Ecology as Architekturwissenschaft: Sim Van der Ryn and the ‘Soft Science’ of Radical Design

This paper re-examines the meanings and origins of ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ architecture, focusing on the discourses of radical ecology, particularly as these emerged in the work of California architect, Sim Van der Ryn. Known as one of the founders in the late 1960s of ecological design practice, Sim Van der Ryn embraced the full range of meanings attached the term, ‘ecology’, which cannot be reduced to ‘science’ in the biological or geo-physical senses. Following various strands of ecological thinking within the California counterculture, Van der Ryn proposed an epistemological break with architectural knowledge as specialized technique or ‘technê’, particularly as architectural modernists had imagined this knowledge as an extension of rational-industrial society

Identification and characterisation of HLA-DRB1*0101 restricted CD4+ T cell epitopes in the major grass pollen allergens Phl p 1 and Phl p 5

Over 10 million people in the UK suffer from allergic rhinitis. The majority have symptoms caused by grass pollen exposure. Phl p 1 and Phl p 5 are the major grass pollen allergens in Timothy grass (Phleum pratense). Specific grass pollen immunotherapy using whole extract is an effective disease-modifying treatment, but it is associated with severe, life-threatening systemic IgE-mediated side-effects. One strategy to improve safety and clinical efficacy is to develop peptide immunotherapy for grass pollen allergy. The aim of this thesis was to identify HLA-DR1-restricted CD4+ T cell epitopes of Phl p 1 and Phl p 5 by complementary approaches of epitope mapping: in silico prediction, tetramer guided epitope mapping and human HLA-DR1 transgenics. I investigated recognition of HLA-DR1-restricted CD4+ T cell epitopes in allergic and non-allergic individuals and characterised epitope-specific CD4+ T cells, according to cell surface markers and cytokine production. HLA-DR1 transgenics were primed with either Phl p 1 or Phl p 5b protein and the T cell lines generated were screened using a panel of overlapping peptides in 3H-thymidine incorporation assays. HLA-DR1-tetramers loaded with Phl p 1 or Phl p 5b peptides were used in tetramer guided epitope mapping studies using PBMC from HLA-DR1+, grass-allergic, seasonal allergic rhinitis patients. Tetramer-positive populations were detectable in PBMC of >75% of patients studied. Epitope-specific CD4+ T cells were detectable immediately ex vivo in allergic and non-allergic individuals. Data suggest that epitope-specific CD4+ T cells from allergic individuals exhibit an effector memory, Th2-like phenotype. This study identified HLA-DR1-restricted CD4+ T cell epitopes for Phl p 1 and Phl p 5b and characterised epitope-specific CD4+ T cell responses. The epitopes identified may be used in peptide-based vaccines for grass pollen immunotherapy

A critical ethnographic case study exploring creativity, voice and agency in a school for pupils with physical, learning and additional needs

The inquiry is set in a medium sized primary school for children aged between 2 – 11 years old with physical, learning and additional needs. The study is relevant to those interested in inclusive research, creativity and the use of kinesthetic research methods. This inquiry’s fieldwork took place over a eighteen month period during which a major reappraisal of the role of creativity within school culture was undertaken. The focus of this thesis is exploring how changes to pedagogical practice and the aesthetic design of the school environment affected pedagogic relations within sessions designated as creative. As a critical ethnographic case study approach is adopted an emphasis is placed upon understanding the particularity and complexity of the single case and, therefore, the thesis is duly cautious in how it generalizes its findings. As is traditional of an ethnographic inquiry this thesis is rooted in thick description accompanied by continual processes of reflection and reflexivity. This process was adopted in order to allow the researcher to identify and interrogate the multiple and diverse lines of inquiry that arose. The thesis concludes by reflecting upon how understanding of creativity and inclusion can be seen to have changed within this particular school culture over the duration of the inquiry. It also provides a summary of how the school’s relationship with the concept of creativity has evolved and continues to evolve. The methodological strengths and limitations of the research are identified and suggestions are made regarding possible future areas of inquiry

Review of: Mies van der Rohe + James Stirling: Circling the Square, The Architecture Gallery, RIBA, March 8 to June 25, 2017

A Review of Mies van der Rohe + James Stirling: Circling the Square, The Architecture Gallery, RIBA, 8 March to 25 June 201

Archaeology and contemporary death: Using the past to provoke, challenge and engage

While death is universal, reactions to death and ways of dealing with the dead body are hugely diverse, and archaeological research reveals numerous ways of dealing with the dead through time and across the world. In this paper, findings are presented which not only demonstrate the power of archaeology to promote and aid discussion around this difficult and challenging topic, but also how our approach resulted in personal growth and professional development impacts for participants. In this interdisciplinary pilot study, archaeological case studies were used in 31 structured workshops with 187 participants from health and social care backgrounds in the UK, to explore their reactions to a diverse range of materials which documented wide and varied approaches to death and the dead. Our study supports the hypothesis that the past is a powerful instigator of conversation around challenging aspects of death, and after death care and practices: 93% of participants agreed with this. That exposure to archaeological case studies and artefacts stimulates multifaceted discourse, some of it difficult, is a theme that also emerges in our data from pre, post and follow-up questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews. The material prompted participants to reflect on their biases, expectations and norms around both treatment of the dead, and of bereavement, impacting on their values, attitudes and beliefs. Moreover, 87% of participants believed the workshop would have a personal effect through thinking differently about death and bereavement, and 57% thought it would impact on how they approached death and bereavement in their professional practice. This has huge implications today, where talk of death remains troublesome, and for some, has a near-taboo status–‘taboo’ being a theme evident in some participants’ own words. The findings have an important role to play in facilitating and normalising discussions around dying and bereavement and in equipping professionals in their work with people with advanced illness

Elongated TCR alpha chain CDR3 favors an altered CD4 cytokine profile

Background CD4 T lymphocyte activation requires T cell receptor (TCR) engagement by peptide/MHC (major histocompatibility complex) (pMHC). The TCR complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) contains variable α and β loops critical for pMHC recognition. During any immune response, tuning of TCR usage through progressive clonal selection occurs. Th1 and Th2 cells operate at different avidities for activation and display distinct transcriptional programs, although polarization may be plastic, influenced by pathogens and cytokines. We therefore hypothesized that CDR3αβ sequence features may intrinsically influence CD4 phenotype during progression of a response. Results We show that CD4 polarization involves distinct CDR3α usage: Th1 and Th17 cells favored short TCR CDR3α sequences of 12 and 11 amino acids, respectively, while Th2 cells favored elongated CDR3α loops of 14 amino acids, with lower predicted affinity. The dominant Th2- and Th1-derived TCRα sequences with14 amino acid CDR3 loops and 12 amino acid CDR3 loops, respectively, were expressed in TCR transgenics. The functional impact of these TCRα transgenes was assessed after in vivo priming with a peptide/adjuvant. The short, Th1-derived receptor transgenic T cell lines made IFNγ, but not IL-4, 5 or 13, while the elongated, Th2-derived receptor transgenic T cell lines made little or no IFNγ, but increased IL-4, 5 and 13 with progressive re-stimulations, mirrored by GATA-3 up-regulation. T cells from primed Th2 TCRα transgenics selected dominant TCR Vβ expansions, allowing us to generate TCRαβ transgenics carrying the favored, Th2-derived receptor heterodimer. Primed T cells from TCRαβ transgenics made little or no IL-17 or IFNγ, but favored IL-9 after priming with Complete Freund’s adjuvant and IL-4, 5, 9, 10 and 13 after priming with incomplete Freund’s. In tetramer-binding studies, this transgenic receptor showed low binding avidity for pMHC and polarized T cell lines show TCR avidity for Th17 > Th1 > Th2. While transgenic expression of a Th2-derived, ‘elongated’ TCR-CDR3α and the TCRαβ pair, clearly generated a program shifted away from Th1 immunity and with low binding avidity, cytokine-skewing could be over-ridden by altering peptide challenge dose. Conclusion We propose that selection from responding clones with distinctive TCRs on the basis of functional avidity can direct a preference away from Th1 effector responses, favoring Th2 cytokines

Impact of a specialist mental health pharmacy team on medicines optimisation in primary care for patients on a severe mental illness register: a pilot study

yesObjective Medication arrangements for patients with severe mental illness (SMI), including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, can be complex. Some have shared care between primary and secondary services while others have little specialist input. This study investigated the contribution a specialist mental health clinical pharmacy team could make to medicines optimisation for patients on the SMI register in primary care. Research shows that specialist mental health pharmacists improve care in inpatient settings. However, little is known about their potential impact in primary care. Method Five general practice surgeries were allocated half a day per week of a specialist pharmacist and technician for 12 months. The technician reviewed primary and secondary care records for discrepancies. Records were audited for high-dose or multiple antipsychotics, physical health monitoring and adherence. Issues were referred to the pharmacist for review. Surgery staff were encouraged to refer psychotropic medication queries to the team. Interventions were recorded and graded. Results 316/472 patients on the SMI register were prescribed antipsychotics or mood stabilisers. 23 (7%) records were updated with missing clozapine and depot information. Interventions by the pharmacist included clarifying discharge information (12/104), reviewing high-dose and multiple antipsychotic prescribing (18/104), correcting errors (10/104), investigating adherence issues (16/104), following up missing health checks (22/104) and answering queries from surgery staff (23/104). Five out of six interventions possibly preventing hospital admission were for referral of non-adherent patients. Conclusion The pharmacy team found a variety of issues including incomplete medicines reconciliation, adherence issues, poor communication, drug errors and the need for specialist advice. The expertise of the team enabled timely resolution of issues and bridges were built between primary and secondary care

Interactions between perceptions of fatigue, effort and affect decrease knee extensor endurance performance following upper body motor activity, independent of alterations to neuromuscular function

Prior exercise has previously been shown to impair subsequent endurance performance in non‐activated muscles. Declines in the neuromuscular function and altered perceptual/affective responses offer possible mechanisms through which endurance performance may be limited in these remote muscle groups. We thus conducted two experiments to better understand these performance‐limiting mechanisms. In the first experiment, we examined the effect of prior handgrip exercise on the behavioral, perceptual, and affective responses to a sustained, sub‐maximal contraction of the knee extensors. In the second experiment, transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess the neuromuscular function of the knee extensors before and after the handgrip exercise. The results of the first experiment demonstrated prior handgrip exercise increased the perceptions of effort and reduced affective valence during the subsequent knee extensor endurance exercise. Both effort and affect were associated with endurance performance. Subjective ratings of fatigue were also increased by the preceding handgrip exercise but were not directly related to knee extensor endurance performance. However, perceptions of fatigue were correlated with heightened effort perception and reduced affect during the knee extensor contraction. In the second experiment, prior handgrip exercise did not significantly alter the neuromuscular function of the knee extensors. The findings of the present study indicate that motor performance in the lower limbs following demanding exercise in the upper body appears to be regulated by complex, cognitive‐emotional interactions, which may emerge independent of altered neuromuscular function. Subjective fatigue states are implicated in the control of perceptual and affective processes responsible for the regulation of endurance performance

Prospects for local co-governance

British local authorities and their partners are increasingly developing new ways of working together with local communities. The nature of this co-working, however, is complex, multi-faceted and little understood. This article argues for greater clarity of thinking on the topic, by analysing this co-working as a form of political co-governance, and drawing attention in particular to issues of scale and democracy. Using evidence from a study of 43 local authority areas, 16 authorities are identified where co-governance is practised, following three main types of approach: service-influencing, service-delivering and parish council developing. It is concluded that strengthening political co-governance is essential for a healthy democracy