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What is science? Whose knowledge do you value and why? Is there room for spirituality in science? These are core questions in the third‐year biology course officially titled Common Ground: Learning from the Land (BIOL3201) offered at Mt. Royal University (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). Commonly referred to as “Harley's Course”, this course was co‐developed with Piikani Knowledge Holder Harley Bastien. The purpose of the course is to expose students to comparative scientific perspectives—Indigenous perspectives based on relationships with creation and respect for the natural order of life, with western perspectives based on maximizing land productivity and management. It encourages students to challenge their beliefs about what science is, who is a scientist, what it means to “think scientifically”, how to listen and observe, and the validity of the immeasurable. The opportunity to experience relational land‐based learning, and to have the flexibility and freedom to discuss and reflect on perspectives different from the dominant western perspective has a remarkable impact on the students. This paper includes lessons learned from the first three cohorts of students who participated in “Harley's Course” and shares some of the challenges inherent in decolonizing the western post‐secondary science curriculum. This paper describes a relational land‐based learning experiential field course that bridges Western and Indigenous scientific worldviews. We describe the impact of incorporating traditional Indigenous paradigms and knowledge into post‐secondary science curriculum and the challenges inherent in decolonizing Western science.

A groundswell to include Indigenous Knowledge in the school science curriculum has led to the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures (generally known as Indigenous perspectives) in the overall Australian Curriculum (AC) and the Australian Curriculum: Science (ACS). However, the experiences in other countries, their states and provinces are quite different and diverse, particularly when it comes to incorporating Indigenous Knowledge in resistant disciplines such as science. The AC and ACS are examined and compared with similar curriculum from elsewhere. The causes of resistance to the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives are identified, as well as other structural impediments. Strategies such as the Two-Ways or Two-Eyed Seeing approaches with epistemic insight are seen as a functional way of bridging Indigenous and Western cultures for policy makers, curriculum developers, educators and teachers, and ultimately students.

Objective Molecular genetic etiologies in epilepsy have become better understood in recent years, creating important opportunities for precision medicine. Building on these advances, detailed studies of the complexities and outcomes of genetic testing for epilepsy can provide useful insights that inform and refine diagnostic approaches and illuminate the potential for precision medicine in epilepsy. Methods We used a multi‐gene next‐generation sequencing (NGS) panel with simultaneous sequence and exonic copy number variant detection to investigate up to 183 epilepsy‐related genes in 9769 individuals. Clinical variant interpretation was performed using a semi‐quantitative scoring system based on existing professional practice guidelines. Results Molecular genetic testing provided a diagnosis in 14.9%‐24.4% of individuals with epilepsy, depending on the NGS panel used. More than half of these diagnoses were in children younger than 5 years. Notably, the testing had possible precision medicine implications in 33% of individuals who received definitive diagnostic results. Only 30 genes provided 80% of molecular diagnoses. While most clinically significant findings were single‐nucleotide variants, ~15% were other types that are often challenging to detect with traditional methods. In addition to clinically significant variants, there were many others that initially had uncertain significance; reclassification of 1612 such variants with parental testing or other evidence contributed to 18.5% of diagnostic results overall and 6.1% of results with precision medicine implications. Significance Using an NGS gene panel with key high‐yield genes and robust analytic sensitivity as a first‐tier test early in the diagnostic process, especially for children younger than 5 years, can possibly enable precision medicine approaches in a significant number of individuals with epilepsy.

We suggest that two interpretations of time - linear time and cyclical time - that complement each other when planning lessons, can be used in both Western and Indigenous science. The idea of time in the Australian Curriculum: Science is examined and seen to be primarily associated with the Western science tradition, so it is suggested that the curriculum could be more inclusive of Indigenous ways of thinking with transdisciplinary links to mathematics also being included. It is suggested that the inclusion of the 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures' cross curriculum priority into science can be achieved in three ways: as Indigenous perspectives, through the Two-Ways approach, and through the Two-Ways approach with epistemic insight. Possible activities relating to seasons and cycles are suggested for the inclusion of these Indigenous perspectives in the science classroom. [Author abstract]

We suggest that two interpretations of time - linear time and cyclical time - that complement each other when planning lessons, can be used in both Western and Indigenous science. The idea of time in the Australian Curriculum: Science is examined and seen to be primarily associated with the Western science tradition, so it is suggested that the curriculum could be more inclusive of Indigenous ways of thinking with transdisciplinary links to mathematics also being included. It is suggested that the inclusion of the 'Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Histories and Cultures' crosscurriculum priority into science can be achieved in three ways: as Indigenous perspectives, through the Two-Ways approach, and through the Two- Ways approach with epistemic insight. Possible activities relating to seasons and cycles are suggested for the inclusion of these Indigenous perspectives in the science classroom.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Very few Aboriginal[1] students are successful in science courses in the Western education system, particularly at the post-secondary level. Without a science background they are excluded from entering into science-related professions such as medicine, scientific research, science education, fields of engineering environmental and biological sciences to name a few. The result has been the severe under-representation of Aboriginal people and their voice in such professions. The vast array of literature that addresses the issue of Aboriginal success in post-secondary education is quantitative in nature and done “on” Aboriginal people by non-Aboriginal people. Very little qualitative data exists, that addresses this issue from the experiential voice and perspective of the Aboriginal people themselves. This paper addresses the results of focus group discussions with Aboriginal students, faculty, teachers and community members around the issue, from their perspective and voice, of what is needed for Aboriginal success in post-secondary education with a specific focus on science. [1] The research for this project was done in collaboration with members of the surrounding Blackfoot community, the Aboriginal community indigenous to Southern Alberta. The words Aboriginal, Indigenous, Native will be used interchangeably within this paper and are meant to be inclusionary of Aboriginal peoples. Blackfoot specifically refers to members of the surrounding Aboriginal community involved in this project.

Background This study aims to determine reported prevalence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) and maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with these disorders among women delivering at selected hospitals across Haiti. Methods A retrospective review of 8822 singleton deliveries between January 2012 and December 2014 was conducted at four hospitals in separate Departments across Haiti. Researchers examined the proportion of women with reported HDP (hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia) and the association between women with HDP and three neonatal outcomes: low birth weight, preterm birth, and stillbirths; and two maternal outcomes: placental abruption and maternal death in Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS). Odds ratios for associations between HDP and perinatal outcomes at HAS were assessed using logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Results Of the 8822 singleton births included in the study, 510 (5.8%) had a reported HDP (including 285 (55.9%) preeclampsia, 119 (23.3%) eclampsia, and 106 (20.8%) hypertension). Prevalence of HDP among each hospital was: HAS (13.5%), Hôpital Immaculée Conception des Cayes (HIC) (3.2%), Fort Liberté (4.3%), and Hôpital Sacré Coeur de Milot (HSC) (3.0%). Among women at HAS with HDP, the adjusted odds of having a low birth weight baby was four times that of women without HDP (aOR 4.17, 95% CI 3.19–5.45), more than three times that for stillbirths (aOR 3.51, 95% CI 2.43–5.06), and five times as likely to result in maternal death (aOR 5.13, 95% CI 1.53–17.25). Among the three types of HDP, eclampsia was associated with the greatest odds of adverse events with five times the odds of having a low birth weight baby (aOR 5.00, 95% CI 2.84–8.79), six times the odds for stillbirths (aOR 6.34, 95% CI 3.40–11.82), and more than twelve times as likely to result in maternal death (aOR 12.70, 95% CI 2.33–69.31). Conclusions A high prevalence of HDP was found among a cohort of Haitian mothers. HDP was associated with higher rates of adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes in HAS, which is comparable to studies of HDP conducted in high-income countries.

It has been known for over half a century that mixing an antigen with its cognate antibody in an immune complex (IC) can enhance antigen immunogenicity. However, many ICs produce inconsistent immune responses, and the use of ICs in the development new vaccines has been limited despite the otherwise widespread success of antibody-based therapeutics. To address this problem, we designed a self-binding recombinant immune complex (RIC) vaccine which mimics the larger ICs generated during natural infection. In this study, we created two novel vaccine candidates: 1) a traditional IC targeting herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) by mixing glycoprotein D (gD) with a neutralizing antibody (gD-IC); and 2) an RIC consisting of gD fused to an immunoglobulin heavy chain and then tagged with its own binding site, allowing self-binding (gD-RIC). We characterized the complex size and immune receptor binding characteristics in vitro for each preparation. Then, the in vivo immunogenicity and virus neutralization of each vaccine were compared in mice. gD-RIC formed larger complexes which enhanced C1q receptor binding 25-fold compared to gD-IC. After immunization of mice, gD-RIC elicited up to 1,000-fold higher gD-specific antibody titers compared to traditional IC, reaching endpoint titers of 1:500,000 after two doses without adjuvant. The RIC construct also elicited stronger virus-specific neutralization against HSV-2, as well as stronger cross-neutralization against HSV-1, although the proportion of neutralizing antibodies to total antibodies was somewhat reduced in the RIC group. This work demonstrates that the RIC system overcomes many of the pitfalls of traditional IC, providing potent immune responses against HSV-2 gD. Based on these findings, further improvements to the RIC system are discussed. RIC have now been shown to be capable of inducing potent immune responses to a variety of viral antigens, underscoring their broad potential as a vaccine platform.

Little is known about the genetic causes of stillbirth. In this study, investigators used exome sequencing analysis to identify a genetic cause in a relatively small percentage of cases and to provide some interesting clues as to where to look for more genes that, when mutated, cause stillbirth. The article is accompanied by interactive tables and an illustrated glossary.