The sensitivity and astrometry upgrade ASTRA of the Keck Interferometer is introduced. After a brief overview of the underlying interferometric principles, the technology and concepts of the upgrade ...are presented. The interferometric dual-field technology of ASTRA will provide the KI with the means to observe two objects simultaneously, and measure the distance between them with a precision eventually better than 100 uas. This astrometric functionality of ASTRA will add a unique observing tool to fields of astrophysical research as diverse as exo-planetary kinematics, binary astrometry, and the investigation of stars accelerated by the massive black hole in the center of the Milky Way as discussed in this contribution.
At a press conference today at Trump Tower, the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, defended his fundraising for veterans efforts and hammered reporters for their questions. Trump cites the ...media for being overly critical and biased against him; The Trump University sales team playbook has been released, and it is the first time the public has seen such a detailed account of how Trump University was able to sell $40 million in what's alleged to be a worthless real estate course. California Governor Jerry Brown lent his support to Hillary Clinton Tuesday, saying it was the only way to "stop the dangerous candidacy of Donald Trump." A Super PAC is on a mission to convince the technology-adverse, ultra-humble faithful to back the narcissistic reality TV star-turned-presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Amish PAC is funding a campaign of old-school newspaper ads and billboards to win over Amish voters into ignoring church elders who discourage voting and turn out for Donald Trump in November. Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla was fatally shot by zoo staff in a bid to protect the boy who had fallen into the enclosure. However, eyewitnesses have claimed that the gorilla was showing no aggressive behavior towards the boy. Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, defended the actions of officials at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens after they shot to death a critically endangered gorilla out of concern for a 4-year-old boy who got into the animal's enclosure Saturday afternoon.
Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are of clinical interest due to their ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple tissue types. Unfortunately, both the number of MSCs within tissues and ...their reparative potential decreases with age, resulting in a decreased capability for tissue repair. The ability to isolate MSCs from a multitude of tissue sources and expand and differentiate them in vitro has made them excellent candidates for a range of therapeutic applications. However, a number of existing limitations in terms of their culture must first be addressed prior to them being widely available for use in the clinic. In this chapter we discuss potential strategies to produce therapeutically-relevant numbers of high-quality MSCs for use in clinical applications. The relative merits of MSCs derived from different tissue sources and the development of defined culture conditions, in terms of oxygen levels, soluble media and culture substrates from which high-quality MSCs may, in future be derived for clinical applications, are described.
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