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

Drinking Water Improvement Strategies and Childhood Diarrhea in a Poor Peri-urban Community in the Dominican Republic

Background: Diarrhea is a major cause of morbidity and mortality of children in low- and middle-income countries1-2. Contaminated drinking water is an important contributor to diarrheal   illness2-3. Point of use strategies for improving drinking water may be employed4-5, but the extent of use of different strategies and their relationship with childhood diarrhea is inadequately known outside of trial studies. Design and methodology: Caregivers of 199 children under the age of five participating in a child growth monitoring program based in a poor peri-urban community in the Dominican Republic agreed to participate in the study.  Caregivers were asked a series of drinking water questions at each growth monitoring appointment. Multiple responses per child were adjusted by weighting. Original data and results: Approximately 22% of children had diarrhea within 2 weeks of growth monitoring appointments. The most common water improvement strategy endorsed as “always” used for the child in the last four weeks was bottled water (53% ) followed by boiling (12%) and chlorination (6%). No reported strategy use was related to child diarrhea, including when stratified by age. Conclusion: Childhood diarrhea was higher in this community than the national average (14%)6.  High levels of bottled water use are consistent with high household level reports in the Dominican Republic. The lack of relationship between water improvement strategies and diarrhea was unexpected, although in some cases the strategy may have been implemented in response to childhood diarrhea. Analysis of child drinking water samples is required to assess the effectiveness of reported practices

Deletions of the derivative chromosome 9 occur at the time of the Philadelphia translocation and provide a powerful and independent prognostic indicator in chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by formation of the BCR-ABL fusion gene, usually as a consequence of the Philadelphia (Ph) translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. Large deletions on the derivative chromosome 9 have recently been reported, but it was unclear whether deletions arose during disease progression or at the time of the Ph translocation. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to assess the deletion status of 253 patients with CML. The strength of deletion status as a prognostic indicator was then compared to the Sokal and Hasford scoring systems. The frequency of deletions was similar at diagnosis and after disease progression but was significantly increased in patients with variant Ph translocations. In patients with a deletion, all Ph+ metaphases carried the deletion. The median survival of patients with and without deletions was 38 months and 88 months, respectively (P = .0001). By contrast the survival difference between Sokal or Hasford high-risk and non-high-risk patients was of only borderline significance (P = .057 and P = .034). The results indicate that deletions occur at the time of the Ph translocation. An apparently simple reciprocal translocation may therefore result in considerable genetic heterogeneity ab initio, a concept that is likely to apply to other malignancies associated with translocations. Deletion status is also a powerful and independent prognostic factor for patients with CML. The prognostic significance of deletion status should now be studied prospectively and, if confirmed, should be incorporated into management decisions and the analysis of clinical trials. (C) 2001 by The American Society of Hematology

Bone mineral density, rib pain and other features of the female athlete triad in elite lightweight rowers

Objective: To determine bone mineral density (BMD) and the associations among BMD, menstrual history, disordered eating (DE), training history, intentional weight loss (IWL) and rib pain for the first time in female lightweight rowers. Setting: 9 lightweight rowing clubs, UK. Participants: 29 Caucasian female lightweight rowers volunteered. 21 (12 active, 9 retired) completed the study. Inclusion criteria: female lightweight rowers aged over 18 years. Exclusion criteria: participants with a history of bone disease, used medications known to influence BMD or if they were pregnant, lactating or postmenopausal. Main outcome measures: Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured total body (TB) composition and BMD at the spine, femoral neck (FN), radius and TB. DE, oligomenorrhoea/amenorrhoea years; rib pain and training history. Results: DE was reported in six of the rowers. The active with DE started rowing younger (p<0.05) than those without, and their amount of IWL was associated with Eating Attitudes Test-26 score (p<0.05). Some participants reported a history of oligomenorrhoea/amenorrhoea 17 (76%) and/or rib pain 7 (32%) with those with rib pain having lower spine and TB Z-scores (p<0.05) than those without. Those with oligomenorrhoea/amenorrhoea had lower spine Z-scores (p<0.01) than those without. Twelve participants had low BMD; three at spine; one at FN; and eight at radius. Thirteen per cent of mean total training hours (18.6±9.1 h/week) were spent strength training (2.4±2.2 h/week). Conclusions: Upper body exercises incorporating multidimensional high peak bone strain were not reported and may need to be considered in their strength training to improve radial BMD. Results suggest IWL and high level training at a young age increases the likelihood of DE and there may be a lack of quality nutritional support for these athletes. Thus, multidisciplinary sport science support should be offered at a young age and perhaps also to consider changing the weight rules to prevent the development of the Triad

The Distances of SNRs Kes 69 and G21.5-0.9 from HI and 13CO Spectra

We obtain new HI and $^{13}$CO images around Supernova Remnants (SNR) Kes 69 and G21.5-0.9. By comparing HI spectra with $^{13}$CO emission spectra, we significantly revise the kinematic distance for Kes 69 to $\sim$ 5.5 kpc, which was 11.2 kpc, and refine the kinematic distance for G21.5-0.9 to ~4.8 kpc. For Kes 69, the highest velocity of absorption is ~86 km/s and a prominent HI emission feature at ~ 112 km/s has no respective absorption. These new results suggest that Kes 69 is associated with a newly detected extended 1720 MHz OH maser at velocity of ~85 km/s that originates from within the bright southern radio shell of Kes 69. For G21.5-0.9, the highest velocity of absorption is ~67 km/s. The HI absorption spectra of the nearby bright source PMN J1832-1035 and of Kes 69 show a common absorption feature at velocity of ~69 km/s, which is not seen for G21.5-0.9. The resulting velocity of ~68 km/s gives the best distance estimate of ~4.8 kpc for G21.5-0.9 and associated young pulsar J1833-1034.Comment: 5 page, 2 figs. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. in pres

<i>Trypanosoma evansi</i>: Genetic variability detected using amplified restriction fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of Kenyan isolates

We compared two methods to generate polymorphic markers to investigate the population genetics of Trypanosoma evansi; random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and amplified restriction fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analyses. AFLP accessed many more polymorphisms than RAPD. Cluster analysis of the AFLP data showed that 12 T.evansi isolates were very similar (‘type A’) whereas 2 isolates differed substantially (‘type B’). Type A isolates have been generally regarded as genetically identical but AFLP analysis was able to identify multiple differences between them and split the type A T. evansi isolates into two distinct clades

Unprecedented springtime retreat of Antarctic sea ice in 2016

During austral spring 2016 Antarctic sea ice extent (SIE) decreased at a record rate of 75 x 10(3) km(2) d(-1), which was 46% faster than the mean rate and 18% faster than in any previous spring season during the satellite era. The decrease of sea ice area was also exceptional and 28% greater than the mean. Anomalous negative retreat occurred in all sectors of the Antarctic but was greatest in the Weddell and Ross Seas. Record negative SIE anomalies for the day of year were recorded from 3 November 2016 to 9 April 2017. Rapid ice retreat in the Weddell Sea took place in strong northerly flow after an early maximum ice extent in late August. Rapid ice retreat occurred in November in the Ross Sea when surface pressure was at a record high level, with the Southern Annular Mode at its most negative for that month since 1968