City as a spaceship.

While past visions of future cities were often inspired by space and exploration of the unknown, and thus based in science fiction, we propose future visions of the city based in science fact; that which is known and learned from our accumulated space exploration experience. Technological spin-offs from space design could integrate into our daily lives, but the confined conditions of extraterrestrial shuttles seldom serve as Earthly inspiration. If Earth were a spaceship and we were the Astronauts, how would we live differently? What if living conditions in outer space informed and exchanged the cramped social environments down below, such as the worker-housing and informal settlements in our mega-cities? How can space systems inform the structure and workings of extreme urban environments? We are exploring the City as a Spaceship and the reciprocities it offers by mapping extraterrestrial experiences onto earthly settings. Half the world's 7.25 billion inhabitants (Population Clock at 11.41 GMT on 15/08/2014) live in urban settings. Sao Paolo, Tokyo, Mexico City, Mumbai, Moscow, New York City, Hong Kong, London are the big cities, the Megatropolises, which all have rapidly growing populations within their densely packed urban centres with equally densely packed peripheries. Living conditions on Earth must change, irrespective of economic or social status, so that we can equalize opportunity and achieve a better standard of living for all. We propose that the (mega)City and the Spaceship be viewed as parallel and reciprocal case studies to think about contemporary forms of working and personal engagement; compact spaces, multifunctional spaces, public-private spaces, resource management, alternative energy harvesting, waste management, health management and inclusion of nature into our built-up environment. City As A Spaceship (CAAS) inspires technological humane innovation by positing the spaceship as an analogy of the modern, densely built urban space, with its complex structures and technologically advanced infrastructure, where the designed intention is to configure all systems to eco-efficiency to optimize the use of available resources. We believe the time is now to meet our primary needs through CAAS architecture and design, using technologies for space that can immediately impact the humane retrofitting of these cities. The CAAS City can be an inspiration, an alternate view, for a future city and a way to project and achieve our dreams and visions of an equitable and environment-friendly urban life

Rethinking water: a CAAS (city as a spaceship) design approach.

Water is ubiquitous and essential, yet we struggle to understand it from a systems perspective. Water is a terrestrial closed-loop system involving individuals, communities, cities and geographies, and as such, might it serve as a metaphor for sustainable design? We identify four locations and frame their connections through water and society. This interaction is highly relevant to future dense urban environments and of interest to CAAS (City As A Spaceship) who explore reciprocities between terrestrial and extra-terrestrial architecture and design. CAAS explores these approaches to water management: 1) California State (United States); 2) New Delhi (India); 3) The International Space Station (Lower Earth Orbit); 4) Micro-Ecological Life-Support System Alternative (European Space Agency Research settings). In this paper, CAAS applies design research approaches to curate and frame reciprocities between situations and societies. Using locational case studies and city-by-city scale infographics it generates a discursive space from which to imagine conceptual shifts in sustainable design

Non-equivalence of anti-Müllerian hormone automated assays—clinical implications for use as a companion diagnostic for individualised gonadotrophin dosing

STUDY QUESTION Can anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) automated immunoassays (Elecsys® and Access) be used interchangeably as a companion diagnostic for individualisation of follitropin delta dosing? SUMMARY ANSWER The Access assay gives systematically higher AMH values than the Elecsys® assay which results in over 29% of women being misclassified to a different follitropin delta dose. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Follitropin delta is the first gonadotrophin to be licenced with a companion diagnostic, the Roche Elecsys® AMH Plus assay. Alternative automated AMH assays including the Beckman Coulter Access immunoassay are considered to provide similar results, but clarification of their suitability as an off-licence companion diagnostic for follitropin delta is required. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION We systematically searched the existing literature for studies that had measured AMH using both automated assays in the same cohort of women. Individual paired patient data were acquired from each author and combined with unpublished data. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We identified five eligible prospective published studies and one additional unpublished study. A 100% response from the authors was achieved. We collected paired AMH data on samples from 848 women. Passing–Bablok regression and Bland–Altman plots were used to compare the analytical performance of the two assays. The degree of misclassification to different treatment categories was estimated should the Access AMH be used as a companion diagnostic instead of the Elecsys AMH in determining the dosing of follitropin delta. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The Passing–Bablok regression shows a linear relationship (Access = −0.05 + 1.10 × Elecsys). The Access assay systematically gave higher values by an average of 10% compared with the Elecsys assay (slope = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.09 to 1.12). The average of the difference between the two assays was 2.7 pmol/l. The 95% limits of agreement were −11.7 to 6.3. Overall 253 (29.3%) women would have received an inappropriate follitropin delta dose if the Beckman Coulter Access assay was used. Specifically, a substantial proportion of women (ranging from 49% to 90% depending on the AMH category) would receive a lower dose of follitropin delta based on the Access AMH assay. Up to 10% (ranging from 2.5% to 10%) of women with high ovarian reserve would have been misclassified to a greater dose of follitropin delta based on the Access AMH assay. LIMITATIONS REASONS FOR CAUTION We compared the values of the two principal automated assays, extrapolation of our findings to other automated AMH assays would require similar comprehensive examination. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS An international standard for the calibration of the automated AMH assays is warranted to facilitate efficient use of AMH as a companion diagnostic. The variable calibration of alternative automated AMH assays may adversely impact on the performance of the follitropin delta dosing algorithm. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) No formal funding has been received for this study. SI is funded by a UK Medical Research Council skills development fellowship (MR/N015177/1). SMN has received speakers fees, travel to meetings and participated in advisory Boards for Beckman Coulter, IBSA, Ferring Pharmaecuticals, Finox, Merck Serono, Merck and Roche Diagnostics. SMN has received research support from Ansh laboratories, Beckman Coulter, Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Roche Diagnostics

Childhood emotional problems and self-perceptions predict weight gain in a longitudinal regression model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity and weight gain are correlated with psychological ill health. We predicted that childhood emotional problems and self-perceptions predict weight gain into adulthood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data on around 6,500 individuals was taken from the 1970 Birth Cohort Study. This sample was a representative sample of individuals born in the UK in one week in 1970. Body mass index was measured by a trained nurse at the age of 10 years, and self-reported at age 30 years. Childhood emotional problems were indexed using the Rutter B scale and self-report. Self-esteem was measured using the LAWSEQ questionnaire, whilst the CARALOC scale was used to measure locus of control.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Controlling for childhood body mass index, parental body mass index, and social class, childhood emotional problems as measured by the Rutter scale predicted weight gain in women only (least squares regression <it>N </it>= 3,359; coefficient 0.004; <it>P </it>= 0.032). Using the same methods, childhood self-esteem predicted weight gain in both men and women (<it>N </it>= 6,526; coefficient 0.023; <it>P </it>< 0.001), although the effect was stronger in women. An external locus of control predicted weight gain in both men and women (<it>N </it>= 6,522; coefficient 0.022; <it>P </it>< 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Emotional problems, low self-esteem and an external locus of control in childhood predict weight gain into adulthood. This has important clinical implications as it highlights a direction for early intervention strategies that may contribute to efforts to combat the current obesity epidemic.</p

Survey of past, present and planned human space mission simulators

In light of the renewed international interest in lunar exploration, including plans for setting up a permanent human outpost on the Moon, the need for next generation earth-based human space mission simulators has become inevitable and urgent. These simulators have been shown to be of great value for medical, physiological, psychological, biological and exobiological research, and for subsystem test and development, particularly closed-loop life support systems. The paper presents a summary of a survey of past, present and future human space mission simulators. In 2006, the Vienna based company Liquifer Systems Group (LSG) conducted an in-depth survey, for a European Space Agency (ESA) commissioned Phase-A contract involving a Design Study for a Facility for Integrated Planetary Exploration Simulation (FIPES). The survey data served as reference material for development of the FIPES architecture and, more importantly the application of the data ensured that the Systems Requirements reviewed and amended as part of the FIPES Study fully reflected the design, experience, and lessons learned from the use of such facilities. The paper addresses a hitherto unfulfilled need: a comprehensive, comparative survey of most, if not all, simulators to date. It is a condensed and updated version of the detailed ESA Technical Report produced for the FIPES Study. It presents a comparative analysis of simulator characteristics and consolidated summaries for each simulator classified into (1) site and purpose, (2) key technical data, (3) scientific and medical research functions, and (4) technology test and development functions. It is beyond the scope of this paper to provide details for all twenty-seven simulators surveyed. Therefore, the paper presents selected summaries of three sets of relatively recent simulation campaigns, one European, one American and the other Russian-International. The paper concludes with excerpts of lessons learned from these campaigns

A Mito Tracker Green-based flow cytometric assay for natural killer cell activity: variability, the influence of platelets and a comparison of analytical approaches

Objective - A number of flow cytometric assays for natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity have been described, however, the relative merits of analytical approaches and the influence of platelets on measured responses have not been systematically evaluated. Information on the time-dependent variability in measured responses is also limited. Materials and Methods - Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained using Nycoprep 1.077, or Nycoprep 1.077 followed by Nycoprep 1.068 (to remove platelets), and incubated for 3 hours with MitoTracker Green (MTG)-labeled K562 cells. Cells were stained with propidium iodide (PI) and the proportions of viable and nonviable target cells (MTG(+)PI(-), MTG(+)PI(+)) were determined by flow cytometry using quadrant and polygonal region analysis. Results - Platelets inhibited NK cell cytotoxicity and the response was underestimated when the nonviable target cell population was not entirely enclosed within the nonviable target cell (upper right) flow cytometric quadrant. The variability in measured NK cell cytotoxic responses in samples obtained from five individuals on three occasions over a 3-week period was 28%, 24%, 26%, and 37%, and 19%, 23%, 27%, and 32% for the quadrant and region analyses (mean coefficient of variation at effector-to-target cell ratios of 100:1, 50:1, 25:1, and 12.5:1, respectively), and 24% and 20% when data were calculated as the area under the cytotoxic curve (AUCC). Conclusion - Polygonal regions and the calculation of data as the AUCC appear to be the best approach. This study will be of value to investigators that are wishing to incorporate an NK cell cytotoxicity assay into their portfolio of experimental techniques

Grand challenges in global mental health.

A consortium of researchers, advocates and clinicians announces here research priorities for improving the lives of people with mental illness around the world, and calls for urgent action and investment