Design, poverty and sustainable development

Design in a poor context, or for the alleviation of poverty, has received little or no attention. An informal discourse analysis shows that design and poverty have not been linked, the two being seen as mutually exclusive. This paper aims to examine the relationships between design and designers, poverty and the poor, and sustainable development, which aims to alleviate poverty. On the face of it, there would appear to be little that links them; however, this paper aims to identify specific design initiatives that relate to poor people in the southern hemisphere as producers and consumers of designed goods.1 It briefly outlines definitions of poverty and sustainable development, then describes selected design interventions. It analyzes the contribution that these initiatives make to the reduction of poverty, and to the different aspects of sustainable development

Design and sustainable development: what is the contribution that design can make? A case study of the Welsh Woollen Industry

This paper reports on ongoing research examining the contribution that design can make to sustainable development, that is: '… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (WCED, 1987, p. 43) It outlines the need for global sustainable development and its adoption into global and governmental policies. Both of the key concepts of design and sustainable development are discussed, as is the relationship between them (Spangenberg 2001, Walker 2006). The contradictions between design as a stimulator of consumption and its potential contribution to sustainable development are examined. The context of the research is Wales, one of the few nations to have a legal commitment to sustainable development (Welsh Assembly Government 2004a), and a selected part of the textile industry there. The policy background and the measurement of sustainable development in Wales are discussed. A background is given to the selected part of the textile industry, that is the Welsh Woollen Industry and a classification of it into ‘old’ and ‘new’ sectors is proposed. The methodology of the study is outlined, having a social constructionist philosophy, informed by feminism and interpretivism. The methods developed to explore this relationship are principally qualitative (Rossman and Rallis 1998) within which a case study approach is taken (Langrish 1993, Yin 2003). Analysis of data collected indicate that the use of design as a recognised activity is uneven, some producers using design strategically to give their work unique appeal and others not using it in a conscious way. In other contexts a design input does not contribute to economic sustainability as might be expected (Lorenz 1986). Further work is outlined including concepts and tools to be used. More data will be collected from producers in urban areas in order to gain further insights and from key people working in both design and sustainable development at an institutional level. Keywords: Design; Sustainable Development; Wales; Welsh textile industry; rural producers</p

Sanquhar Gloves: An Exemplification of Deep Local to Pan Global?

Hand knitted gloves with unique patterning have been produced in the small Scottish town of Sanquhar for probably 200 years. They continue to be produced there today, demonstrating a “deep local” presence spanning many generations. Meanwhile, knowledge of the gloves has spread globally, including the English-speaking world as well as Europe and Scandinavia. Aided by modern social media they have become “pan global” as exemplified in the author’s blog documenting “The Glove Project” (https:knittinggloves.wordpress.com/), the Ravelry group dedicated to Sanquhar knitting (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/sanquhar-knitting-group) and an ongoing online exhibition for the Center for Knit and Crochet USA (http://sanquhargloves.centerforknitandcrochet.org). The paper draws on the author’s work investigating the origins of the glove production in Sanquhar and the reasons for its continued existence in that specific place (Knitting Traditions, Spring 2014, Rowan Magazine, 56 Winter 2014, Vogue Knitting 2017), alongside the very few gloves produced from one village in the north of England, similar in style to those of Sanquhar but specific to that location and therefore also “deep local.” In the context of “pan global” activity, glove production in the Baltics and Scandinavia is compared and contrasted with that of the UK while historic gloves from India also share similarities with the UK design. The paper reflects the variety of approaches used in the “The Glove Project,” including the study of historic examples; knitting gloves in “traditional” patterns; designing and knitting contemporary gloves; and observation of examples of knitted gloves from Estonia and Latvia. These diverse approaches are underpinned by a critical framework informed by a feminist standpoint, a structured qualitative research methodology and a multi-disciplinary subject base, encompassing design, textiles, material culture, and geography. The paper is illustrated with selected historic and contemporary examples of knitted gloves taken from the collection of the Knitting and Crochet Guild and the author’s personal collection

Sanquhar Gloves: An Exemplification of Deep Local to Pan Global?

Hand knitted gloves with unique patterning have been produced in the small Scottish town of Sanquhar for probably 200 years. They continue to be produced there today, demonstrating a “deep local” presence spanning many generations. Meanwhile, knowledge of the gloves has spread globally, including the English-speaking world as well as Europe and Scandinavia. Aided by modern social media they have become “pan global” as exemplified in the author’s blog documenting “The Glove Project” (https:knittinggloves.wordpress.com/), the Ravelry group dedicated to Sanquhar knitting (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/sanquhar-knitting-group) and an ongoing online exhibition for the Center for Knit and Crochet USA (http://sanquhargloves.centerforknitandcrochet.org). The paper draws on the author’s work investigating the origins of the glove production in Sanquhar and the reasons for its continued existence in that specific place (Knitting Traditions, Spring 2014, Rowan Magazine, 56 Winter 2014, Vogue Knitting 2017), alongside the very few gloves produced from one village in the north of England, similar in style to those of Sanquhar but specific to that location and therefore also “deep local.” In the context of “pan global” activity, glove production in the Baltics and Scandinavia is compared and contrasted with that of the UK while historic gloves from India also share similarities with the UK design. The paper reflects the variety of approaches used in the “The Glove Project,” including the study of historic examples; knitting gloves in “traditional” patterns; designing and knitting contemporary gloves; and observation of examples of knitted gloves from Estonia and Latvia. These diverse approaches are underpinned by a critical framework informed by a feminist standpoint, a structured qualitative research methodology and a multi-disciplinary subject base, encompassing design, textiles, material culture, and geography. The paper is illustrated with selected historic and contemporary examples of knitted gloves taken from the collection of the Knitting and Crochet Guild and the author’s personal collection

Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum gen. nov., sp. nov. and Ferrithrix thermotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov.: heterotrophic, iron-oxidizing, extremely acidophilic actinobacteria

Two novel extremely acidophilic, iron-oxidizing actinobacteria were isolated, one from a mine site in North Wales, UK (isolate T23T), and the other from a geothermal site in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA (Y005T). These new actinobacteria belong to the subclass Acidimicrobidae, and in contrast to the only other classified member of the subclass (Acidimicrobium ferrooxidans), both isolates were obligate heterotrophs. The mine site isolate was mesophilic and grew as small rods, while the Yellowstone isolate was a moderate thermophile and grew as long filaments, forming macroscopic flocs in liquid media. Both isolates accelerated the oxidative dissolution of pyrite in yeast extract-amended cultures, but neither was able to oxidize reduced forms of sulfur. Ferrous iron oxidation enhanced growth yields of the novel mesophilic actinobacterium T23T, though this was not confirmed for the Yellowstone isolate. Both isolates catalysed the dissimilatory reduction of ferric iron, using glycerol as electron donor, in oxygen-free medium. Based on comparative analyses of base compositions of their chromosomal DNA and of their 16S rRNA gene sequences, the isolates are both distinct from each other and from Acidimicrobium ferrooxidans, and are representatives of two novel genera. The names Ferrimicrobium acidiphilum gen. nov., sp. nov. and Ferrithrix thermotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov. are proposed for the mesophilic and moderately thermophilic isolates, respectively, with the respective type strains T23T (5DSM 19497T5ATCC BAA-1647T) and Y005T (5DSM 19514T5ATCC BAA-1645T).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Airway metabolic profiling during Streptococcus pneumoniae infection identifies branched chain amino acids as signatures of upper airway colonisation

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading cause of community-acquired pneumonia and bacteraemia and is capable of remarkable phenotypic plasticity, responding rapidly to environmental change. Pneumococcus is a nasopharyngeal commensal, but is responsible for severe, acute infections following dissemination within-host. Pneumococcus is adept at utilising host resources, but the airways are compartmentalised and those resources are not evenly distributed. Challenges and opportunities in metabolite acquisition within different airway niches may contribute to the commensal-pathogen switch when pneumococcus moves from nasopharynx into lungs. We used NMR to characterise the metabolic landscape of the mouse airways, in health and during infection. Using paired nasopharynx and lung samples from naïve animals, we identified fundamental differences in metabolite bioavailability between airway niches. Pneumococcal pneumonia was associated with rapid and dramatic shifts in the lung metabolic environment, whilst nasopharyngeal carriage led to only modest change in upper airway metabolite profiles. NMR spectra derived from the nasopharynx of mice infected with closely-related pneumococcal strains that differ in their colonisation potential could be distinguished from one another using multivariate dimensionality reduction methods. The resulting models highlighted that increased branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) bioavailability in nasopharynx is a feature of infection with the high colonisation potential strain. Subsequent analysis revealed increased expression of BCAA transport genes and increased intracellular concentrations of BCAA in that same strain. Movement from upper to lower airway environments is associated with shifting challenges in metabolic resource allocation for pneumococci. Efficient biosynthesis, liberation or acquisition of BCAA is a feature of adaptation to nasopharyngeal colonisation