From Sapore to Sapere : the gustatory perception of elsewhere in Calvino’s ‘Under the Jaguar Sun’

This essay seeks to show how the gustatory perception of “elsewhere” intensifies human sapience of not only the exotic Other, but also of the self. In other words, it argues that Calvino’s desire to communicate with flavours in ‘Under the Jaguar Sun’ can effectively be read as a tacit acknowledgment of the centrality of taste in comprehending the world in its totality. So, how might one employ the sense of taste to describe “elsewhere”—a place of non-belonging, that seductively nebulous region beyond the certainty of absolute knowledge? Is it possible to access ‘elsewhere’ through a purely gustatory perception? Can it be integrated into habitable place? Does it allow itself to be expressed through/represented by ancient and cryptic foodways? By exploring the erotic and linguistic entailments of the culinary sign, this essay shines a light on the systemic complexities of ‘elsewhere’ in the context of Calvino’s short-story concluding that any genuine comprehension of it naturally presupposes the resolution of the eternal and problematic dichotomy between the perceiving subject (self) and the perceived object (the exotic Other).peer-reviewe

Ethnography, Translation of Cultures and History in V. S. Naipaul’s India Trilogy, „The Loss of El Dorado” and „A Way in the World”

The genre of travel writing is not only informed by an interdisciplinary aesthetic but also involves the description of peoples and the translation/re-presentation/re-interpretation of cultures. This article provides important clues as to how ethnography can be made to function as a legitimate mode of cultural and literary criticism. In doing so, this article seeks to establish that just as the ethnographer’s systematic study of the Other entails the possibility of gaining knowledge about the self, the travel writer’s knowledge of the Other, too, can often lead to a veritable gain in consciousness. Representation of the past or of history so to speak, as well as of the present which springs from that history, form a major preoccupation in Naipaul’s travel writing. To construct the present which, as a temporal category, is fairly problematic insofar as it is ephemeral and ever-fleeting and cannot be described without referring to what was or has been, one must begin with what one believes to be an understanding of the past – of history, per se. This study demonstrates how intensely emotional encounters with pastness inform the ways in which history is developed and narrativized within the discursive field of travel writing

Phytoreclamation of Abandoned Acid Mine Drainage Site After Treatment with Fly Ash

Acid mine drainage and coal fly ash both are the sibling products from man’s increasing demand for power. Mining of coal from coal mines generates acid mine drainage (AMD), and burning of coal for thermal power generation produces fly ash (FA). Although both are hazardous to the ecosystem and human health, reunion of them into one would reduce their toxic effect on nature. Mining causes exposure of hidden rock materials containing an abundance of sulphide to the atmosphere. Oxidation of the metal sulphides (pyrite, as iron sulphide) within the surrounding rock and overburden generates acidity. Subsurface mining that pumps out water to prevent flooding releases acidic water to nearby areas, known as acid mine drainage. Tailings piles, mine waste rock dumps, and coal spoils contribute in AMD. Improper disposal of the fly ash contaminates the soil, water and air by leaching of the pollutants or air borne particulate matters. However filler properties and presence of macronutrients makes fly ash an excellent filler material for mine sites, and its soil-like properties help in plant growth if provided with organic carbon and nitrogen. This chapter proposes development of a green cover into AMD site after treatment of the AMD site with FA

High-level expression of biologically active glycoprotein hormones in Pichia pastoris strains—selection of strain GS115, and not X-33, for the production of biologically active N-glycosylated 15N-labeled phCG

The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is widely used for the production of recombinant glycoproteins. With the aim to generate biologically active 15N-labeled glycohormones for conformational studies focused on the unravelling of the NMR structures in solution, the P. pastoris strains GS115 and X-33 were explored for the expression of human chorionic gonadotropin (phCG) and human follicle-stimulating hormone (phFSH). In agreement with recent investigations on the N-glycosylation of phCG, produced in P. pastoris GS115, using ammonia/glycerol-methanol as nitrogen/carbon sources, the N-glycosylation pattern of phCG, synthesized using NH4Cl/glucose–glycerol–methanol, comprised neutral and charged, phosphorylated high-mannose-type N-glycans (Man8–15GlcNAc2). However, the changed culturing protocol led to much higher amounts of glycoprotein material, which is of importance for an economical realistic approach of the aimed NMR research. In the context of these studies, attention was also paid to the site specific N-glycosylation in phCG produced in P. pastoris GS115. In contrast to the rather simple N-glycosylation pattern of phCG expressed in the GS115 strain, phCG and phFSH expressed in the X-33 strain revealed, besides neutral high-mannose-type N-glycans, also high concentrations of neutral hypermannose-type N-glycans (Manup-to-30GlcNAc2). The latter finding made the X-33 strain not very suitable for generating 15N-labeled material. Therefore, 15N-phCG was expressed in the GS115 strain using the new optimized protocol. The 15N-enrichment was evaluated by 15N-HSQC NMR spectroscopy and GLC-EI/MS. Circular dichroism studies indicated that 15N-phCG/GS115 had the same folding as urinary hCG. Furthermore, 15N-phCG/GS115 was found to be similar to the unlabeled protein in every respect as judged by radioimmunoassay, radioreceptor assays, and in vitro bioassays

Bioleaching of Heavy Metals by Sulfur Oxidizing Bacteria: A Review

Abstract Bioleaching, a novel biotechnological process, is used to eliminate heavy metals from contaminated sediments by acidification as well as solubilization of heavy metals. Metals from poor-quality ore and mineral compounds are removed by Bioleaching process, which is simple and low cost effective technology. Acidophilic sulfur oxidizing bacteria (Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans, Acidithiobacillus thioosidans) transforms toxic metal sulphides to less toxic sulphates. Trace elements are processed by using sulfur oxidizing microorganisms (Aspergillus niger). Heap bioleaching of chalcocite ores is widely used as a relatively low cost process option, especially for marginal deposits. Aspergillus niger has good leaching efficiency in the extraction of Fe, Sn and Au. Now these days metal recovery technique is widely practiced for the recovery of copper, gold, iron, manganese and lead. The bacterial species generally used in bioremediation process are known as Thiobacillus. Decomposition and erosion by sulfur oxidizing microorganisms are the preliminary methods for the extraction of toxic metal ions from contaminated environment. Therefore, bioleaching has potential effect on metal retrieval and detoxification of waste products of industry, coal mine, sewage sludge and heavy metal contaminated soil

Splenic vein thrombosis as a rare complication of disseminated tuberculosis : imaging diagnosis and case report

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism is a known but a rare complication associated with mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. The reported incidence in literature is 1.5-3.4% of infected patients, and occurs due to a hypercoagulable state induced secondary to the associated inflammation. CASE REPORT: A young woman with pulmonary tuberculosis was found to have disseminated tuberculosis and a clinically unsuspected partial thrombus in the splenic vein on imaging. Ultrasound demonstrated hepato-splenomegaly with multiple granulomas as well as ascites and a left-sided pleural effusion. An increased calibre of the splenic vein with a hyperechogenicity within it raised the suspicion of a thrombus, which was confirmed on a contrast-enhanced CT examination. CECT of the abdomen also showed a small peripheral splenic infarct, while CECT of the chest revealed bilateral miliary lesions in the lungs along with necrotic mediastinal lymphadenopathy. The final imaging diagnosis was disseminated tuberculosis complicated by splenic vein thrombosis. A timely institution of anti-coagulant and anti-tubercular treatment led to a complete resolution of the splenic vein thrombosis. CONCLUSIONS: Contrast-enhanced CT serves as a useful imaging tool for the detection of venous thrombosis and for the estimation of a complete burden of the disease. This condition should be kept in mind by both clinicians and radiologists and looked for in order to prevent life-threatening complications

Phylogenetic Analysis of the p24-p7 Region of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 gag Gene To Determine Subtype Distribution among Female Sex Workers in Calcutta, India

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) subtype C, based on the envelope region, has been reported to be predominant in India. We sequenced the p24-p7 gag region from 51 HIV-1 seropositive female sex workers in Calcutta, India, for more-detailed molecular characterization. Subtype C was found to be prevalent, although no strong monophyletic cluster was observed

Translational fusion of two beta-subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin results in production of a novel antagonist of

The strategy of translationally fusing the alpha-and beta-subunits of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) into a single-chain molecule has been used to produce novel analogs of hCG. Previously we reported expression of a biologically active singlechain analog hCG alpha beta expressed using Pichia expression system. Using the same expression system, another analog, in which the alpha-subunit was replaced with the second beta-subunit, was expressed (hCG beta beta) and purified. hCG beta beta could bind to LH receptor with an affinity three times lower than that of hCG but failed to elicit any response. However, it could inhibit response to the hormone in vitro in a dose- dependent manner. Furthermore, it inhibited response to hCG in vivo indicating the antagonistic nature of the analog. However, it was unable inhibit human FSH binding or response to human FSH, indicating the specificity of the effect. Characterization of hCG alpha beta and hCG beta beta using immunological tools showed alterations in the conformation of some of the epitopes, whereas others were unaltered. Unlike hCG, hCG beta beta interacts with two LH receptor molecules. These studies demonstrate that the presence of the second beta-subunit in the single-chain molecule generated a structure that can be recognized by the receptor. However, due to the absence of alpha-subunit, the molecule is unable to elicit response. The strategy of fusing two beta-subunits of glycoprotein hormones can be used to produce antagonists of these hormones

MicroRNA exporter HuR clears the internalized pathogens by promoting pro‐inflammatory response in infected macrophages

Abstract HuR is a miRNA derepressor protein that can act as miRNA sponge for specific miRNAs to negate their action on target mRNAs. Here we have identified how HuR, by inducing extracellular vesicles‐mediated export of miRNAs, ensures robust derepression of miRNA‐repressed cytokines essential for strong pro‐inflammatory response in activated mammalian macrophages. Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, on the contrary alters immune response of the host macrophage by a variety of complex mechanisms to promote anti‐inflammatory response essential for the survival of the parasite. We have found that during Leishmania infection, the pathogen targets HuR to promote onset of anti‐inflammatory response in mammalian macrophages. In infected macrophages, Leishmania also upregulate protein phosphatase 2A that acts on Ago2 protein to keep it in dephosphorylated and miRNA‐associated form. This causes robust repression of the miRNA‐targeted pro‐inflammatory cytokines to establish an anti‐inflammatory response in infected macrophages. HuR has an inhibitory effect on protein phosphatase 2A expression, and mathematical modelling of macrophage activation process supports antagonistic miRNA‐modulatory roles of HuR and protein phosphatase 2A which mutually balances immune response in macrophage by targeting miRNA function. Supporting this model, ectopic expression of the protein HuR and simultaneous inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A induce strong pro‐inflammatory response in the host macrophage to prevent the virulent antimonial drug‐sensitive or drug‐resistant form of L. donovani infection. Thus, HuR can act as a balancing factor of immune responses to curtail the macrophage infection process by the protozoan parasite