Review of Globalization and America: Race, Human Rights and Inequality & When Welfare Disappears: The Case for Economic Human Rights

The article reviews two books on human rights, including Globalization and America: Race, Human Rights and Inequality, edited by Angela J. Hattery, David G. Embrick and Earl Smith, When Welfare Disappears; The Case for Economic Human Rights, by Kenneth J. Neubeck

Review of Globalization and America: Race, Human Rights and Inequality & When Welfare Disappears: The Case for Economic Human Rights

The article reviews two books on human rights, including Globalization and America: Race, Human Rights and Inequality, edited by Angela J. Hattery, David G. Embrick and Earl Smith, When Welfare Disappears; The Case for Economic Human Rights, by Kenneth J. Neubeck

Integration and underdevelopment in the Commonwealth Caribbean

While the integration process in the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) has only been in force for a few years, it is, in the author’s view, clear that the narrow free trade approach used so far will not be able to deal with the widening gap between the better-off and the less well-off member states or to provide a solution to fundamental problems facing the region as a whole

Desilicated ZSM-5 zeolite as catalyst for the dehydration of ethanol

The new desilicated forms of the zeolites X, Y and ZSM-5 were prepared by the selective removal of silicon atoms from the parent zeolites in an aqueous solution of base. This treatment, which decreases the Si/Al ratio while keeping the zeolite framework almost unmodified, enhanced the ion exchange capacities of all the zeolites, a property which can be exploited industrially for the X and Y zeolites since the desilicated forms had higher total ion removal rates of calcium and magnesium ions from hard water. Similarly, desilication results in a higher density of acid sites as shown in the following. \sp1H MAS NMR studies were done on anhydrous samples of desilicated ZSM-5 and have detected a signal which was not observed for the parent sample and is believed to arise from the interaction of Bronsted acid sites hydrogen bonded to framework Aluminum atoms. This corresponds to the creation of a second generation of Bronsted Acid Sites (BAS II) distinguishable from the normal bridging hydroxyl BAS (BAS I) associated with tetrahedrally coordinated aluminum in the zeolite framework. In catalytic testing studies, the desilicated ZSM-5 zeolite was found to display a higher total conversion in the dehydration of absolute ethanol into ethylene, however the selectivity for ethylene was higher for the parent zeolite at lower reaction temperatures. This was a direct consequence of the higher density of acid sites on the desilicated zeolite, which is comprised of BAS II in the presence of "unusual" Lewis acid sites of type II (LAS II). These Lewis acid sites were also detected by \sp1H MAS NMR during the rehydration phase and are believed to be produced by dehydroxylation of BAS II which were generated by the "desilication-healing" phenomena. LAS II are distinguishable from LAS I since the latter are easily rehydrated back to the corresponding BAS I. The nature and strength of these different acidic sites on the parent and those created on the desilicated ZSM-5 were also studied in more detail by the techniques of XPS, FTIR, NH\sb3 TPD, nitrogen and argon adsorption and desorption (BET), DTA/TGA and poison testing using pyridine and 2,6-dimethylpyridine. Upon steam treatment of the desilicated zeolite, both the total conversion and selectivity for ethylene improved significantly in the dehydration of absolute ethanol. Steaming was capable of rehydrating the LAS II into BAS II, a reconversion which was previously too demanding to be achieved under the conditions of catalytic testing, hence the low selectivity for ethylene at lower reaction temperatures. Further evidence of this reconversion is provided by catalytic testing with aqueous ethanol for which the desilicated zeolite achieved higher total conversions and selectivities for ethylene than the parent at all reaction temperatures, and the selectivity for ethylene was always significantly higher than was achieved with absolute ethanol. This has important implications for the Bioethanol to Ethylene Process. A cut off temperature was also confirmed for the dehydration of ethanol, at which the reaction mechanism changed from the two step conversion into diethyl ether and ethylene, into the one step, direct conversion to ethylene. These temperature ranges were determined to be 200-225\sp\circC and 225-250\sp\circC for absolute and aqueous ethanol respectively

Residential property as a hedge against inflation in South Africa.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The empirical evidence regarding the magnitude of the relationship between inflation and residential property has had conflicting results. Although the issue of inflation-hedging has been discussed by multiple authors, the results have been inconsistent with regard to the ability of property to act as a hedge against inflation. This topic has been explored largely in an international context, with limited studies on South African grounds. Over the years the topic of inflation-hedging has been examined using multiple cointegration techniques, which have been adapted over the years to accommodate various limitations. The conventional Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) model has been a solid model for the purpose of this topic as it has proven to have various advantages over other models. However, this model assumes linearity and symmetry with regard to the relationship. In order to overcome the limitations of this model, the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributive Lag (NARDL) model was developed, as it accounts for possible asymmetric adjustment. Both these models were employed for the purpose of this study with the intent of determining whether the relationship between the variables is nonlinear and asymmetric. This study utilized quarterly data for a 30-year time period from 1989-2019, a period which was extremely relevant in the context of South African history, because of the transition period from the apartheid regime. The data chosen for the inflation rate is represented by the consumer price index (CPI) and housing prices was represented by both the housing price index (HPI), as well as segmented housing prices. The results from this study confirmed that property is able to hedge against inflation, with strong evidence supporting the existence of an asymmetric relationship between the variables. All segments were confirmed to effectively hedge against inflation, with only the affordable segment being a partial hedge for the purpose of the NARDL model. Evidence of asymmetry was confirmed, indicating that when inflation increases, housing prices increase at a rate greater than unity. However, in periods of decreasing inflation, the increase in absolute value is far greater. Investors can, therefore, profit off investing in property during all inflationary periods, and generate greater wealth in periods of decreased inflation