An Appeal to Mystery Without Punting : Revisiting Molinism’s Biblical Problem in Light of Ephesians 1:4–11 and Romans 11:33–36

Molinists maintain that middle knowledge is the best candidate for settling the historical debate on God’s sovereignty and man’s free will. The philosophical sophistication of the view can be alluring, and the efforts of Molinists to rationally defend it against criticisms have been impressive. But does Molinism still have a biblical problem? Proponents argue that the doctrine is compatible with the Bible\u27s teaching on God\u27s knowledge of counterfactuals, though admittedly, it is not explicitly taught in Scripture. But this claim is more problematic than advocates for the theory have alleged. The present study maintains that in the absence of a more complete biblical revelation regarding God’s knowledge logically prior to his eternal decree, philosophers of religion should exercise greater caution than is presently being advocated. It is argued that Paul supplies the reader with a necessary constraint to philosophical speculation regarding the deliberations of the divine mind (Rom 11:33–36), and it is John Calvin, not Luis de Molina, who best represents Paul’s appeal to mystery in this respect. Far from being an intellectual punt to mystery, this is an occasion to join Paul in awestruck wonder in the face of the unknowable. Jeff Scott Kennedy, Ph.D. Bible Exposition (Rawlings School of Divinity, Liberty University / 2022

Optical Propagation and Communication

Contains research objectives and reports on two research projects.National Science Foundation (Grant ENG78-21603)U.S. Army Research Office - Durham (Contract DAAG29-80-C-0010)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAG29-78-C-0020

Optical Propagation and Communication

Contains research objectives and summary of research on four research projects.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGR 22-009-013)U.S. Navy - Office of Naval Research (Contract N00014-76-C-0605)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-76-C-1400)National Science Foundation (Grant ENG74-00131-AO2)U. S. Air Force - Electronic Systems Division (Contract F19628-76-C-0054)National Science Foundation (Grant ENG74-03996-A1

Processing and Transmission of Information

Contains research objectives, summary of research and reports on one research project.Joint Services Electronics Programs (U. S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U. S. Air Force) under Contract DA 28-043-AMC-02536(E)National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGL-22-009-013

Processing and Transmission of Information

Contains research objectives and summary of research on three research projects and reports on two research projects.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGL 22-009-013)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-41464)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-41098)Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DAAB07-74-C-0630)National Science Foundation (Grant GK-37582

Reduction of leukocyte microvascular adherence and preservation of blood-brain barrier function by superoxide-lowering therapies in a piglet model of neonatal asphyxia

Background: Asphyxia is the most common cause of brain damage in newborns. Substantial evidence indicates that leukocyte recruitment in the cerebral vasculature during asphyxia contributes to this damage. We tested the hypothesis that superoxide radical (O2⋅_) promotes an acute post-asphyxial inflammatory response and blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown. We investigated the effects of removing O2⋅_ by superoxide dismutase (SOD) or C3, the cell-permeable SOD mimetic, in protecting against asphyxia-related leukocyte recruitment. We also tested the hypothesis that xanthine oxidase activity is one source of this radical.Methods: Anesthetized piglets were tracheostomized, ventilated, and equipped with closed cranial windows for the assessment of post-asphyxial rhodamine 6G-labeled leukocyte-endothelial adherence and microvascular permeability to sodium fluorescein in cortical venules. Asphyxia was induced by discontinuing ventilation. SOD and C3 were administered by cortical superfusion. The xanthine oxidase inhibitor oxypurinol was administered intravenously.Results: Leukocyte-venular adherence significantly increased during the initial 2 h of post-asphyxial reperfusion. BBB permeability was also elevated relative to non-asphyxial controls. Inhibition of O2⋅_ production by oxypurinol, or elimination of O2⋅_ by SOD or C3, significantly reduced rhodamine 6G-labeled leukocyte-endothelial adherence and improved BBB integrity, as measured by sodium fluorescein leak from cerebral microvessels.Conclusion: Using three different strategies to either prevent formation or enhance elimination of O2⋅_ during the post-asphyxial period, we saw both reduced leukocyte adherence and preserved BBB function with treatment. These findings suggest that agents which lower O2⋅_ in brain may be attractive new therapeutic interventions for the protection of the neonatal brain following asphyxia

Glucocorticoid Regulation of Elastin Synthesis in Human Fibroblasts: Down-Regulation in Fibroblasts from Normal Dermis But Not From Keloids

Keloids arise as benign connective tissue masses at sites of injury in genetically predisposed individuals, In addition to excessive collagen accumulation, there is biochemical and histologic evidence of elastic tissue. Previous studies showed that glucocorticoid regulation of collagen synthesis differs in fibroblasts from normal adult dermis and keloids, To define further the abnormal regulation of matrix synthesis in keloid fibroblasts, we examined glucocorticoid regulation of elastin synthesis. The basal level of elastin synthesis was significantly higher in keloid than in normal cells, and hydrocortisone reduced synthesis of elastin and elastin mRNA in normal but not in keloid fibroblasts. We had shown previously that fibroblasts from fetal dermis resembled keloid fibroblasts in glucocorticoid regulation of growth and collagen synthesis. In this study, glucocorticoids failed to down-regulate elastin synthesis in fetal cells that had not differentiated to produce normal levels of elastin, whereas fetal cells with normal elastin production exhibited glucocorticoid down-regulation. Abnormal regulation in keloid cells was independent of cell density and was confined to fibroblasts cultured from the keloid nodule. These findings reinforce the conclusion that a matrix-regulatory pathway is deranged in these focal lesions. Coordinate down-regulation of collagen and elastin by hydrocortisone in normal adult denial fibroblasts and the failure of hydrocortisone to down-regulate synthesis of either protein in keloid cells support the existence of common elements in the regulatory pathways of these two matrix proteins

Optical Propagation and Communication

Contains research objectives and summary of research on three research projects, and reports on three research projects.National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Grant NGL 22-009-013)National Science Foundation (Grant ENG74-00131-A01)National Science Foundation (Grant ENG74-03996-A01

Quantitation of CD8+ T Cell Responses to Newly Identified HLA-A*0201–restricted T Cell Epitopes Conserved Among Vaccinia and Variola (Smallpox) Viruses

Immunization with vaccinia virus resulted in long-lasting protection against smallpox and was the approach used to eliminate natural smallpox infections worldwide. Due to the concern about the potential use of smallpox virus as a bioweapon, smallpox vaccination is currently being reintroduced. Severe complications from vaccination were associated with congenital or acquired T cell deficiencies, but not with congenital agammaglobulinemia, suggesting the importance of T cell immunity in recovery from infection. In this report, we identified two CD8+ T cell epitopes restricted by the most common human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I allele, HLA-A*0201. Both epitopes are highly conserved in vaccinia and variola viruses. The frequency of vaccinia-specific CD8+ T cell responses to these epitopes measured by interferon (IFN)-γ enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay and HLA/peptide tetramer staining peaked 2 wk after primary immunization and then declined, but were still detectable 1 to 3 yr after primary immunization. 2 wk after immunization, IFN-γ–producing cells specific to these two epitopes were 14% of total vaccinia virus-specific IFN-γ–producing cells in one donor, 35% in the second donor, and 6% in the third donor. This information will be useful for studies of human T cell memory and for the design and analyses of the immunogenicity of experimental vaccinia vaccines

Visual-olfactory integration in the human disease vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Mosquitoes rely on the integration of multiple sensory cues, including olfactory, visual, and thermal stimuli, to detect, identify, and locate their hosts [1, 2, 3, 4]. Although we increasingly know more about the role of chemosensory behaviors in mediating mosquito-host interactions [1], the role of visual cues is comparatively less studied [3], and how the combination of olfactory and visual information is integrated in the mosquito brain remains unknown. In the present study, we used a tethered-flight light-emitting diode (LED) arena, which allowed for quantitative control over the stimuli, and a control theoretic model to show that CO_2 modulates mosquito steering responses toward vertical bars. To gain insight into the neural basis of this olfactory and visual coupling, we conducted two-photon microscopy experiments in a new GCaMP6s-expressing mosquito line. Imaging revealed that neuropil regions within the lobula exhibited strong responses to objects, such as a bar, but showed little response to a large-field motion. Approximately 20% of the lobula neuropil we imaged were modulated when CO2 preceded the presentation of a moving bar. By contrast, responses in the antennal (olfactory) lobe were not modulated by visual stimuli presented before or after an olfactory stimulus. Together, our results suggest that asymmetric coupling between these sensory systems provides enhanced steering responses to discrete objects