Volume 3.0: Centre for Sustainable Fashion: tactics for change

Documenting the debates raised at the Fashioning the Future Summit, a milestone event run by the CSF in October 2008, and strategising to propose new possibilities for the fashion sector which minimise the negative social, environmental and cultural effects of our practices and maximise connection, innovation and positivity. The keynote speeches from Michael McDonough, Anthony Kleanthous and Sungjoo Kim are also available to view

The Effect of the Zika Virus on RNA Stress Granule Components

In recent years, Zika virus (ZIKV) has taken over mainstream media. It captivated the world with the images of microcephaly babies born to infected mothers and the appearance of Guillain-Barré syndrome emerging from infected adults. ZIKV is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. This virus is composed of a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome that belongs to the Flaviviridae family. Our long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms in which the virus subverts the host organism’s translation machinery by modulation of RNA stress granules (SGs). Stress granules are RNA-protein complexes found in the cytoplasm that form when the cell is exposed to a stressor such as an infection from a virus. Our initial research showed that ZIKV suppresses the formation of these granules. Thus the goal of this research was to investigate the role of various stress granule proteins on ZIKV infection. In particular, we focused on TIA-1, G3BP1, HuR and TIAR. Knockdown of the SG proteins with target-specific siRNAs and subsequent infection with ZIKV showed that depletion of G3BP1 decreased viral protein, RNA and viral titers suggesting this SG protein acts in a pro-viral manner, whereas depletion of HuR increased viral protein, RNA and viral titers present suggesting HuR was acting anti-viral. Luciferase assays following knockdown and overexpression of G3BP1 and HuR showed that these proteins affected ZIKV replication. These studies advance our understanding the role and interactions of RNA stress granules with ZIKV

Session I Nursing Presentation 1: Development of an Obstetric Rapid Response Team in a Rural Labor and Delivery Hospital Unit

Objective: The purpose of this quality improvement project is to implement a best practice obstetric rapid response team (OB-RRT) and conduct in-situ drills of this team. The expected outcome is improved response times, self-confidence of OB-RRT team members, communication, and outcomes for obstetrical emergencies. Design: The methodology for this project is a post-test descriptive design. There will be an educational session followed by drills to evaluate the effectiveness of the education. Setting/Local Problem: Rural Level III Labor and Delivery Unit is part of a Level III Trauma Center campus hospital system in Southeastern North Carolina. Participants: Obstetric Labor and Delivery nurses who have worked in Obstetrics for more than two years. Intervention/Measurements:Participants watched an educational PowerPoint module describing various obstetric emergencies and the roles and responsibilities for each Code OB team member. Following the educational module each participant completed a questionnaire as a review of the roles and responsibilities for each member. The participants were given two weeks to complete the education prior to implementing in-situ drills. Following each drill, participants completed the NLN approved Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning questionnaire. This questionnaire, a series of statements that measuressatisfaction with learning and self-confidence in responding and managing an obstetric emergency. Drills were conducted over a 30-day period. The effectiveness of the education was measured. The Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning questionnaire scores was aggregated (drill #1 and drill #2) and analyzed with descriptive analysis using measures of central tendency. The OB Code Team Roles and Responsibilities Education questionnaire, the Project Leader Evaluation Tool, and the Project Partners Evaluation Tool were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: 100% of eligible nurses (n=85) successfully identified roles and responsibilities of each Code-OB RRT member while responding to a simulated drill. Conclusion: The educational sessions effectively increased nursing knowledge and the Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence questionnaire showed an improvement in communication and confidence while managing obstetric emergency codes. Keywords: obstetric emergencies, code, communication, nursing knowledge, and drills

Volume 1.0: Centre for Sustainable Fashion: A Snapshot Analysis

In 2007, the London College of Fashion formed a working group to understand current levels of activity in sustainability, to explore what support is available, and to identify the needs, expectations and aspirations for sustainability within the whole of the fashion industry. The analysis is the Centre for Sustainable Fashion’s first publication; we aim to provide regular insight into fashion & sustainability in the future. This report describes the outcomes of this feasibility study. It specifically sets out to: > Explore the current climate in fashion and sustainability, taking into account news and media coverage, reports, publications and market intelligence; > Identify the pressures on the fashion industry as a result of media interest and subsequent consumer attitudes; > Map the current provision of sustainability support accessible to the sector; > Analyse the findings of the LCF Sustainability in Fashion survey to evaluate current sustainability activity within the sector and the levels of support which currently exist; > Gauge the current political agenda, specifically environmental and ethical lobby groups; current government support, activity and legislation that affects the fashion industry, e.g. Defra’s EU landfill directive; activity surrounding the 2012 London Olympics; > Discuss the role of Higher Education Institutions(HEIs) and other support organisations; > Identify the need for an industry body such as the CSF. Ultimately, this report highlights opportunities for the CSF to meet the industry’s need for a networked and focused approach to sustainable activity in the fashion industr

Hearing handicap and quality of life: Reports by cochlear implantees and their frequent communication partners

“Copyright 2001, Speech Pathology Association of Australia Ltd (https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/) . Published version of the paper reproduced here with permission from the publisher.”Questionnaires concerning communication, hearing handicap and quality of life were posted to all 55 adult cochlear implantees known to be resident in South Australia. Parallel questionnaires were included for completion by a chosen frequent communication partner. This interim analysis focuses on replies from 34/55 (61.8%) of recipients currently received on two scales included in the questionnnaire; the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE - Ventry & Weinstein, 1982), and the SF-36 (Ware, Snow, Kosinski & Gandek, 1993). The main results indicate that: (a) implantees and their frequent communication partners substantially agree in their assessment of the hearing handicap remaining post-implantation, and (b) implantees’ ratings of aspects of quality of life are similar to those of the general population in South Australia. These results indicate both the complimentary and confirmatory nature of these two scales. Implications for assessment and intervention for this population are discussed in light of these findings

A Programmable Escherichia coli Consortium via Tunable Symbiosis

Synthetic microbial consortia that can mimic natural systems have the potential to become a powerful biotechnology for various applications. One highly desirable feature of these consortia is that they can be precisely regulated. In this work we designed a programmable, symbiotic circuit that enables continuous tuning of the growth rate and composition of a synthetic consortium. We implemented our general design through the cross-feeding of tryptophan and tyrosine by two E. coli auxotrophs. By regulating the expression of genes related to the export or production of these amino acids, we were able to tune the metabolite exchanges and achieve a wide range of growth rates and strain ratios. In addition, by inverting the relationship of growth/ratio vs. inducer concentrations, we were able to “program” the co-culture for pre-specified attributes with the proper addition of inducing chemicals. This programmable proof-of-concept circuit or its variants can be applied to more complex systems where precise tuning of the consortium would facilitate the optimization of specific objectives, such as increasing the overall efficiency of microbial production of biofuels or pharmaceuticals