Working life across cultures: "Work Life 2000: Quality in Work" and occupational health education in developing countries.
(17/253)
The article reflects on the changing world of work, and the challenges presented to both occupational health and occupational health education. We draw on the 63 preparatory workshops and the international conference in the "Work Life 2000: Quality in Work" program, an initiative of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union. The International Commission on Occupational Health is introduced, with particular concentration on a current practical project initiated by the Department of Health in South Africa, intended to lead to a set of projects, networking for occupational health education in developing countries. The practical initiatives cast light on a new set of issues which arise when occupational health and safety crosses cultural barriers, and previously separate comparative cases are linked. (+info)
Prehistoric human colonization of India.
(18/253)
Human colonization in India encompasses a span of at least half-a-million years and is divided into two broad periods, namely the prehistoric (before the emergence of writing) and the historic (after writing). The prehistoric period is divided into stone, bronze and iron ages. The stone age is further divided into palaeolithic, mesolithic and neolithic periods. As the name suggests, the technology in these periods was primarily based on stone. Economically, the palaeolithic and mesolithic periods represented a nomadic, hunting-gathering way of life, while the neolithic period represented a settled, food-producing way of life. Subsequently copper was introduced as a new material and this period was designated as the chalcolithic period. The invention of agriculture, which took place about 8000 years ago, brought about dramatic changes in the economy, technology and demography of human societies. Human habitat in the hunting-gathering stage was essentially on hilly, rocky and forested regions, which had ample wild plant and animal food resources. The introduction of agriculture saw it shifting to the alluvial plains which had fertile soil and perennial availability of water. Hills and forests, which had so far been areas of attraction, now turned into areas of isolation. Agriculture led to the emergence of villages and towns and brought with it the division of society into occupational groups. The first urbanization took place during the bronze age in the arid and semi-arid region of northwest India in the valleys of the Indus and the Saraswati rivers, the latter represented by the now dry Ghaggar-Hakra bed. This urbanization is known as the Indus or Harappan civilization which flourished during 3500-1500 B.C. The rest of India during this period was inhabited by neolithic and chalcolithic farmers and mesolithic hunter-gatherers. With the introduction of iron technology about 3000 years ago, the focus of development shifted eastward into the Indo-Gangetic divide and the Ganga valley. The location of the Mahabharata epic, which is set in the beginning of the first millennium B.C., is the Indo-Gangetic divide and the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab (land between two rivers). Iron technology enabled pioneering farmers to clear the dense and tangled forests of the middle and lower Ganga plains. The focus of development now shifted further eastward to eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar which witnessed the events of the Ramayana epic and rise of the first political entities known as Mahajanapadas as also of Buddhism and Jainism. The second phase of urbanization of India, marked by trade, coinage, script and birth of the first Indian empire, namely Magadha, with its capital at Pataliputra (modern Patna) also took place in this region in the sixth century B.C. The imposition by Brahmin priests of the concepts of racial and ritual purity, pollution, restrictions on sharing of food, endogamy, anuloma (male of upper caste eligible to marry a female of lower caste) and pratiloma (female of upper caste ineligible to marry a male of lower caste) forms of marriage, karma (reaping the fruits of the actions of previous life in the present life), rebirth, varnashrama dharma (four stages of the expected hundred-year life span) and the sixteen sanskaras (ceremonies) on traditional occupational groups led to the birth of the caste system - a unique Indian phenomenon. As a consequence of the expansion of agriculture and loss of forests and wildlife, stone age hunter-gatherers were forced to assimilate themselves into larger agriculture-based rural and urban societies. However, some of them resisted this new economic mode. To this day they have persisted with their atavistic lifestyle, but have had to supplement their resources by producing craft items or providing entertainment to the rural population. (+info)
Technology for the identification of unusual cis, cis octadecadienoic fatty acids.
(19/253)
In this article methods are presented for the separation and identification of unusual cis, cis dienoic and polygnoic long chain fatty acids. Special emphasis has been laid on the identification of cis, cis octadecadienoic acids. The steps followed are: after transesterification the fatty acid methyl esters are separated by preparative gas chromatography according to chain length followed by argentation chromatography on thin-layer plates. After hydroxylation of the double bonds with osmium tetroxide the polyhydroxy compounds are derivatized to the per-O-trimethylsilyl-ethers. Separation and identification of individual compounds are achieved by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using SCOT columns and low ionization energy. (+info)
Cigarette filter ventilation is a defective design because of misleading taste, bigger puffs, and blocked vents.
(20/253)
OBJECTIVE: To review tobacco industry documents on filter ventilation in light of published studies and to explore the role of filter ventilation in the design of cigarettes that deliver higher smoke yields to smokers than would be expected from standard machine smoked tests (Federal Trade Commission (FTC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO)). DATA SOURCES: Searched from November 1999 to November 2000 internet databases of industry documents (www.pmdocs.com, www.rjrtdocs.com, www.lorillarddocs.com, www.bw.aalatg.com, www.cdc.gov/tobacco/industrydocs, www.tobaccodocuments.org, www.tobaccopapers.org, www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/Guildford, www.cctc.ca/ncth/Guildford, www.cctc.ca/ncth/Guildford2) for documents related to filter ventilation. Documents found dated from 1955 through 1994. STUDY SELECTION: Those documents judged to contain the most relevant information or data on filter ventilation related to cigarette taste and compensatory smoking, while also trying to avoid redundancy from various documents deriving from the same underlying data. DATA SYNTHESIS: Filter ventilation is a crucial design feature creating three main problems for lower tar cigarettes as measured by official smoking machine testing. Firstly, it misleadingly makes cigarettes taste lighter and milder, and, therefore, they appear less dangerous to smokers. Secondly, it promotes compensation mainly by facilitating the taking of larger puffs. Thirdly, for very heavily ventilated cigarettes (that is, > 65% filter air dilution), behavioural blocking of vents with lips or fingers is an additional contributor to compensatory smoking. These three effects are found in industry research as well as published research. CONCLUSIONS: Filter ventilation is a dangerous, defective technology that should be abandoned in less hazardous nicotine delivery systems. Health interested groups should test cigarettes in a way that reflects compensatory smoking. Lower tar (vented filter) cigarettes should be actively countermarketed. (+info)
Imaging techniques for the myocardial contrast echocardiography.
(21/253)
Myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) has seen a significant evolution of its clinical application with the advent of newer microbubbles suitable for intravenous administration and development of ultrasound imaging technologies. These new technologies, which are specifically aimed to improve our ability to visualize these microbubbles in the myocardial circulation, require the user to have an understanding of the basis for optimal use in the clinical setting. The discussion below aims to provide a summary of these new microbubble technologies. (+info)
Irreversible compression of medical images.
(22/253)
The volume of data from medical imaging is growing at exponential rates, matching or exceeding the decline in the costs of digital data storage. While methods to reversibly compress image data do exist, current methods only achieve modest reductions in storage requirements. Irreversible compression can achieve substantially higher compression ratios without perceptible image degradation. These techniques are routinely applied in teleradiology, and often in Picture Archiving and Communications Systems. The practicing radiologist needs to understand how these compression techniques work and the nature of the degradation that occurs in order to optimize their medical practice. This paper describes the technology and artifacts commonly used in irreversible compression of medical images. (+info)
A simple chemical procedure for distinguishing E from F prostaglandins, with application to tissue extracts.(23/253)
ONS 2002 environmental scan: a basis for strategic planning.
(24/253)
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To analyze information about the environments in which the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) operates as a basis for strategic planning. DATA SOURCES: Published reports and ONS internal surveys. DATA SYNTHESIS: Analysis of internal and external trends resulted in a list of implications with regard to managing change, avoiding mistakes, and identifying critical issues for ONS leadership. The team presented ONS leaders with a tool that helped to guide the development of the 2003-2006 Strategic Plan. CONCLUSIONS: The continuing vitality of professional nursing societies such as ONS is critical to the vitality of the profession of nursing itself. Monitoring the environment in which these organizations operate--and effectively using the knowledge that is gained--contributes to their long-term viability and growth. A stronger ONS is in a position to better serve its members, who ensure high-quality care to people with cancer. (+info)