Analysis of growth, yield potential and horticultural performance of conventional vs. micropropagated plants of Curcuma longa var. Lakadong

Complete randomized block design was applied to evaluate and compare the growth, yield and field performance of in vitro derived turmeric plants with conventional rhizome under field condition. In vitro propagated plants manifest consistently superior horticultural performance over the conventional rhizome. Among the different lines of in vitro propagated plants, plantlets treated with silver nitrate (AgNO3) were studied and compared with the conventional rhizome which showed superior growth in almost all the different traits compared. Phenotypic variation was higher in in vitro (3.3%) than conventional plant (1.2%) with no statistically significance. Tissue culture plants grew vigorously and taller than conventional type after six months of propagation. The highest yield potential were observed in in vitro plants (13.96 ton/ha) as compared with the conventional rhizome (6.97 ton/ha). However, the agronomic traits observed during the present study in tissue culture plants are stable, and has to be ascertained in subsequent years. If provided stable, this clone can be incorporated into the crop improvement programs of turmeric var. Lakadong.Keywords: Turmeric, micropropagation, field performance, tissue cultureAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(14), pp. 1604-1608, 3 April, 201

Variations in Implementation of Specifications Grading in STEM Courses

Specifications grading is an assessment strategy based on mastery learning, clear learning objectives, and frequent evaluations and feedback. Twelve instructors at a southeastern four-year public college implemented the specifications grading method across eight discrete courses in four STEM areas. In this modified assessment strategy, the students controlled their grades through multiple attempts, with limitations, on assessments of course objectives. The instructors designed and executed specifications grading in unique ways that aligned with their content areas, teaching beliefs, and individual teaching styles. Preliminary observations suggest that, regardless of subject area, specifications grading can be used as an alternative to traditional assessment methodologies in STEM courses, regardless of the content area. In general, three major variations of implementation arose from this initial trial. Major differences and commonalities among these types are discussed as they relate to the course subject area in which they are used. The results of this work add a unique set of assessment practices to the current body of knowledge in that other practitioners may gain insight on variations of the specifications grading method that may be practical and applicable in their own classrooms

KRAS G12C Inhibition with Sotorasib in Advanced Solid Tumors

Background: No therapies for targeting KRAS mutations in cancer have been approved. The KRAS p.G12C mutation occurs in 13% of non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) and in 1 to 3% of colorectal cancers and other cancers. Sotorasib is a small molecule that selectively and irreversibly targets KRASG12C. Methods: We conducted a phase 1 trial of sotorasib in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring the KRAS p.G12C mutation. Patients received sotorasib orally once daily. The primary end point was safety. Key secondary end points were pharmacokinetics and objective response, as assessed according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST), version 1.1. Results: A total of 129 patients (59 with NSCLC, 42 with colorectal cancer, and 28 with other tumors) were included in dose escalation and expansion cohorts. Patients had received a median of 3 (range, 0 to 11) previous lines of anticancer therapies for metastatic disease. No dose-limiting toxic effects or treatment-related deaths were observed. A total of 73 patients (56.6%) had treatment-related adverse events; 15 patients (11.6%) had grade 3 or 4 events. In the subgroup with NSCLC, 32.2% (19 patients) had a confirmed objective response (complete or partial response) and 88.1% (52 patients) had disease control (objective response or stable disease); the median progression-free survival was 6.3 months (range, 0.0+ to 14.9 [with + indicating that the value includes patient data that were censored at data cutoff]). In the subgroup with colorectal cancer, 7.1% (3 patients) had a confirmed response, and 73.8% (31 patients) had disease control; the median progression-free survival was 4.0 months (range, 0.0+ to 11.1+). Responses were also observed in patients with pancreatic, endometrial, and appendiceal cancers and melanoma. Conclusions: Sotorasib showed encouraging anticancer activity in patients with heavily pretreated advanced solid tumors harboring the KRAS p.G12C mutation. Grade 3 or 4 treatment-related toxic effects occurred in 11.6% of the patients. (Funded by Amgen and others; CodeBreaK100 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03600883.)

Marina crystal minerals (MCM) activate human dendritic cells to induce CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in vitro.

Marina crystal minerals (MCM) are a mixture that contains crystallized minerals along with trace elements extracted from seawater. It is a nutritional supplement that is capable of enhancing natural killer (NK) cell activity and increasing T and B cell proliferation in humans post ingestion. However, its effect on dendritic cells (DCs), the cells that bridge innate and adaptive immunity, is not yet known. In this study, we examine the stimulatory effects of MCM on DCs' maturation and function in vitro. Human monocyte-derived DCs were treated with MCM at two different concentrations (10 and 20 µg/mL) for 24 h. Results showed that MCM treatment activated DCs in a dose-dependent fashion. It caused the upregulation of costimulatory molecules CD80, CD86, and HLA-DR, and prompted the production of DC cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-1β, and chemokines (monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1)) and interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10). In addition, activated DCs primed CD4+ T cells to secrete significant amounts of interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and they also stimulated CD8+ T cells to express higher amounts of CD107a. These results indicate that MCM is a potentially powerful adjuvant, from natural materials, that activates human DCs in vitro and therefore may suggest its possible use in immune-based therapies against cancer and viral infections

Structure-inherent targeting of near-infrared fluorophores for parathyroid and thyroid gland imaging

Surgical oncolog

Five-Coordinated Geometries from Molecular Structures to Solutions in Copper(II) Complexes Generated from Polydentate-N-Donor Ligands and Pseudohalides

A novel series of mononuclear five-coordinated pseudohalido-Cu(II) complexes displaying distorted square bipyramidal: [Cu(L1)(NCS)2] (1), [Cu(L2)(NCS)2] (2) and [Cu(L3)(NCS)]ClO4 (5) as well as distorted trigonal bipyramidal: [Cu(isp3tren)(N3)]ClO4 (3), [Cu(isp3tren)(dca)]ClO4 (4) and [Cu(tedmpza)(dca)]ClO4·0.67H2O (6) geometries had been synthesized and structurally characterized using X-ray single crystal crystallography, elemental microanalysis, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy, and molar conductivity measurements. Different N-donor amine skeletons including tridentate: L1 = [(2-pyridyl)-2-ethyl)-(3,4-dimethoxy)-2-methylpyridyl]methylamine and L2 = [(2-pyridyl)-2-ethyl)-(3,5-dimethyl-4-methoxy)-2-methyl-pyridyl]methylamine, and tetradentate: L3 = bis(2-ethyl-di(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)-[2-(3,4-dimethoxy-pyridylmethyl)]amine, tedmpza = tris[(2-(3,5-dimethyl-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)ethyl]amine and isp3tren = tris[(2-isopropylamino)ethyl)]amine ligands were employed. Molecular structural parameters such as nature of coligand, its chelate ring size and steric environment incorporated into its skeleton, which lead to adopting one of the two limiting geometries in these complexes and other reported compounds are analyzed and correlated to their assigned geometries in solutions. Similar analysis were extended to other five-coordinated halido-Cu(II) complexes

The Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR): A device for sampling naturalistic daily activities and conversations

this article, we introduce the ElectronicallyActivated Recorder (EAR), a new technologyfor obtainingbehavioral data in field research, which captures ongoing behavior without relying on self-reports. Participants wear a small microcassette tape or digital voice recorder, which period517 Copyright 2001 Psychonomic Society, Inc. We are indebted to Geetha Desikan, Kim Fisher, Beth Henary, Allison McClure, John McFarland, Kristy Orr, Nathalie Shook, Monica Sidarous, Mary-Beth Sylvester, and Sara Webb for their help in collecting the data and transcribing the audiotapes. Preparation of this paper was aided by Grant MH52391 to J.W.P. from the National Institutes of Health and by a scholarship to M.R.M. from the German National Scholarship Foundation. Correspondence should be addressed to J. W. Pennebaker, Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712 (email: [email protected]