Nationalism as ideological interpellation: The case of Ulster Loyalism

This article aims to explore nationalism, generally, and Ulster Loyalism, specifically, through the use of discourse theory and the Althusserian concept of ideology as interpellation. It suggests that nationalism is best understood as a particular discursive articulation that constructs subjects as being of a particular nation and thereby having certain characteristics and political needs and interests. This entails a larger definition of nationalism which encompasses some phenomena not generally taken to be nationalistic. The method is illustrated by a study of some aspects of the ideological discourse of Ulster Loyalism showing this, contrary to some accounts, to be a kind of nationalism. In the nationalist articulation of Loyalism, religion, democracy and identity are linked together making a unified ideological discourse based around a sense of specificity and difference to Irish nationalism and Roman Catholicism. Special attention is paid to the role of democracy within Loyalist discourse, in particular, and in nationalist discourse generally. The article suggests that this way of thinking about nationalism can avoid functionalist and teleological analyses, allowing us to focus on the specific ways in which a nationalism operates and to stress the centrality of politics in the process.     

Ultrastructural changes during growth of the flight muscles in the adult tsetse fly, Glossina austeni

In laboratory-reared male Glossina austeni the ultrastructure of the dorsal longitudinal flight muscles has been studied in flies ranging from 2-day-old tenerals to flies which have had 10 blood meals. Mitochondrial volume increases throughout this period at a relatively uniform rate but myofibril volume increases until around the third and fourth blood meal (8 to 10 days after emergence) when it reaches a level above which it does not rise significantly. Sarcoplasmic volume correspondingly declines steeply at first, therefter more slowly.     

Studies in the bivalve, Tellina tenuis Da Costa. IV. Further experiments in enriched sea water

Tellina tennis Da Costa was kept for four months in four large outdoor tanks containing sand and sea water. There was a 10 % daily exchange of sea water, pumped directly from the sea. Three tanks received daily addition of nutrients in the form of sodium nitrate and sodium dihydrogen phosphate, giving enrichment of approximately 3, 10, and 30 times natural sea-water levels of nitrate in the different tanks. Phosphate, nitrate, chlorophyll, and organic carbon in the water were measured regularly, the nitrate by Autoanalyser. Water temperature and solar radiation were recorded. Zooplankton samples were taken daily and Tellina were sampled monthly for length, weight, and biochemical analysis of tissues.Phosphate was always present in excess. The lowest level of nitrogen enrichment resulted in almost complete utilisation of nitrate, with a significant increase of organic carbon and chlorophyll above control levels. Zooplankton occurred in the greatest numbers in this tank, and Tellina showed the best survival, growth, and condition. In the tanks with the higher levels of enrichment, excess nutrients led to growth of macrophytic algae on the surface and sides of tank. This had an adverse effect on the phytoplankton production: zooplankton numbers were lower, as was growth of Tellina.     

Mycobacterium avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis in the Inflamed Gut Tissues of Patients with Crohn’s Disease in China and its Potential Relationship to the Consumption of Cow’s Milk: A Preliminary Study

Summary Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection in domestic livestock is widespread in many countries throughout the world. Studies in Europe and the USA show that M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis can be cultured from retail pasteurized cow’s milk and that these organisms are being transmitted to humans by this route. Most people with chronic inflammation of the intestine of the Crohn’s disease type are infected with these chronic enteric pathogens. The production and consumption of cow’s milk has increased in China and so also has the incidence of Crohn’s disease. The present preliminary investigation was carried out to determine whether M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis is present in the intestinal tissues of Chinese patients with Crohn’s disease who have never left China. Archival paraffin-embedded surgical pathology blocks from patients having surgery for Crohn’s disease (CD) or for cancer (nIBD) in China were studied. M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis was detected by nested IS900 PCR with Southern blotting and amplicon sequencing. The intestinal tissues of 9 of 13 (69.2%) CD patients and 2 of 14 (14.3%) nIBD patients were IS900 PCR positive (P = 0.0063; odds ratio = 13.5). These initial studies suggest that people in China are exposed to M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis and that as in other countries, the infection is significantly associated with Crohn’s disease. M. avium subspecies paratuberculosis in dairy herds and retail milk in China needs to be investigated.     

Beguiling and risky: ‘environmental works and measures’ for wetland conservation under a changing climate

In Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin, small-scale engineering works called ‘environmental works and measures’ have been implemented as a basis for river and other wetland conservation. While implementing these, governments seem to have embraced the beguiling notion that scarce water supplies can be divided further, while conserving the environment and maintaining agricultural production. The difficulties in doing this are expected to increase in the face of extreme climate variability. With this scenario as a backdrop, the $280 million (Monetary values ($) in this paper are in Australian dollars (AUD). At the time of writing AUD $1.00 = ~USD $1.02.) Living Murray and related programmes are assessed to see whether microengineering works to manage the hydrology of wetlands make for effective adaptation to water scarcity and climate change or whether it amounts to an overly narrow adaptation or maladaptation. Some measures were found to be substantially beneficial, such as the construction of fishways. However, under these programmes, only 0.6% of the Basin’s wetlands would be inundated and there are significant risks including desiccation of non-target wetlands and further reductions in water allocations for the environment. It is recommended that trade-offs between alternative strategies are assessed as the basis for minimising perverse impacts under changing climatic and hydrological conditions.