Effect of Planting Date on Growth, Carotene and Root Yield of three Sweetpotato Varieties [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] in South-East Nigeria

There is paucity of information on the effect of time of planting on sweetpotato in South-East Nigeria and hence the need for this study; where four planting dates were assessed under field conditions for their comparative effects on growth, carotene, and root yield of orange-fleshed sweetpotato varieties at the National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Nigeria in 2013 and 2014 cropping seasons. The experiment was a split-plot laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications. The main plot treatments were three sweetpotato varieties (Umuspo 1, Umuspo 3, and Ex-Igbariam), while the sub-plot treatments were four planting dates (April, May, June, and July). Results indicated that delayed planting from April to other planting dates significantly reduced orange-fleshed sweetpotato fresh shoot biomass and dry matter. Similarly, planting in April, 2013 produced significantly (p<0.05) higher storage root yield than planting later in May, June, and July by 75%, 92%, and 149%, respectively. In contrast, delayed planting up to June produced a carotene yield of 1267.7µg/g, which was higher than those of April and May by 180% and 82%, respectively. On average, Umuspo 1 produced significantly greater biomass of shoot and root. In 2013, Umuspo 1 also produced higher storage root yield than Umuspo 3 and Ex-Igbariam by 61% and 46%, respectively. However, Umuspo 3 produced significantly highest carotene yield (1918.0µg/g), followed by Umuspo 1 (582.0µg/g), while Ex-Igbariam had the lowest value (296.5µg/g). There were no significant interaction effects on root yield in both years, but there was a significant interaction on carotene yield, which was highest in Umuspo 3 in July, followed by the June planting date. For high fresh shoot and storage root yields, planting Umuspo 1 in April is recommended, while for high carotene yield, planting Umuspo 3 in June or July is recommended

Quantum flux effects on the energy spectra and thermo-magnetic properties in 2D Schrodinger equation with Mobius square potential

A 2D Schrodinger equation with interacting Mobius square potential model is solved using Nikiforov-Uvarov Functional Analysis (NUFA) formalism. The energy spectra and the corresponding wave function for the linearly and exponentially varying quantum magnetic flux are obtained analytically in a closed form. The evaluated energy spectra are used to obtain an expression for the partition functions for the two cases comprises of the linearly and exponentially varying quantum magnetic flux and vis-a-vis is use to evaluate other thermodynamic and magnetic properties for the system. The results are used to study the free energy, mean energy, the entropy, specific heat, magnetization, magnetic susceptibility and the persistent current of the system. The numerical bound state energies are computed.Comment: 39 Pages, 64 figure

Phase I/II study of single-agent lenvatinib in children and adolescents with refractory or relapsed solid malignancies and young adults with osteosarcoma (ITCC-050)

Background: We report results from the phase I dose-finding and phase II expansion part of a multicenter, open-label study of single-agent lenvatinib in pediatric and young adult patients with relapsed/refractory solid tumors, including osteosarcoma and radioiodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancer (RR-DTC) (NCT02432274). // Patients and methods: The primary endpoint of phase I was to determine the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of lenvatinib in children with relapsed/refractory solid malignant tumors. Phase II primary endpoints were progression-free survival rate at 4 months (PFS-4) for patients with relapsed/refractory osteosarcoma; and objective response rate/best overall response for patients with RR-DTC at the RP2D. // Results: In phase I, 23 patients (median age, 12 years) were enrolled. With lenvatinib 14 mg/m2, three dose-limiting toxicities (hypertension, n = 2; increased alanine aminotransferase, n = 1) were reported, establishing 14 mg/m2 as the RP2D. In phase II, 31 patients with osteosarcoma (median age, 15 years) and 1 patient with RR-DTC (age 17 years) were enrolled. For the osteosarcoma cohort, PFS-4 (binomial estimate) was 29.0% [95% confidence interval (CI) 14.2% to 48.0%; full analysis set: n = 31], PFS-4 by Kaplan–Meier estimate was 37.8% (95% CI 20.0% to 55.4%; full analysis set) and median PFS was 3.0 months (95% CI 1.8-5.4 months). The objective response rate was 6.7% (95% CI 0.8% to 22.1%). The patient with RR-DTC had a best overall response of partial response. Some 60.8% of patients in phase I and 22.6% of patients in phase II (with osteosarcoma) had treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events of grade ≥3. // Conclusions: The lenvatinib RP2D was 14 mg/m2. Single-agent lenvatinib showed activity in osteosarcoma; however, the null hypothesis could not be rejected. The safety profile was consistent with previous tyrosine kinase inhibitor studies. Lenvatinib is currently being investigated in osteosarcoma in combination with chemotherapy as part of a randomized, controlled trial (NCT04154189), in pediatric solid tumors in combination with everolimus (NCT03245151), and as a single agent in a basket study with enrollment ongoing (NCT04447755)

Lenvatinib with etoposide plus ifosfamide in patients with refractory or relapsed osteosarcoma (ITCC-050): a multicentre, open-label, multicohort, phase 1/2 study

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors have shown activity in osteosarcoma and might enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy. We aimed to determine the recommended phase 2 dose and antitumour activity of lenvatinib with etoposide plus ifosfamide in patients with refractory or relapsed osteosarcoma. // Methods: This multicentre, open-label, multicohort, phase 1/2 trial was done at 17 hospitals in six countries. Eligible patients were aged 2–25 years, had relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, measurable or evaluable disease per Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1, Lansky play–performance score or Karnofsky performance score of 50% or higher, up to one previous VEGF or VEGF receptor-targeted therapy, and a life expectancy of at least 3 months. This study includes a combination dose-finding phase 1 part (cohort 3A) and a phase 2 combination expansion in patients with osteosarcoma (cohort 3B). Lenvatinib was administered orally at a starting dose of 11 mg/m2 per day, capped at 24 mg per day, and etoposide (100 mg/m2 per day) plus ifosfamide (3000 mg/m2 per day) were administered intravenously on days 1–3 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of five cycles. Lenvatinib monotherapy continued after these five cycles until disease progression, toxic effects, or patient choice to discontinue. The phase 1 primary endpoint was to determine the recommended phase 2 dose by evaluating dose-limiting toxicity and the phase 2 primary endpoint was progression-free survival at 4 months. Progression-free survival was measured in the full analysis set, which included all patients enrolled for efficacy outcomes; safety was assessed in all patients who received any study drug. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02432274. // Findings: 30 patients were screened for enrolment into cohort 3A between May 9, 2016, and June 3, 2019, and 22 patients for enrolment into cohort 3B between Sept 13, 2018, and July 18, 2019. Eight patients from cohort 3A and two from cohort 3B were ineligible for enrolment in the study. In phase 1, dose-limiting toxicities were observed in three patients (one in the lenvatinib 11 mg/m2 combination group and two in the 14 mg/m2 combination group) and the recommended phase 2 dose was determined as lenvatinib 14 mg/m2 per day (with daily dose cap of 24 mg) and etoposide 100 mg/m2 per day plus ifosfamide 3000 mg/m2 per day administered intravenously on days 1–3 of each 21-day cycle for a maximum of five cycles. 35 patients from phase 1 (cohort 3A; n=15) and phase 2 (cohort 3B; n=20) were treated at the recommended phase 2 dose and their results were pooled. Progression-free survival at 4 months was 51% (95% CI 34–69) in 18 of 35 patients per the binomial estimate. The most common grade 3–4 treatment-emergent adverse events were neutropenia (27 [77%] of 35), thrombocytopenia (25 [71%]), anaemia (19 [54%]), and decreased white blood cell count (19 [54%]). 26 [74%] of 35 patients had serious treatment-emergent adverse events and no treatment-related deaths occurred. // Interpretation: Lenvatinib with etoposide plus ifosfamide shows promising antitumour activity with no new safety signals in patients with refractory and relapsed osteosarcoma. These findings warrant further investigation in an ongoing randomised phase 2 study (NCT04154189)

Conflicts about water in Lake Chad: are environmental, vulnerability and security issues linked?

This paper builds on the growing literature that explores the relations between environmental change and non-traditional security, defined as non-military threats that challenge the survival and well-being of peoples and states. The Lake Chad basin in Africa is used as a case study for analysis. Focusing on a set of questions that has dominated recent theoretical debates, the paper investigates if conflicts resulting from water scarcity are as much about the broader vulnerability of the Lake Chad region as they are about changes in the Lake system and its environment. It argues that conflict is a probable outcome only in locations that are already challenged by a multitude of other context-specific factors beside resource scarcity. In the Lake Chad context, the likelihood of scarcity-driven conflict depends on whether vulnerability increases or decreases in the face of a declining water supply. The paper provides perspectives for a nuanced understanding of how the receding Lake Chad has led to conflict and outlines an integrated, forward-looking research agenda for linking environmental change, vulnerability and security issues in integrated human-environment systems

Search for Yukawa Production of a Light Neutral Higgs Boson at LEP

Within a Two-Higgs-Doublet Model (2HDM) a search for a light Higgs boson in the mass range of 4-12 GeV has been performed in the Yukawa process e+e- -> b bbar A/h -> b bbar tau+tau-, using the data collected by the OPAL detector at LEP between 1992 and 1995 in e+e- collisions at about 91 GeV centre-of-mass energy. A likelihood selection is applied to separate background and signal. The number of observed events is in good agreement with the expected background. Within a CP-conserving 2HDM type II model the cross-section for Yukawa production depends on xiAd = |tan beta| and xihd = |sin alpha/cos beta| for the production of the CP-odd A and the CP-even h, respectively, where tan beta is the ratio of the vacuum expectation values of the Higgs doublets and alpha is the mixing angle between the neutral CP-even Higgs bosons. From our data 95% C.L. upper limits are derived for xiAd within the range of 8.5 to 13.6 and for xihd between 8.2 to 13.7, depending on the mass of the Higgs boson, assuming a branching fraction into tau+tau- of 100%. An interpretation of the limits within a 2HDM type II model with Standard Model particle content is given. These results impose constraints on several models that have been proposed to explain the recent BNL measurement of the muon anomalous magnetic moment.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures, Submitted to Euro. Phys. J.