Mark Nuttall

Rural communities and well‐being: a good place to grow up?

This study looks at young peoples accounts of life in communities in rural northern Scotland, and considers in what ways affective and social aspects of community are bound up with well-being, over and above young peoples concerns for the future, rural youth transitions, and out-migration. Interviews were held with 15–18 year-olds in four study areas (16 groups, N = 60+) and a parallel survey of 11–16 year-olds was conducted in eight study areas (N = 2400+). Themes to emerge from the interviews included: opportunities locally, the future and staying on, as well as local amenities and services; but older teenagers also spoke at length about their social lives, family and social networks, and their community, both as close-knit and caring and as intrusive and controlling. Rural communities were seen as good places in childhood, but not necessarily for young people. In parallel with that, the survey data paints a picture where feelings of support, control, autonomy, and attachment were all associated with emotional well-being. Importantly, links between emotional well-being and practical, material concerns were outweighed by positive identifications of community as close-knit and caring; and equally, by negative identifications as intrusive and constraining, where the latter was felt more strongly by young women. Certainly, beliefs about future employment and educational opportunities were also linked to well-being, but that was over and above, and independently of, affective and social aspects of community life. Additionally, migration intentions were also bound up with sense of self and well-being, and with feelings about community life; and links between thoughts about leaving and community life as controlling and constraining were, yet again, felt more strongly by young women. Thus, gender was a key dimension affecting young peoples feelings about their communities with significant implications for well-being, and out-migration. The study illustrates the importance of understanding the experiences young people have of growing up in rural areas, and how they evaluate those experiences: particularly, how life in rural communities matters for young peoples well-being; and especially, for young women.

Polyamine Recycling Enzymes in Human Cancer Cells

The route of polyamine biosynthesis is a complex, but now well-characterised, pathway controlled at the level of the two decarboxylase enzymes, particularly ornithine decarboxylase (for review see Pegg, 1986). The catabolic pathways are however less well understood. The catabolic pathway should perhaps be more correctly referred to as the retroconversion pathway since catabolism implies breakdown and loss as opposed to the recycling which occurs. Retroconversion and biosynthesis occur in conjunction. For example, in regenerating rat liver Matsui et al. (1981) showed that the early increase in intracellular putrescine was the result of a combination of increased biosynthesis from ornithine and increased breakdown of spermine via acetylation and oxidation. Therefore, both pathways function in rapidly growing cells and they do not occur in isolation at different stages of cell growth.