Response and Survival Estimates of Patients With Plasma Cell Myeloma in a Resource-Constrained Setting Using Protocols From High-Income Countries:A Single-Center Experience From Sri Lanka

There is a significant disparity in global cancer care and outcome between countries. Progress in the treatment of symptomatic plasma cell myeloma (PCM) in high-income countries is not seen in low- and middle-income countries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is was a retrospective cohort study of all patients diagnosed with PCM between May 1, 2013, and September 30, 2021, at the first hemato-oncology center in Sri Lanka. We aimed to provide data on clinicopathologic characteristics, response, and survival estimates. RESULTS: A total of 79 patients with PCM received first-line therapy during the study period. The median age was 64 years, and approximately one third (33%) of patients were older than 70 years. There were 42 (53%) males and 37 females. Hypercalcemia, renal impairment, anemia, and bone disease were detected in 36.7%, 38%, 72.1%, and 81%, respectively. Thirty-nine, 34, and six patients received a combination of cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone; bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone; and other treatments, respectively. The overall response rate (≥ partial response) was approximately 97% for both cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone and bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone. Twenty-three (29%) of these patients died during the study period, but only 14 (18%) died due to PCM or associated sepsis. After a median follow-up of 40.6 months (range, 35.2-59.07 months), the median overall survival was 84.2 months (95% CI, 60.87 to not available). The 5-year estimated overall survival was 65%. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the only well-characterized study on long-term survival of patients with PCM in Sri Lanka. We have shown that it is possible to successfully apply Western treatment and supportive care protocols to the local population. These published data will help to benchmark and improve the treatment and develop blood cancer care in the local setting

Variations in color and reflectance on the surface of asteroid (101955) Bennu

Visible-wavelength color and reflectance provide information about the geologic history of planetary surfaces. We present multispectral images (0.44 to 0.89 microns) of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu. The surface has variable colors overlain on a moderately blue global terrain. Two primary boulder types are distinguishable by their reflectance and texture. Space weathering of Bennu surface materials does not simply progress from red to blue (or vice versa). Instead, freshly exposed, redder surfaces initially brighten in the near-ultraviolet (become bluer at shorter wavelengths), then brighten in the visible to near-infrared, leading to Bennu’s moderately blue average color. Craters indicate that the timescale of these color changes is ~105 years. We attribute the reflectance and color variation to a combination of primordial heterogeneity and varying exposure ages

Ejecta Evolution Following a Planned Impact into an Asteroid: The First Five Weeks

The impact of the DART spacecraft into Dimorphos, moon of the asteroid Didymos, changed Dimorphos' orbit substantially, largely from the ejection of material. We present results from twelve Earth-based facilities involved in a world-wide campaign to monitor the brightness and morphology of the ejecta in the first 35 days after impact. After an initial brightening of ~1.4 magnitudes, we find consistent dimming rates of 0.11-0.12 magnitudes/day in the first week, and 0.08-0.09 magnitudes/day over the entire study period. The system returned to its pre-impact brightness 24.3-25.3 days after impact through the primary ejecta tail remained. The dimming paused briefly eight days after impact, near in time to the appearance of the second tail. This was likely due to a secondary release of material after re-impact of a boulder released in the initial impact, through movement of the primary ejecta through the aperture likely played a role.Comment: 16 pages, 5 Figures, accepted in the Astrophysical Journal Letters (ApJL) on October 16, 202

Ejecta Evolution Following a Planned Impact into an Asteroid: The First Five Weeks

The impact of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test spacecraft into Dimorphos, moon of the asteroid Didymos, changed Dimorphos’s orbit substantially, largely from the ejection of material. We present results from 12 Earth-based facilities involved in a world-wide campaign to monitor the brightness and morphology of the ejecta in the first 35 days after impact. After an initial brightening of ∼1.4 mag, we find consistent dimming rates of 0.11–0.12 mag day−1 in the first week, and 0.08–0.09 mag day−1 over the entire study period. The system returned to its pre-impact brightness 24.3–25.3 days after impact though the primary ejecta tail remained. The dimming paused briefly eight days after impact, near in time to the appearance of the second tail. This was likely due to a secondary release of material after re-impact of a boulder released in the initial impact, though movement of the primary ejecta through the aperture likely played a role

Achievement of the planetary defense investigations of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was the first to demonstrate asteroid deflection, and the mission's Level 1 requirements guided its planetary defense investigations. Here, we summarize DART's achievement of those requirements. On 2022 September 26, the DART spacecraft impacted Dimorphos, the secondary member of the Didymos near-Earth asteroid binary system, demonstrating an autonomously navigated kinetic impact into an asteroid with limited prior knowledge for planetary defense. Months of subsequent Earth-based observations showed that the binary orbital period was changed by –33.24 minutes, with two independent analysis methods each reporting a 1σ uncertainty of 1.4 s. Dynamical models determined that the momentum enhancement factor, β, resulting from DART's kinetic impact test is between 2.4 and 4.9, depending on the mass of Dimorphos, which remains the largest source of uncertainty. Over five dozen telescopes across the globe and in space, along with the Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids, have contributed to DART's investigations. These combined investigations have addressed topics related to the ejecta, dynamics, impact event, and properties of both asteroids in the binary system. A year following DART's successful impact into Dimorphos, the mission has achieved its planetary defense requirements, although work to further understand DART's kinetic impact test and the Didymos system will continue. In particular, ESA's Hera mission is planned to perform extensive measurements in 2027 during its rendezvous with the Didymos–Dimorphos system, building on DART to advance our knowledge and continue the ongoing international collaboration for planetary defense

Propriétés spectrophotométriques du noyau de la comète 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko observée par la sonde ROSETTA

This thesis is based on the spectrophotometric properties of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, using the OSIRIS instrument of Rosetta space mission. Composed of two scientific cameras to observe the nucleus and the coma of the comet, OSIRIS images are acquired with multiple filters, that span the near-UV to near-IR wavelength range. They were used to study the spectrophotometric curves of the exposed bright features that appeared on the surface of the cometary nucleus, leading to a comparative study, that was carried out in collaboration with the VIRTIS spectro-imager aboard Rosetta, that demonstrated, that these exposures are related to H2O ice, using its absorption band located at 2 microns. The thesis further details a spectrophotometric study of the Khonsu region in the southern latitudes of the comet, where the seasonal variation of the spectral slope of different types of terrains is explored. Finally, the results of an extended survey of exposed bright features are presented. More than 50 individual features are presented under four morphologies along with an albedo calculation, suggesting that different activity sources are responsible for their appearance on the nucleus.Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la mission spatiale Rosetta et porte sur les propriétés spectrophotométriques de la comète 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko à l’aide de l’instrument OSIRIS. Cet instrument est composé de deux caméras pour les observations du noyau et de la coma de la comète. Elles permettent d’acquérir des images avec des filtres qui opèrent dans la gamme du proche UV au proche IR. Dans un premier temps, j'ai analysé les courbes spectrophotométriques des taches claires qui sont apparues sur le noyau de la comète. Une étude comparative de celles-ci grâce aux données du spectro-imageur VIRTIS a ainsi permis de constater que les taches claires sont liées à la glace de H2O. Dans un second temps, j’ai entrepris une étude spectrophotométrique de la région Khonsu, qui a mis en évidence les variations saisonnières de la pente spectrale de différents terrains. Par la suite, j’ai élargi mon analyse des taches à tout le noyau de la comète. J’ai détecté plus de 50 taches claires dues à la présence de glace de H2O et j’ai produit une carte pour repérer leurs emplacements sur le noyau, afin d’étudier plus en détail leur répartition et leur évolution au cours de temps. Ceci m’a permis d’identifier quatre types de taches regroupés en fonction de leur morphologie et de constater qu'elles sont dues à différentes sources d'activité cométaire

Study of the photometric properties of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with the OSIRIS instrument of the Rosetta spacecraft

The ROSETTA mission is the cornerstone mission of the European Space Agency devoted to the study of the minor bodies of the Solar System. Its primary objective is to perform an extensive study of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P/CG). Launched on the 2nd of March 2004, the spacecraft overflew the asteroids 2837 Steins in 2008 and 21 Lutetia in 2010. Since its encounter with 67P/CG in July 2014, the spacecraft has been escorting the nucleus thus allowing to study it with cameras, spectrometers, dust analysers and radio science experiments. The spacecraft will continue its escort at least until December 2015. We present the results on the photometric properties of the nucleus derived from disk-averaged and disk-resolved images of the OSIRIS instrument acquired in 2014-2015 including the close fly-by data acquired on the 14th of February 2015

Surface compositional variation on the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko by OSIRIS data

Since the Rosetta mission arrived at the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67/P C-G) on July 2014, the comet nucleus has been mapped by both OSIRIS (Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System, [1]) NAC (Narrow Angle Camera) and WAC (Wide Angle Camera) acquiring a huge quantity of surface’s images at different wavelength bands, under variable illumination conditions and spatial resolution, and producing the most detailed maps at the highest spatial resolution of a comet nucleus surface. 67/P C-G’s nucleus shows an irregular bi-lobed shape of complex morphology with terrains showing intricate features [2, 3] and a heterogeneity surface at different scales

Particle Size-Frequency Distributions of the OSIRIS-REx Candidate Sample Sites on Asteroid (101955) Bennu

International audienceWe manually mapped particles ranging in longest axis from 0.3 cm to 95 m on (101955) Bennu for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) asteroid sample return mission. This enabled the mission to identify candidate sample collection sites and shed light on the processes that have shaped the surface of this rubble-pile asteroid. Building on a global survey of particles, we used higher-resolution data from regional observations to calculate particle size-frequency distributions (PSFDs) and assess the viability of four candidate sites for sample collection (presence of unobstructed particles ≤ 2 cm). The four candidate sites have common characteristics: each is situated within a crater with a relative abundance of sampleable material. Their PSFDs, however, indicate that each site has experienced different geologic processing. The PSFD power-law slopes range from −3.0 ± 0.2 to −2.3 ± 0.1 across the four sites, based on images with a 0.01-m pixel scale. These values are consistent with, or shallower than, the global survey measurements. At one site, Osprey, the particle packing density appears to reach geometric saturation. We evaluate the uncertainty in these measurements and discuss their implications for other remotely sensed and mapped particles, and their importance to OSIRIS-REx sampling operations

DART mission ejecta plume: Modeling the reflectance through radiative transfer and geometric optics in support to LICIACube observations

Introduction: DART mission will be the first to undertake an orbital deflection experiment against a Near-Earth Asteroid. The smallest member of the binary Didymos-Dimorphos system will be impacted by the 660-kg spacecraft at the velocity of 6.6 km/s, leading the orbital period to change in return. The expected baseline kinetic energy is 9.7 GJ [1], about half the input energy of Deep Impact[2], and >105 kg of mass is to be released [3].The impact will produce an ejecta plume, lasting for several minutes [3], that will be observed by ASI/LICIACube camera up to about 4 m/px resolution [4,5] and phase angles ranging from 45 to 120 deg. The plume is therefore expected to be resolved during several frames and its phase function studied in order to retrieve properties such as albedo, grain size frequency distribution and optical depth. Therefore, we put forth a light scattering model that relies on previous knowledge about the Dydimos binary system composition [6] and the Deep Impact event [7].LICIACube Observations: The Light Italian Cubesat For Imaging Asteroids is a 6C Cubesat hosted by DART spacecraft. LICIACube will detach from DART spacecraft 10 days from the nominal impact date of 26th September 2022 to start the trajectory correction to be positioned in fly-by mode. LICIACube payload holds two optical cameras, LUKE and LEIA, designed for color imaging studies [5]. At 167 sec after the impact, the Italian Cubesat will reach the closest approach and obtain the highest resolution images from the binary system.Methodology: grain size range. To provide support and analyze the broad grain's size distribution range expected in the plume, we relied two numerical codes covering two different size regimes: (i) The Mishchenko et al., [8,9] radiative transfer code for Mie-Lorentz scatters distribution (~0.5-80 microns size in visible range) with Percus-Yevick filling factor correction (called RTT-PM, [10]) to model the thick portion of the plume; (ii) and the Muinonen et al. [11] ray optics code for diverse particle shapes and sizes higher than 100 microns.model conditions. The plume boundaries are considered much similar to an atmospheric cloud, with particles sparse, many mean radii separated from each other, and the observations in far-field, removed several kilometers from the object of study. Furthermore, we imposed that the number of large particles (>100 microns) is much smaller than the number of Mie-Lorenz particles, therefore limiting the interactions among the large particles, but not with the small particles. Hence, the validity regime for the radiative transfer equation is conserved. Furthermore, coherent effects, shadowing, and opposition effect mechanisms are out of the scope of our calculations and observational conditions with LICIACube.interaction. The interactions are only resolved between the thick cloud and the >100 microns particles. In the first approach, we compute the particles hovering over the radiative transfer semi-infinite plane of the thick plume, as it gets backlit in varied distances up. In reverse, the thick plume is forward-lit by the particle scattering. In the second approach, the large particles are embedded in the thick plume up to optical depth = 5, again, the medium is considered sparse.Preliminary Results: Given that Didymos is an S-type asteroid, with visible spectra profile very similar to L/LL Chondrites [6], we selected the Itokawa sample size frequency distribution obtained by the Hayabusa mission as analog [12]. L/LL Chondrite most abundant minerals are Fayalites and Ferrosilites. However only VIS optical constants for Fayalites were recovered [13], thus we stick with it in our simulations. In Fig. 1, we present the bi-directional reflectance distribution factor (BRDF) for the layers composing the plume in our simulation: (I) thick "core", multiple-scattering Mie RTT-PM; (ii) "scattered small particles'', single-scattering-only Mie-Lorenz particle volumes; (iii) "scattered large particles", single-scattering-only >100 microns particle volumes. The BDRF can therefore vary as the volumes become less opaque, leading to less reflectiveness for middle phase angles.In future developments of our modeling, we will use results from ejecta dynamics to constrain the number of particles and population for different zones and lines of sights through the plume [14, 15, 16].Furthermore, the interaction of the large particles and the thick Mie particle cloud is under refinement, as we test the codes for different binning, distances and depths. Nonetheless, first tests indicate a magnification of the overall BRDF for large azimuth angles, due to coupling with the overall forward scattering behavior of the large particles.Fig. 1. bi-directional reflectance distribution factor for different layers of the plume, separately. Fayalite's optical constants at 550 nm (Re(m)=1.6, Im(m)=5e-3) are used, together with Itokawa sample size frequency distribution (Nakamura et al., 2012). Filling factor for RTT-PM is fixed at 0.1%