Celebrating and sustaining Indigenous knowledges through research

This paper reports on the growth of research within the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC). The focus is the research and later, research and journal working group. The intent is to discuss the publication of the WINHEC Journal, discussion papers and other activities such as the development of the Research Standards while analysing the underpinning imperatives to such work. The paper will also examine the complexity of progressing research, founded in local knowledge, aligned internationally to broader conceptions of Indigenous knowledge. The suggestion underlying this paper is that if research is undertaken from a position of Indigenous knowledge and epistemology, it will celebrate and sustain Indigenous people.

Indigenous epistemology : creating an international Indigenous higher education space in the wake of the western “university of excellence”

Interest in the participation of Indigenous peoples in higher education has, in recent times, gained momentum with an increasing number of advocates challenging the global history of culturally inept policies and practices imposed within the western higher education system. To address the challenges being presented by Indigenous communities and other groups (often relegated under the banner of disadvantaged or equity) Western Universities are promoting a shift toward inclusive policies and practices. Frustrated with the offerings of the Western Higher Education system, a global movement of Indigenous academics, Elders and knowledge holders are developing strategies to meet the educational needs of their own communities, in order to find a way forward. The mobilization of Elders and Indigenous academics has resulted in the development of a global higher education network which is proving to be a significant force in changing the position of Indigenous participation in higher education. The World Indigenous Network Higher Education Consortium (WINHEC) has presented a significant challenge to those barriers within the western higher education system that has historically demonstrated an inability to develop culturally inclusive practices within their institutions. This paper examines the development of a world Indigenous higher education movement and its contribution to the history of the “university” within the context of western higher education institutions. Outlined in this examination will be a synopsis of the development of the “University of Excellence” and the creation of an international Indigenous space within higher education.

Collaborative extension of biodiversity monitoring protocols in the bird watching community

Citizen science projects have demonstrated the advantages of people with limited relevant prior knowledge participating in research. However, there is a difference between engaging the general public in a scientific project and entering an established expert community to conduct research. This paper describes our ongoing acoustic biodiversity monitoring collaborations with the bird watching community. We report on findings gathered over six years from participation in bird walks, observing conservation efforts, and records of personal activities of experienced birders. We offer an empirical study into extending existing protocols through in-context collaborative design involving scientists and domain experts.

Web mediated market interactions and enterprise software

With increased consolidation and a few large vendors dominating the market, how can software vendors distinguish themselves in order to maintain profitability and gain market share? Increasingly customers are becoming more proactive in selecting a vendor and a product, drawing upon various publications, market surveys, mailing lists, and, of course, other users. In particular, though, a company's Web site is the obvious place to begin information gathering. In sum, it may seem that the days of the uninformed customer prepared to be "sold to" are potentially all but gone.

Effect of temperature and moisture on high pressure lipid/oil extraction from microalgae

Commercially viable carbon–neutral biodiesel production from microalgae has potential for replacing depleting petroleum diesel. The process of biodiesel production from microalgae involves harvesting, drying and extraction of lipids which are energy- and cost-intensive processes. The development of effective large-scale lipid extraction processes which overcome the complexity of microalgae cell structure is considered one of the most vital requirements for commercial production. Thus the aim of this work was to investigate suitable extraction methods with optimised conditions to progress opportunities for sustainable microalgal biodiesel production. In this study, the green microalgal species consortium, Tarong polyculture was used to investigate lipid extraction with hexane (solvent) under high pressure and variable temperature and biomass moisture conditions using an Accelerated Solvent Extraction (ASE) method. The performance of high pressure solvent extraction was examined over a range of different process and sample conditions (dry biomass to water ratios (DBWRs): 100%, 75%, 50% and 25% and temperatures from 70 to 120 ºC, process time 5–15 min). Maximum total lipid yields were achieved at 50% and 75% sample dryness at temperatures of 90–120 ºC. We show that individual fatty acids (Palmitic acid C16:0; Stearic acid C18:0; Oleic acid C18:1; Linolenic acid C18:3) extraction optima are influenced by temperature and sample dryness, consequently affecting microalgal biodiesel quality parameters. Higher heating values and kinematic viscosity were compliant with biodiesel quality standards under all extraction conditions used. Our results indicate that biodiesel quality can be positively manipulated by selecting process extraction conditions that favour extraction of saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids over optimal extraction conditions for polyunsaturated fatty acids, yielding positive effects on cetane number and iodine values. Exceeding biodiesel standards for these two parameters opens blending opportunities with biodiesels that fall outside the minimal cetane and maximal iodine values.

Fine-mapping the HOXB region detects common variants tagging a rare coding allele : evidence for synthetic association in prostate cancer

The HOXB13 gene has been implicated in prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility. We performed a high resolution fine-mapping analysis to comprehensively evaluate the association between common genetic variation across the HOXB genetic locus at 17q21 and PrCa risk. This involved genotyping 700 SNPs using a custom Illumina iSelect array (iCOGS) followed by imputation of 3195 SNPs in 20,440 PrCa cases and 21,469 controls in The PRACTICAL consortium. We identified a cluster of highly correlated common variants situated within or closely upstream of HOXB13 that were significantly associated with PrCa risk, described by rs117576373 (OR 1.30, P = 2.62×10(-14)). Additional genotyping, conditional regression and haplotype analyses indicated that the newly identified common variants tag a rare, partially correlated coding variant in the HOXB13 gene (G84E, rs138213197), which has been identified recently as a moderate penetrance PrCa susceptibility allele. The potential for GWAS associations detected through common SNPs to be driven by rare causal variants with higher relative risks has long been proposed; however, to our knowledge this is the first experimental evidence for this phenomenon of synthetic association contributing to cancer susceptibility.

Sustainability Non-Price Incentives and Rewards: A Collaborative Procurement Perspective

Construction scholars suggest that procurement processes can be used as mechanisms to change construction industry practices. This paper discusses industry changes as a response to the calls for integration of sustainability ideals into construction practices. Because major infrastructure construction has been identified as a key producer of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), this study explores collaborative procurement models that have been used to facilitate mitigation of GHGE. The study focuses on the application of non-price incentives and rewards that work together as a binary mechanism. Data were collected using mixed-methods: government document content analysis was complemented with data collected through focus groups and individual interviews with both clients and contractors. This report includes examples of greening procurement agendas for three Australian road authorities relating to collaborative procurement project delivery models. Three collaborative procurement models, Alliance Consortium, Early Contractor Involvement and Public Private Partnerships provide evidence of construction projects that were completed early. It can also be argued that both clients and contractors are rewarded through collaborative project delivery. The incentive of early completion is rewarded with reduction of GHGE. This positive environmental outcome, based on a dual benefit and non-price sustainability criteria, suggests a step towards changed industry practices though the use of green procurement models.

Epigenetic modelling

The field of epigenetics looks at changes in the chromosomal structure that affect gene expression without altering DNA sequence. A large-scale modelling project to better understand these mechanisms is gaining momentum. Early advances in genetics led to the all-genetic paradigm: phenotype (an organism's characteristics/behaviour) is determined by genotype (its genetic make-up). This was later amended and expressed by the well-known formula P = G + E, encompassing the notion that the visible characteristics of a living organism (the phenotype, P) is a combination of hereditary genetic factors (the genotype, G) and environmental factors (E). However, this method fails to explain why in diseases such as schizophrenia we still observe differences between identical twins. Furthermore, the identification of environmental factors (such as smoking and air quality for lung cancer) is relatively rare. The formula also fails to explain cell differentiation from a single fertilized cell. In the wake of early work by Waddington, more recent results have emphasized that the expression of the genotype can be altered without any change in the DNA sequence. This phenomenon has been tagged as epigenetics. To form the chromosome, DNA strands roll over nucleosomes, which are a cluster of nine proteins (histones), as detailed in Figure 1. Epigenetic mechanisms involve inherited alterations in these two structures, eg through attachment of a functional group to the amino acids (methyl, acetyl and phosphate). These 'stable alterations' arise during development and cell proliferation and persist through cell division. While information within the genetic material is not changed, instructions for its assembly and interpretation may be. Modelling this new paradigm, P = G + E + EpiG, is the object of our study.

Past, present and the evolving future of public health and health promotion: Reflections on dismantling in Queensland Australia

Objective For more than ten years the public health and health promotion workforce in the Australian state of Queensland grew dramatically. This growth was most pronounced in the disciplines of Health Promotion and in Public Health Nutrition, both regionally and corporately. In 2012 political change led to an abrupt dismantling of its public and preventive health services across the state. Individual responsibility was declared. Method This presentation provides a qualitative narrative description of past achievements and activities, the current situation and provides a perspective towards the future. Findings Government reports over several years described the growing burden of chronic disease arising from conditions such as obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition in Queensland. By 2008, obesity had overtaken smoking as the single greatest risk factor to the health of Queenslanders. In 2010, the Chief Health Officer called for an increased focus on prevention to address the continuing need for more beds in hospitals. However, with political change in 2012 resulted in the dismantling and dismissal of preventive health services across the state. The following year, despite outcry, sexual health services were also axed. At present, outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases such as measles are occurring. The epidemics of chronic disease, obesity and physical inactivity continue to grow. Conclusion The evolution of public health is not necessarily progressive, but cyclic. Challenges include political change, health practice and the interplay of health policy. A lack of an embedded emphasis on systematic review translation is one potential contributor. Perhaps the warning of Lang & Rayner should be heeded: “public health proponents have allowed themselves to be corralled into the narrow language of individualism and choice”.

Refining prognosis and identifying targetable pathways for high-risk endometrial cancer; a TransPORTEC initiative

This study aimed to investigate whether molecular analysis can be used to refine risk assessment, direct adjuvant therapy, and identify actionable alterations in high-risk endometrial cancer. TransPORTEC, an international consortium related to the PORTEC3 trial, was established for translational research in high-risk endometrial cancer. In this explorative study, routine molecular analyses were used to detect prognostic subgroups: p53 immunohistochemistry, microsatellite instability and POLE proofreading mutation. Furthermore, DNA was analyzed for hotspot mutations in 13 additional genes (BRAF, CDKNA2, CTNNB1, FBXW7, FGFR2, FGFR3, FOXL2, HRAS, KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA, PPP2R1A, and PTEN) and protein expression of ER, PR, PTEN, and ARID1a was analyzed. Rates of distant metastasis, recurrence-free, and overall survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. In total, samples of 116 high-risk endometrial cancer patients were included: 86 endometrioid; 12 serous; and 18 clear cell. For endometrioid, serous, and clear cell cancers, 5-year recurrence-free survival rates were 68%, 27%, and 50% (P=0.014) and distant metastasis rates 23%, 64%, and 50% (P=0.001), respectively. Four prognostic subgroups were identified: (1) a group of p53-mutant tumors; (2) microsatellite instable tumors; (3) POLE proofreading-mutant tumors; and (4) a group with no specific molecular profile (NSMP). In group 3 (POLE-mutant; n=14) and group 2 (microsatellite instable; n=19) patients, no distant metastasis occurred, compared with 50% distant metastasis rate in group 1 (p53-mutant; n=36) and 39% in group 4 (NSMP; P<0.001). Five-year recurrence-free survival was 93% and 95% for group 3 (POLE-mutant) and group 2 (microsatellite instable) vs 42% (group 1, p53-mutant) and 52% (group 4, NSMP; P<0.001). Targetable FBXW7 and FGFR2 mutations (6%), alterations in the PI3K-AKT pathway (60%) and hormone receptor positivity (45%) were frequently found. In conclusion, molecular analysis of high-risk endometrial cancer identifies four distinct prognostic subgroups, with potential therapeutic implications. High frequencies of targetable alterations were identified and may serve as targets for individualized treatment

SECA: SNP effect concordance analysis using genome-wide association summary results

The genomics era provides opportunities to assess the genetic overlap across phenotypes at the measured genotype level; however, current approaches require individual-level genome-wide association (GWA) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotype data in one or both of a pair of GWA samples. To facilitate the discovery of pleiotropic effects and examine genetic overlap across two phenotypes, I have developed a user-friendly web-based application called SECA to perform SNP effect concordance analysis using GWA summary results. The method is validated using publicly available summary data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.

The security and privacy of usage policies and provenance logs in an Information Accountability Framework

The potential benefits of shared eHealth records systems are promising for the future of improved healthcare. However, the uptake of such systems is hindered by concerns over the security and privacy of patient information. The use of Information Accountability and so called Accountable-eHealth (AeH) systems has been proposed to balance the privacy concerns of patients with the information needs of healthcare professionals. However, a number of challenges remain before AeH systems can become a reality. Among these is the need to protect the information stored in the usage policies and provenance logs used by AeH systems to define appropriate use of information and hold users accountable for their actions. In this paper, we discuss the privacy and security issues surrounding these accountability mechanisms, define valid access to the information they contain, discuss solutions to protect them, and verify and model an implementation of the access requirements as part of an Information Accountability Framework.

Bivariate genome-wide association study of genetically correlated neuroimaging phenotypes from DTI and MRI through a seemingly unrelated regression model

Large multisite efforts (e.g., the ENIGMA Consortium), have shown that neuroimaging traits including tract integrity (from DTI fractional anisotropy, FA) and subcortical volumes (from T1-weighted scans) are highly heritable and promising phenotypes for discovering genetic variants associated with brain structure. However, genetic correlations (rg) among measures from these different modalities for mapping the human genome to the brain remain unknown. Discovering these correlations can help map genetic and neuroanatomical pathways implicated in development and inherited risk for disease. We use structural equation models and a twin design to find rg between pairs of phenotypes extracted from DTI and MRI scans. When controlling for intracranial volume, the caudate as well as related measures from the limbic system - hippocampal volume - showed high rg with the cingulum FA. Using an unrelated sample and a Seemingly Unrelated Regression model for bivariate analysis of this connection, we show that a multivariate GWAS approach may be more promising for genetic discovery than a univariate approach applied to each trait separately.

Multi-site genetic analysis of diffusion images and voxelwise heritability analysis: A pilot project of the ENIGMA-DTI working group

The ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis) Consortium was set up to analyze brain measures and genotypes from multiple sites across the world to improve the power to detect genetic variants that influence the brain. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) yields quantitative measures sensitive to brain development and degeneration, and some common genetic variants may be associated with white matter integrity or connectivity. DTI measures, such as the fractional anisotropy (FA) of water diffusion, may be useful for identifying genetic variants that influence brain microstructure. However, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) require large populations to obtain sufficient power to detect and replicate significant effects, motivating a multi-site consortium effort. As part of an ENIGMA-DTI working group, we analyzed high-resolution FA images from multiple imaging sites across North America, Australia, and Europe, to address the challenge of harmonizing imaging data collected at multiple sites. Four hundred images of healthy adults aged 18-85 from four sites were used to create a template and corresponding skeletonized FA image as a common reference space. Using twin and pedigree samples of different ethnicities, we used our common template to evaluate the heritability of tract-derived FA measures. We show that our template is reliable for integrating multiple datasets by combining results through meta-analysis and unifying the data through exploratory mega-analyses. Our results may help prioritize regions of the FA map that are consistently influenced by additive genetic factors for future genetic discovery studies. Protocols and templates are publicly available at (http://enigma.loni.ucla.edu/ongoing/dti-working-group/).