Background The aim of this national survey was to explore pregnant women’s perceptions of COVID-19 and their healthcare experiences. Methods Through patient and public involvement, a questionnaire was developed and advertised via the BBC website, Twitter and other online media during May 2020. The findings were analysed by qualitative thematic analysis. Women who are currently pregnant, or who have delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic were invited to partake in a national online survey. Results One thousand four hundred fifty-one participants replied to the online questionnaire. Participants provided significant insight into the perceived barriers to seeking healthcare during this pandemic. These include ‘not wanting to bother anyone’, ‘lack of wider support from allied healthcare workers’ and the influence of the media. Other concerns included the use of virtual clinics antenatally and their acceptability to patients, the presence of birthing partners, and the way in which information is communicated about rapidly changing and evolving services. The influence of the media has also had a significant impact on the way women perceive hospital care in light of COVID-19 and for some, this has shaped whether they would seek help. Conclusions This is the first ever reported study in the United Kingdom to explore pregnant women’s perceptions of COVID-19 and their subsequent healthcare experiences. It has also provided insight into perceived barriers into seeking care as well as maternal concerns antenatally, intrapartum and postpartum.

Nox5 belongs to the calcium-regulated subfamily of NADPH oxidases (Nox). Like other calciumregulated Noxes, Nox5 has an EF hand-containing calcium-binding domain at its N-terminus, a transmembrane heme-containing region and a C-terminal dehydrogenase (DH) domain that binds FAD and NADPH. While Nox1-4 require regulatory subunits including p22phox, Nox5 activity does not depend on any subunits. We found that inactive point mutants and truncated forms of Nox5 (including the naturally expressed splice form Nox5S) inhibit full-length Nox5, consistent with formation of a dominant negative complex. Oligomerization of full-length Nox5 was demonstrated using co-immunoprecipitation of co-expressed, differentially tagged forms of Nox5 and occurred independently of calcium ion. Several approaches were used to show that the DH domain mediates oligomerization: Nox5 could be isolated as a multimer when the calcium-binding domain and/or the N-terminal polybasic region (PBR-N) were deleted, but deletion of the DH domain eliminated oligomerization. Further, a chimera containing the transmembrane domain of Ciona intestinalis voltage sensor-containing phosphatase (CiVSP) fused to the Nox5 DH domain formed a co-immunoprecipitating complex with, and functioned as a dominant inhibitor of, fulllength Nox5. Radiation inactivation of Nox5 overexpressed in HEK293 cells or endogenously expressed in human aortic smooth muscle cells indicated molecular weights of about 350 kDa and 300 kDa, respectively, consistent with a tetramer as the functionally active unit. Thus, Nox5 forms a catalytically active oligomer in the membrane that is mediated by its dehydrogenase domain. As a result of oligomerization, the short, calcium-independent splice form Nox5S may function as an endogenous inhibitor of calcium-stimulated ROS generation by full-length Nox5.

Digital Image-based Elasto Tomography (DIET) is a non-invasive breast cancer screening modality that induces vibrations into a breast and images its surface motion with digital cameras. Disturbances in the motion are caused by areas of higher stiffness within the breast, potentially cancerous tumors. A concept is presented to detect the angular location of a tumor by analyzing the phase delay of the vibrations on the surface. The approach is verified experimentally on silicone phantom breasts with stiffer inclusions ranging from 0-32 mm. A strong signal differentiating healthy and cancerous phantoms can be seen at the second modal frequency of the breast, clearly detecting a 10 mm tumor. This approach offers great potential for this low cost and accessible breast cancer screening, as an adjunct to existing modalities.

Abstract. Rock and soil samples from the planet Mars are due to be returned to Earth within a decade. Martian samples initially will be tested for evidence of life and biological hazard under strict biological containment. Wider distribution of samples for organic and inorganic analysis may occur only if neither evidence of life nor hazard is detected, or if the samples are first sterilized. We subjected a range of Mars analog rocks and minerals to high doses of gamma radiation in order to determine the effects of gamma sterilization on the samples' isotopic, chemical, and physical properties. Gamma photons from 6øCo (1.17 and 1.33 MeV) in doses as high as 3 x 107 rads did not induce radioactivity in the samples and produced no measurable changes in their isotopic and chemical compositions. This level of irradiation also produced no measurable changes in the crystallographic structure of any sample, the surface areas of soil analogs, or the fluid inclusion homogenization temperature of quartz. The only detectable effects of irradiation were dose-dependent changes in the visible and near-infrared spectral region (e.g., discoloration and darkening of quartz and halite and an increase in albedo of carbonates) and increases in the thermoluminescence of quartz and plagioclase. If samples returned from Mars require biological sterilization, gamma irradiation provides a feasible option. BackgroundMartian rock and soil, collected by robotic spacecraft, will be returned to terrestrial laboratories early in the next century. The return of documented samples, carefully collected and preserved, will be a major step in the search for evidence of Martian life. Martian conditions, including the lack of organic matehal, subfreezing temperatures, high flux of solar ultraviolet radiation, and strongly oxidizing chemical species in the soil, severely limit the survival of organisms at or near the surface [Klein, 1998] inCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.•University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, England.Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union. Paper number 1999JE001064.0148-0227/99/1999JE001064509.00 specialized organisms at low concentrations in the returned samples is conceivable [Clark, 1998].Current planetary protection strategies call for the samples to be immediately placed into biological containment and tested for signs of present or past life and biological hazard [DeVincenzi et al., 1998]. It is recommended that "Controlled distribution of unsterilized materials from Mars should occur only if rigorous analyses determine that the materials do not constitute a biological hazard. If any portion of the sample is removed from containment prior to completion of these analyses it should first be sterilized" [Space Studies Board, 1997]. While sterilization of Mars samples may not be required, an acceptable method must be available before the samples are returned to Earth.A variety of sterilization techniques have been used or proposed for spacecraft missions to Mars. These include dry heating to t...