‘We are not ok’: a photovoice study on educational violence and resistance by and for Black undergraduate students at predominantly white institutions

Experiences of individual and institutional racism within education hinders the ability of Black students to study safely, negatively impacting their mental health and academic outcomes. However, universities continuously fail to respond, ultimately silencing Black students. Despite persistent educational violence, Black students continue to thrive through radical resistance. To highlight both experiences of oppression and resistance, the current study utilized photovoice to understand the intersectional experience of 5 Black women undergraduate students at predominantly white institutions. Implications inform actionable strategies to ensure Black students are in a space where they can thrive.

A Reparative Space: Theorizing Decolonizing and Freedom Pathways in Fashion Education

This critical autoethnography explored the experiences of a Black woman fashion graduate student who occupied space in fashion education for a decade. Observing and living within the movement of proposed diverse, equitable, and inclusive frameworks and action plans, she has managed to survive the complex sociopolitical terrain. Within fashion discourse, proposed shifts in sociocultural and political movements have motivated scholars to begin contemplating and theorizing pathways of decolonization as an attempt to eradicate colonial knowledge frameworks that amplify systemic oppressive structures. To practice a deconstructive, reflective process, she theorizes and demonstrates the importance of centering endarkened and Black feminist and womanist epistemology for enclosing the distance in differences and further developing fashion definitions. The authors determine that factors such as Black feminist and womanist thought, holistic education, the effect of history, honesty, and basic need factors are pathways toward decolonization and freedom. More than research, this study centers a contemporary and analytical narrative that offers directions and implications for the landscape of fashion education and the fashion-industrial complex.

AI scientists’ and lay publics’ views of AI’s social impacts: segmentation analyses on risk and benefit perceptions

As advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) accelerate, public discussions about the potential and still unknown social impacts of AI are developing. Effective communication about AI requires a nuanced understanding of how different stakeholders, including lay publics and scientists, make sense of and communicate these potentially disruptive technologies with immense social impacts. This study presents the first systematic segmentation analysis comparing the perceived risks and benefits of AI between AI scientists ( N  = 2199) and lay publics ( N  = 2700) in the United States. We find that multifaceted segments of risk and benefit perceptions exist within each group. Among AI scientists, there is a notable prevalence of ambivalent and positive attitudes, whereas larger segments of lay publics lean towards ambiguous and skeptical attitudes. Furthermore, results suggest that the perceived risks and benefits of AI among both groups vary not just by level of news attention but also by the type of media content audiences attend to.

A matter of perception? investigating subjective and objective exposure to hate speech with a survey and mobile longitudinal linkage study

Ageing as a social challenge – individual, family and social aspects in Poland by Maria Łuszczyńska, Abingdon and New York, NY, Routledge, 2021, 376 pp., ISBN 9781032194837 (hardback), ISBN 9781032194868 (paperback), ISBN 9781003259404 (eBook)

The real-world impact of cariprazine on short- and long-term disability outcomes among commercially insured patients in the United States

To compare all-cause and mental health (MH)–related short-term and long-term disability leaves and associated costs among patients in the United States with bipolar disorder (BP), major depressive disorder (MDD), or schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SCZ) before versus after cariprazine initiation. Merative MarketScan Commercial and Health and Productivity Management (HPM) databases (January 2016 to December 2021) were utilized to identify adults diagnosed with BP, MDD, or SCZ with ≥2 pharmacy cariprazine claims (first claim = index), ≥3 months of cariprazine use (adjunctively for MDD), and continuous commercial insurance coverage and HPM eligibility during baseline (12 months pre-index) and ≥3 months post-index. Observation continued until cariprazine discontinuation, insurance or HPM eligibility end, 1 year post-index, or HPM data availability end. All-cause and MH-related disability claims, days, and costs were evaluated. Baseline versus post-index rates of disability claims (events) and days were compared using rate ratios (RR); costs were compared using mean cost differences. Comparisons were calculated from generalized estimating equation models. Analyses were replicated separately across indications. There were 489 patients overall (BP = 238, MDD = 233, SCZ = 18; mean age = 43.3 years; 60.7% female; mean follow-up = 7.6 months). All-cause rates of disability events and days following cariprazine initiation were 29% (RR = 0.71 [95% CI = 0.57, 0.86]) and 28% (0.72 [0.53, 0.94]) lower than baseline, respectively (both p  < .05). MH-related rates of disability events and days were 40% (0.60 [0.43, 0.80]) and 43% (0.57 [0.34, 0.84]) lower, respectively (both p  < .01). All-cause disability costs were $2,917 lower and MH-related disability costs were $2,482 lower than baseline (40% and 51% decrease, respectively; both p  < .01). Results were similar for indication-specific analyses. Limited generalizability to patients who are unemployed, uninsured, or have public insurance. Rates of disability events, days, and mean costs were significantly lower after versus before cariprazine initiation. These results can help contextualize cariprazine’s role in managing disability for these patients.

It’s Risky Out Where We Are: Exploring Intersectional Factors of Intentional Overdose Among People Who Use Drugs in Regional Queensland, Australia

Globally, drug-related deaths impact both urban and non-urban areas. In Australia, regional areas face a concerning rise in drug-induced fatalities and suicides, exacerbated by structural factors like limited services and stigma. We sought to explore the experiences of people who use drugs (PWUDs) in regional Queensland to understand the structural vulnerabilities influencing drug-induced deaths. The sample comprised 19 PWUDs from regional Queensland, Australia who had experienced overdose. Semi-structured interviews explored participants’ overdose experiences and contributing factors, focusing on regionality. Iterative coding was used to develop thematic categories. Participants highlighted the complex interplay of trauma, coping and drug use influencing overdose dynamics. Regional challenges, including limited access to support services, exacerbate risks for PWUDs. Structural inequalities perpetuate cycles of harm, with rural areas disproportionately affected. Participants emphasized the need for systemic changes to facilitate effective suicide prevention efforts, advocating for enhanced service engagement and legislative reforms. These findings challenge systemic factors such as stigma and healthcare accessibility, which appear to be driving drug-related harm. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for systemic change, represented by comprehensive, community-driven interventions to address structural inequalities, and improve access to support services.

The phenotypic spectrum of CEP250 gene variants

Classically, Usher syndrome is characterized by the association of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and possible vestibular dysfunction. Pathogenic bi-allelic variants in CEP250 cause atypical autosomal recessive Usher syndrome, which is associated with SNHL and photoreceptors dysfunction without vestibular signs. To date, only 19 scattered descriptions have been reported. In this study, we present detailed clinical and genetic description of 7 unrelated individuals with CEP250 related disease, along with a literature review to provide new insight on the severity and course of the disease. We retrospectively recruited 7 unrelated individuals who underwent genetic testing (targeted gene panel or whole genome sequencing) and were found to carry CEP250 pathogenic variants. Most patients (5/7) exhibit both retinal dystrophy and SNHL. Two patients appear to present either isolated hearing loss or visual impairment, but further investigations are needed to confirm a possible non-syndromic presentation. All patients harbored isolated truncating variants. CEP250 pathogenic variants are associated with post-lingual SNHL, and most often progressive photoreceptor dysfunction. The disease may begin with ocular features or hearing loss. We strongly recommend genetic analysis of classical and atypical Usher related-genes, in patients with isolated retinal dystrophy or SNHL. We also recommend ophthalmological evaluation and follow-up in patients with isolated SNHL, and conversely. The coexistence of loss- and gain-of-function effects may exist, complicating the development of gene therapy.

Living between inside and outside: the disciplined domesticities of prison staff quarters in the UK’s Victorian-era prisons

Carceral geography has critiqued the notion of a clear binary between the inside and outside of prisons, revealing that the prison boundary is porous and that the prison materializes in multiple forms outside of its apparent margins. However, extant scholarship focusing on (formerly-)incarcerated individuals and others whose engagement with the prison is involuntary has tended to elude prison staff experiences of these porous and permeable borders. In this article, drawing on a large ESRC-funded study of the Victorian-era prison estate in the UK, and focusing on prison staff living accommodation, we consider the implications of a porous prison boundary for prison staff, and trace the ways in which the prison can also reach beyond its formal perimeter walls into their social and domestic lives. We suggest that unlike for (formerly-)incarcerated persons and communities involuntarily engaged with the prison, the staff experience of this permeability may be less clear-cut and more equivocal.

Small molecules targeting the eubacterial β-sliding clamp discovered by combined in silico and in vitro screening approaches

Antibiotic resistance stands as the foremost post-pandemic threat to public health. The urgent need for new, effective antibacterial treatments is evident. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs), owing to their pivotal role in microbial physiology, emerge as novel and attractive targets. Particularly promising is the α-subunit/β-sliding clamp interaction, crucial for the replicative competence of bacterial DNA polymerase III holoenzyme. Through pharmacophore-based virtual screening, we identified 4,000 candidate small molecule inhibitors targeting the β-clamp binding pocket. Subsequently, these candidates underwent evaluation using the BRET assay in yeast cells. Following this, three hits and 28 analogues were validated via Protein Thermal Shift and competitive ELISA assays. Among them, thiazolo[4,5- d ]-pyrimidinedione and benzanilide derivatives exhibited micromolar potency in displacing the β-clamp protein partner and inhibiting DNA replication. This screening campaign unveiled new chemical classes of α/β-clamp PPI disruptors capable of inhibiting DNA polymerase III activity, which lend themselves for further optimisation to improve their antibacterial efficacy.