The Politics of Belonging: Cultural Identity Formation among Second Generation Canadians

Transnationalism complicates how we view citizenship, diasporas, nationality and engage in identity discourse. This study explores the fluidity of cultural identity through the narratives of six second generation Canadians of South Asian descent. The research examines how factors such as boundary events, monolithic views, liminal space, physical space and the intersection of gender, sexuality and "race" play a role in the formation of cultural identity among second generation Canadians. Their construction of liminal space defies the notion of culture as being static. Moreover, the illogical practice of applying specific traits, behaviours, subjectivities and signifiers to race are explored. This paper demonstrates the need to move towards a discourse that acknowledges and reflects the fluidity in cultural identities, thus moving away from essentialism

Numerical Solution of NTH - Order Fuzzy Initial Value Problems by Fourth Order Runge-Kutta Method Basesd On Contrahamonic Mean

In this paper, a numerical method for Nth - order fuzzy initial value problems (FIVP) based on Seikkala derivative of fuzzy process is studied. The fourth order Runge-Kutta method based on Contra-harmonic Mean (RKCoM4) is used to find the numerical solution of this problem and the convergence and stability of the method is proved. This method is illustrated by solving second and third order FIVPs. The results show that the proposed method suits well to find the numerical solution of Nth - order FIVPs

B2B relationship calculus: quantifying resource effects in service-dominant logic

Increasingly, knowledgeable business-to-business (B2B) customers and evolving customer needs are leading to seismic shifts in vendor–client interactions. Across industries, sellers are changing their business models from a simple goods orientation to a hybrid goods–services model, placing greater emphasis on delivering complete customer solutions. In such an environment, companies must find ways to prioritize investments in resource development. The service-dominant (S-D) logic framework offers significant insights into this challenge; however, these effects have not been tested quantitatively. This study addresses that gap, examining the influence of various seller resources on buyer satisfaction. An empirical analysis of buying organizations that purchased and implemented business intelligence systems finds that “augmented” operant resources that the buyers ascribe to the software’s sellers—resources that go above and beyond expectations—are the most significant predictors of both successful technology assimilation and overall customer relationship quality. In particular, an augmented operant resource reflecting a seller’s ability to see value creation opportunities from the buyer’s perspective (value mindset) has up to three times the effect on relationship satisfaction as “core” operant resources such as product-specific expertise or basic interpersonal service skills. These results can help sellers prioritize resource investments

Soil Invertebrates of \u3cem\u3eLasiurus sindicus\u3c/em\u3e Based Grazing Lands: Impact of Management and Grazing Intensity

Arid Western plains of India are dominated by pasture and grazing lands. Lasiurus sindicus (LS) is the dominant na-tive grass species growing on sandy plains and low dunes under the low rainfall extreme desert climate. Palatability and higher crude protein (8-14% in early vegetative growth, 4-6% in 80-120 days of growth) make this grass a highly preferred grazing species. Since drought is frequent (47%) in this part of the country the LS grasslands are under tremendous grazing pressures and classified under poor or very poor condition for livestock. It is imperative to re-store the natural resources on which this grassland depends. Soil invertebrates especially soil collembola and mites are an integral part of this grassland ecosystem. Their community structure changes in response to the changes in management and other factors, and may serve as a tool for rapid impact assessment of restoration measures. With this background, Lasiurus sindicus grazing lands in Jaisalmer District of Western Rajasthan of India were evaluated, to understand the impact of grazing intensity and management practices on the community structure of the soil invertebrates

A comparative study of vaginal delivery and caesarean section in antepartum eclampsia at and beyond 34 weeks of gestation

Background: This study was done to compare maternal and fetal outcome in pregnancies after 34 weeks gestation complicated by antepartum eclampsia when terminated by caesarean section and by vaginal delivery. Methods: A comparative prospective study was done on 100 pregnant women with antepartum eclampsia at or beyond 34 weeks of gestational age from November 2019 to June 2021 at Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad, Telangana. The patients were divided into two groups: CD group (who delivered by caesarean section) and VD group (who delivered by vaginal route). After history taking and examination, delivery was planned according to the gestational age, foetal condition and Bishop’s score. The associated indication for caesarean, induction delivery interval in vaginal deliveries, total blood loss was noted. Baby details were noted and were followed till discharge at hospital. Results: The incidence of caesarean section was 41% and that of vaginal delivery was 59%. Highest incidence of antepartum eclampsia was seen in the age group of 20-24 years and between 37-40 weeks. Most common indication of caesarean section was fetal distress (19%). The convulsion-delivery interval was less in CD group and it was statistically significant (p value 0.01). The incidence of live births, still births and IUD was better in the CD group than VD group (p value 0.02). Perinatal mortality was more in vaginal delivery group (27.64%) than in caesarean section group (12.19%). Maternal mortality was 1.7% in the VD group and nil in the CD group. Conclusions: The study reflected that both perinatal and maternal morbidity and mortality were found to be lesser in the CD group in comparison with the VD group. Thus, early decision for caesarean section especially when delivery is not anticipated within 6 hours of admission is essential in improving the perinatal and maternal outcome in eclampsia

Miniaturized spectrometer radiometer based on MMIC technology for tropospheric water vapor profiling, A

Includes bibliographical references.The fabrication of a miniaturized ground-based water vapor profiling radiometer demonstrates the capability of monolithic microwave and millimeter-wave integrated circuit technology to reduce the mass and volume of microwave remote sensing instrumentation and to reduce substantially the necessary operational power consumption and size of the radiofrequency and intermediate-frequency sections. Since those sections comprise much of the mass and volume of current microwave receivers, the fabrication of this system represents an important contribution to the design of microwave radiometers. This miniaturized radiometer implementation is particularly well suited to benefit from the cost savings associated with mass production. The small size of the radiometer (24 × 18 × 16 cm) reduces the power required by the temperature control system and allows a rapid warm-up to the temperature set point as well as maintenance of a highly stable internal temperature. Exhibiting very similar statistical properties, the four channels of the radiometer have measured Allan times of greater than 40 s. Measurement results demonstrate that the instrument achieves a sensitivity of better than 0.2 K for 3 s of integration time. Preliminary comparisons of measured brightness temperatures with simulation results based on radiosonde data show good agreement, which are consistent with previously reported results.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant ATM-0456270 to Colorado State University and Grant ATM-0239722 to the University of Massachusetts Amherst

Normative values of neck muscle strength in adult population of Delhi NCR region

Background: The neck pain is common problem in the adult population. Neck muscles have the potential to regulate the neck movement and to maintain its physiological functions and hence should have a quantitative value for strength. The aim of this study was to evaluate the neck muscle strength which would be used as a reference in the analysis of neck pain. Further aim of this study was to analyze the effect of age, weight, height, gender, body mass index (BMI) on muscle strength. Methods: This study was an observational study conducted at physiotherapy department of I. T. S. Institute of Health and Allied Sciences from 23 September 2023 to 24 February 2024.The study comprised 1200 participants, both male and female, in the age group of 21 to 50 years old. Isometric strength measurements for several neck muscles were made using a handheld dynamometer after ethical approval. Normative strength values were calculated, and multivariate analysis was performed to conclude the effect of age, weight, height, gender and BMI on neck muscle strength. Data analysis was calculated using statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Results: Males are at lower risk than females to develop neck pain as males are having more strength than females in all age groups. Weight and age were positively associated with muscle strength (p<0.5). Height and BMI showed no significant correlation to muscle strength (p>0.5). Conclusions: This research provides the normative ranges of neck muscle strength in the adult population that will serve as a baseline and aid in prevention, maintenance and treatment of neck pain. It provides the standard for the clinician to compare the muscle strength of different age groups and unaffected