EXAMINING THE CROSS-CULTURAL COMPETENCE OF UNITED STATES CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES ENGAGED IN DEVELOPING INDIGENOUS LEADERS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

For the past two millennia, missionaries have crossed from one culture to another to bring the Christian message to all cultures of the world. Questions about the effectiveness of these mission efforts have been asked and researched by many; however, one key question remains unanswered: what personal attributes help a person to be more competent at crossing cultures as they interact with people from other cultures? Although cross-cultural competence has been studied in a variety of fields over the past 50 years, the models and assessments used have never been applied to Christian missionaries. To address this deficiency, this parallel convergent mixed-methods study used a 169-question survey to first identify the levels of 11 attributes linked to cross-cultural competence among U.S. Association of Vineyard Churches missionaries, and then empirically explored the demographic and cognition style factors that might explain variation in the distribution of these attributes. Additionally, qualitative interviews were conducted with a handful of indigenous leaders who worked with the missionaries that participated in the survey. Results revealed that respondents scored highest in the attributes of: relationship orientation, interpersonal skills, culture interest, inquisitiveness, inclusiveness, and self-efficacy, while variation in the attributes were explained by the extent to which respondents were cross-culturally prepared, the number of mission trips taken, years of cross-cultural experience, amount of cross-cultural training, and personal fear of invalidity. These qualitative data supported several attributes, including inclusiveness, suspending judgement, stress resilience, and self-efficacy; however, it challenged the attributes of personal need for structure, optimism, and language proficiency. Importantly, these qualitative data also revealed that contextualization, an attribute not measured in the quantitative study, was important; therefore, scoring high in some cross-cultural competence attributes may not increase a person’s cross-cultural competence, based on the culture. This study supports, as does the current research of cross-cultural competence models and assessments, the need to further refine these models and assessments to develop more effective ways to assess the cross-cultural competence of individuals. As this was the first study examining the cross-cultural competence of Christian missionaries, the results will inform cross-cultural training, development, and selection to improve competence and effectiveness

New roles for Smad signaling and phosphatidic acid in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass

Skeletal muscle is essential for normal bodily function and the loss of skeletal muscle (i.e. muscle atrophy/wasting) can have a major impact on mobility, whole-body metabolism, disease resistance, and quality of life. Thus, there is a clear need for the development of therapies that can prevent the loss, or increase, of skeletal muscle mass. However, in order to develop such therapies, we will first have to develop a thorough understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate muscle mass. Fortunately, our knowledge is rapidly advancing, and in this review, we will summarize recent studies that have expanded our understanding of the roles that Smad signaling and the synthesis of phosphatidic acid play in the regulation of skeletal muscle mass

Understanding the Role of NADH in Cellular Fe2+ Generation of Hydroxyl Radical and the Effects of Polyphenol Antioxidants

Structurally similar polyphenols have opposite effects on rates of Fe3+ reduction by NADH. In future work, we anticipate exploring several avenues: What is the role of autoxidation? UV-vis kinetic experiments in an air-free atmosphere should reveal if MEGA is increasing the pool of reducible Fe3+. What occurs in the presence of H2O2 and/or increased levels of NADH? Mimicking the environment of a stressed cell should yield interesting information about antioxidant activity if the rates change significantly

Unaccustomed eccentric contractions impair plasma K+ regulation in the absence of changes in muscle Na+,K+-ATPase content

The Na+,K+-ATPase (NKA) plays a fundamental role in the regulation of skeletal muscle membrane Na+ and K+ gradients, excitability and fatigue during repeated intense contractions. Many studies have investigated the effects of acute concentric exercise on K+ regulation and skeletal muscle NKA, but almost nothing is known about the effects of repeated eccentric contractions. We therefore investigated the effects of unaccustomed maximal eccentric knee extensor contractions on K+ regulation during exercise, peak knee extensor muscle torque, and vastus lateralis muscle NKA content and 3-O-MFPase activity. Torque measurements, muscle biopsies, and venous blood samples were taken before, during and up to 7 days following the contractions in six healthy adults. Eccentric contractions reduced peak isometric muscle torque immediately post-exercise by 26±11% and serum creatine kinase concentration peaked 24 h post-exercise at 339±90 IU/L. During eccentric contractions, plasma [K+] rose during Set 1 and remained elevated at ∼4.9 mM during sets 4-10; this was despite a decline in work output by Set 4, which fell by 18.9% at set 10. The rise in plasma [K+] x work(-1) ratio was elevated over Set 2 from Set 4- Set 10. Eccentric contractions had no effect on muscle NKA content or maximal in-vitro 3-O-MFPase activity immediately post- or up to 7 d post-exercise. The sustained elevation in plasma [K+] despite a decrease in work performed by the knee extensor muscles suggests an impairment in K+ regulation during maximal eccentric contractions, possibly due to increased plasma membrane permeability or to excitation-contraction uncoupling

An investigation of the APAIR acoustic detection model

The subject of this thesis is an investigation of the effect of using the lambda-sigma jump process in the acoustic detection component of APAIR. A computer simulation was developed which is similar to the sonobuoy field versus submarine engagement model found in APAIR, the Navy's general ASW model. This simulation was then modified to incorporate the lambda-sigma jump process and the effect of this modification is discussed. In order to check the structural validity of the simulation models, results that were obtained by using them are compared to results that were obtained by using an analytical model called the random search model.http://archive.org/details/investigationofa00goodLieutenant, United States Naval ReserveApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

A chiral aperiodic monotile

The recently discovered "hat" aperiodic monotile mixes unreflected and reflected tiles in every tiling it admits, leaving open the question of whether a single shape can tile aperiodically using translations and rotations alone. We show that a close relative of the hat -- the equilateral member of the continuum to which it belongs -- is a weakly chiral aperiodic monotile: it admits only non-periodic tilings if we forbid reflections by fiat. Furthermore, by modifying this polygon's edges we obtain a family of shapes called Spectres that are strictly chiral aperiodic monotiles: they admit only chiral non-periodic tilings based on a hierarchical substitution system.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figure