Through the Looking Glass: Conceptualising the Theme of Gentrification in Contemporary India

Gentrification, at high levels of granularity, reveals psycho-social, socio-economic and socio-political machinery processes that are specific to particular places. This article critically reviews existing literature to comprehend gentrification in the Indian context. Authors argue that the discord between aspirations and class relations gestates urban informality and suggests a new framework that the authors call the Triquetra of Informality. The framework proposes that interplay among urban entrepreneurialism, bourgeois mode of consumption and subaltern mobilisation are the impetus for contemporary urbanism and gentrification in India.

Persea Americana L. (Avocado) Fruit Mesocarp intake in Experimental Diabetic Rats: Impacts and Implication of Mode of Consumption

Background: Few epidemiological data exist on the effects of the mode of consumption of avocado on diet quality, weight management, and lipoglycemic profile in diabetic condition and other metabolic disease risk factors. Objectives: This study investigated the metabolic, lipoglycemic, and anthropometric impacts of avocado fruit mesocarp intake and the implication of its mode of consumption on body weight gain, lipid profile, glycemic tolerance and control in male diabetic Wistar rats. Method: Twenty one (21) adult male Wistar rats (150-220g) were randomly categorized into three experimental groups (n = 7, each): Diabetic control fed with normal diet (DC); Diabetic rats fed with avocado supplemented diet (DSA); Diabetic rats treated with aqueous mesocarp extract of avocado (DAE). Diabetes was inducted with 150 mg/dL, alloxan monohydrate solution intraperitoneally. Animals were fed according to the experimental design with water ad libitum for six weeks. Body weights and fasting blood glucose (FBG) concentrations were measured twice weekly. LP and OGTT were conducted. Microsoft Excel and statistical SPSS program version 22 were used for data analysis. Results are expressed as mean ± SEM. Comparison between groups were made using Students’t-test and one way ANOVA. Results: Consumption of avocado mesocarp caused significant reduction in mean body weight gain (DSA: 13.75%; DAE: 10.17%; P value < 0.05) and blood glucose concentrations (DSA: 9.48%; DAE: 21.0%; P = 0.002) with significant improvement in glycemic tolerance and lipid profile (DAE > DSA) over the control. Peaked glycemic responses occurred at 30 minutes of glucose challenge in DSA and DAE groups. Conclusion: Avocado fruit mesocarp intake reduced body weight gain and blood sugar with improved lipid profile and glycemic tolerance in experimental diabetic rats while the mode of consumption influenced its potential impacts.

The Impact of “Wine Country of Origin” on the Perception of Wines by South African and French Wine Consumers: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Culture is an important factor that influences how marketing interacts with food choice. This study aims at exploring the effect of consumers’ Country of Origin (COO) on wine representations and perception using Chenin blanc as a model. The first objective was to evaluate the role of origin in the construction of the representation. We used the theoretical framework of social representation to compare South African (SA) and French consumers’ representations via a word association task. The results indicated that SA representations are dominated by consumers’ experience of the wine (sensory and emotional dimensions), whereas French representations are dominated by the wine itself, in particular its origin and mode of consumption. The second objective was to evaluate the effect of origin on wine categorization in two conditions: with and without information concerning the two geographical origins of the samples. Results showed that providing information on the origin of the wines affected French participants more than SA participants. In both conditions, the groups of wines formed in the sorting tasks by SA participants were based on sensory descriptors and appeared not to be impacted by the information on origin. In contrast, providing information on the origin of the wines to French participants led to an increased use of the words “Loire”, “South Africa” and “familiar” suggesting a different sorting strategy more deliberately based on the origin of the wines. Our findings have important implications for the marketing and export activities within the wine industry.

Impact of the host stage on the pear psyllid parasitoid Trechnites insidious, behaviour and fitness

The pear tree is a main economical orchard crops under temperate climate with more than twenty-five million tons of fruit produced each year. The psylla Cacopsylla pyri is the most important pest, as it infests all commercial pear tree varieties, it sucks the phloem sap and it cause damages to the trees by nutrient subtraction and disease transmission (sooty molds and phytoplasm). The management of this insect is mainly based on integrated pest management with a mix of natural and chemical controls. However, with the ban of a growing number of plant protection products and the increasing public interest in an “organic” mode of consumption, it is important to develop innovative ways of pest managements respectful of the environment. Trechnites insidiosus is the most abundant parasitoid of C. pyri but it has been poorly studied. The aim of this study is to evaluate the parasitism behaviour of T. insidiosus toward the different larval stages of C. pyri, and to evaluate the quality of the next generation individuals. We observed that stage 3 and 4 larvae are the most interesting hosts for T. insidiosus in order to produce individuals in quantity and in quality. This provides a basis for further studies and fulfill the lack of data concerning this insect in the literature, particularly with regard to its biology, its behaviour and its use in biological management.

Visual Politics of Japanese Majolica Tiles in Colonial South Asia

This paper examines the political, socio-economic, and cultural aspects of Japanese decorative tiles or the so-called majolica tiles widely diffused in colonial South Asia in the early twentieth century. A tile became a popular building material in European countries by the first half of the nineteenth century, and European tiles spread over the world with the expansion of colonialism. Japan in the making of a modern nation established domestic manufacturing of tiles mainly after British models, and the industry’s rapid development was helped by the First World War (1914–1918) and the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923). The Japanese tile industry successfully entered into foreign markets, among which India was the largest and most important market that resulted in developing a variety of new Indian or Hindu designs associated with the rise of nationalism and mode of consumption. Not only within India, tiles, however, also played a crucial role in formulating cosmopolitan identities of migrant mercantile networks exemplified by the Chettiar architecture in South and Southeast Asia. However, in the late 1930s, cosmopolitanism shared by different communities in colonial urban settings became overwhelmed by nationalisms as seen in Sri Lanka where Japanese majolica tiles were differently used as a means to express religiously-regulated nationalisms in the Chettiar and Sinhalese Buddhist architecture. Thus, the analysis reveals visual politics of different religious nationalisms symbolized by Japanese majolica tiles in the interwar period that still structure the present visualscapes.

Cannabis vaping: Understanding the health risks of a rapidly emerging trend

The rapid emergence of youth vaping has completely changed the landscape of adolescent substance use in Canada and has become a pressing public health issue of our time. While nicotine remains the most common substance encountered in vaping devices, cannabis vaping is now reported by one-third of youth who vape. Though cannabis vaping is thought to generate fewer toxic emissions than cannabis smoking, it has been associated with several cases of acute lung injury and often involves high-potency forms of cannabis, exposing youth to several acute and long-term health risks. The low perceived riskiness of cannabis as a substance and of vaping as a mode of consumption may bring a false sense of security and be particularly appealing for youth who may be looking for a ‘healthier way’ to use substances. While research is still lacking on how best to support youth who may have already initiated cannabis vaping, concerted efforts among paediatric providers, public health experts, schools, communities, and families are urgently needed to limit the spread of cannabis vaping among Canadian youth.

Cultural Logics and Modes of Consumption: Unraveling the Multiplicity of Symbolic Distinctions Among Concert Audiences

In this study, we examined how audiences for different types of concerts structure their musical preferences according to specific cultural logics and how this relates to the motives for going to the concert. We used large-scale audience data collected at 73 concerts in Belgium ( n = 1594). Using Correlational Class Analysis, we inductively uncovered four different cultural logics: omnivore vs. disinterested; highbrow vs. lowbrow; acoustic vs. electric; and anything but/with distortion. Accordingly, besides the well-documented oppositions between highbrow and lowbrow, and between omnivorousness and univorousness, we found two other cultural logics among concert audiences. In subsequent analyses, we related these cultural logics to concert genre (e.g., classical and electronic) and mode of consuming concerts (e.g., music-centered and entertainment-centered). We demonstrate that mode of consumption is associated with both concert genre and the cultural logic to which one adheres.

Car Sharing Versus Car Ownership: An Exploratory Examination in India

Sharing economy is a relatively recent development in emerging economies such as India.Sharing economy has been conceptualized to include integrated collaboration in peer to peer commercial exchange of mostly underutilized goods and services for a fee, on a non-ownership basis (Altinat and Taheri, 2019)[1]; a business model consisting of a firm, primarily a service enabler such as Airbnb that acts as an intermediary between the supplier and customers of such goods and services (Kumar, et al, 2018); often referred to as collaborative consumption facilitated by online platforms (Guyader, 2018) [2]. While enjoyment and economic reward in terms of cost savings have been reported in studies as motivators for the use of such access-based services (Lee et al., 2018) [3], collaborative consumption has also been reported to being considered as an alternative ecological mode of consumption (Gopalakrishnanand Matthews,2018) [4].The two prime factors: supply-side flexibility and technology innovations have been enabling the steep growth of peer-to-peer platforms predominantly. The process of market entry for suppliers has been streamlined effectively by the technology innovations and has also made possible the searchable listings for the consumers resulting in keeping the overheads low and intact. The supply-side flexibility is yet another milestone achievement in terms of these shared platform which enables the Uber drivers to add or remove themselves from the available supply of drivers by a mere swipe of their mobile app. The same is the option for the provider who can voluntarily list or delist the offerings of their goods or services as per their wish. As an optimum solution to these problems, online shopping portals provide customers with reliable replacement policies and often refund cash in case of dissatisfaction.

Hypercholesterolemia Risk Related to Consumption of Palm Oil Produced in Côte d’Ivoire

The purpose of this work is to determine the consumption pattern estimated from quantity and frequency of consumption of palm oil produced in C&ocirc;te d&#39;Ivoire in order to assess risk of hypercholesterolemia related to these oils. To achieve this objective, a cross - sectional survey was conducted with 417 randomly sampled people in seven district capitals of C&ocirc;te d &#39;Ivoire. This investigation shows that average of crude and refined R1 and refined R2 palm oil consumed are 24.52 mL, 25.88 mL and 24.13 mL per person per day, respectively. In addition, datas on consumption frequency of different palm oils indicate that refined palm oils are most prevalent in population&rsquo;s dishes. Daily consumption frequency of crude and refined palm oils varies between 7.43 % and 85.40 %. These oils contain 32.95 % to 48.04 % palmitic acid (hazard). For a bioavailability of 100 % palmitic acid, the risk assessment for hypercholesterolemia indicates that 26.02 %, 25.80 % and 21.73 % of surveyed populations ingest higher quantities of palmitic acid. Those are greater than the recommended rate Anses (National Agency for Food Safety, Environment and Labor) during consumption crude and refined palm oils. 26,020, 25,800 and 21,730 cases of increase in serum cholesterol per 100,000 inhabitants after consumption crude, R1 and R2 oils. Concerning a bioavailability of 11 %, risk of hypercholesterolemia is 0 %; 0.02 % and 0.03 % respectively for the consumers of crude, R2 and R1 palm oils. Hypercholesterolemia risk varies from the mode of consumption and oils types.