bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Media and the Geographies of Climate Justice: Indigenous Peoples, Nature and the Geopolitics of Climate Change
Authors: Roosvall Anna , Tegelberg Matthew
Published: April 2018

Climate change has universal, global implications and uneven, particular local effects. Examining how this complex phenomenon is understood in public discourse calls for the merging of theorizing on geography, justice, nature and the mediation of environmental protest. This article combines these strands to discuss relationships between peoples, places, politics, nature and the media in terms of climate justice. Empirical examples are drawn from interviews conducted with indigenous activists and observations of press events organized by indigenous groups during a U.N. climate summit. We argue that the “misframing” of indigenous peoples at international climate summits underlines the necessity to integrate the perspectives of marginalized, transnational groups and their growing demands for climate justice into future media research on climate change, and the need for a re-framing of the mediation of climate change.
Following the Open-Source Trail Outside the Digital World: The Case of Open-Source Seeds
Authors: Tsioumani Elsa , Muzurakis Mike , Ieropoulos Yannis , Tsioumanis Asterios
Published: April 2018

In this article, we assess the application of the open-source development model in the field of agricultural research and development, as a potential tool for upholding both public scientific research, and farmer-led innovation and farmers’ rights. First, we provide an overview of the problems associated with the rise of IPRs in agriculture in view of global challenges such as food security and environmental sustainability, and present the debate on farmers’ rights, including its rationale and international policy and legal responses. We then review open source initiatives in the digital domain, including successes and shortcomings, and offer our understanding of relevant terminologies. We explore the parallels between software development and innovation in agriculture and review ongoing open-source agriculture-related initiatives. We particularly address the potential for open-source systems to address existing asymmetries in capabilities and contribute to global challenges such as food security.
The Media Industry’s Structural Transformation in Capitalism and the Role of the State: Media Economics in the Age of Digital Communications
Authors: Knoche Manfred
Published: April 2018

Abstract: This paper discusses how the capitalist media industry has been structurally transformed in the age of digital communications. It takes an approach that is grounded in the Marxian critique of the political economy of the media. It draws a distinction between media capital, media-oriented capital, media infrastructure capital and media-external capital as the forms of capital in the media industry. The article identifies four capital strategies that media capital tends to use in order to try to maximise profits: a) The substitution of “old” by “new” media technology, b) the introduction of new transmission channels for “old” media products, c) the definition of new property rights for media sectors and networks, d) the reduction of production and transaction costs. The drive to profit maximization is at the heart of the capitalist media industry’s structural transformation. This work also discusses the tendency to the universalization of the media system in the digital age and the economic contradictions arising from it. It identifies activity fields of the media industry’s structural transformation and shows how the concentration of the capitalist media markets is an essential, contradictory and inherent feature of the capitalist media system and its structural transformation. The paper identifies six causes of why capital seeks to employ capital strategies that result in the media industry’s structural transformation. They include market saturation, overaccumulation, the tendency of the profit rate to fall, capital-concentration, competition pressure, and advertising. The paper finally discusses the role of the state as an agent of capital in general and media capital in particular. It discusses the role of the state in privatisations, neoliberal deregulation, the formation of national competitive states, and various benefits that the state provides for media capital. This contribution shows that capital and capitalism are the main structural transformers of the media and communications system. For understanding these transformations, we need an approach that is grounded in Marx’s critique of the political economy.Translation from German: Christian Fuchs and Marisol Sandoval
Neoliberalism in Britain: From Thatcherism to Cameronism
Authors: Fuchs Christian
Published: April 2018

The Conservative Party has in the 2015 British general elections won an absolute majority under David Cameron’s leadership. Cameron’s rule signifies a contested phase in British politics in the 21st century. This paper asks the question: What is Cameronism? Cameron argues that Margaret Thatcher “was a big influence” for him. It is therefore appropriate to study the relationship between Thatcherism and Cameronism. The article revisits theories of Thatcherism and analyses how it is related to Cameronism. Thatcherism and Cameronism are understood as being unities of ideology and policies that want to implement a particular model of society and for doing so, are organised along three dimensions: the economy, politics, and culture. An ideology critique of key speeches, interviews and documents analyses these three dimensions of Cameronism.
Henryk Grossmann 2.0: A Critique of Paul Mason’s Book “PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future”
Authors: Fuchs Christian
Published: April 2018

This article reviews Paul Mason’s book “PostCapitalism: A Guide to Our Future”. It discusses Mason’s version of long wave theory, the book’s interpretation of Karl Marx, its analysis of the Grundrisse’s “Fragment on Machines”, and aspects of political struggles and societal change. The conclusion is that Paul Mason is digital Marxism’s Henryk Grossmann 2.0.
Open Source, Social Activism and "Necessary Trade-offs" in the Digital Enclosure: A Case Study of Platform Co-operative, Loomio.org
Authors: Jackson Sam K , Kuehn Kathleen M
Published: April 2018

This article explores the tensions and tradeoffs facing the open source platform co-operative Loomio.org, an online tool that aims to decentralize power through deliberative decision-making. Combining discourse analysis with political economy, we demonstrate how Loomio’s politics of resistance is built directly into the architectural design and platform structure, which invites users to participate in its development and evolution. Yet by prioritizing its social justice mission, Loomio must make certain tradeoffs around data storage and management that paradoxically threatens to compromise its wider social goals. The realities of operating an open source platform are discussed in the context of the contemporary digital economy. We argue that if platform co-operatives like Loomio are to fully realize their goals, a digital commons unencumbered by capitalism requires access to reliable, affordable and accessible alternatives to the existing Internet infrastructure.
“The concentration of power, represented by current prevailing media conditions, is and ought to be open to challenge.” An interview with Peter Golding.
Authors: Amon Prodnik Jernej , Slaček Brlek Sašo
Published: April 2018

Interview with Peter Golding, Emeritus Professor at Northumbria University, Visiting Professor in the School of Arts and Cultures at Newcastle University and one of the crucial figures in Critical Political Economy of Communication. In the interview we discuss the role of critical scholarship, the sometimes troubled relationship between cultural studies and critical political economy of communication, the importance of a sociological perspective in studying media, and the impact of broader socio-political trends on academia.
The Forgotten Marxist Theory of Communication & Society
Authors: Holzer Horst
Published: April 2018

Translated from German to English by Christian FuchsMarxist political economy of communication analyses the role of communication in society and capitalism. This paper shows what it means to take a historical and materialist approach for analysing communication and society. In the German-speaking world, Marxist communication research has largely remained a “forgotten theory”.First, the paper analyses the role of communication in society, which requires thinking of how communication relates to work and production. Second, the paper analyses the emergence of communication in capitalist society. It shows that there is a close interaction of the dominant type of capitalism and the emergence and development of new means of communication. Third, the paper points out five roles of the media in capitalism (the production and sale of media products, advertising and commodity circulation, the legitimation of domination, regeneration and reproduction of labour-power, market for media technologies) and engages with how ideology, social psychology, audiences’ habitus and everyday practices/life interact in the reception of media contents, especially news programmes.The preface to this article, written by the translator, presents aspects of the works of Horst Holzer. Given his pioneering intellectual role in the development of the critique of the political economy of communication in the German-speaking world, it is not an understatement to say that Horst Holzer is Germany’s Dallas Smythe.Acknowledgement: First published in German as book chapter: Holzer, Horst. 1994. Kapitel IV: Eine „vergessene Theorie“ gesellschaftlicher Kommunikation? (Bezugspunkt: Historisch-materialistische Gesellschaftswissenschaft). In Medienkommunkation: Einführung in handlungs- und gesellschaftstheoretische Konzeptionen, 185-221. Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag. ISBN 978-3-531-22172-4. © Westdeutscher Verlag GmbH, Opladen 1994. Translated and published with permission of Springer Nature.About the Author:Horst Holzer (1935-2000) was a German sociologist and communication theorist. He contributed to the formation and development of the critique of the political economy of media and communication in the German-speaking world. Holzer used Marxist theory for the analysis of the relationship between capitalism and communication. Given his pioneering intellectual role in the development of the critique of the political economy of communication in the German-speaking world, it is not an understatement to say that Horst Holzer is Germany’s Dallas Smythe. Holzer lived and worked in Munich and published twenty German books. The focus of Holzer’s writings was in general on communication theory, the sociology of communication, as well as on capitalism and communication. In particular, his books were about the ideology and political economy of magazines, newspapers, radio and television; public sphere theory, sociological theories, children and television, and surveillance.
Manual Labour, Intellectual Labour and Digital (Academic) Labour. The Practice/Theory Debate in the Digital Humanities
Authors: Magis Christophe
Published: April 2018

Although it hasn’t much been considered as such, the Digital Humanities movements (or at least the most theoretically informed parts of it) offers a critique “from within” of the recent mutation of the higher education and research systems. This paper offers an analysis, from a Critical Theory perspective, of a key element of this critique: the theory vs. practice debate, which, in the Digital Humanities, is translated into the famous “hack” versus “yack” motto, where DHers usually call for the pre-eminence of the former over the latter. I show how this debate aims to criticize the social situation of employment in academia in the digital age and can further be interpreted with the Cultural industry theoretical concept, as a continuance of the domination of the intellectual labour (ie. yack in this case) over the manual labour (hack). Nevertheless, I argue that, pushing this debate to its very dialectical limit in the post-industrial academic labour situation, one realizes that the two terms aren’t in opposition anymore: the actual theory as well as the actual practice are below their very critical concepts in the academic labour. Therefore, I call for a reconfiguration of this debate, aiming at the rediscovering of an actual theory in the academic production, as well as a rediscovering of a praxis, the latter being outside of the scientific realm and rules: it is political.
In Pursuit of an Alternative Academy: The Case of Kocaeli Academy for Solidarity (Non-Peer-Reviewed Reflection Article)
Authors: Bakırezer Güven , Keskin Demirer Derya , Yeşilyurt Adem
Published: April 2018

After declaring a state of emergency on 20 July, 2016 as a response to the failed coup attempt of 15 July, 2016, the Turkish government launched a nation-wide academic purge, especially targeting the Academics for Peace. This group of academics signed a peace petition in January 2016 to address civilian deaths in the South-Eastern part of the country and to urge the government to take responsibility and restart the peace process. Having the largest number of peace petitioners among Turkey’s provincial universities, Kocaeli University was the first to dismiss all 19 of the peace academics from their positions on 1 September, 2016. Already active in defending the universal values of academia in other venues, these dismissed peace academics founded the Kocaeli Academy of Solidarity in pursuit of an alternative academy that aims to bring together university students, NGO members and ordinary citizens in the city in a cooperative understanding of education and research. After weekly seminars over eight months, a summer school of five days, and with applications in for funding its projects, particularly amongst others the School of Life, Kocaeli Academy for Solidarity has a strong determination to demonstrate a new democratic model of education and research.
Book Review: Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism: An Introduction to Cognitive Materialism by Mariano Zukerfeld
Authors: Zimmermann Rainer
Published: April 2018

Rainer E. Zimmermann reviews Mariano Zukerfeld's Knowledge in the Age of Digital Capitalism. An Introduction to Cognitive Materialism, University of Westminster Press, London, 2017, 272 pp., paperback and open access, gratis e-book. There are several aspects of innovative thoughts in this text as to recent developments, in particular concerning the manifold occasions of more or less hidden layers of exploitation originating in the use of digital technology, and mainly based on un-remunerated activities. All this speaks very much in favour of reading this book; only minor objections have to be made that should not prevent a profitable reading.
Information als Prozess
Authors: Elstner Diether
Published: April 2018

A unified definition of the phenomenon information is not possible at present, because of the enormous number of different views. The situation is increased by the 'Capurro‘s trilemma' which postulates the logical impossibility of a unified concept of information. There are two approaches in the literature, which aim to solve the trilemma. The first approach avoids collision with the trilemma through the introduction of a generalized parameter to form rules of language for information systems. The second approach is understood as a draft of a generalized understanding of information within a yet to be developed unified information science. This article presents the approach of understanding information as an instantaneous process, which effects changes in systems. These changes must be captured and reproduced by the organization of the system, otherwise they get lost by fluctuations. Information in this reductionist conception is possible in each system, under the assumption, that it has several stable states, which alternatively may be assumed by the system . The 'Capurro‘s trilemma' is negated.
The Need for an Informational Systems Approach to Security
Authors: Díaz Nafría José María
Published: April 2018

Different senses of security and its related assumptions, methodologies and contexts are analyzed by first reviewing the liberalistic notions of security and trust, unveiling, on the one hand, the contradictions exhibited between discourse and practice; on the other hand, the historical strategy of concentration of power behind the liberalistic doctrines. The weakness, limits and implications of the liberalistic notions and methods on security and trust are inquired, and subsequently a genuine horizon of security as sustainable and general procurement of positive freedom is advocated. The CyberSyn project successfully implemented in Chile, but tragically and prematurely ending under the hard power in the 9/11 of 1973, serves as model of the posed system approach to security. However, the system model is actualized and completed with elements of the general theory of information in virtue of: the increased complexity of societal systems, its ultimate global dimension, its biospherical closure, the increase of information assets and processes, and some epistemological boundaries. These reasons also set the need of keeping – beside the system approach – a critical and ethical stance.
Privacy as Invisibility: Pervasive Surveillance and the Privatization of Peer-to-Peer Systems
Authors: Musiani Francesca
Published: April 2018

This article addresses the ongoing, increasing privatization of peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing systems – the emergence of systems that users may only join by personal, friend-to-friend invitation. It argues that, within P2P systems, privacy is increasingly coinciding with “mere” invisibility vis-à-vis the rest of the Internet ecosystem because of a trend that has shaped the recent history of P2P technology: The alternation between forms of pervasive surveillance of such systems, and reactions by developers and users to such restrictive measures. Yet, it also suggests that the richness of today’s landscape of P2P technology development and use, mainly in the field of Internet-based services, opens up new dimensions to the conceptualization of privacy, and may give room to a more articulate definition of the concept as related to P2P technology; one that includes not only the need of protection from external attacks, and the temporary outcomes of the competition between surveillance and counter-surveillance measures, but also issues such as user empowerment through better control over personal information, reconfiguration of data management practices, and removal of intermediaries in sharing and communication activities.
Avatar: A Marxist Saga on the Far Distant Planet
Authors: Tang Yong
Published: April 2018

This article presents a critical and cultural study on Avatar, the Hollywood science fiction blockbuster. After using classical and current Marxist theories to examine James Cameron’s major films and using textual analysis to explore Chinese bloggers’ comments on the film Avatar, the paper argues that, like Cameron’s other major films, Avatar is a cinematographic manifesto of Marxism. The class struggle between capitalists and proletarians is evident throughout the movie’s whole narrative structure. Cameron is not neutral in his approach to cinematic worldview. Like in his previous films, also this time Cameron expresses solidarity with poor people and struggles against the rich. The confrontational nature of the worldview embedded in the movie has been used by audiences in China, Brazil, Palestine and elsewhere as a weapon to fight against social oppression.
Critical Surveillance Studies in the Information Society
Authors: Allmer Thomas
Published: April 2018

The overall aim of this paper is to clarify how we can theorize and systemize economic surveillance. Surveillance studies scholars like David Lyon stress that economic surveillance such as monitoring consumers or the workplace are central aspects of surveillance societies. The approach that is advanced in this work recognizes the importance of the role of the economy in contemporary surveillance societies. The paper at hand constructs theoretically founded typologies in order to systemize the existing literature of surveillance studies and to analyze examples of surveillance. Therefore, it mainly is a theoretical approach combined with illustrative examples. This contribution contains a systematic discussion of the state of the art of surveillance and clarifies how different notions treat economic aspects of surveillance. In this work it is argued that the existing literature is insufficient for studying economic surveillance. In contrast, a typology of surveillance in the modern economy, which is based on foundations of a political economy approach, allows providing a systematic analysis of economic surveillance on the basis of current developments on the Internet. Finally, some political recommendations are drawn in order to overcome economic surveillance. This contribution can be fruitful for scholars who want to undertake a systematic analysis of surveillance in the modern economy and who want to study the field of surveillance critically.
New Science Building and Research: From Systems Biology to Theoretical Informatics
Authors: You Jun , Li Zongrong
Published: April 2018

Briefly introduced the status and related theories foundation of Theoretical Informatics (TI) and Systems Biology (SB). These two disciplines were compared and analyzed in the three aspects of the background, epistemological ap- proach, informational energy of open systems, thus demonstrating the similar attributes or characteristics of the two disci- plines, and indirectly discoursing the necessity, the rationality, the feasibility and the vital significance of the establishment and researches for TI. The paper also explores how to draw, reference SB model of development to promote the prosperity and great development of TI.
Philosophical Issues of Education for the Information Society
Authors: Kinelev Vladimir
Published: April 2018

Philosophical and methodological issues of the use of information and communication technologies in science and education as one of the prime strategic challenges for the Information society are considered.
Reconstructing the Economy: A Methodological Journey from the Surface to the Essence and Back
Authors: Fleissner Peter Karl
Published: April 2018

The essential methodology in social science to “understand” phenomena is informed abstraction. But the way - how and what for the abstraction process is shaped - divides the economists into various schools. While mainstream econ- omists abstract from any links of the economy to human beings - replacing them by selfish machines maximizing their prof- its or individual utilities, and neglecting any deeper analysis of the basic constructions they use (like prices or money), heterodox economists try to look behind the surface, link them to certain periods of history and to the source of all value: humans are social beings and cannot exist without mutuality. The paper presents a heterodox way to reconstruct contempo- rary capitalist economies by applying the new science of information with its evolutionary concepts. It starts the description on a very abstract level: useful things and services produced by specialized labor. Step by step new layers of economic activities and related information are added and become the basis for the next one. Vice versa economic activities on lower layers become controlled and modified by higher layers. One can see that the higher controlling principles in contemporary capitalist economies do not assist the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the majority of people, but function ac- cording to the self-interest of a minority. For the first time in history capitalism has developed new technologies that in prin- ciple could allow for the participation of the many, to create abundance of information, and to offer tools for building a de- mocratic and sustainable society. But by the same capitalism, rigid Intellectual Property Rights and severe copy protection mechanisms enforce artificial shortage of information goods.
Book Review: Capital, State, Empire: The New American Way of Digital Warfare by Scott Timcke
Authors: Kosciejew Marc
Published: April 2018

Marc Kosciejew reviews Capital, State, Empire: The New American Way of Digital Warfare by Scott Timcke (2017; London: University of Westminster Press [ISBN: 978-1-911534-36-5]).
Breast cancer screening and outcomes: an ecological study of county-level female Veteran population density and social vulnerability
Authors: McDaniel Justin T. , Diehr Aaron J. , Davis Cataria , Kil Namyun , Thomas Kate H.
Published: April 2018

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that breast cancer incidence rates are higher among female Veterans than the general population due to factors such as increased lifetime exposure to breast cancer risk factors or more accurate detection and surveillance. The present study explored relationships between nationally representative county-level breast cancer outcomes, mammography screening rates, female Veteran population density, and social vulnerability. Methods: Data for the present ecological study were obtained at the county level from the United States Census Bureau, the University of South Carolina's Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute (HVRI), and the National Cancer Institute. We conducted ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression analyses to determine the relative influence of female Veteran population density, social vulnerability, and mammography screening rates on breast cancer incidence and mortality rates between 2010 and 2014. County-level covariates such as liquor store density, cigarette smoking prevalence, air pollution, and access to healthy foods, were entered into each model to determine the unique influence of each of the main study variables on breast cancer outcomes. Results: County-level breast cancer incidence rates were higher in counties with greater female Veteran population density, lower social vulnerability, and higher mammography screening rates ( n=2,698, F=33.669, p<0.001). County-level breast cancer mortality rates were higher in counties with lower female Veteran population density, higher social vulnerability, and lower mammography screening rates ( n=1,803, F=18.180, p<0.001). Discussion: The results of the present exploratory study were preliminary, and thus further research on relationships examined in this study are needed. However, because female Veterans were shown to live in counties with relatively high mammography screening rates and lower social vulnerability, their risk for mortality from breast cancer may be lower than for the general population – in particular due to early detection and treatment.
Development of a Segmented Temperature Control for Targeted Solidification in Injection Molding
Authors: Hopmann Ch. , Schmitz M. , Dornebusch H.
Published: April 2018

One of the largest challenges in production using melt-based processes is the manufacturing of precise parts. Especially due to high differences in temperature of the produced parts while processing, shrinkage cannot be avoided, since the processing material is typically heated up, molded and cooled down. In injection molding, the molten plastic is loaded by high variations in temperature and pressure while being processed. The gradients can lead to a significant change of the local specific volume, shrinkage potential and inner stresses, which can result in part warpage. In order to increase the precision of the manufactured parts, the shrinkage potential has to be homogenised to achieve an even shrinkage and therefore minimise part warpage. In this work, the approach for homogenisation of the shrinkage potential is a homogenisation of the specific volume and density respectively. Pursuing the goal of a homogeneous distribution of the specific volume leads to manipulation of the influencing factors namely temperature and pressure. The impact of temperature and pressure changes on the specific volume can further be quantitatively described by the material specific pvT-data. Based on geometric restrictions, a manipulation of the local pressure inside the cavity in most cases is impossible. However, on the other hand, a local control of the temperature is possible using highly dynamic tempering techniques. Based on this line of arguments, the paper describes the development of a highly segmented dynamic temperature control in injection molding to locally influence the mold and part temperature. Thereby, the specific volume of the part will be locally adjusted to reduce warpage as well as to compensate process variations occurring by changing material properties or varying ambient conditions. Due to the nature of thermal processes a special control strategy has to be developed to enable accurate temperature control, which is able to compensate slow thermal reaction in a highly dynamic process.
Rheology and Foaming of Long-Chain Branched Ethylene-Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer and Its Blends
Authors: Nishi E. , Satou T. , Sukumaran S. K. , Katou T. , Sugimoto M. , Koyama K.
Published: April 2018

The long-chain branched ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (B-ETFE) was synthesized by radical polymerization using ethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, termonomer, and a very small amount of divinyl monomer. We studied melt rheology under shear and elongational flow, and foamability for B-ETFE, comparing with conventional linear ETFE. Addition of a small amount of the divinyl monomer had a considerable impact on the melt rheology of ETFE and its blends. The observed non-linear elongational behavior and emergence of long relaxation time components can be explained by long-chain branching in the modified ETFE. B-ETFE and its blends showed excellent foaming processability: uniform and smaller cell sizes and much higher cell number densities than those of linear ETFE. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the enhancement of the melt rheology of ETFE from the viewpoint of modification of its molecular architecture.
Herbicide based weed management in aromatic rice of Bangladesh
Authors: Islam AKM Mominul , Hia Md Azhiat-Ul Huq , Sarkar Shubroto Kumar , Anwar Md Parvez
Published: April 2018

Selection of appropriate weed management strategy helps reduce rice yield loss due to weeds. Despite some undesirable side-effects, no viable alternative is currently available to shift the chemical weed management in rice. However, time of herbicide application is very important with respect to its efficacy. Keeping in mind the inevitability of herbicidal weed control, the current study was designed to evaluate the response of selected aromatic fine rice varieties of Bangladesh to different herbicides based weed management practices compare to farmers’ practices. The experiment was conducted in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The experiment consisted of five aromatic rice varieties; Kalijira, BRRI dhan34, BRRI dhan37, BRRI dhan38 and Binadhan-13, and six different weed management practices comprising no weeding, weed free, mechanical + manual weeding, pre–emergence herbicide + manual weeding, post–emergence herbicide + manual weeding and pre– + post–emergence herbicide. Eleven weed species belonging to five families were observed in the experimental plots. Based on the summed dominance ratio (SDR), grassy weed species Echinochloa crusgalli (SDR of 30.7) was the most dominant species, whereas broadleaf weed Nymphaea nouchali (SDR of 0.83) was the least one. Among the weed control treatments, application of pre–+ post emergence herbicides offered the highest reduction in weed density and biomass at all sampling dates which resulted in minimum crop-weed competition facilitating improvement in the yield contributing characters and finally resulted in the highest grain yield (2.5 t ha−1) and harvest index (30.7%) next to the weed free treatment. The variety BRRI dhan38 gave the highest grain yield (3.4 t ha−1) due to the highest performance of the yield contributing characters among the varieties. In interaction, BRRI dhan38 with pre–+ post–emergence herbicide application gave the highest yield (3.4 t ha−1) apart from the weed free treatment. Being efficient in weed density and biomass reduction as well as the highest yield producer, sequential application of pre–and post–emergence herbicides may be recommended for effective weed management practices in BRRI dhan38J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 31-40, April 2018
Estimation of genetic variability, correlation and path coefficient analysis in local landraces of rice (Oryza sativa L.) for the improvement of salinity tolerance
Authors: Rasel Md , Hassan Lutful , Hoque Md Injamum Ul , Saha Setu Rani
Published: April 2018

Twenty eight local rice landraces were assessed for eleven morphological traits for the improvement of salt tolerance ability of rice genotypes. Genotypic variance (σ2g), phenotypic variance (σ2p), phenotypic co-variance (PCV), genotypic co-variance (GCV), heritability, genetic advance, genetic advance as a percentage of mean, correlation coefficient and path coefficient were estimated. For all the traits, PCV was higher than the GCV indicating that they were controlled by non-additive gene action and selection for the improvement of these traits would be promising. Among the traits, survival rate of plant exhibited high estimates of PCV (460.72) and GCV (324.73) indicated wide range of variability for these traits where lowest phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) and genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) where low PCV and GCV were observed for root dry weight (0.17 & 0.12) followed by shoot dry weight (0.31 & 0.16) and total number of roots (0.61 & 0.34) indicating lack of inherent variability and limited scope for improvement through selection for these traits among the genotypes. Highest heritability had observed in all traits except chlorophyll content and root length and maximum value of heritability was noticed for shoot length (75.96%). High heritability along with high genetic advance was noticed for survival rate of plant (31.14%) followed by live leaves percentage (11.98) and the lowest genetic advance was found in root dry weight (0.58) and shoot dry weight (0.58). Correlation study revealed that significant negative correlations at both phenotypic and genotypic level exist between standard evaluation score (SES) and survival rate (%), root length, shoot length, root fresh weight, root dry weight and shoot dry weight at the seedling stage further confirmed the importance of these parameters as useful selection criteria for screening for salt tolerance rice genotypes. Path analysis revealed that the root length (0.487), root dry weight (0.394) and shoot dry weight (0.047) had direct positive effect on standard evaluation score at genotypic level where live leaves (%) per plant (0.168), total number of roots (0.006), chlorophyll content (0.243) and shoot fresh weight (0.102) had direct positive effect on standard evaluation score at phenotypic level. From the correlation and path analysis it can be concluded that root length, root dry weight and shoot dry weight would be more promising for the improvement of salt tolerance in rice genotypesJ. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 41-46, April 2018
Phenolics and carotenoids contents and radical scavenging capacity of some selected solanaceous medicinal plants
Authors: Islam Rumana , Uddin Md Nesar , Ashrafuzzaman Md , Hoque Md Injamum Ul
Published: April 2018

Plants being an important source of medicine play significant role in human health. The aim of the present study was to evaluate thetotal phenolics and carotenoids contents, and free radical scavenging capacity of leaves and fruits of selected five solanaceous medicinal plants, namely Solanum melongena (brinjal), Solanum torvum (tit begun), Solanum virginianum (kantikari), Solanum sisymbrifolium (sada kantikari) and Solanum nigrum (futi begun). Carotenoids content in the leaves and fruits of solanaceous plants varied significantly among the species. Leaf phenolics content ranged between 147.40 (S. melongena) and 585.15 (S. virginianum) mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/100 g fresh weight, while fruit phenolics content varied from 50.52 (S. nigrum) to 105.02 (S. virginianum) mg GAE/100 g fresh weight. IC50 values for scavenging 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) radical ranged between 31.52 (S. nigrum) and 33.55 (S. melongena) mg mL−1 in leaf, while in fruit it ranged between 27.90 (S. virginianum) and 33.11 (S. melongena) mg mL−1. The highest carotenoids content (0.370 mg g−1 fresh weight) was measured from Solanum nigrum leaf. S. virginianum leaf contained about 4−fold high phenolics content than that in S. melongena. S. nigrum leaf had about 15−fold high carotenoids content (0.370 mg g−1 fresh weight). compared to S. torvum and S. virginianum fruits (0.024 mg g−1FW in each). Because of the highest fruit phenolics and carotenoids content along with the lowest IC50 values for scavenging DPPH, S. virginianum fruit can be considered as superior for its health beneficial biochemical constituentsJ. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 56-61, April 2018
Profitability analysis of paddy production: A case of agricultural zone 1, Niger State Nigeria
Authors: Bwala Madu Ali , John Aniobi U
Published: April 2018

This study estimated the profitability of rice production among small scale farmers in Bida agricultural zone of Niger state. The study utilized a multi-stage random sampling technique to select a total of one hundred and five (105) rice farmers in the area. The data was collected through a well-structured questionnaire from four communities in the study area. Descriptive statistics and farm budgeting tools were used for the analyses. The descriptive analysis showed that the farmers are highly productive between the age range of 37- 48 years. Furthermore, results also revealed land area cultivated by the farmers to be generally below two hectares. The finding further revealed the variable cost per hectare for rice production to be $126,100 per production cycle, while total revenue of $227,500 was realized by the respondents. The results also revealed cost of labour to account for the largest portion (54.0%) of the total variable cost. This is followed by the cost of seed, fertilizer, transportation, herbicide, pesticide and bagging. The farm budgeting analysis revealed the costs and returns of rice production to be profitable with a gross margin of $101,400 and net farm profit of $98,546.4. The gross profit ratio was calculated to be 0.45 which implies that farmers are selling their rice produce at a relatively high profit percentage. Based on the results obtained from the study, it was concluded that rice production in Bida Agricultural Zone of Niger State is profitable. Hence, the cultivation of rice is an important enterprise that should be encourage, considering the fact that it is a major staple. It is therefore recommended that timely availability of farm inputs such as improved seed variety and agrochemicals will further boos trice production in the area. Furthermore, provision of credit facilities to small scale farmers is a viable policy to be pursuedJ. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 88-92, April 2018
Relative profitability of farming systems research and development (FSRD) project farmers and non-project farmers of integrated farming systems in Tangail district of Bangladesh
Authors: Sharmin Sajia , Rashid M Harun Ar , Begum Ratna , Hoque Sadia Sharmin
Published: April 2018

Integrated farming system modifies the commercial farming system which ensures higher food production to equate the demand, environmental protection through effective recycling of waste and increased farm income. The present study was undertaken to examine the relative profitability of FSRD project farmers and non-project farmers of integrated farming system. Eighty (80) farmers (40 from FSRD project and 40 from non-project farmers) were selected from Kalihati Upazila under Tangail district of Bangladesh. In the study area, vegetables, fish and poultry enterprises were integrated under technological intervention. The waste of poultry farm was used in fish production and the soil of the pond was used in vegetables cultivation. Per hectare net returns from integrated farming were estimated at Tk513458.10 and Tk256511.90for FSRD project farmers and non-project farmers, respectively. Benefit cost ratio (BCR) was 1.66 for FSRD project farmers and1.37 for non-project farmers. In functional analysis, human labor, fingerling, feed, fertilizer, insecticides costs in case of FSRD project farmers and human labor, feed, salt and lime costs in case of non-project farmers had significant impact on per hectare return of integrated farming. FSRD project farmers were more profitable than the non-project farmers. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is great scope to improve the overall economic condition of farmers through introducing integrated farming system in Tangail District of Bangladesh.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(1): 117-122, April 2018
Lasers and fiber optics for astrophysics
Authors: Kryukov P G
Published: April 2018

Optical spectroscopy has been and remains an important feature of astrophysical research. Huge telescopes are being built to collect radiation from the most distant stars in the Universe for subsequent study with unique astronomical spectrographs. The fundamental problem to be faced here is that of transferring the extremely weak radiation focused by a moving telescope to the entrance of a stationary spectrograph. The solution is to connect a telescope to a spectrograph through an optical fiber, and research and development of the system’s necessary components is currently a major task in the field of fiber optics. A key problem in astronomical spectroscopy is the precision measurement of Doppler line shifts in the spectra of stars to determine the velocity of a star movement along the observation line (ray velocity, RV). A remarkable feature of Doppler spectroscopy is that a precision measurement of quite small RV variations (in fact, accelerations) can last for long periods of time. Such star RV variations can be due, for example, to a planet orbiting the star; the action of the planet causes periodical changes in the motion of the star, thus leading to a Doppler shift of the star’s spectrum. The precise measurement of this shift has provided an indirect method for searching for and discovering planets outside the Solar System (exoplanets). The important particular problem of searching for habitable earthlike exoplanets requires a spectral measurement accuracy sufficient to detect RV variations at the level of a few centimeters per second per year. Ten to fifteen years of such measurements would provide a direct estimate of the hypothetical accelerated expansion of the Universe. However, the accuracy required for this is more than conventional spectroscopy techniques (iodine cell and spectral lamps) are capable of. This paper reviews approaches to radically improving Doppler spectroscopy techniques to achieve the required shift measurement accuracy. These approaches include the development of fiber-optic systems for connecting the telescope with the astronomical spectrograph and the development of precision calibrators of astronomical spectrographs based on the advances in laser physics and fiber optics.
Continuity of Channel Parameters and Operations under Various DMC Topologies
Authors: Nasser Rajai
Published: April 2018

We study the continuity of many channel parameters and operations under various topologies on the space of equivalent discrete memoryless channels (DMC). We show that mutual information, channel capacity, Bhattacharyya parameter, probability of error of a fixed code and optimal probability of error for a given code rate and block length are continuous under various DMC topologies. We also show that channel operations such as sums, products, interpolations and Arıkan-style transformations are continuous.
Leading the Academic Department: A Mother–Daughter Story
Authors: Acker Sandra , Millerson Dorie
Published: April 2018

This article is based on conversations between a mother and daughter about academic leadership. Both authors served in different time periods and at different career points as heads of departments (“chairs”) in Canadian universities. A literature review suggested that women’s academic leadership is a contested topic, especially in relation to organizational cultures and associated gendered expectations. New directions were identified, as scholars move towards comparative studies, poststructural theoretical approaches, analysis of neoliberal trends in universities, and awareness of variation among women. We noted that “Canada” was largely missing from most of the literature reviewed and that middle management had received less attention than senior roles. Our method was collaborative autoethnography, a means of sharing thoughts about one’s experiences and analyzing them with regard to wider social issues. Quotations are taken from a taped discussion in early 2018 and are organized around similarities and differences in our narratives. The conclusion raises issues about the difficulties associated with performing this particular middle management role; questions around the consequences of chairing for women in different age groups; the implications of increasing reliance on contingent academic labour; apparent differences between the Canadian experience and what has happened elsewhere; and promising directions for future research.
Identification and Isolation of Faults in Multi-terminal High Voltage DC Networks with Hybrid Circuit Breakers
Authors: Nadeem Muhammad , Zheng Xiaodong , Tai Nengling , Gul Mehr
Published: April 2018

This paper presents a protection scheme to protect multi-terminal high voltage dc (MTDC) networks for interconnection of renewable energy sources. The proposed scheme detects faults by using the Consecutive Data Window Method (CDWM) and harmonics of the system voltage to avoid maloperation of breakers without communication. Fault location is classified and faulty parts is isolated from the rest of the healthier network by using hybrid circuit breakers (HCBs). Moreover; it also categorises the fault with the help of the voltage drop. The rapid response to isolate the faulty portion in a few milliseconds is primarily considered to enhance the reliability and security of the network. The results of simulations verify the efficient fault detection and isolation for different DC faults and the investigation for the impact of significant parameters of the proposed scheme has been considered. The simulations are performed in PSCAD for four terminal MTDC networks to validate the proposed scheme. The performance is also verified under different fault conditions by using Matlab after computing the data from simulations.