The InSight HP3 Penetrator (Mole) on Mars: Soil Properties Derived from the Penetration Attempts and Related Activities.

The NASA InSight Lander on Mars includes the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package HP3 to measure the surface heat flow of the planet. The package uses temperature sensors that would have been brought to the target depth of 3-5 m by a small penetrator, nicknamed the mole. The mole requiring friction on its hull to balance remaining recoil from its hammer mechanism did not penetrate to the targeted depth. Instead, by precessing about a point midway along its hull, it carved a 7 cm deep and 5-6 cm wide pit and reached a depth of initially 31 cm. The root cause of the failure - as was determined through an extensive, almost two years long campaign - was a lack of friction in an unexpectedly thick cohesive duricrust. During the campaign - described in detail in this paper - the mole penetrated further aided by friction applied using the scoop at the end of the robotic Instrument Deployment Arm and by direct support by the latter. The mole tip finally reached a depth of about 37 cm, bringing the mole back-end 1-2 cm below the surface. It reversed its downward motion twice during attempts to provide friction through pressure on the regolith instead of directly with the scoop to the mole hull. The penetration record of the mole was used to infer mechanical soil parameters such as the penetration resistance of the duricrust of 0.3-0.7 MPa and a penetration resistance of a deeper layer ( > 30 cm depth) of 4.9 ± 0.4 MPa . Using the mole's thermal sensors, thermal conductivity and diffusivity were measured. Applying cone penetration theory, the resistance of the duricrust was used to estimate a cohesion of the latter of 2-15 kPa depending on the internal friction angle of the duricrust. Pushing the scoop with its blade into the surface and chopping off a piece of duricrust provided another estimate of the cohesion of 5.8 kPa. The hammerings of the mole were recorded by the seismometer SEIS and the signals were used to derive P-wave and S-wave velocities representative of the topmost tens of cm of the regolith. Together with the density provided by a thermal conductivity and diffusivity measurement using the mole's thermal sensors, the elastic moduli were calculated from the seismic velocities. Using empirical correlations from terrestrial soil studies between the shear modulus and cohesion, the previous cohesion estimates were found to be consistent with the elastic moduli. The combined data were used to derive a model of the regolith that has an about 20 cm thick duricrust underneath a 1 cm thick unconsolidated layer of sand mixed with dust and above another 10 cm of unconsolidated sand. Underneath the latter, a layer more resistant to penetration and possibly containing debris from a small impact crater is inferred. The thermal conductivity increases from 14 mW/m K to 34 mW/m K through the 1 cm sand/dust layer, keeps the latter value in the duricrust and the sand layer underneath and then increases to 64 mW/m K in the sand/gravel layer below. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11214-022-00941-z.

Randomised clinical trial: gastrointestinal events in arthritis patients treated with celecoxib, ibuprofen or naproxen in the PRECISION trial.

AIM: To evaluate GI safety of celecoxib compared with 2 nonselective (ns) NSAIDs, as a secondary objective of a large trial examining multiorgan safety. METHODS: This randomised, double-blind controlled trial analysed 24 081 patients. Osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis patients, needing ongoing NSAID treatment, were randomised to receive celecoxib 100-200 mg b.d., ibuprofen 600-800 mg t.d.s. or naproxen 375-500 mg b.d. plus esomeprazole, and low-dose aspirin or corticosteroids if already prescribed. Clinically significant GI events (CSGIE-bleeding, obstruction, perforation events from stomach downwards or symptomatic ulcers) and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) were adjudicated blindly. RESULTS: Mean treatment and follow-up durations were 20.3 and 34.1 months. While on treatment or 30 days after, CSGIE occurred in 0.34%, 0.74% and 0.66% taking celecoxib, ibuprofen and naproxen. Hazard ratios (HR) were 0.43 (95% CI 0.27-0.68, P = 0.0003) celecoxib vs ibuprofen and 0.51 (0.32-0.81, P = 0.004) vs naproxen. There was also less IDA on celecoxib: HR 0.43 (0.27-0.68, P = 0.0003) vs ibuprofen; 0.40 (0.25-0.62, P < 0.0001) vs naproxen. Even taken with low-dose aspirin, fewer CSGIE occurred on celecoxib than ibuprofen (HR 0.52 [0.29-0.94], P = 0.03), and less IDA vs naproxen (0.42 [0.23-0.77, P = 0.005]). Corticosteroid use increased total GI events and CSGIE. H. pylori serological status had no influence. CONCLUSIONS: Arthritis patients taking NSAIDs plus esomeprazole have infrequent clinically significant gastrointestinal events. Co-prescribed with esomeprazole, celecoxib has better overall GI safety than ibuprofen or naproxen at these doses, despite treatment with low-dose aspirin or corticosteroids.

Photophysical properties of dipeptides containing substituted 3-(quinoxalin-6-yl) alanine. Spectroscopic studies and theoretical calculations.

The photophysical properties of excited states of two hybrid dipeptides [N-(3-(2,3-diphenylquinoxaline-6-ylo)alanylo) glycine], Pe-DPhQ, and [N-(3-(2,3 (pirydine-2-ylo) quinoxaline-6-ylo)alanylo) glycine], Pe-DPiQ, have been investigated by a combined solution-state study (absorption, emission) and quantum-mechanical (ab initio, DFT) calculations. The RHF and DFT B3LYP/6-31G (d,p) computations of the ground-state isomers of Pe-DPiQ dipeptide (open, half-closed, and closed) indicate that the most stable is the "open"-type structure with approximately equal (-44.43 degrees , -43.05 degrees ) dihedral angles describing rotation of the aromatic side rings with respect to the quinoxaline framework. This agrees with the literature findings that synthetic peptides are mostly unfolded. The experiments show that emission of Pe-DPiQ dipeptide is strongly temperature dependent, and at ambient and elevated temperatures the fluorescence is prevailing while the phosphorescence dominated emission spectra are observed at 77 K. On the basis of the decay curves that in the broad temperature range (rt-77 K) are biexponential (2 and 9 ns), it was concluded that at least its two major excited-state conformations may interconvert on the nanosecond time scale. The third component, of a small amplitude (10%) and a long time constant (25 ns), appears only in a new fluorescence band (570 nm) that grows up with the temperature increase. Analysis of the CIS/6-31G(d,p) results of the excited-state isomers of Pe-DPiQ supports the interpretation of experimental emission spectra and enables one to assign two excited-state conformations, demonstrating a tendency to keep one of their two side rings coplanar relative to the central quinoxaline plane, as Pe-DPiQ-I* (41.9 degrees , 6.3 degrees ) and Pe-DPiQ-II* (40.1 degrees , 4.5 degrees ) isomers contributing to the room temperature (403 nm) and 363 K (570 nm) fluorescence bands, respectively. The calculations also explain the electronic character of the corresponding S(1)<-->S(0) transitions and show that the state ordering of Pe-DPiQ resembles that of other diazines where the first singlet is of the npi* character while the S(2) and T(1) are the pipi* states. The reason for a strong phosphorescence is assigned to an effective spin-orbit coupling of appropriate singlet and triplet states that leads to ISC transitions and in result to population of the T(1) state and a phosphorescence from the T(1) state. From the present study, it was concluded that incorporation of quinoxaline moiety into the model peptides does not change the useful spectroscopic properties of the fluorophore and allows one to design its new analogues with improved activity and specificity.

Expression pattern of the pre-prothaumatin II gene under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter in transgenic cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) flower buds and fruits.

Thaumatin II is an extremely sweet-tasting protein produced by fruits of the West African shrub Thaumatococcus daniellii Benth, so it can be used in biotechnology to improve the tastes of various plant products. This study is concerned with the spatial and temporal aspects of expression of the 35S-pre-prothaumatin II chimeric gene in flower buds and fruits of transgenic cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) line 225. The activity of the 35S promoter in organs of line 225 was compared with its activity in 2 other transgenic lines. The accumulation of recombinant thaumatin varied spatially in flower bud tissues of transgenic lines. We found that these differences in the spatial accumulation of transgenic protein concerned the ovary of female buds and the perianth of male buds. In contrast to flower parts, recombinant thaumatin was found in nearly all parts of the young fruit from the transgenic plants. The pre-prothaumatin II gene expression was detected at a very early developmental stage in male buds, and its pattern was rather conserved as the buds aged. The expression of the transgene was also detected in vascular tissues of examined organs but was undetectable in pollen grains, in agreement with the generally held view that the CaMV 35S promoter is virtually silent in pollen. Immunocytochemical analyses of sections of control organs revealed endogenous homolog(s) of thaumatin when using polyclonal antisera, but not when using monoclonal antibodies for recombinant thaumatin detection in transgenic cucumber.

Is family-based behavioral weight control appropriate for severe pediatric obesity?

OBJECTIVE: Although the efficacy of family-based behavioral treatment for moderate pediatric obesity has been well established, few studies have focused on the treatment of severe obesity. We sought to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a family-based intervention for severely obese children. METHOD: Twenty-four families with children aged 8-12 years who were > or =160% of their ideal body weight participated in a 10-12-session behavioral intervention. Participants were weighed and their heights measured at the start of each treatment session and during a follow-up visit 4-13 (M = 7.8) months posttreatment. Children also completed measures of depressive symptoms and anxiety at pretreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up, and eating attitudes were assessed at pretreatment and follow-up. RESULTS: One third of the families did not complete treatment. However, children who completed the program lost a significant amount of weight and reported significant improvements in depression, anxiety, and eating attitudes that were maintained over time. DISCUSSION: A short-term, family-based behavioral intervention was successful in moderating weight gain for most children and had positive effects on children's mood and eating disorder symptoms. Future randomized, controlled trials of longer interventions are necessary to determine the success of this approach.

Differences in salivary habituation to palatable foods in bulimia nervosa patients and controls.

OBJECTIVE: Bulimia nervosa (BN) patients have been shown to experience anomalous responses to food and food cues. We investigated the response to food over time by presenting repeated food cues and measuring changes in physiological (ie, salivation) and subjective responses. METHOD: Subjects were 18 BN women and 18 matched control women. Two palatable food stimuli, regular or frozen yogurt, that varied in macronutrient composition but had similar sensory characteristics, were presented to subjects repeatedly during a laboratory session. After two baseline salivation measures, subjects were presented with eight trials of one of the two yogurts. On Trial 9 a lemon juice dishabituator was presented, with the yogurt stimulus presented again at Trial 10. RESULTS: We found that control subjects had decreased salivation after repeated food presentations. In comparison, BN subjects failed to show a decrease in salivation. The desire to binge increased over trials for the BN subjects, but remained stable for normals. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that salivary habituation may be abnormal in BN patients.

Stimulation of neutralizing antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in three strains of mice immunized with a 22 amino acid peptide of gp41 expressed on the surface of a plant virus.

A plant virus, cowpea mosaic virus, expressing a 22 amino acid peptide 731-752 of the gp41 glycoprotein of human immunodeficency virus type 1 (HIV-1 IIIB), was shown previously to stimulate HIV-1 cross reactive neutralizing antibodies in adult C57/BL6 mice. Here some parameters concerning the stimulation of HIV-1-specific neutralizing and ELISA antibody have been determined in adult C57/BL6, C3H/He-mg and BALB/c mice. Two injections per mouse of all CPMV-HIV/1 doses tested (100, 10 and 1 microgram chimera which contained, respectively, 1700, 170 and 17 ng HIV peptide per injection) stimulated a strong serum neutralizing antibody response in all mice. One hundred micrograms or 10 micrograms CPMV-HIV/1 per injection gave 99% neutralization of HIV-1 IIIB in C8166 cells at a serum dilution of 1/200, whereas sera from mice immunized with 1 microgram per injection neutralized virus to 97%, 79% and 63% at a 1/200 dilution of serum from C3H/He-mg, C57/BL6 and BALB/c mice, respectively. Restimulation of these mice with the same immunogen dose marginally increased the neutralization titres. The longevity of the neutralizing antibody response increased as the immunogen dose decreased, and was dependent on the strain of mouse, in the order C57/BL6C3H/He-mg BALB/c. Re-immunization with a third injection improved the longevity of the antibody response. All mice immunized with 100 micrograms CPMV-HIV/1 responded with ELISA antibody to the gp41 peptide bound in solid phase. Ten micrograms stimulated ELISA antibody in some but not all mice, while mice immunized with 1 microgram had no detectable ELISA antibody. This synthesis of ELISA antibody decreased > or = 230-fold over the range of immunogen doses tested but, in the same mice, the neutralizing antibody response decreased only twofold, showing an unusual bias to production of the latter. Neutralizing antibodies were thus stimulated at a lower immunogen dose than ELISA antibodies. Antibody which was affinity purified using the free gp41 peptide gave a good ELISA titre but did not neutralize HIV-1, suggesting that the neutralizing antibody is recognizing a conformational epitope on the gp41 oligomer.

Effects of decreasing sedentary behavior and increasing activity on weight change in obese children.

Obese children 8-12 years old from 61 families were randomized to treatment groups that targeted increased exercise, decreased sedentary behaviors, or both (combined group) to test the influence of reinforcing children to be more active or less sedentary on child weight change. Significant decreases in percentage overweight were observed after 4 months between the sedentary and the exercise groups (-19.9 vs. -13.2). At 1 year, the sedentary group had a greater decrease in percentage overweight than did the combined and the exercise groups (-18.7 vs. -10.3 and -8.7) and greater decrease in percentage of body fat (-4.7 vs. -1.3). All groups improved fitness during treatment and follow-up. Children in the sedentary group increased their liking for high-intensity activity and reported lower caloric intake than did children in the exercise group. These results support the goal of reducing time spent in sedentary activities to improve weight loss.

Child and parent psychological problems influence child weight control.

This study used path analytic methods to assess the influence of child psychopathology measured using the Child Behavior Checklist and parent psychiatric symptoms measured using the Cornell Medical Index on changes in child percent overweight in obese 8- to 11-year-old children over 2 years (6 months of treatment, 18 months of follow-up) provided family-based behavioral intervention. Path analysis for the 0-6 month change showed the influence of mother and father psychiatric symptoms and child age on child anxiety/depression scores that in turn influenced child percent overweight change during treatment, accounting for 41% of the shared variance. The path analysis for follow-up change showed mother and father psychiatric symptoms influenced child social problems at the first stage, and child social problems influenced child percent overweight change, accounting for 68.5% of the shared variance. These results provide the first demonstration that both parent and child problems may influence the short- and long-term success of obese children who participate in family-based behavioral treatment programs.

Child and parent factors that influence psychological problems in obese children.

This study assessed the influence of child and parental obesity and parental psychiatric symptoms on psychological problems in obese 8-11-year-old children. Child psychological problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18, whereas adult psychiatric symptoms were measured using the Cornell Medical Index. Multiple linear regression analyses showed parental psychiatric symptoms were related to child psychological problems for six of eight problem behavior scales. Child obesity made no independent contribution to child psychological problems, and parental obesity was related to child problems on only one scale. The most prevalent problems were Anxiety/Depression for 15% of the boys and Social Problems for 20% of the boys and 12.8% of the girls. These results suggest a broader conceptualization of factors that influence behavior problems of obese children than their degree of obesity.

Extended school year programs: a community-driven curriculum model.

Appropriate education guaranteed to children with disabilities under P.L. 94-142 has been translated by the courts to mean more than 180 days of education. There is now a strong legal precedent establishing the right to an extended school year (summer school) for students with severe disabilities. The courts have left open to interpretation, however, issues related to the program implementation. Descriptions of extended school year programs vary widely and include respite for parents, continuation of the regular school year curriculum, and remediation in skill areas. The only consensus seems to be that these programs should be tailored to individual needs. In the present article a systematic approach to curriculum development for students with severe disabilities enrolled in extended school year programs was described. This approach is (a) community driven, (b) consistent with each student's IEP objectives for the regular school year, (c) tailored to the individual student, and (d) consistent with current best practices of teaching functional skills performed by individuals without disabilities in a variety of integrated nonschool settings. Student progress data were presented.

The effects of calories and taste on habituation of the human salivary response.

The present study examined the effects of calories on salivary habituation. The rate of habituation to lemon taste was studied over 10 trials in 24 normal weight, nondieting, 18-35-year-old females. Between each of the trials, half the subjects ate low calorie, lemon gelatin, total Kcal = 32, and the others ate high calorie, lemon gelatin, total Kcal = 320. A dishabituating, novel chocolate taste was presented on trial 11 and recovery of salivation was assessed by presenting lemon flavor on trial 12. Subjective ratings were taken before and after salivary habituation for hunger levels and hedonics for lemon taste. Results show that high- and low-calorie groups both habituated to the repeated presentation of lemon taste, but with no significant differences as a function of calories in salivation volume, rate of habituation, hunger level decreases, and hedonic decreases. Subjects in both groups perceived equal caloric intake. These results suggest that salivary habituation may be affected more by the sensory characteristics of the food than by differences in caloric intake. The generalization of these data to the development of satiety are discussed.

Effect of food change on consumption, hedonics, and salivation.

This study assessed the influence of introducing a new food after repeated presentations of one food on food consumption, hedonics, and salivation. Male subjects were provided repeated 150-calorie courses of pizza or cheeseburger until satiety. Hedonics and salivation were measured before each course. Subject were then provided an additional 450 calorie course of the same or the new food. During the development of satiety, subjects showed reliable increases in fullness and decreases in hunger and hedonics. Salivation briefly increased to maximal salivation, followed by reliable decreases. No differences in pattern of change for fullness, hunger, hedonics or salivation were noted across foods. Presentation of the new food resulted in significantly greater caloric consumption than another serving of the same food (130 vs. 44.5 kcal), an increase in hedonics and salivation relative to presentation of the same food, with no influence on hunger or fullness. These results suggest that after satiety develops, response recovery for subjective, physiological, and behavioral components of eating can be observed when new, palatable foods are presented.

Habituation and dishabituation of human salivary response.

Habituation may be relevant for understanding how sensory stimuli influence factors related to ingestive behavior. In the first of three experiments in humans we showed that salivation and hedonic ratings to lemon or lime juice habituated within 10 presentations, and dishabituation of the salivation and hedonic ratings to the original juice were observed after a new juice was presented. Experiment 2 replicated the habituation and decrease in hedonics to lemon juice, and showed both dishabituation and a relative increase in hedonics when chocolate taste, rather than another juice, served as the dishabituating stimulus. In a third experiment we showed a video game, a nontaste stimulus, could serve as a distractor to prevent the development of habituation, as well as a dishabituator after habituation had occurred.

[Use of intravaginal ultrasonography in obstetrics and gynecology]. / Zastosowanie ultrasonografii przezpochwowej w poloznictwie i ginekologii.

A role and advantages of the vaginal transducer ultrasound in obstetric and gynecological diagnosis is discussed. Sixteen selected ultrasonograms illustrate cases of selected diagnoses made with this technique. Authors' own experience justify a conclusion that this technique is a significant progress in obstetric and gynecological diagnosis. It is well tolerated and very useful, specially in cases difficult to diagnose with routine ultrasound techniques.

Local and systemic spread of tobacco mosaic virus in transgenic tobacco.

Expression of a chimeric gene encoding the coat protein (CP) of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) in transgenic tobacco plants confers resistance to infection by TMV. We investigated the spread of TMV within the inoculated leaf and throughout the plant following inoculation. Plants that expressed the CP gene [CP(+)] and those that did not [CP(-)] accumulated equivalent amounts of virus in the inoculated leaves after inoculation with TMV-RNA, but the CP(+) plants showed a delay in the development of systemic symptoms and reduced virus accumulation in the upper leaves. Tissue printing experiments demonstrated that if TMV infection became systemic, spread of virus occurred in the CP(+) plants essentially as it occurred in the CP(-) plants although at a reduced rate. Through a series of grafting experiments, we showed that stem tissue with a leaf attached taken from CP(+) plants prevented the systemic spread of virus. Stem tissue without a leaf had no effect on TMV spread. All of these findings indicate that protection against systemic spread in CP(+) plants is caused by one or more mechanisms that, in correlation with the protection against initial infection upon inoculation, result in a phenotype of resistance to TMV.

Anodontia as the sole clinical sign of the ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-cleft lip (EEC) syndrome.

In this report we present another family with oligosymptomatic expression of the EEC syndrome. A mother with complete absence of the permanent teeth had two children with split hand/split foot deformity, as typically seen in the EEC syndrome. Cleft lip/cleft palate was also present in one of them. The great variability in expression of this autosomal dominant syndrome is discussed and the difficulties in genetic counseling are emphasized.

[Risk of reproduction disorders in carriers of mutual chromosomal translocations, and methods for detection of translocation carriers]. / Ryzyko zaburzen reprodukcji u nosicieli translokacji chromosomowych wzajemnych a sposób wykrycia nosicielstwa translokacji.

It is believed that the method of detection of chromosomal translocation carrier state may be a prognostic factor for the risk of giving birth to an ill child with unbalanced karyotype. For verification of this view 30 families were studied which had balanced mutual translocations identified by means of GTG banding technique in the Genetics Laboratory of the Child's Health Centre. In each family the risk was estimated of the development of an undifferentiated karyotype in live born offspring and fetuses in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy using a method evolved by Stengel--Rutkowski et al. (1988). In the group of families identified by examination of a child with abnormalities the individual risk of development of an undifferentiated karyotype in a newborn was from 0.45% to 19.78% and in a fetus it was 4.5% to 46%. In the group of families identified by spontaneous abortion the risk in the newborns was from 0 to 7% and in the fetuses in 2nd trimester it was 0 to 35%, while in the families undergoing cytogenetic examinations for indications other than reproduction disturbances the risk of an unbalanced karyotype in the newborns was from 0 to 23%, and in the fetuses from 0 to 34%. Since in each group of families high-risk translocations were found, the used methods of preliminary estimation of the risk based on the used ways of family identification are open to reservations.

Skeletal dysplasia syndrome with progeroid appearance, characteristic facial and limb anomalies, multiple synostoses, and distinct skeletal changes: a variant example of the Lenz-Majewski syndrome.

Here we report a 10 year-old mentally retarded, deaf boy with a unique pattern of anomalies: progeroid appearance, characteristic facial and limb anomalies, multiple synostoses, and distinct skeletal changes. He represents a variant example of "hyperostotic dwarfism" as delineated by Lenz and Majewski.