The closed world of ecological architecture

This article explores how and why imagined and real environments in space came to serve as models for ecological design of earthly landscapes and buildings in the 1970s. It claims that life in space came to represent the peaceful, rational, and environmentally friendly alternative to the destructive, irrational, ecological crisis down on Earth. Spaceship management aimed narrowly at the biological survival of astronauts, an ethic which also came to dominate ecological design proposals on board Spaceship Earth. The result was a design programme which was at the expense of a wider aesthetic and social understanding of the human condition. The article reviews the work of leading ecological designers of the period, such as Ian L. McHarg, John Todd and the New Alchemists, Alexander Pike and John Frazer, Brenda and Robert Vale, Ken Yeang, Phil Hawes, and others. It situates their projects in the perspective of ecological research methods of the period and puts forward an understanding of their thinking in the context of space exploration. Today's challenge is to escape the intellectual space capsule that ecologists have created for environmentally concerned architects.     

Meat and bone meal as nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer to cereals and rye grass

Meat and bone meal (MBM) contains appreciable amounts of total nitrogen (~8%), phosphorus (~5%) and calcium (~10%). It may therefore be a useful fertilizer for various crops. This paper shows results from both pot and field experiments on the N and P effects of MBM. In two field experiments with spring wheat, increasing amounts of MBM (500, 1000, 2000 kg MBM ha⁻¹) showed a linear yield increase related to the N-supply. A similar experiment with barley gave positive yield increase for 500 kg MBM ha⁻¹ and no further yield increase for larger amounts of MBM. Supply of extra mineral P gave no yield increase when 500 kg MBM ha⁻¹ or more was applied. Meat and bone meal as P fertilizer was studied in greenhouse experiments using spring barley and rye grass as test crops. N applications were 100 N kg ha⁻¹ to barley and 200 kg N ha⁻¹ to rye grass, either from mineral fertilizer or assuming that 80% of total N in MBM was effective. Four different P deficient soils were given increasing doses of MBM and compared with compound NPK fertilizer 11-5-18, mineral N fertilizer (0 kg P ha⁻¹) and a control (0 kg N ha⁻¹, 0 kg P ha⁻¹). In barley there was no significant yield difference between the NPK treatment and MBM treatment with equal N supply, and both had significant higher yield than the treatment receiving the same amount of mineral N without P-supply. The positive yield response of MBM was even larger in rye grass. Both in barley and rye grass a significant residual effect of P from MBM applied the year before was found when the treatments received the same amount of mineral N fertilizer (0 kg P ha⁻¹). The pot experiments confirmed the assumed N effect of MBM. When MBM is used according to the N demand of the crops, the P supply will be more than sufficient and residual P will be left in the soil. Since a part of this residual P was utilized by the crops of the following year, it is not recommended to apply P-fertilizer the year after MBM application.     

Synthesis and characterization of silica-embedded iron oxide nanoparticles for magnetic resonance imaging

In this communication, a conceptually new approach to the delivery of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents is presented. Our experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using silica-embedded iron oxide nanoparticles as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging, where a reduction in signal intensity (increased contrast) in the T2-weighted images is observed. The surface of these particles can be chemically modified by attachment of polyethylene glycol molecules, which are found to reduce nonspecific protein binding. The design of the nanoparticle is universal and flexible and allows for facile addition or interchange of its active components (i.e., MRI contrast agents and targeting moiety) with photodynamic dyes.     

A conformation- and ion-sensitive plasmonic biosensor

The versatile optical and biological properties of a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor that responds to protein conformational changes are illustrated. The sensor detects conformational changes in a surface-bound construct of the calcium-sensitive protein calmodulin. Increases in calcium concentration induce a 0.96 nm red shift in the spectral position of the LSPR extinction maximum (λ(max)). Addition of a calcium chelating agent forces the protein to return to its original conformation and is detected as a reversal of the λ(max) shift. As opposed to previous work, this work demonstrates that these conformational changes produce a detectable shift in λ(max) even in the absence of a protein label, with a signal:noise ratio near 500. In addition, the protein conformational changes reversibly switch both the wavelength and intensity of the resonance peak, representing an example of a bimodal plasmonic component that simultaneously relays two distinct forms of optical information. This highly versatile plasmonic device acts as a biological sensor, enabling the detection of calcium ions with a biologically relevant limit of detection of 23 μM, as well as the detection of calmodulin-specific protein ligands.     

Gynaecology, forced sterilisation, and asylum in the USA

On September 30, 1996, the US Congress enacted a law to grant asylum protection to victims of forced sterilization, forced abortion, and other forms of coerced population control and to opponents of these practices. Before this time, the US Board of Immigration Appeals judged forced sterilization insufficient grounds for political asylum unless it was performed for some discriminatory reason. The authors of this article have examined five women who claimed they were forcibly sterilized in China and were granted political asylum in the US as a result. The average age of these women was 32 years, while the average duration since forced sterilization was 8.6 years. Since asylum applications are not filed according to cause, there are no estimates of the number of women seeking asylum in the US as a result of forced sterilization. The Chinese government claims it does not authorize forced sterilization, but local officials acknowledge it sometimes occurs. In many cases, sterilization is not formally coerced but required as a condition of employment. Consistency between the woman's claim of forced sterilization and medical or psychological reports is essential to the success of asylum applications. US physicians should be prepared to play a documentary role in the evaluation of such requests.     

The usefulness of mobile multimedia communications: a case study

To design new technologies, such as mobile multimedia communications, in a proper way, early assessment of their usefulness and requirements is needed. However, early assessment still lacks a sound methodology. This article presents an early assessment method that has been developed in a case study on the usefulness of mobile multimedia communications. After the introduction, the method will be briefly explained. The method consists of the following stages: preliminary investigation, analysis, scenario development, workshop evaluation, and simulation. These stages contain the aspects and consequences of the reference model that has been explained in the introduction of this volume: (1) the involvement of stakeholder groups; (2) the multi-facet approach to the development and evaluation of telematics applications; (3) the important role of theoretical notions in the development process; (4) the importance of a multi-disciplinary team. A case study in the area of emergency medicine will be presented, focusing on the usefulness of mobile multimedia communications. Finally, conclusions will be drawn from the case study.