Crafting sustainable repairs: practice-based approaches to extending the life of clothes

Mass-produced ‘fast fashion’ has changed our relationship with clothing – cheap and easy to acquire, we are unlikely to take time to undertake simple repairs or address issues of maintenance, often caused or exacerbated by poor construction and low quality materials (see for example Goworek et al., 2012; You Gov, 2012; Fletcher, 2008; Birtwistle & Moore, 2007). Through complete lifecycle assessment, extending the useful life of clothes has been identified as the most significant intervention in reducing the impact of the clothing industry (Wrap, 2012). However, academic research emerging from both the UK and Scandinavia has identified practical, social, socioeconomic, systemic and psychological barriers that prevent consumers from performing even the most basic of repairs, and as a result damaged or worn items are discarded or taken out of active use (see for example Armstrong et al., 2014; Middleton, 2014; Cooper et al., 2014; Fletcher, 2013; Goworek et al., 2012; Laitala & Boks, 2012). This paper explores the barriers to mending, different perspectives on the reasons behind them, suggested solutions and contemporary approaches to overcoming them. As textile designers and academics whose work is embedded in sustainable principles, we discuss the findings of our own practice-based approaches in relation to these, in order to consider the role fashion and textile designers can play in enabling solutions. Research has been gathered through participatory design workshops and public engagement events, informed by review of historical, existing and emerging repair practices, and personal craft-led design praxis. We have explored ways to address the barriers, add value to the acts of repair by re-framing them as social design-led sharing activities, and discuss the potential of participatory craft praxis as a tool to motivate greater public engagement in repair practice

Dynamics, control and sensor issues pertinent to robotic hands for the EVA retriever system

Basic dynamics, sensor, control, and related artificial intelligence issues pertinent to smart robotic hands for the Extra Vehicular Activity (EVA) Retriever system are summarized and discussed. These smart hands are to be used as end effectors on arms attached to manned maneuvering units (MMU). The Retriever robotic systems comprised of MMU, arm and smart hands, are being developed to aid crewmen in the performance of routine EVA tasks including tool and object retrieval. The ultimate goal is to enhance the effectiveness of EVA crewmen

Elevated interferon-stimulated gene transcription in peripheral blood mononuclear cells occurs in patients infected with genotype 1 but not genotype 3 hepatitis C virus

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be classified into seven distinct genotypes that are associated with differing pathologies and respond differently to antiviral therapy. In the UK, genotype 1 and 3 are present in approximately equal proportions. Chronic infection with HCV genotype 3 is associated with increased liver steatosis and reduced peripheral total cholesterol levels, which potentially influences peripheral immune responses. To understand these differences, we investigated host gene transcription in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by microarray and quantitative PCR in patients with genotype 1 (n = 22) or genotype 3 infection (n = 22) and matched healthy controls (n = 15). Enrichment of genes involved in immune response and inflammatory pathways were present in patients infected with HCV genotype 1; however, no differences in genes involved in lipid or cholesterol metabolism were detected. This genotype-specific induction of genes is unrelated to IL28B genotype or previous treatment failure. Our data support the hypothesis that genotype 1 infection drives a skewed Type I interferon response and provides a foundation for future investigations into the host–pathogen interactions that underlie the genotype-specific clinical outcomes of chronic HCV infection

Geographies of Swimming Pool Provision: Lessons from Glasgow 1804–2014

Swimming is a popular form of recreation and exercise in the UK and US. Swimming can take place outdoors but, particularly in the UK, largely takes place in designated indoor pools. Existing research tends to focus on ‘public’ or ‘municipal’ pools leaving broader spatial geographies of swimming pool provision under explored. In response to concern about swimming pool closures, this paper draws from extensive archival research into all swimming pools in the City of Glasgow, Scotland, since the first opened in 1804. Formal and informal programmes of pool building and closure were revealed. Rather than decreasing, public provision has remained constant for the last 100 years but become progressively more spread out in relation to the city’s changing size. Broadening exploration beyond the ‘public’ category exposed a vast drop in school pool numbers around the year 2000 due to a Private Finance Initiative project that consolidated the secondary school estate and outsourced school building management. The lessons: researching all types of swimming pool through time greatly enriches understandings of the changing meaning and extent of public service provision

The commodification of women in Edith Wharton's fiction

Edith Wharton is commonly perceived as a reactionary conservative looking back to the past. In this thesis I explore the idea that she is rather a woman ahead of her time, with a keen perception of the pressures brought to bear on women and men in the new industrialized society of the twentieth century. I think that feminism, and a dislike of commodification which approaches Marxism, lie embedded in her work. I try to unearth these in her major "society" novels, The House of Mirth, The Age of Innocence and the Custom of the Country, in two minor novels, Hudson River Bracketed and The Gods Arrive, and in her novel of "ordinary folk", Ethan Frome

Dimerization-driven interaction of hepatitis C virus core protein with NS3 helicase

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infects over 130 million people causing a worldwide epidemic of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular-carcinoma. Because current HCV treatments are only partially effective, molecular mechanisms involved in HCV propagation are actively being pursued as possible drug targets. Here, we report on a new macromolecular interaction between the HCV capsid core protein and the helicase portion of HCV non-structural protein 3 (NS3h), confirmed by four different biochemical methods. The protease portion of NS3 is not required. Interaction between the two proteins could be disrupted by two types of specific inhibitors of core dimerization, the small molecule SL201 and core106, a C-terminally truncated core protein. Cross-linking experiments suggest that the physical interaction with NS3h is probably driven by core oligomerization. Moreover, SL201 blocks the production of infectious virus, but not the production of a subgenomic HCV replicon by hepatoma cells. Time-of-addition experiments confirm that SL201 has no effect on entry of the virus. These data underline the essential role of core as a key organizer of HCV particle assembly, confirm the importance of oligomerization, reveal the interaction with viral helicase and support a new molecular understanding of the formation of the viral particle at the level of the lipid droplets, before its migration to the site of release and budding

2′-3′-Cyclic Nucleotide 3′-Phosphodiesterase Inhibition by Organometallic Vanadium Complexes: A Potential New Paradigm for Studying CNS Degeneration

The enzyme, 2′-3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase (CNPase) has been known for over fifty years. Nevertheless, the roles this membrane-bound enzyme play have yet to be described completely. Recently, there has been renewed interest in the study of this enzyme due to studies that suggest that CNPase plays a role in the mediation of cellular inflammatory responses in renal and nervous system tissues. Also, this enzyme, found in oligodendrocytes of the nervous system, has been reported to participate in significant regulatory changes associated with age which may be involved in age-related CNS degeneration. Consequently, development of CNPase inhibitors is of interest and should aid in the study of this, as yet, poorly understood enzyme. In this work we utilized a spectrophotometric enzyme assay to determine the effect a panel of organo-vanadium complexes had on isolated hamster myelin CNPase activity. Our group has now identified several potent in vitro CNPase inhibitors that could prove useful in clarifying the important roles of this enzyme

Headache and transient visual loss as the only presenting symptoms of vertebral artery dissection: a case report

Vertebral artery dissection is an important cause of stroke in the young and diagnosis is often challenging as symptoms are varied and subtle. Case presentation A 33-year-old, previously healthy, white male office worker was stretching his neck when he developed sudden left-sided visual loss lasting 5 minutes associated with headache. He had no other neurological symptoms or signs. He was investigated with a computed tomography angiogram, which revealed a left vertebral artery dissection with a right posterior cerebral artery vascular occlusion. Conclusions We describe an atypical case of vertebral artery dissection presenting with sudden transient visual disturbance without neurological signs in an otherwise healthy man. This is a rare but potentially fatal condition that can result in thromboembolic infarction. A high index of suspicion is crucial to make an early diagnosis and avoid devastating neurological outcomes

Bidirectional lipid droplet velocities are controlled by differential binding strengths of HCV Core DII protein

Host cell lipid droplets (LD) are essential in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle and are targeted by the viral capsid core protein. Core-coated LDs accumulate in the perinuclear region and facilitate viral particle assembly, but it is unclear how mobility of these LDs is directed by core. Herein we used two-photon fluorescence, differential interference contrast imaging, and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopies, to reveal novel core-mediated changes to LD dynamics. Expression of core protein’s lipid binding domain II (DII-core) induced slower LD speeds, but did not affect directionality of movement on microtubules. Modulating the LD binding strength of DII-core further impacted LD mobility, revealing the temporal effects of LD-bound DII-core. These results for DII-core coated LDs support a model for core-mediated LD localization that involves core slowing down the rate of movement of LDs until localization at the perinuclear region is accomplished where LD movement ceases. The guided localization of LDs by HCV core protein not only is essential to the viral life cycle but also poses an interesting target for the development of antiviral strategies against HCV