Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas: Contestations from Gambling to Water Rights

Let me dwell for a moment on the fabulous aspects of the city and its environs. The word ‘fabulous’ derives from the Latin fabula which gives us the English ‘fable’, a short narrative that provides an edifying or cautionary point. Fables can be pedagogical instruments. When Denise Scott-Brown, Robert Venturi, the late Steven Izenour et al took a first—second—look in 1968, they insisted in their formal analysis of the Las Vegas strip to postpone judgment, i.e. they proposed to view the space through a dispassionate lense, assembling analytic maps while resisting the temptation to judge the Strip based on an arbitrary set of values. However, this is 2001 and in acknowledging the impossibility to occupy a neutral position, I would like to counter the Learning from Las Vegas project by investigating in this paper the lines of contestation that run between and across the different scales that circumscribe the phenomenon of Las Vegas today

Translating Knowledge into Design: Collaborations Between Studio and Cultural Inquiry

The role that bathing plays within a culture, Siegfried Gideon writes, reveals the culture\u27s attitude coward human relaxation. Ir is a measure of how far individual well-being is regarded as an indispensable part of community life. \u27 ln many parts of the world today, and for many centuries, baths that rely on mineral springs, geysers, heated water, steam or dry hear were designed for the regeneration of local populations without a nod coward utopian dreams, or the exclusivity of private spas. Unlike the contemporary US, public thermal baths in Germany are central ro the economy of curing towns and paid for by the national health insurance. Across Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle and Far East, women and men continue ro rake the waters in ancient hammams, furos, saunas, and other communal environments that offer at least in part-the architectural landscape for the contemporary health culture we are seeking in the US

Inventing New Modes of Dissemination: Applied Preservation and Cultural Heritage Pedagogy in Interdisciplinary Studios

When we shift the word practice from noun to verb, practice turns into testing, experimenting with what is at hand. If we then apply this performative approach to the practice of teaching preservation and cultural heritage in a design studio setting, what would be the consequences? What would happen if we consider teaching as a practice of research and, consequently, of research as experimentation in a field that inherently resists innovation of practice? Two professors, one from architecture, the other from interior design, offer preliminary answers to these questions while also laying out a model for a new critical pedagogy built on an interdisciplinary practice of teaching in which students from architecture, interior design, and landscape architectrue have to address their own position within the context of a new studio while confronting a new language, i.e. that of the other discipline. In this study we analyze two interdisciplinary studios we co-taught in 2017 and 2018 as case studies for applied history and the production of culture through our collaboration with the US Department of State's Overseas Building Operations office in Cultural Heritage. In these research-based, interdisciplinary design studios we were tasked by the State Department to develop new methodologies of documenting and disseminating via websites information about two historic properties abroad, the Winfield House (London) and the Villa Petschek (Prague), both historically significant American Ambassadors' Residences. Our work resulted in a body of research that emerged out of applied onsite field work combined with analytic methods, archival investigations, and interdisciplinary communication to create a holistic understanding of the role historic properties abroad can play in the production of culture within an academic environment that is linked through current technology to society at large

Chicken and Egg? Hentagon, Icosa-Coop, and Two Types of Experience

In an essay with the title Experience and Poverty,1 Walter Benjamin writes about the lack of traditional experience (Erfahrung)—a kind of acquired knowledge—that could be handed down to younger generations through story-telling and hands-on instruction. Benjamin reads this experience as a cipher for modern architecture where one material—steel—stands in for a cultural perspective toward traditions, while glass represents a new virtual existence expressed in a short-term event-based experience—in German the word is Erlebnis—both of which, we think, can be transmitted through contemporary pedagogy. In our paper we argue that effective teaching of beginning- design students requires a hybridization of a material focus and an emphasis on immaterial modes of production

Funding and Forming New Interdisciplinary Collaborations: The Development of Iowa State University\u27s Masters Program in Historic Preservation

For the past two years, five departments in ISU’s College of Design collaborated with the University’s Provost, the College’s Dean, Iowa businesses, and Iowa’s Main Street program to visualize and finance an interdisciplinary masters program in Historic Preservation. With the first phase of implementation complete this breakout session reviews a study that examines 1) how university programs in the arts and applied arts can collaborate with regional businesses and existing governmental agencies to secure external funding and 2) the key characteristics and essential strategies of a successful interdisciplinary and cross disciplinary collaboration

Gliedmassenreplantationen an der Klinik und Poliklinik für Unfall- und Handchirurgie des Universitätsklinikums Münster von 1980 bis 1999:eine kasuistische Auswertung

Zwischen 1980 und 1999 wurden in der Klinik für Unfall- und Handchirurgie der Universitätsklinik Münster 140 Replantationen bei 118 Patienten durchgeführt. 120 Eingriffe betrafen die Finger, aber auch 9 Oberarme, 1 Unterarm, 4 Hände, 2 Mittelhände, 3 Zehen und 1 Unterschenkel wurden replantiert. Die Krankenblätter der Patienten wurden unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten (Patientenalter, Unfallart, Amputationshöhe, Anoxämiezeit etc.) ausgewertet. Die Einheilungsquote betrug insgesamt 64% (71% für subtotale und 51% für totale Amputationen). Es wurden mögliche Zusammenhänge zwischen Einheilungserfolg, funktionellem Spätergebnis und verschiedenen Einflussfaktoren (Alter, Amputationsmechanismus, etc.) untersucht und die Ergebnisse mit denen anderer Replantationszentren verglichen. Gewisse Abhängigkeiten zeigten zeigten sich für folgende Faktoren: Amputationstyp (subtotal/total), Amputationsmechanismus, Amputationshöhe, Alter des Patienten, Anoxämiedauer und Anzahl der Venenanastomosen

Efficacy of COVID-19 Booster Vaccines in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: Experiences in a Real-World Scenario.

BACKGROUND Two-dose COVID-19 vaccination often results in poor humoral response rates in patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs); yet responses to COVID-19 booster vaccines and the risk of COVID-19 infection post-booster are mostly uncertain. METHODS We included 200 outpatients with HMs and predominantly lymphoid neoplasms (96%, 191/200) in our academic center and reported on the humoral responses, which were assessed by measurement of anti-spike IgG antibodies in peripheral blood as early as 14 days after mRNA-based prime-boost vaccination, as well as factors hampering booster efficacy. Previous basic (double) immunization was applied according to the local recommendations with mRNA- and/or vector-based vaccines. We also report on post-booster COVID-19 breakthrough infections that emerged in the Omicron era and the prophylaxis strategies that were applied to poor and non-responders to booster vaccines. RESULTS A total of 55% (110/200) of the patients achieved seroconversion (i.e., anti-spike protein IgG antibody titer > 100 AU/mL assessed in median 48 days after prime-boost vaccination) after prime-boost vaccination. Multivariable analyses revealed age, lymphocytopenia, ongoing treatment and prior anti-CD20 B-cell depletion to be independent predictors for booster failure. With each month between anti-CD20-mediated B-cell depletion and booster vaccination, the probability of seroconversion increased by approximately 4% (p < 0.001) and serum-antibody titer (S-AbT) levels increased by 90 AU/mL (p = 0.011). Notably, obinutuzumab treatment was associated with an 85% lower probability for seroconversion after prime-boost vaccination compared to rituximab (p = 0.002). Of poor or non-responders to prime-boost vaccination, 41% (47/114) underwent a second booster and 73% (83/114) underwent passive immunization. COVID-19 breakthrough infections were observed in 15% (29/200) of patients after prime-boost vaccination with predominantly mild courses (93%). Next to seroconversion, passive immunization was associated with a significantly lower risk of COVID-19 breakthrough infections after booster, even in vaccine non-responders (all p < 0.05). In a small proportion of analyzed patients with myeloid neoplasms (9/200), the seroconversion rate was higher compared to those with lymphoid ones (78% vs. 54%, accordingly), while the incidence rate of COVID-19 breakthrough infections was similar (22% vs. 14%, respectively). Following the low frequency of myeloid neoplasms in this study, the results may not be automatically applied to a larger cohort. CONCLUSIONS Patients with HMs are at a high risk of COVID-19 booster vaccine failure; yet COVID-19 breakthrough infections after prime-boost vaccination are predominantly mild. Booster failure can likely be overcome by passive immunization, thereby providing immune protection against COVID-19 and attenuating the severity of COVID-19 courses. Further sophistication of clinical algorithms for preventing post-vaccination COVID-19 breakthrough infections is urgently needed

A Phase I Dose Escalation Study of the Triple Angiokinase Inhibitor Nintedanib Combined with Low-Dose Cytarabine in Elderly Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Nintedanib (BIBF 1120), a potent multikinase inhibitor of VEGFR-1/-2/-3, FGFR-1/-2/-3 and PDGFR-α/-β, exerts growth inhibitory and pro-apoptotic effects in myeloid leukemic cells, especially when used in combination with cytarabine. This phase I study evaluated nintedanib in combination with low-dose cytarabine (LDAC) in elderly patients with untreated or relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) ineligible for intensive chemotherapy in a 3+3 design. Nintedanib (dose levels 100, 150, and 200 mg orally twice daily) and LDAC (20 mg subcutaneous injection twice daily for 10 days) were administered in 28-day cycles. Dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) was defined as non-hematological severe adverse reaction CTC grade ≥ 4 with possible or definite relationship to nintedanib. Between April 2012 and October 2013, 13 patients (median age 73 [range: 62–86] years) were enrolled. One patient did not receive study medication and was replaced. Nine (69%) patients had relapsed or refractory disease and 6 (46%) patients had unfavorable cytogenetics. The most frequently reported treatment-related adverse events (AE) were gastrointestinal events. Twelve SAEs irrespective of relatedness were reported. Two SUSARs were observed, one fatal hypercalcemia and one fatal gastrointestinal infection. Two patients (17%) with relapsed AML achieved a complete remission (one CR, one CRi) and bone marrow blast reductions without fulfilling PR criteria were observed in 3 patients (25%). One-year overall survival was 33%. Nintedanib combined with LDAC shows an adequate safety profile and survival data are promising in a difficult-to-treat patient population. Continuation of this trial with a phase II recommended dose of 2 x 200 mg nintedanib in a randomized, placebo-controlled phase II study is planned. The trial is registered to EudraCT as 2011-001086-41

Clinical Post-SARS-CoV-2 Infection Scenarios in Vaccinated and Non-Vaccinated Cancer Patients in Three German Cancer Centers: A Retrospective Analysis.

COVID-19 vaccines have become an integral element in the protection of cancer patients against SARS-CoV-2. To date, there are no direct comparisons of the course of COVID-19 infection in cancer patients between the pre- and post-vaccine era. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 infections and their impact on cancer in COVID-19 vaccinated and non-vaccinated patients from three German cancer centers. Overall, 133 patients with SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled in pre- and post-vaccine eras: 84 non-vaccinated and 49 vaccinated, respectively. A mild course of COVID-19 was documented more frequently in vaccinated patients (49% vs. 29%), while the frequency of severe and critical courses occurred in approximately one-half of the non-vaccinated patients (22% vs. 42%, p = 0.023). Particularly, patients with hematologic neoplasms benefited from vaccination in this context (p = 0.031). Admissions to intermediate- and intensive-care units and the necessity of non-invasive and invasive respiratory support were reduced by 71% and 50% among vaccinated patients, respectively. The median length of admission was 11 days for non-vaccinated and 5 days for vaccinated patients (p = 0.002). COVID-19 mortality was reduced by 83% in vaccinated patients (p = 0.046). Finally, the median time from SARS-CoV-2 infection to restarting cancer therapy was 12 and 26 days among vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups, respectively (p = 0.002). Although this study does not have enough power to perform multivariate analyses to account for confounders, it provides data on COVID-19 in non-vaccinated and vaccinated cancer patients and illustrates the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccines for these patients