The Spirit of God and the Salvation of Israel-Recovery of an Economic View of the Trinity

In this thesis, I will survey the story of the Spirit of God in the pages of the Old Testament, in the salvation of God\u27s people in their creation, their sustenance and their preservation until the gift of the promised Spirit-bearer, Jesus of Nazareth, i.e., an economic Spirit. We will examine the Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, and will see how a concept which represents wind and breath is actually very substantive in meaning. I will briefly survey metaphors and symbols used of the Spirit to deepen our perception of the Spirit. We will see how the Spirit was active in the creation of this world and how he actively sustains all life, spiritual and physical. This understanding will help us counteract gnostic, platonic attitudes towards the physical world or the inappropriate dichotomizing of our worldview. Then, and only then, can we more fully embrace the Spirit\u27s gifts: life, arts, knowledge, beauty, etc. Before proceeding to the specifics in the Old Testament, I will survey early pneumatological heresies, focusing on Arianism, which led the church from its worship of the Spirit for what he did for them to worshiping the Spirit for what he is. I will then touch on criticisms of pneumatological theological history (including the inability of the church fathers to accept a suffering God) which led to theological gymnastics, marginalizing the Persons of the Trinity by negating their uniqueness. This negation is still the case today and is taught as dogma in reformation circles. Augustine and Aquinas were two theologians who had great influence on the Western church but whose approach to the Trinity helped solidify the irrelevance of an ontological Trinity. The Reformation began to reverse this trend, but when confronted with the damaging doctrine of the Enthusiasts, emphasized dogma on biblical authority over the economic Trinity. This section will end with a look at the intriguing concept of the kenosis of the Spirit. It will be helpful in giving us some explanation of why we have difficulty \u27picturing ‘or comprehending the Spirit of God more than the Father or the Son. I will end with a study of Jiirgen Moltmann\u27s pneumatology, a pneumatology which will bring this Old Testament-based discussion of the economic Trinity into the present day. Moltmann uses the Spirit\u27s creative activity to explain how God can and indeed does suffer for his creation. He uses the presence of God\u27s Shekinah glory to provide evidence to Jews that the Spirit is a person of the Godhead. He also uses Jewish reverence for the word of the Lord combined with the Shekinah to demonstrate evidence of the Trinity in the Old Testament. Ultimately and profoundly, he ties all of these concepts to the cross. Purpose For the theologian, I have several goals for this thesis: a greater interest in the Old Testament, and not only as it relates to Christ; a richer, economic understanding of the Spirit of God which may shed light on our practice and views today; and, perhaps most ambitiously, to influence to some degree how the Spirit of God and the Trinity is referred to and taught about. For the layperson, just as a knowledge of Christ\u27s work gives us great joy, peace and hope, soot will a knowledge of the depth and the breadth of the Spirit\u27s work from the very beginning of history to the present, and the hope of that same work continuing into the age to come. Our worship, not only of the Spirit but of the entire Godhead, will be deepened as our understanding of what the Spirit does for us is realized

Origin and Tectonic Evolution of the Southern Appalachian Neoacadin Crystalline Core: Evidence from the Geology of the Gilreath 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, North Carolina

Detailed geologic mapping of the Gilreath 7.5-minute quadrangle recognizes the northernmost continuation of the Brindle Creek fault, a terrane boundary that separates Neoproterozic-Ordovician metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the western Tugaloo terrane (western Inner Piedmont) from Silurian-Devonian metasedimentary rocks and Devonian-Mississippian anatectic granitoids of the Cat Square terrane (eastern Inner Piedmont). The Brindle Creek fault is folded in the study area and exposes the Ordovician Brooks Crossroads Granite in a reentrant. Low high-field strength element concentrations and a flatter rare earth element patterns typical of western Inner Piedmont granitoids, support a footwall setting for the Brooks Crossroads Granite. New geochemical analyses of Inner Piedmont amphibolites reveal a mixed volcanic arc and E-type MORB signature for eastern Inner Piedmont amphibolite. These preliminary data suggests the Cat Square terrane may have originated in a back-arc basin influenced by E-type MORB volcanism during the waning stages of Middle Ordovician-late Silurian volcanic arc magmatism in the western Inner Piedmont. Subduction of the Inner Piedmont beneath a W- to NW-advancing Carolina superterrane resulted in possible early kyanite-grade metamorphism (7.0 to 8.7 kbars and 630 to 695°C), followed by sillimanite I and II grade metamorphism. High-temperature, upper amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions, in conjunction with pervasive migmatization, the presence of meso- and map-scale sheath folds, ubiquitous top-to-the SW shear-sense indicators, and protomylonitic to ultramylonitic deformation fabrics, suggests Inner Piedmont thrust sheets deformed as a viscous mass during SW-directed flow in a sub-simple shear to extreme simple shear stress regime. These data support models that reconcile the SW-directed arcuate trend of Inner Piedmont stretching directions, with a tectonically forced flow path resulting from oblique subduction of Inner Piedmont thrust sheets beneath the W- to NW-advancing Carolina superterrane. Flow was deflected to the southwest as Inner Piedmont thrust sheets buttressed against a primordial Brevard fault zone. Truncation of the Popular Springs and Big Warrior sheath folds against the Brindle Creek fault indicates SW-directed displacement of ductile, Inner Piedmont crystalline thrust sheets was prior to final emplacement of Cat Square terrane rocks

Empathy/Role Taking: A Theoretical Model for Feminist Therapy

Feminist therapy is directed not only at individual, but also at social change. Because of this dual aim of feminist therapy, the symbolic interactionist perspective, which describes individual initiative as a source of social change, is suggested as a theoretical orientation which can provide a useful model for feminist therapy. More specifically, the empathy/role-taking model for the clienttherapist relationship is outlined here

Alterations in myofilament properties in a rabbit coronary artery ligation model of left ventricular dysfunction

The work reported in this thesis examines alterations in the properties of the myofilaments in a rabbit coronary artery ligation model of heart failure. Heart failure is characterised by abnormalities of myocardial systolic and diastolic function. While much research in this field focuses on alterations in Ca+2 handling by the sarcoplasmic reticulum, fewer studies have purely examined alterations in the properties of the myofilaments, particularly so in this model of heart failure. This particular model has clinical relevance in that it produces a well defined region of infarcted tissue which induces ventricular remodelling in a similar way to that seen after infarction in the human. Treatment of ventricular trabeculae with the non-ionic detergent Triton X-100, results in the complete disruption of surface and intracellular membrane diffusion barriers, but leaves the myofilaments functionally intact. After this chemical 'skinning', the bathing solution essentially becomes an extension of the intracellular environment. Therefore, chemical interventions that produce an alteration in the mechanical activity of the preparation can be directly attributed to an effect on the myofilaments. The technique of applying small sinusoidal length changes to chemically-skinned trabeculae is ideal for examining both resting and dynamic properties of the myocardium as it allows both mechanical and chemical perturbations to be applied and studied simultaneously. Chapter 3 reports upon the alterations in the contractile activity of the myofilaments found in this model of heart failure using the technique of sinusoidal analysis. The results presented show that there is a significant decrease in the intrinsic cycling rate of the crossbridges (as indicated by a reduction in fmin, the frequency at which dynamic stiffness is lowest), without a decrease in maximal force generation or Ca+2-sensitivity of the muscle. Chapter 4 reports the alterations in the maximal work and power generating capacity of the myocardium found to be associated with heart failure using the sinusoidal analysis method. Chapter 5 reports the alterations in the relaxation properties of the myocardium in this model of heart failure using an 'EGTA'-jump protocol. Chapter 6 investigates the effects of the hypochlorite anion, a reactive oxygen species, on the mechanical functioning of the myocardium. The reason for investigating the effects of this compound is that increased oxidative stress is one detrimental factor to which the myocardium is subjected during the progression of heart failure. The oxidative stress results from an increase in the production of oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species and/or a decrease in the antioxidant capacity of the myocardium. All the parameters mentioned so far were re-examined in tissues acutely exposed to the hypochlorite anion. The results show that exposure to the hypochlorite anion significantly reduced maximum Ca+2-activated force, fmin, positive and negative work/power generation and the relaxation rate of both sham and ligated trabeculae, whereas myocardial resting and dynamic stiffness was increased. The contractile proteins of the sham animals demonstrated an increased susceptibility to oxidant damage for all of these parameters just described. The relationship between the frequency of maximum positive and negative work/power generation and fmin was unchanged after hypochlorite anion exposure, though the frequencies at which all of these parameters were observed occurred at a lower frequency than pre-exposure. On examination of the results presented in Chapter 6 for the control animals, with the exception of a decrease in maximal force generation, the alterations in mechanical functioning that occur after free radical exposure closely resemble the changes seen in the mechanical functioning between sham and ligated animals described in the three preceding results chapters. The results presented in this chapter are consistent with the idea that pre-exposure to this reactive oxygen species has occurred in the intact myocardium in vivo in the ligated animals used in this study. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Optimisation of an in vitro model for anti-diabetic screening

The need for alternative strategies for the prevention and treatment of diabetes is growing rapidly as type II diabetes is reaching epidemic status in our society. This need was the basis for the creation of this study, as it was necessary to start looking towards medicinal plants as potential antidiabetic treatment and no comprehensive in vitro model existed. In creating a model for determining the effects of alternative traditional medicines as antidiabetic potentiates, it was necessary that two metabolic pathways, namely glucose uptake and insulin secretion, which play a significant role in glucose homeostasis, be at the centre of our investigations. The objective of this project was to optimize the methodology required to screen and ultimately determine the effectiveness of the plant extracts Kankerbos and MRC2003, as antidiabetic potentiates, through observing their effects on glucose utilisation and insulin secretion. If these medicinal plants are going to make a positive contribution to the health of type II diabetic South Africans, then the determination of their efficacy is essential. The cell lines used in this study included 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, Chang liver, C2C12 muscle and INS-1 rat pancreatic cells. Each cell line represents a different in vivo organ that is known to have an influence on glucose homeostasis in our bodies, each with its own unique metabolic pathways and mechanisms of activity, thereby making each one a vital component in the study. The positive controls for the two models were insulin and metformin (glucose utilisation) and glibenclamide (insulin secretion). Insulin was shown to provide a significant increase in the amount of glucose taken up in C2C12 muscle and Chang liver cells for acute conditions. Chronic treatments with metformin provided a significant increase in glucose utilised by Chang liver cells. Glibenclamide was an effective positive control for stimulating insulin secretion by INS-1 cells under acute conditions as there was a significant increase in the amount of insulin secreted. MRC2003 did not show any significant antidiabetic activity. Sutherlandia frutescens (Kankerbos) showed biological activities comparable to some of the more recognized antidiabetic compounds throughout the study. With regards to the glucose utilisation model, Kankerbos was seen to have both acute and chronic effects in different cell lines. In the C2C12 muscle cell line, Kankerbos significantly increased glucose uptake when they were exposed to acute conditions. Kankerbos also had a significant effect on the Chang liver cells as it was observed that under both acute and chronic conditions, this plant extract induced the uptake of glucose into these cells. With respect to the insulin secretion model involving INS-1 cells, no significant effect was seen during acute exposure with Kankerbos treatment. However during chronic exposure, an increase in insulin secretion was initiated by this plant extract. Overall, the results of this study suggest that Kankerbos has a twofold mechanism of action for its glucose-lowering effects. Given that Kankerbos is widely available in South Africa, this study was valuable as it provided an indication that Kankerbos has antidiabetic activities and could possibly be used as an alternative antidiabetic medication

Persisting in the Age of COVID-19: School-University Partnership to Promote Equity-Oriented Teaching and Learning

The authors describe collaborative efforts between novice teachers and their former university teacher educators who partnered to design and enact equity-oriented teaching and learning experiences for teacher candidates and young adolescents despite limitations, barriers, and disruptions generated by COVID-19. Observations and feedback from students, teachers, and leaders speak to mutual benefits that the partnership generated. Authors will describe their collaborative processes, feature artifacts from the activities, and discuss implications for future practice

Comparison of Ictalurid Hybrid Crosses (Ictalurus punctatus x Ictalurus furcatus) in Floating In-Pond Raceway Systems

Abstract With the US catfish industry facing higher feed costs and stiff international competition, producers are beginning to adopt intensive alternatives to traditional pond culture. Among these are split pond systems and in-pond raceways which offer the ability to produce higher fish biomasses in more stable environmental conditions. The selective pressures of intensive systems necessitate, however, increased attention to identification of genetic strains and crosses of catfish best suited for survival and growth in this dense, competitive environment. Hybrid catfish (Ictalurus punctatus ♀ x Ictalurus furcatus ♂) have demonstrated aggressive feeding behavior and disease resistance characteristics which recommend them for use in intensive systems. However, considerable variability exists in performance among hybrid crosses due to their differing domestication histories and selection strategies carried out on their parental lines. Therefore, here I examined the performance of three hybrid catfish crosses when raised from fry to stocker size fish in intensive systems. Eight hybrid catfish crosses were originally stocked as fry into recirculating aquaculture tanks (RAS) and raised to 6-inch fingerlings. Due to disease susceptibility and/or poor growth observed in five of the crosses, only three hybrid crosses, JSS x D&B, JS x D&B, and KSS x D&B, were then carried forward for the main part of the study. For this study, floating in-pond raceways (FIPRS) were designed and built to improve upon traditional pond culture by offering reduced manpower, higher stocking densities, ease of feeding, grading and complete harvest, and precise disease treatment. The three hybrid crosses were stocked into 12 FIPRS with 4 replicate cells/cross. Fingerlings were grown to stocker size fish and production factors were compared including growth, weight gain, feed conversion ratio iii (FCR), and survival. Length weight regressions were constructed for each of the three crosses for size and weight comparisons and to examine uniformity of growth. From these comparisons, it was determined that there were no significant differences among production per cell, FCR, or survival among the three tested crosses. FCR values averaged 1.4 among the three crosses and survival averaged 92%. Our results indicated that a) D&B blue crosses may produce a more robust hybrid catfish for intensive production, although these results need additional replication and b) early selection for superior performance in intensive systems during the fry to fingerling stage may help to ensure even, predictable production in later stages of grow-out. . Although these experiments were run at a research scale, enterprise budgets (both actual and scenarios at production scale) were developed for each of the three hybrid crosses to analyze the economic feasibility of FIPRS production using selected genetic lines. From these budgets it was determined that a majority of the production cost for these systems come from electricity cost and feed. Due to higher electrical costs, producers would need to carefully match up blower usage with biomass needs, avoid overwintering, and maximize stocking density in order to ensure profitable production. giving us the space needed for design and construction of the raceways and for all their help in the building and moving process. We could not have done much without them. I would also like to thank all the people that were a part of the raceway building and management crew: Esa