University College London

Authors: Wang Tao and Peter Ucko. Wang Tao and Peter Ucko 2007: 'Early Archaeological Fieldwork Practice and Syllabuses in China and England,' in From Concepts of the Past to Practical Strategies: The Teaching of Archaeological Field Techniques, London: Saffron 2007.  ISBN 9781872843704, London: Saffron Books.  Peter Ucko, Editor-in-Chief Qin Ling and Jane Hubert Editors. Commissioning Editor and General Editor: Sajid Rizvi. [Preamble] To some extent this chapter in the book can be seen as complementary to Shennan’s (Chapter 1) analysis of changing questions and attitudes towards archaeology in a historic dimension, and also as a link to those following chapters which deal with situations of training for fieldwork in many parts of the world as they exist currently. It also follows on from the experience of one of us, namely that training in fieldwork methods is often disguised by what happens in reality. … Follow links for further info on this book.

The main barrier for library exhibitions is that the communication system used in literature is completely different from the one of the visual arts. Consequently, major challenges arise when books and manuscripts become items displayed inside cases. Therefore, it is necessary to find alternative ways (to reading) in which the public can experience such material. But how can this be done? For conservation reasons, visitors cannot be allowed to freely handle valuable objects. So, what can be built around them to provide an immersive experience, while both preserving their natural function of literary material and protecting them from deterioration?
This study identifies three main areas to improve visitor experience, each one connected to the other: a sense of Narrative, illustrated through different levels of Interpretation, facilitated by Interaction (physical, digital, social) both with objects and other people (i.e. other visitors, or staff members). Acknowledging the fact that exhibitions are complex systems and therefore it is not possible to define one model for all, this work focuses on a specific case study, the Treasures of the British Library permanent exhibition. The aim is to contribute to a better understanding of the needs of the visitors of library exhibitions. Data on visitors’ profiles, behaviour, and experience, were collected through tracking and post-visit interviews, and then analysed in order to address visitors’ needs and expectations. The main needs identified involve: a sense of narrative, which should address different levels of knowledge and perspectives; characterisation of the space, to be manifestly relevant to the material exhibited; sensorial experiences and information about the stories of the objects, to preserve the ‘hands-on’ nature of literary materials.

The first major contemporary study on the status & person of Socrates in Islam.

Known as the father of Western Philosophy, Socrates was a man of great religious belief ‘To do this has, as I say, been enjoined upon me by the God, by means of oracles and dreams, and in every other way that a Divine manifestation has ever ordered a man to do anything’ says Socrates in Plato's Apology.  His belief in his appointment by God to call the people of Athens to the good life was so firm and unshakable that in the very hour of his death sentence, he rebuked his followers for crying for, as he had said so many times, for the True Philosopher 'death may be the greatest of all human blessings’.

Religion in today's world is portrayed as the antithesis of rationality and science. Yet the so-called 'Father of Rationality' and one of the earliest documented rational enquirers into why we live the way we do was a man who based even his smallest actions on his Divine Sign or Revelation ‘At all previous times my familiar prophetic power, my spiritual manifestation, frequently opposed me, even in small matters, when I was about to do something wrong...’ (Plato's Apology).

Islam is clear on the question of Prophethood - God in The Holy Quran addresses Muhammad ﷺ and says:

Verily We have sent thee with the Truth as a bearer of glad tidings and as a Warner; for there is no nation to whom a Warner has not been sent.

If they treat thee as a liar their predecessors did the same.  Whenever their Messengers came to them with clear Signs and with the Scriptures and with the Illuminating Book.

The Holy Quran.  al-Fatir [The Originator]: 25, 26.

Was Socrates then among these Prophets - these Warners? What is the criteria of Prophethood in Islam and does Socrates fit the bill? How can rationality and revelation co-exist? If science is the Act of God and true religion the Word of God, should they not go hand in hand? Rehan Qayoom an active poet of both English and Urdu analysed and dissected what we know about Socrates to answer these questions and to, no doubt, raise a good many more on 7 February 2013 at University College London.

The event was held by AMSA (Ahmadiyya Muslim Student’s Association) and co-hosted by the UCLU Hellenic Society.  The talk was followed by a Q & A and a dramatic rendition of a portion of The Apology.

Author's note: the data for much of this research came from 2006-2016 Annual Reports, and so, arguably, provides a pre-Brexit benchmark against which post-Brexit data can be measured.

Based on observations that the nature of universities in the HE sector in the UK appear to be changing from purely charitable organisations and moving into the business sector two interrelated questions arise which build one on the other. These are:

1. Can ratio analysis of financial KPI be applied to universities in the HE sector in the UK and where appropriate a set of benchmarks extrapolated based upon an average score?
2. Are there other measures of financial KPI specific to the HE sector that can be developed to augment these?

For the purposes of this research a case study comprised of a representative sample of nine universities in the UK was selected from the Russell Group (Table 1.2) because they have a shared vision, mission and set of objectives that should better allow for comparative analysis between them. There are two in Scotland, one in Wales, one in Northern Ireland, and the five highest ranked English universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2015-2016.

The case study includes: University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London (ICL), University College London (UCL), The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE&PS), University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, Cardiff University, and Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB).

This article outlines the lives and achievements of the British archaeologist and anthropologist Margaret A. Murray, mostly known as the assistant of Flinders Petrie. This publication hopes to give this woman the credit she deserves for her accomplishments.

El ingreso en 1954 del arquitecto portugués Luís Possolo (1924-1999) en el Gabinete de Urbanização do Ultramar (GUU) de Lisboa-instituido diez años antes por el Ministro de las Colonias, Marcello Caetano-coincide con su envío a Lon-dres para participar en la edición inaugural del curso en Arquitectura Tropical de la Architectural Association. La materia científica de este artículo se basa, por un lado, en la revisión de la literatura encuadrada dentro del "estado del arte" y, por otro, en el estudio de fuentes primarias del referido servicio estatal, que se encuentran depositadas en el Archivo Histórico Ultramarino de Lisboa, además de la aportación de documentación personal del arquitecto. El ejercicio añade información relevante para un mayor conocimiento del referido curso de la AA, materia que tendría una importante repercusión internacional en el ámbito de la investigación y del diseño en la arquitectura en las regiones tropicales, desarrolladas en las décadas siguientes. También se va a abordar la influencia que tuvo Possolo en la actividad proyectual del GUU, y en particular su aportación como arquitecto para el Ultramar Portugués, presentándose sus principales obras, hechas tanto en el servicio público, como en la práctica privada.


The employment in 1954 of the Portuguese architect Luís Possolo (1924-1999) into the Lisbon-sited Gabinete de Urbanização do Ultramar (Overseas Urbanization Office-GUU)-which the Overseas Minister Marcelo Caetano had started ten years before-coincided with his sending to attend the inaugural edition of the course in Tropical Architecture at London's Architectural Association. Scientific matter in this article is raised, on one hand, from a revision of state-of-the-art literature on the subject, and on the other hand on primary sources from that State Office, to be found at Lisbon's Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, along with data in the architects' personal papers. The exercise adds relevant information for a broader understanding of that course at the AA, which would have a wide international repercussion in the field of researching and designing in architecture for the tropical regions through the following decades. The influence Possolo had on project designing at the GUU, and particularly his work as an architect for the Portuguese Overseas, shall also be engaged, as his major projects made in the civil service, as well as in private practice, are presented.

SUMMARY Non-dysplastic Barrett's oesophagus (NDBE) occurs as a consequence of an inflam-matory response triggered through prolonged gastro-oesophageal reflux and it may precede the development of oesophageal adenocarcinoma. NF-kB activation as a result of inflammatory response has been shown in NDBE, but the possible mechanism involved in the process is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess, using immunohistochemistry, Survivin and Bcl3 expression as potential biomarkers for NF-kB activation along the oesophageal metaplasia–dysplasia–adenocarcinoma sequence. Survivin is an NF-kB-inducible anti-apoptotic protein, and Bcl3 is a negative regulator of NF-kB. There was progressive upregulation of Survivin expression along the oesophageal metaplasia–dysplasia–adenocarcinoma sequence. Bcl3 expression was upregulated in non-dysplastic Barrett's oesophagus, low-grade, high-grade dysplasia and oesophageal adenocarcinoma when compared to squamous group. The study shows the differential expression of Bcl3 between the squamous and Barrett's stage, suggesting that Bcl3 could be a surrogate marker for early event involving constitutive NF-kB activation. In addition, the study suggests that NF-jB activation may infer resistance to apoptosis through the expression of anti-apoptotic genes such as Survivin, which showed progressive increase in expression throughout the oeso-phageal metaplasia–dysplasia–adenocarcinoma sequence. This ability to avoid apop-tosis may underlie the persistence and malignant predisposition of Barrett's metaplasia.

Report from The final event of EDGE: Situated Practice in Art, Architecture and Urbanism series, led by UCL Urban Laboratory (UCL) and Folkestone Triennial 2017, covering what happened in Folkestone, on the south east coast of England: a story of decline, speculative futures, and re-engaging with the histories of place.