The Rumor of Globalization: Globalism, Counterworks and the Location of Commodity

Abstract. This article seeks to document the vernacular perceptions of ‘globalization' in rural Bengal (India) and, in that connection, seeks to rethink some long-held western notions concerning commodity, consumption, representation, the nature of sociality and the politics of democratic empowerment in the third-world. In the subaltern imaginary, images seem to play a crucial role conductive to empowerment. Also, far from resisting globalization and consumption, the rural poor seems to have assimilated these into their vernacular cosmology. Keywords: Globalization, local/global, ‘commodity fetishism’, consumption, spectacle, simulacrum, gift, democracy, governance, ‘Subaltern Studies’, community, personhood

Dream kitsch – folk art, indigenous media and '9/11': The Work of Pat in the Era of Electronic Transmission

This article explores the process of transmission of the image(s) of 9/11 through an ethnographic/art-historical examination of Bengali (Indian) pat (traditional scroll painting) made by a community of rural Indian artisans with little or no exposure to mass-media. It transpires that while the impact of mass-media – often held responsible for the extinction of 'authentic' folk art – has been somewhat exaggerated, the argument put forward here is that the putative anteriority of a time before representation, is largely an illusion

EFFECT OF POLYSORBATE-80 CONCENTRATION ON G-CSF FORMULATION USING LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Objective: The aim of the study was to find the dual effects of polysorbate-80 concentration on oxidation and aggregation in the formulation of granulocyte colony stimulating factor. Methods: The effect of polysorbate-80 at different concentration was monitored and analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography. Oxidative degradation and aggregate generation was studied using reverse phase and size exclusion chromatography method respectively. Results: With increase in concentration of polysorbate-80 the amount of oxidation as well as aggregate formation increases in a concentration dependent manner. The aggregates present at higher concentration of polysorbate-80 formulation are not found with low concentration or without polysorbate-80. This result shows that higher concentration of Tween-80 force the formation of oligomers and leads to increased level of oxidation of granulocyte colony stimulating factor. Conclusion: The dual effect of aggregation and oxidation of polysorbate-80 on the recombinant granulocyte colony stimulating factor indicate that during formulation development studies it is crucial to evaluate the amount of polysorbate-80 to be used in the formulation

Contemporary environmental issues of landfill leachate: assessment & remedies

AbstractLandfills are the primary option for waste disposal all over the world. Most of the landfill sites across the world are old and are not engineered to prevent contamination of the underlying soil and groundwater by the toxic leachate. The pollutants from landfill leachate have accumulative and detrimental effect on the ecology and food chains leading to carcinogenic effects, acute toxicity and genotoxicity among human beings. Management of this highly toxic leachate presents a challenging problem to the regulatory authorities who have set specific regulations regarding maximum limits of contaminants in treated leachate prior to disposal into the environment to ensure minimal environmental impact. There are different stages of leachate management such as monitoring of its formation and flow into the environment, identification of hazards associated with it and its treatment prior to disposal into the environment. This review focuses on: (i) leachate composition, (ii) Plume migration, (iii) Contaminant fate, (iv) Leachate plume monitoring techniques, (v) Risk assessment techniques, Hazard rating methods, mathematical modeling, and (vi) Recent innovations in leachate treatment technologies. However, due to seasonal fluctuations in leachate composition, flow rate and leachate volume, the management approaches cannot be stereotyped. Every scenario is unique and the strategy will vary accordingly. This paper lays out the choices for making an educated guess leading to the best management option

Hospital-based perinatal outcomes and complications in teenage pregnancy in India

Teenage pregnancy is a worldwide problem bearing serious social and medical implications relating to maternal and child health. A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken to compare the different sociodemographic characteristics and perinatal outcomes of teenage primigravida mothers with those of adult primigravida mothers in a tertiary-care hospital in eastern India. A sample of 350 each in cases and comparison group comprised the study subjects. Data were collected through interviews and by observa-tions using a pretested and predesigned schedule. Results revealed that the teenage mothers had a higher proportion ( 27. 7%) of preterm deliveries compared to 13. 1% in the adult mothers and had low-birth-weight babies ( 38. 9% vs 30. 4% respectively). Stillbirth rate was also significantly higher in teenage deliveries ( 5. 1% vs 0. 9% respectively). The teenage mothers developed more adverse perinatal complications, such as preterm births, stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and delivered low-birthweight babies, when compared with those of the adult primigravida mothers. Teenage pregnancy is still a rampant and important public-health problem in India with unfavourable perinatal outcomes and needs to be tackled on a priority basis