Exploring Dalit participation in learning and the transformative potential of self reflective inquiry

In this thesis I explore barriers to, and opportunities for, the participation in learning (and emancipation) of a profoundly subjugated segment of Indian Society referred to as Dalits. Accounting for approximately 16 per cent of the Indian population (according to the 2001 Census), Dalits have been excluded from education and wider society on the basis of their inferior position in the hierarchical division of society known as the Caste System. A raft of statistics indicate the extent of this exclusion and the disproportionate representation of Dalit children in those who have never been enrolled in school, drop out before completin primary education, or are illiterate. However this thesis is not about numbers and I examine the relevant themes from a different perspective. Drawing on evidence and insights garnered by employing a variety of research techniques (literature review, fieldwork in India, autobiographical episodes and self-reflective inquiry) I examine opportunities for Dalit participation in learning (not just formal schooling) that will stimulate this subjugated people to critically reflect upon the circumstances of their oppression and take action to challenge it. This thesis is, in part, an exploration of the contours of a liberating education. At the heart of this thesis lies an examination of the transformative potential of self-reflective inquiry. I argue that, if conducted sufficiently rigorously, the process of critical self-reflection can lead to a profound transformation in human consciousness and a radical shift in the relationship between Self and Other. I suggest that this insight is pivotal if we are to deepen our understanding of the barriers to, and opportunities for, Dalit emancipation and participation in learning

A Framework for Integrating Transportation Into Smart Cities

In recent years, economic, environmental, and political forces have quickly given rise to “Smart Cities” -- an array of strategies that can transform transportation in cities. Using a multi-method approach to research and develop a framework for smart cities, this study provides a framework that can be employed to: Understand what a smart city is and how to replicate smart city successes; The role of pilot projects, metrics, and evaluations to test, implement, and replicate strategies; and Understand the role of shared micromobility, big data, and other key issues impacting communities. This research provides recommendations for policy and professional practice as it relates to integrating transportation into smart cities

Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor: A Rare Abdominal Tumor

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are rare abdominal tumors which arise from the interstitial cells of Cajal in the gastrointestinal tract. Gastric GISTs are the most commonly seen GIST tumors and may grow to a very large size. They are often associated with abdominal pain, anorexia and weight loss. Most of them can be detected by CT. These tumors have been found to harbor mutations in CD117 which causes constitutional activation of the tyrosine kinase signaling pathway and is considered to be pathognomic. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib have revolutionized the treatment of these tumors, which are otherwise resistant to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Although surgical resection is the mainstay of treatment, tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been useful in prolonging the recurrence-free survival of these patients. Resistance to imatinib has been reported in GISTs with specific mutations. We present a case of gastric GIST which grew to a very large size and was associated with abdominal pain and weight loss. It was successfully resected and the patient was commenced on imatinib therapy

Palyonological studies of the semi-desert plant species from Pakistan

The detailed palynological description of 40 angiospermic plant species, belonging to 22 families and 38 genera were made. Out of the 22 families, 3 families were monocotyledonous and 19 dicotyledonous. The Brassicaceae and Papilionaceae were the largest families regarding number of species having four species each. In all the species except Poaceae, the pollen types were tricolporate. In case of Calendula arvensis L., Salvia aegyptica, Melia azedarrach tetracolporate pollens were observed, in Carum copticum(L.) Bth, the pollens were bicolpate; in Cynoglosum lanceolatum Forssk., it was fenestrate while in Bougainvillea glabra Choisy., it was periporate. Thus, the present study was fruitful as it avoids the difficulties faced by taxonomists and plant scientists in correlating and differentiating plant species

Antimicrobial activity of the fruit extracts of Coccinia indica

The bioactive compounds of fruits of Coccinia indica were investigated for antibacterial activity against some pathogenic bacteria. The aqueous extracts did not show much significant activity, while the organic extracts (petroleum ether and methanol) showed the highest activity against the test bacteria.The activity was more pronounced on gram-positive organisms with Staphylococcus aureus being more susceptible and Salmonella paratyphi A being more resistant. Phytochemical analysis showed that the extracts contain alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and phenols

Mathematical modelling of ciliary propulsion of an electrically conducting Johnson-Segalman physiological fluid in a channel with slip

Bionic systems frequently feature electromagnetic pumping and offer significant advantages over conventional designs via intelligent bio-inspired properties. Complex wall features observed in nature also provide efficient mechanisms which can be utilized in biomimetic designs. The characteristics of biological fluids are frequently non-Newtonian in nature. In many natural systems super-hydrophobic slip is witnessed. Motivated by these phenomena, in the present article, we present a mathematical model for the cilia-generated propulsion of an electrically-conducting viscoelastic physiological fluid in a ciliated channel under the action of an externally applied static magnetic field. The rheological behavior of the fluid is simulated with the Johnson-Segalman constitutive model which allows internal wall slip. The regular or coordinated movement of the ciliated edges (which line the internal walls of the channel) is represented by a metachronal wave motion in the horizontal direction which generate a two-dimensional velocity profile with the parabolic profile in the vertical direction. This mechanism is imposed as a periodic moving velocity boundary condition which generates propulsion in the channel flow. Under the classical lubrication approximation (long wavelength and low Reynolds' number), the boundary value problem is rendered non-dimensional and solved analytically with a perturbation technique. The influence of the geometric, rheological (slip and Weissenberg number) and magnetic parameters on the velocity, pressure gradient and the pressure rise (evaluated via the stream function in symbolic software) are presented graphically and interpreted at length

5-Hydr­oxy-2-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one

The title compound, C6H6O3, is a member of the pyrone family. The mol­ecules are planar (r.m.s. deviation of the asymmetric unit is 0.0248 Å, whereas that of the dimer is 0.0360 Å) and they are dimerized due to inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dimers are connected to each other through hydrogen bonds involving the CH3 group and the hydr­oxy O atom. There are π–π inter­actions between the centroids of the pyrone rings at a distance of 3.8552 (13) Å. A C—H⋯π inter­action also exists between the carbonyl group and the centroid CgA of the pyrone ring, with O⋯CgA = 3.65 (1) Å and C⋯CgA = 4.363 (2) Å

Supermarkets

Thesis (B.Arch.) Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Architecture, 1952.MIT copy bound with: Desert housing / Jan Piotr Kowalski. 1952. Accompanying drawings held by MIT Museum.Title supplied by cataloger.Includes bibliographies.by Salem K. Shaheen.B.Arch

Genomic comparison of diverse Salmonella serovars isolated from swine.

Food animals act as a reservoir for many foodborne pathogens. Salmonella enterica is one of the leading pathogens that cause food borne illness in a broad host range including animals and humans. They can also be associated with a single host species or a subset of hosts, due to genetic factors associated with colonization and infection. Adult swine are often asymptomatic carriers of a broad range of Salmonella servoars and can act as an important reservoir of infections for humans. In order to understand the genetic variations among different Salmonella serovars, Whole Genome Sequences (WGS) of fourteen Salmonella serovars from swine products were analyzed. More than 75% of the genes were part of the core genome in each isolate and the higher fraction of gene assign to different functional categories in dispensable genes indicated that these genes acquired for better adaptability and diversity. High concordance (97%) was detected between phenotypically confirmed antibiotic resistances and identified antibiotic resistance genes from WGS. The resistance determinants were mainly located on mobile genetic elements (MGE) on plasmids or integrated into the chromosome. Most of known and putative virulence genes were part of the core genome, but a small fraction were detected on MGE. Predicted integrated phage were highly diverse and many harbored virulence, metal resistance, or antibiotic resistance genes. CRISPR (Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) patterns revealed the common ancestry or infection history among Salmonella serovars. Overall genomic analysis revealed a great deal of diversity among Salmonella serovars due to acquired genes that enable them to thrive and survive during infection