Does sustainability localise networks of design?

Current views of sustainability expect digital ecologies, networked knowledge translated into biomaterial ecologies of consumption or applied design. This expectation emerges as a regulation of the current extended networks of production brought about by twentieth century networks of design. Such networks are characterised by their attachment to the materialities of design; both in the collective appreciation of ‘design’ in our material world and in the physical links that bind ‘designers’ together; their co-study, co-practice and co-presence in studio. However, the more modern knowledge economy is explained as the separation of design from its material expression, saliently exemplified by certain processes of branding. The industrialisation of emergent economies proceeds through the migration of production into less developed economies with design activity remaining in developed economies., My paper situates the importance of historicity in having induced the design network’s rôle gauging reverberations in the global economy. I analyse digital ecologies in their nexus between representing the dissociation of design and material and the manifesting the grown of designed economies. My work is situated as the pre-history of future digital economies

Simulating a dual-recycled gravitational wave interferometer with realistically imperfect optics

We simulate the performance of a gravitational wave interferometer in the Dual Recycling (DR) configuration, as will be used for systems like Advanced-LIGO. Our grid-based simulation program models complex interferometric detectors with realistic optical deformations (e.g., fine-scale mirror surface roughness). Broadband and Tuned DR are modeled here; the results are also applied qualitatively to Resonant Sideband Extraction (RSE). Several beneficial properties anticipated for DR detectors are investigated: signal response tuning and narrowbanding, power loss reduction, and the reclamation of lost power as useful light for signal detection. It is shown that these benefits would be limited by large scattering losses in large (multi-kilometer) systems. Furthermore, losses may be resonantly enhanced (particularly for RSE), if the interferometer's modal resonance conditions are not well chosen. We therefore make two principal recommendations for DR/RSE interferometers: the DR/RSE cavity must be modally nondegenerate; and fabricated mirror surfaces and coatings must be as smooth as is practically feasible.Comment: 50 pages, 11 figure

CloVR: A virtual machine for automated and portable sequence analysis from the desktop using cloud computing

Next-generation sequencing technologies have decentralized sequence acquisition, increasing the demand for new bioinformatics tools that are easy to use, portable across multiple platforms, and scalable for high-throughput applications. Cloud computing platforms provide on-demand access to computing infrastructure over the Internet and can be used in combination with custom built virtual machines to distribute pre-packaged with pre-configured software. We describe the Cloud Virtual Resource, CloVR, a new desktop application for push-button automated sequence analysis that can utilize cloud computing resources. CloVR is implemented as a single portable virtual machine (VM) that provides several automated analysis pipelines for microbial genomics, including 16S, whole genome and metagenome sequence analysis. The CloVR VM runs on a personal computer, utilizes local computer resources and requires minimal installation, addressing key challenges in deploying bioinformatics workflows. In addition CloVR supports use of remote cloud computing resources to improve performance for large-scale sequence processing. In a case study, we demonstrate the use of CloVR to automatically process next-generation sequencing data on multiple cloud computing platforms. The CloVR VM and associated architecture lowers the barrier of entry for utilizing complex analysis protocols on both local single- and multi-core computers and cloud systems for high throughput data processing.https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2105-12-35

Court-Referred Alternative Dispute Resolution and Judicial Education in Australia: Perspectives from the Bench

Drawing upon a study examining the perspectives of 104 Australian judges (including magistrates), this article explores judges' perceptions of their understanding and education of Court-Referred Alternative Dispute Resolution (CADR). While CADR is increasingly recognised as part of a judge's role, levels of formal alternative dispute resolution training are low in Australia. Nevertheless, judges frequently learn about CADR processes in other ways, particularly practical experience in their legal careers before and after their appointment to the Bench. Judicial perspectives on the level of understanding required and the relevance of CADR often vary depending on cultural and other factors, including court level and type of matters. These factors significantly influence judicial engagement with CADR and, consequently, their knowledge and experience of CADR. By listening to judicial perspectives on CADR education, whether its successes or shortfalls, the Australian judicial system can effectively shape CADR policy in the future