytokinins. BA stimulated berry developm...

Goji berry (wolfberry), a member of the Solanacea family, has been recently introduced in Western countries and its consumption has increased rapidly. The objectives of the study were to describe the cases of 2 patients who experienced allergic symptoms after Goji berry consumption, to identify the protein profile of the extract, to analyze the allergenic profile of individuals, and to determin...

Background Antihyperglycemic effects of Panax ginseng berry have never been explored in humans. The aims of this study were to assess the efficacy and safety of a 12-wk treatment with ginseng berry extract in participants with a fasting glucose level between 100 mg/dL and 140 mg/dL. Methods This study was a 12-wk, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 72 part...

Dry eye disease is a disorder in tear film physiology, which leads to various abnormal states of ocular surface cells. In the present study, we evaluated the potential usefulness of orally applied maqui berry (Aristotelia chilensis) extract and the constituent anthocyanin as a preventative intervention in dry eye. Tear secretion capacity was evaluated following the oral administration of maqui ...

As for a generic parameter dependent hamiltonian with the time reversal (TR) invariance, a non Abelian Berry connection with the Kramers (KR) degeneracy are introduced by using a quaternionic Berry connection. This quaternionic structure naturally extends to the many body system with the KR degeneracy. Its topological structure is explicitly discussed in comparison with the one without the KR d...

At the onset of ripening, some fleshy fruits shift the dominant water import pathway from the xylem to the phloem, but the cause for the decline in xylem inflow remains obscure. This study found that xylem-mobile dye movement into grape berries decreased despite transient increases in berry growth and transpiration during early ripening, whereas outward dye movement continued unless the roots w...

We report the mechanism of color production in peacock feathers. We find that the cortex in differently colored barbules, which contains a 2D photonic-crystal structure, is responsible for coloration. Simulations reveal that the photonic-crystal structure possesses a partial photonic bandgap along the direction normal to the cortex surface, for frequencies within which light is strongly reflect...

A new genus Maculaprosbole of Tettigarctidae with a new species Maculaprosbole zhengi is described based on a complete fossil forewing from the Mesozoic of northeastern China. Due to its broad costal area and clavus, Maculaprosbole zhengigen. et sp. n. can be attributed to the subfamily Cicadoprosbolinae. This genus is similar to the genera Sanmai and Hirtaprosbole in coloration pattern and for...