LGBT Right Activism and the Risk of Christianophobia in Nigeria

Nigerian conservatism and doctrinaire religion have been cardinal forces behind the adoption of a homophobic legislation in Nigeria. This scenario has spurred many (pro)-gay activists into anchoring their advocacy on a “Christianophobic” rhetoric which labels Christianity and religious fanaticism as two forms of bigotry, barbarism and Nazism, as well as facets of an anti-progressive movement. Such an aggressive advocacy tactic has been making a case for the systematic “de-Christianization” and “de-Islamization” of Nigerians' minds. Using empirical understandings, this chapter argues that, Nigerian LGBT activists shape their advocacy strategies according to some Western atheistic models; models which have progressively given rise to gay totalitarianism and “Christianophobia” in a number of western countries. The paper highlights indexes pointing to a future “Christianophobia” in Nigeria, driven by a “Christianophobic” gay activism and finally argues that any pro-gay advocacy rooted in the de-Christianization of Nigerians unarguably proffers the disrespect of religious freedom.

Parkinson’s Disease and the Metal–Microbiome–Gut–Brain Axis: A Systems Toxicology Approach

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease, leading to motor and non-motor complications. Autonomic alterations, including gastrointestinal symptoms, precede motor defects and act as early warning signs. Chronic exposure to dietary, environmental heavy metals impacts the gastrointestinal system and host-associated microbiome, eventually affecting the central nervous system. The correlation between dysbiosis and PD suggests a functional and bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. The bioaccumulation of metals promotes stress mechanisms by increasing reactive oxygen species, likely altering the bidirectional gut–brain link. To better understand the differing molecular mechanisms underlying PD, integrative modeling approaches are necessary to connect multifactorial perturbations in this heterogeneous disorder. By exploring the effects of gut microbiota modulation on dietary heavy metal exposure in relation to PD onset, the modification of the host-associated microbiome to mitigate neurological stress may be a future treatment option against neurodegeneration through bioremediation. The progressive movement towards a systems toxicology framework for precision medicine can uncover molecular mechanisms underlying PD onset such as metal regulation and microbial community interactions by developing predictive models to better understand PD etiology to identify options for novel treatments and beyond. Several methodologies recently addressed the complexity of this interaction from different perspectives; however, to date, a comprehensive review of these approaches is still lacking. Therefore, our main aim through this manuscript is to fill this gap in the scientific literature by reviewing recently published papers to address the surrounding questions regarding the underlying molecular mechanisms between metals, microbiota, and the gut–brain-axis, as well as the regulation of this system to prevent neurodegeneration.

بابوعبدالرحمٰن کرد نا براہوئی شاعری ٹی ترقی پسندی نا جاچ

This research article describes the trend and tendency of progressivism in Brahui poetry of Babo Abdul Rahman Kurd and the sources through which the impacts of progressive thoughts took place in his poetry. The poet stands tall holding a great position in Brahui literature being one of the poets who have introduced several trends and thoughts in their poetic pieces to change the direction of Brahui poetry. Although he has been basically known as an epic poet, progressivism and many other poetic thoughts can also be found in his Brahui poetry. This article discusses how the trend and tendency of progressivism have both consciously and unconsciously found place in his poetry through different ways. The first one was the depiction of deplorable condition of his contemporary nation which, during his poetic period, was socially, politically and economically was facing miserable conditions. Such prevailing miserable conditions of his society seem to have influenced him to incorporate progressive thoughts in his poetry. The second one was the impacts of Marxism and the Progressive Movement of Urdu literature which also seems to have affected him to include the progressive thoughts in his poetry. The last one which brought and strengthened the progressive thoughts in his poetry was "Lat Khana", a political and literary progressive Movement in Balochistan, while Babo Abdul Rahman Kurd was also very closed attached to the movement.

Rhythmic ability decline in aging individuals: The role of movement task complexity

Study aim: To investigate age-related changes in rhythmic reproduction ability in relation to the complexity of the adopted movement task. Material and methods: A Stereophotogrammetric system was used to quantify individual rhythmic performances through motion analysis. Seventeen younger adult (age: 34.8 ± 4.2 yrs) and sixteen older adult (age: 69.9 ± 3.8 yrs) sedentary individuals volunteered for this study. Participants were administered a rhythmic test, which included three different rhythmic patterns to be reproduced by means of finger-tapping, foot-tapping and walking. Number of correct reproductions, time delays and rhythmic ratios were assessed and submitted to analysis of variance. Results: For all rhythmic parameters, age-related differences emerged about rhythmic patterns and motor tasks. Older adults showed reduced accuracy as compared to their younger counterparts with a marked tendency to speed up beats reproduction (p < 0.05). Increased movement complexity negatively influenced rhythmic ability, with worst performances in the walking task (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Complexity of the motor reproduction worsen rhythmic ability. Future research should focus on how specific rhythmic training with progressive movement task complexity could contrast this age-related decline.

Thymoquinone ameliorates bleomycin-induced reproductive toxicity in male Balb/c mice

Bleomycin (BL) is a powerful chemotherapy drug that has devastating effects on spermatogenic function and may make cancer survivors at risk of infertility. Protective effects of thymoquinone (TQ), a phytochemical compound with antioxidant and anticancer influences, were investigated on sperm parameters, testicular structures, and sexual hormones in BL-treated mice. Forty-eight adult male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into six groups. Control group received normal saline; BL group received 10 mg/kg BL; TQ7.5 group received 7.5 mg/kg TQ; TQ15 group received 15 mg/kg TQ; BL+TQ7.5 group received 10 mg/kg BL and 7.5 mg/kg TQ; BL + TQ15 group received 10 mg/kg BL and 15 mg/kg TQ. BL was intraperitoneally used every day through 35 days, and TQ was intraperitoneally injected 3 days before administration of BL and continued twice per week for 35 days. Results showed that BL significantly decreased count, viability, morphology, maturity, and progressive movement of sperm, testosterone, seminiferous tubule diameters, the ratio of testis weight to body weight, number of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids, and Sertoli cells per tubule, and expression of Bcl2l1 and Bcl2l1/Bax ratio, and increased the non-progressive movement and immotile sperm, intermediate and immature sperm, LH, FSH, and malondialdehyde levels, and tunica albuginea thickness compared to the control group ( p < .05). TQ at a level of 7.5 mg/kg ameliorated BL-induced toxicity on measured parameters and returned most of them to the level of the control group. These data suggested TQ in a dose-dependent manner may have positive effects on BL-induced toxicity of the testis in mice model.

Islamic Sexual Perversions and Apostasy Representations: Eastern and Western Classical Law Modern Reformist Mutations

The status of apostasy seems unclear in Islamic jurisprudence of the classical age; it is an act considered traditionally to be a legal vacuum, calling for no corporal punishment (mubah). When a sentence was applied in this case, it would seem that it was due to partisan political reasons, rather than on the basis of real spiritual proper needs. Yet today some conservative ulemas apply this status of excommunication, patterned on the modern Catholic model, to practices considered to be “abnormal,” such as homosexuality. What about the Islamic jurisprudence development, as it is conceived and applied today? What is the position of the so-called majority Islamic authorities in regard to apostasy or the perversion of some Muslim minorities? Moreover, what is the position of these ulemas vis-à-vis the so-called alternative progressive movement, which reject the majority Islamic dogma, in France, Morocco, Egypt and elsewhere in the so-called Arab-Muslim world?

Analysis of the Geological Controls and Kinematics of the Chgega Landslide (Mateur, Tunisia) Exploiting Photogrammetry and InSAR Technologies

Exploration of territories not previously analyzed by landslide experts provides interesting findings. The Chgega landslide, in northern Tunisia, represents a paradigmatic mass movement. It can be classified as a complex landslide, or more specifically as vast rock spreading that evolved into a block slide. It involves a great block of limestone—about 900 m long and 400 m wide—sliding over ductile clays and marls. The viscoplastic creep of the clays drives the landslide and creates, in its crown, a graben ~800 m long and ~120 m wide that breaks the summit of Chgega Mountain. Using Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technologies, we demonstrate that this complex landslide is currently active and moreover shows progressive movement without clear episodic accelerations. The velocity of the limestone block is just above 2 mm/yr. The occurrence of gravity-induced joints indicates that the movement has an orientation towards 333° of azimuth on average, conditioned by the landscape around Chgega. These results were obtained through the analysis of a 3D model and a high-resolution orthoimage created from photographs acquired by an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV). We may conclude that the landslide movement is determined by normal faults with directions N060°E and N140–150°E. This characterization of the Chgega landslide can serve as the basis for future studies about the origin of this slope movement. Furthermore, the data provided here may support the recognition of Chgega as a singular geological point that deserves to be declared a geosite.

The MID1 Protein: A Promising Therapeutic Target in Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion mutation of a CAG repeat in exon 1 of the huntingtin (HTT) gene, that encodes an expanded polyglutamine tract in the HTT protein. HD is characterized by progressive psychiatric and cognitive symptoms associated with a progressive movement disorder. HTT is ubiquitously expressed, but the pathological changes caused by the mutation are most prominent in the central nervous system. Since the mutation was discovered, research has mainly focused on the mutant HTT protein. But what if the polyglutamine protein is not the only cause of the neurotoxicity? Recent studies show that the mutant RNA transcript is also involved in cellular dysfunction. Here we discuss the abnormal interaction of the mutant HTT transcript with a protein complex containing the MID1 protein. MID1 aberrantly binds to CAG repeats and this binding increases with CAG repeat length. Since MID1 is a translation regulator, association of the MID1 complex stimulates translation of mutant HTT mRNA, resulting in an overproduction of polyglutamine protein. Thus, blocking the interaction between MID1 and mutant HTT mRNA is a promising therapeutic approach. Additionally, we show that MID1 expression in the brain of both HD patients and HD mice is aberrantly increased. This finding further supports the concept of blocking the interaction between MID1 and mutant HTT mRNA to counteract mutant HTT translation as a valuable therapeutic strategy. In line, recent studies in which either compounds affecting the assembly of the MID1 complex or molecules targeting HTT RNA, show promising results.

The Phenomenon of Cosmism in the Context of the Formation of an Anthroponatural Paradigm

The article considers the problem of transition to the anthroponatural paradigm of development, which is relevant for the modern stage of the world civilization process. It is noted that the global environmental crisis, the signs of which were clearly identifi ed at the turn of the 20th – 21st centuries, was the result of unbalanced transformative activities of people, as a result of which the very possibility of life on the planet was threatened. The current situation has shown the need for fundamental changes both in the existing type of management, based on unregulated consumption of natural resources, and in public consciousness in the direction of reorienting it to a rational attitude towards the environment, which would ensure the survival and further progressive movement of civilization. In the development of a coevolutionary strategy for the interaction of society and nature, based on a new system of moral values, the natural scientific, religious, philosophical and literary and artistic heritage of cosmism has significant spiritual potential. Based on the analysis of the works of representatives of Russian cosmism, it is concluded that the idea of the active role of humanity in transforming the environment involves, in addition to improving the scientifi c and technical sphere, the development of worldview attitudes focused on understanding a man as an organic part of natural (cosmic) unity, developing according to general evolutionary laws. The current sociocultural situation, characterized by a number of global problems (environmental, raw materials, food, etc.), indicates the need to move to an anthroponatural paradigm of civilizational development, which could ensure the joint evolution of people and nature, the formation of appropriate ethical standards and principles of ecological thinking. Clearly, the future of mankind, the prospects of which were outlined by the representatives of cosmism, is impossible without reliance on a solid moral foundation, thanks to which the population of the Earth has the opportunity not only to overcome the crisis consequences of its own activities on the planet, to carry out rational and balanced environmental management, but also to enter the next round of its development – the active exploration of outer space.

Basic principles of construction of methodical of criminalistic support judicial proceedings.

The article is devoted to the formation of key principles of construction of methodical criminalistic recommendations and their complexes, designed to optimize court proceedings, including: – the principle of legality, which means full and accurate compliance with the algorithms for resolving criminalistic situations, which are formed at the stage of court proceedings, the content of current legislation, ethical norms and moral principles; – the principle of theoretical validity and practical applicability, which requires a strong scientific substantiation and proven in practice the effectiveness of the proposed odical recommendations, which take into account both positive experience and errors and shortcomings in the work of judges in criminal cases; – the principle of specificity, which provides the reality of tactical recommendations for working with evidence, the completeness and effectiveness of the developed algorithms, the certainty and accuracy of their content and its compliance with modern judicial practice, objectivity and typicality of situations faced by subjects of criminalistic activity on stage of court proceedings; – the principle of promptness, which means the optimal combination of procedural and criminalistic tools in order to achieve the overall goal of criminal proceedings and aims to develop the methodical criminalistic complexes to ensure the optimal pace of litigation, when the least time achieves the greatest effect of procedural activities; – the principle of planning (phasing), which requires that all processes, actions, operations in court proceedings, carried out on a planned basis, ensuring its progressive movement towards the strategic goal of criminal proceedings, which requires differentiation of methodical algorithms developed by criminalistics in accordance with successive stages of court proceedings; – the principle of situationality (situational conditionality), which is the priority of creating algorithms for resolving typical situations that arise at the relevant stages of the proceedings and are characteristic of all or most criminal cases, regardless of the criminal qualification of the event under investigation.