Affirmation, games, and insecurity-Cultivating consent within a new workplace regime
Drawing on theoretical insights from work by Michael Burawoy on the `politics of production’ and `the game of “making out”‘ this article explores `manufacturing consent’ within increased insecurity at sites of a global chemical company. It explores the role of the European Works Council and kaizen as `rituals of affirmation’ to corporate control within this `hegemonic despotic’ regime securing consent through the precariousness of local site employment.
Introduction Recent years have seen a significant shift in capital formation and labour regulation. The increased dominance of financial rationale, `shareholder values’, and rationalisation through mergers and take-overs, reflect globalisation of corporate power. Locations and sites, with local employees, are thrown into competition for the patronage of corporate investment from distant centres . This sees management and workers drawn into `management-by-stress’ as performance targets and conformance to corporate strategy become remotely monitored by a remote management. European Community policy, stressing simultaneously flexible labour markets and regulation, can be seen as an illustration of an attempt to accommodate to globalization. Arguably there has been an emergence of a `European model’ of employment relations built around the potentially conflicting pillars of `flexible forms of regulation’, along with the establishment of the ‘Eurocompany’, which allows MNCS to transcend national boundaries within Europe . The European Works Council (EWC) Directive by the European Commission was introduced to establish an institution for `informing and consulting’ representatives of employees across multi-site plants within different member states. Importantly these institutions are grafted onto work regimes experiencing contemporary management initiatives to increase flexibility and incorporate worker initiative within different national settings. The extension of social regulation can be seen as a means of gaining consent to new corporate and market regimes at the trans-national and global level but we may explore how it occurs when one effect of market competition is the growing insecurity of employment.
Reflecting on his experience of working in a factory in the 1970s Burawoy argues that, `as we slaved away on our machines trying to make our quotas we manufactured not only parts of diesel engines, not only relations of cooperation and domination, but also consent to those activities and relations’. He further argues that, as monopoly capitalism displaced competitive capitalism, hegemonic regimes replaced earlier despotism in the workplace. He sees a combination of workplace and state regulation combining within particular `factory regimes’ emerging to buttress workers, dependent exclusively on the sale of their labour, against the more extreme excesses of the anarchy of the market-of `market despotism’. Until recently these have been constituted by social insurance schemes and employment regulation.
What we wish to explore is how capital’s hegemony is established and maintained in such a workplace regime given little evident resistance to this capital restructuring. This may be because, as would be the inference of much HRM discourse, that employees have `bought into’ these changes or that they have become fatalistic to the changes with the absence of means to mobilise collective resistance (Kelly 1998)’. We are viewing the introduction of specific working practices and new institutions that draw on representation from competing parties for patronage within this corporate globalisation. Given that Burawoy does not develop on the notion of `hegemonic despotism’ we are best able to approximate his method in that `every particularity contains a generality; each particular factory regime is the product of general forces operating at a societal or global level.’. This paper explores the particular case of Norsk Hydro2 a Norwegian based oil and energy, light metals, petro- and agricultural chemicals conglomerate. We focus principally on Norsk Hydro’s fertiliser divisions, which during the research was divided between Hydro-Agri Europe and Hydro-Agri International. Subsequently the company has reorganised to replace these with global production and marketing divisions. The company has become Europe’s leading fertilizers producer through the take-over of specialist producers or fertilizer divisions of more diverse companies. Examined in terms of a `subnational pattern’ (Locke 1995), a belief that changes at company level might indicate some form of convergence, the central features of workers’ experience within this company have been increased flexibility, job losses, and insecurity of employment. In addition to this insecurity management orthodoxy has demanded a greater ‘commitment’ on the part of labour. In contemporary management terms this is a very progressive company, thus an ideal model for exploring `hegemonic despotism’ where, we must remember, the despotism is that of the anarchic forces of the global market and not of management per se.
Portland company cleans up on green auto fleets
Oregon is awash in new green services, as even the dirtiest industries join the state’s growing sustainable business sector.
Hoping to capitalize on the trucking industry’s transition to biodiesel and low-sulfur fuels, TerraClean, a green home and office cleaner in Portland, this month will begin offering eco-friendly cleaning services targeted to fleets that want to go green.
Green cleaning “might be a new subsector of the fleet market, which could be innovative,” said Jim Hutchison, a professor of green chemistry at the University of Oregon, which offers one of four programs nationwide in green chemistry.
TerraClean, founded in 2003 as a petroleum-free business - its own vans run on biodiesel and its products are petro-free - has so far made its name cleaning buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, which gives buildings credit for eco-friendly maintenance programs.
The company will use the same neutral, nontoxic, plant-based chemicals to clean trucks that it now uses to clean office carpets.
“Most power-washing companies use acid to clean trucks - we won’t,” Patricia Uber, co-owner of TerraClean, said. “There’s a real need for a high-quality (washing) service.”
Companies that have greened their fleets by switching to biofuels are looking to take the next steps toward running completely eco- friendly businesses, said Uber, a former wetlands specialist who has a degree in environmental management.
Traditional fleet cleaners contain surfactants, grease-cutting chemicals that are harmful to fish and other aquatic animals. When fleet cleaning services wash surfactants into storm drains, the chemicals pollute streams and rivers, where they suffocate fish by clogging their gills.
“A lot of use products that aren’t environmentally friendly because they’re easy,” Mark Fitz, operations manager for StarOil Co., which hires a contractor to clean its fleet of delivery trucks, said. The companies, Fitz said, “spray the acid and a degreaser to neutralize it and wash it off, and paint has been pealed off because of the kinds of chemicals they use.”
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality in the last two weeks has cracked down on four auto and truck washing contractors that illegally dumped their soapy water into the Willamette River and Columbia Slough via Portland’s storm drains.
“If you have these big fleet operations where they wash many trucks, it could potentially be a very big problem,” DEQ official Tom Rosetta said. “A lot of these people don’t realize it. They think, ‘We’re just washing some cars down,’ but this stuff is really bad.”
The DEQ requires businesses have a permit to dump into storm drains, and in all other cases it requires companies to wash chemicals into the sanitary sewer system, where they can be treated before they’re released into the water.
TerraClean’s fleet service will use chemicals certified as green and manufactured especially for cleaning stainless steel trucks by West Coast companies including Wilsonville-based Coastwide Laboratories and Vancouver-based Biokleen.
And they’ll collect the runoff once the chemicals have been washed, Uber said, instead of allowing it to pass into the storm drains.
“You don’t have to use harsh chemicals to do a good job cleaning,” Uber said.
Portland’s biofuels mandate, which went into effect in August, and the state’s new renewable fuels standard, passed by the 2007 Legislature, offer businesses opportunities to grow with green services, she said.
“I think through business we can make a quicker impact for the environment,” Uber said. “A profitable green business can lead and innovate using the values” of stewardship.
ASHTA Chemicals Inc. Makes $6.9 Million Commitment at Ohio Plant
ASHTA Chemicals Inc., a leader in the production of potassium-based chemicals, has announced an estimated $6.9 million in modernizations that will ensure cleaner air and water and emphasize the company’s commitment to the environment, its customers, its employees and the northeast Ohio community.
ASHTA Chemicals is one of the nation’s three producers of potassium hydroxide. The compound has a wide range of uses, such as the production of photographic chemicals, water treatment chemicals, pharmaceuticals, industrial and institutional cleaners, liquid soaps and detergents, liquid fertilizers and agricultural chemicals, runway deicer and alkaline batteries. Another of ASHTA Chemicals’ major products is liquid chlorine, which is used in water purification and in the production of synthetic medicines, plastics and titanium dioxide.
The estimated $6.9 million in capital improvements, which are expected to take place over approximately the next three years, will also create economic benefit for contractors during the engineering and construction stages. In addition, increased operating and maintenance costs estimated at $482,500 per year will infuse further dollars into the local economy.
Included in the improvements will be a system to supplement ASHTA Chemicals’ innovative Process Water Management System. In operation since 1997, the system eliminated the discharge of process and storm water into nearby Lake Erie. The new system will capture storm water from an additional eight acres adjacent to the plant’s 10-acre manufacturing site at 3509 Middle Rd. in Ashtabula Township.
The company will also add further controls to minimize air emissions of mercury during the operation and maintenance of its electrolytic cells. Banks of the 30-foot-long cells use mercury and high-amperage electricity to make potassium hydroxide, with chlorine as a co-product.
In addition, ASHTA Chemicals has embarked on upgrading its manufacturing process for early compliance with the new Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), under the National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for mercury reduction in its hydrogen and air systems. Under MACT, a company implements the very latest technology to keep air emissions of hazardous substances at the lowest possible limits.
Supplementing the physical improvements and in concert with MACT, ASHTA Chemicals is implementing a Voluntary Action Plan, under which the site will be certified as meeting all surface and groundwater standards.
The estimated $6.9 million in improvements being made will be in lieu of a civil penalty of $1.5 million agreed upon in a consent decree with the state of Ohio. The decree, lodged in Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court, is in settlement of a lawsuit brought by Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro. The lawsuit was based on the state’s contention that ASHTA Chemicals violated its state and federal wastewater discharge permits between 1994 and 1996.
ASHTA Chemicals has maintained that it believed it was operating under an extension of its 1992 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit while it was installing the Process Water Management System. Under the consent decree, ASHTA Chemicals does not make any admissions of violations, and the state agrees to full satisfaction of any claims.
“ASHTA Chemicals is committed to the safety of its employees, the surrounding community and the environment, and these initiatives or ones like them have been under way since the present management took over in 1992,” said Barney Baxter, president and CEO of ASHTA Chemicals. “While we might disagree with the state of Ohio’s original position, we are happy to enter into this consent agreement and are enthusiastic about continuing our environmental programs.”
ASHTA Chemicals’ well-trained, knowledge-based workforce of approximately 100 employees has helped the company achieve reduced mercury use and zero water discharge into Lake Erie from the plant process areas, leading the way in developing and implementing proprietary technology to comply with water quality standards.
About ASHTA Chemicals Inc.
ASHTA Chemicals Inc. is a manufacturer and marketer of chlorine, liquid potassium hydroxide, anhydrous potassium hydroxide walnut , liquid potassium carbonate and chloropicrin, and a marketer of anhydrous potassium carbonate and anhydrous potassium hydroxide . In 1992, ASHTA Chemicals opened its corporate offices and plant in Ashtabula, Ohio, acquiring facilities that had been operating since the early 1960s. ASHTA Chemicals management has since positioned the company for profitable growth with the purchase of Olin Chemical’s potassium products business in 1993, design and implementation of a closed loop zero-discharge water treatment system and the construction of a new potassium carbonate plant in 1995. ASHTA Chemicals’ focus is on markets and products that provide sustained, profitable growth for the core potassium hydroxide chemistry. The distribution system was significantly expanded in 1998 to provide ample product in key chemical markets. In addition to the Ashtabula plant and offices, the company services customers from three other production sites, 19 liquid terminals and five warehouses strategically located in the United States and Canada.
Foreign direct investment in the United States: detail for historical-cost position and related capital and income flows, 2001
The following tables present detailed estimates of the foreign direct investment position in the United States on a historical-cost, or book-value, basis and estimates of the related capital and income flows; summary estimates of services transactions are also presented. These estimates can be used, for example, to see how the geographic and the industrial composition of foreign companies’ investment in the United States has changed over time. These estimates supplement the estimates presented in articles in the July 2002 SURVEY OF CURRENT BUSINESS that summarized developments in the direct investment position at historical cost in 2001 and the revisions to the international transactions accounts.
(1)The estimates in tables 3-18 differ in two respects from those of comparable items in the international investment position of the United States and in the U.S. international transactions accounts.
(2) First, these estimates are on a historical-cost basis, the only basis on which detailed estimates by country and by industry are available; in contrast, the aggregate estimates of the direct investment position that are included in the international investment position are presented on both a current-cost and a market-value basis, and the aggregate estimates of direct investment income and capital flows in the U.S. international transactions accounts are presented on a current-cost basis. Second, the estimates of direct investment income and services in these tables, unlike those in the U.S. international transactions accounts, are net of U.S. and foreign withholding taxes; estimates that are gross of withholding taxes are not available by country or by industry.
Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer between Lipid Probes Detects Nanoscopic Heterogeneity in the Plasma Membrane of Live Cells
Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between matched carbocyanine lipid analogs in the plasma membrane outer leaflet of RBL mast cells was used to investigate lateral distributions of lipids and to develop a general method for quantitative measurements of lipid heterogeneity in live cell membranes. FRET measured as fluorescence quenching of long-chain donor probes such as DiO-C^sub 18^ is greater with long-chain, saturated acceptor probes such as DiI-C^sub 16^ than with unsaturated or shorter-chain acceptors with the same chromophoric headgroup compared at identical concentrations. FRET measurements between these lipid probes in model membranes support the conclusion that differential donor quenching is not caused by nonideal mixing or spectroscopic differences. Sucrose gradient analysis of plasma membrane-labeled, Triton X-100-lysed cells shows that proximity measured by FRET correlates with the extent of lipid probe partitioning into detergent-resistant membranes. FRET between DiO-C^sub 16^ and DiI-C^sub 16^ is sensitive to cholesterol depletion and disruption of liquid order (Lo) by short-chain ceramides, and it is enhanced by cross linking of Lo-associated proteins. Consistent results are obtained when homo-FRET is measured by decreased fluorescence anisotropy of DiI-C^sub 16^. These results support the existence of nanometer-scale Lo/liquid disorder heterogeneity of lipids in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane in live cells.
The existence of lateral inhomogeneities or domains in the lipid portion of the plasma membrane is an issue of substantial interest and controversy . Studies on detergent-resistant membranes led to the hypothesis that lateral segregation of liquid ordered (Lo) and liquid disordered (Ld) lipids in the plasma membrane plays an important role in signal transduction, protein sorting, and membrane transport . These cholesterol-dependent ordered membrane domains that selectively contain lipids and proteins are commonly called lipid rafts. However, the difficulty in observing lipid membrane domains at optical resolution has made it challenging to relate biochemical evidence for lipid heterogeneity, such as that from detergent-dependent fractionation, to properties in live cells. Detecting segregated membrane domains in live cells usually requires large-scale cross-linking of lipid raft components and/or low temperature (7-9). Some advanced methods with high spatial (nanometer) and temporal (millisecond) resolution, such as single particle tracking and video microscopy, nanosecond depolarization homo-FRET (13), and high-resolution electron microscopy , have provided evidence for membrane domains in intact plasma membranes. However, direct evidence for the existence of lipid rafts in live cells is largely based on measurements of clustering or diffusion of putative raft proteins rather than on measurements of the lipids themselves. A recent exception is the detection of the ordered and disordered lipid phases in live cells with ESR measurements of spin-labeled lipid probes (16).The ordered state of lipid rafts is based on preferential interactions between cholesterol and phospholipids with long saturated acyl chains such as sphingolipids. Correspondingly, lipid probes with different acyl/alkyl chains are expected to partition differently between ordered domains and disordered regions of the bilayer. In our study, we investigated the lateral distributions of fluorescent lipid probes in the outer leaflet of live cell membranes using FRET between carbocyanine derivatives with differing alkyl chains. Carbocyanines label the outer leaflet of cell membrane with negligible transbilayer flip-flop (17), making them ideal outer leaflet probes. Furthermore, their high photostability, large extinction coefficients, and partition coefficients that strongly favor lipid over aqueous environments (K^sub p^ ~ 10^sup 3-4^ for DiO-C^sub 6^) (18) make them highly suitable for fluorescence measurements in live cell membranes. FRET is particularly useful for monitoring inhomogeneities in the lateral organization of lipid bilayers on a spatial scale intermediate between the ~300-nm scale of light microscopy and the nearest neighbor (0.1 nm) scale of Stokes quenching of fluorescent or brominated lipids by spin labels (19,20). Previous measurements of FRET between lipidanchored fluorescent proteins at the inner leaflet of plasma membranes provided evidence for inhomogeneity on the scale of tens of nanometers (21), illustrating the value of this noninvasive technique for studying membrane domains with dimensions below optical resolution.
Our measurements of FRET between carbocyanine lipid probes in the plasma membrane of live cells provide strong evidence for lateral lipid inhomogeneities that are sensitive to perturbations that enhance or reduce Lo/Ld segregation. These results correlate well with lipid partitioning as measured by detergent resistance. The method we describe provides a novel approach to studying membrane lipid heterogeneity in live cells that is relevant to cell functions.
A Three-Stage Kinetic Model of Amyloid Fibrillation
Amyloid fibrillation has been intensively studied because of its association with various neurological disorders. While extensive time-dependent fibrillation experimental data are available and appear similar, few mechanistic models have been developed to unify those results. The aim of this work was to interpret these experimental results via a rigorous mathematical model that incorporates the physical chemistry of nucleation and fibril growth dynamics. A three-stage mechanism consisting of protein misfolding, nucleation, and fibril elongation is proposed and supported by the features of homogeneous fibrillation responses. Estimated by nonlinear least-squares algorithms, the rate constants for nucleation were ~10,000,000 times smaller than those for fibril growth. These results, coupled with the positive feedback characteristics of the elongation process, account for the typical sigmoidal behavior during fibrillation. In addition, experiments with different proteins, various initial concentrations, seeding versus nonseeding, and several agitation rates were analyzed with respect to fibrillation using our new model. The wide applicability of the model confirms that fibrillation kinetics may be fairly similar among amyloid proteins and for different environmental factors. Recommendations on further experiments and on the possible use of molecular simulations to determine the desired properties of potential fibrillation inhibitors are offered.
Amyloid fibrillation is the process of native soluble proteins misfolding into insoluble fibrils comprising cross-?-sheets. More than 20 amyloidogenic diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and prion-associated encephalopathies have been found to share fibril formation as the common symptom (1). The presence of amyloid plaques correlates with disease, but whether fibrils themselves, misfolded oligomers, or other factors are the causal agents of diseases remains unclear . Although the proteins associated with each disease do not share sequence homology, they exhibit similar insoluble filaments and fibrillation responses . This suggests that the underlying fibril formation mechanisms may be common (7).
The typical fibril formation process starts with a lag phase in which the amount of amyloid proteins turned into of fibrils is not significant enough to be detected. Afterwards, a drastic elongation phase follows and fibril concentration increases rapidly (8). Eventually, the process reaches equilibrium when most soluble proteins are converted into fibrils. The length of lag times and fibril growth rates depend upon factors like the initial concentration and pH, both of which affect the degree of supersaturation in solution. The presence of seeded molecules and foreign surfaces can influence the kinetics of fibrillation, because of the ability to catalyze the reactions at these interfaces (9). Other factors include the ionic strength of the solution and the intensity of agitation (10). Although experimental data covering these many different conditions have been reported in the literature, there is a noticeable lack of quantitative mechanistic models to provide insight into the process and directions for further research.
Because of the commonly observed sigmoidal-shaped fibrillation response reported in the literature, fibrillation processes have been modeled as a number of reactions in series covering the assembly of oligomers, the formation of nuciei as well as the growth and the breakage of fibrils. Moreover, the two-stage mechanism of yeast prion fibrillation, in which fibrils act as enzymes to trigger nucleated conformational conversion by Michaelis-Menten kinetics, provides another valuable perspective (14). Empirical or semi-empirical exponential functions are popular choices to fit the data since they are computationally simple and match the observed data well . While suggestive, some of these models only depicted the sigmoidal trend without rigorous quantitative arguments; others have not provided details on how the nuclei form or explained the shortened lag-time resulting from seeding and an increase in the initial protein concentration.
The lag-time before fibril growth has been noted in numerous publications and resembles an incubation period (10,11). Explaining its existence is one of the key scientific challenges. The problem was approached by Shoghi-Jadid et al. (16) with introduction of the Heaviside function to force the separation of nucleation and fibrillation processes, while Uversky et al. (17) used an empirical exponential model with adjustable parameters. We suggest that nucleation theory and growth models could be valuable in describing the fibrillation process. Furthermore, the drastic rate increase in the fibrillar growth phase after the lag phase indicates that cooperativity or positive feedback mechanisms are involved.
Another critical but missing piece of information is the relationship between the observable response and the degree of fibrillation. Even though histological dyes like thioflavin T (ThT) and Congo Red have been the commonly used as indicators of the presence of amyloid fibrils, the relationship between fluorescence intensity and amount of amyloid fibril remain unclear. There are also physical property methods for measuring fibril formation like turbidity, absorbance, and sedimentation . Here, we assumed linearity between ThT fluorescence and fibril concentrations based on Beer-Lambert law as a measure of fibril content, and use ultraviol et-visible (UV-vis) absorbance at 280 nm as a quantitative measure of dissolved total protein.
Insulin was chosen as the model protein for the measurements in this study because it 1), is a well-studied fibril-forming protein and has recently been studied in our laboratory, is known to develop structurally similar cross-?-sheet plaques to those formed by other amyloids and is deposited in arterial walls of type II diabetes patients (23); and 4), is available in large quantities at reasonable price. Native insulin is well folded and in stable hexamer state associated with Zn^sup 2+^ molecule under physiological conditions. Yet it can be readily unfolded to form fibrils in solution by both increasing the temperature to 65°C and by reducing the pH to 1.6. Jiménez et al. (28) proposed that the ?-helical structure (58%) of native insulin becomes unfolded to expose the ?-sheet region (6%), which is the major component of the amyloid cross-? ribbon.
In the next section, we describe the proposed kinetic model for insulin fibrillation including the parameter estimation procedure. Since experimental protocols and responses of fibrillation are similar among amyloid proteins, the modeling approach presented here is also applicable to the fibrillation of other proteins. Afterwards, our model is compared with an empirical fitting function. A general description of the Experimental Materials and Methods follows. Then, in Results and Discussion, the new model is fitted to our insulin fibrillation data, to fibrillation of A?-40 and prionlike NM fragment of Sup-35 , and to data conducted under various conditions .
Three standard analytical steps were chosen to model insulin fibrillation; formulation of the appropriate kinetic reactions based on the polymerization and nucleation theories, conversions of the reaction set into a system of differential equations, and parameter estimation by nonlinear least-square algorithms to optimize the fit between simulation results and the experimental measurements.
Initially four species of insulin were considered during fibrillation: original hexamer, monomer, cluster, and fibril . While the original hexamer is composed of six monomers stabilized by Zn^sup 2+^ an insulin monomer refers to two chains of polypeptides connected with disulfide bonds . For systems other than insulin, different morphologies may be involved such as those for ?-microglobulin (26). By incorporating the four insulin species into the reaction scheme, the proposed kinetic mechanism for this study consists of three distinct stages: decomposition of hexamers, nucleation process, and fibrillation stage as summarized in Fig. 1 and Table 1. All the reactions listed are elementary reactions so the fluxes can be easily expressed as the products of reactant concentrations and the rate constant. Regarding notations, A^sub hex^ and A^sub i^ denote the concentration of original insulin hexamers and oligomers containing i monomers, respectively. All fibrils are abbreviated as F, regardless of their length. Even though physical reactions contributing to larger-size cluster formation and the entanglement between strands of fibrils have been reported , the actual active chemical reaction sites are assumed to be restricted to the fibril ends . Therefore, fibrils of different sizes can be considered as the same species.
Sclerosing Angiomatoid Nodular Transformation of the Spleen
Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation (SANT) is a recently recognized nonneoplastic vascular lesion of the spleen with fewer than 30 cases described. Microscopically, SANT consists of multiple well-circumscribed vascular/ angiomatoid nodules showing plump endothelial cell and extravasated erythrocytes. The nodules are surrounded by a variable lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate, spindle cells, and collagenous stroma. The vascular nodules display a complex mixture of endothelial phenotypes resembling splenic sinusoids (CD34^sup -^/CD31^sup +^/CD8^sup +^), capillaries (CD34^sup +^/ CD31^sup +^/CD8^sup -^), and small veins (CD34^sup -^/CD31^sup +^/CD8^sup -^). Focal expression of CD68 can also be seen. The differential diagnosis of SANT includes splenic hamartoma, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor, littoral cell angioma, and hemangioendothelioma. It has been postulated that SANT represents a peculiar hamartomatous transformation of splenic red pulp in response to an exaggerated nonneo-plastic stromal proliferation. SANT has a benign clinical course with splenectomy being curative.
Hemangiomas are the most common primary tumors of the spleen.1 Other rare vascular splenic lesions include lymphangioma,2 littoral cell angioma (LCA),3 he-mangioendothelioma, 4 and splenic hamartoma.5 In 2004 Martel et al6 described a distinctive nonneoplastic vascular lesion of the spleen, which they designated sclerosing an-giomatoid nodular transformation (SANT). Isolated examples of SANT had been previously described as splenic hamar-toma7 and hemangioendothelioma.8 In this review, we describe the clinical and pathologic features of SANT and discuss its major differential diagnoses.
Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation is rare. In their original description, Martel et al6 reported 25 cases and another example was later added to the literature.9 Recently we have seen 2 cases affecting middle-aged women. The mean age at presentation is 53.7 years with a range from 22 to 74 years. Sclerosing angiomatoid nodular transformation shows a marked female predominance with a female-male ratio of 2:1.6,9 In the series by Martel et al,6 most patients were asymptomatic and the splenic mass was an incidental finding during laparotomy or during imaging studies for unrelated conditions. Some patients- approximately 16%-complained of abdominal pain or discomfort. A minority of patients presented with splenomegaly rarely associated with leukocytosis, poly-clonal gammopathy, and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate.6 Reported concurrent diseases include hypertension, von Willebrand disease, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and carcinomas of lung, gastrointestinal tract, and kidney with no metastasis to the spleen.6 The patient reported by Li et al9 had multiple medical problems including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and prostate hyperplasia. Abdominal ultrasound, computed tomography scans, and magnetic resonance imaging studies usually reveal a hypodense, multinodular splenicmass. Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging with contrast cannot distinguish SANT from the surrounding spleen parenchyma.9 Splenectomy is usually performed on the discovery of a splenic mass and appears to be curative in all reported cases.
Although the histologic and immunohistochemical features of SANT have been characterized only recently by Martel et al,6 isolated cases were described as early as 19787 under the terms splenic hamartoma,5,7 cord-capillary hemangioma,10 multinodular hemangioma,11 and as a variant of splenic hemangioendothelioma.8 At low-power magnification, SANT is composed of multiple well-circumscribed individual and confluent vascular/angiomatoid nodules
with a variable fibrosclerotic stroma . The nodules are round to oval with variable sizes. Some are surrounded by dense concentric collagen fibers , whereas others show a fibrin rim resulting in a granuloma-like or necrotizing vasculitic appearance . Each nodule demonstrates a mixture of slit-like vascular spaces with a sievelike appearance lined by plump endothelial cells and pericytes admixed with ex-travasated red blood cells . The vessels incorporated in the nodules are highlighted by a reticulin stain . The endothelial cells show minimal cellular atypia, and only rare mitotic activity is seen within the nodules. The internodular stroma is fibromyxoid or sclerotic and contains variable numbers of myofibroblasts, plasma cells, lymphocytes, macrophages, and hemosiderin laden macrophages . The intercellular stro-ma may show large areas of hyalinization . The adjacent splenic tissue is usually compressed by the nodules but is otherwise within normal limits.
Serum sickness-like reaction to cefuroxime: a case report and review of the literature
We report a case of a 34-year-old woman who received cefuroxime, a second-generation cephalosporin, as treatment for mastitis. She subsequently developed a serum sickness-like reaction (SSLR) with a generalized pruritic rash, joint pains, and fever. She improved upon treatment with systemic steroids. SSLR is well-described to cefaclor, a second-generation cephalosporin. However, there is a paucity of reports of SSLR to other cephalosporins such as this case.
A 34-year-old Caucasian woman presented to the dermatology clinic with a 2-week history of mastitis. The patient was breast-feeding following delivery of her sixth child 7 weeks earlier. She had no other significant past medical history. She was treated with 500 mg of oral cefuroxime twice daily and had completed the 10-day prescribed course. Six days into the course of treatment, she developed a rash on the scalp, which generalized over a 5-day time span to involve extensive areas of the trunk, arms, legs, and face. The rash was very pruritic, and individual lesions, which lasted less than 24 hours, were migratory. The patient also complained of intermittent fevers to 101F and joint pains of the elbows, knees, and smaller joints of the hands. She specifically denied wheezing or shortness of breath. Her other current medications included prenatal vitamins. At the time of her delivery, 7 weeks previous, she had received pain medications, but no antibiotics. Acetaminophen and diphenhydramine, which she had tolerated well in the past, were taken orally as needed for the rash. Her reported allergies included tetracycline, penicillin, and erythromycin, all of which had caused skin rashes. As the rash continued to worsen in extent and severity, even after the antibiotic was completed, she was treated with oral methylprednisolone for 3 days, then one dose of oral prednisone 30 mg without improvement. She was then referred to the dermatology clinic.
The patient was a thin woman who scratched frequently, but otherwise was in no apparent distress. Skin examination revealed multiple confluent and extensive blanching urticarial plaques with dermatographism on the arms, legs, trunk, and face. No mucosal erosions were present, and there was no edema of the face or extremities. No cervical, occipital, axillary, or inguinal lymphadenopathy was noted. Pulmonary and cardiac examination was unremarkable. She had no swelling or erythema of the joints. The elbows, knees, and joints of the hands exhibited full range of motion. Laboratory studies, including a complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, urinalysis, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C3, C4, and CH50 were all within the normal limits.
She was diagnosed with a serum sickness-like reaction (SSLR) to cefuroxime and admitted for 100 mg of intravenous methylprednisolone daily and oral antihistamines. Her symptoms and rash improved within 24 hours, and she was discharged on an extended tapering dose of prednisone starting at 40 mg daily, in addition to oral hydroxyzine, oral doxepin, and topical emollients. She experienced slow but steady resolution of her symptoms over the following 4 weeks.
SSLR is a specific type of drug reaction so named because of its clinical similarity to serum sickness. True serum sickness is a type III hypersensitivity reaction in which clinical signs and symptoms result from deposition of immune complexes in the skin, joints, and other organ systems. In contrast, SSLR is not associated with demonstrable circulating immune complexes. The reaction is acute, self-limited, and has been described in association with a variety of different medications. Although many drugs have been reported to cause SSLR, antibiotics are the major group of offending agents, particularly beta-lactam and sulfonamide antibiotics.
In most cases, signs and symptoms appear about a week after initiation of therapy. (3) The most frequent finding is cutaneous involvement, typically in the form of erythema and urticarial lesions that are often migratory. In the series reported by Hebert et al, many of the urticarial wheals had dusky to purple centers, which were morphologically suggestive of erythema multiforme (EM).
The other primary clinical feature is joint involvement. Pain and swelling of the joints is a typical finding, and is usually polyarticular. Affected joints commonly include wrists, ankles, hips, and knees, which can become so severe that patients are unable to walk. (2)
Although fever may occur, other systemic findings are less common. In contrast to true serum sickness, renal and hepatic involvement is rare.
Despite the impressive cutaneous findings and joint symptoms, a hallmark of SSLR is the benign outcome, although some patients do require hospitalization due to their severe symptoms. Treatment is typically symptomatic, usually with antihistamines and analgesics. The use of systemic corticosteroid treatment has been described in retrospective medical record reviews (4) and in a number of case reports, although there is no accepted standardized therapy. Reports of SSLR describe benign outcomes with no sequelae.
From bacteria to biogas
Using an anaerobic reactor, Boise Cascade in Jackson, Ala., has transformed an environmental cost into an energy resource
Sometimes, dollars spent on environmental compliance seem to disappear into a black hole, never to return. But for the Boise Cascade mill in Jackson, Ala., an anaerobic reactor has offered “an innovative way to comply with MACT I foul condensate treatment requirements,” says Richard Garber, Boise’s environmental manager for the paper division.
Boise’s anaerobic reactor is innovative not only due to its technology and the relative rarity of its application within the North American pulp and paper industry, but also because “it is about a zero net cost to operate,” according to Trey Wilson, engineering/ environmental manager for Boise’s Jackson mill. This is especially significant when compared with other EPA-approved methods for foul condensate removal, such as hard piping and steam stripping.
The anaerobic reactor’s low operational costs stem from its ability to convert methanol into a methane-rich biogas that is burned in the mill’s combination burner, offsetting overall fossil fuel consumption. Adding to its appeal is the fact that the reactor has been extremely effective from an environmental standpoint, as well as easy to operate and maintain. However, the industry was not quick to embrace the technology when exploring foul condensate removal options in the mid-to late 1990s.
“Most mills considered the anaerobic reactor too risky,” says Wilson. “The technology isn’t applicable in every situation, but extensive trials showed it was a good option for us. It has exceeded expectations and is one piece in the large puzzle that makes us a low-cost facility.”
Foul condensate treatment options
Boise’s Jackson, Ala., mill produces 512,000 tpy of uncoated freesheet on two paper machines, as well as 82,000 tpy of bleached softwood kraft pulp and 190,000 tpy of bleached hardwood kraft pulp. Six 6,500-ft^sup 3^ batch digesters are used to produce the 680 tpd of bleached softwood and hardwood kraft pulp used by the paper machines.
The EPA released a preliminary draft of MACT I regulations as part of the Cluster Rules in late 1993, although the final regulations were not issued until April 1998. Among other things, these regulations require mills to collect and treat foul condensates as a means of reducing hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), primarily methanol, in mill emissions.
The condensate streams for treatment at kraft pulp mills are: blow heat accumulator, turpentine underflow, evaporator (from the first liquor feed stage), and low volume high concentration (LVHC) and high volume low concentration (HVLC) gases. Specifically, the mills are required collect and treat these condensates for a minimum 92% removal or a total mass removal of 10.2 lb/ bone dry ton (bdt) of pulp. The EPA stipulated three options for treatment:
1. Recycle of condensates to process equipment
2. Hard pipe condensates directly to the wastewater treatment system
3. Treat to reduce HAPs in condensates by use of a steam stripper or other technology
In anticipation of the final MACT I regulations, Boise began a research and development project in 1995 to assess the use of an anaerobic plant for treating HAPs. Though uncommon in the pulp and paper industry (see sidebar, p. 31), the technology had seen widespread application in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, especially the food and beverage industries. Boise, however, recognized the technology offered the potential benefits shown in Table 1.
Backed by a “strong research and development group,” says Wilson, the company decided these benefits warranted installation of a pilot-scale anaerobic reactor at Jackson in June 1996, which operated for three months. Other pilot programs were conducted at Boise’s Wallula, Wash., and St. Helens, Ore., mills. These and other supporting trials offered insight on black liquor and turpentine toxicity, biogas composition, and micronutrient formulation that were integral to the design of the Jackson mill’s full-scale system.
According to Wilson, the cost for the anaerobic treatment plant was “comparable to a steam stripper system.”
Anaerobic reactor basics
Anaerobic biological treatment is a wastewater treatment process that removes organic constituents from a waste stream. Anaerobic degradation is a multi-step biological process involving two basic groups of bacteria. One group consists of bacteria that hydrolyze and ferment complex organic compounds into simple organic acids. The other group converts the organic acids produced by the acid formers into methane gas and carbon dioxide gas, the combination of which is biogas.
Figure 1 shows the main components and flow of the anaerobic treatment plant at Jackson. Foul condensates from an in-mill collection tank are pumped to a 260-m^sup 3^ buffer tank and travel through a non-contact evaporative cooling system before entering the mix tank that feeds the anaerobic reactor. In the mix tank, condensates are combined with treated condensates. The pH is controlled with magnesium hydroxide, and micronutrients - mostly trace metals - are mixed in to facilitate the methanol-to-methane conversion.
“Most mills considered the anaerobic reactor too risky,” says Wilson. “The technology isn’t applicable in every situation, but extensive trials showed it was a good option for us. It has exceeded expectations and is one piece in the large puzzle that makes us a low-cost facility.”
Foul condensate treatment options
Boise’s Jackson, Ala., mill produces 512,000 tpy of uncoated freesheet on two paper machines, as well as 82,000 tpy of bleached softwood kraft pulp and 190,000 tpy of bleached hardwood kraft pulp. Six 6,500-ft^sup 3^ batch digesters are used to produce the 680 tpd of bleached softwood and hardwood kraft pulp used by the paper machines.
The EPA released a preliminary draft of MACT I regulations as part of the Cluster Rules in late 1993, although the final regulations were not issued until April 1998. Among other things, these regulations require mills to collect and treat foul condensates as a means of reducing hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), primarily methanol, in mill emissions.
The condensate streams for treatment at kraft pulp mills are: blow heat accumulator, turpentine underflow, evaporator (from the first liquor feed stage), and low volume high concentration (LVHC) and high volume low concentration (HVLC) gases. Specifically, the mills are required collect and treat these condensates for a minimum 92% removal or a total mass removal of 10.2 lb/ bone dry ton (bdt) of pulp. The EPA stipulated three options for treatment:
1. Recycle of condensates to process equipment
2. Hard pipe condensates directly to the wastewater treatment system
3. Treat to reduce HAPs in condensates by use of a steam stripper or other technology
In anticipation of the final MACT I regulations, Boise began a research and development project in 1995 to assess the use of an anaerobic plant for treating HAPs. Though uncommon in the pulp and paper industry (see sidebar, p. 31), the technology had seen widespread application in municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, especially the food and beverage industries. Boise, however, recognized the technology offered the potential benefits shown in Table 1.
Backed by a “strong research and development group,” says Wilson, the company decided these benefits warranted installation of a pilot-scale anaerobic reactor at Jackson in June 1996, which operated for three months. Other pilot programs were conducted at Boise’s Wallula, Wash., and St. Helens, Ore., mills. These and other supporting trials offered insight on black liquor and turpentine toxicity, biogas composition, and micronutrient formulation that were integral to the design of the Jackson mill’s full-scale system.
According to Wilson, the cost for the anaerobic treatment plant was “comparable to a steam stripper system.”
Anaerobic reactor basics
Anaerobic biological treatment is a wastewater treatment process that removes organic constituents from a waste stream. Anaerobic degradation is a multi-step biological process involving two basic groups of bacteria. One group consists of bacteria that hydrolyze and ferment complex organic compounds into simple organic acids. The other group converts the organic acids produced by the acid formers into methane gas and carbon dioxide gas, the combination of which is biogas.
The main components and flow of the anaerobic treatment plant at Jackson. Foul condensates from an in-mill collection tank are pumped to a 260-m^sup 3^ buffer tank and travel through a non-contact evaporative cooling system before entering the mix tank that feeds the anaerobic reactor. In the mix tank, condensates are combined with treated condensates. The pH is controlled with magnesium hydroxide, and micronutrients - mostly trace metals - are mixed in to facilitate the methanol-to-methane conversion.
The water/sludge mixture is directed downwards to the bottom of the reactor via the concentric “downer” pipe (8), resulting in the internal circulation flow. The effluent from the first compartment is post-treated in the second, low-loaded compartment (9), where remaining biodegradable COD is removed. The biogas produced in the upper compartment is collected in the top 3-phase separator (10), while the final effluent leaves the reactor via overflow weirs .
(11).Biogas from the reactor is passed through a sediment trap and is compressed for transfer to the combination boiler.
Researchers Advance MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
The annual gathering of North America’s manufacturing research community, highlighted work done by manufacturing’s academic elite
The annual meeting of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, NAMRC 34, was held in Milwaukee May 23-26 at Marquette University. An international forum on manufacturing research, NAMRC is described by SME as “an annual conference of the international community of researchers whose works contribute to the furthering of manufacturing technology.”
The keynote speaker at NAMRC 34, John Gurda, presented the talk Made in Milwaukee: Our Manufacturing Heritage. Gurda is the author of 15 books on Milwaukee, and in his presentation he discussed the rise and decline of manufacturing in the Milwaukee area. Among the talk’s highlights:
Transportation was the earliest industry because of the city’s deep natural harbor on Lake Michigan. Beginning in the early 180Os, Milwaukee was a major shipping point, because water travel was the dominant way of moving products and basic materials.
The first major change was the switch from just shipping to manufacturing, a trend that would last for decades. It was the era of the entrepreneur and small-shop operator who could cultivate and develop new ideas for a growing country. At the same time there was a strong immigration into the area, chiefly by Germans, many of whom were trained craftsmen. The result was the manufacture of products tied to area resources. In all cases, the engineering content of products was beginning to emerge.
At the same time, small specialty machine shops with one or several ambitious craftsmen began a number of America’s well-known companies. They included Harnischfeger cranes, Chain Belt, Alien Bradley, Allis Chalmers, Kearney and Trecker, and, of course, Harley-Davidson. Despite the linking of Milwaukee to beer, during that time, it was more a matter of gears than beer production.
Manufacturing the material for WWII increased Milwaukee’s manufacturing base even more, with some plants working 10-hr shifts, seven days a week.
However, the manufacturing scene began to change in the ‘5Os. The day of the small enterprise was fading. As foreign competition grew and new industries became dominant in other areas, Milwaukee’s manufacturing base began to contract.
Today, this manufacturing center, as many other former manufacturing giants in the US, has embraced service industries such as health care, data processing, finance, and insurance. In its peak manufacturing years, 57% of the Milwaukee area workforce was in manufacturing, Today it’s around 7%.
In his opening remarks, NAMRI/SME President Ralph A. Resnick commented on the sobering message from Gurda that manufacturing matters in the success of a city or a nation, and further that science is critical to manufacturing. He noted that to survive in a global economy it is necessary not only to be inventive, but to be able to transfer that information to stimulate the economy. It’s important that our nation should not only provide leading-edge discoveries, but have industrial champions that will get new technology onto the factory floor. NAMRC has the task of recognizing those developments during the time of research and overseeing the transition.
The Founder’s Lecture is designed to recognize members of the original group of NAMRC founders. For the 34th session, the talk was delivered by Betzalel Avitzur of Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) on the subject, Road Map for Tube Making: from Tube Sinking to Tube Drawing with Floating Plugs.
In his talk, Avitzur, who is an expert on tube manufacture, reviewed the history of tube making beginning with the Egyptians, who manufactured simple tubes chiefly for jewelry.
Almost 200 researchers saw 80 papers presented during NAMRC 34 in Milwaukee. The following excerpts from selected papers illustrate the nature and depth of the research work now being done on the science and technology of manufacturing.
The performance of a binderless CBN tool in interrupted or continuous hard turning has not been reported in scientific literature, according to the researchers. They set out to study this performance, and developed two new parameters to be used to characterize interruptions in machining. The first, interruption ratio (IR) equals uncut distance/cut distance. When a tool enters a sudden cut (e.g. a weld bead), the IR ratio is small. Zero IR means the tool is never out of cut. The second parameter, interruptions per unit length of cut (IL) is defined as the number of interruptions/length of cut. In longitudinal turning, the length of cut is the circumference of the cylindrical material being cut. Parameters IR and IL are used by the research team to characterize the severity of interruptions in hard turning.
Workplaces were prepared with interruptions of different shapes and frequencies. Binderless CBN performed better than the high-CBN insert in only one test-the case where IR is low and IL is high. Research demonstrates that IL affects flank wear in both binderless CBN and PCBN. Flank wear is characterized by groove formation by three-body-type abrasion caused by plucked-out CBN particles. At 120 m/min cutting speed binderless CBN offers no noticeable advantage over conventional CBN in tool life and surface finish. At a speed of 180 m/min, however the performance of the binderless CBN does not seem to deteriorate, unlike the PCBN tool.
Binderless CBN was found to produce thinner white layer than the high CBN tool at a cutting speed of 120 m/min. The binderless material has higher conductivity than the PCBN tool. Assuming that thermal mechanisms play a major role in white layer formation, then more of the frictional heat caused by flank wear is conducted into the binderless CBN and less enters the workpiece, reducing white layer formation. Because binderless CBN has higher thermal stability than PCBN, the heat may not damage the tool.
Researchers from three institutions, RM Arunachalam of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Sona College of Technology, Salem, Tamilnadu, India, M.A. Mannan, Mechanical Engineering Department, National University of Singapore, and Andrew Christopher Spowage, Precision Measurement Group, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, collaborated on Comparison of Surface Roughness and Residual Stresses Induced by Coated Carbide, Ceramic, and CBN Cutting Tools in High-Speed Facing of Inconel 718. Among the nickel-based heat-resistant superalloys (HSRAs), Inconel 718 is the most important and frequently used for the manufacture of aerospace gas turbine components. It’s a difficult material to machine, however, because of work hardening, lower thermal conductivity, and a tendency to adhere to the cutting tool. High-speed machining using coated carbide, ceramic, and CBN cutting tools is one approach to improving productivity, when machining Inconel 718. Considerable research has been done on turning and milling of this alloy with such tools; facing operations have not attracted much attention.
The surface roughness of the machined surface was measured after each test using a contact-type profilometer. Residual stress distribution was measured using the X-ray diffraction technique.