A Post Structural Inquiry into Female Esl Learners’ Gender Identities at a Public University in Pakistan

The present study investigates how English language learning interacts with the gender identities and roles of female learners at the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan. Who learns what and how, is influenced by the learners’ gendered and sexualized identities (Pavlenko, 2004). Language learners have to navigate power relations within the classroom and their specific communities and develop understanding of their limitations and opportunities within these communities. Institutional practices and gender ideologies inhibit their access to networks which in turn affect their linguistic output and interactional opportunities. Within Interpretive epistemological framework eight female learners of final year (fourth year) Linguistics studying at IELL were interviewed and observed twice during one year to gather data for the present study. From the data it appeared that Pakistani females’ access to linguistic resources is mediated by cultural norms and societal expectations. Throughout their academic journeys the learners’ agency remained active due to which they were able to invest in their ESL learning and challenge socially imposed identities on them.

Feedforward Control Design for Dynamical Systems

The present Ph.D thesis deals with feedforward (open-loop) control methods, in clas- sical and quasi-classical physical systems like nonlinear oscillators, quantum particles in external electromagnetic field etc. We investigate the special case of fast oscillating control when the time of control period is sufficiently less to compare with the typical time of controlled system behavior ( for instance its period of oscillation). We apply mathematical technique specially developed for feedforward control systems such as Lyapunov method and Kapitza averaging. First we demonstrate that the Lyapunov spectrum of Kapitza averaged systems are sufficiently different from the original spectra of non-controlled plants. That means the description of averaged system in the neighborhood of their fixed points does not describe appropriately the original system behavior. Secondly we apply Kapitza averaging procedure to the original systems to derive the correcting terms in their dynamical equations. As a result we demonstrate re-design of original dynamical systems by fast changing control periodical force.