46 research outputs found
Manifestations of Power and Marginality in Marriage Practices: A Qualitative Analysis of Sukuma Songs in Tanzania
This study examined manifestations of power and marginality in Sukuma marriage practices. The study was conducted in Kishapu District, Tanzania. It drew its materials from Sukuma marriage rituals, which include singing and performance of songs. The study adopted an ethnographic research design and used both primary and secondary data to analyse the construction of gender roles in songs and societal views. The songs were observed at live performances, and data related to their composition, interpretation, and impact were gathered through interviews with the singers. Thematic Code Analysis was used to analyze the data, which were then interpreted based on poststructuralist theory. The results obtained showed that Sukuma marriage songs present and propagate imbalanced gender roles. It was further found that these songs impliedly bolster gender inequality leading to women’s subordination and men’s authority over women in Sukuma society
Grey-box Modelling of a Household Refrigeration Unit Using Time Series Data in Application to Demand Side Management
This paper describes the application of stochastic grey-box modeling to
identify electrical power consumption-to-temperature models of a domestic
freezer using experimental measurements. The models are formulated using
stochastic differential equations (SDEs), estimated by maximum likelihood
estimation (MLE), validated through the model residuals analysis and
cross-validated to detect model over-fitting. A nonlinear model based on the
reversed Carnot cycle is also presented and included in the modeling
performance analysis. As an application of the models, we apply model
predictive control (MPC) to shift the electricity consumption of a freezer in
demand response experiments, thereby addressing the model selection problem
also from the application point of view and showing in an experimental context
the ability of MPC to exploit the freezer as a demand side resource (DSR).Comment: Submitted to Sustainable Energy Grids and Networks (SEGAN). Accepted
for publicatio
Molecular analysis of genetic stability in long-term micropropagated shoots of banana using RAPD and ISSR markers
A large number of micropropagated plantlets of banana, Musa acuminata
var. Nanjanagudu Rasabale (NR), that were developed from axillary
shoot bud explants over 10 years ago were screened for genetic
variation, if any, using RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) and
ISSR (Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats) markers. Of the 4000 in vitro
plantlets, 11 were used for screening that involved shoot cultures with
distinct variation in morphological characteristics (morphotypes).
Similarly, the mother maintained in the field was also subjected for
genetic analysis. Out of the 50 RAPD and 25 ISSR primers screened, 30
RAPD and 5 ISSR primers produced totally 424 clear, distinct and
reproducible band classes resulting in a total of 5088 bands where the
banding patterns for each primer was highly uniform and comparable to
the field-grown mother clone from which the cultures had been
established. These results indicate that the micropropagation protocol
developed by us for rapid in vitro multiplication is appropriate and
applicable for clonal propagation of banana var. NR over a long period.
This is the first report on the use of genetic markers to establish
genetic fidelity of long-term micropropagated banana using RAPD and
ISSR