Bioconversion of low quality lignocellulosic agricultural waste into edible protein by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurotus sajor-caju</Emphasis> (Fr.) singer

Pleurotus sajor-caju (Fr.) Singer was cultivated on selected agro wastes viz. cotton stalks, groundnut haulms, soybean straw, pigeon pea stalks and leaves and wheat straw, alone or in combinations. Cotton stalks, pigeon pea stalks and wheat straw alone or in combination were found to be more suitable than groundnut haulms and soybean straw for the cultivation. Organic supplements such as groundnut oilseed cake, gram powder and rice bran not only affected growth parameters but also increased yields. Thus bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass by P. sajor-caju offers a promising way to convert low quality biomass into an improved human food.     

Identity exploration,identity confusion,and openness as predictors of multicultural ideology

Research has indicated benefits to individuals and society of holding a multicultural versus colorblind ideology. This cross-sectional study tested the association of endorsement of multiculturalism with the individual difference constructs of identity exploration, identity confusion, and openness. Participants were 188 college students who completed a survey. Multiple regression analyses indicated that identity exploration, identity confusion, and openness independently predicted multicultural ideology. Additionally, identity exploration and identity confusion interacted such that identity exploration was associated with multiculturalism when identity confusion was low, but not when identity confusion was high. These findings indicate that general individual differences in personality and identity are predictive of cultural-related attitudes, and have implications for the design of interventions aimed at increasing multiculturalism.     

The ‘Non‐dit’ in the Zenana: representations of Muslim women in Islamic canonical texts,the neo‐colonial imagination and a feminist response from Bangladesh

Abstract

This essay recognizes that representations of the ‘Muslim woman’ as the Othered ‘object’ of the ‘Western’ gaze and the domesticated ‘object’ which the Islamic apologists strive hard to defend, are both constructions and false antitheses of each other. It seeks not the ‘truth’ regarding the Muslim women in the world of social reality but to examine how various representations of the women are constructed and to what effects and consequences these representations are mobilized. The essay proceeds in three stages. The first stage shows how the patriarchy mobilizes the Qur’an and the Hadith in order to construct the woman as the negative, the inessential and the abnormal of the man so as to exert complete subordination over her. However, the very act of attempting to mute the woman in Islam is the most strident proof that she is engaged in resistance against patriarchal control and the degree of resistance must be judged by the degree of patriarchal control. The second stage demonstrates how patriarchy operates in colonial and neo‐imperial landscape: it legitimizes the appropriation of Muslim woman ‘possessed’ by the Other (as exemplified by the orientalist seduction fantasy in William Dalrymple’s The White Mughals), but, haunted by the fear of rape and anxieties regarding the sexuality of the White woman possessed by the Self, it attempts to maintain strict control over her (as in the cases of Miss Wheeler in the ‘Mutiny’ of 1857 and Private Jessica Lynch in the Iraq War). This struggle over the feminine body is perfectly in line with Islam’s hyper‐anxiousness to hide the female body and rigorously ensure monopolic possession over her. The third stage shows how Taslima Nasreen, a late‐20th century feminist from Bangladesh, speaks the unspoken and thereby attempts to subvert the normative representation of the muted women in her autobiographical novella, entitled āmār Meyebelā. In thus examining the representations of the Muslim women, this essay seeks an alternative ‘third space of enunciation’ and takes a distinct political stand located outside of the axis of the dichotomy of the ‘Western’ gaze and the construction of the Islamic theologians.     

Older Women and Lower Self-Rated Health

Several studies have found that older women report lower self-rated health than men. However, it is not clear why older women are more likely to report poor self-rated health than older men. Data for this study came from a national cross-sectional survey, Mental Health and Quality of Life of Older Malaysians (MHQoLOM). Included in the survey were 2980 respondents consisting of Malaysians aged 60 years and over, with both men (n = 1428) and women (n = 1552) represented. Results of t-tests showed older men expressed significantly higher levels of self-rated health and self-esteem than women (p < .01). Separate multivariate regression by gender revealed that age, life-threatening problems, and self-esteem were highly significant predictors of self-rated health among older men and women and explained 18.4% of variance in self-rated health for men and 18.2% for women. In the last step we examined the main effects of gender on self-rated health using General Linear Models (GLM) Univariate by adjusting for age, life-threatening problems, and self-esteem. Results showed an insignificant difference in self-rated health between older men and women (F _(1,2715) = 2.26, P = 0.13) only after adjusting for self-esteem. It can be concluded that self-esteem affects responses to self-rated health of older men and women.     

在废水处理过程中基于过程分析技术的多重响应优化（英文）

研究目的:基于过程分析技术框架,优化家禽业的废水处理工艺的性能。研究方法:生产商主要关注浊度和污泥容积指数(SVI)这两个响应。首先为每个响应建立移动平均(MA)和移动范围(MR)控制图,并在实验工作中重复两次33全因子设计。基于模糊目标规划建立加权相加模型,并用于确定最佳的因子设置组合。最后,在最佳的因子设置组合条件下,对实验结果进行跟踪确认。重要结论:在絮凝剂为18 mg/L、凝结剂为40.0 mg/L和p H=4.0的最佳工艺条件下,得到的浊度和污泥体积指数的最佳值分别为6.184 NTU和73.21 ml/g。在此条件下得到的浊度和污泥沉降指数能够满足设计要求,它们的过程变异性分别显著下降了41.22%和77.75%,且多重能力指数从1.95显著增加至10.6。这表明此过程可行性很高。总之,加权相加模型是一种用于优化多个响应流程性能的有效技术,并且可以考虑工程师的首选设置流程。     

在废水处理过程中基于过程分析技术的多重响应优化

研究目的：基于过程分析技术框架,优化家禽业的废水处理工艺的性能。研究方法：生产商主要关注浊度和污泥容积指数（SVI）这两个响应。首先为每个响应建立移动平均（MA）和移动范围（MR）控制图,并在实验工作中重复两次3。全因子设计。基于模糊目标规划建立加权相加模型,并用于确定最佳的因子设置组合。最后,在最佳的因子设置组合条件下,对实验结果进行跟踪确认。重要结论：在絮凝剂为18mg／L、凝结剂为40．0mg／L和pH=4．0的最佳工艺条件下,得到的浊度和污泥体积指数的最佳值分别为6．184NTU和73．21ml／g。在此条件下得到的浊度和污泥沉降指数能够满足设计要求,它们的过程变异性分别显著下降了41．22％和77．75％,且多重能力指数从1．95显著增加至10．6。这表明此过程可行性很高。总之,加权相加模型是一种用于优化多个响应流程性能的有效技术,并且可以考虑工程师的首选设置流程。     

Students’ Perceptions of Their Science Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) is a type of teacher knowledge to be developed by a teacher. PCK is said to contribute to effective teaching. Most studies investigated the development of PCK and its influence on students’ learning from the teachers’ perspectives. Only a limited number of studies have investigated the components of science teachers’ PCK that helped students’ learning from the perspective of students. Thus, it is the aim of this study to investigate the level of science teachers’ PCK from students’ perspective, in particular whether or not students of different achieving ability had different views of teachers’ PCK in assisting their learning and understanding. Based on the PCK research literature, six components of PCK have been identified, which were as follows: (1) subject matter knowledge, (2) knowledge of teaching strategies, (3) knowledge of concept representation, (4) knowledge of teaching context, (5) knowledge of students, and (6) knowledge of assessment in learning science. A questionnaire consisting of 56 items on a five-point Likert-type scale were used for data collection from 316 Form Four students (16 years old). One-way analysis of variance revealed that the differences in science teachers’ PCK identified by students of different achieving abilities were statistically significant. Overall, students of various academic achieving abilities considered all the components of PCK as important. The low-achieving students viewed all the components of PCK as being less important compared to the high and moderate achievers. In particular, low-achieving students do not view ‘knowledge of concept representation’ as important for effective teaching. They valued the fact that teachers should be alert to their needs, such as being sensitive to students’ reactions and preparing additional learning materials. This study has revealed that PCK of science teachers should be different for high and low-achieving students and knowledge of students’ understanding plays a critical role in shaping teachers PCK.