Muslims and the Politics of Love in Contemporary British Fiction

This thesis explores the connections between love, multiculturalism and the novel through a study of the figure of the Muslim as understood within secular Britain. I examine representations of love in British fiction published since the Rushdie affair, arguing that love is a crucial means by which novels reproduce, subvert and challenge dominant cultural and political discourses around Muslims and Islam. Selected literary texts by Hanif Kureishi, Zadie Smith, Monica Ali, Nadeem Aslam, Mohsin Hamid, Zia Haider Rahman, Shelina Zahra Janmohamed and Leila Aboulela include a wide range of subject matter, spanning varied authors and genres, but all are united by their inclusion of Muslim subjectivities and romantic relationships in Britain. In addition to studying literary texts, I also consider the critical reception of texts, exploring critics’ negotiations of the discourses around Muslims and Islam pervasive in British media and politics after the Rushdie affair. Drawing upon Talal Asad’s notion of an ‘anthropology of secularism’, I explore love in the novel as a site of secular knowledge. I argue that contemporary novels which depict Muslims and Islam frequently use love as the basis for their inclusion within or exclusion from the nation. Love operates alongside and within formal literary strategies as well as concepts of gender, race, culture and class, to respond to popular debates which contest the presence of Muslims and Islam within Britain. Despite its ubiquity within popular culture, love is an under researched area which can shed light on the complex dynamics which construct and situate individuals and communities in relation to the British nation and the West more widely. Through a study of representation, this study originally contributes to an understanding of love’s invisible power in political discourse

Administration of aromatase inhibitor MPV-2213ad to blue fox vixens (Vulpes lagopus) as a model for contraception in female dogs

The interest in non-surgical approaches to contraception and fertility control in female dogs has increased in recent years. In this study the effect of an aromatase inhibitor (finrozole) was evaluated in fur production animals, farmed blue fox vixens, as a model for contraception in bitches. A total of 80 vixens were divided into 4 groups, receiving orally placebo (A) or finrozole 0.5 mg/kg (B), 3.5 mg/kg (C) or 24.5 mg/kg (D) for 21 consecutive days beginning in the pre-ovulatory period of heat. Monitoring of the vixens included clinical signs of heat, measurement of vaginal electrical resistance (VER) as well as oestradiol and progesterone concentrations in plasma. The approximate relation of the start of treatment to ovulation varied from 11 days before to one day after ovulation provided that the LH peak occurred 0.5 -2 days before the VER peak and ovulation was then estimated to occur 2 days after the LH peak. Seventy vixens were artificially inseminated within 8 h after a 50 Omega decline in vaginal electrical resistance was detected. Ten vixens were not inseminated. Pregnancy was confirmed by transabdominal ultrasound examination and birth of cubs was recorded. The pregnancy rates in the groups were 89.5% (A), 81.3% (B), 55.6% (C) and 52.9% (D). The average number of live born pups in the four groups was 9.4 (A), 7.0 (B), 5.8 (C), and 3.8 (D), respectively. No deleterious effects (for instance malformations) of finrozole on pups could be verified. The administration of finrozole did not have a significant effect on oestradiol parameters and VER values in vixens. Progesterone values were significantly higher in treatment groups compared with the placebo group. The results indicate that pregnancy could be avoided by finrozole provided that doses of >= 3.5 mg/kg were used and the treatment was initiated at least four days before the day of artificial insemination. This corresponds with two to six days before ovulation provided that the LH peak occurred 0.5-2 days before the VER peak and that ovulation then occurred in average 2 days after the LH peak. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc.Peer reviewe

Brain Stroke Microwave Imaging via an Efficient Implementation of the CSI-FEM Algorithm

Microwave imaging of the human head for stroke detection is demonstrated using the finite-element contrast source inversion method with enhanced discretization of the contrastsource variable. The linear basis functions used in the new discretization lead to a simple implementation of higher accuracy compared to discretizations wherein the contrast source variable is assumed to be constant over each tetrahedron of the 3D finite element mesh. These advantages are particularly important for stroke imaging because of the highly inhomogeneous nature of the human head. Results using synthetic data obtained from a realistic numerical model of the head show promise for stroke detection

Has multiculturalism failed in Britain?

This paper subjects the criticisms advanced against multiculturalism to empirical test. It asks whether ethno-religious groups lead ?parallel lives? and, in consequence, fail to integrate with the wider society. It looks in particular at the alleged corrosive effects of multiculturalism, specifically at the maintenance of an ethnic rather than a British identity, social distance from white people and willingness to contemplate violent protest, but finds that all groups alike have displayed major change across the generations in the direction of a British identity and reduced social distance. It finds no evidence that rates of intergenerational change have been slower among ethno-religious groups that have made successful claims for cultural recognition. In contrast, lower levels of integration are associated with perceptions of individual or group discrimination

Influence de deux douvicides à base de tétrachlorure de carbone sur l’évolution de l’ornithine-carbamyl-transférase et de la phosphatase alcaline sériques chez le mouton infesté avec Fasciola hepatica

Influence of two flukicides based on carbon tetrachloride on serum O. C. T. and phosphatase alcaline changes in Fasciola hepatica infested sheep. Phamalogical effects of carbon tetrachloride in artificially Fasciola hepatica infested sheep are compared with those observed with C. 1372, a preparation containing CCI, plus an antioxydant, NN' Diphenyl-p-phenylene Diamine (DppD). The inclusion of DppD in the preparation avoids hepatic dysfunction observed with carbon tetrachloride alone and enables a prompt return to normal hepatic function previously disturbed by the flukes. Anthelmintic activity of the two preparations are equivalent.Les effets pharmacologiques du tétrachlorure de carbone chez le mouton artificiellement infesté avec Fasciola hepatica sont comparés à ceux d’une préparation, le C. 1372 contenant le CCI, et un antioxydant, la NN' Diphényl-p-phénylène Diamine (DppD). L’addition de DppD permet d’éviter l’atteinte hépatique constatée avec le CCI, seul et permet une récupération rapide de la fonction hépatique perturbée par les douves. L’activité fasciolicide est la même pour les deux préparations.Le Bars Henri, Laistre Banting Alan de. Influence de deux douvicides à base de tétrachlorure de carbone sur l’évolution de l’omithine-carbamyl-transférase et de la phosphatase alcaline sériques chez le mouton infesté avec Fasciola hepatica. In: Bulletin de l'Académie Vétérinaire de France tome 128 n°4-5, 1975. pp. 221-227

Elite athletes' genetic predisposition for altered risk of complex metabolic traits

BACKGROUND: Genetic variants may predispose humans to elevated risk of common metabolic morbidities such as obesity and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Some of these variants have also been shown to influence elite athletic performance and the response to exercise training. We compared the genotype distribution of five genetic Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) known to be associated with obesity and obesity co-morbidities (IGF2BP2 rs4402960, LPL rs320, LPL rs328, KCJN rs5219, and MTHFR rs1801133) between athletes (all male, n = 461; endurance athletes n = 254, sprint/power athletes n = 207), and controls (all male, n = 544) in Polish and Russian samples. We also examined the association between these SNPs and the athletes’ competition level (‘elite’ and ‘national’ level). Genotypes were analysed by Single-Base Extension and Real-Time PCR. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association between genotypes and athletic status/competition level. RESULTS: IGF2BP2 rs4402960 and LPL rs320 were significantly associated with athletic status; sprint/power athletes were twice more likely to have the IGF2BP2 rs4402960 risk (T) allele compared to endurance athletes (OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.03-4.30, P <0.041), and non-athletic controls were significantly less likely to have the T allele compared to sprint/power athletes (OR = 0.62, 95% CI =0.43-0.89, P <0.0009). The control group was significantly more likely to have the LPL rs320 risk (G) allele compared to endurance athletes (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.05-1.52, P <0.013). Hence, endurance athletes were the “protected” group being significantly (p < 0.05) less likely to have the risk allele compared to sprint/power athletes (IGF2BP2 rs4402960) and significantly (p < 0.05) less likely to have the risk allele compared to controls (LPL rs320). The other 3 SNPs did not show significant differences between the study groups. CONCLUSIONS: Male endurance athletes are less likely to have the metabolic risk alleles of IGF2BP2 rs4402960 and LPL rs320, compared to sprint/power athletes and controls, respectively. These results suggest that some SNPs across the human genome have a dual effect and may predispose endurance athletes to reduced risk of developing metabolic morbidities, whereas sprint/power athletes might be predisposed to elevated risk

SmartEx: a case study on user profiling and adaptation in exhibition booths

An investigation into user profiling and adaptation with exhibition booth as a case study is reported. First a review of the field of exhibitions and trade fairs and a summary introduction to adaptation and profiling are given. We then introduce three criteria for the evaluation of exhibition booth: effectiveness, efficiency and affect. Effectiveness is related the amount of information collected, efficiency is a measurement of the time taken to collect the information, and affect is the perception of the experience and the mood booth visitors have during and after their visit. We have selected these criteria to assess adaptive and profiled exhibition booths, we call smart exhibition (SmartEx). The assessment is performed with an experiment with three test conditions (non-profiled/non adaptive, profiled/non-adaptive and profiled adaptive presentations). Results of the experiment are presented along discussion. While there is significant improvements of effectiveness and efficiency between the two-first test conditions, the improvement is not significant for the last test condition, for reasons explained. As for the affect, the results show that it has an under-estimated importance in people minds and that it should be addressed more carefully