Psychogeographical counter-tour guiding: Theory and practice

In this paper, will be outlined and explained a mode of tour guiding referred to as ‘psychogeographical’ counter-tour guiding that has been conducted in Manchester, Huddersfield and Leeds with groups such as the Huddersfield Psychogeography Network, the Loiterers Resistance Movement and the Leeds Psychogeography Group. The usage of psychogeography here draws on elements of the situationist practice of playful wandering without destination in order to: experientially make sense of and creatively engage in group dialogue about the changing form of towns and cities and to creatively consider what sort of societies we would really like. In doing this type of counter-tour guiding, it will be explained how the author’s methodological approach to this work is conceptualised as a psychogeographer, counter-tour guider and as a critical psychologist drawing on situationism and reflexivity theories. Connection will also be drawn with other individual and groups doing similar adventures and journeys such as Walk Walk Walk, Wrights and Sites and also the Manchester Area Psychogeographic. Key analytical data and conclusions to the work will also be discussed

Aging of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome fibroblasts is characterised by hyperproliferation and increased apoptosis

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that mimics certain aspects of aging prematurely. Recent work has revealed that mutations in the lamin A gene are a cause of the disease. We show here that cellular aging of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome fibroblasts is characterised by a period of hyperproliferation and terminates with a large increase in the rate of apoptosis. The occurrence of cells with abnormal nuclear morphology reported by others is shown to be a result of cell division since the fraction of these abnormalities increases with cellular age. Similarly, the proportion of cells with an abnormal or absent A-type lamina increases with age. These data provide clues as to the cellular basis for premature aging in HGPS and support the view that cellular senescence and tissue homeostasis are important factors in the normal aging process

Psychogeography and Ground Zero

In this paper I want to discuss a psychogeographical project conducted at the main site of the horrific and monstrous September 11th 2001 attacks in New York, U.S.A. I will explain how I made sense of and reflected on my experiences of being at that site as well as conceptualising how I drew on the situationist practice of psychogeographical walking. I will explain how I drew on the work of the situationists and why their ideas of detournement, spectacle and psychogeography are important. In terms of my experience in being at the site of the attacks, I will also discuss core themes of my research including trauma and violence and the limits of words to explain experience. In recent years in my research, I have connected and considered this work in relation to the current memorialization of the Ground Zero site, to current political events (i.e. the ongoing war on ‘terrorism’, the banking crisis, Occupy, and more recently with the Charlie Hebdo events) and in relation to considering how my research in psychology should connect with political practice and social change

Internal iamin structures within G1 nuclei of human dermal fibroblasts

The nuclear lamina is a mesh-like network of fibres subjacent to the inner nuclear membrane that is believed to be involved in the specific spatial reorganisation of chromatin after mitosis. To determine how the lamina might be involved in chromatin reorganisation, we have performed indirect immunofluorescence studies on quiescent and proliferating human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). Two monoclonal antibodies recognising human lamins A and C and three different fixation methods were employed. In indirect immunofluorescence studies, cultures of quiescent cells displayed a uniform perinuclear distribution of the antibodies. In proliferating cultures two distinct populations of cells were observed: one population displayed a typical perinuclear antibody distribution, while the second population displayed an unusual pattern consisting of a series of spots and fibres within the nucleus. By inducing cell-cycle synchrony in cultures we were able to determine that the unusual internal distribution of the lamin antibodies was restricted to cells in G1. Optical sectioning and 3-D reconstruction of the lamina structures in G1 nuclei was performed with a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). This revealed that the internal lamin structures consisted of small foci and fibres proliferating throughout the nucleus. These structures were shown to be closely associated with areas of condensed chromatin but not nuclear membrane. As cells progress towards S phase the internal lamin foci disappear

Chromosome positioning is largely unaffected in lymphoblastoid cell lines containing emerin or A-type lamin mutations

Gene-poor human chromosomes are reproducibly found at the nuclear periphery in proliferating cells. There are a number of inner nuclear envelope proteins that may have roles in chromosome location and anchorage, e.g. emerin and A-type lamins. In the last decade, a number of diseases associated with tissue degeneration and premature aging have been linked with mutations in lamin A or emerin. These are termed laminopathies, withmutations in emerin causing Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy. Despite highly aberrant nuclear distributions of A-type lamins and emerin in lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from patients with emerin or lamin A mutations, little or no change in chromosome location was detected