City and identity: postcolonial London

Isplovljavanje broda Empajer Vindraš 1948. godine se smatra za početak masovne migracije iz kolonija, koja je tokom narednih pedeset godina dovela do značajnih promena u metropoli. Kao glavni grad i transportni centar, London je u tom dugom procesu primio najveći broj imigranata. Prva generacija imigranata se u novoj sredini susreće sa drugačijim klimatskim uslovima i kulinarskim navikama, kao i diskriminacijom pri nalaženju zaposlenja i smeštaja. Suprotno od početnih planova da se vrate u svoju domovinu kad obezbede dovoljno finansijskih sredstava, većina njih ostaje u metropoli i tu zasniva porodice. Njihova deca, koja predstavljaju drugu generaciju imigranata, rođena su i odrastaju u Londonu, a domovinu svojih roditelja poznaju samo iz njihovih priča, što ih onemogućava da sanjaju kako će se tamo vratiti. Rad analizira prikazivanje postkolonijalnog Londona u romanima V. S. Najpola, Salmana Ruždija, Hanifa Kurejšija, Andree Livi, Zejdi Smit i Monike Ali. London je prikazan kao mesto na kome se prožimaju različiti društveni, istorijski i kulturološki uticaji usled sve većeg prisustva imigranata. Prilikom istraživanja posebna pažnja je posvećena tumačenju hronotopa Mihaila Bahtina radi određivanja uticaja vremena i prostora koji omogućavaju da prikazivanje Londona ima posebnu ulogu u romanima pomenutih autora. London su vekovima pisci koristili kao hronotop u svojim delima, međutim u postkolonijalnom diskursu se može uočiti značajna promena u njegovoj funkciji. Pored hronotopa, razmotrena je i teorija hibridnosti Homija Babe zbog potrebe definisanja načina na koji se formira identitet imigranata u multikulturalnoj sredini kao što je britanska prestonica. Istraživanje je dovelo do zaključka o međusobnoj povezanosti postkolonijalnog grada i identiteta u drugoj polovini XX veka u vidu hibridnog hronotopa.The Empire Windrush setting sails in 1948 marked the beginning of the mass migration from British colonies, which brought on significant changes in the metropolis in the span of five decades. As the capital and major transportation hub, London has absorbed the majority of immigrants during the period. The first generation of immigrants encountered different climate and culinary characteristics as well as discrimination in finding employment and accommodation. Contrary to the initial plans to return to their country of origin, the majority stayed in the capital and started a family life. Their children are born and bred in London and, as the second generation of immigrants, they strive to belong to the city. The paper analyzes the presentation of postcolonial London in the novels written by V. S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureishi, Andrea Levy, Zadie Smith, and Monica Ali. The city is depicted as an intersection of various social, historical, and cultural influences due to the increasing number of migrants. In the research, a special focus will be placed on Mikhail Bakhtin’s chronotope in order to determine the relation between time and space in the novels. London has been used as a chronotope in numerous books for centuries, but its function has been altered in the postcolonial discourse. Homi Bhabha’s theory of hybridity will also be applied for defining immigrants’ identity in the multicultural environment. The research has led to a conclusion that the postcolonial city and identity in the second half of the 20th century are interlinked through a hybrid chronotope

Assessment of deep cryogenic heat-treatment impact on the microstructure and surface chemistry of austenitic stainless steel

This systematic study deals with the influence of deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) on microstructure and surface properties of austenitic stainless steel AISI 304 L on different length scales and in the surface region. The study incorporates different analysis techniques, such as light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and time-of-flight secondary ions mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). DCT modifies the microstructure of treated samples through promoted precipitation of Cr7C3 carbides, induced twinning and α-martensite formation. Additionally, XPS/AR-XPS and ToF-SIMS results also provide evidence of modified oxidation dynamics of DCT samples compared to conventionally heat-treated samples with increase of the Fe-oxide fraction and lower Cr-oxide fraction in the surface oxide layer. An evaluation of oxidation states and ions distribution within the surface layer of deep cryogenically heat-treated stainless steel AISI 304 L is conducted with XPS/ToF-SIMS. These results are correlated with the microstructural changes and nitrogen diffusivity induced by DCT, which are associated with modified oxidation behaviour of AISI 304 L. These results provide further understanding of DCT dynamic on the overall microstructure and the corresponding surface behaviour

Sphingomimetic multiple sclerosis drug FTY720 activates vesicular synaptobrevin and augments neuroendocrine secretion

Neurotransmission and secretion of hormones involve a sequence of protein/lipid interactions with lipid turnover impacting on vesicle trafficking and ultimately fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane. We previously demonstrated that sphingosine, a sphingolipid metabolite, promotes formation of the SNARE complex required for membrane fusion and also increases the rate of exocytosis in isolated nerve terminals, neuromuscular junctions, neuroendocrine cells and in hippocampal neurons. Recently a fungi-derived sphingosine homologue, FTY720, has been approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis. In its non-phosphorylated form FTY720 accumulates in the central nervous system, reaching high levels which could affect neuronal function. Considering close structural similarity of sphingosine and FTY720 we investigated whether FTY720 has an effect on regulated exocytosis. Our data demonstrate that FTY720 can activate vesicular synaptobrevin for SNARE complex formation and enhance exocytosis in neuroendocrine cells and neurons

Gut contents, digestive half-lives and feeding state prediction in the soil predatory mite Pergamasus longicornis (Mesostigmata: Parasitidae)

Mid- and hind-gut lumenal changes are described in the free-living predatory soil mite Pergamasus longicornis (Berlese) from a time series of histological sections scored during and after feeding on fly larval prey. Three distinct types of tangible material are found in the lumen. Bayesian estimation of the change points in the states of the gut lumenal contents over time is made using a time-homogenous first order Markov model. Exponential processes within the gut exhibit ’stiff’ dynamics. A lumen is present throughout the midgut from 5 min after the start of feeding as the gut rapidly expands. It peaks at about 21.5 h - 1.5 days and persists post-feeding (even when the gut is contracted) up until fasting/starvation commences 10 days post start of feeding. The disappearance of the lumen commences 144 h after the start of feeding. Complete disappearance of the gut lumen make take 5-9 weeks from feeding commencing. Clear watery prey material arrives up to 10 min from the start of feeding - driving gut lumen expansion. Intracellular digestion triggered by maximum gut expansion is indicated. Detectable granular prey material appears in the lumen during the concentrative phase of coxal droplet production and, despite a noticeable collapse around 12 h, lasts in part for 52.5 h. Posterior midgut regions differ slightly from anterior regions in their main prey food dynamics being somewhat faster in processing yet being slightly delayed. Posterior regions are confirmed as Last-In-Last-Out depots, anterior regions confirmed as First-In-First-Out conveyor belt processes. Evidence for differential lability of prey fractions is found. A scheme of granular imbibed prey material being first initially rapidly absorbed (t andfrac12; = 23 min), and also being quickly partly converted to globular material extra-corporeally/extracellularly (t andfrac12; = 36 min) - which then rapidly disappears (t andfrac12; =1.1 h, from a peak around 4 h) is presented. This is then followed by slow intracellular digestion (t andfrac12; = 6.9 h) of the resultant resistant prey residue matching the slow rate of appearance of opaque pre-excretory egestive refractive grains (overall t andfrac12; = 4.5 days). The latter confirmed latent ’catabolic fraction’ (along with Malpighian tubule produced guanine crystals) drives rectal vesicle expansion as ’faeces’ during the later phases of gut emptying/contraction. Catabolic half-lives are of the order of 6.3-7.8 h. Membraneous material is only present in the lumen of the gut in starving mites. No obvious peritrophic membrane was observed. The total feeding cycle time may be slightly over 52.5 h. Full clearance in the gut system of a single meal including egestive and excretory products may take up to 3 weeks. Independent corroborative photographs are included and with posterior predictive densities confirm the physiological sequence of:- ingestion/digestion; egestion; excretion; defecation; together with their timings. Visually dark midguts almost certainly indicate egestive refractive grains (?xanthine) production. Nomograms to diagnose the feeding state of P.longicornis in field samples are presented and show that the timing of these 4 phases in the wild could be inferred by scoring 10-12 mites out of a sample of 20. Suggestions to critically confirm or refute the conclusions are included

City and identity: postcolonial London

Isplovljavanje broda Empajer Vindraš 1948. godine se smatra za početak masovne migracije iz kolonija, koja je tokom narednih pedeset godina dovela do značajnih promena u metropoli. Kao glavni grad i transportni centar, London je u tom dugom procesu primio najveći broj imigranata. Prva generacija imigranata se u novoj sredini susreće sa drugačijim klimatskim uslovima i kulinarskim navikama, kao i diskriminacijom pri nalaženju zaposlenja i smeštaja. Suprotno od početnih planova da se vrate u svoju domovinu kad obezbede dovoljno finansijskih sredstava, većina njih ostaje u metropoli i tu zasniva porodice. Njihova deca, koja predstavljaju drugu generaciju imigranata, rođena su i odrastaju u Londonu, a domovinu svojih roditelja poznaju samo iz njihovih priča, što ih onemogućava da sanjaju kako će se tamo vratiti. Rad analizira prikazivanje postkolonijalnog Londona u romanima V. S. Najpola, Salmana Ruždija, Hanifa Kurejšija, Andree Livi, Zejdi Smit i Monike Ali. London je prikazan kao mesto na kome se prožimaju različiti društveni, istorijski i kulturološki uticaji usled sve većeg prisustva imigranata. Prilikom istraživanja posebna pažnja je posvećena tumačenju hronotopa Mihaila Bahtina radi određivanja uticaja vremena i prostora koji omogućavaju da prikazivanje Londona ima posebnu ulogu u romanima pomenutih autora. London su vekovima pisci koristili kao hronotop u svojim delima, međutim u postkolonijalnom diskursu se može uočiti značajna promena u njegovoj funkciji. Pored hronotopa, razmotrena je i teorija hibridnosti Homija Babe zbog potrebe definisanja načina na koji se formira identitet imigranata u multikulturalnoj sredini kao što je britanska prestonica. Istraživanje je dovelo do zaključka o međusobnoj povezanosti postkolonijalnog grada i identiteta u drugoj polovini XX veka u vidu hibridnog hronotopa.The Empire Windrush setting sails in 1948 marked the beginning of the mass migration from British colonies, which brought on significant changes in the metropolis in the span of five decades. As the capital and major transportation hub, London has absorbed the majority of immigrants during the period. The first generation of immigrants encountered different climate and culinary characteristics as well as discrimination in finding employment and accommodation. Contrary to the initial plans to return to their country of origin, the majority stayed in the capital and started a family life. Their children are born and bred in London and, as the second generation of immigrants, they strive to belong to the city. The paper analyzes the presentation of postcolonial London in the novels written by V. S. Naipaul, Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureishi, Andrea Levy, Zadie Smith, and Monica Ali. The city is depicted as an intersection of various social, historical, and cultural influences due to the increasing number of migrants. In the research, a special focus will be placed on Mikhail Bakhtin’s chronotope in order to determine the relation between time and space in the novels. London has been used as a chronotope in numerous books for centuries, but its function has been altered in the postcolonial discourse. Homi Bhabha’s theory of hybridity will also be applied for defining immigrants’ identity in the multicultural environment. The research has led to a conclusion that the postcolonial city and identity in the second half of the 20th century are interlinked through a hybrid chronotope

Modelling Supported Design of Light Management Structures in Ultra-Thin Cigs Photovoltaic Devices

Chalcopyrite solar cells exhibit one of the highest conversion efficiencies among thin-film solar cell technologies (> 23.3%), however a considerably thick absorber ≥1.8 μm is required for an efficient absorption of the long-wavelength light and collection of charge carriers. In order to minimize the material consumption and to accelerate the fabrication process, further thinning down of the absorber layer is important. Using a thin absorber layer results in a highly reduced photocurrent density and to compensate for it an effective light management needs to be introduced. Experimentally supported, advanced optical simulations in a PV module configuration, i.e. solar cell structure including the encapsulation and front glass are employed to design solutions to increase the short current density of devices with ultra-thin (500 nm) absorbers. In particular (i) highly reflective metal back reflector (BR), (ii) internal nano-textures and (iii) external textures by applying a light management (LM) foil are investigated by simulations. Experimental verification of simulation results is presented for the external texture case. In the scope of this contribution we show that any individual aforementioned approach is not sufficient to compensate for the short circuit current drop of the thin CIGS, but only a combination of highly reflective back contact and introduction of textures (internal or external) is able to compensate and also to exceed (by more than 5 % for internal texture) photocurrent density of a thick (1800 nm) CIGS absorber