How has post colonialism affected our perception in the novels “No Longer at Ease” by Chinua Achebe and “Samskara” by U.R Ananthamurthy?

A study in post-colonialism is a highly enticing endeavor. In the modern society, postcolonial literature is largely underappreciated in contrast to the more opulent reception of the Victorian or Elizabethan era of literature. The truth is, even today, modern perceptions of many colonial nations are largely constructed by their colonial masters. There is certainly a bias due to the influence of Western Hegemony and its monopoly on global media. The Western world still possesses a tendency to discredit anything which does not conform to its democratic liberalist ideals without glancing at other local factors. In the modern world, while the last remnants of these wild stereotypes still exist, there have been successive waves of postcolonial writers who seek to rectify the stereotypes created by the Western World through its media. In the world of post-colonialism, African, Indian, and Caribbean authors have been the frontrunners in showcasing the adverse effects of the colonization with several threads running similar in authors such as Chinua Achebe, Raja Rao, and V. S Naipaul. Alongside these came a series of literary essays which critiques the colonial era books for its one sided Eurocentric bias. These essays have contested colonial themes like institutionalization, valorization of the English literary study and marginality. Particular secondary source authors I have referred to understand the gravity of post colonialism include Homi K Bhabha, V. S Naipaul, Edward Said, and Bill Ashcroft. For my preliminary research, I’ve chosen two divergent novels. The first novel “No Longer at Ease is an emphatic widely appreciated work of Chinua Achebe in the field of post-colonial study. The second novel “Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man” is a translated work of a cerebrated author- U. R Ananthamurthy. The portrayal of social degeneracy is thoroughly expounded upon in this translated Kannada novel. Its intents its ire at Brahmins- “the bourgeoisie of colonial India”, a supposedly elite aristocratic austere community, exercising its hypocrisy by being extremely indulgent towards materialistic objects at a particularly inopportune time- the death of a man, and his final rites

Allocative Efficiency of Grid Farming in Urban Green Built Environments

As of a 2019 study conducted by the National Urban Gardening Program (National Urban Gardening Program), urban farming accounts for approximately 19% of the total national farming output and is expected to triple to almost 45% by 2025. There is intensive research being conducted on aspects of reduced recidivism, communal health benefits, natural carbon capture systems, improved urban ecology and the necessity for reducing the carbon footprint of food, (informally dubbed “food miles”) there is little substantive research on optimization, and maximation of crop productivity in hyper-urban areas. The article attempts to study allocative efficiency in hyper urban built environments

Review: Factors affecting composite laminates against lightning strikes

Lightning strike protection (LSP) have recently been a newly developing field particularly with the emergence of graphene thin film integration into carbon fiber composite structures. This technology has a widespread application in airplanes, wind turbines, and other instruments which are susceptible to frequent lightning strikes. Electrical discharge of the instrument in a safe manner is vital for the safety of the passengers (in the case of flights) as well as the integrity of the aircraft structures because of their specific mechanical and structural properties, which are essential for their functioning. The purpose of the study is to fabricate graphene thin film coated carbon fiber composite structures for assessment with simulated lightning strikes. This study will look at different methods for incorporating GTF (graphene thin film) into Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic and assess the electrical conductivity through methods such as compressive molding, Resin Transfer molding fabrication to achieve highly conductive functionalized nanosized GTFs, integrated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). The method developed must reduce the resistivity of the CFRP and provide a safe discharge outlet for the lightning strikes. In the current study we will develop GTF using GNP impregnated polymers. Electrospinning process will be one of the processes implemented to develop the GTF. The purpose would be develop viable methods for the fabrication of graphene thin film material, and simulated testing of lightning strikes

Fly Ash Based Geopolymer for High Temperature and High Compressive Strength Applications in Aggressive Environment

Geopolymers are the results of geosynthetic reactions between aluminosilicates and strong bases. This results in chemical bonds between aluminum (Al), Silicon (Si)and oxygen (O) composing polymer rings in tetrahedral coordination. These bonds give them widespread useful applications such as high heat bearing ceramics, and base construction material whilst being far more environmentally conscious. The purpose of the experiment is to examine the effect of Silicon Carbide whisker and inorganic glass particles on thermal and mechanical properties of Geopolymers. This study will help understand the effect of various compositions and concentrations of SiO2 in mechanical strength. In this experiment, the major source of Aluminosilicate material to make the geopolymer paste was fly ash, potassium hydroxide, Potassium silicate, Glass silica and water. A variety of concentrations of Silicon Carbide Whisker and glass particles will be added into geopolymer paste in order to evaluate their performance specifically on compressive strength and thermal conductivity. These are essential properties of cementing materials in energy or heat extraction process. Therefore, the material under investigation has potential for geothermal energy extraction and subterranean structures

Design, Concept, and Visualization of urban multi-level growing table systems in Hyper Urban Areas

As of a 2019 study conducted by the National Urban Gardening Program (National Urban Gardening Program), urban farming accounts for approximately 19% of the total national farming output and is expected to triple to almost 45% by 2025. There is intensive research being conducted on aspects of reduced recidivism, communal health benefits, natural carbon capture systems, improved urban ecology and the necessity for reducing the carbon footprint of food, (informally dubbed “food miles”) there is little substantive research on optimisation, and maximation of crop productivity in hyper-urban areas. The purpose of this report is to understand the functionalities of urban growing table, being mindful of its possible limitations, and to fully design an integrated modular growing table. There should be emphasis on making the growing table as modular as possible, while still ensuring the mobility, relative costs, and equitable access to water source, heating source, nutrient sources, and other factors. Aspects like ergonomics, workability, ventilation, air circulation also need to be taken into account for the design considered

A Study on the Design and Production of a Desktop Vaccuum Cleaner

The goal of this project was to design a desk-top vacuum cleaner that is compact, portable, and effective in cleaning desktops and tabletops. Two concepts were proposed and compared using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and various metrics, including in-use purposes and market, technical feasibility, ease of use, durability, and cost. The two concepts were a lifting design with hydraulics and a differently sized offset wheel design. After thorough analysis, it was determined that the lifting design with hydraulics was the better concept due to its adjustability and ability to reach different heights and angles on tabletops. The proposed product title for this concept is the Hydraulic Lift Desktop Vacuum Cleaner. The target market for this product includes offices and households that have a need for a compact and portable vacuum cleaner. The special features of this product include the hydraulic lifting design, adjustable suction power, and different attachments for cleaning different types of surfaces. The estimated retail price for this product is $200. The project, and it’s particular parts were tested for failure for FEA, and potential failure was studied using FMEA. Finally we have also understood the major learnings of the project, and passed on our results, and data to future engineers. In conclusion, this project was done for the purpose of the Senior Design project, and while our final product may not be fit for retail, the project provided major learning in the field of product design, and product deployment