From A-Town to ATL: The Politics of Translation in Global Hip Hop Culture

This article examines the linguistic and cultural tensions in global Hip Hop culture through an analysis of the performance of Gsann, an emcee from the Tanzanian Hip Hop crew X Plastaz, at the 2009 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. Gsann\u27s rhymes in Swahili, his emphasis on religion, and his global travels distinguished him from his African American colleagues in the cipha. At the same time, the decision by the BET producers to translate Gsann\u27s Swahili rhymes into English has to be seen within the longer history of cultural and linguistic politics in Tanzania and the United States. Thrown into the primetime spectacle of the BET Awards, Gsann\u27s African roots became quickly incorporated into American Hip Hop culture, dominated by African Americans. As this case study of an artist from Tanzania shows, Hip Hop\u27s global journey has brought together artists from around the world without eliding their cultural and linguistic differences

From A-Town to ATL: The Politics of Translation in Global Hip Hop Culture

This article examines the linguistic and cultural tensions in global Hip Hop culture through an analysis of the performance of Gsann, an emcee from the Tanzanian Hip Hop crew X Plastaz, at the 2009 Black Entertainment Television (BET) Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta. Gsann\u27s rhymes in Swahili, his emphasis on religion, and his global travels distinguished him from his African American colleagues in the cipha. At the same time, the decision by the BET producers to translate Gsann\u27s Swahili rhymes into English has to be seen within the longer history of cultural and linguistic politics in Tanzania and the United States. Thrown into the primetime spectacle of the BET Awards, Gsann\u27s African roots became quickly incorporated into American Hip Hop culture, dominated by African Americans. As this case study of an artist from Tanzania shows, Hip Hop\u27s global journey has brought together artists from around the world without eliding their cultural and linguistic differences

Let’s Move! Benefits of Exercise Compared to SSRIs (escitalopram) for the Management of Depression: Research from 2020 and Beyond

The purpose of this literature review is to determine the effectiveness of exercise as either monotherapy or in combination with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for the management of major depressive disorder. Studies gathered for this review came from the following databases: PubMed, SpringerLink, Academic Search Ultimate, Academic Search Complete, and CINAHL. Current research completed between the years 2020-2023 that consisted of either clinical trials, RCTs, or meta-analysis were included. A total of eleven studies were reviewed that addressed either the benefits of exercise, SSRIs, or a combination for the management of depression. Upon completion of the literature review, it was determined that exercise can be equivocal to SSRIs and considered a treatment option. While this is a significant finding, the benefits of exercises are more consistent in those that adhere to a program and are more effective if prescribed in combination with SSRIs. While exercise has the potential to be considered as a treatment option for patients with major depressive disorder, it would require providers to have the knowledge and awareness of appropriate exercise modalities and resources available to the patients. It is also vital that providers offer continued support to patients and encourage compliance with their programs to yield optimal outcomes

Fifth Presentation of the James B. Macelwane Award, April 20, 1966

Don Anderson was born in Frederick, Maryland, thirty-three years ago. He took his Bachelor's degree at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1955. Between 1955 and 1958 he worked for Chevron Oil Company, served in the Air Force, and conducted research for the Arctic Institute of North America. He received his Ph.D. from Caltech in 1962, where he currently serves as Associate Professor of Geophysics. Don L. Anderson has utilized the range of modern observations concerning seismic body and surface waves, the free vibrations, and the loss characteristics of all these to re-evaluate and to revise interpretations of the elastic and anelastic structure of the Earth. He has analyzed recent observations of large artificial explosions to elucidate the complex events in the epicentral range 10°–40°, where he finds that a succession of triple-valued travel-time curves appears to occur. These curves are interpreted in terms of two regions of rapid increase in both velocity and density, one at the bottom of the Gutenberg low-speed zone at depth 300 km, the other at depth 600 km. These interpretations are consistent with the results from free-mode observations. The two levels of rapid changes may represent zones of phase change. In the lower mantle, the density increases very slowly relative to the rates in the earlier Earth models

Let’s Move! Benefits of Exercise Compared to SSRIs (escitalopram) for the Management of Depression: Research from 2020 and Beyond

• Purpose: Determine the effectiveness of exercise as either monotherapy or in combination with SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for the management of major depressive disorder. • Studies gathered for this review came from the following databases: PubMed, SpringerLink, Academic Search Ultimate, Academic Search Complete, and CINAHL. • Review of current research that was completed between the years 2020-2023 that consisted of either clinical trials, RCTs, or meta-analysis. • Upon completion of the literature review: exercise is equivocal to SSRIs as a treatment option. While this is a significant finding, the benefits of exercises are more consistent in those that adhere to a program and are more effective if prescribed in combination with SSRIs. • It would require providers to have the knowledge and awareness of appropriate exercise modalities and resources available to the patients. It is also vital that providers offer support to patients and encourage compliance with their programs.https://commons.und.edu/pas-grad-posters/1296/thumbnail.jp

Quercetin Improves Barrier Properties in Porcine Small Intestine but Not in Peyer’s Patches

Peyer’s patches (PPs) are part of the gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) and represent the first line of the intestinal immunological defense. They consist of follicles with lymphocytes and an overlying subepithelial dome with dendritic cells and macrophages, and they are covered by the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE). A sealed paracellular pathway in the FAE is crucial for the controlled uptake of luminal antigens. Quercetin is the most abundant plant flavonoid and has a barrier-strengthening effect on tight junctions (TJs), a protein complex that regulates the paracellular pathway. In this study, we aimed to analyze the effect of quercetin on porcine PPs and the surrounding villus epithelium (VE). We incubated both tissue types for 4 h in Ussing chambers, recorded the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), and measured the unidirectional tracer flux of [3H]-mannitol. Subsequently, we analyzed the expression, protein amount, and localization of three TJ proteins, claudin 1, claudin 2, and claudin 4. In the PPs, we could not detect an effect of quercetin after 4 h, neither on TEER nor on the [3H]-mannitol flux. In the VE, quercetin led to a higher TEER value, while the [3H]-mannitol flux was unchanged. The pore-forming claudin 2 was decreased while the barrier-forming claudin 4 was increased and the expression was upregulated. Claudin 1 was unchanged and all claudins could be located in the paracellular membrane by immunofluorescence microscopy. Our study shows the barrier-strengthening effect of quercetin in porcine VE by claudin 4 upregulation and a claudin 2 decrease. Moreover, it underlines the different barrier properties of PPs compared to the VE

Cannabidiol attenuates inflammatory impairment of intestinal cells expanding biomaterial-based therapeutic approaches

Cannabis-based biomaterials have the potential to deliver anti-inflammatory therapeutics specifically to desired cells, tissues, and organs, enhancing drug delivery and the effectiveness of anti-inflammatory treatment while minimizing toxicity. As a major component of Cannabis, Cannabidiol (CBD) has gained major attention in recent years because of its potential therapeutic properties, e.g., for restoring a disturbed barrier resulting from inflammatory conditions. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that CBD has beneficial effects under normal and inflammatory conditions in the established non-transformed intestinal epithelial cell model IPEC-J2. CBD induced a significant increase in transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) values and a decrease in the paracellular permeability of [³H]-D-Mannitol, indicating a strengthening effect on the barrier. Under inflammatory conditions induced by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), CBD stabilized the TER and mitigated the increase in paracellular permeability. Additionally, CBD prevented the barrier-disrupting effects of TNFα on the distribution and localization of sealing TJ proteins. CBD also affected the expression of TNF receptors. These findings demonstrate the potential of CBD as a component of Cannabis-based biomaterials used in the development of novel therapeutic approaches against inflammatory pathogenesis

Concerted action of berberine in the porcine intestinal epithelial model IPEC-J2: Effects on tight junctions and apoptosis

The plant alkaloid berberine has been shown to have many beneficial effects on human health. This has led to its use as a treatment for various cancer types, obesity, and diabetes. Moreover, a described barrier-strengthening effect in human cancer cell lines indicates that it might be useful for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Detailed information regarding its effects on intestinal epithelium remains limited. In our current study, we describe the impact of berberine on a non-transformed porcine small intestinal epithelial cell model, IPEC-J2. Incubation of IPEC-J2 monolayers with berberine revealed dose- and time-dependent effects on barrier properties. A viability assay confirmed the specific effect of berberine on the apoptotic pathway, paralleled by the internalization of the sealing tight-junction (TJ) proteins claudin-1, claudin-3, and occludin within 6 h. Hence, the barrier function of the cells was reduced, as shown by the reduced transepithelial electrical resistance and the increased [3H]-D-Mannitol flux. A decrease of claudin-1, claudin-3, and occludin expression was also observed after 24 h, whereas ZO-1 expression was not significantly changed. These data indicate an early effect on both cell viability and barrier integrity, followed by a general effect on TJ architecture. The intracellular co-localization of claudin-1 and occludin or claudin-3 and occludin points to an initial induction of apoptosis accompanied by the internalization of sealing TJ proteins. Although barrier strengthening has been reported in cancerogenic epithelial models, our results show a barrier-weakening action, which represents a new aspect of the effect of berberine on epithelia. These results agree with the known toxic potential of plant alkaloids in general and show that berberine is also capable of exerting adverse effects in the intestinal epithelium