A Pre-Landing Assessment of Regolith Properties at the InSight Landing Site

This article discusses relevant physical properties of the regolith at the Mars InSight landing site as understood prior to landing of the spacecraft. InSight will land in the northern lowland plains of Mars, close to the equator, where the regolith is estimated to be ≥3--5 m thick. These investigations of physical properties have relied on data collected from Mars orbital measurements, previously collected lander and rover data, results of studies of data and samples from Apollo lunar missions, laboratory measurements on regolith simulants, and theoretical studies. The investigations include changes in properties with depth and temperature. Mechanical properties investigated include density, grain-size distribution, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. Thermophysical properties include thermal inertia, surface emissivity and albedo, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, and specific heat. Regolith elastic properties not only include parameters that control seismic wave velocities in the immediate vicinity of the Insight lander but also coupling of the lander and other potential noise sources to the InSight broadband seismometer. The related properties include Poisson’s ratio, P- and S-wave velocities, Young’s modulus, and seismic attenuation. Finally, mass diffusivity was investigated to estimate gas movements in the regolith driven by atmospheric pressure changes. Physical properties presented here are all to some degree speculative. However, they form a basis for interpretation of the early data to be returned from the InSight mission.Additional co-authors: Nick Teanby and Sharon Keda

Reasons for attending support groups and organizational preferences: A replication study using the North American Scleroderma Support Group Survey

Item does not contain fulltextPeer-facilitated support groups are an important source for receiving disease-related information and support for people with systemic sclerosis (or scleroderma). A recent survey explored reasons for attending systemic sclerosis support groups in Europe and Australia and used exploratory factor analysis to group reasons for attendance into three main themes: (1) interpersonal and social support, (2) disease treatment and symptom management strategies, and (3) other aspects of living with systemic sclerosis. The objective of the present study was to replicate this study in a sample of patients from North America using confirmatory factor analysis. A 30-item survey was used to assess reasons for attendance and organizational preferences among systemic sclerosis patients in Canada and the United States. In total, 171 members completed the survey. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the three-factor model showed good fit to the data (X2(399) = 646.0, p < 0.001, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.97, root mean square error approximation = 0.06). On average, respondents rated 22 (73%) of 30 items as "important" or "very important" reasons for attending support groups. Among organizational preferences, respondents emphasized the importance of the ability to share feelings and concerns, as well as educational aspects. Findings of our study suggest that reasons for attending support groups are similar for patients from Europe, Australia, and North America and that support groups should facilitate social support as well as disease education. These results inform the development of training programs for current and future systemic sclerosis support group leaders across the globe.14 p

Reasons for not participating in scleroderma patient support groups: A comparison of results from the North American and European scleroderma support group surveys

Purpose: Many people with scleroderma rely on peer-led support groups as a coping resource. Reasons for not attending support groups in scleroderma have been investigated only in North American participants. This study assesses reasons for nonattendance in European countries and compares results with previously published North American findings. Materials and Methods: The same 21-item survey as used in the North American sample assessed possible reasons for not attending scleroderma support groups. Proportions of items rated Important or Very Important were compared between samples. Results: Consistent with the North American survey findings (N = 242), the two items most commonly rated as (Very) Important reasons for nonattendance among 228 European participants were (1) already having enough support (57%), and (2) not knowing of any local scleroderma support groups (58%). Compared to North American non-attenders, European patients were significantly more likely to rate not knowing enough about what happens at support groups (46% vs 19%), not having reliable ways to get to meetings (35% vs 17%), and being uncomfortable sharing experiences with a group (22% vs 11%) as (Very) Important reasons for nonattendance. Conclusions: Improving access to European support groups, providing education about support groups and group leader training may encourage participation

Reasons for attending support groups and organizational preferences: The European scleroderma support group members survey

Item does not contain fulltextPurpose: The objectives were to identify reasons why patients attend scleroderma support groups and to ascertain preferences for how meetings are best organized. Methods: The survey included 30-items on reasons for attending and nine items on organizational preferences. Patients were recruited through European patient organizations. Exploratory factor analysis was used to group reasons for attendance thematically. Results: About 213 scleroderma patients (192 women) completed the survey. A three-factor model best described reasons for attending [X2(348) = 586.1, p < 0.001; Comparative Fit Index = 0.98; Tucker Lewis Index = 0.97; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.06] with themes that included: (1) obtaining interpersonal and social support, (2) learning about treatment and symptom management strategies, and (3) discussing other aspects of scleroderma. Among organizational preferences, respondents emphasized that meetings should include educational aspects and the opportunity to share information and support. Conclusion: People with scleroderma attend support groups to give and obtain social support and for education about managing their disease and other aspects of living with scleroderma. Support groups should be structured to facilitate both educational and informational aspects and to provide opportunities for sharing and support between members.9 p

The Scleroderma Research Topics Survey for patients and health care professionals: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Project

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The Scleroderma Research Topics Survey for patients and health care professionals: A Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Project

Item does not contain fulltextInvolving patients and health care professionals in research has been shown to be a useful strategy to generate program development ideas and establish research priorities. Online surveys can be used to identify patient research priorities. The Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network is an international collaboration dedicated to researching problems important to people with scleroderma and developing, testing, and disseminating educational, self-management, rehabilitation, and psychological tools to support coping within the disease. The objectives of the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Scleroderma Research Topics Survey were to (1) obtain input on online programs that Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network could develop, (2) identify research topics important to members of the scleroderma community that could be addressed via the Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort, and (3) identify potentially understudied groups. Eligible survey respondents included individuals with scleroderma and their caregivers, health care professionals, and patient organization representatives. Responses were evaluated separately for online programs, possible research questions, and understudied groups. In each category, thematic analysis was used to group responses into themes. A total of 125 participants (100 patients, 24 health care professionals, and 1 caregiver) completed the survey, and responses from patients and health care professionals were reported. For online programs, frequent recommendations included Interactive Platforms to facilitate communication between patients, as well as interventions targeting physical activity, and emotions and stress. Common responses for possible research questions were related to calcinosis, accessing health care, and quality of life. The most common suggestions for understudied groups were young patients, minority patients, and patients with calcinosis. Research topic suggestions provided in the survey will inform Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network priorities and can be considered by other researchers.8 p

Development and preliminary validation of the Scleroderma Support Group Leader Self-efficacy Scale

Contains fulltext : 190266.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Support groups are an important resource for people living with systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). Peer support group leaders play an important role in the success and sustainability of SSc support groups, but face challenges that include a lack of formal training. An SSc support group leader training program could improve leader self-efficacy to carry out important leadership tasks, including the management of group dynamics. However, no measures exist to assess self-efficacy among SSc support group leaders. The objective of this study was to develop and provide preliminary evidence on the reliability and validity of the Scleroderma Support Group Leader Self-efficacy Scale (SSGLSS). The SSGLSS was administered to two sets of SSc support group leaders from North America, Europe, and Australia. Study 1 participants (n = 102) completed the SSGLSS only. Study 2 participants (n = 55) completed the SSGLSS and the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI). For both studies, we evaluated internal consistency reliability using Cronbach's coefficient alpha. Convergent validity was assessed in Study 2 using Pearson correlations of the SSGLSS with the OLBI exhaustion and disengagement subscales. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.96 in Study 1 and 0.95 in Study 2. Consistent with our hypotheses, there was a small negative correlation between SSGLSS scores and the OLBI exhaustion subscale (r = -0.25, p<0.01) and a moderate negative correlation between SSGLSS scores and the disengagement subscale (r = -0.38, p<0.01). These results suggest that the SSGLSS is a reliable and valid measure of self-efficacy for carrying out support group leadership tasks.6 p

Reasons for not participating in scleroderma patient support groups: A cross-sectional study

Item does not contain fulltextObjective: Peer-led support groups are an important resource for many people with scleroderma (systemic sclerosis; SSc). Little is known, however, about barriers to participation. The objective of this study was to identify reasons why some people with SSc do not participate in SSc support groups. Methods: A 21-item survey was used to assess reasons for non-attendance among SSc patients in Canada and the United States. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using the software MPlus 7 to group reasons for non-attendance into themes. Results: A total of 242 (202 women) people with SSc completed the survey. EFA results indicated that a three-factor model best described the data (X2(150)=302.7, p < 0.001; CFI=0.91; TLI=0.88; RMSEA=0.07; factor intercorrelations 0.02 to 0.43). The three identified themes, reflecting reasons for not attending SSc support groups, included: (1) Personal Reasons (9 items; e.g., already having enough support), (2) Practical Reasons (7 items; e.g., no local support groups), and (3) Beliefs about Support Groups (5 items; e.g., support groups are too negative). On average, respondents rated 4.9 items as Important or Very Important reasons for non-attendance. The two items most commonly rated as Important or Very Important were (1) Already having enough support from family, friends, or others, and (2) Not knowing of any SSc support groups offered in my area. Conclusion: SSc organizations may be able to address limitations in accessibility and concerns about SSc support groups by implementing online support groups, better informing patients about support group activities, and training support group facilitators.9 p