Explanation and Elaboration Document for the STROBE-Vet Statement: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology—Veterinary Extension

The STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement was first published in 2007 and again in 2014. The purpose of the original STROBE was to provide guidance for authors, reviewers and editors to improve the comprehensiveness of reporting; however, STROBE has a unique focus on observational studies. Although much of the guidance provided by the original STROBE document is directly applicable, it was deemed useful to map those statements to veterinary concepts, provide veterinary examples and highlight unique aspects of reporting in veterinary observational studies. Here, we present the examples and explanations for the checklist items included in the STROBE-Vet Statement. Thus, this is a companion document to the STROBE-Vet Statement Methods and process document, which describes the checklist and how it was developed

Hydrogen reduction of ilmenite: Towards an in situ resource utilization demonstration on the surface of the Moon

Water is one of the most vital resources required for future space exploration. By obtaining water from lunar regolith, humans are one step closer to being independent of Earth's resources enabling longer term exploration missions. Hydrogen reduction of ilmenite is often proposed as a technique for producing water on the Moon. ProSPA, a miniature analytical laboratory, will perform reduction of lunar soils as an In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) demonstration on the lunar surface. The technique used by ProSPA will be useful for prospecting payloads with limited mass and power resources. This work considers the development and optimization of an ilmenite (FeTiO3) reduction procedure for use with the ProSPA instrument. It is shown that the reaction can be performed in a static (non-flowing) system, by utilizing a cold finger to collect the water produced from the reaction. Among the investigated parameters an initial H2:FeTiO3 ratio of 1, in this case equating to a hydrogen pressure of 418 mbar, proved to be best for providing maximum yields over 4 h when operating at 1000 °C. Results indicate that a maximum yield of 3.40 ± 0.17 wt % O2 can be obtained at 1000 °C (with a maximum possible yield of 10.5 wt % O2). When operating at higher temperatures of 1100 °C the ilmenite grains undergo a subsolidus reaction resulting in the formation of ferropseudobrookite and higher yields of 4.42 ± 0.18 wt % O2 can be obtained

Feasibility studies for hydrogen reduction of ilmenite in a static system for use as an ISRU demonstration on the lunar surface

The ESA-ROSCOSMOS mission, Luna-27, scheduled for launch in 2023, includes a payload known as PROSPECT that is intended for sampling the polar lunar regolith through drilling, with subsequent analyses of the retrieved material. One of the aims of the analytical module, ProSPA, which is being developed at The Open University, is to identify and quantify the volatiles present in the extracted sample that are released by heating from ambient up to 1000 °C and analyzed by the mass spectrometers to assess their potential for in-situ resource utilization. The ProSPA design also includes a provision to test the extraction of water (and its associated oxygen) from lunar regolith by hydrogen reduction. Previous attempts at such extractions generally utilize a flow of hydrogen gas through the feedstock to efficiently extract water. However, in ProSPA, samples would be processed in a static mode, which leads to concerns that the reaction may be suppressed by inefficient removal of water vapor above the regolith. A first order theoretical assessment of the diffusion of gases in such a system was performed and suggested that water can diffuse through the system at an acceptable rate and be collected upon a cold finger thus enabling the reaction to proceed. Proof of concept experiments were successfully performed with a ProSPA breadboard using ilmenite samples up to ∼45 mg heated at 900 °C for 60 min. Subsequent heating of the cold finger, in vacuum, released 17 ± 1 μmol water from a 44.7 ± 0.5 mg sample, equating to a calculated yield of 0.6 ± 0.1 wt % oxygen, and a reduction extent of 5.8 ± 0.4%. A sample of mass 11.2 ± 0.5 mg had the greatest calculated yield of 1.4 ± 0.2 wt % oxygen, and this equates to a reduction extent of 12.9 ± 1.5%. SEM analyses of cross-sections of grains showed evidence of a reduction reaction inside the ilmenite grains with some showing greater reduction than others, indicating the reaction is limited by furnace dimensions, reaction kinetics and geometry. The results suggest that the ProSPA ISRU experiment should be capable of producing water, and therefore oxygen, by hydrogen reduction of ilmenite, ultimately this could be a viable technique for producing oxygen from ilmenite-containing lunar regolith with ProSPA

Mass Spectrometers for In-Situ Resource Utilisation

The Open University has a heritage in developing small mass spectrometers for planetary lander payloads. The first was a 6 cm radius magnetic sector instrument for light element isotopic analysis (H, C, N, and O), part of the Gas Analysis Package (GAP) on the Beagle 2 Mars lander. The second was the Ptolemy ion trap mass spectrometer (ITMS) on the Philae lander which successfully operated and returned results during the comet landing in November 2014. The Ptolemy ion trap unit fits within a 10 x 10 x 10 cm cube, including RF, detector and ion source electronics and is capable of a mass range from 10 to 150 amu at unit resolution. Development is continuing for purposes ranging from lander instruments (ProSPA and LUVMI), to rugged deployable probes (penetrators) and for process monitoring within ISRU plant. Many of the planned developments are aimed at the various stages of lunar ISRU, from resource prospecting to demonstration and optimisation of extraction processes

Methods and Processes of Developing the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology – Veterinary (STROBE-Vet) Statement

BACKGROUND Reporting of observational studies in veterinary research presents challenges that often are not addressed in published reporting guidelines. OBJECTIVE To develop an extension of the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) statement that addresses unique reporting requirements for observational studies in veterinary medicine related to health, production, welfare, and food safety. DESIGN Consensus meeting of experts. SETTING Mississauga, Canada. PARTICIPANTS Seventeen experts from North America, Europe, and Australia. METHODS Experts completed a pre-meeting survey about whether items in the STROBE statement should be modified or added to address unique issues related to observational studies in animal species with health, production, welfare, or food safety outcomes. During the meeting, each STROBE item was discussed to determine whether or not rewording was recommended and whether additions were warranted. Anonymous voting was used to determine consensus. RESULTS Six items required no modifications or additions. Modifications or additions were made to the STROBE items 1 (title and abstract), 3 (objectives), 5 (setting), 6 (participants), 7 (variables), 8 (data sources/measurement), 9 (bias), 10 (study size), 12 (statistical methods), 13 (participants), 14 (descriptive data), 15 (outcome data), 16 (main results), 17 (other analyses), 19 (limitations), and 22 (funding). CONCLUSION The methods and processes used were similar to those used for other extensions of the STROBE statement. The use of this STROBE statement extension should improve reporting of observational studies in veterinary research by recognizing unique features of observational studies involving food-producing and companion animals, products of animal origin, aquaculture, and wildlife