Fit for purpose? Pattern cutting and seams in wearables development

This paper describes how a group of practitioners and researchers are working across disciplines at Nottingham Trent University in the area of Technical Textiles. It introduces strands of ongoing enquiry centred around the development and application of stretch sensors on the body, focusing on how textile and fashion knowledge are being reflexively revealed in the collaborative development of seamful wearable concepts, and on the tensions between design philosophies as revealed by definitions of purpose. We discuss the current research direction of the Aeolia project, which seeks to exploit the literal gaps found in pattern cutting for fitted stretch garments towards experiential forms and potential interactions. Normative goals of fitness for purpose and seamlessness are interrogated and the potential for more integrated design processes, which may at first appear ‘upside down’, is discussed

Recent Decisions

Recent Decisions ADMIRALTY--COGSA--BILL OF LADING CARGO DESCRIPTION AND PACKER IDENTITY DETERMINE WHEN A CONTAINER IS A PACKAGE IN COGSA LIABILITY PROCEEDINGS Alan L. Marchisotto ============================ ADMIRALTY--JURISDICTION OVER AVIATION TORT CLAIMS--ADMIRALTY JURISDICTION DOES NOT EXTEND TO AVIATION TORT CLAIMS IN THE ABSENCE OF A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TORT AND TRADITIONAL MARITIME ACTIVITIES W. H. Schwarzschild III ============================ ALIENS--ALIENS MAY MAINTAIN A CAUSE OF ACTION FOR PRIVATE EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION UNDER 42 U.S.C. § 1981 (1970) Mark M. Greisberger ============================ ANTITRUST--ARTICLE 86 OF THE EEC TREATY APPLIES TO CERTAIN CHANGES IN INTERNAL CORPORATE STRUCTURE Richard P. Granfield =========================== CONSTITUTIONAL LAW--EXECUTIVE POWER--PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY TO NEGOTIATE FOREIGN COMMERCIAL AGREEMENTS PURSUANT TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS POWER IS NOT CIRCUMSCRIBED ABSENT EX-PLICIT LEGISLATION Donald B. Cameron, Jr. ========================== JURISDICTION--SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934--SECTION 10(b) APPLIES TO A TRANSACTION IN UNLISTED FOREIGN SECURITIES WHEN SIGNIFICANT FRAUDULENT CONDUCT OCCURS IN THE UNITED STATES Isaac H. Braddock ========================= TARIFFS--TRADE AGREEMENT CONCESSIONS MAY BE SUSPENDED ON A MOST-FAVORED-NATION BASIS WHEN SUCH TREATMENT IS REQUIRED BY INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES David A. Boillo

Constraints on Marine Isotope Stage 3 and 5 Sea Level from the Flooding History of the Karimata Strait in Indonesia

Global mean sea level (GMSL) during intermediate interglacial Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3) (60–26 ka) has proven difficult to constrain. Paleo-sea level estimates based on ice margin, modeling, and paleo-shoreline reconstructions indicate that MIS 3 GMSL was substantially higher than reconstructed from deep-ocean benthic foraminifera oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) and coral records, implying much smaller ice sheets during MIS 3. Here, we use the δ¹⁸O and Mg/Ca chemistry of surface and thermocline dwelling foraminifera in the Sulu Sea in the western Pacific margin to estimate relative changes of the influx of South China Sea surface flow through the Sulu Sea over the last 140 ka. We show that this South China Sea throughflow is controlled in part by changes in GMSL modulating the depth of the 36 m deep Karimata Strait at the southern end of the South China Sea. We constrain maximum allowable GMSL at the beginning and end of MIS 3 to −22 ± 6 and −29 ± 5 m, respectively, and minimum allowable GMSL during interglacial stages MIS 5c and 5a (117–72 ka) to range from −3 ± 8 to −8 ± 8 m and −11 ± 7 to −12 ± 7 m, respectively. Our results constrain MIS 3 GMSL, but do not rule out higher MIS 3 ice margin, modeling, and paleo-shoreline-based MIS 3 GMSL estimates or lower coral and seawater δ¹⁸O-based estimates. Our results favor the highest MIS 5a and 5c GMSL estimates and confirm that the Sunda Shelf served as a land-bridge for human and megafauna migration during MIS 3 when humans first arrived in Borneo

Deconstructing patient centred communication and uncovering shared decision making: an observational study

BACKGROUND: Patient centred communication (PCC) has been described as a method for doctor-patient communication. The principles of shared decision making (SDM) have been proposed more recently. AIMS: This study aimed to examine PCC and SDM empirically with respect to their mutual association, the variation in practitioners' working styles, and the associations with patient characteristics. METHODS: Sixty general practitioners recruited 596 adult patients who gave written consent to have their consultations videotaped. The tapes were assessed by two researchers, using a standardised instrument for global communication. For the purpose of this exploratory study, scales for PCC and SDM were based on subsamples of items in the MAAS. RESULTS: The scales for PCC and SDM were weakly associated (Pearson correlation: 0.25). Physicians varied more on SDM than on PCC. The intracluster correlation of the PCC and SDM scales were, respectively, 0.34 and 0.19. However, hypotheses regarding associations with patient characteristics were not confirmed. Neither PCC nor SDM scores were related to patient gender, education, age, functional health status or existence of chronic conditions. CONCLUSION: The study provides evidence that PCC and SDM can be differentiated and comprise approaches to communication between clinicians and patients which may be more clearly distinguished by further focused research and training developments

Molecular basis of FIR-mediated c-myc transcriptional control

The far upstream element (FUSE) regulatory system promotes a peak in the concentration of c-Myc during cell cycle. First, the FBP transcriptional activator binds to the FUSE DNA element upstream of the c-myc promoter. Then, FBP recruits its specific repressor (FIR), which acts as an on/off transcriptional switch. Here we describe the molecular basis of FIR recruitment, showing that the tandem RNA recognition motifs of FIR provide a platform for independent FUSE DNA and FBP protein binding and explaining the structural basis of the reversibility of the FBP-FIR interaction. We also show that the physical coupling between FBP and FIR is modulated by a flexible linker positioned sequentially to the recruiting element. Our data explain how the FUSE system precisely regulates c-myc transcription and suggest that a small change in FBP-FIR affinity leads to a substantial effect on c-Myc concentration.MRC Grant-in-aid U11757455

Crafting the Composite Garment: The role of hand weaving in digital creation

There is a growing body of practice-led textile research, focused on how digital technologies can inform new design and production strategies that challenge and extend the field. To date, this research has emphasized a traditional linear transition between hand and digital production; with hand production preceding digital as a means of acquiring the material and process knowledge required to negotiate technologies and conceptualize designs. This paper focuses on current Doctoral research into the design and prototyping of 3D woven or 'composite' garments and how the re-learning, or reinterpreting, of hand weaving techniques in a digital Jacquard format relies heavily on experiential knowledge of craft weaving skills. Drawing parallels between hand weaving and computer programming, that extend beyond their shared binary (pixel-based) language, the paper discusses how the machine-mediated experience of hand weaving can prime the weaver to ‘think digitally’ and make the transition to digital production. In a process where the weaver acts simultaneously as designer, constructor and programmer, the research explores the inspiring, but often indefinable space between craft and digital technology by challenging the notion that 'the relationship between hand, eye and material’ naturally precedes the use of computing (Harris 2012: 93). This is achieved through the development of an iterative working methodology that encompasses a cycle of transitional development, where hand weaving and digital processes take place in tandem, and techniques and skills are reinterpreted to exploit the advantages and constraints of each construction method. It is argued that the approach challenges the codes and conventions of computer programming, weaving and fashion design to offer a more sustainable clothing solution