Presence Of Cuticle Research Articles

Using an eco-friendly cold pad-batch reduction pretreatment to improve the whiteness, hydrophilicity, and anti-shrinkage of wool fabric

The presence of cuticle is the primary problem factor contributing to felting shrinkage, hydrophobicity, and yellowness in wool fabric. Substantial disulfide bonds forming cross-links within the scale layer result in an extraordinarily dense structure. During dyeing and finishing processes, the scale layer poses a significant barrier, impeding the efficient penetration of various chemicals. To mitigate the hindrance due to disulfide bonds in the scales, this study employed a cold pad-batch (CPB) reduction pretreatment followed by H2O2 bleaching to treat woolen fabrics. The physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of the treated wool were evaluated through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Allwörden reaction, whiteness index measurement, wettability assessment, felting properties examination, dyeing performance analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and tensile testing. The results indicated a 23.50% increase in the whiteness index with minimal damage to the strength of the fabric. Furthermore, the water absorption time decreased from 300 s to 6 s, and felting shrinkage was decreased to <10%. These findings indicate significant improvements in the hydrophilicity and anti-felting properties of the wool. Additionally, SEM and Allwörden reactions demonstrated substantial changes in the morphology and structure of the fibers after the pretreatment, corroborated by dyeing performance results. Raman spectra exhibited that the relative content of disulfide bonds within the scale layer decreased from 30.95% to 20.95%. It saved more than 20% of water consumption and 70% of energy consumption. The combination process greatly improved the properties of wool fibers without further damage to the main body.

Anatomical Studies of Four Pleurotus Species Cultivated on Mansonia altisima Sawdust

Pleurotus (Fr.) Quel is a genus of gilled mushrooms, and are one of the most commonly cultivated edible mushrooms in the world. This work was aimed at cultivating and identifying/determining the anatomical features of Pleurotus species at different developmental stages. Four species of Pleurotus, namely Pleurotus florida, P. ostreatus, P.ostreatus var. F. and P. pulmonarius were cultivated on Mansonia altisima sawdust and supplemented with rice bran. The sawdust was sterilized in an autoclave at 121oC at 15 ibs pressure for 20 minutes. On cooling, spawn of each of the species were inoculated on the sterilized substrate. The inoculated bottles were incubated in a dark at controlled temperature of 15oc. Pure cultures of each of the mushroom were grown on PDA to obtain the mycelia stage. After mycelial colonization of the substrate, primordia stage and mature fruit body stage were studied morphologically and samples were harvested in vial bottles. The pinhead formation took 26 and 27 days for Pleurotus florida, P. ostreatus, respectively; and 28 days for P.ostreatus var. F. and P. pulmonarius. Harvesting of the mature fruiting bodies was done after 30 days for Pleurotus florida, 31 days for P. ostreatus and P.ostreatus var. F, and 33 days for P. pulmonarius. The mature fruit body comprise of the stipe, gills and pileus. Anatomical sections were then taken at 25 micron thickness, stained and mounted on glass slide. Hyphae arrangement, cell polarity, cell density, cell shape, stainability, fruit bodies initials, presence of cuticle, hymenium length, hymenophore structure, cell wall structure, presence of nodulus, presence of copious granules, cell wall structure and cell size were diagnostic and varies among the species. Dendogram of characters produced Pleurotus florida, P. Ostreatus and Pleurotus ostreatus var. F. in a cluster and Pleurotus pulmonarius as an outlier. Classification based on cluster analysis confirmed the original identification of the Pleurotus species studied. Pleurotus pulmonarius was well separated from Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus florida and Pleurotus ostreatus var. f with a taxonomic distance (D=0.90). The study has shown that Mansonia altisima sawdust is a good substrate for the cultivation of Pleurotus species. Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus florida and Pleurotus ostreatus var. f in a cluster demonstrated closer zymographic relationships. Variations in the characters used are useful in the identification of the four species studied.

Freeze-Drying of Plant-Based Foods.

Vacuum freeze-drying of biological materials is one of the best methods of water removal, with final products of highest quality. The solid state of water during freeze-drying protects the primary structure and the shape of the products with minimal volume reduction. In addition, the lower temperatures in the process allow maximal nutrient and bioactive compound retention. This technique has been successfully applied to diverse biological materials, such as meats, coffee, juices, dairy products, cells, and bacteria, and is standard practice for penicillin, hormones, blood plasma, vitamin preparations, etc. Despite its many advantages, having four to ten times more energy requirements than regular hot air drying, freeze-drying has always been recognized as the most expensive process for manufacturing a dehydrated product. The application of the freeze-drying process to plant-based foods has been traditionally dedicated to the production of space shuttle goods, military or extreme-sport foodstuffs, and specialty foods such as coffee or spices. Recently, the market for ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ products is, however, strongly growing as well as the consumer’s demand for foods with minimal processing and high quality. From this perspective, the market for freeze-dried plant-based foods is not only increasing but also diversifying. Freeze-dried fruits and vegetables chunks, pieces, or slices are nowadays majorly used in a wide range of food products such as confectionaries, morning cereals, soups, bakeries, meal boxes, etc. Instant drinks are prepared out of freeze-dried tea, coffee, or even from maple syrup enriched with polyphenol concentrated extracts from trees. The possibilities are endless. In this review, the application of freeze-drying to transform plant-based foods was analyzed, based on the recent research publications on the subject and personal unpublished data. The review is structured around the following related topics: latest applications of freeze-drying to plant-based foods, specific technological problems that could be found when freeze-drying such products (i.e., presence of cuticle; high sugar or lipid concentration), pretreatments and intensification technologies employed in freeze-drying of plant-based foods, and quality issues of these freeze-dried products.

Genetic dissection of quantitative and qualitative traits using a minimum set of barley Recombinant Chromosome Substitution Lines

BackgroundExploring the natural occurring genetic variation of the wild barley genepool has become a major target of barley crop breeding programmes aiming to increase crop productivity and sustainability in global climate change scenarios. However this diversity remains unexploited and effective approaches are required to investigate the benefits that unadapted genomes could bring to crop improved resilience. In the present study, a set of Recombinant Chromosome Substitution Lines (RCSLs) derived from an elite barley cultivar ‘Harrington’ as the recurrent parent, and a wild barley accession from the Fertile Crescent ‘Caesarea 26–24’, as the donor parent (Matus et al. Genome 46:1010–23, 2003) have been utilised in field and controlled conditions to examine the contribution of wild barley genome as a source of novel allelic variation for the cultivated barley genepool.MethodsTwenty-eight RCSLs which were selected to represent the entire genome of the wild barley accession, were genotyped using the 9 K iSelect SNP markers (Comadran et al. Nat Genet 44:1388–92, 2012) and phenotyped for a range of morphological, developmental and agronomic traits in 2 years using a rain-out shelter with four replicates and three water treatments. Data were analysed for marker traits associations using a mixed model approach.ResultsWe identified lines that differ significantly from the elite parent for both qualitative and quantitative traits across growing seasons and water regimes. The detailed genotypic characterisation of the lines for over 1800 polymorphic SNP markers and the design of a mixed model analysis identified chromosomal regions associated with yield related traits where the wild barley allele had a positive response increasing grain weight and size. In addition, variation for qualitative characters, such as the presence of cuticle waxes on the developing spikes, was associated with the wild barley introgressions. Despite the coarse location of the QTLs, interesting candidate genes for the major marker-trait associations were identified using the recently released barley genome assembly.ConclusionThis study has highlighted the role of exotic germplasm to contribute novel allelic variation by using an optimised experimental approach focused on an exotic genetic library. The results obtained constitute a step forward to the development of more tolerant and resilient varieties.

Micro-morphological descriptions on Cenchrus species from Rajasthan (India)

Present investigation was carried out to screen micro-morphological features of Cenchrus species (C4 plant) belonging to family Poaceae. This is an important medicinal, fodder as well as crop plant and traditionally used as famine food during drought. It is best suited for desert environmental conditions. In extreme conditions when food is in scarce, seeds of this grass are consumed by tribals. The microscopical illustrations revealed several interesting features i.e. presence of cuticle, bulliform cells, trichomes, lysigenous cavity, more amount of chlorenchyma, Y- shaped vascular bundles, double layered bundle sheath, large vessels and starch grains that support its assimilation efficacy and survival in typical conditions of Thar Desert. This study helps in referential identification, authentication, standardization and detection of adaptation strategies to understand biology of this plant.

What Does the Eggshell Cuticle Do? A Functional Comparison of Avian Eggshell Cuticles.

The avian eggshell is a highly ordered structure with several layers (mammillae, palisades, and vertical crystal layer) composed of calcium carbonate (∼96%) and minerals within an organic matrix. The cuticle is a noncalcified layer that covers the eggshells of most bird species. Eggshells are multifunctional structures that have evolved in response to diverse embryonic requirements and challenges, including protection from microbial infection, nest flooding, and exposure to solar radiation. However, experimental evidence for these functions across diverse taxa is currently limited. Here we investigated the effects of nanosphere cuticles on (1) bacterial attachment and transshell penetration, (2) eggshell wettability, (3) water vapor conductance, and (4) regulation of ultraviolet (UV) reflectance in seven ground-nesting bird species. We found considerable interspecific variation in ultrastructure and chemical composition of cuticles. Experimental removal of the cuticle confirmed that all nanospheres were highly effective at decreasing attachment of bacteria to shell surfaces and at preventing bacterial penetration. Cuticles also greatly decreased the amount of UV reflected by eggshells. In species with particularly small nanospheres, gas exchange was reduced by the presence of cuticle. Our results support the hypothesis that microbes and solar UV radiation can cause strong selection on bird eggs but also show that we need a greater understanding about the effects of specific nesting conditions (e.g., hydric and gaseous milieu) on embryo well-being and eggshell structure variation.

Semiautomated confocal imaging of fungal pathogenesis on plants: Microscopic analysis of macroscopic specimens.

The study of phenotypic variation in plant pathogenesis provides fundamental information about the nature of disease resistance. Cellular mechanisms that alter pathogenesis can be elucidated with confocal microscopy; however, systematic phenotyping platforms-from sample processing to image analysis-to investigate this do not exist. We have developed a platform for 3D phenotyping of cellular features underlying variation in disease development by fluorescence-specific resolution of host and pathogen interactions across time (4D). A confocal microscopy phenotyping platform compatible with different maize-fungal pathosystems (fungi: Setosphaeria turcica, Cochliobolus heterostrophus, and Cercospora zeae-maydis) was developed. Protocols and techniques were standardized for sample fixation, optical clearing, species-specific combinatorial fluorescence staining, multisample imaging, and image processing for investigation at the macroscale. The sample preparation methods presented here overcome challenges to fluorescence imaging such as specimen thickness and topography as well as physiological characteristics of the samples such as tissue autofluorescence and presence of cuticle. The resulting imaging techniques provide interesting qualitative and quantitative information not possible with conventional light or electron 2D imaging. Microsc. Res. Tech., 81:141-152, 2018. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Wounding in the plant tissue: the defense of a dangerous passage.

Plants are continuously exposed to agents such as herbivores and environmental mechanical stresses that cause wounding and open the way to the invasion by microbial pathogens. Wounding provides nutrients to pathogens and facilitates their entry into the tissue and subsequent infection. Plants have evolved constitutive and induced defense mechanisms to properly respond to wounding and prevent infection. The constitutive defenses are represented by physical barriers, i.e., the presence of cuticle or lignin, or by metabolites that act as toxins or deterrents for herbivores. Plants are also able to sense the injured tissue as an altered self and induce responses similar to those activated by pathogen infection. Endogenous molecules released from wounded tissue may act as Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs) that activate the plant innate immunity. Wound-induced responses are both rapid, such as the oxidative burst and the expression of defense-related genes, and late, such as the callose deposition, the accumulation of proteinase inhibitors and of hydrolytic enzymes (i.e., chitinases and gluganases). Typical examples of DAMPs involved in the response to wounding are the peptide systemin, and the oligogalacturonides, which are oligosaccharides released from the pectic component of the cell wall. Responses to wounding take place both at the site of damage (local response) and systemically (systemic response) and are mediated by hormones such as jasmonic acid, ethylene, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid.

Ontogenesis, structure and ultrastructure of Hymenaea stigonocarpa (Fabaceae: Caesalpinioideae) colleters

The genus Hymenaea is characterized by a great diversity of secretory structures, but there are no reports of colleters yet. The objectives of this study are to report the occurrence and describe the origin and structure of colleters in Hymenaea stigonocarpa Mart. ex Hayne. Shoot apex samples were collected, fixed, and processed for light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy as per usual methods. Colleters occur predominantly on the stipule's adaxial side. These structures are found at the base on a narrow strip, corresponding to the median vein up to half the length of the stipule. When present on the abaxial side, they are concentrated at the base and restricted to the margins. Colleters develop from the protoderm; they are elongate and club-shaped. Their body has no stratification; their surface cells differ from the inner cells only in position and presence of cuticle. Colleter cells have thin walls, dense cytoplasm, large nuclei, many mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and abundant dictyosomes. Histochemical tests with Ruthenium red showed pectic compounds in the cytosol. In H. stigonocarpa, colleter arrangement is compatible with the hypothesis that they protect shoot apex. In this species, protection is reinforced by the sheath formed by the stipule pairs.

Eggshell penetration by Salmonella: a review

Intact eggs can become contaminated with Salmonella as a result of infections of the reproductive tissues of the laying hens but also by penetration through the shell. In this paper, the penetration of Salmonella through the shell of hen eggs is reviewed. A description is given of the advantages and disadvantages of the various methods used to study bacterial penetration through the shell and membranes. The possibility of Salmonella contamination of the shell after lay is included because shell contamination is the first requisite for penetration. Various factors affect the probability of bacterial penetration. Both the intrinsic and extrinsic factors are highlighted. For the extrinsic factors, the influence of bacterial strain and number of organisms, temperature, moisture and immersion and storage conditions on the probability of Salmonella penetration through the shell is described. With regard to intrinsic factors, the presence of cuticle, shell characteristics (shell quality, porosity, shell defects) and membrane properties are summarized.

Cell Determination During Embryogenesis in Citrus jambhiri. I. Ontogeny of the Epidermis

Epidermal features are present in the embryo of the rough lemon, Citrus jambhiri, from the zygotic stage. The zygote, or nucellar progenitor in adventive embryos, is cuticularized. As derivatives are cut off to the inside of the periphery, they gradually diverge ultrastructurally in plastid structure and wall characteristics from the protodermal cells. Periclinal divisions continue in the surface cells of the root-hypocotyl axis until the heart-shaped stage, at which point cell divisions become confined to the anticlinal plane. We propose that the zygote and all subsequent surface derivatives are epidermal in nature, while internal derivatives diverge from epidermal to form the ground and vascular systems. The presence of cuticle and restriction of cell division to the anticlinal plane in the outer tunica of the shoot apical meristem support the conclusion that this layer is a previously formed epidermis.

Cuticular control of diffusional water permeability

The diffusional water permeability ( P d ) in various gut structures of the fleshfly, Sarcophaga bullata, was measured using tritiated water. Water P d in the larval hindgut was 3.91 × 10 −6 cm/sec, whereas in the adult hindgut it was 4.4 × 10 −4 cm/sec. The presence of cuticle in various parts of the gut apparently controls the water permeabilities of these structures. Furthermore, the water permeability of the cuticle may be correlated with the mechanism for the production of a hyperosmotic excretion in the hindgut.

Anatomia de Euterpe oleracea Mart. (Palmae da Amazônia)

Resumo Analisada a estrutura anatômica da raíz e folha-axial de espécimes jovens e adultos; da pina, fruto, semente e raque secundário da inflorescência. Detectadas ainda substâncias de reservas, notadamente cristais inulínicos, hemicelulose e lipídios; e corpos silicosos.