God\u27s Glass Ceiling: Women\u27s Education in Christian Fundamentalist Higher Education Institutions

Fundamentalists have historically held complex relationships with education and with women. This thesis examines the intersection of the three topics through a case study approach by looking at the education of women at fundamentalist institutions Bob Jones University, Liberty University, and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Historically, fundamentalists have expressed great suspicion towards education and intellectualism. Fundamentalists insisted on a literal interpretation of the Bible. Moreover, they created fundamentalist universities and colleges so that parents could send their sons and daughters away to school without worrying that their children would abandon their faith. This thesis argues that fundamentalist schools approach the education of women in ways that are rife with paradox. These fundamentalist universities, by providing women with an education, empower them for future careers and provide them with an intellectual framework to navigate an increasingly complex world. Yet, the institutions also teach women to relinquish their aspirations to become pastors, to submit to the authority of their husbands, and to center their lives around their homes. Such an approach to the education of women by fundamentalists ultimately ensures men\u27s retention of power within fundamentalism. Thus, educated and “modern” women no longer threaten their patriarchal fundamentalist schools, churches, and denominations

A study of selected Christian day schools in North Carolina

This study was designed to describe selected Christian day schools in North Carolina in the 1980's through an interpretative analysis of responses to questionnaires and interviews which addressed issues related to philosophical foundations, goals and purposes, curriculum and classroom management, faculty requirements, facilities, finances, student composition, and student outcomes. Survey questionnaires were mailed to 100 Christian day schools in North Carolina with an enrollment of 75 or more with a response rate of 60 percent. Observations were made and administrators were interviewed at 5 of the responding schools to validate questionnaire responses. Prior to presenting the results of the study, a review of the literature was discussed. This review indicated that the movement was growing rapidly, with some researchers estimating that between 15 and 50 percent of school age young people in America would be in non-public schools by 1990

Health care professionals' views on discussing sexual wellbeing with patients who have had a stroke: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVES: To examine the experiences of health care professionals discussing sexual wellbeing with patients who have had a stroke. DESIGN: In-depth qualitative interview study with purposive sampling and thematic analysis. PARTICIPANTS: 30 health care professionals purposively recruited to include different roles and settings along the stroke patient pathway in secondary and primary care. SETTING: Two hospitals and three general practices in the West Midlands, UK. RESULTS: Sexual wellbeing was a topic that participants did not raise with patients and was infrequently raised by patients. Barriers to raising discussion were on four levels: structural, health care professional, patient, and professional-patient interface. Barriers within these levels included: sexual wellbeing not present within hospital stroke policy; the perception that sexual wellbeing was not within participants' role; participants' concern that raising the issue could cause harm to the patient; and the views that discussion would be inappropriate with older people or unimportant to women. Resources exist to aid discussion but many participants were unaware of them, and most of those that were, did not use them routinely. CONCLUSIONS: Participants lacked motivation, ownership, and the confidence and skills to raise sexual wellbeing routinely after stroke. Similar findings have been reported in cancer care and other taboo subjects such as incontinence potentially resulting in a sub-optimal experience for patients. Normalisation of the inclusion of sensitive topics in discussions post-stroke does not seem to need significant structural intervention and simple changes such as information provision and legitimisation through consideration of the issue in standard care policies may be all that is required. The experiences recounted by professionals in this study suggest that such changes are needed now

Female Genital Mutilation: Exploring Strategies for Ending Ritualized Torture; Shaming, Blaming, and Utilizing the Convention against Torture

The intent of this article is to graphically describe female genital mutilation (FGM); discuss the background of FGM and its health, psychological, and social implications; propose some workable solutions to ending FGM; and raise the level of awareness of the pain and suffering of women around the world. In part, this article will discuss invoking the Convention against Torture against those nations unwilling to end this horrific practice. There is also a caveat to this article: the author acknowledges that discussing solutions to the practice of FGM is not a simplistic and straight-forward endeavor. Solutions to ending FGM are as complicated as the societies that practice it. Therefore, ending FGM cannot be reduced to feel-good sound bites, but must be thoughtful, respectful, and deliberate

Elective nodal radiotherapy in prostate cancer

In patients with prostate cancer who have a high risk of pelvic nodal disease, the use of elective whole pelvis radiotherapy is still controversial. Two large, randomised, controlled trials (RTOG 9413 and GETUG-01) did not show a benefit of elective whole pelvis radiotherapy over prostate-only radiotherapy. In 2020, the POP-RT trial established the role of elective whole pelvis radiotherapy in patients who have more than a 35% risk of lymph node invasion (known as the Roach formula). POP-RT stressed the importance of patient selection. In patients with cN1 (clinically node positive) disease or pN1 (pathologically node positive) disease, the addition of whole pelvis radiotherapy to androgen deprivation therapy significantly improved survival compared with androgen deprivation therapy alone, as shown in large, retrospective studies. This patient population might increase in the future because use of the more sensitive prostate-specific membrane antigen PET-CT will become the standard staging procedure. Additionally, the SPORTT trial suggested a benefit of whole pelvis radiotherapy in biochemical recurrence-free survival in the salvage setting. A correct definition of the upper field border, which should include the bifurcation of the abdominal aorta, is key in the use of pelvic radiotherapy. As a result of using modern radiotherapy technology, severe late urinary and intestinal toxic effects are rare and do not seem to increase compared with prostate-only radiotherapy

Minimally Invasive Urological Procedures and Related Technological Developments

The landscape of minimally invasive urological intervention is changing. A lot of new innovations and technological developments have happened over the last 3 decades. Laparoscopy and robotic surgery have revolutionised kidney and prostate cancer treatment, with more minimally invasive procedures now being carried out than ever before. At the same time, technological advancements and the use of laser have changed the face of endourology. Several new innovative treatments are now commonplace for benign prostate enlargement (BPE). Management of prostate cancer now involves procedures such as robotic prostatectomy, brachytherapy, radiotherapy, cryotherapy and HIFU. Robotic partial nephrectomy and cryotherapy have changed the face of renal cancer. En-bloc resection of bladder cancer is challenging the traditional management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and becoming commonplace, while robotic cystectomy is also gaining popularity for muscle invasive bladder cancer. Newer surgical intervention related to BPE includes laser (holmium, thulium and green light), water-based treatment (Rezum, Aquablation) and other minimally invasive procedures such as prostate artery embolisation (PAE) and Urolift. Endourological procedures have incorporated newer laser types and settings such as moses technology, disposable ureteroscopes (URS) and minimisation of percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) instruments. All these technological innovations and improvements have led to shorter hospital stay, reduced cost, potential reduction in complications and improvement in the quality of life (QoL)