Regional surface morphology of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from Rosetta/OSIRIS images: The southern hemisphere

Aims. The OSIRIS camera on board the Rosetta spacecraft has been acquiring images of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P)'s nucleus since August 2014. Starting in May 2015, the southern hemisphere gradually became illuminated and was imaged for the first time. Here we present the regional morphology of the southern hemisphere, which serves as a companion to an earlier paper that presented the regional morphology of the northern hemisphere. Methods. We used OSIRIS images that were acquired at orbits ~45-125 km from the center of the comet (corresponding to spatial resolutions of ~0.8 to 2.3 m/pixel) coupled with the use of digital terrain models to define the different regions on the surface, and identify structural boundaries accurately. Results. Seven regions have been defined in the southern hemisphere bringing the total number of defined regions on the surface of the nucleus to 26. These classifications are mainly based on morphological and/or topographic boundaries. The southern hemisphere shows a remarkable dichotomy with its northern counterpart mainly because of the absence of wide-scale smooth terrains, dust coatings and large unambiguous depressions. As a result, the southern hemisphere closely resembles previously identified consolidated regions. An assessment of the overall morphology of comet 67P suggests that the comet's two lobes show surface heterogeneities manifested in different physical/mechanical characteristics, possibly extending to local (i.e., within a single region) scales.© 2016 ESO.The support of the national funding agencies of Germany (DLR), France (CNES), Italy (ASI), Spain (MEC), Sweden (SNSB), and the ESA Technical Directorate is gratefully acknowledged.Peer Reviewe

Epidemiological Algorithm and Early Molecular Testing to Prevent COVID-19 Outbreaks in a Mexican Oncologic Center

Introduction: Prevention strategies and detection of latent COVID-19 infections in oncology staff and oncologic patients are essential to prevent outbreaks in a cancer center. In this study, we used two statistical predictive models in oncology staff and patients from the radiotherapy area to prevent outbreaks and detect COVID-19 cases. Methods: Staff and patients answered a questionnaire (electronic and paper surveys, respectively) with clinical and epidemiological information. The data was collected through two online survey tools: Real-Time Tracking (R-Track) and Summary of Factors (S-Facts). According to the algorithm\u27s models, cut-off values were established. SARS-CoV-2 qRT-PCR tests confirmed the algorithm\u27s positive individuals. Results: Oncology staff members (n=142) were tested, and 14% (n=20) were positives for the R-Track algorithm; 75% (n=15) were qRT-PCR positive. The S-Facts algorithm identified 7.75% (n=11) positive oncology staff members, and 81.82% (n=9) were qRT-PCR positive. Oncology patients (n=369) were evaluated, and 1.36% (n=5) were positive for the algorithms. The 5 patients (100%) were confirmed by qRT-PCR at a very early stage. Conclusions: The proposed algorithms could prove to become an essential prevention tool in countries where qRT-PCR tests and vaccines are insufficient for the population

Vaccinate fast but leave no one behind: a call to action for COVID-19 vaccination in Spain

During the first five months of 2021, Spains COVID-19 vaccination campaign progressed slowly and failed to reach marginalised populations. Here, we discuss how, despite recent improvements, it remains important to further engage key stakeholders to ensure nobody is left behind

IAA : Información y actualidad astronómica (7)

Sumario : Investigación : Descubrir mundos en tránsito.-- Formación estelar en cúmulos.-- Ventana Abierta: Andalucía investiga.-- Charlas con...Vicente Domingo.-- Actualidad Científica: El Sol en su infancia.-- Una nueva visita cometaria.-- Actividades IAA.-- Agenda.Esta revista se publica con la ayuda de la Acción Especial DIF 2001-4284-E del Programa Nacional de Difusión de la Ciencia y la Tecnología, del Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología.N

Phase-curve analysis of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at small phase angles

Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Open Access funding provided by Max Planck Society.The Rosetta-OSIRIS images acquired at small phase angles in three wavelengths during the fly-by of the spacecraft on 9-10 April 2016 provided a unique opportunity to study the opposition effect on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P). Our goal is to study phase curves of the nucleus at small phase angles for a variety of surface structures to show the differences in their opposition effect and to determine which surface properties cause the differences.© N. Masoumzadeh et al. 2019OSIRIS was built by a consortium of the Max-Planck-Institut fur Sonnensystemforschung, Gottingen, Germany; the CISAS University of Padova, Italy; the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France; the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, CSIC, Granada, Spain; the Research and Scientific Support Department of the ESA, Noordwijk, Netherlands; the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain; the Universidad Politechnica de Madrid, Spain; the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Uppsala University, Sweden; and the Institut fur Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der Technischen Universitat Braunschweig, Germany. The support of the national funding agencies of Germany (DLR), France (CNES), Italy (ASI), Spain (MEC), Sweden (SNSB), and the ESA Technical Directorate is gratefully acknowledged. We thank the Rosetta Science Operations Centre and the Rosetta Mission Operations Centre for the successful rendezvous with comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This research has made use of the USGS Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS). We gratefully acknowledge the developers of SPICE and NAIF/PDS resources. This research has made use of the scientific software shapeViewer www.comet-toolbox.com.L.K.acknowledges a support from the NASA SSW grant 80NSSC17K0731

Surface evolution of the Anhur region on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from high-resolution OSIRIS images

Open Access article, published by EDP Sciences, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.The southern hemisphere of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) became observable by the Rosetta mission in March 2015, a few months before cometary southern vernal equinox. The Anhur region in the southern part of the comet's larger lobe was found to be highly eroded, enriched in volatiles, and highly active. Aims. We analyze high-resolution images of the Anhur region pre- and post-perihelion acquired by the OSIRIS imaging system on board the Rosetta mission. The Narrow Angle Camera is particularly useful for studying the evolution in Anhur in terms of morphological changes and color variations. Methods. Radiance factor images processed by the OSIRIS pipeline were coregistered, reprojected onto the 3D shape model of the comet, and corrected for the illumination conditions. Results. We find a number of morphological changes in the Anhur region that are related to formation of new scarps; removal of dust coatings; localized resurfacing in some areas, including boulders displacements; and vanishing structures, which implies localized mass loss that we estimate to be higher than 50 million kg. The strongest changes took place in and nearby the Anhur canyon-like structure, where significant dust cover was removed, an entire structure vanished, and many boulders were rearranged. All such changes are potentially associated with one of the most intense outbursts registered by Rosetta during its observations, which occurred one day before perihelion passage. Moreover, in the niche at the foot of a new observed scarp, we also see evidence of water ice exposure that persisted for at least six months. The abundance of water ice, evaluated from a linear mixing model, is relatively high (>20%). Our results confirm that the Anhur region is volatile-rich and probably is the area on 67P with the most pristine exposures near perihelion.© S. Fornasier et al. 2019OSIRIS was built by a consortium led by the Max-Planck-Institut fur Sonnensystemforschung, Goettingen, Germany, in collaboration with CISAS, University of Padova, Italy, the Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, CSIC, Granada, Spain, the Scientific Support Office of the European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain, the Universidad Politechnica de Madrid, Spain, the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Institut fur Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der Technischen Universitat Braunschweig, Germany. The support of the national funding agencies of Germany (DLR), France (CNES), Italy (ASI), Spain (MEC), Sweden (SNSB), and the ESA Technical Directorate is gratefully acknowledged. We thank the Rosetta Science Ground Segment at ESAC, the Rosetta Mission Operations Centre at ESOC and the Rosetta Project at ESTEC for their outstanding work enabling the science return of the Rosetta Mission. SF acknowledges the financial support from the France Agence Nationale de la Recherche (programme Classy, ANR-17-CE31-0004). The authors thank Dr. E. Howell for her comments and suggestions which helped us to improve this article

Regional unit definition for the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on the SHAP7 model

Open Acces publication. This article is available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license and permits non-commercial use of the work as published, without adaptation or alteration provided the work is fully attributed.The previously defined regions on the nucleus of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko have been mapped back onto the 3D SHAP7 model of the nucleus (Preusker et al., 2017). The resulting regional definition is therefore self-consistent with boundaries that are well defined in 3 dimensions. The facets belonging to each region are provided as supplementary material. The shape model has then been used to assess inhomogeneity of nucleus surface morphology within individual regions. Several regions show diverse morphology. We propose sub-division of these regions into clearly identifiable units (sub-regions) and a comprehensive table is provided. The surface areas of each sub-region have been computed and statistics based on grouping of unit types are provided. The roughness of each region is also provided in a quantitative manner using a technique derived from computer graphics applications. The quantitative method supports the sub-region definition by showing that differences between sub-regions can be numerically justified.© 2018 The AuthorsThe team from the University of Bern is supported through the Swiss National Science Foundation and through the NCCR PlanetS. The project has also received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 686709. This work was supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) under contract number 16.0008-2

Models of Rosetta/OSIRIS 67P Dust Coma Phase Function

The phase function of the dust coma of comet 67P has been determined from Rosetta/OSIRIS images. This function shows a deep minimum at phase angles near 100°, and a strong backscattering enhancement. These two properties cannot be reproduced by regular models of cometary dust, most of them based on wavelength-sized and randomly oriented aggregate particles. We show, however, that an ensemble of oriented elongated particles of a wide variety of aspect ratios, with radii r 10 μm, and whose long axes are perpendicular to the direction of the solar radiation, are capable of reproducing the observed phase function. These particles must be absorbing, with an imaginary part of the refractive index of about 0.1 to match the expected geometric albedo, and with porosity in the 60%-70% range.© 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..OSIRIS was built by a consortium of the Max-Planck-Institut fur Sonnensystemforschung, in Gottingen, Germany, CISAS-University of Padova, Italy, the Laboratoire dAstrophysique de Marseille, France, the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, CSIC, Granada, Spain, the Research and Scientific Support Department of the European Space Agency, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, the Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial, Madrid, Spain, the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain, the Department of Physics and Astronomy of Uppsala University, Sweden, and the Institut fur Datentechnik und Kommunikationsnetze der Technischen Universitat Braunschweig, Germany. The support of the national funding agencies of Germany (DLR), France (CNES), Italy (ASI), Spain (MEC), Sweden (SNSB; grant No. 74/10: 2), and the ESA Technical Directorate is gratefully acknowledged. H.R. was also supported by grant No. 2011/01/B/ST9/05442 of the Polish National Science Center. We thank the ESA teams at ESAC, ESOC, and ESTEC for their work in support of the Rosetta mission We thank the Rosetta Science Ground Segment at ESAC, the Rosetta Mission Operations Centre at ESOC, and the Rosetta Project at ESTEC for their outstanding work enabling the science return of the Rosetta Mission. This work was supported by contracts AYA2015-67152-R and AYA2015-71975-REDT from the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad

Use of aspirin for primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients in an ambulatory care setting in Spain

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study was conducted in order to determine the use of aspirin and to assess the achievement of therapeutic targets in diabetic patients according to primary (PP) or secondary prevention (SP).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This is a retrospective, observational study including patients ≥18 years with diabetes mellitus followed in four primary care centers. Measurements included demographics, use of aspirin and/or anticoagulant drugs, co-morbidities, clinical parameters and proportion of patient at therapeutic target (TT). Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and logistic regression model were used for significance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 4,140 patients were analyzed, 79.1% (95% confidence intervals [CI]: 77.7–80.5%) in PP and 20.9% (95% CI: 18.2–23.7%) in SP. Mean age was 64.1 (13.8) years, and 49.3% of patient were men (PP: 46.3, SP: 60.7, p = 0.001). Aspirin was prescribed routinely in 20.8% (95% CI: 19.4–22.2%) in PP and 60.8% (95% CI: 57.6–64.0%) in SP. Proportion of patient at TT was 48.0% for blood pressure and 59.8% for cholesterol. Use of aspirin was associated to increased age [OR = 1.01 (95% CI: 1.00–1.02); p = 0.011], cardiovascular-risk factors [OR = 1.14 (95% CI: 1.03–1.27); p = 0.013], LDL-C [OR = 1.42 (95% CI: 1.06–1.88); p = 0.017] and higher glycated hemoglobin [OR = 1.51 (95% CI: 1.22–1.89); p = 0.000] were covariates associated to the use of aspirin in PP.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Treatment with aspirin is underused for PP in patients with diabetes mellitus in Primary Care. Achievement of TT should be improved.</p