Confronting poverty and educational inequalities: Madrasas as a strategy for contesting dominant literacy in rural Bangladesh

In a context of globalisation and the rapid expansion of low-paid ‘global’ jobs, formal schooling is no longer perceived as contributing to the acquisition of skills that are appropriate or even relevant to active engagement with the new opportunities. Based on empirical material from a village in Bangladesh, this paper explores the role of madrasa education in challenging the dominant paradigm of learning embedded in formal secular schooling. Despite charges of low quality and traditionalism, local narratives reveal how madrasa learning is used to negotiate and transform inequalities, both in material and social terms. Madrasa education is cheaper, and addresses issues of poverty, but the narratives also emphasise learning the Arabic language, seen to facilitate male overseas migration to the Gulf countries, a channel for upward social and economic mobility. In a context of global competition that supports individualism, a focus on character and morality as represented through an Islamic identity, alongside communitarian values, is seen as important for maintaining a degree of social cohesion and is hence socially valued. Reading and reciting the Quran are also viewed as essential traits for a woman, enabling her to appropriately socialise her children in the absence of her migrant husband. One finds here a simultaneous process of contestation and resistance, seeking successful occupational trajectories and social recognition for men, while at the same time contributing to the reproduction of gendered inequalities.     

Tomography

Tomography is traditionally associated with medical ‘CT’ scanners that have been in use for over 30 years now. This mathematical concept is now applied widely by scientists and engineers in a variety of measurements involving solids, fluid, gases and plasmas. Instrumentation based on X-rays, gammarays, lasers and acoustics have been used successfully in these applications. Inherent error in such measurements can be also be estimated thus making tomographic imaging a very powerful non-invasive technique for field measurements. Prabhat Munshi is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Kanpur. His major areas of his interest are computerized tomography and nuclear reactor safety analysis.     

Bilirubin Interference in Serum Creatinine Estimation by Jaffe’s kinetic Method and Its Rectification in Three Different Kits

The negative interference by bilirubin in serum creatinine estimation by Jaffe’s kinetic method is well known. Several approaches have been suggested to overcome this interference. In this article three different creatinine kits (Jaffe’s kinetic method) have been tested for bilirubin interference and its rectification using two simple approaches. The performance of three kits (A, B and C) supplied by three different manufacturers was tested using IQC and EQAS sera and pooled serum with added bilirubin. To overcome the bilirubin interference two approaches viz. NaOH preincubation and TCA precipitation were used. Bilirubin did interfere in creatinine estimation after a certain level (2.3 mg/dl). However, both NaOH preincubation and TCA precipitation approach rectified this interference. The performance of kit A was better than kit B and C. All the three kits showed bilirubin interference upon increasing the bilirubin concentration but kit A performed better than kit B and C. However, NaOH incubation and TCA precipitation methods overcame this interference to a great extent.     

Studies on the management of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita-wilt fungus, Fusarium oxysporum disease complex of green gram, Vigna radiata cv ML-1108

INTRODUCTION Green gram (Vigna radiata) is an important short duration pulse crop. Due to its high nutritive value, it is grown throughout the tropical countries of South and Southeast Asia, particularly in India (Vavilov, 1951). Among various pests and diseases, nematodes-fungus disease complex particularly of Meloidogyne incognita and Fusarium oxysporum poses a great problem to the cultivation of pulse crops by inflicting severe yield losses (Perveen et al., 1999; De et al., 2000; …     

Adoptions: Follow-up from an orphanage in Bombay

The practice of adoption, though long accepted as a social phenomenon, is only recently gaining popularity in India. Due to the paucity of adequate follow-ups, evaluation of these adopted children is incomplete. For the purpose of studying the well-being of these children after adoption, they were followed-up at the various places, i.e., orphanages, institutions, juvenile courts and adoption agencies, responsible for their care. One hundred sixty children, 63 boys and 97 girls, adopted from an orphanage in the vicinity of our hospital over a period of 13 years are included in this study. There were 104 local and 56 foreign adoptions. Due to sociocultural background in Indian adoptions, males were preferred; whereas the international adoptions mostly depended on human considerations without any specific preference for the sex of the child. On follow-up, all children except three were reported to be physically healthy and well-adjusted emotionally in the new family, and well accepted by the society. Although adoption is not the only solution for an abandoned child, it may open some avenues for the betterment of socially deserted and deprived children.     

Studies on the management of root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita -wilt fungus, Fusarium oxysporum disease complex of green gram, Vigna radiata cv ML-1108

Studies were conducted under pot conditions to determine the comparative efficacy of carbofuran at 1 mg a.i./kg soil, bavistin at 1 mg a.i./kg soil, neem (Azadirachta indica) seed powder at 50 mg/kg soil, green mould (Trichoderma harzianum) at 50.0 ml/kg soil, rhizobacteria (Pseudomonas fluorescens) at 50.0 ml/kg soil against root-knot nematode,Meloidogyne incognita-wilt fungus,Fusarium oxysporum disease complex on green gram,Vigna radiata cv ML-1108. All the treatments significantly improved the growth of the plants as compared to untreated inoculated plants. Analysis of data showed that carbofuran andA. indica seed powder increased plant growth and yield significantly more in comparison to bavistin andP. fluorescens. Carbofuran was highly effective against nematode, bavistin against fungus,A. indica seed powder against both the pathogens and both the bioagents were moderately effective against both the pathogens.     

When antecedents diverge: Exploring novelty and value as dimensions of creativity

Though an ongoing debate exists concerning how creativity should be defined and measured, it is generally agreed upon that creativity is the generation of ideas that are novel and of value ( [Amabile, 1996] and [Hennessey and Amabile, 2010] ). Yet most studies treat creativity as a black box in regards to the nature of the relationships between some commonly known antecedents of creativity and its two prime components, namely novelty and value. This is the issue we address in this exploratory paper as we look at antecedents that are similarly related and differentially related to novelty and value. We propose that such relationships could have an impact on creative outcomes in organizations. We also discuss potential implications for broader application to practitioners interested in learning how to boost their employee creativity and organizational innovativeness.