Valuation of Country Food in Nunavut Based on Energy and Protein Replacement

Communicating value across the pluralities of Indigenous Peoples’ food systems requires attention to economy and environment, food and wildlife, and the health of the people and that of the land. Valuation of distinct entities is always difficult but often essential to describe collective wealth and well-being, to quantify trade-offs, and to consider compensation when one is compromised for another. Here we estimate the replacement value of Nunavut country food by combining information on the amount and nutritional composition of harvested country food with the nutritional content and local price of store-bought food. Comparing the five-year average of energy and protein available in reported harvest to recommended dietary allowances indicates that 17 of 21 Nunavut communities harvest enough country food to satisfy the protein requirements of all community members. Nunavut’s country food system annually harvests five million kg of protein-rich food from across the territory, which would cost $198 million to purchase as store-bought protein, with a replacement value between$13.19 and $39.67 per kg depending on energy versus protein replacement and the inclusion versus exclusion of store-bought food subsidies. These valuations are higher than most previous estimates of local food value because they are more reflective of the energy and nutrient richness of country food and the high price of store-bought food in northern communities. The country food system is priceless in many, profound ways; better awareness of its energy and protein cost of replacement, together with the breadth of its nutritional and cultural value, may help to ensure local food systems are prioritized in northern food security and economic development initiatives. La communication de la valeur à travers les pluralités des systèmes alimentaires des peuples autochtones doit tenir compte de l’économie et de l’environnement, de l’alimentation et de la faune, de la santé des gens et de celle de la terre. L’évaluation d’entités distinctes est toujours difficile, mais souvent essentielle pour décrire la richesse et le bien-être collectifs, pour quantifier les concessions et pour considérer une compensation lorsqu’un système est compromis en raison d’un autre. Dans cet article, nous estimons la valeur de remplacement de la nourriture traditionnelle du Nunavut en combinant des données sur la quantité et la composition nutritionnelle des aliments récoltés sur le terroir, ainsi que sur le contenu nutritionnel et le prix local de la nourriture achetée en magasin. La comparaison de la moyenne quinquennale des données en valeur énergétique et protéique provenant des récoltes déclarées aux apports nutritionnels recommandés permet de constater que 17 des 21 collectivités du Nunavut récoltent suffisamment de nourriture traditionnelle pour satisfaire aux besoins en protéines de tous les membres des collectivités. Annuellement, le système alimentaire traditionnel du Nunavut donne lieu à des récoltes de cinq millions de kilogrammes de nourriture riche en protéines à l’échelle du territoire, ce qui représenterait des achats d’aliments protéinés en magasin d’une valeur de 198 millions de dollars, moyennant une valeur de remplacement s’échelonnant entre 13,19$ et 39,67 $ le kilogramme, selon que le remplacement est calculé en fonction de la valeur énergétique ou protéique, et avec inclusion ou exclusion des subventions au titre de la nourriture achetée en magasin. Ces évaluations sont plus élevées que la plupart des estimations antérieures de la valeur de la nourriture locale parce qu’elles tiennent davantage compte de la valeur énergétique et de la richesse en nutriments de la nourriture traditionnelle ainsi que du prix élevé de la nourriture achetée en magasin dans les collectivités nordiques. À bien des égards importants, le système alimentaire traditionnel a une valeur inestimable. Le fait de prendre davantage conscience du coût de remplacement de la valeur énergétique et protéique des aliments, en plus de l’ampleur de la valeur culturelle et nutritionnelle du système, pourrait aider à faire en sorte que les systèmes alimentaires locaux soient priorisés par les initiatives de sécurité alimentaire et de développement économique dans le Nord.

Local Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Narwhal Presence in the Canadian Arctic: A Pilot Project

Long-term community-based monitoring of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) is needed because narwhals are important to local Inuit and are facing changes in their environment. We examined the suitability of passive acoustic recording for monitoring narwhals, using data gathered in the Canadian Arctic from an autonomous acoustic recorder (Repulse Bay, 2006) and a hand-held digital recorder (Koluktoo Bay, 2006 – 08). We found a relationship between the number of narwhals observed passing a fixed point and the number of calls heard. In addition, we found that an automated call detector could isolate segments of recording containing narwhal vocalizations over long recording periods containing non-target sound, thus decreasing the time spent on the analysis. Collectively, these results suggest that combining passive acoustic sampling with an automated call detector offers a useful approach for local monitoring of the presence and relative abundance of narwhals.La nécessité d’avoir un programme communautaire de surveillance à long terme des narvals (Monodon monoceros) s’avère évidente étant donné que les narvals revêtent de l’importance aux yeux des Inuits de la région et que leur environ­nement est en pleine évolution. Nous explorons la pertinence d’un programme de surveillance par acoustique passive pour les populations de narvals à partir de données récoltées dans l’Arctique canadien à l’aide d’une enregistreuse autonome (Repulse Bay, 2006) et d’une enregistreuse portable (Koluktoo Bay, 2006 – 2008). Grâce à des enregistrements accompagnés d’obser­vations sur le terrain, nous avons trouvé une corrélation entre le nombre de vocalisations entendues et le nombre de narvals observés. L’utilisation d’un détecteur automatique de vocalisations de narvals a permis d’isoler des segments d’enregis­trements contenant des vocalisations de narvals sur de longues périodes d’enregistrement contenant des sons non-ciblés, et ainsi diminuer le temps d’analyse. Ces résultats suggèrent que la combinaison de surveillance acoustique passive avec l’utili­sation d’un détecteur automatique offre une approche utile pour la surveillance locale de la présence et de l’abondance relative des narvals

Subcellular Epithelial HMGB1 Expression Is Associated with Colorectal Neoplastic Progression, Male Sex, Mismatch Repair Protein Expression, Lymph Node Positivity, and an 'Immune Cold' Phenotype Associated with Poor Survival.

New treatment targets are needed for colorectal cancer (CRC). We define expression of High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) protein throughout colorectal neoplastic progression and examine the biological consequences of aberrant expression. HMGB1 is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein that shuttles to the cytoplasm under cellular stress. HMGB1 impacts cellular responses, acting as a cytokine when secreted. A total of 846 human tissue samples were retrieved; 6242 immunohistochemically stained sections were reviewed. Subcellular epithelial HMGB1 expression was assessed in a CRC Tissue Microarray (n = 650), normal colonic epithelium (n = 75), adenomatous polyps (n = 52), and CRC polyps (CaP, n = 69). Stromal lymphocyte phenotype was assessed in the CRC microarray and a subgroup of CaP. Normal colonic epithelium has strong nuclear and absent cytoplasmic HMGB1. With progression to CRC, there is an emergence of strong cytoplasmic HMGB1 (p < 0.001), pronounced at the leading cancer edge within CaP (p < 0.001), and reduction in nuclear HMGB1 (p < 0.001). In CRC, absent nuclear HMGB1 is associated with mismatch repair proteins (p = 0.001). Stronger cytoplasmic HMGB1 is associated with lymph node positivity (p < 0.001) and male sex (p = 0.009). Stronger nuclear (p = 0.011) and cytoplasmic (p = 0.002) HMGB1 is associated with greater CD4+ T-cell density, stronger nuclear HMGB1 is associated with greater FOXP3+ (p < 0.001) and ICOS+ (p = 0.018) lymphocyte density, and stronger nuclear HMGB1 is associated with reduced CD8+ T-cell density (p = 0.022). HMGB1 does not directly impact survival but is associated with an 'immune cold' tumour microenvironment which is associated with poor survival (p < 0.001). HMGB1 may represent a new treatment target for CRC

Thermal Imaging and Physiological Analysis of Cold-Climate Caribou-Skin Clothing

Protective clothing is essential for human existence in the Arctic, and caribou-skin clothing has played a pivotal role for millennia. Although people with northern experience often extol caribou-skin clothing, few scientific studies have investigated its properties. We used infrared thermal imaging in a pilot study to compare authentic caribou-skin clothing sewn by traditional Inuit seamstresses with two other types of cold-weather clothing: a standard-issue, Canadian army, winter uniform and an ensemble of modern retail clothing designed for extreme cold (a down anorak and snowmobile pants). To make the comparison, two subjects sequentially wore the three types of clothing—caribou skin, army uniform, and modern retail—in a still air, uniform thermal environment (where radiant temperatures of all environmental surfaces were equal to air temperature) at −21°C to −23°C (−6°F to −10°F). Thermal imaging quantifies the temperature of the outer surface of clothing, thereby providing key, functionally relevant information on the interface where clothing and environment meet. Under otherwise similar conditions, a low clothing surface temperature indicates superior clothing performance and a reduced rate of heat loss from the body to the environment. Caribou-skin clothing was similar to modern extreme-cold retail clothing: the whole-body composite surface temperature of our subjects wearing caribou-skin clothing was −22.1°C to −22.7°C, compared with −21.6°C in both subjects wearing the modern retail clothing. The army winter uniform (−18.9°C to −20.0°C) was inferior. These quantitative results were mirrored by the subjects’ subjective impressions. A particular advantage of thermal imaging is that it pinpoints locations in clothing where heat leaks occur. Although the two types of modern clothing exhibited heat leaks at zippered structures (even though fully closed), the caribou-skin clothing evaded such heat leaks by lacking such structures, because it is donned over the head. The integral hood characteristic of a caribou-skin parka was also superior in comparison to the detachable hood of the army uniform

Using playback of territorial calls to investigate mechanisms of kin discrimination in red squirrels

Kin recognition can facilitate kin selection and may have played a role in the evolution of sociality. Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) defend territories using vocalizations known as rattles. They use rattles to discriminate kin, though the mechanism underlying this ability is unknown. Our objective was to distinguish between the mechanisms of prior association, where animals learn the phenotypes of kin they associate with early in life, and phenotype matching/recognition alleles, where animals use a template to match phenotypes, thereby allowing them to recognize kin without an association early in life. We used audio playbacks to measure the responses of squirrels to rattles from familiar kin, unfamiliar kin, and non-kin. Initial analyses revealed that red squirrels did not discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar kin, but also did not discriminate between kin and non-kin, despite previous evidence indicating this capability. Post hoc analyses showed that a squirrel’s propensity to rattle in response to playback depended on an interaction between relatedness and how the playback stimuli had been recorded. Red squirrels discriminated between rattles from close kin (r = 0.5) and rattles from non-kin (r < 0.125) when the rattles were recorded from provoked squirrels. Squirrels did not exhibit kin discrimination in response to unsolicited rattles. Once we accounted for how the stimuli had been recorded, we found no difference in the responses to familiar and unfamiliar kin. Our study suggests that kin discrimination by red squirrels may be context dependent

Seasonal, spatial, and maternal effects on gut microbiome in wild red squirrels

Abstract Background Our understanding of gut microbiota has been limited primarily to findings from human and laboratory animals, but what shapes the gut microbiota in nature remains largely unknown. To fill this gap, we conducted a comprehensive study of gut microbiota of a well-studied North American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) population. Red squirrels are territorial, solitary, and live in a highly seasonal environment and therefore represent a very attractive system to study factors that drive the temporal and spatial dynamics of gut microbiota. Result For the first time, this study revealed significant spatial patterns of gut microbiota within a host population, suggesting limited dispersal could play a role in shaping and maintaining the structure of gut microbial communities. We also found a remarkable seasonal rhythm in red squirrel’s gut microbial composition manifested by a tradeoff between relative abundance of two genera Oscillospira and Corpococcus and clearly associated with seasonal variation in diet availability. Our results show that in nature, environmental factors exert a much stronger influence on gut microbiota than host-associated factors including age and sex. Despite strong environmental effects, we found clear evidence of individuality and maternal effects, but host genetics did not seem to be a significant driver of the gut microbial communities in red squirrels. Conclusion Taken together, the results of this study emphasize the importance of external ecological factors rather than host attributes in driving temporal and spatial patterns of gut microbiota in natural environment.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140397/1/40168_2017_Article_382.pd

Red squirrels use territorial vocalizations for kin discrimination

The ability to discriminate among individuals, or among classes of individuals, can provide animals with important fitness benefits. Although several mechanisms for discrimination are possible, most require animals to show stable phenotypic variation that reflects their identity or their membership in a particular class (e.g. sex, mate, kin). For territorial animals that rarely interact physically, vocalizations could serve as long-distance signals that facilitate discrimination. In this study, we tested whether the territorial rattle vocalizations of North American red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, are repeatable, and whether they could hence provide the basis for multiple types of discrimination. We measured four structural features from two rattles from each of 76 marked squirrels. All four features were repeatable, which is consistent with territorial rattles being individually distinctive. We then conducted a playback experiment to determine whether squirrels use rattles for discrimination. Specifically, we tested whether squirrels discriminate between the rattles of neighbours and non-neighbours, and kin (coefficient of relatedness, r ≥ 0.25) and non-kin (r < 0.125). Following a 2 × 2 factorial design, we broadcast a rattle from a non-neighbouring nonkin individual to 15 subjects, from a neighbouring nonkin individual to 14 subjects, from a non-neighbouring kin individual to 11 subjects, and from a neighbouring kin individual to 13 subjects. Subjects did not discriminate between the rattles of neighbours and non-neighbours, but did respond differently to the rattles of kin and nonkin. Specifically, squirrels were significantly more likely to produce a rattle of their own in response to the broadcasted rattles of nonkin versus the broadcasted rattles of kin. This result demonstrates that red squirrels can use territorial vocalizations for kin discrimination. It also suggests that they are more tolerant of territorial intrusions by kin