Social Control in Transnational Families: Somali Women and Dignity in Johannesburg

Transnational mobility often separates families and distances individuals from the kinship and social structures by which they organized their lives prior to migration. Myriad forms of insecurity have been the impetus for Somali movement into the diaspora, with people fleeing the realities of conflict that have marked Somalia for decades while physically dividing families as individuals settle in different countries around the world. Mobility has altered the dynamics of households, families, and communities post-migration, reshaping social constructions as individuals move on without the familial support that sustained them in Somalia. While outcomes of these hardships are variable and often uneven in different settlement spaces, migration can offer new opportunities for people to pursue avenues from which they were previously excluded, such as by assuming roles and responsibilities their relatives once filled. These changes precipitate shifting identities and are challenging for women who find themselves self-reliant in the diaspora, particularly in the absence of (supportive) husbands and close kin.Drawing on ethnographic research in Johannesburg’s Somali community, this chapter explores the assumption that migration provides an opening for women to challenge subordinating gender norms. Settlement often grants women greater freedom to make choices in their lives, such as in employment and personal relationships, and yet they remain constrained by networks that limit their autonomy. Even with transnational migration and protracted separation, women are family representatives who must uphold cultural notions of respectability despite realities that position them as guardians and family providers. Women remain under the watchful eye of their extended families through expansive networks and the ease of modern communication, which facilitate a new form of social control as women’s behavior is carefully monitored and reported to relatives afar. These actualities raise questions about the degree to which transnational movement is a liberating force for women or rather a reconfiguration of social control. I argue that despite women’s changing position in their households and families, they remain limited by social control within their extended families and communities

C activity in dissolved mineral carbon and identified organic matter in the Loire estuary (France)

Bottom sediments, fluid mud and suspended solids and dissolved mineral carbon were sampled during 8 cruises at dates corresponding to various tidal and hydrological conditions. Evaluation of the organic matter sources in particles and surface sediments into the Loire Estuary has been performed using molecular markers. The results obtained show that the natural organic matter is an admixture of terrigenous and algal components. The terrigenous signature derived from land plants is present in the whole estuary and reflect a uniform dispersal of terrestrial inputs. The production of biogenic material by aquatic photosynthetic organisms is higher in the fluvio-estuarine zone and decreases seaward. In addition to natural organic matter, a contamination from fossil fuels and components derived from pyrolysis has been assessed. Organic carbon in suspended matter and sediments show homogenous 14C values (0.3 ± 0.2Bq/g) confirming a soil origin. At the opposite, 14C activity of dissolved mineral carbon is higher ranging between 150 to 200% of modern carbon activity and clearly indicates a noticeable contribution from reactors. Radiocarbon concentrations decrease seaward and are strongly correlated with salinity reflecting hydrodynamic and stratification processes in the marine estuary

Cancer cells induce immune escape via glycocalyx changes controlled by the telomeric protein TRF2

International audienceMyeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are immature myeloid cells with strong immunosuppressive activity that promote tumor growth. In this study, we describe a mechanism by which cancer cells control MDSCs in human cancers by upregulating TRF2, a protein required for telomere stability. Specifically, we showed that the TRF2 upregulation in cancer cells has extratelomeric roles in activating the expression of a network of genes involved in the biosynthesis of heparan sulfate proteoglycan, leading to profound changes in glycocalyx length and stiffness, as revealed by atomic force microscopy. This TRF2-dependent regulation facilitated the recruitment of MDSCs, their activation via the TLR2/MyD88/IL-6/STAT3 pathway leading to the inhibition of natural killer recruitment and cytotoxicity, and ultimately tumor progression and metastasis. The clinical relevance of these findings is supported by our analysis of cancer cohorts, which showed a correlation between high TRF2 expression and MDSC infiltration, which was inversely correlated with overall patient survival