Approaching Calvin Today in “The Spirit of the Explorer”

A century ago at Union Seminary where I teach in Manhattan a public celebration was held in honor of the four hundredth anniversary of John Calvin’s birth. The speaker on that occasion in 1909, a distinguished theologian of the day, began his address by apologizing for the difficulty of saying anything original or new about Calvin. "There are," he remarked, "certain great thinkers whose systems it is possible to approach in the spirit of the explorer, conscious as one turns each page of the chance of some new discovery; but with Calvin it is not so." I am happy to have this opportunity to be with you today because I have found this judgment not to be true. For some years it has been my privilege to offer a seminar on Calvin’s theology for graduate students. Most, but not all, are Presbyterians or members of the Reformed Church in America, and they enroll in the course not because they especially want to, but because they are trying to meet ordination requirements. They often begin the course with a sense of apprehension, sometimes even dread, because of the negative associations that have come to surround the mention of Calvin

Chapel Reflections on the Start of the Iraq War

This is an occasion, I am sure, that all of us have hoped would never come. With every effort to prevent a military invasion of Iraq now having failed, we find ourselves meeting with a full scale war underway and the misery that it brings. For those who will most bear the brunt of the misery there is, of course, no time for reality television or academic discussion such as this. For the people on the ground in Iraq, the Iraqi population and the men and women of the Allied forces ordered there into battle—whose average age is younger than that of most graduate students—the demands of this hour are more immediate and in many ways, no doubt, beyond our comprehension. We must mean more than a platitude to say, in the first instance, that our prayers are for all who at this moment are suffering and dying and directly threatened—and for those who are trying to end the carnage and to care for them

Brief Examples of Practical Uses of LiDAR

IndianaMap: Leveraging Indiana’s Statewide LiDAR Data — IndianaMap provides access to Indiana’s 2011–2013 statewide light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. These data can be extracted and downloaded in a number of formats and resolutions to support specific project needs. This workshop will show how to view, download, and perform geoprocessing of Indiana’s elevation data to support projects and daily work

Muscle Damage following Maximal Eccentric Knee Extensions in Males and Females

Aim: To investigate whether there is a sex difference in exercise induced muscle damage. Materials and Method: Vastus Lateralis and patella tendon properties were measured in males and females using ultrasonography. During maximal voluntary eccentric knee extensions (12 reps x 6 sets), Vastus Lateralis fascicle lengthening and maximal voluntary eccentric knee extensions torque were recorded every 10° of knee joint angle (20–90°). Isometric torque, Creatine Kinase and muscle soreness were measured pre, post, 48, 96 and 168 hours post damage as markers of exercise induced muscle damage. Results: Patella tendon stiffness and Vastus Lateralis fascicle lengthening were significantly higher in males compared to females (p0.05). Creatine Kinase levels post exercise induced muscle damage were higher in males compared to females (p<0.05), and remained higher when maximal voluntary eccentric knee extension torque, relative to estimated quadriceps anatomical cross sectional area, was taken as a covariate (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on isometric torque loss, there is no sex difference in exercise induced muscle damage. The higher Creatine Kinase in males could not be explained by differences in maximal voluntary eccentric knee extension torque, Vastus Lateralis fascicle lengthening and patella tendon stiffness. Further research is required to understand the significant sex differences in Creatine Kinase levels following exercise induced muscle damage

What’s in a Name: Gamifying the Intangible History of Larochette, Luxembourg

The Larochette app is part of a larger interdisciplinary project to create a digital reconstruction of the town and castle of Larochette, Luxembourg. The paper discusses the creation of an app that serves to pique interest in linguistics and historical geography, traditionally dry subjects with little intrinsic appeal to children and the general public. This project harnesses this effect, presenting the results of the preceding landscape study in an interactive educational environment that rewards the user for engaging with the content. As the app allows natural movement and intuitive interaction, exploration and learning are prompted by curiosity. The goal of connecting place names to heritage is not explicitly stated, nor is it presented as an educational game. In short, this is the second phase of a collaborative case study in the digital experience of history, which is grounded in user experience design and informed by the historical and architectural expertise of the collaborators

Elastic response of a nematic liquid crystal to an immersed nanowire

We study the immersion of a ferromagnetic nanowire within a nematic liquid crystal using a lattice Boltzmann algorithm to solve the full three-dimensional equations of hydrodynamics. We present an algorithm for including a moving boundary, to simulate a nanowire, in a lattice Boltzmann simulation. The nematic imposes a torque on a wire that increases linearly with the angle between the wire and the equilibrium direction of the director field. By rotation of these nanowires, one can determine the elastic constants of the nematic.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

Les musées et l’expérience utilisateur (UX)

Dans un paysage muséographique qui fait la part belle aux dispositifs immersifs, l’équipe d’Universcience a produit une exposition qui mise sur l’immersion via la narration. L’exposition Renaissances exploite habilement l’aptitude du cerveau humain à tirer parti des émotions suscitées par les récits, non seulement pour mieux comprendre les bouleversements du monde, mais aussi pour engager une réflexion sur les solutions potentielles et rechercher des formes de résilience

Spinal and sacroiliac assessment and treatment techniques used by osteopathic physicians in the United States

Osteopathic manipulative medicine texts and educators advocate a range of approaches for physical assessment and treatment, but little is known about their use by osteopathic physicians in the United States. A web-based survey using a 5-point Likert scale was developed and e-mailed to 777 practicing osteopathic physician members of the American Academy of Osteopathy. Responses in the "frequently" and "always" categories were combined for reporting purposes. Friedman tests were used to analyze the reported usage of each item. The effect of gender was analyzed using Mann-Whitney tests. Respondents reported the use of a broad range of assessment and treatment approaches. Results suggest a higher use of myofascial release and cranial technique and lower use of high-velocity techniques in this group of physicians compared to previous studies