Enriching the primary curriculum via education - industry liaison

This article describes:collaboration between a primary school, a manufacturing firm and a teacher training institutionenrichment of the primary curriculum via education-industry liaison to improve mutual understanding between industrialists and those involved in education.IntroductionVisits by secondary school students to industry, often on work experience in Years 10 or 11, are commonplace; visits by primary school pupils to industry less so. This paper records the experiences which resulted from a partnership between three institutions: a primary school (Coton Primary School, Coton, Cambridgeshire), a manufacturing firm (Ciba-Geigy Plastics, Duxford, Cambridgeshire) and a teacher training college (Homerton College, Cambridge). In their separate ways all three institutions already had experience of education-industry liaison prior to the project that is described here. Coton Primary School had undertaken topic work involving horticulture and the marketing of plants, whilst Ciba-Geigy and Homerton College had collaborated on industry-based problem-solving projects for primary teachers and trainees with chemistry or physics as their main B.Ed. degree subject

Development of lightweight, fire-retardant, low-smoke, high-strength, thermally stable aircraft floor paneling

Extensive fire resistance and mechanical property tests were conducted on sandwich configurations composed of resin-fiberglass laminates bonded with adhesive to Nomex honeycomb and foam core. The test results were used to select a combination of materials that would improve the fire safety of the airplane without sacrificing mechanical performance of the aircraft floor panels. A test panel is being service evaluated in a commercial aircraft

Catalytic Asymmetric Hydrogenation in the Manufacture of d-Biotin and Dextromethorphan

Two enantiomerically pure products, (+)-biotin and dextromethorphan, have been chosen to illustrate the acquisition, development, and implementation of the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation technology at Lonza Fine Chemicals. Taking advantage of the recently developed Ciba-Geigy ferrocenyl-type phosphine ligands, processes for the stereoselective hydrogenation of a C=C- and a C=N bond, respectively, have been developed and successfully scaled up

Vibratory Finishing of Stereolithography Parts

Rapid Prototype polymer resin models produced by Stereolithography have, by the nature of the process, a relatively poor surface roughness, particularly on concave and convex surfaces. In many cases this is unacceptable, and slow and tedious manual finishing techniques are often used to improve the surface. An investigation has been conducted into a range of automated finishing techniques with the aim of producing an acceptable surface roughness. This paper presents the results from two techniques, Vibratory Bowl Abrasion and Ultrasonic Abrasion using components made from Ciba-Geigy XB5081-1 and XB 5143 resins. Initial results from Scanning Electron Microscopy and surface topography analyses suggest that both techniques are capable of improving the model surfaces.Mechanical Engineerin

Atrazine: Environmental Characteristics and Economics of Management

Restricting or eliminating the use of atrazine in the Midwest would have important economic consequences for farmers and consumers. Atrazine is an important herbicide in the production of corn and other crops in the United States. Since atrazine is such an important herbicide, mandatory changes in application strategies are likely to generate sizable costs for producers and consumers. However, recent findings indicate that elevated amounts of atrazine are running off fields and entering surface water resources. This report presents the costs and benefits of an atrazine ban, a ban on pre-plant and pre-emergent applications, and a targeted ban to achieve a surface water standard. A complete atrazine ban is hypothesized to be the costliest strategy, while the targeted strategy is the least costly.Crop Production/Industries,

New developments in pesticides for IPM in Africa with special reference to cotton pests

There is a large knowledge base available worldwide for growing many crops according to the principles of integrated pest management (IPM). CIBA-GEIGY is active in much IPM related research. Several biological control projects are being carried out at present and include studies of Trichogramma minutum against the spruce budworm in Canada; Encarsia sp. against glasshouse white-flies in Spain; the fungus Beauveria brongniartii against cockchafers in fruit gardens and forests of Switzerland and Italy; and the protozoan (Nosema) preparations against the African desert locust. In cotton, CIBA-GEIGY is concentrating on testing pesticides for the selectivity of beneficial arthropods under practical field conditions. Some of the most important pests in cotton, rice and vegetables are monitored regularly for the occurrence of resistance, and strategies are being developed to overcome it. A computer model has been developed for American cotton, which is now under practical evaluation and which should allow for appropriate treatment decisions based on plant phenology and regular pest scouting. General recommendations are given as to the implementation of IPM programmes in cotton, which are based on methodologically sound monitoring of cotton arthropods, establishment of economic thresholds, use of selective compounds or the selective use of broad spectrum pesticides, rotation of pesticides of different chemical classes to avoid the build-up of resistance, and a strengthened search for biological control alternatives such as more potent strains of Bacillus thuringiensi

Reduction in calcium excretion in women with breast cancer and bone metastases using the oral bisphosphonate pamidronate.

The bisphosphonate pamidronate (3 amino-1, 1-hydroxypropylidene bisphosphonate (APD), Ciba-Geigy) is a powerful inhibitor of osteoclast function and has been shown to significantly reduce osteolysis associated with bone metastases in breast cancer. Until recently, however, only an intravenous preparation has been readily available. We have evaluated the toxicity and effect on urinary calcium excretion of an enteric-coated oral preparation of pamidronate in a phase I/II trial in patients with bone metastases from breast cancer. Sixteen women with progressive disease and evidence of active bone resorption with an elevated calcium excretion (fasting urine calcium/creatinine ratio greater than 0.4 (mmol mmol-1) on two occasions prior to treatment) were studied. Four were given 150 mg daily; four 300 mg daily; four 450 mg daily and four 600 mg daily. Urinary calcium/creatinine (Ca2+/Cr) ratios were measured on all patients after an overnight fast. In patients on 150 mg daily the mean ratio fell from 0.65 (range 0.57-0.72) before treatment to 0.13 (0.02-0.19) after three weeks treatment. Mean values at entry for patients on 300, 450 and 600 mg were 1.18 (0.72-2.1), 0.76 (0.42-1.5) and 0.63 (0.52-0.82) respectively and after treatment these fell to 0.11 (0.05-0.18), 0.37 (0.14-0.68) and 0.17 (0.06-0.25). There were no significant differences in efficacy between treatment groups. Oral, enteric-coated disodium pamidronate is non-toxic and effectively reduces calcium excretion, raised in association with metastatic bone disease at doses of 150 mg or above. At the doses used to date it is as effective as weekly treatments with 30 mg of the intravenous preparation. Further studies are required in order to determine its value for preventing complications of bone disease and possibly as an adjuvant to surgery for breast cancer

The Rate of Economic Growth and the Socio-Cultural Current

The increase of spendings with the prices of raw materials, energy and fuel has eventually, and almost inevitably, led to an unexpected rise in the demand for currency, a demand coming from the goods and services suppliers. The resulting effect was the surging of an accelerated inflationist wave, which in turn, produced the first warnings of a looming economic breakdown. From this point onwards, different other expenses became directly or indirectly engaged in relation to the volume of incorporated raw materials, to the employement of a highly skilled workforce, or to the necessity of technical equipment and machinery modernization. Starting from Peter M. Chisnall’s work, “Marketing: a behavior analysis” (3rd edition, McGraw-Hill, London, 2000), this study follows the interdependence of the behalf of goods manufacturers and managers, and on the other hand, behavioural attitudes on behalf of buyers and consumers; also exhibited and of importance are the stands taken by both sides in approaching an optimal strategy for their situation. At the same time, there is a clear indication of the impact socio-cultural changes exercises upon the dynamics and typologies of economic structures.socio-cultural fluxes, economic development and impact, protection management, technological research, consumption demand