Is My Colonialism Showing? A Reflexive Case Study.

About a decade ago, I was told by a family member that our ancestor, who we all believed to have been a French-Canadian fur trader, was of the Wolastoqiyik / Maliseet Indigenous People. This was shocking considering my white upper middle class, Dutch/Irish, conservative background. Through my time at Grand Valley State University (GVSU), I was able to meet Lin Bardwell, Native American Student Initiative Coordinator and Assistant Director of Multicultural Affairs. Through her, I have been given the opportunity to be mentored in the ways of the Anishinaabeg People of West Michigan. My experiences have stirred an even deeper desire to see more equitable systems in place for my kin and other marginalized groups. That is why this reflexive case study will ask the following question: How have colonial research methodologies on North American Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Knowledge Systems impacted the interrelationships between Indigenous culture, community, business, and philanthropy? My project is Participatory Action Research (PAR)-informed, utilizing a Strengths Enhancing Evaluation Research (SEER) approach through the process of story-gathering, while also examining anthropological resources through a Decolonizing / postcolonial methodology within a reflexive case study. Lastly, I will integrate the Seven Grandfather Teachings of the Anishinaabeg people into the framework of my project. “The Seven Grandfather Teachings are the principles of character that each Anishinaabe should live by. Love, Respect, Bravery, Truth, Honesty, Humility & Wisdom” (American Indian Health Service of Chicago, 2021). Embracing the SEER approach within a Reflexive Case Study will allow me to continually assess and adjust my own personal biases, while also learning and growing from the wisdom of Indigenous Culture and Knowledge Systems, including the Seven Grandfather teachings

Global respiratory syncytial virus–related infant community deaths

Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of pediatric death, with >99% of mortality occurring in low- and lower middle-income countries. At least half of RSV-related deaths are estimated to occur in the community, but clinical characteristics of this group of children remain poorly characterized. Methods The RSV Global Online Mortality Database (RSV GOLD), a global registry of under-5 children who have died with RSV-related illness, describes clinical characteristics of children dying of RSV through global data sharing. RSV GOLD acts as a collaborative platform for global deaths, including community mortality studies described in this supplement. We aimed to compare the age distribution of infant deaths <6 months occurring in the community with in-hospital. Results We studied 829 RSV-related deaths <1 year of age from 38 developing countries, including 166 community deaths from 12 countries. There were 629 deaths that occurred <6 months, of which 156 (25%) occurred in the community. Among infants who died before 6 months of age, median age at death in the community (1.5 months; IQR: 0.8−3.3) was lower than in-hospital (2.4 months; IQR: 1.5−4.0; P < .0001). The proportion of neonatal deaths was higher in the community (29%, 46/156) than in-hospital (12%, 57/473, P < 0.0001). Conclusions We observed that children in the community die at a younger age. We expect that maternal vaccination or immunoprophylaxis against RSV will have a larger impact on RSV-related mortality in the community than in-hospital. This case series of RSV-related community deaths, made possible through global data sharing, allowed us to assess the potential impact of future RSV vaccines

Regulated nuclear targeting of cauliflower mosaic virus

Karsies A, Merkle T, Szurek B, Bonas U, Hohn T, Leclerc D. Regulated nuclear targeting of cauliflower mosaic virus. Journal of General Virology. 2002;83(7):1783-1790.The mature cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) capsid protein (CP), if expressed in the absence of other viral proteins, is transported into the plant cell nucleus by the action of a nuclear localization signal (NLS) close to the N terminus. In contrast, virus particles do not enter the nucleus, but dock at the nuclear membrane, a process inhibited by anti-NLS antibodies or by GTP gamma S, and apparently mediated by interaction of CP with host importin alpha. The very acidic N-terminal extension of the viral CP precursor inhibits nuclear targeting of the protein and hence the precursor is localized in the cytoplasm. We hypothesize that this provides a control mechanism which ensures that the CP precursor is used for virus assembly in the cytoplasm and that only mature virus particles reach the nuclear pore

Protocols for Studying Protein Stability in an Arabidopsis Protoplast Transient Expression System.

International audienceProtein stability influences many aspects of biology, and measuring their stability in vivo can provide important insights into biological systems.This chapter describes in details two methods to assess the stability of a specific protein based on its transient expression in Arabidopsis protoplasts. First, a pulse-chase assay based on radioactive metabolic labeling of cellular proteins, followed by immunoprecipitation of the protein of interest. The decrease in radioactive signal is monitored over time and can be used to determine the protein's half-life.Alternatively, we also present a nonradioactive assay based on the use of reporter proteins, whose ratio can be quantified. This assay can be used to determine the relative stability of a protein of interest under specific conditions