Winter Counts as Transformative Inquiry: The Role of Creative Imagery as an Expression of Adaptive Change

Pre-service teachers face a complex educational context and Transformative Inquiry is a useful approach for negotiating this terrain. We interpret the movement of students via the adaptive cycle put forth in panarchy theory as they engage in the inquiry process through ‘winter counts’, a Plains First Nation tradition, as expressions of their understanding. These image-based expressions demonstrate the emotional, mental, spiritual and physical movement students have made within their inquiry. Panarchy theory moves beyond interpreting systems using simplistic equilibrium models and acknowledging the more complex and dynamic set of equilibria that describes transformation in ecological, social, and economic systems and considers the multiple complexities of systems thinking while providing insight into how change occurs as a constantly adaptive cycle process. Used sparingly within social sciences until recently, we argue it as particularly relevant for seeing Transformative Inquiry through Indigenist and interconnected lenses

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Becoming Authentic Teachers Through Transformative Inquiry: Final Practicum Challenges

Within the final teaching practica, pre-service teachers encounter the crucial challenge of redefining their teacher identities. Leaving behind personas formed as students, professional settings necessitate asking themselves what kind of teacher they want to be in a new context. In collaboration with their professor, two pre-service teachers examined their final practicum experiences, highlighting how Transformative Inquiry (TI), a holistic investigative approach, supported them in becoming authentic teachers. We hear how the TI process helped them identify, honour, and strengthen their personal and unique teaching identities. Highlighted themes include: touchstone stories, the power of the circle, living the questions, and the importance of on-going reflection. These new teachers resisted traditional images of teachers by embracing imperfection and vulnerability.Au cours du dernier stage en enseignement, les futurs enseignants font face à un défi important: redéfinir leur identité comme enseignant. En effet, oeuvrant dans un nouveau milieu — en contexte professionnel — ils doivent abandonner leur identité étudiante et se questionner sur le type d’enseignant qu’ils désirent être. En collaboration avec leur professeur, deux futurs enseignants ont analysé les expériences vécues durant leur dernier stage, mettant en lumière la manière dont l’approche de Recherche Transformative (RT ou Transformative Inquiry), une méthode de recherche holistique, les a aidés à devenir de véritables enseignants. Dans cet article, nous apprenons comment la RT leur a permis de développer, d’accepter et de renforcer leur identité pédagogique personnelle et unique. Les auteurs abordent des histoires marquantes, le pouvoir du cercle, le concept d’incarner le questionnement et l’importance de la réflexion constante. Les futurs maîtres se sont opposés à la conception traditionnelle de l’enseignant et ont accepté d’être imparfaits, ainsi que vulnérables

Becoming Authentic Teachers Through Transformative Inquiry: Final Practicum Challenges

Within the final teaching practica, pre-service teachers encounter the crucial challenge of redefining their teacher identities. Leaving behind personas formed as students, professional settings necessitate asking themselves what kind of teacher they want to be in a new context. In collaboration with their professor, two pre-service teachers examined their final practicum experiences, highlighting how Transformative Inquiry (TI), a holistic investigative approach, supported them in becoming authentic teachers. We hear how the TI process helped them identify, honour, and strengthen their personal and unique teaching identities. Highlighted themes include: touchstone stories, the power of the circle, living the questions, and the importance of on-going reflection. These new teachers resisted traditional images of teachers by embracing imperfection and vulnerability.Au cours du dernier stage en enseignement, les futurs enseignants font face à un défi important: redéfinir leur identité comme enseignant. En effet, oeuvrant dans un nouveau milieu — en contexte professionnel — ils doivent abandonner leur identité étudiante et se questionner sur le type d’enseignant qu’ils désirent être. En collaboration avec leur professeur, deux futurs enseignants ont analysé les expériences vécues durant leur dernier stage, mettant en lumière la manière dont l’approche de Recherche Transformative (RT ou Transformative Inquiry), une méthode de recherche holistique, les a aidés à devenir de véritables enseignants. Dans cet article, nous apprenons comment la RT leur a permis de développer, d’accepter et de renforcer leur identité pédagogique personnelle et unique. Les auteurs abordent des histoires marquantes, le pouvoir du cercle, le concept d’incarner le questionnement et l’importance de la réflexion constante. Les futurs maîtres se sont opposés à la conception traditionnelle de l’enseignant et ont accepté d’être imparfaits, ainsi que vulnérables

Origin and Lineage Plasticity of Endogenous Lacrimal Gland Epithelial Stem/Progenitor Cells

The lacrimal gland (LG) is an exocrine organ responsible for the secretion of aqueous tear film. Regenerative and stem cell therapies that target LG repair are coming to the fore, although our understanding of LG cell lineage hierarchy is still incomplete. We utilize the analysis of label-retaining cells (LRCs) and genetic lineage tracing to define LG cell lineage hierarchy. Our study suggests that embryonic LG contains unique long-lived multipotent stem cells that give rise to all postnatal epithelial cell types. Following birth, lineages become established and the fate of progenitor cell descendants becomes restricted. However, some cell lineages retain plasticity after maturation and can trans-differentiate into other cell types upon injury. The demonstration that the LG contains progenitor cells with different levels of plasticity has profound implications for our understanding of LG gland function in homeostasis and disease and will be helpful for developing stem cell-based therapies in the future. [Display omitted] •Multipotent stem cells differentiate into distal Sox10+ and proximal Sox10− lineages•Lineage-restricted progenitor cells sustain the long-term lacrimal gland maintenance•Label-retaining cells are localized in the intercalated ducts and excretory ducts•Some cell lineages in the adult lacrimal gland retain plasticity Biological Sciences; Cell Biology; Stem Cells Research; Developmental Biolog

Assessment and mitigation of bleeding risk in atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism: An European and Asia-Pacific Expert Consensus Paper

© The Author(s) 2022. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. This is the accepted manuscript version of an article which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/euac020Whilst there is a clear clinical benefit of oral anticoagulation (OAC) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in reducing the risks of thromboembolism, major bleeding events (especially intracranial bleeds) may still occur and be devastating. The decision for initiating and continuing anticoagulation is often based on a careful assessment of both thromboembolism- and bleeding- risk. The more common and validated bleeding risk factors have been used to formulate bleeding risk stratification scores, but thromboembolism and bleeding risk factors often overlap. Also, many factors that increase bleeding risk are transient and modifiable, such as variable INR values, surgical procedures, vascular procedures, or drug-drug and food-drug interactions. Bleeding risk is also not a static ‘one off’ assessment based on baseline factors but is dynamic, being influenced by ageing, incident comorbidities and drug therapies. In this executive summary of our Consensus Document, we comprehensively review the published evidence and propose a consensus on bleeding risk assessments in patients with AF and VTE, with a view to summarising ‘best practice’ when approaching antithrombotic therapy in these patients. We address the epidemiology and size of the problem of bleeding risk in AF and VTE, and review established bleeding risk factors and summarise definitions of bleeding. Patient values and preferences, balancing the risk of bleeding against thromboembolism are reviewed, and the prognostic implications of bleeding are discussed. We propose consensus statements that may help to define evidence gaps and assist in everyday clinical practice.Peer reviewe