Free Will or Not: Causality Preserved but Access to Motor Decisions Obscured

Empirical studies having addressed the free-will issue suffer from controversial methodologies and interpretations. We present a new paradigm involving a synchronization task where the time interval to synchronize with is randomly within and without subject's synchronization capabilities and ask subjects to retrospectively evaluate (Q1) which of the two occurred or (Q2) whether their motor response had had been reactive/speeded or delayed. Contrary to the non-FW view, Q1-judgments correlate with the actual duration of the synchronization interval rather than with subjects's motor response latencies. Instead of postidictively reshuffling their judgment to make it match the outcome of their actions, subjects preserve the causal chain of events having entailed them. When answering Q2 subjects' judgments also correlate with the synchronization interval, proof that they cannot decide on the intentionality of their actions. Hence the present results reveal the intrinsic duality of the free-will concept

Encapsulated Infinity

Science-fiction literature introduced the term terraforming and defined it as the process of creation of an Earth like habitat on a new and uncharted planet (Dennis, 2011). Aerial photographs taken while flying to Iowa were the visual inspiration for this project. Besides Vitruvius Pollio\u27s (circa 27BC) guiding principles of garden design,commodity, firmness and delight, , zero waste in multiple forms was also used to create a sustainable wardrobe capsule. Free form crochet, hand knitting, machine knitting, beading, tasseling and hand sewing were techniques employed to build the knitted piece row by row using various textural yarns. The idea of infinity was furthermore embedded in the knitted stitches by continuously changing and alternating the textural yarns. Overall, the ensemble feels lightweight and see-through just as an aerial photograph, without missing the textural density of a landscape design or the complexity of fibers and techniques of a terraforming capsule. Reference: Dennis, N., Larsen, G., & Macaulay, M. (2011). Editorial: Terraforming Arts Marketing. Arts Marketing: An International Journal, 1(1), 5-10

Mola Borealis

Molas are decorative panels that are sewn into the Kuna women\u27s blouses and they are Panama\u27s most famous native handicraft, dating one hundred twenty-five years ago (Anderson, 1977). They are one of a kind, entirely hand made, and their designs range from nature and geometry to fantasy. I challenged myself to take the craft of molas and give it a new updated life in today\u27s fashion arena. The concept behind the look had to be a fantasy, dream like vision of something in nature that maybe Panama people could never see in their lifetime, such as an aurora borealis. The mola technique panel has six layers of silk dupioni, overdyed and hand embellished. The chunky wool hand knit sweater was dyed skein by skein in multiple colors. The isolating contrast of the waist area suggests fragility and it is meant to overemphasize the embellished mola technique.The creative exploration of the slow hand making process of molas resulted into a serendipitous modern ensemble, challenging the current notions of aesthetics and unique and opening up sustainable alternatives to preserving the vanishing artisanal industry

Jump of Icarus

This design submission builds upon my previous scholarship, of creating garments that respond and support the wearer’s body, while maintaining sustainable design practices via mixed construction techniques and materials. Lindqvist’s (2015) kinetic garment construction theory served as the initiating platform for this project, an exciting draping methodology to create one-piece pattern garments that allow for body movement, but also by using excessive amount of fabric and resulting in high fabric wastage. Conceptual references to Icarus as a metaphor for engineered boundless movement guided the design process, resulting into an adaptation of Lindqvist’s (2015) published jumpsuit pattern, with added pattern versatility, garment aesthetics and near zero waste design

Using Technology to Improve Student Experience with Critique

Technology has radically changed the way educators can exchange information and interact with students. While higher education teaching systems have adapted to changes in technological innovation, the fashion design studio, organized in traditional Beaux- Arts format, remains constant in its face-to-face, active-learning experience approach. An emerging teaching format is blended learning, that involves both traditional face-to-face instruction, as well as communication via the Internet. If well-guided, an online environment used in conjunction with an existing studio class provides an alternative medium for improving communication, supporting creative collaboration and open interaction

Bite marks on skin and clay: A comparative analysis

Bite marks are always unique because teeth are distinctive. Bite marks are often observed at the crime scene in sexual and in physical assault cases on the skin of the victims and sometimes on edible leftovers in burglary cases. This piece of evidence is often ignored, but if properly harvested and investigated, bite marks may prove useful in apprehending and successfully prosecuting the criminals. Due to the importance of bite marks, we conducted a progressive randomised experimental study conducted on volunteers. A total of 188 bite marks on clay were studied. Based on these findings, 93.34% of the volunteers could be identified from the bite marks on the clay. In addition, 201 impressions on skin were studied, and out of these cases, 41.01% of the same volunteers could be identified based on the bite mark impressions on the skin

Seamless knitted sports bra design: A responsive system design exploration

ABSTRACT The transition of sports bras’ uses, from an active lifestyle to resting activities, requires dynamic and adaptable comfort properties of the design, as well as adequate breast support, fit, and comfort. Thus, the two-fold purpose of this study was to: (a) analyze the use of current materials and processes in the product development process of seamless sports bras, via industry interview and observation, and (b) propose a design solution for a seamless sports bra that offers variable breast support during running versus resting activities. Using a case study approach, an in-depth interview with a Santoni seamless knitting technician provided data that led to mapping out the design and product development processes used for prototyping seamless sports bras. A seamless business model for a sports bra was created, and relationships among the over-arching themes of planning, marketing, product development, innovation, and production, which emerged from the grounded theory analysis, were discussed. Moreover, a detailed Product Development framework and a Tech Pack model were created and used to communicate the new design for a responsive seamless sports bra. Interactions between design, prototyping and functionality and how these themes relate to the components of the tech pack were discussed. At the materials level, a biomimetic system framework was used to identify solutions to responsive interactions within wool/Nylon/spandex blended yarns and various knitting structures when actuated by moisture. Twenty pattern designs were knitted on a Santoni circular knitting machine, using two different yarn combinations: (a) wool/spandex, and (b) wool/nylon/ spandex. Physical properties of the knit swatches were documented, as well as their thickness when dry versus three different moisture activation situations: (a) immediately after wetting, (b) after 30 minutes of air-drying, and (c) after 60 minutes of air-drying. Results showed that the Santoni circular knitting technology has capabilities to create a variety of texturally knit fabric designs that have a wide range of thicknesses, densities, and moisture responsiveness properties. Selections of knit patterns were made based on the textile testing results and used to design a responsive sports bra that incorporated female sweat maps and sports bra user needs. Sustainability considerations regarding the wet processing of the new responsive design were implemented, and the bra samples were not dyed, but only cold-washed and tumble-dried at low temperature. Fifteen prototypes were developed via a Santoni circular seamless knitting machines and tested using human subjects and 3D body scanning technology. A convenience sample of fifteen semi-athlete female college students wore the new sports bra prototypes during three different moisture conditions: (a) before a run (dry), (b) after 30 minutes run on a treadmill (wet), and (c) after resting 30 minutes (starting to dry out). 3D body scans were collected in fully inhaled, as well as relaxed respiratory states after each condition. Questionnaires were used to evaluate comfort and responsiveness of the new design. The results revealed that the new responsive sports bra offers compression during the dry conditions, breathability and some level of breast support during running, and moisture management during the resting stage, all while offering high overall comfort and fabric softness. However, the length of the bra straps needs to be shortened, and the breast support during running needs improvement, therefore further design iterations are needed. The proposed integrative approach to the sports bra design offers a new framing for the systematic design process of a sports bra as a functional design garment and fills knowledge gaps within the seamless knitting process using performance wool blend yarns. The new biomimetic-inspired sports bra solution has a potential for commercial applications that can offer women a responsive, adaptable sports bra, to encourage healthier lifestyles, as well as to accommodate for the athleisure trend

A morphometric study of the human mandible in the Indian population for sex determination

Sex determination from bones is important in forensic investigations for establishing identity in cases of mutilated bodies. Many morphometric criteria have been laid down for various bones for sex determination in previous studies. The present study aimed at setting up some parameters of the mandible as indicators of sex in the Indian population. The length of body of the mandible, angle of the mandible and minimum ramus breadth were considered as chief parameters for sex determination from dried bones obtained from the Departments of Anatomy in two medical colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh. There was a statistically significant difference found in the diagonal length, horizontal length and minimum ramus breadth with their mean values 79.77 ± 4.68 mm, 71.99 ± 4.54 mm and 30.93 ± 2.56 mm in adult males, respectively and 73.83 ± 4.84 mm, 68.62 ± 4.78 mm and 29.57 ± 2.86 mm in adult females, respectively, whereas no significant difference was found in the mandibular angle of males and females. The parameters used for the present study gave an overall 60% accuracy in determining the sex of the mandible

Bite marks on skin and clay: A comparative analysis

Bite marks are always unique because teeth are distinctive. Bite marks are often observed at the crime scene in sexual and in physical assault cases on the skin of the victims and sometimes on edible leftovers in burglary cases. This piece of evidence is often ignored, but if properly harvested and investigated, bite marks may prove useful in apprehending and successfully prosecuting the criminals. Due to the importance of bite marks, we conducted a progressive randomised experimental study conducted on volunteers. A total of 188 bite marks on clay were studied. Based on these findings, 93.34% of the volunteers could be identified from the bite marks on the clay. In addition, 201 impressions on skin were studied, and out of these cases, 41.01% of the same volunteers could be identified based on the bite mark impressions on the skin