In the Name of Cow: Legal–Constitutional Discourse and the Contours of Contemporary Indian Politics

The issue of cow preservation is predominantly seen as a battle between communal/orthodox and liberal/secular ideologies represented by Hindu nationalists and Congress, respectively. In this schema, Hindu nationalists projected themselves as protectors of cow, while Congress seemed to oppose such proposals. The question of how both regimes used cow as a significant symbol for strengthening their politics and positions for favourable political equilibrium in the past 60 years remains under-researched. The article argues that the dynamics of electoral politics in India should not merely be reduced to the ideologies of different political regimes; instead, a critical understanding of successful and timely appropriation of popular religious sensibilities needs to be explored.

Upregulation of BCL-2 by acridone derivative through gene promoter i-motif for alleviating liver damage of NAFLD/NASH

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are global epidemic public health problems with pathogenesis incompletely understood. Hepatocyte excessive apoptosis is a significant symbol for NAFLD/NASH patients, and therefore anti-apoptosis therapy could be used for NAFLD/NASH treatment. Up-regulation of BCL-2 has been found to be closely related with anti-apoptosis. BCL-2 gene promoter region has a C-rich sequence, which can form i-motif structure and play important role in regulating gene transcription. In this study, after extensive screening and evaluation, we found that acridone derivative A22 could up-regulate BCL-2 transcription and translation in vitro and in cells through selective binding to and stabilizing BCL-2 gene promoter i-motif. Our further experiments showed that A22 could reduce hepatocyte apoptosis in NAFLD/NASH model possibly through up-regulating BCL-2 expression. A22 could reduce inflammation, endoplasmic reticulum stress and cirrhosis in high-fat diet-fed mice liver model. Our findings provide a potentially new approach of anti-apoptosis for NAFLD/NASH treatment, and A22 could be further developed as a lead compound for NAFLD/NASH therapy. Our present study first demonstrated that gene promoter i-motif could be targeted for gene up-regulation for extended treatment of other important diseases besides cancer.

Orara as a symbol of feminine beauty and meekness in select novels of Igbo female writers

The similitude that exists in the depiction of the major characters of pioneer Nigerian female writers (who are, incidentally, Igbo) tasks the mind as it reflects on a possible cause of this semblance. This paper located a double pronged characteristic that is shared by all the major characters in the works under study – one of beauty and gentle spirit. These features have a symbolic significance (Ọrara) in an Igbo sub-culture (Mbaise). Ọrara, a snake, is one of the symbols in Mbari representing feminine beauty and meekness in repressed strength – traits that womanism upholds. Text analysis, oral tradition and interviews provide points that aid the study of the relationship between these concepts – female characters, Ọrara and womanism. It is deduced that the identical characterization in the works of Igbo female writers - Nwapa’s Efuru and Idu; Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood and The Bride Price; and Okoye’s Behind the Clouds and Chimere - has its root in the writers’ re-creation of the real experiences of the ordinary woman in the Igbo society whose natural reactions to her plight gravitates more to the womanist than the feminist angle, producing traits that are similar to those of Ọrara. And while womanism is not new in relation to the study of the works of Igbo female writers, it has not been studied against a significant symbol in the Igbo tradition. Ọrara is, thus, seen as the ideological locus for womanism and may be put under further scrutiny to establish it as the muse of Igbo female writers. Key Words: Womanism, Characters, Beauty, Meekness, Symbol, Ọrara, Igbo.

Negotiating the Hotel Nacional de Cuba:

In Negotiating the Hotel Nacional de Cuba: Politics, Profits, and Protest, Erica N. Morawski positions that Havana hotel (McKim, Mead & White, 1930) as a significant symbol and space in the negotiation of national identities under the government of Cuban president Gerardo Machado y Morales. Through analysis of archival materials and architectural design, she shows how the project embodied complex negotiations between the machadato, dedicated to creating the hotel as a national monument, and the U.S. conglomerate charged with financing and building it. Looking beyond the hotel's construction to its role in the Revolution of 1933, Morawski demonstrates how the machadato's efforts to define national identity through the hotel positioned it as a key focus of activists who wanted to define Cuban national identity on their own terms, and who engaged not in negotiation but in armed resistance.

Study of Metallurgical Industry Smoke Characteristics and the Affect to the Performance of Electrical Precipitator

Metallurgy industry is an important part of national economy, thereinto, steel enterprise is the most important part, and it has become a significant symbol of comprehensive national strength. According to the analysis, in the Large and medium-sized Steel enterprise the effect of energy saving and emission reduction is obvious, But the process equipment behind of small and medium-sized enterprises, high energy consumption and discharge many pollutants. In order to reach require, Electrical precipitator has been widely used. In this text, we make comprehensive narrative for metallurgy industry characteristics of flue gas, and analyze the affect of flue gas to electrical precipitator, finally, we put forward some constructive measures and suggests.