Mechanobiological Implications of Cancer Progression in Space

The human body is normally adapted to maintain homeostasis in a terrestrial environment. The novel conditions of a space environment introduce challenges that changes the cellular response to its surroundings. Such an alteration causes physical changes in the extracellular microenvironment, inducing the secretion of cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor growth factor-β (TGF-β) from cancer cells to enhance cancer malignancy. Cancer is one of the most prominent cell types to be affected by mechanical cues via active interaction with the tumor microenvironment. However, the mechanism by which cancer cells mechanotransduce in the space environment, as well as the influence of this process on human health, have not been fully elucidated. Due to the growing interest in space biology, this article reviews cancer cell responses to the representative conditions altered in space: microgravity, decompression, and irradiation. Interestingly, cytokine and gene expression that assist in tumor survival, invasive phenotypic transformation, and cancer cell proliferation are upregulated when exposed to both simulated and actual space conditions. The necessity of further research on space mechanobiology such as simulating more complex in vivo experiments or finding other mechanical cues that may be encountered during spaceflight are emphasized.

Performance gap analysis of a new Minergie A/P district

The eco-district “Les Vergers”, located in Meyrin (Geneva, Switzerland), hosts around 1’350 dwellings and some activities. It is heated by a 5 MWth geothermal centralized heat pump. This study proposes a detailed analysis of the thermal demand of 23 selected buildings in this district as a representative panel of buildings meeting high swiss energy performance standards (Minergie A/P) and equipped with different heat recovery systems. Although the buildings have better thermal performance than the average buildings of Geneva, most show an important performance gap between the actual space heating demand and the design values. A strong correlation between performance gap and cut-off temperature of the heating system suggests that the regulation of the heat distribution system plays a determinant role in the overall performance. Regarding the domestic hot water preparation, the buildings of this district present an average demand 23% lower than the standard value and 31% lower than a benchmark.

CFD research on the influence of geometry characteristic on flow pattern and the transition mechanism in Rushton turbine stirred vessels

In this paper, the transient MRF approach coupled with the standard k-ε and SST k-ω turbulence models was employed to study the effect of bottom shape, impeller diameter (D J) and bottom height (H 2) on critical impeller off-bottom clearance (C). It was found the bottom shape and bottom height (H 2) have obvious influence on the flow pattern transition from double-loop to single-loop of RT impeller. The flow pattern transition mechanism was inferred to relate to the relationship between the space required by the lower circulation zone and the actual space. The boundary conditions of critical C were further concluded to help distinguish the flow pattern and receive the expected one in the stirred vessel design.

Landscape Ecological Analysis of Green Network in Urban Area Using Circuit Theory and Least-Cost Path

Quantitative securing of green space in already developed cities has many practical limitations due to socio-economic limitations. Currently, South Korea is planning a green network to secure and inject effective green space, but it is difficult to reflect it in the actual space plan due to the abstract plan. This study utilizes circuit theory and least-cost path methods for presenting a green network that is objectified and applicable to spatial planning. First, an analysis of the Least-cost Path revealed 69 least-cost paths between 43 core green areas of the study site. Most least-cost paths have been identified as passing through small green areas and streams in the city. Using the circuit theory, it was also possible to distinguish areas other than least-cost paths from areas with high potential for development, areas where target species are concentrated within corridors. In particular, areas with relatively high green network improvement effects were derived within and around corridors. This study is most significant in establishing and evaluating existing urban green networks, overcoming the limitations discussed at the linear level and expanding to the area level. To increase the utilization of this study in the future, field surveys and monitoring studies on target species need to be supplemented.

Indoor Positioning System in Learning Approach Experiments

The positioning system research strongly supports the development of location-based services used by related business organizations. However, location-based services with user experience still have many obstacles to overcome, including how to maintain a high level of position accuracy. From the literature studies reviewed, it is necessary to develop an indoor positioning system using fingerprinting based on Received Signal Strength (RSS). So far, the testing of the indoor positioning system has been carried out with an algorithm. But, in this research, with the proposed parameters, we will conduct experiments with a learning approach. The data tested is the signal service data on the device in the Dinamika Bangsa University building. The test was conducted with a deep learning approach using a deep neural network (DNN) algorithm. The DNN method can estimate the actual space and get better position results, whereas machine learning methods such as the DNN algorithm can handle more effectively large data and produce more accurate data. From the results of comparative testing with the learning approach between DNN, KNN, and SVM, it can be concluded that the evaluation with KNN is slightly better than the use of DNN in a single case. However, the results of KNN have low consistency; this is seen from the fluctuations in the movements of the R2 score and MSE values produced. Meanwhile, DNN gives a consistent value even though it has varied hidden layers. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) gives the worst value of these experiments, although, in the past, SVM was known as one of the favorite methods.

Study workplace space occupancy: a review of measures and technologies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the use of technologies for measuring space occupancy to guide the selection of appropriate tools for workplace post-occupancy evaluation (POE) studies. The authors focus on how actual space occupancy was measured in previous studies and the pros and cons of the different technologies and tools. This paper also addresses research gaps and directions for future research. Design/methodology/approach The space occupancy measures/tools are categorized based on the three types of technologies: environmental/ambient sensors, wearable sensors/smartphones and computer vision. A total of 50 studies are reviewed to identify the capabilities and limitations of these measurements. Findings Based on review results, the authors propose that although sensor technology can be a useful addition to the measures/tools list, a comprehensive review of the research goal, the occupants' behavior, and the environmental settings' characteristics should be conducted beforehand. Selecting appropriate technology is critical for collecting the proper behavioral data type, with a lower level of surveillance and increased validity. Originality/value This paper urges critical thinking about existing occupancy measures/tools across various fields, to inform the adoption and creation of new building occupancy measures. The knowledge of emerging sensor technology allows researchers to better study the temporal patterns of occupant behavior over extended periods and in a wide range of settings.

Knowledge and Perspectives on the Welfare of Italian Heavy Pigs on Farms

This review aims to give an overview of the most significant available information on welfare issues of Italian heavy pigs on farms. These animals, whose meat is used to produce typical products, are characterized by much higher body weights and age at slaughter (approximately 160–170 kg, and 9 months of age) than most pigs reared in Europe, resulting in peculiar behavioral and rearing-related needs. To highlight the main findings and the areas in which additional research is needed, the paper was organized by allocating the studies on the basis of the Welfare Quality four principles framework, i.e., good feeding, good housing, good health, and appropriate behavior. The results indicate the possibility of improvement with regard to the management of feeding, watering, and some environmental parameters (light, thermal comfort, enrichments) and a lack of knowledge on the actual space requirements (and a corresponding regulatory gap). Moreover, deficiencies concerning the prevalence of injuries and disease and the relationship between lesions observed post-mortem and rearing conditions needs to be addressed. Lastly, the absence of research concerning the evaluation of the emotional state of animals has been highlighted. It is hoped that these findings will, in the future, serve as a basis for the development of specific policies for these animals in order to increase the ethical value of the entire production chain, in accordance with consumers’ demand and expectation for high animal welfare standards.

What Could Be, But Never Has Been: Horizons of Human Rights and Racial Justice

The US’s authority as chief enforcer of human rights grows increasingly illusory as civil unrest brings the quotidian nature of racialised human rights violations in the US into a frame shared by authoritarian regimes. This reality animates my analysis of how an organisation I call Doctors for Humanity (DfH) finds its footing in a terrain of human rights enforcement that is shifting from a global to a domestic focus. The US is not an actual space of freedom but often represents the limit of possible freedoms. This horizon evokes something that always could be but never has been and unmasks what I analyse as a constitutive unfreedom at the heart of liberalism in American empire. To attend to human rights violations in the US is to undermine American authority and its right and responsibility to make claims about the actions of other nations. As a future physician and human rights advocate invested in racial justice, I illuminate the paradoxes of ethical action within a context where the possibility of freedom for some depends upon the unfreedom of others. To effectively police human rights from this perspective necessitates the deconstruction of the US as a space of freedom, pointing instead towards a praxis of global human rights which lives up to the concept’s aspirational universality.

MODIFICATION AND APPLICATION OF HIGH FREQUENCY SIGNAL RECORDER FOR ELECTRICAL EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICAL WORKS

Electrical research in geology is used quite widely and with great efficiency. The use of ready-made signal recorders for these purposes is possible, but not effective enough, since in any case, they need to be modified to provide additional functions. Such functions include the synchronization of measurements with signals from positioning systems GPS or GLONASS. This synchronization is necessary in order for the measurement results to be linked to actual space and time coordinates as accurately as possible. The same measurements taken at different times may give different results due to changes in the orientation of the Earth relative to the Sun and Moon, as well as for other uncontrollable reasons. The need to accurately determine the coordinates of the measurement is obvious. The creative team of the commonwealth of organizations, the key of which is the Siberian Branch of the Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science of the Federal Research Center “Unified Geophysical Service of the Russian Academy of Sciences”, carried out the development and initial testing of a specialized signal recorder for electrical research. The additional modification was required to eliminate the identified deficiencies. This paper reports the main technical solutions when creating this recorder, describes the modification ,and gives an example of using this recorder for field measurements.

The Electric Field Detector on Board the China Seismo Electromagnetic Satellite—In-Orbit Results and Validation

The aim of this work is to validate the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite 01 (CSES-01) Electric Field Detector (EFD) measurements through the analysis of the instrument response to various inputs: (a) geomagnetic field variations, (b) plasma density depletions, and (c) electromagnetic signals from natural and artificial sources such as Schumann resonance and VLF (Very Low Frequency) antennas. The knowledge of the geomagnetic induced electric field vs×B (where vs is the satellite speed and B and the local magnetic field), and the plasma variations effect, described by the Orbit Motion Limited (OML) theory, are key parameters to determine the expected theoretical values of the EFD sensors potentials data. Based on the CSES on-board measurements of plasma parameters and geomagnetic field, a direct quantitative validation is presented. In addition, the electromagnetic signals detection capability is checked but only qualitatively confirmed, since the ionospheric complexity does not allow an accurate theoretical computation of waves modulation. The quantitative comparison highlights the very good agreement between observed and theoretical potentials values during average condition. Conversely, in case of strong electric fields, the OML theory shows partial inability in reproducing the actual space plasma conditions resulting in a reduced theoretical values reliability. Finally, both natural and artificial electromagnetic signals are satisfactorily identified showing a reliable sensitivity in different frequency bands.