Reimagining Knowledge as Gardening: Planting Seeds of Knowledge and Imagining Future Blossoms

Within a Western research paradigm, knowledge translation is often approached in a predictably linear fashion, as evidenced in research manuscripts with delineated sections (e.g., background, methods, findings and implications). This approach to knowledge sharing is oftentimes one-directional and involves the researcher ‘telling’ the audience what knowledge was gained. This prescriptive framework may not be culturally relevant or appropriate for Indigenous researchers or research contexts. In this presentation, Reid and Turner shared how they are approaching knowledge translation differently, through the lens of their own identities and intersections - some of which the co-presenters share (both are occupational therapists, citizens of Métis Nation BC, current PhD students in UBC’s Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, and identify on the queer spectrum) and some of which are different. Rather than approaching knowledge as something to be translated, the two approach it as a knowledge gardening process.  As the co-authors come into relationship with ideas and teachings that are planted (learned), knowledge blooms and can be shared with others in a range of ways. For Reid and Turner, this may look like creatively sharing joy-based perspectives that are informative, relevant and which spark audience imagination and relatability. Within an Indigenous framework of relationality, knowledge gardening can be a means of honoring one's own relationship to ideas while also bringing listeners into relationship with knowledge that bloomed throughout the research journey. This presentation left the audience with a re-imagining of what knowledge translation, or gardening, could grow into in their own work

Preclinical Analysis of JAA-F11, a Specific Anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich Antibody via Immunohistochemistry and In Vivo Imaging.

The tumor specificity of JAA-F11, a novel monoclonal antibody specific for the Thomsen-Friedenreich cancer antigen (TF-Ag-alpha linked), has been comprehensively studied by in vitro immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of human tumor and normal tissue microarrays and in vivo biodistribution and imaging by micro-positron emission tomography imaging in breast and lung tumor models in mice. The IHC analysis detailed herein is the comprehensive biological analysis of the tumor specificity of JAA-F11 antibody performed as JAA-F11 is progressing towards preclinical safety testing and clinical trials. Wide tumor reactivity of JAA-F11, relative to the matched mouse IgG3 (control), was observed in 85% of 1269 cases of breast, lung, prostate, colon, bladder, and ovarian cancer. Staining on tissues from breast cancer cases was similar regardless of hormonal or Her2 status, and this is particularly important in finding a target on the currently untargetable triple-negative breast cancer subtype. Humanization of JAA-F11 was recently carried out as explained in a companion paper "Humanization of JAA-F11, a Highly Specific Anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich Pancarcinoma Antibody and In Vitro Efficacy Analysis" (Neoplasia 19: 716-733, 2017), and it was confirmed that humanization did not affect chemical specificity. IHC studies with humanized JAA-F11 showed similar binding to human breast tumor tissues. In vivo imaging and biodistribution studies in a mouse syngeneic breast cancer model and in a mouse-human xenograft lung cancer model with humanized 124I- JAA-F11 construct confirmed in vitro tumor reactivity and specificity. In conclusion, the tumor reactivity of JAA-F11 supports the continued development of JAA-F11 as a targeted cancer therapeutic for multiple cancers, including those with unmet need

The effect of a stable boundary layer on orographic gravity wave drag

Numerical simulations are carried out using the WRF model to explicitly calculate the ratio of orographic gravity wave drag (GWD) in the presence of a stable boundary layer (BL) to the inviscid drag in its absence, either obtained from inviscid WRF simulations or estimated using an analytical linear model. This ratio is represented as a function of three scaling variables defined as ratios of the BL depth to the orography width, height, and stability height scale of the atmosphere. All results suggest that the GWD affected by the stable BL, D_BL, is inversely proportional to the BL depth h_BL, roughly following D_BL ~ h_BL^(-2). The scaling relations are calibrated and tested using a multilinear regression applied to data from the WRF simulations, for idealised orography and inflow atmospheric profiles derived from reanalysis, representative of Antarctica in austral winter, where GWD is expected to be especially strong. These comparisons show that the scaling relations where the drag is normalised by the analytical inviscid estimate work best. This happens because stable BL effects reduce the amplitude of the waves above the BL, making their dynamics more linear. Knowledge of the BL depth and orography parameters is sufficient to obtain a reasonable correction to the inviscid drag without needing additional information about the wind and stability profiles. Since the drag currently available from numerical weather prediction model parametrizations comes from linear theory uncorrected for BL effects, the results reported here may be applied straightforwardly to improve those parametrizations

Interdisciplinary working relationships of health care staff in late 20th century Britain: A cultural study of practices from the past and implications for the present

Interdisciplinary working is a common phenomenon in health care in many countries throughout the world, yet the United Kingdom cultural history of this employment model appears to be under-researched. A pilot study was therefore undertaken that sought to obtain insights into this form of working in clinical environments during the latter part of the 20th century in Britain. The participants were all retired British National Health Service (NHS) professionals. An oral history approach was used, and in addition participants were also encouraged to handle old historical medical objects dated to the time period under review. Three of the themes that emerged from the narrative data analysis, ‘hierarchy’ ‘altered hierarchy’ and ‘the family’, are discussed, and the authors review how these concepts acted as enablers, and sometimes barriers, within interdisciplinary working. The authors also question whether, in recent times, there has been a change to the sense of ‘belongingness’ that some of these ideas seemed to nurture. It is asked if, in the modern setting, some health care staff feel insecure as they no longer believe they are as supported, or as accepted by their interdisciplinary colleagues. The paper concludes by considering if the ideology of a ‘health care family’ could speak to those currently engaged in clinical work today

Racial Disparities in In-hospital Mortality and Discharge Disposition among Trauma Patients in Massachusetts

Background: Population-based data on trauma care are important to a solid understanding of racial disparities in the care and outcomes of trauma patients. Methods: Data on inpatient hospitalizations for trauma were obtained from the Massachusetts (MA) Statewide Trauma Registry which conducts annual census of trauma-related hospitalizations in MA. This analysis included patients who were MA residents and admitted to a MA hospital between 2008 and 2010, and 15 years and older at the time of admission. Patients were grouped as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Asian, and other or unknown race. Injury severity, discharge disposition and mortality of the first hospitalization of the patients were compared among the groups while adjusting for sex, age and severity. Results: The data were from 23,666 patients with a mean age of 63.8 years. The patients included 51.8% women, 86.1% whites, 4.3% blacks, 5.6% Hispanics, 1.2% Asians and 2.7% other or unknown races. In total, 597 (2.52%) died in the hospital. Asians and other races had higher risk for death (OR=2.96, p Conclusions: Remarkable racial/ethnic disparities in inhospital mortality and discharge dispositions were seen among trauma patients in MA. The determinants of the disparities and related policy implications are under investigation by a study supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities