Space object identification and classification from hyperspectral material analysis.

This paper presents a data processing pipeline designed to extract information from the hyperspectral signature of unknown space objects. The methodology proposed in this paper determines the material composition of space objects from single pixel images. Two techniques are used for material identification and classification: one based on machine learning and the other based on a least square match with a library of known spectra.

Implementing life cycle sustainability assessment for improved space mission design.

Within the space sector, the application of Environmental Life Cycle Assessment (E-LCA) is beginning to emerge as a credible and compelling method for scientifically quantifying environmental impacts of space missions. However, E-LCA does not fully align with the concept of triple-bottom-line sustainability, while the combination of all three sustainability dimensions (environment, society, and economy) within a single life cycle study has thus far never been attempted within the space industry. Moving toward a Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA) is, therefore, a logical next step for the space sector to allow these three sustainability dimensions to be addressed.

The Prostacyclin Analogue Iloprost Modulates CXCL10 in Systemic Sclerosis.

The prostacyclin analogue iloprost is used to treat vascular alterations and digital ulcers, the early derangements manifesting in systemic sclerosis (SSc), an autoimmune disease leading to skin and organ fibrosis. Bioindicator(s) of SSc onset and progress are still lacking and the therapeutic approach remains a challenge. The T helper 1 (Th1) chemokine interferon (IFN)γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10/CXCL10) associates with disease progression and worse prognosis.

Ecospheric life cycle impacts of annual global space activities.

This paper presents a first-order approximation of ecospheric life cycle impacts from annual global space activities across two scenarios using a streamlined Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA). The first scenario considers all space missions launched throughout the 2018 calendar year whilst the second is a futuristic scenario where affordable access to space significantly increases the prevalence of space operations. A new space-specific life cycle database and sustainable design tool called the Strathclyde Space Systems Database (SSSD) has been used to compile the inventory of each scenario and generate results across numerous impact categories.

Nailfold capillaroscopy in SSc: innocent bystander or promising biomarker for novel severe organ involvement/progression?

Objectives: Nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC) plays a well-established role in differentiating primary from secondary RP due to SSc. However, the association of NVC with novel severe organ involvement/progression in SSc has never been evaluated in a multicentre, multinational study, which we now perform for the first time.

Methods: Follow-up data from 334 SSc patients [265 women; 18 limited SSc (lSSc)/203 lcSSc/113 dcSSc] registered between November 2008 and January 2016 by seven tertiary centres in the EUSTAR-database, were analysed.

Classification of regular and chaotic motions in Hamiltonian systems with deep learning.

This paper demonstrates the capabilities of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) at classifying types of motion starting from time series, without any prior knowledge of the underlying dynamics. The paper applies different forms of deep learning to problems of increasing complexity with the goal of testing the ability of different deep learning architectures at predicting the character of the dynamics by simply observing a time-ordered set of data. We will demonstrate that a properly trained CNN can correctly classify the types of motion on a given data set.

Subclinical atherosclerosis in systemic sclerosis: Different risk profiles among patients according to clinical manifestations.

Introduction: Like other autoimmune diseases, systemic sclerosis (SSc) has been described to be associated with accelerated atherosclerosis (ATS). Before clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease (CVD) occur, subclinical ATS can be investigated in different ways.

Aim: To evaluate the presence of subclinical ATS in a group of patients with SSc, and to identify different risk profiles among patients.

Synthetic database of space objects encounter events subject to epistemic uncertainty.

The databases included on this article refers to variables and parameters belonging to the Space Traffic Management (STM), Evidence Theory and Machine Learning (ML) fields. They have been used for implementing ML for autonomously predict risk associated to a close encounter between two space (Sanchez and Vasile,  Acta Astronautica, Special Issue for ICSSA2020, In Press [1]). The position of the objected is assumed to be affected by epistemic uncertainty, which has been modeled according to Dempster-Shafer Evidence theory (DSt) [2].

Adipokine expression in systemic sclerosis lung and gastrointestinal organ involvement.

Objectives: The immunomodulatory properties of adipokines have previously been reported in autoimmune disorders. Less is known about the role of adipokines in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Lung and gastrointestinal tract are frequently involved in SSc; therefore, these organs were analyzed for adipokine expression as well as pulmonary samples of patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) as comparison.

From VEDOSS to established systemic sclerosis diagnosis according to ACR/EULAR 2013 classification criteria: a French-Italian capillaroscopic survey.

Objectives: Nailfold capillaroscopy (NC) shows microcirculatory abnormalities in systemic sclerosis (SSc). The inclusion of NC specific abnormalities increases the sensitivity of both 2013 ACR/EULAR and VEDOSS (Very Early Diagnosis of Systemic Sclerosis) classification criteria. We aimed to detect NC features able to predict progression toward established SSc in VEDOSS patients.

Vitamin D in autoimmune rheumatic diseases: A view inside gender differences.

A large body of evidence highlights the role for vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in rheumatic diseases, a group of different pathologies mostly of autoimmune origin. Vitamin D and vitamin D receptor agonists exquisitely modulate the immune system against over-reactivity towards tolerance; on this basis, vitamin D could be a good therapeutic candidate to control autoimmune processes in rheumatic diseases. Similarly, to other autoimmune pathologies, rheumatic diseases show a significant female bias.

Occupational therapy integrated with a self-administered stretching program on systemic sclerosis patients with hand involvement.

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of occupational therapy (OT) intervention, integrated with a self-administered stretching program on the hands of patients with SSc, after one and three months of treatment.

Methods: We enrolled 31 patients with SSc, randomly allocated to the occupational group (15 patients) or to the control group (16 patients). Each patient received specific outcome measures: Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), HAQ, Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Duruoz Hand Index (DHI), reassessed after 1 (T1) and three months (T2).

An observational cohort study of patients with newly diagnosed digital ulcer disease secondary to systemic sclerosis registered in the EUSTAR database.

Objectives: This study describes clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and quality of life in patients with newly diagnosed (incident) digital ulcers (DU).

Methods: Observational cohort study of 189 consecutive SSc patients with incident DU diagnosis identified from the EUSTAR database (22 centres in 10 countries). Data were collected from medical charts and during one prospective visit between 01/2004 and 09/2010.

A novel multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on regression analysis.

As is known, the Pareto set of a continuous multiobjective optimization problem with m objective functions is a piecewise continuous (m - 1)-dimensional manifold in the decision space under some mild conditions. However, how to utilize the regularity to design multiobjective optimization algorithms has become the research focus. In this paper, based on this regularity, a model-based multiobjective evolutionary algorithm with regression analysis (MMEA-RA) is put forward to solve continuous multiobjective optimization problems with variable linkages.

Rheumatic diseases and obesity: adipocytokines as potential comorbidity biomarkers for cardiovascular diseases.

Inflammation has been recognized as a common trait in the pathogenesis of multifactorial diseases including obesity, where a low-grade inflammation has been established and may be responsible for the cardiovascular risk related to the disease. Obesity has also been associated with the increased incidence and a worse outcome of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). RA is characterized by systemic inflammation, which is thought to play a key role in accelerated atherosclerosis and in the increased incidence of cardiovascular disease, an important comorbidity in patients with RA.

Systemic sclerosis patients with and without pulmonary arterial hypertension: a nailfold capillaroscopy study.

Objective: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complication of SSc due to increased vascular resistance, and abnormal vascularity is a well-known feature of the disease as shown by nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC). This study investigated for specific NVC changes in SSc patients with and without PAH to assess any useful difference.

Methods: Twenty-four SSc patients, 12 with PAH and 12 without, entered the study.

Power Doppler ultrasound of the hand and wrist joints in systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: This paper aims to investigate the prevalence and severity of hand and wrist joints power Doppler (PD) ultrasound (US) detected abnormalities in systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Methods: Hand and wrist joints of 46 consecutive SSc patients and 15 healthy controls were studied by using PDUS. Each joint was evaluated for the presence of effusion, synovial hypertrophy, hyperaemia, bone erosions and cortical irregularities; in addition, local tendons for tenosynovitis and hyperaemia, and median nerve for entrapment neuropathy were examined.

Abnormal plasma levels of different angiogenic molecules are associated with different clinical manifestations in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Objectives: Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by a microvascular damage due to an impairment of different angiogenic and angiostatic factors. Aim of this study was to measure plasma levels of nine molecules involved in these vascular processes in a group of SSc patients, respect to healthy controls (NC).

Methods: Sixty-five patients (M/F = 2/63; mean age = 57.

Inflammation as "common soil" of the multifactorial diseases.

Inflammation is classically recognized as an essential step for the control of microbial invasion or tissue injury as well as for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis under a variety of noxious conditions. One of the most intriguing aspect of studying inflammation is the plurality of the inflammatory mediators that are continuously discovered (microRNAs, adipokines, inflammasomes and the danger signals, etc.) and their effects on target tissues.

Ultrasound elastography assessment of skin involvement in systemic sclerosis: lights and shadows.

Objective: To assess skin elasticity in systemic sclerosis (SSc) by using a new imaging modality, ultrasound elastography (UE).

Methods: Our study included 18 consecutive patients with SSc and 15 healthy controls. Modified Rodnan skin score, physical examination, and assessment of organ involvement were performed.

Robust mission design through evidence theory and multiagent collaborative search.

In this paper, the preliminary design of a space mission is approached by introducing uncertainties on the design parameters and formulating the resulting reliable design problem as a multiobjective optimization problem. Uncertainties are modelled through evidence theory and the belief, or credibility, that the successful achievement of mission goals is maximized along with the reliability of constraint satisfaction. The multiobjective optimization problem is solved through a novel algorithm based on the collaboration of a population of agents in search for the set of highly reliable solutions.

Earth-to-Moon low energy transfers targeting L1 hyperbolic transit orbits.

In the frame of the lunar exploration, numerous future space missions will require maximization of payload mass, and simultaneously achieving reasonable transfer times. To fulfill this request, low energy non-Keplerian orbits could be used to reach the Moon instead of high energetic transfers. The low energy solutions can be separated into two main categories depending on the nature of the trajectory approaching the Moon: low energy transit orbits that approach the Moon from the interior equilibrium point L(1) and weak stability boundary transfers that reach the Moon after passing through L(2).