171 research outputs found
Design of supporting system for life in outer space. A design perspective on space missions near earth and beyond
No full textThis book is a rich source of information on design research and solutions for the support and development of space missions. International experiences and researches are presented in order to cast light on the role of space design in improving living and working conditions in outer space and to highlight the particularities of the necessary design skills, taking into account specific requirements and constraints. The challenge facing designers is how to approach environmentally extreme conditions in such a way that they are transformed from limitations into opportunities. The author has herself developed products that have been tested during on-orbit experiments on the International Space Station. Drawing on this unique experience and other case studies, the author proposes a new design methodology for space and demonstrates how the discipline of design is able to generate innovation thanks to the strong capacity of visioning. Ultimately this will lead to the development of further new equipment for astronauts that will facilitate space travel. While the book is intended primarily for students and researchers, it is also of interest for a broad readership attracted by space, innovation, and future scenarios
Cosmic space as a Key for creative design. How industrial design in cosmic space is useful to exemplify an innovative methodology for design process in education
No full textThis paper take advantage to the experience of the author in design for space (with the meaning of cosmic space) working for astronauts with the aim to improve the comfort and the wellbeing of the crew onboard the International Space Station. The cosmic space has two specific peculiarities that determines the nature of the design approach: the confined environment and the microgravity conditions. Industrial design is fundamental for human space programs because is dedicated to understand environment requirements and users and their needs, to find innovative solutions for product, equipments and tools to make easier human performance onboard and to increase living and working in space in comfortable and efficiently way. This reason is a extraordinary opportunity to involve the students to participate in a design process that consider a context completely new as the cosmic space which foresees the possibility to explore the reality with others point of views and with different relations between the environment and the human being. The task of industrial design in cosmic space is to facilitate human movement and activities foreseeing new ways of using tools and new gestures in relation to the extraordinary conditions of the environment. The “design of use and gesture” proposed from the author is one of the greatest difference between designing for earth projects and for space projects lies in a great attention that must be paid to human movement, to design in compliance with use and gestures, together with the design of object itself, which must be based on forecast use and on the simulation of the results. This study intends to demonstrate that some strategies which belong to the industrial design for cosmic space can be transferred into a new design methodology for education sharing with students the principles that produce a “good design” considering parameters which are so far to the normal context that we are living on earth
Space Architecture Education in Milan
No full textThis paper suggest a method to develop project education activity teaching architecture and industrial design practices.
The thesis is based on the application of a methodology called “project research”, developed by the author inside the Design Faculty of the Politecnico di Milano, to formative context of the fourth year of the Laboratory of Industrial Design “Space Design”. The methodology related to the project research consists of the elaboration of new knowledge through the project experience in which theory and practice overlapped and in which the external environment, the real purchaser, the industrial reality, are the principal interlocutors of the designer.
The application of the project research methods to the formative context is recommended if the objective of the Laboratory of Industrial Design “Space Design” is oriented to a professional formation which put the students in the conditions to operate in a real context with external stimuli to the academic environment.
The focal point of the thesis expressed in this paper is the proposal of a education program in which the theoretical lectures of the academic instructors interweave with external resources, as experiences of professionals from the scientific and industrial world, with the aim to stimulate students curiosity and get them accustomed to the complexity. It could be useful to place the theoretical teaching next to the real practice of the “workshop” through: the research, that is the capability to found information; the analysis, that is the capability to manage and organize them; finally, the elaboration of concept design, which represent the visualization of the first hypothesis in which the project requirements and the designer intuition join together.
The results attended with this method could consent to the students to acquire a double management capability: the information management, from which it could derive the student attitude to the industrial design research, and the project management, from which could arise the attitude to the practice of industrial design.
The paper describes the proposed method through the case study of the fourth year of the Laboratory of Industrial Design “Space Design”, in which the author is scientific coordinator, started from this year at the Design Faculty of the Politecnico di Milano
VEST. Clothing Support System On-Orbit Validation
No full textThis paper presents the results of the VEST experiment scheduled during the Italian “Marco Polo” Soyuz Mission in April 2002 about which the author was Principal Investigator.
VEST is a new integrated system of clothing to be used in the space flight environment.
Aim of the experiment was to demonstrate that the provision of a new integrated system of garments to the crew would increase their well being, would allow to collect useful data with less impact on the crew schedule and to prove that in general with VEST equipment less mass and less volume are required for the clothing system.
The VEST experiment is the final purpose of the feasibility study in 2001 in order to improve living and working conditions in space by designing innovative fabrics suitable for life inside the International Space Station (ISS) while keeping style a priority. Also, the new materials key characteristics are enable the clothes to guarantee transpiration, body thermal control and hygiene of the crewmember.
The results of VEST experiment have allowed to obtain specific requirements for a new clothing system in microgravity and confined environments.
Next experiment designed by the author named GOAL, Garments for Orbital Activities in weightLessness, planned for the Italian “Eneide” Soyuz Mission in April 2005, takes into consideration the first result of VEST developing new requirements and items to be comfortable and usable on board during space flight human missions
Space Fashion in Microgravity and on Earth
No full textFashion in space is not to be understood in the same way as on Earth. It’s not about designing glamorous collections inspired by space style, as happened during the Space Age, in which the massive use of synthetic materials with colors that preferred the shades of white and silver gave rise to plastic shapes inspired by science fiction films. Designing clothes that will be used by astronauts in space, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), means knowing very well an environment unknown to us, governed by different laws such as confinement and microgravity, that are not part of our daily experience and cannot be reproduced on our planet. And vice-versa, designing clothes that will be used on Earth, that integrate space technologies, means having the ability to identify the most promising innovations used in space and transform them into new applications. In this chapter are described two case studies conducted by the author, who for more than twenty years has been dealing with Space Design, which highlight in the first case, how design can take a priority role to improve life in space, and in the second, how design can act as a “bridge” between science and beauty generating spin-offs from space to Earth. The first case study concerns the VEST and GOAL experiments, a clothing system for the Intra-Vehicular Activities (IVA) of astronauts on board the ISS, based on new parameters designed specifically for Space, with the aim of increasing the comfort and performance of astronauts during daily activities. The second case study, the capsule collection COUTURE IN ORBIT, points out that Space can be a great inspiration for Design that is able to speak different languages and convey to the public how space research is important to produce well-being and innovation thanks to technology transfers, good practices, and behaviors, from Space to Earth
DESIGN DEGLI AMBIENTI ESTREMI
No full textParlare di ambienti confinati presuppone avere la consapevolezza del concetto di “limite”, ossia il confine oggettivo oltre il quale non sono più garantite le condizioni di sicurezza per la sopravvivenza dell’uomo.
Esempi che chiariscano questo concetto si possono trovare sia in scala naturale che artificiale. Un’isola può essere definita un ambiente confinato naturale, se consideriamo il suo limite l’acqua circostante, ma seguendo lo stesso criterio, lo è anche la terra, se consideriamo il suo limite il cosmo, oltre l’atmosfera. Basi in contesti estremi per l’uomo, come in Antartide, o le future per la Luna e per Marte, ma anche più semplicemente interni di aerei, treni, sottomarini etc. sono ambienti confinati artificiali creati dall’uomo per preservarlo dalle condizioni esterne sfavorevoli.
Un ambiente confinato creato artificialmente deve quindi seguire due criteri essenziali: garantire condizioni ambientali che permettano la vita e funzionare come un organismo autonomo e autosufficiente.
Oltre a consentire la sopravvivenza, un ambiente confinato dovrebbe garantire lo svolgimento delle varie attività in modo confortevole ed efficiente, perché un grado di benessere diffuso si riflette direttamente in una maggiore produttività. Questa riflessione mi permette di introdurre il ruolo del disegno industriale nella progettazione di ambienti confinati in contesti estremi e di anticipare come un campo di interesse nuovo e per certi versi ancora pionieristico possa diventare area di applicazione privilegiata della nostra disciplina.
Progettare ambienti che garantiscano condizioni di abitabilità con un elevato grado di comfort è il compito del designer che si fa interprete delle esigenze degli utenti mediando i limiti fisici oggettivi, riferiti agli spazi confinati, con i requisiti ambientali, in relazione alle problematiche fisiologiche e sociali dei soggetti coinvolti
Influence of duration of simulated transport on plasma stress markers in the calf
No full textThe effects of simulated transport of calves for 150 min on plasma cortisol, NEFA, glucose, and calcium were evaluated. Both cortisol and NEFA reached maximal values within 30-60 min, with no further increases during the transportation. Changes in glucose and calcium were not significant. The results indicate that in simulated transport, the duration per se is not a crucial factor in transport stress
Ruolo del Rapporto Neutrofili-Linfociti (NLR) nella valutazione del rischio di recidiva di neoplasia intraepiteliale cervicale di alto grado (CIN2+) dopo trattamento chirurgico
No full textIl principale fattore di rischio coinvolto nella recidiva di lesioni cervicali di alto grado relate all’infezione da Papillomavirus Umano (HPV) CIN2+ dopo trattamento chirurgico, sono da ritrovarsi nella persistenza dell’infezione medesima e nel fallimento conseguente della clearance virale da parte del sistema immunitario dell’ospite. La de-regolazione dell’immunità cellulare consente ai genotipi di HPV al alto rischio oncogeno (HR-HPV) di trasformarsi in “un’infezione persistente trasformante” che promuove lo sviluppo delle lesioni di alto grado e del carcinoma della cervice uterina e il conseguente aumentato rischio di recidiva dopo il trattamento chirurgico. In tale contesto, la progressione neoplastica è inoltre caratterizzata da un’incrementata produzione di citochine IL6, IL17, IL8, stimolanti i linfociti TH2, e una ridotta espressione di IL1, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, INF-gamma, cui segue un mancato richiamo dei linfociti TH1. Si assiste quindi al crearsi di uno squilibrio tra i linfociti TH2 CD4+ e i linfociti TH1 CD8+, così repressi. Un possibile indicatore clinico dell’alterazione immunologica nelle infezioni cervicale indotti da HPV è rappresentato calcolo del rapporto neutrofili-linfociti (NLR). Lo scopo dello studio è stato analizzare il ruolo predittivo della NLR nella recidiva di CIN di alto grado (CIN2+) dopo trattamento escissionale mediante tecnica leep.
Sono stati analizzati in modo retrospettivo i dati clinici, demografici, virologici, biochimici e istologici di 444 pazienti, arruolate presso il Servizio di Colposcopia del Dipartimento di ginecologia e ostetricia, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia, dal 2011 al 2020. Le pazienti sono afferite presso il suddetto centro di patologia del basso tratto genitale per un pap test di screening anomalo. I dati sono stati confrontati con il valore di NLR, calcolato dai dati derivati dal valore assoluto di linfociti e neutrofili al momento della diagnosi.
Tutti le pazienti analizzate sono state trattate secondo un protocollo stabilito: (colposcopia ogni 6 mesi per i primi due anni, e ogni anno oltre i tre anni,) HPV-DNA test, biopsia cervicale (esocervicale e/o endocervicale) eseguita all'ingresso e alla fine del follow-up. Tutti le pazienti sono state sottoposte a un prelievo di sangue periferico venoso, per il conteggio dei globuli bianchi, dei neutrofili e dei linfociti (valori espressi come 10^3 /ml).
La sensibilità (SE) e la specificità (SP) del cut-off di NLR di 1.34 per la diagnosi di recidiva di CIN2+
è stato rispettivamente di 0.76 e 0.67. Il rischio di recidiva di CIN2+ è stato significativamente più elevato nelle pazienti con NLR < 1.34 (3.7% vs 0.6%, p = 0,033). La sopravvivenza libera da recidiva a 5 anni di Follow-up è stata più elevata nelle pazienti con NLR ≥ 1.34 (97% vs. 93%, p=0,030).
Tale studio mostra come possibili limitazioni due fattori principali; da una parte l’analisi retrospettiva e la bassa incidenza di recidiva possono limitare le conclusioni. In aggiunta, per il disegno retrospettivo dello studio non sono state prese in considerazione nell’analisi multivariata le comorbidità delle pazienti e abitudini di vita come il fumo, che possono influenzare il valore di NLR. D'altra parte, la durata media del follow-up nel nostro studio è stata però di 26 mesi (IQR 22-31), che riflette pienamente l’incidenza di ricorrenza di recidiva di CIN2+.
In conclusione, sebbene sia noto che le lesioni CIN2+ sono sostenute da una de-regolazione del sistema immunitario causata da infezione persistente da HPV, tra i fattori determinati tale alterazione del microambiente immunologico, i linfociti sono i determinanti della persistenza virale. Per tale motivo il calcolo del NRL potrebbe essere un biomarcatore affidabile ed economicamente vantaggioso nel prevedere il rischio di recidiva soprattutto per lesioni cervicali di alto grado in ambito clinico.The main risk factor involved in the recurrence of high-grade cervical lesions related to Human Papillomavirus (HPV) CIN2+ infection after surgical treatment is found in the persistence of the infection and the consequent failure of viral clearance by the immune system. Deregulation of cellular immunity allows HPV genotypes with high oncological risk (HR-HPV) to arrive to “transforming persistent infection” that promotes the development of high-grade lesions and cervical cancer and subsequent increased risk of recurrence after surgical treatment. In this context, neoplastic progression is also characterized by an increased production of cytokines IL6, IL17, IL8, which stimulate TH2 lymphocytes, and a reduced expression of IL1, TNF-alpha, TGF-beta, INF-gamma, followed by a failure to recall TH1 lymphocytes. We therefore witness the creation of an imbalance between the TH2 CD4+ lymphocytes and the TH1 CD8+ lymphocytes, thus repressed. A possible clinical indicator of immunological alteration in HPV-induced cervical infections is represented by calculation of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR). The aim of the study was to analyze the predictive role of NLR in the recurrence of high-grade CIN (CIN2+) after excisional treatment using the leep technique.
The clinical, demographic, virological, biochemical and histological data of 444 patients enrolled in the Colposcopy Service of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo di Pavia, from 2011 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients referred to the center for an abnormal screening pap test. The data were compared with the NLR value, calculated from data derived from the absolute value of lymphocytes and neutrophils at the time of diagnosis.
All patients analyzed were treated according to an established protocol: (colposcopy every 6 months for the first two years, and every year beyond three years) HPV-DNA test, cervical biopsy (esocervical and/or endocervical) performed on admission and at the end of the follow-up. All patients underwent a venous peripheral blood sample to count white blood cells, neutrophils and lymphocytes (values expressed as 10^3 /ml).
The sensitivity (SE) and specificity (SP) of the NLR cut-off of 1.34 for the diagnosis of CIN2+ recurrence was 0.76 and 0.67, respectively. The risk of CIN2+ recurrence was significantly higher in patients with NLR < 1.34 (3.7% vs 0.6%, p = 0.033). Recurrendce-free survival at 5 years of follow-up was higher in patients with NLR ≥ 1.34 (97% vs. 93%, p=0.030).
This study reporting the following limitation: the retrospective analysis and the low incidence of recurrence may limit the conclusions. In addition, due to the retrospective design of the study, patient comorbidities and lifestyle habits such as smoking were not taken into consideration in the multivariable analysis. On the other hand, the median duration of follow-up in our study was 26 months (IQR 22-31), which fully reflects the incidence of CIN2+ recurrence.
In conclusion, although it is well known that CIN2+ lesions are supported by a deregulation of the immune system caused by persistent HPV infection, among the factors determining this alteration of the immunological microenvironment, lymphocytes are the determinants of viral persistence. For this reason, the calculation of the NRL could be a reliable and cost-effective biomarker in predicting the risk of recurrence, especially for high-grade cervical lesions in the clinical setting
International space station as time machine. New routines of everyday life: establishing a time in space
No full textLiving and working on board the International Space Station (ISS) produces a cognitive, postural, physiological, and semantic ‘shift’ that
significantly affects the thoughts, emotions, and behaviours of the crew. The routine of everyday life is altered by different conditions, including confinement and microgravity, which have a decisive influence on the perception of space and time. In addition, there are two orders of ‘space’: the one inside the time machine, the spaceship, and the one ‘outside’ seen through the windows of the Cupola, the Cosmic Space, the void, the infinity. The idea of considering the ISS a time machine is fascinating. During the orbital journey around Earth at a height of 408 kilometers, the astronauts live 16 sunrises and 16 sunsets in 24 hours, every 90 minutes. How can this extraordinary experience not affect the physiology and especially the psyche of human beings who have lived their daily life through days marked by the natural cycle of day and night? Time is a fundamental dimension of everyday life. We cannot see or touch time; however, we can unequivocally perceive its passage and
adapt our behaviour accordingly. Like other senses, our perception of time is not true, but rather is modulated by changes in the
environmental context. Experiences suggest that emotions can be according to different parameters – including neuronal mechanisms and networks, cognitive functions, awareness (which implies cognition), age, and culture – whose interrelations and effects are not yet well known, but become of extreme interest to those who must design environments in confinement and microgravity conditions, like space stations, the ISS and the future Gateway, but also future habitable bases for the Moon and Mars. In this essay the author – Space Architect with 20 years of experience in the design of objects, equipment and extra-terrestrial environments, as well as Principal Investigator of several experiments carried out on board the ISS with the collaboration of astronauts – proposes a perceptive and cultural ‘shift’ that presents the ISS as a time machine, in which the role of architecture and design is to ‘mitigate’ the effects of the extraordinary environment lived in Space trying to bring back the ‘weightless inhabitants’ a condition of balance and increased well-being
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