Rayon Will Be with Us

Fake Silk ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul David Blanc
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Carbon Disulfide ◽  
Viscose Rayon ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Synthetic Fiber ◽  
Green Product ◽  
New Knowledge ◽  
Long Time

This chapter discusses the continued production of viscose rayon, suggesting that it may not disappear from our everyday lives anytime soon despite the emergence of new knowledge about the toxicity of carbon disulfide. Viscose was a pacesetter at the start of the twentieth century, the first major synthetic-fiber success story. Even as rayon went offline in much of Europe and North America in the last decades of the twentieth century, carbon disulfide is still very much a part of an ongoing and indeed expanding viscose-manufacturing industry. Indeed, carbon disulfide has made another comeback, not through pharmaceuticals but via agribusiness. Both viscose rayon and cellophane have retained a symbolic presence in society. Viscose remain very much in existence, thanks to technological innovation and savvy green marketing. Today rayon is marketed as an eco-friendly, nearly green product. As Halston aptly expressed in an advertisement made for ITT Rayonier, Inc., “Rayon. It's going to be with us a long, long time”.

Fake Silk

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul David Blanc
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Carbon Disulfide ◽  
Viscose Rayon ◽  
New Technology ◽  
The Body ◽  
Death Sentence ◽  
Safety Concerns ◽  
History Of ◽  
Body Count

When a new technology makes people ill, how high does the body count have to be before protectives steps are taken? This disturbing book tells a dark story of hazardous manufacturing, poisonous materials, environmental abuses, political machinations, and economics trumping safety concerns. It explores the century-long history of “fake silk” or cellulose viscose, used to produce such products as rayon textiles and tires, cellophane, and everyday kitchen sponges. The book uncovers the grim history of a product that crippled and even served a death sentence to many industry workers while also releasing toxic carbon disulfide into the environment. Viscose, an innovative and lucrative product first introduced in the early twentieth century, quickly became a multinational corporate enterprise. The book investigates the viscose rayon industry's practices from the beginning through two highly profitable world wars, the midcentury export of hazardous manufacturing to developing countries, and the current “greenwashing” of viscose rayon as an eco-friendly product. This book brings to light an industrial hazard whose egregious history ranks with those of asbestos, lead, and mercury.

Images of an African Ruler: Kabaka Mutesa of Buganda, ca. 1857–1884

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 269-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Reid
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
North America ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Fourteenth Century ◽  
Western Culture ◽  
Surgical Tools ◽  
Original Meaning ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of

There can be few areas of the world which have been more systematically misrepresented than Africa, especially that part of the continent south of the Sahara. For centuries, and certainly since the Midas-like Mansa Musa sat astride West Africa on the maps of fourteenth-century Spain, the weird and wonderful imagery of Africa has flooded Europe's vision of that continent. Much of this imagery has been generated by Europeans, and even where it has been generated by Africans themselves, the original meaning and intention is often difficult to discover. The imagery has, to the non-African world, become Africa; this is the case to the point where, at the end of the twentieth century, almost every adjective placed before the name “Africa” is loaded, has some ideological or political currency, and indeed has a history of its own.Most famously, perhaps, Africa was for a long time “dark”, and still that image periodically appears in assorted Western media, a comforting crutch to an audience which remains somewhat confused as to what to make of the continent. Africa is often supposed to have a “heart,” in a way that neither Europe nor North America does. This is perhaps related to the continent's geographical shape, for it is rather more self-contained than Europe, Asia, or the Americas. It is more likely, however, that an African “heart” is sought precisely because it cannot, using the clumsy surgical tools of Western culture, be found. In more recent times, Africa's “dark heart” has been replaced by its “troubled heart;” but the idea remains unchanged.

Marie Ulčová and her Contribution to the West Bohemian Museums

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-23
Author(s):  
Nela Štorková
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Second World War ◽  
World War ◽  
The West ◽  
West Bohemia ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Second World

While today the Ethnographic Museum of the Pilsen Region represents just one of the departments of the Museum of West Bohemia in Pilsen, at the beginning of the twentieth century, in 1915, it emerged as an independent institution devoted to a study of life in the Pilsen region. Ladislav Lábek, the founder and long-time director, bears the greatest credit for this museum. This study presents PhDr. Marie Ulčová, who joined the museum shortly after the Second World War and in 1963 replaced Mr. Lábek on his imaginary throne. The main objective of this article is to introduce the personality of Marie Ulčová and to evaluate the activity of this Pilsen ethnographer and the museum employee with an emphasis on her work in the Ethnographic Museum of the Pilsen Region. The basic aspects of the ethnographic activities, not only of Marie Ulčová but also of the Ethnographic Museum of the Pilsen Region in the years 1963–1988, are described through her professional and popularising articles, archival sources and contemporary periodicals.

Artificial Intelligence as a Technological Innovation to Accelerate Economic Development

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-133
Author(s):  
S. V. Shchurina ◽  
A. S. Danilov
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Retail Trade ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Technological Gap ◽  
The Government

The subject of the research is the introduction of artificial intelligence as a technological innovation into the Russian economic development. The relevance of the problem is due to the fact that the Russian market of artificial intelligence is still in the infancy and the necessity to bridge the current technological gap between Russia and the leading economies of the world is coming to the forefront. The financial sector, the manufacturing industry and the retail trade are the drivers of the artificial intelligence development. However, company managers in Russia are not prepared for the practical application of expensive artificial intelligence technologies. Under these circumstances, the challenge is to develop measures to support high-tech projects of small and medium-sized businesses, given that the technological innovation considered can accelerate the development of the Russian economy in the energy sector fully or partially controlled by the government as well as in the military-industrial complex and the judicial system.The purposes of the research were to examine the current state of technological innovations in the field of artificial intelligence in the leading countries and Russia and develop proposals for improving the AI application in the Russian practices.The paper concludes that the artificial intelligence is a breakthrough technology with a great application potential. Active promotion of the artificial intelligence in companies significantly increases their efficiency, competitiveness, develops industry markets, stimulates introduction of new technologies, improves product quality and scales up manufacturing. In general, the artificial intelligence gives a new impetus to the development of Russia and facilitates its entry into the five largest world’s economies.

Valades ousitanes, architettura e rigenerazione

ARCHALP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (N. 4 / 2020) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio De Rossi ◽  
Laura Mascino
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Drop Out ◽  
The South ◽  
Po Valley ◽  
Famous Book ◽  
Drop Out Rates ◽  
Symbolic Image ◽  
Recovery And Reuse

It hasn’t even been half a century since, in 1977, the famous book by Nuto Revelli entitled Il mondo dei vinti was published. A symbolic image, which summed up with powerful evocative efficacy the dramatic process of depopulation and dissolution of traditional Alpine societies during the twentieth century. A phenomenon that found its epicenter in the valleys of Carnia and in the south-east of France, and especially in the Piedmont’s valleys of the Cuneo area, with drop-out rates that will reach even 80-90% of the population. A little over forty years have passed by since Nuto Revelli’s book was published and since then a lot seemed to have changed. Today many prestigious and successful tourist and winter centers are experiencing a growing crisis of image and public, while the once neglected Valades ousitanes live an unprecedented season, focused on enhancing the trinomial of natural, historical, and cultural heritage. Maira Valley, Ostana in the Po Valley, Paraloup and Rittana in the Stura Valley, the upper Varaita Valley, the phenomena of rebirth are affecting all the Occitan valleys, with interesting resettlement processes that have their engine in who are defined «the new mountaineers». This renaissance of the Occitan valleys is accompanied by new forms of architecture that focus on the theme of the recovery and reuse of heritage, of dialectical confrontation with environmental and historical contexts, but without forgetting the contemporary and technological innovation.

The 14th Annual AMSE Conference

1988 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 311
Author(s):  
Mozaffar Partowmah
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Nuclear Physics ◽  
Agricultural Research ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Electronic Engineering ◽  
Student Paper ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Continuous Support ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Sizable Number

The 14th Annual Conferknce of the Association of Muslim Scientistsand Engineers (ASME) was held during the weekend of qufur 2628,1409/0ctober 7-9, 1988, at the Islamic Center of North America in Plainfield,Indiana. Papers presented at the Conference dealt with a variety of subjectsranging from agriculture and health sciences to car manufacturing tips,computers, industrial, civil and electronic engineering, as well as resourcemanagement and organizational behavior.Members of the AMSS (Association of Muslim Social Scientists) whoattended the AMSE Conference, participated in the sessions with undividedattention. Dr. AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, the AMSS President, in his banquetspeech, stressed the need for an active AMSE that will eventually attracta more sizable number of Muslims in North America and coordinate theirscientific efforts for their common benefit.In a session entitled “Technology Transfer,” the Japanese and Koreanapproaches were contrasted with the Muslim world approach. A highlightof the Conference was the announcement of the A1 Khwarazmi Award thatthe AMSE will award annually to a distinguished Muslim scientist or engineer.The first Al Khwarazmi Award went to Dr. M.A.K. Lodhi of Texas A&MUniversity in appreciation of his continuous support for Muslim studentsand his long-time involvement in the AMSE in addition to his scientific interestand achievements in nuclear physics and field theory.The Best Student Paper Award went to the following: 1) Abdullah M.Elramsisi of Rochester Hill, Michigan for his paper “On Model-based ImageRestoration and Performance Evaluation;” and 2) Khatib Rajab of Morgantown,West Virginia for his paper on “Agricultural Research Needs and Prioritiesin Zanzibar as perceived by Administrators and Extension Workers.”Copies of all of the presented papers were distributed at the Conferenceand will be ppblished in the conference proceedings. Preprints and reprintsmay be obtained by writing to the AMSE office at P.O. Box 38, Plainfield,Indianna, 46168 ...

scholarly journals Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Guillotine, and Modern Ontological Anxiety

Text Matters ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Lacefield
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
French Revolution ◽  
Technological Innovation ◽  
Romantic Period ◽  
Ontological Categories ◽  
Materialist Theory ◽  
The French Revolution

This essay begins by examining the rhetorical significance of the guillotine, an important symbol during the Romantic Period. Lacefield argues that the guillotine symbolized a range of modern ontological juxtapositions and antinomies during the period. Moreover, she argues that the guillotine influenced Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein through Giovanni Aldini, a scientist who experimented on guillotined corpses during the French Revolution and inspired Shelley’s characterization of Victor Frankenstein. Given the importance of the guillotine as a powerful metaphor for anxieties emergent during this period, Lacefield employs it as a clue signaling a labyrinth of modern meanings embedded in Shelley’s novel, as well as the films they anticipated. In particular, Lacefield analyzes the significance of the guillotine slice itself—the uneasy, indeterminate line that simultaneously separates and joins categories such as life/death, mind/body, spirit/matter, and nature/technology. Lacefield’s interdisciplinary analysis analyzes motifs of decapitation/dismemberment in Frankenstein and then moves into a discussion of the novel’s exploration of the ontological categories specified above. For example, Frankenstein’s Creature, as a kind of cyborg, exists on the contested theoretical “slice” within a number of antinomies: nature/tech, human/inhuman (alive/dead), matter/spirit, etc. These are interesting juxtapositions that point to tensions within each set of categories, and Lacefield discusses the relevance of such dichotomies for questions of modernity posed by materialist theory and technological innovation. Additionally, she incorporates a discussion of films that fuse Shelley’s themes with appeals to twentieth-century and post-millennium audiences.

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