Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of African Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) Accessions Assessed through Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Markers.

Assessing the genetic diversity and population structure of cultivated sorghum is important for heterotic grouping, breeding population development, marker-assisted cultivar development, and release. The objectives of the present study were to assess the genetic diversity and deduce the population structure of 200 sorghum accessions using diversity arrays technology (DArT)-derived single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The expected heterozygosity values ranged from 0.10 to 0.50 with an average of 0.32, while the average observed heterozygosity (0.15) was relatively low, which is a typical value for autogamous crops species like sorghum. Moderate polymorphic information content (PIC) values were identified with a mean of 0.26, which indicates the informativeness of the chosen SNP markers. The population structure and cluster analyses revealed four main clusters with a high level of genetic diversity among the accessions studied. The variation within populations (41.5%) was significantly higher than that among populations (30.8%) and between samples within the structure (27.7%). The study identified distantly related sorghum accessions such as SAMSORG 48, KAURA RED GLUME; Gadam, AS 152; CSRO1, ICNSL2014-062; and YALAI, KAFI MORI. The accessions exhibited wide genetic diversity that will be useful in developing new gene pools and novel genotypes for West Africa sorghum breeding programs.

A review of gas chromatographic techniques for identification of aqueous amine degradation products in carbonated environments.

Degradation of amines is a significant issue allied to amine-based carbon dioxide (CO2) absorption in post-combustion CO2 capture. It becomes essential to have a detailed understanding of degradation products for advanced post-combustion CO2 capture technology. Identification and quantification of degradation products of amines help in practicability and environmental assessment of amine-based technology. Gas, liquid, and ion chromatographic techniques are the benchmark tools for qualitative and quantitative analyses of the amines and their derivatives. Among others, gas chromatography has been more in use for this specific application, especially for the identification of degradation products of amines. This review focuses on the critical elucidation of gas chromatographic analysis and development of methods to determine the amine degradation products, highlighting preparation methods for samples and selecting columns and detectors. The choice of detector, column, sample preparation, and method development are reviewed in this manuscript, keeping in view the industry and research applications. Furthermore, obtained results on the quantitative and qualitative analyses using gas chromatography are summarized with future perspectives.

Oleic Acid, Cholesterol, and Linoleic Acid as Angiogenesis Initiators.

The current study determined the natural angiogenic molecules using an unbiased metabolomics approach. A chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model was used to examine pro- and antiangiogenic molecules, followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. Vessel formation was analyzed quantitatively using the angiogenic index (p < 0.05). At embryonic day one, a white streak or circle area was observed when vessel formation begins. GCMS analysis and database search demonstrated that angiogenesis may initiate when oleic, cholesterol, and linoleic acids increased in the area of angiogenic reactions. The gain of function study was conducted by the injection of cholesterol and oleic acid into a chick embryo to determine the role of each lipid in angiogenesis. We propose that oleic acid, cholesterol, and linoleic acid are natural molecules that set the platform for the initiation stage of angiogenesis before other proteins including the vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin, angiotensin, and erythropoietin join as the angiome in sprout extension and vessel maturation.

Prevalence of chromosome anomalies in a deer farm with fertility decline in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: A number of factors are known to reduce fertility rate in animals and one of the important categories of such factors is chromosome anomalies. They can occur with or without causing phenotypic abnormalities on animals; in some cases, they may directly affect meiosis, gametogenesis and the viability of conceptus. In many instances, balanced structural rearrangements can be transmitted to offspring, affecting fertility in subsequent generations. AIM: This work investigated the occurrence of chromosome aberrations in Rusa timorensis, Rusa unicolor and Axis axis raised in a nucleus deer farm in Malaysia with a history of declining fertility of unknown origin. MATERIALS & METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 60 animals through venipuncture, cultured for 72 h and arrested at metaphase. SmartType® and Ideokar® software were used to karyotype the chromosomes. RESULTS: We found 15 out of the 60 animals screened from both sexes harbor some form of chromosome aberration. Chromosomal aberrations exist at the rate of 25% and may not be unconnected with the observed reduced fertility on the farm. Further investigations should be carried out, especially on the offspring of the studied animals to transmission of these aberrations. The animals that are confirmed to transmit the chromosomal aberrations should be culled to arrest the propagation of their abnormalities.

Monitoring the physical and insecticidal durability of the long-lasting insecticidal net DawaPlus® 2.0 in three States in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Following guidance from the US President's Malaria Initiative, durability monitoring of DawaPlus® 2.0 brand of long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) distributed during the 2015/16 mass campaign was set up in three ecologically different states: Zamfara, Ebonyi and Oyo. METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of representative samples of households from each location, recruited at baseline, 1 to 6 months after the mass campaign. All campaign nets in the households were labelled and followed up over a period of 36 months in Zamfara and Ebonyi and 24 months in Oyo. Primary outcome was the "proportion of nets surviving in serviceable condition" based on attrition and integrity measures and the median survival in years. The outcome for insecticidal durability was determined by bio-assay from sub-samples of campaign nets. RESULTS: A total of 439 households (98% of target) and 1096 campaign nets (106%) were included in the study. Definite outcomes could be determined for 92% of the cohort nets in Zamfara, 88% in Ebonyi and 75% in Oyo. All-cause attrition was highest in Oyo with 47% no longer present after 24 months, 53% in Ebonyi and 28% in Zamfara after 36 months. Overall only 1% of all campaign nets were used for other purposes. Estimated survival in serviceable condition of the campaign nets was 80% in Zamfara, 55% in Ebonyi (36 months follow-up) and 75% in Oyo (24 months follow-up) corresponding to median survival of 5.3, 3.3, 3.2 years, respectively. Factors associated with better survival were exposure to social messaging combined with a positive net-care attitude and only adult users. Failing to fold the net when hanging and having children under 5 years of age in the household negatively impacted net survival. Insecticidal effectiveness testing at final survey showed knock-down rates of 50-69%, but 24-h mortality above 95% resulting in 100% optimal performance in Ebonyi and Oyo and 97% in Zamfara. CONCLUSIONS: Results confirm the strong influence of net-use environment and behavioural factors in the physical survival of the same LLIN brand, which can increase the time until 50% of nets are no longer serviceable by up to 2 years.

Macrophage activation syndrome as an initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus with sensorineural hearing loss in a young male patient.

An 18-year-old male adolescent presented with prolonged high spiking temperature, photosensitive rash, oral ulcers and reduced hearing bilaterally of recent onset. Examination revealed malar rash, vasculitis rash over bilateral palms and soles, oral and buccal ulcers, palpable posterior auricular and inguinal lymph nodes, and reduced hearing bilaterally. His further investigations noted pancytopaenia, elevated transaminases, hyperferritinaemia, low C3 and C4 levels, positive antinuclear antibody, double-stranded DNA and direct Coombs test, while bone marrow aspiration revealed active phagocytic activity suggestive of hemophagocytic syndrome. We made a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus with macrophage activation syndrome. We treated him with pulse intravenous methylprednisolone and his condition improved drastically. Temperature resolved on the next day after intravenous methylprednisolone; bilateral sensorineural hearing loss improved to near-normal hearing after treatment. He remained well during follow-up with a tapering dose of prednisolone.

Opportunities and challenges associated with fecal progesterone metabolite analysis.

Conventionally, plasma or milk progesterone evaluations are used to determine the reproductive status of female animals. Collection of such samples is often associated with difficulties of animal handling and restraint. Measurable quantities of progesterone metabolites are found in feces of animals. Their concentrations are known to be well correlated to plasma progesterone levels and are, therefore, used as non-invasive samples for assessing reproductive function in a wide range of animal species. Although the analysis of fecal progesterone metabolites has been widely accepted in many laboratories, several factors are known to affect the results from this valuable analytical technique. Some of these factors include storage/transportation media for fecal samples, type of solvent that is used for extraction of progesterone metabolites from feces, and the type and sensitivity of an assaying technique employed. Although fecal progesterone metabolites analysis is associated with some difficulties, it can effectively be used to monitor reproductive function in a wide range of animal species. This review aims to highlight the usefulness of fecal progesterone metabolite analysis as a non-invasive technique in monitoring reproductive function in animals. The article mainly focuses on the many opportunities and challenges associated with this analytical technique.

Disruption of Angiogenesis by Anthocyanin-Rich Extracts of Hibiscus sabdariffa.

Abnormal vessel formations contribute to the progression of specific angiogenic diseases including age-related macular degeneration. Adequate vessel growth and maintenance represent the coordinated process of endothelial cell proliferation, matrix remodeling, and differentiation. However, the molecular mechanism of the proper balance between angiogenic activators and inhibitors remains elusive. In addition, quantitative analysis of vessel formation has been challenging due to complex angiogenic morphology. We hypothesized that conjugated double bond containing-natural products, including anthocyanin extracts from Hibiscus sabdariffa, may control the proper angiogenesis. The current study was designed to determine whether natural molecules from African plant library modulate angiogenesis. Further, we questioned how the proper balance of anti- or pro-angiogenic signaling can be obtained in the vascular microenvironment by treating anthocyanin or fatty acids using chick chorioallantoic membrane angiogenesis model in ovo. The angiogenic morphology was analyzed systematically by measuring twenty one angiogenic indexes using Angiogenic Analyzer software. Chick chorioallantoic model demonstrated that anthocyanin-rich extracts inhibited angiogenesis in time- and concentration-dependent manner. Molecular modeling analysis proposed that hibiscetin as a component in Hibiscus may bind to the active site of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) with ΔG= -8.42 kcal/mol of binding energy. Our results provided the evidence that anthocyanin is an angiogenic modulator that can be used to treat uncontrolled neovascular-related diseases, including age-related macular degeneration.

Controlled Defects of Fluorine-incorporated ZnO Nanorods for Photovoltaic Enhancement.

Anion passivation effect on metal-oxide nano-architecture offers a highly controllable platform for improving charge selectivity and extraction, with direct relevance to their implementation in hybrid solar cells. In current work, we demonstrated the incorporation of fluorine (F) as an anion dopant to address the defect-rich nature of ZnO nanorods (ZNR) and improve the feasibility of its role as electron acceptor. The detailed morphology evolution and defect engineering on ZNR were studied as a function of F-doping concentration (x). Specifically, the rod-shaped arrays of ZnO were transformed into taper-shaped arrays at high x. A hypsochromic shift was observed in optical energy band gap due to the Burstein-Moss effect. A substantial suppression on intrinsic defects in ZnO lattice directly epitomized the novel role of fluorine as an oxygen defect quencher. The results show that 10-FZNR/P3HT device exhibited two-fold higher power conversion efficiency than the pristine ZNR/P3HT device, primarily due to the reduced Schottky defects and charge transfer barrier. Essentially, the reported findings yielded insights on the functions of fluorine on (i) surface -OH passivation, (ii) oxygen vacancies (Vo) occupation and (iii) lattice oxygen substitution, thereby enhancing the photo-physical processes, carrier mobility and concentration of FZNR based device.

Ag-ZnO nanoreactor grown on FTO substrate exhibiting high heterogeneous photocatalytic efficiency.

This Research Article reports an unusually high efficiency heterogeneous photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) in the presence of Ag nanoparticle-loaded ZnO quasi-nanotube or nanoreactor (A-ZNRs) nanocatalyst grown on FTO substrate. In typical process, photodegradation efficiency of as high as 21.6% per µg per Watts of used catalyst and UV power can be normally obtained within only a 60-min reaction time from this system, which is 10(3) order higher than the reported results. This is equivalent to the turnover frequency of 360 mol mol(-1) h(-1). High-density hexagonal A-ZNRs catalysts were grown directly on FTO substrate via a seed-mediated microwave-assisted hydrolysis growth process utilizing Ag nanoparticle of approximately 3 nm in size as nanoseed and mixture aqueous solution of Zn(NO3)·6H2O, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT), and AgNO3 as the growth solution. A-ZNRs adopts hexagonal cross-section morphology with the inner surface of the reactor characterized by a rough and rugged structure. Transmission electron microscopy imaging shows the Ag nanoparticle grows interstitially in the ZnO nanoreactor structure. The high photocatalytic property of the A-ZNRs is associated with the highly active of inner side's surface of A-ZNRs and the oxidizing effect of Ag nanoparticle. The growth mechanism as well as the mechanism of the enhanced-photocatalytic performance of the A-ZNRs will be discussed.

Automatic alkaloid removal system.

This alkaloid automated removal machine was developed at Instrumentation Laboratory, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin Malaysia that purposely for removing the alkaloid toxicity from Dioscorea hispida (DH) tuber. It is a poisonous plant where scientific study has shown that its tubers contain toxic alkaloid constituents, dioscorine. The tubers can only be consumed after it poisonous is removed. In this experiment, the tubers are needed to blend as powder form before inserting into machine basket. The user is need to push the START button on machine controller for switching the water pump ON by then creating turbulence wave of water in machine tank. The water will stop automatically by triggering the outlet solenoid valve. The powders of tubers are washed for 10 minutes while 1 liter of contaminated water due toxin mixture is flowing out. At this time, the controller will automatically triggered inlet solenoid valve and the new water will flow in machine tank until achieve the desire level that which determined by ultra sonic sensor. This process will repeated for 7 h and the positive result is achieved and shows it significant according to the several parameters of biological character ofpH, temperature, dissolve oxygen, turbidity, conductivity and fish survival rate or time. From that parameter, it also shows the positive result which is near or same with control water and assuming was made that the toxin is fully removed when the pH of DH powder is near with control water. For control water, the pH is about 5.3 while water from this experiment process is 6.0 and before run the machine the pH of contaminated water is about 3.8 which are too acid. This automated machine can save time for removing toxicity from DH compared with a traditional method while less observation of the user.

Solution-processed Ga-doped ZnO nanorod arrays as electron acceptors in organic solar cells.

This paper reports the utilization of ZnO nanorod arrays (NRAs) doped with various concentrations of Ga (0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 at %) as electron acceptors in organic solar cells. The donor, poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT), was spin coated onto Ga-doped ZnO NRAs that were grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) substrates, followed by the deposition of a Ag electrode by a magnetron sputtering method. Adjusting the Ga precursor concentration allowed for the control of the structural and optical properties of ZnO NRAs. The short circuit current density increased with increasing Ga concentration from 0 to 1 at %, mainly because of improved exciton dissociation and increased charge extraction. Meanwhile, the reduced charge recombination and lower hole leakage current led to an increase in the open circuit voltage with Ga concentrations up to 1 at %. The device with the optimum Ga concentration of 1 at % exhibited power conversion efficiency nearly three times higher compared to the device without Ga doping. This finding suggests that the incorporation of Ga can be a simple and effective approach to improve the photovoltaic performance of organic solar cells.

ZnO nanocubes with (101) basal plane photocatalyst prepared via a low-frequency ultrasonic assisted hydrolysis process.

The crystallographic plane of the ZnO nanocrystals photocatalyst is considered as a key parameter for an effective photocatalysis, photoelectrochemical reaction and photosensitivity. In this paper, we report a simple method for the synthesis of a new (101) high-energy plane bounded ZnO nanocubes photocatalyst directly on the FTO surface, using a seed-mediated ultrasonic assisted hydrolysis process. In the typical procedure, high-density nanocubes and quasi-nanocubes can be grown on the substrate surface from a solution containing equimolar (0.04 M) zinc nitrate hydrate and hexamine. ZnO nanocubes, with average edge-length of ca. 50 nm, can be obtained on the surface in as quickly as 10 min. The heterogeneous photocatalytic property of the sample has been examined in the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) by UV light irradiation. It was found that the ZnO nanocubes exhibit excellent catalytic and photocatalytic properties and demonstrate the photodegradation efficiency as high as 5.7 percent/µg mW. This is 200 times higher than those reported results using a relatively low-powered polychromatic UV light source (4 mW). The mechanism of ZnO nanocube formation using the present approach is discussed. The new-synthesized ZnO nanocubes with a unique (101) basal plane also find potential application in photoelectrochemical devices and sensing.