Religious education in the experience of young people from mixed-faith families

On the basis of recent ethnographic study at the University of Warwick of the religious identity formation of young people in ‘mixed-faith’ families, this article focuses on their (and their parents’) experiences and perceptions of religious education (RE) and of religious nurture in the community. The young people’s experience of RE differed between primary and secondary school and only a few were engaged in supplementary classes. We highlight the complementarity between school and home in young people’s religious learning and draw out implications for RE

Manipulation of the Upper Respiratory Microbiota to Reduce Incidence and Severity of Upper Respiratory Viral Infections: A Literature Review.

There is a high incidence of upper respiratory viral infections in the human population, with infection severity being unique to each individual. Upper respiratory viruses have been associated previously with secondary bacterial infection, however, several cross-sectional studies analyzed in the literature indicate that an inverse relationship can also occur. Pathobiont abundance and/or bacterial dysbiosis can impair epithelial integrity and predispose an individual to viral infection. In this review we describe common commensal microorganisms that have the capacity to reduce the abundance of pathobionts and maintain bacterial symbiosis in the upper respiratory tract and discuss the potential and limitations of localized probiotic formulations of commensal bacteria to reduce the incidence and severity of viral infections

Apparatus and method for the generation and use of ferric ions

An apparatus and method for the generation and use of ferric ions produced by acidophilic, chemoautotrophic bacteria.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1065/thumbnail.jp

Edge instability in incompressible planar active fluids

Interfacial instability is highly relevant to many important biological processes. A key example arises in wound healing experiments, which observe that an epithelial layer with an initially straight edge does not heal uniformly. We consider the phenomenon in the context of active fluids. Improving upon the approximation used by Zimmermann, Basan, and Levine [Eur. Phys. J.: Spec. Top. 223, 1259 (2014)], we perform a linear stability analysis on a two-dimensional incompressible hydrodynamic model of an active fluid with an open interface. We categorize the stability of the model and find that for experimentally relevant parameters, fingering instability is always absent in this minimal model. Our results point to the crucial role of density variation in the fingering instability in tissue regeneration

What makes you not a Sikh? : a preliminary mapping of values

This study sets out to establish which Sikh values contrasted with or were shared by non-Sikh adolescents. A survey of attitude toward a variety of Sikh values was fielded in a sample of 364 non-Sikh schoolchildren aged between 13 and 15 in London. Values where attitudes were least positive concerned Sikh duties/code of conduct, festivals, rituals, prayer Gurdwara attendance, listening to scripture recitation, the amrit initiation. Sikh values empathized with by non-Sikhs concerned family pride, charity, easy access to ordination and Gurdwaras, maintaining the five Ks, seeing God in all things, abstaining from meat and alcohol and belief in the stories of Guru Nanak. Further significant differences of attitude toward Sikhism were found in comparisons by sex, age and religious affiliation. Findings are applied to teaching Sikhism to pupils of no faith adherence. The study recommends the extension of values mapping to specifically Sikh populations

The Shifting Roles of Men in Collective Action on SGBV in Kenya: Report of a Movement and Influence Mapping Workshop, Nairobi, 3–5 July 2013

Over a decade and a half on from the landmark declarations of the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development (UN 1994) and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (UN 1995), there is now a growing consensus on the importance of engaging men and boys in efforts to stop violence against women and girls. Kenya’s 2008/09 Demographic and Health Survey indicated that 45 per cent of women aged 15–49 had experienced either physical or sexual violence — mostly committed by their husbands or partners. Some of the causes behind the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in Kenya include traditional gender norms that support male superiority and entitlement, social norms that tolerate or justify violence against women, and weak community sanctions against perpetrators. While SGBV has been a feature of all societies throughout history, in Kenya women and girls suffered increased incidences of sexual violence in 2007-08 following accusations that the government manipulated the election process. This plunged the country into turmoil, with Kenya spiralling into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis that resulted in the death of 1,300 people and the displacement of around 300,000 people (Muhula 2009). In order to improve our understanding and knowledge of shifting roles of men in movements to address SGBV through collective action in Kenya, Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN), the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) joined together to engage with multiple actors in Kenya for collective learning through this workshop.UK Department for International Developmen