Observations on Things Measured in the Bible

As a new engineering professor at a Christian university that allows an extra five minutes in each class for spiritual and devotional instruction, I thought it would be interesting in the Engineering Technology Measurements Laboratory classroom sessions to focus our devotions on the topic of Measurements in the Bible. This included terms of measurement, things that are or can be measured, and insights into measureable subjects. In general, observations were made systematically based on daily Bible reading, starting with the first words “In the beginning…” and continuing through the Pentateuch during the semester. However, general observations from New Testament and other Old Testament readings were also made. As such, measurement topics can be broken into two main categories: physical substances and metaphysical topics. Physical substances include the obvious metrics concerning weight, size (length), time, and value (worth), as well as the general numbering (counting) of physical objects. Insights can be gathered based on the emphasis that God seems to place on certain lengths of time or timing of events, numbers or amounts of things, and the value of certain items. But even more interesting are the intangible matters related to Christian living that seem to imply measurement. Jesus speaks often of faith as something that can be measured – He cites people as having little (e.g., Mt 6:30, 8:26, 16:8) or much (e.g., Mt 8:10, 15:28) faith. Paul talks about faith growing (e.g., 2Cor 10:15, 1Thes 1:3), as if one should be able to measure it – perhaps relative to our trials requiring a certain amount of faith (should we consider how to measure in “faith units”?). Peter offers his readers grace in abundance (1Pet 1:2, 2Pet 1:2) and expects them to “grow in the grace…of Jesus” (2Pet 3:18), as if grace is something that can be measured. Similarly, hope, joy, love, and knowledge are all referred to as something measureable in the life of the believer. This paper presents some of these observations, of both tangible and intangible objects of measurements in the Bible, including some associated implications for the believer

Engineering Education in Developing Nations: Progress on the School of Engineering at Northrise University in Ndola, Zambia

The engineering and technology capabilities of developed nations continues to advance and to be a major driver of the economies of those nations. Developing nations recognize this reality, and they accordingly recognize the importance of nurturing the growth of their own countries’ STEM capabilities. Engineering education in developing nations is thus a critical need; but it is work that, for a variety of reasons, tends to be under-resourced by developing nations themselves as well as by potential participants from developed nations. As followers of Jesus, we sometimes find our hearts stirred on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ in developing nations by needs along these lines, yet we also sense the staggering magnitude of the challenge. Thus, when the Lord opens an avenue for making a practical and lasting contribution, we might find it hard to resist getting involved. Over the past 5+ years, just such an avenue has been opened at Northrise University in Ndola, Zambia, and four professors—two from Dordt University and two from LeTourneau University—have indeed found the opportunity hard to resist. Led by these four, the development of a school of engineering at Northrise —specifically a 5-year bachelor’s degree program in Civil Engineering—is well along and is on track for a target opening date of February 2024. This paper will focus mostly on the practical aspects of the project, divided into three areas of activity related to the development of curriculum, facilities, and faculty. Where appropriate, attention is also given to some of the philosophical and cross-cultural questions that have naturally arisen as the endeavor has progressed

MBE grown GaAsBi/GaAs multiple quantum well structures: Structural and optical characterization

A series of GaAsBi/GaAs multiple quantum well p–i–n diodes were grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Nomarski images showed evidence of sub-surface damage in each diode, with an increase in the cross-hatching associated with strain relaxation for the diodes containing more than 40 quantum wells. X-ray diffraction ω–2θ scans of the (004) reflections showed that multiple quantum well regions with clearly defined well periodicities were grown. The superlattice peaks of the diodes containing more than 40 wells were much broader than those of the other diodes. The photoluminescence spectra showed a redshift of 56 meV and an attenuation of nearly two orders of magnitude for the 54 and 63 well diodes. Calculations of the quantum confinement and strain induced band gap modifications suggest that the wells in all diodes are thinner than their intended widths and that both loss of quantum confinement and strain probably contributed to the observed redshift and attenuation in the 54 and 63 well diodes. Comparison of this data with that gathered for InGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum wells, suggests that the onset of relaxation occurs at a similar average strain–thickness product for both systems. Given the rapid band gap reduction of GaAsBi with Bi incorporation, this data suggests that GaAsBi is a promising photovoltaic material candidate

Commercial fishing patterns influence odontocete whale-longline interactions in the Southern Ocean

The emergence of longline fishing around the world has been concomitant with an increase in depredation-interactions by odontocete whales (removal of fish caught on hooks), resulting in substantial socio-economic and ecological impacts. The extent, trends and underlying mechanisms driving these interactions remain poorly known. Using long-term (2003–2017) datasets from seven major Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) longline fisheries, this study assessed the levels and inter-annual trends of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and/or killer whale (Orcinus orca) interactions as proportions of fishing time (days) and fishing area (spatial cells). The role of fishing patterns in explaining between-fisheries variations of probabilities of odontocete interactions was investigated. While interaction levels remained globally stable since the early 2000s, they varied greatly between fisheries from 0 to >50% of the fishing days and area. Interaction probabilities were influenced by the seasonal concentration of fishing effort, size of fishing areas, density of vessels, their mobility and the depth at which they operated. The results suggest that between-fisheries variations of interaction probabilities are largely explained by the extent to which vessels provide whales with opportunities for interactions. Determining the natural distribution of whales will, therefore, allow fishers to implement better strategies of spatio-temporal avoidance of depredation

Runs of homozygosity in killer whale genomes provide a global record of demographic histories

Runs of homozygosity (ROH) occur when offspring inherit haplotypes that are identical by descent from each parent. Length distributions of ROH are informative about population history; specifically, the probability of inbreeding mediated by mating system and/or population demography. Here, we investigated whether variation in killer whale (Orcinus orca) demographic history is reflected in genome-wide heterozygosity and ROH length distributions, using a global data set of 26 genomes representative of geographic and ecotypic variation in this species, and two F1 admixed individuals with Pacific-Atlantic parentage. We first reconstructed demographic history for each population as changes in effective population size through time using the pairwise sequential Markovian coalescent (PSMC) method. We found a subset of populations declined in effective population size during the Late Pleistocene, while others had more stable demography. Genomes inferred to have undergone ancestral declines in effective population size, were autozygous at hundreds of short ROH (1.5 Mb) were found in low latitude populations, and populations of known conservation concern. These include a Scottish killer whale, for which 37.8% of the autosomes were comprised of ROH >1.5 Mb in length. The fate of this population, in which only two adult males have been sighted in the past five years, and zero fecundity over the last two decades, may be inextricably linked to its demographic history and consequential inbreeding depression

The effectiveness of sewage treatment processes to remove faecal pathogens and antibiotic residues

Pathogens and antibiotics enter the aquatic environment via sewage effluents and may pose a health risk to wild life and humans. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of faecal bacteria, and selected antibiotic residues in raw wastewater and treated sewage effluents from three different sewage treatment plants in the Western Cape, South Africa. Sewage treatment plant 1 and 2 use older technologies, while sewage treatment plant 3 has been upgraded and membrane technologies were incorporated in the treatment processes. Coliforms and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were used as bioindicators for faecal bacteria. A chromogenic test was used to screen for coliforms and E. coli. Fluoroquinolones and sulfamethoxazole are commonly used antibiotics and were selected to monitor the efficiency of sewage treatment processes for antibiotic removal. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) were used to quantitate antibiotic residues in raw and treated sewage. Raw intake water at all treatment plants contained total coliforms and E. coli. High removal of E. coli by treatment processes was evident for treatment plant 2 and 3 only. Fluoroquinolones and sulfamethoxazole were detected in raw wastewater from all sewage treatment plants. Treatment processes at plant 1 did not reduce the fluoroquinolone concentration in treated sewage effluents. Treatment processes at plant 2 and 3 reduced the fluoroquinolone concentration by 21% and 31%, respectively. Treatment processes at plant 1 did not reduce the sulfamethoxazole concentration in treated sewage effluents. Treatment processes at plant 2 and 3 reduced sulfamethoxazole by 34% and 56%, respectively. This study showed that bacteria and antibiotic residues are still discharged into the environment. Further research needs to be undertaken to improve sewage treatment technologies, thereby producing a better quality treated sewage effluent

Effects of ammonium phosphate on a Southern Arizona desert grassland range

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Using ecotourism boats for estimating the abundance of a bottlenose dolphin population in south-eastern Australia

It is challenging to collect robust, long-term datasets to properly monitor the viability and social structure of large, long-lived animals, especially marine mammals. The present study used a unique long-term dataset to investigate the population parameters and social structure of a poorly studied population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in southern Port Phillip Bay, south-eastern Australia. Photo-identification images have been collected between 2012–2022 both opportunistically and following a protocol by patrons, staff, and volunteers of ecotourism companies using their vessels as platforms. The resulting large dataset was available to be processed through the online platform Flukebook and used in capture recapture models to estimate abundance and demographic parameters. In addition, the social structure of the population and the reproductive parameters were investigated. The marked adult population abundance (45.2 ± 2.7 individuals) was found to be stable over the last decade and the calving rate ranged between 0.06–0.19 new calves per identified individuals per year, while the inter-birth interval was 3.7 ± 0.8 years. Social analysis suggested the population has a fission-fusion structure with no apparent clusters. The stability of the population over the study period suggests no deleterious effect of anthropogenic or environmental factors during the last decade. This study is the outcome of the effort of the ecotourism organisations and the results obtained, along with their similarity to those of other dolphin populations worldwide, highlight the importance of such data sources for long-term information that would otherwise be too expensive or logistically difficult to obtain

Evidence of deep-sea interactions between toothed whales and longlines

International audienceToothed whales (odontocetes) feeding on fish caught on hooks in longline fisheries is a growing issue worldwide. The substantial impacts that this behaviour, called depredation, can have on the fishing economy, fish stocks and odontocetes populations, raise a critical need for mitigation solutions to be developed. However, information on when, where and how odontocete depredation occurs underwater is still limited, especially in demersal longline fisheries (fishing gear set on the seafloor). In the present study, we investigated depredation by killer whales (Orcinus orca) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) on demersal longlines in the French Patagonian toothfish fishery (Southern Ocean). Using a combination of animal-borne behavioural and longline-attached data loggers, we demonstrated that both species are able to depredate longlines on the seafloor. This study, therefore, suggests that odontocetes whales-longline interaction events at depth may be unrecorded when assessing depredation rates from surface observations during hauling phases only. This result has implications for the management of fisheries facing similar depredation issues as underestimated depredation rates may result in unaccounted fish mortality in fish-stock assessments. Therefore, while further research should be conducted to assess the extent of deep-sea whale-longline interaction events during soaking, the evidence that depredation can occur at any time during the whole fishing process as brought out by this study should be considered in future developments of mitigation solutions to the issue