GIMME DI WEED: popular music constructions of jamaican identity

Este artigo explora uma das variações da identidade nacional jamaicana atraves das trajetórias discursivas da música popular, particularmente o reggae e a dança de salão. Usando exemplos destes dois gêneros, o artigo examina a centralidade e celebração da herva marihuana nesses discursos líricos. O trabalho também teoriza o papel da música popular como um compoente dos debates sócio-culturais jamaicanos, projetando discursos identitários no imaginário local, regional e internacional. O argumento do artigo coloca que esta projeção acompanhada de uma ambivalência local tem criado uma abertura para uma interpretação da identidade nacional jamaicana que está inextricavelmente vinculada à marihuana. Palavras-chaves: Marihuana. Dança de Salão. ReggaeResumen Este artículo explora una de las variantes de la identidad nacional jamaicana a través de las trayectorias discursivas de la música popular, particularmente el reggae y la danza de salón. Usando ejemplos de estos dos géneros, el artículo examina la centralidad y celebración de la yerba marihuana en esos discursos líricos. El trabajo también teoriza el papel de la música popular como un componente de los debates socio culturales jamaicanos, proyectando discursos identitarios en el imaginario local, regional e internacional. Argumenta el artículo que esta proyección emparejada a una local ambivalencia ha creado una apertura para una interpretación de la identidad nacional jamaicana que está inextricablemente vinculada a la marihuana. Palabras claves: Marihuana. Danza de salón. ReggaeAbstract This paper explores the construction of one variant of Jamaican national identity through the discursive pathways of its popular music, particularly Reggae and Dancehall. Using examples from these two genres, the paper examines the centrality and celebration of the weed/marijuana in these lyrical discourses. The work also theorizes the role of popular music, as a component of Jamaica’s sociocultural debates, in projecting identity discourses into the local, regional and international imagination. It argues that, these sociocultural projections, coupled with local ambivalence, have created an opening for a rendition of Jamaican national identity that is inextricably bonded to the weed/marijuana. Keywords: Dance hall. Reggae. Marijuan

“I CAME TO TAKE MY PLACE”: Contemporary discourses of Rastafari in Jamaican popular culture

Este artigo explora o lugar das representações do rastafarismo na cultura da música popular jamaicana do século 21, como um reflexo de um movimento discursivo para fora dos discursos tradicionais do rastafarismo, em direção a uma convergência com os discursos, em conflito, ocidentais de Babilônia, incluindo o material e o carnal. O texto rastreia brevemente o movimento do Rastafarismo na cultura e na música dancehall, por meio das primeiras manifestações de artistas de dancehall radicais que se tornaram DJs Rastas nos anos 1990, até a primeira explosão de artistas influenciados pelo Rastafarismo no século 21, e então para os representantes mais atuais do ideário Rastafári na música popular jamaicana, como refletidos na ascensão do híbrido entre dancehall e rasta, o Gangsta Ras. A manifestação do Gangsta Ras é especificamente examinada mediante a lírica, os vestidos e a autorepresentação do Honorável Munga na cultura dancehall. As inherentes tensões nesta paradoxal auto representação rompe as tradicionais noções do que significa ser Rastafari. Embora a ideología e o discurso de Munga tem um parentesco com o grupo de artistas influenciados por los Rastafaris, os quais corriqueiramente andam pelos espaços dos dancehal, significando a recolocação dos Rastafaris dentro do espaço da cultura musical popular jamaicana, sugirindo uma variante renascida da masculinidade jamaicana na cultura musical popular.Palabras-chaves: Rastafari. Música popular jamaicana. Gangsta Ras. MasculinidadeAbstractThis article explores the place of 21st century representations of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music culture as reflective of a discursive move away from traditional discourses of Rastafari towards a convergence with “conflicted”, Western discourses of Babylon, including the material and carnal. It briefly traces the movement of Rastafari in dancehall music and culture through the early manifestations of the hardcore dancehall artiste turned Rastafari deejay of the 1990s, to the early 21st century explosion of Rastafari-influenced artistes, and then to the most current representation of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music as reflected in the rise of the hybrid the dancehall/Rasta or Gangsta Ras. The manifestation of the Gangsta Ras is specifically examined through the lyrics, dress and self-presentation of Munga Honourable in dancehall culture. The inherent tensions in this paradoxical self-presentation interrupt the traditional notions of what it means to be Rastafari. Yet, Munga’s ideological and discursive kinship with a cadre of Rastafari-influenced artistes who currently flit through dancehall’s spaces imply a re-placement of Rastafari within the contemporary space of Jamaican popular music culture and suggests a renewed variant of Jamaican masculinity in Jamaican popular music culture.Keywords: Rastafari. Jamaican popular music. Gangsta Ras. MasculinityResumenEste artículo explora el lugar en el siglo XXI de las representaciones de los Rastafaris en la cultura musical popular jamaicana. Es una reflexión de un movimiento discursivo que incluye lo material y lo carnal, dislocando el tradicional discurso Rastafari a la convergencia con el conflictivo occidentalizado discurso de Babilonia. Este breve trazado del movimiento de los Rastafari en la música dancehall, mediante sus tempranas manifestaciones de la música dura del artista convertido em DJs Rastafari, durante los años 90 del siglo XX y los primeros años del siglo XXI. La explosión de la influencia de los artistas Rastafaris conllevó a la representación de la música popular jamaicana como Rastafari, tal como se refleja en el ascenso del dancehall Rasta o Gansta Ras. La manifestación de los Gangsta Ras es especificamente examinada mediante la lírica, las ropas y la autorepresentación del Honorable Munga en la cultura dancehall. Las inherentes tensiones en esta paradójica auto representación rompe con las tradicionales nociones de lo que significa ser Rastafari. Aunque la ideología y el discurso de Munga tiene un parentesco con el grupo de artistas influenciados por los Rastafaris, quienes cotidianamente revolotean por los espacios de los salones de baile, significando la recolocación de los Rastafaris dentro del espacio de la cultura musical popular jamaicana, sugiriendo una variante renacida de la masculinidad jamaicana en la cultura musical popular.Palabras claves: Rastafari. Música popular jamaicana. Gangsta Ras. Masculinida

GIMME DI WEED: popular music constructions of jamaican identity

Este artigo explora uma das variações da identidade nacional jamaicana atraves das trajetórias discursivas da música popular, particularmente o reggae e a dança de salão. Usando exemplos destes dois gêneros, o artigo examina a centralidade e celebração da herva marihuana nesses discursos líricos. O trabalho também teoriza o papel da música popular como um compoente dos debates sócio-culturais jamaicanos, projetando discursos identitários no imaginário local, regional e internacional. O argumento do artigo coloca que esta projeção acompanhada de uma ambivalência local tem criado uma abertura para uma interpretação da identidade nacional jamaicana que está inextricavelmente vinculada à marihuana. Palavras-chaves: Marihuana. Dança de Salão. Reggae Resumen Este artículo explora una de las variantes de la identidad nacional jamaicana a través de las trayectorias discursivas de la música popular, particularmente el reggae y la danza de salón. Usando ejemplos de estos dos géneros, el artículo examina la centralidad y celebración de la yerba marihuana en esos discursos líricos. El trabajo también teoriza el papel de la música popular como un componente de los debates socio culturales jamaicanos, proyectando discursos identitarios en el imaginario local, regional e internacional. Argumenta el artículo que esta proyección emparejada a una local ambivalencia ha creado una apertura para una interpretación de la identidad nacional jamaicana que está inextricablemente vinculada a la marihuana. Palabras claves: Marihuana. Danza de salón. Reggae Abstract This paper explores the construction of one variant of Jamaican national identity through the discursive pathways of its popular music, particularly Reggae and Dancehall. Using examples from these two genres, the paper examines the centrality and celebration of the weed/marijuana in these lyrical discourses. The work also theorizes the role of popular music, as a component of Jamaica’s sociocultural debates, in projecting identity discourses into the local, regional and international imagination. It argues that, these sociocultural projections, coupled with local ambivalence, have created an opening for a rendition of Jamaican national identity that is inextricably bonded to the weed/marijuana. Keywords: Dance hall. Reggae. Marijuan

“I CAME TO TAKE MY PLACE”: Contemporary discourses of Rastafari in Jamaican popular culture

Este artigo explora o lugar das representações do rastafarismo na cultura da música popular jamaicana do século 21, como um reflexo de um movimento discursivo para fora dos discursos tradicionais do rastafarismo, em direção a uma convergência com os discursos, em conflito, ocidentais de Babilônia, incluindo o material e o carnal. O texto rastreia brevemente o movimento do Rastafarismo na cultura e na música dancehall, por meio das primeiras manifestações de artistas de dancehall radicais que se tornaram DJs Rastas nos anos 1990, até a primeira explosão de artistas influenciados pelo Rastafarismo no século 21, e então para os representantes mais atuais do ideário Rastafári na música popular jamaicana, como refletidos na ascensão do híbrido entre dancehall e rasta, o Gangsta Ras. A manifestação do Gangsta Ras é especificamente examinada mediante a lírica, os vestidos e a autorepresentação do Honorável Munga na cultura dancehall. As inherentes tensões nesta paradoxal auto representação rompe as tradicionais noções do que significa ser Rastafari. Embora a ideología e o discurso de Munga tem um parentesco com o grupo de artistas influenciados por los Rastafaris, os quais corriqueiramente andam pelos espaços dos dancehal, significando a recolocação dos Rastafaris dentro do espaço da cultura musical popular jamaicana, sugirindo uma variante renascida da masculinidade jamaicana na cultura musical popular. Palabras-chaves: Rastafari. Música popular jamaicana. Gangsta Ras. Masculinidade Abstract This article explores the place of 21st century representations of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music culture as reflective of a discursive move away from traditional discourses of Rastafari towards a convergence with “conflicted”, Western discourses of Babylon, including the material and carnal. It briefly traces the movement of Rastafari in dancehall music and culture through the early manifestations of the hardcore dancehall artiste turned Rastafari deejay of the 1990s, to the early 21st century explosion of Rastafari-influenced artistes, and then to the most current representation of Rastafari in Jamaican popular music as reflected in the rise of the hybrid the dancehall/Rasta or Gangsta Ras. The manifestation of the Gangsta Ras is specifically examined through the lyrics, dress and self-presentation of Munga Honourable in dancehall culture. The inherent tensions in this paradoxical self-presentation interrupt the traditional notions of what it means to be Rastafari. Yet, Munga’s ideological and discursive kinship with a cadre of Rastafari-influenced artistes who currently flit through dancehall’s spaces imply a re-placement of Rastafari within the contemporary space of Jamaican popular music culture and suggests a renewed variant of Jamaican masculinity in Jamaican popular music culture. Keywords: Rastafari. Jamaican popular music. Gangsta Ras. Masculinity Resumen Este artículo explora el lugar en el siglo XXI de las representaciones de los Rastafaris en la cultura musical popular jamaicana. Es una reflexión de un movimiento discursivo que incluye lo material y lo carnal, dislocando el tradicional discurso Rastafari a la convergencia con el conflictivo occidentalizado discurso de Babilonia. Este breve trazado del movimiento de los Rastafari en la música dancehall, mediante sus tempranas manifestaciones de la música dura del artista convertido em DJs Rastafari, durante los años 90 del siglo XX y los primeros años del siglo XXI. La explosión de la influencia de los artistas Rastafaris conllevó a la representación de la música popular jamaicana como Rastafari, tal como se refleja en el ascenso del dancehall Rasta o Gansta Ras. La manifestación de los Gangsta Ras es especificamente examinada mediante la lírica, las ropas y la autorepresentación del Honorable Munga en la cultura dancehall. Las inherentes tensiones en esta paradójica auto representación rompe con las tradicionales nociones de lo que significa ser Rastafari. Aunque la ideología y el discurso de Munga tiene un parentesco con el grupo de artistas influenciados por los Rastafaris, quienes cotidianamente revolotean por los espacios de los salones de baile, significando la recolocación de los Rastafaris dentro del espacio de la cultura musical popular jamaicana, sugiriendo una variante renacida de la masculinidad jamaicana en la cultura musical popular. Palabras claves: Rastafari. Música popular jamaicana. Gangsta Ras. Masculinida

Identification of a Genomic Region Between SLC29A1 and HSP90AB1 Associated With Risk of Bevacizumab-Induced Hypertension: CALGB 80405 (Alliance)

Purpose: Bevacizumab is a VEGF-specific angiogenesis inhibitor indicated as an adjunct to chemotherapy for the treatment of multiple cancers. Hypertension is commonly observed during bevacizumab treatment, and high-grade toxicity can limit therapy or lead to cardiovascular complications. The factors that contribute to interindividual variability in blood pressure rise during bevacizumab treatment are not well understood.Experimental Design: To identify genomic regions associated with bevacizumab-induced hypertension risk, sequencing of candidate genes and flanking regulatory regions was performed on 61 patients treated with bevacizumab (19 cases developed early-onset grade 3 hypertension and 42 controls had no reported hypertension in the first six cycles of treatment). SNP-based tests for common variant associations and gene-based tests for rare variant associations were performed in 174 candidate genes.Results: Four common variants in independent linkage disequilibrium blocks between SLC29A1 and HSP90AB1 were among the top associations. Validation in larger bevacizumab-treated cohorts supported association between rs9381299 with early grade 3+ hypertension (P = 0.01; OR, 2.4) and systolic blood pressure >180 mm Hg (P = 0.02; OR, 2.1). rs834576 was associated with early grade 3+ hypertension in CALGB 40502 (P = 0.03; OR, 2.9). These SNP regions are enriched for regulatory elements that may potentially increase gene expression. In vitro overexpression of SLC29A1 in human endothelial cells disrupted adenosine signaling and reduced nitric oxide levels that were further lowered upon bevacizumab exposure.Conclusions: The genomic region between SLC29A1 and HSP90AB1 and its role in regulating adenosine signaling are key targets for further investigation into the pathogenesis of bevacizumab-induced hypertension

Identification of a Genomic Region between SLC29A1 and HSP90AB1 Associated with Risk of Bevacizumab-Induced Hypertension: CALGB 80405 (Alliance).

Purpose: Bevacizumab is a VEGF-specific angiogenesis inhibitor indicated as an adjunct to chemotherapy for the treatment of multiple cancers. Hypertension is commonly observed during bevacizumab treatment, and high-grade toxicity can limit therapy or lead to cardiovascular complications. The factors that contribute to interindividual variability in blood pressure rise during bevacizumab treatment are not well understood.Experimental Design: To identify genomic regions associated with bevacizumab-induced hypertension risk, sequencing of candidate genes and flanking regulatory regions was performed on 61 patients treated with bevacizumab (19 cases developed early-onset grade 3 hypertension and 42 controls had no reported hypertension in the first six cycles of treatment). SNP-based tests for common variant associations and gene-based tests for rare variant associations were performed in 174 candidate genes.Results: Four common variants in independent linkage disequilibrium blocks between SLC29A1 and HSP90AB1 were among the top associations. Validation in larger bevacizumab-treated cohorts supported association between rs9381299 with early grade 3+ hypertension (P = 0.01; OR, 2.4) and systolic blood pressure >180 mm Hg (P = 0.02; OR, 2.1). rs834576 was associated with early grade 3+ hypertension in CALGB 40502 (P = 0.03; OR, 2.9). These SNP regions are enriched for regulatory elements that may potentially increase gene expression. In vitro overexpression of SLC29A1 in human endothelial cells disrupted adenosine signaling and reduced nitric oxide levels that were further lowered upon bevacizumab exposure.Conclusions: The genomic region between SLC29A1 and HSP90AB1 and its role in regulating adenosine signaling are key targets for further investigation into the pathogenesis of bevacizumab-induced hypertension. Clin Cancer Res; 24(19); 4734-44. ©2018 AACR

Neuroadaptations in Human Chronic Alcoholics: Dysregulation of the NF-κB System

Anna Ökvist is with Karolinska Institute, Sofia Johansson is with Karolinska Institute, Alexander Kuzmin is with Karolinska Institute, Igor Bazov is with Karolinska Institute, Roxana Merino-Martinez is with Karolinska Institute, Igor Ponomarev is with UT Austin, R. Dayne Mayfield is with UT Austin, R. Adron Harris is with UT Austin, Donna Sheedy is with University of Sydney, Therese Garrick is with University of Sydney, Clive Harper is with University of Sydney, Yasmin L. Hurd is with Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Lars Terenius is with Karolinska Institute, Tomas J. Ekström is with Karolinska Institute, Georgy Bakalkin is with Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University, Tatjana Yakovleva is with Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University.Background -- Alcohol dependence and associated cognitive impairments apparently result from neuroadaptations to chronic alcohol consumption involving changes in expression of multiple genes. Here we investigated whether transcription factors of Nuclear Factor-kappaB (NF-κB) family, controlling neuronal plasticity and neurodegeneration, are involved in these adaptations in human chronic alcoholics. Methods and Findings -- Analysis of DNA-binding of NF-κB (p65/p50 heterodimer) and the p50 homodimer as well as NF-κB proteins and mRNAs was performed in postmortem human brain samples from 15 chronic alcoholics and 15 control subjects. The prefrontal cortex involved in alcohol dependence and cognition was analyzed and the motor cortex was studied for comparison. The p50 homodimer was identified as dominant κB binding factor in analyzed tissues. NF-κB and p50 homodimer DNA-binding was downregulated, levels of p65 (RELA) mRNA were attenuated, and the stoichiometry of p65/p50 proteins and respective mRNAs was altered in the prefrontal cortex of alcoholics. Comparison of a number of p50 homodimer/NF-κB target DNA sites, κB elements in 479 genes, down- or upregulated in alcoholics demonstrated that genes with κB elements were generally upregulated in alcoholics. No significant differences between alcoholics and controls were observed in the motor cortex. Conclusions -- We suggest that cycles of alcohol intoxication/withdrawal, which may initially activate NF-κB, when repeated over years downregulate RELA expression and NF-κB and p50 homodimer DNA-binding. Downregulation of the dominant p50 homodimer, a potent inhibitor of gene transcription apparently resulted in derepression of κB regulated genes. Alterations in expression of p50 homodimer/NF-κB regulated genes may contribute to neuroplastic adaptation underlying alcoholism.This work was supported by grants from the AFA Forsäkring to AK, YLH, TJE and GB, the Research Foundation of the Swedish Alcohol Retail Monopoly (SRA) and Karolinska Institutet to AK, TJE and GB, and the Swedish Science Research Council and the Swedish National Drug Policy Coordinator to GB. The Australian Brain Donor Programs NSW Tissue Resource Centre was supported by The University of Sydney, National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, Neuroscience Institute of Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders, National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and NSW Department of Health.Waggoner Center for Alcohol and Addiction Researc

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children