Sustainability of Mahogany Production in Plantations: Does Resource Availability Influence Susceptibility of Young Mahogany Plantation Stands to Hypsipyla robusta Infestation?

Hypsipyla robusta Moore (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), like many other moth species, shows selectivity when choosing host plants for its eggs. Four Meliaceae species (Khaya grandifoliola, K. ivorensis, Swietenia macrophyla, and Entandrophragma cylindricum) were established in a moist semideciduous forest in Ghana to study this selectivity at 12 and 21 months after planting. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a P-value of 0.05 was used to test the significance of differences in infestation by H. robusta between the species. H. robusta attacks were recorded by month 12 after planting in the field, and only Khaya spp. was attacked, with attacks evident on 15.5% of K grandifoliola and 6.6% K. ivorensis. Saplings in blocks closer to an older H. robusta infested K. grandifoliola stand had more infestation compared to saplings further away. The mean percentage of K. grandifoliola attacked was 38.9%, 38.9%, 13.3%, and 7.4% in 4 different plots located increasingly further away from the older infested plantation. A similar trend was found in K. ivorensis with 28.4%, 7.1%, 0.0%, and 0.0% in the plots located increasingly further away from the infested stand. These results indicate a higher number of shoot borer attacks at the edge of the plantation and in proximity to other infested plantations. After 21 months, the fastest-growing species and the fastest-growing individuals within the species were the most infested. K. grandifoliola recorded the fastest growth and most attacks followed by K. ivorensis and S. macrophylla. E. cylindricum recorded the least growth and no H. robusta infestation. After 21 months, the mean percentages of trees attacked were 59.1%, 23.7%, 5.6%, and 0.0% for K. grandifoliola, K. ivorensis, S. macrophylla, and E. cylindricum, respectively. Within species, the fastest-growing saplings experienced the most attacks. A positive correlation was observed between the plant size and H. robusta attacks (R2 = 0.76). Attacks resulted in the death of the apical shoot and the proliferation of multiple shoots in only the Khaya spp., with K. ivorensis recording a lower number of shoots than K. grandifoliola. These proliferated shoots were also attacked, and a positive correlation was observed between the number of proliferated shoots and H. robusta attacks (R2 = 0.84). These findings will assist plantation developers, forest managers, and investors in mahogany plantations to devise integrated pest management strategies to reduce the impact of Hypsipyla attacks on their plantations

Diagnostics and two-dimensional simulation of low-frequency inductively coupled plasmas with neutral gas heating and electron heat flares

This article presents the results on the diagnostics and numerical modeling of low-frequency (∼460 KHz) inductively coupled plasmas generated in a cylindrical metal chamber by an external flat spiral coil. Experimental data on the electron number densities and temperatures, electron energy distribution functions, and optical emission intensities of the abundant plasma species in low/intermediate pressure argon discharges are included. The spatial profiles of the plasma density, electron temperature, and excited argon species are computed, for different rf powers and working gas pressures, using the two-dimensional fluid approach. The model allows one to achieve a reasonable agreement between the computed and experimental data. The effect of the neutral gas temperature on the plasma parameters is also investigated. It is shown that neutral gas heating (at rf powers⩾0.55 kW) is one of the key factors that control the electron number density and temperature. The dependence of the average rf power loss, per electron–ion pair created, on the working gas pressure shows that the electron heat flux to the walls appears to be a critical factor in the total power loss in the discharge

Inductively coupled plasmas sustained by an internal oscillating current

A global electromagnetic model of an inductively coupled plasma sustained by an internal oscillating current sheet in a cylindrical metal vessel is developed. The electromagnetic field structure, profiles of the rf power transferred to the plasma electrons, electron/ion number density, and working points of the discharge are studied, by invoking particle and power balance. It is revealed that the internal rf current with spatially invariable phase significantly improves the radial uniformity of the electromagnetic fields and the power density in the chamber as compared with conventional plasma sources with external flat spiral inductive coils. This configuration offers the possibility of controlling the rf power deposition in the azimuthal direction

Formation and Interaction of Membrane Tubes

We show that the formation of membrane tubes (or membrane tethers), which is a crucial step in many biological processes, is highly non-trivial and involves first order shape transitions. The force exerted by an emerging tube is a non-monotonic function of its length. We point out that tubes attract each other, which eventually leads to their coalescence. We also show that detached tubes behave like semiflexible filaments with a rather short persistence length. We suggest that these properties play an important role in the formation and structure of tubular organelles.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Processing of the papain precursor. Purification of the zymogen and characterization of its mechanism of processing.

The precursor of the cysteine protease papain has been expressed and secreted as propapain from insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus expressing a synthetic gene coding for prepropapain. This 39-kDa secreted propapain zymogen molecule is glycosylated and can be processed in vitro into an enzymatically active authentic papain molecule of 24.5 kDa (Vernet, T., Tessier, D.C., Richardson, C., Laliberte, F., Khouri, H. E., Bell, A. W., Storer, A. C., and Thomas, D. Y. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 16661-16666). Recombinant propapain was stabilized with Hg2+ and purified to homogeneity using affinity chromatography, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatographic procedures. The maximum rate of processing in vitro was achieved at approximately pH 4.0, at a temperature of 65 degrees C and under reducing conditions. Precursor processing is inhibited by a variety of reversible and irreversible cysteine protease inhibitors but not by specific inhibitors of serine, metallo or acid proteases. Replacement by site-directed mutagenesis of the active site cysteine with a serine at position 25 also prevents processing. The inhibitor 125I-N-(2S,3S)-3-trans-hydroxycarbonyloxiran-2-carbonyl-L-tyrosine benzyl ester covalently labeled the wild type papain precursor, but not the C25S mutant, indicating that the active site is accessible to the inhibitor and is in a native conformation within the precursor. Based on biochemical and kinetic analyses of the activation and processing of propapain we have shown that the papain precursor is capable of autoproteolytic cleavage (intramolecular). Once free papain is released processing can then occur in trans (intermolecular)

BRAF mutations may identify a clinically distinct subset of glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults. Prior studies examining the mutational landscape of GBM revealed recurrent alterations in genes that regulate the same growth control pathways. To this regard, ~ 40% of GBM harbor EGFR alterations, whereas BRAF variants are rare. Existing data suggests that gain-of-function mutations in these genes are mutually exclusive. This study was designed to explore the clinical, pathological, and molecular differences between EGFR- and BRAF-mutated GBM. We reviewed retrospective clinical data from 89 GBM patients referred for molecular testing between November 2012 and December 2015. Differences in tumor mutational profile, location, histology, and survival outcomes were compared in patients with EGFR- versus BRAF-mutated tumors, and microarray data from The Cancer Genome Atlas was used to assess differential gene expression between the groups. Individuals with BRAF-mutant tumors were typically younger and survived longer relative to those with EGFR-mutant tumors, even in the absence of targeted treatments. BRAF-mutant tumors lacked distinct histomorphology but exhibited unique localization in the brain, typically arising adjacent to the lateral ventricles. Compared to EGFR- and IDH1-mutant tumors, BRAF-mutant tumors showed increased expression of genes related to a trophoblast-like phenotype, specifically HLA-G and pregnancy specific glycoproteins, that have been implicated in invasion and immune evasion. Taken together, these observations suggest a distinct clinical presentation, brain location, and gene expression profile for BRAF-mutant tumors. Pending further study, this may prove useful in the stratification and management of GBM

A randomized phase II trial of tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus after non-myeloablative unrelated donor transplantation

The study is a randomized phase II trial investigating graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis after non-myeloablative (90 mg/m(2) fludarabine and 2 Gy total body irradiation) human leukocyte antigen matched unrelated donor transplantation. Patients were randomized as follows: arm 1 – tacrolimus 180 days and mycophenolate mofetil 95 days (n=69); arm 2 – tacrolimus 150 days and mycophenolate mofetil 180 days (n=71); arm 3 – tacrolimus 150 days, mycophenolate mofetil 180 days and sirolimus 80 days (n=68). All patients had sustained engraftment. Grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease rates in the 3 arms were 64%, 48% and 47% at Day 150, respectively (arm 3 vs. arm 1 (hazard ratio 0.62; P=0.04). Owing to the decreased incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease, systemic steroid use was lower at Day 150 in arm 3 (32% vs. 55% in arm 1 and 49% in arm 2; overall P=0.009 by hazard ratio analysis). The Day 150 incidence of cytomegalovirus reactivation was lower in arm 3 (arm 1, 54%; arm 2, 47%; arm 3, 22%; overall P=0.002 by hazard ratio analysis). Non-relapse mortality was comparable in the three arms at two years (arm 1, 26%; arm 2, 23%; arm 3, 18%). Toxicity rates and other outcome measures were similar between the three arms. The addition of sirolimus to tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil is safe and associated with lower incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease and cytomegalovirus reactivation. (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: 00105001)

TID compared to BID mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) improves donor chimerism and engraftment rates without increasing postgrafting toxicities after unrelated peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation (HCT) with nonmyeloablative conditioning

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368: Longer follow up of patients (pts) with advanced chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) treated with nonmyeloablative conditioning and allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT)

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