Hello & Welcome to The Prophet!

This article was originally published in The Prophet -- a journal created by and for the students at the Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) to amplify the voices of STH students by promoting and sharing a range of perspectives on matters of concern including, but not limited to, spiritual practices, faith communities and society, the nature of theology, and current affairs. It serves as a platform for STH students to share their academic work, theological reflections, and life experiences with one another and the wider community.Welcome to the Boston University School of Theology’s student journal – The Prophet

Write for the Prophet this Fall!

This article was originally published in The Prophet -- a journal created by and for the students at the Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) to amplify the voices of STH students by promoting and sharing a range of perspectives on matters of concern including, but not limited to, spiritual practices, faith communities and society, the nature of theology, and current affairs. It serves as a platform for STH students to share their academic work, theological reflections, and life experiences with one another and the wider community.Call for article submissions for the BU Prophe

El artista en el laboratorio: una cooperación razonablemente traicionera

El títol d'aquest article utilitza la noció de col·laborador en el sentit de col·laboracionista, és a dir, de «cooperar a traïció, com ara amb la força d'ocupació enemiga al propi país». La idea del col·laborador entra immediatament en conflicte; introduiré breument maneres en les quals les col·laboracions entre art i ciència es poden considerar cooperacions a traïció, tant per als àrbitres del gust de les arts com per als de les de les ciències. En resum, suggeriré que abans no hi pugui haver un acostament, necessitem una comprensió més matisada de les divisòries que s'estableixen entre l'art dels nous mitjans, l'art contemporani majoritari i l'art científic o sciart. L'article, basat en les meves pròpies experiències com a artista que ha exposat (amb més o menys èxit) en els tres circuits, procurarà delimitar aquesta terra de ningú, aquesta divisòria. La meva intenció és explorar la naturalesa d'aquesta divisòria entre els discursos de l'art contemporani majoritari, l'art dels nous mitjans i l'art científic per a poder-la travessar més bé.The title uses collaborator in its less popular sense: "To cooperate treasonably, as with an enemy occupation force in one's country". The notion of the collaborator is immediately problematized and I will briefly introduce ways in which art-science collaborations can be seen as treasonable co-operations, by arbiters of taste from both the arts and the sciences. In brief, I will suggest that before rapprochement can take place, we need a more nuanced understanding of the gaps between art made with new media, mainstream contemporary art and sciart. My paper, drawing on my own experiences as an artist who has exhibited in all three circuits (with greater and lesser success) will seek to map this no man's land, this gap. My intention is to explore the nature of the gap between the discourses of mainstream contemporary art, new media, and sciart in order that we might better traverse it.El título de este artículo utiliza la noción de colaborador en el sentido de colaboracionista, es decir, de «cooperar a traición, como por ejemplo con la fuerza de ocupación enemiga en el propio país». La idea del colaborador entra en conflicto de inmediato, e introduciré brevemente modos en los que las colaboraciones entre arte y ciencia pueden considerarse cooperaciones a traición, tanto para los árbitros del gusto de las artes como para los de las de las ciencias. En resumen, sugeriré que antes de que se pueda producir un acercamiento, necesitamos una comprensión más matizada de las brechas que se establecen entre el arte de los nuevos medios, el arte contemporáneo mayoritario y el arte científico o sciart. El artículo, basado en mis propias experiencias como artista que ha expuesto (con mayor o menor éxito) en los tres circuitos, procurará delimitar esta tierra de nadie, esta brecha. Mi intención es explorar la naturaleza de esta brecha entre los discursos del arte contemporáneo mayoritario, el arte de los nuevos medios y el arte científico para poder atravesarla mejor

Tight Approximation Ratio of Anonymous Pricing

We consider two canonical Bayesian mechanism design settings. In the single-item setting, we prove tight approximation ratio for anonymous pricing: compared with Myerson Auction, it extracts at least $\frac{1}{2.62}$-fraction of revenue; there is a matching lower-bound example. In the unit-demand single-buyer setting, we prove tight approximation ratio between the simplest and optimal deterministic mechanisms: in terms of revenue, uniform pricing admits a $2.62$-approximation of item pricing; we further validate the tightness of this ratio. These results settle two open problems asked in~\cite{H13,CD15,AHNPY15,L17,JLTX18}. As an implication, in the single-item setting: we improve the approximation ratio of the second-price auction with anonymous reserve to $2.62$, which breaks the state-of-the-art upper bound of $e \approx 2.72$

Prácticas artísticas difractivas: la informática y los complicados enredos entre el arte contemporáneo convencional y el arte de los nuevos medios

Adoptem la noció de difracció proposada per Karen Barad (2007) per reavaluar les relacions entre l'art contemporani convencional (ACC) i l'art dels nous mitjans (ANM), sobre les quals s'ha discutit durant molts anys com a part d'un debat un xic controvertit. La nostra lectura difractiva posa en relleu diferències, grans i petites però conseqüents, entre aquestes pràctiques artístiques. No suavitzarem les tensions que destaquen en anteriors debats sobre ANM i MCA, sinó que utilitzarem el terme de Barad, «embolic», per suggerir que hi ha «embolics» generatius, així com diferències productives, entre aquestes pràctiques. Ampliem el debat considerant quines diferències importen, per a qui (artistes, galeristes, científics) i com aquestes diferències emergeixen a través d'intraaccions materials i discursives. Propugnem un nou terme, «pràctiques artístiques difractives», i suggerim que aquestes pràctiques artístiques van més enllà de la bifurcació d’ANM i MCA per a reconfigurar parcialment les pràctiques entre art, informàtica i humanitats.We engage with Karen Barad’s notion of diffraction (2007) to re-evaluate the relations between mainstream contemporary art (MCA) and new media art (NMA) that have been discussed for many years as part of a somewhat contentious debate. Our diffractive reading highlights both large and small but consequential differences between these art practices. We do not smooth over the tensions highlighted in earlier discussions of NMA and MCA. Instead we use Barad’s term ‘entanglement’ to suggest that there are generative ‘entanglements’, as well as productive differences, between these practices. We extend the debate by considering which differences matter, for whom (artists, gallerists, scientists) and how these differences emerge through material-discursive intra-actions. We argue for a new term, diffractive art practices, and suggest that such art practices move beyond the bifurcation of NMA and MCA to partially reconfigure the practices between art, computation and humanities.Adoptamos la noción de difracción propuesta por Karen Barad (2007) para reevaluar las relaciones entre el arte contemporáneo convencional (ACC) y el arte de los nuevos medios (ANM), sobre las que se ha discutido durante muchos años como parte de un debate algo controvertido. Nuestra lectura difractiva pone de relieve diferencias, grandes y pequeñas pero consecuentes, entre estas prácticas artísticas. No suavizamos las tensiones puestas de relieve en anteriores debates acerca de ANM y MCA, sino que utilizamos el término de Barad, «enredo», para sugerir que existen «enredos» generativos, así como diferencias productivas, entre dichas prácticas. Ampliamos el debate considerando qué diferencias importan, para quién (artistas, galeristas, científicos) y cómo dichas diferencias emergen a través de intra-acciones materiales y discursivas. Propugnamos un nuevo término, «prácticas artísticas difractivas», y sugerimos que dichas prácticas artísticas van más allá de la bifurcación de ANM y MCA para reconfigurar parcialmente las prácticas entre arte, informática y humanidades

Cascading training down into the classroom: The need for parallel planning

Cascade models of in-service training are widely considered to be a cost effective means of introducing educational change to large numbers of teachers. Data from 511 teachers completing a cascade training programme that introduced current ideas about and procedures for teaching English to young learners, suggests that provision of training alone is no guarantee that cascade training aims will actually be applied in classrooms. The paper considers implications for cascade projects, suggesting that planning needs to be a parallel process if an adequate return on outlay, in the sense of teachers applying skills introduced in training in their classrooms, is to be achieved

Election day: responding with poetry

This article was originally published in The Prophet -- a journal created by and for the students at the Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) to amplify the voices of STH students by promoting and sharing a range of perspectives on matters of concern including, but not limited to, spiritual practices, faith communities and society, the nature of theology, and current affairs. It serves as a platform for STH students to share their academic work, theological reflections, and life experiences with one another and the wider community.When words fail, we turn to art to express our deepest fears. BU Prophet staff share poetry in the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential Election

Comparison of Antimicrobial Properties of Kombucha Fermented from Green Tea, Black Tea and Yerba Mate

Kombucha tea is a popular health beverage that is brewed from the fermentation of tea and sugar using a culture of yeast and bacteria. Traditional kombucha brews utilize black and green teas derived from the Camelia sinensis plant. However recent reports in Brazil have described the use of Ilex paraguariensis, the main ingredient in yerba mate tea for kombucha preparations. As a result of fermentation, kombucha contains ethanol, carbon dioxide, glycolic acids and metabolites believed to have health promoting activities. Traditional kombucha preparations were reported to have antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of gram positive and gram negative bacteria attributed to the glycolic acid content of the beverage. Given the health implications of traditional teas, yerba mate and the fermented probiotic brew kombucha, this study was conducted to compare the antimicrobial properties of kombucha prepared using black tea, green tea or yerba mate. Kombucha was prepared using a commercial kombucha mother culture that contains Bacillus coagulans (née Lactobacillus spirogenes) and Saccharomyces boulardii. The antimicrobial activity was determined by agar-well diffusion method against the common pathogens Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus areus, and Candida albicans. Preliminary results show that the antimicrobial properties of kombucha fermented with yerba mate were less effective than that of kombucha prepared from black or green tea. These antimicrobial results correlate with the glycolic acid concentrations of these preparations as suggested by the lower pH of green tea kombucha (pH 3.5) and black tea kombucha (pH 3.7) compared to yerba mate kombucha (pH 4.0). While less effective against pathogens, the growth of the yerba mate kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) was measurably greater than that of the SCOBY of black tea kombucha but smaller than the green tea kombucha SCOBY. Further investigation in the study will include palatability of different kombucha brews in the general population; identification of kombucha SCOBY microorganisms by DNA sequencing; and the identification of glycolic acids and metabolites present in the three different kombucha preparations

Psychology or Religion? Bridge-Building in the Translation History of The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the most popular Eastern scriptures in the West, in part because it has been framed outside of religion, as a kind of psychology. And yet its translators have also used it to stake claims in the debate about the relationship between psychology and religion, generally Buddhism, but also Theosophy, a religious and philosophical system founded in 1875, which tried to unify all religions. The first major English translation of the Book of the Dead was published in 1927, by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, who was a Theosophist, with the assistance of Kazi Dawa-Samdup. Evans-Wentz framed the text as supporting the existence of a universal religion grounded in science, altered terms to support Theosophical beliefs, and also opened the way to psychologized interpretations. Carl Jung’s 1937 introduction to the Evans- Wentz-Samdup translation solidified a psychologized reading. In 1975, Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa produced a more accurate translation, which continued the psychologizing trend. The 2005 translation by Gyurme Dorje, with Graham Coleman and Thupten Junpa, is the most traditional and technically accurate, yet also shades meaning towards universal appeal. My evaluation of the orientation of these three translations—Theosophical (Evans-Wentz, 1927), psychological (Fremantle-Trungpa, 1975) and traditional (Dorje, 2005)—highlights the difficulty of translating religious terms. The translation history also sheds light on the ongoing debate about the compatibility of the aims of psychology (self-development) and Buddhism (self-eradication) and provides a foundation for my argument that psychologized renderings are simply a part of theological drift, a process that is continual and ongoing in religious traditions

Psychology or Religion? Bridge-Building in the Translation History of The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is one of the most popular Eastern scriptures in the West, in part because it has been framed outside of religion, as a kind of psychology. And yet its translators have also used it to stake claims in the debate about the relationship between psychology and religion, generally Buddhism, but also Theosophy, a religious and philosophical system founded in 1875, which tried to unify all religions. The first major English translation of the Book of the Dead was published in 1927, by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, who was a Theosophist, with the assistance of Kazi Dawa-Samdup. Evans-Wentz framed the text as supporting the existence of a universal religion grounded in science, altered terms to support Theosophical beliefs, and also opened the way to psychologized interpretations. Carl Jung’s 1937 introduction to the Evans-Wentz- Samdup translation solidified a psychologized reading. In 1975, Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa produced a more accurate translation, which continued the psychologizing trend. The 2005 translation by Gyurme Dorje, with Graham Coleman and Thupten Junpa, is the most traditional and technically accurate, yet also shades meaning towards universal appeal. My evaluation of the orientation of these three translations—Theosophical (Evans-Wentz, 1927), psychological (Fremantle-Trungpa, 1975) and traditional (Dorje, 2005)—highlights the difficulty of translating religious terms. The translation history also sheds light on the ongoing debate about the compatibility of the aims of psychology (self-development) and Buddhism (self-eradication) and provides a foundation for my argument that psychologized renderings are simply a part of theological drift, a process that is continual and ongoing in religious traditions