The 'Parekh Report' - national identities with nations and nationalism

‘Multiculturalists’ often advocate national identities. Yet few study the ways in which ‘multiculturalists’ do so and in this article I will help to fill this gap. I will show that the Commission for Multi-Ethnic Britain’s report reflects a previously unnoticed way of thinking about the nature and worth of national identities that the Commission’s chair, and prominent political theorist, Bhikhu Parekh, had been developing since the 1970s. This way of thinking will be shown to avoid the questionable ways in which conservative and liberal nationalists discuss the nature and worth of national identities while offering an alternative way to do so. I will thus show that a report that was once criticised for the way it discussed national identities reflects how ‘multiculturalists’ think about national identities in a distinct and valuable way that has gone unrecognised

Exact approximation of Rao-Blackwellised particle filters

Particle methods are a category of Monte Carlo algorithms that have become popular for performing inference in non-linear non-Gaussian state-space models. The class of 'Rao-Blackwellised' particle filters exploits the analytic marginalisation that is possible for some state- space models to reduce the variance of the Monte Carlo estimates. Despite being applicable to only a restricted class of state-space models, such as conditionally linear Gaussian models, these algorithms have found numerous applications. In scenarios where no such analytical integration is possible, it has recently been proposed in Chen et al. [2011] to use 'local' particle filters to carry out this integration numerically. We propose here an alternative approach also relying on \local" particle filters which is more broadly applicable and has attractive theoretical properties. Proof-of-concept simulation results are presented

Depletion-activated calcium current is inhibited by protein-kinase in RBL-2H3 cells

Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings and single-cell Ca2+ measurements were used to study the control of Ca2+ entry through the Ca2+ release-activated Ca2+ influx pathway (ICRAC) in rat basophilic leukemia cells. When intracellular inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP3)-sensitive stores were depleted by dialyzing cells with high concentrations of InsP3, ICRAC inactivated only slightly in the absence of ATP. Inclusion of ATP accelerated inactivation 2-fold. The inactivation was increased further by the ATP analogue adenosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate, which is readily used by protein kinases, but not by 5'-adenylyl imidodiphosphate, another ATP analogue that is not used by kinases. Neither cyclic nucleotides nor inhibition of calmodulin or tyrosine kinase prevented the inactivation. Staurosporine and bisindolylmaleimide, protein kinase C inhibitors, reduced inactivation of ICRAC, whereas phorbol ester accelerated inactivation of the current. These results demonstrate that a protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation, probably through protein kinase C, inactivates ICRAC. Activation of the adenosine receptor (A3 type) in RBL cells did not evoke much Ca2+ influx or systematic activation of ICRAC. After protein kinase C was blocked, however, large ICRAC was observed in all cells and this was accompanied by large Ca2+ influx. The ability of a receptor to evoke Ca2+ entry is determined, at least in part, by protein kinase C. Antigen stimulation, which triggers secretion through a process that requires Ca2+ influx, activated ICRAC. The regulation of ICRAC by protein kinase will therefore have important consequences on cell functioning

Scientometric Analysis of the Research Output of Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology of Gujarat University, Ahmedabad

This paper presents a scientometric analysis of research output of biochemistry, genetics and molecular biology from the Gujarat University, Ahmedabad. The research article was published during 1980-2018. However, the data was collected and indexed in Scopus were considered for the analysis included a total of 400 publications. Various scientometric indicators have been calculated to acquire an appropriate perception of the growth and current status of research output of Gujarat University, Ahmedabad. The paper also analysed the publication trend of Gujarat University. The other aspects that were identified in the paper were the most prolific authors, collaborative authorship patterns and trends, most preferred publications, etc

Zooming into a Tinkering Project: The Progression of Learning through Transitional Objects

The Maker Movement has been received by the field of K–12 education with great enthusiasm as a way of teaching STEM content to children. We call attention to and identify learning opportunities in children’s projects created in a playful, informal environment with easily available materials. In keeping with research in the field of maker education and learning sciences, we describe tinkering as a constructionist learning activity in which meaning making is captured through transitional objects (Bamberger, 1995). First, we examine one specific tinkering project and identify transitional objects within the project. Next, we discuss the process of meaning making as captured through the transitional objects and identify the significance of children’s emerging views of scientific concepts. Finally, we discuss implications for adopting the concept of transitional objects for capturing children’s meaning making and learning in the domains of K–12 science and engineering education

Topics concerning state variable feedback in automatic control systems. Part 1 - Specification. Part 2 - Sensitivity. Part 3 - Intentional nonlinearities. Part 4 - Unavailable states

Specifications, sensitivity, intentional nonlinearities, and unavailable states concerned with state variable feedback in automatic control system

Sequential forward and reverse transport of the Na+ Ca2+ exchanger generates Ca2+ oscillations within mitochondria

Mitochondrial Ca2+ homoeostasis regulates aerobic metabolism and cell survival. Ca2+ flux into mitochondria is mediated by the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) channel whereas Ca2+ export is often through an electrogenic Na+–Ca2+ exchanger. Here, we report remarkable functional versatility in mitochondrial Na+–Ca2+ exchange under conditions where mitochondria are depolarised. Following physiological stimulation of cell-surface receptors, mitochondrial Na+–Ca2+ exchange initially operates in reverse mode, transporting cytosolic Ca2+ into the matrix. As matrix Ca2+ rises, the exchanger reverts to its forward mode state, extruding Ca2+. Transitions between reverse and forward modes generate repetitive oscillations in matrix Ca2+. We further show that reverse mode Na+–Ca2+ activity is regulated by the mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusin 2. Our results demonstrate that reversible switching between transport modes of an ion exchanger molecule generates functionally relevant oscillations in the levels of the universal Ca2+ messenger within an organelle

A schematic overview of the current status of male infertility practice.

The practice of male infertility has dramatically evolved over the past few decades. This has been achieved after the realization of the important contribution the male counterpart holds in the couple's infertility. It is also supported by a number of breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of this medical condition. Several tests to investigate sperm quality and function were introduced along with refinements and/or institution of novel surgical techniques that can correct several causes of infertility. This manuscript is aimed at highlighting the current state of male infertility practice in a robust, schematic method addressing a broader audience involved in the treatment of male infertility

A contextual definition of longitudinal integrated clerkships within the UK and Ireland: a bi-national modified Delphi study

Disagreement exists within the UK and Ireland regarding how Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships should be defined, and the relevance of international definitions. In this modified, online Delphi study, we presented the UK and Ireland experts in Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships with statements drawn from international definitions, published LIC literature, and the research team's experience in this area and asked them to rate their level of agreement with these statements for inclusion in a bi-national consensus definition. We undertook three rounds of the study to try and elicit consensus, making adaptations to statement wording following rounds 1 and 2 to capture participants' qualitative free text-comments, following the third and final round, nine statements were accepted by our panel, and constitute our proposed definition of Longitudinal Integrated Clerkships within the UK and Ireland. This definitional statement corresponds with some international literature but offers important distinctions, which account for the unique context of healthcare (particularly primary care) within the UK and Ireland (for example, the lack of time-based criteria within the definition). This definition should allow UK and Irish researchers to communicate more clearly with one another regarding the benefits of LICs and longitudinal learning and offers cross-national collaborative opportunities in LIC design, delivery and evaluation