University Of Western Ontario Research Articles

Negotiating the insider–outsider dilemma in urban research: Experiences of a graduate student returning home for fieldwork

AbstractAfrican doctoral students studying abroad and returning to their home countries for fieldwork face multiple and complex challenges. This paper reflexively addresses the question of positionality from the experiences of conducting research on urban governance and the spatial politics of street traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. The paper discusses dilemmas associated with navigating insider and outsider identities, showcasing how these categories continually shift while conducting research on street traders within a distinct socio‐cultural and political context. Moreover, the author's background as a former street trader, now pursuing a PhD at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, adds a layer of complexity to the situation, offering valuable insights into how these ‘multiple’ positionalities can either facilitate or hinder data collection. The paper underscores the nuanced experiences of the researcher in the field, shedding light on the potential challenges, pitfalls and opportunities inherent in grappling with one's positionality. By foregrounding these complexities, the paper contributes to our understanding of the positionalities of researchers in the social sciences and adds to the growing body of literature on methodologies for conducting urban studies, particularly with vulnerable populations.

Otantik Liderlik Araştırmalarının 45 Yılı: 1978 ile 2023 Yılları Arasında Bibliyometrik Bir Analiz

This qualitative study analyzes the past 45 years of research on authentic leadership through conducting bibliometric analysis. Using R and R Studio, articles on authentic leadership that are published in the Web of Science have been analyzed. The findings of the bibliometric analysis reveal that a total of 2635 articles have been published on authentic leadership, and the first article on the subject appeared in 1978. Further analysis uncovered that the highest numbers of articles on authentic leadership have been published in 2022. Most of the body of literature on authentic leadership are found in the Journal of Business Ethics, The Leadership Quarterly, and the Leadership & Organization Development Journal. H.K.S. Laschinger, Y. Lee, and W. L. Gardner are the top three researchers that contributed most to the body of knowledge on authentic leadership, and the top three affiliations are University of Western Ontario, University of Queensland, and University of Miami. The most productive countries are USA, China, and the UK; and the most frequently used words are “authentic leadership”, “performance”, and “impact”.

Comparison of salvage radical prostatectomy vs. salvage ablation therapy for biopsy-proven radio-recurrent localized prostate cancer.

Radiation therapy for prostate cancer is associated with a 15-20% five-year recurrence rate. Patients with recurrence in the prostate only are candidates for salvage local therapies; however, there is no consensus on modality. This study uses registries at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and University of Western Ontario (UWO) to compare the oncologic outcomes of salvage radical prostatectomy (SRP) and salvage ablation (SA). A total of 444 patients were available for analysis. Due to intergroup differences, propensity score methodology was used and identified 378 patients with more comparable pre-salvage prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score, and primary radiation treatment. Patients underwent SRP at MSKCC and SA at UWO. Of the 378 patients, 48 died of disease, with a 6.0-year median (interquartile range [IQR] 3.0, 9.7) followup among survivors; 88 developed metastases, with a median 4.6-year (IQR 2.3, 7.9) followup among metastasis-free survivors. There was a non-significantly higher rate of cancer-specific (hazard ratio [HR ] 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.51, 2.06, p=0.9) and improved metastasis-free survival (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.44, 1.13, p=0.15) among patients undergoing SA compared to patients undergoing SRP. There were 143 patients who received hormonal therapy, with higher rates of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in SA (HR 1.42, 95% CI 0.97, 2.08, p=0.068), although this did not meet conventional levels of significance. This propensity score analysis of salvage therapy for radio-recurrent prostate cancer identified no statistically significant differences in oncologic outcome between SRP and SA; however, there was evidence of a lower risk of ADT in the cohort undergoing SRP. Given they are both potentially curative therapies, these treatments are viable options for men with clinically localized, radio-recurrent prostate cancer rather than ADT alone. Future research may further elucidate subpopulations that may be more amenable to either SRP or SA.

Editor’s Note

This issue of The Harold Pinter Review remembers and acknowledges Dr. Steven Gale’s profound influence on Pinter Studies. When the news of Dr. Gale’s passing broke, I recall feeling a sense of profound loss, knowing that he dedicated his life to the formation of the Harold Pinter Society and The Pinter Review, published from 1987 to 2011 by the University of Tampa Press. So many of the articles and reviews that would inform my research—and indeed the work of Pinter scholars around the world—appeared in the journal’s issues. We all, whether we knew the man or not, benefited from his labor and fierce intellectual commitment to advance Pinter studies into the international field of research that it is today. Susan Hollis Merritt’s commemoration reminds us of this debt that none of us could ever repay, though we may try to do it justice in some small ways. The articles, book reviews, performance reviews, and conference proceedings contained in this issue attempt to do just that.The scholarship presented in this issue should excite readers. Graham Saunders (University of Birmingham) attends to compelling primary source material in his article, “#MeToo Pinter & David Mamet’s Oleanna.” A timely analysis of Harold Pinter’s direction of the 1993 London premiere of Oleanna, Saunders examines archival materials, including items from David Mamet’s papers at the Harry Ransom Center, to discuss how Pinter’s production gave the character of Carol greater agency than she appears to have in Mamet’s revised script. In “‘You looked quite different without a head’: A Slight Ache Revisited across Media,” Pim Verhulst (University of Antwerp) expands his research on Pinter’s radio and television plays. The essay juxtaposes the 2000 BBC Radio 4 broadcast of A Slight Ache to the work’s original recording, which aired on 29 July 1959. Verhulst compares how each production presented the match seller, Barnabas, and elaborates the piece’s transmedial, rather than purely radiophonic, properties. My own contribution, “The Dignity within Us: Harold Pinter’s Search for Truth,” wrestles with some of the ambiguities that appear in “Art, Truth and Politics.” While Pinter claims that citizens must envision a political reality founded on human dignity, he does not detail what this concept signifies. My article examines how Pinter’s discussion of human dignity corresponds with the existential poverty—what he calls “nakedness”—that becomes a dominant theme throughout his career.The issue includes some of the lively discussion that took place during the 2023 Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture (LCLC). Organized by the International Harold Pinter Society, the panels addressed the theme, “Pinter and Politics.” Abhinaba Chatterjee’s “Revitalizing the Political Avant-garde of the ‘Absurd’ in Eugene Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and Harold Pinter’s The Room” discusses how absurdist theater subverts sociopolitical and economic inequalities. Ann C. Hall (University of Louisville) offers “Domesticating Menace: Harold Pinter’s The Servant (1963).” The presentation examines how Pinter’s screenplay and Robert Losey’s film The Servant subvert colonial and heteronormative forms of authority. Farah Ali (University of Hull) contributes “‘A Hydra with a Thousand Heads’: Dis(ease) and Wellness in Harold Pinter’s A Kind of Alaska and Brian Friel’s Molly Sweeney.” Ali notes how Pinter and Friel critique medical practices that amplify broader social issues. The contribution calls for compassionate medical practices that undo more traditional diagnostic medical techniques. Finally, Judith Roof’s, “The Totally Perceptive and Logical Illogic of the Avant-garde Dramatic Tradition; or Politics = Theater = Politics,” analyzes how Pinter replaces the exaggerated figures of political oppression that appear in Alfred Jarry’s works with invisible threats that underscore how the political is quintessentially theatrical. The conference proceedings illustrate how Pinter’s plays bear on contemporary sociopolitical issues and debates.Of course, it would not be an issue of The Harold Pinter Review without an array of book reviews. Grace Epstein (University of Cincinnati) examines Pinter and Stoppard: A Director’s View by Carey Perloff. David Chack (DePaul University) contributes an interview with Perloff that provides greater insight into the book and the author’s process. This unique pairing is a welcome addition to the issue. Ann C. Hall assesses Transdisciplinary Beckett: Visual Arts, Music, and the Creative Process by The Harold Pinter Review author Lucy Jeffery (University of Nottingham). Lastly, we provide a summation of Basil Chiasson (University of Western Ontario) and Catriona Fallow’s (University of the West of Scotland) edited collection, Harold Pinter: Stages, Networks, Collaborations. The volume not only advances Pinter studies into exciting new territory, but it is particularly noteworthy for including interviews with theater practitioners from around the world.The issue features several performance reviews that should delight readers and keep them informed of world-class productions. Nancy Jones (University of Louisville) takes us to the European continent with her review of three Ionesco plays produced in Paris during 2022. Judith Saunders (independent scholar) provides a review of Good by C. P. Taylor at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End. Saunders offers a compelling reading of the production, connecting it to how antisemitism marked Pinter’s early life and creative development. Charles Vincent Grimes (University of North Carolina Wilmington) examines the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt by Tom Stoppard. Though the play continues to enjoy commercial success in New York, Grimes offers a critical discussion of the production and its merits that may be at odds with readers. Last, but certainly not least, Mark Taylor-Batty (University of Leeds) offers his take on the 2022 performance of The Dwarfs as performed at The White Bear Theatre in London. Directed by longtime Pinter collaborator Harry Burton, the production drew attention from Pinter enthusiasts throughout the world. All in all, these reviews represent how Pinter’s plays and influence continue to inspire and challenge artists and audiences alike.Finally, I would be remiss if I did not offer a word of gratitude to Dr. Ann Hall. For several years, Professor Hall has championed Pinter’s work in the United States and abroad. As the editor of The Harold Pinter Review and President of the International Harold Pinter Society, Ann fostered a creative and scholarly community that advanced Pinter studies and enriched twentieth- and twenty-first century Anglo-European dramatic criticism. I am forever grateful that she offered me the opportunity to edit this issue of The Harold Pinter Review.

Considerations for the Measurement of Respiratory Compensation Point and Critical Power in COPD.

1School of Kinesiology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, CANADA 2Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, CANADA 3Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, CANADA 4Faculty of Kinesiology, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA

Victor Percy Snaith, 1944–2021

AbstractVictor Snaith was born in Colchester, Essex, on 15 March 1944 and passed away in Bristol on 3 July 2021 at the age of 77. He completed his PhD at the University of Warwick in 1969 under the supervision of Luke Hodgkin. He held faculty positions in Canada, at the University of Western Ontario (1976–88) and McMaster University (1988–98), and became a leading figure in the Canadian mathematical research community during that time. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1984, and held the first Britton Professorship at McMaster University. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1998, to professorships at the University of Southampton (1998–2004) and the University of Sheffield (2004–2009) from where he retired in 2009. He was an active member of the Heilbronn Institute from 2006 until the time of his passing. Snaith made significant research contributions in various areas, including the Snaith splitting theorem in stable homotopy theory, the introduction of the Bott periodic form of algebraic K‐theory, and the explicit Brauer induction theorem with its applications in algebraic number theory. He is survived by his wife Carolyn, son Dan, and daughters Anna and Nina.

A205 EVALUATING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PERIPHERAL BLOOD EOSINOPHILS AND DRUG RESPONSE IN CROHN'S DISEASE: CONTINUING ANALYSIS

Abstract Background Th2 cytokines, IL-5 and IL-13 enhance peripheral and mucosal eosinophil survival, recruitment and degranulation, facilitating inflammation in Crohn's Disease. In a preliminary analysis, peripheral eosinophilia (PBE) is seen to have an association with rates of steroid response and anti-TNF response in CD patients. Participants with high PBE (> 200 cells/μL) appear to be more steroid-responsive but less responsive to Th1-targeting anti-TNF therapies. We hypothesize the pattern of PBE at CD diagnosis can help identify distinct subsets within a larger CD population and correlate with response to treatments such as prednisone or anti-TNFs. Purpose We aim to evaluate the pattern of PBE of CD patients at time of diagnosis (prior to drug exposure) and with each subsequent treatment; and if baseline PBE or any changes seen with drug exposures are predictive of treatment response. Method A retrospective cohort study is ongoing with CD patients exposed to glucocorticoids and an anti-TNF seen at 3 hospitals affiliated with University of Western Ontario. Patients were identified using administrative databases and reviewed for biochemical data (complete blood count) and disease activity (Harvey Bradshaw Index) at baseline, before and after each drug exposure. Participants were classified as having high PBE (eosinophils>200 cells/μL) versus low PBE (eosinophils <200 cells/μL). To date, 350 patients have been screened. Subgroup analyses of PBE > 300 cells/μL, and differences between female and male patients will be carried out. Result(s) 46 of 200 CD patients are included in the continuing analysis with a mean age of 45 years. 26 had PBE >200 cells/μL at baseline and 20 did not. The median number therapies used was 4 (IQR=0.75). All received glucocorticoids followed by an anti-TNF. There was no difference in the occurrence of hospitalization or surgery between the two groups. Overall 50% participants with high PBE >200 and >300 cells/μL had clinical response to glucocorticoid exposure, seen as a 3-point decrease in HBI compared to 45%, 47% in the low PBE cohort (n=13/26 vs. n=9/20 p=0.77; n=6/12 vs. n=16/34 p=1.0 respectively). With subsequent anti-TNF exposure, PBE rebounded in 7 participants. 36% patients in the high PBE group required anti-TNF dose escalation versus 24% in the low PBE group (n=9/25 vs. n=5/21, p=0.52). The proportion of patients with anti-TNF discontinuation was similar in both groups (high PBE 19.2%, n=5/26 vs. low PBE 15%, n=3/20, p=1.0). Men had higher steroid response rates compared to women in both high and low PBE groups (n=6/8 vs. n=8/18 p=0.21; n=4/9 vs. 4/11 p=1.0 respectively). Conclusion(s) Peripheral eosinophilia is seen in varying degrees in CD patients. Participants with high PBE are more steroid-responsive. High PBE patients overall were less responsive to anti-TNF therapies, requiring more dose-escalation and discontinued anti-TNF treatment. Completion of this study will help clarify the association between PBE in CD and treatment response. Please acknowledge all funding agencies by checking the applicable boxes below None Disclosure of Interest None Declared

The Role of Sub-National Leaders Implementing the One Health Approach

Successful public health interventions using the One Health (OH) approach require the broad committed collaboration of individuals, institutions and technical and policy organizations from all sectors of society. In many communities, city and district mayors (sub-national leaders) directly control the administrative functions that serve the well-being of their constituents and are important stakeholders in setting and implementing priorities and mobilizing local capacities, resources and concrete action. A multisectoral and transdisciplinary team composed of the Indonesian Ministries of Health, Home and Agriculture and the Association of All Health Offices; the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union); the University of Western Ontario, Canada and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) convinced this established consortium of mayors, the Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT), to join forces and adopt and implement a One Health workshop with fellow Asia Pacific regional city and district mayors and decision-makers in preparation for the November 2022 G20 meeting in Indonesia. The main objective of this workshop was to highlight the pivotal, practical role mayors play in advocacy, action and accountability for current and future diseases at the human-animal-environment interface using the OH approach. The workshop was conducted on 2 June, 2022, with 2544 (1577 on zoom and 967 on YouTube) people attending this virtual event from 16 countries and 431 cities. An overwhelming majority of participants agreed that the OH approach can prevent outbreaks of zoonotic diseases. The mayors committed by signing a political declaration that addressed local challenges through the implementation of local strategies based on international standards using the OH approach. Activities were formulated and initiated to prevent the risks of future disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics caused by zoonotic diseases.© The Authors 2023

Implications of Misinformation for Public Order Policing

On September 8th, 2022, Dr. Laura Huey, a professor of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario, presented on The Implications of Misinformation for Public Order Policing. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS-Vancouver executives. The key points discussed in Dr. Huey’s presentation highlighted the risks and effects of misinformation around policing and how they can quickly spiral globally and have harmful effects on the police force’s reputation and police officers.

Exploring Nucleobase Modifications in Oligonucleotide Analogues for Use as Environmentally Responsive Fluorophores and Beyond.

Over the past two decades, it has become abundantly clear that nucleic acid biochemistry, especially with respect to RNA, is more convoluted and complex than previously appreciated. Indeed, the application and exploitation of nucleic acids beyond their predestined role as the medium for storage and transmission of genetic information to the treatment and study of diseases has been achieved. In other areas of endeavor, utilization of nucleic acids as a probe molecule requires that they possess a reporter group. The reporter group of choice is often a luminophore because fluorescence spectroscopy has emerged as an indispensable tool to probe the structural and functional properties of modified nucleic acids. The scope of this review spans research done in the Hudson lab at The University of Western Ontario and is focused on modified pyrimidine nucleobases and their applications as environmentally sensitive fluorophores, base discriminating fluorophores, and in service of antisense applications as well as tantalizing new results as G-quadruplex destabilizing agents. While this review is a focused personal account, particularly influential work of colleagues in the chemistry community will be highlighted. The intention is not to make a comprehensive review, citations to the existing excellent reviews are given, any omission of the wonderful and impactful work being done by others globally is not intentional. Thus, this review will briefly introduce the context of our work, summarize what has been accomplished and finish with the prospects of future developments.

A Private Honesty: Torture and Interiority in the Theatre of Sarah Kane

This article analyzes the role of pain and torture in the construction and destruction of subjectivity by way of a comparison of the depictions of torture in the theatre of Sarah Kane and Elaine’s Scarry’s highly influential The Body in Pain: On the Making and Unmaking of the World. The essay uses Kane in conjunction with the phenomenology of Emmanuel Levinas, as well as relevant work on the history and sociology of privacy and private speech. Its purpose is to develop an account of what is here called pain’s bi-directional character, or its capacity to represent both the presence and the absence of the victim’s subjectivity, possibly at the same time. Using Kane to expand upon Scarry’s account of the role of subjectivity in torture, we can see how the logic of torture structures numerous relationships in Kane’s work, including Blasted, Phaedra’s Love, Cleansed, and Crave. The essay establishes Kane as not only a major playwright, but also a subtle and perceptive theorist of suffering for whom the question of intersubjectivity is a major site of dramatic struggle. Jeremy Colangelo is the author of Diaphanous Bodies: Ability, Disability, and Modernist Irish Literature (University of Michigan Press, 2021) and the editor of Joyce Writing Disability (University Press of Florida, 2022). His work has appeared in such journals as Modern Fiction Studies, Journal of Modern Literature, Textual Practice, and Modern Drama. He currently teaches at King’s University College, University of Western Ontario.

Hibernating ground squirrels keep their mitochondria supercomplex

One of my favorite things about science fiction is when the genre takes inspiration from the natural world. For example, tales involving deep-space travel often begin with the protagonist awakening from a hibernation-like state – allowing them to get around the problem of aging as they traverse the stars. Here on Earth, some mammals use hibernation to decrease their metabolism to near-undetectable levels, which helps them survive low temperatures and lack of food during winter seasons. Achieving this kind of metabolic stasis in addition to prolonging survival after trauma are just two of the many important applications that studying hibernation could provide.One key to understanding how hibernators – such as the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) – lower their metabolism is to study how they adjust their mitochondria, as these organelles provide most of the energy (in the form of ATP) required for life and cellular activity. Until recently, it was believed that mitochondrial enzymes produce ATP by passing electrons around as they randomly collide into each other. But Amalie Hutchinson and colleagues from the University of Western Ontario in Canada wanted to understand whether these enzymes were consistently bound together – known as supercomplexing – and whether these associations change between seasons and as these animals lower their metabolism when they hibernate.The team captured thirteen-lined ground squirrels in Carman, MB, Canada, and brought them back to their lab in London, ON, Canada, where they were housed under conditions simulating summer temperatures (∼21°C) and natural day length in Carman. As winter approached, the scientists lowered the environmental temperature to 4°C and shortened the day length to 1 h light and 23 h dark to simulate winter hibernation conditions. They also collected mitochondria from the heart, liver and brown adipose tissue – which uses mitochondria to generate warmth – at three time points: summer, when the animals were active; when the animals had briefly arisen and were active during the winter hibernation; and during winter hibernation. The researchers then measured the amounts of supercomplexes and their protein make-up using techniques that separate mitochondrial enzymes but leave supercomplexes intact.The scientists found that rather than changing the total amount of supercomplexes between seasons or winter conditions these squirrels seem to shuttle one specific mitochondrial enzyme (complex III, which is a massive protein made up of 11 subunits) between larger and smaller supercomplexes. As these squirrels transitioned from being active in the winter to resuming hibernation, the amount of complex III in larger supercomplexes decreased in brown adipose tissue – which may be important for rapidly lowering their metabolism. In contrast, the amount of complex III in larger supercomplexes was greatest in the liver in winter, while complex III was more associated with smaller supercomplexes in the heart in the summer. These changes in heart and liver mitochondria could represent an important part of the seasonal changes in the metabolism of these animals.Hutchinson and colleagues have shown that something as remarkable as completely shutting down your metabolism could involve very subtle changes in mitochondrial supercomplexes. That said, it's probably going to be a while before we can use the lessons learned from these squirrels to safely send people into deep space. In the meantime, much remains to be learned about how these hibernators signal these shifts in enzyme interactions and their ultimate effects on mitochondrial function.

Editorial introductions.

Current Opinion in Neurology was launched in 1988. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of neurology is divided into 14 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Martin J. McKeownMartin J. McKeownDr McKeown is the John Nichol Chair in Parkinson's Research, Director at the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre (PPRC), Professor in the Department of Medicine, and adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada. The PPRC is deemed an International Centre of Excellence by the (US-based) Parkinson's Foundation. He did his Engineering Physics, Medicine and Neurology training at McMaster, University of Toronto, and University of Western Ontario, Canada respectively. He did a three-year research fellowship at the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego before being hired as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at Duke University, USA. He was recruited to UBC in 2003. He is currently the Medical Advisor to the Parkinson's Society of BC, and Chair, Research and Clinical Advisory committee, Parkinson Canada. His research interests include privacy-compliant video monitoring technologies for Parkinson's disease and non-invasive neuromodulation. Marie VidailhetMarie VidailhetMarie Vidailhet is Professor of Neurology, Head of the Movement Disorders section and of the Dystonia and rare movement disorders National Reference Centre at Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne Université, France; Head of the Research Team (Movement, investigations, and of the Therapeutics MOV’IT research group) at Paris Brain Institute, ICM (co-head Stephane Lehéricy), Paris, France, focused on the pathophysiology of motor and behaviour dysfunctions in movement disorders including dystonia, tremor and Tourette syndrome. She part of the ERN (European Reference Network) and of several international working groups in movement disorders and Parkinson's disease. She held the positions of Head of Neurology Department, Saint-Antoine University Hospital, Pierre et Marie Curie University, from 1997 to 2007, and previously of Assistant Professor, then Associate Professor in Salpêtriere, Paris, France. As a Visiting Research Fellow, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK, she worked at the Human Movement Balance Unit research section London, UK with Pr CD Marsden, JC Rothwell and Ph Thompson. She is involved in the Movement Disorders Society including the MDS-ES (European section) and in the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) as board, and in international mentorship and fellowships programs (EAN, MDS). She was Vice-chair du COST action BM1101 European network for dystonia. She co-authored over 400 publications (total H index 85) with her group, with a focus on pathophysiology of dystonia, tremors and Tourette syndrome, deep brain stimulation and non-invasive stimulation both for research and experimental therapeutics. The other focus is multimodal/neuroimaging characterization of Parkinson's disease and isolated REM sleep disorders, current research programs, JP-RD Eurodyscover E-Rare (Europe), Dystonia Coalition (USA) on dystonia and several collaborative programs on Parkinson's disease. She was awarded the MDS Presidential lecture (Stanley Fahn Lecture) and the Prix Memin-Pelletier (Biology) French Academy of Science.

Poster 214: Posterior Tibial Slope Reducing Osteotomy in Complex Revision Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to report indications, early radiologic and clinical outcomes, and postoperative complications after closing wedge slope reducing proximal tibial osteotomy, performed in a complex group of patients with failed ACLR in two academic referrals centers in North America.Methods:A retrospective review of patient medical records was performed at two academic referral centers in North America between October and December 2020. Demographic, radiological, and surgical data were collected on a consecutive series of patients who underwent a closing wedge proximal tibial osteotomy to reduce PTS associated with ACLR failure. Approval for this study was obtained by the institutional review boards of the University of Pittsburgh (No.: STUDY20050226) and the University of Western Ontario (No.: 101533). Written informed consent was obtained from all included patients.Patients were identified from a previous database which included a retrospective two-center sample that underwent R-ACLR between 2010 and 2020 performed by two knee surgeons at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Western Ontario. The final sample included patients who underwent slope reduction with or without associated coronal alignment correction associated with R-ACLR (n=17). Concomitant procedures such as meniscectomy, meniscal repair, lateral extra-articular tenodesis (LET), meniscal allograft transplantation (MAT), re-operations, and complications were described. Data collection was performed by three orthopedic fellows.R-ACLR was performed in a one-stage or two-stage procedure based on the previous tunnel positions, tunnel widening, and surgeon preferences. In the case of two-stage revision, tibial slope reduction osteotomy was performed as the first stage associated with bone grafting of the tibial and/or femoral tunnel. The tibial slope was corrected using a supra-tubercle anterior closing wedge (ACW) proximal tibial osteotomy (PTO) in 16 patients (Neyret et al 2000) and with a complete tibial tubercle osteotomy (TTO) in one case (Bertrand et al 2014) (Figure 1). Osteotomies were stabilized using Richards regular fixation staples® (Smith & Nephew) or the TOMOFIX® osteotomy system (DePuy Synthes) was used. Techniques were based on the surgeon’s preference. Concomitant LET was performed in patients with a grade III positive pivot shift test during examination under anesthesia.PTS and ATT were calculated using a load-bearing lateral x-ray pre-and postoperatively at end of follow-up (Dejour & Bonnin 1994). Patella height was measured in the lateral view using the Caton Deschamps Index (CDI) (Caton et al. 1982). All radiologic measurements were performed by two orthopedic clinical fellows.For assessment of patient-reported outcome the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), Subjective Knee Form were collected at final follow up.Results:Of the seventeen patients identified, 53% (9/17) were male with a mean Body-Mass-Index (BMI) of 25.6 (range 20-40; SD: 8.6). The mean clinical and radiologic follow-up was 31.2 months (range 4-84; SD: 24.37). The mean age at the last R-ACLR was 27.7 years old (range 17-52; SD: 9.82). A re-revision of ACLR was performed in the majority of cases (70.6%). A two-stage revision was performed in seven patients (41.2%) with the R-ACLR completed after bone healing was confirmed (range of 5-11 months). Five (29.4%) had a biplanar closing wedge osteotomy to address associated coronal plane malalignment. Quadriceps tendon (QT) autograft was the most common graft at the revision ACLR (8 patients: 47%).Reoperations were necessary for eight patients (47.2%) due to symptomatic hardware, chondral debridement, and postoperative arthrofibrosis. One patient with two previous re-revision ACLRs developed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Graft failure was defined in the event of a high-grade pivot-shift (≥ grade II) during clinical follow-up. A traumatic ACL graft failure occurred in one patient, 27 months post-surgery and a non-traumatic failure was diagnosed in one patient leading to 11.8% of graft failure. Concomitant treatment, alignment correction, and postoperative complications are summarized in table 1.Posterior tibial slope was significantly reduced from the preoperative to postoperative radiographs (mean ± standard error (SE) = 13.9° ± 0.5 vs. 5.3° ± 1.2; p = 0.000(z=3.63)). The CDI showed that patella height was not significantly altered after the PTS correction (mean ± SE = 1.1 ± 0.6 vs. 1.2 ± 0.4, p = 0.11). The intraclass correlation showed an excellet intra-rater agreement and good to excellent inter-rate agreement for the PTS meansurement (ICC: 0.92 to 0.98; ICC: 0.88 to 0.99). Regarding the CDI, the intraclass correlation showed a good to excellent intra-rater agreement and excellent inter-rate agreement (ICC: 0.83 to 0.99; ICC: 0.93 to 0.99). A satisfactory and significant improvement of the ATT among 88.2% of the patients was identified at the last follow-up (mean ± SE = 11.17 ± 4.42 vs. 5.66 ± 4.53, p = 0.02). An excelent inter-rater and intra-rater reliability was achieved ICC (3,1) = 0.99 (CI: 0.97 to 1.00; 0.98 to 1.00) regarding the ATT measurement (Table 2). Patient reported outcomes were completed in nine patients (53%) with a mean of 37.6 months follow-up (range 6-84: SD: 26.8) (table 3).Conclusions:Proximal tibial closing wedge osteotomies are an effective surgical approach to correct PTS and ATT in patients after ACLR failure, resulting in a reduction in anterior tibial translation and satisfactory graft survivorship in a complex patient population. Unsatisfactory clinical outcomes are likely related to patients undergoing multiple surgeries and therefore patients should be appropriately counseled in regard to expected outcomes.Figure 1.Preoperative PTS analysis (A). Postoperative PTS reduction osteotomy performed associated to ACL-R (B).Table 1.Surgical data and postoperative complications.

Correlation of term usage and term indexing frequencies

There have been several studies on the distributions of index terms, title terms, authors and other elements used in searching bibliographic databases. What is needed is to relate this information of the actual usage of terms in searching. This study uses data from monitoring the actual usage of terms in an online catalog at the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Western Ontario. Every time a term was used in a search expression, a count in the dictionary file was updated. If a word was not in the dictionary it was added. In this way we can see which words are in the catalog and not searched and also those which were searched but not in the dictionary. As a check on other studies the rank distribution of terms used in searching was checked and found to be of a general Zipf type.
 The main interest was to check if high frequency terms in the catalog were used frequently in searching. Several measures of this were tried. First the regular scatterplot of frequency of use in the catalog versus the frequency in searching was checked and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was calculated. The correlation was reasonably high at 0.74. Since the total number of terms and frequencies was much larger in the catalog, a plot of the rank of the terms in the catalog was plotted against the rank of the term in searching.
 This provided a very scattered plot with less clustering at the origin as in the original plot of frequencies. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was moderate at 0.58. Some studies have suggested that removing high frequency and very low frequency terms from the search vocabulary will improve retrieval performance. This data shows that many general users actually use these terms in searching.
 Currently a sample of search words are being analyzed for factors which affect the correlation, such as errors in both the catalog and searching, the effect of truncations, and the effect of stemming (which was done on both the catalog vocabulary and the search terms).

Migrating hummingbirds put a new twist on torpor

Hummingbirds are some of the most metabolically active birds, beating their wings 50 times per second while sipping nectar from flowers and, as a consequence, they live their lives on a metabolic knife edge. For some species – such as ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) – these energetic challenges are made worse by the need to engage in other taxing activities such as a 5000 km autumn migration from Canada to Costa Rica. So it makes sense that these birds would take advantage of any physiological tools available to ensure that they have sufficient metabolic fuel in their daily struggle to survive. One important tool that hummingbirds use is torpor, an energy-saving strategy where metabolism, activity and body temperature are suppressed for short periods of time. These birds generally use torpor to make it through cold nights when their fat stores are low. Although this behaviour is well understood in many contexts, Erich Eberts from the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues from the same institution and the University of Western Ontario, Canada, wanted to understand if these birds could alternatively use torpor as a way to maximize their fat stores as they entered their migration season.The scientists caught hummingbirds in London, Canada, and housed them at the University of Western Ontario, simulating the daylight conditions that the birds would experience during the transition from the midsummer breeding season (15 h light:9 h dark) to the migratory season (12 h light:12 h dark). During this period, the researchers tracked changes in fat content and body mass of individual birds to determine when they began preparing for migration. The team also measured the metabolic rate of these same birds as they slept to determine when and if these birds reduced their metabolism and switched into torpor.During the midsummer, the thinner hummingbirds with lower fat stores dipped into torpor earlier and remained torpid for longer – confirming that these birds use torpor when they had the least energy available. But as these birds readied themselves for migration – as days became shorter – their entry into torpor became more predictable and fatter birds went into torpor more often. By abandoning the ‘old rules’ surrounding the use of torpor as a survival strategy, hummingbirds are able to reduce their metabolism to stock up on fuel to ensure that they can maximize their energy stores for migration.Life for hummingbirds involves a constant battle to ensure that they have plenty of metabolic fuel. Eberts and colleagues have shown that these birds can change the rules that govern the use of torpor based on their environmental conditions. This means that torpor is something of a metabolic Swiss Army knife – a multifunctional tool that animals can repurpose to increase their odds of survival. This research opens up new and exciting questions about how hummingbirds control this switch in torpor use and whether other animals are similarly capable of bending the rules.

Cupid's Laugh (Amores 1.1)

Cupid's Laugh (Amores 1.1) Ovid Translated by Kyle Gervais (bio) Ready to write of heroes' deeds in serious rhythms and the cataclysmsof violent war, with each line equal to the one beforeand meter suiting the matter, I heard the distant sneak-thief laughterof Cupid, lusty hand clutching a bit of the perfect verse I'd planned. "Cruel boy," said I, "who gave you any authority when it comes to poetry?We poets play for the Muses, not you! And if, say,Venus were to seize the shield of blond Minerva, and she to wieldin turn the lovers' light of Venus' torches? If Ceres held the rightto rule the wooded mountainsides, while the Virgin's bow presidesover the farmers' fields, would anyone approve? Would anyone let Mars movehis fingers over Apollo's lyre, and equip long-haired Phoebus with Mars' spear-tip? Ambitious boy, the powers you command are dread enough already—why stretch your handfor even more? Or do you claim as yours everything everywhere? Is Helicon's famous [End Page 63] valley yours? Must even Phoebus fear to lose the lyre he holds so dear?Over and over I write a line of respectable meter, then the next one petersout— and I haven't a thing to write about!No tender he, no well-coiffed she: meet material for verse less lofty." I was whinging like that, when he reached behind to pick from his quiver an arrow designedfor my ruin, then bent his snaking bow back hard, breakingit into a crescent against his knee. "Take this," said he,"to sing of, poet," and shot with perfect accuracy (poor me!) I feel Love's fire, and in my empty heart desirereigns. Let my poetry rise up in strains for the bards to utter, then gutter.Farewell grim wars, and warlike tempo! Ring your golden temples,Muse, with the myrtle of sea-born Venus, and trip in time to my crooked rhyme. [End Page 64] Kyle Gervais Kyle Gervais is an Associate Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Western Ontario. His academic publications include editions, translations, and commentaries on Statius, Thebaid 2 (Oxford University Press) and John of Garland, Integumenta Ovidii (Medieval Institute Publications), a student commentary on Seneca, Hercules Furens (Dickinson College Commentaries), and chapters and articles on Latin poetry from Virgil to the Renaissance. His poems have appeared in Arion, Canadian Literature, Classical Outlook, Literary Imagination, PRISM international, and elsewhere. Copyright © 2022 Trustees of Boston University

A163 EVALUATING THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN PERIPHERAL BLOOD EOSINOPHILS AND DRUG RESPONSE IN CROHN’S DISEASE: A PRELIMINARY REPORT

BackgroundTh1, Th2, and Th17 immune pathways are variably activated in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The degree to which pathway having a more dominant role in propagating Crohn’s disease (CD) is not considered when selecting a treatment strategy. Th2 cytokines, IL-5 and IL-13 enhance eosinophil survival, recruitment and degranulation, facilitating inflammation. Mucosal eosinophilia has been documented in CD and its presence is a surrogate marker of Th2 pathway activation. Peripheral eosinophilia has an established role in asthma to help prognosticate treatment response to Th2-cytokine-specific therapies. We hypothesize the pattern of peripheral blood eosinophils (PBE) at CD diagnosis will identify distinct subsets within a larger CD population and correlate with response to treatments such as prednisone or anti-TNFs.AimsWe aim to evaluate the pattern of PBE of CD patients at time of diagnosis (prior to drug exposure) and with each subsequent treatment; and if baseline PBE or any changes seen with drug exposures are predictive of treatment response.MethodsA retrospective cohort study is ongoing with CD patients exposed to glucocorticoids and an anti-TNF seen at one of 3 hospitals affiliated with University of Western Ontario. Patients were identified using administrative databases and reviewed for biochemical data (complete blood count) and disease activity (Harvey Bradshaw Index) at baseline as well as before and after each drug exposure. Participants were classified as having high PBE (eosinophils >200 cells/μl) versus low PBE (eosinophils <200 cells/μl).ResultsTo date,10 of 200 CD patients are included in the preliminary analyses with a mean age of 47. 8 had PBE >200 cells/μL at baseline, while 2 did not. The median number therapies used was 4 (IQR=0.75). All received glucocorticoids followed by an anti-TNF. There was no difference in the occurrence of hospitalization or surgery between the two cohorts. Overall 75% (n=6/8) participants with high PBE had clinical response to glucocorticoid exposure, seen as a 3-point decrease in HBI compared to 0% (n=0/2, p=0.5) in the low PBE cohort. With subsequent anti-TNF exposure, PBE rebounded in 6 participants. More patients in the high PBE group required anti-TNF dose escalation versus the low PBE group (63%, n=5/8 versus 50%, n=1/2, p=0.99). The proportion of patients with anti-TNF discontinuation was similar in both groups (high PBE, 50%, n=4/8 versus low PBE, 50%, n=1/2, p=1.00).ConclusionsPeripheral eosinophilia is seen in varying degrees in CD patients. Participants with high PBE appear to be more steroid-responsive which is typical for Th2-mediated pathways. They were less responsive to Th1-targeting anti-TNF therapies, requiring more dose-escalation and discontinued anti-TNF treatment. Completion of this study will help clarify the association between PBE in CD and treatment response.Funding AgenciesNone

Development of a very faint meteor detection system based on an EMCCD sensor and matched filter processing

The mass ranges of meteors, imaged by electro-optical (EO) cameras and backscatter radar receivers, for the most part do not overlap. Typical EO systems detect meteoroid masses down to 10− 5 kg or roughly magnitude + 2 meteors when using moderate field of view optics, un-intensified optical components, and meteor entry velocities around 45 km/sec. This is near the high end of the mass range of typical meteor radar observations. Having the same mass meteor measured by different sensor wavelength bands would be a benefit in terms of calibrating mass estimations for both EO and radar. To that end, the University of Western Ontario (UWO) has acquired and deployed a very low light imaging system based on an electron-multiplying CCD camera technology. This embeds a very low noise, per pixel intensifier chip in a cooled camera setup with various options for frame rate, region of interest and binning. The EO system of optics and sensor was optimally configured to collect 32 frames per second in a square field of view 14.7 degrees on a side, achieving a single-frame stellar limiting magnitude of mG = + 10.5. The system typically observes meteors of + 6.5. Given this hardware configuration, we successfully met the challenges associated with the development of robust image processing algorithms, resulting in a new end-to-end processing pipeline now in operation since 2017. A key development in this pipeline has been the first true application of matched filter processing to process the faintest meteors possible in the EMCCD system while also yielding high quality automated metric measurements of meteor focal plane positions. With pairs of EMCCD systems deployed at two sites, triangulation and high accuracy orbits are one of the many products being generated by this system. These measurements will be coupled to observations from the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) used for meteor plasma characterization and the Canadian Automated Meteor Observatory (CAMO) high resolution mirror tracking system.

Perspectives of online anatomy teachers: A neglected study population struggles with the invisible student.

Online teachers are an under-researched population, but their perspectives are crucial to the successful implementation of online education. A fully online section of an established face-to-face (F2F) two-semester undergraduate anatomy course with a prosection laboratory commenced in 2012 at The University of Western Ontario, Canada. Professors' lectures for F2F students were broadcast in live and archived format to online students using Blackboard Collaborate (BBC) video conferencing software. Teaching assistants (TAs) delivered online laboratories using BBC and three-dimensional (3D) anatomical computer models. This study explored the common experiences and issues faced by the course teachers from 2012 to 2014. Transcripts from open-ended, individual interviews with professors (n=4) and TAs (n=5) were coded and analyzed thematically. The teachers' concern for their inability to see the students during sessions to assess class engagement and their teaching effectiveness, and to develop social relationships, was the main finding. However, video conferencing software and email were sufficient communication methods for the students' questions and the teachers' answers. The TAs noted usability challenges and anatomical inaccuracies in the 3D models compared to cadavers. Due to limitations of BBC's screen sharing function, live manipulation for the 3D computer models was not possible; however, the TAs found pedagogical value in using screen captures of the models for drawing activities with the students. Overall, preparation time for teaching online was longer than for F2F. The study's findings provide science educators with issues to consider when preparing for online teaching and recommendations to optimize the teaching experience.