Pre-launch radiometric calibration of the infrared spectrometer onboard SuperCam for the Mars2020 rover

Near-infrared spectroscopy has become a well-known remote sensing technique for the surface characterization of planetary objects. Among them, Mars was observed in the past by three imaging spectrometers from orbit. The Infrared Spectrometer/SuperCam instrument performs near-infrared spectroscopy from the martian surface for the first time, with a 1.15 mrad field of view, in the 1.3 µm-2.6 µm range, enabling the identification of a variety of mafic and altered minerals. Before integration aboard the rover, the spectrometer underwent a calibration campaign. Here, we report the radiometric and linearity responses of the instrument, including the optical and thermal setups used to perform them over its nominal range of operations, in terms of instrument detector temperatures and spectral range. These responses were constrained by accuracy requirements (20% in absolute radiometry, 1% in relative). The derived instrument transfer function fits within these requirements (<15% in absolute and <0.8% in relative) and shall be used to calculate the expected instrumental signal-to-noise ratio for typical observation scenarios of mineral mixtures expected to be found in the Jezero crater, and ultimately to retrieve the spectral properties of the regions of interest observed by the rover.

[Outpatient expectations in dermatology consultations: A pilot study]

BACKGROUND

Understanding patients' expectations with regard to medical care is critical as it guarantees an efficient therapeutic process. Our aim was to determine outpatients' expectations concerning clinical encounters in a dermatology clinic and to study how these matched the opinions of dermatologists regarding them.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Consecutive outpatients consulting in five dermatology centres in the Paris suburbs between February 2013 and March 2013 were prospectively included. For this pilot cross-sectional study, we used two standardized forms to collect data from patients and dermatologists. Patients' answers were compared to those of their dermatologist, and the degree of matching was calculated to assess the ability of dermatologists to accurately identify their patients' expectations.

RESULTS

Two hundred and sixty-five patients were included, with a median age of 41 years (interquartile range: 25; 62), of whom 166 were women (65.4%). Patient's principal expectations concerned diagnosis (51.7%) and medication (40.8%), with 32.1% of patients requiring reassurance. The rates of matching between patients' and dermatologists' answers ranged from 33.3% to 65.7% according to the type of expectations. The highest rate concerned expectation with regard to medications, being only 52.6% and 58.8%, respectively for expectations regarding diagnosis and the need for reassurance.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the need for improved identification of outpatient expectations in dermatology consultations.

Modification des performances au Timed « Up and Go » test et à l'appui monopodal par l'addition d'une charge cognitive : valeur discriminative des résultats

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine whether ordinary clinical performance on the timed "up-and-go" and one-leg-balance tests varied with additional cognitive tasks and the predictive value of this combination for future falls.

METHODOLOGY

The sample comprised 95 women with osteoporosis who lived independently in the community and were older than 70 years (mean 73.4+/-1.7 years) who were randomized to perform the timed "up-and-go" (TUG) and one-leg-balance (OLB) tests. The tests were performed with or without an additional cognitive task (math task involving subtraction by 2 s or 5 s or addition by 3 s).

RESULTS

For both TUG and OLB, performance decreased in the dual-task condition (P<0.05) but did not differ in older women with and without a history of falling, whatever the test, and with or without an additional cognitive load.

CONCLUSION

Performance on the TUG and OLB tests was less efficient when patients simultaneously performed a cognitive task. Performance on these tests, without or with cognitive tasks, did not predict falls in a sample of women who lived independently.

MRP1 not MDR1 gene expression is the predominant mechanism of acquired multidrug resistance in two prostate carcinoma cell lines

Multidrug resistant prostate cancer cell lines DU 0.03 and PC 0.03 were established from the parental prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC-3 respectively by stepwise selection in doxorubicin (DOX) from 0.001 to 0.03 &mgr;g/ml. As cells adapted to each concentration of DOX. the drug concentration was increased by 0.001 &mgr;g/ml. The chemosensitivity of each line was determined by growth inhibition assay. The DU 0.03 and PC 0.03 lines exhibit a 5-10-fold and 1.3-2.8-fold increase in resistance to anthracyclines, vinblastine (VLB) and mitozantrone (Mito), respectively. Verapamil (5 &mgr;M) partially reversed the resistance to the anthracycline and completely reversed the resistance to VLB and Mito. Drug kinetic studies measured by intracellular accumulation of (3)H-daunorubicin demonstrated a 3 fold decrease in the level of intracellular (3)H-daunorubicin in the PC 0.03 and DU 0.03 resistant lines compared with their respective parental line. This effect was partially reversed by 5 &mgr;M verapamil. The expression of MDR1 and MRP genes was analysed by Northern blotting and RT-PCR. P-glycoprotein (Pgp) and MRP protein were tested by immunocytochemistry staining using the monoclonal antibodies J-SB1. C219 and MRK16 (Pgp) and MRPm6 and MRPr1 (MRP). Neither Northern blot analysis nor the more sensitive RT-PCR demonstrated detectable MDR1 transcripts in any of the prostate cancer cell lines and the three Pgp monoclonal antibodies failed to reveal expression of Pgp. A 2-4-fold increase in MRP1 mRNA levels in the drug resistant DU 0.03 and PC 0.03 lines were demonstrated by both Northern blotting and RT-PCR consistent with the findings observed after staining by the two specific monoclonal antibodies, MRPm6 and MRPr1. Southern blot analysis demonstrated a 2-fold increase in the MRP1 gene copy number in the PC 0.03 line but not in the DU 0.03 line, suggesting that the overexpression of the MRP gene was regulated at the level of transcription in the latter line. We conclude that MRP1 not MDR1 overexpression. contributes to acquired drug resistance in these two prostate cancer cell lines. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2000) 3, 66-75