2,386 research outputs found
Comparing axiomatizations of free pseudospaces
Independently and pursuing different aims, Hrushovski and Srour (On stable non-equational theories. Unpublished manuscript, 1989) and Baudisch and Pillay (J Symb Log 65(1):443–460, 2000) have introduced two free pseudospaces that generalize the well know concept of Lachlan’s free pseudoplane. In this paper we investigate the relationship between these free pseudospaces, proving in particular, that the pseudospace of Baudisch and Pillay is a reduct of the pseudospace of Hrushovski and Srour
The Church and development in the new South Africa : towards a theology of development
Bibliography: pages 333-365.The Churches in South Africa played a vital role in the dismantling of apartheid. However, since the establishment of the new democratic government the Church seems to have retreated into denominational and ecclesiological interests. The Church claims that it was forced into the liberation struggle because all our (political) leaders were either in exile or imprisoned. And now that our leaders have been elected into political office it is their responsibility to build a new South Africa. This research takes issue with the latter view. It is our claim that the Church has an even greater role to play now in the development of the new South Africa. The task of the Church is not only to break down unjust structures but to also build new ones. The task of the Church is to point to the "Kingdom of God. " Development has captured the central stage of history and it is also a key word in the new South Africa. This ambiguous process is often depicted as the crucible through which all societies must pass and, if successful, emerge purified: modem, affluent, and efficient. Is this what development is all about? Is this the Christian understanding of development? By defining the Christian understanding of development as humanisation this research offers its central thesis: The Christian Church has always had a notion of development and under girding this is a theology (of development) that the Church has not fully understood or adequately embraced. Hence it is no longer a question of whether the Church must be involved in development instead it is the question of: What kind of development must the Church engage? This research prepared the way for a "theology of development" by: (1) offering a comprehensive discussion on the concept and theories of development (Chapter Two), (2) showing development as an integral part of the mission of the church in history (Chapter Three) and, (3) examining Biblical material on the poor and pointing to a preferential option for the poor (Chapter Four). Then in Chapter Five, in using a qualitative research design that is explorative, descriptive and contextual, we looked at two local churches and their attempts to transform (develop) their communities. In doing the latter we were able to identify, from within these communities, theological themes that contribute to a Theology of Development. These theological themes were then further explored and discussed in Chapter Six as we attempted to formulate a theology of development Having proved our central thesis in this research, that the Christian Church has always had a notion of development and having established a rheological mandate for development, what remained is to see how the Church is challenged in the area of development. Thus in the concluding Chapter we more specifically looked at the Church in the new South Africa and her role in the development of the country
Critical Changes in Cortical Neuronal Interactions in Anesthetized and Awake Rats
Background: Neuronal interactions are fundamental for information processing, cognition and consciousness. Anesthetics reduce spontaneous cortical activity; however, neuronal reactivity to sensory stimuli is often preserved or augmented. How sensory stimulus-related neuronal interactions change under anesthesia has not been elucidated. Here we investigated visual stimulus-related cortical neuronal interactions during stepwise emergence from desflurane anesthesia. Methods: Parallel spike trains were recorded with 64-contact extracellular microelectrode arrays from the primary visual cortex of chronically instrumented, unrestrained rats (N=6) at 8%, 6%, 4%, 2% desflurane anesthesia and wakefulness. Light flashes were delivered to the retina by transcranial illumination at 5-15s randomized intervals. Information theoretical indices, integration and interaction complexity, were calculated from the probability distribution of coincident spike patterns and used to quantify neuronal interactions before and after flash stimulation. Results: Integration and complexity showed significant negative associations with desflurane concentration (N=60). Flash stimulation increased integration and complexity at all anesthetic levels (N=60); the effect on complexity was reduced in wakefulness. During stepwise withdrawal of desflurane, the largest increase in integration (74%) and post-stimulus complexity (35%) occurred prior to reaching 4% desflurane concentration – a level associated with the recovery of consciousness according to the rats\u27 righting reflex. Conclusions: Neuronal interactions in the cerebral cortex are augmented during emergence from anesthesia. Visual flash stimuli enhance neuronal interactions in both wakefulness and anesthesia; the increase in interaction complexity is attenuated as post-stimulus complexity reaches plateau. The critical changes in cortical neuronal interactions occur during transition to consciousness
Local magnetism of isolated Mo atoms at substitutional and interstitial sites in Yb metal : Experiment and Theory
Using TDPAD experiment and local spin density calculations, we have observed
large 4d moments on isolated Mo atoms at substitutional and octahedral
interstitial lattice sites in Yb metal, showing Curie-Weiss local
susceptibility and Korringa like spin relaxation rate. As a surprising feature,
despite strong hybridization with the Yb neighbours, interstitial Mo atoms show
high moment stability with small Kondo temperature. While, magnetism of Mo, at
substitutional site is consistent with Kondo type antiferromagnetic d-sp
exchange interaction, we suggest that moment stability at the interstitial site
is strongly influenced by ferromagnetic polarization of Yb-4f5d band electrons.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Development of predictive equations for total body water using the deuterium-dilution method as the gold standard in a population of asymptomatic HIV-positive Zulu women in South Africa
Objectives: The study aimed to derive predictive equations for total body water determinations with bioelectrical impedance and anthropometricmeasurements in a population of asymptomatic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -positive Zulu women.Design: Cross-sectional data from within an ongoing prospective study that observed the effect of infant feeding mode on maternal and childhealth in a cohort of asymptomatic HIV-positive women were used for this objective.Setting: A community health centre in Durban.Subjects: Asymptomatic HIV-infected women who were not eligible for antiretroviral therapy. They were resident in the area and were of Zuluethnicity.Outcome measures: Development of predictive equations for total body water.Results: Success was achieved in developing predictive equations for total body water using bioelectrical impedance analysis andanthropometric measurements that were specific to the HIV-positive female Zulu population. These equations were developed using the totalbody water that was obtained from deuterium-dilution method as a gold standard.Conclusion: These predictive equations are likely to be more valid for the HIV-positive female African populations of similar build than thecurrent predictive equations that derive from the Western population
Monosynaptic Functional Connectivity in Cerebral Cortex During Wakefulness and Under Graded Levels of Anesthesia
The balance between excitation and inhibition is considered to be of significant importance for neural computation and cognitive function. Excitatory and inhibitory functional connectivity in intact cortical neuronal networks in wakefulness and graded levels of anesthesia has not been systematically investigated. We compared monosynaptic excitatory and inhibitory spike transmission probabilities using pairwise cross-correlogram (CCG) analysis. Spikes were measured at 64 sites in the visual cortex of rats with chronically implanted microelectrode arrays during wakefulness and three levels of anesthesia produced by desflurane. Anesthesia decreased the number of active units, the number of functional connections, and the strength of excitatory connections. Connection probability (number of connections per number of active unit pairs) was unaffected until the deepest anesthesia level, at which a significant increase in the excitatory to inhibitory ratio of connection probabilities was observed. The results suggest that the excitatory–inhibitory balance is altered at an anesthetic depth associated with unconsciousness
- …