Small Satellite Constellations, Infrastructure Shift and Space Market Regulation

With the commissioning of the first constellations of hundreds or even thousands of small satellites, we are witnessing today an infrastructure shift. While it has not completely distanced the exploration and use of outer space from the dramatic geopolitical and military implications they once entailed for States, it is undoubtedly transforming this realm into a new economic frontier of competition, with its predominant players, this time being private profit-driven actors sensitive to market forces. As the exploitation of outer space becomes more economically viable, new commercial services should emerge through the deployment of SmallSat constellations and the provision of services by means thereof, creating a risk of increased dependency of the services consumed on earth on these newinfrastructures. Therefore, new legal challenges pertaining to competition, foreign investment and the global economy as a whole do arise

Small Satellite Constellations, Infrastructure Shift and Space Market Regulation

With the commissioning of the first constellations of hundreds or even thousands of small satellites, we are witnessing today an infrastructure shift. While it has not completely distanced the exploration and use of outer space from the dramatic geopolitical and military implications they once entailed for States, it is undoubtedly transforming this realm into a new economic frontier of competition, with its predominant players, this time being private profit-driven actors sensitive to market forces. As the exploitation of outer space becomes more economically viable, new commercial services should emerge through the deployment of SmallSat constellations and the provision of services by means thereof, creating a risk of increased dependency of the services consumed on earth on these newinfrastructures. Therefore, new legal challenges pertaining to competition, foreign investment and the global economy as a whole do arise

Reinventing treaty compliant ‘‘safety zones’’ in the context of space sustainability

This paper questions the concept of safety zones, tracing it to maritime and military law, in order to unpack its potential legal uses, applications and implications in the current context of the New Space economy. To achieve this, it starts by investigating the historical foundations of safety zones rooted in the Cold-War-era legal literature and then move on to a larger discussion of how such zones can be balanced with the non-appropriation principle. Then, this paper examines a number of legal analogies, as they appear in maritime law, aviation law as well as relevant examples in outer-space law. Lastly, it attempts to sketch the outline of a “solution ”that identifies the criteria, to be used in order to model a potential safety zone that strikes a balance between the industry’s growing concerns and requirements on one hand, and the legal prohibitions that preclude sovereign claims on outer space on the other hand. Particular attention is given to the special case of the United States’ extraterritorial jurisdiction in outer space

Falls among the elderly

Falls are a significant problem among the elderly. Every third person falls at least once a year. Falls lead to injuries, limiting the mobility of the elderly. As a result of falls, serious fractures occur, which cause hospitalization and are the main cause of death due to accidents. The causes of falls are complex and most often arise from several overlapping factors. Efforts should be made to eliminate external factors in order to minimize the risk of falling among people over 60 years of age. Daily physical activity, individual assessment of risk factors and optimal adaptation of the environment play an important role in preventing falls. The aim of the study was to discuss the problem of falls in the population of geriatric patients

Which jurisdiction for private in-space assembled autonomous platforms?

This article builds a model for determining the law applicable to in-space assembled autonomous platforms and the services they are likely to provide. It makes a comprehensive inventory of the new challenges and emerging industry trends in the field of in-space assembly. It identifies some of the most significant industrial projects, which are currently engaged or contemplated. It then examines the status of such private platforms assembled in space in terms of both international rules and state jurisdiction. It suggests an approach that distinguishes the service provided from the physical platform itself, which would enable States to regulate service operation. The conclusion sets out a series of practical recommendations that could be implemented at different levels

Reinventing treaty compliant ‘‘safety zones’’ in the context of space sustainability

This paper questions the concept of safety zones, tracing it to maritime and military law, in order to unpack its potential legal uses, applications and implications in the current context of the New Space economy. To achieve this, it starts by investigating the historical foundations of safety zones rooted in the Cold-War-era legal literature and then move on to a larger discussion of how such zones can be balanced with the non-appropriation principle. Then, this paper examines a number of legal analogies, as they appear in maritime law, aviation law as well as relevant examples in outer-space law. Lastly, it attempts to sketch the outline of a “solution ”that identifies the criteria, to be used in order to model a potential safety zone that strikes a balance between the industry’s growing concerns and requirements on one hand, and the legal prohibitions that preclude sovereign claims on outer space on the other hand. Particular attention is given to the special case of the United States’ extraterritorial jurisdiction in outer space

Which jurisdiction for private in-space assembled autonomous platforms?

This article builds a model for determining the law applicable to in-space assembled autonomous platforms and the services they are likely to provide. It makes a comprehensive inventory of the new challenges and emerging industry trends in the field of in-space assembly. It identifies some of the most significant industrial projects, which are currently engaged or contemplated. It then examines the status of such private platforms assembled in space in terms of both international rules and state jurisdiction. It suggests an approach that distinguishes the service provided from the physical platform itself, which would enable States to regulate service operation. The conclusion sets out a series of practical recommendations that could be implemented at different levels

Genome-wide association analysis implicates dysregulation of immunity genes in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Several chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) susceptibility loci have been reported; however, much of the heritable risk remains unidentified. Here we perform a meta-analysis of six genome-wide association studies, imputed using a merged reference panel of 1,000 Genomes and UK10K data, totalling 6,200 cases and 17,598 controls after replication. We identify nine risk loci at 1p36.11 (rs34676223, P=5.04 × 10−13), 1q42.13 (rs41271473, P=1.06 × 10−10), 4q24 (rs71597109, P=1.37 × 10−10), 4q35.1 (rs57214277, P=3.69 × 10−8), 6p21.31 (rs3800461, P=1.97 × 10−8), 11q23.2 (rs61904987, P=2.64 × 10−11), 18q21.1 (rs1036935, P=3.27 × 10−8), 19p13.3 (rs7254272, P=4.67 × 10−8) and 22q13.33 (rs140522, P=2.70 × 10−9). These new and established risk loci map to areas of active chromatin and show an over-representation of transcription factor binding for the key determinants of B-cell development and immune response

Genome-wide association analysis implicates dysregulation of immunity genes in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

Several chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) susceptibility loci have been reported; however, much of the heritable risk remains unidentified. Here we perform a meta-analysis of six genome-wide association studies, imputed using a merged reference panel of 1,000 Genomes and UK10K data, totalling 6,200 cases and 17,598 controls after replication. We identify nine risk loci at 1p36.11 (rs34676223, P=5.04 × 10−13), 1q42.13 (rs41271473, P=1.06 × 10−10), 4q24 (rs71597109, P=1.37 × 10−10), 4q35.1 (rs57214277, P=3.69 × 10−8), 6p21.31 (rs3800461, P=1.97 × 10−8), 11q23.2 (rs61904987, P=2.64 × 10−11), 18q21.1 (rs1036935, P=3.27 × 10−8), 19p13.3 (rs7254272, P=4.67 × 10−8) and 22q13.33 (rs140522, P=2.70 × 10−9). These new and established risk loci map to areas of active chromatin and show an over-representation of transcription factor binding for the key determinants of B-cell development and immune response

Mutational spectrum in a worldwide study of 29,700 families with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

The prevalence and spectrum of germline mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been reported in single populations, with the majority of reports focused on White in Europe and North America. The Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA) has assembled data on 18,435 families with BRCA1 mutations and 11,351 families with BRCA2 mutations ascertained from 69 centers in 49 countries on six continents. This study comprehensively describes the characteristics of the 1,650 unique BRCA1 and 1,731 unique BRCA2 deleterious (disease-associated) mutations identified in the CIMBA database. We observed substantial variation in mutation type and frequency by geographical region and race/ethnicity. In addition to known founder mutations, mutations of relatively high frequency were identified in specific racial/ethnic or geographic groups that may reflect founder mutations and which could be used in targeted (panel) first pass genotyping for specific populations. Knowledge of the population-specific mutational spectrum in BRCA1 and BRCA2 could inform efficient strategies for genetic testing and may justify a more broad-based oncogenetic testing in some populations