Modest fashion? Dress, body, and space: an ethnographic account of Muslim female stakeholders’ experiences in the modest fashion industry

This PhD is an interdisciplinary study that provides an in-depth ethnographic account of modest fashion’s promotional spaces where Muslim female stakeholders expand their career choices towards the corporate fields. The female stakeholders in this research promote modest fashion in systematic fashion events and exhibitions and on the virtual marketing platform Instagram. More specifically, this research focuses on how these Muslim women construct a multitude of cultural and political scenes in the spaces they weave within these branding platforms for their agency display. Significantly, this research offers fresh insights by drawing a holistic understanding of the developing branding techniques in multiples spaces where modest fashion is rapidly growing in the physical world and online leading to newness and a creative staging of fashion items. This study applies a qualitative approach through ethnography to study the modest fashion culture of more than 150 research participants who have multiple roles within the fashion industry: including businesswomen, designers, bloggers, models, fashion students, and consumers. This multisite research is located in Britain: London, Leicester, and Birmingham, in Istanbul: Zorlu art Centre, and on the online: Instagram. Data is derived through the use of ‘ethnographic mosaic’ strategy (Blackman, 2010) by applying the multiple qualitative methods: observations, conversational interviews, and visual ethnography, in different locations where diverse voices are accessed from the fieldwork. The ethnographic data are analysed through a grounded theory approach while a semiotic analysis approach was adopted for interpreting Instagrammic visuals. The analysis generates a thick description of the contemporary shifts that created a space for agency and representation, and also brought new perspectives to theoretical concepts. In terms of findings, this thesis explores how modest fashion produced multiple promotional spaces where the Muslim female stakeholders develop their careers towards global brands while weaving spaces for their agency. Through cultural events, modest fashion is creatively growing a global consumer culture resulting in traces of a global culture industry where physical shopping experiences are key (Lash and Lury, 2007). Amidst these changes, key findings show that Muslim female stakeholders are challenged by stereotypes, modesty shaming online, and by the intrusion of corporates in the modest fashion retail. Yet, Muslim stakeholders had the fashion capital to balance between struggles and representations through their creativity. The thesis concludes that modest fashion carries its stability and value as a vehicle for Muslim women’s spatial expressions, creativity, and career suggestive of a feminist ipractice in which they perform an empowering act in a branding space offering new insights to agency and being a femal

CUCKOO SEARCH ALGORITHM TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF ECONOMIC EMISSION DISPATCH WITH THE INCORPORATION OF FACTS DEVICES UNDER THE VALVE-POINT LOADING EFFECT

The essential objective of optimal power flow is to find a stable operating point which minimizes the cost of the production generators and its losses, and keeps the power system acceptable in terms of limits on the active and reactive powers of the generators. In this paper, we propose the nature-inspired Cuckoo search algorithm (CSA) to solve economic/emission dispatch problems with the incorporation of FACTS devices under the valve-point loading effect (VPE). The proposed method is applied on different test systems cases to minimize the fuel cost and total emissions and to see the influence of the integration of FACTS devices. The obtained results confirm the efficiency and the robustness of the Cuckoo search algorithm compared to other optimization techniques published recently in the literature. In addition, the simulation results show the advantages of the proposed algorithm for optimizing the production fuel cost, total emissions and total losses in all transmission lines

Taxonomy and chemical characterization of antibiotics of Streptosporangium Sg 10 isolated from a Saharan soil

A new actinomycete strain designated Sg 10, producing antimicrobial substances was isolated from an Algerian soil. Morphological and chemical studies indicated that strain Sg 10 belonged to the genus Streptosporangium. The comparison of its physiological characteristics with those of known species of Streptosporangium showed significant differences with the nearest species Streptosporangium carneum. Analysis of the 16S rDNA sequence of strain Sg 10 showed a similarity level ranging between 96.3% and 97.8% within Streptosporangium species, with S. carneum the most closely related. However, the phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain Sg 10 represent a distinct phyletic line suggesting a new genomic species. The antimicrobial activity of strain Sg 10 showed an antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria as well as an antifungal one. Four active products were isolated from the culture broth using various separation procedures. On the basis of UV-VIS spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and chemical revelations, the antibiotics were classified in the group of glycosylated aromatics

Oligomycins A and E, major bioactive secondary metabolites produced by Streptomyces sp. strain HG29 isolated from a Saharan soil

An actinobacterial strain, HG29, with potent activity against pathogenic, toxigenic and phytopathogenic fungi was isolated from a Saharan soil sample of Algeria. On the basis of morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the strain was classified in the genus Streptomyces. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed a similarity level of 99.3% with Streptomyces gancidicus NBRC 15412T. The comparison of its cultural and physiological characteristics with this species revealed significant differences. Moreover, the phylogenetic tree showed that strain HG29 forms a distinct phyletic line within the genus Streptomyces. Production of antifungal activity was investigated by following kinetics in shake broth. The highest antifungal activity was obtained after five days of fermentation, and in the dichloromethane extract. Two active compounds, NK1 and NK2, were purified by HPLC using a C18 column. Their chemical structures were identified through nuclear magnetic resonance experiments and mass spectrometry as oligomycins E and A, respectively, which have not been reported to be produced by S. gancidicus. The two bioactive compounds exhibited significant antifungal activity in vitro, showing minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) values between 2 and 75μg/mL

Magnetic field evaluation around 400 kv underground power cable under harmonics effects

Power lines or underground power cables generate electromagnetic interaction with other objects near to them. This study evaluates the magnetic field emitted by underground extra high voltage cables. The presented work aims to show a numerical simulation of the magnetic field of a buried 400 kV underground power line, which is used as a novel prototype in several countries at a short distance. The underground power cable study, in the presence of the current harmonics at different positions, with time variation by finite element resolution, using Comsol Multiphysics with Matlab software in two dimensions. The simulation results illustrate the magnetic flux density variation-in terms of amplitude and distribution as a function of different actual harmonics rates. The underground cable performance and magnetic field have affected by the harmonics effects. The maximum magnetic induction levels generated by significant harmonics are superior to the limits recommended by the international standard norms. In this paper, shielding has been used as an appropriate remedy to attenuate the magnetic field

Characterization and antagonistic properties of Streptomyces strains isolated from Saharan soils, and evaluation of their ability to control seedling blight of barley caused by Fusarium culmorum

Significance and Impact of the Study: The genus Fusarium is considered to be one of the most problematic phytopathogenic fungi for crop culture worldwide. Inside this genus, F. culmorum is the aetiological agent of seedling blight in various monocotyledonous plants such as barley and cause extensive yield and quality losses in humid and semi-humid regions. Biological control may be a successful alternative to chemical control, particularly with the controversy surrounding the use of the fungicides and the limited obtained results to control F. culmorum. This study highlights the effectiveness of some antagonistic Streptomyces isolated from Algerian Saharan soils to control F. culmorum by the reduction in disease occurrence and disease severity suggesting their use on microbial biocontrol formulation against soilborne diseases

Antibiotic R2, a new angucyclinone compound from Streptosporangium sp. Sg3

Antibiotic R2, a new angucyclinone compound from Streptosporangium sp. Sg

Prenatal factors affecting the probability of survival between birth and weaning in rabbits

The aim of this study was to analyse the relationships between kit birth weight and litter size with kit survival from birth to weaning, and to estimate the effects of place of birth, nest quality, cannibalism, lactation, parity order, season and sex. A total of 1696 kits from 82 females of the ITLEV2006 synthetic line were used in this study. A logistic regression was performed. Kit birth weight was directly related to the probability of the kit’s survival from birth to weaning, and increasing birth weight by one gram increased the likelihood of kit survival by 8% to 10% (P<0.001). In line with the decrease in birth weight of kits as the number of kits at birth increases, litter size showed a negative relationship to the probability of survival from birth to weaning, and increasing the litter by one kit at birth decreased the probability of survival of the kits by 5% to 9% (P<0.05). Regarding effects, cannibalism events in the litter decreased the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life (P<0.01). Being born in the cage decreased the probability of survival of the kits from birth to weaning, and kits born outside the nest had a lower chance of survival than those born inside the nest (P<0.01). The order of parturition had a positive effect on probability of survival of the kits from 5 days of age to weaning (P<0.05). Female kits had a lower chance of survival than male kits, but only until 5 days of age (P<0.01). The lactation status displayed a negative effect on the probability of survival of the kits in the first week of life, and kits gestated in lactating females had a lower chance of survival than those gestated in non-lactating females (P<0.05). In conclusion, the probability of kit survival in the first days after parturition was affected mainly by its weight at birth, litter size, cannibalism events, place of birth of kit, parity order, sex and lactation status, while the probability of kit survival at weaning was directly related to its weight at birth, litter size, place of birth of kit and parity order