Tackling overdiagnosis : supporting the re-emergence of generalist expertise

Overdiagnosis – the problem of too much medicine (1) - is big business. Literally so, as described in the writing offered by the pharmaceuticalisation and medicalisation critiques (2). Transforming ever more of human existence in to a medical condition to be diagnosed and treated offers promise of ever greater market share to big companies around the world. But also figuratively speaking, if we look at the growing array of papers, journals, and conferences which discuss and debate the phenomenon

Acid-adaption by a medic microsymbiont: new insights from the genome of Sinorhizobium medicae WSM419

The poor availability of nitrogen is one of the principal factors limiting global biomass. Legumes are vital components of agricultural systems because of their ability to associate symbiotically with root nodule bacteria (RNB) and subsequently fix atmospheric nitrogen to a form that can be utilised by the plant partner. Furthermore, this symbiotic relationship provides available soil nitrogen for subsequent non-leguminous crops. This RNB-legume interaction is affected by a number of environmental factors. Progressive acidification of agricultural soils is one of the big challenges in agriculture as soil acidity negatively impacts legume productivity. One genus of RNB, Sinorhizobium, is particularly acid-sensitive causing a major reduction in Medicago productivity in acidic soils. Due to the importance of Medic pasture production, alternative strains have been captured, and are still being captured, from the genetic pool that display superior acid tolerance characteristics. This presentation will focus on the acid-tolerant species S. medicae (previously known as S. meliloti) and in particular on the previously used commercial inoculant WSM419

Some Thoughts on Nonconformity in the Adventist Ethos

The theological and practical dynamics of living nonconformity in a worldwide organization committed to mission are complex; but the tension is a potentially healthy and balancing one. This paper will discuss four aspects of Adventist life and thought which have contributed to the way in which this tension is dealt with: the Adventist historical experience, the shape of God’s grace, the normative nature of Scripture, and the relationship between distinctive Adventist theology and praxis. These four factors have together led Adventism to deal with the mission-separation tension primarily through calling people out in significant ways from their dominant culture, rather than seeking to reorient culture or to merge into culture or participate in the local civil religion