The Academy and Aesthetics: A Review of Reformed Public Theology

Warts and all, I still find the Neo-Calvinist vision deeply compelling, and one that is worth living in, working in, and developing. Posting about ­­­­­­­­the book Reformed Public Theology from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation. https://inallthings.org/the-academy-and-aesthetics-a-review-of-reformed-public-theology/?highlight=reformed%20public%20theology#rf1-2161

Clear Eyes, Full Hearts: A Review of Calvinism for a Secular Age

The authors invite us to know what it is like to live and work within a tradition that has significant flaws alongside profound insights. Posting about ­­­­­­­­the book Calvinism for a Secular Age from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation. https://inallthings.org/clear-eyes-full-hearts-a-review-of-calvinism-for-a-secular-age

What it Means to be Human: A Review of You\u27re Only Human

We are embodied creatures created by God to be limited by time and space and with our own unique set of gifts and abilities. Posting about ­­­­­­­­the book You\u27re Only Human from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation. https://inallthings.org/what-it-means-to-be-human-a-review-of-youre-only-human

Substorm-related thermospheric density and wind disturbances derived from CHAMP observations

The input of energy and momentum from the magnetosphere is most efficiently coupled into the high latitude ionosphere-thermosphere. The phenomenon we are focusing on here is the magnetospheric substorm. This paper presents substorm related observations of the thermosphere derived from the CHAMP satellite. With its sensitive accelerometer the satellite can measure the air density and zonal winds. Based on a large number of substorm events the average high and low latitude thermospheric response to substorm onsets was deduced. During magnetic substorms the thermospheric density is enhanced first at high latitudes. Then the disturbance travels at an average speed of 650 m/s to lower latitudes, and 3–4 h later the bulge reaches the equator on the night side. Under the influence of the Coriolis force the travelling atmospheric disturbance (TAD) is deflected westward. In accordance with present-day atmospheric models the disturbance zonal wind velocities during substorms are close to zero near the equator before midnight and attain moderate westward velocities after midnight. In general, the wind system is only weakly perturbed (Δvy<20 m/s) by substorms

Poliovirus-specific memory immunity in seronegative elderly people does not protect against virus excretion.

BACKGROUND: Dutch people born between 1925 and 1945 were ineligible for vaccination with the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) introduced in 1957 and may have escaped natural infection because of reduced poliovirus circulation. We examined whether people with low or undetectable antibody levels are susceptible to infection and whether memory immunity provides protection against virus excretion. METHODS: A total of 429 elderly participants were challenged with monovalent oral poliovirus vaccine (type 1 or 3) and followed for 8 weeks. Immune responses and virus excretion were compared for 4 groups, defined on the basis of seronegativity for poliovirus type 1 or 3, natural immunity, and IPV-induced immunity. RESULTS: On the basis of the rapidity of the antibody response and the absence of immunoglobulin M, we saw clear evidence of memory immune responses in 33% of the participants without detectable antibodies against poliovirus type 1 and in 5% of the participants without detectable antibodies against poliovirus type 3. Fecal virus-excretion patterns were not significantly different for seronegative participants, regardless of whether they showed evidence of memory immunity. CONCLUSIONS: Rapid antibody responses after challenge with oral polio vaccine provide evidence for poliovirus-specific memory immunity in seronegative elderly people. However, in contrast to preexisting immunity, memory immunity does not protect against virus excretion. These results have important implications for the poliomyelitis-eradication initiative, in particular for future immunization policies after eradication has been achieved

How to reach a few percent level in determining the Lense-Thirring effect?

In this paper we discuss and compare a node-only LAGEOS-LAGEOS II combination and a node-only LAGEOS-LAGEOS II-Ajisai-Jason1 combination for the determination of the Lense-Thirring effect. The new combined EIGEN-CG01C Earth gravity model has been adopted. The second combination cancels the first three even zonal harmonics along with their secular variations but introduces the non-gravitational perturbations of Jason1. The first combination is less sensitive to the non-conservative forces but is sensitive to the secular variations of the uncancelled even zonal harmonics of low degree J4 and J6 whose impact grows linearly in time.Comment: Latex2e, 22 pag. 1 table, 2 figures, 45 references. Changes in the Abstract, Introduction and Conclusions. Discussion on the non-gravitational perturbations on Ajisai and on the impact of the secular rates of the even zonal harmonics added. EIGEN-CG01C CHAMP+GRACE+terrestrial gravimetry/altimetry Earth gravity model used. Reference adde