Warrioress in White: A Semiotic Analysis of America\u27s Joan of Arc in The Women of the Copper Country

Mary Doria Russell’s The Women of the Copper Country is a fictionalized historical account of the 1913 mining strike in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Significantly in this strike, a great deal of leadership was focused in the Union’s Women’s Auxiliary. In particular, one woman formed the backbone of the local movement. Known by her community as Big Annie, Anna Klobuchar Clements was the heart of the 1913 strike. Memories of her bravery linger today in the form of recorded testimonies by elderly community members, immortalization in plaques and songs, and Russell’s popular novel. Today she is remembered not as herself, not as the fully complex, flawed and inspiring person who once lived. She is remembered sometimes as a negative influence on her community, and more commonly as a shining heroine of labor and feminism. Even in her own day, the media contributed to these simplified or one-dimensional portrayals. She was dubbed, An American Joan of Arc

Green Thumbs: Cultivating Greenery and Personal Freedoms in Miné Okubo’s Citizen 13660 and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun

In her classic 1959 play, A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry explores the impacts of generations of violence, exploitation, and discrimination on an African American family in Chicago’s Southside. Throughout the play, a family house plant comes to symbolize the matriarch\u27s hopes for her children, and her ability to nourish the plant reflects on her ability to fulfil her own modest dreams and provide for the dreams of her progeny. Similarly, we see plants fulfilling the same role in another tale of American racial injustice, namely Miné Okubo’s Citizen 13660, an illustrated personal account of the artist’s experience in Japanese American concentration camps during World War II. In each of these works, cultivated greenery serves an important role for the people represented, a means of expression, an avenue for hope, and an outlet of personal freedom and autonomy

“Frozen Up Like an Ice Cube!”: The Influence of Situated Learning on Pre-Service Teachers\u27 Cultural and Linguistic Awareness

The overall goal of this study was to explore the influence of situated learning experiences on pre-service teachers\u27 perceptions and understandings of their future Arab students. This study investigated in part the interaction between culturally diverse families and pre-service teachers. It also explored changes in pre-service teachers’ attitudes and knowledge, their perceived applications of the situated experience to their future teaching, and the families’ reactions to this experience. Twelve Arab families volunteered to host 25 pre-service teachers as participants of this study. Results showed that the situated learning experience helped the pre-service teachers develop their cultural knowledge as well as learn about Arab families, Arab culture, and their future classrooms. The study concluded that the experience helped the pre-service teachers gain new knowledge, positive attitudes, and some ideas for their future diverse classrooms. It offered a great opportunity for families to explore how important it is to meet with teachers and it also empowered pre-service teachers with some powerful authentic experiences including meeting the family, sharing their knowledge, exploring their understandings, and discussing and comparing their knowledge with each other

Barnacle Geese and Sky Burials: Relativism in The Travels of Sir John Mandeville

As a medieval travel narrative, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville was immensely popular for everyone from bookworms to world travelers in 14th and 15th century Europe. Given its popularity, and the period in which it was produced, one might expect the fictitious travelogue to display an incredible level of intolerance towards the various peoples and cultures it depicts. However, the Travels frequently surprises modern readers with its message of tolerance towards greater humanity, and its recognition of the universality of human experience as it is mirrored in the lives of people of different ethnic and cultural groups. In order to understand Mandeville’s radical efforts to relate tales of the wider world through a relativistic lens, one must explore strange material, such as tales of geese that grow on trees, as well as the concept of sky burials. Mandeville\u27s account can open our eyes to the cultural sensitivity that was thinkable in the medieval period, and what such sensitivity can teach us today

The Frequency of Kell Red Cell Antigens (K,k) Among The Major Sudanese Tribes

Objective: to determine the frequency of Kell-1 and Kell-2 and their gene frequencies in the Sudanese population.Design: This study was carried out on 500 samples in five major Sudanese tribes. Each sample was tested for Kell-1 and Kell-2 by indirect coombs’ test using anti Kell-1 and Kell-2 antisera.Setting: AL-Neelain University – College of Medical Laboratory Sciences – Sudan – Khartoum.Results: The frequency of Kell-1among the tribes was found to be 5.6% while that of Kell-2 was found to be 99.6%.  Gene frequencies of Kell-1 and Kell-2 were found to be 0.03 and 0.97 respectively.Conclusions: The frequency of Kell-1 is 5.6% and its gene frequency is 0.03 while the positivity of Kell-2 is 99.6% and its gene frequency is 0.97

Extraction and characterisation of protein fraction from date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds

To meet the challenges of protein price increases from animal sources, the development of new, sustainable and inexpensive proteins sources (nonanimal sources) is of great importance. Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seeds could be one of these sources. These seeds are considered a waste and a major problem to the food industry. In this thesis we report a physicochemical characterisation of date palm seed protein. Date palm seed was found to be composed of a number of components including protein and amino acids, fat, ash and fibre. The first objective of the project was to extract protein from date palm seed to produce a powder of sufficient protein content to test functional properties. This was achieved using several laboratory scale methods. Protein powders of varying protein content were produced depending on the method used. Most methods were based on solubilisation of the proteins in 0.1M NaOH. Using this method combined with enzymatic hydrolysis of seed polysaccharides (particularly mannans) it was possible to achieve a protein powder of about 40% protein (w/w) compared to a seed protein content of about 6% (w/w). Phenol/TCA extraction gave the protein powder with the highest protein percentage of 68.24% (w/w) and this powder was used for subsequent functional testing. Several factors were found to influence seed protein extraction such as pH, temperature, the extraction time, the solvent to sample ratio and the solvent concentration. Optimum conditions for extraction were found to be pH 10, 45˚C and extraction time of 60 min. The results showed that use of enzymes to hydrolyse and remove seed polysaccharides improved the extraction of date seed protein. Optimal improvement was obtained using Mannaway, which hydrolyses mannans and galactomannans, which gave a powder with 34.82% (w/w) protein compared to the control of 11.15% (w/w) protein. The proteins in the extracted date seed protein were profiled using LC/MSMS. Three-hundred and seventeen proteins were identified. The proteins belonged to all major functional categories. The most abundant proteins were glycinin and β-conglycinin, the two major seed storage proteins of plants. The functional properties of extracted date seed protein were investigated using a range of tests. The thermal properties of date seed proteins were consistent with a powder containing high levels of conglycinin and β-glycinin. The solubility had a similar pH profile to soy protein, but differed in absolute solubility due to differences in non-protein composition. Similarly, water holding and oil holding capacity of date seed protein was lower than for soy protein, probably because of compositional differences. Date seed proteins were able to emulsify oils and had a comparable emulsifying ability and emulsion stability to soy protein isolate. The date seed protein was not a good foaming agent compared to soy protein or whey protein concentrate

Prevalence rate of chloroquine resistance to plasmodium falciparum malaria among sudanese populations in malaria endemic areas in khartoum state and sennar state

Objective: The study was carried out to assessment or to evaluate chloroquine Resistance of Plasmodium falciparum among Sudanese populations (10–85 years) ,malaria endemic area in Sennar region (Sennar state in South East Sudan) and Khartoum State (the capital). Design: The study was carried out on 190 samples of all of the study areas between March and December 2007, corresponding to the period of high malaria transmission. All samples were tested for chloroquine  Resistance to  Plasmodium falciparum by using in vitro micro tests.  These study sites are located in an irrigated agricultural scheme, where transmission is seasonal. Setting: AL-Neelain University – College of Medical Laboratory Sciences – Sudan – Khartoum. Results: By using in vitro micro tests: In Sennar state the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 78.1% and about 21.9% were sensitive. Out of 105 patients only 23 patients(21.9%) were sensitive and 82 patients(78.1%) did not respond, 29 patients(27.6%), 19 patients (18.1%) and 34 patients (32.4%) of  a total of 105 patients were early R1, RII and RIII  levels of  resistance respectively. In Khartoum state the the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 68.2% and about 31.8% were sensitive. Out of 85 patients only 27 patients (31.8%) were sensitive and 58 patients (68.2%) did not respond, 35 patients (41.2%) and 23 patients (27.1%) of a total of 85 patients were early R1 and RII levels of resistance respectively. Conclusions: By using in vitro micro tests: In Sennar state the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 78.1% and about 21.9% were sensitive while in Khartoum state the the resistance to chloroquine was found to be 68.2% and about 31.8% were sensitive