Assertion or Transgression: A Critical Study of Surpankha as an Unwelcomed Girl Child in Kavita Kané’s Lanka’s Princess

Kavita Kané’s Lanka’s Princess is the retelling of Ramayana3 from the perspective of the often misrepresented and misunderstood character of Surpankha,4 the daughter of rishi (sage) Vishravas and rakshasi (monster) Kaiskesi. Kavita Kané uses myths as a pretext to defy the idea of an ideal femininity in her book. Kané’s representation humanizes the character of Surpankha (translation: woman with sharp fingernails) who was born as the beautiful princess Meenakshi, but her defiant demeanor caused her brother Ravan to give her the name of Surpankha. Kané’s work exhibits the inner thought process of an unwelcome girl child in the family who has always been ignored by her mother and overshadowed by her brothers. The “violent restlessness” which is appreciated in the behavior of Ravan as a marker of heroism is often criticized when embodied by Meenakshi (Kané 28). The present study undertakes a textual analysis of Lanka’s Princess and further analyzes how Kavita Kané’s reinterpretation of the marginalized character of Surpankha challenges the stereotypical characterization of Surpankha as the “other” of Sita, who is the embodiment of obedience. In this light, the rewriting of Surpankha’s story by Kavita Kané focuses on the neglected aspects of Surpankha’s identity, which have been crucial in the formation of her female subjectivity. Moreover, Lanka’s Princess as a text strives to liberate her from the stereotypical image of a disfigured monster by demonstrating her as a woman “who has survived hatred, loss, and rejection” (Arekar 131). This research has the potential to invigorate and intensify the impulse to challenge the universally accepted patriarchal discourse concerning the representation of women in Indian mythology

Genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium isolates from patients in North India

SummaryBackgroundCryptosporidiosis is a significant cause of diarrheal illness in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised populations. Cryptosporidium species infect a wide range of hosts including humans. Different species are morphologically indistinguishable, and molecular techniques have become the key to detection and source tracking. The present study was designed to study the genetic diversity of human Cryptosporidium isolates in North India.MethodsCryptosporidium oocysts were detected in stool samples by special staining of fecal smears. DNA was extracted with a Qiagen kit and all samples were genotyped by small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid (SSU rRNA)-based nested PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) tool using enzymes SspI and VspI. Cryptosporidium hominis and Cryptosporidium parvum isolates were subtyped by sequence analysis of the nested PCR amplified gp60 gene.ResultsFifty-three fecal samples were found to be positive for Cryptosporidium oocysts. RFLP analysis revealed 39 isolates as C. hominis and 13 isolates of C. parvum; one sample failed amplification. gp60-based sequencing of C. hominis and C. parvum divided them into eight subgenotype families and 17 subtypes. gp60-based sequencing identified seven cases of mixed infection with C. hominis and C. parvum/Cryptosporidium meleagridis and showed the presence of C. meleagridis in six HIV-positive patients that were indistinguishable in RFLP.ConclusionsCryptosporidium isolates obtained in the present study from patients in North India belonged to three species, eight subgenotype families, and 17 subtypes. The existence of many Cryptosporidium species, subgenotypes, and subtypes along with mixed infections reveals the complexity of Cryptosporidium transmission; this heterogeneity indicates stable cryptosporidiosis transmission in North India. The results may have further implications in understanding the epidemiology and control of this infection

How should you evaluate elevated calcium in an asymptomatic patient?

Patients with unexplained asymptomatic true hypercalcemia should be screened for primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) and malignancy using an intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) level by immunoradioassay (SOR: C, expert opinion). Other recommended tests that can distinguish PHPT from malignancy and familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia, as well as help manage patients with PHPT include urinary 24-hour calcium and creatinine levels, parathyroid hormone related peptide (PTHrP), alkaline phosphatase, calcitriol, and bone densitometry (SOR: C, expert opinion)

Modulation in techno-functional, textural properties, in vitro starch digestibility and macromolecular–structural interactions of pasta with potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

The replacement of semolina with potato flour (PF) and potato mash (PM) at different levels was assessed for its effects on pasta quality. The results showed that the addition of PF and PM increased the pasting viscosity of the blends; in addition, PF enhanced the functional properties, while PM reduced them. The minimum cooking time decreased with PF and PM, while the PF pasta exhibited a higher cooking loss (5.02 to 10.44%) than the PM pasta, which exhibited a lower cooking loss. The pasta with PF and PM showed an increase in the total phenolic and flavonoid content, with reduced in vitro digestibility as confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The PF pasta exhibited lower lightness and higher yellowness than the PM pasta, and its firmness and toughness also modulated owing to the complex interaction between potato starches and the gluten protein matrix, as evident from scanning electron microscopy. Sensory data revealed that pasta containing 30% PF and 16% PM was highly acceptable

Monuments as “Sites of Memory”: remembering the forgotten Ottoman past of the modern Turkish republic through Elif Shafak’s the architect’s apprentice

This article explores how monuments must not be seen as independent or self-referential depositories of historical knowledge; instead, they must be considered highly significant historical, cultural and socio-political artefacts “with important political implications” (Bozdogan, 2001, p. 12). Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice (2015) establishes Ottoman monuments as the ‘sites of memory’ that have the potential to narrate alternative or buried histories. The present paper investigates how Shafak’s oeuvre helps revive the forgotten aspects of Ottoman Turkish heritage. It further delineates that these Ottoman monuments, as represented in the text, are nothing but the manifestations of the suppressed Ottoman heritage of the Republic of Turkey. The researcher attempts to undertake a close textual reading of the text by drawing insights from the conceptual framework of Pierre Nora’s idea of ‘sites of memory’ and the discourse concerning cultural memory and forgetting. The findings of this research reveal that Shafak’s oeuvre can be considered as a medium to understand how the imposition of ‘perpetual forgetfullness’ in the Modern Turkish Republic has defamiliarised the populace of the Republic from these Ottoman monuments, which are the material embodiments of the Ottoman memory and history. In this light, it becomes crucial to discuss these monuments as ‘sites of memory,’ for they have the potential to abridge the rupture between the forgotten Ottoman past and the Turkish present

An Exemplar for Teaching and Learning Qualitative Research

In this article, we outline a course wherein the instructors teach students how to conduct rigorous qualitative research. We discuss the four major distinct, but overlapping, phases of the course: conceptual/theoretical, technical, applied, and emergent scholar. Students write several qualitative reports, called qualitative notebooks, which involve data that they collect (via three different types of interviews), analyze (using nine qualitative analysis techniques via qualitative software), and interpret. Each notebook is edited by the instructors to help them improve the quality of subsequent notebook reports. Finally, we advocate asking students who have previously taken this course to team-teach future courses. We hope that our exemplar for teaching and learning qualitative research will be useful for teachers and students alike

NK cell-derived IL-10 is critical for DC-NK cell dialogue at the maternal- fetal interface

DC-NK cell interactions are thought to influence the development of maternal tolerance and de novo angiogenesis during early gestation. However, it is unclear which mechanism ensures the cooperative dialogue between DC and NK cells at the feto-maternal interface. In this article, we show that uterine NK cells are the key source of IL-10 that is required to regulate DC phenotype and pregnancy success. Upon in vivo expansion of DC during early gestation, NK cells expressed increased levels of IL-10. Exogenous administration of IL-10 was sufficient to overcome early pregnancy failure in dams treated to achieve simultaneous DC expansion and NK cell depletion. Remarkably, DC expansion in IL-10−/− dams provoked pregnancy loss, which could be abrogated by the adoptive transfer of IL-10+/+ NK cells and not by IL-10−/− NK cells. Furthermore, the IL-10 expressing NK cells markedly enhanced angiogenic responses and placental development in DC expanded IL-10−/− dams. Thus, the capacity of NK cells to secrete IL-10 plays a unique role facilitating the DC- NK cell dialogue during the establishment of a healthy gestation

Level of dietary protein intake affects glucose turnover in endurance-trained men

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To examine the effects of higher-protein diets on endogenous glucose metabolism in healthy, physically active adults, glucose turnover was assessed in five endurance-trained men (age 21.3 ± 0.3 y, VO_2peak70.6 ± 0.1 mL kg^-1min^-1) who consumed dietary protein intakes spanning the current dietary reference intakes.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Using a randomized, crossover design, volunteers consumed 4 week eucaloric diets providing either a low (0.8 g kg^-1d^-1; LP), moderate (1.8 g kg^-1d^-1; MP), or high (3.6 g kg^-1d^-1; HP) level of dietary protein. Glucose turnover (Ra, glucose rate of appearance; and Rd glucose rate of disappearance) was assessed under fasted, resting conditions using primed, constant infusions of [6,6-²H₂] glucose. Glucose Ra and Rd (mg kg^-1min^-1) were higher for MP (2.8 ± 0.1 and 2.7 ± 0.1) compared to HP (2.4 ± 0.1 and 2.3 ± 0.2, <it>P </it>< 0.05) and LP (2.3 ± 0.1 and 2.2 ± 0.1, <it>P </it>< 0.01) diets. Glucose levels (mmol/L) were not different (<it>P </it>> 0.05) between LP (4.6 ± 0.1), MP (4.8 ± 0.1), and HP (4.7 ± 0.1) diets.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Level of protein consumption influenced resting glucose turnover in endurance athletes in a state of energy balance with a higher rate of turnover noted for a protein intake of 1.8 g kg^-1d^-1. Findings suggest that consumption of protein in excess of the recommended dietary allowance but within the current acceptable macronutrient distribution range may contribute to the regulation of blood glucose when carbohydrate intake is reduced by serving as a gluconeogenic substrate in endurance-trained men.</p