Implications of Privacy Needs and Interpersonal Distancing Mechanisms for Space Station Design

The literature on privacy needs, personal space, interpersonal distancing, and crowding is reveiwed with special reference to spaceflight and spaceflight analogous conditions. A quantitative model is proposed for understanding privacy, interpersonal distancing, and performance. The implications for space station design is described

Recursive integral method for transmission eigenvalues

Recently, a new eigenvalue problem, called the transmission eigenvalue problem, has attracted many researchers. The problem arose in inverse scattering theory for inhomogeneous media and has important applications in a variety of inverse problems for target identification and nondestructive testing. The problem is numerically challenging because it is non-selfadjoint and nonlinear. In this paper, we propose a recursive integral method for computing transmission eigenvalues from a finite element discretization of the continuous problem. The method, which overcomes some difficulties of existing methods, is based on eigenprojectors of compact operators. It is self-correcting, can separate nearby eigenvalues, and does not require an initial approximation based on some a priori spectral information. These features make the method well suited for the transmission eigenvalue problem whose spectrum is complicated. Numerical examples show that the method is effective and robust.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

Implications of privacy needs and interpersonal distancing mechanisms for space station design

Privacy needs, or the need of people to regulate their degree of contact with one another, and interpersonal distancing mechanisms, which serve to satisfy these needs, are common in all cultures. Isolation, confinement, and other conditions accociated with space flight may at once accentuate privacy needs and limit the availability of certain common interpersonal contact. Loneliness occurs when people have less contact with one another than they desire. Crowding occurs when people have more contact with one another than they desire. Crowding, which is considered the greater threat to members of isolated and confined groups, can contribute to stress, a low quality of life, and poor performance. Drawing on the general literature on privacy, personal space, and interpersonal distancing, and on specialized literature on life aboard spacecraft and in spacecraft-analogous environments, a quantitative model for understanding privacy, interpersonal distancing, loneliness, and crowding was developed and the practical implications of this model for space station design were traced

Incorporation of privacy elements in space station design

Privacy exists to the extent that individuals can control the degree of social contact that they have with one another. The opportunity to withdraw from other people serves a number of important psychological and social functions, and is in the interests of safety, high performance, and high quality of human life. Privacy requirements for Space Station crew members are reviewed, and architectual and other guidelines for helping astronauts achieve desired levels of privacy are suggested. In turn, four dimensions of privacy are discussed: the separation of activities by areas within the Space Station, controlling the extent to which astronauts have visual contact with one another, controlling the extent to which astronauts have auditory contact with one another, and odor control. Each section presents a statement of the problem, a review of general solutions, and specific recommendations. The report is concluded with a brief consideration of how selection, training, and other procedures can also help Space Station occupants achieve satisfactory levels of seclusion

Biochemical diagnosis of ventricular dysfunction in elderly patients in general practice: observational study

Objective: To investigate the usefulness of measuring plasma concentrations of B type natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in an unselected group of elderly people. Design: Observational study. Setting: General practice with four centres in Poole, Dorset. Participants: 155 elderly patients aged 70 to 84 years. Main outcome measures: Diagnostic characteristics of plasma B type natriuretic peptide measured by radioimmunoassay as a test for left ventricular systolic dysfunction assessed by echocardiography. Results: The median plasma concentration of B type natriuretic peptide was 39.3 pmol/l in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and 15.8 pmol/l in those with normal function. The proportional area under the receiver operator curve was 0.85. At a cut-off point of 18.7 pmol/l the test sensitivity was 92% and the predictive value 18%. Conclusions: Plasma concentration of B type natriuretic peptide could be used effectively as an initial test in a community screening programme and, possibly, using a low cut-off point, as a means of ruling out left ventricular systolic dysfunction. It is, however, not a good test to “rule in” the diagnosis, and access to echocardiography remains essential for general practitioners to diagnose heart failure early

Oh, What a Tangled Web: Three Designs for Web-Based Courses

The presenters have created three Web-based courses in three different formats; the Business of Art (a cross-disciplinary course in management and art) the history of photography, and principles of management. Each course is demonstrated and the creation processes are explored with the participants

Myocardial fibrosis in stroke survivors

Stroke survivors are most likely to die of cardiac death, yet few undergo comprehensive cardiac assessment to look for reversible causes. Myocardial fibrosis (MF) is not only the hallmark of cardiomyopathy, but also a substrate for sudden cardiac death, ventricular tachyarrhythmia and heart failure. Procollagen carboxyl-terminal telopeptide (PICP) was found to be a marker of MF. The relationship between PICP and cardiac abnormalities in stroke survivors is unknown. We recently showed that MF in stroke survivors can be treated by spironolactone and amiloride in a randomised placebo-controlled cross-over study with reduction in PICP levels and QTc [1]