Some Thoughts on Terminology and Discipline in Design

In this speculative paper, I will argue that the design community should attempt to develop a “dictionary” of the language of design, along the same lines as the Oxford English Dictionary was and is developed: as a catalogue of the living use of terms. I will sketch an outline of how such a project could be started quite easily with modern technologies. I will then consider one word in particular – “discipline” – as an example of the need for such a dictionary, by examining the various senses of the word and how even just reflecting on that can illuminate issues of clear communications. Keywords: Terminology; Lexicography; Semantics; Dictionary; Communication; Language.</p

Open Orbits in Satellite Dynamics

Recent investigations into the effects of a constant atmospheric drag force on an essentially circular satellite orbit have led to an analytical expression for the resulting orbit, which is obviously not exactly circular, but so close to it that profitable simplifications can be made in its derivation. In the present paper several of the resulting type orbits are analyzed and compared

Perfect and Imperfect Collinearity in Multibody Gyro Systems

The behaviour of multibody gyroscopic systems is governed by the collinearity principle. In the present paper the collinearity principle is stated and its origin, history and applications are discussed. It is then used in two examples of spacecraft with momentum wheels to demonstrate its validity and applicability

Angular Momentum Collinearization of an Elastic Gyro with Hysteresis

In the present paper it is shown in some detail how the energy dissipation in a deforming elastic gyro leads to a collinearization of the angular momenta, according to the collinearity principle

Galactic Contraction and the Collinearity Principle

In a spiral galaxy there is not only a Kepler force acting on an individual star but also a transverse pail opposing the motion. The relatively small transverse pall is due to the atmospheric drag exerted by interstellar gas (hydrogen, cosmic dust). It is also shown that the arms of a spiral galaxy consist of Ward spirals, that there is an orbital energy loss for each individual star in a contracting galaxy, and that the size of the Ward spiral observed can be used to predict the speed of the galaxy’s contracting. For inside the galaxy’s central sphere it is shown that the path of a star describes a logarithmic spiral and that there is an associated orbital energy loss

A Note on Hohmann Transfer Velocity Kicks

A Hohmann transfer is a well-known spacecraft manoeuvre, initiated by a horizontal velocity kick Δv1, which effects a change from an original, say, circular orbit to the Hohmann transfer ellipse in its perigee, and completed by a second horizontal velocity kick Δv2 in the apogee, to eflect a change from the transfer ellipse to a final, say, larger circular orbit.A velocity kick as mentioned above is apparently instantaneous, and free of any side effects, a very idealized concept, which, as it turns out, isfar removedfrom reality.Recent investigations into Ward spirals have shed some light into how velocity changes can be brought about. It is shown that a vertical impulse component must be present to accompany a horizontal impulse in order to assure that the altitude remains constant during a horizontal velocity change

Planet Absorption by a Gas Giant

There is mounting evidence of many extra-solar planetary systems in our galaxy, consisting typically of a Sun-like star and Jupiter-like planets on highly elliptic orbits. These systems are characterised by a dearth of smaller Earth-like planets. The present paper describes the swallowing-up of a small rock dwarf by a large gas giant, and shows that this behaviour is as predicted by the collinearity principle

Stress echocardiography

In the studies reported in this thesis, stress echocardiography (either with exercise or with pharmacological agents) and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy have been performed in different groups of patients and in different clinical conditions. Some practical aspects on the protocols of echocardiographic tests are briefly reportedThis thesis presents the initial experience on stress echocardiography done at the Department of Cardiology, University Hospital of Rotterdam. The main purposes of this research were: 1) to assess the safety and feasibility of stress echocardiography; 2) to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of stress echocardiography for the detection of coronary artery disease; 3) to compare the results of stress echocardiography with those obtained at myocardial perfusion scintigraphy; 4) to compare the results of different pharmacological stress agents in the same group of patients. 3

The contributions of public health policies and healthcare quality to gender gap and country differences in life expectancy in the UK

Background: In many high-income countries, life expectancy (LE) has increased, with women outliving men. This gender gap in LE (GGLE) has been explained with biological factors, healthy behaviours, health status, and sociodemographic characteristics, but little attention has been paid to the role of public health policies that include/affect these factors. This study aimed to assess the contributions of avoidable causes of death, as a measure of public health policies and healthcare quality impacts, to the GGLE and its temporal changes in the UK. We also estimated the contributions of avoidable causes of death into the gap in LE between countries in the UK. // Methods: We obtained annual data on underlying causes of death by age and sex from the World Health Organization mortality database for the periods 2001–2003 and 2014–2016. We calculated LE at birth using abridged life tables. We applied Arriaga’s decomposition method to compute the age- and cause-specific contributions into the GGLE in each period and its changes between two periods as well as the cross-country gap in LE in the 2014–2016 period. // Results: Avoidable causes had greater contributions than non-avoidable causes to the GGLE in both periods (62% in 2001–2003 and 54% in 2014–2016) in the UK. Among avoidable causes, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) followed by injuries had the greatest contributions to the GGLE in both periods. On average, the GGLE across the UK narrowed by about 1.0 year between 2001–2003 and 2014–2016 and three avoidable causes of IHD, lung cancer, and injuries accounted for about 0.8 years of this reduction. England & Wales had the greatest LE for both sexes in 2014–2016. Among avoidable causes, injuries in men and lung cancer in women had the largest contributions to the LE advantage in England & Wales compared to Northern Ireland, while drug-related deaths compared to Scotland in both sexes. // Conclusion: With avoidable causes, particularly preventable deaths, substantially contributing to the gender and cross-country gaps in LE, our results suggest the need for behavioural changes by implementing targeted public health programmes, particularly targeting younger men from Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brevi riflessioni sullo sviluppo locale sostenibile nelle isole minori italiane

Le Isole Minori o Piccole Isole italiane sono abitate da circa 200 mila residenti. Si tratta di contesti locali caratterizzati da evidenti peculiarità, nei quali, a fronte di un’elevata disponibilità pro capite di risorse naturalistiche, paesaggistiche e culturali, si osservano consistenti divari territoriali, economici e sociali rispetto al resto del Paese. Nell’impostare una politica di sviluppo per le Isole Minori italiane emerge, dunque, l’importanza di fare leva sulle comunità e sul capitale territoriale per progettare forme di welfare efficaci nel rispondere alle esigenze rilevate ed iniziative economiche sostenibili tanto da un punto di vista globale, quanto (e soprattutto) da un punto di vista locale. La ricognizione delle “distanze” sociali e territoriali come punto di partenza ed un ricorso ad una logica di piattaforma come punto di arrivo sono temi portanti dell’approccio proposto. Ciò è ancor più vero se si considera che l’economia delle Isole Minori è prevalentemente legata al turismo, che nel corso dei decenni si è affiancato ad attività primarie quali l’agricoltura e la pesca. D’altra parte, il turismo sostenibile, oltre ad essere un fine dello sviluppo locale, può costituire un mezzo per accumulare risorse in loco e dare avvio ad uno sviluppo infrastrutturale in grado di sostenere specializzazioni in settori di nicchia, ribaltando, così, la visione che vede le Isole Minori come contesti disagiati. In questa prospettiva, e specialmente nello scenario attuale segnato dalla crisi innescata dal Covid-19, il green public procurement può avere un ruolo di primo piano nell’attivare forme di economia circolare in grado di aumentare la capacità di carico turistica dei territori insulari