Species of (Code) spaces

As digital technologies make a powerful impact on the production of space and software mediates most of our everyday activities, we find ourselves living, working and interacting in the common ground of code and space. The environmental diffusion of computing should be considered in relation to the increasing acceleration and simultaneity of socio-spatial and economic processes, characteristic conditions of a dynamic spatial ontology that evolved during the past decades, changing the ways we inhabit, design and think about our environments. By following the gradual hybridization of space and time, this essay investigates the ways in which software and communication networks infuse space with temporal qualities, enhancing its inherent mediality with successive layers of meaning. An account of this in urban scale is the endeavour of smart cities, a fluid field of tension and negotiation between centralized managerial visions and bottom-up participation and appropriation initiatives. Finally, as spatial production becomes increasingly transdisciplinary and the digital turn reaches a certain level of maturity, the role of the architect and the architectural object changes drastically. Cedric Price famously argued that the best solution to a spatial problem is not necessarily a building, but the question is still pending – could it then be code

Zur Semantik statischer Lokalisationen im Griechischen und Deutschen

Die Art und Weise, wie eine Sprache räumliche Beziehungen ausdrückt, kann sehr unterschiedlich sein. Die Lage eines Objektes im Raum ist im einfachsten Fall durch seine Relation zu einer weiteren Entität gegeben, welche durch den Ort, den Letztere im Raum einnimmt und welcher gewöhnlich als bekannt oder identifizierbar vorausgesetzt wird, spezifiziert ist. In einer vergleichenden Analyse experimentell erhobener Lokalisationen (Beschreibungen) wird für diesen Teilbereich der Raumkognition - der Lokalisation von Objekten - gezeigt, dass Sprecher trotz gleicher kommunikativer Aufgabe unterschiedliche Raumkonzepte und sprachliche Ausdrucksformen zur Repräsentation derselben Konstellationen einsetzen. Auch wenn die empirischen Befunde Unterschiede im Hinblick auf die präferierte Form der Kodierung räumlicher Information zeigen, können sprachspezifische Tendenzen in der Kodierung statischer Raumrelationen nur zum Teil auf die typologischen Eigenschaften dieser Sprachen zurückgeführt werden. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt, dass wir über die gängige dichotome Typologie hinausgehen müssen. Sie liefert Anhaltspunkte für weitere empirische Analysen, die weitaus präziser und differenzierter mit Fragen der Variabilität im Bereich der Raumkonzeptualisierung umgehen müssen

Περφεξιονισμός και Πολιτικός Φιλελευθερισμός: Joseph Raz και John Rawls

Η παρούσα εργασία θα επιχειρήσει να παρουσιάσει την συζήτηση ανάμεσα στον περφεξιονισμό και τον πολιτικό φιλελευθερισμό, κυρίως μέσα από τα έργα Morality of Freedom (1986) του Joseph Raz και Political Liberalism (1993) του John Rawls, με επίκεντρο το ερώτημα αν το φιλελεύθερο κράτος επιτρέπεται να προωθεί ή να αποθαρρύνει δραστηριότητες, ιδανικά ή τρόπους ζωής με γνώμονα τις αντιλήψεις περί αγαθού. Εκκινώντας από τη θέση για τη φυσικότητα του περφεξιονισμού, θα επιχειρήσουμε να εξετάσουμε κριτικά ενστάσεις που αφορούν τον αντιφιλελεύθερο και αντιπλουραλιστικό χαρακτήρα του καθώς και πραγματιστικές ανησυχίες για το κατά πόσο το φιλελεύθερο κράτος είναι στρατηγικά σκόπιμο να επιδιώκει περφεξιονιστικούς στόχους. Θα εστιάσουμε στα όρια συνύπαρξης φιλελευθερισμού και περφεξιονισμού, όπως αυτά καταδεικνύονται στον ραζιανό περφεξιονισμό και στην δικαιολόγηση της ασυμμετρίας στην μεταχείριση δικαίου και αγαθού κατά τη δικαιολόγηση δημόσιων πολιτικών, την οποία επιχειρεί ο πολιτικός φιλελευθερισμός. Μερικά από τα ερωτήματα που θα μας απασχολήσουν είναι αν ο φιλελεύθερος περφεξιονισμός του Raz με βάση την αυτονομία είναι συνεκτικός και κατά πόσο ο πολιτικός φιλελευθερισμός ως ιδεώδης θεωρία δικαιολογεί την ασυμμετρία στην μεταχείριση δικαιοσύνης και αγαθού.Τhe present dissertation focuses on the debate between perfectionism and political liberalism and namely on whether the liberal state is allowed to promote or discourage activities, ideals or ways of life on the grounds of conceptions of the good. We shall thus explore the prospects and limitations of liberal perfectionism as presented in Raz’s Morality of Freedom (1986) and namely the coherence of the liberal and perfectionist premises of his theory. We shall argue that Raz’s autonomy-based perfectionism presents a solid case for the permissibility of perfectionism but that it fails to uphold its stronger premise for the necessity οf perfectionism and thus leaves Raz’s theory exposed to antiliberalism. We shall also present the most promising version of neutrality as public justification presented in John Rawls’ Political Liberalism (1993). We shall then examine a serious challenge posed on political liberalism by the asymmetry objection which highlights that reasonable citizens disagree both about justice and about conceptions of the good. Given that fact, political liberalism must explain why the former are legitimate grounds for state action whereas the latter are not. We shall explore Quong’s (2011) promising answer to the asymmetry objection based on an “internal conception” of political liberalism and argue that it cannot shun out perfectionism

Lipids in meso- and bathypelagic fishes from the North Atlantic Ocean: dietary inputs suggested from fatty acid trophic markers

Trophic interactions of mesopelagic fishes are key pathways in the vertical transport of carbon through the biological carbon pump. However, diet and feeding behaviours of many members of the mesopelagic community, including lanternfish (Myctophidae) and bristlemouths (Gonostomatidae), remain poorly resolved. We obtained specimens from 1 species of lanternfish, Benthosema glaciale, and several bristlemouths of the genus Cyclothone, from 8 locations in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean, within 19-22° W and 20-55° N, at depths down to 1900 m, and used fatty acid trophic marker (FATM) analysis to assess the main dietary sources and potential feeding habits of those fish. We compared the FA profiles of the fish to those of their zooplankton prey sampled at the same time and locations. The fatty acid composition of the fish separated them into 3 distinct groups. The first group, which included only B. glaciale, was characterized by the phytoplankton trophic markers 16:4 and 18:4(n-3), indicating that the fish had fed on primary consumers, likely zooplankton. The second group included C. microdon and 2 unidentified Cyclothone sp. and was characterized by the monounsaturated FA markers 20:1(n-9) and 22:1(n-11), indicative of lipid-rich calanoid copepods. Finally, the third group, comprising C. pseudopallida and 22 unidentified Cyclothone sp., was characterized by bacterial FA markers (15:0 and 17:0) and saturated FAs (16:0 and 18:0) that, in the deep sea, are likely associated with marine snow. The results show that meso- and bathypelagic fishes sahttps://stirling-research.worktribe.com/record_edit.jx?recordid=1932531&goto=10&propertyrecordfieldsstring=|recordprogress|recordtext4|recordtext31|recordtext49|recordtext45|recordtext36|recordtext68|recordtext69|recordtext70|recordtext85|recordtext24|recordtext23|recordtext91|recordtext130|recordtext129|recordtext71|recordname|recordtext105|recordtext21|recordtext18|recorddate19|recorddate1|recorddate2|recorddate9|recorddate14|recorddate6|recordtext66|recordtext95|recordtext6|recordtext43|recordtext29|recordtext133|recordtext58|recordtext10|recordtext140|recordtext28|recordtext50|recordtext7|recordtext11|recordtext12|recordtext52|recordtext8|recordnumber6|recordtext44|recordtext112|recordtext106|recordtext17|recordtext65|recordtext128|recorddate4|recorddate5|recordtext113|recordtext114|recordtext74|recordtext48|recorddate13|recordtext76|recordtext77|recordtext72|recordtext61|recordtext80|recordtext81|recorddate11|recordtext59|recordtext46|recordtext63|recordtext62|recordnumber1|recordtext25|recordtext124|recordtext125|recordtext13|recordtext53|recordtext9|recordtext123|recordtext5|recordtext107|recordtext126|recordtext3|recordtext116|recordtext96|recordtext87|recordtext89|recordtext41|recordassignedto|#mpled at different locations will display differences in FA profiles, reflecting distinct dietary sources. In this way, FATMs may facilitate a better understanding of trophic interactions and energy transfer in deep ocean ecosystems

Inpatient health care utilization by children and adolescents with systemic lupus erythematosus and kidney involvement

Objective To evaluate inpatient health care utilization for children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with and without kidney disease. Methods The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database for the years 2000, 2003, and 2006 was used for this analysis. SLE hospitalizations from the 2006 cohort were identified and classified as those with versus without kidney involvement by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes. Analyses were performed to examine determinants of hospitalization charges and changes in charges over time. Results In the US, 7,390 SLE‐related pediatric hospitalizations generated $267 million in total charges in 2006. Of these, 4,193 discharges had kidney involvement. The average hospitalization charge was greater for SLE patients with kidney involvement compared to those without kidney involvement ($43,100 versus $28,500; P 7,000 hospitalizations occurred in 2006 among children with SLE, with nearly 57% demonstrating kidney involvement. Kidney involvement is a major determinant of hospitalization charges for these children. This study represents one of the first large‐scale assessments of in‐hospital health care utilization by children with SLE.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/96658/1/21815_ftp.pd

Understanding the dynamics of Toll-like Receptor 5 response to flagellin and its regulation by estradiol

© 2017 The Author(s). Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are major players of the innate immune system. Once activated, they trigger a signalling cascade that leads to NF-ΰ B translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. Single cell analysis shows that NF-ΰ B signalling dynamics are a critical determinant of transcriptional regulation. Moreover, the outcome of innate immune response is also affected by the cross-talk between TLRs and estrogen signalling. Here, we characterized the dynamics of TLR5 signalling, responsible for the recognition of flagellated bacteria, and those changes induced by estradiol in its signalling at the single cell level. TLR5 activation in MCF7 cells induced a single and sustained NF-k B translocation into the nucleus that resulted in high NF-k B transcription activity. The overall magnitude of NF-k B transcription activity was not influenced by the duration of the stimulus. No significant changes are observed in the dynamics of NF-k B translocation to the nucleus when MCF7 cells are incubated with estradiol. However, estradiol significantly decreased NF-k B transcriptional activity while increasing TLR5-mediated AP-1 transcription. The effect of estradiol on transcriptional activity was dependent on the estrogen receptor activated. This fine tuning seems to occur mainly in the nucleus at the transcription level rather than affecting the translocation of the NF-k B transcription factor

A dexamethasone prodrug reduces the renal macrophage response and provides enhanced resolution of established murine lupus nephritis

We evaluated the ability of a macromolecular prodrug of dexamethasone (P-Dex) to treat lupus nephritis in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. We also explored the mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effects of this prodrug. P-Dex eliminated albuminuria in most (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. Furthermore, P-Dex reduced the incidence of severe nephritis and extended lifespan in these mice. P-Dex treatment also prevented the development of lupus-associated hypertension and vasculitis. Although P-Dex did not reduce serum levels of anti-dsDNA antibodies or glomerular immune complexes, P-Dex reduced macrophage recruitment to the kidney and attenuated tubulointerstitial injury. In contrast to what was observed with free dexamethasone, P-Dex did not induce any deterioration of bone quality. However, P-Dex did lead to reduced peripheral white blood cell counts and adrenal gland atrophy. These results suggest that P-Dex is more effective and less toxic than free dexamethasone for the treatment of lupus nephritis in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. Furthermore, the data suggest that P-Dex may treat nephritis by attenuating the renal inflammatory response to immune complexes, leading to decreased immune cell infiltration and diminished renal inflammation and injury

Expression of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 in dermatomyositis and polymyositis

The aim of this study was to investigate the expressions of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, TLR9, and their correlations with the expression of cytokines that are associated with activation of CD4+ T cells and inflammation including interferon γ (IFNγ), interleukin 4 (IL4), interleukin 17 (IL17), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) in muscle tissues of patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM). The expressions of TLR2, TLR4, TLR9, IFNγ, IL4, IL17, and TNFα were measured by real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction in muscle tissues from 14 patients with DM and PM (nine patients with DM, five patients with PM) and three controls. The expressions of TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 were also localized with immunohistochemistry. The expression levels of TLR2, TLR4, TLR9, IFNγ, IL4, IL17, and TNFα were significantly high in patients with DM and PM compared with those in the controls, and the expression levels of TLR4 and TLR9 had significant positive correlations with the expressions of IFNγ, IL4, IL17, and TNFα. Immunohistochemistry showed that TLR2, TLR4, and TLR9 were expressed by infiltrating cells of perimysium in DM, whereas they were expressed by infiltrating cells of endomysium in PM. These results suggest that the involvement of TLR4 and TLR9 in immunopathogenesis of DM and PM might be connected with activation of CD4+ T cells