A contemporary analysis of the growth, effects, and adjustments to automation

The objective of this thesis is to compile and analyze information on automation, beginning with its background and origin and continuing through various contemporary issues, directly or indirectly related to its development; namely, the need for automation in advancing our present-day society, socially and economically; the present-day uses and future expectations; factors standing in the way or automatic development; effects, both good and bad, attributed to automation by management, labor, and business; beliefs of management, labor and business as to the methods of adjusting these effects for the benefit of all mankind; and the question concerning automation\u27s being the primary cause of unemployment reported in many communities today

Strong Coupling Constant from the Photon Structure Function

We extract the value of the strong coupling constant alpha_s from a single-parameter pointlike fit to the photon structure function F_2^gamma at large x and Q^2 and from a first five-parameter full (pointlike and hadronic) fit to the complete F_2^gamma data set taken at PETRA, TRISTAN, and LEP. In next-to-leading order and the MSbar renormalization and factorization schemes, we obtain alpha_s(m_Z)=0.1183 +/- 0.0050(exp.)^+0.0029_-0.0028(theor.) [pointlike] and alpha_s(m_Z)=0.1198 +/- 0.0028(exp.)^+0.0034_-0.0046(theor.) [pointlike and hadronic]. We demonstrate that the data taken at LEP have reduced the experimental error by about a factor of two, so that a competitive determination of alpha_s from F_2^gamma is now possible.Comment: 11 pages, 2 tables, 2 figures. Version accepted for publication by Phys. Rev. Let

Comparison of stainless and mild steel welding fumes in generation of reactive oxygen species

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Welding fumes consist of a wide range of complex metal oxide particles which can be deposited in all regions of the respiratory tract. The welding aerosol is not homogeneous and is generated mostly from the electrode/wire. Over 390,000 welders were reported in the U.S. in 2008 while over 1 million full-time welders were working worldwide. Many health effects are presently under investigation from exposure to welding fumes. Welding fume pulmonary effects have been associated with bronchitis, metal fume fever, cancer and functional changes in the lung. Our investigation focused on the generation of free radicals and reactive oxygen species from stainless and mild steel welding fumes generated by a gas metal arc robotic welder. An inhalation exposure chamber located at NIOSH was used to collect the welding fume particles.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our results show that hydroxyl radicals (^.OH) were generated from reactions with H₂O₂and after exposure to cells. Catalase reduced the generation of <b>^.</b>OH from exposed cells indicating the involvement of H₂O₂. The welding fume suspension also showed the ability to cause lipid peroxidation, effect O₂consumption, induce H₂O₂generation in cells, and cause DNA damage.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Increase in oxidative damage observed in the cellular exposures correlated well with <b>^.</b>OH generation in size and type of welding fumes, indicating the influence of metal type and transition state on radical production as well as associated damage. Our results demonstrate that both types of welding fumes are able to generate ROS and ROS-related damage over a range of particle sizes; however, the stainless steel fumes consistently showed a significantly higher reactivity and radical generation capacity. The chemical composition of the steel had a significant impact on the ROS generation capacity with the stainless steel containing Cr and Ni causing more damage than the mild steel. Our results suggest that welding fumes may cause acute lung injury. Since type of fume generated, particle size, and elapsed time after generation of the welding exposure are significant factors in radical generation and particle deposition these factors should be considered when developing protective strategies.</p

Beings in their own right? Exploring Children and young people's sibling and twin relationships in the Minority World

This paper examines the contributions that the sociological study of sibship and twinship in the Minority World can make to childhood studies. It argues that, in providing one forum within which to explore children and young people's social relationships, we can add to our understanding of children and young people's interdependence and develop a more nuanced understanding of agency. As emergent subjects, children, young people and adults are in a process of ‘becoming’. However, this does not mean that they can ‘become’ anything they choose to. The notion of negotiated interdependence (Punch 2002) is useful in helping us to grasp the contingent nature of children and young people's agency

Impairment of Coronary Arteriolar Endothelium-Dependent Dilation after Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Inhalation: A Time-Course Study

Engineered nanomaterials have been developed for widespread applications due to many highly unique and desirable characteristics. The purpose of this study was to assess pulmonary inflammation and subepicardial arteriolar reactivity in response to multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) inhalation and evaluate the time course of vascular alterations. Rats were exposed to MWCNT aerosols producing pulmonary deposition. Pulmonary inflammation via bronchoalveolar lavage and MWCNT translocation from the lungs to systemic organs was evident 24 h post-inhalation. Coronary arterioles were evaluated 24–168 h post-exposure to determine microvascular response to changes in transmural pressure, endothelium-dependent and -independent reactivity. Myogenic responsiveness, vascular smooth muscle reactivity to nitric oxide, and α-adrenergic responses all remained intact. However, a severe impact on endothelium-dependent dilation was observed within 24 h after MWCNT inhalation, a condition which improved, but did not fully return to control after 168 h. In conclusion, results indicate that MWCNT inhalation not only leads to pulmonary inflammation and cytotoxicity at low lung burdens, but also a low level of particle translocation to systemic organs. MWCNT inhalation also leads to impairments of endothelium-dependent dilation in the coronary microcirculation within 24 h, a condition which does not fully dissipate within 168 h. The innovations within the field of nanotechnology, while exciting and novel, can only reach their full potential if toxicity is first properly assessed

Carbon nanotube dosimetry: from workplace exposure assessment to inhalation toxicology

BACKGROUND: Dosimetry for toxicology studies involving carbon nanotubes (CNT) is challenging because of a lack of detailed occupational exposure assessments. Therefore, exposure assessment findings, measuring the mass concentration of elemental carbon from personal breathing zone (PBZ) samples, from 8 U.S.-based multi-walled CNT (MWCNT) manufacturers and users were extrapolated to results of an inhalation study in mice. RESULTS: Upon analysis, an inhalable elemental carbon mass concentration arithmetic mean of 10.6 μg/m(3) (geometric mean 4.21 μg/m(3)) was found among workers exposed to MWCNT. The concentration equates to a deposited dose of approximately 4.07 μg/d in a human, equivalent to 2 ng/d in the mouse. For MWCNT inhalation, mice were exposed for 19 d with daily depositions of 1970 ng (equivalent to 1000 d of a human exposure; cumulative 76 yr), 197 ng (100 d; 7.6 yr), and 19.7 ng (10 d; 0.76 yr) and harvested at 0, 3, 28, and 84 d post-exposure to assess pulmonary toxicity. The high dose showed cytotoxicity and inflammation that persisted through 84 d after exposure. The middle dose had no polymorphonuclear cell influx with transient cytotoxicity. The low dose was associated with a low grade inflammatory response measured by changes in mRNA expression. Increased inflammatory proteins were present in the lavage fluid at the high and middle dose through 28 d post-exposure. Pathology, including epithelial hyperplasia and peribronchiolar inflammation, was only noted at the high dose. CONCLUSION: These findings showed a limited pulmonary inflammatory potential of MWCNT at levels corresponding to the average inhalable elemental carbon concentrations observed in U.S.-based CNT facilities and estimates suggest considerable years of exposure are necessary for significant pathology to occur at that level

Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China

A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak-feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best-studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom-up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant-associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae-associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores

Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China

A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores

Network structure and taxonomic composition of tritrophic communities of Fagaceae, cynipid gallwasps and parasitoids in Sichuan, China

A key question in insect community ecology is whether parasitoid assemblages are structured by the food plants of their herbivore hosts. Tritrophic communities centred on oak‐feeding cynipid gallwasps are one of the best‐studied tritrophic insect communities. Previous work suggests that host plant identity is a much stronger predictor of oak–cynipid interactions than of cynipid–parasitoid interactions. However, these relationships have not been formally quantified. We reason that the potential for ‘bottom‐up’ effects should increase with host plant phylogenetic diversity. We, therefore, generated quantified interaction network data for previously unstudied tritrophic cynipid communities in Sichuan, China, where, in addition to Quercus, cynipid host plants include Castanea, Castanopsis and Lithocarpus. We characterise these communities taxonomically and compare the extent to which host plant taxonomy predicts plant–herbivore and plant–parasitoid associations. We sampled 42,620 cynipid galls of 176 morphotypes from 23 host plant species, yielding over 4500 specimens of 64 parasitoid morphospecies. Many parasitoids were identifiable to chalcidoid taxa present in other Holarctic oak cynipid communities, with the addition of Cynipencyrtus (Cynipencyrtidae). As elsewhere, Sichuan parasitoid assemblages were dominated by generalists. Gallwasp–plant interaction networks were significantly more modular than parasitoid–plant association networks. Gallwasps were significantly more specialised to host plants (i.e. had higher mean d' values) than parasitoids. Parasitoid assemblages nevertheless showed significant plant‐associated beta diversity, with a dominant turnover component. We summarise parallels between our study and other Fagaceae‐associated cynipid communities and discuss our findings in light of the processes thought to structure tritrophic interactions centred on endophytic insect herbivores

Evaluation of a cervical cancer screening program based on HPV testing and LLETZ excision in a low resource setting

We conducted studies in Vanuatu to evaluate potential screening and treatment strategies to assist with control of cervical cancer. In a pilot study of 496 women, visual inspection and cytology were evaluated as screening tests for detection of CIN 2 or worse (CIN2+), observed in 21 of 206 subjects biopsied on the basis of abnormal visual inspection or cytology. Sensitivity of visual inspection with Lugol's Iodine for detection of CIN2+ on biopsy was 0.63, specificity was 0.32, and the positive predictive value was 0.09. For HSIL cytology, sensitivity was 0.99, specificity was 0.77, and the positive predictive value was 0.88. HSIL cytology was significantly more sensitive and had a significantly higher PPV for CIN 2+ than visual inspection (