From modern construction to postmodern social constructivism: defining the live project in architectural education

This paper presents an historical survey of the live project in architectural education, proposing that the live project can be conceptualised within three distinct periods: a modern period, a transitional period, and a (contemporary) postmodern period. This paper proposes that an evolution from a modern conception of the live project to a postmodern conception provides insight to attitudinal shift in architectural education. In order to explore what pedagogical frameworks might we help to theorising these contemporary forms, the paper contextualises architecture live project practice against pedagogical mechanisms of client-centred learning in three other disciplines

Making the studio smaller

The studio is a space apart in the university, an environment unique to creative and design disciplines. As we emerge into the pre-dawn light of the post-COVID era, we should use the insight gained from the pandemic to speculate about the future. This article invites the reader to speculate about the possibility of a smaller design studio in architectural education: one that is smaller in its spatial, temporal, pedagogical and cultural dimensions. What if, instead of demonstrating the plurality of architectural practice through the breadth and diversity of elective studio ‘units’, we reduce the scope of design courses to create space for others

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Products (RAGE) and its Ligands in Systemic Inflammation following Surgery Necessitating Cardiopulmonary Bypass

Surgery necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass (snCPB) is associated with systemic inflammation which can be severe. Systemic inflammation is common in the critically ill, is associated with adverse outcome and currently has no specific therapy. Insight into the pathogenesis of systemic inflammation may lead to therapies. The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) may represent a novel target for intervention. RAGE is a ubiquitous multi-ligand receptor that is up-regulated in the presence of its ligands. Initially characterised as a receptor for glycated proteins, it is also binds the S100 proteins and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1); causing pro-inflammatory responses via NF-κB and the MAP kinases. RAGE inhibition has been associated with improved outcomes in animal models of infectious and sterile systemic inflammation. Of the snCPB patients assessed (n=2440) for relationships between age (associated with RAGE up-regulation) with systemic inflammation and clinical outcome, the oldest patients met more SIRS criteria in the first 1h and 24h following snCPB than those aged 40-80 y. This was accompanied by higher scores of organ dysfunction. Also, plasma levels of RAGE ligands and soluble RAGE increased (n=18-120) around surgery with pre-operative levels correlating with duration of intensive care. Leukocyte cell-surface and intracellular levels of RAGE were assessed and cell surface levels on neutrophils decreased following surgery, possibly contributing to the sRAGE levels in plasma. Cytokine release from whole blood increased following incubation with RAGE ligands, with a diminished effect on whole blood obtained after snCPB, suggesting leukocyte hypo-responsiveness. Finally, genotyping 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the RAGE, HMGB1 and S100A8 genes in 187 snCBP patients indicated statistically significant relationships to clinical outcomes such as impaired oxygenation and incidence of acute kidney injury. The findings from these investigations, inform understanding of the involvement of the RAGE axis in systemic inflammation

Bench-to-bedside review: Inhaled nitric oxide therapy in adults

Nitric oxide (NO) is an endogenous mediator of vascular tone and host defence. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) results in preferential pulmonary vasodilatation and lowers pulmonary vascular resistance. The route of administration delivers NO selectively to ventilated lung units so that its effect augments that of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and improves oxygenation. This 'Bench-to-bedside' review focuses on the mechanisms of action of iNO and its clinical applications, with emphasis on acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. Developments in our understanding of the cellular and molecular actions of NO may help to explain the hitherto disappointing results of randomised controlled trials of iNO

Efficient Spatially Adaptive Convolution and Correlation

Fast methods for convolution and correlation underlie a variety of applications in computer vision and graphics, including efficient filtering, analysis, and simulation. However, standard convolution and correlation are inherently limited to fixed filters: spatial adaptation is impossible without sacrificing efficient computation. In early work, Freeman and Adelson have shown how steerable filters can address this limitation, providing a way for rotating the filter as it is passed over the signal. In this work, we provide a general, representation-theoretic, framework that allows for spatially varying linear transformations to be applied to the filter. This framework allows for efficient implementation of extended convolution and correlation for transformation groups such as rotation (in 2D and 3D) and scale, and provides a new interpretation for previous methods including steerable filters and the generalized Hough transform. We present applications to pattern matching, image feature description, vector field visualization, and adaptive image filtering

Archival ethics: The truth of the matter

This essay explores the question of whether records professionals are as aware of the ethical dimensions of their work as they should be. It consider first the historical and professional context of archival ethics, then examines a recent case about business archives involving the author that suggests the need for renewed attention to professional ethics, and concludes with a discussion about how archivists might reconsider the ethical dimensions of their work

‘Let loose the loganberries of war: making noise and occupying space in Govanhill,’ Field, 3:1(2010), pp. 125-131.

Seeking to explore and articulate the complex nature of interdisciplinary creative practice in a contested urban environment, Brown and Warren’s article was published in the international online peer-reviewed journal Field, which has an explicit commitment to the presentation of critical, theoretical, political and playful perspectives on architecture for a wide audience. The article presented an original exploration of the complex interrelationship of architecture, fine art practice and social history in a deprived inner-city neighbourhood. The article was the first academic paper to introduce this unique social and cultural context to a forum focused on alternative architectural practices. Brown and Warren met in 2008 while living in the Glasgow neighbourhood of Govanhill, a district characterised in recent years by its significantly high rates of drug overdoses, domestic abuse, alcohol abuse, serious crime and murder. In spite of these problems, many of which have been shown to be intimately connected to the predominance of old and poorly maintained tenement housing, Govanhill is one of the most culturally vibrant and politically active neighbourhoods in Glasgow. The research highlights the allied and interdependent opportunities for political engagement and creative arts practice in contested urban environments. The article uses the citizen occupation of the former public swimming baths in the Govanhill district of Glasgow (25 March to 7 August 2001), its violent conclusion and subsequent community based art projects to contextualise the critical role of community engagement in art and architecture practice. It sets the occupation of the Govanhill Baths against established historical narratives of political and spatial action in Govanhill, from the Glasgow Rent Strikes during World War I to the Poll Tax protests of the nineteen-eighties. Brown considers each of these events as interplays of spatial occupation and political protest. Brown served as the lead author of the article, researching the statistical data and literature informing the paper and conducting and coding an interview artist Marielle MacLeman