1,487 research outputs found
Values, controversial issues and interfaith understanding
No full textValues are fundamental to human activity. What makes us distinctive is our ability to understand the challenges we face in life, and to make choices about how to respond. Yet, as the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s\ud
Adventures in Wonderland observed, if we don’t care about how we make such choices, the outcome of our decision-making is diminished. Values education is a broad, complex and controversial area, and, while it has shifted in\ud
emphasis and focus, it continues to be an essential part of many education systems. For example, some international education systems are exploring the links between values education and student wellbeing. In Australia,\ud
the values basis for ethical behaviour is receiving emphasis as a general capability, or important component of education, that can be developed across the curriculum. Indeed, some syllabus and policy documents require\ud
that particular values are emphasised, while numerous schools aim to inculcate and foster a range of personal social, moral and spiritual values in their students, many of which are shared by members of the wider community. However, because values are also contested in the community, values education involves the exploration of controversial issues. Similarly, values education explores the underlying belief systems of different world views and how they influence value commitments, ways of behaving, and interfaith understanding in today’s globalised world. This\ud
chapter explores the significance and teaching possibilities of values, controversial issues and interfaith understanding
Multicultural education, global studies and studies of Asia
No full textLike other nations, Australia has experienced significant change in the past few decades as its society has become increasingly diverse. The new cultures and traditions that result from ethnic and religious diversity have both enriched Australian society and presented it with some challenges. Other challenges have resulted from increased globalisation. For example, the economic fallout from the recent global financial crisis indicates that global issues can impact across a range of levels, from multinational corporations and nation-states to local sites and individual livelihoods. Some suggest that Australia fared better than other nations during this economic crisis because of its export trade with China. Although this is disputed by economists, it highlights another facet of change that is impacting on Australian society and this relates to Australia’s growing engagement with the nations of Asia. There is increasing awareness in education systems that if young people are to achieve their potential as future citizens they need to be able to negotiate the cultural, social, political and economic ties that connect them to the global and regional community through work, leisure and citizenship. Multicultural education, global studies and studies of Asia play a particular part in helping young people to:\ud
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• appreciate cultural diversity within and beyond\ud
their own nation\ud
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• imagine with some accuracy how others view their\ud
world\ud
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• participate in shaping a better future.\ud
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This chapter explores the origins, distinctions and\ud
common features of each approach
Effect of heeled shoes on joint symptoms and knee osteoarthritis (OA) in older adults: a 5-year follow-up study
Get PDFObjective: our aims were to examine the effects of heeled shoes on incident knee OA and joint pain. Methods: we used longitudinal data from the Chingford 1000 Women Study (Chingford Study); a prospective cohort of women aged ≥50 years. Participants with musculoskeletal disorders and/or a history of knee-related injury/surgery were excluded. Participants were followed for up to 5-years for incident outcomes including; i) radiographic knee OA (RKOA) and ii) joint pain (feet, knees, hips and back). Footwear data including ever worn heels ≥2 inches and, daytime/evening hours (per week) spent wearing heeled shoes over five-decades (ages <20, 20-30, 30-40, >50 years) were available at Year 10 whilst knee radiographs and joint symptom data were also collected at Year 15. Cumulative time spent wearing heeled shoes was calculated for women reporting ever use of heeled shoes (≥2 inches). Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between exposures and outcomes (from years 10 to 15).Results: 356 women were eligible at Year 10 with the median (IQR) age 60 (56 to 65) years. Compared to non-use, ever use of heeled shoes (≥2 inches) was not associated with incident RKOA (1.35, 95% CI 0.56 to 3.27). No association was observed between increasing cumulative time spent wearing heels and incident outcomes. Conclusion: compared to the non-use of heeled shoes, ever use of heels (≥2 inches) was not associated with incident RKOA and incident joint symptoms, respectively. Further, increasing cumulative time spent wearing heels was not associated with any of our outcomes
Serum antimullerian hormone (AMH) levels are elevated in adolescent girls with polycystic ovaries and the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
No full textPolycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in adolescents, with potentially significant lifelong consequences. This prospective study set out to determine if the investigators could derive a threshold value of antimullerian hormone (AMH) that would predict its presence according to two internationally recognized definitions using a simple measurement, avoiding more extensive and potentially more invasive investigations. The study failed to demonstrate, in a general adolescent population, that serum AMH is a reliable predictor of PCO morphology or for the presence of PCOS.Roger Hart, Dorota A. Doherty, Robert J. Norman, Stephen Franks, Jan E. Dickinson, Martha Hickey, Deborah M. Slobod
Sars-Cov-2/Covid-19 [Coronavirus] Global Scientific Research and How it Impacts Workplace Health Management and Health Services, Including Policy Implications
No full textBackground/Objectives The research rationale is that many economic, policy, and government implications result from the COVID-19 pandemic. Author published a literature review on COVID-19 research specific to Australia including policy and media releases. This Australian scientific literature assessed the social impact, government, and policy implications. This manuscript expands on previous research by assessing global pandemic policy specifically in relation to workplace health management, health services and systems. Methods A search strategy was created using the MeSH Browser. The MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is the NLM controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles for PubMed and is at; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh. (((((("SARS-CoV-2"[Mesh])) OR "COVID-19"[Mesh]) OR "Coronavirus"[Mesh]) AND "Policy"[Mesh]). The following individual text words were added to the search string – ‘health services’; - ‘workforce’; - ‘health systems’ in order to quantify the extent of literature pertaining to workplace health management. Results The PubMed Mesh search performed retrieved 2934 articles. Adding individual text words resulted in the following retrievals; health services - 926 retrievals, workforce – 74 retrievals, health systems – 414 retrievals. Conclusions The impact of a pandemic upon workforce services is immense. It relates to variations as a result of shutdowns and adapted essential service provisions. This results in reduced screening or current testing strategies, changes to other routine procedures/services, immunizations/vaccinations and/or reduced treatment for patients with pre-existing diseases. A rapid shift in service delivery with increased usage of digital technologies & e- health in particular in high-income countries is evident, with low and middle-income countries somewhat compromised by poorer infrastructure
Learning theories and interprofessional education: a user's guide
Get PDFThere is increasing interest in the theoretical underpinning of interprofessional education (IPE) and writers in this field are drawing on a wide range of disciplines for theories that have utility in IPE. While this has undoubtedly enriched the research literature, for the educational practitioner, whose aim is to develop and deliver an IPE curriculum that has sound theoretical underpinnings, this plethora of theories has become a confusing, and un-navigable quagmire. This article aims to provide a compass for those educational practitioners by presenting a framework that summarizes key learning theories used in IPE and the relationship between them. The study reviews key contemporary learning theories from the wider field of education used in IPE and the explicit applications of these theories in the IPE literature to either curriculum design or programme evaluation. Through presenting a broad overview and summary framework, the study clarifies the way in which learning theories can aid IPE curriculum development and evaluation. It also highlights areas where future theoretical development in the IPE field is required
Serum branched-chain amino acid to histidine ratio: a novel metabolomic biomarker of knee osteoarthritis
No full textObjective: There is a pressing need to develop reliable molecular biomarkers in osteoarthritis. The aim of the study was to identify novel serum biomarkers for osteoarthritis using a metabolomics approach. Methods: A two-stage study design was utilised. 123 knee osteoarthritis cases and 299 controls were selected from the TwinsUK cohort as a discovery sample. 76 knee osteoarthritic cases and 100 controls from the Chingford Study were used as replication. Knee osteoarthritis was defined as either radiographic, medically diagnosed or total knee joint replacement due to primary osteoarthritis. All the subjects were unrelated white women. Their serum samples were assessed for targeted metabolite profiling by electrosprary ionisation tandem mass spectrometry using the AbsoluteIDQ kit. 163 serum metabolites were assessed and their concentrations obtained. The ratios of metabolite concentrations as proxies for enzymatic reaction rates were calculated and tested for the association with knee osteoarthritis. Significance was assessed after adjustment for multiple testing (Bonferroni method) and potential confounders. Results: In the discovery stage, the authors identified 14 ratios significantly associated with knee osteoarthritis with p≤1.9 x 10⁻⁶. Two of these 14 ratios were successfully confirmed in the replication stage - the ratios of valine to histidine and xleucine to histidine, with p=0.002. The significance remained after adjustment for age and body mass index. Conclusion: This is the first serum-based metabolomic study of osteoarthritis in humans. The branched-chain amino acids to histidine ratio has potential clinical use as an osteoarthritis biomarker and shows the clinical potential of metabolomics
Cost-justifying usability: an update for the internet age
No full textYou just know that an improvement of the user interface will reap rewards, but how do you justify the expense and the labor and the time-guarantee a robust ROI!-ahead of time? How do you decide how much of an investment should be funded? And what is the best way to sell usability to others? In this completely revised and new edition, Randolph G. Bias (University of Texas at Austin, with 25 years' experience as a usability practitioner and manager) and Deborah J. Mayhew (internationally recognized usability consultant and author of two other seminal books including The Usability Engine
Circulating maternal testosterone concentrations at 18 weeks of gestation predict circulating levels of antimullerian hormone in adolescence: a prospective cohort study
No full textThis prospective study was established to determine the impact of maternal circulating androgen levels during normal pregnancy on ovarian function, as determined by early follicular phase antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels, inhibin B levels, and antral follicle count (AFC) in 244 female offspring in adolescence. Maternal circulating total testosterone levels at 18 weeks' gestation were statistically significantly correlated with early follicular-phase circulating AMH levels in female adolescent offspring, but no other statistically significant correlations were determined among the maternal androgens at 18 or 34 weeks of gestation and the markers of adolescent ovarian function.Roger Hart, Deborah M. Sloboda, Dorota A. Doherty, Robert J. Norman, Helen C. Atkinson, John P. Newnham, Jan E. Dickinson and Martha Hicke
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