The religious and theological foundations of natural science

This thesis examines the religions and theological foundations of natural science. A mythology has arisen, both popularly and academieally, that locates the historical origins of science in the great humanistic movements of the Renaissance and Eniightenment. Conversely Calvinism and Puritenism are regarded as regressive forces, the enemies of freedom and progress, interested only in rigerons morality and otherwordly piety. Philosophically there is a wide spread divorce between faith and knowledge, religion and science, while sociologically science is seen to advance with the shaking off of the fetters of religious belief. The choice of approach was difficult. I elected for an overview rather than an exhaustive detail of one aspect. This was a choice against specialisation and the abstreative loss of concrete reality. It alse seems more consonant with the topic under consideration. The major divisions are as follows: Part I: An historical section which contextualises the study and indicates origins and motivations of modern science in religious interests - particularly Calvinism. By the nature of such a study there is a degree of ambivalence. Part II: The thesis is established by a review and brief eritique of secular philosophies of sciences. This again is ambivalent though I have scught to plant signposts to the clearer statement presented in Part IV. Part III: A survey of Christian responses to the topic. While remaining within Protestant thought I have tried to do justice to as many divergent positions as is consistent with overall coherence. Part IV: this seeks to establish the religious and theological foundations of natural science on Christian perspectival grounds - viewing religion as the crientation of the heart in a basic commitment to the universe: and seeing in the theology of the sovereignty of God, His law, the dectrines of creation and cultural activity, clear motivations to scientific activity. So this is the crux of my thesis. I also give some practical application in terms of the problems of the environment and technic, and how the fundamental issues pertain therein. I believe the basic contribution to the subject is not, in the first instance, detailed originality but in an original synthesis of materil. Detailed contributions are inter alia: 1. A critical introduction to the thought of 'Cosmonomiem' where that impinges on my topic. The study, based within the parameters of nesyeweerd's 'Cosmonomic Idea', seeks to apply cosmonomism in a more scientific field than that in which most of its proponents work. 2. More specifically I point to my suggested solution of Mackay's complementary model of science and relgions; 3. My causal-perspectival interpretation of the influence of Calvin(ism) which goes further than Merton, Neekyaas or Torrance. 4. My critique of the theological spectrum - liberal and evangelical. I point particularly to my analysis of erangelicals who are largely uncritiqued from within their own perspective and ignored by liberals, despite their vest amount of literature on science and belief; and 5. The exposure of a confusion between 'science' and 'scientia' ; and between 'religion', 'theology' and 'faith'. Inter alia my conclusions include: 1. Religion and natural science (but not theology and natural science) are not separate entities, for the former founds and activates the latter. The whole discussion of science 'and' religion/belief is a false dichotomy and therefore a pseudo-problem. 2. The religious foundation of science does not dictate/coereo scientific scientific theories. While it can give a definite 'no' to some theories, it can only give a conditional 'yes' to theories. 3. There is, strictly speaking, no 'theology of science' but a theological framework within which science can be understood. 4. Unnecessary conceptual problems have been created by seeing laws of nature as antonomous from the law of God. 5. 'The' scientific method is mythological

Setting the foundation for renewal: restoring sponge communities aids the ecological recovery of Florida Bay

Coastal ecosystems are constantly buffeted by anthropogenic forces that degrade habitats and alter ecological processes and functions; in turn, this habitat degradation diminishes the ecosystem goods and services on which humans rely. Within the last few decades, the field of restoration ecology has burgeoned into a discipline that marries scientific rigor with functional restoration practice—an idea championed by Pete Peterson and his research. Here, we describe our efforts to restore the hard-bottom sponge communities of Florida Bay, FL (USA)—a once-diverse subtropical lagoon severely degraded by cyanobacteria blooms—and the scientific and practical lessons learned from those efforts. Sponge community restoration yielded insights into basic sponge biology and ecology (e.g., density-dependent growth rates) and hastened the recovery of ecological processes (e.g., rates of sedimentation, structuring of water column characteristics, soundscape productions). Because the results of our initial restoration efforts were promising, our collaboration among academic researchers, natural resource managers, and non-governmental organizations has begun scaling up restoration efforts to re-establish the sponge communities over large areas of degraded hard-bottom to “jump start” the ecological recovery of Florida Bay. Though our efforts show promise for ecological recovery, restoration will require a concerted effort by scientists, resource managers, and citizens to stem the anthropogenic drivers of ecological degradation of this unique South Florida ecosystem

Analysis of the March 30, 2011 Hail Event at Shuttle Launch Pad 39A

The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Hail Monitor System, a joint effort of the NASA KSC Physics Lab and the KSC Engineering Services Contract (ESC) Applied Technology Lab, was first deployed for operational testing in the fall of 2006. Volunteers from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) in conjunction with Colorado State University have been instrumental in validation testing using duplicate hail monitor systems at sites in the hail prone high plains of Colorado. The KSC Hail Monitor System (HMS), consisting of three stations positioned approximately 500 ft from the launch pad and forming an approximate equilateral triangle, as shown in Figure 1, was first deployed to Pad 39B for support of STS-115. Two months later, the HMS was deployed to Pad 39A for support of STS-116. During support of STS-117 in late February 2007, an unusually intense (for Florida standards) hail event occurred in the immediate vicinity of the exposed space shuttle and launch pad. Hail data of this event was collected by the HMS and analyzed. Support of STS-118 revealed another important application of the hail monitor system. Ground Instrumentation personnel check the hail monitors daily when a vehicle is on the launch pad, with special attention after any storm suspected of containing hail. If no hail is recorded by the HMS, the vehicle and pad inspection team has no need to conduct a thorough inspection of the vehicle immediately following a storm. On the afternoon of July 13, 2007, hail on the ground was reported by observers at the Vertical Assembly Building (VAB) and Launch Control Center (LCC), about three miles west of Pad 39A, as well as at several other locations at KSC. The HMS showed no impact detections, indicating that the shuttle had not been damaged by any of the numerous hail events which occurred on that day

Hail Disrometer Array for Launch Systems Support

Prior to launch, the space shuttle might be described as a very large thermos bottle containing substantial quantities of cryogenic fuels. Because thermal insulation is a critical design requirement, the external wall of the launch vehicle fuel tank is covered with an insulating foam layer. This foam is fragile and can be damaged by very minor impacts, such as that from small- to medium-size hail, which may go unnoticed. In May 1999, hail damage to the top of the External Tank (ET) of STS-96 required a rollback from the launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for repair of the insulating foam. Because of the potential for hail damage to the ET while exposed to the weather, a vigilant hail sentry system using impact transducers was developed as a hail damage warning system and to record and quantify hail events. The Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Hail Monitor System, a joint effort of the NASA and University Affiliated Spaceport Technology Development Contract (USTDC) Physics Labs, was first deployed for operational testing in the fall of 2006. Volunteers from the Community Collaborative Rain. Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) in conjunction with Colorado State University were and continue to be active in testing duplicate hail monitor systems at sites in the hail prone high plains of Colorado. The KSC Hail Monitor System (HMS), consisting of three stations positioned approximately 500 ft from the launch pad and forming an approximate equilateral triangle (see Figure 1), was deployed to Pad 39B for support of STS-115. Two months later, the HMS was deployed to Pad 39A for support of STS-116. During support of STS-117 in late February 2007, an unusual hail event occurred in the immediate vicinity of the exposed space shuttle and launch pad. Hail data of this event was collected by the HMS and analyzed. Support of STS-118 revealed another important application of the hail monitor system. Ground Instrumentation personnel check the hail monitors daily when a vehicle is on the launch pad, with special attention after any storm suspected of containing hail. If no hail is recorded by the HMS, the vehicle and pad inspection team has no need to conduct a thorough inspection of the vehicle immediately following a storm. On the afternoon of July 13, 2007, hail on the ground was reported by observers at the VAB, about three miles west of Pad 39A, as well as at several other locations around Kennedy Space Center. The HMS showed no impact detections, indicating that the shuttle had not been damaged by any of the numerous hail events which occurred that day

The Academic Boredom Survey Instrument (ABSI): a measure of trait, state and other characteristic attributes for the exploratory study of student engagement

In this article, we present details of a new Academic Boredom Survey Instrument (ABSI) incorporating different measures of academic boredom’s trait, state and other characteristic attributes for the exploratory study of student engagement in Higher Education (HE). Developed from a review of international research literature and our own empirical work in the field, validation of the ABSI proceeded in detail from a sample of 408 undergraduates enrolled on 16 arts, humanities and science degree programmes at two universities and two further education colleges in the UK. In terms of the ABSI’s embedded trait and state questionnaires alone, Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis resulted in the establishment of three scales, with associated subscales, for general use (boredom proneness and class- and study-related boredom). Together with other characteristic attributes (e.g. sites and triggers, boredom frequency, feelings, coping strategies and revision and assignment boredom), additional data obtained from a modified version of the Shortened Experiences of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire (SETLQ) and course grades from student records, correlation and cluster analysis contributed further in terms of determining the robustness and value of the ABSI as an exploratory tool, as well as highlighting the predictive and diagnostic potential afforded when using complementary research instruments in combination. Offering availability for interdisciplinary use and critical comment across the UK HE sector as a whole, the ABSI has particular relevance in terms of designing and delivering courses, the professional development of staff, student profiling and the provision of student support

Is Seagrass an Important Nursery Habitat for the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus argus, in Florida?

Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) settle preferentially in macroalgal-covered hard-bottom habitat, but seagrass is more prevalent in Florida (United States) and the Caribbean, so even low settlement of lobsters within seagrass could contribute substantially to recruitment if post-settlement survival and growth were high. We tested the role of seagrass and hard-bottom habitats for P. argus recruitment in three ways. We first explored possible density-dependent regulation of early benthic juvenile lobster survival within cages deployed in seagrass and hard-bottom habitats. Second, we compared settlement and survival of P. argus in both habitats, by comparing the recovery of microwire-tagged early benthic juveniles from patches of seagrass and hard-bottom. Finally, we assessed the relative abundance of juvenile lobsters in each habitat by deploying artificial structures in seagrass sites and compared these data with data from similar deployments of artificial structures in hard-bottom habitat in other years. More early benthic juvenile lobsters were recovered from cages placed in hard-bottom than in seagrass, but mortality of the early benthic life stage was high in both habitats. In regional surveys, the mean number of lobsters recovered from artificial shelters deployed within seagrass was lower than in any year that we sampled hard-bottom, indicating that fewer lobsters reside naturally in seagrass, particularly large juveniles \u3e40 mm carapace length. The greater abundance (and likely survival) of juvenile P argus that we observed in hard-bottom habitat as opposed to seagrass, combined with previous studies demonstrating that postlarval P. argus are attracted to, settle in, and metamorphose more quickly in red macroalgae, confirm that macroalgae-dominated hard-bottom habitat appears to be the preferred and more optimal nursery for Caribbean spiny lobster

Atomic and Molecular Opacities for Brown Dwarf and Giant Planet Atmospheres

We present a comprehensive description of the theory and practice of opacity calculations from the infrared to the ultraviolet needed to generate models of the atmospheres of brown dwarfs and extrasolar giant planets. Methods for using existing line lists and spectroscopic databases in disparate formats are presented and plots of the resulting absorptive opacities versus wavelength for the most important molecules and atoms at representative temperature/pressure points are provided. Electronic, ro-vibrational, bound-free, bound-bound, free-free, and collision-induced transitions and monochromatic opacities are derived, discussed, and analyzed. The species addressed include the alkali metals, iron, heavy metal oxides, metal hydrides, $H_2$, $H_2O$, $CH_4$, $CO$, $NH_3$, $H_2S$, $PH_3$, and representative grains. [Abridged]Comment: 28 pages of text, plus 22 figures, accepted to the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series, replaced with more compact emulateapj versio

One small step for man, one giant leap for men's health: A meta-analysis of behaviour change interventions to increase men's physical activity

Objective To determine the effects of behaviour change interventions on men’s physical activity (postintervention), sustained change in physical activity behaviour (≥12 months postintervention) and to identify variations in effects due to potential moderating variables (eg, theoretical underpinning, gender-tailored, contact frequency). Design Systematic review with meta-analysis. Pooled effect size (Cohen’s d) was calculated assuming a random-effects model. Homogeneity and subsequent exploratory moderator analyses were assessed using Q, T2 and I2. Data sources Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, SportDiscus and Web of Science to April 2019. Eligibility criteria for selected studies Randomised control trials of behaviour change interventions in men (≥18 years) where physical activity was an outcome and data were from men-only studies or disaggregated by sex. Results Twenty-six articles described 24 eligible studies. The overall mean intervention effect on men’s physical activity was 0.35 (SE=0.05; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.45;

"Driven to distraction?" Children's experiences of car travel

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in volume, 4, issue 1, pages 59-76 in Mobilities 2009. Copyright @ 2009 Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17450100802657962.Cars have become increasingly significant features in the lives of many children and adults in the UK and elsewhere. Whilst there is a growing body of research considering how adults experience automobility, that is the increasingly central role of cars within societies, there has been little equivalent research exploring children's perspectives. Drawing upon a variety of methods including personal diaries, photographs, in‐depth interviews and surveys amongst schools within Buckinghamshire and North London, the paper contributes to filling this gap in existing research through exploring how cars are not only journey spaces for children, but are also sites for play, relaxation, homework, companionship, technology and the consumption of commodities. Using a Foucauldian analysis of power, insights into wider familial processes relating to mobility are provided by exploring how cars are sites of conflicting power relations between parents and children. The paper also explores how children's everyday experiences of cars were framed by wider sets of power relations, including car corporations which design and manufacture these spaces, and the role of capital which commodifies everyday activities in cars. In doing so, the paper challenges existing research on automobility for only focusing upon adults' experiences of cars and begins to theorise a more inclusive account of automobility which incorporates children and young people