‘Truth is unkillable’: non-resistance, ‘the sword’ and magisterial authority in the theology of Balthasar Hubmaier 1523-1528

The German Anabaptist Balthasar Hubmaier (c.1480-1528) has long been neglected by historians due to his premature death and the constrictive pigeon-hole that previous historians have tried and failed to force him into. Unlike any other Anabaptist leader he believed that it was God’s will for society to work with and support its government and that the government ideally should be composed of Christian’s who would protect its citizens from those who would wish to do them harm. Using Hubmaier’s own writings, which include On Heretics and Those Who Burn Them (1524), Dialogue with Zwingli’s Baptism Book (1526) and On The Sword (1527); this thesis will build upon the work of the historian Kirk MacGregor (2006) and examine Hubmaier’s beliefs in the areas that MacGregor did not cover; such as his views on non-resistance, ‘the sword’ and magisterial authority. The thesis will determine that Hubmaier’s beliefs on these issues did indeed make him unique among the Anabaptists; and that historians need to redefine the term ‘Anabaptist’ so that there is room within the definition for a unique figure such as Hubmaier

Aspects of respiratory function during exercise in the thoroughbred horse in health and disease

The horse's enormous respiratory reserve enables it to increase the respiratory load on the lungs many fold during exercise, hence low-grade respiratory disease is difficult to detect at rest, although of vital importance during heavy exercise. Diagnostic exercise testing is, therefore, of great interest and this thesis describes its application to the investigation of respiratory disease in the Thoroughbred horse. Horses were exercised on a treadmill whilst respiratory flow rates were recorded using ultrasound flow transducers, respired gas concentrations measured by mass spectrometry and blood gas analysis performed. The exercise test involved a warm up followed by two minute canters/gallops at increasing workloads separated by ten minute walks. Validation studies confirmed the suitability of the methods for these studies. A steady state for respiratory variables was reached by ninety seconds of canter/gallop. The effects of training on exercising respiratory function were investigated by exercise testing horses following a sedentary period and after a fifteen week training programme. State of training did not complicate clinical interpretation of some variables, e.g tidal volume, respiratory frequency and minute ventilation, whilst peak flow rates were stable at the highest workloads. Arterial oxygen tension and blood pH during exercise were affected by training but other blood gas variables and end-tidal gas tensions were not. The effect of influenza on respiratory function was studied by challenging partially immune horses with H3N8 influenza, inducing infection similar to that seen in vaccinated racehorses. Twenty one days after infection most horses showed no changes in respiratory function but 2/9 horses altered breathing strategy during canter and another showed altered acid-base and blood lactate responses. Horses with low-grade respiratory disorders showed differences in respiratory function to the experimental animals but the wide normal range of pulmonary function tests limited their one-off diagnostic value. Serial testing may prove to be a more sensitive method

The Financial Health of Philadelphia-Area Nonprofits

As nonprofit organizations in the five Pennsylvania counties of Greater Philadelphia (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia) emerge from the financial crisis of the last decade and head into a very different and hard-to-forecast political and economic environment in the future, financial discipline, smart growth and strong governance are more important than ever. Accordingly, many nonprofit executives and governing boards are asking new questions about the organizations they govern. What risks do we face?1 How risky are we in relation to our peers? Are we doing the right things to understand and mitigate our risks? How should we balance financial risk against programmatic reward? What should we do to reduce the potential hardships from financial distress