From Jyoti to Jasmine: Mukherjee's Quest for Hybrid Identity in Jasmine

Abstract: The present paper investigates the empowering force of hybridity in female diasporant in Bharati Mukherjee’s outstanding novel Jasmine. The novel depicts Jasmine’s journey of transformation from a passive, traditional girl at the mercy of fate in a village in India to an active, modern, and most importantly cross-cultural hybrid woman in America. All through the novel, her identity is transformed in line with shifts in her name from Jyoti to Jasmine to Jazzy to Jane. Accordingly, she stands in-between two cultures, shuttles between identities, welds opposing identities, enters the third space and emerges as a hybrid. The present study in the light of Homi Bhabha's insights seeks to demonstrate that immigrating, experiencing displacement and in-betweenness, and being positioned in the third space pave the way for Jasmine’s becoming a hybrid and being liberated. Besides, the study is to depict by creating a hybrid character, Bharati Mukherjee, the author, alludes to her own very hybridity

Three-Dimensional Modeling of Electrostatic Precipitator Using Hybrid Finite Element - Flux Corrected Transport Technique

This thesis presents the results of a three-dimensional simulation of the entire precipitation process inside a single-electrode one-stage electrostatic precipitator (ESP). The model was designed to predict the motion of ions, gas and solid particles. The precipitator consists of two parallel grounded collecting plates with a corona electrode mounted at the center, parallel to the plates and excited with a high dc voltage. The complex mutual interaction between the three coexisting phenomena of electrostatic field, fluid dynamics and the particulate transport, which affect the ESP process, were taken into account in all the simulations. The electrostatic field and ionic space charge density due to corona discharge were computed by numerically solving Poisson and current continuity equations, using a hybrid Finite Element (FEM) - Flux Corrected Transport (FCT) method. The detailed numerical approach and simulation procedure is discussed and applied throughout the thesis. Calculations of the gas flow were carried out by solving the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations using the commercial FLUENT 6.2 software, which is based on the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The turbulence effect was included by using the k-ε model included in FLUENT. An additional source term was added to the gas flow equation to include the effect of the electric field, obtained by solving a coupled system of the electric field and charge transport equations, using the User-Defined-Function (UDF) feature of FLUENT. The particle phase was simulated using a Lagrangian-type Discrete Random Walk (DRW) model, where a large number of particles charged by combined field and diffusion charging mechanisms was traced with their motion affected by electrostatic and aerodynamic forces in turbulent flow using the Discrete Phase Model (DPM) and programming UDFs in FLUENT. The airflow patterns under the influence of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) secondary flow and external flows, particle charging and deposition along the channel, and ESP performance in removal of submicron particulates were compared for smooth and spiked discharge electrode configurations in the parallel plate precipitator assuming various particle concentrations at the inlet. Finally, a laboratory scale wire-cylinder ESP to collect conductive submicron diesel particles was modeled. The influence of different inlet gas velocities and excitation voltages on the particle migration velocity and precipitation performance were investigated. In some cases, the simulation results were compared with the existing experimental data published in literature

Parental Perspective and Feeding Practices Effects on Food Neophobia in Elementary-Age School Children

The Food neophobia (FN) behaviors in children are developed during childhood and can be influenced by parental FN and feeding behaviors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between FN and fruit and vegetable neophobia (FVN) among parents, the parents-reports on child\u27s behavior and child self-reports. The effect of parental feeding practices and demographic variables on children’s FN and FVN were evaluated. Sixty-eight parents paired with their elementary school children (aged 7-12 years) in San Luis Coastal Unified School District participated in this study. Results indicated that parents reported their children more neophobic than children self-reported neophobia; however, there was a significant association between parents-reported child FN and child self-reported FN (r=0.62, p\u3c0.05). FVN behaviors were positively and consistently correlated with FN in both parents and children. Parents with the highest income levels used less restriction for weight and child control strategies to feed their children (p\u3c0.05). More pressure to eat was applied significantly for younger children, which increased their levels of food and FVN as reported by parents

Formulation and physico-chemical characterisation of novel films and wafers for mucosal drug delivery

Development of novel drug delivery systems has become a major research endeavour in the pharmaceutical industry. Drug administration via the traditional oral route (GIT) presents certain challenges including enzymatic and acid break down of labile drugs and first pass metabolism in the liver. The research reported in this thesis involved the development of solvent cast films and freeze-dried wafers for the potential delivery of drugs via the buccal mucosa. The formulations were prepared from two polymers (κ-carrageenan (CAR) 911 and poloxamer 407 (P407)), two types of plasticizers (glycerol (GLY)) and various grades of polyethylene glycol (PEG) using paracetamol (PM), ibuprofen (IBU) and indomethacin (IND) as model drugs. The investigations involved extensive evaluation/characterisation of the initial formulation components and their optimum combinations to obtain the desired formulation by employing various physico-chemical characterisation techniques. Texture analysis was used to investigate the tensile properties (percent elongation and elastic modulus) of the films, the resistance of the films upon stretching as well as the behaviour of the films during handling. In the case of the wafers, texture analysis was used to determine the compressibility as well as in vitro mucoadhesive characteristics. The stability of both the initial components and within the formulated films or wafers was studied using thermal analysis (HSM, TGA and DSC). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to estimate the residual water content of both formulations. XRPD was used to assess the different forms (amorphous or crystalline) of the various components, including the model drugs. Scanning electron microscopy provided topographic information with regard to surface architecture of the films and wafers. The drug loaded films and wafers were further characterised for chemical stability of the drugs, after storage at room temperature for twelve months and drug dissolution profiles using simulated saliva as dissolution medium. The results of the preliminary development and optimization experiments showed that gels prepared with 2.5% (w/w) CAR 911, in combination with 4% (w/w) P407 and 5.5% (w/w) PEG 600 produced a flexible film with ‘ideal’ characteristics and was selected for drug incorporation. However, the concentration of PEG was increased to 6% (w/w) in the presence of 1.6% w/w PM, and 6.5% (w/w) PEG with 0.6% (w/w) IND and 0.8% w/w IBU (concentrations relative total drug weight of film matrix). The initial results from the wafers demonstrated that a flexible wafer, obtained by freeze-drying (incorporating an annealing step), could be produced from a gel containing 2% (w/w) CAR 911 in combination with 4% (w/w) P407 and 4.4% (w/w) PEG 600. Addition of 0.8% (w/w) IBU also increased the flexibility of the wafer approximately two fold, whilst the flexibility of 1.8% (w/w) PM and 0.6% (w/w) IND loaded wafers was slightly reduced. TGA experiments indicated a water content of approximately 5% and 1% for films and wafers, respectively. SEM experiments revealed an even surface without any macroscopic pores for the film whilst the microstructure of the wafer was observed as being porous. The data from DSC experiments demonstrated interactions between P407 and PEG 600 during film formation. Furthermore, the conversion of the originally added model crystalline drugs into the amorphous form within the film and wafers was ascertained by DSC and confirmed by XRPD