Is the world a big interior? Specifically designed interiors, geographically displaced spaces

¿Es el mundo un gran interior? Según apunta el filósofo Peter Sloterdijk, la desconfianza en el medio que nos rodea, junto con el desarrollo de las tecnologías de control y confort del aire, nos ha llevado a un proceso cada vez mayor de interiorización del espacio arquitectónico. Nuestro mundo globalizado nos ha acostumbrado, así, a respirar un aire diseñado y sintetizado, envolviéndonos en una reconfortante atmósfera prefijada, perfectamente desarrollada y perfumada, con el objetivo de crear nuevos y excitantes efectos en los usuarios-espectadores-compradores. Este interior —el espacio que cohabitamos— no solo posee una determinada tecnología sino que es en sí mismo una gran máquina climática; esto es, una “gran escultura de aire” que sus habitantes atraviesan a modo de “instalación respirable”. Un aire manipulable, controlable (casi en condiciones de laboratorio) y almacenado de forma óptima. A tal respecto, se presentará aquí una serie de casos relevantes por cuanto han sido capaces de manipular las numerosas variables atmosféricas, vectores, energías, gradientes, etc. al servicio de nuevos interiores: sensorialmente sugerentes y geográficamente desplazados.Is the world a big interior? As the German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk points out, distrust in the environment that surrounds us, together with the development of air control and comfort technologies, has led us to an increasing process of interiorization of architectural space. Our globalized world has thus accustomed us to breathe a designed and synthesized air, enveloping us in a predetermined comforting atmosphere, perfectly developed and scented, in order to create new and exciting effects on users-spectators-buyers. This interior —the space that we cohabit— not only has a certain technology but is in itself a great climatic machine; that is, a “great sculpture of air” that its inhabitants pass through as a “breathable installation”. Air that can be manipulated, controlled (almost in laboratory conditions) and stored optimally. In this regard, several relevant cases will be presented here as they will be able to manipulate the many atmospheric variables, vectors, energies, gradients, etc. at the service of new interiors: sensorially suggestive and geographically displaced

From Voom Voom to The Chemical Brothers:: intensification of architectural experience in playful and festive environments

En pleno auge del arte psicodélico de las décadas de los 60 y los 70, una serie de puestas en escena resultaron relevantes por su capacidad de generar nuevos espacios no lineales en los que el espectador se convertiría en “constructor temporal de la experiencia y dueño de su propio disfrute”. Así, se estudiará un conjunto de proyectos en los que coexistían los espacios interactivos con todo tipo de estructuras hinchables; todo ello acompañado de músicas y melodías que posibilitarían la inmersión del espectador en una suerte de ‘viaje’ alucinatorio, similar al de las experiencias psicotrópicas. Lo que se pretendía con estos dispositivos de carácter lúdico-festivo no era tanto reconfortar al espectador en su propia comodidad, sino mostrarse como un nuevo campo para los juegos ambientales, la experimentación en todos sus sentidos y la exploración de una nueva e inesperada realidad perceptiva a través de la superposición de múltiples estímulos.In the midst of the effervescence of psychedelic art in the 1960s and 1970s, a series of staging projects were relevant for their ability to generate new non-linear spaces in which the viewer would become a “temporary builder of the experience and master of his own enjoyment”. Thus, a set of projects in which interactive spaces coexisted with all kinds of inflatable structures will be studied; this will be joined by music and melodies that would allow the users to immerse themselves in a kind of hallucinatory ‘journey’, similar to psychotropic experiences. What was intended with these playful-festive environments was not so much to comfort the viewer, but to show these strategies as a new field for environmental games, experimentation in all its senses and the exploration of a new and unexpected perceptive reality through the superposition of multiple stimuli

Two atmospheric suns. Experience and environmental manipulation in the Radio City Music Hall and The Weather Project

Se presentan dos casos de estudio que destacaron por la puesta en escena de una simulación ambiental en forma de “sol” y su capacidad para intensificar la experiencia de sus espectadores: el Radio City Music Hall de Nueva York, a principios de los años 30, y la instalación The Weather Project en Londres, 70 años más tarde. El objetivo de sus autores era recrear una serie de efectos para producir una sobreestimulación de gran intensidad. Si bien ambas experiencias pertenecen a contextos y circunstancias muy diferentes, las dos se hacían servir de la tecnología de cada momento para, junto con las características del propio edificio, poner en “éxtasis” a sus espectadores (miles en el caso neoyorquino, algunas decenas simultáneamente en el caso londinense) reunidos ante la representación de un fenómeno natural perfectamente sintetizado, como si se tratara de un atardecer frente a una gran puesta de sol. Sin embargo, estos efectos, envueltos en una sutil manipulación sobre aquellos que están expuestos a ellas, son objeto hoy de controversia, ya que los métodos empleados serán descritos por algunos autores como “agresivos” en tanto en cuanto pueden dar lugar a que ciertos comportamientos, deseos y experiencias se den con mayor probabilidad sin que sus espectadores sean necesariamente conscientes de ello.Two relevant case studies are presented for the way in which they recreate environmental simulations in the form of a “sun” and their ability to intensify the experience of their viewers: the Radio City Music Hall in New York, in the early 1930s, and the The Weather Project installation in London, 70 years later. The objective of its authors was to recreate a sequence of effects to produce an over-stimulation of great intensity. Although both experiences belong to very different contexts and circumstances, both used the technology of each moment to, together with the characteristics of the building itself, put its spectators in “ecstasy” (thousands in the New York case, some tens simultaneously in the London case) gathered in front of the representation of a perfectly synthesized natural phenomenon, just as we do in front of a great sunset. However, these effects, wrapped in a subtle manipulation of those who are exposed to them, are today the subject of controversy, since the methods used will be described by some authors as “aggressive” insofar as they can lead to certain behaviors, desires and experiences are more likely to occur without their viewers necessarily being aware of it

Dos soles atmosféricos. Experiencia y manipulación ambiental en el Radio City Music Hall y The Weather Project

Two relevant case studies are presented for the way in which they recreate environmental simulations in the form of a “sun” and their ability to intensify the experience of their viewers: the Radio City Music Hall in New York, in the early 1930s, and the The Weather Project installation in London, 70 years later. The objective of its authors was to recreate a sequence of effects to produce an over-stimulation of great intensity. Although both experiences belong to very different contexts and circumstances, both used the technology of each moment to, together with the characteristics of the building itself, put its spectators in “ecstasy” (thousands in the New York case, some tens simultaneously in the London case) gathered in front of the representation of a perfectly synthesized natural phenomenon, just as we do in front of a great sunset. However, these effects, wrapped in a subtle manipulation of those who are exposed to them, are today the subject of controversy, since the methods used will be described by some authors as “aggressive” insofar as they can lead to certain behaviors, desires and experiences are more likely to occur without their viewers necessarily being aware of it.Se presentan dos casos de estudio que destacaron por la puesta en escena de una simulación ambiental en forma de “sol” y su capacidad para intensificar la experiencia de sus espectadores: el Radio City Music Hall de Nueva York, a principios de los años 30, y la instalación The Weather Project en Londres, 70 años más tarde. El objetivo de sus autores era recrear una serie de efectos para producir una sobreestimulación de gran intensidad. Si bien ambas experiencias pertenecen a contextos y circunstancias muy diferentes, las dos se hacían servir de la tecnología de cada momento para, junto con las características del propio edificio, poner en “éxtasis” a sus espectadores (miles en el caso neoyorquino, algunas decenas simultáneamente en el caso londinense) reunidos ante la representación de un fenómeno natural perfectamente sintetizado, como si se tratara de un atardecer frente a una gran puesta de sol. Sin embargo, estos efectos, envueltos en una sutil manipulación sobre aquellos que están expuestos a ellas, son objeto hoy de controversia, ya que los métodos empleados serán descritos por algunos autores como “agresivos” en tanto en cuanto pueden dar lugar a que ciertos comportamientos, deseos y experiencias se den con mayor probabilidad sin que sus espectadores sean necesariamente conscientes de ello

Empleo de tres constelaciones de viviendas para innovar dentro del aula de dibujo

[EN] This text presents the findings resulting from a teaching innovation experience that begins in the 2021-2022 academic year, continues in 2022-2023 and extends in 2023-2024. The experiment, carried out during the fourth semester of the degree in fundamentals of architecture at the University of Alicante and through an architectural drawing subject, consists of blurring the boundaries between the profession and the academic world through the collaboration of the intervening agents, namely students, teachers and Spanish architects of recognized prestige. Thus, starting from a series of meetings and interactive intersections in the form of conferences, round tables and interviews, a working methodology is proposed in which the student, aware of his active role in understanding and interpreting the graphic, has the opportunity to synthesize the skills and abilities acquired in a format that, although exclusively graphic, in most cases exceeds the starting content. Three housing constellations, one per academic year, will be the vehicle to put into play constant self-evaluation, active participation, the search for radicality or conscious innovation by the aforementioned agents. Always around an element common to all contexts: the image.[ES] El presente texto expone los hallazgos resultados de una experiencia de innovación docente que se inaugura en el curso académico 2021-2022, continúa en el 2022-2023 y se extiende en el 2023-2024. El experimento, realizado durante el cuarto semestre del grado en fundamentos de la arquitectura de la Universidad de Alicante y a través de una asignatura de dibujo arquitectónico, consiste en difuminar los límites entre la profesión y el mundo académico mediante la colaboración de los agentes intervinientes, a saber, discentes, docentes y arquitectas y arquitectos españoles de reconocido prestigio. Así, partiendo de una serie de encuentros e intersecciones interactivas en forma de conferencias, mesas redondas y entrevistas, se propone una metodología de trabajo en la que el discente, consciente de su papel activo a la hora de comprender e interpretar lo gráfico, tiene la oportunidad de sintetizar las competencias y capacidades adquiridas en un formato que, aunque exclusivamente gráfico, en la mayoría de los casos excede los contenidos de partida. Tres constelaciones de viviendas, una por curso académico, serán el vehículo para poner en juego la constante autoevaluación, la participación activa, la búsqueda de la radicalidad o la consciente innovación por parte de los citados agentes. Siempre en torno a un elemento común a todos los contextos: la imagen.Navarro Jover, L.; Juan Gutiérrez, PJ.; López Ujaque, JM. (2023). Use of three housing constellations to innovate within the drawing classroom. EGE Revista de Expresión Gráfica en la Edificación. (19):37-50. https://doi.org/10.4995/ege.2023.2070337501

CUT-UP CITY. El ready-made como experimento urbano. (www.cutupcity.com)

CUT-UP es un término acuñado por el escritor estadounidense William S. Burroughs basado en la yuxtaposición de pasajes de las obras del propio autor y también de obras de otros escritores para luego volver a ensamblar los fragmentos de forma aleatoria generando sentidos y significados totalmente inéditos. Trasladado al campo de la arquitectura, el propósito de esta operación sería la de definir estrategias que, utilizando las formas existentes, consiguieran efectos completamente diferentes. Así, se puede decir que las nociones de originalidad e incluso de creación, tan presentes en nuestra cultura, se podrían entender de una manera mucho más libre y desprejuiciada.CUT-UP is a term coined by the American writer William S. Burroughs based on the juxtaposition of passages from the own works and also from others in order to re-assemble the random fragments generating completly new senses and meanings. Moved to architecture, the purpose of this operation would be to define strategies, using existing forms, to realise completely different effects. So, we can say that the notions of originality, and even creation, so present in our culture, could be understood in a more freely and unprejudiced way

Dibujando dibujos. Aprendiendo de una experiencia innovadora docente en tres actos

El presente trabajo de investigación resume los hallazgos resultado de una experiencia innovadora docente que se inaugura en el curso académico 2021-2022 y perfecciona durante el 2022-2023. El experimento, realizado durante el cuarto semestre del grado en fundamentos de la arquitectura de la Universidad de Alicante y a través de una asignatura de dibujo arquitectónico, consiste en difuminar los límites entre la profesión y el mundo académico mediante la participación activa de los agentes intervinientes, a saber, discentes, docentes, arquitectas y arquitectos de reconocido prestigio de la provincia de Alicante y alrededores. Así, partiendo de una serie de encuentros e intersecciones interactivas en forma de conferencias, mesas redondas y entrevistas, se propone una metodología de trabajo en la que el discente, consciente de su papel activo a la hora de comprender e interpretar lo gráfico, tiene la oportunidad de sintetizar las competencias y capacidades adquiridas en un formato que, aunque exclusivamente gráfico, en la mayoría de los casos excede los contenidos de partida. La políptoton dibujando dibujos evidencia de manera precisa la esencia de las conclusiones en las que la constante autoevaluación, la participación activa, la búsqueda de la radicalidad y la consciente innovación se articularán en torno al elemento común a todos los contextos: la imagen

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Effectiveness of Fosfomycin for the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Escherichia coli Bacteremic Urinary Tract Infections

IMPORTANCE The consumption of broad-spectrum drugs has increased as a consequence of the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli. Finding alternatives for these infections is critical, for which some neglected drugs may be an option. OBJECTIVE To determine whether fosfomycin is noninferior to ceftriaxone or meropenem in the targeted treatment of bacteremic urinary tract infections (bUTIs) due to MDR E coli. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This multicenter, randomized, pragmatic, open clinical trial was conducted at 22 Spanish hospitals from June 2014 to December 2018. Eligible participants were adult patients with bacteremic urinary tract infections due to MDR E coli; 161 of 1578 screened patients were randomized and followed up for 60 days. Data were analyzed in May 2021. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized 1 to 1 to receive intravenous fosfomycin disodium at 4 g every 6 hours (70 participants) or a comparator (ceftriaxone or meropenem if resistant; 73 participants) with the option to switch to oral fosfomycin trometamol for the fosfomycin group or an active oral drug or pa renteral ertapenem for the comparator group after 4 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was clinical and microbiological cure (CMC) 5 to 7 days after finalization of treatment; a noninferiority margin of 7% was considered. RESULTS Among 143 patients in the modified intention-to-treat population (median [IQR] age, 72 [62-81] years; 73 [51.0%] women), 48 of 70 patients (68.6%) treated with fosfomycin and 57 of 73 patients (78.1%) treated with comparators reached CMC (risk difference, -9.4 percentage points; 1-sided 95% CI, -21.5 to infinity percentage points; P = .10). While clinical or microbiological failure occurred among 10 patients (14.3%) treated with fosfomycin and 14 patients (19.7%) treated with comparators (risk difference, -5.4 percentage points; 1-sided 95% CI. -infinity to 4.9; percentage points; P = .19), an increased rate of adverse event-related discontinuations occurred with fosfomycin vs comparators (6 discontinuations [8.5%] vs 0 discontinuations; P = .006). In an exploratory analysis among a subset of 38 patients who underwent rectal colonization studies, patients treated with fosfomycin acquired a new ceftriaxone-resistant or meropenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria at a decreased rate compared with patients treated with comparators (0 of 21 patients vs 4 of 17 patients [23.5%]; 1-sided P = .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study found that fosfomycin did not demonstrate noninferiority to comparators as targeted treatment of bUTI from MDR E coli; this was due to an increased rate of adverse event-related discontinuations. This finding suggests that fosfomycin may be considered for selected patients with these infections

RICORS2040 : The need for collaborative research in chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a silent and poorly known killer. The current concept of CKD is relatively young and uptake by the public, physicians and health authorities is not widespread. Physicians still confuse CKD with chronic kidney insufficiency or failure. For the wider public and health authorities, CKD evokes kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In Spain, the prevalence of KRT is 0.13%. Thus health authorities may consider CKD a non-issue: very few persons eventually need KRT and, for those in whom kidneys fail, the problem is 'solved' by dialysis or kidney transplantation. However, KRT is the tip of the iceberg in the burden of CKD. The main burden of CKD is accelerated ageing and premature death. The cut-off points for kidney function and kidney damage indexes that define CKD also mark an increased risk for all-cause premature death. CKD is the most prevalent risk factor for lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the factor that most increases the risk of death in COVID-19, after old age. Men and women undergoing KRT still have an annual mortality that is 10- to 100-fold higher than similar-age peers, and life expectancy is shortened by ~40 years for young persons on dialysis and by 15 years for young persons with a functioning kidney graft. CKD is expected to become the fifth greatest global cause of death by 2040 and the second greatest cause of death in Spain before the end of the century, a time when one in four Spaniards will have CKD. However, by 2022, CKD will become the only top-15 global predicted cause of death that is not supported by a dedicated well-funded Centres for Biomedical Research (CIBER) network structure in Spain. Realizing the underestimation of the CKD burden of disease by health authorities, the Decade of the Kidney initiative for 2020-2030 was launched by the American Association of Kidney Patients and the European Kidney Health Alliance. Leading Spanish kidney researchers grouped in the kidney collaborative research network Red de Investigación Renal have now applied for the Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientadas a Resultados en Salud (RICORS) call for collaborative research in Spain with the support of the Spanish Society of Nephrology, Federación Nacional de Asociaciones para la Lucha Contra las Enfermedades del Riñón and ONT: RICORS2040 aims to prevent the dire predictions for the global 2040 burden of CKD from becoming true