God’s Action in History

The explication of the Christian hope of resurrection requires Christianity to spell out the way in which God actually deals in the world. Only if we succeed, with regard to past, present, and future, in making the talk of God’s special action in history plausible, are we able to reasonably assert essential Christian beliefs. Yet due to past horrors, present ongoing suffering, and a future that promises of little else, it is precisely this talk that has become doubtful. This article tries to describe God’s action as a process enabling freedom and love in order to develop a theodicy-sensitive speech about God’s action

Novel strategies for process control based on hybrid semi-parametric mathematical systems

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Química. Universidade do Porto. Faculdade de Engenharia. 201

A study of fuel consumption of three types of household charcoal stoves in Ghana

The purpose of this study was to find out the amounts of charcoal consumed using the traditional Ghanaian coalpot in contrast with two improved stoves, “Ahinbenso” and “Gyapa” stoves. The study covered 80 purposively selected charcoal-consuming households in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Each household was allowed a 1- week measurement of charcoal consumption for each of the three stoves and data were analyzed with Excel. Thestudy results showed fuel (charcoal) efficiency of 31 and 23 per cent for “Gyapa” and “Ahinbenso” over the traditional coalpot, respectively. The “Gyapa” stove saves 0.51 kg of charcoal per day or 186 kg of charcoalannually, which translates into about US$25.00 per year per household. For every 1,000 “Gyapa” stoves in use, the savings would be 186 tons of charcoal per year, equal to 1,488 tons of wood and 31.83 ha of forestland. It is,therefore, recommended that promotional activities on the use of “Gyapa” stove among charcoal-consuming households in Ghana should be strengthened

Gender Differences in Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance and Their Association with Psychotherapy Use—Examining Students from a German University

Attachment anxiety and avoidance might explain gender differences in psychotherapy use, which is generally lower in men. In addition, university students are a particularly vulnerable group for mental health problems, and understanding psychotherapy use, especially among mentally distressed male students, is pivotal. A total of 4894 students completed an online survey answering questions regarding psychotherapy use and completing the PHQ-D identifying psychological syndromes. In addition, the ECR-RD12 was used to measure attachment anxiety and avoidance. Significant gender differences for attachment anxiety and avoidance emerged, showing higher attachment anxiety in female students and higher attachment avoidance in male students. Male students used psychotherapy significantly less than female students. Male students’ attachment anxiety and avoidance predicted psychotherapy use, while for female students, only attachment anxiety emerged as a significant predictor. Attachment anxiety is positively associated with psychotherapy use, and lower attachment anxiety in men may explain lower psychotherapy use in male students

an industrial E. coli case study

The authors thank Chi Chung (Tim) Choi and Paul Rice for their collaboration in batch production and performing off-line sample analysis and Carl Hémond for providing the RP-HPLC assay and results. The authors thank Paul Rice also for critical reading of the manuscript. © Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Process understanding is emphasized in the process analytical technology initiative and the quality by design paradigm to be essential for manufacturing of biopharmaceutical products with consistent high quality. A typical approach to developing a process understanding is applying a combination of design of experiments with statistical data analysis. Hybrid semi-parametric modeling is investigated as an alternative method to pure statistical data analysis. The hybrid model framework provides flexibility to select model complexity based on available data and knowledge. Here, a parametric dynamic bioreactor model is integrated with a nonparametric artificial neural network that describes biomass and product formation rates as function of varied fed-batch fermentation conditions for high cell density heterologous protein production with E. coli. Our model can accurately describe biomass growth and product formation across variations in induction temperature, pH and feed rates. The model indicates that while product expression rate is a function of early induction phase conditions, it is negatively impacted as productivity increases. This could correspond with physiological changes due to cytoplasmic product accumulation. Due to the dynamic nature of the model, rational process timing decisions can be made and the impact of temporal variations in process parameters on product formation and process performance can be assessed, which is central for process understanding.publishersversionpublishe

Managing multiple catchment demands for sustainablewater use and ecosystem service provision

Ensuring water, food and energy security for a growing world population represents a 21st century catchment management challenge. Failure to recognise the complexity of interactions across ecosystem service provision can risk the loss of other key environmental and socioeconomic benefits from the natural capital of catchment systems. In particular, the ability of soil and water to meet human needs is undermined by uncertainties around climate change effects, ecosystem service interactions and conflicting stakeholder interests across catchments. This critical review draws from an extensive literature to discuss the benefits and challenges of utilising an ecosystem service approach for integrated catchment management (ICM). State-of-the-art research on ecosystem service assessment, mapping and participatory approaches is evaluated and a roadmap of the key short- and longer-term research needs for maximising landscape-scale ecosystem service provision from catchments is proposed. © 2017 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland