Restoring cultural capital through preservation in the Holy Cross Historic District

This research analyses the social construction of a neighborhood’s history through the architectural narrative visible in its housing stock, critically engaging with modern practices of evaluation and interpretation of historic significance espoused by preservationists. Physical manifestations of the application of the National Historic Preservation Act and local regulations, in conjunction with efforts of preservationists as agents of recovery targeting the Holy Cross Historic District in New Orleans after the hazard events of 2005 reveal new and altered perceptions of the neighborhood through changes in space and structure. Methods include quantitative analysis of property values and demographics, (economic capital), and documenting of qualitative expressions of value, through sociopolitical characteristics such as historic significance, age, and access to resources through social networks including expertise and sweat equity (cultural and social capital). Physical evidence of change within the built environment, gathered through aerial and ground-level photography, as well as data from archival sources including tax rolls, local commission files, and property surveys, provided information on construction, demolition, and valuation of structures in relation to their age and assigned level of historic significance. The spatial nature of recovery is evident from the infusion of economic capital as related to the location of cultural and social capital, and the role of the district in enhancing this recovery is seen in not only return rates but also property values, decreased demolitions, and increased investment from organizations within and outside of the Holy Cross neighborhood. Results suggest that property values within the historic district rose on average 15 percent higher than properties outside its bounds within fifteen years of designation; additionally, higher ratings of significance correlated with lower demolition rates for blocks within the district. Historic designation can be an effective tool in the construction of a cohesive community identity through the preservation and interpretation of a shared social memory; however, without the embodied cultural capital to support the claim of historic significance, the benefits of preservation are limited to the institutionalized and objectified material culture acting as repositories of capital and thus reproducers of social stratification

Problem drug users' experiences of employment and the benefit system

This report presents the findings of a study commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to examine the issues surrounding employment and benefit uptake in England by individuals who use illicit drugs, in particular heroin and crack cocaine. In addressing these issues, the study also explores the wider context of education, training, drug use and treatment. This report has two key elements a review of the literature on drug use and benefit uptake, and a qualitative component that included face-to-face interviews with 75 drug users and ten professionals who work with drug users to explore specific issues in detail. The research was carried out by a team from the Centre for Drug Misuse Research at the University of Glasgow and the Centre for the Analysis of Social Policy at the University of Bath

Drosophila Bruce Can Potently Suppress Rpr- and Grim-Dependent but Not Hid-Dependent Cell Death

Bruce is a large protein (530 kDa) that contains an N-terminal baculovirus IAP repeat (BIR) and a C-terminal ubiquitin conjugation domain (E2) 1, 2. BRUCE upregulation occurs in some cancers and contributes to the resistance of these cells to DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic drugs [2]. However, it is still unknown whether Bruce inhibits apoptosis directly or instead plays some other more indirect role in mediating chemoresistance, perhaps by promoting drug export, decreasing the efficacy of DNA damage-dependent cell death signaling, or by promoting DNA repair. Here, we demonstrate, using gain-of-function and deletion alleles, that Drosophila Bruce (dBruce) can potently inhibit cell death induced by the essential Drosophila cell death activators Reaper (Rpr) and Grim but not Head involution defective (Hid). The dBruce BIR domain is not sufficient for this activity, and the E2 domain is likely required. dBruce does not promote Rpr or Grim degradation directly, but its antiapoptotic actions do require that their N termini, required for interaction with DIAP1 BIR2, be intact. dBruce does not block the activity of the apical cell death caspase Dronc or the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Debcl/Drob-1/dBorg-1/Dbok. Together, these results argue that dBruce can regulate cell death at a novel point

Vascular and cellular responses to traumatic brain injury

There is growing evidence that suggests Traumatic brain injury (TBI) may initiate long-term neurodegenerative processes. Exposure to a single moderate or severe TBI, or to repetitive TBI, reveals a complex of pathologies including abnormalities of tau, amyloid-β and TDP-43; neuronal loss; neuroinflammation; and white matter degradation. The mechanisms driving these late post-TBI neurodegenerative pathologies remain elusive. Firstly, a potential association between blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and TBI was investigated. Results showed that increased and widespread BBB disruption was observed in material from patients dying in the acute phase following a single, moderate to severe TBI and persisted in a high proportion of patients surviving years following injury. Furthermore, there was preferential distribution to the deep layers of the cortex and to the crests of the gyri rather than the depths of the sulci. This post-TBI BBB disruption was investigated further within a paediatric TBI cohort. BBB disruption was noted in both paediatric and adult TBI in a similar pattern and distribution, however, interestingly, in sharp contrast to adult TBI cases, BBB disruption in paediatric cases appears preferentially distributed to capillary sized vessels. This vulnerability of the small vessels was rarely observed in adult material. In addition to the post-TBI vascular change observed, the cellular response was investigated, which interestingly, demonstrated regional differences. Specifically, in the grey matter, reactive astrogliosis was observed subpially, around cortical vessels, at the grey and white matter boundaries and subependymally. This astrogliosis was evident in a proportion of acute and continued into the late phase following TBI. In contrast, microglial activation was observed as a delayed response and localised to the white matter tracts. In addition, this delayed microglial response expressed an M2-like phenotype. Furthermore, there was an increased population of inactivated perivascular microglia beyond the perivascular space in the grey matter regions, observed in the acute phase and persisted in a proportion of patients surviving years following injury. Collectively these findings are interesting and indicate TBI induces both a vascular and cellular responses which may contribute to the long-term post-TBI neurodegenerative processes

Subcellular fractionation of primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells to monitor nuclear/ cytoplasmic protein trafficking

Nuclear export of macromolecules is often deregulated in cancer cells. Tumor suppressor proteins, such as p53, can be rendered inactive due to aberrant cellular localization disrupting their mechanism of action. The survival of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells, among other cancer cells, is assisted by the deregulation of nuclear to cytoplasmic shuttling, at least in part through deregulation of the transport receptor XPO1 and the constitutive activation of PI3K-mediated signaling pathways. It is essential to understand the role of individual proteins in the context of their intracellular location to gain a deeper understanding of the role of such proteins in the pathobiology of the disease. Furthermore, identifying processes that underlie cell stimulation and the mechanism of action of specific pharmacological inhibitors, in the context of subcellular protein trafficking, will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the mechanism of action. The protocol described here enables the optimization and subsequent efficient generation of nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions from primary chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells. These fractions can be used to determine changes in protein trafficking between the nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions upon cell stimulation and drug treatment. The data can be quantified and presented in parallel with immunofluorescent images, thus providing robust and quantifiable data

Prevention Is Political: Political Party Affiliation Predicts Perceived Risk and Prevention Behaviors for COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Many US politicians have provided mixed messages about the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and whether and to what extent prevention practices should be put in place to prevent transmission. This politicization of the virus and pandemic may affect individuals\u27 risk perceptions and willingness to take precautions. We examined how political party affiliation relates to risk perception for one\u27s own and other people\u27s likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection/COVID-19 illness. METHODS: We surveyed members of a nationally-representative, probability-sampling based survey panel (N = 410) to examine their risk perceptions, precautionary behaviors, and political party affiliation. RESULTS: The more strongly one identified as a Republican, the less risk one perceived to oneself from SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and the less risk one perceived other people faced. Moreover, those identifying as more strongly Republican engaged in fewer preventive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This differential response may affect virus transmission patterns and poses a considerable challenge for health communications efforts

Limitations in American Adults’ Awareness of and Beliefs about Alcohol as a Risk Factor for Cancer

Alcohol is a carcinogen. Recommendations to reduce alcohol use to lower cancer risk are increasingly common. However, neither the beliefs of US adults about alcohol consumption and cancer risk, nor factors influencing those beliefs, are well understood. We used data from the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey (analysis N = 4,470) to examine beliefs about whether drinking too much alcohol increases cancer risk. We compared those beliefs to beliefs for three other health problems, and examined whether believing alcohol is a cancer risk factor was related to demographics, risk perceptions, other beliefs about the nature of cancer, and alcohol consumption behavior. Only 33% of US adults reported believing that alcohol is a cancer risk factor; 27% stated that it was not, and the highest proportion (40%) reported they did not know. Misbeliefs and lack of knowledge about alcohol and health outcomes were higher for cancer than other outcomes. Higher age, education, seeking health information, risk perceptions, and pessimistic beliefs about cancer predicted both lack of knowledge and misbeliefs about alcohol use and cancer. However, misbeliefs and lack of knowledge were not limited to those who reported alcohol consumption. Demographic and psychosocial factors are associated with problematic beliefs about alcohol’s role as a risk factor for cancer. Because perceived risk for health problems is a driver of behavior change, cancer prevention and control efforts to reduce alcohol consumption must attend to and address both the misperceptions about and lack of knowledge of alcohol’s role in increasing risk for cancer

Pilot Study of Skin Cancer Risk Reduction Behaviors, Cancer Communication, and Skin Cancer Beliefs in Hispanics

Purpose: Given rising rates of deadly melanoma skin cancer in Hispanics, the study objective was to examine skin cancer-related risk reduction behaviors and beliefs to dictate content for culturally targeted skin cancer prevention strategies for Hispanics. Methods/Data Source: An anonymous survey was administered to waiting room volunteers in a primary care facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico to assess skin cancer risk reduction behaviors, screening, cancer information seeking and communication, as well as skin cancer beliefs in Hispanics (n=48) and Non-Hispanic Whites (n=36). Results: We found lower levels of sun protection clothing use among Hispanics compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, but comparable use of sunscreen and shade-seeking among these groups. Hispanic ethnicity was the most important predictor of skin cancer misconceptions, with skin cancer information overload and misconceptions reported more often in Hispanics. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the need for culturally relevant information for ethnic minority populations such as Hispanics who have shown an increased risk of presenting with later stage, more aggressive melanoma skin cancer