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New Report Identifies Three Critical Areas of Research to Fill Gaps in Scientific Knowledge of the Gulf Coasts Interconnected Natural and Human System

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Karnataka to be positioned as a knowledge capital for GCCs: Priyank Kharge

Priyank Kharge in his keynote at ET GCC Annual Conclave 2024 reiterates the purpose to establish Karnataka as a knowledge and skill capital topped with innovation and GCC policy for investments to follow.




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Recent challenges provide opportunity for bakery delivery fleets to expand knowledge

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MBRF announces 8th edition of Knowledge Summit to be held on 21 November 2023




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Brunswick Bowling Launches Application to Highlight Bowlers Around the World

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Dr. Nilima Kumar Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Excellence in Dentistry

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Richard A. Jeanne Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Outstanding Career Success as a Geologist

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Lifelong Labs' Greg Lindberg Shares Secrets to Youthful, Flawless Skin Without Treatment or Botox

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Hudson Aesthetics is unveiling a new aspect of skin resurfacing technology for flawless complexions

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Flawless Nails Opens in Georgetown Texas

New Nail Salon is the latest addition to Hill Country Salon Suites




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Knowledge Summit 2023 highlights crucial role of knowledge in shaping 5th Industrial Revolution and future economic model




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Marquis Who's Who Honors Alisha L. Crowley, CPA, for Excellence in the Accounting Industry

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CoxSpace revealed 'Snowle & Ring', a human interface equipment, at the Pangyo Monthly Online Meet Up

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Marquis Who's Who Honors Wade Brawley for Expertise in Management Consulting

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1st Bodoland International Knowledge Festival 2023 from 27th February 2023

North East India's First Knowledge Festival




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Deborah Erene Crowley Honored for Expertise in Health and Wellness

From Facial Exercise to Facialbuilding®




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Gary David Cudak Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Advancements in the Technology Industry

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E. Dorinda Shelley, MD, Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Dedication to the Advancement of Dermatology

E. Dorinda Shelley is an accomplished physician, educator, scholar and children's book author




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Shorr Packaging Appoints Michael Crowley as Chief Information Officer

Role Effective Immediately




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MBRF and UNDP reveal agenda of 9th Knowledge Summit 2024

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Renowned Chef Eric Crowley Announces the Closure of Chef Eric's Culinary Classroom After 22 Memorable Years

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Brice Lenain Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Broad Expertise in AI

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Celia Ann Milano Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Contributions to Software Design and Genealogy Research

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Knowledge Summit's 8th edition kicks off in Dubai




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Marquis Who's Who Honors Mathew E. Knowles, PhD, for Expertise in Arts and Entertainment

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Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation launches 'Future Skills Academy' as part of the Knowledge Project




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MBRF and UNDP to host 9th edition of Knowledge Summit on 18-19 November 2024




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DISCOVER ROME WITH THE PILGRIMAGE CREDENTIAL: LIVE THE "QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL" WITH KNOWLEDGE AND SPIRITUALITY!

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Melissa M. Verpile, Esq., Acknowledged by Marquis Who's Who for Excellence in Legal Counsel

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Knowledge management experts provide KM predictions for 2023

Several KM leaders offer predictions for the space in 2023




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Knowledge and training: Peanut butter and jelly for the customer contact center toast

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It?s not about knowledge, it?s about action

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Hoarding information is stunting growth: Six ways to create a culture of knowledge champions

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Lucy and Capacity merge to provide unmatched knowledge management and automation solutions

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Semantic Web Company and Ontotext merge to rebrand as knowledge graph and AI powerhouse Graphwise

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Technology to connect people and knowledge

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2024 Readers' Choice Award - BEST INFORMATION GOVERNANCE - KnowledgeLake - Automating the capture, processing, and management of content

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2024 Readers' Choice Award - BEST KNOWLEDGE GRAPHS - AllegroGraph: Neuro-Symbolic AI Capabilities for the Enterprise

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eGain AI Agent centers transparency, trust, and knowledge system integration

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Popular Online Business Courses to Broaden Your Knowledge

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3M misconduct regarding knowledge of “forever chemicals”: As is so often the case, the problem was in open sight for a long time before anything was done

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International research challenge to tackle knowledge gaps in women’s cardiovascular health

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A9: Sharing and Exploring Team Knowledge with Wikis

In December 2005 the Web Development team at the University of Bath set up a departmental wiki where they could keep track of information. In this workshop Philip Wilson, University of Bath will explain the reasons for using a wiki, not just for education but for codifying knowledge and working practices in departments and how they can best be utilised so that it is used by everyone in the department, and how to stop it becoming an unmaintained silo of archaic data.




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The Future of Knowledge Management in Law Firms - The Answer is Out There

Scott Rechtschaffen authored this article on the future of knowledge management in law firms.

CIO Review

View Article 




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Littler’s Chief Knowledge Officer and Cornell Law Students Discuss How Hands-on Tech Training Enhances the Practice of Law

In this podcast, Littler’s Chief Knowledge Officer, Scott Rechtschaffen, talks with his Cornell Law School students about the potential for lawyers to use software to develop practical tools for the delivery of legal services. During their semester, the students experienced how to take their growing knowledge of the law, identify a problem, coordinate with subject matter and technical experts, and create a legal app designed to assist users, who might be either clients or fellow attorneys.




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Irrigation schemes in Ethiopia’s Awash River Basin: An examination of physical, knowledge, and governance infrastructures

Using a representative sample of irrigation schemes, the study documents the physical, knowledge, and governance infrastructures of irrigation schemes in Ethiopia’s most intensively used river basin, the Awash. The findings show that about 20 percent of the equipped area of irrigation schemes in the basin is not being irrigated, while the number of actual beneficiaries […] Source: IFPRI Ethiopia: Ethiopia Strategy Support Program





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How to create an intelligent industrial camera without prior knowledge

Where rule-based machine vision has not been attempted or has reached its limits, there is a high potential for deep learning algorithms to support employees and drive forward automation.




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The Hidden Goldmine: Reducing Costs and Raising Yield by Streamlining Knowledge Work

Are you throwing away a significant portion of your budget without realizing it? How often do engineers, scientists, and analysts regenerate knowledge work—solving problems or similar problems that have already been solved?




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Canadian Blood Services discovery research lab contributes to new knowledge on neutrophils

Canadian Blood Services discovery research lab contributes to new knowledge on neutrophils


Thursday, August 29, 2024 Abby Wolfe

Dr. Donald R. Branch’s work as a discovery scientist at Canadian Blood Services focuses on immunotherapy, seeking to further enhance understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in autoimmune diseases. Based in Toronto, Dr. Branch’s laboratory develops models of rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and multiple sclerosis in mice. These models are particularly useful in examining how cells affected by these conditions respond to current therapeutic agents like intravenous immunoglobulin – a blood product made from human plasma commonly known as IVIg – and investigating potential alternative therapeutics.  

Over the years, Dr. Branch’s lab research findings have included the discovery of a special reagent that makes identification of antibodies easier by “zapping" autoantibodies,answers around unexpected side effects of IVIg therapy, and insights around recipients’ responses to bone marrow transplantation. It has also earned him numerous awards and accolades, including four from AABB, the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies.

Dr. Don Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist

New knowledge about neutrophils

Recently, contributions from Dr. Branch’s lab helped a U.K.-based team of researchers discover new information about how neutrophil function and activity is regulated. Neutrophils are a type of white blood cell that are part of the body’s normal immune response. A person’s neutrophil levels may be affected by infections as well as chronic or acute illnesses. Patients who have very low neutrophil counts and/or persistent infections may receive a boost to their neutrophil levels via granulocyte transfusion therapy. However, in some diseases, overactivation of neutrophils can also create an inflammatory environment and harm healthy tissue.

The research has been published in the high-impact scientific journal, Nature. This publication has filled a gap in knowledge about the mechanisms involved in maintaining balance between neutrophils’ infection-fighting power and inflammation-causing potential. As Dr. Branch describes: “This research by Dr. Brown and team shows that the myeloid inhibitory C-type lectin enzyme, which is known as MICL, controls neutrophil activity in rheumatoid arthritis. It is likely that MICL also regulates neutrophil activity in general. This suggests that if therapeutics can be designed to target MICL, they may be useful in controlling inflammation and infection. It is a fundamental finding that will change our understanding of the biology of neutrophils.”  

Discovery research, like the study to which Don and Ruqayyah contributed, is essential to improving patient care in the long run. New biomedical insights are essential to crafting new drugs and new therapeutic approaches in a rational way.

Dr. William (Bill) Sheffield, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist and associate director of research

Discovery research expertise leads to new collaboration  

The special mouse model that Dr. Branch’s lab uses is known as K/BxN. In this model, two mouse populations are selectively bred to produce offspring whose genetic material carry an antibody that destroys bone cartilage. An arthritis-causing serum containing this destructive antibody can then be obtained from the mice for use as a reagent in research. This process is termed “serum-transfer arthritis” and has been used by many investigators in the study of treatments that may alleviate the condition. 

Knowledge of Dr. Branch’s lab’s expertise in this area prompted a connection to the team of researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Aberdeen in the U.K. for this study. Says Dr. Branch, “In 2021, I supported a successful application to Canadian Blood Services’ Blood Efficiency Accelerator Program (BEAP) by Dr. Maria Fernandes, a researcher from  Héma-Québec who works with neutrophils. Through this collaboration, Dr. Fernandes was aware that I work on rheumatoid arthritis with K/BxN mice, and she also knew that Dr. Gordon Brown in the U.K. was looking to collaborate with a researcher in this area for some planned neutrophil research. My lab, which included postdoctoral fellow Dr. Ruqayyah Almizraq at the time, contributed to Dr. Brown’s research by providing the sera from our K/BxN mice. With this sera, Dr. Brown and his collaborators were able to induce rheumatoid arthritis and show that it could be resolved by removing the inhibition of a specific enzyme.”  

Science that is never boring

The Branch lab is currently using these same mouse models to investigate whether a recombinant protein called IgG1 Fc hexamer could be an effective replacement for IVIg in the treatment of autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and ITP. While early results are promising, continued work is needed. In fact, back in 2018, Dr. Branch was asked in a previous R.E.D. blog post to describe what he found to be the most exciting part of science. Reflecting on the same question now, he reiterates that his response still rings true after 50 years in the field:   

The most exciting part of science is that when you do good science, you get more questions than you get answers, which means it is never boring. There is no end to imagination; new ideas, theories, experiments and discoveries occur often and provide a level of excitement to which many other professions cannot attest.

Dr. Donald (Don) Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist


Canadian Blood Services – Driving world-class innovation 

Through discovery, development and applied research, Canadian Blood Services drives world-class innovation in blood transfusion, cellular therapy and transplantation—bringing clarity and insight to an increasingly complex healthcare future. Our dedicated research team and extended network of partners engage in exploratory and applied research to create new knowledge, inform and enhance best practices, contribute to the development of new services and technologies, and build capacity through training and collaboration. Find out more about our research impact.   

The opinions reflected in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Canadian Blood Services nor do they reflect the views of Health Canada or any other funding agency. 

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Dr. Donald Branch, Canadian Blood Services senior scientist, has received the Dale A. Smith Memorial Award for his discovery of the ZZAP reagent. This award, from the Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB), recognizes the application of technology to the practice of transfusion medicine or biotherapies.


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