Spirituality is a multidimensional construct that refers to the experience of self-transcendence and connection with a higher sacred reality. Previous research has demonstrated that spirituality represents a consistent resilience factor for stress and a range of stress-related mental disorders, but neural mechanisms by which spirituality confers resilience are unknown. This paper focuses on intrinsic spirituality, or the extent to which spirituality functions as a master motive in one’s life regardless of religious affiliation, and reviews the research literature on behaviors and brain structures and functions related to intrinsic spirituality. Additionally, literature is reviewed on adaptive and maladaptive functions of the stress response, its relationship to psychopathology, and its underlying neurobiology. To understand neural responses underlying the link between intrinsic spirituality and stress, the current study utilized a script-guided imagery task to assess brain activity during a stress exposure. Results showed that during a stressful experience higher intrinsic spirituality is associated with greater deactivation in the hippocampus, brain stem, ventral striatum, thalamus, extending to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), as well as in another cluster comprising of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and right inferior parietal lobule. These regions are implicated in stress responsiveness, emotional and cognitive processing, and self-referential processing. While preliminary, results provide a potential neural substrate for how spirituality may influence stress processing. Moreover, they suggest a role for spirituality in attenuating neural responses to stress responsivity, regulating emotion during exposure to stress, and preventing and treating stress-related psychopathology.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第23373号 / 医博第4742号 / 新制||医||1051(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 古川 壽亮, 教授 林 康紀, 教授 髙橋 良輔 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Family attachment is viewed as the bonds between children, adolescents (in the case of this study) and significant others in their household with whom they form close emotional bonds in the process of growing up. This mixed method study explores to what extent the quality of attachment relationships can contribute to the kinds of relationship in families that would promote attachment. Such attachment is regarded as being associated with greater adolescent well-being. The experience of family attachment from the perspective of adolescents and how their perception of their attachment to their families impacts on their sense of well-being is thus explored in this study. The theoretical framework I chose to investigate the qualities of family relationships is that of Neufeld who describes family relationships in terms of six dimensions, namely (1) proximity, (2) sameness, (3) belonging, (4) significance, (5) feeling loved and (6) being known. These qualities (Neufeld and Maté, 2006) of attachment ascend from the simple to the more complex and were used to develop a new instrument for measuring the extent to which adolescents report specific qualities to be present in their family relationships. Attachment is a developmental process and knowledge about these six dimensions increases our understanding of healthy family attachment relationships. The participants consisted of urban South African Grade 11 and 12 students between the ages of 16 and 18 who attend the two participating government schools in Pretoria. Convenient multi-stage random sampling was used and permission was obtained from the Gauteng Department of Education, as well as informed consent from the parents and participants. Participation was voluntary and the participants could withdraw from the research at any point. An exploratory sequential design was used in which the qualitative findings in the first phase built towards the quantitative phase, which included the development of a new scale in the second phase (Creswell, 2009). The first qualitative phase of the study was exploratory in nature and data were collected from two participants through semi-structured interviews. The purpose of these interviews was to explore the participants’ experience of the quality of their family relationships. The analysis of the qualitative data entailed the organisation of the data according to themes that identify a specific dimension of Neufeld’s attachment model (Neufeld and Maté, 2006). The information gained in the first phase assisted in designing and implementing the second quantitative phase. The aim of the second quantitative phase was to create an initial item pool, first with a small pilot study (n=26) and then with a larger sample (n=208) in the main study. The initial item pool was subjected to revision by a panel of experts and 72 items were piloted. Internal consistency of the items was established by using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and construct-related validity was investigated by using convergent validity of the scale. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with promax rotation was applied in the main study for data reduction and for refining the constructs (DeVellis, 2012; Fabrigar and Wegener, 2012; Jolliffe, 2002; Pallant, 2011). To determine the number of factors that should be retained, multiple extraction criteria were used before making the decision. First, the Kaiser criterion (eigenvalue >1 rule), which suggested retaining factors that were above the eigenvalue of 1, was considered. Another criterion was Cattell’s criterion (scree plot) in conjunction with the eigenvalues where the scree plot indicated which factors accounted for most of the variances and thus a larger eigenvalue. A five-factor model seemed to fit the data and was subsequently regarded as the final Family Attachment Scale (FAS). Labelling of the factors followed and reflected the theoretical and conceptual intention of the present study (Fabrigar et al., 2012; Pallant, 2011). A General Linear Model Procedure was followed to examine the extent to which the dependent variable Trait Well-Being Total Score (TWBTS) could determine subjective well-being (DeVellis, 2012; Kaplan et al., 2009). The Trait Well Being Inventory (TWBI) (Dalbert, 1992) was used for validation purposes as it measures ‘well-being’. In this way construct-related evidence was obtained for the validity of the FAS since family attachment is theoretically associated with greater well-being. The findings of the FAS indicated that only Love and Knowledge displayed significant correlational patterns with subjective well-being, as originally expected. Although the quality of family relationships changes with adolescence, the relationship between family members remains of the utmost importance. It was interesting that Belonging did not emerge as a significant factor; this may be because adolescence is a period of development in which young people underestimate their sense of belonging as they seek autonomy. Adolescents seek to develop their own identity and ‘belonging’ to a family may not necessarily be a priority. I wish to emphasise that the results drawn from the study do not represent the broader population and are relevant only to adolescents in urban South Africa with intact families. The present study contributes to the existing body of literature on the theory of attachment by providing empirical support for Neufeld’s attachment theory (Neufeld et al., 2006), which is described in popular literature. A valid and reliable Family Attachment Scale (FAS) was also developed. Practical contributions of the present study include a better understanding of adolescents’ attachment relationships which could aid professionals such as Educational Psychologists, Social Workers and Counsellors when working with adolescents. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

"A country's literature is its body of artistic writings. The writings are the product of its citizens who feel compelled to convey to other people their ideas, beliefs, and conviction. Excellent literature has universal appeal which will stand the test of time. The authors of this lasting and permanent literature leave records of what men, for many years, have found to be good or bad about life. A knowledge of this literature brings the reader into contact with all phases of man's life and gives him a panorama of human experiences. An understanding of literature reveals the heights, depths, and routine of living"--Introduction. / "June, 1960." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate School of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Dwight L. Burton, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 30-31).

We investigated the behavioural mechanism underlying the recently discovered latitudinal variation in the social structure of the spider Anelosimus studiosus through population censuses, behavioural interaction trials, reciprocal nest transplants to different temperature environments and breeding experiments. Nest censuses completed at replicated sites at 2° changes in latitude between south Florida (26°) and east Tennessee (36°) indicated that the dominant social structure is a solitary female nest. Multifemale nests consisting of cooperative females and their young first appeared in the populations at 30° latitude and increased in frequency of representation with further increases in latitude as did number of females within multifemale nests. Interaction trials showed that communication and physical contact underlie the two social structures. Females from solitary female nests and F1 offspring reared in the laboratory demanded space (asocial phenotype), whereas individuals of multifemale nest origin (from same and foreign nests) were attracted to one another (social phenotype). Field experiments further showed that (1) individuals that dispersed from multifemale nests dispersed shorter distances and (2) nest coalescence was observed only at the higher latitudes, coincident with the presence of multifemale nests. Habitat transplants suggested that the behaviour underlying social structure is not plastic in this system, and breeding experiments eliminated a cryptic species alternative to the presence of different social structure phenotypes. Although both asocial and social phenotypes were present at all latitudes, the frequency of the social phenotype was rare at lower latitudes.

Thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a degree of Masters of Arts in the Department of Counselling Psychology at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2005. / The present study aimed to identify those resiliency factors that enabled Indian families to transform and adapt after the loss of a family member. Using a convenience sampling method, thirty families were identified. Open-ended questions and the following measurement scales were completed by the parent and an adolescent of each selected family: a biographical questionnaire, Social Support Index, Relative and Friend Support Index, Family Problem Solving Communication Index, Family Hardiness Index, The family Attachment and Changeability Index 8, and Family Time and Routine Index. Results show that open communication between family members, religion, support of relatives and friends, problem solving communication, family hardiness, mobilization of the family to get help, redefinition of the problem, family time and routine were the resiliency factors identified in this study.

Previous studies analyzed how personality traits relate to education, but not in relation to technology implementation. Limited knowledge can lead to inadequate professional development. This study provided insight on the “level of technology implementation” (LoTi) and the personality traits of private school principals. The theoretical frameworks of this research were the Big Five Personality Trait Model and Concerns-Based Adoption Model. The research study answered the question of the relationship, using Kendall's Tau-b, between the LoTi and each of the personality traits: extraversion, openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and agreeableness of Adventist school principals using a quantitative, non-parametric, correlational study approach. Every Adventist school principal within North America (N=799) were invited to participate. Sixty-six completed the LoTi Digital-Age Survey for Leaders and the Big Five Inventory. Findings indicated that a weak-moderate correlation was found on the personality traits of extraversion (τb = .253, p = .007) and openness (τb = .229, p = .017); no correlation was found on the personality traits of agreeableness (τb = .118, p = .215), conscientiousness (τb = .177, p = .063), and neuroticism (τb = -.157, p = .095). It is recommended that future research studies include teacher's personality traits and segregation of data by age or years of experience in education. Findings affected positive social change by providing information that could be used to provide appropriate professional development with less emphasis on trainings that focus on agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism and more on those that help principals be more open to both the process and the actual technological change.

Chapter I reviews current literature on gene transfer systems in lactic acid bacteria, how genetically altered microorganisms for food are presently regulated, and how nisin is used as a food preservative. Chapter II investigates previous reports which linked genes for nisin biosynthesis and sucrose utilization (Nip+Suc+) to plasmid DNA in two well characterized L· lactis subsp. lactis strains. Plasmid curing studies, conjugations, and DNA-DNA hybridizations indicated that these genes were encoded by chromosomal loci in all Nip+Suc+ strains examined. Similar results were noted in nisin-sucrose transconjugants of L. lactis subsp. cremoris and S. salivarius subsp. thermophilus in Chapters III and IV. Chapter III describes the use of conjugation to construct nisin-producing Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris strains. The direct-plate conjugation method was developed to facilitate transfer of Nip+Suc+ to L. lactis subsp. cremoris recipients. DNA-DNA hybridizations to transconjugant DNAs with an oligonucleotide that detected the nisin structural gene, nisA, demonstrated that this gene was transferred during conjugation. Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris Nip+Suc+ transconjugants retained the recipient strain phenotype with respect to bacteriophage resistance and acid production in milk. These results indicated that it would be feasible to construct nisin-producing L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains for mixed and multiple starter systems. Chapter IV investigates features of Nip+Suc+ transfer using a Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis model system. Intergeneric transfer of nisin-sucrose genes was also achieved between lactococcal Nip+Suc+ donors and Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus recipients. Streptococcal transconjugants acquired Suc+ and nisin immunity but did not produce nisin. DNA-DNA hybridizations, however, demonstrated that nisA was present in these transconjugants. To investigate whether nisA was involved in nisin immunity, this gene was cloned and electro-transformed into Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis LM0230. Electro-transformants did not express nisin immunity or any other trait linked to nisin production in lactococci. Results presented in Chapter V indicate that nisin may have application for control or prevention of bovine mastitis. Gram-positive pathogens which cause bovine mastitis were examined for their susceptibility to nisin. Disc diffusion assays indicated that minimum inhibitory concentrations of nisin ranged from 10 to 250 ug per ml. In addition, 50 ug of nisin per ml in milk inhibited all gram-positive pathogens tested.