Hematologic Aspects of Mastocytosis: II: Management of Hematologic Disorders in Association with Systemic Mast Cell Disease

Individuals with systemic mast cell disease (SMCD) may develop various hematologic abnormalities, including cytopenias, myeloproliferative or myelodysplastic syndromes, lymphoproliferative syndromes, and primary or secondary leukemias. Management of those patients is often complicated by their associated hematologic abnormalities. In the case of non-malignant hematologic syndromes, the approach to management is supportive. At present, overt malignancies are managed with traditional chemotherapy. The presence of leukemia in patients with mast cell disease usually indicates a grave prognosis

A new space-borne perspective of crop productivity variations over the US Corn Belt

Remotely-sensed solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) provides a means to assess vegetation productivity in a more direct way than via the greenness of leaves. SIF is produced by plants alongside photosynthesis so it is generally thought to provide a more direct probe of plant status. We analyze inter-annual variations of SIF over the US Corn Belt using a seven-year time series (2010–2016) retrieved from measurements of short-wave IR radiation collected by the Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT). Using survey data and annual reports from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), we relate anomalies in the GOSAT SIF time series to meteorological and climatic events that affected planting or growing seasons. The events described in the USDA annual reports are confirmed using remote sensing-based data such as land surface temperature, precipitation, water storage anomalies and soil moisture. These datasets were carefully collocated with the GOSAT footprints on a sub-pixel basis to remove any effect that could occur due to different sampling. We find that cumulative SIF, integrated from April to June, tracks the planting progress established in the first half of the planting season (Pearson correlation r > 0.89). Similarly, we show that crop yields for corn (maize) and soybeans are equally well correlated to the integrated SIF from July to October (r > 0.86). Our results for SIF are consistent with reflectance-based vegetation indices, that have a longer established history of crop monitoring. Despite GOSAT’s sparse sampling, we were able to show the potential for using satellite-based SIF to study agriculturally-managed vegetation

The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope: Instrument and Data Characteristics

The Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) was flown as part of the Astro observatory on the Space Shuttle Columbia in December 1990 and again on the Space Shuttle Endeavor in March 1995. Ultraviolet (1200-3300 Angstroms) images of a variety of astronomical objects, with a 40 arcmin field of view and a resolution of about 3 arcsec, were recorded on photographic film. The data recorded during the first flight are available to the astronomical community through the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC); the data recorded during the second flight will soon be available as well. This paper discusses in detail the design, operation, data reduction, and calibration of UIT, providing the user of the data with information for understanding and using the data. It also provides guidelines for analyzing other astronomical imagery made with image intensifiers and photographic film.Comment: 44 pages, LaTeX, AAS preprint style and EPSF macros, accepted by PAS

Evidence for a singularity in ideal magnetohydrodynamics: implications for fast reconnection

Numerical evidence for a finite-time singularity in ideal 3D magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is presented. The simulations start from two interlocking magnetic flux rings with no initial velocity. The magnetic curvature force causes the flux rings to shrink until they come into contact. This produces a current sheet between them. In the ideal compressible calculations, the evidence for a singularity in a finite time $t_c$ is that the peak current density behaves like $|J|_\infty \sim 1/(t_c-t)$ for a range of sound speeds (or plasma betas). For the incompressible calculations consistency with the compressible calculations is noted and evidence is presented that there is convergence to a self-similar state. In the resistive reconnection calculations the magnetic helicity is nearly conserved and energy is dissipated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Intravesical rAd-IFNα/Syn3 for Patients With High-Grade, Bacillus Calmette-Guerin-Refractory or Relapsed Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Phase II Randomized Study.

Purpose Many patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) are either refractory to bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment or may experience disease relapse. We assessed the efficacy and safety of recombinant adenovirus interferon alfa with Syn3 (rAd-IFNα/Syn3), a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus gene transfer vector, for patients with high-grade (HG) BCG-refractory or relapsed NMIBC. Methods In this open-label, multicenter (n = 13), parallel-arm, phase II study ( ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01687244), 43 patients with HG BCG-refractory or relapsed NMIBC received intravesical rAd-IFNα/Syn3 (randomly assigned 1:1 to 1 × 10(11) viral particles (vp)/mL or 3 × 10(11) vp/mL). Patients who responded at months 3, 6, and 9 were retreated at months 4, 7, and 10. The primary end point was 12-month HG recurrence-free survival (RFS). All patients who received at least one dose were included in efficacy and safety analyses. Results Forty patients received rAd-IFNα/Syn3 (1 × 10(11) vp/mL, n = 21; 3 × 10(11) vp/mL, n = 19) between November 5, 2012, and April 8, 2015. Fourteen patients (35.0%; 90% CI, 22.6% to 49.2%) remained free of HG recurrence 12 months after initial treatment. Comparable 12-month HG RFS was noted for both doses. Of these 14 patients, two experienced recurrence at 21 and 28 months, respectively, after treatment initiation, and one died as a result of an upper tract tumor at 17 months without a recurrence. rAd-IFNα/Syn3 was well tolerated; no grade four or five adverse events (AEs) occurred, and no patient discontinued treatment because of an adverse event. The most frequently reported drug-related AEs were micturition urgency (n = 16; 40%), dysuria (n = 16; 40%), fatigue (n = 13; 32.5%), pollakiuria (n = 11; 28%), and hematuria and nocturia (n = 10 each; 25%). Conclusion rAd-IFNα/Syn3 was well tolerated. It demonstrated promising efficacy for patients with HG NMIBC after BCG therapy who were unable or unwilling to undergo radical cystectomy

Recent Applications of Space Weather Research to NASA Space Missions

Marshall Space Flight Center s Space Environments Team is committed to applying the latest research in space weather to NASA programs. We analyze data from an extensive set of space weather satellites in order to define the space environments for some of NASA s highest profile programs. Our goal is to ensure that spacecraft are designed to be successful in all environments encountered during their missions. We also collaborate with universities, industry, and other federal agencies to provide analysis of anomalies and operational impacts to current missions. This presentation is a summary of some of our most recent applications of space weather data, including the definition of the space environments for the initial phases of the Space Launch System (SLS), acquisition of International Space Station (ISS) frame potential variations during geomagnetic storms, and Nascap-2K charging analyses

Methane observations from the Greenhouse Gases Observing SATellite: Comparison to ground‐based TCCON data and model calculations

We report new short-wave infrared (SWIR) column retrievals of atmospheric methane (X_(CH4)) from the Japanese Greenhouse Gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) and compare observed spatial and temporal variations with correlative ground-based measurements from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) and with the global 3-D GEOS-Chem chemistry transport model. GOSAT X_(CH4) retrievals are compared with daily TCCON observations at six sites between April 2009 and July 2010 (Bialystok, Park Falls, Lamont, Orleans, Darwin and Wollongong). GOSAT reproduces the site-dependent seasonal cycles as observed by TCCON with correlations typically between 0.5 and 0.7 with an estimated single-sounding precision between 0.4–0.8%. We find a latitudinal-dependent difference between the X_(CH4) retrievals from GOSAT and TCCON which ranges from 17.9 ppb at the most northerly site (Bialystok) to −14.6 ppb at the site with the lowest latitude (Darwin). We estimate that the mean smoothing error difference included in the GOSAT to TCCON comparisons can account for 15.7 to 17.4 ppb for the northerly sites and for 1.1 ppb at the lowest latitude site. The GOSAT X_(CH4) retrievals agree well with the GEOS-Chem model on annual (August 2009 – July 2010) and monthly timescales, capturing over 80% of the zonal variability. Differences between model and observed X_(CH4) are found over key source regions such as Southeast Asia and central Africa which will be further investigated using a formal inverse model analysis

Elliptical Squeezed States and Rydberg Wave Packets

We present a theoretical construction for closest-to-classical wave packets localized in both angular and radial coordinates and moving on a keplerian orbit. The method produces a family of elliptical squeezed states for the planar Coulomb problem that minimize appropriate uncertainty relations in radial and angular coordinates. The time evolution of these states is studied for orbits with different semimajor axes and eccentricities. The elliptical squeezed states may be useful for a description of the motion of Rydberg wave packets excited by short-pulsed lasers in the presence of external fields, which experiments are attempting to produce. We outline an extension of the method to include certain effects of quantum defects appearing in the alkali-metal atoms used in experiments.Comment: published in Phys. Rev. A, vol. 52, p. 2234, Sept. 199

Co-creation and engagement in a DNA integrity cohort study

Abstract Introduction: The partnership between a research community engagement team (CE Team) and a community advisory board (CAB) formed the basis for bidirectional communication in developing resources for participant recruitment in a DNA integrity study. Engaging with a minoritized community, this partnership focused on respect, accessibility, and expanded engagement. Methods: A ten-member CAB, working in two groups defined by meeting time convenience, provided insight and feedback to the CE Team in the creation of recruitment and consent materials, via an iterative design process in which one CAB group reviewed and enhanced materials, and the second group tested and refined them further. The continuous analysis of CE Team notes from CAB meetings captured information needed both for materials refinement and implementation of CAB-suggested activities. Results: The partnership resulted in the co-creation of recruitment and consent materials that facilitated the enrollment of 191 individuals into the study. The CAB encouraged and assisted in expanded engagement inclusive of community leaders. This broader engagement provided information about the DNA integrity study to community decision-makers as well as responded to questions and concerns about the research. The bidirectional communication between the CAB and the CE Team encouraged the researchers to consider topics and research interests related to the current study but also responsive to community concerns. Conclusions: The CAB helped the CE Team develop a better understanding of the language of partnership and respect. In this way, the partnership opened doors for expanded community engagement and effective communication with potential study participants