Cosmic Hamartiology: Using an Apocalyptic Paul Hermeneutic to Exposit Chaos Monster Passages

Ancient mythology, precisely that of the Ancient Near East, includes the treacherous characters of chaos monsters who cause disorder due to their destructive supernatural influence in the natural world. Scripture includes chaos monsters of various sorts that cause the same destruction in the wake of their cosmic work. While an array of methodologies has been developed to study chaos monsters in the Ancient Near East considering their sources—i.e., Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Akkadian, etc.—there is a lack of a Biblical hermeneutic to adequately exposit chaos monster passages in Scripture. In the Apocalyptic Perspective on Paul, scholars have sought to develop a way to study the Pauline corpus considering the “unveiling” of the cosmic work of Christ in terms of his militant and cosmic mission in setting God’s people, as captives, free. Such work has led to developments in Biblical interpretation, exegesis, and exposition regarding the cosmos and the defeat of evil. Additionally, the cosmic work of Christ has revealed a unique perspective in understanding and facing evil, specifically of sin—identifying it as a cosmic reality that needs to be supernaturally handled. Regarding this study, scholars of the Apocalyptic Paul have developed a means to approach Scripture that can be utilized outside of the Pauline corpus to exposit chaos monster passages considering cosmic sin. In short, this dissertation exposits chaos monster passages using an Apocalyptic Paul hermeneutic to reveal sin’s cosmic nature and prove that the life and work of Jesus served, in part, as the redemption of humanity through the restoration of order by his triumph over cosmic sin

Thundermist Health Center: Extending Pharmaceutical Services To Underserved Patients

This paper describes a not-for-profit healthcare providers strategy to provide its economically disadvantaged patients with access to low cost pharmaceuticals. Initially, an in-house pharmacy was established, supported by a satellite distribution system using a telepharmacy solution to extend medications to its patients at remote sites. New federal legislation which provided access to low cost insurance through Medicare Part D to many of the providers disadvantaged patients, along with state licensing requirements forced the healthcare provider to reassess the economics of its pharmaceutical distribution system and seek other alternatives. Among the alternatives the healthcare provider considered was partnering with for-profit pharmaceutical companies in order to reach their patients

Maintaining Relationships With Supply Chain Partners: A Case Study

This case study describes efforts of a market leader in the communication infrastructure industry to assess the relationships they have developed with their global supply chain partners.  Changes in the industry have resulted in geographic shifts of existing and potential supply chain suppliers and customers.  In an effort to determine if commitment to customer service has resulted in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, research was conducted to assess their performance.  The results of this research were compared to previous research to determine if their service program has successfully differentiated them from their competitors

Archiving Appalachia

Led by the staff of the Archives of Appalachia, this roundtable discussion will focus on how archival collections can capture and perpetuate the creative, dynamic force of Appalachia. The participants, along with Amy Collins, Director of the Archives of Appalachia, will briefly remark on the development and use of archival collections, media in the archives, and measures taken to ensure that collections reflect the diversity of the region’s history and culture. The audience will be encouraged to share their perspectives on archival research, thereby creating dialogue about archival access and use, as well as archiving digital scholarship, and the potential for growing Appalachian collections. The intent of this discussion is to prompt ASA members to think about how archival research can contribute to their work on Appalachia and to consider the benefits of placing their own documents, photographs, books, and media in archival repositories. After the session, attendees will have the opportunity to tour the Archives and talk with staff

Tort Claimant May Seek to Set Aside Fraudulent Conveyance Prior to Reducing His Claim to Judgment.

Abstract Forthcoming

On the Price of Anarchy of Highly Congested Nonatomic Network Games

We consider nonatomic network games with one source and one destination. We examine the asymptotic behavior of the price of anarchy as the inflow increases. In accordance with some empirical observations, we show that, under suitable conditions, the price of anarchy is asymptotic to one. We show with some counterexamples that this is not always the case. The counterexamples occur in very simple parallel graphs.Comment: 26 pages, 6 figure

Front End Planning of Railway Projects

ABSTRACT Infrastructure capital projects are at the center of efforts to invest in the recovery of the economy, both domestically and internationally, and are seen as a primary growth engine of the construction industry today. Sadly, many of these projects are unsuccessful due to poor early project planning. Front End Planning (FEP) is a critical process for uncovering project unknowns, while developing adequate scope definition and a structured approach for the project execution process. FEP assists in identifying and mitigating issues such as right-of-way concerns, utility adjustments, environmental hazards, logistic problems, permitting requirements and so on. This paper will outline research funded by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) focused on front end planning of infrastructure projects. This investigation, which includes input from domestic and foreign planning experts from over 30 organizations using as reference over 60 capital projects, provides an understanding of the critical issues that must be addressed during FEP of infrastructure projects, particularly as applied to rail projects. A new risk management tool for FEP, called the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) for Infrastructure Projects, will be shown. Critical success factors for FEP of railway and infrastructure projects will be shared, including key planning process steps, along with guidance to practitioners involved in planning these types of projects

Carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of urine and faeces as novel nutritional biomarkers of meat and fish intake

Purpose Meat and fish consumption are associated with changes in the risk of chronic diseases. Intake is mainly assessed using self-reporting, as no true quantitative nutritional biomarker is available. The measurement of plasma fatty acids, often used as an alternative, is expensive and time-consuming. As meat and fish differ in their stable isotope ratios, δ13C and δ15N have been proposed as biomarkers. However, they have never been investigated in controlled human dietary intervention studies. Objective In a short-term feeding study, we investigated the suitability of δ13C and δ15N in blood, urine and faeces as biomarkers of meat and fish intake. Methods The dietary intervention study (n = 14) followed a randomised cross-over design with three eight-day dietary periods (meat, fish and half-meat–half-fish). In addition, 4 participants completed a vegetarian control period. At the end of each period, 24-h urine, fasting venous blood and faeces were collected and their δ13C and δ15N analysed. Results There was a significant difference between diets in isotope ratios in faeces and urine samples, but not in blood samples (Kruskal–Wallis test, p < 0.0001). In pairwise comparisons, δ13C and δ15N were significantly higher in urine and faecal samples following a fish diet when compared with all other diets, and significantly lower following a vegetarian diet. There was no significant difference in isotope ratio between meat and half-meat–half-fish diets for blood, urine or faecal samples. Conclusions The results of this study show that urinary and faecal δ13C and δ15N are suitable candidate biomarkers for short-term meat and fish intake