A Stitch in Time: Changing Cultural Constructions of Craft and Mending

Over the course of the twentieth century, the availability of cheap, mass-produced fashion has contributed to a decline in everyday domestic mending skills. Indeed, as mass-manufactured goods have become cheaper for the global population it has become normative consumer behaviour to dispose of any item that is less than per-fect, even when the damage is entirely superficial, leading Clark to claim that: ‘mending has died out’ (2008: 435). However, in recent years there has been an apparent revival in domestic mending, aided and evidenced by the emergence of sewing and mending groups in the UK, mainland Europe and North America. This has coincided with a growing interest in more sustainable material goods (McDonough & Braungart 2002; Fletcher 2008), and a small body of academic work around the notion of craftsmanship (e.g. Sennett 2008; Crawford 2009). Of particular interest here is the history of mending of clothing and household goods, as well as recent incarnations of mending as both an individual and group activity. In the past year, researchers from diverse theoretical backgrounds have also highlighted the role of mending in everyday material goods providing further insights into the subject (Laitala & Boks 2012; Middleton 2012; Portwood-Stacer 2012). An examination of mending reveals a complex picture in which gender, class, aesthetics and social motivations interweave with the imperatives of consumer culture. Whilst historically it is generally constructed as a feminine activity, and carried connotations of material deprivation, contemporary mending is often motivated by environmental concerns and a desire to reduce consumption. Ultimately, mending is demonstrated to be an under-researched subject loaded with cultural meaning, and ultimately, is shown to be anything but a trivial activity

High-end fashion manufacturing in the UK - product, process and vision: Recommendations for a Designer and Fashion Manufacturer Alliance and a Designer Innovation and Sampling Centre

The Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE) was commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to undertake a feasibility study to explore fully the market need for a new high-end production hub. This was in direct response to the need highlighted in the DCMS report, Creative Britain - New Talents For The New Economy, published in 2008. This study has confirmed that there is a need. However the need is for a sampling and innovation facility rather than a production hub. Designers reported a shortage of high quality sampling capacity in the UK, as well as difficulties in getting small quantities produced. Additionally, they do not know where or how to source appropriate manufacturing in the UK, Europe or globally, at the quality the market requires

High-end fashion manufacturing in the UK - product, process and vision. Recommendations for education, training and accreditation

The Centre for Fashion Enterprise (CFE) was commissioned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to undertake a feasibility study to explore fully the market need for a new high-end production hub. This was in direct response to the need highlighted in the DCMS report, Creative Britain - New Talents For The New Economy, published in 2008. In addition to finding a need for a sampling and innovation facility1 (outlined in a separate document), the study identified significant problems relating to education and skills training in the sector. Recommendations are given in this report as to how these might be addressed, as well as a recommendation for an accreditation scheme that would aim to raise production quality standards within the sector

Socially mediated polyandry: a new benefit of communal nesting in mammals

In many species, females have evolved behavioral strategies to reduce the risk of infanticide. For instance, polyandry can create paternity confusion that inhibits males from killing offspring they could have sired. Here, the authors propose that females could socially obtain the same benefits by nesting communally. Singly sired litters could be perceived as a large multiply sired litter once pooled together in a single nest. Long-term data from a wild house mouse population showed that monandrous litters (singly sired) were more common in communal than in solitary nests and 85% of them were raised with litters sired by different males hence becoming effectively polyandrous (multiply sired). These socially polyandrous litters had significantly higher offspring survival than genetically or socially monandrous litters and reached a similar survival to that of multiply sired litters raised in solitary or communal nests. Furthermore, the number of sires within nests significantly improved offspring survival whereas the number of mothers did not. These results suggest that the survival benefits associated with communal nesting are driven by polyandry and not communal defense. This socially mediated polyandry was as efficient as multiple paternity in preventing infanticide, and may also occur in other infanticidal and polytocous species where the caring parent exhibits social behavio

Dynamics of actinotrichia regeneration in the adult zebrafish fin

The skeleton of adult zebrafish fins comprises lepidotrichia, which are dermal bones of the rays, and actinotrichia, which are non-mineralized spicules at the distal margin of the appendage. Little is known about the regenerative dynamics of the actinotrichia- specific structural proteins called Actinodins. Here, we used immunofluorescence analysis to determine the contribution of two paralogous Actinodin proteins, And1/2, in regenerating fins. Both proteins were detected in the secretory organelles in the mesenchymal cells of the blastema, but only And1 was detected in the epithelial cells of the wound epithelium. The analysis of whole mount fins throughout the entire regenerative process and longitudinal sections revealed that And1-positive fibers are complementary to the lepidotrichia. The analysis of another longfin fish, a gain-of- function mutation in the potassium channel kcnk5b, revealed that the long-fin phenotype is associated with an extended size of actinotrichia during homeostasis and regeneration. Finally, we investigated the role of several signaling pathways in actinotrichia formation and maintenance. This revealed that the pulse-inhibition of either TGFβ/Activin-βA or FGF are sufficient to impair deposition of Actinodin during regeneration. Thus, the dynamic turnover of Actinodin during fin regeneration is regulated by multiple factors, including the osteoblasts, growth rate in a potassium channel mutant, and instructive signaling networks between the epithelium and the blastema of the regenerating fin

Einfluss der Vitamin D Therapie auf die Lebersteifigkeit und die Aminotransferase-Aktivität bei Patienten mit chronischen Lebererkrankungen

Patients with chronic liver disease are more likely to develop vitamin D deficiency than the general population. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with increased liver stiffness in early stages of the disease and with higher mortality in patients with advanced cirrhosis. Increase in liver stiffness has also been associated with unfavorable outcomes. Our aim now was to investigate the influence of vitamin D supplementation on liver stiffness and serum liver enzymes in patients with chronic liver disease. Patients and methods Patients were included if they suffered from chronic liver disease and if follow-up was completed for at least one year. Patients were subdivided in patients with vitamin D deficiency who received vitamin D supplements (Group 1: 20,000 IU 25OH-cholecalciferol per week), with vitamin D deficiency but without any supplements (Group 2), and patients with sufficient serum vitamin D concentrations without any additional supplementation (Group 3). Liver stiffness measurements (LSM) were obtained by transient elastography, and aminotransferase activities (ALT, AST) were recorded before the start of supplementation and after one year. LSM and aminotransferase levels were compared using Wilcoxon signedrank tests for related samples or t-tests, as appropriate. Results In total, we included 100 patients in groups 1 and 2. However, reflecting the generally low vitamin D levels in patients with chronic liver disease, we were only able to identify 33 patients that fulfilled the inclusion criteria for group 3. Patients who received vitamin D supplements showed a significant increase in serum vitamin D concentrations (10.60 ± 5.24 ng/ml vs. 33.01 ± 14.88 ng/ml, p<0.001). Interestingly, patients with deficiency who received vitamin D showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in mean liver stiffness from 13.42 ± 15.99 kPa to 9.68 ± 7.83 kPa, whereas in groups 2 and 3 no significant changes were detected. Aminotransferase activities improved in group 1 (ALT: 66.08 ± 73.35 U/l vs. 54.05 ± 58.51 U/L, p<0.05;) and in group 2 (ALT: 67.08 ± 80.89 vs. 49.14 ± 49.65 U/L, p<0.01;), and the levels remained unchanged in group 3. To exclude the influence of HCV treatment, we analysed HCV and non-HCV patients separately. As expected patients on antiviral therapy showed a significant improvement of ALT activities in groups 1 and 2, however no differences in LSM changes could be detected between patients on and off treatment. Conclusions In this analysis we found evidence for positive effects of vitamin D supplements on liver stiffness - but not surrogate markers of hepatic inflammation - across patients with chronic liver disease. Whether the decrease in liver stiffness is an independent favourable factor for disease outcome has to be evaluated in a prospective cohort study.Die Leberfibrose stellt die gemeinsame Endstrecke aller chronischen Lebererkrankungen dar. Viele der betroffen Patienten weisen im Vergleich zur Allgemeinbevölkerung einen Vitamin D-Mangel auf. Der Mangel wurde sowohl mit einer erhöhten Lebersteifigkeit bereits in früheren Erkrankungsstadien als auch mit einer erhöhten Mortalitätsrate bei Patienten mit einer fortgeschrittenen Zirrhose assoziiert. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich vor allem mit der Rolle des Vitamin D als wichtigem Faktor bei der Fibroseprogression und der Therapie. Wir untersuchten den Einfluss einer Vitamin D-Supplementierung auf die Lebersteifigkeit, gemessen mittels Transienter Elastographie, und auf die Leberenzyme bei Patienten mit chronischen Lebererkrankungen. Unsere Analyse zeigte bei Patienten mit Mangel eine, im Gegensatz zu Vergleichsgruppen, signifikante Abnahme der mittleren Lebersteifigkeit von 13,4 ± 16,0 kPa auf 9,7 ± 7,8 kPa (p <0,05) unter einer Vitamin D-Supplementierung Ob die Abnahme der Lebersteifigkeit ein unabhängiger Faktor für den Krankheitsverlauf ist, muss in einer prospektiven Kohortenstudie evaluiert werden. Ein spezifischer Einfluss auf die Transaminasen konnte jedoch nicht nachgewiesen werden. Diese wiesen in mehreren Gruppen eine signifikante Veränderung auf, wobei wir den Einfluss einer Hepatitis C Behandlung als Störfaktor für möglich erachten

Bone morphogenetic protein signaling promotes morphogenesis of blood vessels, wound epidermis, and actinotrichia during fin regeneration in zebrafish

Zebrafish fin regeneration involves initial formation of the wound epidermis and the blastema, followed by tissue morphogenesis. The mechanisms coordinating differentiation of distinct tissues of the regenerate are poorly understood. Here, we applied pharmacologic and transgenic approaches to address the role of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling during fin restoration. To map the BMP transcriptional activity, we analyzed the expression of the evolutionarily conserved direct phospho-Smad1 target gene, id1, and its homologs id2a and id3. This analysis revealed the BMP activity in the distal blastema, wound epidermis, osteoblasts, and blood vessels of the regenerate. Blocking the BMP function with a selective chemical inhibitor of BMP type I receptors, DMH1, suppressed id1 and id3 expression and arrested regeneration after blastema formation. We identified several previously uncharacterized functions of BMP during fin regeneration. Specifically, BMP signaling is required for remodeling of plexus into structured blood vessels in the rapidly growing regenerate. It organizes the wound epithelium by triggering wnt5b expression and promoting Collagen XIV-A deposition into the basement membrane. BMP represents the first known signaling that induces actinotrichia formation in the regenerate. Our data reveal a multifaceted role of BMP for coordinated morphogenesis of distinct tissues during regeneration of a complex vertebrate appendage.—Thorimbert, V., König, D., Marro, J., Ruggiero, F., Jaźwińska, A. Bone morphogenetic protein signaling promotes morphogenesis of blood vessels, wound epidermis, and actinotrichia during fin regeneration in zebrafish

Geometric inequalities from phase space translations

We establish a quantum version of the classical isoperimetric inequality relating the Fisher information and the entropy power of a quantum state. The key tool is a Fisher information inequality for a state which results from a certain convolution operation: the latter maps a classical probability distribution on phase space and a quantum state to a quantum state. We show that this inequality also gives rise to several related inequalities whose counterparts are well-known in the classical setting: in particular, it implies an entropy power inequality for the mentioned convolution operation as well as the isoperimetric inequality, and establishes concavity of the entropy power along trajectories of the quantum heat diffusion semigroup. As an application, we derive a Log-Sobolev inequality for the quantum Ornstein-Uhlenbeck semigroup, and argue that it implies fast convergence towards the fixed point for a large class of initial states.Comment: 37 pages; updated to match published versio