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The classical model only provides a correct analysis if all the effects are fixed. For experiments that include fixed and random effects, the general linear mixed model is appropriate for handling the non-normal distributed response variables. The aim of this study is to perform the genotype selection through a generalized linear mixed model and identify the impact of treatment and the related traits on grain yield. The data were collected using a lattice square design and measured the phenotype traits of sorghum. The result of PCA was used as an input variable for the general linear mixed model. The data analysis was performed using a general linear mixed model with maximum likelihood methods to estimate the parameters of the model. The result showed that the grain yield had a gamma distribution and a treatment effect on grain yield. The first principal component was significant for grain yield. The variability of grain yield due to the random effects of replication within treatment, genotype, and the interaction of genotype by treatment were significant. The best genotypes effective for the mass production of sorghum were G137, G66 and G156 under stress conditions and G55, G41 and G78 under irrigated conditions. Overall, genotype selection using a general linear mixed model for grain yield is recommended for genotype selection of plant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data analysis using the General linear model assumes the factors to be fixed effects, and the BLUE method, which is based on their mean performance, is appropriate to select the best performing genotypes. The linear mixed model incorporates fixed and random effects that are very important to compare a genotype's performance through BLUP. The purpose of this study was to identify the best performing genotypes that provided a high grain yield using a mixed model, compare the mean performance of genotypes on grain yield using BLUP and BLUE, and determine the impact of drought on sorghum production in Ethiopia. The experiment used water availability as a treatment, and each replication within the treatment levels used a lattice square design for data collection. The design consisted of 14 × 14 square experimental units (plots) comprising 196 genotypes, where each row of the square was represented as a block receiving 14 genotypes. The phenotypic characteristics were measured for the study. The statistical methods used for the study were ANOVA and the linear mixed model to identify the best performing genotypes of sorghum. The study found that sorghum production was influenced by drought, which restricted sorghum growth due to a shortage of water. The implementation of irrigation increased the grain yield from 2.48 to 3.17 t/ha, indicating that the difference in grain yield between treatments (with and without irrigation) was 0.69 t/ha. The study compared the general linear model and linear mixed model, and the investigation revealed that the mixed model was more accurate than the general linear model. The linear mixed model selected the best performing genotypes in grain yield with better accuracy. It is recommended to use the linear mixed model to select the best performing genotypes in grain yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, elucidation of novel anti-HIV bioactive compounds from natural products is gaining importance rapidly, not only from the research and publications, but also from controlled clinical studies. Here we report three new anti-HIV eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes, 5β-Hydroxy-8α-methoxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (1), 5β,8α-Dihydroxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (2) and 5β-Hydroxy-8H-β-eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (3). These are trivially named ermiasolide A-C and were isolated from the bark of Croton megalocarpus. 5β-Hydroxy-8α-methoxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (1), showed the highest anti-HIV activity by inhibiting 93% of the viral replication with an IC50 = 0.002 µg/mL. On the other hand, 5β-Hydroxy-8H-β-eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (3) and 5β,8α-dihydroxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (2), inhibited viral replication by 77.5% at IC50 = 0.04 µg/mL and 69.5% at IC50 = 0.002 µg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking studies showed that the proposed mechanism of action leading to these results is through the inhibition of HIV-protease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absence of a secure long-term sustainable energy supply is recognized as a major worldwide technological challenge. The generation of H2 through photocatalysis is an environmentally friendly alternative that can help solve the energy problem. Thus, the development of semiconductor materials that can absorb solar light is an attractive approach. TiO2 has a wide bandgap that suffers from no activity in the visible spectrum, limiting its use of solar radiation. In this research, the semiconductor absorption profile was extended into the visible region of the solar spectrum by preparing porphyrin-TiO2 (P-TiO2) composites of meso-tetra(4-bromophenyl)porphyrin (PP1) and meso-tetra(5-bromo-2-thienyl)porphyrin (PP2) and their In(III), Zn(II) and Ga(III) metal complexes. Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations were performed on the porphyrins to gain insight into their electron injection capability. The results demonstrate that P-TiO2 systems merit further in-depth study for applications that require efficient photocatalytic H2 generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A phytochemical investigation of the roots of Aspilia pluriseta led to the isolation of ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids and additional phytochemicals (1–23). The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses. The absolute configurations of seven of the ent-kaurane-type diterpenoids (3–6, 6b, 7 and 8) were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Eleven of the compounds were also isolated from the roots and the aerial parts of Aspilia mossambicensis. The literature NMR assignments for compounds 1 and 5 were revised. In a cytotoxicity assay, 12α-methoxy-ent-kaur-9(11),16-dien-19-oic acid (1) (IC50 = 27.3 ± 1.9 µM) and 9β-hydroxy-15α-angeloyloxy-ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid (3) (IC50 = 24.7 ± 2.8 µM) were the most cytotoxic against the hepatocellular carcinoma (Hep-G2) cell line, while 15α-angeloyloxy-16β,17-epoxy-ent-kauran-19-oic acid (5) (IC50 = 30.7 ± 1.7 µM) was the most cytotoxic against adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial (A549) cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-Sitosterol (β-Sit) is a dietary phytosterol with demonstrated anticancer activity against a panel of cancers, but its poor solubility in water limits its bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy. In this study, poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and block copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactic acid) (PEG-PLA) were used to encapsulate β-Sit into nanoparticles with the aim of enhancing its in vitro anticancer activity. β-Sitosterol-loaded PLGA and PEG-PLA nanoparticles (β-Sit-PLGA and β-Sit-PEG-PLA) were prepared by using a simple emulsion-solvent evaporation technique. The nanoparticles were characterized for size, particle size distribution, surface charge, and encapsulation efficiency. Their cellular uptake and antiproliferative activity was evaluated against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells using flow cytometry and MTT assays, respectively. β-Sit-PLGA and β-Sit-PEG-PLA nanoparticles were spherical in shape with average particle sizes of 215.0 ± 29.7 and 240.6 ± 23.3 nm, a zeta potential of -13.8 ± 1.61 and -23.5 ± 0.27 mV, respectively, and with narrow size distribution. The encapsulation efficiency of β-Sit was 62.89 ± 4.66 and 51.83 ± 19.72 % in PLGA and PEG-PLA nanoparticles, respectively. In vitro release in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and PBS/with 0.2% Tween 20 showed an initial burst release, followed by a sustained release for 408 h. β-Sit-PLGA nanoparticles were generally stable in a protein-rich medium, whereas β-Sit-PEG-PLA nanoparticles showed a tendency to aggregate. Flow cytometry analysis (FACS) indicated that β-Sit-PLGA nanoparticles were efficiently taken up by the cells in contrast to β-Sit-PEG-PLA nanoparticles. β-Sit-PLGA nanoparticles were therefore selected to evaluate antiproliferative activity. Cell viability was inhibited by up to 80% in a concentration range of 6.64⁻53.08 μg/mL compared to the untreated cells. Taken together, encapsulation of β-Sitosterol in PLGA nanoparticles is a promising strategy to enhance its anticancer activity against breast cancer cells.