A cure‐rate model for Q‐learning: Estimating an adaptive immunosuppressant treatment strategy for allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant patients

Cancers treated by transplantation are often curative, but immunosuppressive drugs are required to prevent and (if needed) to treat graft‐versus‐host disease. Estimation of an optimal adaptive treatment strategy when treatment at either one of two stages of treatment may lead to a cure has not yet been considered. Using a sample of 9563 patients treated for blood and bone cancers by allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation drawn from the Center for Blood and Marrow Transplant Research database, we provide a case study of a novel approach to Q‐learning for survival data in the presence of a potentially curative treatment, and demonstrate the results differ substantially from an implementation of Q‐learning that fails to account for the cure‐rate.     

Variability in structural carbohydrates and in vitro digestibility of forages. 4. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

The chemical composition of ten genotypes of fenugreek, with and without a pretreatment with neutral detergent, has been determined together with dry matter digestibility in vitro. Preliminary extraction with neutral detergent lowered the percentage yield of acid detergent fibre and about 84% of this decrease was observed in the reduction of cellulose level.Dry matter digestibility in vitro was significantly correlated with acid detergent and cellulose when sequential extraction was done. It was considered necessary to use sequential analysis to determine the chemical composition of fenugreek forage.     

Insect sex chromosomes. IV DNA replication in the chromosomes of Gryllotalpa fossor

In Gryllotalpa the cell cycle duration in the hepatic caecae in vivo is about 12.5 h and of various phases are, G2 + P about 10 h, S about 2.5--3.5 h, and G1 appears negligible or absent. These estimates of the cell cycle are the only ones available in Gryllotalpidae. In the female Gryllotalpa, as in mammals, there is asynchronous DNA replication between the two euchromatic arms of the two X chromosomes. The other arm is constitutively heterochromatized and as expected is late replicating. Thus, a regulatory mechanism for dosage compensation by X chromosome inactivation appears to be operating in Gryllotalpa. This we believe, is the first cytogenetic demonstration of such a mechanism outside mammals.     

Deploying microbes as drivers and indicators in ecological restoration

Ecosystem degradation is a major environmental threat. Beyond conservation, restoration of degraded ecosystems is a prerequisite to reinstate their ability to provide essential services and benefits. Most of the restoration efforts focus on aboveground restoration, that is, plants, under the assumption that establishment of plant species will reestablish the faunal and microbial species. While this may be true for some cases, it is not a general rule. Reestablishment of microbial communities by dedicated efforts is also necessary for successful restoration, as cycling of essential nutrients for plant growth and decomposition of organic matter is dependent on them. The role of microbial fertilizers and efficient organisms used in agriculture needs to be explored in restoration. Testing of symbiotic interactions between potential plant growth-promoting Rhizobacteria and plants native to a degraded ecosystem can be conducted and utilized for successful establishment of plant species. However, utmost care must be taken while introducing new microbial species or non-native plant species to an area, as they can adversely affect the resident microbial community. Techniques like phospholipid fatty-acid analysis can be used for taxonomic identification of large microbial groups in non-degraded reference ecosystems before introducing microbial species into a degraded ecosystem. For use of microbes in restoration, more studies on microbe-plant interactions need to be conducted. For use of Soil Microbial Community (SMC) as indicators of restoration, their role and function in the ecology of the area need to be elucidated by employing all the available techniques.     

Effect of subacute exposure to methyl isocyanate on testicular histomorphology in mice

Mice exposed to methyl isocyanate (MIC; 134 mg.m-3 for 30 min = 4020 mg.min-1.m-3) showed a marked loss of body weight after 24 hr and the mean body weight of the exposed group was significantly less than the control, even 15 days after the exposure. No significant change was observed on relative testicular weight. Spermatozoa in the seminiferous tubules disappeared 3 days post exposure. Primary and secondary spermatocytes were hypertrophied. Normalization occurred after 15 days.     

Hyphal interactions among some soil fungi

Summary Hyphal interactions amongRhizopus oryzae, a dominant soil inhabiting fungus and soil fungi with potential antagonistic characters, were studiedin vitro. Results depict that diameter of the hyphae of interacting fungi plays an important role in hyperparasitic interactions. None of the hyphae with wide diam. could penetrate inside and coil around the hyphae ofR. oryzae, while most of the hyphae with narrow diam. did so.