The soft power of popular cinema: the case of India

Among BRICS nations, India has the most developed and globalised film industry, and the Indian government as well as corporations are increasingly deploying the power of Bollywood in their international interactions. India’s soft power, arising from its cultural and civilizational influence outside its territorial boundaries, has a long history. Focusing on contemporary India’s thriving Hindi film industry, this article suggests that the globalisation of the country’s popular cinema, aided by a large diaspora, has created possibilities of promoting India’s public diplomacy. It examines the global imprint of this cinema as an instrument of soft power

New technology for invert sugar and high fructose syrups from sugarcane

28-32The invert sugar is an equimolar mixture of glucose and fructose. It may be obtained on hydrolysis of sucrose under milder conditions using strong cationic resins. The fructose content may be increased to about 60 per cent level by a partial removal of glucose from invert sugar using the technique of column chromatography. The resultant product is called high fructose syrups (HFS) which is traditionally produced from starch. HFS may be produced from sucrose with economic advantage by this novel process. The production of invert sugar and high fructose syrups from sucrose (cane juice) is cost effective. It has been commercialized in India. This paper discusses the salient features of this novel technology, which results in an effective 25 per cent increase in the sweetener output from the same quantity of sugarcane as molasses as a waste product is avoided

Alkylation of phenols with isobutylene

The kinetics of absorption of isobutylene in molten phenol, p-cresol and pyrocatechol were studied in a stirred cell using concentrated sulphuric acid as a catalyst. The absorption of isobutylene in molten phenols was found to conform to pseudo-first-order mechanism. The products of various reactions were analysed by gas-liquid chromatography. The absorption of isobutylene in mono-t-butyl derivatives of phenols was studied in an agitated glass reactor. It was possible to eliminate the effect of diffusion. The values for the rate constant of the second-order reactions between isobutylene and p-t-butylphenol at 104°, isobutylene and 2-t-butyl-p-cresol at 70° and isobutylene and 4-t-butylpyrocatechol at 104° were 49, 40 and 56 ml/g mole/sec, respectively. Mass transfer influenced the rate of alkylation of phenol and p-cresol with isobutylene in a bubble column. However, no significant improvement was observed in the yield of the mono-derivative, which in some cases is the desired product

Absorption of isobutylene in aqueous solutions of sulphuric acid

The kinetics of absorption of isobutylene in aqueous solutions of sulphuric acid in the range of concentrations of industrial importance was studied in a stirred cell and a jet apparatus. The pseudo-first order reaction rate constant at 30°C was found to vary from 56 sec to 7.87 × 10 sec over the sulphuric acid concentrations of 49.5 per cent (7.0 g mole/l.) to 71.0 per cent (11.75 g mole/l.). The apparent energy of activation was found to be 13.0 kcal/g mole

A clinical-mycological study of dermatophytosis in western India with focus on antifungal drug resistance as a factor in recalcitrance

Background: Dermatophytosis have assumed epidemic proportions in India. Antifungal drug resistance solely cannot explain disease magnitude and changing epidemiology. Objectives: Aim of this study was to analyse clinical-mycological aspects of dermatophytosis, and estimate contribution of drug resistance in clinical recalcitrance. Methods: This single-centre observational, cross-sectional, descriptive study was done in tertiary centre of western India after ethical approval, enrolling dermatophytosis patients of all ages and sex. After history and examination, KOH mount and culture in modified SDA medium was done. Culture positive isolates were subjected to E-strip antifungal susceptibility method to test MIC for Terbinafine, Itraconazole, Fluconazole and Griseofulvin. Results: Total 300 patients were included, with mean age of 33.83±27.5 years and male-to-female ratio of 1.22:1; tinea corporis et cruris being commonest, 39.33% (n=118). Only 11.67% (n=35) were treatment naïve, having classical annular morphology. History of topical steroid abuse was found in 81.67% (n=245), with pseudoimbricate lesions in 70.61% (n=173). 86.67% (n=260) had KOH positivity while 83.33% (n=250) had culture positivity: Trichophyton mentagrophytes 45.6% (n=114), followed by Trichophyton rubrum in 34.4% (n=86). A total of 265 patients fit into definition of recalcitrance, from which 12.45%, i.e., 33 isolates showed in-vitro fluconazole resistance. 14.33% (n=43) cases were chronic, 37% (n=111) persistent, 46% (n=138) recurrent while 17% (n=51) had relapse in their disease course. Steroid abuse was the commonest denominator. Conclusion: Role of antifungal resistance in recalcitrant dermatophytosis remains debatable. Stopping steroid abuse, which is often the commonest culprit, with adherence to standard antifungal therapy remains the paradigm in management