Toward a new heaven and new earth: a scientific, biblical and theological exploration of continuity and discontinuity

This thesis is an interdisciplinary exploration of the level of continuity and discontinuity in the transition from creation to new creation. It brings into dialogue the perspectives of scientific, philosophical and biblical theology, examining several key issues independently in order to synthesise those conclusions into an overall assessment of continuity. The traditional eschatological narrative of death, judgement, heaven and hell has been rightly criticised as both lacking theological coherence and advancing a profoundly anthropocentric focus in distinction to a robust theology of creation. Many theologians now articulate a more biblically intelligible Christian narrative of ‘creation to new creation’. In that theological framework, the human story is only a subplot – albeit a vitally important one – within the larger story of the whole of creation. The traditional post-mortem destiny of ‘heaven’ is replaced by the more expansive but grounded vision of ‘a new heaven and a new earth’; the traditional Christian gospel of human salvation is expanded into a gospel of renewal for the whole of creation. Yet this creates challenging theological questions. What is the nature of transition from creation to new creation? How does the new heaven and new earth connect to the present, and to individual eschatology? Will this transition be a divine irruptive event or a gradual process – and what role for human beings? Questions of continuity and discontinuity are of central concern. This research explores these questions combining the insights of science, theology and the Bible with equal integrity and with the aim of achieving a high level of consonance, emphasising the representative voices of John Polkinghorne, Jürgen Moltmann and N.T. Wright. Practical and theological implications of a high degree of continuity are of vital importance in light of the current global climate crisis and its potentially catastrophic effects on both the earth and humanity. A vigorous Christian environmental response demands a theology of creation which includes an eschatological vision not only for humanity but for the whole earth as well

The role of psychological characteristics in facilitating the pathway to elite performance. Part 2: Examining environmental and stage-related differences in skills and behaviors

MacNamara, Button, & Collins (under review) proposed that if individuals are to fulfill their potential they must possess and systematically develop a specific set of skills (termed Psychological Characteristics of Developing Excellence or PCDEs) that allow them to interact effectively with the developmental opportunities they are afforded. Given the complexity of the developmental pathway, it may well be that different skills are needed at different stages of development and across different performance domains. Twenty-four elite participants from team sports, individual sports, and music were purposefully sampled from different domains and interviewed on their experiences of their own pathways to excellence. Results suggested that although PCDEs were important throughout development, the manner by which they were deployed depended on stage, domain, and the characteristics of the individual performer. These findings support proposals to systematically incorporate PCDEs into TID practices because these may be the key feature in maintaining progress toward excellence

The role of psychological characteristics in facilitating the pathway to elite performance. Part 1: Identifying mental skills and behaviours

Given the complexity of the talent development process, it seems likely that a range of psychological factors underpin an athlete’s ability to translate potential into top-class performance. Therefore, the purpose of part one of this two-part investigation was to explore the attributes that facilitate the successful development of athletes from initial involvement to achieving and maintaining world-class status. Seven elite athletes and a parent of each of these athletes were interviewed regarding their own (their son’s/ daughter’s) development in sport. Data were content analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Although sporting achievement was conceptualized as being multidimensional, psychological factors were highlighted as the key determinants of those who emerged as talented and maintained excellence. Accordingly, we suggest that talent identification and development programs should place greater emphasis on the advancement and application of psychological behaviors at an early stage to optimize both the development and performance of athletes

Physical literacy: Importance, assessment and future directions

Physical literacy (PL) has become a major focus of physical education, physical activity and sports promotion worldwide. PL is a multifaceted conceptualisation of the skills required to fully realise potentials through embodied experience. Substantial financial investments in PL education by governments are underpinned by a wide range of anticipated benefits, including expectations of significant future savings to healthcare, improved physical and psychological well-being of the population, increased work-force productivity and raised levels of expertise in sport and exercise participation. However, disappointingly, scientific evidence showing the efficacy of PL interventions to successfully meet such high expectation is limited. We suggest that contradictions in research findings are due largely to limitations in movement assessment batteries and consequent discrepancies between measurements used to assess the immediate outcomes of PL programmes. Notably, there is no robust empirical tool for evidencing skill learning in the physical movement component of PL, education and this presents a serious limitation to the design of, and claims that can be made for, such interventions. Considering the parameters of proficient PL skills and the limitations of current evaluation instruments, possible future directions for developing empirical measures of PL movement skills are presented

Lead extrusion analysis by finite volume method

Computational numerical simulation is nowadays largely applied in the design and analysis of metal forming process. Extrusion of metals is one main forming process largely applied in the manufacturing of metallic products or parts. Historically, the Finite Element Method has been applied for decades in metal extrusion analysis [4]. However, recently in the academy, there is a trend to use Finite Volume Method: literature suggests that metal flow by extrusion can be analyzed by the flow formulation [1, 2]. Thus, metal flow can be modelled such us an incompressible viscous fluid [2]. This hypothesis can be assumed because extrusion process is an isochoric process. The MacCormack Method is commonly used to simulate compressible fluid flow by the finite volume method [3]. However, metal extrusion and incompressible fluid flow do not present state equations for the evolution of pressure, and therefore, a velocity-pressure coupling method is necessary to obtain a consistent velocity and pressure fields [3]. Present work proposes a new numerical scheme to obtain information about metal flow in the extrusion process, in steady state. The governing equations were discretized by Finite Volume Method, using the Explicit MacCormack Method to structured and collocated mesh. The SIMPLE Method was applied to attain pressure-velocity coupling [3]. These new numerical scheme was applied to forward extrusion process of lead. The incompressible metal extrusion velocity fields achieved faster convergence and a good agreement with analytical and experimental results obtained from literature. The MacCormack Method applied for metals produced consistent results without the need of artificial viscosity as employed by the compressible flow simulation approaches. Furthermore, the present numerical results also suggest that MacCormack Method and SIMPLE can be applied in the solution of metal forming processes besides the traditional application for compressible fluid flow

Polarization switching and induced birefringence in InGaAsP multiple quantum wells at 1.5 mu m

We analyze the 1.5mum wavelength operation of a room temperature polarization switch based on electron spin dynamics in InGaAsP multiple quantum wells. An unexpected difference in response for left and right circularly polarized pump light in pump-probe measurements was discovered and determined to be caused by an excess carrier induced birefringence. Transient polarization rotation and ellipticity were measured as a function of time delay. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.</p

Aluminium extrusion analysis by the finite volume method

Present work proposes a novel numerical scheme to calculate stress and velocity fields of metal flow in axisymmetric extrusion process in steady state. Extrusion of aluminium is one main metal forming process largely applied in manufacturing bars and products with complex cross section shape. The upper-bound, slab, slip-line methods and more recently the numerical methods such as the Finite Element Method have been commonly applied in aluminium extrusion analysis. However, recently in the academy, the Finite Volume Method has been developed for metal flow analysis: literature suggests that extrusion of metals can be modelled by the flow formulation. Hence, metal flow can be mathematically modelled such us an incompressible non linear viscous fluid, owing to volume constancy and varying viscosity in metal forming. The governing equations were discretized by the Finite Volume Method, using the Explicit MacCormack Method in structured and collocated mesh. The MacCormack Method is commonly used to simulate compressible fluid flow by the finite volume method. However, metal plastic flow and incompressible fluid flow do not present state equations for the evolution of pressure, and therefore, a velocity-pressure coupling method is necessary to obtain a consistent velocity and pressure fields. The SIMPLE Method was applied to attain pressure-velocity coupling. This new numerical scheme was applied to forward hot extrusion process of an aluminium alloy. The metal extrusion velocity fields achieved fast convergence and a good agreement with experimental results. The MacCormack Method applied to metal extrusion produced consistent results without the need of artificial viscosity as employed by the compressible flow simulation approaches. Therefore, present numerical results also suggest that MacCormack method together with SIMPLE method can be applied in the solution of metal forming processes in addition to the traditional application for compressible fluid flow

A Public Policy Approach to Life After Service for U.S. Military Veterans: Mental Health, Homelessness, and Reintegration

This dissertation, through a public policy lens, examines life after U.S. military service as it relates to reintegration, the ability of state-level veteran-specific mental health programs to address veterans’ mental health challenges, and states’ ability to address veteran homelessness. First, I use 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey data, along with various measures of state-level characteristics, to examine the influence of relevant state-level policies on veterans’ mental health outcomes. Based on multi-level modeling results, findings suggest that the presence of at least one state-level veteran specific mental health program may be a mitigating factor of veterans’ mental health challenges while miscellaneous veteran program spending does not appear to have a significant impact. Second, I examine state-level factors contributing to the reduction of veteran homelessness through the lens of state capacity theory and use the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Point-in-Time of homeless persons estimates and geographic information system (GIS) mapping. Findings suggest that, along with costs of living indicators and veteran unemployment rates impacting veteran housing stability, a state’s capacity to manage resources, notably their ability to connect homeless veterans and available resources via robust relationships with community stakeholders, is key to enhancing homeless veteran outcomes. Lastly, I examine factors contributing to veteran reintegration, through a socio-ecological lens of veteran reintegration, using 2011 Pew Research Center’s Veteran Survey data. Findings based on time-series negative binomial regression models suggest that veterans reporting better reintegration experiences are less likely to have served in combat and experienced military-related trauma, are currently in better health, felt supported by military leadership in help-seeking, and report lower levels of family strain

A Public Policy Approach to Life After Service for U.S. Military Veterans: Mental Health, Homelessness, and Reintegration

This dissertation, through a public policy lens, examines life after U.S. military service as it relates to reintegration, the ability of state-level veteran-specific mental health programs to address veterans’ mental health challenges, and states’ ability to address veteran homelessness. First, I use 2019 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey data, along with various measures of state-level characteristics, to examine the influence of relevant state-level policies on veterans’ mental health outcomes. Based on multi-level modeling results, findings suggest that the presence of at least one state-level veteran specific mental health program may be a mitigating factor of veterans’ mental health challenges while miscellaneous veteran program spending does not appear to have a significant impact. Second, I examine state-level factors contributing to the reduction of veteran homelessness through the lens of state capacity theory and use the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Point-in-Time of homeless persons estimates and geographic information system (GIS) mapping. Findings suggest that, along with costs of living indicators and veteran unemployment rates impacting veteran housing stability, a state’s capacity to manage resources, notably their ability to connect homeless veterans and available resources via robust relationships with community stakeholders, is key to enhancing homeless veteran outcomes. Lastly, I examine factors contributing to veteran reintegration, through a socio-ecological lens of veteran reintegration, using 2011 Pew Research Center’s Veteran Survey data. Findings based on time-series negative binomial regression models suggest that veterans reporting better reintegration experiences are less likely to have served in combat and experienced military-related trauma, are currently in better health, felt supported by military leadership in help-seeking, and report lower levels of family strain

The Diffusion of Veterans Treatment Courts: An Examination of Political, Social, and Economic Determinants at the County Level

In 2008, leading U.S. counties adopted innovative treatment courts specializing in the unique needs of veterans with substance abuse and other legal issues. Since then, pro-veteran advocacy has aided in the continued diffusion of additional veterans treatment courts (VTCs), with more than 300 county and state-level VTCs currently operating in 46 states across the country. Though the lens through which veterans are viewed may be positive in the public eye, institutional support for these wayward veterans appears to vary across levels of government; therefore, while some posit the increased social utility of budget-friendly VTCs, others suggest that VTCs offer favorable treatment unavailable to nonveterans. In light of these contending perspectives, this thesis employs time-series logit models to examine the county-level diffusion of VTCs utilizing integrated data ranging from 2004 to 2014. Counties that adopted VTCs were more likely to have a local military base, a local VA hospital, greater VA compensation expenditures per capita, and lower crime rates; additionally, they were likely to have a higher per capita income, a larger minority population, and a smaller veteran population than counties without a VTC. This thesis, providing general insight into the innovation and diffusion of county-level public policy and veterans policy, supports prior state-level VTC diffusion research findings of increased social utility, and contends a top-down trajectory of diminishing wayward veteran social construction across American institutions