Redefining innovation processes: The digital designers at work

As design in digital innovation has become a thing, we highlight the inconclusive concepts that describe design activity in innovation processes. Proposing an alternative theoretical lens - a sociomaterial practice lens - we claim that this view can reveal the contribution of digital designers to the work of innovation. This paper draws on a research study with digital designers in the UK. At the same time as we begin to reconceptualise the ways digital design activity can be described, we also illustrate a theoretical framework based on 1) action and knowing as ordered by collectively produced objects, 2) sociomateriality and the configuration of human bodies and materials in action, 3) the co-emergence of objects and sociomaterial configurations where each is the condition of the other. This alternative way of looking at design activity may pose some challenges to the theoretical traditions in the field. We however believe that it contains immense potential too

SalmoNet, an integrated network of ten Salmonella enterica strains reveals common and distinct pathways to host adaptation

Salmonella enterica is a prominent bacterial pathogen with implications on human and animal health. Salmonella serovars could be classified as gastro-intestinal or extra-intestinal. Genome-wide comparisons revealed that extra-intestinal strains are closer relatives of gastro-intestinal strains than to each other indicating a parallel evolution of this trait. Given the complexity of the differences, a systems-level comparison could reveal key mechanisms enabling extra-intestinal serovars to cause systemic infections. Accordingly, in this work, we introduce a unique resource, SalmoNet, which combines manual curation, high-throughput data and computational predictions to provide an integrated network for Salmonella at the metabolic, transcriptional regulatory and protein-protein interaction levels. SalmoNet provides the networks separately for five gastro-intestinal and five extra-intestinal strains. As a multi-layered, multi-strain database containing experimental data, SalmoNet is the first dedicated network resource for Salmonella. It comprehensively contains interactions between proteins encoded in Salmonella pathogenicity islands, as well as regulatory mechanisms of metabolic processes with the option to zoom-in and analyze the interactions at specific loci in more detail. Application of SalmoNet is not limited to strain comparisons as it also provides a Salmonella resource for biochemical network modeling, host-pathogen interaction studies, drug discovery, experimental validation of novel interactions, uncovering new pathological mechanisms from emergent properties and epidemiological studies. SalmoNet is available at http://salmonet.org

Evolutionary history of the OmpR/IIIA family of signal transduction two component systems in Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Two component systems (TCS) are signal transduction pathways which typically consist of a sensor histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR). In this study, we have analyzed the evolution of TCS of the OmpR/IIIA family in <it>Lactobacillaceae </it>and <it>Leuconostocaceae</it>, two families belonging to the group of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). LAB colonize nutrient-rich environments such as foodstuffs, plant materials and the gastrointestinal tract of animals thus driving the study of this group of both basic and applied interest.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The genomes of 19 strains belonging to 16 different species have been analyzed. The number of TCS encoded by the strains considered in this study varied between 4 in <it>Lactobacillus helveticus </it>and 17 in <it>Lactobacillus casei</it>. The OmpR/IIIA family was the most prevalent in <it>Lactobacillaceae </it>accounting for 71% of the TCS present in this group. The phylogenetic analysis shows that no new TCS of this family has recently evolved in these <it>Lactobacillaceae </it>by either lineage-specific gene expansion or domain shuffling. Furthermore, no clear evidence of non-orthologous replacements of either RR or HK partners has been obtained, thus indicating that coevolution of cognate RR and HKs has been prevalent in <it>Lactobacillaceae</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results obtained suggest that vertical inheritance of TCS present in the last common ancestor and lineage-specific gene losses appear as the main evolutionary forces involved in their evolution in <it>Lactobacillaceae</it>, although some HGT events cannot be ruled out. This would agree with the genomic analyses of <it>Lactobacillales </it>which show that gene losses have been a major trend in the evolution of this group.</p

Design thinking and design doing: Describing a process of people-centred innovation

The research forms part of the author’s long-term enquiry into the challenges of implementing Design Thinking (DT) and its relationship to Inclusive Design (ID), something that has been understudied and under-researched. Both fields advocate research with users and have a history spanning decades, but they have remained largely separate in terms of academic research and practical application. The author was approached by the series editor for his expertise at the intersection of ID and DT. “State of the art” DT ideas and approaches were evaluated through study of circa 50 recent academic publications, papers and journal articles. Field research was based on personal leadership of over 70 ID projects with government, business, and the voluntary sector leading to frontline discoveries and insights. Peer-reviewed academic publication, conference presentation, and keynote delivery helped test ideas before making the link between ID and DT and delivering the publication. This 13,000 word, sole-authored chapter outlines gaps in the long-term effectiveness of DT, outlining five principles that aim to engender a more sustainable approach by aligning it to ID. These five ideas give an overview of newly-articulated frameworks, tools and methods for academic and industry application. The chapter sets a context for 16 other chapters within the publication and establishes the need for more empirical research to link between DT and ID. The ideas in the chapter have been used to direct practice-based research projects and education programmes at the RCA as well as organisations in its network. 700 Hong Kong civil servants have been trained using these ideas, alongside numerous industry organisations including Tata Consulting Services and Panasonic

Interaction of semidiurnal tide with a continental slope in a continuously stratified ocean.

International audienceData gathered during the Gastom 90 cruise in the Bay of Biscay are presented and show evidence of an internal tide of large amplitude (200 m from peak to trough) over the continental slope and the abyssal plain, between 500 and 1500 m in depth near the permanent pycnocline. An interpretation of these observations is investigated by, first, an analytical solution for the 2-D tidal circulation over the slope applied to “flat-bump” topographies (Deep Sea Res. 20 (1973) 197). In a second step, the solution is extended to any slope and stratification conditions with the classical characteristic method and sea-surface conditions. In the third part of the paper, the internal perturbations generated over the slope are propagated toward the plain by a simple matching of baroclinic modes at the shelf break. Data collected during the Gastom 90 cruise and model results are finally compared and show similar features in the localization of energy maxima over the slope and over the plain

Cultures of sustainability

In our research, we have been expanding our conceptual and methodological frames of reference as designers, in order to explore the complexity of factors involved in environmental sustainability and the consequent challenges posed for design research. In this paper, we discuss some of these issues in user-centered and sustainable design, drawing out and developing relations to concepts from other fields of study, such as the sociology of consumption and material culture. In order to better understand the role that (sustainable) design products might play within people\u92s everyday lives and lifestyles, we interpret and discuss notions of \u91socio-cultural practices\u92 of consumption and frame an approach to studying people\u92s \u91ways of doing\u92 with artifacts. We point to two examples from our previous research on designing for energy awareness and for sustainable bathing practices. A current study is presented in depth, in which families and singles, resident in The Netherlands but originating from different countries, have been observed and interviewed during preparation of a meal, eating and clearing up afterwards. Through studying and reflecting on the different \u91ways of doing\u92 cooking, we gained insights into how cooking and a range of associated practices and artifacts are deeply embedded in traditions, meanings and aspirations. Issues of environmental consumption, such as water, energy and waste, are at stake in such design research but, as we argue, so is attention and sensitivity to how these are interwoven in meaningful socio-cultural practices. The setup and findings are presented, as a point of departure for raising conceptual and methodological questions to be developed in future work

Population structure, growth and production of the wedge clam Donax hanleyanus (Bivalvia: Donacidae) from northern Argentinean beaches

Donax hanleyanus Philippi, 1847 (Bivalvia: Donacidae) dominates fine to coarse sandy beach communities of the northern Argentinean Atlantic coast. The population biology of this intertidal wedge clam was studied by determining population structure, growth and production at the three locations Santa Teresita, Mar de las Pampas (both from December 2005 to December 2006) and Faro Querand&#305;Ž (from March 2005 to December 2006). Von Bertalanffy growth functions were established from length-frequency distributions using an asymptotic length (LN) of 44 mm and the growth constants (K) of 0.46 and 0.47 y1 respectively of Mar de las Pampas and Faro Querand&#305;Ž. Compared with growth studies four decades ago, D. hanleyanus today is growing more slowly, but is reaching a higher maximum length. Longevity is estimated to be approximately five years. The present study confirms that the overall growth performance index is habitat-specific, grouping Donacidae into tropical/subtropical, temperate and upwelling species. The intertidal biomass of D. hanleyanus ranged between 0.04 and 1.32 g ash-free dry mass (AFDM) m2yr1. Individual production revealed the highest value at 30 mm length (0.16 g AFDM m2yr1) and annual production ranged between 0.08 and 0.99 g AFDMm2yr1, resulting in renewal rate values (P/B) between 0.82 and 2.16. The P/B ratios of D. hanleyanus populations increased with decreasing latitude from temperate to tropical regions. Only at Santa Teresita D. hanleyanus was found living with the sympatric yellow clam Mesodesma mactroides. A significant negative correlation between abundances of both surf clams suggests that abundance peaks of D. hanleyanus are related with population crashes of M. mactroides. Spatial differences in abundance are significantly related to sand texture as confirmed by nonmetrical multidimensional scaling, but not to sea surface temperature. However, the decrease of D. hanleyanus seems to be principally related to human activities