Developing an "Oslo model" of theological education by distance learning for the contemporary British Church of the Nazarene

This thesis brings together areas of research in the common theme of theological education for the ordained ministry. Its goal, through original critical analysis and original research, is to develop an "Oslo model" of theological education by distance learning for the ordained ministry of the Church of the Nazarene in the United Kingdom. This is done by drawing on the emerging competencies from the recent ecumenical Oslo debate on theological education together with the contemporary principles of distance learning. Its application is in the context of the Church of the Nazarene where theological education for the ordained ministry is a live issue. To develop the model, the argument moves through several stages in which original critical analysis and original research is done. Chapter one summarises the three year ecumenical Oslo debate in ministerial formation and theological education. Chapter two, describes the emerging "Oslo model" through the six competencies agreed at its final consultation held in 1996. The formation of the minister is seen as central to the theological education endeavour, therefore the competencies are primarily formative in being educative. Chapter three critically reflects on the context of the Oslo consultation in the knowledge that similar arguments for a new vision had already been rehearsed in the debate which led up to the formation of TEE a generation earlier. A critique of TEE is done through an examination of its philosophy and historical development. Chapter four analyses and critiques, through original documentation, a working model of TEE in its historical and philosophical context within the Church of the Nazarene. This throws more light on the reasons why Oslo may have been so reticent in its promotion of TEE. It also raises significant questions for the Church of the Nazarene of its use of the method. Chapter five considers the set of core competencies drawn up by the Church of the Nazarene for its theological education programme. Are these compatible with those from the Oslo consultation? It so, should they take precedence over the Nazarene competencies

Polyterthiophenes incorporating 3,4-difluorothiophene units : application in organic field-effect transistors

Two terthiophenes bearing core fluorinated thienyl units have been synthesised as potential semiconductor materials for organic field-effect transistors. Polymerisation of these compounds has been achieved using conventional iron(III) chloride oxidative coupling methods and by electrochemical oxidation. Characterisation of the fluorinated materials has been achieved by absorption spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry. A soluble hexyl-functionalised polymer (poly8b) was used in an OFET device; hole mobilities were measured up to 3 × 10−3 cm2 · V−1 · s−1, and the device had an on/off ratio of 105 and a turn-on voltage of +4 V

The effect of robenacoxib on the concentration of C-reactive protein in synovial fluid from dogs with osteoarthritis

Background: Robenacoxib is a novel and highly selective inhibitor of COX-2 in dogs and cats and because of its acidic nature is regarded as being tissue-selective. Thirty four dogs with stifle osteoarthritis secondary to failure of the cranial cruciate ligament were recruited into this study. Lameness, radiographic features, synovial cytology and C-reactive protein concentrations in serum and synovial fluid were assessed before and 28 days after commencing a course of Robenacoxib at a dose of 1 mg/kg SID.<p></p> Results: There was a significant reduction in the lameness score (P <0.01) and an increase in the radiographic score (P < 0.05) between pre- and post-treatment assessments. There was no difference between pre- (median 1.49 mg/l; Q1-Q3 0.56-4.24 mg/L) and post – (1.10 mg/L; 0.31-1.78 mg/L) treatment serum C-reactive protein levels although synovial fluid levels were significantly reduced (pre- : 0.44 mg/L; 0.23-1.62 mg/L; post- : 0.17 mg/L; 0.05-0.49 mg/L) (P < 0.05). There was no correlation between C-reactive protein concentrations in serum and matched synovial fluid samples.<p></p> Conclusions: Robenacoxib proved effective in reducing lameness in dogs with failure of the cranial cruciate ligament and osteoarthritis of the stifle joint. The drug also reduced levels of C-reactive protein in the synovial fluid taken from the affected stifle joint. Robenacoxib appears to reduce articular inflammation as assessed by C-reactive protein which supports the concept that Robenacoxib is a tissue-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.<p></p&gt

On groups with few subgroups not in the Chermak-Delgado lattice

We investigate the question of how many subgroups of a finite group are not in its Chermak-Delgado lattice. The Chermak-Delgado lattice for a finite group is a self-dual lattice of subgroups with many intriguing properties. Fasol\u{a} and T\u{a}rn\u{a}uceanu asked how many subgroups are not in the Chermak-Delgado lattice and classified all groups with two or less subgroups not in the Chermak-Delgado lattice. We extend their work by classifying all groups with less than five subgroups not in the Chermak-Delgado lattice. In addition, we show that a group with less than five subgroups not in the Chermak--Delgado lattice is nilpotent. In this vein we also show that the only non-nilpotent group with five or fewer subgroups in the Chermak-Delgado lattice is S_3

Constructing Nation Within States: The Quest for Federal Recognition by the Catawba and Lumbee Tribes

Creating and in some cases re-creating viable tribal political communities within the construct of modern nation-state has proven to be a troublesome task for indigenous populations worldwide. The task for indigenous governments in the United States has been further complication by federalism\u27s divisions of power between the states and the national government. Native American tribes often find themselves waging a two-front battle in which they must resist state encroachments over their lands and their inherent government authority; while at the same time they must lobby the federal government for protection of those same lands and powers. History is replete with attempts by the federal government to forcibly remove tribes from their ancestral and treaty-recognized homelands, to facilitate assimilation using acts of cultural genocide, and to sever the federal trust relationship with tribes. These often well-intentioned, but highly destructive policies have take their toll on tribes\u27 political status, economic resources, and cultural integrity. This is particularly true for many Eastern tribes, especially those in the mid-Atlantic region, that generally were not accorded federal recognition in the form of treaties and thus did not benefit from the accompanying protection of the federal trust relationship. In addition, many Eastern tribes never had reservations set aside for them, a major source of geographic security that many Western tribes have enjoyed

An analytical method for sizing energy storage in microgrid systems to maximize renewable consumption and minimize unused storage capacity

This paper presents a novel analytical method to optimally size energy storage in microgrid systems. The method has fast calculation speeds, calculates the exact optimal, and handles non-linear models. The method first constructs a temporal storage profile of stored energy, based on how storage charges and discharges in response to renewable generation and load demand. The storage is sized according to the largest cumulative charge or discharge in the profile. In essence, the storage profile represents how storage is utilized within a given system, and the method sizes optimal storage to maximize that profile, such that storage utilization is maximized, and unutilized or wasted storage is eliminated. Maximizing storage utilization also maximizes renewable consumption and minimizes load shedding, as storage utilization is the temporal transfer of energy from renewable generation to load demand. The proposed method is extended iteratively to account for storage’s energy limits, power limits, and energy leakage. Two solar–battery case studies demonstrate the method. The first study shows that optimally sized storage does not have wasted capacity due to over-sizing, nor cause energy deficits due to under-sizing. The second case study shows increasing the storage size reduces the marginal increase in energy provided by storage, indicating diminishing returns. The diminishing return thresholds are defined by the largest daily and annual storage designs. The result shows the largest daily design only requires 3% of the annual design’s storage size, but provides 80% of the energy provided by the annual design. The proposed method can be used as a decision support tool for energy analysts, to determine required storage capacity when coupled with known renewable generation and load demand