Trans-disciplinary research on religious formations in urban Africa : towards liberative methodological approaches

In this article, we are exploring a methodological approach to research on faith and religious expressions in urban Africa. We are committed to trans-disciplinary work that pursues research methods mutually liberating for researchers, co-researchers and community participants and that results in long-term benefits and strengthened agency on the part of the host communities. Our reflections in this article are based on a collaborative research project1 in two regions of Pretoria, Tshwane2 – Pretoria Central and Mamelodi East – in which we explore how religious innovation and competition in and amongst churches contribute to the healing or perpetuation of urban fractures.The project is also a sub-theme of the ‘Faith in the City’ research project, hosted by the Centre for Contextual Ministry in the Faculty of Theology, University of Pretoria.The project was funded by the Templeton Foundation as part of an Africa-wide enquiry on ‘Christianity and social change in contemporary Africa’.http://www.hts.org.zaam2018Centre for Contextual MinistryPractical Theolog

Star clusters near and far; tracing star formation across cosmic time

© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00690-x.Star clusters are fundamental units of stellar feedback and unique tracers of their host galactic properties. In this review, we will first focus on their constituents, i.e.\ detailed insight into their stellar populations and their surrounding ionised, warm, neutral, and molecular gas. We, then, move beyond the Local Group to review star cluster populations at various evolutionary stages, and in diverse galactic environmental conditions accessible in the local Universe. At high redshift, where conditions for cluster formation and evolution are more extreme, we are only able to observe the integrated light of a handful of objects that we believe will become globular clusters. We therefore discuss how numerical and analytical methods, informed by the observed properties of cluster populations in the local Universe, are used to develop sophisticated simulations potentially capable of disentangling the genetic map of galaxy formation and assembly that is carried by globular cluster populations.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

A Machine Learning Algorithm to Identify Patients at Risk of Unplanned Subsequent Surgery After Intramedullary Nailing for Tibial Shaft Fractures

Objectives: In the SPRINT trial, 18% of patients with a tibial shaft fracture (TSF) treated with intramedullary nailing (IMN) had one or more unplanned subsequent surgical procedures. It is clinically relevant for surgeon and patient to anticipate unplanned secondary procedures, other than operations that can be readily expected such as reconstructive procedures for soft tissue defects. Therefore, the objective of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) prediction model using the SPRINT data that can give individual patients and their care team an estimate of their particular probability of an unplanned second surgery. Methods: Patients from the SPRINT trial with unilateral TSFs were randomly divided into a training set (80%) and test set (20%). Five ML algorithms were trained in recognizing patterns associated with subsequent surgery in the training set based on a subset of variables identified by random forest algorithms. Performance of each ML algorithm was evaluated and compared based on (1) area under the ROC curve, (2) calibration slope and intercept, and (3) the Brier score. Results: Total data set comprised 1198 patients, of whom 214 patients (18%) underwent subsequent surgery. Seven variables were used to train ML algorithms: (1) Gustilo-Anderson classification, (2) Tscherne classification, (3) fracture location, (4) fracture gap, (5) polytrauma, (6) injury mechanism, and (7) OTA/AO classification. The best-performing ML algorithm had an area under the ROC curve, calibration slope, calibration intercept, and the Brier score of 0.766, 0.954, -0.002, and 0.120 in the training set and 0.773, 0.922, 0, and 0.119 in the test set, respectively. Conclusions: An ML algorithm was developed to predict the probability of subsequent surgery after IMN for TSFs. This ML algorithm may assist surgeons to inform patients about the probability of subsequent surgery and might help to identify patients who need a different perioperative plan or a more intensive approach.Orthopaedics, Trauma Surgery and Rehabilitatio

Thinking disability orientation : practicing affirmation

Introduction: Occupational therapy’s theoretical base is informed by beliefs in empowerment, partnership, choice and hope — all key components in client-centred practice (Sumsion and Law 2006). In order to be client-centred, it is important to appreciate an individual’s perception of their own disability, known as their disability orientation. Disability orientation, as described by Darling and Heckert (2010), includes three aspects: disability identity; adherence to a particular model of disability, and involvement in disability rights activism. Each type of disability orientation will affect the disabled person’s beliefs and feelings about themselves, their impaired bodies and their disabled lives. This, in turn, is likely to influence their expectations of and satisfaction with occupational therapy services. Therefore, occupational therapists aiming to work within a client-centred approach should be cognisant of this concept and consider its possible impact on their therapeutic approach. This seminar will: – Explore the concept of disability orientation and discuss examples of different orientations; – Examine the affirmative disability orientation as it relates to occupational therapy; – Enable participants to analyse and understand their clients’ disability orientation; – Discuss strategies to provide intervention informed by a client’s disability orientation. Case studies will be used to promote discussion and explore practical ways to ascertain an individual’s disability orientation. The affirmative disability orientation will be discussed in particular. Impact on service users: Understanding disability orientation could lead to enhanced client-centred and culturally sensitive practice. Implications for occupational therapy: Contribution to the improvement of practice through the development of culturally sensitive therapeutic strategies