Drawing Water II

Memory Flows, a project of the Centre for Media Arts and Innovation, UTS, culminated in an exhibition entitled 'Memory Flows: rivers, creeks and the great artesian basin' which examined the concepts of 'water, flows and memory'. Curated by Sophia Kouyoumdjian, Norie Neumark and Deb Turnbull, it featured fifteen media artworks by twenty CMAI members and affiliated artists: Ian Andrews, Chris Bowman, Chris Caines, Damian Castaldi, Sherre DeLys, Clement Girault, Jacqueline Gothe, Ian Gwilt, Nigel Helyer, Megan Heyward, Neil Jenkins, Solange Kershaw, Roger Mills, Maria Miranda, Norie Neumark, Shannon O'Neill, Greg Shapley, Victor Steffensen, Jen Teo and Jes Tyrrell. The exhibition, open for 15 days over two months with a public forum on June 20, included video and audio installations, interactive media works, mobile devices, projections on surfaces and through water, and an array of river related artworks and artefacts. Audience numbers totalled 2,700 visitors. 'Drawing Water II' is a collaborative work by Ian Gwilt and me. Using drawings of Sydney Harbour waterways, an animated projection with an accompanying sound design was developed that allowed the viewer an immersive experience of walking country and provided an understanding of the landforms and waterways that make up the Sydney Harbour from the Pacific Ocean to the Blue Mountains. This project is part of an ongoing research project, 'Drawing Country, that advocates an examination of ways to enhance connectedness and connection to place through visual communication. Memory Flows 2009-2010, a distributed media art project of the CMAI, was funded by the Inter-Arts Board of the Australia Council for the Arts

Diabetes, Metformin and the Clinical Course of Covid-19: Outcomes, Mechanisms and Suggestions on the Therapeutic Use of Metformin

Objectives: Pre-existing or new diabetes confers an adverse prognosis in people with Covid-19. We reviewed the clinical literature on clinical outcomes in metformin-treated subjects presenting with Covid-19. Methods: Structured PubMed search: metformin AND [covid (ti) OR covid-19 (ti) OR covid19 (ti) OR coronavirus (ti) OR SARS-Cov2 (ti)], supplemented with another PubMed search: “diabetes AND [covid OR covid-19 OR covid19 OR coronavirus (i) OR SARS-Cov2 (ti)]” (limited to “Clinical Study”, “Clinical Trial”, “Controlled Clinical Trial”, “Meta-Analysis”, “Observational Study”, “Randomized Controlled Trial”, “Systematic Review”). Results: The effects of metformin on the clinical course of Covid-19 were evaluated in retrospective analyses: most noted improved clinical outcomes amongst type 2 diabetes patients treated with metformin at the time of hospitalisation with Covid-19 infection. These outcomes include reduced admission into intensive care and reduced mortality in subgroups with versus without metformin treatment. Conclusion: The pleiotropic actions of metformin associated with lower background cardiovascular risk may mediate some of these effects, for example reductions of insulin resistance, systemic inflammation and hypercoagulability. Modulation by metformin of the cell-surface ACE2 protein (a key binding target for SARS-CoV 2 spike protein) via the AMP kinase pathway may be involved. While pre-existing metformin treatment offers potentially beneficial effects and can be continued when Covid-19 infection is not severe, reports of increased acidosis and lactic acidosis in patients with more severe Covid-19 disease remind that metformin should be withdrawn in patients with hypoxaemia or acute renal disease. Prospective study of the clinical and metabolic effects of metformin in Covid-19 is warranted

Textiles as Material Gestalt: Cloth as a Catalyst in the Co-designing Process

Textiles is the common language within Emotional Fit, a collaborative research project investigating a person-centred, sustainable approach to fashion for an ageing female demographic (55+). Through the co-designing of a collection of research tools, textiles have acted as a material gestalt for exploring our research participants' identities by tracing their embodied knowledge of fashionable dress. The methodology merges Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, co-design and a simultaneous approach to textile and garment design. Based on an enhanced understanding of our participants textile preferences, particular fabric qualities have catalysed silhouettes, through live draping and geometric pattern cutting to accommodate multiple body shapes and customisation. Printedtextiles have also been digitally crafted in response to the contours of the garment and body and personal narratives of wear. Sensorial and tactile interactions have informed the engineering and scaling of patterns within zero-waste volumes. The article considers the functional and aesthetic role of textiles

Using patient experience data to develop a patient experience toolkit to improve hospital care: a mixed-methods study

Background Patients are increasingly being asked to provide feedback about their experience of health-care services. Within the NHS, a significant level of resource is now allocated to the collection of this feedback. However, it is not well understood whether or not, or how, health-care staff are able to use these data to make improvements to future care delivery. Objective To understand and enhance how hospital staff learn from and act on patient experience (PE) feedback in order to co-design, test, refine and evaluate a Patient Experience Toolkit (PET). Design A predominantly qualitative study with four interlinking work packages. Setting Three NHS trusts in the north of England, focusing on six ward-based clinical teams (two at each trust). Methods A scoping review and qualitative exploratory study were conducted between November 2015 and August 2016. The findings of this work fed into a participatory co-design process with ward staff and patient representatives, which led to the production of the PET. This was primarily based on activities undertaken in three workshops (over the winter of 2016/17). Then, the facilitated use of the PET took place across the six wards over a 12-month period (February 2017 to February 2018). This involved testing and refinement through an action research (AR) methodology. A large, mixed-methods, independent process evaluation was conducted over the same 12-month period. Findings The testing and refinement of the PET during the AR phase, with the mixed-methods evaluation running alongside it, produced noteworthy findings. The idea that current PE data can be effectively triangulated for the purpose of improvement is largely a fallacy. Rather, additional but more relational feedback had to be collected by patient representatives, an unanticipated element of the study, to provide health-care staff with data that they could work with more easily. Multidisciplinary involvement in PE initiatives is difficult to establish unless teams already work in this way. Regardless, there is merit in involving different levels of the nursing hierarchy. Consideration of patient feedback by health-care staff can be an emotive process that may be difficult initially and that needs dedicated time and sensitive management. The six ward teams engaged variably with the AR process over a 12-month period. Some teams implemented far-reaching plans, whereas other teams focused on time-minimising ‘quick wins’. The evaluation found that facilitation of the toolkit was central to its implementation. The most important factors here were the development of relationships between people and the facilitator’s ability to navigate organisational complexity. Limitations The settings in which the PET was tested were extremely diverse, so the influence of variable context limits hard conclusions about its success. Conclusions The current manner in which PE feedback is collected and used is generally not fit for the purpose of enabling health-care staff to make meaningful local improvements. The PET was co-designed with health-care staff and patient representatives but it requires skilled facilitation to achieve successful outcomes. Funding The National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme

Material Futures:Design-led Approaches to Crafting Conversations in the Circular Economy

This paper explores the work in the area of Material Futures – undertaken by researchers at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA). We begin by presenting current debates within the textile sector and outline the challenges of the circular economy. The Scottish Government have established a £17 million fund to catalyse innovative approaches for the circular economy, which support closed-loop systems including collaboration, evaluation of different methods and future material ecologies. We discuss future material ecologies in two case studies in order to extrapolate the ways in which creative and participatory design approaches can be used to stimulate dialogue around the circular economy, broader environmental and economic issues and the socio-cultural implications. We identify six design principles for researchers and practitioners to consider when facilitating circular conversations and the evolving role of the textile designer. We go on to highlight the significance of design-led approaches in strengthening communication, promoting creative action and embedding collaborative ways of working. We conclude by making recommendations for future research and practice and how the insights might be expanded upon to support ethical, responsible and sustainable material futures

Graphical Signage Decreases Negative Attitudes towards Robots and Robot Anxiety in Human-Robot Co-working

To achieve full potential of collaborative robots, human operators need confidence in robotic co-worker technologies and their capacities. We compare the impact of dynamic signage with static signage on the human-robot collaboration task performance. The results provide evidence that dynamic signage participants had higher accuracy rates compared to static signage ones. Furthermore, dynamic signage resulted in a significant decrease of NARS scores and static signage in a decrease of RAS scores after the interaction with the robot

Co-design of a digital dietary intervention for adults at risk of type 2 diabetes

Background Co-design has the potential to create interventions that lead to sustainable health behaviour change. Evidence suggests application of co-design in various health domains has been growing; however, few public-facing digital interventions have been co-designed to specifically address the needs of adults at risk of Type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aims to: (1) co-design, with key stakeholders, a digital dietary intervention to promote health behaviour change among adults at risk of T2D, and (2) evaluate the co-design process involved in developing the intervention prototype. Methods The co-design study was based on a partnership between nutrition researchers and designers experienced in co-design for health. Potential end-users (patients and health professionals) were recruited from an earlier stage of the study. Three online workshops were conducted to develop and review prototypes of an app for people at risk of T2D. Themes were inductively defined and aligned with persuasive design (PD) principles used to inform ideal app features and characteristics. Results Participants were predominantly female (range 58–100%), aged 38 to 63 years (median age = 59 years), consisting of a total of 20 end-users and four experts. Participants expressed the need for information from credible sources and to provide effective strategies to overcome social and environmental influences on eating behaviours. Preferred app features included tailoring to the individual’s unique characteristics, ability to track and monitor dietary behaviour, and tools to facilitate controlled social connectivity. Relevant persuasive design principles included social support, reduction (reducing effort needed to reach target behaviour), tunnelling (guiding users through a process that leads to target behaviour), praise, rewards, and self-monitoring. The most preferred prototype was the Choices concept, which focusses on the users’ journey of health behaviour change and recognises progress, successes, and failures in a supportive and encouraging manner. The workshops were rated successful, and feedback was positive. Conclusions The study’s co-design methods were successful in developing a functionally appealing and relevant digital health promotion intervention. Continuous engagement with stakeholders such as designers and end-users is needed to further develop a working prototype for testing

Targets for Transformation: a strategic plan for the Syracuse University Library, 2000-2005

A strategic plan is a tool that enables an organization to revitalize itself and focus on a set of mission-critical goals over a period of time. A well-crafted plan intentionally implemented and consistently monitored promotes success in strategic areas and provides a foundation for transforming services, technology, collections, and infrastructure to meet the constantly evolving needs and demands of teaching, research, and scholarly communication. A strategic plan: articulates commonly held values and a shared sense of purpose and mission proposes goals and assesses progress to those goals informs decision-making enables action within a larger context that is known and understood by all establishes a continuous planning process A strategic plan is a starting point in an ongoing process. The Syracuse University Library strategic plan, “Targets for Transformation: a strategic plan for the Syracuse University Library, 2000-2005” was submitted to University Librarian Peter Graham in July 2000. According to Graham, a strategic plan was necessary “to shape our University’s future information services and environment.” The Library undertook a strategic planning process to enhance its effectiveness within the University’s intellectual and cultural life. The planning process began in July 1999 with a Library management team retreat, focused on understanding the planning process, identifying aspirations, establishing planning assumptions, and conducting an environmental scan. In August 1999 the Library held staff town meetings based on two questions: 1) in 2004, what do we want our users to say about the Library? and 2) in 2004, what do we want to say about the Library

Public consciousness and willingness to embrace ethical consumption of textile products in Mexico

The Mexican economy has been showing a continuous and arguably remarkable growth in the last decade, and it is expected that this strong economic growth is based on a balance between social equity, fiscal growth and environmental protection. This composite situation requires us to have a clear understanding of changes in consumer behaviour and their attitudes towards ethical consumerism in this region. With the use of a semi-structured questionnaire, this pilot study presented a detailed analysis of the consumer attitudes towards ethical consumerism in relation to their socio economic class levels in this region, the public consciousness and willingness to embrace ethical consumption of textile products in Mexico were thus determined. It is hoped that this knowledge provides the basis for the initiation of a framework of activities and measures to develop sustainable consumption habits and to educate consumers on the subject of ethical consumption