The existence and the construction of ‘Ilm al-kalam as Islamic discipline and its significance to wasatiyyah

‘Ilm al-kalam or in short the kalam focuses on the fundamental aspects in Islam. This science is important, and it should be used as a guideline in conducting Islamic studies. Essentially, the kalam offers the metaphysical and theological realm, the transcendental domain and future direction; its openness and rational thinking characteristics are necessary and useful for humans; it is not a very rigid discipline of a theoretical science. We need the adamant efforts and the courage to rethink and reconstruct the heritage endowed to us by the scholars of kalam in the past. In other words, it is probably necessary to make a new "ijtihad" because after all the “ijtihad” of the scholars in the past is still considered until now as a good standard in the tradition of Islamic thought. The need for the new ijtihad is due to the new ideologies and approaches associated or linked with Islam and Islamic missionary plans, organizations and activities involving Muslims as well as non-Muslims in the 21st century

Kinerja Kelompok Tani dalam Pengelolaan Hutan Tanaman Rakyat di Desa Bacu-Bacu Kabupaten Barru

This study aims to describe the variables and indicators that affect the performance of farmer groups in forest management before and after the determination of HTR area and analyze the performance of farmer groups in forest management before and after the determination of Community Timber Plantation area. This research is done by the study of diagnostic study and interview then data analysis is done with quantitative and qualitative analysis. The results show that the performance of farmer groups is strongly influenced by group work plans, management areas, land preparation and breeding processes. The performance of farmer groups as a whole is good / not good because not yet the issue of IUPHHK-HTR SK individually by Padang Pobbo forest farmer group

Multi-Omics Reveals that Lead Exposure Disturbs Gut Microbiome Development, Key Metabolites, and Metabolic Pathways

Lead exposure remains a global public health issue, and the recent Flint water crisis has renewed public concern about lead toxicity. The toxicity of lead has been well established in a variety of systems and organs. The gut microbiome has been shown to be highly involved in many critical physiological processes, including food digestion, immune system development, and metabolic homeostasis. However, despite the key role of the gut microbiome in human health, the functional impact of lead exposure on the gut microbiome has not been studied. The aim of this study is to define gut microbiome toxicity induced by lead exposure in C57BL/6 mice using multiomics approaches, including 16S rRNA sequencing, whole genome metagenomics sequencing, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) metabolomics. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that lead exposure altered the gut microbiome trajectory and phylogenetic diversity. Metagenomics sequencing and metabolomics profiling showed that numerous metabolic pathways, including vitamin E, bile acids, nitrogen metabolism, energy metabolism, oxidative stress, and the defense/detoxification mechanism, were significantly disturbed by lead exposure. These perturbed molecules and pathways may have important implications for lead toxicity in the host. Taken together, these results demonstrated that lead exposure not only altered the gut microbiome community structures/diversity but also greatly affected metabolic functions, leading to gut microbiome toxicity

Gut Microbiome Phenotypes Driven by Host Genetics Affect Arsenic Metabolism

Large individual differences in susceptibility to arsenic-induced diseases are well-documented and frequently associated with different patterns of arsenic metabolism. In this context, the role of the gut microbiome in directly metabolizing arsenic and triggering systemic responses in diverse organs raises the possibility that gut microbiome phenotypes affect the spectrum of metabolized arsenic species. However, it remains unclear how host genetics and the gut microbiome interact to affect the biotransformation of arsenic. Using an integrated approach combining 16S rRNA gene sequencing and HPLC-ICP-MS arsenic speciation, we demonstrate that IL-10 gene knockout leads to a significant taxonomic change of the gut microbiome, which in turn substantially affects arsenic metabolism.National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P30 ES010126)National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS grant P30 ES002109)University of Georgia. College of Public Health (internal grant)University of Georgia (Faculty Research Grant (FRG)

Nicotine Alters the Gut Microbiome and Metabolites of Gut–Brain Interactions in a Sex-Specific Manner

As the primary active substance in tobacco, nicotine affects the activity of the central nervous system, and its effects are sex-dependent. There are complex interactions between the gut and brain, and the gut microbiome can influence neuronal activity and host behavior, with diverse chemical signaling being involved. However, it is unclear whether nicotine can affect the normal gut microbiome and associated chemical signaling of the gut–brain axis. Sex is an important factor that shapes the gut microbiome, but the role of sex in the interaction among nicotine, gut bacteria, and related metabolites remains unknown. In this study, we applied high-throughput sequencing and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) to explore how nicotine exposure affects the gut microbiome and its metabolism in female and male C57BL/6J mice, with a focus on the chemical signaling involved in gut–brain interactions. 16S sequencing results indicated that the community composition of the gut microbiome was differentially perturbed by nicotine in females and males. Differential alterations of bacterial carbohydrate metabolic pathways are consistent with lower body weight gain in nicotine-treated males. Oxidative stress response and DNA repair genes were also specifically enriched in the nicotine-treated male gut microbiome. The fecal metabolome indicated that multiple neurotransmitters, such as glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and glycine, were differentially altered in female and male mice. Some neuroactive metabolites, including leucine and uric acid, were also changed. This study demonstrates a sex-dependent effect of nicotine on gut microbiome community composition, functional bacterial genes, and the fecal metabolome

Gut Microbiome Phenotypes Driven by Host Genetics Affect Arsenic Metabolism

Large individual differences in susceptibility to arsenic-induced diseases are well-documented and frequently associated with different patterns of arsenic metabolism. In this context, the role of the gut microbiome in directly metabolizing arsenic and triggering systemic responses in diverse organs raises the possibility that gut microbiome phenotypes affect the spectrum of metabolized arsenic species. However, it remains unclear how host genetics and the gut microbiome interact to affect the biotransformation of arsenic. Using an integrated approach combining 16S rRNA gene sequencing and HPLC-ICP-MS arsenic speciation, we demonstrate that IL-10 gene knockout leads to a significant taxonomic change of the gut microbiome, which in turn substantially affects arsenic metabolism