Ecocritical Concerns in Lakshmi Kannan’s Short Stories “Muniyakka,” “Nandanvan,” and “Because”

The relationship between nature and mankind has been inextricable since time immemorial. Writers down the ages in almost all cultures of the world have presented nature in its splendour and beauty. Hence it becomes important to study how literature represents the essential human relationship with nature and also the role of nature as a nurturer. This paper attempts to examine how nature and environment appear as tropes in three short stories of Lakshmi Kannan namely “Muniyakka,” “Nandanvan,” and “Because.” These stories have been translated from Tamil into English by the author herself. The paper aims to highlight the ecocritical vein that runs through these selected short stories in the light of the theory of ecocriticism. Ecocriticism is an interdisciplinary study that aims at analysing texts that illustrate environmental concerns and it examines the various ways literature treats the subject of nature. The paper further argues that the relationship between nature and mankind is one of reciprocity

Evaluating speech synthesis intelligibility using Amazon Mechanical Turk

Microtask platforms such as Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT) are increasingly used to create speech and language resources. AMT in particular allows researchers to quickly recruit a large number of fairly demographically diverse participants. In this study, we investigated whether AMT can be used for comparing the intelligibility of speech synthesis systems. We conducted two experiments in the lab and via AMT, one comparing US English diphone to US English speaker-adaptive HTS synthesis and one comparing UK English unit selection to UK English speaker-dependent HTS synthesis. While AMT word error rates were worse than lab error rates, AMT results were more sensitive to relative differences between systems. This is mainly due to the larger number of listeners. Boxplots and multilevel modelling allowed us to identify listeners who performed particularly badly, while thresholding was sufficient to eliminate rogue workers. We conclude that AMT is a viable platform for synthetic speech intelligibility comparisons

Nuclear symmetry energy and the r-mode instability of neutron stars

We analyze the role of the symmetry energy slope parameter $L$ on the {\it r}-mode instability of neutron stars. Our study is performed using both microscopic and phenomenological approaches of the nuclear equation of state. The microscopic ones include the Brueckner--Hartree--Fock approximation, the well known variational equation of state of Akmal, Pandharipande and Ravenhall, and a parametrization of recent Auxiliary Field Diffusion Monte Carlo calculations. For the phenomenological approaches, we use several Skyrme forces and relativisic mean field models. Our results show that the {\it r}-mode instability region is smaller for those models which give larger values of $L$. The reason is that both bulk ($\xi$) and shear ($\eta$) viscosities increase with $L$ and, therefore, the damping of the mode is more efficient for the models with larger $L$. We show also that the dependence of both viscosities on $L$ can be described at each density by simple power-laws of the type $\xi=A_{\xi}L^{B_\xi}$ and $\eta=A_{\eta}L^{B_\eta}$. Using the measured spin frequency and the estimated core temperature of the pulsar in the low-mass X-ray binary 4U 1608-52, we conclude that observational data seem to favor values of $L$ larger than $\sim 50$ MeV if this object is assumed to be outside the instability region, its radius is in the range $11.5-12$($11.5-13$) km, and its mass $1.4M_\odot$($2M_\odot$). Outside this range it is not possible to draw any conclusion on $L$ from this pulsar.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures. Version published in Physical Review

Chiral model approach to quark matter nucleation in neutron stars

The nucleation process of quark matter in both cold and hot dense hadronic matter is investigated using a chiral approach to describe the quark phase. We use the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio and the Chromo Dielectric models to describe the deconfined phase and the non-linear Walecka model for the hadronic one. The effect of hyperons on the transition phase between hadronic and quark matter is studied. The consequences of the nucleation process for neutron star physics are outlined

High-resolution mapping of fluoroquinolones in TB rabbit lesions reveals specific distribution in immune cell types.

Understanding the distribution patterns of antibiotics at the site of infection is paramount to selecting adequate drug regimens and developing new antibiotics. Tuberculosis (TB) lung lesions are made of various immune cell types, some of which harbor persistent forms of the pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By combining high resolution MALDI MSI with histology staining and quantitative image analysis in rabbits with active TB, we have mapped the distribution of a fluoroquinolone at high resolution, and identified the immune-pathological factors driving its heterogeneous penetration within TB lesions, in relation to where bacteria reside. We find that macrophage content, distance from lesion border and extent of necrosis drive the uneven fluoroquinolone penetration. Preferential uptake in macrophages and foamy macrophages, where persistent bacilli reside, compared to other immune cells present in TB granulomas, was recapitulated in vitro using primary human cells. A nonlinear modeling approach was developed to help predict the observed drug behavior in TB lesions. This work constitutes a methodological advance for the co-localization of drugs and infectious agents at high spatial resolution in diseased tissues, which can be applied to other diseases with complex immunopathology

Belief Change and Memory for Previous Beliefs after Comprehension of Contentious Scientific Information

We explored the relationship between belief change and recollection of previous beliefs. Subjects reported beliefs about TV violence. Later, subjects read a one-sided, belief inconsistent text. We manipulated whether subjects reported beliefs after reading first, or recollected previous beliefs first. A third group was told their previous beliefs before reporting current beliefs. Recollections were not improved when subjects recollected beliefs first. When told previous beliefs, belief change was reduced, suggesting a desire to appear consistent

Programmable quantum gate arrays

We show how to construct quantum gate arrays that can be programmed to perform different unitary operations on a data register, depending on the input to some program register. It is shown that a universal quantum gate array - a gate array which can be programmed to perform any unitary operation - exists only if one allows the gate array to operate in a probabilistic fashion. The universal quantum gate array we construct requires an exponentially smaller number of gates than a classical universal gate array.Comment: 3 pages, REVTEX. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

MARTE based design approach for targeting Reconfigurable Architectures

International audienceThis paper demonstrates the use of a model driven design flow for Multiprocessor System on chips (MPSoCs) such as those dedicated to intensive signal processing applications. Due to the continuous exponential rise in SoC's design complexity, there is a critical need to find new seamless methodologies and tools to handle the SoC co-design aspects. This paper addresses this issue and proposes a novel SoC codesign methodology based on Model Driven Engineering (MDE) and the MARTE (Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time and Embedded Systems) standard proposed by OMG (Object Management Group), in order to raise the design abstraction levels. Extensions of this standard have enabled us to move from high level specifications to execution platforms such as reconfigurable FPGAs

Evaluation of a Low-Cost, PC-Based Driving Simulator to Assess Persons with Cognitive Impairments Due to Brain Injury

Brain injury due to accident or stroke frequently results in cognitive impairment, reducing an individual’s ability to judge driving situations accurately. Rehabilitation professionals typically use a combination of clinical and on-road tests to determine whether an individual is safe to drive. Weighing the safety of the community, the candidate, and the driving evaluator, these on-road tests are often conducted under road, traffic and weather conditions less demanding than those that a driver might face in the “real world,” and thus may offer less than complete information regarding the candidate’s responses to such real-world driving challenges. Indeed, individuals with mild cognitive deficits may perform adequately under such testing conditions but unsafely when driving challenges increase. Complicating this situation further, those with mild to moderate acquired cognitive impairments may be largely unaware of their own limitations, and thus more intolerant of perceived delays or challenges to their desire to drive again. Although continuing advances have improved performance and fidelity while significantly reducing costs, most interactive driving simulators remain too expensive for widespread clinical application. In a project funded by the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institutes of Health, we sought to determine, on a pilot basis, whether a low-cost, PC-based driving simulator could provide clinicians with information useful to their efforts to assess the safe ability to drive of individuals with cognitive impairments. We developed two comprehensive simulator-based driving scenarios, one quite basic and one more challenging, and pilot-tested them on ten subjects – five with moderate cognitive impairments, and five age and sex matched-controls without impairment. The “simple” scenario was developed to match the essential demands of the first half of an existing on-road driving evaluation; the “complex” scenario was based on the second half of the on-road evaluation into which more demanding, but still common, driving challenges were integrated. Road types, lane widths, pavement markings, traffic signals, horizontal and vertical curvature, and the proximal built environment were all created in simulation to provide a convincing generic representation of the on-road test. Challenges incorporated into the “complex” phase of the scenario, which were absent from the “simple” phase, included traffic events such as: cross-traffic failing to stop at a STOP sign; pedestrians crossing the driver’s path; vehicles suddenly pulling out in front of the subject from the road shoulder; opposing thru traffic appearing suddenly from behind slower moving vehicles as the subject attempted to turn left; slower moving lead vehicles causing passing decisions; traffic streams forcing gap acceptance decisions; etc. Results from the simulator were compared to results from the on-road evaluation. In addition, data gathered from subject exit interviews was used to judge simulator verisimilitude and efficacy in changing self-awareness of deficit. Because the cognitive impairments associated with brain injury often reduce the individual’s awareness of his or her own limitations, we looked at evidence that performance on the simulator could contribute to an individual’s own understanding of his or her driving strengths and weaknesses. The results of the pilot study will lead to an enhancement of simulator capabilities, and to a comprehensive clinical trial at multiple sites. This paper will present the findings of this pilot investigation and an overview of the expanded clinical study