Understanding the complexities of women’s empowerment : a qualitative case study From India

For this thesis I analyzed the qualitative interviews of 5 staff and 28 project participants of a women’s empowerment program in an urban slum in Tadiwala road, Pune, India (run and managed by Deep Griha Society (DGS), a local Non-Government Organisation (NGO). The interviews with research participants were conducted in 2014 and this interview data was supplemented with participant observation during the fieldwork period between August and October (2014). In this study I sought to answer the following research question: In what ways does participation in a women’s empowerment project influence women’s ability to challenge intrahousehold and broader community based structural barriers in their lives? This small study of an urban slum community of women in India, shows the many gains as well as the limits of current empowerment programs in Tadiwala road, Pune. This study allows one to view the empowerment potential of programs through a consideration of the multifaceted lives of women and how they engage with the broader socio-political conditions in which NGOs work. I argue that meeting women’s practical needs alone can limit the potential for women’s empowerment and unless there is a shift in the underlying structural power imbalances that create inequality, empowerment initiatives will be limited in their ability to lead to truly transformative change in women’s lives in India and indeed may lead to paradoxical outcomes. While acknowledging the contribution of meeting women’s resource needs in enhancing their overall wellbeing, I argue that there is a need to critically unpack the relationship between practical and strategic gender needs (particularly in highly oppressive cross-cultural contexts) and a qualitative approach is essential in facilitating such a process. The complexities and contradictions within the empowerment approach have been further compounded in recent times by neoliberal state policies which have not only shifted the social change capacities of NGOs but led to a further discursive conflation of economic individualism as empowerment, at times instrumentalizing women in their own disempowerment. In such a socio-political climate dismantling hegemonic links in analysis becomes ever more critical and a qualitative intersectional focus is paramount. Lack of such a framework has potential to create and substantiate women’s inferior position both economically and in terms of gender. Without such an approach, empowerment may become yet another development buzzword devoid of its original feminist intentions and consequently limited in its ability to achieve social justice

Subthreshold circuits: Design, implementation and application

Digital circuits operating in the subthreshold region of the transistor are being used as an ideal option for ultra low power complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) design. The use of subthreshold circuit design in cryptographic systems is gaining importance as a counter measure to power analysis attacks. A power analysis attack is a non-invasive side channel attack in which the power consumption of the cryptographic system can be analyzed to retrieve the encrypted data. A number of techniques to increase the resistance to power attacks have been proposed at algorithmic and hardware levels, but these techniques suffer from large area and power overheads. The main aim of this research is to understand the viability of implementing subthreshold systems for cryptographic applications. Standard cell libraries in subthreshold are designed and a methodology to identify the minimum energy point, aspect ratio, frequency range and operating voltage for CMOS standard cells is defined. As scalar multiplication is the fundamental operation in elliptic curve cryptographic systems, a digit-level gaussian normal basis (GNB) multiplier is implemented using the aforementioned standard cells. A similar standard-cell library is designed for the multiplier to operate in the superthreshold regime. The subthreshold and superthreshold multipliers are then subjected to a differential power analysis attack. Power performance and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of both these systems are compared to evaluate the usefulness of the subthreshold design. The power consumption of the subthreshold multiplier is 4.554 uW, the speed of the multiplier is 65.1 KHz and the SNR is 40 dB. The superthreshold multiplier has a power consumption of 4.005 mW, the speed of the multiplier is 330 MHz and the SNR is 200 dB. Reduced power consumption, hence reduced SNR, increases the resistance of the subthreshold multiplier against power analysis attacks. (Refer to PDF for exact formulas)

EVALUATION OF DICHLOROMETHANE AS AN ELECTRON DONOR FOR REDUCTIVE DECHLORINATION OF TETRACHLOROETHENE TO ETHENE

Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) are the predominant contaminants at hazardous waste sites in the United States. Although less prevalent, dichloromethane (DCM) is also found at a number of sites. EPA classifies PCE and DCM as likely to be carcinogenic in humans by all routes of exposure, while TCE is classified as carcinogenic to humans by all routes. At some sites, releases of PCE, TCE and DCM comingle in the groundwater. Field evidence from one such site in California suggests that DCM is used as the electron donor for reductive dechlorination of TCE. Nevertheless, definitive evidence that DCM can serve as an electron donor for complete reduction of chlorinated ethenes to ethene is lacking. The primary objective of this thesis was to evaluate the use of DCM as an electron donor for reductive dechlorination of PCE to ethene. Two anaerobic enrichment cultures were used. One grows by organohalide respiration of PCE and TCE to ethene, with lactate as the electron donor. The other uses DCM as its sole source of carbon and energy and releases formate and acetate as fermentation products. The experimental design included treatments with a combination of the two cultures and addition of only DCM and PCE. A secondary objective was to perform a preliminary assessment of the microbe responsible for biodegrading DCM. In the treatment inoculated with both cultures and provided with only PCE (2.4 mg/L) and DCM (9.7 mg/L), biodegradation of DCM and reductive dechlorination of PCE started at the same time. Repeated additions of DCM were consumed in 4-7 days, with only minor accumulation of chloromethane. Repeated additions of PCE were also consumed, with increases and then decreases of chlorinated ethene daughter products. Ethene started to accumulate after approximately three months and by the end of the incubation period (80-130 days), ethene was the only daughter product detected. Formate, acetate, and propionate were detected as products from biodegradation of DCM. Other treatments confirmed that the chlorinated ethene culture can use formate and hydrogen as electron donors, but not acetate; which is consistent with the observed use of DCM as a sole electron donor. A treatment inoculated with the chlorinated ethene culture that received no electron donor failed to reduce PCE. Furthermore, the chloroethene culture was unable to biodegrade DCM and the DCM culture was unable to reduce PCE (with lactate provided as the electron donor). The only isolate obtained in previous research that is able to grow anaerobically on DCM as a sole carbon and energy source via fermentation is Dehalobacterium formicoaceticum strain DMC. Preliminary attempts were made to evaluate if the DCM enrichment culture developed during this research also contains Dehalobacterium spp. PCR analysis of the enrichment culture tested positively for the presence of members of the phylum Firmicutes, which includes Dehalobacterium. Microscopic evaluation of the enrichment revealed an abundance of short rods, which were gram positive, which is also consistent with Dehalobacterium. Nevertheless, additional research is needed to determine a more specific identification of the microbe responsible. The results of this study provide definitive evidence that it is possible for DCM to serve as an electron donor for reductive dechlorination of PCE to ethene. While it is inconceivable that DCM would ever be intentionally added to serve as an electron donor, the results are relevant to those sites where these contaminants are comingled

Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Polyester Scaffolds from Sugarcane Industry By-products for Use in Skin and Bone Tissue Engineering

The aim of this work was to synthesize non-toxic, biodegradable polyesters of aconitic acid, cinnamic acid and glycerol from by-products of the sugarcane industry as scaffolds for skin and bone tissue engineering. Utilizing the by-products, molasses and sugarcane bagasse, not only add value to the cane industry, but also paves path for synthesizing novel bio-based materials from the isolated specialty chemicals. Molasses contain an economically recoverable quantity of aconitic acid and its extraction was studied in detail as a part of this work. The yields of recovered aconitic acid varied from 25–69% depending on the extraction conditions. Under all the conditions, the purity values of extracted aconitic acid were higher than 99%. In the next step of the research, polyesters of aconitic acid, glycerol and cinnamic acid were synthesized. Different compositions of polyesters were characterized for their mechanical properties, porosity, mass loss in stromal medium, ability to support growth and proliferation of human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASC). Several biocompatibility tests such as mass loss over a period of time, alamar blue to analyze growth and viability of hASC on polyester scaffolds, picogreen for total DNA content synthesized indicated that these polyesters hold promising potential as tissue engineering scaffolds. The final step of this dissertation involved evaluating these polyesters as skin and bone tissue engineering scaffolds. For skin tissue engineering, especially wound repair, thin film polyester scaffolds laden with hASC were grown in stromal medium supplemented with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Based on the amount of collagen synthesized and DNA quantification data it was concluded that the polyesters can be used as scaffolds for wound repair by the addition of bFGF. The last step dealt with utilizing these as bone scaffolds where hASC were induced to undergo osteogenesis, and analyzed for mineralization and osteogenic target gene expression over a 21 days period. Based on calcium deposition results, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN) expression data, it was concluded that these scaffolds hold great potential for bone tissue engineering

Parameterization of microwave assisted oil extraction and its transesterification to biodiesel

Currently, a majority of the world’s energy needs are met through use of fossil fuels, petroleum, coal and natural gas. The depletion of petroleum reserves, rising and extremely volatile crude oil prices, and environmental concerns have led to search for renewable and environmentally friendly fuels. The ultimate goal of this research was to develop, test and optimize a batch microwave system using traditional and alternate non-food feedstocks. Microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of oil from conventional feedstocks (soybeans and rice bran) and an alternative feedstock (Chinese tallow tree (CTT) seeds) was carried out. The study concluded that MAE of oil is a rapid, efficient and effective method of extracting oil from the feedstocks as compared to conventional extraction techniques. Maximum yields of 17.3%, 17.2% and 32.5%, representing ~ 95% of total recoverable oil, were obtained for soybean, rice bran and CTT seeds by microwave extraction in 20 mins. This compares extremely favorably to the hours of processing required by conventional methods. The enhanced extraction is due to the specific interaction of the microwave field with the solvent-feedstock matrix, where higher temperature and pressure gradients develop at the microscopic level, leading to enhanced mass transfer coefficients. Optimization of transesterification reaction parameters was carried out as the second objective of the research. Refined soybean and rice bran oil were used as biodiesel feedstocks. Two alcohols, methanol and ethanol, were tested in this study. Sodium hydroxide was the catalyst and the reactions were carried out in presence of microwaves. By use of microwaves, the reaction times were drastically reduced, and \u3e95% conversions could be achieved for very small catalyst concentration (\u3c 0.2%) which reflected in easier separation of byproducts from the biodiesel phase. The enhanced biodiesel production reaction rates occurred due to two main mechanisms: (1) molecular mixing of the polar alcohol molecules with the oil in the presence of the oscillating electric field component and (2) volumetric heating effect of microwaves, eliminating the time for transient conductive/ convective heat transfer in the mixture. Quality analysis of biodiesel according to ASTM standards was performed and the samples were found to meet the necessary specifications

Effectiveness of Employing Multimedia Principles in The Design of Computer-Based Math Tutorials for Students with Learning Disabilities

This study was designed as an extension of a formative pilot study to enhance the Blending Assessment with Instruction Program (BAIP) developed by the Center for Educational Testing and Evaluation (CETE) and the eLearning Design Lab (eDL). The animated tutorial prototype, which was studied as part of this project, was for young children. The study evaluated a prototype of online instructional tutorial in mathematics designed for students with disabilities. The tutorial prototype was instructional, interactive, and aligned with the state assessment standards and indicator at the fourth grade level. The goal of the study was to obtain formative data from subject matter experts (SMEs), special education teachers and multimedia/technology experts regarding the usability and accessibility of the tutorial design for students with disabilities. The tutorial was designed based on the principles of designing multimedia instruction given by Mayer (2005). A purposeful sampling process was used. Three groups of individuals were invited to participate in the study; they were subject matter experts in mathematics (SME), special education teachers, and multi-media/technology experts. Participants within each group were selected as based on their expertise and experience. Out of the 17 invitations, 10 individuals agreed to participate. They included - three SMEs, four special education teachers, and three multimedia/technology experts. Frequency results from the survey instruments and formative data gathered through online comments and suggestions provided valuable information regarding the design and accessibility of the tutorial prototype. These data, in turn, will be used to enhance the tutorial prototype to be tested in the second study researching the effectiveness of the revised prototype in teaching students with learning disabilities in authentic instructional settings

Natural Gas Conversion Into Value Added Chemicals Using Solid Acid Catalysts

Direct, non-oxidative conversion of natural gas to value-added chemicals has been identified as one of the grand challenges of the 21st century. Circumventing indirect and costly reforming steps is highly sought after and solid acids can play an important role in that. The direct conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons and hydrogen can be catalyzed using “superacids” at \u3c 450 °C. Reported superacid catalysts in solid, liquid, and gas phase included sulfated zirconia (SZ), HF-SbF5, FSO3H-SbF5, and HBr-AlBr3. Liquid and gas phase superacids presented difficulties in separation while the solid ones provided low yields. Here, we report a new class of Br-based solid superacids, AlBrx/H-ZSM-5 (“ABZ-5”, x = 1 or 2). ABZ-5 is based on gas-phase HBr/AlBr3. This solid catalyst is synthesized using a vapor-phase process in which AlBr3 vapor is grafted on to solid H-ZSM-5. This catalyst is characterized using NH3-TPD, XRD, and DRIFTS. The results show that ABZ-5 is significantly more active than SZ and showed methane conversions of ~1% at 300 °C using ABZ-5. Hydrocarbon products observed in the temperature range of 200-400 °C include both C2-C6 hydrocarbons and aromatics. In another approach to methane activation, Mo is doped on solid SZ to create a catalyst similar to Mo/H-ZSM-5, but with a different solid acid for methane dehydroaromatization (DHA). These catalysts were characterized using Raman, XPS, DRIFTS, SEM-EDS, HRTEM, XRD, XANES and other temperature programmed techniques. Raman spectra confirmed the formation of Mo = O and O-Mo-O bonds on the surface of SZ support. DRIFTS confirmed that there was little difference in acid sites when Mo was doped on SZ, except at higher Mo loadings. XPS, XANES, and HRTEM analyses showed that MoO3 is converted to MoOxCy and is further converted to Mo2C as the DHA reaction progresses. Further, these catalysts were evaluated for methane DHA reaction. All of these catalysts showed methane conversions of 5-20 % at temperatures of 600-700 °C. In each case, the catalysts deactivated steadily, attributable to strong coking on the surface, as confirmed with TPO. A comparison with literature showed that Mo/SZ has comparable activity to Mo/H-ZSM-5 at around 650-675 °C temperature range

Antimicrobial activity of skin secretions isolated from Indian toad, Bufo melanostictus Schneider 1799

Amphibians like toads have been known to secrete antimicrobial secretions outside their body into their environments, through skin pores and parotid glands. Toad skin-secretions contain four types of compounds namely, biogenic amines, bufadienolides, alkaloids & steroids and peptides & proteins. Bulk of research relating to amphibian antimicrobial secretions has been done on frogs. In toads, such research has only been done in South America, Europe and China. Antimicrobial secretions vary considerably from specie-to-specie and drastically across various biomes. This prompted us to examine and confirm presence of antimicrobial activity (if any) in Indian Common Toad (Bufo melanostictus Schneider 1799) skin secretions since; no such analysis had been previously done on this toad which is found all across the South-east Asia. The antibacterial potency of toad skin secretions was tested against the bacteria, Escherichia coli. After running preliminary antibacterial analysis assays, we found that these cutaneous secretions retrieved from Indian Common Toad possessed potential bactericidal activity. The results that we got confirmed that some unexplored bactericidal components were present in skin secretions of these toads. These conclusions call for further research into biochemistry and molecular characterization of these components

The Use of Growth Factors and Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Orthopaedics

Stem cell therapy is an exciting and upcoming branch of tissue engineering with application in the field of orthopaedics. The most commonly used type of stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), can be easily isolated from bone marrow or synovium and cultured in vitro. Newer techniques using tissue engineering to regenerate musculoskeletal tissue by using biomimetic materials are now being studied. These osteoconductive three dimensional constructs seeded with MSCs are highly porous, biodegradable and biomechanically stable scaffolds which do not evoke an immunogenic host cell response. Research has shown the importance of growth factors in guiding and modulating the differentiation of MSCs in order to obtain the required cell type. Gene-based delivery systems have aided the delivery of sustained quantities of these growth factors. The evidence from growth factor enhanced tissue engineering studies for tissue healing looks very positive. This is a multi-disciplinary approach that integrates molecular, biochemical and clinical techniques with developmental and engineering processes. Initial studies indicate an immense potential for cell based strategies to enhance current orthopaedic approaches in skeletal tissue reconstruction. Ultimately, there is a need for randomised controlled trials on human populations to apply these findings to a clinical setting. Nevertheless, stem cell based tissue engineering in orthopaedics shows a promising future

Foregrounding Equity in Climate Action (NIAS Policy Brief No. NIAS/NSE/EEC/U/PB/15/2022)

The world has already warmed by about 1.07 deg. C (0.8–1.3 deg. C) as compared to the pre-industrial period (IPCC,20211). Signatories to the Paris Agreement have agreed to make efforts to limit the temperature rise to “well below 2 deg. C” and in fact attempt to restrict it to 1.5 deg. C. That rise in global surface temperature is directly and linearly related to global cumulative emissions is now firmly established in the scientific literature. This relationship implies that to limit temperature rise to below 2 or 1.5 deg. C with a certain probability, cumulative emissions must be limited to within a corresponding global carbon budget