Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development discourse and the Batwa of South West Uganda : representing the 'other' : presenting the 'self'

This thesis focuses on a group of former forest based hunter-gatherers, the Batwa of South West Uganda, whose livelihoods and situations have been dramatically affected through their recent interactions with non-Batwa peoples. Once inhabitants of the rainforests of South West Uganda, the Batwa today live in bonded labour arrangements with their local neighbours and exist as a despised and marginalised group, positioned on the margins of Ugandan society. In the first part of this thesis, Global Powers, I seek to lay out the theoretical foundations for the marginalisation of the Batwa by discussing the more general marginalisation and representation of Indigenous Peoples. In the rest of the thesis, I move on to discuss two specific questions. In the second section, Local Realities, I ask why the Batwa have ended up in their current situation and I investigate the historical and social contexts of the south west of Uganda that have shaped their present predicament. In the third section, Current Interface, I ask why national and international interventions, aimed at helping the Batwa, have failed to achieve their stated aims, and in some circumstances deepened their present marginalisation? The thesis argues that representations of, and knowledge about the Batwa are constructed from an epistemology that seeks to create a subordinate ‘Other’ in order to assert a dominant ‘Self’. As such, their marginalised position replicates the situation of similar ‘Exotic Others’ found throughout the world. Importantly this construction plays a crucial role in the progression and validation of distinct social ontologies that the dominant ‘Modern World’ holds as self evident and true to its own social reality. As a result, the Batwa have only two futures which are presented to them by the dominant forces that regulate their situation. On the one hand, they are coerced to assimilate towards the identity of the dominant ‘Self’ and in doing so cast off the identity which the dominant ‘Self’ has deemed to account for their ‘Otherness’. Or on the other hand, if they choose to maintain those aspects of their identity which identifies them as the ‘Other’, they are ostracised and depicted as unfit for the ‘Modern World’. I conclude this thesis by suggesting that the current predicament of the Batwa has been constructed by external forces and that Development discourse continues to construct this marginalised position. I also conclude that in positioning the Batwa as the ‘Other’, what is being asserted is the identity of a dominant ‘Self’. This relationship between the dominant ‘Self’ and the marginalised ‘Other’, whilst being declared as a distinct and exclusionary relationship, is in fact an intertwined and entangled relationship. Finally, I argue that a fundamental shift in the paradigm of the ‘Modern World’ is needed in order to allow the Batwa, and other Indigenous Peoples, to be seen not as ‘Exotic Others’ but as equal participants in an interconnected world where multiple ways of knowing and being are mutually supported and validated.
Processus et flux hydro-sédimentaires en rivière sablo-graveleuse : influence de la largeur de section et des bifurcations en Loire moyenne (France)

Une zone d’elargissement/retrecissement (ZER) du chenal principal de la Loire moyenne (France), incluant une bifurcation asymetrique, est etudiee par courantometrie, bathymetrie multifaisceaux et jaugeages solides. Elle offre une morphologie dont l’evolution est influencee par la morphodynamique des barres sedimentaires. Les forcages induits par les variations de largeur du chenal et la configuration des barres structurent les flux liquides et solides qui, par retroaction, conditionnent l’evolution des barres. En crue, les relations entre l’hydrodynamique, le charriage et la dynamique des dunes s’ajustent aux variations de debit et engendrent l’erosion du lit en montee des eaux puis son aggradation en decrue. En periode de basses eaux, la forte mobilite des sediments favorise une active morphogenese. Le charriage total est estime a 480 000 t pour 2010. La bifurcation module la structure des ecoulements seulement apres submersion totale du seuil d’entree du chenal secondaire. L’exportation de la charge de fond vers l’annexe hydraulique semble facilitee par l’erosion du seuil d’entree ainsi que par la presence d’une barre au pied de cette meme marche.
Micro-Executor of Natural Products in Metabolic Diseases

Obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases are the major chronic metabolic diseases that threaten human health. In order to combat these epidemics, there remains a desperate need for effective, safe, and easily available therapeutic strategies. Recently, the development of natural product research has provided new methods and options for these diseases. Numerous studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of metabolic diseases, and natural products can improve lipid and glucose metabolism disorders and cardiovascular diseases by regulating the expression of miRNAs. In this review, we present the recent advances involving the associations between miRNAs and natural products and the current evidence showing the positive effects of miRNAs for natural product treatment in metabolic diseases. We also encourage further research to address the relationship between miRNAs and natural products under physiological and pathological conditions, thus leading to stronger support for drug development from natural products in the future.
Influence of depositional mobility (downwashing) on the accumulation of atmospherically supplied elements in peat cores: an experimental approach

The potential influence of downwashing on atmospherically deposited elements is of rare focus compared with other geochemical processes related to peat. Downwashing may cause a rapid downward movement of atmospherically supplied elements before they bond to the peat organic substrate and thus reduce the reliability of age-depth models that rely on atmospherically supplied radioisotopes (e.g. 210Pb, 241Am, 137Cs). However, the existence of downwashing has not been directly tested, and to which depth the deposited element can be washed down is not fully understood. To address the question of downwashing, an experiment was set up to mimic wet deposition by applying a CuBr2 solution during a three-week period in peat cores collected from Rodmossamyran. Through this, the experimental results clearly supported the existence of downward mobility. Added Cu2+ could be measured to a depth of 10 cm, similar to previous studies based on Be and Pb. As a similar metal to Cu, the age-depth model based on 210Pb dating could underestimate the ages to some extent without consideration of downwashing.
Exploring Contradictions in Pre-Service Teachers’ Feedback About Inquiry-Based Collaborative Learning

ABSTRACT Curriculum and professional standards mandate that digital technologies are used in schooling, and consequently, universities are required to prepare pre-service teachers for this in initial teacher education degrees. In response, one Australian university developed an inquiry-based collaborative approach, called creative inquiry. Feedback from end-of-semester evaluation surveys is positive; however, the written comments include diverse and apparently contradictory feedback. This paper uses thematic analysis to retrospectively identify the contradictions found in three years of feedback from a combined cohort of 1473 undergraduate pre-service teachers. The findings indicate, firstly, that the rationale for using digital technologies in schooling was inconsistent with some pre-service teachers’ prior experience and expectations for future practice. Secondly, creative inquiry was inconsistent with some pre-service teachers’ preferences for coursework. The findings are theorized using Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory, and identify potential implications for constructivist, student-centric approaches to initial teacher education about learning and teaching with digital technologies.
Stratification of Pediatric COVID-19 Cases Using Inflammatory Biomarker Profiling and Machine Learning

While pediatric COVID-19 is rarely severe, a small fraction of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 go on to develop multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), with substantial morbidity. An objective method with high specificity and high sensitivity to identify current or imminent MIS-C in children infected with SARS-CoV-2 is highly desirable. The aim was to learn about an interpretable novel cytokine/chemokine assay panel providing such an objective classification. This retrospective study was conducted on four groups of pediatric patients seen at multiple sites of Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, TX who consented to provide blood samples to our COVID-19 Biorepository. Standard laboratory markers of inflammation and a novel cytokine/chemokine array were measured in blood samples of all patients. Group 1 consisted of 72 COVID-19, 70 MIS-C and 63 uninfected control patients seen between May 2020 and January 2021 and predominantly infected with pre-alpha variants. Group 2 consisted of 29 COVID-19 and 43 MIS-C patients seen between January and May 2021 infected predominantly with the alpha variant. Group 3 consisted of 30 COVID-19 and 32 MIS-C patients seen between August and October 2021 infected with alpha and/or delta variants. Group 4 consisted of 20 COVID-19 and 46 MIS-C patients seen between October 2021 andJanuary 2022 infected with delta and/or omicron variants. Group 1 was used to train an L1-regularized logistic regression model which was tested using five-fold cross validation, and then separately validated against the remaining naïve groups. The area under receiver operating curve (AUROC) and F1-score were used to quantify the performance of the cytokine/chemokine assay-based classifier. Standard laboratory markers predict MIS-C with a five-fold cross-validated AUROC of 0.86 ± 0.05 and an F1 score of 0.78 ± 0.07, while the cytokine/chemokine panel predicted MIS-C with a five-fold cross-validated AUROC of 0.95 ± 0.02 and an F1 score of 0.91 ± 0.04, with only sixteen of the forty-five cytokines/chemokines sufficient to achieve this performance. Tested on Group 2 the cytokine/chemokine panel yielded AUROC = 0.98 and F1 = 0.93, on Group 3 it yielded AUROC = 0.89 and F1 = 0.89, and on Group 4 AUROC = 0.99 and F1 = 0.97. Adding standard laboratory markers to the cytokine/chemokine panel did not improve performance. A top-10 subset of these 16 cytokines achieves equivalent performance on the validation data sets. Our findings demonstrate that a sixteen-cytokine/chemokine panel as well as the top ten subset provides a highly sensitive, and specific method to identify MIS-C in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 of all the major variants identified to date.
Risk of Recurrence of Hepatocarcinoma after Liver Transplantation: Performance of Recurrence Predictive Models in a Cohort of Transplant Patients

Liver transplantation (LT) is a curative treatment for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) unsuitable for surgical resection. However, tumor recurrence (TR) rates range from 8% to 20% despite strict selection criteria. The validation of new prognostic tools, such as pre-MORAL or RETREAT risks, is necessary to improve recurrence prediction. A retrospective study was conducted at Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital in Cantabria, Spain, between 2010 and 2019 to determine the rate of TR in LT patients and identify associated factors. Patients with liver-kidney transplantation, re-transplantation, HIV infection, survival less than 90 days, or incidental HCC were excluded. Data on demographic, liver disease-related, LT, and tumor-related variables, as well as follow-up records, including TR and death, were collected. TR was analyzed using the Log-Rank test, and a multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed. The study was approved by the IRB of Cantabria. TR occurred in 13.6% of LT patients (95% CI = 7.3–23.9), primarily as extrahepatic recurrence (67%) within the first 5 years (75%). Increased TR was significantly associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (HR = 1.3 [95% CI = 1.1–1.5]), vascular micro-invasion (HR = 8.8 [1.6–48.0]), and medium (HR = 20.4 [3.0–140.4]) and high pre-MORAL risk (HR = 30.2 [1.6–568.6]). TR also showed a significant correlation with increased mortality. Conclusions: LT for HCC results in a 13.6% rate of tumor recurrence. Factors such as BMI, vascular micro-invasion, and medium/high pre-MORAL risk are strongly associated with TR following LT.
Music-based multicomponent exercise training for community-dwelling older adults with mild-to-moderate cognitive decline: a feasibility study

Introduction This study explored the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a music-based, multicomponent exercise intervention among community-dwelling older adults with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment. Methods 16 older adults aged 85±9 years with mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment received music-based multicomponent exercise training for 20 weeks at an independent living facility. Participants received aerobic, resistance, and balance training paired with beat-accentuated music stimulation. Participants’ adherence to the training was tracked down and their cognitive and physical functioning and health-related quality of life were assessed at pre- and post-test. Results 3 participants withdrew due to unexpected issues unrelated to the intervention and thus 13 participants (7 females) attended an average of 4.6 days/week over 20 weeks and reported high satisfaction with the intervention (90.6%). Participants showed significant improvement in global cognition, cognitive processing speed, and walking endurance/aerobic fitness at post-test. Discussion These findings support the feasibility of music-based, multicomponent exercise training for older adults in an independent living facility and set the stage for future studies to test the efficacy of music on physical activity and ensuing health outcomes. We conclude that music-based, multicomponent exercise training can be beneficial for community-dwelling older adults with mild-to-moderate cognitive decline. As a form of rhythmic auditory stimulation, beat-accentuated music can be combined with exercise training to manipulate exercise tempo and may provide a source of motivation to help older adults adhere to exercise.
Brachiopod assemblages in the Devonian Kowala Formation of the Holy Cross Mountains

Brachiopod fau nas from th e Devonian s tro matopo roi d-coral se ries (Kowala Formation) of the so u thern Holy Cross Mts com prise a t leas t 60 spe cies. a tryp ids and a mbocoeliid spiriferids being the most com mon . Large ly mon ospecific bottom-level pion eer asse mblages colon ized intershoal and ope n shelf environmen ts of the Late Givetian S itk6wka bank complex to the Frasnian Dyminy reef complex . a n d so me lagoon al h abitats of the older Give tian St ringocephalus bank. The associa tions dwelling organ ic buildups were mo re diver se and spe cia lized. Faunal dynamics of the bra chiop ods were controlled primarily by eustatic cycles and the evolu tio n of th e carbonate shelf. Generally this was a four-s tep su cces s ion from the s tringocephalid to the a mbocoeliid. atrypld (or cyrtospiriferid). a n d rhynch on ellid faunas. Twenty two species are rev iewe d . Praewaagenoconcha(? ) sobolevi sp . n . Desquamatia globosa aequiconvexa s ubsp . n . a n d D. g. s i tkowkensis ssp . n . are proposed. Two poorly-known species of Gurtc h (1896). Tenticosp trifer lagoviensis and Ilmenial. ) elatior. a re red es cribed.
Inhibition of the hERG Potassium Channel by a Methanesulphonate-Free E-4031 Analogue

hERG (human Ether-à-go-go Related Gene)-encoded potassium channels underlie the cardiac rapid delayed rectifier (IKr) potassium current, which is a major target for antiarrhythmic agents and diverse non-cardiac drugs linked to the drug-induced form of long QT syndrome. E-4031 is a high potency hERG channel inhibitor from the methanesulphonanilide drug family. This study utilized a methanesulphonate-lacking E-4031 analogue, “E-4031-17”, to evaluate the role of the methanesulphonamide group in E-4031 inhibition of hERG. Whole-cell patch-clamp measurements of the hERG current (IhERG) were made at physiological temperature from HEK 293 cells expressing wild-type (WT) and mutant hERG constructs. For E-4031, WT IhERG was inhibited by a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 15.8 nM, whilst the comparable value for E-4031-17 was 40.3 nM. Both compounds exhibited voltage- and time-dependent inhibition, but they differed in their response to successive applications of a long (10 s) depolarisation protocol, consistent with greater dissociation of E-4031-17 than the parent compound between applied commands. Voltage-dependent inactivation was left-ward voltage shifted for E-4031 but not for E-4031-17; however, inhibition by both compounds was strongly reduced by attenuated-inactivation mutations. Mutations of S6 and S5 aromatic residues (F656V, Y652A, F557L) greatly attenuated actions of both drugs. The S624A mutation also reduced IhERG inhibition by both molecules. Overall, these results demonstrate that the lack of a methanesulphonate in E-4031-17 is not an impediment to high potency inhibition of IhERG.
Classification of Brainstem Gliomas Based on Tumor Microenvironment Status

Simple Summary The tumor microenvironment (TME) is vital in tumor biology, impacting tumor recurrence, prognosis, and treatment response. Brainstem gliomas (BSGs) are challenging gliomas that originate in the brainstem and have distinct clinical and genomic profiles from other brain gliomas. However, the inter-tumor heterogeneity of the TME in BSGs and its correlation with clinical and biological characteristics remain unknown, hindering the development of novel BSG therapies. In this study, we utilized transcriptional data from a BSG cohort and employed established signatures to assess the TME status and classify BSGs accordingly. Subsequently, we found an association between the TME classification and patient prognosis as well as the tumor phenotype. Furthermore, we explored key genes or radiomics features that can determine classification and potentially facilitate clinical applications. This research aims to enhance our understanding of TME heterogeneity in BSGs and to provide insights for improving diagnosis and treatment. Abstract The inter-tumor heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and how it correlates with clinical profiles and biological characteristics in brainstem gliomas (BSGs) remain unknown, dampening the development of novel therapeutics against BSGs. The TME status was determined with a list of pan-cancer conserved gene expression signatures using a single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) and was subsequently clustered via consensus clustering. BSGs exhibited a high inter-tumor TME heterogeneity and were classified into four clusters: “immune-enriched, fibrotic”, “immune-enriched, non-fibrotic”, “fibrotic”, and “depleted”. The “fibrotic” cluster had a higher proportion of diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (p = 0.041), and “PA-like” tumors were more likely to be “immune-enriched, fibrotic” (p = 0.044). The four TME clusters exhibited distinct overall survival (p < 0.001) and independently impacted BSG outcomes. A four-gene panel as well as a radiomics approach were constructed to identify the TME clusters and achieved high accuracy for determining the classification. Together, BSGs exhibited high inter-tumor heterogeneity in the TME and were classified into four clusters with distinct clinical outcomes and tumor biological properties. The TME classification was accurately identified using a four-gene panel that can potentially be examined with the immunohistochemical method and a non-invasive radiomics method, facilitating its clinical application.
Doses and intervals of application of potassium phosphite for the control of passion fruit scab

Abstract Passion fruit scab (PFS), which is caused by species of the fungal complex Cladosporium cladosporioides, occurs both in protected environments and in the field. In view of the importance of the passion fruit scab, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different intervals and doses of potassium phosphite in the greenhouse and in the field on the incidence of the disease. To evaluate the best dose of potassium phosphite, three experiments were carried out, two in a greenhouse and one in the field. The best application interval was evaluated in another experiment in a greenhouse. The variables evaluated were the incidence of plants with PFS symptoms (%) and the incidence of defoliated plants (%) in all experiments. The harvested fruits were evaluated for their mass (g), diameter (cm), soluble solids, acidity and chlorophyll content. The present work allowed to conclude that the dose of 0.1% of potassium phosphite was the best to control the passion fruit scab in a greenhouse, the treatment with an interval of 28 days of application showed a lower incidence of scab in seedlings at 35 days after inoculation and that potassium phosphite did not interfere in the quality parameters of fruits and leaves of passion fruit evaluated.
Research Progress and Molecular Mechanisms of Endothelial Cells Inflammation in Vascular-Related Diseases

Abstract Endothelial cells (ECs) are widely distributed inside the vascular network, forming a vital barrier between the bloodstream and the walls of blood vessels. These versatile cells serve myriad functions, including the regulation of vascular tension and the management of hemostasis and thrombosis. Inflammation constitutes a cascade of biological responses incited by biological, chemical, or physical stimuli. While inflammation is inherently a protective mechanism, dysregulated inflammation can precipitate a host of vascular pathologies. ECs play a critical role in the genesis and progression of vascular inflammation, which has been implicated in the etiology of numerous vascular disorders, such as atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, and sepsis. Upon activation, ECs secrete potent inflammatory mediators that elicit both innate and adaptive immune reactions, culminating in inflammation. To date, no comprehensive and nuanced account of the research progress concerning ECs and inflammation in vascular-related maladies exists. Consequently, this review endeavors to synthesize the contributions of ECs to inflammatory processes, delineate the molecular signaling pathways involved in regulation, and categorize and consolidate the various models and treatment strategies for vascular-related diseases. It is our aspiration that this review furnishes cogent experimental evidence supporting the established link between endothelial inflammation and vascular-related pathologies, offers a theoretical foundation for clinical investigations, and imparts valuable insights for the development of therapeutic agents targeting these diseases.