Is world view neutral education possible and desirable? : A Christian response to liberal arguments.

The main object of this thesis is to find out why it so often is assumed that education can and should be neutral between world views, and to argue against this. It is also discussed what the world view basis of the common school should be when neutrality is impossible. The idea of a common school that inculcates common values without taking a stand between different religions and secular world views, is central in today's idea of liberal education. It is argued here that however thin the common basis for the school is, certain world view presuppositions will always be conveyed, at least implicitly. It is easier to see the world view presuppositions in one account of education if it is contrasted with another. An account is given of Christian education, emphasizing its view of reality and human nature, the meaning of life and the corresponding purpose of education. Contrasted with this, an analysis of J. White's and K. Strike's accounts of education based on common values only, shows that they both convey world view presuppositions that are incompatible with a Christian view and therefore not neutral. The argument of incompatibility is strengthened by a discussion of T. H. McLaughlin's three different accounts of common, world view neutral education, Catholic education, and liberal religious education. Several kinds of argument for the possibility and desirability of world view neutral education are analysed, and it is claimed that none of them is valid. Some imply a shallow understanding of religion, others a biased view of education. It is argued that liberal education in many ways is more likely to indoctrinate than Christian education IS. Finally, it is argued that it is desirable to have Christian education in state schools, and the degree to which this is possible is discussed

The Different Potential of Sponge Bacterial Symbionts in N₂ Release Indicated by the Phylogenetic Diversity and Abundance Analyses of Denitrification Genes, <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i>

<div><p>Nitrogen cycle is a critical biogeochemical process of the oceans. The nitrogen fixation by sponge cyanobacteria was early observed. Until recently, sponges were found to be able to release nitrogen gas. However the gene-level evidence for the role of bacterial symbionts from different species sponges in nitrogen gas release is limited. And meanwhile, the quanitative analysis of nitrogen cycle-related genes of sponge microbial symbionts is relatively lacking. The <i>nirK</i> gene encoding nitrite reductase which catalyzes soluble nitrite into gas NO and <i>nosZ</i> gene encoding nitrous oxide reductase which catalyzes N₂O into N₂ are two key functional genes in the complete denitrification pathway. In this study, using <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i> genes as markers, the potential of bacterial symbionts in six species of sponges in the release of N₂ was investigated by phylogenetic analysis and real-time qPCR. As a result, totally, 2 OTUs of <i>nirK</i> and 5 OTUs of <i>nosZ</i> genes were detected by gene library-based saturated sequencing. Difference phylogenetic diversity of <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i> genes were observed at OTU level in sponges. Meanwhile, real-time qPCR analysis showed that <i>Xestospongia testudinaria</i> had the highest abundance of <i>nosZ</i> gene, while <i>Cinachyrella</i> sp. had the greatest abundance of <i>nirK</i> gene. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i> genes were probably of <i>Alpha-, Beta-,</i> and <i>Gammaproteobacteria</i> origin. The results from this study suggest that the denitrification potential of bacteria varies among sponges because of the different phylogenetic diversity and relative abundance of <i>nosZ</i> and <i>nirK</i> genes in sponges. Totally, both the qualitative and quantitative analyses of <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i> genes indicated the different potential of sponge bacterial symbionts in the release of nitrogen gas.</p></div

(TFPP)Eu[Pc(OPh)₈]Eu[Pc(OPh)₈]/CuPc Two-Component Bilayer Heterojunction-Based Organic Transistors with High Ambipolar Performance

Organic thin film transistor (OTFT) devices fabricated by the solution-based QLS technique from a mixed (phthalocyaninato)­(porphyrinato) europium complex (TFPP)­Eu­[Pc­(OPh)₈]­Eu­[Pc­(OPh)₈] exhibit air-stable ambipolar performance with mobilities of 6.0 × 10^–5 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻1 for holes and 1.4 × 10^–4 cm² V^–1 s^–1 for electrons, respectively. In good contrast, the two-component bilayer heterojunction thin film devices constructed by directly growing (TFPP)­Eu­[Pc­(OPh)₈]­Eu­[Pc­(OPh)₈] on vacuum deposited (VCD) CuPc film using solution based QLS method were revealed to show unprecedented ambipolar performance with carrier mobilities of 0.16 cm² V^–1 s^–1 for holes and 0.30 cm² V^–1 s^–1 for electrons. In addition to the intrinsic role of p-type organic semiconductor, the VCD CuPc film on the substrate also acts as a good template that induces significant improvement over the molecular ordering of triple-decker compound in the film. In particular, it results in the change in the aggregation mode of (TFPP)­Eu­[Pc­(OPh)₈]­Eu­[Pc­(OPh)₈] from J-type in the single-layer film to H-type in the bilayer film according to the UV–vis, XRD, and AFM observations

Superhydrophobic and Superoleophilic Nanoparticle Film: Synthesis and Reversible Wettability Switching Behavior

The present work describes a one-step facile spray deposition process for the fabrication of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic nanoparticle film. The film shows fast response wettability transition between superhydrophobicity and hydrophilicity. The reversible superhydrophobicity to hydrophilicity switching can be easily carried out by adjusting the temperature. The film also demonstrates oil uptake ability and can selectively adsorb oil floating on water surface. Furthermore, the film surface shows the antifouling performance for organic solvents, which can self-remove the organic solvents layer and recover its superhydrophobic behavior. The advantage of the present approach is that the damaged film can be easily repaired by spraying again

The <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i> gene copies in sponges.

<p>Sponge names are shown in abscissa axis ordinate shows gene copies treated with log₁₀ for per microgramme sponge. The <i>nirK</i> gene (OTU1 and OTU2 together) is shown in pink column, while <i>nosZ</i> gene (OTU1, OTU2, OTU3, OTU4 and OTU5 together) is shown in green column.</p

UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS Method Based on Four-Step Strategy for Metabolism Study of Fisetin <i>in Vitro</i> and <i>in Vivo</i>

Fisetin has been identified as an anticancer agent with antiangiogenic properties in mice. However, its metabolism <i>in vitro</i> (rat liver microsomes) and <i>in vivo</i> (rats) is presently not characterized. In this study, ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid triple quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS) was employed for data acquiring, and a four-step analytical strategy was developed to screen and identify metabolites. First, full-scan was applied, which was dependent on a multiple mass defect filter (MMDF) combined with dynamic background subtraction (DBS). Then PeakView 1.2 and Metabolitepilot 1.5 software were used to load data to seek possible metabolites. Finally, metabolites were identified according to mass measurement and retention time. Moreover, isomers were distinguished based on Clog P parameter. Based on the proposed method, 53 metabolites <i>in vivo</i> and 14 metabolites <i>in vitro</i> were characterized. Moreover, metabolic pathways mainly included oxidation, reduction, hydrogenation, methylation, sulfation, and glucuronidation

Quantification of <i>nirK</i> and <i>nosZ</i> genes by qRT-PCR.

<p>Note: “/”means no gene copies were detected. The data were gene copies/µg sponge tissue.</p

Phylogenetic tree based on amino acid sequence (151 aa) translated from partial gene fragment of <i>nosZ</i>.

<p>The tree is reconstructed using the neighbor-joining method and bootstrap analysis is carried out with 1,000 replicates. Bootstrap values <50% are hidden. The scale bar represents 0.1 AA substitutions per site. The number in parentheses shows the number of sequences in each OTU. •means sequences obtained in this study.</p

Strong Collagen Hydrogels by Oxidized Dextran Modification

Collagen hydrogel has been regarded as an excellent biomaterial because it is an abundant and sustainable resource and has good biocompatibility and controllable cell-based biodegradability. However, the poor mechanical properties of collagen hydrogel are the main disadvantage preventing it from having wide applications. In this communication, we use aldehyde-functionalized dextran, which is prepared from the oxidation of another natural polymer dextran, as a macromolecular cross-linker to enhance the strength of the collagen hydrogel. The resulting collagen/aldehyde-functionalized dextran (Col/DAD) hydrogels are much stronger and show better thermostability than the pristine collagen hydrogel, as expected. The maximum compressive strength of the Col/DAD hydrogel is 32.5 ± 1.6 kPa, which is about 20 times more than that of the pristine collagen hydrogel. We also prove that our method maintains the good biocompatibility of the collagen hydrogel and does not bring the cytotoxicity often observed from conventional chemical cross-linking in the product. Therefore, the strong collagen hydrogel made by oxidized dextran modification may have a great potential in tissue engineering and other biomedical fields

Additional file 1 of Non-pharmacological therapy for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neurotoxicity: a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Supplementary Material