The Silhouette - March 6, 2014

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The

Silhouette McMASTER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Thursday, March 6, 2014 VOL. 84 NO. 24

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RESEARCH

New view on poo McMaster research team flushes old theory on fecal nutrient absorbtion

Military service can take its toll on those closest to us PAGE A7

Krista Schwab The Silhouette A team of McMaster researchers has solved a few of the many mysteries surrounding poop. McMaster University gastroenterology scientist Jan Huizinga and his team made a discovery that has uncovered some of the mysteries behind movement in the intestines and nutrient absorption. For many years now, scientists have been aware of how food moves through the digestive tract. Pacemaker cells in the intestine create a beat, much like a heartbeat, that moves food forward. But your food does not make a direct trip through the intestine – it stops and mixes together so that essential nutrients can be absorbed into our bodies. In order to stop and mix food together to absorb nutrients, the beat of the pacemaker cells has to be interrupted. Before Huizinga’s discovery, scientists believed that the nervous system of the digestive tract was able to interrupt the beat of the pacemaker cells so that food can stop and nutrients can be absorbed. “The intestine has its own nervous system, just like in the brain,” Huizinga said. “Everyone, including myself, always assumed that the nervous system created the motor pattern [for absorption],” said Huizinga. One day, during an experiment, Huizinga and his colleagues discovered that when they blocked the activity of the nervous system, nutrients were still absorbed. “We had to change completely every protocol, every idea, every hypothesis,” Huizinga said. “If it is not the nervous system, what is it?” Two years since this experiment, Huizinga and his team have discovered it is the nutrients themselves and natural intestinal bacteria that interrupt the beat of the pacemaker and allow for absorption. When we eat certain nutrients, they induce a second pacemaker that sends an electrical signal, interrupting the first pacemaker. When the first pacemaker is interrupted, movement stops and nutrients can be absorbed. “Now we know the motor patterns involved, we can diagnose patients better by actually measuring the intestinal movements and seeing if the right movements are there,” explained Huizinga. This can be extremely helpful for patients who have problems with digestion, including chronic diarrhea, constipation or irritable bowel syndrome. This discovery has also opened the door for future research that looks at which nutrients are best for digestion, or what drugs can be developed to supplement these nutrients. The study was completed in partnership with Wuhan University in China and with assistance from colleagues from the University of Toronto. Funding was provided by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Additional support was given by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, Hamilton Health Sciences, and the Ontario Government. The paper was published in Nature Communications on February 24, 2014.

WELCOME TO

The Marauders drop the CIS semi-final vs Western PAGE B7

PANGAEA McMaster students brought their corners of the globe to MUSC last weekend, tantalizing attendees’ taste buds. Check out a full gallery inside and online. B6

JEMMA WOLFE / EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Mariana’s Trench former lead guitarist kicks off solo tour in Hamilton PAGE C8

SONGBOOK

Engineering students oppose sanctions More than 1,000 have signed a petition that argues McMaster University’s disciplinary action in response to the alleged Redsuit songbook unfairly punishes engineering students. Anqi Shen Online Editor A Change.org petition has been launched requesting that McMaster administration “withdraw discriminatory policies” against McMaster engineering students. The petition is a response to the University’s disciplinary actions against engineering student groups due to a violent, misogynistic songbook allegedly connected to members of the Redsuits. “Currently, more than 4,000 McMaster Engineering students have been found guilty and incapable of operating in a professional manner; none of these students will be treated equally until an investigation is complete,” the petition reads. In January, the University publicly denounced the songbook and barred the Redsuits from organizing campus events for the remainder of the year. Redsuits from the past two years are currently ineligible to help organize Welcome Week 2014. The student-led petition, launched on Sunday March 2, argues that the University has taken severe measures that are unfair to most McMaster engineering students. As of March 5, the petition had garnered more than 1,000 signatures. An external investigation is underway regarding the involvement of students in the songbook, which contains references to rape, mutilation, sex with minors and other graphic material. In response to possible unsanctioned alcoholic events that have come up during

the investigation, the University has banned alcohol at events hosted by engineering student groups, including the annual Kipling formal for graduating students. The event is held off-campus every year following an iron ring ceremony. “This event has had significant oversight from the Faculty of Engineering in the past, and deeming it ‘unsafe’ to serve alcohol at a rather expensive, licensed banquet hall is unprecedented,” the petition states. Simon Almeida, a graduating student in chemical engineering, started the petition with input from other engineering students and representatives from the McMaster Engineering Society, though the MES has not officially endorsed the petition. “It’s dangerous precedent if we say that, regardless of any evidence, the University can just single out a single faculty of 4,000 students and completely ban students from doing what’s in their civil liberties to do,” Almeida said. “I know that there’s definitely been a shift in how other students view us and how the public views us. Even on the petition we have alumni stating that it devalues their degree to have the university step this far and associate all engineering students with the actions of four students. It really puts a black mark on a program that I’m really proud to be a part of,” he said. “Although the MES never officially supported [Almeida’s] decision to create the petition, we wholly support our students’ rights to voice their opinions and stand by their beliefs,” said Ben Kinsella,

vice-president (academic) of the MES. In response to the petition, McMaster provost David Wilkinson said the University’s ban on alcohol for engineering student events is a necessary measure that will continue to be in place. “The unsanctioned events that we’re investigating do have a connection with alcohol, so this seemed like an appropriate thing to control during the period that the investigation continues. We’re clearly wanting to move forward and clear the air as quickly as we possibly can but we also want to make sure we do the job thoroughly,” Wilkinson said. “I guess I’m somewhat surprised at the importance the students place on the ability to consume alcohol at what is a great celebratory event like the Kipling formal,” he said. “I know from my own experience that engineering students have tremendous spirit and joie de vivre, and I wouldn’t think that the inability to drink at an event like that would diminish the ability of the students to have a great time.” The petition also criticizes the University’s “decision to forego serious relations with engineering student leaders,” which Wilkinson said was an unfair comment. “The dean of students has been meeting on a regular basis with leaders in the MES, so we are involving student leaders in the whole process and that will continue to be the case. The student leadership may wish for a broader consultative process but we’re somewhat restricted in what we

Engineering students during Welcome Week.

can do there,” he said. “We’re continuing to do our work and we’re doing it as quickly as we can. The petition isn’t going to have an impact on that,” Wilkinson said. “What the petition does is it brings to the fore some of the concerns brought to us by members of the student body some of the MES leaders. I will say, however, that we’ve also gotten feedback from students who are very supportive of the approach the University is taking to address certain cultural concerns. In fact, the MES itself has outlined in a number of documents over the past few years its own concerns about certain aspects of culture within the student body.” There is no exact date by which the external investigation is expected to be finished, though Wilkinson said he hopes a conclusion will be reached “within the next couple of months.” @anqi_shen


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