Conflict in the Somali World & How It Is Resolved Through The Use Of Proverb as an Artistic Discourse Strategy

There are many conflicts in the world and especially in Somalia and there are attempts on how to solve them. From the point of view our modern world, solutions to the conflicts are usually sought or left with the United Nations to put in place a peace keeping force or a modern super power state to build coolation of governments to bring a regime change. The study adopts a complete departure and tests a different approach so as to contribute to whatever existing knowledge we have on how to solve conflicts. The study examines the proverb as an artistic discourse strategy in conflict resolution among the Somalis. It explores ways elders use proverbs to hammer points during peace negotiation meetings. To achieve its objectives, the study adopts a composite approach combing Ethno-poetics and Semiotic theories. The study is about the Somali Proverb. The research is based on Northern Region of Kenya where the ethnic Somalis concentrate, however, materials were also collected from inside Somalia, along the Kenyan-Somali border. Thirty two men and twelve women, who are considered opinion leaders, were interviewed. Forty six proverbs were collected through field research and analysed. The researcher actively participated in peace meetings where live performances of the proverb were recorded. The results of the study reveal that he proverb is used to resolve conflicts. In other words, the study tests the role and significance of the Somali proverb in conflict resolution meetings. The study recommends that there is need for a more thorough socio-literacy methodology applied to analyse the functions style and performance of the proverb which include both verbal and non-verbal. Key words: conflict, proverbs, resolution, function

A novel 7-chemokine-genes predictive signature for prognosis and therapeutic response in renal clear cell carcinoma

Background: Renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most prevailing type of malignancies, which is affected by chemokines. Chemokines can form a local network to regulate the movement of immune cells and are essential for tumor proliferation and metastasis as well as for the interaction between tumor cells and mesenchymal cells. Establishing a chemokine genes signature to assess prognosis and therapy responsiveness in ccRCC is the goal of this effort.Methods: mRNA sequencing data and clinicopathological data on 526 individuals with ccRCC were gathered from the The Cancer Genome Atlas database for this investigation (263 training group samples and 263 validation group samples). Utilizing the LASSO algorithm in conjunction with univariate Cox analysis, the gene signature was constructed. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database provided the single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, and the R package “Seurat” was applied to analyze the scRNA-seq data. In addition, the enrichment scores of 28 immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) were calculated using the “ssGSEA” algorithm. In order to develop possible medications for patients with high-risk ccRCC, the “pRRophetic” package is employed.Results: High-risk patients had lower overall survival in this model for predicting prognosis, which was supported by the validation cohort. In both cohorts, it served as an independent prognostic factor. Annotation of the predicted signature’s biological function revealed that it was correlated with immune-related pathways, and the riskscore was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration and several immune checkpoints (ICs), including CD47, PDCD1, TIGIT, and LAG-3, while it was negatively correlated with TNFRSF14. The CXCL2, CXCL12, and CX3CL1 genes of this signature were shown to be significantly expressed in monocytes and cancer cells, according to scRNA-seq analysis. Furthermore, the high expression of CD47 in cancer cells suggested us that this could be a promising immune checkpoint. For patients who had high riskscore, we predicted 12 potential medications.Conclusion: Overall, our findings show that a putative 7-chemokine-gene signature might predict a patient’s prognosis for ccRCC and reflect the disease’s complicated immunological environment. Additionally, it offers suggestions on how to treat ccRCC using precision treatment and focused risk assessment

Native Language Students' Writing In Their Mother Tongue

Studien handlar om modersmålselevers skrivande ur ett elevperspektiv. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att få ökad kunskap om modersmålselevers skrivande genom att undersöka de specifika svårigheter som eleverna kan möta när de skriver på modersmålet. Vi vill också undersöka hur elever själv uppfattar sina skrivförmågan för att skapa en djupare förståelse för metodval som främjar deras skrivförmåga samt kan motverka skrivsvårigheter i ämnet modersmål.  Frågeställningarna som ska besvaras för att uppnå syftet är: Hur beskriver elever sin egen skrivförmåga? Vilka tekniker identifierar elever som förbättrar deras skrivförmåga? Vilka faktorer identifierar elever som försvårar deras skrivförmåga? Studien grundas i semistrukturerade intervjuer och har en kvalitativ ingång med en fenomenologisk metodansats. Vi har använt en intervjuguide vid intervjuerna som har spelats in, lyssnats igenom och transkriberats. Vi har analyserat studiens insamlade data av studien med hjälp av Ivaničs (2004) ramverk i Diskurser om att skriva och lära sig skriva. Detta ramverktyg är till för att användas som ett forskningsverktyg för att kunna skilja olika skrivdiskurser åt.  Resultatet av vår undersökning är uppdelat i tre olika delar: elevers egen uppfattning om skrivande, studietekniker som främjar elevernas skrivande samt skrivande och undervisning. Vidare upptäckte vi att eleverna uppfattade det självvalda innehållet i skrivandet som lustfyllt, vilket i sin tur ökade deras motivation för skrivuppgifter. Däremot fanns det några elever som var missnöjda med modersmålsundervisningens upplägg i skolan. Eleverna uttryckte att en timmes modersmålsundervisning per vecka var inte tillräckligt, och att heterogena klasser hindrar dem från att ha en bra interaktion och ett bra samarbete i klassen

Native Language Students' Writing In Their Mother Tongue

Studien handlar om modersmålselevers skrivande ur ett elevperspektiv. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att få ökad kunskap om modersmålselevers skrivande genom att undersöka de specifika svårigheter som eleverna kan möta när de skriver på modersmålet. Vi vill också undersöka hur elever själv uppfattar sina skrivförmågan för att skapa en djupare förståelse för metodval som främjar deras skrivförmåga samt kan motverka skrivsvårigheter i ämnet modersmål.  Frågeställningarna som ska besvaras för att uppnå syftet är: Hur beskriver elever sin egen skrivförmåga? Vilka tekniker identifierar elever som förbättrar deras skrivförmåga? Vilka faktorer identifierar elever som försvårar deras skrivförmåga? Studien grundas i semistrukturerade intervjuer och har en kvalitativ ingång med en fenomenologisk metodansats. Vi har använt en intervjuguide vid intervjuerna som har spelats in, lyssnats igenom och transkriberats. Vi har analyserat studiens insamlade data av studien med hjälp av Ivaničs (2004) ramverk i Diskurser om att skriva och lära sig skriva. Detta ramverktyg är till för att användas som ett forskningsverktyg för att kunna skilja olika skrivdiskurser åt.  Resultatet av vår undersökning är uppdelat i tre olika delar: elevers egen uppfattning om skrivande, studietekniker som främjar elevernas skrivande samt skrivande och undervisning. Vidare upptäckte vi att eleverna uppfattade det självvalda innehållet i skrivandet som lustfyllt, vilket i sin tur ökade deras motivation för skrivuppgifter. Däremot fanns det några elever som var missnöjda med modersmålsundervisningens upplägg i skolan. Eleverna uttryckte att en timmes modersmålsundervisning per vecka var inte tillräckligt, och att heterogena klasser hindrar dem från att ha en bra interaktion och ett bra samarbete i klassen

Is Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy associated with better functional and oncological outcomes? Literature review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the efficiency, safety and clinical outcomes of Retzius-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RS-RARP) in comparison with the standard RARP. Methods: A systematic search from Web of Science, PubMed, EMBase, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar was performed using the terms “Retzius-sparing”, “Bocciardi approach” and “robot-assisted radical prostatectomy”. Video articles and abstract papers for academic conferences were excluded. Meta-analysis of interested outcomes such as positive surgical margins (PSMs) and continence recovery was undertaken. A comprehensive literature review of all studies regarding Retzius-sparing (RS) approach was conducted and summarized. Results: From 2010 to 2017, 11 original articles about RS-RARP approach were retrieved. Of that, only four studies comparing the RS-RARP approach to the conventional RARP were comparable for meta-analysis. Faster overall continence recovery within 1 month after the surgery was noted in the RS group (61% vs. 43%; p = 0.004). PSMs of pT2 and pT3 stages were not significantly different between the groups (10.0% vs. 7.4%; p = 0.39 and 13.1% vs. 9.5%, p = 0.56, respectively). Of all the studies, only one reported sexual recovery outcomes after RS treatment in which 40% of the participants achieved sexual intercourse within the first month. Conclusion: Though more technically demanding than the conventional RARP, the RS technique is a safe and feasible approach. This meta-analysis and literature review indicates that RS technique, as opposed to the conventional approach, is associated with a faster continence recovery while PSMs were comparable between the two groups. The limitations of observational studies and the small data in our meta-analysis may prevent an ultimate conclusion. Future well-designed RCTs are needed to validate and confirm our findings. Keywords: Retzius-sparing, Radical prostatectomy, Robotics, Functional recovery, Positive surgical margin

DataSheet1_A novel 7-chemokine-genes predictive signature for prognosis and therapeutic response in renal clear cell carcinoma.PDF

Background: Renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is one of the most prevailing type of malignancies, which is affected by chemokines. Chemokines can form a local network to regulate the movement of immune cells and are essential for tumor proliferation and metastasis as well as for the interaction between tumor cells and mesenchymal cells. Establishing a chemokine genes signature to assess prognosis and therapy responsiveness in ccRCC is the goal of this effort.Methods: mRNA sequencing data and clinicopathological data on 526 individuals with ccRCC were gathered from the The Cancer Genome Atlas database for this investigation (263 training group samples and 263 validation group samples). Utilizing the LASSO algorithm in conjunction with univariate Cox analysis, the gene signature was constructed. The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database provided the single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, and the R package “Seurat” was applied to analyze the scRNA-seq data. In addition, the enrichment scores of 28 immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) were calculated using the “ssGSEA” algorithm. In order to develop possible medications for patients with high-risk ccRCC, the “pRRophetic” package is employed.Results: High-risk patients had lower overall survival in this model for predicting prognosis, which was supported by the validation cohort. In both cohorts, it served as an independent prognostic factor. Annotation of the predicted signature’s biological function revealed that it was correlated with immune-related pathways, and the riskscore was positively correlated with immune cell infiltration and several immune checkpoints (ICs), including CD47, PDCD1, TIGIT, and LAG-3, while it was negatively correlated with TNFRSF14. The CXCL2, CXCL12, and CX3CL1 genes of this signature were shown to be significantly expressed in monocytes and cancer cells, according to scRNA-seq analysis. Furthermore, the high expression of CD47 in cancer cells suggested us that this could be a promising immune checkpoint. For patients who had high riskscore, we predicted 12 potential medications.Conclusion: Overall, our findings show that a putative 7-chemokine-gene signature might predict a patient’s prognosis for ccRCC and reflect the disease’s complicated immunological environment. Additionally, it offers suggestions on how to treat ccRCC using precision treatment and focused risk assessment.</p

Self-reported health and smoking status, and body mass index: a case-control comparison based on GEN SCRIP (GENetics of SChizophRenia In Pakistan) data

Introduction Individuals with schizophrenia are at a high risk of physical health comorbidities and premature mortality. Cardiovascular and metabolic causes are an important contributor. There are gaps in monitoring, documenting and managing these physical health comorbidities. Because of their condition, patients themselves may not be aware of these comorbidities and may not be able to follow a lifestyle that prevents and manages the complications. In many low-income and middle-income countries including Pakistan, the bulk of the burden of care for those struggling with schizophrenia falls on the families.Objectives To determine the rate of self-reported physical health disorders and risk factors, like body mass index (BMI) and smoking, associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in cases of schizophrenia compared with a group of mentally healthy controls.Design A case-controlled, cross-sectional multicentre study of patients with schizophrenia in Pakistan.Settings Multiple data collection sites across the country for patients, that is, public and private psychiatric OPDs (out patient departments), specialised psychiatric care facilities, and psychiatric wards of teaching and district level hospitals. Healthy controls were enrolled from the community.Participants We report a total of 6838 participants’ data with (N 3411 (49.9%)) cases of schizophrenia compared with a group of healthy controls (N 3427 (50.1%)).Results BMI (OR 0.98 (CI 0.97 to 0.99), p=0.0025), and the rate of smoking is higher in patients with schizophrenia than in controls. Problems with vision (OR 0.13 (0.08 to 0.2), joint pain (OR 0.18 (0.07 to 0.44)) and high cholesterol (OR 0.13 (0.05 to 0.35)) have higher reported prevalence in controls. The cases describe more physical health disorders in the category ‘other’ (OR 4.65 (3.01 to 7.18)). This captures residual disorders not listed in the questionnaire.Conclusions Participants with schizophrenia in comparison with controls report more disorders. The access in the ‘other’ category may be a reflection of undiagnosed disorders

Global phylogeography and ancient evolution of the widespread human gut virus crAssphage

Microbiomes are vast communities of microorganisms and viruses that populate all natural ecosystems. Viruses have been considered to be the most variable component of microbiomes, as supported by virome surveys and examples of high genomic mosaicism. However, recent evidence suggests that the human gut virome is remarkably stable compared with that of other environments. Here, we investigate the origin, evolution and epidemiology of crAssphage, a widespread human gut virus. Through a global collaboration, we obtained DNA sequences of crAssphage from more than one-third of the world's countries and showed that the phylogeography of crAssphage is locally clustered within countries, cities and individuals. We also found fully colinear crAssphage-like genomes in both Old-World and New-World primates, suggesting that the association of crAssphage with primates may be millions of years old. Finally, by exploiting a large cohort of more than 1,000 individuals, we tested whether crAssphage is associated with bacterial taxonomic groups of the gut microbiome, diverse human health parameters and a wide range of dietary factors. We identified strong correlations with different clades of bacteria that are related to Bacteroidetes and weak associations with several diet categories, but no significant association with health or disease. We conclude that crAssphage is a benign cosmopolitan virus that may have coevolved with the human lineage and is an integral part of the normal human gut virome.status: publishe