ID 258--Special Topics: Beyond Tokenism: Indigenizing, Feminizing, Queering Development

International development has been an overwhelmingly white, heteronormative, and patriarchal project. That is to say, it has been informed ideologically, epistemologically, and in practice by hegemonic Eurocentric norms, priorities, and “expert knowledge.” In this course, we focus our attention on the shifting but near-permanent criticisms of normative, hegemonic development projects articulated by LGBTQ people, people of color, Indigenous scholars and activists, Pan-Africanists and African feminists, transnational feminists, Chicano/a historians, and more. We give particular attention to elucidating alternative imaginaries of “progress,” “empowerment,” and “development” for meaningful, livable futures that emphasize wellbeing, ecological balance, and buen vivir. In this way, the course is explicitly forward-looking as we seek to move beyond critique towards the active imagining of new horizons

Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy: The Pathophysiology of Broken Heart Syndrome

First identified in 1992 in Japan, Takotsubu Cardiomyopathy is a stress-induced cardiomyopathy that presents identically to ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). Termed Broken Heart Syndrome for its correlation to stressful events such as the loss of a spouse or family member, Takotsubo is a complex phenomenon in the world of cardiac care. Over-saturation of endogenous catecholamines is the most popular explanation for this clinical condition, but other explanations such as parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction and coronary artery vasospasm are also revealing themselves as causative factors

Slow dissent and worldmaking beyond imperial relations in “kamer-amère” (Bitter Cameroon)

Working in the subfields of postcolonial geographies of responsibility and Black and African Geographies, my analysis centers on Cameroonian political resistance and practices of worldmaking. From January 2016 to August 2023, political activists experienced a set of difficulties: A wariness and oftentimes hostility to France’s continued support for the authoritarian state, dismissals by state representatives that dissenters were “externally supported,” and misappropriations of the anti-imperial mantel by government representatives. Over the preceding several decades, the state fostered a political environment antagonistic toward Cameroonians of the diaspora, and this was instrumentalized in the widespread dismissal of activists as foreign, foreign-backed, or foreign-influenced. Activists were hesitant but sometimes strategically prepared to call upon transnational groups for attention and political action against repression and violence in Cameroon. In the context of the state’s appropriation of an anti-imperialist ideology, I argue that transnational solidarities must be attuned to and integrated with local politics in Cameroon. Making sense of popular debates regarding (anti)imperialism, (anti)intervention, and transnational solidarity in conditions of authoritarianism matters for political debates across the African continent

Extraction is not a metaphor: decolonial and Black Geographies against the gendered and embodied violence of extractive logics

We are witnessing a proliferation of new critical scholarship on the manifold forms of extractivism. Yet, there are risks associated with extraction being rendered a broad metaphor for innumerable forms of removal and value-making through exploitation and misappropriation. Theorising within decolonial Black feminisms, we respond to the metaphorization of extraction by (re)asserting the need for persistent analysis on the material and embodied effects and consequences of extractivisms. That is, the specific processes, logics, ideologies, and relations of extractivism recast lands, labours, ecosystems, and bodies, and particularly the bodies of women of colour. This helps to ensure the concept does not become figuratively empty and abstracted in politically and analytically debilitating ways. Drawing on more than a decade of research with three communities entangled within and targeted through extractivism along the Chad–Cameroon Oil Pipeline and the extractive-tourist coastline of Panama, we mobilise a conception of 'extractive logics' to refer to the unnamed, unquestioned, often contradictory, foundational epistemic frameworks that permit the seemingly-permanent structures and relations of removal, destruction, and dehumanization. We analyse documents from the Chad–Cameroon oil consortium, which projected and then calculated the economic ‘costs’ of the pipeline's triggering of an increase in rates of HIV/AIDS in adjacent towns and cities, alongside the entanglement of capitalist extraction with the medical neglect of Black labourers in Panama. Doing so demystefies the ways that racial and gendered violence are sanctioned (and even premeditated) within extractive logics. We hope that this work challenges some of the methodological nationalism so common within extractive scholarship, and brings extractive processes across disparate South–South and black geographies into conversation, activating a cross-fertilisation of research across otherwise distinct geographies and geographical refrains. We reflect on the imperatives for and (im)possibilities of decolonial research against extractivism

The Chemical Neurobiology of Carbohydrates

The cell surface displays a complex array of oligosaccharides, glycoproteins, and glycolipids. This diverse mixture of glycans contains a wealth of information, modulating a wide range of processes such as cell migration, proliferation, transcriptional regulation, and differentiation. Glycosylation is one of the most ubiquitous forms of post-translational modification, with more than 50% of the human proteome estimated to be glycosylated. Glycosylation adds another dimension to the complexity of cellular signaling and expands the ability of a cell to modulate protein function. The structural complexity of glycan modifications ranges from the addition of a single monosaccharide unit to polysaccharides containing hundreds of sugars in branched or linear arrays. This chemical diversity enables glycans to impart a vast array of functions, from structural stability and proteolytic protection to protein recognition and modulation of cell signaling networks. Emerging evidence suggests a pivotal role for glycans in regulating nervous system development and function. For instance, glycosylation influences various neuronal processes, such as neurite outgrowth and morphology, and may contribute to the molecular events that underlie learning and memory. Glycosylation is an efficient modulator of cell signaling and has been implicated in memory consolidation pathways. Genetic ablation of glycosylation enzymes often leads to developmental defects and can influence various organismal behaviors such as stress and cognition. Thus, the complexity of glycan functions help to orchestrate proper neuronal development during embryogenesis, as well as influence behaviors in the adult organism. The importance of glycosylation is further highlighted by defects in glycan structures that often lead to human disease, as exhibited by congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG).25–29 These are usually inherited disorders resulting from defects in glycan biosynthesis, which are accompanied by severe developmental abnormalities, mental retardation, and difficulties with motor coordination. Such disorders highlight the importance of glycan biosynthesis in human health and development. Because therapeutic treatments are currently limited, investigations into the structure–activity relationships of glycans, as well as disease-associated alterations to glycan structure, are crucial for developing strategies to combat these diseases. Understanding the structure–function relationships of glycans has been hampered by a lack of tools and methods to facilitate their analysis. In contrast to nucleic acids and proteins, oligosaccharides often have branched structures, and their biosynthesis is not template-encoded. As such, the composition and sequence of oligosaccharides cannot be easily predicted, and genetic manipulations are considerably less straightforward. Analytical techniques for investigating oligosaccharide composition, sequence, and tertiary structure are still undergoing development and are far from routine, unlike methods for DNA and protein analysis. Lastly, glycan structures are not under direct genetic control and, thus, are often heterogeneous. This heterogeneity complicates structure–function analyses by traditional biochemical approaches that rely on the isolation and purification of glycans from natural sources. The problems associated with oligosaccharide analysis have hindered efforts to understand the biology of oligosaccharides yet have given chemists a unique opportunity to develop new methods to overcome these challenges. The development of chemical tools for the analysis of glycan structure and function is essential to advance our understanding of the roles of glycoconjugates in regulating diverse biological processes. In this review, we will highlight the emerging area of glyconeurobiology with an emphasis on current chemical approaches for elucidating the biological functions of glycans in the nervous system

Institutional Alternatives in African Smallholder Irrigation: Lessons from International Experience with Irrigation Management Transfer

Irrigation management / small scale systems / instituions / international corporation / sustaionable agriculture / farmers' associations / water rights / water allocations / water management / Operations / irrigation systems / labor / irrigated farming / farm income / farm size / rain-fed farming,Sprinkler irrigation / wheat / maize,Africa / Zimbabwe / Niger / Burkina Faso / India / Bangladesh / Pakistan

Identification of the Plasticity-Relevant Fucose-α(1−2)-Galactose Proteome from the Mouse Olfactory Bulb

Fucose-α(1−2)-galactose [Fucα(1−2)Gal] sugars have been implicated in the molecular mechanisms that underlie neuronal development, learning, and memory. However, an understanding of their precise roles has been hampered by a lack of information regarding Fucα(1−2)Gal glycoproteins. Here, we report the first proteomic studies of this plasticity-relevant epitope. We identify five classes of putative Fucα(1−2)Gal glycoproteins: cell adhesion molecules, ion channels and solute carriers/transporters, ATP-binding proteins, synaptic vesicle-associated proteins, and mitochondrial proteins. In addition, we show that Fucα(1−2)Gal glycoproteins are enriched in the developing mouse olfactory bulb (OB) and exhibit a distinct spatiotemporal expression that is consistent with the presence of a “glycocode” to help direct olfactory sensory neuron (OSN) axonal pathfinding. We find that expression of Fucα(1−2)Gal sugars in the OB is regulated by the α(1−2)fucosyltransferase FUT1. FUT1-deficient mice exhibit developmental defects, including fewer and smaller glomeruli and a thinner olfactory nerve layer, suggesting that fucosylation contributes to OB development. Our findings significantly expand the number of Fucα(1−2)Gal glycoproteins and provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms by which fucosyl sugars contribute to neuronal processes

Results at 24 months from the prospective, randomized, multicenter Investigational Device Exemption trial of ProDisc-C versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with 4-year follow-up and continued access patients.

BackgroundCervical total disk replacement (TDR) is intended to address pain and preserve motion between vertebral bodies in patients with symptomatic cervical disk disease. Two-year follow-up for the ProDisc-C (Synthes USA Products, LLC, West Chester, Pennsylvania) TDR clinical trial showed non-inferiority versus anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), showing superiority in many clinical outcomes. We present the 4-year interim follow-up results.MethodsPatients were randomized (1:1) to ProDisc-C (PDC-R) or ACDF. Patients were assessed preoperatively, and postoperatively at 6 weeks and 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 months. After the randomized portion, continued access (CA) patients also underwent ProDisc-C implantation, with follow-up visits up to 24 months. Evaluations included Neck Disability Index (NDI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain/satisfaction, and radiographic and physical/neurologic examinations.ResultsRandomized patients (103 PDC-R and 106 ACDF) and 136 CA patients were treated at 13 sites. VAS pain and NDI score improvements from baseline were significant for all patients (P < .0001) but did not differ among groups. VAS satisfaction was higher at all time points for PDC-R versus ACDF patients (P = .0499 at 48 months). The percentage of patients who responded yes to surgery again was 85.6% at 24 months and 88.9% at 48 months in the PDC-R group, 80.9% at 24 months and 81.0% at 48 months in the ACDF group, and 86.3% at 24 months in the CA group. Five PDC-R patients (48 months) and no CA patients (24 months) had index-level bridging bone. By 48 months, approximately 4-fold more ACDF patients required secondary surgery (3 of 103 PDC-R patients [2.9%] vs 12 of 106 ACDF patients [11.3%], P = .0292). Of these, 6 ACDF patients (5.6%) required procedures at adjacent levels. Three CA patients required secondary procedures (24 months).ConclusionsOur 4-year data support that ProDisc-C TDR and ACDF are viable surgical options for symptomatic cervical disk disease. Although ACDF patients may be at higher risk for additional surgical intervention, patients in both groups show good clinical results at longer-term follow-up