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Fitis a book about architecture and society that seeks to fundamentally change how architects and the public think about the task of design. Distinguished architect and urbanist Robert Geddes argues that buildings, landscapes, and cities should be designed to fit: fit the purpose, fit the place, fit future possibilities. Fit replaces old paradigms, such as form follows function, and less is more, by recognizing that the relationship between architecture and society is a true dialogue--dynamic, complex, and, if carried out with knowledge and skill, richly rewarding. With a tip of the hat to John Dewey,Fitexplores architecture as we experience it. Geddes starts with questions: Why do we design where we live and work? Why do we not just live in nature, or in chaos? Why does society care about architecture? Why does it really matter?Fitanswers these questions through a fresh examination of the basic purposes and elements of architecture--beginning in nature, combining function and expression, and leaving a legacy of form. Lively, charming, and gently persuasive, the book shows brilliant examples of fit: from Thomas Jefferson's University of Virginia and Louis Kahn's Exeter Library to contemporary triumphs such as the Apple Store on New York's Fifth Avenue, Chicago's Millennium Park, and Seattle's Pike Place. Fitis a book for everyone, because we all live in constructions--buildings, landscapes, and, increasingly, cities. It provokes architects and planners, humanists and scientists, civic leaders and citizens to reconsider what is at stake in architecture--and why it delights us.

Could there be everyday life without architecture? No, for two reasons. First, as human animals, we must protect our bodies from hostile environments, so that we can live as individuals. Second, as social animals, we must create protected places in our environment so that we can live together in groups. The first great consideration is that life goes on in an environment, but not merely in it, but because of it, through interaction with it. —John Dewey, Art as Experience What we build is a result of what we are. If our bodies were different, we would build different

We live in sunlight and shadow, daylight and darkness. We experience the annual light cycle of nature—the four seasons of summer, fall, winter, and spring—and the daily light cycle, between sunrise and sunset. Unlike the pull of gravity, which remains constant, the light of nature is always changing. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; And darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. —Book of Genesis Nowadays, we can create artificial light, distribute it,

Architecture is not autonomous. We actually experience it in a setting, some-where, some-place. As we approach a building, we experience architecture as mass. We see it as a body. We see its outline and silhouette; we observe its solids and voids. We see its composition, its overall shape and its parts, as if we were looking at a sculpture. As we stand near a building, we experience architecture as surface. We see it as a fabric, colored, dark or light, textured smooth or rough, transparent or opaque. We see it as a graphic composition, as if we were looking at

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is characterized by orthostatic tachycardia, referring to an increase in heart rate of more than 30 bpm in response to a postural change without a proportional decrease in blood pressure. Diagnosis of POTS requires the use of a postural change, such as the head-up tilt test, to measure a change in heart rates, blood pressure, and experience of symptoms. The symptoms of POTS are wide-ranging, including brain fog, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath. While the singular etiology for POTS is not agreed upon, it is thought to include at least three different causes, known as phenotypes. However, with the pathophysiologies manifesting in similar ways, it is difficult to differentiate the phenotypes and treat the impaired systems.In the quest for understanding POTS etiology, numerous studies have tried to identify POTS biomarkers, such as the recent observation of autoantibodies in some POTS patients. This study aims to identify features in heart rate and blood pressure data and build mathematical models that can be used to test proposed POTS pathophysiologies. To do so, we use non-stationary signal processing and two novel mathematical models of the cardiovascular system and its control. Using signal processing, we identify characteristics of the heart rate and blood pressure signals. We found that in addition to an increase in heart rate, POTS patients have larger low-frequency (∼0.1 Hz) oscillations and smaller average instantaneous phase differences between the low-frequency components. Using mathematical modeling, we explain the emergence and magnification of these signals.We developed a 0D cardiovascular model with simple controls and a more detailed model that includes a sinoatrial node cell that responds to the presence of adrenergic autoantibodies. For the latter, we use a multiscale approach. At the macroscale level, we predict feedback from the cardiovascular system and its control, and at the microscale level, we predict sinoatrial node membrane potential modulated by predicted neurotransmitter concentration. Results demonstrate that, when combined with the macroscale model, it is possible to predict tachycardia and increased heart rate and blood pressure low-frequency oscillation amplitude.In summary, the studies presented here present a new way to view POTS - accounting for tachycardia, low-frequency dynamics, and their importance in discerning POTS pathophysiology. Our mathematical models, which are motivated by these aforementioned dynamics, are able to represent the interaction of multiple physiological systems to produce Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.

Michael Roger Bewsher (\"Mike\") attended Merchiston Castle School in Edinburgh and served in the Royal Scots as a second lieutenant during his national service.

The Africa-UK Engineering for Development Partnership continued their quest to build and sustain engineering capacity in Africa with their second workshop, held in Arusha, Tanzania, during the last week of November 2010.