Texts and Tasks

The subject of students' reading abilities and achievement are the focus national and international comparisons. Such a broad audience makes reading content, activities, and assessments the subject of great scrutiny. At the same time, we know little about reading within the quickly expanding market of K-12 distance education. Research offers a very limited description of the types of reading that students are asked to do or the students' abilities to accomplish this reading effectively. This chapter describes the types of reading students do in online K-12 courses, followed by a review of the limited research about reading in online courses. The chapter concludes with instructional implications for teachers of online courses and possibilities for future research.

The Use of Age Assessment in the Context of Child Migration: Imprecise, Inaccurate, Inconclusive and Endangers Children’s Rights

Anecdotal reports suggest migrant children at the US border have had to undergo age assessment procedures to prove to immigration officials they qualify for special protections afforded to those under age 18. There are a variety of methods to assess the chronological ages of minors, including imaging studies such as X-rays of the wrist, teeth, or collarbone. However, these procedures have come under great scrutiny for being arbitrary and inaccurate, with a significant margin of error, because they are generally based on reference materials that do not take into account ethnicity, nutritional status, disease, and developmental history, considerations which are especially relevant for individuals coming from conflict and/or resource-constrained environments. Using these procedures for migration purposes represent an unethical use of science and medicine, which can potentially deprive minors with the protections that they are owed under US and international laws, and which may have devastating consequences. We should advocate for the creation special protocols, educate law enforcement and legal actors, ensure such procedures are carried out only as a last resort and by independent actors, emphasize child protection and always put the child’s best interest at the core.

Texts and Tasks

The subject of students' reading abilities and achievement are the focus national and international comparisons. Such a broad audience makes reading content, activities, and assessments the subject of great scrutiny. At the same time, we know little about reading within the quickly expanding market of K-12 distance education. Research offers a very limited description of the types of reading that students are asked to do or the students' abilities to accomplish this reading effectively. This chapter describes the types of reading students do in online K-12 courses, followed by a review of the limited research about reading in online courses. The chapter concludes with instructional implications for teachers of online courses and possibilities for future research.

The perils of PROMs: question 5 of the Oxford Hip Score is ambiguous to 10% of English-speaking patients: a survey of 135 patients

Introduction: The Oxford Hip Score (OHS) is a commonly used patient-reported outcome measure (PROM), comprising 12 questions. We present the incidental finding that one of the 12 questions is ambiguous. Materials and methods: As part of a 10-year follow-up of patients treated with hip resurfacing the OHS was posted to 148 patients; 135 (91%) replied. Scores were read by 2 orthopaedic surgery trainees and entered into a database. It was noted that Question 5 was frequently mis-interpreted. Results: Thirteen patients’ questionnaires (10%) showed the same inconsistency: question 5 was scored as 0 points but the other 11 questions were scored as either 3 or 4 in 97% of cases. The ethnic group of all 13 patients was recorded in hospital data as being White-British. Conclusion: Question 5 of the OHS is ambiguous to 10% of native English-speakers. These patients rated their hip function highly, as reflected by the fact that 97% of the questions other than question 5 scored 3 or 4, indeed 87% of them scored 4. We hypothesise that the wording of the zero score option “Not at all” is being mis-interpreted as a response indicating that the patient does not suffer any pain at all. The effect is an error of 4 points out of 48 (8%); this may under-estimate the patient’s hip score. Surgeons are under great scrutiny to prove efficacy of surgical interventions; this is often provided by PROMs. We should strive to formulate the most accurate, reproducible and least ambiguous PROMs questionnaires.

Leadership Governance

Proper governance in organizations across both the public and private domain has come under great scrutiny around the world. In South Africa with a Transparency International 2015 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) score of 44, rank 61/168, the question of appropriate governance structures to curb corruption is critical. There have been highly publicized recent occurrences of corruption and mismanagement in South African SOE’ssuch as Prasa, Eskom, SABC, Denel, SAA and Transnet. These instances have resulted in increased scrutiny on governance and ethical leadership in government organizations. With the high-profile cases mentioned above, and the resultant public disillusionment with government organizations, the ethical recapture of these organizations is imperative. This paper examines the latest recommendations contained in the King Report (King IV) with particular attention to ethics in leadership. It considers the question of whether King IV will be effective in promoting ethical leadership.

Corporate Leadership and Sustainability

Due to pressures of globalization and competition, the quality of corporate leadership has come under great scrutiny as questions are being raised worldwide regarding the ability of leaders to deliver long term growth on a sustainable basis. This can be referred to as the “sustainability leadership cavity.” The chapter attempts to explore: what are the evolving challenges companies faces, what are the implications on demands placed on leaders and what new leadership competencies are required to ensure sustainability goals are achieved. It also intends to provide cases of successful sustainability leadership. Through grounded theory, in-depth literature review and contextual analysis the core of this chapter is to understand the organizational elements, structure, challenges and competencies crucial and critical for sustainability leadership.

The Making of the Sin of Achan (Joshua 7)

The ascription of blame to an entire people for the infraction of a nondescript individual found in the account of the sin of Achan (Joshua 7) is without parallel in the Hebrew Bible and in the legal and treaty literature of the ancient Near East. Attempts to explain the account through concepts such as “corporate personality” or the “contagion” to be found in devoted goods have rightly come under great scrutiny. This paper seeks to understand collective punishment in Joshua 7 by engaging in a close reading of the final form of the text and with recourse to notions found in contemporary ethical theory. The paper introduces the rhetorical use of minor characters as markers of collective attitudes in biblical narrative. Central to the exposition of the Achan account is the role of the spies’ report (7:2-3) as such a marker of collective attitudes shared by the polity as a whole.

Which treatments are cost-effective in the management of varicose veins?

In the current economic climate, the cost-effectiveness of health-care interventions is under great scrutiny. In this article, the evidence for cost-effectiveness of treatments for varicose veins is summarized. The majority of studies evaluating treatments for varicose veins have not assessed health economic outcomes, but have focused on clinical and anatomical measures. The cost-effectiveness of treating varicose veins (compared with conservative management) was demonstrated in the REACTIV trial. Other in-trial economic analyses suggested that endovenous interventions are likely to be cost-effective and a decision tree analysis demonstrated that the greatest cost-effectiveness may be present for procedures performed under local or tumescent anaesthesia in the office or outpatient setting. However, the treatment modality that offers the greatest cost-effectiveness remains unclear. In conclusion, endovenous treatment performed in the outpatient setting under local anaesthesia is likely to be the most cost-effective treatment strategy for varicose veins. Better quality health economic analyses are needed to refine this conclusion.

MRSA-free Elective Orthopaedic Surgery. A Dedicated Elective Orthopaedic Ward Free from MRSA Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, UK

Deep infection complicating arthroplasty surgery carries a heavy financial and emotional burden on any orthopaedic service. The cost of hospital acquired infection is estimated at £1 billion per year by the National Audit Office. Healthcare associated infection is an area currently under great scrutiny. The Alexandra Hospital, Redditch, has developed a dedicated elective orthopaedic ward free from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) that delivers high quality and high volume major joint replacement surgery through rigorous infection control. Between October 2001 and December 2002, the Alexandra Hospital had an infection rate of 0.21% for total knee replacements compared to the national rate of 2.1% p= 0.002 (CI 0.00005-0.01) The infection rate for total hip replacements was 1.31% compared to 3.8% nationwide. p= 0.01 (CI 0.004- 0.03). The total number of joint replacements performed per year, utilising the same number of elective beds, increased from 482 in 2001 to 629 in 2002. We believe that the MRSA screening policy and subsequent altered bed utilisation have contributed to lowering the rate of infection and improved efficiency. We have developed a safe, effective and efficient orthopaedic unit within the framework of an acute NHS trust. We believe the practical changes and modest investment that have been made within our department can be repeated in other units around the country with relative ease.

The Nordic contributions to romanticism in the visual arts

The Nordic achievements in the visual arts in the age of romanticism were first and foremost accomplished by Danish artists. The great initiator was C. W. Eckersberg, who observed reality with great scrutiny and demanded of himself a faithful rendering of all the details. However, at the same time, he stuck to the classical principles of composition and omitted all accidental and ugly aspects of the motif that did not fit into his concept of an ideal picture. The principles he laid down in his art in around 1815 formed the basis of Danish (and Norwegian) painting until 1850. He introduced open-air painting as part of the tuition at the Royal Academy of Copenhagen and was, in this respect, a pioneer in a European context. During the 1820s and 30s almost all the young Danish painters were pupils of Eckersberg, and he also influenced the Norwegian J. C. Dahl. The subjects of the Danish paintings are very down-to-earth – they are first and foremost taken from everyday life. In the first decades of nineteenth century, Copenhagen had the status as the most important art centre in Northern Europe, and the art academy attracted many German artists. However, around 1840, a growing nationalism separated the Danish and German artists, and many Danish landscape painters devoted their art to the praise of Denmark. The nationalist artists, however, still stuck to the reality they had actually seen.