Abstract Background Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) include intrahepatic (IHC), hilar, distal bile duct (DBD) and gallbladder carcinoma (GBC). Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a marker of host ...inflammation, is prognostic in several cancers but has not been reviewed in large BTC series, or advanced BTC (ABTC) at diagnosis. Patients and methods Baseline demographics and NLR at diagnosis were retrospectively evaluated in 864 consecutive patients with BTC treated from January 1987 to December 2012. The association between NLR and overall survival (OS) was determined using a multivariable Cox proportional hazards model. Results Eight hundred and sixty-four patients were included in the analysis, of which 62% had ABTC and 38% had surgery with curative intent. Median age was 65 years, 444 (51%) were male and 727 (84%) had performance status (PS) ⩽2. A NLR ⩾3.0, PS >2, IHC primary, stage, lack of surgery, haemoglobin <110 g/L and albumin <40 g/L were associated with significantly worse OS on multivariable analysis. A NLR ⩾3.0 was an independent prognostic factor for OS for the entire cohort; median OS was 21.6 months versus 12.0 months for patients with NLR <3.0 versus NLR ⩾3.0 respectively (adjusted hazard ratio (HR)-1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.06–1.50, P = 0.01). NLR was also prognostic in patients with ABTC (HR-1.26, 95% CI; 1.02–1.56, P = 0.035) and hilar cancer: overall group ( N = 149) (HR-1.70, 95% CI; 1.10–2.50, P = 0.01) and advanced group ( N = 111) (HR-1.57, 95% CI; 1.04–2.44, P = 0.048). Conclusion Baseline NLR is a readily available and inexpensive prognostic biomarker in patients with BTC and likely warrants validation in large prospective clinical trials.
Observations from orbital spacecraft have shown that Jezero crater on Mars contains a prominent fan-shaped body of sedimentary rock deposited at its western margin. The Perseverance rover landed in ...Jezero crater in February 2021. We analyze images taken by the rover in the 3 months after landing. The fan has outcrop faces, which were invisible from orbit, that record the hydrological evolution of Jezero crater. We interpret the presence of inclined strata in these outcrops as evidence of deltas that advanced into a lake. In contrast, the uppermost fan strata are composed of boulder conglomerates, which imply deposition by episodic high-energy floods. This sedimentary succession indicates a transition from sustained hydrologic activity in a persistent lake environment to highly energetic short-duration fluvial flows.
In our post-genomic world, where we are deluged with genetic information, the bottleneck to scientific progress is often phenotyping, i.e. measuring the observable characteristics of living ...organisms, such as counting the number of fruits on a plant. Image analysis is one route to automation. In this paper we present a method for recognising and counting fruits from images in cluttered greenhouses. The plants are 3-m high peppers with fruits of complex shapes and varying colours similar to the plant canopy. Our calibration and validation datasets each consist of over 28,000 colour images of over 1000 experimental plants. We describe a new two-step method to locate and count pepper fruits: the first step is to find fruits in a single image using a bag-of-words model, and the second is to aggregate estimates from multiple images using a novel statistical approach to cluster repeated, incomplete observations. We demonstrate that image analysis can potentially yield a good correlation with manual measurement (94.6%) and our proposed method achieves a correlation of 74.2% without any linear adjustment for a large dataset.
•Image analysis automatically counted fruits of complex shape and varying colour.•Datasets each consisted of 28,000 colour images of 1000 3 m high pepper plants.•Correlation between manual and automatic fruit counts was 74%.
Mastcam-Z is a multispectral, stereoscopic imaging investigation on the Mars 2020 mission’s
Perseverance
rover. Mastcam-Z consists of a pair of focusable, 4:1 zoomable cameras that provide broadband ...red/green/blue and narrowband 400-1000 nm color imaging with fields of view from 25.6° × 19.2° (26 mm focal length at 283 μrad/pixel) to 6.2° × 4.6° (110 mm focal length at 67.4 μrad/pixel). The cameras can resolve (≥ 5 pixels) ∼0.7 mm features at 2 m and ∼3.3 cm features at 100 m distance. Mastcam-Z shares significant heritage with the Mastcam instruments on the Mars Science Laboratory
Curiosity
rover. Each Mastcam-Z camera consists of zoom, focus, and filter wheel mechanisms and a 1648 × 1214 pixel charge-coupled device detector and electronics. The two Mastcam-Z cameras are mounted with a 24.4 cm stereo baseline and 2.3° total toe-in on a camera plate ∼2 m above the surface on the rover’s Remote Sensing Mast, which provides azimuth and elevation actuation. A separate digital electronics assembly inside the rover provides power, data processing and storage, and the interface to the rover computer. Primary and secondary Mastcam-Z calibration targets mounted on the rover top deck enable tactical reflectance calibration. Mastcam-Z multispectral, stereo, and panoramic images will be used to provide detailed morphology, topography, and geologic context along the rover’s traverse; constrain mineralogic, photometric, and physical properties of surface materials; monitor and characterize atmospheric and astronomical phenomena; and document the rover’s sample extraction and caching locations. Mastcam-Z images will also provide key engineering information to support sample selection and other rover driving and tool/instrument operations decisions.
Articular cartilage is comprised of zones that vary in architecture, extracellular matrix composition, and mechanical properties. Here, we designed and engineered a porous zonal microstructured ...scaffold from a single biocompatible polymer (poly ϵ-caprolactone) using multiple fabrication strategies: electrospinning, spherical porogen leaching, directional freezing, and melt electrowriting. With this approach we mimicked the zonal structure of articular cartilage and produced a stiffness gradient through the scaffold which aligns with the mechanics of the native tissue. Chondrocyte-seeded scaffolds accumulated extracellular matrix including glycosaminoglycans and collagen II over four weeks in vitro. This prompted us to further study the repair efficacy in a skeletally mature porcine model. Two osteochondral lesions were produced in the trochlear groove of 12 animals and repaired using four treatment conditions: (1) microstructured scaffold, (2) chondrocyte seeded microstructured scaffold, (3) MaioRegen™, and (4) empty defect. After 6 months the defect sites were harvested and analyzed using histology, micro computed tomography, and Raman microspectroscopy mapping. Overall, the scaffolds were retained in the defect space, repair quality was repeatable, and there was clear evidence of osteointegration. The repair quality of the microstructured scaffolds was not superior to the control based on histological scoring; however, the lower score was biased by the lack of histological staining due to the limited degradation of the implant at 6 months. Longer follow up studies (e.g., 1 yr) will be required to fully evaluate the efficacy of the microstructured scaffold. In conclusion, we found consistent scaffold retention, osteointegration, and prolonged degradation of the microstructured scaffold, which we propose may have beneficial effects for the long-term repair of osteochondral defects.
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Curiosity investigated active eolian sands near linear dunes during Phase 2 of the Bagnold Dunes campaign in Gale crater, Mars. Ogunquit Beach, a sample scooped from a large‐ripple trough within the ...Mount Desert Island ripple field and delivered to the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) X‐ray diffraction instrument, is dominated by basaltic igneous minerals and X‐ray amorphous materials. CheMin mineralogy of the Gobabeb sample acquired at a large‐ripple crest on the Namib barchan dune during Phase 1 is similar to Ogunquit Beach. Ogunquit Beach, however, contains more plagioclase and Gobabeb contains more olivine. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM)‐based estimates of mineralogy at the optical surface of Namib Dune and Mount Desert Island demonstrate that surface sands are enriched in olivine and depleted in plagioclase over Mount Desert Island relative to Namib Dune. Differences between CheMin‐derived and CRISM‐derived mineralogies suggest sorting by grain size on bedform to dune field scales. Crystal chemistry from CheMin suggests contributions from multiple igneous sources and the local bedrock.
Plain Language Summary
Remote sensing data from orbit indicate that wind‐blown sands in the Bagnold Dune Field in Gale crater, Mars, are sorted by their composition. The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover studied the Bagnold Dune Field at two locations to investigate the chemical and mineral composition of the sands and why they are sorted across the dune field. Data from Curiosity show distinct differences between the minerals in the upwind portion of the dune field compared to the downwind portion, but these differences are not the same as those observed from orbit. The scale and location of the sampling by Curiosity compared to orbiters explains the discrepancy between the two techniques. Results from both techniques suggest subtle differences in mineralogy within a single dune and across the dune field that can be explained by sorting from wind and contribution from the erosion of local bedrock.
Key Points
The mineralogy of active eolian sands were measured by the Curiosity rover at two locations in the Bagnold Dune Field in Gale crater, Mars
X‐ray diffraction data from the CheMin instrument of two sand samples indicate differences in plagioclase and olivine abundances
The mineralogy derived from CheMin and CRISM can be used in concert to characterize sediment sorting and sources across the Bagnold Dunes
The surface of Mars exhibits strong evidence for a widespread and long‐lived cryosphere. Observations of the surface have identified phases produced by water‐rock interactions, but the contribution ...of glaciers to the observed alteration mineralogy is unclear. To characterize the chemical alteration expected on an icy early Mars, we collected water and rock samples from terrestrial glaciated volcanics. We related geochemical measurements of meltwater to the mineralogy and chemistry of proglacial rock coatings. In these terrains, water is dominated by dissolved silica relative to other dissolved cations, particularly at mafic sites. Rock coatings associated with glacial striations on mafic boulders include a silica‐rich component, indicating that silica precipitation is occurring in the subglacial environment. We propose that glacial alteration of volcanic bedrock is dominated by a combination of high rates of silica dissolution and precipitation of opaline silica. On Mars, cryosphere‐driven chemical weathering could be the origin of observed silica‐enriched phases.
Plain Language Summary
The planet Mars has glaciers and ice sheets on its surface and probably did in the past. Minerals on the planet's surface form in the presence of water, but it is unclear which minerals may have formed due to liquid water under warm climates versus those formed under much colder climates. In order to study this problem, we collected rocks and water from Mars‐like analog sites: glaciated volcanoes. We measured the chemistry of the water and the mineralogy and chemistry of rock coatings found near the glaciers. Both the water and the rock coatings were high in silica. We propose that glaciers alter volcanic bedrock by dissolving and precipitating noncrystalline silica. Silica detected on the surface of Mars could have formed due to similar processes.
Key Points
Chemical alteration of glaciated volcanic bedrock is dominated by silica dissolution and precipitation
Dissolved silica in glacial meltwater is greater at more mafic study sites and results in deposition of opaline silica rock coatings
Past glacial chemical weathering may be responsible for some amorphous silica deposits on the highly mafic surface of Mars
► We present reflectance spectra of a diverse suite of silica-rich materials. ► The form of H2O/OH in silica-rich materials can have large effects on their spectra. ► The ∼1.4, 1.9 and 2.2μm features ...can be help discern between forms of silica. ► Spectral parameters can help characterize silica-bearing deposits on Mars. ► Out results can be applied to CRISM, OMEGA, Pancam and Mastcam observations.
Hydrated silica-rich materials have recently been discovered on the surface of Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), and the Mars Express Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces, et l’Activité (OMEGA) in several locations. Having been interpreted as hydrothermal deposits and aqueous alteration products, these materials have important implications for the history of water on the martian surface. Spectral detections of these materials in visible to near infrared (Vis–NIR) wavelengths have been based on a H2O absorption feature in the 934–1009nm region seen with Spirit’s Pancam instrument, and on SiOH absorption features in the 2.21–2.26μm range seen with CRISM. Our work aims to determine how the spectral reflectance properties of silica-rich materials in Vis–NIR wavelengths vary as a function of environmental conditions and formation. Here we present laboratory reflectance spectra of a diverse suite of silica-rich materials (chert, opal, quartz, natural sinters and synthetic silica) under a range of grain sizes and temperature, pressure, and humidity conditions. We find that the H2O content and form of H2O/OH present in silica-rich materials can have significant effects on their Vis–NIR spectra. Our main findings are that the position of the ∼1.4μm OH feature and the symmetry of the ∼1.9μm feature can be used to discern between various forms of silica-rich materials, and that the ratio of the ∼2.2μm (SiOH) and ∼1.9μm (H2O) band depths can aid in distinguishing between silica phases (opal-A vs. opal-CT) and formation conditions (low vs. high temperature). In a case study of hydrated silica outcrops in Valles Marineris, we show that careful application of a modified version of these spectral parameters to orbital near-infrared spectra (e.g., from CRISM and OMEGA) can aid in characterizing the compositional diversity of silica-bearing deposits on Mars. We also discuss how these results can aid in the interpretation of silica detections on Mars made by the MER Panoramic Camera (Pancam) and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mast-mounted Camera (Mastcam) instruments.
Rates of surgery and adjuvant therapy for breast cancer vary widely between breast units. This may contribute to differences in survival. This cluster RCT evaluated the impact of decision support ...interventions (DESIs) for older women with breast cancer, to ascertain whether DESIs influenced quality of life, survival, decision quality, and treatment choice.
A multicentre cluster RCT compared the use of two DESIs against usual care in treatment decision-making in older women (aged at least ≥70 years) with breast cancer. Each DESI comprised an online algorithm, booklet, and brief decision aid to inform choices between surgery plus adjuvant endocrine therapy versus primary endocrine therapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy versus no chemotherapy. The primary outcome was quality of life. Secondary outcomes included decision quality measures, survival, and treatment choice.
A total of 46 breast units were randomized (21 intervention, 25 usual care), recruiting 1339 women (670 intervention, 669 usual care). There was no significant difference in global quality of life at 6 months after the baseline assessment on intention-to-treat analysis (difference -0.20, 95 per cent confidence interval (C.I.) -2.69 to 2.29; P = 0.900). In women offered a choice of primary endocrine therapy versus surgery plus endocrine therapy, knowledge about treatments was greater in the intervention arm (94 versus 74 per cent; P = 0.003). Treatment choice was altered, with a primary endocrine therapy rate among women with oestrogen receptor-positive disease of 21.0 per cent in the intervention versus 15.4 per cent in usual-care sites (difference 5.5 (95 per cent C.I. 1.1 to 10.0) per cent; P = 0.029). The chemotherapy rate was 10.3 per cent at intervention versus 14.8 per cent at usual-care sites (difference -4.5 (C.I. -8.0 to 0) per cent; P = 0.013). Survival was similar in both arms.
The use of DESIs in older women increases knowledge of breast cancer treatment options, facilitates shared decision-making, and alters treatment selection. Trial registration numbers: EudraCT 2015-004220-61 (https://eudract.ema.europa.eu/), ISRCTN46099296 (http://www.controlled-trials.com).
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