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UTIG's approach to managing polar aerogeophysical data in the field: philosophy and examples from fixed wing and helicopter surveys, 27 pages, 2022.
This report documents UTIGâs approach to managing aerogeophysical data in the field. This
approach to fieldwork has taken shape in the course of over 20+ years of polar campaigns
based out of over 10 Antarctic stations. Aerogeophysical survey is not simply about the act of
making measurements and observations. A key component of conducting surveys is managing
data as it is collected and providing feedback for quality control. We want to document that
institutional knowledge for the benefit of researchers who are continuing in this work as well as
for the users of our data.
While this document focuses on data management in the field, we start by providing the context
for a typical aerogeophysical campaign and describe how the work is broken up amongst
teams. We then discuss the philosophy behind field data processing, with a focus on what the
goals are for preliminary processing and how it differs from the final products. With that
motivation, we describe how the Base Operations team typically meets those goals, along with
case studies of how we have applied this approach when based at a variety of stations and field
camps, with the differing logistical challenges imposed by each.
Companion documents focusing on instrumentation and airborne operations are forthcoming.Institute for Geophysic
Ofatumumab versus Teriflunomide in Multiple Sclerosis
BACKGROUND: Ofatumumab, a subcutaneous anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, selectively depletes B cells. Teriflunomide, an oral inhibitor of pyrimidine synthesis, reduces T-cell and B-cell activation. The relative effects of these two drugs in patients with multiple sclerosis are not known. METHODS: In two double-blind, double-dummy, phase 3 trials, we randomly assigned patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis to receive subcutaneous ofatumumab (20 mg every 4 weeks after 20-mg loading doses at days 1, 7, and 14) or oral teriflunomide (14 mg daily) for up to 30 months. The primary end point was the annualized relapse rate. Secondary end points included disability worsening confirmed at 3 months or 6 months, disability improvement confirmed at 6 months, the number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions per T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, the annualized rate of new or enlarging lesions on T2-weighted MRI, serum neurofilament light chain levels at month 3, and change in brain volume. RESULTS: Overall, 946 patients were assigned to receive ofatumumab and 936 to receive teriflunomide; the median follow-up was 1.6 years. The annualized relapse rates in the ofatumumab and teriflunomide groups were 0.11 and 0.22, respectively, in trial 1 (difference, -0.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.16 to -0.06; P<0.001) and 0.10 and 0.25 in trial 2 (difference, -0.15; 95% CI, -0.20 to -0.09; P<0.001). In the pooled trials, the percentage of patients with disability worsening confirmed at 3 months was 10.9% with ofatumumab and 15.0% with teriflunomide (hazard ratio, 0.66; Pâ=â0.002); the percentage with disability worsening confirmed at 6 months was 8.1% and 12.0%, respectively (hazard ratio, 0.68; Pâ=â0.01); and the percentage with disability improvement confirmed at 6 months was 11.0% and 8.1% (hazard ratio, 1.35; Pâ=â0.09). The number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions per T1-weighted MRI scan, the annualized rate of lesions on T2-weighted MRI, and serum neurofilament light chain levels, but not the change in brain volume, were in the same direction as the primary end point. Injection-related reactions occurred in 20.2% in the ofatumumab group and in 15.0% in the teriflunomide group (placebo injections). Serious infections occurred in 2.5% and 1.8% of the patients in the respective groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with multiple sclerosis, ofatumumab was associated with lower annualized relapse rates than teriflunomide. (Funded by Novartis; ASCLEPIOS I and II ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT02792218 and NCT02792231.)