A reading of Deuteronomy as a model of continuity, adaptation and innovation for contemporary discussions of Anglican liturgy

This work examines the important question of why there is deadlock in current Anglican discussions of fresh expressions of church. The study outlines the different perspectives represented by Mission-shaped Church and For the Parish, and how the discussions up to this point, in focusing on ecclesiology as a methodological approach, have not provided a way of bringing people together. This study will argue that a liturgical methodological approach provides a more appropriate model for discussion of mission in an Anglican context, and that a liturgical paradigm of continuity, adaptation and innovation presents a positive approach that can bring both sides of the current debate together. Up to this point, there has been a lack of thorough biblical research in this debate, and therefore the paradigm of continuity, adaptation and innovation will be based on a liturgical reading of Deuteronomy. This text is particularly appropriate given the way in which the narrative context shows the community responding to the change from a nomadic to agrarian lifestyle. The work undertakes a detailed liturgical reading of Deuteronomy 6 and 26, providing a more rigorous definition of the term liturgical and applying it to demonstrate the presence of continuity of community practices alongside adaptation of those practices and innovation in introducing new practices. It is these three strands of continuity, adaptation and innovation that are used in providing a paradigm of community change and transition that responds to the initial question and provides a means of holding together a variety of perspectives and seeking a way forwards

NEPC Review: An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification: Final Report

Review of An Evaluation of Teachers Trained Through Different Routes to Certification: Final Report: A new Mathematica Policy Research report suggests that alternatively certified teachers are as successful as traditionally certified teachers. However, few if any valid conclusions about certification policy can be drawn from the report because the study: &bull; Did not fully report and acknowledge in its conclusions the many analyses from the study finding that traditionally trained teachers outperformed alternative route teachers in both math and reading.&bull; Has a research design that favors finding few significant differences between groups, most notably its small sample size, sampling methods, and failure to distinguish the &ldquo;treatments&rdquo; that alternative certification and traditional certification teachers provided.&bull; Is relevant only to a very limited population of teachers in schools that hire many alternatively certified teachers, and is not generalizable to most states, districts, and schools that do not allow such programs and are more selective in their hiring. Unfortunately, the Mathematica report is quick to draw broad and unqualified implications from the study, and it neglects to properly emphasize the study&rsquo;s many limitations. Policy makers would do well to read it with caution.</p

Scholarly research productivity among otolaryngology residency graduates and its relationship to future academic achievement

Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requires that all residencies participate in research. This growing emphasis on research during residency has made it increasingly important for medical students to gain familiarity with the basic principles of research before beginning residency training. Thus, our goal is to determine if an association exists between publication rates before, during, or after otolaryngology residency training and whether publication efforts may predict future academic achievement. If such an association exists, perhaps otolaryngology residency program directors and education policymakers could use it as a predictive tool to screen future applicants.Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis, we selected a random sample of 50 otolaryngology residency programs listed on Doximity. From these programs, we assembled a list of graduating residents from 2013, 2014, and 2015. Using SCOPUS, PubMed, and Google Scholar, a list of publications for each graduate was compiled and data were extracted in an independent, double-blinded fashion by two investigators.Results: Of the 50 randomly selected otolaryngology residency programs included in this analysis, 27 (54%) programs representing 207 residents were included. Before residency, graduates published a mean of 0.7 (SD=2.3) articles and a mean of 0.2 (SD=0.8) first author publications. During residency, graduates published a mean of 4.1 (SD=5.0) articles and a mean of 2.2 (SD=3.2) first author publications. After residency, graduates published a mean of 5.4 (SD= 9.6) articles and a mean of 1.8 (SD=2.8) first author publications. Residents who pursued a fellowship had more publications (t205=-5.5, p <.001) and more first author publications (t205=-5.3, p <.001) than residents who did not pursue fellowship training. Residents who chose careers in academic medicine had a higher number of mean total publications (t205=-7.2, p <.001) and first author publications (t205=-7.0, p <.001) than those in private practice.Conclusion: Otolaryngology residency graduates are actively involved in research opportunities throughout their medical training. Research productivity significantly correlated with future fellowship training, the pursuit of an academic career, and overall h-index. Residents who published more research were more likely to enter fellowship training and academic careers. Our results indicate that promoting greater physician involvement in the research process may strengthen confidence in the interpretation and application of research findings and ultimately lead to future academic success

Emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance (MCR-1) among Escherichia coli isolated from South African patients

The polymyxin antibiotic colistin is an antibiotic of last resort for the treatment of extensively drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, including carbapenemase- producing Enterobacteriaceae. The State of the World’s Antibiotics report in 2015 highlighted South Africa (SA)’s increasing incidence of these ‘superbugs’ (3.2% of Klebsiella pneumoniae reported from SA were carbapenemase producers), and in doing so, underscored SA’s increasing reliance on colistin as a last line of defence. Colistin resistance effectively renders such increasingly common infections untreatable

The p14 fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) protein effects membrane fusion from a subset of membrane microdomains

The reovirus fusion-associated small transmembrane (FAST) proteins are a unique family of viral membrane fusion proteins. These nonstructural viral proteins induce efficient cell-cell rather than virus-cell membrane fusion. We analyzed the lipid environment in which the reptilian reovirus p14 FAST protein resides to determine the influence of the cell membrane on the fusion activity of the FAST proteins. Topographical mapping of the surface of fusogenic p14-containing liposomes by atomic force microscopy under aqueous conditions revealed that p14 resides almost exclusively in thickened membrane microdomains. In transfected cells, p14 was found in both Lubrol WX-and Triton X-100-resistant membrane complexes. Cholesterol depletion of donor cell membranes led to preferential disruption of p14 association with Lubrol WX (but not Triton X-100)-resistant membranes and decreased cell-cell fusion activity, both of which were reversed upon subsequent cholesterol repletion. Furthermore, co-patching analysis by fluorescence microscopy indicated that p14 did not co-localize with classical lipid-anchored raft markers. These data suggest that the p14 FAST protein associates with heterogeneous membrane microdomains, a distinct subset of which is defined by cholesterol-dependent Lubrol WX resistance and which may be more relevant to the membrane fusion process. © 2006 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc

External evaluation of the Represent programme: report for the National Literacy Trust

NLT’s Represent programme aimed to address the comparatively lower chances of educational achievement of excluded girls and their greater vulnerability to exploitation, grooming, violence, or engaging in criminal behaviour. Excluded girls often have chaotic lives, live in poverty and are less likely to have access to professionals that might provide the stability and support required for sustained engagement with positive role models1. In total, 265 education settings registered their interest in delivering the Represent programme with NLT and received the resource pack required for delivering sessions for 368 groups of students. Of these, at least 822 schools participated in one or more aspects of the evaluation project. The evaluation of the Represent programme sets out to understand five key questions using a mixed-methods approach to explore the complexities of the girls’ experiences, and how the programme has helped to connect the problems around attendance with pathways to future capabilities and wellbeing