Measuring attitude toward theistic faith : assessing the Astley-Francis Scale among Christian, Muslim and secular youth in England

Empirical research within the social scientific study of religion in general and within the psychology of religion in particular remains very conscious of the complex nature of its subject matter. Empirical research in this field needs to take cognisance of the many forms in which religion is expressed (say, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism) and the many facets within the forms (say, beliefs, behaviours and affiliation). Working in the 1970s, Francis (1978a; 1978b) advanced the view that the attitudinal dimension of religion offered a particularly fruitful basis for coordinating empirical enquiry into the correlates, antecedents and consequences of religiosity across the life span

Reclamation with Recovery of Radionuclides and Toxic Metals from Contaminated Materials, Soils, and Wastes

A process has been developed at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the removal of metals and radionuclides from contaminated materials, soils, and waste sites. In this process, citric acid, a naturally occurring organic complexing agent, is used to extract metals such as Ba, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn, and radionuclides Co, Sr, Th, and U from solid wastes by formation of water soluble, metal-citrate complexes. Citric acid forms different types of complexes with the transition metals and actinides, and may involve formation of a bidentate, tridentate, binuclear, or polynuclear complex species. The extract containing radionuclide/metal complex is then subjected to microbiological degradation followed by photochemical degradation under aerobic conditions. Several metal citrate complexes are biodegraded, and the metals are recovered in a concentrated form with the bacterial biomass. Uranium forms binuclear complex with citric acid and is not biodegraded. The supernatant containing uranium citrate complex is separated and upon exposure to light, undergoes rapid degradation resulting in the formation of an insoluble, stable polymeric form of uranium. Uranium is recovered as a precipitate (polyuranate) in a concentrated form for recycling or for appropriate disposal. This treatment process, unlike others which use caustic reagents, does not create additional hazardous wastes for disposal and causes little damage to soil which can then be returned to normal use

Discovering which experiences physiotherapy students identify as learning facilitators in practical laboratories: An action research project

Purpose: Students enrolled in courses that focus on patient contact participate in practical laboratories to learn clinical skills but this can be challenging in a pre-clinical environment. A simulated case based format using role play in small groups is commonly undertaken. Students may find it difficult to actively engage in learning and effective role playing without prior clinical experience. The aim of this study was to discover what type of experiences facilitated student learning in practical laboratory sessions. Method: Design: Action research study. Participants: Thirty two undergraduate second year physiotherapy students who were engaging in practical laboratories. Data collection and analysis: Teacher observations, minute papers and semi structured interviews were conducted over a nine week teaching period to gain the student perspective on what facilitated their learning. Data from these three sources were categorised and coded. A concept mapping technique was then used to represent the construct of learning facilitators identified, from which the final survey was developed. Results: Learning facilitators identified by students were categorised under three key units: those provided by the teacher, those initiated by the students themselves and material resources. Concept mapping revealed three emergent themes: provide multiple opportunities for learning that address all learning styles, formative learning support and resources to consolidate learning. Students rated timely feedback from the teacher while they practiced the required skills and behaviours as the highest valued learning facilitator (strongly agreed 78.6%, agreed 21.4%) followed by watching the teacher modelling the skill or behaviour required (strongly agreed 67.9%, agreed 25.0%). Students also reported that using a peer feedback checklist constructed by the teacher clarified their expectations of engaging in observation and feedback (strongly agreed 32.1%, agreed 50.0%) and guided their performance in the skills and behaviours expected (strongly agreed 35.7%, agreed 53.6%). Conclusions: Students at a pre-clinical level can identify which experiences facilitate their learning in practical laboratories, if given the opportunity. While these students place the highest value on teacher feedback they can actively engage in peer learning if given constructive guidance on the skills and behaviours required. Discovering what students identify as facilitating their learning in practical laboratories can guide successful evaluation of laboratory teaching plans to modify and create new learning opportunities and resources. This has the potential to improve student satisfaction and achievement of intended learning outcomes

Lepton Photon Symposium 2005: Summary and Outlook

Lepton Photon 2005 told the saga of the Standard Model which is still exhilarating because it leaves all questions of consequence unanswered.Comment: Talk presented at the XXII International Symposium on Lepton-Photon Interactions at High Energy, Uppsala, Sweden, July 2005. 11 pages, Latex2e with ws-procs10x7.cls (included), 6 postscript figures (color). Typos correcte

Exploring the limits of multiplexed photon-pair sources for the preparation of pure single-photon states

Current sources of heralded single photons based on nonlinear optics operate in a probabilistic manner. In order to build quantum-enhanced devices based around the use of single photons, compact, turn-key and deterministic sources are required. A possible solution is to multiplex a number of sources to increase the single-photon generation probability and in so doing reducing the waiting time to deliver large numbers of photons simultaneously, from independent sources. Previously it has been shown that, in the ideal case, 17 multiplexed sources allow deterministic generation of heralded single photons [Christ and Silberhorn, Phys. Rev. A 85, 023829 (2012)]. Here we extend this analysis to include undesirable effects of detector inefficiency and photon loss on a number of multiplexed sources using a variety of different detectors for heralding. We compare these systems for fixed signal-to-noise ratio to allow a direct comparison of performance for real- world heralded single photon sources.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures. Equation 18 changed to include power of a half in the binomial facto

Temporal Loop Multiplexing: A resource efficient scheme for multiplexed photon-pair sources

Single photons are a vital resource for photonic quantum information processing. However, even state-of-the-art single photon sources based on photon-pair generation and heralding detection have only a low probability of delivering a single photon when one is requested. We analyse a scheme that uses a switched fibre delay loop to increase the delivery probability per time bin of single photons from heralded sources. We show that, for realistic experimental parameters, combining the output of up to 15 pulses can yield a performance improvement of a factor of 10. We consider the future performance of this scheme with likely component improvements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Design study of a regenerative pump using one-dimensional and three-dimensional numerical techniques

Regenerative pumps are low cost, compact, able to deliver high heads at low flow rates. Furthermore with stable performance characteristics they can operate with very small NPSH. The complexity of the flow field is a serious challenge for any kind of mathematical modelling. This paper compares an analytical and numerical technique of resolving the performance for a new regenerative pump design. The performance characteristics computed by a CFD approach and a new one-dimensional model are compared and matched to experimental test results. The approaches of both modelling techniques are assessed as potential design tools. The approaches are shown to not only successfully resolve the complex flow field within the pump; the CFD is also capable of resolving local flow properties to conduct further refinements. The flow field is represented by the CFD as it has never been before. A new design process is suggested. The new regenerative pump design is considered with a comparable duty centrifugal pump, proving that for many high head low flow rate applications the regenerative pump is a better choice