The Hunting Scenes in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Revisited

　Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a Middle English alliterative poem, writtentowards the end of the fourteenth century. It has the lively descriptions of thehunt, which are undoubtedly one of the poem’s attractions. In addition to thisdescriptive liveliness, its structural and thematic parallel with the concomitanttemptations of Gawain makes its charm more irresistible, and hence many criticshave examined the hunt scenes to provide a number of interpretations. Despitethe variety of analyses and exegeses, this essay explores the hunt scenes in termsof the poet’s representation of the hunted animals — the deer, boar and fox, anddemonstrates that the descriptions of the hunt are designed to arouse ourcompassion for the quarries. The sympathy for the hunted serves to both clarifyand highlight the direct connection between Gawain and the hunted animals

Deletion of Long Isoform of Eukaryotic Elongation Factor 1Bδ Leads to Audiogenic Seizures and Aversive Stimulus-Induced Long-Lasting Activity Suppression in Mice

Alternative splicing enables a gene to give rise to diverse protein products. The Eef1d gene produces two isoforms: a short isoform that encodes translation elongation factor 1Bδ (eEF1Bδ1), and a long isoform that encodes the heat shock-responsive transcription factor eEF1BδL. Previously, we found that eEF1BδL was a splice variant that was specific to the brain and testis, and the protein encoded is thought to have a function in the central nervous system. In this study, we generated knockout (KO) mice of C57BL/6J background that selectively lacked a specific exon in Eef1d for the long isoform. These KO mice lacked eEF1BδL, but not eEF1Bδ1, in the brain. Although the KO mice showed normal anxiety-related and learning behavior in behavioral tests, some showed severe seizures in response to loud sounds (90 dBA), an audiogenic seizures (AGS) response. Furthermore, after the KO mice had been subjected to the fear conditioning test, they showed remarkably decreased locomotor activity in their home cage and in the open-field and elevated plus-maze tests. After the fear conditioning test, a significant decrease in brain weight, atrophy of the hippocampus and midbrain, and reduced cortical layer thickness were observed in the KO mice. We also found a compensatory increase in the eEF1Bδ1 level and elevated protein synthesis with the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress markers in these mice. Our results suggest that eEF1BδL has an important role in normal brain function especially when exposed to external stimuli

CaM kinase Iα–induced phosphorylation of Drp1 regulates mitochondrial morphology

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that frequently move, divide, and fuse with one another to maintain their architecture and functions. However, the signaling mechanisms involved in these processes are still not well characterized. In this study, we analyze mitochondrial dynamics and morphology in neurons. Using time-lapse imaging, we find that Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) causes a rapid halt in mitochondrial movement and induces mitochondrial fission. VDCC-associated Ca2+ signaling stimulates phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1) at serine 600 via activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Iα (CaMKIα). In neurons and HeLa cells, phosphorylation of Drp1 at serine 600 is associated with an increase in Drp1 translocation to mitochondria, whereas in vitro, phosphorylation of Drp1 results in an increase in its affinity for Fis1. CaMKIα is a widely expressed protein kinase, suggesting that Ca2+ is likely to be functionally important in the control of mitochondrial dynamics through regulation of Drp1 phosphorylation in neurons and other cell types

Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders: Decolonizing Research through Qualitative Methods and Community Partnership

Housed under the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Hā Kūpuna National Resource Center for Native Hawaiian Elders, strives to decolonize Western research as we increase opportunities of Native Hawaiian elders to pass their knowledge and stories to younger generations. One of Hā Kūpuna’s current projects is a five-year qualitative study examining healthcare experiences among Native Hawaiian elders in rural communities to gain advice for medical and social service providers to improve Native Hawaiian health. The project was co-designed by ALU LIKE, Inc.’s Kumu Kahi program (Elderly Services Department), which advised us to conduct a series of three interviews with each elder to build rapport before jumping into questions about healthcare. The first interview focuses on establishing rapport and learning about the kupuna’s family and everyday life. The second interview asks about values they learned from their own kupuna, what they want to pass to their mo`opuna, and other strengths and resiliencies. The third interview hones in on healthcare experiences they had over their lifetime and what advice they would like to share with providers. Results from the first 26 kūpuna have revealed that many kūpuna grew up with limited access to allopathic healthcare (healthcare providers treating diseases and symptoms with drugs and surgery) and that families treated many illnesses and injuries with traditional Hawaiian cultural healing practices, including lāʻau lapaʻau (plant-based medicine), lomilomi (massage), and ho`oponopono (conflict resolution). Even with the increased access and utilization of allopathic medicine, many kūpuna preferred cultural practices or a combination of both. Kūpuna advised that allopathic healthcare providers should take the time to gain knowledge of Native Hawaiian history and culture, allow for use of both Hawaiian and allopathic modes of healing, and interact with patients on both a personal as well as a professional level. They also noted that increasing access to specialty care on Neighbor Islands could improve Native Hawaiian health and life expectancy. Results and experiences from the ALU LIKE interview project helped to inform the creation of a 48-page qualitative interviewing protocol aimed to help researchers avoid extractive practices by increasing their knowledge of Hawaiian history, engaging communities in research, and creating safe and trusting research environments. Although experiences of colonization and discrimination are unique to each Indigenous and minority group, this protocol can apply to other populations as they are at a similar risk for extractive research experiences as well. As elements of the protocols were developed, they were discussed in-depth with researchers, non-profit stakeholders, community-based organization leaders (including ALU LIKE, Inc.), and past research participants. The qualitative protocol includes sections summarizing the history of colonization and instances of poorly-executed research in Hawaiʻi that caused harm. Also included are examples of Native Hawaiian researchers who are changing the face of research, a guide for researcher self-reflection and cultural humility, roles for community members in research, data ownership and management, the need to give more than take from participants, and a step-by-step guide on how to successfully join with community partners to conduct one-on-one interviews. Included are tips on developing research questions, and gathering and reporting data in ways accessible to the community. This qualitative protocol can be used as a guide to decolonizing research. Hā Kūpuna is supported by the US Administration on Community Living (#90OIRC0001) and the Barbara Cox Anthony Endowment