Fruit, seed and embryo development of different cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) genotypes and embryo rescue

Fruit, seed and embryo developments of different cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) genotypes, as well as embryo rescue, were investigated. The fruits of three genotypes after uncontrolled open pollination presented the same progressive development with similar sizes at different stages. There are large differences in the fruit set as well as the embryo development between different genotypes. Days after pollination (DAP) was found not to be an adequate predictor of embryo size as their size ranged from almost invisible to 8.7 mm in length at 32 DAP even within the different locules of the same fruit. The ideal stage for embryo rescue in cassava was from 32 to 36 DAP, because at that stage most embryos are visible (> 0.7 mm); and their excision without injury is feasible. Also, in vitro germination of the cotyledonary embryos at that stage had a high success rate. A half Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l GA3, 2% sucrose and 0.2% gel rite proved to be adequate for embryo rescue.Keywords: Manihot esculenta Crantz, day after pollination (DAP), fruit set, seed size, embryo size, embryo rescueAfrican Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(14), 1524-152

Three-Dimensional Path Planning Based on Six-Direction Search Scheme

In order to solve the problem of how to perform path planning for AUVs with multiple obstacles in a 3D underwater environment, this paper proposes a six-direction search scheme based on neural networks. In known environments with stationary obstacles, the obstacle energy is constructed based on a neural network and the path energy is introduced to avoid a too-long path being generated. Based on the weighted total energy of obstacle energy and path energy, a six-direction search scheme is designed here for path planning. To improve the efficiency of the six-direction search algorithm, two optimization methods are employed to reduce the number of iterations and total path search time. The first method involves adjusting the search step length dynamically, which helps to decrease the number of iterations needed for path planning. The second method involves reducing the number of path nodes, which can not only decrease the search time but also avoid premature convergence. By implementing these optimization methods, the performance of the six-direction search algorithm is enhanced in favor of path planning with multiple underwater obstacles reasonably. The simulation results validate the effectiveness and efficiency of the six-direction search scheme

Characteristics of intestinal bacteriophages and their relationship with Bacteria and serum metabolites during quail sexual maturity transition

Abstract Background Bacteriophages are prokaryotic viruses that rank among the most abundant microbes in the gut but remain among the least understood, especially in quails. In this study, we surveyed the gut bacteriophage communities in 22 quails at different ages (days 20 and 70) using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. We then systematically evaluated the relationships with gut bacteria and host serum metabolites. Results We discovered that Myoviridae and Siphoviridae were the dominant bacteriophage families in quails. Through a random forest and LEfSe analysis, we identified 23 differential bacteriophages with overlapping presence. Of these, 21 bacteriophages (e.g., Enterococcus phage IME-EFm5 and Enterococcus phage IME-EFm1) showed higher abundances in the day 20 group, while two bacteriophages (Bacillus phage Silence and Bacillus virus WPh) were enriched in the day 70 group. These key bacteriophages can serve as biomarkers for quail sexual maturity. Additionally, the differential bacteriophages significantly correlated with specific bacterial species and shifts in the functional capacities of the gut microbiome. For example, Enterococcus phages (e.g., Enterococcus phage EFP01, Enterococcus phage IME-EFm5, and Enterococcus phage IME-EFm1) were significantly (P  0.05, FDR) correlated with nicotinamide riboside and triacetate lactone. In contrast, some differential bacterial species (e.g., Christensenella massiliensis and Bacteroides neonati) significantly (P < 0.05, FDR) correlated with nicotinamide riboside and triacetate lactone. Furthermore, characteristic successional alterations in gut bacteriophages, bacteria, and host serum metabolites across different ages highlighted a sexual maturity transition coexpression network. Conclusion This study improves our understanding of the gut bacteriophage characteristics in quails and offers profound insights into the interactions among gut bacteriophages, bacteria, and host serum metabolites during the quail’s sexual maturity transition

Ego-Resiliency and Perceived Social Support in Late Childhood: A Latent Growth Modeling Approach

This study explored the change trajectory of schoolchildren’s ego-resiliency and perceived social support and investigated the effect of perceived social support on ego-resiliency across four time points. A sample of 437 children aged 8–13 years (M = 10.99, SD = 0.70, 51.5% boys) completed assessments at four time points. The results indicated that ego-resiliency showed an increasing linear trend and perceived social support showed a declining linear trend. Perceived social support had a positive effect on ego-resiliency over time. In addition, the initial status of perceived social support negatively predicted the growth trend of ego-resiliency, and the initial status of ego-resiliency negatively predicted the declining trend of perceived social support. The implications for theory and practice are discussed

Identifying Early Urinary Metabolic Changes with Long-Term Environmental Exposure to Cadmium by Mass-Spectrometry-Based Metabolomics

Cadmium (Cd) is a common environmental pollutant, and urinary Cd (UCd) is generally used as a marker of exposure; however, our understanding on the related urinary metabolic changes caused by Cd exposure is still not clear. In this study, we applied a mass-spectrometry-based metabolomic approach to assess the urinary metabolic changes in human with long-term environmental Cd exposure, aimed to identify early biomarkers to assess Cd nephrotoxicity. Urine samples from 94 female never smokers aged 44–70 with UCd in the range of 0.20–68.67 μg/L were analyzed by liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-Q-ToF-MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). It was found that metabolites related to amino acid metabolism (l-glutamine, l-cystine, l-tyrosine, <i>N</i>-methyl-l-histidine, l-histidinol, taurine, phenylacetylglutamine, hippurate, and pyroglutamic acid), galactose metabolism (d-galactose and <i>myo</i>-inositol), purine metabolism (xanthine, urea, and deoxyadenosine monophosphate), creatine pathway (creatine and creatinine), and steroid hormone biosynthesis (17-α-hydroxyprogesterone, tetrahydrocortisone, estrone, and corticosterone) were significantly higher among those with a UCd level higher than 5 μg/L. Moreover, we noticed that the level of <i>N</i>-methyl-l-histidine had already started to elevate among individuals with a UCd concentration of ≥2 μg/L. The overall findings illustrate that metabolomics offer a useful approach for revealing metabolic changes as a result of Cd exposure