Thèse--Faculté de théologie--Fribourg, Suisse--Université, 1996. / Bibliogr. p. 580-593. Index.

Texte remanié de: Th. Ph. D.--King's college, Systematic theology--London--University, 1994. / Bibliogr. p. 259-273.

Diss.--Katholisch-Theologische Fakultät--München--Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 1997. / Bibliogr. p. 321-326.

It has been suggested that moderate exercise contributes to protection against the development of chronic diseases by anti-inflammatory mechanisms that include elevations of anti-inflammatory cytokines and also reduction of the expression of Toll- Like Receptors (TLRs). However, prolonged strenuous exercise has been shown to reduce the function of some immune cells, decrease virus protection and consequently may account for the reason athletes appear more vulnerable to catching Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI). Although it has been proven that some exercise is better than no exercise, it is not clear yet what is the right amount of exercise to elicit beneficial immune responses and to help prevent the development of diseases. Therefore, the general aim of the studies in this thesis was to evaluate the impact of different types of exercise on monocyte TLR expression in participants with different fitness levels. It was found that different acute exercise protocols elicit different changes in TLR2 and TLR4 expression, where an acute bout of strenuous exercise reduced TLR4 expression for a few hours after the completion of the exercise (Chapter 5); however, short two bouts of exhaustive exercise separated by 2 hours did not change TLR4 expression (Chapter 6). In addition, changes in TLR4 expression were related to sex and the physical activity level of the participants (Chapter 4), and should therefore be considered separately when analysing TLR4 expression. Furthermore, high-intensity intermittent training improves participants' aerobic capacity and modifies the monocyte subpopulation concentration in the blood, with no changes in TLR4 expression. Further research needs to be done in this area to achieve a conclusive finding about changes in TLR4 expression and monocyte subsets after different training protocols, and possible relationships to cytokine production.

High training loads or prolonged bouts of acute exercise can increase susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Such infections, although generally medically innocuous, can have profound negative implications for athletic performance. This thesis presents a series of studies investigating which factors influence infection risk in athletes, as well as exploring potential strategies to maintain immunocompetence during heavy training. In Chapters 2 and 3, a large cohort of elite winter endurance athletes were followed over a number of years to determine patterns and frequency of illness in this population, and to identify training- and competition-related predictors of infection. Incidence rates and seasonal patterns of illness were found to be broadly similar to elite athletes from summer sports, and to the general population. Competition, air travel, greater day-to-day fluctuations in training load and lower performance level were significant predictors of illness. When high training loads are combined with insufficient recovery, athletes may become overreached or overtrained. Previous studies suggest that increasing carbohydrate intake can be an effective means of preventing overreaching during periods of intense training. In Chapter 4 we therefore investigated the efficacy of carbohydrate supplementation in reducing immune disturbances and symptoms of overreaching. The lower carbohydrate does (20 g/h during exercise) was found to be equally effective in preserving immunity and power output as the higher dose (60 g/h), with modest immune and performance changes observed in both groups following eight days of intensified training. Many athletes fail to ingest sufficient fluid to maintain euhydration during exercise. However, Chapter 5 found that moderate hypohydration, elicited by a 24 h period of fluid restriction, had little effect on immune responses to prolonged exercise. Altitude training is an important component of the training process of most of today s elite endurance athletes. Chapters 6 and 7 explored the effects of acute and prolonged hypoxic training on immunity. Despite a somewhat augmented stress hormone response to exercise in hypoxia, altitude training was found to have little negative effect on host defence, providing relative exercise intensity at altitude and sea-level was matched.

This thesis intends to define Christian hope in the context of the author’s grappling with disenchantment in his own spiritual journey during the COVID-19 pandemic. This thesis will first analyze conceptions of Christian hope put forth by Augustine and Hans Urs Von Balthasar. It will then compare them by analyzing the personal and communal dimensions of hope. The analysis of the two theologians will rely on historical surveys of hope from their respective time periods as well as examinations of their own periods of disenchantment. This thesis will identify hope as harmonizing for both individuals and humankind writ large to God; this harmony has soteriological implications for the next life after this one for individual Christians, the larger Christian community, and the world at large.

Dissertation. / Bibliogr. p. 295-314.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität, Münster, 2006/07. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-231).

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-12-21T11:25:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 André Luiz Bordignon Meira.pdf: 1061985 bytes, checksum: 1260c444d7db67b0e62e1954a8f35fda (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-21T11:25:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 André Luiz Bordignon Meira.pdf: 1061985 bytes, checksum: 1260c444d7db67b0e62e1954a8f35fda (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-15 / Trinitarian kenosis in Christ’s event allows to grasp Church’s practice based in the perichoretic trinitarian relationship of Trinity’s donation in history. The fundamental issue lies within the drama of God and human relationship, where God donates Himself to be near the human being. Church’s practice is then understood as a merciful and loving pastoral. God’ mercy to human being, from Balthasar’s discussion of kenosis and Trinity reveals kenosis as an expression of Trinity’s mercy. Theological reflection allows to search for new paradigms that might address God in our times. This study explored Hans Urs von Balthasar’s theology, especially in his text Misterium Paschale, to study God’s will that, in His kenosis, in each person of Trinity, seeks for human beings in a loving and merciful action. People in our times, despite technological progress, seem to be distant to each other, developing a merciless awareness. Thus, reflections produced by this study search in Balthasar’s theology what is revealed by Christ in His incarnation, death, and resurrection: a lowering of God, kenotic, of a total annihilation of His divinity, to manifest all His Mercy to human person. God, in His freedom, chooses to be present in the drama of human life, despite humanity’s sufferings, and leads the Church to a mystic and merciful practice / A Kénosis trinitária possibilita, no evento Cristo, compreender a prática da Igreja baseada na relação pericorética intratrinitária da doação da Trindade na história. A questão fundamental está na relação entre Deus e o ser humano, na dramática, em que Deus doa a Si mesmo para estar próximo do ser humano. A prática eclesial passa a ser compreendida numa pastoral misericordiosa e amorosa. A misericórdia de Deus para com o ser humano na discussão da Kénosis e a Trindade, a partir de Balthasar, evidencia a Kénosis como manifestação da misericórdia da Trindade. A reflexão teológica proporciona buscar novos paradigmas que possam falar de Deus nos tempos em que vivemos. Este estudo buscou na teologia de Hans Urs von Balthasar, em especial na sua obra Misterium Paschale, estudar a vontade divina que na sua Kénosis, de cada Pessoa da Trindade, buscar o ser humano, como um gesto de amor e de misericórdia. As pessoas em nossos tempos, mesmo com os avanços tecnológicos, parecem distanciar-se um das outras, o que forma uma consciência sem misericórdia. Portanto, as reflexões realizadas neste trabalho buscam na Teologia de Balthasar o que o Cristo nos revela na sua encarnação, morte e ressurreição: um rebaixamento de Deus, kenótico, de total aniquilar de sua divindade para manifestar toda a sua misericórdia à pessoa humana. Deus na Sua liberdade escolhe estar presente na dramática da vida humana, mesmo diante do sofrimento da humanidade, e conduz a Igreja a uma mística e prática misericordiosa

The significance of Holy Saturday, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is often ignored in Christian life. The most influential modern theologian who has taken its importance seriously is the Swiss Catholic theologian, Hans Urs von Balthasar. He has presented a very innovative but also controversial interpretation that on Holy Saturday Jesus Christ suffered in utter solidarity with the dead in Hell and took to himself our self-damnation. However, this interpretation and several other aspects of his theology related to it seem to depart from the traditional teaching in an idiosyncratic way and have invited various critiques. What this thesis aims to do is to critically examine Balthasar’s theology of Holy Saturday and present its implications for Christian suffering and discipleship, while doing full justice to the genre within which he is working (a combination of theology and spirituality) and at the same time taking into consideration the main critiques made against him. First of all, we will argue that Balthasar does not try to present a radical reinterpretation of the doctrine of the Descent into Hell in contrast to the traditional teachings but rather tries to fully appreciate the in-betweenness of Holy Saturday as the day of transition from the Cross to the Resurrection, in other words, from the old aeon to the new. Balthasar says that Christ Himself descended into Hell as victor over sin and death objectively, but He still had to wait for the victory to arrive subjectively. Further, we will claim that this silent waiting on Holy Saturday, which marks the transition from the Cross to the Resurrection, helps us to deepen our understanding of the meaning of suffering in Christian discipleship. The waiting on Holy Saturday represents the fundamentally ‘tragic’ state of the Christian (understood as “tragedy under grace”) torn between the law of this world and the truth of Christ. As a paradoxical being in transition, the Christian believes that their victory is both already there and not there yet. In this sense, the Christian still lives in Holy Saturday. This notion deepens our understanding of suffering in the Christian life, because now we could translate the meaning of suffering into ‘tragic waiting,’ while fully facing the subjective reality of suffering and at the same time maintaining the hope of finding its salvific meaning by relating it to the paschal mystery. Our conclusion will be that this ‘tragic waiting,’ which itself is our lives, now can be seen in a Christological light. In short, we can patiently endure our Holy Saturday because of Christ’s Holy Saturday in Hell.