Tracking and data system support for the Mariner Mars 1971 mission. Volume 2: First trajectory correction maneuver through orbit insertion

The Deep Space Tracking and Data System activities in support of the Mariner Mars 1971 project from the first trajectory correction maneuver on 4 June 1971 through cruise and orbit insertion on 14 November 1971 are presented. Changes and updates to the TDS requirements and to the plan and configuration plus detailed information on the TDS flight support performance evaluation and the preorbital testing and training are included. With the loss of Mariner 8 at launch, a few changes to the Mariner Mars 1971 requirements, plan, and configuration were necessitated. Mariner 9 is now assuming the former mission plan of Mariner 8, including the TV mapping cycles and a 12-hr orbital period. A second trajectory correction maneuver was not required because of the accuracy of the first maneuver. All testing and training for orbital operations were completed satisfactorily and on schedule. The orbit insertion was accomplished with excellent results

Allogeneic Stem Cells Alter Gene Expression and Improve Healing of Distal Limb Wounds in Horses.

Distal extremity wounds are a significant clinical problem in horses and humans and may benefit from mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy. This study evaluated the effects of direct wound treatment with allogeneic stem cells, in terms of gross, histologic, and transcriptional features of healing. Three full-thickness cutaneous wounds were created on each distal forelimb in six healthy horses, for a total of six wounds per horse. Umbilical cord-blood derived equine MSCs were applied to each wound 1 day after wound creation, in one of four forms: (a) normoxic- or (b) hypoxic-preconditioned cells injected into wound margins, or (c) normoxic- or (d) hypoxic-preconditioned cells embedded in an autologous fibrin gel and applied topically to the wound bed. Controls were one blank (saline) injected wound and one blank fibrin gel-treated wound per horse. Data were collected weekly for 6 weeks and included wound surface area, thermography, gene expression, and histologic scoring. Results indicated that MSC treatment by either delivery method was safe and improved histologic outcomes and wound area. Hypoxic-preconditioning did not offer an advantage. MSC treatment by injection resulted in statistically significant increases in transforming growth factor beta and cyclooxygenase-2 expression at week 1. Histologically, significantly more MSC-treated wounds were categorized as pro-healing than pro-inflammatory. Wound area was significantly affected by treatment: MSC-injected wounds were consistently smaller than gel-treated or control wounds. In conclusion, MSC therapy shows promise for distal extremity wounds in horses, particularly when applied by direct injection into the wound margin. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018;7:98-108

The effect of harmonized emissions on aerosol properties in global models – an AeroCom experiment

The effects of unified aerosol sources on global aerosol fields simulated by different models are examined in this paper. We compare results from two AeroCom experiments, one with different (ExpA) and one with unified emissions, injection heights, and particle sizes at the source (ExpB). Surprisingly, harmonization of aerosol sources has only a small impact on the simulated diversity for aerosol burden, and consequently optical properties, as the results are largely controlled by model-specific transport, removal, chemistry (leading to the formation of secondary aerosols) and parameterizations of aerosol microphysics (e.g. the split between deposition pathways) and to a lesser extent on the spatial and temporal distributions of the (precursor) emissions. The burdens of black carbon and especially sea salt become more coherent in ExpB only, because the large ExpA diversity for these two species was caused by few outliers. The experiment also indicated that despite prescribing emission fluxes and size distributions, ambiguities in the implementation in individual models can lead to substantial differences. These results indicate the need for a better understanding of aerosol life cycles at process level (including spatial dispersal and interaction with meteorological parameters) in order to obtain more reliable results from global aerosol simulations. This is particularly important as such model results are used to assess the consequences of specific air pollution abatement strategies

Surface activation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and formation of calcium phosphate coatings by precipitation

Plasma activation of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) surfaces and the influence on coating formation in a supersaturated calcium phosphate solution was investigated in this study. It was observed that plasma treatment in a N2/O2 plasma had a significant effect on the wettability of the PEEK surface. The contact angle decreased from 85° to 25° after plasma treatment. Cell culture testing with osteoblastic cell lines showed plasma activation not to be disadvantageous to cell viability. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was performed to characterize the chemical composition of the PEEK surfaces. It was observed that the O1s intensity increased with plasma activation time. At the C1s peak the appearance of a shoulder at higher binding energies was observed. Coating of PEEK was performed in a supersaturated calcium phosphate solution. Coating thicknesses of up to 50 μm were achieved after 24 days of immersion. Plasma activation followed by nucleation in a highly saturated hydroxyapatite solution had a positive effect on the growth rate of the layer on PEEK. Chemical analysis revealed that the coating consists of a carbonate-containing calcium phosphat

Emissions of primary aerosol and precursor gases in the year 2000 and 1750 prescribed data-sets for AeroCom.

Inventories for global aerosol and aerosol precursor emissions have been collected (based on published inventories and published simulations), assessed and prepared for the year 2000 (present-day conditions) and for the year 1750 (pre-industrial conditions). These global datasets establish a comprehensive source for emission input to global modeling, when simulating the aerosol impact on climate with state-of-the-art aerosol component modules. As these modules stratify aerosol into dust, sea-salt, sulfate, organic matter and soot, for all these aerosol types global fields on emission strength and recommendations for injection altitude and particulate size are provided. Temporal resolution varies between daily (dust and sea-salt), monthly (wild-land fires) and annual (all other emissions). These datasets benchmark aerosol emissions according to the knowledge in the year 2004. They are intended to serve as systematic constraints in sensitivity studies of the AeroCom initiative, which seeks to quantify (actual) uncertainties in aerosol global modeling

Renal artery stenosis-when to screen, what to stent?

Renal artery stensosis (RAS) continues to be a problem for clinicians, with no clear consensus on how to investigate and assess the clinical significance of stenotic lesions and manage the findings. RAS caused by fibromuscular dysplasia is probably commoner than previously appreciated, should be actively looked for in younger hypertensive patients and can be managed successfully with angioplasty. Atheromatous RAS is associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular events and increased cardiovascular mortality, and is likely to be seen with increasing frequency. Evidence from large clinical trials has led clinicians away from recommending interventional revascularisation towards aggressive medical management. There is now interest in looking more closely at patient selection for intervention, with focus on intervening only in patients with the highest-risk presentations such as flash pulmonary oedema, rapidly declining renal function and severe resistant hypertension. The potential benefits in terms of improving hard cardiovascular outcomes may outweigh the risks of intervention in this group, and further research is needed

Surface modification of Ti-6Al-4V alloy for biomineralization and specific biological response: Part II, Alkaline phosphatase grafting

Titanium and its alloys are the most widespread materials for the realization of orthopaedic and dental implants due to their good mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Surface functionalization of biomaterials aimed to improve and quicken implant integration and tissue regeneration is an active research field. The opportunity to confer biological activity (ability to directly stimulate cells with proper biological signals) to the Ti6Al4 V alloy, previously modified to be bioactive from the inorganic point of view (apatite precipitation), was explored in this research work. The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzyme was grafted to metal surface via tresyl chloride activation, maintaining its activity. A synergistic effect between biological functionalization and inorganic bioactivity was observed

The biocompatibility of titanium in a buffer solution: compared effects of a thin film of TiO2 deposited by MOCVD and of collagen deposited from a gel

This study aims at evaluating the biocompatibility of titanium surfaces modified according two different ways: (i) deposition of a bio-inert, thin film of rutile TiO2 by chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD), and (ii) biochemical treatment with collagen gel, in order to obtain a bio-interactive coating. Behind the comparison is the idea that either the bio-inert or the bio-active coating has specific advantages when applied to implant treatment, such as the low price of the collagen treatment for instance. The stability in buffer solution was evaluated by open circuit potential (OCP) for medium time and cyclic voltametry. The OCP stabilized after 5104 min for all the specimens except the collagen treated sample which presented a stable OCP from the first minutes. MOCVD treated samples stabilized to more electropositive values. Numeric results were statistically analysed to obtain the regression equations for long time predictable evolution. The corrosion parameters determined from cyclic curves revealed that the MOCVD treatment is an efficient way to improve corrosion resistance. Human dermal fibroblasts were selected for cell culture tests, taking into account that these cells are present in all bio-interfaces, being the main cellular type of connective tissue. The cells grew on either type of surface without phenotype modification. From the reduction of yellow, water-soluble 3-(4,5-dimethyldiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT cytotoxicity test), MOCVD treated samples offer better viability than mechanically polished Ti and collagen treated samples as well. Cell spreading, as evaluated from microscope images processed by the program Sigma Scan, showed also enhancement upon surface modification. Depending on the experimental conditions, MOCVD deposited TiO2 exhibits different nanostructures that may influence biological behaviour. The results demonstrate the capacity of integration in simulated physiologic liquids for an implant pretreated by either method

El Nino and Health Risks from Landscape Fire Emissions in Southeast Asia

Emissions from landscape fires affect both climate and air quality. Here, we combine satellite-derived fire estimates and atmospheric modelling to quantify health effects from fire emissions in southeast Asia from 1997 to 2006. This region has large interannual variability in fire activity owing to coupling between El Nino-induced droughts and anthropogenic land-use change. We show that during strong El Nino years, fires contribute up to 200 micrograms per cubic meter and 50 ppb in annual average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone surface concentrations near fire sources, respectively. This corresponds to a fire contribution of 200 additional days per year that exceed the World Health Organization 50 micrograms per cubic metre 24-hr PM(sub 2.5) interim target and an estimated 10,800 (6,800-14,300)-person (approximately 2 percent) annual increase in regional adult cardiovascular mortality. Our results indicate that reducing regional deforestation and degradation fires would improve public health along with widely established benefits from reducing carbon emissions, preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem services