Intermediate Biblical Greek Reader: Galatians and Related Texts

After completing basic biblical Greek, students are often eager to continue to learn and strengthen their skills of translation and interpretation. This intermediate graded reader is designed to meet those needs. The reader is “intermediate” in the sense that it presumes the user will have already learned the basics of Greek grammar and syntax and has memorized Greek vocabulary words that appear frequently in the New Testament. The reader is “graded” in the sense that it moves from simpler translation work (Galatians) towards more advanced readings from the book of James, the Septuagint, and from one of the Church Fathers. In each reading lesson, the Greek text is given, followed by supplemental notes that offer help with vocabulary, challenging word forms, and syntax. Discussion questions are also included to foster group conversation and engagement. There are many good Greek readers in existence, but this reader differs from most others in a few important ways. Most readers offer text selections from different parts of the Bible, but in this reader the user works through one entire book (Galatians). All subsequent lessons, then, build off of this interaction with Galatians through short readings that are in some way related to Galatians. The Septuagint passages in the reader offer some broader context for texts that Paul quotes explicitly from the Septuagint. The Patristic reading from John Chrysystom comes from one of his homilies on Galatians. This approach to a Greek reader allows for both variety and coherence in the learning process. Other unique features within this intermediate Greek reader include a set of word studies for important Greek words in Galatians, a discussion of the basics of textual criticism, and a brief glossary of syntax and key concepts in biblical Greek. This reader is a collaborative project that developed out of an advanced Greek course at Portland Seminary (2017-2018). The following students contributed equally to the content of the textbook. Alexander Finkelson (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018) Bryn Pliska Girard (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018) Charles E. R. Jesch (MDIV, Portland Seminary, current student) Paul C. Moldovan (MDIV, Portland Seminary, current student) Jenny E. Siefken (MATS, Portland Seminary, current student) Julianna Kaye Smith (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018) Jana Whitworth (MDIV, Portland Seminary, current student) Kyle J. Williams (MATS, Portland Seminary, 2018)https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/pennington_epress/1001/thumbnail.jp

On the homology of several number-theoretic set families

This paper describes the homology of various simplicial complexes associated to set families from combinatorial number theory, including primitive sets, pairwise coprime sets, product-free sets, and coprime-free sets. We present a condition on a set family that results in easy computation of the homology groups, and show that the first three examples, among many others, admit such a structure. We then extend our techniques to address the complexes associated to coprime-free sets and a generalization of primitive sets.Comment: 17 pages, including two appendices. Final version submitted to journa

Determining the Economic Value of Irrigation Water in Kerio Valley Basin (Kenya) by Residual Value Method

This paper presents an application of the residual value technique to determine the disaggregated economic value of irrigation water used across crops at the basin level for the Kerio valley basin Kenya. A multistage sampling method was used to select a representative sample of 216 smallholder irrigation farmers. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire administered to the small holder farmers, additional data on irrigation water requirements was obtained from FAO, CROPWAT 8.0 and CLIMWAT 2.0 (2013) database. The average residual value in the basin is Ksh 6.17 per M3. Results for the economic values of irrigation water are Ksh/ M3 20.85, 14.87, 4.3, 11.28, 1.25, 0.3 for field food crops; green grams, maize, millet, sorghum, cassava and cowpeas are respectively. Similarly for the fruit trees bananas, mangoes and lemons, the economic value of irrigation water are Ksh/M3 1.36, 0.90, 0.45 respectively Green grams and maize had the highest values for the ratios of apparent productivity and residual value and cowpeas and lemons the lowest. The results shows that at crop level water values estimated for field crops are generally higher compared to fruit trees. This means that there is greater potential in field crops than fruit trees in the basin. Keywords: Irrigated agriculture, apparent productivity, value of water, residual value metho

Socioeconomic Factors Influencing Farm Forestry Investment Decisions in Kenya: The Case of Uasin Gishu and Vihiga Counties

In Kenya, traditional farm landscapes are an overlay agricultural crops livestock and various farm forest formations. Tree growing in agricultural landscapes in the country has a long history. However the intensity has developed over the last 100 years across the country at varying pace and configurations depending on various factors largely driven by demand and supply conditions. Therefore the study was premised on the fact that household land is allocated to tree growing based on the household subsistence needs and extra to satisfy market demands. The study to evaluate the socioeconomic factors that influenced adoption farm forestry by households in two counties in high potential agricultural areas of western Kenya was undertaken in 2015. The two counties were selected for the study differed in various attributes such as settlement history, agricultural land use, farm forestry development and demographic characteristics. Uasin Gishu represents the recently settled former European settler farms and Vihiga represents the former African Reserves settled hundreds of years ago. The study used integrated land use decision making concept to underpin the household production function.  The survey involved 260 households that were systematically sampled with questionnaires being administered randomly to households in locations within selected sub counties. The main data extracted from the questionnaire were household land sizes, age of household head, educational levels of household head, cultural factors, farm forest incomes, distance to forest product markets, farm employees, settlement years, household sizes and crop incomes.  Data was analysed by use of OLS regression models to generate key farm forestry decision making variables.  The results show that the most stable and significant explanatory variables were land size, farm forestry incomes and off-farm incomes. This shows that they were the most important variables in farm forestry land use decisions in western Kenya.  The study also revealed that the two counties were significantly different in their farm forestry activities with Vihiga being more intensive as compared to Uasin Gishu.  Farm forestry incomes proved to be an importance driving force in scaling up tree growing on individual farms hence indicating the importance of economic objectives on household land use decision making. Farm forest income was stronger in areas where markets and marketing infrastructure were better developed. The study provides some factors that policy makers need to consider in order to positively influence farm forest development in Kenya and other developing countries. Keywords: Farm forestry, Land use, farm incomes, household decision makin

The Influence of Land Quality on Allocation of Land for Farm Forest in Kenya: The Case of Vihiga County

Kenya has long history of promoting tree growing on farms for various purposes ranging from  laying claim to property and boundary marking in 1940s to response to socioeconomic drivers such commercial interests through vibrant market for tree products. The Rural Afforestation and Extension Services Division (RAES) started in 1971 was aimed at accelerating tree growing on farms through training of farmers, establishment of tree nurseries countrywide and deployment of extension staff to offer technical services to rural farmers. Farms within agricultural landscapes are not uniform but differ in various forms such as slope, drainage, soil texture, fertility, water holding capacity, stone/rock outcrops and other attributes that impose land quality variation hence influencing their potential uses. The study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the influence of land quality on farm forest land use allocation through use of land quality concept developed by von Thunnen in 1826.  The study was done in one of the highly populated counties in western Kenya, the Vihiga County where farm forests occupies 30% of household land. Samples of 112 households were surveyed in 4 sub-counties. The study mapped quality aspects within households land profile into four categories  gentle,  steep, steep and rocky and flood plain and swampy and intensity of trees in respective category. OLS regression analysis was used to determine the influence of land quality on farm forest land allocations. The results indicate that farm forest allocations was not significantly influenced by poor land quality aspects across the study household lands. This is because the land sizes were very small and farm forests were adopted across the household land profile irrespective of quality aspects. However, households indicated that poor quality lands were preferable for farm forest largely for they were not favourable for crop production. The study observes that farm forests were highly influenced  by high population density and small land sizes that has masked the importance land quality in land use allocation decisions. Keywords: farm forest, land quality, land use allocatio

COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF COLORLESS APPROPRIATIONS IN NAVY AND DOD SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT PILOT PROGRAMS

Modernization of the Defense Acquisition Management and federal budget appropriation systems is necessary to ensure technological warfighting advantage, particularly in support of the Department of Defense’s software and cyber transition to a Development Operations (DEVOPS)/Development Security Operations (DEVSECOPS) environment. In appropriations, one modernization effort has been reform initiatives utilizing “colorless” appropriations for software-intensive defense acquisition programs. This thesis examines a sample of these pilot efforts through a combination of cost-effectiveness analysis and qualitative reflection to evaluate for efficiencies gained. While quantitative assessment identifies improved effectiveness at lower costs, sparsity of available data and program-specific external variables limit the statistical significance. However, qualitative insights in combination with commercial industry best practices may enhance the efficacy of this and other future reform efforts. These recommendations include additional selection criteria for pilot programs, additional metrics for quantitative and qualitative data collection, and further policy updates to enable a more effective transition from traditional appropriations. These conclusions derive from Defense Acquisition Management; federal budgeting and financial management; defense Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution processes; DEVOPS/DEVSECOPS practices; and Agile and Lean principles.Lieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyLieutenant, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Alternative off school Business Models that Enhance Multiple Intelligences in Kenyan Schools

Promotion of individual development and self-fulfillment amongst students in Kenya is among the national goals of education. To accomplish this goal it is imperative that, development of Multiple Intelligences in schools is put into perspective. To date, relatively little research has investigated the ways students Multiple Intelligences should be enhanced in Kenya. Consequently, this study was devised to examine alternative off school business management models that enhance Multiple Intelligences among secondary students in Kenya. The study was guided by the Multiple Intelligence Theory and Management Competency Framework. The study target population was 150 secondary schools in Elgeyo Marakwet. Data was collected using questionnaire, document analysis and interview. The data was analyzed qualitatively using thematic approach and quantitatively using percentages, means, standard deviation and simple linear regression. Data was presented in tables. The findings indicated that schools management was managing traditional models of enhancing multiple intelligences thus majority of the students’ abilities were not developed. Alternative off school business management models were found to be effective in enhancing multiple intelligences among students though majority of the schools had not adopted them. The study recommends that managing and facilitating entrepreneurship programmes should be promoted to enable students to show case abilities in different intelligences

Aberrant oligodendroglial-vascular interactions disrupt the blood-brain barrier, triggering CNS inflammation.

Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is critical to initiation and perpetuation of disease in multiple sclerosis (MS). We report an interaction between oligodendroglia and vasculature in MS that distinguishes human white matter injury from normal rodent demyelinating injury. We find perivascular clustering of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in certain active MS lesions, representing an inability to properly detach from vessels following perivascular migration. Perivascular OPCs can themselves disrupt the BBB, interfering with astrocyte endfeet and endothelial tight junction integrity, resulting in altered vascular permeability and an associated CNS inflammation. Aberrant Wnt tone in OPCs mediates their dysfunctional vascular detachment and also leads to OPC secretion of Wif1, which interferes with Wnt ligand function on endothelial tight junction integrity. Evidence for this defective oligodendroglial-vascular interaction in MS suggests that aberrant OPC perivascular migration not only impairs their lesion recruitment but can also act as a disease perpetuator via disruption of the BBB

Macroinvertebrates Assemblage Study: An attempt to Assess the Impact of Water Quality on Qua Iboe River Estuary, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study was conducted to access the water quality of Qua River Estuary, Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria by collecting water samples and macroinvertebrates using standard sampling procedures and analytical methods. The mean values of physicochemical parameters assessed in water samples gave the following ranges: DO (2.38 – 4.63 mg/l), water temperature (26.13 – 29.18 oC), turbidity (22.56 – 39.24 NTU),TDS (224.8 – 332.51 mg/l), pH (6.3 – 7.5 mg/l), salinity (3.13 – 4.84 ppt),BOD (1.13 – 3.64 mg/l), nitrate (2.45 – 6.72 mg/l), phosphate (2.12 – 5.93 mg/l) and Flow velocity (0.23 – 0.38 ms-1). ANOVA reveals significant variation in some parameters. A total of 308 individual species, comprising of three phyla and seven taxonomic groups of macro-invertebrate were identified. Arthropoda constituted the highest percentage composition (75.4%), followed by Mollusca (18.8%), and Annelida (5.8%). The dominant group was Decapoda (35.7%) and the least was Odonata accounted only for 1.9%. Station 5 has the highest number of individual’s species (112), station 3 had the least (43). Chironomus plumosus was the most occurring species, accounted for 19.2%. The result reveals that anthropogenic activities in the water system influence the abundance of aquatic biota; based on the macro-invertebrates identified, it shows that the water quality is moderately polluted owing to human activities