Toward an Eschatological Curriculum Theory.

This study explores the relationship between eschatology and curriculum theory. Themes such as liberation, emancipatory knowledge, transformative pedagogy, concepts of time, impact of the future on present experience, and learning landscapes are traced in the emerging literature of theology and of curriculum theory. The mutual interest in these themes in both fields of study provides the basis for moving toward an eschatological curriculum theory. The reconceptualization which has occurred in curriculum theory and the new emphasis on eschatology in twentieth century theology both provide a foundation for this curriculum theory rooted in hope. In contemporary theology there is a movement which parallels the reconceptualization in education. Jurgen Moltmann\u27s work is at the forefront of the rediscovery of eschatology as the focus of the whole of theology. Also, Karl Rahner grounds eschatology in experiences of the present. The future is that which brings to completion what has already been set in motion. The work of Moltmann and Rahner has laid the foundation for the appearance of a new framework for eschatological theology which is struggling to emerge in the 1980s. Identifying this new framework and relating it to contemporary curriculum discourses for the purpose of moving toward a postmodern eschatological curriculum theory is the focus of this study. If the reconceptualization reflected in theological and educational theories is to transform society and alter the conception of school curriculum, then scholarly investigation into the various dimensions of the theories must be undertaken. This study explores contemporary eschatological theology and contemporary curriculum theory for the purpose of contributing to the development of a model of education for the third millennium rooted in liberation and hope. This study contends that modern educational movements which have envisioned a new world order based upon technological solutions have not only failed to liberate humanity, but have actually resulted in an impoverishment of the human spirit verging on despondency and self-destruction. Eschatology can provide curriculum theory with a dimension that will allow hope to replace apathy as the predominant ethos in the school culture

PSA 2020

These preprints were automatically compiled into a PDF from the collection of papers deposited in PhilSci-Archive in conjunction with the PSA 2020

MS FT-2-2 7 Orthogonal polynomials and quadrature: Theory, computation, and applications

Quadrature rules find many applications in science and engineering. Their analysis is a classical area of applied mathematics and continues to attract considerable attention. This seminar brings together speakers with expertise in a large variety of quadrature rules. It is the aim of the seminar to provide an overview of recent developments in the analysis of quadrature rules. The computation of error estimates and novel applications also are described

Measuring DNA damage and associated epigenetic changes genome-wide in cells following exposure to platinum analogue chemotherapeutic drugs

Many chemotherapy drugs act by inducing DNA damage leading to cell death, and the platinum analogue class of anticancer drugs are the most commonly used DNA damaging chemotherapeutic drugs. Despite extensive analysis of platinum-DNA interactions, particularly characterising the individual adducts and their effects on DNA replication, transcription and cell survival, measurement of these adducts in cells with higher sensitivity and precision is necessary. Previous work studying platinum-DNA adduct formation has been performed using DNA damage assays such as immuno-slot-blots to detect whole genome DNA damage, or with combinations of chromatography and mass spectrometry to characterise each adduct individually. The ability to measure platinum-induced DNA damage genome-wide with high resolution in human cells could have profound implications for basic mechanistic research, as well as clinical translational research and treatment stratification, by providing a tool with the potential for predicting clinical response to these agents. The achievement of this PhD was developing an assay to measure platinuminduced DNA damage induction at high resolution, density and precision within the genome of human cells. This was achieved using DNA immunoprecipitation coupled with analysis using DNA microarrays, allowing measurements of platinum-induced DNA damage to be made at high resolution throughout the human genome for the first time. This assay was initially developed to measure cisplatin and oxaliplatin induced DNA damage in the genome of the yeast model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae and experimental profiles of cisplatin and oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage were validated by demonstrating close correlation with mathematically generated predicted profiles for platinum-induced DNA damage. The assay was then applied and validated to measure cisplatin, oxaliplatin and ultraviolet-induced CPD formation in human fibroblast cells, and again, experimental profiles of cisplatin and oxaliplatin-induced DNA damage and UV-induced CPD formation were shown to correlate well with predicted profiles of DNA damage. Novel comparative analytical approaches for studying microarray data from these genome-wide DNA damage datasets are demonstrated and further validation of the assay is provided by demonstrating the contrast between platinum-induced DNA damage and UV-induced CPD formation genome-wide and in the context of repeat sequences of DNA. Finally, cisplatin and oxaliplatin-induced histone H3 acetylation changes are examined and histone H3 K14 acetylation is demonstrated to be a prominent histone modification following exposure to platinum analogues. Novel analysis is performed to investigate the influence of chromatin on platinum adduct formation, and greater platinum-induced DNA damage is demonstrated in DNA samples treated in vitro compared with DNA samples taken from cells treated in culture. Comparisons were also performed between histone H3 acetylation in yeast cells following exposure to cisplatin or UV irradiation and this comparison revealed very similar patterns of histone acetylation following exposure to these two different genotoxins