Search Results (16)

Previously, research adopted an ultrasound-assisted extraction method to isolate crude polysaccharide from blackened jujube, followed by preliminary structural identification of the purified polysaccharide (BJP). This manuscript analyzed the accurate structure and immunomodulatory activity of BJP. Further structural identification indicated that BJP was mainly composed of →3)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →3,5)-α-L-Araf-(1→, →3)-β-D-GalpA-(1→, →2,4)-β-D-Galp-(1→, →4)-β-D-GalpA-(1→, →3)-α-L-Rhap-(1→ and →3,4)-α-L-Rhap-(1→. The immunomodulatory effects of BJP were examined using a mouse model with immunosuppression induced by cyclophosphamide. The findings suggested that BJP could relieve the condition of immunosuppressed mice. BJP could inhibit decreases in the body weight and organ index of mice, and HE staining showed that BJP could alleviate the harm to spleen and thymus tissues. BJP enhanced the secretion of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and immunoglobulin G (IgG) in serum. It also reduced liver oxidative stress by increasing superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH) activities, while lowering malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. Moreover, BJP contributed to the maintenance of gut homeostasis by stimulating the generation of short-chain fatty acids in the cecal contents. The study aims to establish a solid basis for the comprehensive development of blackened jujube and furnish a theoretical framework for its polysaccharides’ role in immune modulation. Full article

Background/Objectives: Bence Jones proteins (BJPs) are monoclonal immunoglobulin free light chains (FLCs) that appear in the urine of patients with plasma cell disorders, including multiple myeloma (MM), Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), or light chain amyloidosis (AL). Their presence can provide valuable information about disease progression and treatment efficacy. These proteins are typically detected through a 24-h urine collection, as recommended by clinical guidelines. However, this method can be inconvenient for both patients and laboratory personnel due to its time-consuming nature and the potential for collection errors. We propose an algorithm based on serum FLC (sFLC) to rule out the presence of BJPs and diminish the need for urine testing. Methods: A retrospective data analysis of 268 serum and urine samples from 44 patients with MM was performed, and cutoffs were established to predict BJP absence: total urine protein (0.115 g/L), sFLC κ/λ ratio (>0.82 λ monoclonality and <1.99 κ monoclonality), and difference of involved–uninvolved FLC (dFLC; <11.93 mg/L). A subsequent algorithm validation was performed in 716 samples from patients who underwent the same testing in routine 2023 other laboratory activity. Results: The validation of these cutoffs to rule out the presence of BJP showed that, if the protocol based on the sFLC κ/λ ratio and dFLC had been applied, 42% of the urine studies would have been avoided, achieving a sensitivity of 93.9% and a false negative rate of 6.11%. Conclusions: We propose a laboratory work protocol that would allow for the avoidance of almost half of the 24-h urine studies based on sFLC measurement, a faster and more objective alternative to urine analysis for screening out the presence of BJP, with a good sensitivity and a low false negative rate. Full article

This review article analyses the wide-ranging influence of Hindutva in Indian politics over the decade of Narendra Modi’s tenure as Prime Minister of India. The study analyses the survival, reproduction, and development of Hindutva in conflict with modernisation processes in India despite the country’s secular constitutional democracy. This is achieved by examining the developments in the Indian political landscape and policy administration through the prism of the symbiotic relationship between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), signalling the fusion of political power and Hindu religious principles. By contributing to the literature on religion and politics, through a comprehensive examination of political rhetoric, policy shifts, and societal attitudes, this review article examines the role of Hindutva in shaping the trajectory of governance and politics in India during Narendra Modi’s leadership. Full article

Political conflict has plagued Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region of Hindu-majority India, ever since the partition. The crisis worsened by the end of the 1980s and has continued to disrupt peace in the valley to date. The conflict arguably entered a new phase as the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was elected to power in 2014, which also joined the ruling coalition of the Jammu and Kashmir state in 2015 for the first time. Over this period, Kashmir’s resistance evolved into subtler forms, including cultural expressions like memoirs. Published in 2021, Farah Bashir’s debut work, Rumours of Spring, is a deeply personal yet undeniably political exploration of the crisis in Kashmir from its aggravated phase in the beginning of the 1990s. This paper argues that the nuanced depiction of the crisis in the memoir demands an intersectional reading of the traumatising impact of militarisation and militarism on Kashmir’s everyday life, especially given the subject position of the narrator as a Muslim woman. The works on militarisation by Jacklyn Cock, as employed by Samreen Mushtaq to analyse the situation in Kashmir, provide theoretical insights for this reading. Set in Kashmir’s identitarian conflict, the Muslim identity is central to the narrative. We argue that in Bashir’s memoir, religion finds a complex representation, with the Qur’an and Kashmiri folklore serving as respites in times of crisis, even as the fundamentalist factions contribute to their oppressive reality. Bashir’s work openly engages with the experience of being a Muslim in Hindu India. The paper also attempts to place the work in a larger corpus of life-writing by women in conflict zones, comparing the work with Sharon and My Mother-in-Law: Ramallah Diaries (2003), a Palestinian memoir by Suad Amiry. Full article

This self-reflective essay explores the wider implications of the BJP’s inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, from the perspective of a scholar of Sanskrit and classical Indian religions. What questions does it raise about our relationship with history, heritage, decolonization and the politics of memory? How can one decolonize oneself and society by reclaiming tradition and heritage, without political agendas and misinterpretations of the past? The article argues for a critical, non-passive, creative, reclamation of tradition for the formation of a truly free decolonized political consciousness. Full article

The electric eel has an organ made up of hundreds of electrocytes, which is called the electric organ. This organ is used to sense and detect weak electric field signals. By sensing electric field signals, the electric eel can identify changes in their surroundings, detect potential prey or other electric eels, and use it for navigation and orientation. Path-finding algorithms are currently facing optimality challenges such as the shortest path, shortest time, and minimum memory overhead. In order to improve the search performance of a traditional A* algorithm, this paper proposes a bidirectional jump point search algorithm (BJPS+) based on the electricity-guided navigation behavior of electric eels and map preprocessing. Firstly, a heuristic strategy based on the electrically induced navigation behavior of electric eels is proposed to speed up the node search. Secondly, an improved jump point search strategy is proposed to reduce the complexity of jump point screening. Then, a new map preprocessing strategy is proposed to construct the relationship between map nodes. Finally, path planning is performed based on the processed map information. In addition, a rewiring strategy is proposed to reduce the number of path inflection points and path length. The simulation results show that the proposed BJPS+ algorithm can generate optimal paths quickly and with less search time when the map is known. Full article

Hindu civilizationism is more than a century old phenomenon that has been steadily gaining strength. Its recent amalgam with populism has made it ascendant, popular, and mainstream in India. This paper explores how Hindu civilizationism is not only an essential part of the Hindutva and BJP’s narrative but also the mainstay of several government policies. The “other” of the BJP’s populist civilizationist rhetoric are primarily Muslims and Muslim civilization in India and the aim is to make India “vishwaguru” (world leader) again after 1200 years of colonialism. The evidence of this heady mixture of civilizationism and populism is numerous and ubiquitous. This paper analyzes topics such as Akhand Bharat, the golden age, denigrating Mughals, Hindutva pseudoscience, and Sanskrit promotion to highlight the evidence. Full article

An acidic polysaccharide fraction (BJP-4) was isolated from blackened jujube, and its advanced structures and anti-inflammatory activity were investigated. X-ray diffraction showed that BJP-4 exhibits both crystalline and amorphous portions. Atomic force microscopy data suggested that it contains a large number of spherical lumps. Circular dichroism and Congo red experiments revealed that it has no triple-helix conformation. In steady shear flow results, the BJP-4 solution was a pseudoplastic non-Newtonian fluid with acid-base stability. BJP-4 (20 mg/mL) showed liquid-like properties (G″ > G′), while it performed weak gel-like behavior at a high concentration (40 mg/mL) (G′ > G″). The anti-inflammatory effects of BJP-4 were further evaluated through in vitro experiments. BJP-4 could down-regulate the over-secretion of inflammatory factors (NO, IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, iNOS and COX-2) in RAW264.7 cells due to LPS stimulation. Moreover, it demonstrated that BJP-4 restrained the NF-κB signal pathway by regulating TLR4 expression, reducing IκBα phosphorylation level and NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation. In summary, this present study contributes to the application of blackened jujube polysaccharides in the foods and medicine field. Full article

This article provides a deep dive into several recent cases of majoritarian hate speech and violence perpetrated against Muslims in India. We first provide an introduction to Hindutva as a social movement in India, followed by an examination of three case studies in which Islamophobic hate speech circulated on social media, as well as several instances of anti-Muslim violence. These case studies—the Delhi riots, the Love Jihad conspiracy theory, and anti-Muslim disinformation related to the COVID pandemic—show that Hindu nationalism in India codes the Muslim minority in the country as particularly dangerous and untrustworthy. Full article

This paper sets out to critically examine the “forced” conversion narrative circulating across the Sikh diaspora. The “forced” conversion narrative tells the story of Muslim men allegedly deceiving and tricking “vulnerable” Sikh females into Islam. The paper explores the parallels between the “forced” conversion narrative and the discourse on “love jihad” propagated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as well as drawing out its particularities within the Sikh community. The paper is informed by new empirical data generated by a series of qualitative interviews with Sikhs in the UK, US, and Canada, and captures the complexities and nuances of my respondents in their interpretations of, and challenges to, the “forced” conversions narrative. The paper adopts a decolonial Sikh studies theoretical framework to critically unpack the logics of the discourse. In doing so, it reveals a wider politics at play, centred upon the regulation of Sikh female bodies, fears of the preservation of community, and wider anxieties around interfaith marriage. These aspects come together to display Sikh Islamophobia, whereby the figure of the “predatory” Muslim male is represented as an existential threat to Sikh being. Full article

What role does the Islamophobic theory of “love jihad” play in the politics of Hindu nationalist statecraft—the legal codification of Hindu nationalist ideology—in India today? In this article, we address this question through a critical analysis of how the idea of “love jihad” relate to both (a) a conservative politics of governing gender and intimacy in which women are constituted as subjects of protection and (b) an authoritarian populism grounded in a foundational opposition between true Indians and their anti-national enemies within. The article begins by exploring how “love jihad” has transformed from an idea that was used to legitimize extra-legal violence by Hindu nationalist vigilantes to the status of law, with a particular focus on the BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh. We then situate the “love jihad” laws in relation to a regime of gender governance that constitutes women as subjects of protection - and specifically protection by state and nation—and discuss how this resonates with a pervasive patriarchal common sense in Indian society. Finally, we show how “love jihad” laws and the wider conservative politics of gender and intimacy within which it is embedded feeds into the authoritarian politics of the Modi regime, in which Muslims are consistently portrayed as enemies of the Indian nation, and reflect on what this entails for the country’s secular political order. Full article

Since the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a lot has been written on Hindu nationalism. Prime Minister Modi’s ascendency has similarly resulted in a plethora of books and articles on Hindu populism. However, most of the literature does not distinguish between the two. Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism overlap, particularly in Modi’s India and Modi’s BJP, but they are not the same. In this article, after a discussion on Hinduism’s affinity to populism, an attempt has been made to distinguish between Hindu nationalism and Hindu populism based on an analysis of Hindutva parties’ election manifestos. Since independence, three Hindutva parties have made a name for themselves at the national level: Hindu Mahasabha, Bharatiya Jana Sangh (BJS) and BJP. Based on their importance and success at the national level, one manifesto of Hindu Mahasabha, two manifestos of BJS and four manifestos of the BJP were analyzed based on criteria chosen after literature review. The results show that while Hindu nationalism was strong and visible in early Hindutva parties (Hindu Mahasabha and BJS), Hindu populism was weak and sporadic. Interestingly, for the BJP, there is rise and then drop in Hindu nationalism while Hindu populism has consistently increased. Full article

The study aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of Mustard (Brassica juncea) and Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf extracts and coagulant protein for their potential application in water treatment. Bacterial cell aggregation and growth kinetics studies were employed for thirteen bacterial strains with different concentrations of leaf extracts and coagulant protein. Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOS) and coagulant protein showed cell aggregation against ten bacterial strains, whereas leaf extract alone showed growth inhibition of five bacterial strains for up to 6 h and five bacterial strains for up to 3 h. Brassica juncea leaf extract (BJS) showed growth inhibition for up to 6 h, and three bacterial strains showed inhibition for up to 3 h. The highest inhibition concentration with 2.5 mg/mL was 19 mm, and furthermore, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (0.5 mg/mL) and MBC (1.5 mg/mL) were determined to have a higher antibacterial effect for <3 KDa peptides. Based on LCMS analysis, napin was identified in both MOS and BJS; furthermore, the mode of action of napin peptide was determined on lipoprotein X complex (LpxC) and four-chained structured binding protein of bacterial type II topoisomerase (4PLB). The docking analysis has exhibited moderate to potent inhibition with a range of dock score −912.9 Kcal/mol. Thus, it possesses antibacterial-coagulant potential bioactive peptides present in the Moringa oleifera purified protein (MOP) and Brassica juncea purified protein (BJP) that could act as an effective antimicrobial agent to replace currently available antibiotics. The result implies that MOP and Brassica juncea purified coagulant (BJP) proteins may perform a wide degree of antibacterial functions against different pathogens. Full article

A conventional approach to making miniature or microscale gas chromatography (GC) components relies on silicon as a base material and MEMS fabrication as manufacturing processes. However, these devices often fail in medium-to-high temperature applications due to a lack of robust fluidic interconnects and a high-yield bonding process. This paper explores the feasibility of using metal additive manufacturing (AM), which is also known as metal 3D printing, as an alternative platform to produce small-scale microfluidic devices that can operate at a temperature higher than that which polymers can withstand. Binder jet printing (BJP), one of the metal AM processes, was utilized to make stainless steel (SS) preconcentrators (PCs) with submillimeter internal features. PCs can increase the concentration of gaseous analytes or serve as an inline injector for GC or gas sensor applications. Normally, parts printed by BJP are highly porous and thus often infiltrated with low melting point metal. By adding to SS316 powder sintering additives such as boron nitride (BN), which reduces the liquidus line temperature, we produce near full-density SS PCs at sintering temperatures much lower than the SS melting temperature, and importantly without any measurable shape distortion. Conversely, the SS PC without BN remains porous after the sintering process and unsuitable for fluidic applications. Since the SS parts, unlike Si, are compatible with machining, they can be modified to work with commercial compression fitting. The PC structures as well as the connection with the fitting are leak-free with relatively high operating pressures. A flexible membrane heater along with a resistance-temperature detector is integrated with the SS PCs for thermal desorption. The proof-of-concept experiment demonstrates that the SS PC can preconcentrate and inject 0.6% headspace toluene to enhance the detector’s response. Full article