Institutional Repository

Scholar@UOC is the primary academic repository of the University of Calicut.

This repository is aimed to collect, preserve and distribute the research output of the members of our University. This is an open access system hosted and managed by the University Library.

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Recent Submissions

Studies on diving beetles Coleoptera Dytiscidae of Kerala
(Research and Post Graduate Department of Zoology St. Thomas College (Autonomous) Thrissur, 2025) Priyanka Prabhakaran; Joyce Jose
Diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) are the largest family of aquatic beetles. They inhabit almost all kinds of freshwater habitats but preferably lentic habitats. Their morphology is highly adapted to lead an aquatic life. They are holometabolous insects and are univoltine, semivoltine or multivoltine. They are consumed as food in various countries around the globe including India. They are also linked to different human cultures and mentioned in literature.This study deals with the taxonomy, phylogeny and association of species presenceand absence with different habitats based on the presence or absence of species and selected water parameters. Different freshwater habitats in the 14 districts were sampled. One hundred and sixty sites were involved in the study. The freshwaterhabitats were classified into 34 different types. Fifty-three species were observed andrecorded. Subfamily Hydroporinae formed the largest subfamily and Colymbetinae formed the smallest subfamily. Two species are new reports to India. Eight speciesare reported first time from Southern India. One subfamily, four genera and 23 speciesare new records to Kerala state. Detailed descriptions, information on habitat andlocation data and distribution of the species in India are provided.A checklist for the diving beetles of Kerala was prepared by compiling the speciesreports in previous studies and the current study. This has increased the number of diving beetles reported from Kerala from 51 species to 74 species.The phylogenetic study of Dytiscidae involving 26 sequences from 24 species underfive subfamilies and 10 generareveals monophyly of genera Leiodytes,Hydroglyphus, Clypeodytes, Hydrovatus and Sandracottus. Meanwhile GeneraCopelatus, Laccophilus and Hydaticus form paraphyletic groups. The higher-level phylogeny could not resolve indicating the need for further studies involving more species and gene sequences. Similarity of different habitats based on the presence and absence of 36 species indifferent habitats and the effect of selected water parameters on species cooccurrence was examined based on data collected from 160 study sites. The results showed thatthere is similarity between smaller habitats, larger habitats and between smaller andlarger habitats. Similarity between smaller habitats can be due to the presence ofspecialists and also due to water depth. Similarly larger habitats shows similarity due to the specialists of that particular habitat. Similarity between smaller and largerhabitats could be due to the dispersal of species from larger habitats to new temporary habitats for their survival. Congeneric species (e.g. Copelatus boukali, C. davidi and C. sociennus) as well as species in different genera were found to be coexisting (e.g. Lacconectus regimbarti, Hydaticus ricinus and Hyphydrus renardii). This study presents pioneering and baseline data on diving beetles of Kerala from a taxonomical,phylogenetic and ecological perspective. Many species commonly distributed in Kerala as well as the neighbouring states have never been formally reported and this study thus becomes a pioneering document for the same. Many first reports from the study area indicate the lack of intensive studies on this group. Based on the experiences of this study it is recommended that intensive and repeated sampling in a smaller study area and phylogenetic examinations based on a multigene and morphometric approach could yield novel species to the fauna and insights in the systematics and evolution.
Potentiating bloefflcacy of biocontrol agents and development of integrated disease management of rhizome rot (pythium aphanidermatum) of ginger (zingiber officinale)
(Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut, 2007) Beena, N; Sarma, Y, R.
Construction of health related physical fitness norms for college men in Kerala
(Department of Education, University of Calicut, 2004) Antony, A. M.; Joseph, P. T.
The carnivalesque and the Grotesque A bakhtinian reading of select retellings of Frankenstein
(St Josephs College Devagiri, University of Calicut, 2025) Arathi Unni; Salil Varma R
Parody is one of the literary genres that has endured the test of time. Today it has permeated into all sorts of mediums and is still one of the most endearing forms of pleasure. In addition to merriment, the polemical aspect of the mockery in parody has been a topic of discussion for a very long time. Starting from Mikhail Bakhtin, parody has been largely looked at as a subversive voice that challenges the voices of power and authority. This thesis continues this discussion by reading the parodies of Mary Shelley’s illustrious Gothic fiction, Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus (1821). Horror narratives are mostly written with an intention to evoke pity and fear in the readers. This thesis argues that the fear evoked in Frankenstein is a patriarchal anxiety about systemic disintegration. With the help of instances from the text, it tries to prove that the characters in Frankenstein live in a society that consecrates hierarchy and that the true horror in Frankenstein is the crumbling of this hierarchical system. A significant part of the research examines the workings of the society depicted in Frankenstein to see how it segregates people on the basis of rank as well as the aspects which make it want to exclude them as a threat. The thesis refers to Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection to see what are the characteristics that a typical patriarchal society deems as a threat to their order of things. As a continuation of this, it looks at what the Frankenstein monster signifies and how it becomes a source of horror. In addition to abjection, the thesis also employs monster theory to see how monstrosity can be an ascribed trait and how it becomes convenient for the narrative to ascribe it not only to the Creature in the novel, but also other characters due to their socially disadvantaged situations pertaining to their gender, class, religion and family. The prime purpose of this thesis is to see how the parodies of Frankenstein neutralize the hegemonic narratives of the text. Bakhtin’s theory of carnival, which delineates parodiesas narratives capable of questioning the imbalance and power play in the serious narratives that they parody, becomes helpful in this regard. Bakhtin’s take on Rabelaisian humour is a study of parody’s peculiar use of language, imagery and characterization. It provides ample pointers to see how parodies can be analyzed as a subverting discourse. The two parodies of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Shelley Jackson’s Patchwork Girl (1995) and Spike Milligan’s Frankenstein According to Spike Milligan (1997) are analyzed separately. This analysis intends to show how these parodies not only ridicule the fearmongering against the subversion of social order but also provide an alternate inclusive narrative. Two of the important aspects discussed regarding these two parodies are their self- reflexivity and their metafictional properties and how they become a more democratic way of subversion. Patchwork Girl, which is a work in hypertext format, also opens further doors to explore the ways in which a writer chooses to play and destabilize the narrative. Frankenstein is one of the most widely studied texts. The previous studies on the Frankenstein monster have interpreted him as representing a myriad number of disadvantaged communities like the working class, people with disability, queer communities and so on and so forth. This thesis refuses to limit the categorization of the monster as representing just a single marginalized community but instead focusses on looking at those aspects of the Creature, as well as certain other marginalized characters, that force society to shun them as misfits. It is also a study of how to recognize and thwart such exclusionary narratives that create a misplaced fear of people. Such a study gains relevance in the light of continuing social exclusionary policies of countries around the world. It points to the need for literary studies to come up with alternative narratives that will question social exclusion. The study of parody narratives reiterates the importance of humour and laughter in a world intent on building boundaries and hatred. It highlights the power of laughter in destabilizing hierarchies as well as replacing misplaced fear with understanding.
The other side displacement and trauma in select caribbean womens writing
(St Josephs College Devagiri, University of Calicut, 2025) Shradha Sudhir; Wilson Rockey