The Provincial Late-Victorian & Edwardian City. Some Selected Examples of Civic Desing and the Use of Urban Space c. 1880-1914

The paper highlights the principles that governed civic design during the late-Victorian and Edwardian period, with particular reference being given to the environment about large-sized public buildings and urban space. Using the results of a detailed survey of the design, plan and environments surrounding more than 100 edifices erected within more than 20 large-sized towns and cities, the paper will note the nature of urban space a s a facet of civic design. As results of the study will demonstrate, the best examples of British civic design were schemes that successfully amalgamated structure and urban space into a single composition. Thus open spaces could be established to augment harmonious accord and to introduce approaches to prominent parts of the principal elevations and any significant entrances. Additionally, the form of the interna! arrangement, the structural form of the building and position of vertical elements were often bound together so that the inside and outside of each building are linked - the design and planning traits of one therefore affecting the position, configuration and appearance of the other. By using selected examples, the paper will reveal the true significance of open space to the development of British settlements during a period when modern British town planning emerged.El artículo resalta los principios que gobernaron el diseño cívico durante los periodos tardío Victoriano y Edwardiano, con referencia particular al ambiente dado por los edificios más relevantes de la construcción pública y el espacio urbano. Usando los resultados de un estudio detallado del diseño, plan y ambientes que rodean más de 100 edificios erigidos dentro de más de 20 grandes pueblos y ciudades, el artículo denota la naturaleza del espacio urbano como una faceta del diseño cívico. Los resultados del estudio demostrarán, cómo los mejores ejemplos de la arquitectura cívica británica eran esquemas que con éxito amalgamaron la estructura y el espacio urbano en una sola composición. De este modo, los espacios abiertos fueron establecidos para aumentar el acuerdo armonioso e introducir acercamientos a partes prominentes de las elevaciones principales y a cualquier entrada significante. Adicionalmente, la forma del arreglo interior, la forma estructural del edificio y la posición de elementos verticales están a menudo delimitadamente juntos para que el interior y el exterior de cada edificio se unan; por consiguiente, el diseño y la planeación de los rasgos de uno afectan la posición, configuración y apariencia del otro. Usando los ejemplos seleccionados, el artículo revela la verdadera importancia del espacio abierto en el desarrollo de los asentamientos británicos durante el periodo en que surgió la planeación en los pueblos británicos modernos. El concepto de diseño cívico (a falta de un término equivalente en español) no solamente apunta a su sentido literal, sino también a un significado mucho más amplio que alude a planes y diseños arquitectónicos urbanos ejercidos por el poder público edilicio, por lo que una traducción amplía estricta sugiere términos asociados a una arquitectura urbana edilicia. (Nota del traductor)

Arquitectura, oportunismo y la planificación del rostro de un imperio

La carrera de Sir Aston Webb (1849-1930) es posiblemente una de las más impresionantes de todos los arquitectos tardovictorianos y de la época eduardiana. En una importante época de la sociedad, la política y la historia británicas, la carrera de Webb y su salto a la fama anduvieron paralelos a uno de los períodos más excitantes en la historia de la arquitectura británica, alcanzando su pico de protagonismo cuando le concedieron el rango de Presidente del Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), el de Presidente de la Royal Academy (RA) y el de Presidente de Town Planning de la RIBA. El célebre historiador de arquitectura Alastair Service, por ejemplo, apuntó que, a pesar de los ideales arquitectónicos del período, el mayor arquitecto en términos de volumen total de trabajo o de dinero ganado fue Webb, aunque la historia haya ignorado casi absolutamente su importancia, debido en parte a que sus proyectos carecían de la creatividad estilística que poseían muchos de sus coetáneos. Es por ello que en este artículo se intenta rectificar esta situación, subrayando la importancia del trabajo más grande de Webb, el proyecto del Queen Victoria Memorial (1901-1912) –una empresa monumental a la misma altura que los proyectos American City Beautiful, que junto al plan London County Council’s Kingsway-Aldwych “haussmanizaron” la metrópolis. De este modo, este trabajo también demostrará que Webb no era simplemente un arquitecto de incomparables aptitudes, sino que posiblemente fue el diseñador que más ayudó en este período a definir el diseño cívico y la planificación urbana británicas de un modo práctico, antes del comienzo de la Primera Guerra Mundial en 1914

Estimating marine reservoir effects in archaeological chronologies: Comparing ΔR calculations in Prince Rupert Harbour, British Columbia, Canada

The best method for quantifying the marine reservoir effect (MRE) using the global IntCal Marine13 calibration curve remains unresolved. Archaeologists frequently quantify uncertainty on MRE values as errors computed from single pairs of marineterrestrial radiocarbon ages, which we argue significantly overstates their accuracy and precision. Here, we review the assumptions, methods, and applications of estimating MRE via an estimate of the additional regional offset between the marine and terrestrial calibration curves (ΔR) for the Prince Rupert Harbour (PRH) region of British Columbia, Canada.We acknowledge the influence on ΔR of MRE variation as (1) a dynamic oceanographic process, (2) its variable expression in biochemical and geochemical pathways, and (3) compounding errors in sample selection, measurement, and calculation. We examine a large set of marine-terrestrial pairs (n = 63) from PRH to compare a common archaeological practice of estimating uncertainty from means that generate an uncertainty value of ±49 years with a revised, more appropriate estimate of error of ± 230 years. However, we argue that the use of multiple-pair samples estimates the PRH ΔR as 273 ± 38 years for the last 5,000 years. Calculations of error that do not consider these issues may generate more inaccurate age estimates with unjustifiable precision

What can we learn from trial decliners about improving recruitment? Qualitative study

Background Trials increasingly experience problems in recruiting participants. Understanding the causes of poor recruitment is critical to developing solutions. We interviewed people who had declined a trial of an innovative psychological therapy for depression (REFRAMED) about their response to the trial invitation, in order to understand their decision and identify ways to improve recruitment. Methods Of 214 people who declined the trial, 35 (16 %) gave permission to be contacted about a qualitative study to explore their decision. Analysis of transcripts of semi-structured interviews was informed by grounded theory. Results We interviewed 20 informants: 14 women and six men, aged 18 to 77 years. Many interviewees had prior experience of research participation and positive views of the trial. Interviewees’ decision making resembled a four-stage sequential process; in each stage they either decided not to participate in the trial or progressed to the next stage. In stage 1, interviewees assessed the invitation in the context of their experiences and attitudes; we term those who opted out at this stage ‘prior decliners’ as they had an established position of declining trials. In stage 2, interviewees assessed their own eligibility; those who judged themselves ineligible and opted out at this stage are termed ‘self-excluders’. In stage 3, interviewees assessed their need for the trial therapy and potential to benefit; we term those who decided they did not need the trial therapy and opted out at this stage ‘treatment decliners’. In stage 4, interviewees deliberated the benefits and costs of trial participation; those who opted out after judging that disadvantages outweighed advantages are termed ‘trial decliners’. Across all stages, most individuals declined because they judged themselves ineligible or not in need of the trial therapy. While ‘prior decliners’ are unlikely to respond to any trial recruitment initiative, the factors leading others to decline are amenable to amelioration as they do not arise from a rejection of trials or a personal stance. Conclusions To improve recruitment in similar trials, the most successful interventions are likely to address patients’ assessments of their eligibility and their potential to benefit from the trial treatment, rather than reducing trial burden

An HST/STIS Optical Transmission Spectrum of Warm Neptune GJ 436b

GJ 436b is a prime target for understanding warm Neptune exoplanet atmospheres and a target for multiple JWST GTO programs. Here, we report the first space-based optical transmission spectrum of the planet using two HST/STIS transit observations from 0.53-1.03 microns. We find no evidence for alkali absorption features, nor evidence of a scattering slope longward of 0.53 microns. The spectrum is indicative of moderate to high metallicity (~100-1000x solar) while moderate metallicity scenarios (~100x solar) require aerosol opacity. The optical spectrum also rules out some highly scattering haze models. We find an increase in transit depth around 0.8 microns in the transmission spectra of 3 different sub-Jovian exoplanets (GJ 436b, HAT-P-26b, and GJ 1214b). While most of the data come from STIS, data from three other instruments may indicate this is not an instrumental effect. Only the transit spectrum of GJ 1214b is well fit by a model with stellar plages on the photosphere of the host star. Our photometric monitoring of the host star reveals a stellar rotation rate of 44.1 days and an activity cycle of 7.4 years. Intriguingly, GJ 436 does not become redder as it gets dimmer, which is expected if star spots were dominating the variability. These insights into the nature of the GJ 436 system help refine our expectations for future observations in the era of JWST, whose higher precision and broader wavelength coverage will shed light on the composition and structure of GJ 436b's atmosphere.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figures, 5 tables, Accepted to AJ. A full version of table 1 is included as table1_mrt.tx

The Interaction of Neuraminidase and Hemagglutinin Mutations in Influenza Virus in Resistance to 4-Guanidino-Neu5Ac2en

AbstractWe have previously described a 4-guanidino-Neu5Ac2en (zanamivir)-resistant neuraminidase (NA) variant G70C4-G, with an active site mutation Glu 119 to Gly. This variant has been found to also harbor a hemagglutinin (HA) mutation in the receptor binding site, Ser 186 to Phe. Examination of early passages of the G70C4-G virus revealed that this HA mutation had arisen by the first passage. From a subsequent passage two transient variants were isolated which had each acquired a different second HA mutation, Ser 165 to Asn and Lys 222 to Thr. Both were highly drug resistant and drug dependent and their ability to adsorb to and penetrate cells was decreased. Comparison of drug sensitivities between the variant, with the additional HA mutation at Ser 165, and viruses with either mutation alone revealed that these two HA mutations acted synergistically to increase resistance. To determine the contribution to resistance of each of the NA and HA mutations in G70C4-G, the NA mutation was separated from the HA mutation by reassorting. The NA mutation and the HA mutation each conferred low-level resistance to zanamivir, while the two mutations interacted synergistically in the double mutant to give higher resistancein vitro.Infectivity was not adversely affected in the double mutant and while there was a small decrease in sensitivity to zanamivir in the mouse model, there was no detectable resistance to zanamivir in the ferret model