Tracing Spatial Values through Poem-Drawing

In this article, poem-drawing is proposed as an emotive tool to interweave observations of place, the subjective perception of the architect, and imagined spatial interventions. A composite of two artistic instruments, allows the subjective and the objective dimension in architecture to re-establish their dialogue. In this paper, we aim to exhibit how poem-drawing can: 1. bring urban history into presence by verse-image storytelling; 2. discern how emotions (memories, desires, fears, dreams) related to a place build the urban collective memory; 3. encourage a design approach, sensitive towards the site-specific inherent beauty. Taking the old city core of Ohrid as a case study, we examined its reflection in/through the eyes of three (imaginary) interlocutors: a young pregnant woman in 1944, an eight-year-old girl in 2018 and an old lady in 2084. Through a process of poem-drawing-discussing, we tried to inhabit their personas by writing and drawing our imagined experiences of their storylines. Each cycle of poem-drawings was followed by comparison and evaluation of the written and drawn results according to their relevance for a future spatial intervention. By comparing poem-drawings from three time periods, we aimed to question whether it is possible to reveal which spatial qualities remain absolute, timeless, derived from the specificity of a particular site? With this experimental process, we aimed to find ways of tracing urban history, and to capture site-specific qualities that are difficult to measure by conventional means. By using our own embodied experience, our imagination, and by discussions on our findings, our investigation brought into play stories of the ancestors and the descendants of the citizens of Ohrid. &nbsp

RELATION TO FUNCTIONAL AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG HOSPITALIZED ELDERLIES

Introduction: Adding years to life is a great achievement when this is accompanied by a good level of health and well-being and independence. Major indicators for prediction mortality risk in older adults are the nutrition status and physical functional ability. The aim of this study is to present the nutritive and functional status among institutionalized elderlies and the relatedness with certain risk factors. Material and methods: Cross-sectional study has been conducted at certain nursing homes with participation of individuals over 60 years old. As for the research Scale of Daily Living Activities (ADL) has been used to present the functional capacity of the elderly and MNA has been used to detect the nutrition status. Results: The results from the research conducted among elderlies have shown the following socio-demographic characteristics: out of 127 participants, most of them were females- 77% and 69% at the age between 75 and 84. Most of the elderlies (in 68%) have completed secondary education. The results from MNA have shown that 69, 2 % are well- nourished, 27,6% are at risk for malnutrition and 3,2% are malnourished. There is a relatedness of the nutrition status with the gender (р˂0,001) and the level of education (р˂0,001).ADL scale among 127 elderly participants has shown that 37% are independent, 45% are with a moderate impairment and 18% are with severe functional impairment. In comparison with the females, the males show higher level of functional ability in all ADL components except the continence. Conclusion: The results from the research have shown that the nutrition status among elderlies is satisfactory, emphasizing the factors such as gender, education level and functional ability as key points for the level of nutrition status at the elderlies

Unraveling tuberculosis patient cluster transmission chains : integrating WGS-based network with clinical and epidemiological insights

Copyright © 2024 Sadovska, Ozere, Pole, Ķimsis, Vaivode, Vīksna, Norvaiša, Bogdanova, Ulanova, Čapligina, Bandere and Ranka.BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis remains a global health threat, and the World Health Organization reports a limited reduction in disease incidence rates, including both new and relapse cases. Therefore, studies targeting tuberculosis transmission chains and recurrent episodes are crucial for developing the most effective control measures. Herein, multiple tuberculosis clusters were retrospectively investigated by integrating patients' epidemiological and clinical information with median-joining networks recreated based on whole genome sequencing (WGS) data of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. METHODS: Epidemiologically linked tuberculosis patient clusters were identified during the source case investigation for pediatric tuberculosis patients. Only M. tuberculosis isolate DNA samples with previously determined spoligotypes identical within clusters were subjected to WGS and further median-joining network recreation. Relevant clinical and epidemiological data were obtained from patient medical records. RESULTS: We investigated 18 clusters comprising 100 active tuberculosis patients 29 of whom were children at the time of diagnosis; nine patients experienced recurrent episodes. M. tuberculosis isolates of studied clusters belonged to Lineages 2 (sub-lineage 2.2.1) and 4 (sub-lineages 4.3.3, 4.1.2.1, 4.8, and 4.2.1), while sub-lineage 4.3.3 (LAM) was the most abundant. Isolates of six clusters were drug-resistant. Within clusters, the maximum genetic distance between closely related isolates was only 5-11 single nucleotide variants (SNVs). Recreated median-joining networks, integrated with patients' diagnoses, specimen collection dates, sputum smear microscopy, and epidemiological investigation results indicated transmission directions within clusters and long periods of latent infection. It also facilitated the identification of potential infection sources for pediatric patients and recurrent active tuberculosis episodes refuting the reactivation possibility despite the small genetic distance of ≤5 SNVs between isolates. However, unidentified active tuberculosis cases within the cluster, the variable mycobacterial mutation rate in dormant and active states, and low M. tuberculosis genetic variability inferred precise transmission chain delineation. In some cases, heterozygous SNVs with an allelic frequency of 10-73% proved valuable in identifying direct transmission events. CONCLUSION: The complex approach of integrating tuberculosis cluster WGS-data-based median-joining networks with relevant epidemiological and clinical data proved valuable in delineating epidemiologically linked patient transmission chains and deciphering causes of recurrent tuberculosis episodes within clusters.Peer reviewe

Peter Handkes Offending the Audience: postmodern and post-dramatic varieties

Darbā „Pētera Handke “Publikumsbeschimpfung” postmodernas un “postmoderniskas” spēļu formas” aktualizēta mūsdienu pasaulē aizvien aktuālākā teātra tēma. Uzsvars likts uz postmodernisma pamataspektiem, ka arī Pētera Handke īpašo skatu uz teātri. Viens no darba svarīgākajiem aspektiem - noteikt kā “Publikumsbeschimpfung” ietekmēja teātra pasauli.The present paper with the title “Peter Handke Offending the Audience: postmodern and post-dramatic varieties” focuses on a topic that is actual at all times: theatre. Emphasis is given on basic aspects of postmodernism, as well as on special views of the theatre of Peter Handke. One of the most important aspects is to establish how” Offending the Audience” influenced the world of the theatre

Čustvena potopitev skozi risbo-pesem v prostorskem oblikovanju

Poem-drawing is a process of perceiving, reflecting on, and re-creating spatial experience through simultaneously applied modalities of literary and visual expression. It is an instrument for in-depth reading and establishing ties with the place of research, through emotive immersion: an artistic device that transforms the understanding of the built surrounding, enriching it with a fresh perspective and a sensitivity enhanced by the inclusion of an architect’s emotional and spiritual intelligence as core instruments in the spatial evaluation processes. Poem-drawing is the “water” through which the personal responsibility to integrate what one is seeing with what one is being and doing is processed and absorbed inside the spatial interpretation itself, like a personalized language, constantly growing and changing. This dissertation aims to provide insight into the varieties of such person-specific language through 1) the works of architects that are/were operating with writing-drawing experiments2) the author’s own design-driven artifacts, processes, and collaborations through poem-drawingand 3) the author’s pedagogical encounters through poem-drawing. The processes of critical thinking-through-making that unfold along the poem-drawing create the individuation of the language as a recognizable “voice.” The dissertation’s structure flows around the question of whether/when/how the presence of the personality (hypostasis) in that voice might creatively communicate with the multiplicity of other voices through the following cycles of sharing: self-cognition (sharing with the different personas inside oneself)self-extension (sharing with another poem-drawer through individually created artifacts)and self-abandonment (sharing with co-poem- drawers through collaboratively created artifacts).Ustvarjanje risbe-pesmi je proces zaznavanja, premišljevanja in poustvarjanja izkušnje prostora ob sočasni uporabi literarnega in vizualnega izraza. Je instrument za poglobljeno branje in vzpostavljanje povezav z obravnavanim prostorom, ki poteka preko čustvene potopitve: umetniškega sredstva, ki transformira razumevanje grajenega okolja ter ga obogati z novo perspektivo in občutljivostjo, k čemur pripomore vključitev arhitektove čustvene in duhovne inteligence kot osrednjih instrumentov v procesih prostorskega načrtovanja. Proces ustvarjanja risbe-pesmi je »voda«, skozi katero prečistimo osebno odgovornost, da to, kar vidimo, integriramo s tem, kar smo in kako delujemo, ter jo absorbiramo v samo prostorsko interpretacijo, kot personaliziran jezik, ki nenehno raste in se spreminja. Pričujoče doktorsko delo poskuša ponuditi vpogled v raznolikost tovrstnega personaliziranega jezika skozi opazovanje 1) del arhitektov, ki eksperimentirajo ali so eksperimentirali z modalnostma risanja in pisanja2) avtoričinih oblikovalsko usmerjenih del, procesov in sodelovanj, ki so vključevala ustvarjanje risbe-pesmiin 3) avtoričinih izmenjav s pomočjo risbe-pesmi v pedagoškem kontekstu. Učinek procesov kritičnega mišljenja-skozi-delovanje, ki se odvijajo ob ustvarjanju risbe-pesmi, je individuacija jezika kot prepoznavnega »glasu«. Struktura doktorskega dela se vije okrog vprašanja, ali/kdaj/kako lahko prisotnost osebnosti (hypostasis) v tem glasu ostane v ustvarjalnem razmerju z mnoštvom drugih glasov skozi naslednje cikle izmenjave: samozavedanje (izmenjave z različnimi personami znotraj sebe)samoekstenzija (izmenjave z nekom, ki prav tako prakticira risbo-pesem, a med sodelovanjem vsak ustvari svojo risbo-pesem)in samoopustitev (izmenjave skozi skupaj ustvarjene artifakte)

Short documentary "A child with physical disability: a family's everyday experience in Latvia".

Multimediju komunikācijaInformācijas un komunikācijas zinātnesMultimedia CommunicationInformation and Communication SciencesRadošā bakalaura darba “Bērns ar kustību traucējumiem: ģimenes ikdienas pieredze Latvijā” mērķis ir izveidot dokumentālo īsfilmu, kurā tiek attēlota ģimenes ikdienas pieredze ar bērnu, kuram ir kustību traucējumi. Darba teorijas pirmajā nodaļā tiek sniegts ieskats par dokumentālo kino, tā klasifikācijas veidiem un īsmetrāžas filmu īpašībām. Otrajā teorijas nodaļā tiek apskatīts temats par kustību traucējumiem kā invaliditātes veidu un to atainojumu medijos, kino industrijā un dokumentālā kino. Savukārt trešā teorijas nodaļa sniedz ieskatu dokumentālo filmu izveides procesā – sagatavošanas, filmēšanas un pēcapstrādes posmos. Darbā tiek apskatīts arī jautājums par invaliditātes problemātisko atainojumu medijos un kino industrijā. Izskatot teorētisko literatūru, darba autore meklēja atbildes uz to, kā izvairīties no stereotipizēta invaliditātes atainojuma dokumentālajā kino. Radošā bakalaura darba mērķis ir sasniegts: īstenojot tā praktisko daļu, tika izveidota 14 minūšu gara dokumentālā īsfilma par ģimenes ikdienu ar bērnu, kuram ir kustību traucējumi. Dokumentālā īsfilma ir balstīta uz intervijas, līdzdalības un perfomatīvā dokumentālo kino tipa iezīmēm. Īsfilma tiek veidota ar domu parādīt to, ka, pat neskatoties uz smagiem dzīves apstākļiem, ģimene var dzīvot gluži parastu dzīvi, kā to dara citas ģimenes, nezaudējot gaišu redzējumu uz tālāko nākotni. Paralēli tam filma var arī sniegt noderīgu informāciju tai sabiedrības daļai, kura ikdienā saskaras ar cilvēkiem, it sevišķi bērniem, ar kustību traucējumiem.The aim of the creative bachelor’s thesis “A child with physical disability: a family's everyday experience in Latvia” is to create a short documentary that portrays a family’s everyday experience with a child who has physical disability. The first chapter of the theoretical part of the thesis gives an overview of documentary, its classification and the characteristics of short films. The second chapter of the theory focuses on the topic of physical disabilities and their framing in the media, the film industry and documentary film. The third chapter of the theory provides an insight into the process of documentary filmmaking – the pre-production, production and post-production. The problematic representation of disability in the media and film industry is also discussed. Through a review of theoretical literature, the author looked for answers on how to avoid stereotyped portrayals of disability in documentary. The aim of the creative bachelor thesis has been achieved: during the practical part of the thesis, a 14 minute documentary about everyday life of a family with a child who has physical disability was created. The short documentary is based on the interview, participatory and performative documentary types. The short film is made with the aim to show that, even despite difficult circumstances, a family can live a normal life, as other families do, without losing a bright vision for the future. The film can also provide useful information for those in society who come into contact with people, especially children, with disabilities in their daily lives

Exploring Variability in Rifampicin Plasma Exposure and Development of Anti-Tuberculosis Drug-Induced Liver Injury among Patients with Pulmonary Tuberculosis from the Pharmacogenetic Perspective

Genetic polymorphisms can exert a considerable impact on drug pharmacokinetics (PK) and the development of adverse drug reactions (ADR). However, the effect of genetic polymorphisms on the anti-tuberculosis (anti-TB) drug, and particularly rifampicin (RIF), exposure or anti-TB drug-induced liver injury (DILI) remains uncertain. Here, we evaluated the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) detected in the RIF pharmacogenes (AADAC, SLCO1B1, SLCO1B3, ABCB1, and NR1I2) and RIF PK parameters, as well as anti-TB treatment-associated DILI. In total, the study enrolled 46 patients with drug-susceptible pulmonary TB. The RIF plasma concentration was measured using the LC-MS/MS method in the blood samples collected pre-dose and 2 and 6 h post-dose, whilst the DILI status was established using the results from blood biochemical analysis performed before and 10–12 days after treatment onset. The genotyping was conducted using a targeted NGS approach. After adjustment for confounders, the patients carrying the rs3732357 GA/AA genotype of the NR1I2 gene were found to have significantly lower RIF plasma AUC0–6 h in comparison to those with GG genotype, while the difference in RIF plasma Cmax was insignificant. None of the analyzed SNPs was related to DILI. Hence, we are the first to report NR1I2 intronic SNP rs3732357 as the genetic component of variability in RIF exposure. Regarding anti-TB treatment-associated DILI, the other preexisting factors promoting this ADR should be considered