Possible Applications of Commercial Satellite Imagery lor International Safeguards: Some case studies using optical and radar data

Remote sensing from space has a long standing tradition in earth observation and environmental monitoring. However, the use of commercial satellite imagery for monitoring arms control is a new field. This study deals with the application of commercial satellite imagery for international safeguards by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The report summarises research activities which started in 1994 and have been carried out in cooperation between King's College London, the University of London, the Research Centre Jülich, Program Group Technology Assessment and the Oepartment of Geography of the University of Bonn. Part of the work has been performed under the British and German support programmes for the IAEA and have been funded by the British Oepartment of Trade and Industry UK (OTI) and the German Federal Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Technology (BMBF)

Methane and ammonia in the near-infrared spectra of late-T dwarfs

Analysis of T dwarfs using model atmospheres has been hampered by the absence of reliable line lists for methane and ammonia. Newly computed high-temperature line lists for both of these important molecules are now available, so it is timely to investigate the appearance of the various absorption features in T dwarfs in order to better understand their atmospheres and validate the new line lists. We present high-quality R ∼ 5000 Gemini/NIFS 1.0–2.4 μm spectra of the T8 standard 2MASS 0415−0935 and the T9 standard UGPS 0722−0540. We use these spectra to identify numerous methane and ammonia features not previously seen and we discuss the implications for our understanding of T dwarf atmospheres. Among our results, we find that ammonia is the dominant opacity source between ∼1.233–1.266 μm in UGPS 0722−0540, and we tentatively identify several absorption features in this wavelength range in the T9's spectrum which may be due entirely to ammonia opacity. Our results also suggest that water rather than methane is the dominant opacity source in the red half of the J band of the T8 dwarf. Water appears to be the main absorber in this wavelength region in the T9 dwarf until ∼1.31 μm, when methane starts to dominate.Peer reviewe

Towards precise ages and masses of free floating planetary mass brown dwarfs

© 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical SocietyMeasurement of the substellar initial mass function (IMF) in very young clusters is hampered by the possibility of the age spread of clustermembers. This is particularly serious for candidate planetary mass objects (PMOs), which have a very similar location to older and more massive brown dwarfs on the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (HRD). This degeneracy can be lifted by the measurement of gravity-sensitive spectral features. To this end we have obtained mediumresolution (R ~ 5000) Near-infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS) K-band spectra of a sample of late M-/early L-type dwarfs. The sample comprises old field dwarfs and very young brown dwarfs in the Taurus association and in the σ Orionis cluster. We demonstrate a positive correlation between the strengths of the 2.21 μm Na I doublet and the objects' ages. We demonstrate a further correlation between these objects' ages and the shape of their K-band spectra. We have quantified this correlation in the form of a new index, the H2(K) index. This index appears to be more gravity-sensitive than the Na I doublet and has the advantage that it can be computed for spectra where gravity-sensitive spectral lines are unresolved, while it is also more sensitive to surface gravity at very young ages (<10 Myr) than the triangular H-band peak. Both correlations differentiate young objects from field dwarfs, while the H2(K) index can distinguish, at least statistically, populations of ~1Myr objects from populations of ~10 Myr objects. We applied the H2(K) index to NIFS data for one Orion nebula cluster (ONC) PMO and to previously published low-resolution spectra for several other ONC PMOs where the 2.21 μm Na I doublet was unresolved and concluded that the average age of the PMOs is ~1Myr.Peer reviewe

Testing for response shift in treatment evaluation of change in self-reported psychopathology amongst secondary psychiatric care outpatients

OBJECTIVES: If patients change their perspective due to treatment, this may alter the way they conceptualize, prioritize, or calibrate questionnaire items. These psychological changes, also called "response shifts," may pose a threat to the measurement of therapeutic change in patients. Therefore, it is important to test the occurrence of response shift in patients across their treatment. METHODS: This study focused on self-reported psychological distress/psychopathology in a naturalistic sample of 206 psychiatric outpatients. Longitudinal measurement invariance tests were computed across treatment in order to detect response shifts. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, post-treatment psychopathology scores showed an increase in model fit and factor loading, suggesting that symptoms became more coherently interrelated within their psychopathology domains. Reconceptualization (depression/mood) and reprioritization (somatic and cognitive problems) response shift types were found in several items. We found no recalibration response shift. CONCLUSION: This study provides further evidence that response shift can occur in adult psychiatric patients across their mental health treatment. Future research is needed to determine whether response shift implies an unwanted potential bias in treatment evaluation or a desired cognitive change intended by treatment

Periostin in fibrillogenesis for tissue regeneration: periostin actions inside and outside the cell

More than 10 years have passed since the naming of periostin derived from its expression sites in the periosteum and periodontal ligament. Following this finding, we have accumulated more data on the expression patterns of periostin, and, finally, with the generation of periostin-deficient mice, have revealed functions of periostin in the regeneration of tissues in bone, tooth, heart, and skin, and its action in cancer invasion. Since periostin is a matricellular protein, the first investigation of periostin function showed its enhancement of cell migration by acting outside the cell. On the other hand, recent observations have demonstrated that periostin functions in fibrillogenesis in association with extracellular matrix molecules inside the cell

The many facets of the matricelluar protein periostin during cardiac development, remodeling, and pathophysiology

Periostin is a member of a growing family of matricellular proteins, defined by their ability to interact with components of the extracellular milieu, and with receptors at the cell surface. Through these interactions, periostin has been shown to play a crucial role as a profibrogenic molecule during tissue morphogenesis. Tissues destined to become fibrous structures are dependent on cooperative interactions between periostin and its binding partners, whereas in its absence, these structures either totally or partially fail to become mature fibrous entities. Within the heart, fibrogenic differentiation is required for normal tissue maturation, remodeling and function, as well as in response to a pathological myocardial insult. In this review, aspects related to the function of periostin during cardiac morphogenesis, remodeling and pathology are summarized

Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Thai Version

This study examines the Thai version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) for its psychometric properties

Understanding the role of growth factors in modulating stem cell tenogenesis

Current treatments for tendon injuries often fail to fully restore joint biomechanics leading to the recurrence of symptoms, and thus resulting in a significant health problem with a relevant social impact worldwide. Cell-based approaches involving the use of stem cells might enable tailoring a successful tendon regeneration outcome. As growth factors (GFs) powerfully regulate the cell biological response, their exogenous addition can further stimulate stem cells into the tenogenic lineage, which might eventually depend on stem cells source. In the present study we investigate the tenogenic differentiation potential of human- amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFSCs) and adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) with several GFs associated to tendon development and healing; namely, EGF, bFGF, PDGF-BB and TGF-β1. Stem cells response to biochemical stimuli was studied by screening of tendon-related genes (collagen type I, III, decorin, tenascin C and scleraxis) and proteins found in tendon extracellular matrix (ECM) (Collagen I, III, and Tenascin C). Despite the fact that GFs did not seem to influence the synthesis of tendon ECM proteins, EGF and bFGF influenced the expression of tendon-related genes in hAFSCs, while EGF and PDGF-BB stimulated the genetic expression in hASCs. Overall results on cellular alignment morphology, immunolocalization and PCR analysis indicated that both stem cell source can be biochemically induced towards tenogenic commitment, validating the potential of hASCs and hAFSCs for tendon regeneration strategies.Authors thank the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the research project BIBS (PTDC/CVT/102972/2008) and for the post-doc fellowship grant: SFRH/BPD/86775/2012. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript