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NASA’s InSight mission to Mars will measure seismic signals to determine the planet’s interior structure. These highly sensitive seismometers are susceptible to corruption of their measurements by environmental changes. Magnetic fields, atmosphere pressure changes, and local winds can all induce apparent changes in the seismic records that are not due to propagating ground motions. Thus, InSight carries a set of sensors called the Auxiliary Payload Sensor Suite (APSS) which includes a magnetometer, an atmospheric pressure sensor, and a pair of wind and air temperature sensors. In the case of the magnetometer, knowledge of the amplitude of the fluctuating magnetic field at the InSight lander will allow the separation of seismic signals from potentially interfering magnetic signals of either natural or spacecraft origin. To acquire such data, a triaxial fluxgate magnetometer was installed on the deck of the lander to obtain magnetic records at the same cadence as the seismometer. Similarly, a highly sensitive pressure sensor is carried by InSight to enable the removal of local ground-surface tilts due to advecting pressure perturbations. Finally, the local winds (speed and direction) and air temperature are estimated using a hot-film wind sensor with heritage from REMS on the Curiosity rover. When winds are too high, seismic signals can be ignored or discounted. Herein we describe the APSS sensor suite, the test programs for its components, and the possible additional science investigations it enables.

Flux transfer events observed at Mercury, Earth, and Jupiter are attributed to spatially and temporally limited events in which the magnetosheath and magnetospheric magnetic field become interconnected and magnetic flux is transported from the dayside to the lobes of the magnetotail. Examination of the Saturnian magnetopause at local times from 1000 to 1400 shows no evidence for this phenomenon. Nevertheless, we do find brief intervals during which the normal component of the magnetic field across the magnetopause becomes significantly enhanced for typically one to ten minutes. Magnetosheath electrons appear during these episodes of enhanced magnetic field normal components indicating that indeed the magnetosphere is connected to the magnetosheath by these magnetic bridges. To determine if this magnetic connection leads to a measurable transfer of magnetic flux from the dayside, we check the location of the magnetopause standoff distance for both northward and southward magnetosheath fields. In 71 crossings, we find no obvious dependence of the distance on the direction of the magnetosheath field, indicating that the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field is not a major factor in the determination of the location of the Saturnian magnetopause. This is unlike the position of the terrestrial magnetosphere that undergoes significant motion through reconnection with the interplanetary magnetic field. Key Points Flux transfer events are not seen at the Saturn magnetopause Magnetopause location not correlated with magnetosheath magnetic field Connected flux tubes are found across magnetopause

Mitochondria are highly motile organelles that constantly undergo fission and fusion. Impairment of mitochondrial dynamics is associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and is frequently linked to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. We have previously shown that biallelic inactivation of the suppressor of cytokine signaling 6 ( SOCS6 ) gene is a frequent event in human gastric cancer. In this study, we recapitulated the event of SOCS6 loss using a Lentivirus-based knockdown approach, and demonstrated the linkage between SOCS6 depletion and the suppression of programmed cell death. SOCS6 promotes intrinsic apoptosis, with increased Bax conformational change, mitochondrial targeting, and oligomerization. Most importantly, SOCS6 is targeted to mitochondria and induces mitochondrial fragmentation mediated through an increase in DRP1 fission activity. Here, we show that SOCS6 forms complex with DRP1 and the mitochondrial phosphatase PGAM5, attenuates DRP1 phosphorylation, and promotes DRP1 mitochondrial translocation. Based on mutation analyses, SOCS6-mediated apoptosis is tightly coupled to its ability to induce mitochondrial fission. This study demonstrates an important role for SOCS6 in modulating mitochondrial dynamics and apoptosis.

Background:It is well known that gout patients have higher comorbidity burden,[1] health resource utilization (HRU),[2] cardiovascular mortality,[3] and all-cause mortality[4] than their non-gout counterparts. Gout also negatively impacts patient quality of life (QOL), with acute gout flare frequency and pain heavily contributing.[5] The literature comparing controlled and uncontrolled gout is sparse, but one study found higher health burden in patients with uncontrolled gout,[6] including chronic kidney disease (CKD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD).Objectives:To examine the prevalences and incidences of CVD and CKD in patients with controlled and uncontrolled gout. Prevalences of pain and mental health issues were also estimated to better understand impact on patient well-being.Methods:The Merative™ MarketScan® Research Databases (closed claims data, commercially-insured patients; 2015-2023) were used. Index date was defined as the date of gout diagnosis, defined as the earliest date of first tophi code, second flare occurrence, first emergency department (ED) visit for gout, or first gout-related hospitalization. All patients were also required to be ≥18 years of age at study index and to have ≥1 gout diagnosis code (ICD-10 M10.*) in the 12-month prior to the index date (baseline). Patients were classified as having controlled gout if no gout symptoms (tophi, flare, ED/hospital visit) were noted in the 12-month pre-index period and last pre-index serum urate level (SU) was <6 mg/dL. Patients were classified as having uncontrolled gout if they had elevated SU prior to index (last pre-index SU of ≥8 mg/dL or pre-index SU ≥6 mg/dL for 3-months) and gout symptoms (≥1 tophi code in 12-month pre-index period, ≥2 gout flares, or ED visit/‌hospitalization for gout) with ≥360 days of oral urate-lowering therapy (ULT) use. CVD was identified as any code for Disease of the Circulatory System (I00-I99, included hypertension). CKD was identified with unspecified/staged CKD codes (N18.*).Results:2697 controlled (81% male, 60.5±12.5 years, SU: 5.13±1.17 mg/dL) and 2435 uncontrolled (83% male, 56.8±13.4 years, SU: 8.45±1.70 mg/dL) patients were identified (in database 2.4±1.5 years before index, 2.5±1.5 years after index). Despite being younger, CKD and CVD were slightly more prevalent in uncontrolled patients (CKD: 25% vs. 20%; CVD: 82% vs. 79%) at gout diagnosis. After gout diagnosis, those with uncontrolled vs. controlled gout more often had an outcome of nonfatal stroke (9.7% vs. 6.5%) and myocardial infarction (3.9% vs. 1.8%, both p<0.001) and a higher incidence of stroke (31.5 vs. 28.8/1000PY), ischemic cardiac disease (48.7 vs. 39.0/1000PY), and heart failure (32.4 vs. 21.0/1000PY; all p<0.001). Uncontrolled patients also seemed more affected by gout, with higher prevalence of pain and psychological issues at diagnosis (pain: 48% vs. 23%; psychological: 25% vs. 17%; both p<0.001). Health resource utilization and associated costs of controlled and uncontrolled gout will also be explored.Conclusion:This study provides further evidence that comorbidity, pain, and mental health burdens are high in gout patients, but even higher in those with uncontrolled disease. Further, incidence of stroke, heart failure, and ischemic cardiac disease was high in the gout population a mean of 2 years after gout diagnosis, with even higher incidence in uncontrolled patients. These findings emphasize the importance of gout control for overall patient health and well-being.REFERENCES:[1] Kuo CF, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016;75:210-7.[2] Trieste L, et al. 2012;30:S145-8.[3] Kuo CF, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2010;49:141-6.[4] Vincent ZL, et al. J Rheumatol. 2017;44:368-73.[5] Watson L, et al. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2023;62:2748-56.[6] Francis-Sedlak M, et al. Rheumatol Ther. 2021;8:183-97.Acknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of Interests:Richard HC Lai Abbvie, Amgen, Glaxo Smith Kline, Horizon (now Amgen, Inc.), Mallinckrodt, and Pfizer, Suneet Grewal Glaxo Smith Kline, Horizon (now Amgen, Inc.), and UCB, Horizon (now Amgen, Inc.), Kaiding Zhu Amgen, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Stephani Gray Amgen, Inc., Andrea Meyers Amgen, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Lissa Padnick-Silver Amgen, Inc., Amgen, Inc., Brian LaMoreaux Amgen, Inc., Amgen, Inc..

The ionospheric transpolar potential (Vpc) and the magnetospheric reconnection voltage (Vr) of the Earth are investigated in terms of global MHD simulations of the solar wind‐magnetosphere‐ionosphere (SMI) system. A spherical shell approximation is used for the ionosphere with a uniform Pedersen conductance and a zero Hall conductance, the interplanetary magnetic field is due southward, and quasi‐steady solutions are obtained for the system. Each solution is characterized by the following four parameters: the ionospheric Pedersen conductance ΣP, the solar wind electric field Esw, ram pressure Psw, and Alfvén Mach number MA. More than 100 cases are treated separately and Vpc and Vr are calculated in each case. It is found that both Vpc and Vr increase monotonically with increasing Psw and decreasing MA regardless of the magnitude of Esw. The simulation results are well organized by a combined parameter f = EswPswMA−1/2 and approximately fitted by functions of f and ΣP. When the units are S for ΣP, kV for Vpc and Vr, mV/m for Esw, and nPa for Psw, the functions are found to be Vpc = 2.3 × 103 (f + 0.8)(ΣP + 2)−1/(f + 8.2) and Vr = 1.8 × 103[f + 0.45(ΣP1/2 + 1.2)] (ΣP1/2 + 0.45)−1/(f + 15.5). Three conclusions are made as follows: (1) Both Vpc and Vr saturate with respect to the increase of f; any variation of the interplanetary conditions in favor of the increase of f may cause the saturation. (2) The saturation point is found to be fc = 6.6 for Vpc and fc = 14.4 − 0.9ΣP1/2 for Vr, whereas the value of ΣP controls the saturation levels. (3) The two potentials, Vpc and Vr, stem from the SMI coupling and exhibit similar saturation behaviors. They are positively correlated because of sharing the same driving source and the close coupling between the ionosphere and the magnetosphere.

Aim: A rich literature on forest succession provides general expectations for the steps forests go through while reassembling after disturbance, yet we still have a surprisingly poor understanding of why the outcomes of forest recovery after logging (or other disturbances) vary so extensively. In this paper, we test the hypothesis that regional species pool, system productivity, climate and landscape structure are important drivers of forest reassembly outcomes. Location: Transect 1,500 km in length along the east coast of Australia. Time period: Survey of 50- to 60-year-old rain forest regrowth and primary forest conducted in 2012 and 2013. Major taxa studied: Rain forest plants. Methods: In this study, we compare species and functional diversity patterns in pairs of remnant and regrowth ('secondary') rain forests spread across a 1,500 km climate and productivity gradient along the east coast of Australia. Our controlled natural experiment was designed to test the importance of regional species pool, system productivity, climate and landscape structure as drivers of species and functional diversity in regenerating forests. Notably, our study design allowed us to hold soil type, general forest type and disturbance history relatively constant in order to test our hypotheses effectively. Results: Counter to expectations, few tested factors were strongly related to the recovery of species or functional diversity in regenerating Australian rain forests. The extent of local forest fragmentation was the only factor strongly related to differences between regrowth forests and primary forest remnants, and then only for functional diversity. We found no evidence that species diversity is a reasonable proxy for, or potential driver of, functional diversity patterns. Main conclusions: Our findings suggest that forest functional recovery over decades is influenced more by regional landscape context than distinct assembly processes operating across climate and productivity gradients.

The two major sources of collisionless shocks in the solar wind are interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) and stream interaction regions (SIRs). Previous studies show that some SIR-associated shocks form between Venus and Earth while most form beyond 1 AU. Here we examine the high-resolution magnetometer records from Helios 1 and 2 obtained between 0.28 and 1 AU and from MESSENGER obtained between 0.3 and 0.7 AU to further refine our understanding as to where, and in what context, shocks are formed in the inner solar system. From Helios data ( Helios 1 from 1974 to 1981 and Helios 2 from 1976 to 1980), we find there were only a few shocks observed inside the orbit of Venus with the closest shock to the Sun at 0.29 AU. We find that there is a strong correlation between shock occurrence and solar activity as measured by the sunspot number. Most of the shocks inside of the orbit of Venus appear to be associated with ICMEs. Even the ICME-associated shocks are quite weak inside the orbit of Venus. By comparing MESSENGER and STEREO results, from 2007 to 2009, we find that in the deep solar minimum, SIR-driven shocks began to form at about 0.4 AU and increased in number with heliocentric distance.

The purpose of this study was to compare performance measurements to evaluate the effects of clinical pathway implementation on improving practice performances in urology. Since April 1997, a total of 18 clinical pathways have been created in the urology department. Of these clinical pathways, six were implemented for endoscopic surgery, and four and eight were for minor and major surgery, respectively. Eight prominent performance measurements, which were identified as representative indicators of the practice performances, were selected in endoscopic surgery, five in minor surgery, and 11 in major surgery. Between April 1997 and March 1999, 2,883 consecutive patients, who underwent endoscopic surgery, minor surgery, and major surgery, were evaluated herein. The treatment results for patients in the first and second years of clinical pathway implementation were compared to those from the year preceding the implementation. In endoscopic surgery, five of the eight performance measurements improved significantly in the first year of implementation. Notably, three of the five improved performances continued to improve in the second year. Similarly, in minor surgery, four of the five performance measurements improved significantly following 2 years. Finally, in major urological surgery, six of the 11 performance measurements also improved significantly after 1 year; four of which continued to improve during the second year. Therefore, we conclude that patient care, which is based on the implementation of clinical pathways, can improve practice performances and facilitate medical care.

One of the responsibilities of a public health nurse is to provide asthma education to local residents. However, there have been no comprehensive education programs for public health nurses on asthma care in the past. This study aimed to determine level of competence of public health nurses on asthma care in order to improve their capability through a one-day national asthma education course. In addition to lectures on updated asthma management information, data was obtained through demonstrations and practice on inhalation techniques of various kinds of inhaled devices, including the ability to use and interpret the data of a peak flow meter. Two written examinations with the same questions were given to participants before and right after the lectures. All of the 560 public health nurses in the 392 public health bureaus were invited to join the program and 522 (93.2%) participated. Five hundred and six completed both the pre- and post-tests. Before the national education program, only 10.9% of the participants knew the purpose of the peak flow meter, while 62.6% had never heard of it. Initially, they showed less confidence on teaching patients on the use of inhaled devices (2.36 and 2.59 in 5 scales). Comparing the two tests, there was a significant increase in the public nurses' knowledge as regards: 1) the general concept of asthma, 2) prevention of trigger factors and environmental control, 3) proper medication knowledge, 4) peak flow meter (PEF) monitoring, and 5) intervention after acute exacerbation of asthma (p < 0.001). A well-designed course on asthma management is an efficient scheme to improve public health nurses' knowledge and confidence on asthma care.

The strong coupling between antiferromagnetism and ferroelectricity at room temperature found in BiFeO 3 generates high expectations for the design and development of technological devices with novel functionalities. However, the multi-domain nature of the material tends to nullify the properties of interest and complicates the thorough understanding of the mechanisms that are responsible for those properties. Here we report the realization of a BiFeO 3 material in thin film form with single-domain behaviour in both its magnetism and ferroelectricity: the entire film shows its antiferromagnetic axis aligned along the crystallographic b axis and its ferroelectric polarization along the c axis. With this we are able to reveal that the canted ferromagnetic moment due to the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction is parallel to the a axis. Furthermore, by fabricating a Co/BiFeO 3 heterostructure, we demonstrate that the ferromagnetic moment of the Co film does couple directly to the canted moment of BiFeO 3 . The coupling of ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic order in BiFeO 3 makes it appealing for applications however the presence of domain structure acts to undermine this potential. Here, the authors demonstrate BiFeO 3 thin films with a single domain of electrical polarization and canted antiferromagnetic order.