Sampling Mars: Geologic context and preliminary characterization of samples collected by the NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission.

The NASA Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission has collected samples of rock, regolith, and atmosphere within the Noachian-aged Jezero Crater, once the site of a delta-lake system with a high potential for habitability and biosignature preservation. Between sols 109 and 1,088 of the mission, 27 sample tubes have been sealed, including witness tubes. Each sealed sample tube has been collected along with detailed documentation provided by the Perseverance instrument payload, preserving geological and environmental context.

Comparative Assessment of Multimodal Sensor Data Quality Collected Using Android and iOS Smartphones in Real-World Settings.

Healthcare researchers are increasingly utilizing smartphone sensor data as a scalable and cost-effective approach to studying individualized health-related behaviors in real-world settings. However, to develop reliable and robust digital behavioral signatures that may help in the early prediction of the individualized disease trajectory and future prognosis, there is a critical need to quantify the potential variability that may be present in the underlying sensor data due to variations in the smartphone hardware and software used by large population. Using sensor data collected in real-world settings from 3000 participants' smartphones for up to 84 days, we compared differences in the completeness, correctness, and consistency of the three most common smartphone sensors-the accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS- within and across Android and iOS devices.

The source craters of the martian meteorites: Implications for the igneous evolution of Mars.

Approximately 200 meteorites come from ~10 impact events on the surface of Mars, yet their pre-ejection locations are largely unknown. Here, we combine the results of diverse sets of observations and modeling to constrain the source craters for several groups of martian meteorites. We compute that ejection-paired groups of meteorites are derived from lava flows within the top 26 m of the surface.

Present-day thermal and water activity environment of the Mars Sample Return collection.

The Mars Sample Return mission intends to retrieve a sealed collection of rocks, regolith, and atmosphere sampled from Jezero Crater, Mars, by the NASA Perseverance rover mission. For all life-related research, it is necessary to evaluate water availability in the samples and on Mars. Within the first Martian year, Perseverance has acquired an estimated total mass of 355 g of rocks and regolith, and 38 μmoles of Martian atmospheric gas.

Effectiveness of testing, contact tracing and isolation interventions among the general population on reducing transmission of SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review.

We conducted a systematic literature review of general population testing, contact tracing, case isolation and contact quarantine interventions to assess their effectiveness in reducing SARS-CoV-2 transmission, as implemented in real-world settings. We designed a broad search strategy and aimed to identify peer-reviewed studies of any design provided there was a quantitative measure of effectiveness on a transmission outcome. Studies that assessed the effect of testing or diagnosis on disease outcomes via treatment, but did not assess a transmission outcome, were not included.

Consequences of HIV infection in the bone marrow niche.

Dysregulation of the bone marrow niche resulting from the direct and indirect effects of HIV infection contributes to haematological abnormalities observed in HIV patients. The bone marrow niche is a complex, multicellular environment which functions primarily in the maintenance of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). These adult stem cells are responsible for replacing blood and immune cells over the course of a lifetime.

Analyzing asteroid Ryugu.

Samples returned by the Hayabusa2 mission provide context for the world's meteorites.

Research priorities in children and adults with congenital heart disease: a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership.

Objective: To bring together patients, parents, charities and clinicians in a Priority Setting Partnership to establish national clinical priorities for research in children and adults with congenital heart disease.

Methods: The established James Lind Alliance methodology was used to identify and prioritise research on the management of congenital heart disease, focusing on diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. An initial open survey was used to gather potential uncertainties which were filtered, categorised, converted into summary questions and checked against current evidence.

An olivine cumulate outcrop on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars.

The geological units on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars, are part of a wider regional stratigraphy of olivine-rich rocks, which extends well beyond the crater. We investigated the petrology of olivine and carbonate-bearing rocks of the Séítah formation in the floor of Jezero. Using multispectral images and x-ray fluorescence data, acquired by the Perseverance rover, we performed a petrographic analysis of the Bastide and Brac outcrops within this unit.

Aqueously altered igneous rocks sampled on the floor of Jezero crater, Mars.

The Perseverance rover landed in Jezero crater, Mars, to investigate ancient lake and river deposits. We report observations of the crater floor, below the crater's sedimentary delta, finding that the floor consists of igneous rocks altered by water. The lowest exposed unit, informally named Séítah, is a coarsely crystalline olivine-rich rock, which accumulated at the base of a magma body.

Identification of the extracellular metallo-endopeptidases ADAM and ADAMTS in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti.

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major vector for dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya (CHIKV) viruses, which cause significant morbidity and mortality among human populations in the tropical regions of the world. Following ingestion of a viremic bloodmeal from a vertebrate host, an arbovirus needs to productively infect the midgut epithelium of the mosquito. De novo synthesized virions then exit the midgut by traversing the surrounding basal lamina (BL) in order to disseminate to secondary tissues and infect those.

Social Media and COVID-19-Perceptions and Public Deceptions of Ivermectin, Colchicine and Hydroxychloroquine: Lessons for Future Pandemics.

The capacity for social media to influence the utilization of re-purposed medicines to manage COVID-19, despite limited availability of safety and efficacy data, is a cause for concern within health care systems. This study sought to ascertain links between social media reports and utilization for three re-purposed medicines: hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), ivermectin and colchicine. A combined retrospective analysis of social media posts for these three re-purposed medicines was undertaken, along with utilization and clinical trials data, in South Africa, between January 2020 and June 2021.

Coronavirus Host Genetics South Africa (COHG-SA) database-a variant database for gene regions associated with SARS-CoV-2 outcomes.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus is responsible for the COVID-19 global public health emergency, and the disease it causes is highly variable in its clinical presentation. Clinical phenotypes are heterogeneous both in terms of presentation of symptoms in the host and response to therapy. Several studies and initiatives have been established to analyse and review host genetic epidemiology associated with COVID-19.

The Influence of Colloidal Properties of Carbon Black on Static and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Natural Rubber.

The influence of carbon black (CB) structure and surface area on key rubber properties such as monotonic stress-strain, cyclic stress-strain, and dynamic mechanical behaviors are investigated in this paper. Natural rubber compounds containing eight different CBs were examined at equivalent particulate volume fractions. The CBs varied in their surface area and structure properties according to a wide experimental design space, allowing robust correlations to the experimental data sets to be extracted.

Development of the Student Practice Evaluation Form - Revised (Second Edition) (SPEF-R2): The second action research cycle.

Introduction: The Student Practice Evaluation Form - Revised Edition (SPEF-R) was used across Australian universities from 2008 to 2020 to assess occupational therapy student performance on practice placement. Evolution of practice contexts, placement models and professional competency standards prompted updating of the tool. This paper describes the second and final action research cycle in the development of the SPEF-R2.

Starvation at the larval stage increases the vector competence of Aedes aegypti females for Zika virus.

Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of Zika virus (ZIKV), a flavivirus which typically presents itself as febrile-like symptoms in humans but can also cause neurological and pregnancy complications. The transmission cycle of mosquito-borne arboviruses such as ZIKV requires that various key tissues in the female mosquito get productively infected with the virus before the mosquito can transmit the virus to another vertebrate host. Following ingestion of a viremic blood-meal from a vertebrate, ZIKV initially infects the midgut epithelium before exiting the midgut after blood-meal digestion to disseminate to secondary tissues including the salivary glands.

High Temperature Cycles Result in Maternal Transmission and Dengue Infection Differences Between Strains in Aedes aegypti.

Environmental factors play a crucial role in the population dynamics of arthropod endosymbionts, and therefore in the deployment of symbionts for the control of dengue arboviruses. The potential of to invade, persist, and block virus transmission depends in part on its intracellular density. Several recent studies have highlighted the importance of larval rearing temperature in modulating densities in adults, suggesting that elevated temperatures can severely impact some strains, while having little effect on others.

The COVID-19 Treatment Landscape: A South African Perspective on a Race Against Time.

The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has infected more than 94 million people worldwide (as of 17 January 2020). Severe disease is believed to be secondary to the cytokine release syndrome (CRS or "cytokine storm") which causes local tissue damage as well as multi-organ dysfunction and thrombotic complications. Due to the high mortality rates in patients receiving invasive ventilation, practice has changed from "early-intubation" for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) to a trial of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) or high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen.

Development of the Student Practice Evaluation Form-Revised (Second Edition) (SPEF-R2): The first action research cycle.

Introduction: The Student Practice Evaluation Form-Revised Edition (SPEF-R) is used by all Australian universities to assess the capability and performance of occupational therapy students on block practice placements. The occupational therapy landscape in Australia has evolved significantly since the SPEF-R was developed. This study aimed to review the SPEF-R and develop a revised edition, the SPEF-R2.

Effectiveness of school-based interventions to prevent obesity among children aged 4 to 12 years old in middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Economic and accompanying nutrition transition in middle-income countries is resulting in rapidly increasing childhood obesity prevalence, exceeding acceleration rates in the West. Previous school-based obesity prevention reviews have mainly included studies from high-income countries. This review aimed to summarize the evidence from randomized controlled trials evaluating the effectiveness of school-based interventions in preventing childhood obesity in middle-income countries.

Predicting recurrent atrial fibrillation after catheter ablation: a systematic review of prognostic models.

Aims: We assessed the performance of modelsf (risk scores) for predicting recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients who have undergone catheter ablation.

Methods And Results: Systematic searches of bibliographic databases were conducted (November 2018). Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported the development, validation, or impact assessment of a model for predicting AF recurrence after ablation.

Wolbachia strain wAu efficiently blocks arbovirus transmission in Aedes albopictus.

The global incidence of arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, including dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika, has increased dramatically in recent decades. The release of Aedes aegypti carrying the maternally inherited symbiont Wolbachia as an intervention to control arboviruses is being trialled in several countries. However, these efforts are compromised in many endemic regions due to the co-localization of the secondary vector Aedes albopictus, the Asian tiger mosquito.

Characterizing Distributions of Tensile Strength and Crack Precursor Size to Evaluate Filler Dispersion Effects and Reliability of Rubber.

Undispersed filler agglomerates or other substantial inclusions/contaminants in rubber can act as large crack precursors that reduce the strength and fatigue lifetime of the material. To demonstrate this, we use tensile strength (stress at break, σ) data from 50 specimens to characterize the failure distribution behavior of carbon black (CB) reinforced styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) compounds. Poor mixing was simulated by adding a portion of the CB late in the mixing process, and glass beads (microspheres) with 517 μm average diameter were introduced during milling to reproduce the effects of large inclusions.