ChatGPT and Biblical Studies

The use of computers in the study of theology has a long and positive history, yet the level of concern in response to the latest AI chatbots is understandable. This article explores how education and preaching need to adapt to this new technology and what its limitations are, as well as how it may make a positive contribution. The study concludes with a brief exploration of the kinds of sermon materials GPTs produced for the author when given prompts about the story of the Samaritan woman in John 4

An Algorithm and Computation to Verify Legendre\u27s Conjecture up 7 · 10\u3csup\u3e13\u3c/sup\u3e

We state a general purpose algorithm for quickly finding primes in evenly divided sub-intervals. Legendre’s conjecture claims that for every positive integer n, there exists a prime between n2 and (n + 1)2. Oppermann’s conjecture subsumes Legendre’s conjecture by claiming there are primes between n2 and n(n + 1) and also between n(n + 1) and (n + 1)2. Using Cramér’s conjecture as the basis for a heuristic run-time analysis, we show that our algorithm can verify Oppermann’s conjecture, and hence also Legendre’s conjecture, for all n ≤ N in time O(N log N log log N) and space NO(1/ log log N) . We implemented a parallel version of our algorithm and improved the empirical verification of Oppermann’s conjecture from the previous N = 2 · 109 up to N = 7.05 · 1013 \u3e 246, so we were finding 27 digit primes. The computation ran for about half a year on each of two platforms: four Intel Xeon Phi 7210 processors using a total of 256 cores, and a 192-core cluster of Intel Xeon E5-2630 2.3GHz processors

Beyond the Numbers: Redefining Accounting to Attract the Next Generation of Professionals

The demand for accountants and auditors is projected to grow by 6% from 2023 to 2033, yet the number of students entering the profession is declining. In the 2021-2022 academic year, the number of U.S. accounting graduates fell by 7.4%, marking the largest single-year decline since at least 1994-1995 (AICPA 2023). This decrease in new entrants contrasts with the growing industry need, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of the profession. Research suggests that perceptions of accounting as routine, solitary, and lacking creativity or social engagement may contribute to students opting for other business fields (Steenkamp & Wessels 2009). Given these challenges, addressing outdated views of the profession is critical to improving recruitment efforts. This study examines whether job postings that emphasize the social, moral, or creative aspects of accounting impact student perceptions and interest in the field. While previous research has explored how students view accounting, few studies have tested specific interventions to reshape these perceptions. By analyzing how different job posting framings influence interest in the profession, this study seeks to determine whether presenting accounting as dynamic and multidimensional can attract more students. Findings from this research could provide organizations with practical strategies to improve recruitment efforts and strengthen the talent pipeline. If firms can highlight the broader role of accountants beyond technical skills, they may be better positioned to address the ongoing shortage and reshape how future professionals perceive the field

Impacts of a Yoga and Mindfulness Course on High School Students

This research investigates the impact of a yoga and mindfulness (YM) course taught by a high school counselor in the United States to address student anxiety, stress, and coping skills. Pre- and post-tests administered to participants and a control group indicated significant reductions in anxiety and stress among class participants, suggesting YM interventions can effectively enhance student wellbeing in school settings. Implications for educators include integrating YM practices into a comprehensive program to support holistic student wellbeing

College Students and Wearable Health Technology: A Study on Digital Health Literacy

The market for wearable devices has seen significant growth in the last decade and is only expected to increase as the world enters a new age of health literacy known as digital health literacy. Digital health literacy, or eHealth literacy, is defined as “the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem.” The issue with this new age is that most consumers have access, but lack the ability to apply the knowledge that they must improve their health. The goal of this study is to understand how college students understand and interpret their wearable technology data. To investigate this question, two focus groups with a total of 16 participants were used as the primary methodology for this research, providing a dynamic platform to explore the reasoning behind people’s interactions with their digital health. Using phronetic iterative analysis, we analyzed the data informed through the lens of digital health literacy. From the focus groups conducted, three themes emerged: the usage of wearable technology to understand their sleep patterns, compete with friends, and help individuals stay disciplined in their health. Many participants also stated that they struggled to understand some of the complex health metrics, such as HRV, causing them to ignore or not consider certain major health metrics due to the lack of knowledge. These findings matter because the use of digital technologies is only going to grow and expand. It is important to see how people use and understand this technology now so it can improve the health outcomes of the future

“Death Leaves a Heartache No One Can Heal:” Musical Subversion in the Irish Caoineadh Tradition

My thesis details the subversive, inherently feminine nature of Irish caoineadh (keening). This research focuses on how a practice with pagan, druidic roots survived in a culture that was experiencing intense religious and structural upheaval including the arrival of Protestant English settlers, tensions with the Catholic church, and longstanding pagan traditions. I contend that early modern Irish lament (caoineadh/keening) was inherently subversive due to its feminine liminality, its origins from druidic ritual, and its musical, poetic, and lyrical content that was often condemnatory of patriarchal Christian and English power structures. This thesis investigates three main topics occurring from ancient times through the early modern era and into the nineteenth century. Firstly, I examine a brief history of caoineadh. Closely tied to the act and history of keening is the interstitial feminine quality of this art form—the second topic I explore. Keeners were responsible for assisting the community to mourn and come to terms with the intense feelings and emotions associated with a death. Many keeners were also midwives, existing at the doors of life and death itself. Examining the practices of funeral wakes and pagan mythology reveals these important spaces inhabited primarily by women. The third topic I describe is the political and oftentimes accusatory nature of Irish keens. My thesis delves into the rocky relationship between keeners and the Catholic/Protestant churches. To conclude, I discuss the far reaching consequences of retaining this practice in Irish music. The commentary housed in many lament texts influenced popular Irish female protest singers such as Sinéad O’Connor and the Cranberries. The legacy of Irish keening as a female, political subversive practice lives on through the musical and denunciatory art of these creators

Songs Through Statues: The Mask of Sorrow for Baritone, Accordion, Guitar, Piano & Wind Duo

The Mask of Sorrow is a twelve-minute song written by me, Alexander Schmidt, that utilizes a variety of techniques that I have learned over the course of my study in graduate school. The piece utilizes leitmotives in a unique and interesting way via the usage of set theory to represent the text in musical form, produce a constant development of material, and encourage a musical narrative to supplement the text. This analysis moves through the whole of the form and documents its usage of timbre, motive, harmonic set, and much more, to showcase the means of which all the techniques combine together to tell the story of The Mask of Sorrow, a brutalist statue in Magadan, Russia

Gene expression signatures of response to fluoxetine treatment: systematic review and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND: Genomic (and other ‘omic) data have provided valuable insights on the pharmacological signatures of antidepressant response, but results from individual studies are largely heterogeneous. In this work, we synthesized gene expression data for fluoxetine treatment in both human patients and rodent models, to better understand biological pathways affected by treatment, as well as those that may distinguish clinical or behavioral response. METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we searched the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) for studies profiling humans or rodent models with treatment of the antidepressant fluoxetine, excluding those not done in the context of depression or anxiety, in an irrelevant tissue type, or with fewer than three samples per group. Included studies were systematically reanalyzed by differential expression analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Individual pathway and gene statistics were synthesized across studies by three p-value combination methods, and then corrected for false discovery. RESULTS: Of the 74 data sets that were screened, 20 were included: 18 in rodents, and two in tissue from human patients. Studies were highly heterogeneous in the comparisons of both treated vs. control samples and responders vs. non-responders, with 691 and 357 pathways, respectively, identifiedas significantly different between groups in at least one study. However, 18 pathways were identifiedas consistently different in responders vs. non-responders, including toll-like receptor (TLR) and other immune pathways. Signal transduction pathways were identifiedas consistently affected by fluoxetine treatment in depressed patients and rodent models. DISCUSSION: These meta-analyses confirm known pathways and provide new hints toward antidepressant resistance, but more work is needed. Most included studies involved rodent models, and both patient studies had small cohorts. Additional large-cohort studies applying additional ‘omics technologies are necessary to understand the intricacies and heterogeneity of antidepressant response