Co-construction of a Data Collection Tool: A Case Study with Atikamekw Women

Gendered knowledge, roles and responsibilities in Indigenous cultures have historically been based on reciprocity and complementarity. By excluding Indigenous women from decision-making, colonial policies have reduced the knowledge base on which decisions are made. Indigenous women’s voices have also been largely excluded from research, and researchers have played a substantial role in their marginalization. It is within this context, and in a research decolonization effort, that we present a case study of the process of co-constructing a data collection tool with Atikamekw women. While preparing a research project on Indigenous women’s roles in the governance of land and natural resources, we worked with three Atikamekw women who gave particularly high importance to the process of obtaining participant consent. We designed the consent form together, so that it would address their concerns about trust, transparency, and community involvement throughout the research process. If research is to be decolonized, research tools should not be developed within university offices, but through meaningful collaboration with research participants

« We have to start sounding the trumpet for things that are working » : An interview with Dr. Marlene Brant-Castellano on concrete ways to decolonize research

In 2004, Dr. Marlene Brant-Castellano published a well-received, and now widely cited article entitled "Ethics of Aboriginal research" in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Aboriginal Health. About a decade after this inspirational publication, we asked her to reflect on (1) the progress made in terms of ethics of research with Aboriginal people; (2) her views on concrete ways to decolonize research; and (3) challenges yet to overcome in terms of ethical conduct of research with Aboriginal people

Occurrence, Distribution and Behaviour of Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) and Bowhead (Balaena mysticetus) Whales at the Franklin Bay Ice Edge in June 2008

Ice edges and polynyas have long been noted for their high biological productivity within the Arctic environment. In June 2008, an aggregation of belugas and bowheads was identified at the Franklin Bay ice edge in the eastern Beaufort Sea, adjacent to the Cape Bathurst polynya. We conducted five ice-edge surveys by helicopter to study the distribution and behaviour of the whales. Bowheads were sighted in significantly shallower water than belugas. In addition, we used the helicopter platform to observe behaviour. Belugas and bowheads were engaged in directed travel and diving near and under the ice. Five beluga dives were timed and found to have an average duration of 106 ± 61 s (± SD) and a range of 30 – 197 s. One bowhead under-ice dive was timed and had a duration of 417 s. The under-ice dives are consistent with feeding behaviour observed for belugas and bowheads in other ice-edge locations. We hypothesize that higher prey densities along the Franklin Bay ice edge than in the adjacent open water may attract belugas and bowheads to the ice edge in June. Further research is needed to identify the abundance and type of prey species consumed and to assess the relative energetic importance of spring ice-edge feeding to the eastern Beaufort Sea beluga and bowhead populations.Depuis longtemps, les lisières de glace et les polynies sont connues pour leur grande productivité biologique au sein de l’environnement arctique. En juin 2008, un groupement de bélugas et de baleines boréales a été repéré à la lisière de glace de la baie Franklin, dans l’est de la mer de Beaufort, lisière adjacente à la polynie du cap Bathurst. Au moyen d’hélicoptères, nous avons effectué cinq études de lisières de glace afin d’examiner la répartition des baleines de même que leur comportement. Les baleines boréales évoluaient dans des eaux beaucoup moins profondes que les bélugas. De plus, nous avons étudié le comportement des baleines à partir de la plateforme destinée aux hélicoptères. Les bélugas et les baleines boréales se déplaçaient de manière dirigée et plongeaient près de la glace et sous celle-ci. Les plongeons de bélugas ont été chronométrés, et leur durée moyenne s’établissait à 106 ± 61 s (± SD), avec une étendue de 30 – 197 s. Le plongeon sous glace d’une baleine boréale a duré 417 s. Les plongeons sous glace vont de pair avec le comportement alimentaire observé chez les bélugas et les baleines boréales d’autres emplacements en lisières de glace. Nous avançons l’hypothèse que la plus grande densité de proies le long de la lisière de glace de la baie Franklin comparativement aux eaux libres adjacentes peut attirer les bélugas et les baleines boréales à la lisière de glace en juin. Il faut pousser les recherches plus loin pour déterminer l’abondance et le type d’espècesproies consommées et pour évaluer l’importance énergétique relative de l’alimentation à la lisière de glace au printemps pour les populations de bélugas et de baleines boréales de l’est de la mer de Beaufort

Baffin Bay Narwhal Population Distribution and Numbers: Aerial Surveys in the Canadian High Arctic, 2002–04

Aerial surveys of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were conducted in the Canadian High Arctic during the month of August from 2002 to 2004. The surveys covered the waters of Barrow Strait, Prince Regent Inlet, the Gulf of Boothia, Admiralty Inlet, Eclipse Sound, and the eastern coast of Baffin Island, using systematic sampling methods. Fiords were flown along a single transect down the middle. Near-surface population estimates increased by 1.9 %– 8.7% when corrected for perception bias. The estimates were further increased by a factor of approximately 3, to account for individuals not seen because they were diving when the survey plane flew over (availability bias). These corrections resulted in estimates of 27 656 (SE = 14 939) for the Prince Regent and Gulf of Boothia area, 20 225 (SE = 7285) for the Eclipse Sound area, and 10 073 (SE = 3123) for the East Baffin Island fiord area. The estimate for the Admiralty Inlet area was 5362 (SE = 2681) but is thought to be biased. Surveys could not be done in other known areas of occupation, such as the waters of the Cumberland Peninsula of East Baffin, and channels farther west of the areas surveyed (Peel Sound, Viscount Melville Sound, Smith Sound and Jones Sound, and other channels of the Canadian Arctic archipelago). Despite these probable biases and the incomplete coverage, results of these surveys show that the summering range of narwhals in the Canadian High Arctic is vast. If narwhals are philopatri to their summering areas, as they appear to be, the total population of that range could number more than 60 000 animals. The largest numbers are in the western portion of their summer range, around Somerset Island, and also in the Eclipse Sound area. However, these survey estimates have large variances due to narwhal aggregation in some parts of the surveyed areas.Des levés aériens ont été effectués dans l’Extrême arctique canadien dans le but de répertorier les populations de narvals (Monodon monoceros) et ce, du mois d’août 2002 à août 2004. Les levés, réalisés à l’aide de méthodes d’échantillonnage systémiques, visaient les eaux du détroit de Barrow, de l’inlet Prince-Régent, du golfe de Boothia, de l’inlet de l’Amirauté, du détroit d’Éclipse et de la côte est de l’île de Baffin. Les fiords ont été survolés le long d’un simple transect situé dans le milieu. Les estimations de population près de la surface augmentaient de 1,9 % à 8,7 % une fois redressées pour tenir compte du biais de perception. Par ailleurs, les estimations ont été de nouveau révisées à la hausse moyennant un facteur d’environ 3 afin de tenir compte des individus qui n’ont pas été vus parce qu’ils se mettaient à plonger en présence de l’avion effectuant les levés (biais de disponibilité). Ces redressements ont donné lieu à des estimations de 27 656 (SE = 14 939) pour la région de l’inlet Prince-Régent et du golfe de Boothia, de 20 225 (SE = 7 285) pour la région du détroit d’Éclipse et de 10 073 (SE = 3 123) pour la région du fiord de l’est de l’île de Baffin. Quand à l’inlet de l’Amirauté, l’estimation s’est chiffrée à 5 362 (SE = 2 681), mais l’on croit que cette estimation pourrait être biaisée. Des levés n’ont pas pu être effectués dans d’autres zones d’occupation connues, comme dans les eaux de la péninsule Cumberland dans l’est de Baffin de même que dans les chenaux plus à l’ouest des régions examinées (détroit de Peel, détroit du Vicomte de Melville, détroit de Smith, détroit de Jones et d’autres chenaux de l’archipel Arctique canadien). Malgré la possibilité que les données soient biaisées et que certaines zones n’aient pas été examinées, les résultats de ces levés montrent que la répartition d’été des narvals dans l’Extrême arctique canadien est vaste. Si les narvals sont philopatriques à leurs aires d’été, comme il semblerait être le cas, la population totale de ce parcours pourrait dépasser les 60 000 individus. Les plus grands nombres se trouvent dans la partie ouest de cette répartition, soit près de l’île Somerset et dans la région du détroit d’Éclipse. Cependant, les estimations découlant de ces levés ont de grandes variances en raison du regroupement des narvals dans certaines parties des régions visées par les levés

Staphylococcus aureus sigma B-dependent emergence of small-colony variants and biofilm production following exposure to Pseudomonas aeruginosa 4-hydroxy-2-heptylquinoline-N-oxide

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Staphylococcus aureus </it>and <it>Pseudomonas aeruginosa </it>are often found together in the airways of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. It was previously shown that the <it>P. aeruginosa </it>exoproduct 4-hydroxy-2-heptylquinoline-<it>N-</it>oxide (HQNO) suppresses the growth of <it>S. aureus </it>and provokes the emergence of small-colony variants (SCVs). The presence of <it>S. aureus </it>SCVs as well as biofilms have both been associated with chronic infections in CF.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We demonstrated that HQNO stimulates <it>S. aureus </it>to form a biofilm in association with the formation of SCVs. The emergence of SCVs and biofilm production under HQNO exposure was shown to be dependent on the activity of the stress- and colonization-related alternative sigma factor B (SigB). Analysis of gene expression revealed that exposure of a prototypical <it>S. aureus </it>strain to HQNO activates SigB, which was leading to an increase in the expression of the fibronectin-binding protein A and the biofilm-associated <it>sarA </it>genes. Conversely, the quorum sensing accessory gene regulator (<it>agr</it>) system and the α-hemolysin gene were repressed by HQNO. Experiments using culture supernatants from <it>P. aeruginosa </it>PAO1 and a double chamber co-culture model confirmed that <it>P. aeruginosa </it>stimulates biofilm formation and activates SigB in a <it>S. aureus </it>strain isolated from a CF patient. Furthermore, the supernatant from <it>P. aeruginosa </it>mutants unable to produce HQNO induced the production of biofilms by <it>S. aureus </it>to a lesser extent than the wild-type strain only in a <it>S. aureus </it>SigB-functional background.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These results suggest that <it>S. aureus </it>responds to HQNO from <it>P. aeruginosa </it>by forming SCVs and biofilms through SigB activation, a phenomenon that may contribute to the establishment of chronic infections in CF patients.</p

Close binary companions of the HAeBe stars LkHa 198, Elias 1, HK Ori and V380 Ori

We present diffraction-limited bispectrum speckle interferometry observations of four well-known Herbig Ae/Be (HAeBe) stars, LkHa 198, Elias 1, HK Ori and V380 Ori. For two of these, LkHa 198 and Elias 1, we present the first unambiguous detection of close companions. The plane of the orbit of the new LkHa 198 companion appears to be significantly inclined to the plane of the circumprimary disk, as inferred from the orientation of the outflow. We show that the Elias 1 companion may be a convective star, and suggest that it could therefore be the true origin of the X-ray emission from this object. In the cases of HK Ori and V380 Ori, we present new measurements of the relative positions of already-known companions, indicating orbital motion. For HK Ori, photometric measurements of the brightness of the individual components in four bands allowed us to decompose the system spectral energy distribution (SED) into the two separate component SEDs. The primary exhibits a strong infrared excess which suggests the presence of circumstellar material, whereas the companion can be modelled as a naked photosphere. The infrared excess of HK Ori A was found to contribute around two thirds of the total emission from this component, suggesting that accretion power contributes significantly to the flux. Submillimetre constraints mean that the circumstellar disk cannot be particularly massive, whilst the near-infrared data indicates a high accretion rate. Either the disk lifetime is very short, or the disk must be seen in an outburst phase.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figures, 22 separate figure file

Oral Condition and Incident Coronary Heart Disease: A Clustering Analysis

Poor oral health has been linked to coronary heart disease (CHD). Clustering clinical oral conditions routinely recorded in adults may identify their CHD risk profile. Participants from the Paris Prospective Study 3 received, between 2008 and 2012, a baseline routine full-mouth clinical examination and an extensive physical examination and were thereafter followed up every 2 y until September 2020. Three axes defined oral health conditions: 1) healthy, missing, filled, and decayed teeth; 2) masticatory capacity denoted by functional masticatory units; and 3) gingival inflammation and dental plaque. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed with multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models and adjusted for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, education, deprivation (EPICES score; Evaluation of Deprivation and Inequalities in Health Examination Centres), hypertension, type 2 diabetes, LDL and HDL serum cholesterol (low- and high-density lipoprotein), triglycerides, lipid-lowering medications, NT-proBNP and IL-6 serum level. A sample of 5,294 participants (age, 50 to 75 y; 37.10% women) were included in the study. Cluster analysis identified 3,688 (69.66%) participants with optimal oral health and preserved masticatory capacity (cluster 1), 1,356 (25.61%) with moderate oral health and moderately impaired masticatory capacity (cluster 2), and 250 (4.72%) with poor oral health and severely impaired masticatory capacity (cluster 3). After a median follow-up of 8.32 y (interquartile range, 8.00 to 10.05), 128 nonfatal incident CHD events occurred. As compared with cluster 1, the risk of CHD progressively increased from cluster 2 (hazard ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 0.98 to 2.15) to cluster 3 (hazard ratio, 2.47; 95% CI, 1.34 to 4.57; P < 0.05 for trend). To conclude, middle-aged individuals with poor oral health and severely impaired masticatory capacity have more than twice the risk of incident CHD than those with optimal oral health and preserved masticatory capacity (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00741728)

Gata-3 and mammary cell fate

Genomic regulatory networks specify how cellular gene expression responds to external temporal and spatial stimuli, ensuring that correct cell fate decisions are made and the appropriate cell phenotypes are adopted. In mammary epithelial cells, the hierarchy of stem and progenitor cells and the genetically specified program of transcriptional activity are beginning to be elucidated and integrated. A novel role for Gata-3 in specifying and maintaining mammary cell fate has recently been identified. These reports offer an understanding of how mammary cells assume and maintain a variety of cell behaviours and functions, and how a mammary cell may potentially subvert these constraints during carcinogenesis