Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the theology of resilience

This article is a reflection on the theology of resilience using the book of Psalms, reading specifically from Psalm 137. The Psalmist seems to be addressing a few challenges, with which the Israelites were struggling at that time. First, there is the issue of anomie, where everything was crumbling around them, and disorder was the order of the day. Secondly, the Israelites were bothered by the historical memory of their past – as they remembered Jerusalem. Thirdly, the Israelites wondered how they could sing a song of the Lord in a strange place that was seemingly hostile and ungodly. Thus, the article uses these three challenges to reflect on the current situation within the South African context, by using the Psalter. To further engage this psalm, form-critical method, derived from a German word Formgeschichte which means “form-history” is used as a methodology. The article concludes with some challenges taken from the Psalter for the South African populace.
Acidic Ferric Sulphate Leaching of Pyrrhotite Tailings at 55-80 째C and at Constant Redox Potential

The kinetics of nickel leaching and elemental sulphur formation from pyrrhotite tailings leached with ferric sulphate at 55-80 °C was investigated at constant oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). The tailings samples originated from Glencore’s Strathcona Mill in Sudbury, ON, Canada. Potassium permanganate was used to maintain a constant ORP. The shrinking core model (SCM) was used in conjunction with the particle size distribution (PSD) to determine the controlling reaction mechanism and quantify the leaching kinetics. In contrast to previous studies, accounting for the PSD helped identify that the rate-limiting step of the process was the rate of chemical reaction on the particle surface. A reaction order of 0.43 ± 0.08 with respect to ferric ion, and -0.18 ± 0.02 with respect to ferrous ion was found, along with an activation energy of 32.7 ± 0.2 kJ/mol. Additionally, elemental sulphur yield increased with increasing
Climate Feedback Variance and the Interaction of Aerosol Forcing and Feedbacks

AbstractAerosols can influence cloud radiative effects and, thus, may alter interpretation of how Earth’s radiative budget responds to climate forcing. Three different ensemble experiments from the same climate model with different greenhouse gas and aerosol scenarios are used to analyze the role of aerosols in climate feedbacks and their spread across initial condition ensembles of transient climate simulations. The standard deviation of global feedback parameters across ensemble members is low, typically 0.02 W m−2 K−1. Feedbacks from high (8.5 W m−2) and moderate (4.5 W m−2) year 2100 forcing cases are nearly identical. An aerosol kernel is introduced to remove effects of aerosol cloud interactions that alias into cloud feedbacks. Adjusted cloud feedbacks indicate an “aerosol feedback” resulting from changes to climate that increase sea-salt emissions, mostly in the Southern Ocean. Ensemble simulations also indicate higher tropical cloud feedbacks with higher aerosol loading. These effects contribute t.
Protein biomarkers and alternatively methylated cell-free DNA detect early stage pancreatic cancer

Objective Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is commonly diagnosed at an advanced stage. Liquid biopsy approaches may facilitate detection of early stage PDAC when curative treatments can be employed. Design To assess circulating marker discrimination in training, testing and validation patient cohorts (total n=426 patients), plasma markers were measured among PDAC cases and patients with chronic pancreatitis, colorectal cancer (CRC), and healthy controls. Using CA19-9 as an anchor marker, measurements were made of two protein markers (TIMP1, LRG1) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) pancreas-specific methylation at 9 loci encompassing 61 CpG sites. Results Comparative methylome analysis identified nine loci that were differentially methylated in exocrine pancreas DNA. In the training set (n=124 patients), cfDNA methylation markers distinguished PDAC from healthy and CRC controls. In the testing set of 86 early stage PDAC and 86 matched healthy controls, CA19-9 had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.88 (95% CI 0.83 to 0.94), which was increased by adding TIMP1 (AUC 0.92; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.96; p=0.06), LRG1 (AUC 0.92; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.96; p=0.02) or exocrine pancreas-specific cfDNA methylation markers at nine loci (AUC 0.92; 95% CI 0.88 to 0.96; p=0.02). In the validation set of 40 early stage PDAC and 40 matched healthy controls, a combined panel including CA19-9, TIMP1 and a 9-loci cfDNA methylation panel had greater discrimination (AUC 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.95) than CA19-9 alone (AUC 0.82; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.92). Conclusion A combined panel of circulating markers including proteins and methylated cfDNA increased discrimination compared with CA19-9 alone for early stage PDAC.
Awareness of Oral Cancer Among Users of Smokeless Tobacco: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) stands out for its higher nicotine absorption and its role in preventable fatalities. The Global Adult Tobacco survey in Saudi Arabia revealed SLT usage, while past legislation restricted its use. Linking SLT consumption to oral cancer and oral mucosal ulcers, the study addresses its prevalence in head and neck malignancies. Methodology: This study is cross-sectional and includes adult users of SLT. Raosoft (Raosoft Inc., Seattle, WA) was used to calculate the sample size. The data was analyzed using SPSS software (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Results: The research study investigated various sociodemographic characteristics and prevalence of SLT use among participants. All participants reported using SLT, with toombak (33.2%) and shamma (36.0%) being the most prevalent. Notably, reasons for initiating SLT included influence from peer pressure (33.6%), alternatives to smoking (32.0%), and influence from relatives (19.0%). While 75.1% intended to quit within a year, awareness of SLT’s harmfulness varied: 40.3% believed it was less harmful than smoking, and 57.7% recognized its link to oral cancer. Additionally, 62.2% believed SLT could lead to dependence. Sociodemographic factors generally did not significantly affect awareness of SLT causing oral cancer. Conclusion: The findings indicate a significant prevalence of SLT use, with toombak and shamma being the most common types consumed. Awareness of the potential harm of SLT use in relation to oral cancer varied among participants, with a notable proportion misunderstanding its harmfulness compared to smoking tobacco.
The Role of Muscle Biomarkers in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the predominant orthopedic disorder in children, affecting 1–3% of the global population. Research in this field has tried to delineate the genetic factors behind scoliosis and its association with heredity since AIS is considered a polygenic disease and has different genetic and epigenetic factors. The current study conducted a narrative review of the literature, focusing on biomarkers in the pathophysiology of muscle in AIS patients. Articles were collected from Scopus, Pubmed, and Web of Science. The key screening parameters were scoliosis classification, sampling, and the biomarkers evaluated. This review emphasizes potential key mechanisms and molecular regulators in muscle tissue. While there has been limited focus on the proteins contributing to muscle changes in AIS, significant attention has been given to genomic studies of single-nucleotide polymorphisms, particularly in LBX1. Despite these efforts, the exact causes of AIS remain elusive, with several theories suggesting genetic and hormonal factors. This review identified critical protein biomarkers such as Gi-protein alpha subunits, fibrillin-1 and -2, and various differentially expressed proteins, which may be linked to muscle alterations in AIS. This field of research is still limited due to a lack of homogeneity in the distinction of patients by groups and curve severity. Although the pathophysiology of AIS is still unclear, molecular research is important to guide the treatment of AIS before achieving skeletal maturity, thus avoiding serious problems associated with posture changes and low quality of life. In the future, a more comprehensive synergy between orthopedic and molecular research might ameliorate the diagnosis and treatment of AIS patients.
SWEET CHERRY BREEDING PROGRAMS IN EUROPE AND ASIA

The strength of the sweet cherry industry throughout Europe and Asia is due to the breeding efforts of France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Denmark, the UK, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia and Ukraine, Turkey, Japan, and China. The last decade has seen the release of more than 140 novel cultivars that have provided the major thrust in extending the crop’s seasonal calendar and improving fruit quality traits such as size, flavour, flesh firmness and colour. Fruit crack resistance has been enhanced and there are now a dozen cultivars with only 5-10% of fruit affected by cracking due to rain-damages. Molecular studies have brought new light to bear upon the genetic control mechanisms of key tree and fruit traits and this should enhance future breeding efforts. The introduction of new self-fertile cultivars with mutated S-locus alleles, has been a key factor in upgrading crop yields, especially in Italy. Notable releases include very early-season ‘Primulat’ and ‘Early Bigi’ (France); the self-fertile ‘Sweet Early’ and ‘Grace Star’ (Italy); the mid-season ripeners ‘Giorgia’ (Italy) and ‘Vera’ (Hungary); the mid-to-late ‘Kordia’, ‘Vanda’, ‘Techlovan’ (Czech Republic) and ‘Black Star’ (Italy); and the late ripeners ‘Regina’ (Denmark) and ‘Alex’ (Hungary). INTRODUCTION The sweet cherry industry has been stable over the past few years. Europe is the leading producer with annual production of 886 thousand tonnes (t) and Asia is second with 635 thousand t, together accounting for over 80% of world production. The leading countries are Turkey (240 thousand t) Iran at (2220 thousand t), followed by Germany, Italy, Spain and Russian Fed. (Table 1). There is strong demand by a solid consumer base and there have been notable advances in production, management, handling, storage and marketing. However, the key factor underlying the industry’s health has been the change in the assortment of available cultivars, which has upgraded fruit type and quality to meet demand throughout the pipeline from field to table. Within the stone fruits, the breeding of new cherry cultivars is only second to peach, with no fewer than 230 newly cultivars released from 1991-2004: 116 in Europe, 71 in North America and 33 in Asia (Fig. 1). Breeding methods include crossing selection methodology (62% of new cultivars), clonal selection from populations of existing cultivars (16%); selection from open pollination (17%) and induced mutations in clonal genotypes (4%). In order to obtain a snapshot of the cultivar situation today and to predict the future course of the cherry industry we have surveyed efforts at the main breeding stations in Europe and Asia. SURVEY OF BREEDING PROGRAMMES AND OBJECTIVES Our survey was conducted via a questionnaire sent to 27 leading public and private cherry breeding stations in Europe and Asia with 20 responses received (Fig. 2). The questionnaire was divided into three sections: (1) a general part focusing on programme set-up, start-up (and end) date, names of breeders, and source of funding; (2) a more
The Structural Adaptations That Mediate Disuse-Induced Atrophy of Skeletal Muscle

The maintenance of skeletal muscle mass plays a fundamental role in health and issues associated with quality of life. Mechanical signals are one of the most potent regulators of muscle mass, with a decrease in mechanical loading leading to a decrease in muscle mass. This concept has been supported by a plethora of human- and animal-based studies over the past 100 years and has resulted in the commonly used term of ‘disuse atrophy’. These same studies have also provided a great deal of insight into the structural adaptations that mediate disuse-induced atrophy. For instance, disuse results in radial atrophy of fascicles, and this is driven, at least in part, by radial atrophy of the muscle fibers. However, the ultrastructural adaptations that mediate these changes remain far from defined. Indeed, even the most basic questions, such as whether the radial atrophy of muscle fibers is driven by the radial atrophy of myofibrils and/or myofibril hypoplasia, have yet to be answered. In this review, we thoroughly summarize what is known about the macroscopic, microscopic, and ultrastructural adaptations that mediated disuse-induced atrophy and highlight some of the major gaps in knowledge that need to be filled.
Cholesterol Crystals in Hepatocyte Lipid Droplets Are Strongly Associated With Human Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

It is unclear what drives the development of fibrosing nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We aimed to determine whether cholesterol crystallization within hepatocyte lipid droplets (LDs) distinguishes patients with fibrosing NASH from patients with isolated hepatic steatosis and to study pathways leading to cholesterol accumulation in hepatocyte LDs. Patients with fibrosing NASH (n = 16) were compared to patients with isolated steatosis (n = 14). Almost all patients with fibrosing NASH had free cholesterol staining by filipin (16/16) and cholesterol crystals (15/16) in hepatocyte LDs, mostly in association with the LD membrane, compared to only 3/14 with cholesterol crystals and 3/14 with faint filipin staining in patients with isolated steatosis (P < 0.05). We were unable to identify significant differences in the expression of genes in liver tissue related to cholesterol homeostasis or LD proteins between patients with fibrosing NASH and isolated steatosis. Human hepatoma cell line (HepG2) cells were supplemented with low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐cholesterol and oleic acid to develop large LDs, similar to those observed in patients with NASH. Fluorescent markers were used to track the uptake and intracellular trafficking of LDL‐cholesterol. LDL‐cholesterol was taken up by HepG2 cells and transported through the endosomal‐lysosomal compartment directly to LDs, suggesting direct contact sites between late endosomes and LDs. Exposure of HepG2 cells to LDL‐cholesterol resulted in a high concentration of cholesterol and cholesterol crystallization in LDs. Conclusion: Excess cholesterol is stored in the liver primarily within hepatocyte LDs where it can crystallize. Our findings are best explained by direct transport of cholesterol from late endosomes/lysosomes to LDs in hepatocytes. We found a strong association between the presence of LD cholesterol crystals and the development of fibrosing NASH in humans, suggesting a causal relationship.
Bayesian geostatistical and mathematical models to assess the geographical distribution of neglected tropical diseases

Background: Soil-transmitted helminth infections affect tens of millions of individuals in the People’s Republic of China (P.R. China). There is a need for high-resolution estimates of atrisk areas and number of people infected to enhance spatial targeting of control interventions. However, such information is not yet available for P.R. China. Methods: A geo-referenced database compiling surveys pertaining to soil-transmitted helminthiasis, carried out from 2000 onwards in P.R. China, was established. Bayesian geostatistical models relating the observed survey data with potential climatic, environmental and socioeconomic predictors were developed and used to predict at-risk areas at high spatial resolution. Predictors were extracted from remote sensing and other readily accessible opensource databases. Advanced Bayesian variable selection methods were employed to develop a parsimonious model. Results: Our results indicate that the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth infections in P.R. China considerably decreased from 2005 onwards. Yet, some 144 million people were estimated to be infected in 2010. High prevalence (>20%) of the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides infection was predicted for large areas of Guizhou province, the southern part of Hubei and Sichuan provinces, while the northern part and the south-eastern coastal-line areas of P.R. China had low prevalence (<5%). High infection prevalence (>20%) with hookworm was found in Hainan, the eastern part of Sichuan and the southern part of Yunnan provinces. High infection prevalence (>20%) with the whipworm Trichuris trichiura was found in a few small areas of south P.R. China. Very low prevalence (<0.1%) of hookworm and whipworm infections were predicted for the northern parts of P.R. China. Conclusions: We present the first model-based estimates for soil-transmitted helminth infections throughout P.R. China at high spatial resolution. Our prediction maps provide useful information for the spatial targeting of soil-transmitted helminthiasis control interventions and for long-term monitoring and surveillance in the frame of enhanced efforts to control and eliminate the public health burden of these parasitic worm infections.
PosturePose: Optimized Posture Analysis for Semi-Supervised Monocular 3D Human Pose Estimation

One motivation for studying semi-supervised techniques for human pose estimation is to compensate for the lack of variety in curated 3D human pose datasets by combining labeled 3D pose data with readily available unlabeled video data—effectively, leveraging the annotations of the former and the rich variety of the latter to train more robust pose estimators. In this paper, we propose a novel, fully differentiable posture consistency loss that is unaffected by camera orientation and improves monocular human pose estimators trained with limited labeled 3D pose data. Our semi-supervised monocular 3D pose framework combines biomechanical pose regularization with a multi-view posture (and pose) consistency objective function. We show that posture optimization was effective at decreasing pose estimation errors when applied to a 2D–3D lifting network (VPose3D) and two well-studied datasets (H36M and 3DHP). Specifically, the proposed semi-supervised framework with multi-view posture and pose loss lowered the mean per-joint position error (MPJPE) of leading semi-supervised methods by up to 15% (−7.6 mm) when camera parameters of unlabeled poses were provided. Without camera parameters, our semi-supervised framework with posture loss improved semi-supervised state-of-the-art methods by 17% (−15.6 mm decrease in MPJPE). Overall, our pose models compete favorably with other high-performing pose models trained under similar conditions with limited labeled data.
An Assessment of the Tracheobronchial Branching Anomalies in 1000 Adult Patients: A Computed Tomography-based Population Study

Objective: The tracheobronchial tree has several anatomical variants, many of which are asymptomatic and are not identified until adulthood. This study demonstrated tracheobronchial branching anomalies in adult patients using chest computed tomography (CT). Methods: Thorax CT examinations of 1000 adult patients were retrospectively evaluated. Frequencies, localizations, and types of the tracheal diverticulum, tracheal bronchus, accessory cardiac bronchus, upper lobes, and right middle lobe branching anomalies, sub superior and supra superior bronchus, right and left isomerism, and situs inversus and bridging bronchus were evaluated. Results: Tracheobronchial branching anomalies were detected in 102 of 1000 patients (491 females, 509 males). An isolated anomaly was observed in 92 patients, whereas five patients had two separate anomalies. Preeparterial bronchi in 8 patients, left prehyparterial bronchi in 2 patients, right suprasuperior bronchi in 9 patients, right subsuperior bronchi in 33 patients, left subsuperior bronchi in 38 patients, and accessory cardiac bronchi in 7 patients were observed. A single right tracheal bronchus, posteparterial bronchus, right tracheal diverticulum, upwardly displaced middle lobe bronchus, and situs inverse were observed. Of the detected congenital tracheal bronchial anomalies, 11 were displaced and 82 were supernumerary. Conclusion: Radiological assessment of branching anomalies is crucial because of their potential clinical consequences. CT is a successful imaging method in the evaluation of tracheobronchial branching anomalies. Using lobe-based classification will facilitate the detection and classification of these anomalies.
The Influence of Metabolism on Immune Response: A Journey to Understand Immunometabolism in the Context of Viral Infection

In recent years, the emergence of the concept of immunometabolism has shed light on the pivotal role that cellular metabolism plays in both the activation of immune cells and the development of immune programs. The antiviral response, a widely distributed defense mechanism used by infected cells, serves to not only control infections but also to attenuate their deleterious effects. The exploration of the role of metabolism in orchestrating the antiviral response represents a burgeoning area of research, especially considering the escalating incidence of viral outbreaks coupled with the increasing prevalence of metabolic diseases. Here, we present a review of current knowledge regarding immunometabolism and the antiviral response during viral infections. Initially, we delve into the concept of immunometabolism by examining its application in the field of cancer—a domain that has long spearheaded inquiries into this fascinating intersection of disciplines. Subsequently, we explore examples of immune cells whose activation is intricately regulated by metabolic processes. Progressing with a systematic and cellular approach, our aim is to unravel the potential role of metabolism in antiviral defense, placing significant emphasis on the innate and canonical interferon response.
Travel Behavior of Blind Individuals before and after Receiving Orientation and Mobility Training

In this pilot study, the authors devised, tested, and refined a protocol for evaluating the travel behavior of blind individuals. Preliminary analyses of the pilot study data suggest that the new method involving Global Positioning Systems (GPS), accelerometers, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), will enable the collection of objective, quantitative, and valid measures of blind individuals’ travel behavior and Orientation and Mobility (O&M) training’s effectiveness. Preliminary analysis results from a small sample of blind travelers describe the individuals’ trip distances, trip frequencies, trip destinations, trip modes, travel times, whether assisted or not, and perceived ability to get around. With the completion of the full-scale study (proposed for FY 2016-18), the authors may be able to recommend changes to current O&M training to allow more active, confident, and safe travel by blind individuals in their communities. The authors may also discover characteristics of the physical environment that inhibit access by blind pedestrians and are more amenable to mitigation through good transportation planning (e.g., geometric design of intersections) than through O&M training.
Influence of rock types and structures in the development of drainage networks in typical hardrock terrain

In order to understand the role of bedrock lithology and geologic structure in the development of drainage patterns in a typical crystalline area, a study was carried out in the three areas of Dharwar Craton, Karnataka (southwestern India). The three areas are composed mainly of peninsular gneiss, Chitradurga schistose formation and Closepet granite, respectively. The peninsular gneiss has developed dentritic to sub-dentritic patterns, the schistose formation shows trellis to sub-trellis drainage networks and the granites display parallel and rectangular drainage patterns. A quantitative morphometric analysis was carried out for both linear and areal aspects of all three drainage basins for further evaluation and comparison. The detailed analysis suggested that the drainage characteristics are markedly different for the major rock types.