364 research outputs found
Space invaders: “Dissonant bodies” in positions of power: A conversation with Nirmal Puwar
No full textIn July 2022, the Centre for the Study of Gender and Sexuality of the City University of London organized a seminar to celebrate the 18th anniversary of Space Invaders: Race, Gender and Bodies Out of Place. Following on from the rich discussion it generated, we organized an interview-conversation with the author, Nirmal Puwar, to contextualize the book in light of contemporary, seemingly more diverse – but also increasingly aggressive and exclusionary – forms of public discourse and social policies. We designed questions to engage with Nirmal in an open conversation about what does change, if at all, once dissonant bodies reach positions of power, starting from the contexts closest to us: England and Italy
University of Mississippi Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center
No full textDepartment/Unit poster (NCNPR). Corresponding author: Nirmal Pugh ([email protected])https://egrove.olemiss.edu/pharm_annual_posters_2022/1016/thumbnail.jp
Nirmal Verma:l'Art et la conscience aujourd'hui
No full textTitre du numéro 24 de Purushartha: Littérature et poétiques pluriculturellles en Asie du SudMost of the Essays of Nirmal Verma, of which a selection is presented in a French translation (A. Montaut), have been published during the last twenty years of the 20th century and constitute an exploration of the ambivalence of the Indian consciousness today. Although some are historically dated, and allude to a state of affairs previous to the end of the cold war, where globalization was only a vague hypothesis, remains acutely relevant for the 21st century India, by its complex elaboration on the individual and social consciousness altered first by colonisation then by modernization in India. Such analyses found a deep echo in the work of environmentalists (Vandana Shiva, Anupam Mishra), economists (Amartya Sen), or political scientists (Nandakishor Acharya) as well as among artists (Arundhati Roy). Except for "Truth in Art" and "Indian Fiction and Colonial Reality", translated from English, they are translated from Hindi. They summarize the thought of the author on history and myth, on art and the consciousness of time, and they locate Indian literature within this perspective.Les essais de Nirmal Verma dont sont présentés des extraits traduits ont été publiés entre 1986 et 1995, et représentent une réflexion sur l'ambivalence de la conscience indienne aujourd'hui. " Crépuscule d'une époque ", de 1986, bien qu'historiquement " daté ", faisant entre autres allusion à un état de choses antérieur à la fin de la guerre froide et ne tenant compte que sur le mode de l'hypothèse de la libéralisation en Inde, reste très actuel par les réflexions sur l'altération de la conscience sociale et individuelle qu'inspire à l'auteur la situation des années quatre-vingts. Ces réflexions ont du reste été relayés entre temps par des environnementalistes (Vandana Shiva, Anupam Mishra) comme par des économistes (Amartya Sen), des politologues (Nandakishor Acharya) et des artistes (Arundhati Roy). A l'exception de " La Vérité en art ", et " La fiction indienne et la réalité coloniale ", traduits de l'anglais, ils sont traduits du hindi. Ils synthétisent les réflexions de l'auteur sur l'histoire et le mythe, sur l'art et la conscience du temps, et ils situent la littérature indienne dans cette perspectiv
Performance of a self-correlating synchronization and detection scheme for IR-UWB in multi-user multipath environments
No full textOwing to the very low duty cycle of impulse like ultra wideband signals, timing acquisition with acceptable accuracy and complexity has been a constant topic of research. Most acquisition techniques can be broadly classified under two categories: Training based algorithms, which require a specific training sequence at the start of communication and - Blind Acquisition, which relies on the correlation between successive data symbols transmitted and cyclostationarity of the transmitted signal. Amidst algorithms which use a clean template or a noiseless reference, a recent class of techniques named 'Timing based on Dirty Templates' (TDT) has been proposed.
These algorithms rely on the correlation of two adjacent portions of the noisy received signal. One portion of the noisy received signal acts as a template for the other, thus improving the synchronization speeds and accuracy by making the acquisition independent of training sequences. A novel blind TDT algorithm, which we refer to as Agrawal Blind Synchronization scheme (ABS), was proposed for IR-UWB signals. Based on the design of the time hopping code, significant improvements in acquisition speeds have been demonstrated using the ABS scheme, compared to existing blind acquisition schemes.
The objective of this thesis is to analyze the performance capabilities of the selfcorrelating ABS scheme in multi-user multipath environments. Adopting the best performing time hopping pattern, we investigate the effect of multiple interferers on absolute timing error, under various SNR scenarios as well as multiple symbols used for timing acquisition. Link performance is evaluated through bit-error-rate (BER) analysis under various system conditions. Since we use differential methods for timing acquisition as well as symbol detection, significant energy capture can be achieved in a dense multipath scenario due to self-Raking. We also propose modifications to conventional differential detectors to avoid self-Raking of interfering pulses. As a comparison to differential detectors, the detection performance of an ideal Rake receiver was tested with the ABS scheme. Our results indicate that the timing error performance the ABS scheme and thus the BER performance of the detection phase deteriorate notably with increase in the number of users in the system. The effective number of interferers is the limiting factor in both absolute timing error and BER performance. In differential detection, the effect of interference is so large it dominates over the effect of timing errors. The use of the ABS scheme is advantageous when Rake receivers are used, since timing error has a drastic effect of degrading the BER performance. The improvements of using ABS scheme in multi-user multi-path environments become more prominent in the case of ideal Rake reception, as compared to differential detection.M.S.Includes bibliographical references (p. 63-66)
Probing the nature of AFEX-pretreated corn stover derived decomposition products that inhibit cellulase activity
No full textSequential fractionation of AFEX-pretreated corn stover extracts was carried out using ultra-centrifugation, ultra-filtration, and solid phase extraction to isolate various classes of pretreatment products to evaluate their inhibitory effect on cellulases. Ultra-centrifugation removed dark brown precipitates that caused no appreciable enzyme inhibition. Ultra-filtration of ultra-centrifuged AFEX-pretreated corn stover extractives using a 10 kDa molecular weight cutoff (MWCO) membrane removed additional high molecular weight components that accounted for 24–28% of the total observed enzyme inhibition while a 3 kDa MWCO membrane removed 60–65%, suggesting significant inhibition is caused by oligomeric materials. Solid phase extraction (SPE) of AFEX-pretreated corn stover extractives after ultra-centrifugation removed 34–43% of the inhibition; ultra-filtration with a 5 kDa membrane removed 44–56% of the inhibition and when this ultra-filtrate was subjected to SPE a total of 69–70% of the inhibition were removed. Mass spectrometry found several phenolic compounds among the hydrophobic inhibition removed by SPE adsorption.Published version: Humpula, James F., Uppugundla, Nirmal, Vismeh, Ramin, Sousa, Leonardo, Chundawat, Shishir P. S., Jones, A. Daniel, Balan, Venkatesh, Dale, Bruce E. & Cheh, Albert M. (2014). Probing the nature of AFEX-retreated corn stover derived decomposition products that inhibit cellulase activity. Bioresource Technology 152, 38-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2013.10.08
Empire and International Order : decolonial perspective
No full textThis chapter critically investigates how Western empires have historically dominated the “world order” by employing their economic and military power, and established core-periphery hierarchies that persists even after multiple waves of decolonisation in various forms. It further establishes that the new world order challenges the Western-dominated neoliberal ideology and promotes inclusivity, justice, and equity in the world. This is even more apparent after the financial crisis of 2008 which showcases the failures of neoliberalism. Additionally, this chapter establishes that civilisational politics is strategically used by nations like India and China to reassert their identities and influence, contrasting policies such as “Make in India”, which demonstrates India's economic sovereignty with China's assertive approach through policies like its “Belt and Road Initiative”. Therefore, this chapter summarises that India's strategically autonomous foreign policy contrasts with China's pursuit of dominance through hard power. This shows a deeper ideological divergence that highlights their unique strategic engagement, which is rooted in their respective civilisational ethos, significantly impacting their individual global power dynamics
Structural elucidation of a Mn(III) derivative anchored with a tetradentate Schiff base precursor: in vitro cytotoxicity study
No full textA new mononuclear Mn(III) derivative, [Mn(L)(H2O)(2)]ClO4 (1) was obtained by reacting manganese perchlorate with the tetradentate Schiff base precursor, H2L, [where H2L=C6H3(OMe)(OH)CH=N(CH2)(3)N=CH(OH)(OMe)C6H3] and characterized by various spectral techniques. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that in 1, the central Mn atom is hexa-coordinated via the NNOO donor sites of the Schiff base precursor and two water molecules, yielding a distorted octahedral geometry. Also, the EPR spectra of 1 were recorded at the solid state by varying the temperature (from 90 to 300 K) as well as in different organic solvents; DMSO, MeOH and a mixture CH2Cl2/toluene; the results obtained agree with the geometrical environment around the metal. The cytotoxic activity of the Mn(III) derivative was evaluated against normal and cancer cell lines. The derivative exhibited comparatively better cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells compared to SiHa and fibroblast cells
Genetics of seedling stage low temperature tolerance of rice
No full textThe world’s most important staple food is rice (Oryza sativa), which alone feeds more people than any other single crop. In South Asia, food security depends on the successful production of rice, but high population pressure and increased frequency of abiotic stresses associated with climate change, such as drought, flood, salinity and cold, threaten food security. As rice originated in tropical and subtropical regions, it is adapted to warm growing conditions, and low temperatures at the seedling stage can result in a wide range of negative effects. Due to global climate change, sudden episodes of low temperature now frequently affect many areas of Asia where such stresses to rice growth were previously rare. Therefore, the development of cultivars that are tolerant to low temperature at the seedling stage is expected to be one of the most effective and economical ways to improve rice production and especially the stability of rice production in areas that are prone to cold stress. To address this problem, three studies were conducted: (1) a comparison of new and previously published methods to screen rice seedlings for tolerance to low temperature, (2) a quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis of two interconnected biparental populations, and (3), and a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on the japonica and basmati subset of the 3k rice genome project (3k RGP) panel (798 accessions phenotyped in this study).
We hypothesized that using controlled environment chambers to mimick daily and weekly temperature variations of extremely cold years for rice growing areas that are prone to early season low temperatures would be more reliable and accurate for cold screening than short-duration, single-temperature stresses following warm germination and establishment common in standard protocols, as the mimicks better represent the real environment. With view of this, three treatment protocols were developed to mimic the cold seasons of two exceptionally cold years in Bangladesh. These three mimic protocol were tested with two previously published protocols along with two warm controls for assessing tolerance of rice seedlings to low temperature. Prior to screening in the mimic protocols, seeds were germinated at low temperature (20°C for 3 weeks), which was the mean temperature of that specific cold season for germination. In contrast, for previously published protocols seed were germinated at warm temperature (30°C for 1 week). Root and shoot growth during germination were very useful traits to evaluate tolerance to low temperature but germination proportion was not informative. For seedling stage screening, the mimic protocols showed important differences in growth potential in terms of height and dry biomass that were associated with low temperature, whereas such signals were largely absent from the standard protocols.
QTLs that confer tolerance to low temperature in rice need to be identified and stacked in elite cultivars, then deployed to at-risk production fields. QTL mapping in two interconnected biparental populations was done to investigate genetic variation and identify genomic regions for seedling stage cold tolerance. A growth chamber trial was established at International Rice Research Institute for two BC1F5 populations derived from BR28*2/C21 and BR29*2/C21 challenged with 9°C for 14 days at the 3 leaf stage, where BR28 (BRRI dhan28) and BR29 (BRRI dhan29) are cold-sensitive indica mega-cultivars from Bangladesh, and C21 (C 21::IRGC 331-C1) is a cold-tolerant japonica cultivar. SNP genotyping was performed with an Illumina Infinium 7K SNP chip based on the MSU Rice Genome Annotation Project Release 7. Four QTL analysis methods for detecting marker-trait associations were compared: (1) single population single marker analysis (SMA) analysis, (2) single population composite interval mapping (CIM), (3) single population stepwise analysis, and (4) joint population stepwise analysis. These four methods detected 17, 21, 13 and 12 total QTLs. The identified SNPs associated with the QTLs for cold tolerance at seedling stage will be useful for introgressing desirable QTLs into cold-sensitive elite cultivars and can be used for pyramiding different QTLs for the development of rice cultivars with improved cold tolerance at the seedling stage.
Lastly, a genome-wide association study on 798 accessions from the 3k RGP (including tropical japonica, temperate japonica, subtropical japonica, japonica admixed and basmati) was conducted by phenotyping in controlled environment chambers to investigate genetic variation and identify genomic regions for seedling stage cold tolerance. Genotyping was done with 4.8 million rice SNPs that were identified by aligning reads from the 3k RGP with the Nipponbare genome based on the MSU Rice Genome Annotation Project Release 7. This study identified nine QTL regions located on four chromosomes (1, 2, 11, and 12), which included 48 candidate genes, that were associated with low temperature tolerance at seedling stage. The identification of exceptionally tolerant accessions from the most cold tolerant subspecies of rice, and the QTLs linked to low temperature tolerance should facilitate the rapid development of new cold tolerant rice cultivars.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2021-12-01The student, Nirmal Sharma, accepted the attached license on 2019-09-04 at 15:45.The student, Nirmal Sharma, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2019-09-04 at 16:02.This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2019-09-05 at 13:48.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #14444 on 2020-02-28 at 17:20:11Made available in DSpace on 2020-03-02T22:10:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Introduction: preliminary reflections on the legacy of Pierre Bourdieu
No full textBook synopsis: Pierre Bourdieu is widely regarded as one of the most influential sociologists of his generation, and yet the reception of his work in different cultural contexts and academic disciplines has been varied and uneven. This volume maps out the legacy of Pierre Bourdieu in contemporary social and political thought from the standpoint of classical European sociology and from the broader perspective of transatlantic social science. It brings together contributions from prominent scholars in the field, providing a range of perspectives on the continuing relevance of Bourdieu’s oeuvre to substantive problems in social and political analysis
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