Universal Digital Library—— Future research directions

INTRODUCTION The stunning growth in storage technology prompted Prof. Raj Reddy of Carnegie Mellon University to envision that it would be possible to store in digital form, in the very near future, all knowledge ever acquired by the human race. As part of this grandiose vision and as a first step, in realizing this vision, it was proposed to create the Digital Library with a free-to-read, searchable collection of one million books, predominantly in Indian languages, available to every…     

Chaos modelling with computers

Chaos is a type of complicated behaviour found in non-linear dynamical systems. Computers are playing an important role in the growth of this science.     

Ehrenfest’s theorem and nonclassical states of light 2. Dynamics of Nonclassical States of Light

The states of radiation of a single frequency and polarization propagating in free space are very conveniently represented by those of a quantum mechanical simple harmonic oscillator. This fact is exploited, together with the Ehrenfest theorem, to map the time evolution of the radiation to the dynamics of the oscillator. This enables a graphical comparison of the behaviour of classical and nonclassical states of radiation.     

Optimal switching between autonomous subsystems

A novel scheme is presented for solving the problem of optimal switching with nonlinear autonomous subsystems. This scheme determines the approximate global optimal solution for different initial conditions in a feedback form. Restrictions, including the need to enforce a mode sequence and/or a number of switching, do not exist for the developed method. Performance is evaluated in several examples with different complexities and the numerical simulation shows great promises for the controller.     

Role of Cytokines in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

A number of factors are linked with non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD), a condition that ranges from clinically benign fatty liver to its more severe form, non alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). In this study, we evaluated the role of cytokines secreted from adipose tissue in the pathogenesis and progression of NAFLD. We also compared anthropometric profile, lipid profile and insulin resistance data in 105 NAFLD patients with 77 normal subjects. These subjects showed a normal serum albumin level, prothrombin time and renal function but elevated aminotransferases. Predisposing factors were diabetes mellitus (35%), overweight (56%) and hyperlipidemia (44%). Insulin resistance (IR), determined by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was confirmed in 70% patients with NAFLD and 42% patients fulfilled the minimum criteria for insulin resistance syndrome (IRS). NAFLD patients showed elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6, while anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-4 level decreased and IL-10 level remain unchanged; however, TGF-β1 level elevated significantly compared to normal subjects. While insulin level and HOMA-IR both were significantly positively correlated with BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, total cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, triglyceride and TGF-β1; glucose, IL-6 and TNF-α levels were significantly positively correlated with HOMA-IR only. In conclusion, pro-inflammatory cytokines play an important link between metabolic and liver disorders in the fat accumulation, and thereby cause IR, inflammation and liver fibrosis.     

Participatory action research in culturally complex societies: opportunities and challenges

One of the aims of participatory action research (PAR) is to bring realities of lives closer together through dialogue and ‘conscientization’, raising critical awareness among participants from all backgrounds. Promoting participation often assumes a power shift from the decision-makers to the majority of society, who can be the end-receivers of decisions made. Once some kind of awareness is achieved, the participants should be able to challenge the causes of their perceived oppression, or resolve the suffering that is endured, if that is what they hope to achieve. However, the situation is more complex in many contemporary societies, in which there are not only differing cultural beliefs related to religion, but different ontologies about being and living in the world. There is much contemporary debate about the possibilities of critique that take on board divergent sociomaterial realities within the same classroom. Practical and structural differences can pose challenges to conducting PAR research. In this article, we address the distinctive nature of PAR in relation to a culturally diverse group of participants. We argue that research using a PAR framework can result in subtle ethical challenges, which also provide insights for opportunities and strategies. Drawing from the authors’ experiences in multicultural education and working with culturally diverse youth and postgraduate students, opportunities and challenges of applying a PAR approach are discussed. We conclude with the suggestion that PAR remains consistent with its original transformative goals, but also remain open to further explorations of activism that address pressing contemporary concerns within culturally complex societies.