A Mars orbital laser altimeter for rover trafficability: Instrument concept and science potential

Limited information on the types of geologic hazards (boulders, troughs, craters etc.) that will affect rover trafficability on Mars are available for the two Viking Lander sites, and there are no prospects for increasing this knowledge base in the near future. None of the instrument payloads on the upcoming Mars Observer or Soviet PHOBOS missions can directly measure surface obstacles on the scales of concern for rover safety (a few meters). Candidate instruments for the Soviet Mars 92 orbiter/balloon/rover mission such as balloon-borne stereo imaging, rover panoramic imaging, and orbital synthetic aperature imaging (SAR) are under discussion, but data from this mission may not be available for target areas of interest for the U.S. Mars Rover Sample Return (MRSR) mission. In an effort to determine how to directly measure the topography of surface obstacles that could affect rover trafficability on Mars, we are studying how to design a laser altimeter with extremely high spatial and vertical resolution that would be suitable for a future Mars Orbiter spacecraft (MRSR precursor or MRSR orbiter). This report discusses some of the design issues associated with such an instrument, gives examples of laser altimeter data collected for Mars analog terrains on Earth, and outlines the scientific potential of data that could be obtained with the system

Increasing the salience of NRM Research with innovative methodologies: The example of oriented qualitative case study (OQCS)

Recent approaches in natural resource management emphasize decision makers' need for research that (1) encompasses a landscape or regional scale, (2) uses multiple scales of analysis, and (3) has a relatively timely research process. This article presents a novel qualitative research methodology that seeks to increase research salience (relevance) for decision makers in natural resource management agencies by taking steps toward meeting these needs. Called oriented qualitative case study (OCQS), the methodology was used to examine how and why landholders changed their land uses and livelihoods during a forest transition in northwest Costa Rica. In order to better meet the three needs listed above this methodology makes a necessary, partial trade-off in the depth of knowledge it generates at smaller scales. In addition to using such novel methodologies, ongoing engagement between researchers, decision makers and other stakeholders is also critical for increasing salience

Anthropometric discriminators of type 2 diabetes among White and Black American adults

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to determine the best anthropometric discriminators of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among White and Black males and females in a large US sample. METHODS: We used Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study baseline data (1987–89) from 15 242 participants (1827 with T2DM) aged 45–65 years. Anthropometric measures included a body shape index (ABSI), body adiposity index (BAI), body mass index, waist circumference (WC), waist:height ratio (WHtR), and waist:hip ratio (WHR). All anthropometric measures were standardized to Z-scores. Using logistic regression, odds ratios for T2DM were adjusted for age, physical activity, and family history of T2DM. The Akaike information criterion and receiver operating characteristic C-statistic were used to select the best-fit models. RESULTS: Body mass index, WC, WHtR, and WHR were comparable discriminators of T2DM among White and Black males, and were superior to ABSI and BAI in predicting T2DM (P < 0.0001). Waist circumference, WHtR, and WHR were the best discriminators among White females, whereas WHR was the best discriminator among Black females. The ABSI was the poorest discriminator of T2DM for all race–gender groups except Black females. Anthropometric values distinguishing T2DM cases from non-cases were lower for Black than White adults. CONCLUSIONS: Anthropometric measures that included WC, either alone or relative to height (WHtR) or hip circumference (WHR), were the strongest discriminators of T2DM across race–gender groups. Body mass index was a comparable discriminator to WC, WHtR, and WHR among males, but not females

Excellent diagnostic characteristics for ultrafast gene profiling of DEFA1-IL1B-LTF in detection of prosthetic joint infections

The timely and exact diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is crucial for surgical decision-making. Intraoperatively, delivery of the result within an hour is required. Alpha-defensin lateral immunoassay of joint fluid (JF) is precise for the intraoperative exclusion of PJI; however, for patients with a limited amount of JF and/or in cases where the JF is bloody, this test is unhelpful. Important information is hidden in periprosthetic tissues that may much better reflect the current status of implant pathology. We therefore investigated the utility of the gene expression patterns of 12 candidate genes (TLR1, -2, -4, -6, and 10, DEFA1, LTF, IL1B, BPI, CRP, IFNG, and DEFB4A) previously associated with infection for detection of PJI in periprosthetic tissues of patients with total joint arthroplasty (TJA) (n = 76) reoperated for PJI (n = 38) or aseptic failure (n = 38), using the ultrafast quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) Xxpress system (BJS Biotechnologies Ltd.). Advanced data-mining algorithms were applied for data analysis. For PJI, we detected elevated mRNA expression levels of DEFA1 (P < 0.0001), IL1B (P < 0.0001), LTF (P < 0.0001), TLR1 (P = 0.02), and BPI (P = 0.01) in comparison to those in tissues from aseptic cases. A feature selection algorithm revealed that the DEFA1-IL1B-LTF pattern was the most appropriate for detection/exclusion of PJI, achieving 94.5% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity, with likelihood ratios (LRs) for positive and negative results of 16.3 and 0.06, respectively. Taken together, the results show that DEFA1-IL1B-LTF gene expression detection by use of ultrafast qRT-PCR linked to an electronic calculator allows detection of patients with a high probability of PJI within 45 min after sampling. Further testing on a larger cohort of patients is needed.Web of Science5592697268