China is sending its farming expertise to Mozambique to increase thecountry＇s agricultural productivityIF the way to a man＇s heart is through his stomach,then China has definitely won over the officers at Umbeluzi A...China is sending its farming expertise to Mozambique to increase thecountry＇s agricultural productivityIF the way to a man＇s heart is through his stomach,then China has definitely won over the officers at Umbeluzi Agricultural Station,Mozambique.＂Chinese food,muito bom（very delicious）!＂said Atomane Nuro from the station,between two mouthfuls of exquisite Chinese food.It was the first time Nuro tasted so many dishes made with fresh Chinese vegetables, including celtuce, radish, carrot, celery and green bean,展开更多
Several ectoparasites parasitise nestlings decreasing their body condition,growth and survival.To minimise any loss of fitness due to ectoparasites,birds have developed a wide variety of defence mechanisms,potentially...Several ectoparasites parasitise nestlings decreasing their body condition,growth and survival.To minimise any loss of fitness due to ectoparasites,birds have developed a wide variety of defence mechanisms,potentially including hatching asynchrony.According to the Tasty Chick Hypothesis(TCH),the cost of parasitism would be reduced if ectoparasites tend to eat on less immunocompetent nestlings,typically the last-hatched chick in asynchronously hatched broods,as they are in poor body condition.Two predictions of the TCH are that immune capacity is lower in smaller nestlings than in larger ones and that parasites should provoke a more negative effect on smaller nestlings.Here,we test these predictions in a population of Blue Tits(Cyanistes caeruleus)whose broods are parasitised by Hen Fleas(Ceratophyllus gallinae)and Blowflies(Protocalliphora azurea).We recorded the presence of both ectoparasites and analysed the immunocompetence(number of leucocytes per 10,000 erythrocytes and cutaneous immune response to phytohaemagglutinin)and body condition of smaller and larger nestlings within individual broods.The leucocyte count was higher in smaller nestlings than in larger ones,whereas the cutaneous immune response did not differ between smaller and larger nestlings.Smaller nestlings,but not larger nestlings,had lower body mass when fleas were present.Blowflies,by contrast,had no detectable negative effect on nestlings.Overall,our findings provide partial support to the TCH.Lower immune capacity in smaller nestlings than in larger ones was not supported,but Hen Fleas seemed to negatively impact on smaller nestlings more than on larger ones.展开更多
Communal eating reportedly induces changes in food-related behaviors such as increased consumption and alleviation of indefinite complaints. Here, we examined the influence of intimacy with co-eaters on the palatabili...Communal eating reportedly induces changes in food-related behaviors such as increased consumption and alleviation of indefinite complaints. Here, we examined the influence of intimacy with co-eaters on the palatability of the food and the physiological taste thresholds. The study was a single-blind crossover trial with 16 healthy women aged 18 - 19 years (two close friends × 8) as participants. We examined the effect of four preset conditions with regard to taste (condition 1 = tasting alone;condition 2 = tasting with a friend;condition 3 = tasting with three unfamiliar individuals;condition 4 = tasting with a friend and two unfamiliar individuals). Electrical taste thresholds were measured pre-and post-eating. The subjective evaluation of taste did not show any significant difference between the four conditions (p > 0.05). However, the electrical taste threshold significantly decreased when eating with close friends (p < 0.05). As a factor associated with the meal environment, co-eating with family or friends appears to influence tastiness;however, in the present study, it showed no effect on the perception of taste. Nevertheless, eating with friends significantly decreased the electrical taste threshold and enhanced the perception of taste. Decrease in the electrical taste threshold was observed only when eating with a close friend;it was not observed when eating with other people and showed no association with the total number of individuals co-eating.展开更多
文摘China is sending its farming expertise to Mozambique to increase thecountry＇s agricultural productivityIF the way to a man＇s heart is through his stomach,then China has definitely won over the officers at Umbeluzi Agricultural Station,Mozambique.＂Chinese food,muito bom（very delicious）!＂said Atomane Nuro from the station,between two mouthfuls of exquisite Chinese food.It was the first time Nuro tasted so many dishes made with fresh Chinese vegetables, including celtuce, radish, carrot, celery and green bean,
基金supported by two projects in the National Plan of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competition(CGL2014-55969-P and CGL2017-84938-P)the Andalusian government(A-RNM-48-UGR20)+2 种基金financed with FEDER funds from the European Union(EU)funded by Erasmus+grants from the EUsupported by a FPU pre-doctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Education(FPU18/03034)。
文摘Several ectoparasites parasitise nestlings decreasing their body condition,growth and survival.To minimise any loss of fitness due to ectoparasites,birds have developed a wide variety of defence mechanisms,potentially including hatching asynchrony.According to the Tasty Chick Hypothesis(TCH),the cost of parasitism would be reduced if ectoparasites tend to eat on less immunocompetent nestlings,typically the last-hatched chick in asynchronously hatched broods,as they are in poor body condition.Two predictions of the TCH are that immune capacity is lower in smaller nestlings than in larger ones and that parasites should provoke a more negative effect on smaller nestlings.Here,we test these predictions in a population of Blue Tits(Cyanistes caeruleus)whose broods are parasitised by Hen Fleas(Ceratophyllus gallinae)and Blowflies(Protocalliphora azurea).We recorded the presence of both ectoparasites and analysed the immunocompetence(number of leucocytes per 10,000 erythrocytes and cutaneous immune response to phytohaemagglutinin)and body condition of smaller and larger nestlings within individual broods.The leucocyte count was higher in smaller nestlings than in larger ones,whereas the cutaneous immune response did not differ between smaller and larger nestlings.Smaller nestlings,but not larger nestlings,had lower body mass when fleas were present.Blowflies,by contrast,had no detectable negative effect on nestlings.Overall,our findings provide partial support to the TCH.Lower immune capacity in smaller nestlings than in larger ones was not supported,but Hen Fleas seemed to negatively impact on smaller nestlings more than on larger ones.
文摘Communal eating reportedly induces changes in food-related behaviors such as increased consumption and alleviation of indefinite complaints. Here, we examined the influence of intimacy with co-eaters on the palatability of the food and the physiological taste thresholds. The study was a single-blind crossover trial with 16 healthy women aged 18 - 19 years (two close friends × 8) as participants. We examined the effect of four preset conditions with regard to taste (condition 1 = tasting alone;condition 2 = tasting with a friend;condition 3 = tasting with three unfamiliar individuals;condition 4 = tasting with a friend and two unfamiliar individuals). Electrical taste thresholds were measured pre-and post-eating. The subjective evaluation of taste did not show any significant difference between the four conditions (p > 0.05). However, the electrical taste threshold significantly decreased when eating with close friends (p < 0.05). As a factor associated with the meal environment, co-eating with family or friends appears to influence tastiness;however, in the present study, it showed no effect on the perception of taste. Nevertheless, eating with friends significantly decreased the electrical taste threshold and enhanced the perception of taste. Decrease in the electrical taste threshold was observed only when eating with a close friend;it was not observed when eating with other people and showed no association with the total number of individuals co-eating.
