She Departed to Her House : Another Aspect of the Syrophoenician Mother\u27s Faith in Mark 7:24-30

The Syrophoenician mother stands as an exemplar of faith not because she has so much of it, but because she enacts it so consistently and deeply. Hers is an insistent, perceptive, and trusting faith that provides insight into the faith we exhibit as well

Denying Self, Bearing a Cross, and Following Jesus: Unpacking the Imperatives of Mark 8:34

As we journey soon into the new beginnings of post-Labor Day autumn, what will it mean to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus? More, certainly, than giving up a few things; more than suffering as part of the human condition; more than moving forward on new paths—peering into autumn’s transitions, we belong to another

What Every Christian Should Know About Paul\u27s Letters

Paul was first and foremost a pastor, addressing particular issues facing people in churches he loved and tended. To read his letters properly is to understand Paul in the context of that world and of his Jewish faith—a faith not replaced but transformed by his experience of Jesus Christ

Remember My Chains: New Testament Perspectives on Incarceration

Understanding the physical realities and social attitudes concerning incarceration in the ancient world provides a fuller context to the New Testament’s unadorned and ambiguous references to people’s experience of being held in custody. The context is crucial for interpreting biblical passages that commend caring for prisoners, that reaffirm God’s strength and nullify the ignominy associated with incarceration, and that declare God’s power over the means and motives of imperial coercion. Such passages also compel the contemporary church to advocate on behalf of prisoners and to denounce the systems that regularly victimize them

Optimizing Filter-Probe Diffusion Weighting in the Rat Spinal Cord for Human Translation

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a promising biomarker of spinal cord injury (SCI). In the acute aftermath, DTI in SCI animal models consistently demonstrates high sensitivity and prognostic performance, yet translation of DTI to acute human SCI has been limited. In addition to technical challenges, interpretation of the resulting metrics is ambiguous, with contributions in the acute setting from both axonal injury and edema. Novel diffusion MRI acquisition strategies such as double diffusion encoding (DDE) have recently enabled detection of features not available with DTI or similar methods. In this work, we perform a systematic optimization of DDE using simulations and an in vivo rat model of SCI and subsequently implement the protocol to the healthy human spinal cord. First, two complementary DDE approaches were evaluated using an orientationally invariant or a filter-probe diffusion encoding approach. While the two methods were similar in their ability to detect acute SCI, the filter-probe DDE approach had greater predictive power for functional outcomes. Next, the filter-probe DDE was compared to an analogous single diffusion encoding (SDE) approach, with the results indicating that in the spinal cord, SDE provides similar contrast with improved signal to noise. In the SCI rat model, the filter-probe SDE scheme was coupled with a reduced field of view (rFOV) excitation, and the results demonstrate high quality maps of the spinal cord without contamination from edema and cerebrospinal fluid, thereby providing high sensitivity to injury severity. The optimized protocol was demonstrated in the healthy human spinal cord using the commercially-available diffusion MRI sequence with modifications only to the diffusion encoding directions. Maps of axial diffusivity devoid of CSF partial volume effects were obtained in a clinically feasible imaging time with a straightforward analysis and variability comparable to axial diffusivity derived from DTI. Overall, the results and optimizations describe a protocol that mitigates several difficulties with DTI of the spinal cord. Detection of acute axonal damage in the injured or diseased spinal cord will benefit the optimized filter-probe diffusion MRI protocol outlined here

Trabecular bone structure correlates with hand posture and use in hominoids

Bone is capable of adapting during life in response to stress. Therefore, variation in locomotor and manipulative behaviours across extant hominoids may be reflected in differences in trabecular bone structure. The hand is a promising region for trabecular analysis, as it is the direct contact between the individual and the environment and joint positions at peak loading vary amongst extant hominoids. Building upon traditional volume of interest-based analyses, we apply a whole-epiphysis analytical approach using high-resolution microtomographic scans of the hominoid third metacarpal to investigate whether trabecular structure reflects differences in hand posture and loading in knuckle-walking (Gorilla, Pan), suspensory (Pongo, Hylobates and Symphalangus) and manipulative (Homo) taxa. Additionally, a comparative phylogenetic method was used to analyse rates of evolutionary changes in trabecular parameters. Results demonstrate that trabecular bone volume distribution and regions of greatest stiffness (i.e., Young's modulus) correspond with predicted loading of the hand in each behavioural category. In suspensory and manipulative taxa, regions of high bone volume and greatest stiffness are concentrated on the palmar or distopalmar regions of the metacarpal head, whereas knuckle-walking taxa show greater bone volume and stiffness throughout the head, and particularly in the dorsal region; patterns that correspond with the highest predicted joint reaction forces. Trabecular structure in knuckle-walking taxa is characterised by high bone volume fraction and a high degree of anisotropy in contrast to the suspensory brachiators. Humans, in which the hand is used primarily for manipulation, have a low bone volume fraction and a variable degree of anisotropy. Finally, when trabecular parameters are mapped onto a molecular-based phylogeny, we show that the rates of change in trabecular structure vary across the hominoid clade. Our results support a link between inferred behaviour and trabecular structure in extant hominoids that can be informative for reconstructing behaviour in fossil primates

Cortical bone mapping: An application to hand and foot bones in hominoids

Bone form reflects both the genetic profile and behavioural history of an individual. As cortical bone is able to remodel in response to mechanical stimuli, interspecific differences in cortical bone thickness may relate to loading during locomotion or manual behaviours during object manipulation. Here, we test the application of a novel method of cortical bone mapping to the third metacarpal (Mc3) and talus of Pan, Pongo, and Homo. This method of analysis allows measurement of cortical thickness throughout the bone, and as such is applicable to elements with complex morphology. In addition, it allows for registration of each specimen to a canonical surface, and identifies regions where cortical thickness differs significantly between groups. Cortical bone mapping has potential for application to palaeoanthropological studies; however, due to the complexity of correctly registering homologous regions across varied morphology, further methodological development would be advantageous

Trabecular distribution of proximal tibia in extant apes

Extant apes are characterized by a wide range of locomotor, postural and manipulative behaviours that require each to use their limbs in different ways. In addition to external bone morphology, comparative investigation of trabecular bone can provide novel insights into bone functional adaptation. Two previous studies [1,2] have examined trabecular bone structure in the hominoid knee joint but have focused on the distal femur only. We build upon these previous studies to characterize trabecular structure of the proximal tibia in extant apes. Here we analyze the trabecular morphology of proximal tibial epiphysis of Homo sapiens (N = 25), Gorilla gorilla (N=13), Pan troglodytes verus (N = 15), and Pongo spp. (N = 7) to determine how variation in trabecular structure reflects differences in locomotor behaviour and to establish patterns of proximal tibia loading in extant taxa. Trabecular bone was imaged using microtomography with an isometric voxel resolution of 30-70 microns. Bone tissues were segmented using the medical image analysis (MIA) clustering method [3]. Canonical holistic morphometric analysis (cHMA) [4] was used to analyze relative bone volume fraction (rBV/TV) and patterns of rBV/TV distribution within and between taxa were investigated via principal component analysis (PCA). A PCA of rBV/TV shows clear separation between extant ape taxa. In humans, trabecular density is similarly concentrated in circular regions in the middle of both the medial and lateral condyles, which distinguishes them from all other apes on PC1. In African apes, the trabecular bone is denser on the medial side (penetrating the entire condyle) suggesting differential loading of the tibia plateau. [italics]Pongo[italics] also exhibits greater density on the medial side but differs from African apes in having less rBV/TV at the margins of the condyles. Values of rBV/TV under the articulation with proximal tibia (and on the thibial plateau) are significantly higher compared to rest of the lateral condyle in all taxa. [italics]Pongo[italics] (positive PC2) separates from [italics]Gorilla[italics] (negative PC2) due to the higher rBV/TV concentration in the middle of both tibial condyles on tibial plateau. Additionally, rBV/TV concentration is the lowest in orangutans, which separates them from gorillas (PC2) as well as from chimpanzees (PC3). Trabecular distribution in humans is consistent with an extended knee position and bipedal locomotion where the load is spread more equally between both tibial condyles. However, trabecular distribution in non-human apes is consistent with flexed knee positions compared to humans and with primarily medial loading due to the higher knee adduction moment, varus angle and ground reaction forces. The pattern of trabecular distribution in orangutans reflects their more variable knee joint postures during locomotion. These results provide the comparative context to interpret knee posture and, in turn, locomotor behaviours in fossil hominins