ALBERT

Description: Question Does fire frequency affect mesic grassland plant community structure and composition similarly in North America and South Africa? Location Konza Prairie Biological Station (KNZ), Kansas, USA, and Ukulinga Research Farm (URF), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Methods Plant community structure and composition were compared among annually burned, unburned and intermediate treatments within two long-term fire frequency manipulation experiments in native grasslands in North America and South Africa using comparable methodology over a 5-yr period. Because fire may reduce soil nitrogen (N) availability and thus affect plant community structure, N additions were superimposed on the fire treatments as a means of assessing direct vs indirect mechanisms driving responses to fire. Results The total number of species was higher at URF (183) than at KNZ (57). Overall divergence in plant community response to fire frequency occurred despite similar responses to nutrient additions. At KNZ, more frequent fire resulted in dominance by a few, tall, deep-rooted rhizomatous grasses (e.g. Andropogon gerardii ). On unburned sites, shorter, more shade-tolerant species such as Poa pratensis increased in abundance, although A. gerardii remained dominant. Species richness increased with decreasing fire frequency at KNZ. At URF, frequent fire resulted in short, diverse grassland weakly dominated by a range of grass species, including Themeda triandra , Tristachya leucothrix and Hyparrhenia hirta . Decreasing fire frequency reduced species richness and resulted in dominance by a few, relatively tall caespitose grasses such as Aristida junciformis . There was a complete turnover of dominant species between annually burned and unburned treatments at URF, while at KNZ A. gerardii and Sorghastrum nutans occurred across the range of treatments. N addition reduced species richness in both sites. Conclusions Different responses to fire frequency between KNZ and URF are likely linked to the dominant species and their characteristic traits, including height and method of clonal reproduction, with the rhizomatous growth form of A. gerardii dominating the North American grassland. South Africa does not have an equivalent grass species; instead, a range of tufted, non-rhizomatous species dominate across the fire frequency treatments at URF. Reductions in soil N due to frequent fire did not appear to be a common mechanism driving responses in community composition in these two grasslands. Fire affects mesic grasslands differently in North America and South Africa. Species richness increases with high fire frequency in South Africa, but increases with low fire frequency in North America. Nutrient addition reduces species richness in a similar manner on both continents. Species traits, including height and methods of clonal reproduction are likely to contribute to the differing responses.

Description: This work explores the possibility of using CO 2 captured directly from the atmosphere for several applications that require low to moderate purities. Comparisons of the minimum and real work for separating CO 2 from air, natural gas combined cycle flue gas and pulverized coal combustion flue gas are proposed and discussed. Although it is widely accepted that the separation of CO 2 from air to high purity is more energy-intensive than separating CO 2 from more concentrated sources, this study presents select cases where the separation of CO 2 from air to low and moderate purities is energetically equivalent with the work required for flue gas CO 2 separation. These energetically-competitive cases are shown to be dependent on the percent capture and final CO 2 purity desired. In particular, several technologies can be considered as CO 2 utilization opportunities in which dilute CO 2 may be a...

Description: Background: Most individuals diagnosed with indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iB-NHL) should be expected to have a normal or near normal life span (Maurer et al., 2016). Thus, a major goal is identifying treatments that maintain efficacy while reducing toxicity and improve ease of administration. Window-of-opportunity studies are well-suited to evaluate the likely ceiling of activity of single agent therapies - assuming highest efficacy may be observed prior to emergence of resistance mechanisms or cumulative host toxicities. We hypothesized that oral ixazomib (Ix) would be safe and effective in untreated iB-NHL based on safety data in myeloma and efficacy data with the intravenous formulation (Assouline et al., 2014), and sought to evaluate it in the frontline setting both as a single agent (with a lead-in period) and together with rituximab (R). Methods: This single-arm, open-label phase II investigator-initiated trial (NCT 02339922) was conducted at the University of Washington / Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Eligibility included an indication for treatment of iB-NHL per National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, ECOG ≤ 2, and radiographically measurable disease. Prior standard systemic treatment of iB-NHL was permitted only for cases of mucosa-associated marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) relapsed after or refractory to antibiotics. Ix was administered at 4 mg orally once a week on consecutive 28-day cycles. A single course of 4 weekly doses of R at 375 mg/m2 was added during the 7th cycle, closing the window period; Ix alone was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed overall response rate (ORR) after independent radiology review. Response assessment occurred at every 2 cycles using standard (Lugano) criteria. Results: Between February 2017 and January 2020 a total of 33 patients began treatment. The median age was 62 years (range 38 to 85) and 67% were men. Histologic subtypes included follicular lymphoma (FL, n = 20), MZL (n = 7), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL, n = 4), and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL, n = 2). The most common indications for therapy were bulky disease (42%) and symptoms due to lymphoma (27%). In cases of FL, 35% had 〉 6 cm tumor bulk and 20% had Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score ≥ 3. Median follow-up was 16.8 months (range 1.2 - 39.8). In the 6-month Ix-only window, the ORR was 24% for the entire cohort and 35% for FL [complete response (CR) rate 3% and 5%, respectively] (Figure 1). Reduction of disease was seen in 23 (70%), including 15 (75%) of FL, 4 (57%) of MZL, and 3 (75%) of MCL. Overall, the ORR was 45% and 60% for FL (CR rate 27% and 35%, respectively) as of June 1, 2020 (at which point 3 patients had yet to undergo evaluation post R). Progression free survival (PFS) at 2 years for all subjects was 62% and for those with FL was 69%; median PFS was not reached (Figure 2). For the 15 patients with objective response, the median time to response was 5.5 months (range 1.8 - 11.0) and the median duration of response was not reached (87% in remission at 2 yrs). Adverse events (AEs) 〉 grade 3 deemed related to treatment were not observed and such grade 3 events occurred in 5 unique patients (15%). Serious AEs were recorded in 2 patients (6%). Most AEs were grade 1-2 and included nausea (58%, typically only for few a few hours after the weekly dose), diarrhea (39%), headache (30%), and vomiting (30%). Peripheral neuropathy (PN) was reported by 12% (motor PN in 9% and sensory PN in 3%); all cases were grade 1 except one case (3%) of grade 2 motor PN. Toxicity from Ix resulted in dose-holds in 21%, dose-reduction to 3 mg weekly in 9%, and discontinuation in 6% (one case of grade 3 hyponatremia and one case of grade 2 confusion). Conclusion: Once weekly oral Ix has a favorable safety profile and shows considerable activity in frontline treatment of iB-NHL, with the best results in FL. Combined with a single 4-week course of R, Ix can achieve durable disease control with very low toxicity in a majority of patients with FL, representing a convenient regimen amenable to remote management if indicated. This approach has the potential to support the overall strategy of lowering the burden of treatment while maintaining expected excellent outcomes in most patients with FL. Disclosures Graf: TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; BeiGene: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy; Acerta Pharma: Research Funding. Lynch:TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Juno Therpeutics: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy; Cyteir: Research Funding; Rhizen Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding. Ujjani:MorphoSys: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy, Honoraria; Atara: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead/Kite: Consultancy, Research Funding; Verastem Oncology: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Cowan:Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy; Cellectar: Consultancy; Abbvie: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Smith:Bristol Meyers Squibb: Research Funding; Incyte: Research Funding; Ayala: Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Research Funding; Acerta Pharma BV: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Portola: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; Millenium/Takeda: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy; Karyopharm: Consultancy; De Novo Biopharma: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Ignyta: Research Funding. Shadman:Abbvie, Genentech, Astra Zeneca, Sound Biologics , Pharmacyclics, Verastem, ADC therapeutics, Beigene, Cellectar, BMS, Morphosys and Atara Biotherapeutics: Consultancy; Mustang Bio, Celgene, Pharmacyclics, Gilead, Genentech, Abbvie, TG therapeutics, Beigene, Astra Zeneca, Sunesis, Beigene: Research Funding. Godwin:Pfizer Inc.: Research Funding; Immunogen Inc.: Research Funding. Cassaday:Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kite/Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Vanda Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Fromm:Merck: Research Funding. Gopal:Seattle Genetics; Janssen; IMab Bio; TG Therapeutics; Astra Zeneca; Merck; Gilead; ADC Therapeutics; Nurix; TG therapeutics, Cellectar; Actinium: Consultancy; Seattle Genetics; Janssen; Takeda; IgM Bio; IMab Bio; BMS; Astra Zeneca; Merck; Gilead: Research Funding; imab bio, takeda,astrazeneca,gilead: Research Funding; IgM bio, BMS, merck: Research Funding. OffLabel Disclosure: Ixazomib has not been approved for use in treating indolent B-NHL.

Description: An experimental study was conducted in the NASA Langley Low-Turbulence Pressure Tunnel to evaluate a suction sidewall boundary-layer-control (BLC) technique used in testing 2D high-lift airfoils. Sidewall BLC is required to maintain spanwise two-dimensionality of the flow over the airfoil at large angles of attack. A supercritical-type high-lift air-foil, equipped with a double-slotted flap and a leading-edge slat, was used for the study which was conducted at a Mach number of 0.2 and Reynolds numbers based on chord of 9 and 16 million. The sidewall BLC technique, which features distributed suction through porous endplates connected to a venting system, was able to control sidewall boundary-layer separation and maintain two-dimensional flow over the high-lift configuration for both Reynolds numbers tested. Discussions on porous endplate optimization and effects of suction on section lift are presented. Results obtained with the suction system were also compared with previous data obtained with a tangential blowing BLC system for the same high-lift configuration.

Description: A wind-tunnel investigation of a Douglas advanced-technology airfoil was conducted in the Langley 0.3-Meter Transonic Cryogenic Tunnel (0.3-m TCT). The temperature was varied from 227 K (409 R) to 100 K (180 R) at pressures ranging from about 159 kPa (1.57 atm) to about 514 kPa (5.07 atm). Mach number was varied from 0.50 to 0.78. These variables provided a Reynolds number range (based on airfoil chord) from 6.0 to 30.0 x 10 to the 6th power. This investigation was specifically designed to: (1) test a Douglas airfoil from moderately low to flight-equivalent Reynolds numbers, and (2) evaluate sidewall-boundary-layer effects on transonic airfoil performance characteristics by a systematic variation of Mach number, Reynolds number, and sidewall-boundary-layer removal. Data are included which demonstrate the effects of fixing transition, Mach number, Reynolds number, and sidewall-boundary-layer removal on the aerodynamic characteristics of the airfoil. Also included are remarks on model design and model structural integrity.

Description: An experimental study has been conducted to investigate ice accretions on a high-lift, multi-element airfoil in the Icing Research Tunnel at the NASA Lewis Research Center. The airfoil is representative of an advanced transport wing design. The experimental work was conducted as part of a cooperative program between McDonnell Douglas Aerospace and the NASA Lewis Research Center to improve current understanding of ice accretion characteristics on the multi-element airfoil. The experimental effort also provided ice shapes for future aerodynamic tests at flight Reynolds numbers to ascertain high-lift performance effects. Ice shapes documented for a landing configuration over a variety of icing conditions are presented along with analyses.

Description: This report describes the work conducted by The Boeing Company under American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and NASA funding to experimentally validate the conceptual design of a supersonic airliner feasible for entry into service in the 2018 to 2020 timeframe (NASA N+2 generation). The report discusses the design, analysis and development of a low-boom concept that meets aggressive sonic boom and performance goals for a cruise Mach number of 1.8. The design is achieved through integrated multidisciplinary optimization tools. The report also describes the detailed design and fabrication of both sonic boom and performance wind tunnel models of the low-boom concept. Additionally, a description of the detailed validation wind tunnel testing that was performed with the wind tunnel models is provided along with validation comparisons with pretest Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Finally, the report describes the evaluation of existing NASA sonic boom pressure rail measurement instrumentation and a detailed description of new sonic boom measurement instrumentation that was constructed for the validation wind tunnel testing.