Butterflies selected one of two contrasting locations for 10 visits without feeding followed by 16 visits with feeding. For each visit a location provided either 35% sucrose for 20 s versus 70% sucrose for 30 s or 35% sucrose for 20 s versus 70% sucrose for 20 s. These pairings tested between choices based on rates of net energy gain, net gains per visit, and/or net gains per meal. The first pairing produced choice based on maximizing net gain per meal. Choice for the second pairing was based either on maximizing net energy gain rate or net gain per visit. The change in foraging rule was associated with a change in volume per visit for 70% sucrose Understanding choices and the evolution of nectar rewards requires detailed information on alternatives, and interpretations of foraging behavior for nectar feeders should not be based solely on a criterion of maximizing net energy gain rate during foraging.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/285576 | DOI Listing |
Front Plant Sci
January 2025
Institute of Food Crops, Hainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Hainan Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Breeding, Haikou, China.
Introduction: Sweet potato is an important food, feed and industrial raw material, and its tubers are rich in starch, carotenoids and anthocyanins.
Methods: To elucidate the gene expression regulation and metabolic characteristics during the development of sweet potato tubers, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were performed on the tubers of three different sweet potato varieties at three developmental stages (70, 100, and 130 days (d)).
Results: RNA-seq analysis revealed that 16,303 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were divided into 12 clusters according to their expression patterns, and the pathways of each cluster were annotated.
Mol Pharm
January 2025
Laboratory of Thermodynamics, Department of Biochemical and Chemical Engineering, TU Dortmund University, Emil-Figge-Street 70, Dortmund 44227, Germany.
Lyophilization remains a key method for preserving sensitive biopharmaceuticals such as monoclonal antibodies. Traditionally, stabilization mechanisms have been explained by vitrification, which minimizes molecular mobility in the lyophilized cake, and water replacement, which restores molecular interactions disrupted by water removal. This study proposes a novel design strategy that combines water activity and glass-transition temperature as the main indicators to predict long-term stability in lyophilized formulations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, 57 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada. Electronic address:
This study explores the effect of sucrose addition on the properties of chiral nematic cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) films for potential food industry applications, including biodegradable packaging and food coloring. The addition of sucrose altered the films' structural color, shifting from blue in pure CNC films to aqua blue, green, yellow-green, and red with increasing sucrose concentrations (up to 21 %). Surface analysis revealed a reduction in contact angle from 96° to 48° due to sucrose's hydrophilic nature and smoother film surfaces.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Parasitol
January 2025
Graduate School of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-58 Rinku Orai Kita, Izumisano, Osaka, 598-8531, Japan.
Purpose: Flotation methods are widely used to detect oocysts/cysts of protozoans and eggs of helminths, except trematodes. However, details regarding the concentration and recovery rates of these parasites are poorly understood.
Methods: Using Eimeria tenella oocysts as a model parasite, the present study evaluated three check points: (1) the proportion of parasites that remain floating in flotation solution (sucrose or saturated saline) during centrifugation, (2) the proportion of oocysts that naturally float after addition of flotation solution after centrifugation, and (3) the rate of recovery on cover slips after completion of the flotation protocol.
Chem Biodivers
January 2025
Physics Department, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Unité Mixte de Recherche 6283), Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans, Le Mans Université, Le Mans, France.
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