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The vocation of the artist in Lutheran theology
No full textThis thesis examines the vocation of the artist from the perspective of Lutheran theology. This project will submit that a Lutheran understanding of vocation provides a compelling framework for assessing critical theological themes related to the concept of artistic calling and creativity. In the introduction to this project, we will observe the important role and contribution that the arts supply for critiquing trajectories and assumptions common within the situation of pluralistic modernity and especially as they concern the origin and purpose of artistic creativity. The first part of this project endeavors to examine the grammar of vocation according to distinctive theological themes discerned and proposed in Lutheran theology. Following Martin Luther’s understanding of creation as divine address and response, the first chapter presents an account of anthropology that frames human action and agency within a broader understanding of divine action as creative address. Here we submit that the creature’s response to the creator’s address is fundamentally artistic and imaginative; the highest form of humanity’s artistic calling is observed in creation’s praise of its creator. The second chapter examines artistic vocation with respect to an artist’s community and according to the pluriformity and multidimensionality of creation. In this chapter, we apply our understanding of vocation to a Lutheran understanding of the orders of creation. Here we assess the potential of Luther’s understanding of the hidden God with respect to the possibility of a distinct vocation of the arts, and more broadly considered, culture. The second part of the project applies the themes presented in the first part of our discussion with respect to the vocation of an artist according to the conditions of pluralistic modernity. In the third chapter, we observe that Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s understanding of a “world come of age” presents a compelling account of how we might speak of God’s presence and activity within the conditions of modernity. The final chapter of the project applies Bonhoeffer’s understanding of the “polyphony of life” to critical themes submitted throughout the project’s discussion. In this final section of the thesis, we argue that Bonhoeffer’s Christological and contrapuntal metaphor provides a lively and integrated constructive account for interpreting the vocation of the artist and with respect to the church’s witness and proclamation in a situation of pluralism
Species and trait abundance distributions as tools for understanding disturbance effects and community assembly in applied ecology
Get PDFFunding: Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika w Toruniu; FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia. Grant Number: FCT-UIDB/00329/2020-2024; Azores DRCT Pluriannual Funding. Grant Number: M1.1.A/FUNC.UI&D/010/2021-2024.1. Species abundance distributions (SADs) depict the order of species based on their ranked abundances. While they have been central to much theoretical work in community ecology, their practical value in applied ecology is still debated. 2. Supported by a meta-analysis of 1153 publications on SADs, we review the state of the art in the practical use of SADs and provide a conceptual framework for the study of SADs in an applied context. 3. Of the studies sourced through the meta-analysis, only 5% had a truly applied focus; 93% of these studies dealt with the influence of agricultural practices, forest management, pollution or other forms of disturbance on the shape of the SAD. 4. We found little support for previous claims that disturbance shifts species abundance distributions from a lognormal to a steep logseries form. Some species-rich communities, such as tropical forests, are well fit by a logseries even in the absence of disturbance, and steep, uneven SADs may be more representative of dispersal-limited communities under neutral dynamics. 5. Policy implications. Further insight into the links between disturbance and species abundance may come from the recognition that the species abundance distribution (SAD) is a special case of a broader concept, the trait abundance distribution (TAD), which can provide indirect information on resource utilisation and niche partitioning. An analysis of the changes in SADs and TADs, together with environmental data, should allow for a better understanding of the assembly and functioning of ecological communities in both applied and basic ecology.Peer reviewe
Bioactivity profiles of progressively ring-fluorinated cyclohexyl motifs in the WKYMVm peptide as formylpeptide FPR2 agonists and in keto-piperazines as antitrypanosome agents
Get PDFFunding: M.H. acknowledges support from the Chinese Scholarship Council for a studentship.A series of all-cis-ring-fluorinated cyclohexylalanines with progressively increasing levels of vicinal fluorines, as well as 4-fluorophenylalanine and pentafluoroarylphenylalanine is introduced into the WKYMVm peptide in place of its tyrosine residue, for assays against the G-protein coupled formylpeptide receptor, FPR2. Selected all-cis-ring cyclohexylalanines of this class are also incorporated into a keto-piperazine molecular scaffold to generate sp3-rich derivatives for assays against the parasite Trypanosoma brucei. For these cyclohexylalanine analogs bioactivity trends correlate progressively with the levels of fluorination in each of the case studies. Notably, the all-cis pentafluorocyclohexylalanine analog of the W-peptide is least active perhaps correlating with the well-known polarity of this ‘Janus face’ cyclohexane. Although the trend is also apparent in the anti-trypanosomal assays of the keto-piperazine derivatives, it is less so and some compounds are more active than the previously reported phenylalanine-derived analog.Peer reviewe
Addressing methodological challenges in multiple long-term conditions research : a stakeholder workshop using a nominal group technique method
Get PDFFunding: This research was funded by the Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC) Cross NIHR Collaboration (CNC) (NIHR 207000). HDM has received funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research - the Artificial Intelligence for Multiple Long-Term Conditions, or "AIM". 'The development and validation of population clusters for integrating health and social care: A mixed-methods study on multiple long-term conditions' (NIHR202637). KK is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands (ARC EM), NIHR Global Research Centre for Multiple Long Term Conditions, NIHR Cross NIHR Collaboration for Multiple Long Term Conditions, NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) Centre of Excellence.Background: Multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) - which refer to the coexistence in an individual of two or more long-term conditions - are a growing global concern, causing significant strain on healthcare systems and increasing care costs. Research into MLTC is a strategic priority for healthcare services, policymakers and research funders. Methods: To address these complexities, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) established the MLTC Cross-NIHR Collaboration (MLTC CNC) programme, to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and address key gaps in MLTC research. As part of this initiative, the Methodologies Workstream organised a two-day stakeholder workshop in March 2024 aimed at identifying current methodological challenges in MLTC research, prioritising key areas for improvement, and developing strategies to enhance research methodologies. The workshop employed a participatory and iterative approach, using structured presentations, facilitated group work, and the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and achieve consensus on key research priorities for MLTC. Results: Twenty-three delegates attended the workshop from a range of institutions and sectors, including representatives from data science, epidemiology, clinical trials, quality improvement, social sciences, healthcare management, clinical practice, industry, patient advocacy groups, policymakers, patients, carers, and public representatives. The workshop identified critical knowledge gaps in MLTC research methodologies, including challenges with disease classification, data integration, analytical approaches, and the inclusion of diverse population subgroups. Conclusion: By addressing these methodological gaps and fostering collaboration across disciplines, the MLTC research community can generate more rigorous, inclusive, and impactful evidence, ultimately improving healthcare delivery and patient outcomes.Peer reviewe
Diverse surface signatures of stratospheric polar vortex anomalies
Get PDFFunding: E.W.K. and C.O.W. were funded by the Research Council of Norway through the Climate Futures center (Grant 309562). S.H.L. was funded by NSF Grant AGS-1914569 to Columbia University.The Arctic stratospheric polar vortex is an important driver of winter weather and climate variability and predictability in North America and Eurasia, with a downward influence that on average projects onto the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). While tropospheric circulation anomalies accompanying anomalous vortex states display substantial case-by-case variability, understanding the full diversity of the surface signatures requires larger sample sizes than those available from reanalyses. Here, we first show that a large ensemble of seasonal hindcasts realistically reproduces the observed average surface signatures for weak and strong vortex winters and produces sufficient spread for single ensemble members to be considered as alternative realizations. We then use the ensemble to analyze the diversity of surface signatures during weak and strong vortex winters. Over Eurasia, relatively few weak vortex winters are associated with large-scale cold conditions, suggesting that the strength of the observed cold signature could be inflated due to insufficient sampling. For both weak and strong vortex winters, the canonical temperature pattern in Eurasia only clearly arises when North Atlantic sea surface temperatures are in phase with the NAO. Over North America, while the main driver of interannual winter temperature variability is the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the stratosphere can modulate ENSO teleconnections, affecting temperature and circulation anomalies over North America and downstream. These findings confirm that anomalous vortex states are associated with a broad spectrum of surface climate anomalies on the seasonal scale, which may not be fully captured by the small observational sample size.Peer reviewe
Spatial fertility variation in China : the role of population composition, context and spillover
Get PDFFunding: This study is funded by China Scholarship Council (CSC)-St Andrews Scholarship (No. 202008220131). Research by Hill Kulu and Júlia Mikolai was supported by the ESRC Centre for Population Change Connecting Generations research programme (Grant ES/W002116/1).This study analyses spatial variation in fertility and its determinants, including their direct and spillover impact, in China. We apply spatial regression models to the 2000 population census. The results show, first, that there is significant spatial variation in fertility at the county level in China and that counties with similar fertility levels tend to cluster together. Second, the total fertility rate (TFR) is higher in counties with a smaller proportion of highly educated females, a larger proportion of agricultural workers, a larger share of the married population, and a larger proportion of ethnic minorities. Higher GDP per capita is associated with lower TFR. This study highlights that both population composition and context can explain spatial variation in fertility in China, indicating that individuals' characteristics as well as the context in which they live influence their fertility behaviour. It additionally emphasises the spillover impact of population composition and context from neighbouring counties on the fertility level in a given county.Peer reviewe
Art, archaeology, apocalypse : Gustave Moreau and the ruins of history
No full textSince the nineteenth century, viewers of Gustave Moreau’s (1826-1898) work have noted a puzzling ruinous quality to much of his oeuvre. Art historians have also observed that the artist exhibited an awareness of a larger narrative of human history as well as a preoccupation with his own legacy. These thematic through lines, however, have never been fully explained. This thesis uses archaeology, which often trades in such motifs, as a vehicle for interrogating these curious aspects of Moreau’s career. By examining several case studies which will be linked to significant archaeological discoveries of the late nineteenth century, I investigate how, through portrayals of mythological or apocryphal historical antiquity, the artist allegorized the various societal, political and artistic upheavals of his era. Ultimately, this thesis argues that Moreau perceived France’s fate as potentially aligned with that of its Western ancient forebears and thus anticipated civilizational collapse. Under these circumstances, I suggest, Moreau sought to reinvigorate the history genre as a sort of poetically redemptive force. Exploring the impact of nineteenth-century events and currents such as the Terrible Year (1870-1871) and the crisis in history painting in dialogue with developments made in Troy, Rome and Pompeii, the present study attends to various resonances of archaeological ruin – both the threats it signifies concerning one’s existence and the promises it makes regarding one’s memory – and the ways in which Moreau may have assimilated them into his artistic practice."This work was supported by The Catherine and Alfred Forrest Trust Fine Art Bursary, 2022 and 2023, the Company of Art Scholars Travel Award, 2022 and the Elizabeth Gilmore Holt Scholarship, 2023."--Fundin
calcQPI : a versatile tool to simulate quasiparticle interference
Get PDFFunding: The authors acknowledge funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/S005005/1, EP/R031924/1) and the Leverhulme Trust through RPG2022-315. LCR acknowledges support through the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and CDAM from the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students for the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (ESKAS No. 2023.0017) for the academic year 2023-24.Quasiparticle interference imaging (QPI) provides a route to characterize electronic structure from real space images acquired using scanning tunneling microscopy. It emerges due to scattering of electrons at defects in the material. The QPI patterns encode details of the k-space electronic structure and its spin and orbital texture. Recovering this information from a measurement of QPI is non-trivial, requiring modelling not only of the dominant scattering vectors, but also the overlap of the wave functions with the tip of the microscope. While, in principle, it is possible to model QPI from density functional theory (DFT) calculations, for many quantum materials it is more desirable to model the QPI from a tight-binding model, where inaccuracies of the DFT calculation can be corrected. Here, we introduce an efficient code to simulate quasiparticle interference from tight-binding models using the continuum Green's function method.Peer reviewe
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