Future of architectural hybridity:: Exploring the Bauhaus culture in Hajjar's hybrid architecture

The aim of this study is to explore the notion of stylistic hybridity in architecture by using shape grammar as a computational design methodology. The mid-twentieth-century architecture produced by William Hajjar is used as a case study for this exploration. Hajjar was a member of the architecture faculty at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), a practitioner in State College where the University Park campus is located, and an influential figure in the history of architecture in the area. The residential architecture he designed for and built in the area incorporates many of the shapes, rules, and features of both modern European architecture and traditional American architecture. Using computational methodology, this study offers an investigation into this hybridity phenomenon and explores the possibility of producing hybrid architectural designs for future uses. In the present study, shape grammars are used specifically to verify and describe the influence of Bauhaus/European modernism on Hajjar's domestic architecture: rules from the grammar developed for his single-family houses in the State College area will be compared with rules from the grammar developed for the Gropius-Breuer partnership in the United States. The potential of shape grammar will be discussed as an effective complementary tool for architectural historians to use in a mathematically rigorous way to verify the formal and functional similarities between styles. In short, it is proposed that shape grammars be used broadly in detective work to verify or disprove hypotheses

Future of architectural hybridity:: Exploring the Bauhaus culture in Hajjar's hybrid architecture

The aim of this study is to explore the notion of stylistic hybridity in architecture by using shape grammar as a computational design methodology. The mid-twentieth-century architecture produced by William Hajjar is used as a case study for this exploration. Hajjar was a member of the architecture faculty at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State), a practitioner in State College where the University Park campus is located, and an influential figure in the history of architecture in the area. The residential architecture he designed for and built in the area incorporates many of the shapes, rules, and features of both modern European architecture and traditional American architecture. Using computational methodology, this study offers an investigation into this hybridity phenomenon and explores the possibility of producing hybrid architectural designs for future uses. In the present study, shape grammars are used specifically to verify and describe the influence of Bauhaus/European modernism on Hajjar's domestic architecture: rules from the grammar developed for his single-family houses in the State College area will be compared with rules from the grammar developed for the Gropius-Breuer partnership in the United States. The potential of shape grammar will be discussed as an effective complementary tool for architectural historians to use in a mathematically rigorous way to verify the formal and functional similarities between styles. In short, it is proposed that shape grammars be used broadly in detective work to verify or disprove hypotheses

Developing a Visual Tool to Encourage Public Participation in Decision-Making Processes for Intervening in an Urban Historical Context

Citizens can be meaningfully involved in multiple phases of the urban planning process from decision-making to implementation via a dedicated online platform through which they can interact with planners and decision-makers. In historical contexts, local people are essential resources for decision-makers seeking critical local information needed for effective planning and intervention—including what those citizens recall from the past about the area’s social values and the built environment and what they imagine and hope for their neighborhood’s future. This public knowledge, collected through storytelling and mapping, can play a fundamental role in shaping the framework for neighborhood rehabilitation plans. As a foundation for designing an online visual questionnaire to collect local knowledge and understand the views and expectations of local people, this study focuses on theoretical ideas to define a framework for an online visual questionnaire tool. The tool presented provides a common visual language that people can easily understand and use whatever their social class, education, or background. It also has the benefit of enabling citizens and planners to interact directly regardless of their geographical location. To proposing a framework for the online visual questionnaire, the first step was to review some existing visual tools and methods, including analog used for community engagement and digital used in urban planning to encourage and support public participation. Through an analysis of these methods, some important variables and criteria were identified that further our understanding of citizens’ perceptions of their neighborhoods. The next step, as part of a larger study, will be examining a historical public space, including a bazaar, hammam, and cistern—located in the historical context of Yazd— a central city in Iran registered as a cultural heritage site by UNESCO— as a case study with the larger goal of identifying some specifi

Unresponsiveness to Glucantime Treatment in Iranian Cutaneous Leishmaniasis due to Drug-Resistant Leishmania tropica Parasites

BACKGROUND: Recent circumstantial evidence suggests that an increasing number of Iranian patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis are unresponsive to meglumine antimoniate (Glucantime), the first line of treatment in Iran. This study was designed to determine whether the clinical responses (healing, or non-healing) were correlated with the susceptibility of Leishmania parasites to Glucantime. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In vitro susceptibility testing was first performed on 185 isolated parasites in the intracellular mouse peritoneal macrophage model. A strong correlation between the clinical outcome and the in vitro effective concentration 50% (EC (50)) values was observed. Parasites derived from patients with non-healing lesions had EC (50) values at least 4-fold higher than parasites derived from lesions of healing patients. A selection of these strains was typed at the molecular level by pulsed-field gels and by sequencing the pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1) gene. These techniques indicated that 28 out of 31 selected strains were Leishmania tropica and that three were Leishmania major. The L. major isolates were part of a distinct pulsed-field group, and the L. tropica isolates could be classified in three related additional pulsed-field groups. For each pulsed-field karyotype, we selected sensitive and resistant parasites in which we transfected the firefly luciferase marker to assess further the in vitro susceptibility of field isolates in the monocyte cell line THP1. These determinations confirmed unequivocally that patients with non-healing lesions were infected with L. tropica parasites resistant to Glucantime. Additional characterization of the resistant isolates showed that resistance is stable and can be reversed by buthionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of glutathione biosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of proven resistant parasites contributing to treatment failure for cutaneous leishmaniasis and shows that primary Glucantime-resistant L. tropica field isolates are now frequent in Iran

Echoes of Union Depot: A virtual reality educational game for historic preservation and public awareness

This paper presents the design, development, and potential impact of Echoes of Union Depot, a virtual reality (VR) game aimed at promoting historic preservation and raising public awareness about El Paso's Union Depot, a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places Inventory. The game leverages the immersive capabilities of VR technology and 360° images to engage players in exploring the site's rich history and architectural evolution. Players assume the role of a time-traveling detective, guiding lost spirits to resolve their past and move on. The paper outlines the development process, highlighting the use of 360° panoramic images and 3D Vista Virtual Tour Pro software to create an accessible and user-friendly experience that fosters historic preservation awareness and cultural appreciation. The study also discusses limitations and areas for future research, including expanding the scope to include other heritage sites, working with historians and cultural consultants for accurate representations, and evaluating the game's effectiveness in promoting awareness and fostering a sense of community pride

Miltefosine-Induced Apoptotic Cell Death on Leishmania major and L. tropica Strains

The aim of this study was to assess the cytotoxic effects of various concentrations of miltefosine on Leishmania major (MRHO/IR/75/ER) and L. tropica (MHOM/IR/02/Mash10) promastigotes and to observe the programmed cell death features. The colorimetric MTT assay was used to find L. major and L. tropica viability and the obtained results were expressed as 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50). Also, 50% effective doses (ED50) for L. major and L. tropica amastigotes were also determined. Annexin-V FLUOS staining was performed to study the cell death properties of miltefosine using FACS analysis. Qualitative analysis of the total genomic DNA fragmentation was performed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, to observe changes in cell morphology, promastigotes were examined using light microscopy. In both strains of L. major and L. tropica, miltefosine induced dose-dependent death with features of apoptosis, including cell shrinkage, DNA laddering, and externalization of phosphatidylserine. The IC50 was achieved at 22 µM and 11 µM for L. major and L. tropica after 48 hr of incubation, respectively. ED50 of L. major and L. tropica amastigotes were 5.7 µM and 4.2 µM, respectively. Our results indicate that miltefosine induces apoptosis of the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in a dose-dependent manner. Interestingly, L. major did not display any apoptotic changes when it was exposed to miltefosine in concentrations sufficient to kill L. tropica

Strongyloides stercoralis hyper-infection syndrome in HIV+/AIDS patients in Iran

Strongyloides stercoralis is an intestinal nematode in humans, distributed through tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In most individuals, the infection has a chronic nature due to auto-infection at the low level. Accelerated auto-infection, mainly after an alteration in immune status, can cause a syndrome of severe hyper-infection or potentially fatal disseminated strongyloidiasis. Due to the increasing numbers of immunocompromised patients in Iran, strongyloidiasis is an emerging public health concern in the country. In the current study, which was carried out between 2003 and 2005, for the investigation on strongyloidiasis in HIV+/AIDS patients, a total of 781 patients were examined by agar plate culture, formalin ether concentration, and direct smear preparation of stool samples. According to the results, 2 out of 781 HIV + /AIDS patients were found infected with S. stercoralis, but both patients were at the progressive stage of AIDS and showing severe hyper-infection syndrome. In both cases, numerous rhabditiform and filariform larvae were found in fresh stool direct smears, and rapid and intensive development of parasite in agar plate cultures. In conclusion, in the progressive stages of AIDS, as a result of immunosuppression conditions or in the context of chemotherapy, S. stercoralis is capable of inducing overwhelming infection. © 2007 Springer-Verlag

Glucantime-resistant Leishmania tropica isolated from Iranian patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis are sensitive to alternative antileishmania drugs

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a major health problem in endemic areas of Iran. The pentavalent antimony (SbV) based drug Glucantime is the first line of treatment for CL in Iran, but recently SbV-resistant Leishmania tropica isolates derived from unresponsive patients were reported. We show in this study that these resistant parasites are cross-resistant to the other SbV-containing drug Pentostam and at least for one isolate also to amphotericin B. However, these resistant isolates were shown to be sensitive to miltefosine and paromomycin. The latter two drugs could thus be useful alternatives for the treatment of leishmaniasis in Iran even for SbV-resistant isolates. © 2007 Springer-Verlag

Diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis in pregnant women referred to therapeutic centers of Alborz Province (Iran) using immunoglobulin G avidity ELISA technique

Objective To evaluate immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity as a useful and reliable technique in diagnosing toxoplasmosis in pregnant women referring to therapeutic centers of Alborz Province (Iran) in 2014, against two other tests, IgG and immunoglobulin G (IgM) anti-Toxoplasma. Methods Serum samples (468 in total) were obtained from different therapeutic centers in Karaj City. ELISA method was used to test the anti-Toxoplasma avidity of IgG, IgM and IgG. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistical methods and Chi-square test (P < 0.05) using SPSS 17.0. Results Anti-Toxoplasma avidity tests of IgM and IgG were positive in 9 and 86 samples respectively. Also, a borderline IgM avidity was detected in 2 suspected samples. In addition, among all positive and suspected samples, 79 cases indicated high titers of IgG avidity, 7 cases were of low titers and 1 case was of a borderline titer. The prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma antibodies was 20. The sera which showed high avidity index was obtained from patients at chronic phase of infection (77.7) while those which showed low avidity levels were from patients at acute toxoplasmosis (92). Conclusions This study clearly showed that acute and chronic phases of toxoplasmosis could be differentiated with the aid of IgG avidity test. This test may also assist in recognizing old and newly acquired infections. © 2016 Asian Pacific Tropical Medicine Pres