MISSIOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE: TAKING CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE TO A NEW LEVEL IN GUANACASTE, COSTA RICA

Many people thrive on the mission field while others seem to flounder. This includes some missionaries who must return to their home country prematurely. The correlation between flourishing and floundering for missionaries on the field is not necessarily limited to a lack of passion, biblical knowledge, effort, or even language proficiency. All missionaries need a comprehensive set of tools, and one that has been seriously neglected in missiological training is Cultural Intelligence (CQ). CQ is a modality of intelligence within the umbrella of Social Intelligence, as categorized under the Multiple Intelligence Theory. With the rapid increase of globalization, those who want to be effective are taking advantage of the multidisciplinary field of CQ. Unfortunately, the use of CQ as a missiological tool has received minimal attention within the researcher’s context. This dissertation project assesses the value of CQ as a tool to enable missionaries to engage in cross-cultural ministry and adapt to the host’s culture. The qualitative research includes a phenomenological study of Costa Rican ministry workers who serve in partnership with US missionaries. But in addition to applying CQ to the missiological enterprise, it is essential that missionaries maintain a Christ-like character and an intentional pursuit of advancing the Kingdom of God. The combination of these tools and a Christocentric focus results in the proposal of a new construct referred to here as Missiological Intelligence (MQ)

Quality assurance of training in diagnostic and therapeutic gastrointestinal endoscopy

Previous evidence has shown that standards of performance in gastrointestinal endoscopy are variable and that there are disparities in training outcomes. Many changes have been made recently to both training and assessment of endoscopy in the UK. However, no prospective methods of evaluating their outcome have been put in place. The aims of this research were to evaluate current and new training processes and assessments in order to quality assure the outcomes and improve the training process. Two audits were undertaken demonstrating improvements in colonoscopy training over 5 years within a single region and in trainee perceptions of their training nationally. Two studies were done investigating a novel computer colonoscopy simulator for assessment of colonoscopic skills, demonstrating excellent construct validity. A multi-centre randomised controlled trial evaluated the use of this simulator in novice training, which was shown to be equivalent to standard bed-side training with a high degree of skills transfer to real-life colonoscopy. Assessment tools for therapeutic endoscopic procedures were developed, validated and used to quality assure a course in therapeutic endoscopy. This course resulted in significant improvements in practical skills for three of the four therapeutic procedures following training. Web-based training and assessment modules for lesion recognition at capsule endoscopy were developed, validated and piloted. This demonstrated the effectiveness of using new training methodologies for skills improvement in this area. A training course for radiographers in virtual colonoscopy was developed and the training evaluated. This demonstrated competence in practical performance and improvements in knowledge and interpretative skill. Finally, two qualitative studies on non-technical skills in endoscopy were undertaken in order to widen the assessment domains from purely knowledge and skill. An interview study provided the basis for development of a nontechnical skills taxonomy and a video-analysis study resulted in production of a marker system for professional behaviour within gastrointestinal endoscopy

Research with TOUGH 600 EC. Improving control of kochia, wild mustard and v. canola in chickpea, lentil and field pea.

Non-Peer ReviewedIn chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) and lentils (Lens culinaris), including Clearfield® varieties, in-crop broadleaf weed control relies on group 2 (ALS inhibiting) and group 5 (Photosystem II inhibiting) herbicides. Kochia (Bassia scoparia), wild mustard (Sinapis arvensis) and volunteer canola (Brassica napus) are challenging weeds due to their wide pattern of emergence during the growing season propelled by their large seed banks. With only two herbicide groups to leverage in-crop, broadleaf weed control in chickpea and lentils can be difficult. Research has shown that Tough 600 EC (pyridate) and select tank mixtures with metribuzin can enhance in-crop weed control in chickpea, lentil and field pea

The role of time and space on the interaction between persons with serious mental illness and the police: A mixed methods study

A sizable amount of research and governmental reports have been produced over the past several decades on police calls-for-service involving persons with severe mental illness (PwSMI). However, the narrative of these papers often has a narrow focus (e.g., small subgroups of high-risk offenders), which can result in difficulties for researchers and administrators to generalize their findings to other settings. Extending the existing knowledge-base to the population-level is likely to produce a more accurate understanding of the true nature of the intersection between police services and PwSMI. Through a mixed methods research design, the overall aim of this dissertation is to identify the pertinent static and dynamic factors that are associated with a variety of police contacts with the population of PwSMI. The first research study uses qualitative interviews and focus groups with a purposive sample of police officers from the Lower Mainland of British Columbia to explore factors associated with police interactions with PwSMI, along with decision-making practices. Results from this foundational study suggest that there may be underlying spatial and temporal factors that are related to calls-for-service with PwSMI. As a result, the second study explores the relationship between the environment and police calls-for-service with emotionally disturbed persons (EDP), a proxy for PwSMI. Results suggest that the majority of EDP-events fall under the British Columbia Mental Health Act (MHA), and that there are significant differences between where men and women have contact with police at the aggregate and micro spatial level. The third study explores the temporal patterning of events associated with the MHA. Study 3 considers varying degrees of temporal specificity to highlight when MHA calls-for-service are likely to occur. Results indicate that MHA calls appear to cluster in times that are different from crime events. The collective results from this work emphasize the importance of studying the intersection between PwSMI and the police at multiple levels of specificity in order to more accurately identify where and when police resources are likely to be required. This knowledge may be of great use for administrators and policy makers who want to reduce police contacts with PwSMI or otherwise improve overall service delivery

Measurement and Understanding of Emissions over London and Southern England by Airborne Eddy-Covariance

High anthropogenic emissions are a global problem with clear links existing between poor air quality and premature mortality, which is of great alarm to organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO). In Europe, high emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a concern with concentrations plateauing over the last 15 years. Emission assessment is a key part of the UK’s air quality strategy; this is done so by using tools such as the National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI), to report annual emissions to the EU to meet strict air quality regulations. Due to the high importance placed on inventories such as the NAEI, their accuracy is vital. This thesis details the development and implementation of an airborne eddy−covariance (AEC) strategy to measure anthropogenic fluxes over highly polluted areas, and compare these findings to UK emission inventories. The Ozone Precursor Fluxes in an Urban Environment (OPFUE) campaign was run over two consecutive years, aiming at evaluating emissions from London and Southern England. NOx emissions were evaluated over London showing high emissions coming from central areas. Comparison to the NAEI found NOx emissions were being underestimation by up to a factor of 2. Refinement using the NAEI + road transport estimates scaled via road side measurements showed good improvement, suggesting the need to refine road transport estimates used in the NAEI. A variety of VOC emissions were also measured over London and Southern England. Measured VOCs over London showed good agreement to the NAEI, and highlighted the successful reduction of VOC emissions through air quality strategies. Measured biogenic emissions of isoprene were found to be higher than air quality model estimates, which could have implications towards regional air quality due to ground level ozone formation. Overall, the described methodology allows for real-time assessment of emission inventories which is key if the UK is to see improvements in its air quality

Adaptive Machine Learning for Modeling and Control of Non-Stationary, Near Chaotic Combustion in Real-Time.

Fuel efficient Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine combustion phasing predictions must contend with non-linear chemistry, non-linear physics, near chaotic period doubling bifurcation(s), turbulent mixing, model parameters that can drift day-to-day, and air-fuel mixture state information that cannot typically be resolved on a cycle-to-cycle basis, especially during transients. Unlike many contemporary modeling approaches, this work does not attempt to solve for the myriad of combustion processes that are in practice unobservable in a metal engine. Instead, this work treads closely to physically measurable quantities within the framework of an abstract discrete dynamical system that is explicitly designed to capture many known combustion relationships, without ever explicitly solving for them. This abstract dynamical system is realized with an Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) that is extended to adapt to the combustion process from cycle-to-cycle with a new Weighted Ring-ELM algorithm. Combined, the above techniques are shown to provide unprecedented cycle-to-cycle predictive capability during transients, near chaotic combustion, and at steady-state, right up to complete misfire. These predictions only require adding an in-cylinder pressure sensor to production engines, which could cost as little as $13 per cylinder. By design, the framework is computationally efficient, and the approach is shown to predict combustion in sub-millisecond real-time using only an iPhone generation 1 processor (the$35 Raspberry Pi). This is in stark contrast to supercomputer approaches that model down to the minutiae of individual reactions but have yet to demonstrate such fidelity against cycle-to-cycle experiments. Finally, the feasibility of cycle-to-cycle model predictive control with this real-time framework is demonstrated.PhDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/111333/1/vaughana_1.pd

The dark triad in male and female athletes and non-athletes: Group differences and psychometric properties of the short dark triad (SD3)

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Objectives: The Short Dark Triad (SD3) is a popular, brief measure of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy, which are known as the Dark Triad. The present study adopted this measure and had two aims. First, to assess the psychometric properties of the SD3 with a focus on measurement invariance across gender, athletic expertise, and sport type. Second, to examine mean differences in Dark Triad scores across these groups. Design: Cross-sectional. Method: In total, 1258 participants (625 women; mean age 23.47 years) with a range of athletic experience (non-athletes, N = 408; amateur, N = 557; elite, N = 293) from team (N = 577) and individual (N = 273) sports completed the SD3. Factorial validity was assessed using exploratory structural equation modelling. Results: Analyses indicated that the three-factor model provided adequate fit, however, a bifactor model incorporating the three specific factors and a general factor, provided superior fit to the data. Moreover, invariance testing suggested some inconsistency in the observed factor structures across groups. In addition, findings indicated group differences with men scoring higher than women, athletes with greater expertise scoring higher than those with less expertise, and individual athletes scoring higher than team athletes across all factors. Conclusions: We suggest that researchers continue to use the SD3 using both composite and subscale scores, but recommend caution when interpreting subscale scores among women and team athletes until further psychometric work has been conducted within these populations. Our findings also suggest that the Dark Triad may be worth examining in future studies in sport

Surrogate modelling-assisted comparison of reactor schemes for carbon dioxide removal by enhanced weathering of minerals using seawater

Reactor-based enhanced weathering of minerals represents one of the options for CO2 removal from the atmosphere to control the concentration of greenhouse gases for stabilising the climate. Earlier studies have modelled two reactor types, namely trickle-bed reactor and packed bubble column. However, their CO2 removal potential has not been compared. Building on the previous studies, this work further develops the mechanistic reactor models to enable them to consistently describe continuous weathering of minerals using seawater. Addressing the computational demands of the mechanistic models, a surrogate modelling-based optimisation procedure is developed to allow each reactor type to be rigorously optimised for minimising two competing objectives, namely energy consumption and space requirement. This has allowed the Pareto fronts of the two reactor types to be produced and compared. When applied to calcite weathering which is predominantly controlled by gas–liquid mass transfer, the packed-bubble column has been shown to consistently outperform the trickle-bed reactor, thanks to its superior mass transfer performance. However, when considering the weathering of forsterite, packed-bubble column performance is significantly worsened compared to calcite weathering, primarily because its low dissolution rate shifts the controlling mechanism of the process from gas/liquid mass transfer to solid dissolution. These results provide new insights to inform the future evaluation of reactor-based enhanced weathering schemes in terms of reactor design selection and the implication of mineral types