I’ll be goldenrod and you’ll be aster: the case for revolutionizing Western methods of teaching using Indigenous ontologies

An interesting facet of living as a human in the 21st century is contending with the end of the world. It’s been imagined in a thousand ways over the past twenty years. Will it be zombies? Aliens? An AI revolution? Or will it perhaps be something more mundane, more “down-to-Earth”? The floods, the droughts, the famines, and all the rest of the cataclysmic global events that occur every year have taken center stage in the world-ending debate, parading under a name as threatening and expansive as the Boogeyman: climate change. A recent article from NPR covered the United Nations’ 2022 Convention on Biological Diversity, in which the major talk of the town was “humanity\u27s senseless and suicidal war with nature” that has us currently marching towards the downfall of most of all the life on the planet (Ross). However, despite the conference being about biological diversity, the focus of the conference was entirely on humanity and humanity’s survival, despite mankind being only one of the millions of different species that is facing extinction in the face of climate change, a mindset that is decidedly undiverse. At the conference, Rebecca Shaw, chief scientist at the World Wildlife Fund, said that, Fundamentally, we need to safeguard our life support systems in the face of accelerating nature loss. Inaction is absolutely not an option because it will put us only at greater risks of pandemics, which none of us want, it undermines our efforts on securing our climate, and it makes our food production systems much more vulnerable. (qtd, in Ross) Her statement encapsulates the inherent issue with the current Western understanding of human’s relationship with the world around them. It is not that we should save the planet because every species deserves the respect and dignity to exist in a world that they did not destroy, but rather that we need to save our “life support systems.” The species that we share the planet with are “food production systems” rather than neighbors, cohabitors, and friends. This statement belies a human-first, everything-else-second frame of mind that is largely to blame for the global climate crisis that we’re facing today. Even though Shaw is an activist herself, and so her politics are more progressive and planet-focused than many Western thinkers, this Western ideal still pervades the ethos she was presenting in her speech, highlighting how human-focused the discussion around climate change is even at the most progressive level. This perspective, which pervades understandings/teachings of the world on all levels in the West, is something that must be revolutionized in order to successfully save all beings on planet Earth, not just humans. Using the Indigenous ontologies, stories, and memories from Robin Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants (2013), this essay intends to critique the current Western education system, taking a specific interest in the English classroom, and suggest ways for the education system to rectify some of its inherent issues by re-narrating our relationships and connection with the world around us. This will be achieved by first identifying some of the factors that influence Western thought, most specifically that of Western Scientific perspectives. I analyze the ways these perspectives inform K-12 education, and the different ways that these perspectives have produced a Western populace that is decidedly human-centric and why this has led to a destructive relationship with our environment. From there, Indigenous ontologies and educational practices will be introduced and examined, making note of different positive relationships that have been made by introducing Indigenous thought and practices into certain Western classrooms. The paper concludes with the case for combining Western and Indigenous thought to create a K-12 classroom experience that is more focused on the relationships humans share with all other beings, and the suggestion of two different ways this combined education could be applied to English Language Arts classrooms. The West’s Eurocentric understanding of human importance, ownership of ideas and land, and hierarchy of beings has led the world to environmental catastrophe, and it is only through an understanding that creates a cohabitation between humans and everything else on the planet that we will be able to pull the brakes on our rapidly approaching destruction. As an aside, as a settler graduate student, it is necessary to clarify that I don’t have the cultural background or heritage to begin to comment on the stories or histories of Indigenous peoples outside of what Indigenous scholars have presented themselves. Though this paper will be working with the teachings of Indigenous scholars such as Kimmerer and using them to make arguments about the current world, and any mention of Indigenous concepts and ontologies are the result of research, it’s also necessary to clarify that any misrepresentations of Indigenous traditions are misinterpretations, not reflections of the knowledge itself

Protecting Donar Privacy in AIDS Related Blood Bank Litigation—\u3ci\u3eDoe v. Puget Sound Blood Center\u3c/i\u3e, 117 Wash. 2d 772, 819 P.2d 370 (1991)

One controversial issue in blood bank AIDS litigation is whether courts should permit infected plaintiffs to conduct discovery of information about the blood donor who contributed the contaminated blood. Many courts have taken a reasonable middle ground by allowing limited discovery of a blood donor provided that the donor\u27s identity remains confidential. In a recent case, the Washington Supreme Court provided no such limitation on blood donor discovery. This Note argues that the court\u27s decision infringes on the significant privacy interests of the blood donor and violates the public\u27s interest in an adequate blood supply while providing little or no benefit to the plaintiff

Effect of hyperglycemia and neuropeptides on interleukin-8 expression and angiogenesis in dermal microvascular endothelial cells

BackgroundImpaired wound healing is a major complication associated with diabetes, involving a dysregulation and impairments in the inflammatory and angiogenic phases of wound healing. Here, we examine the effects of the neuropeptides substance P (SP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY) on dermal microvascular endothelial cell (DMVEC) angiogenesis and interleukin-8 (IL-8) expression, a known effector of the neuropeptide pathways in normal and hyperglycemic conditions in vitro.MethodsDMVECs are treated with one of four glucose concentrations: 1) 5 mM glucose; 2) 10 mM glucose; 3) 30 mM glucose; or 4) 30 mM mannitol and cotreated with 100 nM NPY, 100 nM SP, or 10 ng/mL IL-8. Angiogenesis is assessed with proliferation and tube formation assays. IL-8 mRNA and protein expression are evaluated at days 1 and 7.ResultsAs compared with noromoglycemia (5 mM glucose), hyperglycemia (30 mM glucose) decreases DMVEC proliferation and tube formation by 39% and 42%, respectively. SP cotreatment restores DMVEC proliferation (211%) and tube formation (152%), and decreases IL-8 expression (34%) in DMVECs exposed to hyperglycemic conditions. These effects are not observed with NPY. However, IL-8 treatment by itself does not affect proliferation or tube formation, suggesting that the effect of SP on DMVEC angiogenesis is unlikely through changes in IL-8 expression.ConclusionHyperglycemic conditions impair DMVEC proliferation and tube formation. SP mitigates the effect of hyperglycemia on DMVECs by increasing DMVEC proliferation and tube formation. These findings are not likely to be related to a dysregulation of IL-8 due to the lack of effects of hyperglycemia on IL-8 expression and the lack of effect of IL-8 on DMVEC proliferation and tube formation. The effect of SP on DMVECs makes SP a promising potential target for therapy in impaired wound healing in diabetes, but the exact mechanism remains unknown.Clinical RelevanceChronic diabetic foot ulceration, as a result of impaired wound healing in diabetes, is the source of a vast quantity of hospitalizations and lower extremity amputations across the nation. Normal wound healing involves the bidirectional signaling and interaction between a multitude of inflammatory cytokines and neuropeptides, and previous research has demonstrated a dysregulation in the expression and activity of these molecules in diabetes. This work evaluates the effect of hyperglycemic conditions and neuropeptides on DMVECs, a cell type fundamental to the wound healing process, but in which research is currently limited. The discovery of a molecule, which promotes angiogenesis in hyperglycemic conditions would be a promising therapeutic target for impaired wound healing in diabetes. In addition, the determination of the effects of these neuropeptides and cytokines on DMVECs could elucidate other potential therapies, which could decrease wound-healing time and improve overall wound healing in other realms of medicine

Expanding Glucocerebrosidase Involvement in Neurodegeneration: D419H Mutation Causing Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) are a common genetic risk factor for Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Hereby, we describe an Italian family with three DLB relatives harboring the D419H GBA variant. The pedigree analysis indicates a dominant inheritance pattern, suggesting that heterozygous GBA mutations may differently affect the risk of Parkinson-dementia syndromes. This should be taken into account for genetic counseling in relatives of patients with GBA associated Parkinson’s Disease/DLB

Qualitative Assessment of Participant Utilization and Satisfaction With the Seattle Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Pilot Program

INTRODUCTION: The Seattle Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Pilot Program delivered fresh fruits and vegetables to homebound seniors in King County, Washington, from June through October 2001. A primary objective of the program was to increase participants' intake of fruits and vegetables. A qualitative study was conducted to examine the impact of the program on participating homebound seniors. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were performed with 27 participants in their homes to identify benefits and barriers they encountered and to measure their use and sense of satisfaction with the program. RESULTS: Analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed several common themes:  Participants appreciated the variety and quality of the fresh fruits and vegetables. . Some participants would not have had access to fresh fruits and vegetables without the program. . Home-delivered baskets of fresh fruits and vegetables brought participants joy, stimulated interest in healthy foods, and improved quality of life. . The program newsletter supported consumption of fresh produce. CONCLUSION: Program success was rooted in the multiple ways the program addressed potential barriers and reinforced behavioral intent