Veils and velocities

The bonds of fashion and the constructed environment are deep, tectonically and culturally. In medieval spiritual meditation, the mind was built in the image of awalled city whose buildings were “clothed” by moral understanding; in Renaissance Florence, the philosopher-doctor Marsilio Ficino recommended that planetary colors be wornand applied as architectural ornament to assist in contemplation and judgment. Linkedetymologically, our habits (abitudine), clothing (abito), and buildings (abitazione) are therevealing ornaments of our minds, preparing us for everyday life. The array of artifacts andaccessories that extend from clothing to shelter furnishes the imagination with ingredientsfor personal and shared memory and identity. This article will consider several historicaland contemporary examples.Los lazos de la moda y el entorno son profundos, tectónica y culturalmente.En la meditación espiritual medieval, la mente era construida en la imagen de una ciudadamurallada, cuyos edificios estaban “vestidos” de comprensión moral; en la Florenciadel Renacimiento, el filósofo Marsilio Ficino recomendaba que los colores planetarios seaplicaran a la vestimenta y como adorno arquitectónico para ayudar a la contemplacióny al buen juicio. Enlazado etimológicamente, nuestros hábitos (abitudine), ropa (abito) yedificios (abitazione) son los adornos reveladores de nuestra mente y nos preparan parala vida cotidiana. El conjunto de artefactos y accesorios que van desde la indumentariahasta la vivienda nutren la imaginación con los ingredientes para la memoria personal ycompartida y la identidad. En este artículo se tendrá en cuenta varios ejemplos históricosy contemporáneos.Os laços da moda e o entorno são profundas, tectônica e culturalmente. Nameditação espiritual medieval, a mente era construída na imagem de uma cidade fortificada,e seus edifícios estavam vestidos de compreensão moral; na Florência do Renascimento, o filósofo Marsílio Ficino recomendava que as cores planetárias se aplicassem à vestimentae como adorno arquitetônico para ajudar à contemplação e ao bom juízo. Ligado etimologicamente, nossos hábitos (abitudine), roupa (abito) e edifícios (abitazione) são osadornos reveladores da nossa mente e nos preparam para a vida cotidiana. O conjunto deartefatos e acessórios que vão desde a indumentária até a morada nutrem a imaginaçãocom os ingredientes para a memória pessoal e compartilhada e a identidade. Neste artigose mostrarão exemplos históricos e contemporâneos.&nbsp

Upstream / Downstream

En mi artículo para el Cuaderno 48, Velos y veladuras, exploramos las relacionesentre decoración e identidad, su relación con la condición humana de “poner unpie afuera” y “encajar”, y la capacidad del ornamento de transmitir historias a través deltiempo y alimentar la imaginación. Abundante o escaso, el ornamento permite a la menteinterpretar la narrativa, cultural y personal, y la lectura atenta de nuestros entornos ayudaa sintonizar las nuevas obras construidas con las preocupaciones contemporáneas yfuturas. Para este artículo, focalizo en un argumento secundario introducido en Velos yveladuras, donde explico que: “mientras que las mejoras sostenibles a menudo se centranen productos intermedios derivados de la producción, las lecturas cercanas se pueden realizaren sentido ascendente en la secuencia de fabricación, mejorando el bienestar de losfabricantes y la poética de un producto” (Kirkbride, 2013, p. 185). Este trabajo consideravarias escalas y modos de actividades previas, a partir de la tectónica de las cuencas hidrográficasy la gestión del sitio, a la conciencia de la historia y de la posición propia de unoen ella, y la reconceptualización de un producto por los flujos de su cadena de suministroy el ciclo de vida. Voy a recorrer los orígenes de esta idea –un paseo río arriba a través deuna cuenca con problemas durante una lluvia torrencial– y sigo sus influencias en variaslecciones prácticas y ejercicios basados en proyectos desarrollados en Parsons The NewSchool for Design.In my article for Cuaderno 48, “Veils and Velocities,” I explored relationshipsbetween decorum and identity, their relation to the human predicament of “standing out”and “fitting in,” and the capacity for ornament to convey stories across time and fuel theimagination. Plentiful or spare, ornament equips the mind to interpret narratives, culturaland personal, and close readings of our constructed environments help tune new worksto contemporary and future concerns. For the current issue, I sharpen focus on a subplotintroduced in “Veils and Velocities,” where I note: “while sustainable improvements oftenfocus on downstream byproducts of production, close readings can be performed upstreamin the manufacturing sequence, enhancing the wellbeing of fabricators and the poetics ofa product” (Kirkbride, 2013, p. 185). This paper considers several scales and modes ofupstreaming, from the tectonics of a watershed and site management, to the awareness ofhistory and one’s own position in it, and the reconceptualization of a product by the flowsof its supply chain and lifecycle. I’ll retrace the origins of this notion –a walk upstreamthrough a troubled watershed during a torrential rainstorm– and follow its influences onseveral object lessons and project-based exercises at Parsons The New School for Design.No meu artigo para o Caderno 48, Velos y veladuras se exploraram as relaçõesentre decoração e identidade, sua relação com a condição humana de “por um pé fora”e “encaixar”, e a capacidade do ornamento de transmitir histórias através do tempo ealimentar a imaginação. Abundante ou escasso, o ornamento permite à mente interpretara narrativa, cultural e pessoal, e a leitura atenta de nossos ambientes ajuda a sintonizar asnovas obras construídas com as preocupações contemporâneas e futuras. Para este artigo,se focaliza num argumento secundário introduzido em Velos y veladuras, onde se explicaque “enquanto melhorias sustentáveis muitas vezes se concentram produtos intermédiosderivados da produção, leituras pertas podem ser feitas em sentido ascendente na seqüênciade fabricação, melhorando o bem-estar dos fabricantes e a poética de um produto”(Kirkbride, 2013, p. 185). Este trabalho considera várias escalas e modos de atividadesprévias, a partir da tectônica das bacias hidrográficas e a gestão do sítio, à consciência dahistória e da posição própria de um nela, e a re-conceitualizacão de um produto por osfluxos de sua correia de abastecimentos e o ciclo de vida. Percorrer-se-á as origens destaidéia –um passeio rio acima através de uma bacia com problemas durante uma chuvatorrencial– seguindo suas influencias em várias aulas práticas e exercícios baseados emprojetos desenvolvidos em Parsons The New School for Design

Psychiatric disorders and risk of subsequent dementia: Systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies

OBJECTIVES: Although psychiatric disorders have been found to be associated with increased risk of dementia, previous findings are mixed, and the nature of these relationships remains poorly understood. We examined longitudinal associations between depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), bipolar disorder (BPD), psychotic disorders and subsequent dementia. METHODS: We searched three databases for longitudinal, population-based studies investigating associations between psychiatric disorders and dementia (PROSPERO registration: CRD42020209638). We conducted narrative synthesis, and random-effects meta-analyses to obtain pooled estimates. We used meta-regression and stratified analyses to examine variation by sex, age-at-onset and follow-up time. RESULTS: Fifty-seven citations met eligibility criteria. Most studies focussed on depression (n = 33), which was associated with subsequent all-cause dementia (pooled relative risk [RR]: 1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.59-2.43; I2  = 96.5%), Alzheimer's Disease (pooled RR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.52-2.38; I2  = 85.5%), and Vascular Dementia (pooled RR: 2.71, 95% CI: 2.48-2.97; I2  = 0). Associations were stronger in studies with shorter follow-up periods and for severe and late-onset depression. Findings regarding anxiety were mixed, and we did not find evidence of an overall association (pooled RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.96-1.45; I2  = 52.2%, n = 5). Despite sparse evidence, psychotic disorders (pooled RR: 2.19, 95% CI: 1.44-3.31; I2  = 99%), PTSD and BPD were associated with subsequent dementia. CONCLUSIONS: People with psychiatric disorders represent high-risk groups for dementia, highlighting the importance of ongoing symptom monitoring in these groups. Findings regarding temporality and age-at-onset indicate that depression symptoms could reflect prodromal dementia for some individuals. Further longitudinal research is required to determine whether psychiatric disorders represent causal risk factors or early markers of dementia neuropathology

Inpatient use and area-level socio-environmental factors in people with psychosis

Purpose: There is consistent evidence that socio-environmental factors measured at an area-level, such as ethnic density, urban environment and deprivation are associated with psychosis risk. However, whether area-level socio-environmental factors are associated with outcomes following psychosis onset is less clear. This study aimed to examine whether the number of inpatient days used by people presenting to mental health services for psychosis was associated with five key area-level socio-environmental factors: deprivation, ethnic density, social capital, population density and social fragmentation. Methods: Using a historical cohort design based on electronic health records from the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust Foundation electronic Patient Journey System, people who presented for the first time to SLAM between 2007 and 2010 with psychosis were included. Structured data were extracted on age at presentation, gender, ethnicity, residential area at first presentation and number of inpatient days over 5 years of follow-up. Data on area-level socio-environmental factors taken from published sources were linked to participants’ residential addresses. The relationship between the number of inpatient days and each socio-environmental factor was investigated in univariate negative binomial regression models with time in contact with services treated as an offset variable. Results: A total of 2147 people had full data on area level outcomes and baseline demographics, thus, could be included in the full analysis. No area-level socio-environmental factors were associated with inpatient days. Conclusion: Although a robust association exists between socio-environmental factors and psychosis risk, in this study we found no evidence that neighbourhood deprivation was linked to future inpatient admissions following the onset of psychosis. Future work on the influence of area-level socio-environmental factors on outcome should examine more nuanced outcomes, e.g. recovery, symptom trajectory, and should account for key methodological challenges, e.g. accounting for changes in address

Weather and our food supply

The steep rate of increase in yield of grain crops in the United States since the mid-1950\u27s has resulted in the use of the term explosion in technology. Surplus grains piled up to such proportions after the 1960 · harvest that acreage control appeared. to be in order. But despite substantial reductions in acreages after 1960 the increased output per acre has just about compensated for acreage reductions. During this period of rapid increase in output per acre there has been a growing tendency to believe that technology has reduced the influence of weather on grain production so that we no longer need to fear shortages due to unfavorable weather. There is also a popular belief that acreage control$ fail to achieve the objective of production control, and that public funds are being wasted in storing surplus grains which we don\u27t need. There is increasing evidence, however, that a period of favorable weather interacted with technology to produce our recent high yields, and that perhaps half of the increase in yield per acre since 1950 has been due to a change to more favorable weather for grain crops. These findings have important implications in continued support for research in production technology and in the way in which we look at our surplus stocks of feed and food grains. If a period of favorable weather has been responsible for half of the increase in yields since 19501 then what can we expect if the weather trend reverses itself for a few years? Do we have periodicity in weather, and have we just passed through a run of favorable years that might be followed by a run of unfavorable years? Should we treat our surplus grains as reserves? How does our rate of growth in grain output compare with the needs of a growing world population? And of course I in the background of these questions is one big question -- how much of our recent high yields is really due to weather? To answer these important questions the Center for Agriculture and Economic Development invited outstanding authorities to present their ideas under three main headings: (1) Techniques for Evaluation of Weather Variables in Agricultural Production I (2) Periodicity in Weather Patterns: Implications in Agriculture I and (3) Weather Considerations in Agricultural Policy. The papers have been assembled in the order of their presentation under the general outline above.https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/card_reports/1021/thumbnail.jp

Mental health in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

The COVID-19 pandemic caused immediate and far-reaching disruption to society, the economy, and health-care services. We synthesised evidence on the effect of the pandemic on mental health and mental health care in high-income European countries. We included 177 longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional studies comparing prevalence or incidence of mental health problems, mental health symptom severity in people with pre-existing mental health conditions, or mental health service use before versus during the pandemic, or between different timepoints of the pandemic. We found that epidemiological studies reported higher prevalence of some mental health problems during the pandemic compared with before it, but that in most cases this increase reduced over time. Conversely, studies of health records showed reduced incidence of new diagnoses at the start of the pandemic, which further declined during 2020. Mental health service use also declined at the onset of the pandemic but increased later in 2020 and through 2021, although rates of use did not return to pre-pandemic levels for some services. We found mixed patterns of effects of the pandemic on mental health and social outcome for adults already living with mental health conditions

Mental health in Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

The COVID-19 pandemic caused immediate and far-reaching disruption to society, the economy, and health-care services. We synthesised evidence on the effect of the pandemic on mental health and mental health care in high-income European countries. We included 177 longitudinal and repeated cross-sectional studies comparing prevalence or incidence of mental health problems, mental health symptom severity in people with pre-existing mental health conditions, or mental health service use before versus during the pandemic, or between different timepoints of the pandemic. We found that epidemiological studies reported higher prevalence of some mental health problems during the pandemic compared with before it, but that in most cases this increase reduced over time. Conversely, studies of health records showed reduced incidence of new diagnoses at the start of the pandemic, which further declined during 2020. Mental health service use also declined at the onset of the pandemic but increased later in 2020 and through 2021, although rates of use did not return to pre-pandemic levels for some services. We found mixed patterns of effects of the pandemic on mental health and social outcome for adults already living with mental health conditions

Molecular Imaging of Pulmonary Tuberculosis in an Ex-Vivo Mouse Model Using Spectral Photon-Counting Computed Tomography and Micro-CT

Assessment of disease burden and drug efficacy is achieved preclinically using high resolution micro computed tomography (CT). However, micro-CT is not applicable to clinical human imaging due to operating at high dose. In addition, the technology differences between micro-CT and standard clinical CT prevent direct translation of preclinical applications. The current proof-of-concept study presents spectral photon-counting CT as a clinically translatable, molecular imaging tool by assessing contrast uptake in an ex-vivo mouse model of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Iodine, a common contrast used in clinical CT imaging, was introduced into a murine model of TB. The excised mouse lungs were imaged using a standard micro-CT subsystem (SuperArgus) and the contrast enhanced TB lesions quantified. The same lungs were imaged using a spectral photoncounting CT system (MARS small-bore scanner). Iodine and soft tissues (water and lipid) were materially separated, and iodine uptake quantified. The volume of the TB infection quantified by spectral CT and micro-CT was found to be 2.96 mm(3) and 2.83 mm(3), respectively. This proof-of-concept study showed that spectral photon-counting CT could be used as a predictive preclinical imaging tool for the purpose of facilitating drug discovery and development. Also, as this imaging modality is available for human trials, all applications are translatable to human imaging. In conclusion, spectral photon-counting CT could accelerate a deeper understanding of infectious lung diseases using targeted pharmaceuticals and intrinsic markers, and ultimately improve the efficacy of therapies by measuring drug delivery and response to treatment in animal models and later in humans