APPLICATION OF TROPICAL CYCLONE LIFE-CYCLE PREDICTIONS FROM PRE-FORMATION STAGE: EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC 2021 SEASON

This thesis documents advancements made during the 2021 season test of pre-formation tropical cyclone (TC) forecasts in the eastern North Pacific (ENP) using Marchok vortex tracker outputs from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts ensemble. Critical Warm Core Magnitude thresholds are established to predict Time-to-Formation and Time-to-Hurricane timings and positions along 15-day Weighted-Mean Vector Motion ensemble tracks. This thesis develops and tests a decision flowchart to assist forecasters in the critical task to efficiently select the pre-formation ensemble storms most likely to become TCs, and to non-select false alarm storms. The flowchart effectiveness is demonstrated, and validations of these techniques are provided for hurricanes Enrique and Felicia, strong Tropical Storm (TS) Guillermo and weak TS Jimena, and a non-developing disturbance. Thus, an opportunity exists for TC warning centers to provide accurate long-range intensity and track predictions of potential TCs from the pre-formation stage. This thesis is prepared as guidance to forecasters to facilitate integration of these techniques into operational centers and increase forecast confidence at much earlier stages of developing and non-developing TCs. While this thesis confirms the effectiveness of this forecast process for ENP pre-formation TCs, the findings suggest a promising capability for application in other basins.Office of Naval Research, 875 N. Randolph Street, Suite 1425, Arlington, VA 22203-1995Captain, United States Air ForceApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Predictive biomarkers for checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy: The Galectin-3 signature in NSCLCs

Checkpoint inhibitor-based immunotherapy is opening a promising scenario in oncology, with objective responses registered in multiple cancer types. However, reliable predictive markers of tumor responsiveness are still lacking. These markers need to be urgently identified for a better selection of patients that can be candidates for immunotherapy. In this pilot study, a cohort of 34 consecutive patients bearing programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), treated with pembrolizumab, was considered. The retrospective immuno-phenotypic analysis performed on the original tumor biopsies allowed for the identification of a specific “galectin signature”, which strongly correlated with tumor responsiveness to anti PD-1 immunotherapy. We observed that the large majority of patients (about 90%) with high galectin-3 tumor expression (score 3+) showed an early and dramatic progression of the disease after three cycles of treatments. In contrast, all patients with negative or low/intermediate expression of galectin-3 in tumor cells showed an early and durable objective response to pembrolizumab, indicating galectin-3 as an interesting predictive marker of tumor responsiveness. The galectin-3 signature, at least in NSCLCs, promises a better selection of patient candidates for immunotherapy, reducing unnecessary treatment exposures and social costs. A large multicenter study is ongoing to validate this finding

A novel BRCA2 splice variant identified in a young woman

Background: BRCA1/2 VUSs represent an important clinical issue in risk assessment for the breast/ovarian cancer families (HBOC) families. Among them, some occurring within the intron-exon boundary may lead to aberrant splicing process by altering or creating de novo splicing regulatory elements or unmasking cryptic splice site. Defining the impact of these potential splice variants at functional level is important to establish their pathogenic role. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood sample of a young woman affected with breast cancer belonging to a HBOC family and the entire coding regions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were amplified using the Ion AmpliSeq BRCA1 and BRCA2 Panel. The BRCA2 c.682-2delA variant has been characterized by RT-PCR analysis performed on mRNA extracted from blood and lymphoblastoid cell line. Results: We demonstrated that a novel BRCA2 c.682-2delA variant at the highly conserved splice consensus site in intron 8 disrupts the canonical splice acceptor site generating a truncated protein as predicted by several bioinformatics tools. Segregations analysis in the family and LOH performed on proband breast cancer tissue further confirmed its classification as pathogenic variant. Conclusion: Combining different methodologies, we characterized this new BRCA2 variant and provided findings of clinical utility for its classification as pathogenic variant

Near-optimum universal graphs for graphs with bounded degrees (Extended abstract)

Let H be a family of graphs. We say that G is H-universal if, for each H ∈H, the graph G contains a subgraph isomorphic to H. Let H(k, n) denote the family of graphs on n vertices with maximum degree at most k. For each fixed k and each n sufficiently large, we explicitly construct an H(k, n)-universal graph Γ(k, n) with O(n2−2/k(log n)1+8/k) edges. This is optimal up to a small polylogarithmic factor, as Ω(n2−2/k) is a lower bound for the number of edges in any such graph. En route, we use the probabilistic method in a rather unusual way. After presenting a deterministic construction of the graph Γ(k, n), we prove, using a probabilistic argument, that Γ(k, n) is H(k, n)-universal. So we use the probabilistic method to prove that an explicit construction satisfies certain properties, rather than showing the existence of a construction that satisfies these properties. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 200

Validação de método para estudo de deposição de inseticidas biológicos em florestas.

Tem sido dada muito pouca atenção aos estudos da deposição de inseticidas biológicos, os quais tem sido aplicados com equipamento desenvolvido para uso com químicos. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar um método para a analise da deposição de agrotóxicos em florestas de eucaliptos, caracterizado pelo uso de uma calda de pulverização marcada com traçador e uma técnica especial de amostragem. Empregou-se o cobre como traçador, na forma de fungicida, cuja analise espectrofotométrica e de baixo custo, fácil de execução, alem de possibilitar um excelente nível de recuperação das plantas. Utilizaram-se cartões de papel mata-borrão como alvo artificial para amostrar as gotas. Cartões grampeados em barbantes, em distancias preestabelecidas, foram colocados sobre as plantas, possibilitando uma amostragem estratificada por alturas. Para o solo, os cartões foram colocados em discos de Petri e distribuídos sob a copa das arvores, entre plantas e entre as linhas de plantio. Os resultados indicam que 61% do produto aplicado ficaram retidos nas plantas, 31% atingiram o solo e 8% podem ter sido perdidos através da "exo-deriva".bitstream/item/143340/1/CNPMA-BOLET.-PESQ.-4-99.pd

Implementation of two data bases on biosafety of biocontrol agents.

Since 1994, two data bases are being developed at the National Research Center for Monitoring and Environmental Impact Assessment - (CNPMA/EMBRAPA), under a project entitled "Risk Analysis and Environmental Impact of the Use of Biocontrol Agents". The first, "Who is Who on Risk Assessment of Biocontrol Agents" is an international data base and stores information on researchers, institutions and laboratories involved in such studies. It is presently available on the Internet for on-line search. Over 300 specialists from around the world are currently included in the data base. The second, "Risk Assessment of Biocontrol Agents", stores information collected from scientific papers about methodologies for risk assessment of the use of biocontrol agents. Over 100 papers have been processed and available for consultation at CNPMA/EMBRAPA's library. These data bases are being developed under a research project, conducted at CNPMA. The contribution of this work is to identify researchers and institutions that work with this issue and provide fast communication among them to faster exchange of experiences, and also to facilitate the selection of methodologies that could be used in different studies