Re-embedding agency at the workplace scale: workers and labour control in Glasgow call centres

Following recent calls for the development of a more embedded sense of labour agency, this paper focuses on the scale of the workplace which is largely absent from recent labour geography debates. Drawing on studies in the labour process tradition, the paper presents empirical research on call centre work in Glasgow, utilising this to revisit the concept of local Labour Control Regimes (LCR). We argue that rather than being simply imposed by capital and the state ‘from above’, workplace control should be seen as the product of a dialectical process of interaction and negotiation between management and labour. Labour’s indeterminacy can influence capital in case specific ways as firms adapt to labour agency and selectively tolerate and collude with certain practices and behaviours. Workers’ learned behaviour and identities are shown to affect not only recruitment patterns in unexpected ways, but also modes of accepted conduct in call centres. Accordingly, the case is made for the influence of subtle – yet pervasive – worker agency expressed at the micro-scale of the labour process itself. This, it is argued, exerts a degree of ‘bottom-up’ pressure on key fractions of capital within the local LCR

Ototoxicidade da cisplatina e otoproteção pelo extrato de ginkgo biloba às células ciliadas externas: estudo anatômico e eletrofisiológico Cisplatin ototoxycity and otoprotector to cilliated cells by ginkgo biloba extract: anatomic and eletrophisiologic study

A Cisplatina é uma potente droga antineoplásica, largamente utilizada para o tratamento do câncer, tanto em adultos quanto em crianças. Dentre seus efeitos colaterais, a ototoxicidade se apresenta como um dos mais importantes e leva à perda auditiva irreversível, bilateral, para as altas freqüências (4KHz#8KHz). Estudos têm tentado identificar drogas que, associadas à cisplatina possam atuar como otoprotetores. Sabe-se que o mecanismo da ototoxicidade pela cisplatina está relacionado a alterações nos mecanismos antioxidantes das células ciliadas, principalmente as células ciliadas externas da cóclea. OBJETIVO: Nossa proposta foi de avaliar através de emissões otoacústicas, por produtos de distorção (EOAPD) e por microscopia eletrônica de superfície (ME), a ação do extrato de ginkgo biloba (EGB 761), que tem conhecida ação antioxidante, como possível otoprotetor, utilizando como modelo experimental cobaias albinas. FORMA DE ESTUDO: Experimental. MATERIAL E MÉTODO: Observamos EOAPD presentes pré e pós tratamento no grupo EGB (100 mg/Kg/dia via oral) e 90 minutos após cisplatina (80 mg/Kg/dia via intraperitoneal) por 8 dias. RESULTADO: Houve também manutenção da arquitetura ciliar nas células ciliadas externas em todas as espiras da cóclea, enquanto que no grupo tratado somente com cisplatina (80 mg/Kg/dia via intraperitoneal) por 8 dias, houve desaparecimento das EOAPD pós tratamento, com desaparecimento dos cilios das células ciliadas externas e distorção na arquitetura dos cílios remanescentes à ME. CONCLUSÃO: Concluímos que a EGB, por sua ação antioxidante, atua como fator otoprotetor à ototoxicidade pela cisplatina, devendo ser testada tal ação na prática clínica em pacientes que utilizam a cisplatina, pois o uso do EGB está extremamente difundido no tratamento de diferentes doenças.<br>Cisplatin is an antineoplastic drug for cancer treatment in children and adults. The side effects of cisplatin ototoxycity are important with irreversible auditory and bilateral damage to high frequencies (4kHz - 8 kHz). Reports recognize some drugs that are associated with cisplatin to obtain an otoprotector effect. The ototoxycity mechanisms of cisplatin are related to injury of conduct the hair cell oxidation mechanism, with particular injury to outer hair cells. AIM: We intend to studies using otoacoustic emissions - distortion products (DPOEA) and scanning microscopy to verify the action of ginkgo biloba (GBE-761) that has well known antoxidizing characteristics, that can function like otoprotector effects. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We use an experimental guinea pig model. We found DPOEA positive before and after treatment in the GBE group (100 mg/ Kg/ day - oral) and after 90 minutes cisplatin (8,0 mg/ Kg/ day - intraperitoneal - 8 consecutive days). RESULTS: The normal cilium architecture of outer hair cells was supported in all cochlear spirals and in the group treated only with cisplatin (8,0 mg/ Kg/ day - intraperitoneal - 8 consecutive days), the DPOEA was not present and strong injury to cilium of outer hair cells showed cilium disorders upon scanning microscopy. CONCLUSION: We conclude that GBE has a potential otoprotector effect against cisplatin ototoxycity and could be used in clinical trials