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"This definitive anthology casts Sinophone studies as the study of Sinitic-language cultures born of colonial and postcolonial influences. Its transnational and comparative essays by such authors as Rey Chow, Ha Jin, Leo Ou-fan Lee, Ien Ang, Wei-ming Tu, and David Wang address debates concerning the nature of Chineseness while introducing readers to essential readings in Tibetan, Malaysian, Taiwanese, French, Caribbean, and American Sinophone literatures. By placing Sinophone cultures at the crossroads of multiple empires, this anthology richly demonstrates the transformative power of multiculturalism and multilingualism, and by examining the place-based cultural and social practices of Sinitic-language communities in their historical contexts beyond 'China proper, ' it effectively refutes the diasporic framework. Adding new, non-Han-centric dimensions to conceptions of Chinese citizenship and ethnic identity, this book is an invaluable companion for courses in Asian, postcolonial, empire, and ethnic studies, as well as world and comparative literatures"--Provided by publisher

Metabolically versatile pure cultures were isolated from textile dye effluent and petrochemical industry which were able to utilize 150 mg/l of 4-Chlorophenol and 85 mg/l of 4-Nitrophenol as the sole carbon and energy source respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16 S rRNA gene sequence reveals that the strains were found to be phylogenetically close to Bacillus cereus HWB1 and Pseudomonas taiwanensis ECAe22 respectively. Optimization of physicochemical parameters was performed with Change of one variable at a time (COVT) approach. Optimized physical parameters for degradation by Bacillus cereus HWB1 was found to be 30 0C, pH 7 and 150 rpm whereas for Pseudomonas taiwanensis ECAe22 it was found to be 30 0C, pH 8.5 and 150 rpm. Supplementation of an additional substrate such as yeast extract was found to increase the rate of 4-Chlorophenol and 4-Nitrophenol degradation owing to the increase in biomass production resulting in enhanced biodegradation. Biodegraded samples of these phenolic compounds showed negligible phytotoxicity as compared to the untreated samples thereby proving that employing these pure cultures can help in mitigating environmental contamination by phenolic compounds in the near future.Keywords: Biodegradation, 4-Chlorophenol,4-Nitrophenol, pure cultures,16S rRNA, phylogenetic analysisAbbreviation: 4-CP: 4-Chlorophenol; 4-NP: 4-Nitrophenol; AU: Absorbance Unit; MSM: MinimalSalt Media

A morbidly fascinating and articulate collection of essays, this book explores the grim underside of America's cult of the automobile and the disturbing, frequently conspiratorial, speculations that arise whenever the car becomes the cause or the site of human death. Through analysis of fatal celebrity car accidents and other examples of death by automobile, as well as through personal memoir and forensic reports, cultural critics ponder our very human fascination with the car crash. Topics include the roles and experiences of passengers and bystanders, car crash conspiracy theories, the automobile as a site of murder, studies of car crash cinema, and psychological interpretations of the notion of the 'accident.' The book features original essays by such underground icons as Kenneth Anger and Adam Parfrey

This issue looks beyond earlier debates on Asian culture that, back then, were essentially built around dichotomies or polar opposites. This is because in recent years culture—Asian culture, in particular, has been widely problematized and contested, especially in light of fundamentalist tendencies and movements in the region and all over the world. Digital and nuclear advancements, transnational migration, and widespread political and social violence and destabilization are just few of the global developments of the twenty-first century that have profoundly reshaped the field. The theme of the issue emphasizes the valuable place of identity, viewed as a social and conceptual construct than an immutable psychological entity. Identity occupies an important place in discourse where cultural ramifications abound; new sites and modes of social interaction often impact on conceptions and perceptions of identity. True to the thrust of Kasarinlan, the articles in this issue also give credence to political economy. In discussions of culture and identity, the articles regard global trends as part of a political, neocolonial and imperialist project, implicitly or otherwise. Each article grounds particular social or ideological issues and the formation of identities within contentious historical or genealogical configurations.

Objectives To explore the potential tension between the need for managers to produce measurable change and the skills required to produce cultural change, and to investigate how managers of primary care trusts are attempting to deal with this tension. Design Qualitative case studies using data derived from semistructured interviews and a review of published documents. An established cultural framework was to used to help interpret the findings. Setting Six primary care trusts in England purposefully sampled to represent a range of cultural, structural, geographical, and demographic characteristics. Participants 42 interviews with 39 different senior and middle primary care trust managers conducted over an 18 month period. Results We found two distinct and polarised styles of management. One group of managers adopts a directive style and challenges the prevailing norms and values of clinicians, an approach characteristically seen in organisations with hierarchical cultures. This group is made up mostly of senior managers who are driven principally by the imperative to deliver a political agenda. Managers in the second group are more inclined to work with the prevailing cultures found in general practice, attempting to facilitate change from within rather than forcing change from outside. This management style is characteristically seen in organisations with a clan-type culture. The approach was manifest mostly by middle managers, who seem to act as buffers between the demands of senior managers and their own perception of the ability and willingness of health professionals to cope with change. The different management approaches can lead to tension and dysfunction between tiers of management. Conclusions The development of primary care depends on high quality managers who are able to draw on a range of different management skills and styles. Managers ate most likely to be effective if they appreciate the merits and drawbacks of their different styles and arc willing to work in partnership. ; Publisher PDF ; Peer reviewed

Tobacco has become one of the most widely used and traded commodities on
the planet. Reflecting contemporary anthropological interest in material culture
studies, Anthropology of Tobacco makes the plant the centre of its own contentious,
global story in which, instead of a passive commodity, tobacco becomes a
powerful player in a global adventure involving people, corporations and public
health.
Bringing together a range of perspectives from the social and natural
sciences as well as the arts and humanities, Anthropology of Tobacco weaves
stories together from a range of historical, cross-cultural and literary sources
and empirical research. These combine with contemporary anthropological
theories of agency and cross-species relationships to offer fresh perspectives on
how an apparently humble plant has progressed to world domination, and the
consequences of it having done so. It also considers what needs to happen if,
as some public health advocates would have it, we are seriously to imagine 'a
world without tobacco'.
This book presents students, scholars and practitioners in anthropology,
public health and social policy with unique and multiple perspectives on
tobacco-human relations.

Gender-Studies haben sich an vielen deutschen Universitäten in Forschung und Lehre durchgesetzt und als Studien- und Prüfungsfach etabliert. Die systematische Einführung von Christina von Braun und Inge Stephan gibt einen materialreichen Einblick in die Fachgeschichte und Methoden der interdisziplinären Wissenschaft

The purpose of this work is to apply the methods of textual semiotics to subcultures, in particular to the little known glam subculture. Subcultures have been the main research field of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, known for its interdisciplinary approach, and for its focus on the creative aspects of subculture. Hebdige, in particular, introduced many semiotic elements in his work, as the aberrant decoding after Eco and the cultural creativity via bricolage after Lévi-Strauss. His definition of subculture as symbolic resistance has been criticized by the following post-subcultural researchers for its abstractness and lack of cohesion. Semiotics eventually have been expelled from the set of tools used in sociology for the analysis of subcultures. Nowadays, the studies on subcultures have a strong ethnographic focus. Due to terminological proliferation and a descriptive approach, it is difficult to compare them on a common basis. ...

The purpose of this work is to apply the methods of textual semiotics to subcultures, in particular to the little known glam subculture. Subcultures have been the main research field of the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, known for its interdisciplinary approach, and for its focus on the creative aspects of subculture. Hebdige, in particular, introduced many semiotic elements in his work, as the aberrant decoding after Eco and the cultural creativity via bricolage after Lévi-Strauss. His definition of subculture as symbolic resistance has been criticized by the following post-subcultural researchers for its abstractness and lack of cohesion. Semiotics eventually have been expelled from the set of tools used in sociology for the analysis of subcultures. Nowadays, the studies on subcultures have a strong ethnographic focus. Due to terminological proliferation and a descriptive approach, it is difficult to compare them on a common basis. ...