Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A study of cognitive and affective elements in the religious development of adolescents

A review is given of recent writing in religious education with particular reference to research into children's religious attitudes, behaviour and cognition. Key concepts of religious experience, the view of religion as multi-dimensional, and the problem of definition are discussed. The work of Hyde (1965) as a point of departure for the present research is indicated. A description is given of the development of two attitude scales using the scale discrimination technique, and of the construction and revision of a religious behaviour questionnaire and a religious thinking test. Material for use in individual interviews is described and a small pilot study is reported. Additional instruments to be used in the research are identified, and five general hypotheses to be tested by the research are stated. A detailed account is given of an empirical experiment in two comprehensive schools in South Yorkshire in which data is obtained from a sample of 2,096 pupils. Marks awarded by a team of judges are shown to be reliable and raw scores from the experiment are analysed by item analysis, analysis of variance and factor analysis. The results are described and discussed; they show statistically significant differences in the test scores for religious attitudes, religious behaviour and religious thinking related to school, school year, and pupil's sex. Three separate components identified by factor analysis are labelled religious behaviour, compassionate attitude, and cognition. The results of follow-up interviews with a cross-section of 58 pupils are analysed and it is demonstrated that pupils have considerable interest in questions of religious belief, interpretation of the Bible, and the significance of religious belief in relation to human suffering. The aims of religious education in the two schools which participated in the research are evaluated in the light of the research results. Points for further investigation arising from the research are indicated. It is stated in conclusion that clear trends and factors in the cognitive framework of the adolescents' religious world which have been established by this research, provide a strong impetus for curriculum change in religious education in the secondary school.
Myelinolytic lesions in spinal cord of cobalamin-deficient rats are TNF-alpha-mediated.

Repeated intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.)microinjection of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) into normal rats causes intramyelin and interstitial edema in the white matter of the spinal cord (SC). This response is identical to that observed in the SC white matter of rats made cobalamin (Cbl) deficient by total gastrectomy (TG). Immunoblot analysis showed that: 1) the level of the biologically active form of the TNF-alpha protein (17 kDa) is higher in the SC of totally gastrectomized (TGX) rats 2 months after TG, i.e., at the postoperative time when edema is observed; 2) SC levels of TNF-alpha protein (17 kDa) in 2-mo-TGX-, Cbl-treated rats are reduced to control. Repeated i.c. v. microinjections of anti-TNF-alpha antibodies, transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) or interleukin-6 (IL-6) into TGX rats, begun shortly after TG, substantially reduced both intramyelin and interstitial edema in the SC white matter. This study provides the first evidence that the hallmark myelin damage of Cbl-deficient central neuropathy, which is a pure myelinolytic disease, is not caused directly by the withdrawal of the vitamin itself, but reflects enhanced production of the biologically active form of TNF-alpha by SC cells. This study thus supports the view that TGF-beta1 and IL-6 may act as neuroprotective agents in Cbl deficiency central neuropathy.
Pattern selection and hysteresis in the Rietkerk model for banded vegetation in semi-arid environments

Banded vegetation is a characteristic feature of semi-arid environments. It occurs on gentle slopes, with alternating stripes of vegetation and bare ground running parallel to the contours. A number of mathematical models have been proposed to investigate the mechanisms underlying these patterns, and how they might be affected by changes in environmental conditions. One of the most widely used models is due to Rietkerk and co-workers, and is based on a water redistribution hypothesis, with the key feedback being that the rate of rainwater infiltration into the soil is an increasing function of plant biomass. Here, for the first time, we present a detailed study of the existence and stability of pattern solutions of the Rietkerk model on slopes, using the software package wavetrain (www.ma.hw.ac.uk/wavetrain). Specifically, we calculate the region of the rainfall–migration speed parameter plane in which patterns exist, and the sub-region in which these patterns are stable as solutions of the model partial differential equations. We then perform a detailed simulation-based study of the way in which patterns evolve when the rainfall parameter is slowly varied. This reveals complex behaviour, with sudden jumps in pattern wavelength, and hysteresis; we show that these jumps occur when the contours of constant pattern wavelength leave the parameter region giving stable patterns. Finally, we extend our results to the case in which a diffusion term for surface water is added to the model equations. The parameter regions for pattern existence and stability are relatively insensitive to small or moderate levels of surface water diffusion, but larger diffusion coefficients significantly change the subdivision into stable and unstable patterns.
Relational Random Forests Based on Random Relational Rules

Random Forests have been shown to perform very well in propositional learning. FORF is an upgrade of Random Forests for relational data. In this paper we investigate shortcomings of FORF and propose an alternative algorithm, R4F, for generating Random Forests over relational data. R4F employs randomly generated relational rules as fully self-contained Boolean tests inside each node in a tree and thus can be viewed as an instance of dynamic propositionalization. The implementation of R4F allows for the simultaneous or parallel growth of all the branches of all the trees in the ensemble in an efficient shared, but still single-threaded way. Experiments favorably compare R4F to both FORF and the combination of static propositionalization together with standard Random Forests. Various strategies for tree initialization and splitting of nodes, as well as resulting ensemble size, diversity, and computational complexity of R4F are also investigated.
Mismatch Negativity: Translating the Potential

The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the auditory event-related potential has become a valuable tool in cognitive neuroscience. Its reduced size in persons with schizophrenia is of unknown origin but theories proposed include links to problems in experience-dependent plasticity reliant on N-methyl-d-aspartate glutamate receptors. In this review we address the utility of this tool in revealing the nature and time course of problems in perceptual inference in this illness together with its potential for use in translational research testing animal models of schizophrenia-related phenotypes. Specifically, we review the reasons for interest in MMN in schizophrenia, issues pertaining to the measurement of MMN, its use as a vulnerability index for the development of schizophrenia, the pharmacological sensitivity of MMN and the progress in developing animal models of MMN. Within this process we highlight the challenges posed by knowledge gaps pertaining to the tool and the pharmacology of the underlying system.
Tailoring of defect levels by deformations: Te-antisite in CdTe

The properties of the Te-antisite defect in the neutral state in CdTe were examined using ab initio calculations. The influence of three types of deformations (1D, 2D and 3D) on the defect energy levels and formation energies was investigated. It was found that the 2D deformation is the most effective for pushing the defect levels towards the band edges and opening up the bandgap of the semiconductor, and hence may improve the performance of CdTe as a detector material. We studied the defect levels and their occupancies including Jahn–Teller distortions. The Jahn–Teller distorted configuration places the 2 A 1 a ? > defect level closer to the valence band and this defect level position coincides with the ‘unknown deep donor’ measured in some experiments. Partial densities of states and band structures have been analysed to understand the arrangement of the defect bonds.
Perceptions of work stress causes and effective interventions in employees working in public, private and non-governmental organisations: a qualitative study

Aims and method To identify causes of stress at work as well as individual, organisational and personal interventions used by employees to manage stress in public, private and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Qualitative interviews were conducted with 51 employees from a range of organisations. Results Participants reported adverse working conditions and management practices as common causes of work stress. Stress-inducing management practices included unrealistic demands, lack of support, unfair treatment, low decision latitude, lack of appreciation, effort–reward imbalance, conflicting roles, lack of transparency and poor communication. Organisational interventions were perceived as effective if they improved management styles, and included physical exercise, taking breaks and ensuring adequate time for planning work tasks. Personal interventions used outside of work were important to prevent and remedy stress. Clinical implications Interventions should improve management practices as well as promoting personal interventions outside of the work setting.
Information Conveyed by Onset Transients in Responses of Striate Cortical Neurons

Normal eye movements ensure that the visual world is seen episodically, as a series of often stationary images. In this paper we characterize the responses of neurons in striate cortex to stationary grating patterns presented with abrupt onset. These responses are distinctive. In most neurons the onset of a grating gives rise to a transient discharge that decays with a time constant of 100 msec or less. The early stages of response have higher contrast gain and higher response gain than later stages. Moreover, the variability of discharge during the onset transient is disproportionately low. These factors together make the onset transient an information-rich component of response, such that the detectability and discriminability of stationary gratings grows rapidly to an early peak, within 150 msec of the onset of the response in most neurons. The orientation selectivity of neurons estimated from the first 150 msec of discharge to a stationary grating is indistinguishable from the orientation selectivity estimated from longer segments of discharge to moving gratings. Moving gratings are ultimately more detectable than stationary ones, because responses to the former are continuously renewed. The principal characteristics of the response of a neuron to a stationary grating—the initial high discharge rate, which decays rapidly, and the change of contrast gain with time—are well captured by a model in which each excitatory synaptic event leads to an immediate reduction in synaptic gain, from which recovery is slow.
Localization of enkephalin‐like immunoreactivity to identified axonal and neuronal populations of the rat hippocampus

The distribution of enkephalin‐like immunoreactivity in the hippocampal formation of the rat was analyzed. Two specific projection systems are described. The first emerges from the hilus of the dentate gyrus and appears to terminate with notably large boutons on the proximal apical and, to a lesser extent, basal dendrites of hippocampal regio inferior pyramidal cells. This projection corresponds in source, position, and character to the hippocampal mossy fiber system. The second axonal population enters the temporal hippocampal formation from the medial wall of the subicular complex and follows the hippocampal fissure to occupy stratum lacunosum‐moleculare of the hippocampus proper and the distal third of the dentate gyrus molecular layer; this pattern corresponds to the distribution of afferent input from the lateral entorhinal cortex and/or perirhinal area. Lesions of the hilus or retrohippocampal area caused a selective depletion of immunoreactivity in the mossy fiber fields and molecular layers of the dentate gyrus, respectively. Enkephalin‐like immunoreactivity was found within the somata of three types of hippocampal neurons: (1) granule cells of the dentate gyrus, (2) occasional pyramidal shaped cells of field CA1 stratum pyramidale, and (3) varied scattered interneurons. Of this last group, two types of interneurons were consistently seen. The first occupy the border between stratum radiatum and stratum lacunosum‐moleculare and extend processes at right angles to the long axis of the pyramidal cell dendrites, whereas the second lie within stratum radiatum of field CA1 and extend processes in alignment with the long axis of the pyramidal cell dendrites. Cells containing enkephalin‐like immunoreacactivity were also observed in the subiculum and retrohippocampal region, most notably including layers II and III of the lateral entorhinal cortex‐perirhinal area—the probable source of extrinsic immunoreactive input to the hippocampal formation. Intraventricular colchicine treatment intensified the immunoreactive staining of some hippocampal neurons but did not reveal any cell types not seen to be labeled in untreated rats.
Students’ Motivation toward Computer-Based Language Learning

The present article examined some factors affecting the motivation level of the preparatory school students in using a web-based computer-assisted language-learning course. The sample group of the study consisted of 126 English-as-a-foreign-language learners at a preparatory school of a state university. After performing statistical analyses (t-test and analysis of variance) to the data, it was found that there were no statistical differences between such selected demographic variables as learners’ age, gender, grades, compulsory and optional status, type of high school, parents’ educational status, the period of the participants’ language-learning process, and experience of computer use The only variable found to be statistically significant was the degree of importance of learning English for the participants; more than half the participants possess moderately high motivation level. Finally, some practical recommendations were noted.
Dyslipidemia in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: incidence, pattern and predictors

One hundred forty-two women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with an average body mass index (BMI) of 29.1 kg/m2 and average age of 25.12 years were studied. By BMI, 30.2% were normal, 38.0% were overweight and 31.6% were obese. Thirty-one eumenorrheic women matched for BMI and age, with no evidence of hyperandrogenism, were recruited as controls. The incidence of dyslipidemia in the PCOS group was twice that of the Control group (76.1% versus 32.25%). The most frequent abnormalities were low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 57.6%) and high triglyceride (TG) (28.3%). HDL-C was significantly lower in all subgroups of women with PCOS when compared to the subgroups of normal women. No significant differences were seen in the total cholesterol (p = 0.307), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; p = 0.283) and TGs (p = 0.113) levels among the subgroups. An independent effect on HDL-C was detected for glucose (p = 0.004) and fasting insulin (p = 0.01); on TG for age (p = 0.003) and homeostatic model assessment insulin resistance (p = 0.03) and on total cholesterol and LDL-C for age (p = 0.02 and p = 0.033, respectively). In conclusion, dyslipidemia is common in women with PCOS, mainly due to low HDL-C levels. BMI has a significant impact on this abnormality.
Effects of Non-Symbolic Approximate Number Practice on Symbolic Numerical Abilities in Pakistani Children

Current theories of numerical cognition posit that uniquely human symbolic number abilities connect to an early developing cognitive system for representing approximate numerical magnitudes, the approximate number system (ANS). In support of this proposal, recent laboratory-based training experiments with U.S. children show enhanced performance on symbolic addition after brief practice comparing or adding arrays of dots without counting: tasks that engage the ANS. Here we explore the nature and generality of this effect through two brief training experiments. In Experiment 1, elementary school children in Pakistan practiced either a non-symbolic numerical addition task or a line-length addition task with no numerical content, and then were tested on symbolic addition. After training, children in the numerical training group completed the symbolic addition test faster than children in the line length training group, suggesting a causal role of brief, non-symbolic numerical training on exact, symbolic addition. These findings replicate and extend the core findings of a recent U.S. laboratory-based study to non-Western children tested in a school setting, attesting to the robustness and generalizability of the observed training effects. Experiment 2 tested whether ANS training would also enhance the consistency of performance on a symbolic number line task. Over several analyses of the data there was some evidence that approximate number training enhanced symbolic number line placements relative to control conditions. Together, the findings suggest that engagement of the ANS through brief training procedures enhances children's immediate attention to number and engagement with symbolic number tasks.
A Simple Model for Reflection-Driven Spectral Evolution of Turbulence in the Corona and Inner Heliosphere

Dissipation of turbulence is generally considered as a prime candidate for the heating and acceleration of so- lar wind from the corona throughout the heliosphere, due to radially evolving dissipation processes and/or cascading of energy to dissipation scales. In order to model the latter consistently, we must consider the evolution of cross-helicity when modeling the strength of the cascade, as the non-linear interactions causing it require counterstreaming waves. In this paper, we present a simple model of non-WKB wave reflection from large-scale gradients, and apply the result- ing cross-helicity to evaluate the evolution of the turbulence spectrum up to 0.3 AU by using a phenomenological cascade model. The study is restricted to a cascade in perpendicular direction. We study the ability of this spectral flux to heat the solar wind, and its dependence on the frequency of the excited waves. We find that the cascade advances fast in the low corona, and has a strong frequency dependence. The heating rate is high close to the coronal base, but decreases very quickly. In the corona, the heating rate varies by an or- der of magnitude in the frequency range of 10 6 to 10 3 Hz, suggesting that the shape and range of the frequency spec- trum has important implications on the solar wind modeling.
Executive

Self-healing engineered cementitious composites (ECC) present enhanced durability and structural ability in the event of cracking that a plain concrete and reduces repair costs. The possibility of spraying this material means greater ease in repairs, especially in situations where traditional pours would deem difficult. Hence, the aim of this research was to develop sprayable self-healing ECC mixes. Two mineral admixtures were used as self-healing agents in the mixes: magnesium oxide (MgO) and crystalline admixtures (CA). The specimens obtained from sprayed panels were pre-cracked, cured under water to accelerate the healing process and monitored over time using a portable microscope to study the filling of the cracks. Several tests were performed to assess the properties of the material after the self-healing (e.g. rapid chloride migration test and water permeability). One of the challenges identified during the study was maintaining the pre-cracking constant in all specimens to avoid adding an additional variable to the analysis. Obtaining sprayable mixes with the high content of PVA fibres commonly found in ECC was also a difficult task. It was concluded that the maximum PVA fibre content in the mixes that was compatible with spraying was 1.8%. The findings indicate that both MgO and CA led to self-healing behaviour as evidenced by the reduction of the crack widths and the results of several testing methods.
Psychophysiology and schizophrenia.

Of all of the behavioral disorders, schizophrenia has most captured the interest of psychophysiologists. This is is partly because unusual levels of arousal, the traditional core interest of psychophysiologists, are often quite apparent on the ward and because abnormal attention and information processing, central issues in the psychology of schizophrenia, are now being so fruitfully approached with cardiovascular and average evoked potential techniques. However, the psychophysiologists' viewpoint is also critical for three major problems of biological research in schizophrenia—separating etiologic and resultant effects on biological measures, assessing internal states in individuals with disordered communication, and documenting individual differences in biochemical abnormalities especially if they affect only a small portion of the brain. First, the schizophrenic's long-term unusual or bizarre behavior may produce unusual physiological or biochemical abnormalities unrelated to the etiology of the disease. A game of tennis in the sun may bring serum sodium values up outside normal limits. However, we do not diagnose a new psychiatric disease named hypernatremic hypermobility syndrome (HHS) because we have detailed knowledge of the physiologic and psychosocial mechanisms involved and can obtain an adequate history. Such is not so clearly the case with the schizophrenic syndrome, and the path to its understanding is littered with hundreds of discarded physiological and biochemical findings. The psychophysiologist is especially oriented to this problem as the field has traditionally taken pains to discriminate between physiological responses resulting from metabolic needs, and those resulting from psychological events (see Lader 1975).
Shared Cortical Anatomy for Motor Awareness and Motor Control

In everyday life, the successful monitoring of behavior requires continuous updating of the effectiveness of motor acts; one crucial step is becoming aware of the movements one is performing. We studied the anatomical distribution of lesions in right-brain–damaged hemiplegic patients, who obstinately denied their motor impairment, claiming that they could move their paralyzed limbs. Denial was associated with lesions in areas related to the programming of motor acts, particularly Brodmann's premotor areas 6 and 44, motor area 4, and the somatosensory cortex. This association suggests that monitoring systems may be implemented within the same cortical network that is responsible for the primary function that has to be monitored.