Pan-Arabism v. Pan-Africanism in the Sudan: The Crisis of Divergent Ethnic Ideologies

This article examines the nature and the extent of political and cultural conflict between Northern and Southern Sudanese. It describes and analyzes various attempts by Arab dominated regimes in the Sudan, since independence from Britain, to achieve national intergration[integration] through Pan-Arabist policies that seek to Islamize and Arabize the African and largely Christian South. The current military regime dominated by Muslim fundamentalists is trying to turn the Sudan into an Islamic republic. Not only has this brought about a civil war, but it has also alienated other Muslims in the North who favor a secular government

[Review of] E. San Juan, Jr. Racial Formations/Critical Transformations: Articulations of Power in Ethnic and Racial Studies in the United States

Those who have read Racial Formation in the United States (1986) by Michael Omi and Howard Winant will find in E. San Juan, Jr.’s book an interesting, if not provocative, complement. Both books assert the centrality of race and racism in the social formation of the United States; however, Omi and Winant’s book is grounded in social science whereas San Juan, Jr.’s project is from a literary perspective

[Review of] Cora Govers and Hans Vermeulen, eds. The Politics of Ethnic Consciousness

Govers and Vermeulen\u27s book seems to be a timely one, considering the resurgence of inter-ethnic strife that is causing so much misery in many parts of the world, especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the cold war. The book, however, is not an expose on the politics of ethnic consciousness. Rather, it is a collection of case studies that address certain aspects of ethnic consciousness. Govers and Vermeulen provide the theoretical context for these studies in the introductory first chapter of the book. Indeed, the book can be usefully divided into two main parts, with the first chapter constituting one part and the rest of the chapters constituting the other

Critique [of Identity as Theory and Method for Ethnic Studies by John Hatfield]

To be human is to have an identity. Indeed, it is what ethnicity is about. However, as a theoretical or methodological prescription for ethnic studies, as advocated by Hatfield, identity is inadequate even within the categories he has specified. Hatfield seems to be asking theoretical analysts to do what artists, novelists, and philosophers do best because they explore the existential and phenomenological aspects of ethnic identity in depth and usually with greater authenticity. This does not mean that there is no need for self-discovery and understanding in ethnic studies. There are equally pressing non-identity issues with which ethnic studies must also deal. Ethnic studies should be concerned with economics, for instance, with power or lack thereof. It should also be concerned with the analysis of public policies that impinge on ethnic and minority groups

Editor\u27s Note

The articles in this volume share a common retrospective focus, but they can be clustered around two themes. Two articles deal with theoretical and or conceptual aspects of Ethnic Studies whereas the other three are about specific ethnic/racial groups

Tumor necrosis factor alpha as an asthma biomarker in early childhood

Research on biomarkers of asthma in early childhood could be explained by at least three reasons [...

[Review of] Nathan Glazer. We Are All Multicultural Now

Some of the readers familiar with Nathan Glazer\u27s writings may be surprised or intrigued, as the case may be, by his latest book, We Are All Multiculturalists Now. That title seems quite an extraordinary declaration from a man who became known in the 1980s for his neoconservatism as well as for his persistent criticism of certain liberal social policies such as affirmative action. Has he finally seen the light? Not exactly. The book is by no means an apologia nor is it a ringing endorsement of multiculturalism either. Indeed, the reader is held in some suspense till the last chapter to find out what Glazer really means by we are all multiculturalists now. Nevertheless, his main purpose in the book, he says, is to examine the phenomenon of multiculturalism -- that new dispensation as he calls it. And he does it with relative evenhandedness

Kinetics and effects of H2 partial pressure on hydrotreating of heavy gas oil

The impact of H2 partial pressure (H2 pp) during the hydrotreating of heavy gas oil, derived from Athabasca bitumen, over commercial NiMo/¥ã-Al2O3 catalyst was studied in a micro-trickle bed reactor. The experimental conditions were varied as follows: temperature: 360 to 400¨¬C, pressure: 7 to 11 MPa, gas/oil ratio: 400 to 1270 mL/mL, H2 purity range of 0 to 100 vol. % (with the rest either CH4 or He), and LHSV range of 0.65 to 2 h-1. The two main objectives of the project were to study the nature of the dependence of H2 pp on temperature, pressure, gas/oil ratio, LHSV (Liquid Hourly Space Velocity), and H2 purity. The project was divided into three phases: in phase one the effect of H2 purity on hydrotreating of heavy gas oil (HGO) was studied, in phase two the nature of H2 pp dependency and the effect of H2 pp on hydrotreating of HGO was investigated, and in phase three kinetic studies were carried out using different kinetic models. The objective of phase one was to study the effect of hydrogen purity on hydrotreating of HGO was studied in a trickle bed reactor over a commercial Ni−Mo/¥ã-alumina catalyst. Methane was used as a diluent for the hydrogen stream, and its effect on the catalyst performance was compared to that of helium, which is inert toward the catalyst. Furthermore, a deactivation study was conducted over a period of 66 days, during which the catalyst was subjected to H2 purities ranging from 75 to 95% (with the rest methane); no significant deterioration in the hydroprocessing activities of the catalyst was observed. Therefore, it was concluded that methane was inert toward a commercial Ni−Mo/¥ã-alumina catalyst. However, its presence resulted in hydrogen partial pressure reduction, which in turn led to a decrease in hydrodesulphurization (HDS), hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), hydrodearomatization (HDA) conversions. This reduction can be offset by increasing the total pressure of the system. HDS, HDN, HDA, and mild hydrocracking (MHC) conversions were studied. Also determined were cetane index, density, aniline point, diesel index, and fractional distribution of the products. The main objective of phase two was to study the effects of H2 pp on hydrotreating conversions, feed vaporization, H2 dissolution, and H2 consumption were studied. The results show that HDN and HDA are significantly more affected by H2 partial pressure than HDS; with the HDN being the most affected. For instance as the inlet H2 partial pressure was increased from 4.6 to 8.9 MPa HDS, HDN, and HDA conversions increased for 94.9%, 55.1%, and 46.0% to 96.7%, 83.9%, and 58.0% , respectively. Moreover, it was observed that H2 dissolution and H2 consumption increased with increasing H2 pp. No clear trend was observed for the effect of H2 pp on feed vaporization. In phase three the kinetics of HDS, HDN, and HDA were studied. The power law, multi-parameter, and Langmuir - Hinshelwood type models were used to fit the data. The prediction capacities of the resulting models were tested. It was determined that, while multi-parameter model yielded better prediction, L-H had an advantage in that it took a lesser number of experimental data to determine its parameters. Kinetic fitting of the data to a pseudo-first-order power law model suggested that conclusions on the effect of H2 pp on hydrotreating activities could be equally drawn from either inlet or outlet hydrogen partial pressure. However, from the catalyst deactivation standpoint, it is recommended that such conclusions are drawn from the outlet H2 partial pressure, since it is the reactor point with the lowest hydrogen partial pressure

Methods of allergen detection based on DNA analysis

Many allergens, such as hazelnut, peanut, charlock, celery, sesame, lupine, walnut, almond, macadamia nut, hickory, pistachio, wheat gliadins, may be present in food products, however, undeclared or as unintentional additives. Due to the growing number of allergic reactions, it is crucial to have fast, reliable methods of allergen detection in processed food products. This review summarizes the recent methods of allergen detection in food products based on PCR reactions, namely PCR-ELISA, Real-time PCR, PCR-PNA-HPLC, Duplex PCR and Multiplex Real-time PCR, describing their principles, applications, detection limits, drawbacks and advantages

Endopiriform nucleus connectivities: the implications for epileptogenesis and epilepsy

Several anterograde and retrograde tracing studies have provided detailed information on the afferent and efferent projections as well as the intrinsic connectivities of the endopiriform nucleus (EN). Here, we summarise EN connectional data and the principles of their organisation and discuss the role they may play in the development and spread of epileptic seizures