Galaxies are astronomically large systems that consist of vast amounts of stars, and in between there exists the interstellar medium. This medium consists of clouds of gas which play an important role in a galaxy’s history and formation. With the right conditions a region can experience a period of star formation which we measure with a Star Formation Rate (SFR). The lifecycle of stars can create outbursts of hot gas which collapse back into the galaxy over time to contribute more to the interstellar medium. The gas is hot enough to release X-rays which we can detect with orbiting space observatories such as NASA’s Chandra Telescope. By studying these hot, high energy regions we can relate them to other known properties of galaxies to give us insight on the processes of merging systems. Using archival data from Chandra we measured the spatial extent of the soft diffuse X-ray-emitting hot interstellar gas in a sample of 49 local merging galaxies. The galaxies or galaxy pairs are classified by merger stage based on their morphology. The stages range from post-merger remnants to premerger pairs in which two separate regions could be identified. After processing the data, we made initial estimates of the regions based on their optical extent. X-ray counts were extracted and background counts from the nearby sky were subtracted for calibration. An iterative procedure was used to produce and modify elliptical radial profiles by size and position angle until a good fit was found. The best fit radius was defined as the point where the background subtracted counts decreased to less than twice the uncertainty. With an accurate estimate of the region sizes, we infer a third dimension to find the volumes of the regions. The inferred volumes were used to calculate electron densities and total masses of the hot interstellar gas. Relationships among hot, molecular, and atomic gas were investigated and plotted to determine any trends. Our results show a strong correlation between the volume of hot gas and SFR. Another strong trend was between volume and X-ray luminosity. The SFR is correlated with the ratio of hot to cold gas. Galaxies with higher SFRs have proportionally more hot gas relative to the cold gas. These relationships show that major mergers have regions of starbursts which expel hot gas, and the more numerous the young stars, the larger the volume of hot gas. Future research in this area can reveal more about the process of merging and the evolution of galaxies.

In this essay I examine how conceptions of gender can expand the emancipatory ability of feminism. To achieve this the essay analyzes and discusses two conceptions of gender. The first can be found in Virginia Held’s “The Ethics of Care”, while the second can be found in Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s “Feminism without Borders”. By comparing these the essay examines the limits of a stricter conception of gender, in comparison to a more complex conception of gender. These are in turn compared to Judith Butler’s “Gender Trouble” and Simone de Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex”.  Through the analysis and discussion, it is shown that stricter conceptions of gender give a more simplified view of the real lives of women in different parts of the world. These conceptions may include ideas about contextuality and social factors such as race, ethnicity, class, and sexuality, but these are added to an already established idea of “the woman”. Through complex conceptions of gender these social factors are instead viewed as intersected with gender. Gender is thus seen as a social construct, contextually differentiated by different conceptions of both sexuality and gender expression, as well as other social factors. These social factors are seen as both constructed and used by systems and power structures to oppress women. Complex conceptions of gender can thus expand the emancipatory ability of feminism by bringing both an intersectional and materialistic perspective into view. This perspective shows how gender can both be constructed in problematic ways through discursive representations and feminist theories, but also shows how gender is constructed through social practices and are used to affect women in a material way.

At the center of this study are three Indian novels with an urban setting and dealing with political and social issues of the 1990s: Githa Hariharan’s In Times of Siege (2003), Vikram Chandra’s Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) and Amit Chaudhuri’s Freedom Song (1998). The Delhi of In Times of Siege is portrayed as a city infused with power but haunted by a troubled past that is brought to the present by a dissenting professor of history. The Bombay of Love and Longing in Bombay is also a haunted city, but is primarily imagined as a narrative locality in which storytelling is central to both the narrative and the city. The Calcutta of Freedom Song is explored through a resident family, blurring the distinctions between the home and the city. The three novels all negotiate an increasingly sectarian environment. The three cities of the novels are explored through the framework of anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s concept of the production of locality, which sees place as a value and a dimension of social life. By approaching the cities in the novels through locality, it is possible to discern how the authors construct place as meaningful. This study thus extends the anthropological concept of locality into literature, addressing the specific strategies through which the authors portray and create their respective cities. Key concepts explored in the novels include agency, haunting, storytelling, and memory. / Baksidestext At the center of this study are three Indian novels with an urban setting and dealing with political and social issues of the 1990s: Githa Hariharan’s In Times of Siege (2003), Vikram Chandra’s Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) and Amit Chaudhuri’s Freedom Song (1998). The Delhi of In Times of Siege is portrayed as a city infused with power but also haunted by a troubled past. The Bombay of Love and Longing in Bombay is primarily imagined as a narrative locality in which storytelling is central. The Calcutta of Freedom Song is explored through a resident family, blurring the distinctions between the home and the city. The three novels all negotiate an increasingly sectarian environment. The three cities of the novels are explored through the framework of anthropologist Arjun Appadurai’s concept of the production of locality, which sees place as a value and a dimension of social life. By approaching the cities through locality, it is possible to discern how the authors construct place as meaningful. This study thus extends the anthropological concept of locality into literature, addressing the specific strategies through which the authors portray and create their respective cities. Key concepts explored in the novels include agency, haunting, storytelling, and memory. / Denna avhandling behandlar tre indiska romaner vilka utspelar sig i städer och fokuserar på de politiska och sociala konflikterna under 1990-talet: Githa Hariharans In Times of Siege (2003), Vikram Chandras Love and Longing in Bombay (1997) och Amit Chaudhuris Freedom Song (1998). Delhi i In Times of Siege porträtteras som en politisk stad hemsökt av det förflutna vilket påverkar nutiden. Bombay i Love and Longing in Bombay är också delvis hemsökt, men framförallt framställt som en stad i vilken berättandet är centralt. I Freedom Song blir gränsen mellan hem och stad diffus genom det sätt på vilket en familj gestaltar Calcutta. De tre romanerna behandlar alla en alltmer sekteristisk tid. Avhandlingens analys bygger på antropologen Arjun Appadurais begrepp the production of locality, dvs. hur känslan av plats skapas. ”Locality” är ett begrepp som täcker in en plats kapacitet att också ha ett värde och vara en social konstruktion. Genom att använda the production of locality är det möjligt att utforska hur författarna konstruerar plats som något meningsbärande. Denna avhandling vidgar det antropologiska begreppets användningsområde till att innefatta litteratur och används för att identifiera de strategier genom vilka författarna porträtterar och skapar sina respektive städer. Dessa strategier bygger på nyckelbegreppen agens, hemsökelse, berättande och minne.

In this dissertation the phenomenological method together with the hermeneutical concepts of experience, devotion, constant remembrance and transmission focus on yogic transmission in Sahaj Marg of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission. Sahaj Marg is an adaptation of Raj a Yoga. Sahaj Marg emphasises the practical approach and calls for the aspirant to follow the teachings and methods of the spiritual Master. Yogic transmission is the unique feature of this system. Preceptors have been trained by the Master to aid in the spiritual evolution of humanity. Pranahuti is defined by the Master as a forceless force for the spiritual transformation of humanity. This system can be followed by all aspirants, the only qualification being a willingness to follow the practice. Sahaj Marg has been created for the present day aspirant to achieve liberation in the quickest time possible. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)

Les observations XMM-Newton et Chandra en X de trois amas globulaires galactiques (NGC 2808, NGC 4372 et M 22) sont présentées et analysées. Elles sont complétées par des observations dans le visible, l'ultraviolet, l'infrarouge et le domaine radio afin d'identifier les sources X liées à ces amas globulaires. Les observations X ont permis de détecter 16 sources liées à NGC 2808 et 18 sources liées à M 22 qui sont principalement des binaires serrées. Cette population élevée de binaires aurait un rôle important à jouer dans le ralentissement de l'effondrement du cœur de ces amas globulaires. Une binaire X de faible masse en quiescence contenant une étoile à neutrons a été détectée dans NGC 2808 et aucune source de ce type n'est détectée dans M 22 et NGC 4372. Ces résultats sont en accord avec la corrélation déjà observée entre le nombre de ces objets et le taux de rencontre d'étoiles dans le cœur des amas globulaires. Un déficit possible de sources X dans NGC 2808 semble indiquer que le taux de rencontre n'est pas le seul paramètre intervenant dans la production des sources X et la métallicité de l'amas pourrait aussi avoir une influence. À partir des rapports X/UV et d'observations spectroscopiques, nous proposons différentes approches afin de résoudre le problème du déficit d'éruptions de variables cataclysmiques déjà observé dans les amas globulaires. Ces approches consistent à déterminer si les variables cataclysmiques des amas globulaires sont en majorité magnétiques ou si elles ont un taux d'accrétion faible. Enfin, les observations permettent d'apporter une limite supérieure d'environ 400 masses solaires si un trou noir de masse intermédiaire se trouvait dans NGC 2808.

<p>My aim with this essay is to examine the relationship between identity positions and spatial positions in Jean Rhys novel Wide Sargasso Sea (1966). Through this I wish to show how Wide Sargasso Sea problematize the analytical cathegory "women", as well as classic western canon, and feministic eurocentric readings of the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte to which Wide Sargasso Sea correspond.</p>

My aim with this essay is to examine the relationship between identity positions and spatial positions in Jean Rhys novel Wide Sargasso Sea (1966). Through this I wish to show how Wide Sargasso Sea problematize the analytical cathegory "women", as well as classic western canon, and feministic eurocentric readings of the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte to which Wide Sargasso Sea correspond.

In this thesis, RXTE timing analysis of Galactic Microquasars GRO J1655-40 and GRS 1915+105, the Chandra and RXTE joint spectral analysis of GRS 1915+105 are presented. We have investigated quasi periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the black hole binaries GRO J1655-40 and GRS 1915+105 observed in 99 and 122 observations made by the Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on board Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) in both low energy band (2-12 keV) and high energy band (13-27 keV), respectively. Four different X-ray states are seen in the combined characteristics of power spectra, light curves extracted by using All Sky Monitor (ASM) and spectra during 1996 and 2005. Timing analysis of RXTE observations of both of two black hole binaries GRO J1655-40 and GRS 1915+105 displays twin high frequency quasi periodic oscillations (QPOs) which are sometimes simultaneous in high energy band. It is also shown that the time averaged 30 ksec Chandra grating spectrum analysis and RXTE spectrum analysis of recent observation of GRS 1915+105 in the very high state are consistent with the parameters which were mentioned before. We briefly discussed our results and the models on black hole spin and mass.

In this thesis, we present the spectral and timing variabilities of anomalous X-ray pulsar 1E 2259+586 observed with European Photon Imaging PN Camera (EPIC PN) on board X-ray Multi Mirror Mission (XMM), Proportional Counter Array (PCA) on board Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) and Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer (ACIS) on board Chandra X-ray Observatory. We presented the results of spectral analysis of 2000 January 11 ACIS observation. Pulse phase spectroscopy was performed on two XMM observations before and after the outburst. Pulse profiles of two XMM observations before the outburst and three XMM observations after the outburst were studied. Results are consistent with the those presented by Patel et al. (2001) and Woods et al. (2004). We searched for the spectral variations versus spin rate during the outburst. Long-term spectral, frequency and spin-down rate variations are presented between 1996 and 2006 including 98 RXTE and 4 XMM observations. However, except outburst region (Woods et al. 2004) no significant spectral and spin rate variabilities were seen. Around the outburst region we confirmed the spectral hardening with increasing spin rate and flux.

In this dissertation the phenomenological method together with the hermeneutical concepts of experience, devotion, constant remembrance and transmission focus on yogic transmission in Sahaj Marg of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission. Sahaj Marg is an adaptation of Raj a Yoga. Sahaj Marg emphasises the practical approach and calls for the aspirant to follow the teachings and methods of the spiritual Master. Yogic transmission is the unique feature of this system. Preceptors have been trained by the Master to aid in the spiritual evolution of humanity. Pranahuti is defined by the Master as a forceless force for the spiritual transformation of humanity. This system can be followed by all aspirants, the only qualification being a willingness to follow the practice. Sahaj Marg has been created for the present day aspirant to achieve liberation in the quickest time possible. / Religious Studies and Arabic / M.A. (Religious Studies)