La autoridad social de la ciencia en la edad post moderna

Sin resume

"Pushing the Envelope” a modeling-based approach to the development of organic, responsive architectural form

This paper tests design procedures for the development of complex, organic architectural forms. It illustrates a postgraduate student design process, implementing a development sequence based on the intelligent manipulation of architectural envelopes using a variety of existing modeling tools and emerging digital techniques. These stages of development respond to imposed spatial and environmental constraints. The tests began with full-scale modeling of small segments. The major constraints at this stage were spatial requirements and the physical characteristics of materials. The forms derived from the bending properties of prestressed green timber and the dimensions of shingle cladding. This was followed by digital 3D modeling using common commercial applications. At this stage initial models were derived from a traditional space requirement brief. The envelopes for these activities were then manipulated to respond to the spatial limitations imposed by surrounding buildings. This digital modeling process metaphorically "pushed the limits” as vertices of the envelope model were stretched and shifted to achieve a perceived "fit” between the two sets of spatial dimensions. The spatially manipulated geometry was then imported into Ecotect, an environmental analysis package. As an example, the envelope's morphology and cladding material options on the acoustic qualities of the surrounding space were tested. The improved geometry was then imported into a Virtual Reality room, in which the spatial experience was simulated in presentations to the design team and potential occupants. This room utilized six projectors to create an immersive experience to users wearing stereoscopic goggles, and moving in a space surrounded by three large screens, creating a CAVE-like presentation space. Finally there was an attempt to complete the circle by returning from the simulated world to the physical worlds, by creating full-scale models from the digital geometry. This included low-cost techniques such as the generation of paper facets, and the use of more expensive rapid prototyping technology

Non-governmental organizations and the environmental movement:Challenges in climate change framing

Non-governmental organizations are important players in the making, shaping, and implementation of climate policies and practices. They campaign at coal mines and fracking sites, and they devise ways to exert pressure at international climate talks and they seek to influence public opinions around climate issues. Across the world, New Climate Movement groups (such as Extinction Rebellion) have appeared in the last few years focusing on non-violent direct action techniques such as sit-ins and road blocking. But even these groups, whose public profile is so confrontational, seek to show that scientific evidence is on their side. This is because climate policies depend on claims about changes in the atmosphere and oceans which usually need to be detected and measured through scientific means. This close relationship to scientific evidence confers advantages on environmental NGOs but can be a source of difficulties too – for example, if evidence takes a long while to produce or if campaigners want to disagree with scientific experts on other topics (on nuclear power or GMOs for example). Accordingly, environmental NGOs have experienced some ambivalence about their ties to scientific results, and found some alternative platforms for their campaigns. They may simply pick up on governmental climate targets and try to hold governments to their commitments (without specifically raising the question of the correctness of those commitments). Or, they may look at ways of avoiding carbon emissions by, for example, getting universities and colleges to avoid investing in coal or fossil fuels. Furthermore, in initiatives such as the famous school strikes and Fridays for Future, campaigners focus on generational differences. University students and all younger people were likely not born at the time of the last major climate treaty (the Kyoto Agreement) so this generation can reasonably deny the climate guilt of many of their forebears. Nonetheless, these campaigns too tend to assign a central role to science. And (older) current political leaders are attacked for not paying sufficient heed to the scientific evidence

Political, ethical, and societal aspects of issuing warnings to humanity

The scientific community has a sustained history of issuing warnings to society’s leaders and policy-makers. In such cases, scientists take on the task of alerting those in power to issues they may not notice or not wish to see. A distinctive thing about environmental warnings authored by leading scientists is that they are addressed to “humanity.” This paper argues that attempts to “speak truth to humanity”—despite the undoubted quality of the data and analyses—face three sorts of problem. There is firstly the difficulty that humanity is not a unified entity in the way that is often assumed and that, in practice, citizens may not be in a position to act in the way that is presupposed by those who issues the warnings. Secondly, though the declaration of a climate emergency may appear to be a desirable corollary of speaking truth to humanity, there are good reasons from political science to think that such declarations will be made for messier and complex reasons. Finally, even the more technical aspects of the warning documents may contain normative or social scientific components; they are not exclusively technical. Together these points argue for the engagement of humanities and socials sciences scholars in future attempts to offer compressive, integrated warnings to humankind

Myocardial Macrophage Phenotypic Variation and Cytokine-Mediated Induction of HIV-Associated Cardiac Disease: A Dissertation

Ventricular dysfunction and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) develop among untreated HIV-infected people at much higher rates than among HIV-negative individuals, resulting in significant contributions to morbidity and mortality. Mechanisms underlying development of HIV-associated cardiomyopathy (HIVCM) are as yet poorly understood. The well-characterized simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) model of HIV infection provides a unique context for HIVCM pathogenesis studies in that SIV-infected rhesus monkeys develop myocardial lesions and contractile dysfunction similar to those described in HIV-infected people, suggesting a shared disease mechanism. Lymphocytic myocarditis is a commonly reported finding in AIDS patients at autopsy and constitutes one of several conditions known to predispose to development of DCM, irrespective of HIV-infection status. As lymphocytic myocarditis also occurs with high frequency among SIV-infected rhesus monkeys, a retrospective analysis of rhesus monkey cardiac tissue collected at necropsy was performed to examine viral and cellular correlates of lymphocytic inflammation within myocardial tissue. One subpopulation of macrophages, which has been reported by other groups to be associated with an anti-inflammatory phenotype, was found to correlate inversely with lymphocytic infiltration and positively with numbers of virus infected cells, suggesting effects of an anti-inflammatory cytokine production profile. In contrast, the detrimental effects of inflammatory cytokines on myocardial structure and function are well-recognized and HIV infection in general is characterized by chronic immune activation and inflammatory cytokine dysregulation. To further investigate a role for myocardial cytokine production in development of HIVCM, a prospective study was conducted in which SIV-infected rhesus monkeys and uninfected controls were treated with recurrent administration of inactivated Mycobacterium aviumcomplex bacteria (MAC). SIV-infected, MAC-treated animals rapidly developed significant ventricular systolic dysfunction and chamber dilatation not seen in control groups, suggesting an exaggerated myocardial sensitivity to exogenous antigenic stimulation. Concurrent treatment with the TNFα antagonist etanercept completely abrogated development of these changes, strongly implicating a causative role for TNFα in evolution of the contractile dysfunction and chamber remodeling. Findings reported from the current studies suggest that characteristics of local myocardial macrophage populations and the myocardial tissue cytokine milieu may play more important roles than lymphocytic infiltration, cardiomyocyte damage, or viral proteins in the pathogenesis of HIVCM

The Inner Voice of Aging

This study investigated what gives older persons meaning in their lives and the role of spirituality in that meaning. The study focused on the direction of their lives, the sense of purpose in life, both from a formal religious belief and from the sense of ideals held by the individual. The study utilized qualitative methods. The ten subjects were selected from referral by others interviewed and by people met during the course of the last two years. Those interviewed ranged in age from 65 to 92 years; two were male; nine were Caucasian, and most were middle class. Only three of the ten interviewed were comparatively healthy, but all have purpose to their lives. For most, that purpose is to help others or family or to be actively engaged in causes and issues. Most of them lead full, happy lives. In very unique ways, all expressed the importance of some type of spirituality (not necessarily church-centered), and were aware of God or a higher being, often basing their life philosophy on devotion to that higher being. The themes of their lives were, for the most part, family, the manner in which they had faced and borne early life and late life losses, life-long learning, being active, companionship, spirituality and religion, volunteerism, and active advocacy. This study found older age, in spite of physical failings, to be a positive time. The majority of the group were vitally engaged in everyday living. They embraced the losses and suffering in their lives to form spiritual meaning in their final years

Education provision for the newborn physical examination as a postregistration module: National survey

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in British Journal of Midwifery, February 2017, Vol. 25, No. 2, Copyright © MA Healthcare, after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://www.research.herts.ac.uk/admin/files/11149919/bjom.2017.25.2.88.pdfAims This study aimed to assess the scope of newborn infant physical examination (NIPE) education in post-registration midwifery education, determine the structure and requirements for midwives undertaking NIPE training, and explore similarities and differences in pre- and post-registration preparation requirements. Methods In early 2015, all lead midwives for education in the UK were sent a link to an online questionnaire to assess the scope and practice of NIPE education across all midwifery curricula. This is the second of a two-part report, focusing on post-registration education; part A examined the education provision for the inclusion of NIPE in the midwifery curriculum. Findings NIPE education for midwives is popular and is well established in the post-registration curriculum. Variations exist in the length, content, assessment, levels of study and credits awarded for post-registration NIPE modules. This lack of standardisation raises questions about quality assurance. Conclusion The variation in module length has implications for commissioners and self-funding students, as longer NIPE modules are more costly. There is a strong argument for a standardised NIPE programme across the UK and for providers of maternity services to fully utilise midwives who have been trained in NIPE to avoid them becoming de-skilled.Peer reviewe

The medieval Latin planctus as a genre

SIGLELD:D48872/84 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Influence of occupants’ behaviour on energy and carbon emission reduction in a higher education building in the UK

This article focuses on one of the case studies in the Carbon Brainprint research project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Chatterton, J., D. Parsons, J. Nicholls, P. Longhurst, M. Bernon, A. Palmer, F. Brennan, et al. 2015. “Carbon Brainprint – An Estimate of the Intellectual Contribution of Research Institutions to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions.” Process Safety and Environmental Protection 96: 74–81). The UK total CO2e emissions in 2010 amounted to 582MtCO2e. It is estimated that non-domestic buildings and domestic buildings were responsible for 18% (106MtCO2e) and 28% (165MtCO2e) of these emissions, respectively. A case study method was used to investigative the opportunity of using occupants’ awareness and behavioural interventions to reduce energy use and carbon emissions in a non-domestic building of a higher education institution. An action research approach, informed by the theory of planned behaviour, was argued for this case study. It has demonstrated 20% savings in lighting, office equipment and catering energy use, largely through user awareness and behaviour change. If this level of saving were to be reflected throughout the non-domestic building stock it would represent an annual reduction in the order of 7MtCO2e in the UK. These figures relate specifically to non-domestic buildings. However, some of the techniques involved are directly transferable to domestic buildings, with the potential for further emission reductions