Changeable Context of the New Technology Artefact and the Changeable Research Outcomes

Computer Aided Drawing (vector based) and painting (raster based) packages, allow the mock-up of designs in virtual space. Whilst this is beneficial for visualising the end product, both methods of drawing have been applied to new and existing machining technologies so that some aspect of the product is derived from a computer file. Today, the applied artist now has an abundance of CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Drawing / Computer Aided Manufacturing) technologies awaiting them. So much so, that in the past fifteen years, many makers have embarked upon practice-led research to find out what a particular technology can do with regard to their design interests. Within such research, the object is the manifestation of what has been discovered through the research activity. This paper considers the relationship between the content of the research object and the context for the object’s reception. This is examined with regard to the author’s research with new technologies for the applied arts. Examples will highlight how the characteristics of artefacts that arise from the research can help determine who the audience for the work is, and how the technology might be used by different kinds of craft practitioners. References will also be made to the work of other designer-makers working with and researching similar technologies. Evidence from practical examples will also be supported by a more theoretical discussion. The implications of supplying, or not supplying, background information for an audience within a variety of settings on the perceived content/context of the object, and the communication of the research, will also be discussed. It is concluded that when developing new processes, keeping the work open to a number of audiences can maximise the outcomes and increase the chances of the process being integrated within practice. The discussion also highlights a trend of positioning the consumer/viewer at the forefront of the research, and a need to evaluate their experiences

Laser forming: non-contact metal bending offers silversmithing potential

Laser forming is an emerging rapid prototyping (RP) technique that has undergone research worldwide since the mid 1980s. It is a thermo-mechanical process whereby the localized heat input of the laser induces compressive stresses within the material causing it to bend. The process belongs under the umbrella of CAD/CAM technologies, since software can be used to convert a CAD drawing into the data required to drive the axes

Complementarity and the resource curse

This paper discusses how the economic structure and asset ownership shape economic and political outcomes. Using a simple model of the productive sector, I provide theoretical evidence that complementarities between productive assets reduce the stakes of political competition, and therefore reduce the intensity of the conflict over political power. In particular, these results provide a theoretical explanation for the frequent conflicts associated with abundant mineral resources. They are valid in a democratic setting, where this competition is electoral, but also in any other setting, where competition may be of a more violent nature. I then extend this analysis to show that complementarity of productive assets positively influences the willingness of elite groups to invest in property rights institutions, thus providing an economic explanation for why some countries have endogenously developed a context more favorable to business than others

From Leadership to Partnership

The present United States Security Strategy for Europe appears to be based on the assumption that only the United States has the vision and strength to consolidate the gains of the last few years and to build an even better wo rld. It is a fact that without the United States those gains would probably require much longer to consolidate. However, even the United States may fail if its policy remains too strongly defined by the heritage of the Cold War. Neglecting to clarify what is meant by the terms partnership and leadership, so frequently used in U.S. foreign policy, may ultimately foster confrontation with its partners and leave the United States weaker

Cost Curves for Gas Supply Security: The Case of Bulgaria

We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of various policy options and infrastructure investment proposals to improve the security of gas supply in Bulgaria, one of the most gas insecure countries in the European Union. We do this by computing ‘security of supply cost curve’ for different gas supply disruption scenarios. The curves show the cumulative amount of security of supply on the horizontal axis and the unit cost of security on the vertical axis. Measures should be implemented by order or rising unit cost until the public authorities’ preferred level of security is achieved. Our results show that a costeffective gas supply security policy for Bulgaria would concentrate on two measures: (1) allowing reverse-flow transactions on the transit pipelines to Greece and Turkey to access the LNG terminals in these countries in case of disruption in Russian gas supplies and, (2) ensuring effective dual-fuel capability for Bulgaria’s heat generation plants. The infrastructure options actually considered by the Bulgarian authorities and gas industry (expanding the withdrawal rate of the Chiren underground gas storage and building a new gas interconnector pipeline with Greece) appear to be much more costly

Laser forming and creative metalwork

Laser forming and creative metalwor

Dysplasies osseuses héréditaires et voies de signalisation associées aux récepteurs FGFR3 et PTHR1

La croissance des os longs se fait selon un processus complexe impliquant la migration et la condensation de cellules mésenchymateuses en cellules chondrogéniques qui se différencient en chondrocytes produisant la matrice cartilagineuse pour former la plaque de croissance. De nombreux facteurs protéiques sont impliqués dans la régulation de ces phénomènes parmi lesquels des facteurs transcriptionnels, des facteurs de signalisation et des protéines de la matrice extracellulaire dont le rôle a été révélé grâce aux études de génétique moléculaire sur des dysplasies osseuses humaines et à la création de modèles animaux reproduisant certaines de ces maladies. Cet article se focalise sur deux récepteurs, FGFR3 et PTHR1, dont l’importance dans la croissance des os longs est illustrée par le groupe de dysplasies osseuses qui leurs sont associées. Des résultats récents indiquent que prolifération et différenciation chondrocytaires sont étroitement liées et que la croissance harmonieuse des os longs repose sur un équilibre strict entre différentes voies de signalisation dont celles contrôlées par ces facteurs.Skeletal development is a highly sophisticated process involving, as a first step, migration and condensation of mesenchymal cells into osteoprogenitor cells. These cells further differentiate into chondrocytes and osteoblasts through multiple differentiation stages requiring a set of specific transcriptional factors. Defective endochondral ossification in human is associated with a large number of inherited skeletal dysplasias caused by mutations in genes encoding extracellular matrix components, growth factors and their receptors, signaling molecules and transcription factors. This review summarizes some of the recent findings on a series of chondrodysplasias caused by mutations in FGFR3 and PTHR1, two receptors expressed in the cartilage growth plate and mediating two main signaling pathways. Data from human diseases and relevant animal models provide new clues for understanding how signaling molecules and their interaction with key transcription factors control and regulate the development and growth of long bones

Ollier disease

Enchondromas are common intraosseous, usually benign cartilaginous tumors, that develop in close proximity to growth plate cartilage. When multiple enchondromas are present, the condition is called enchondromatosis also known as Ollier disease (WHO terminology). The estimated prevalence of Ollier disease is 1/100,000. Clinical manifestations often appear in the first decade of life. Ollier disease is characterized by an asymmetric distribution of cartilage lesions and these can be extremely variable (in terms of size, number, location, evolution of enchondromas, age of onset and of diagnosis, requirement for surgery). Clinical problems caused by enchondromas include skeletal deformities, limb-length discrepancy, and the potential risk for malignant change to chondrosarcoma. The condition in which multiple enchondromatosis is associated with soft tissue hemangiomas is known as Maffucci syndrome. Until now both Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome have only occurred in isolated patients and not familial. It remains uncertain whether the disorder is caused by a single gene defect or by combinations of (germ-line and/or somatic) mutations. The diagnosis is based on clinical and conventional radiological evaluations. Histological analysis has a limited role and is mainly used if malignancy is suspected. There is no medical treatment for enchondromatosis. Surgery is indicated in case of complications (pathological fractures, growth defect, malignant transformation). The prognosis for Ollier disease is difficult to assess. As is generally the case, forms with an early onset appear more severe. Enchondromas in Ollier disease present a risk of malignant transformation of enchondromas into chondrosarcomas

Open design: non‐professional user‐designers creating products for citizen science, a case study of beekeepers.

Affiliated technologies have opened up opportunities for people, no matter what their design competency or expertise, to engage in the design of the products they use. The notion of “Open Design” or the open sharing of information relating to the design and manufacture of products, services or objects, can be seen as part of a much more encompassing phenomenon whereby users are the innovators and fabricators of their own products. Digital fabrication can enable the remote fabrication of objects tailoring artefacts to specific users or environmental needs. Open fabrication makes manufacturing processes accessible and can respond to niche needs with bespoke production. Citizen science uses non‐professionals to conduct research in their own environment or location, extending the impact of research. This process of “amateur scientist” and community monitoring has positive and negative aspects that design can help to address. The workshop conducted as part of this research involved 15 amateur bee‐ keepers and led to a probe study involving 150 participants in the UK, testing a new approach to co‐collaboration yielding positive outcomes. The bee population is currently under threat from environmental change, pollution, disease and they are users with a specific interest, bespoke needs and a knowledge base outside of their profession. The decline in bees is a scientific issue as they are seen as a barometer for the health of the environment. Through analysis of observations and insights gained through active design‐led workshops, this paper examines the potential barriers, opportunities, benefits and pitfalls of user‐designers engaging with citizen science using open design and open fabrication tools. Workshop results included: methods, motivations, designer and manufacturer opportunities and insights into repeatable processes forming the start of a citizen science toolkit. The objective was to ascertain the possible pitfalls of a group of user‐designers creating their own citizen science tools enabled by technologists and designers

Making Instructions for Others: Exploring Mental Models Through a Simple Exercise

Investigating how people understand the systems around them—from technology to democracy to our own bodies—is a common research goal across many disciplines. One of the practical aims is uncovering differences between how people think systems work and how they actually work (particularly where differences can cause problems) and then addressing them, either by trying to change people’s understanding or by changing the way people inter- act with systems so that this better matches people’s understanding [1]. Being able to say that you under- stand a system is essentially saying that you have a model of the system [2]. In HCI and other people-centered design fields, attempting to characterize people’s mental models of technology in which their behavior plays a role can be a significant part of user research. Users’ mental models will perhaps only rarely accord exactly with designers’ conceptual models of a system [3], but this is not necessarily a problem in itself: “[A]ll models are wrong, but some are useful” [4]. Mental models should not be assumed to be static constructs covering the whole of a system; multiple models working at different levels of abstraction can be relevant in different circumstances, from complex work domains to simple everyday interactions [5]