Contesting cultural hybridity: an empirical challenge from two case studies among South Asians in Britain

This thesis considers how successfully contemporary theories of 'cultural hybridity' can afford a position from which to identify possibilities for 'racially transgressive cultural change' within modem societies. To tackle this question, the thesis assesses the work of four influential cultural theorists (Stuart Hall, Avtar Brah, Paul Gilroy and Ali Rattansi) in the context of everyday, lived cultural realities. Two empirical studies conducted among South Asians in Britain are also presented: one examines trends in consumption of films on videotape; the other investigates negotiations of being Muslim. Data from the two studies show how negotiations of fragmented cultural experiences may in fact reinforce racial and cultural hierarchies as much as generate 'new', non-racialised cultural outlooks. Interrogating these empirical findings, the thesis proposes a distinction between two models of cross-cultural interaction: one model represents fixed interdependency of axes of difference, which results in 'exclusive' cultural identities; the other illustrates how axes of difference can influence each other's meaning without becoming interdependent, leaving open possibilities for the renegotiation of multiple co-ordinates of identity. In identifying the prospects for progressive cultural change the two studies underscore a need to extend hybridity theorists' preoccupation with 'migrant' cultures. The findings suggest that, until the dynamics and principles of 'cultural hybridity' are contested from the perspective of indigenous Western populations, the work of hybridity theorists will remain unable to provide an adequate framework for promoting racially transgressive cultural change

U-duality in three and four dimensions

Using generalised geometry we study the action of U-duality acting in three and four dimensions on the bosonic fields of eleven dimensional supergravity. We compare the U-duality symmetry with the T-duality symmetry of double field theory and see how the $SL(2)\otimes SL(3)$ and SL(5) U-duality groups reduce to the SO(2,2) and SO(3,3) T-duality symmetry groups of the type IIA theory. As examples we dualise M2-branes, both black and extreme. We find that uncharged black M2-branes become charged under U-duality, generalising the Harrison transformation, while extreme M2-branes will become new extreme M2-branes. The resulting tension and charges are quantised appropriately if we use the discrete U-duality group $E_d(Z)$.Comment: v1: 35 pages; v2: minor corrections in section 4.1.2, many references added; v3: further discussion added on the conformal factor of the generalised metric in section 2 and on the Wick-rotation used to construct examples in section

Predicting Intermediate Storage Performance for Workflow Applications

Configuring a storage system to better serve an application is a challenging task complicated by a multidimensional, discrete configuration space and the high cost of space exploration (e.g., by running the application with different storage configurations). To enable selecting the best configuration in a reasonable time, we design an end-to-end performance prediction mechanism that estimates the turn-around time of an application using storage system under a given configuration. This approach focuses on a generic object-based storage system design, supports exploring the impact of optimizations targeting workflow applications (e.g., various data placement schemes) in addition to other, more traditional, configuration knobs (e.g., stripe size or replication level), and models the system operation at data-chunk and control message level. This paper presents our experience to date with designing and using this prediction mechanism. We evaluate this mechanism using micro- as well as synthetic benchmarks mimicking real workflow applications, and a real application.. A preliminary evaluation shows that we are on a good track to meet our objectives: it can scale to model a workflow application run on an entire cluster while offering an over 200x speedup factor (normalized by resource) compared to running the actual application, and can achieve, in the limited number of scenarios we study, a prediction accuracy that enables identifying the best storage system configuration

Approximate solution of a flow over a ramp for large Froude number

AbstractAn approximate method is presented to solve the problem of steady free-surface flow of an ideal fluid over a semi-infinite ramp in the bottom. Schwartz-Christoffel transformation is used to map the region of flow, in the complex potential-plane, onto the upper half-plane. The Hilbert transformation as well as the perturbation technique are used as a basis for the approximate solution of the problem for large Froude number and small inclination angle of the ramp. General equations, in integral form, for any order of approximation are obtained. Solution up to first-order approximation is discussed and illustrated.Elevation of the free-surface for different ramp heights, different inclination angles of the ramp and different Froude numbers are plotted. An approximate formula of maximum elevation of the free-surface in terms of the ramp heights and its inclination angle is found

Symmetry analysis for steady boundary-layer stagnation-point flow of Rivlin–Ericksen fluid of second grade subject to suction

An analysis for the steady two-dimensional boundary-layer stagnation-point flow of Rivlin–Ericksen fluid of second grade with a uniform suction is carried out via symmetry analysis. By employing Lie-group method to the given system of nonlinear partial differential equations, the symmetries of the equations are determined. Using these symmetries, the solution of the given equations is found. The effect of the viscoelastic parameter k and the suction parameter R on the tangential and normal velocities, temperature profiles, heat transfer coefficient and the wall shear stress, have been studied. Also, the effect of the Prandtl number Pr on the temperature and the heat transfer coefficient has been studied

Sources of support and expatriation:a multiple stakeholder perspective of expatriate adjustment and performance in Malaysia

This research tests the role of perceived support from multinational corporations and host-country nationals for the adjustment of expatriates and their spouses while on international assignments. The investigation is carried out with matched data from 134 expatriates and their spouses based in foreign multinationals in Malaysia. The results highlight the different reliance on support providers that expatriates and their accompanying spouses found beneficial for acclimatizing to the host-country environment. Improved adjustment in turn was found to have positive effects on expatriates' performance. The research findings have implications for both international human resource management researchers and practitioners

Nonlinear progressive internal gravity wave on fluid of trapezoidal bottom

AbstractIn the present paper we discuss a theoretical model for the interfacial profiles of progressive nonlinear waves which result from introducing a trapezoidal obstacle, of finite height, attached to the bottom below the flow of a stratified, ideal, two layer fluid, bounded from above by a rigid boundary. Assuming a very large horizontal length compared with the vertical height allows us to apply the shallow-water approximation theory, and, consequently, a nonlinear perturbation method is presented to construct per power series the analytical solution for the interfacial profiles of the progressive waves. The dependence of the interfacial profile on the trapezoidal obstacle size, as well as its dependence on some flow parameters, such as the ratios of depths and densities of the two fluids, have been studied and illustrated

A Quasi-Spherical Gravitational Wave Solution in Kaluza-Klein Theory

An exact solution of the source-free Kaluza-Klein field equations is presented. It is a 5D generalization of the Robinson-Trautman quasi-spherical gravitational wave with a cosmological constant. The properties of the 5D solution are briefly described.Comment: 10 pages Latex, Revtex, submitted to GR