Comparing the effectiveness of different DNA extraction methods in MX-80 bentonite.

Approaches to DNA extraction play a crucial role in determining the variability of results obtained through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Particularly, clay-rich samples can impede the efficiency of various standard cultivation-independent techniques. We conducted an inter-laboratory comparison study to thoroughly assess the efficacy of two published DNA extraction methods (kit-based and phenol-chloroform-based) specifically designed for bentonite samples.

Future rice farming threatened by drought in the Lower Mekong Basin.

The Lower Mekong River basin (LMB) has experienced droughts in recent decades, causing detrimental economic losses and food security conundrums. This study quantified the impact of climate change on drought, and rainfed rice production in the LMB. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and AquaCrop models were used to evaluate long-term drought indices and rainfed rice yields under historical and future climate conditions (1954-2099) with four climate models and two emission scenarios (RCP 4.

Design, synthesis and evaluation of novel hybrids between 4-anilinoquinazolines and substituted triazoles as potent cytotoxic agents.

In this research several series of novel dioxygenated ring fused 4-anilinoquinazolines (10a-d) and 4-anilinoquinazoline-substituted triazole hybrid compounds (11-14) have been designed and synthesized. Their biological significance was highlighted by evaluating in vitro for anticancer activities, wherein several compounds displayed excellent activity specifically against three human cancer cell lines (KB, epidermoid carcinoma; HepG2, hepatoma carcinoma; SK-Lu-1, non-small lung cancer). Especially, compound 13a exhibited up to 100-fold higher cytotoxicity in comparison with erlotinib.