Modelling the ultraviolet environment at the surface of Mars and design of the Beagle 2 UV sensor

This thesis describes a multi-layer radiative transfer UV model which was used to aid in the design of the UV sensor on Beagle 2, which will soon provide the first ever in situ measurement of UV flux at the martian surface. The model uses the delta-Eddington approximation for diffuse flux and new low temperature gas absorption cross-sections and aerosol optical properties. Dust, H2O clouds and morning fogs are found to modify the martian surface UV spectrum. Dust storms have been shown to attenuate the surface UV flux by more than an order of magnitude, though some UV persists even at extremely high optical depths. The seasonal variation of surface UV irradiance was found to produce maximum exposure areas highly dependent upon dust activity over the martian year. Dust activity is also shown to distort the annual latitudinal dose, with high dust loading in the southern hemisphere resulting in a higher annual dose than in the north. The introduction of O3 abundances of 1.64 x 1017cm-2 into the model resulted in only partial protection for micro-organisms, since wavelengths shorter than 230 nm still penetrate to the surface. DNA-weighting of a martian UV spectrum shows the surface UV environment to be 103 times more damaging than on Earth. UV detection signatures of atmospheric phenomena and anticipated events for the case of Beagle 2 are presented: a dust devil encounter creates a double minimum profile in the UV flux, and solar eclipses by Phobos produce a single minimum. Clouds increase the diffuse/direct UV ratio, and fogs create a distinct dip in the morning profile when normalised to clear days

A comparative study of tranexamic acid and ethamsylate in menorrhagia

Background: Menorrhagia interferes with the woman’s physical, social, emotional, and/or material quality of life. Antifibrinolytic drugs are effective in decreasing excessive menstrual bleeding. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of tranexamic acid and ethamsylate on quality of life in women with menorrhagia.Methods: The 50 women with menorrhagia were randomised to receive either tranexamic acid or ethamsylate. Twenty five patients were allocated to receive tranexamic acid 500 mg six hourly, and 25 patients to receive ethamsylate 500 mg six hourly. Among the parameters measured by the MIQ were impairment in social activities, work performance, physical activities, productivity, hygienic condition, psychological condition. Health-related quality-of-life question scores (MIQ scores) at baseline and after treatment were calculated as mean for tranexamic acid group and ethamsylate group.Results: Tranexamic acid and ethamsylate treatment groups showed mean improvement in MIQ scores compared to baseline. However, the total mean score was higher in tranexamic acid group compared to ethamsylate group after three treatment cycles (21 Vs 17).Conclusions: Use of tranexamic acid and ethamsylate improved health-related quality of life in patients with menorrhagia. Tranexamic acid showed better improvement in health-related quality of life compared to ethamsylate in patients with menorrhagia

Comparison of the efficacy and safety of norethisterone vs. combined oral contraceptive pills for the management of puberty menorrhagia

Background: The most common cause of puberty menorrhagia is immaturity of the hypothalamic pituitary ovarian axis. Treatment is directed towards stabilizing the endometrium and treating the hormonal alterations. The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of norethisterone and combined oral contraceptive (COC) pills for the management of puberty menorrhagia.Methods: A total of 60 young girls from age of menarche to 19 years with menorrhagia were randomized to receive either norethisterone or COC pills. The end points included change from baseline in health-related quality-of-life parameters, estimation of blood loss and effect on hemoglobin level. Health-related quality-of-life question scores at baseline and after treatment were calculated as mean for norethisterone group and COC pills group.Results: Norethisterone and COC pills treatment groups showed mean improvement in Menorrhagia Impact Questionnaire (MIQ) scores compared to baseline. However, the total mean score was higher in norethisterone group compared to COC pills group after three treatment cycles (21 Vs 17). The treatment failure was less in norethisterone group compared to COC pills group.Conclusions: Use of norethisterone was more effective and better tolerated compared to combined oral contraceptive pills for the management of puberty menorrhagia

OpenMARS: A global record of martian weather from 1999 2015

The Open access to Mars Assimilated Remote Soundings (OpenMARS) dataset is a reanalysis product combining past spacecraft observations with a Mars Global Circulation Model (GCM). The OpenMARS product is a global surface/atmosphere reference database of surface and atmospheric properties for almost nine Mars years that can be used by Mars scientists and engineers interested in global surface/atmospheric conditions and the physical, dynamical and chemical behaviour of the atmosphere for the recent past on Mars. In the OpenMARS dataset, spacecraft observations of temperature, dust and water vapour from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument on the NASA Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, temperature and dust from the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) instrument aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft and ozone from the Spectrometer for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Mars (SPICAM) instrument on the European Space Agency (ESA) Mars Express orbiter are combined with a Mars GCM used at the Open University

Comparative evaluation of antihypertensive drugs in the management of pregnancy-induced hypertension

Background: Pregnancy-induced hypertension is associated with various adverse fetal and maternal outcomes. The use of anti-hypertensive drugs in pregnancy is controversial. We conducted a prospective study to evaluate the comparative effectiveness and safety of nifedipine, methyldopa and labetalol monotherapy in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension.Methods: A total of 60 pregnant women with blood pressure of 140/90 mm Hg or more with ≥1+ proteinuria between 20 and 38 weeks of gestation were randomly allocated to receive nifedipine (n=20), methyldopa (n=20) or labetalol (n=20). Blood pressure was measured at 0, 6, 24, 48 and 72 h of initiation of antihypertensive drugs. Patients were also followed up for development of adverse drug effects during this period.Results: Antihypertensive treatment with methyldopa was associated with reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP) by 50 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by 30 mmHg at 72 h. For the same period treatment with nifedipine was associated with reduction in SBP by 54 mmHg and DBP by 30 mmHg. Treatment with labetalol was associated with reduction in SBP by 70 mmHg and DBP by 36 mmHg at 72 h.Conclusions: Labetalol was more effective than methyldopa and nifedipine in controlling blood pressure in patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension while methyldopa and nifedipine are equally effective in controlling blood pressure

Comparison of efficacy and safety of thiocolchicoside and pregabalin in the treatment of acute non-specific low back pain: an open label randomized prospective study

Background: The present study was undertaken to study the efficacy and safety of thiocolchicoside, a centrally acting skeletal muscle relaxant, GABA mimetic drug and pregabalin, an anti-epileptic, GABA mimetic drug in the treatment of acute non-specific low back pain.Methods: The study was carried out at the orthopaedic outpatient department of our hospital. 80 patients were included during the study period of two months. Out of the 80, 40 were given pregabalin 75 mg 1hs and the rest were given thiocolchicoside 8 mg bd by the prescribing doctor. Patients, aged between 18-60 years having non-radiating low back pain for less than 7 days were selected. The data was collected in a proforma which included the patient’s details and the prescribed drugs. The patients were also given notepads to record adverse effects. On day 1, the pain was measured on visual analogue scale. After a week, follow up was done and decrease in pain was measured on the visual analogue scale.Results: There was significant difference between pre and post visual analogue scale score in both the groups with a p-value of less than 0.0001. But the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p-value 0.0664). In both the groups, patients did not report any adverse effects. Pregabalin has a slower onset than thiocolchicoside however has better efficacy. In India, where the drug abuse risk is higher, pregabalin is a safer choice as skeletal muscle relaxants (thiocolchicoside) should not be given for more than a week.Conclusions: Pregabalin has better efficacy in treatment of acute non-specific low back pain as compared to thiocolchicoside

Surface warming during the 2018/Mars Year 34 Global Dust Storm

The impact of Mars’ 2018 Global Dust Storm (GDS) on surface and near‐surface air temperatures was investigated using an assimilation of Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observations. Rather than simply resulting in cooling everywhere from solar absorption (average surface radiative flux fell 26 Wm‐2), the globally‐averaged result was a 0.9 K surface warming. These diurnally‐averaged surface temperature changes had a novel, highly non‐uniform spatial structure, with up to 16 K cooling/19 K warming. Net warming occurred in low thermal inertia (TI) regions, where rapid night‐time radiative cooling was compensated by increased longwave emission and scattering. This caused strong nightside warming, outweighing dayside cooling. The reduced surface‐air temperature gradient closely coupled surface and air temperatures, even causing local dayside air warming. Results show good agreement with MCS surface temperature retrievals. Comparisons with the 2001 GDS and free‐running simulations show that GDS spatial structure is crucial in determining global surface temperature effects

Degradation of microbial fluorescence biosignatures by solar ultraviolet radiation on Mars

Recent and proposed robotic missions to Mars are equipped with implements to expose or excavate fresh material from beneath the immediate surface. Once brought into the open, any organic molecules or potential biosignatures of present or past life will be exposed to the unfiltered solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation and face photolytic degradation over short time courses. The key question, then, is what is the window of opportunity for detection of recently exposed samples during robotic operations? Detection of autofluorescence has been proposed as a simple method for surveying or triaging samples for organic molecules. Using a Mars simulation chamber we conduct UV exposures on thin frozen layers of two model microorganisms, the radiation-resistant polyextremophile Deinococcus radiodurans and the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Excitation–emission matrices (EEMs) are generated of the full fluorescence response to quantify the change in signal of different cellular fluorophores over Martian equivalent time. Fluorescence of Deinococcus cells, protected by a high concentration of carotenoid pigments, was found to be relatively stable over 32 h of Martian UV irradiation, with around 90% of the initial signal remaining. By comparison, fluorescence from protein-bound tryptophan in Synechocystis is much more sensitive to UV photodegradation, declining to 50% after 64 h exposure. The signal most readily degraded byUV irradiation is fluorescence of the photosynthetic pigments – diminished to only 35% after 64 h. This sensitivity may be expected as the biological function of chlorophyll and phycocyanin is to optimize the harvesting of light energy and so they are readily photobleached. A significant increase in a *450 nm emission feature is interpreted as accumulation of fluorescent cellular degradation products from photolysis. Accounting for diurnal variation in Martian sunlight, this study calculates that frozen cellular biosignatures would remain detectable by fluorescence for at least several sols; offering a sufficient window for robotic exploration operations

EVALUATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANALGESIC, AND ANTIPYRETIC EFFECT OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF PEDALIUM MUREX LINN. FRUITS

This study investigated the possible anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects of ethanolic extract of Pedalium murex Linn. fruits, in selected experimental animal models. Anti-inflammatory activity of Pedalium murex Linn. with doses of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg, p.o., was evaluated by λ-carrageenan induced paw oedema in wistar albino rats; analgesic activity with doses of 280 mg/kg and 560 mg/kg, p.o., was evaluated by hot plate method and acetic acid induced writhing method in swiss albino mice; and antipyretic activity with doses of 110 mg/kg and 220 mg/kg, p.o., was evaluated in Newzealand white rabbits by injecting gram –ve lipopolysaccharide obtained from E. coli. Results were analyzed by one way ANOVA followed by Dunnet’s multiple comparison test. Pedalium murex Linn. showed significant anti-inflammatory activity from 15 min to 180 min as compared to vehicle treated animals. It was comparable to diclofenac sodium at 180 min. It did not prolong the reaction time on hot plate method but significantly reduced the number of writhing after acetic acid administration. It didn’t show any antipyretic activity on lipopolysaccharide induced pyrexia. Ethanolic extract of Pedalium murex Linn. fruits have an anti-inflammatory and peripheral analgesic effects

Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer

I outline methods for calculating the solution of Monte Carlo Radiative Transfer (MCRT) in scattering, absorption and emission processes of dust and gas, including polarization. I provide a bibliography of relevant papers on methods with astrophysical applications.Comment: To appear in the Chandra Centennial issue of the Bulletin of the Astronomical Society of India, volume 39 (2011), eds D.J. Saikia and Virginia Trimble; 27 pages, 1 figur