Creating sustainable textile futures for women: Digitizing Cordillera weaving tradition (CSTFW) project Evaluation Report March 2019

Executive Summary Introduction This Evaluation Report has been prepared to evaluate the success of The Creating Sustainable Textile Futures for Women: Digitizing Cordillera Weaving Tradition (CSTFW) project undertaken 2018-19 with the support of a Crafting Futures British Council / Crafts Council Grant awarded October 2018. This evaluation report will outline the aims and objectives of the project, the research design and research methods undertaken. The report will detail the limitations and advantages of the project design and present the project findings to support the development of a Learning Tool Kit. The report evaluation will focus on the qualitative analysis of our observational data, which was recorded via field notes, digital photographs, film, sound and via the project activities which have taken place to date as a result of one Field Research Visit undertaken by Rachel Kelly and Michelle Stephens in January 2019. Project Background The CSTFW project aims to investigate the loss of cultural weave heritage within the Cordillera Region in Northern Luzon area of The Philippines. It has been identified by Professor Salvador-Amores of The Cordillera Textiles Project (CordiTex) established by The University of Philippines, that while Cordilleran weaving has the status of National Heritage within The Philippines, the numbers of weavers able to practice is dwindling (CordiTex 2018). For the CSTFW project, the CordiTex team have partnered with a team from Manchester School of Art (MsoA) at Manchester Metropolitan University led by Professor Alice Kettle, Rachel Kelly and Michelle Stephens. The partnership has been established as a result of the successful award to the CSTFW project of the Crafting Futures British Council/Crafts Council Grant 2018-19. The partnership has enabled the two teams to share knowledge, literature, research findings, textile artefacts, weaving knowledge, networks of contacts, access to weave communities, digital loom facilities and prior research experiences. The results of this collaboration has been the successful undertaking of the project in order to develop a long-term change process within the identified project context. The grant awarded, enabled Rachel Kelly & Michelle Stephens to travel to the Philippines to undertake field research, field workshops and to deliver a one-day multi stakeholder Learning Tool Kit Development workshop at The University of Philippines in Baguio

Problematising the concept of 'sustainability' in the supply chain through systematic literature review

The authors contend that there are two broad 'senses' in which 'sustainability' is currently understood in supply chain research and practice – responsibility (in terms of environmental and social practices) and continuity (in the face of twenty-first century uncertainty and disruption). Systematic review is used to illustrate the predominance of the responsibility 'sense' of sustainability in academic literature labelled 'sustainable supply chain.' The authors propose that parallel research into strategies for supply chain continuity (e.g. agility and resilience) be brought within the fold of the 'sustainable supply chain' research label for the sake of clarity of the 'sustainability' concept and the development of a truly sustainable supply chain, because a responsible supply chain might not necessarily be a resilient supply chain in the twenty-first century global environment

Caulobacter Lon protease has a critical role in cell-cvcle cbntrol of DNA I methylation

CcrM, an adenine DNA methyltransferase, is essential for viability in Caulobacter crescentus. The CcrM protein is present only in the predivisional stage of the cell cycle, resulting in cell-cycle-dependent variation of the DNA methylation state of the chromosome. The availability of CcrM is controlled in two ways: (1) the ccrM gene is transcribed only in the predivisional cell, and (2) the CcrM protein is rapidly degraded prior to cell division. We demonstrate here that CcrM is an important target of the Lon protease pathway in C. crescentus. In a lon null mutant, ccrM transcription is still temporally regulated, but the CcrM protein is present throughout the cell cycle because of a dramatic increase in its stability that results in a fully methylated chromosome throughout the cell cycle. Because the Lon protease is present throughout the cell cycle, it is likely that the level of CcrM in the cell is controlled by a dynamic balance between temporally varied transcription and constitutive degradation. We have shown previously that restriction of CcrM to the C. crescentus predivisional cell is essential for normal morphogenesis and progression through the cell cycle. Comparison of the lon null mutant strain with a strain whose DNA remains fully methylated as a result of constitutive expression of ccrM suggests that the effect of Lon on DNA methylation contributes to several developmental defects observed in the lon mutant. These defects include a frequent failure to complete cell division and loss of precise cell-cycle control of initiation of DNA replication. Other developmental abnormalities exhibited by the lon null mutant, such as the formation of abnormally long stalks, appear to be unrelated to altered chromosome methylation state. The Lon protease thus exhibits pleiotropic effects in C. crescentus growth and development

The Digitization of Cordillera Weaving: Designing a New Oral Tradition. Anthropological Analysis, Mathematical Symmetry and Technical Characterization of Cordillera Textiles

Kelly, R. and Stephens, M. (2019). The Digitization of Cordillera Weaving: Designing a New Oral Tradition. Anthropological Analysis, Mathematical Symmetry and Technical Characterization of Cordillera Textiles (Research Report). University of the Philippines Baguio: CORDITEX Project, pp. 143-160

Temporal Effects of Sleeve Gastrectomy on Glucose-Insulin Homeostasis and Incretin Hormone Response at 1 and 6 Months

BackgroundBariatric surgery is an effective treatment for morbid obesity and glycaemic dysfunction.ObjectivesThe aim of the work was to examine both the static and dynamic changes of glucose-insulin homeostasis and incretin hormone response following sleeve gastrectomy (SG) in a sample of 55 participants preoperatively and 1 month and 6 months postoperatively. The focus was on a sample of patients with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes (T2D).SettingMorriston Hospital, UK.MethodsProspective study comprising of 55 participants with impaired glucose homeostasis and T2D undergoing SG (mean body mass index [BMI] 50.4 kg/m2, mean glycated haemoglobin [A1C] 7.4%). Serial measurements of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic hormone (GIP) were performed during oral glucose tolerance testing preoperatively and 1 and 6 months postoperatively. Areas under the curve (AUC) were examined at 30, 60, and 120 min.ResultsWe observed significant improvements in measures of obesity, as well as static and dynamic measures of glucose, insulin, C-peptide and HOMA. Furthermore, significant increases in GLP-1 response as early as 6 months postoperatively were also seen.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, no study has examined the detailed dynamic changes in glucose and insulin homeostasis in this number of participants undergoing SG in relation to incretin hormones GIP and GLP-1. This current study supports the role of SG for the treatment of obesity-related glucose dysregulation

"Gaining Ground" at Haworth Art Gallery, in the Textile Biennale

GAINING GROUND This exhibition draws on the British Council’s Crafting Futures programme with work by artisans and researchers from countries across the globe, including Bangladesh, the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Argentina, Nicaragua, Guyana, Brazil and Indonesia – territories where colonialism and extractive capitalist processes have disrupted craft knowledge being passed on to future generations. Through a display of films, photography, audio, handbooks, raw materials, and craft objects, Gaining Ground explores craft as a form of living knowledge that shapes global cultures and our relationship to nature. Each project, although geographically and socially distinct, questions what we can learn from craft to inform climate action and in our quest to build a more sustainable future. The exhibition features Artisan Voices, Building a library for the future, Karighor Archive, Kilubukila, Making Nature, and Relocating the loom. To hear more about this work listen to curator Ligaya Salazar’s conversation with Uthra Rajgopal, Vancci Wahn and Amber Butchart in Episode 2 of the Cloth Cultures podcast, Season 3