Okonkwo’s Fall: Multiple Perspectives

This article aims at exploring the causes of the fall of Okonkwo, the protagonist of the Nigerian Novel. Things Fall Apart by the renowned novelist, Chinua Achebe. Though the novel mainly deals with the fall of Igbo Culture where Okonkwo has played the sheet anchor role in the novel, Things Fall Apart at the hands of British establishment in Nigeria, the other vital reasons that make him vulnerable will also be discussed at length in this article. It is from the study of the novel, it is established that the Igbo society that refuses to change itself could be one of the reasons for the fall. However, it is very clear that the changes should take place spontaneously and not by force which the Igbo society has been the victim and the representative, Okonkwo its scapegoat. The writers of the article make sure that the reading of this article will be an eye opener in terms of Nigerian consciousness as revealed in the novel, Things Fall Apart

Changing course: The paradox of the career change student-teacher

© 2018 International Professional Development Association (IPDA). The article reports on career change student-teachers’ (CCSTs) views and experiences regarding their teacher education programs in Australia. Data were collected through an online survey distributed to universities for dissemination to enrolled CCSTs in teacher education programs. The responses from over 500 CCSTs were analysed using an interpretive lens of inquiry and analysis. Over 80% of the responses indicated tensions and paradoxes that exist in CCSTs’ lives as they come to terms with being students again. The article explores the impact on their student lives of the characteristics, experiences and expectations they bring to their studies, mediated by their previous careers and current circumstances. The findings discuss their perceptions of their teacher education programs and consider implications for CCSTs’ professional learning needs in the light of the paradoxes that emerge from the data

Fundamental time period of RC Setback Buildings

The buildings with the presence of setback irregularity are now being increasingly used in the urban areas. The present work proposes an irregularity index for quantifying the setback irregularity based on the dynamic characteristics of the buildings. This paper also proposes a modified equation for the fundamental period of vibration, for building frames with setback irregularity. Furthermore, the equations for estimating the maximum inter storey drift ratio (Ir) and maximum displacement ductility (μmax) are also proposed. These equations are proposed on basis of the regression analysis conducted on the seismic response databank of 305 building models with different types of setback irregularity for each height category. The proposed equations are represented as a function of the irregularity index, and are validated for 2D and 3D building models with setback irregularity

HDR Image Quality Assessment using Tone Mapping Operators

With the developments in Image acquisition techniques there is an increasing interest towards High Dynamic Range (HDR) images where the number of intensity levels ranges between 2 to 10,000. With these many intensity levels, the accurate representation of luminance variations is absolutely possible. But, because the standard display devices are devised to display Low Dynamic Range (LDR) images, there is a need to convert HDR image to LDR image without losing important image structures in HDR images. In the literature a number of techniques are proposed to get tone mapped image from HDR image. In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze four TMOs, i.e., Linear Mode, Gamma Correction, Reinhard and Reinhard with color correction. A subjective analysis tells us that the Reinhard with color correction has produced better results. In this paper two new tone mapping operators are proposed

Emerging methods in therapeutics using multifunctional nanoparticles

Clinical translation of nanoparticle‐based drug delivery systems is hindered by an array of challenges including poor circulation time and limited targeting. Novel approaches including designing multifunctional particles, cell‐mediated delivery systems, and fabrications of protein‐based nanoparticles have gained attention to provide new perspectives to current drug delivery obstacles in the interdisciplinary field of nanomedicine. Collectively, these nanoparticle devices are currently being investigated for applications spanning from drug delivery and cancer therapy to medical imaging and immunotherapy. Here, we review the current state of the field, highlight opportunities, identify challenges, and present the future directions of the next generation of multifunctional nanoparticle drug delivery platforms.This article is categorized under:Biology‐Inspired Nanomaterials > Protein and Virus‐Based StructuresNanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in BiologyNovel approaches in designing nanoparticles to overcome challenges faced by traditional nanoparticle‐based drug delivery systems.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155963/1/wnan1625.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/155963/2/wnan1625_am.pd

3D Printing for Tissue Regeneration

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field and 3D bioprinting has emerged to be the holy grail to fabricate artificial organs. This chapter gives an overview of the latest advances in 3D bioprinting technology in the commercial space and academic research sector. It explores the commercially available 3D bioprinters and commercially printed products that are currently available in the market. It provides a brief introduction to bioinks and the latest developments in 3D bioprinting various organs. The chapter also discusses the advancements in tissue regeneration from 3D printing to 4D printing

A High-Quality Assembly of the Nine-Spined Stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) Genome

The Gasterosteidae fish family hosts several species that are important models for eco-evolutionary, genetic, and genomic research. In particular, a wealth of genetic and genomic data has been generated for the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), the "ecology's supermodel," whereas the genomic resources for the nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) have remained relatively scarce. Here, we report a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of P. pungitius consisting of 5,303 contigs (N50 = 1.2Mbp) with a total size of 521 Mbp. These contigs were mapped to 21 linkage groups using a high-density linkage map, yielding a final assembly with 98.5% BUSCO completeness. A total of 25,062 protein-coding genes were annotated, and about 23% of the assembly was found to consist of repetitive elements. A comprehensive analysis of repetitive elements uncovered centromere-specific tandem repeats and provided insights into the evolution of retrotransposons. A multigene phylogenetic analysis inferred a divergence time of about 26 million years ago (Ma) between nine- and three-spined sticklebacks, which is far older than the commonly assumed estimate of 13 Ma. Compared with the three-spined stickleback, we identified an additional duplication of several genes in the hemoglobin cluster. Sequencing data from populations adapted to different environments indicated potential copy number variations in hemoglobin genes. Furthermore, genome-wide synteny comparisons between three- and nine-spined sticklebacks identified chromosomal rearrangements underlying the karyotypic differences between the two species. The high-quality chromosome-scale assembly of the nine-spined stickleback genome obtained with long-read sequencing technology provides a crucial resource for comparative and population genomic investigations of stickleback fishes and teleosts.Peer reviewe