Strong Belief System Research Articles

Factors influencing consumers' willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies: A paradigm to alleviate energy poverty

Energy poverty is a persistent issue in India, impeding environmental and socio-economic progress. The transition from conventional to renewable energy technology offers the optimal alternative solution to alleviate this significant issue. However, successful adoption of these technologies heavily depends on the consumers' willingness. This study aims to evaluate the factors influencing consumers' willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies to alleviate energy poverty. Additionally, this study added a further novel factor (crime concern) with the existing factors (belief about renewable technology benefits expectation, renewable energy technology cost, environmental concern, subjective norms) to the extended theory of planned behavior. The analysis confirmed that consumers' strong belief system, environmental concerns and subjective norms positively impact the consumers' willingness to adopt reliable and affordable renewable energy. Cost and crime concern negatively influence consumers' willingness to use this optimal technology. Interestingly, the findings of this study indicate that the consumers' willingness to adopt renewable energy technologies has a notable impact on alleviating energy poverty. This study provides significant insights for governments, renewable energy technology manufacturers, and other relevant stakeholders to enhance the widespread uptake of renewable energy technology among consumers to achieve sustainable energy development goals in the context of energy poverty alleviation.

Giant "Hydra Headed" Uterine Fibroid in a Nullipara: A Case Report.

Uterine fibroids, or Leiomyoma is a type of Smooth Muscle Tumors of the uterus (SMTs) and are common in the black race. Giant uterine fibroids, on the other hand, are uncommon and may occur during patient dissimulation. Dissimulation may occur because of a dread of surgery and hospitals visits, fear of surgical death, chronic intake of herbal concussion, and a religio-traditional strong belief system on instant healing following prayers, among others. Myths like belief of defecating the uterine fibroids, some herbs that can melt them away, and the belief that such illness may follow ancestral curses can fuel dissimulation. The surgical approach can be a source of challenge, careful case selection considering the size and number of tumors can be helpful. We present a 35-year-old nulligravida who presented to the clinic with a 14-year history of progressive abdominal swelling. Examination revealed a firm mass with a symphysio-fundal height of 55 cm. She subsequently had an open abdominal myomectomy with all the myoma nodules weighing 12.9 kg in total! Histology confirmed uterine fibroid. It is possible to offer open myomectomy in patients with giant uterine fibroid following careful patient selection with a consent for possible hysterectomy. Dissimulation can be minimized with repetitive counseling of patients. The choice of surgery depends on the size and number of uterine fibroids, but surgical approach does not necessarily influence fecundity.

Guddiri People’s Belief System in The Unusual Functions of Apple-Ring Tree (Faidherbia Albida) As A Measure of Their Scientific Literacy

This study aimed to investigate the Guddiri people’s belief system in the unusual phenology, agroforestry function, medicinal value, environmental protection, and weird function of the Apple-Ring Tree (Faidherbia albida) as a measure of their scientific literacy. Faidherbia albida is a type of tree species that thrives very well, specifically in Sudan and the Sahel Savannah of Northern Nigeria. The design of the study was a descriptive survey. The population comprised all Guddiri people of Azare District, Katagum Local Government, Bauchi. The sample size consisted 384 (276 males and 168 females) adult respondents that were drawn through stratified random sampling technique based on the recommendation of Krejcie and Morgan (1970. Furthermore, the instrument for data collection was a 22-item structured questionnaire tagged “Questionnaire on People’s Belief System in the Unusual Functions of Faidherbia albida”. The instrument was divided into five-function dimensions of Faidherbia albida: unusual structure, agroforestry function, medicinal value, environmental protection, and weird function. Some experts in botany, geography, and traditional medicine validated the face and content aspects of the instrument. The reliability of 0.82 was determined through Cronbach Alpha Coefficient Index. The collected data were analyzed by using statistical mean, standard deviation, and Chi-Square. The decision rule for accepting a response be considered a strong belief in the unusual functions of Faidherbia albida was a mean value of 3.00 and above. Further, a statistical value of p < 0.05 is considered critically significant. The result indicated that Guddiri people had a very strong belief system in the unusual functions of Faidherbia albida. Though the males’ belief system was stronger than that of their female counterparts. Furthermore, it presents existence of significant difference between Guddiri males’ and females’ belief system in the unusual functions of the tree. Based on the finding, it was recommended that scientific literacy should be widely disseminated through all kind of communication media among others.

Retention and future involvement in the American Kennel Club Junior Showmanship Program, a youth dog breed conformation competition.

Similar to other organizations that encourage positive youth development, the American Kennel Club (AKC) created the Junior Showmanship program to develop skills and pave a path for the next generation of competitors in canine conformation. Although participants age out of the Junior Showmanship Program when they turn eighteen, the hope is that Juniors will continue to be active in dog sports into adulthood. Females are overly represented in all age groups in this survey and in current participation. Although both males and females most commonly stopped participating at age 17 or 18, males had a significantly higher drop out at age 15. Further study is warranted to investigate factors specifically pertaining to male participation. A strong Belief System Model which accounted for positive responses associated with camaraderie and mentoring during the showmanship program was significantly (p=0.01) associated with commitment, member interest and active participation as an adult. In addition, success in the show ring was associated with future involvement in conformation or dog sports. Thus, both perceived achievement and mentorship by adult “volunteers” were associated with continued participation.

Emotional Intelligence of High School Students in Relation to their Spiritual Intelligence

Background: Emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence are accompaniment to each other for refining human life. Spiritual intelligence builds up moral value, spiritual values and a strong belief system whereas emotional intelligence helps to develop personal relationships with one’s own self, social relationships with others and to manage the emotions. Purpose: The high school students are facing a major burst of emotions which needs to be channelized to give them the right direction in life. In this, their emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence play an imperative role. Present research paper is an attempt to explore the relationship between emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence of high school students. It examines how the spiritual intelligence affects the emotional intelligence of the students. Methods: This research is carried out on 150 students of 9th standard CBSE affiliated schools. For data collection, Spiritual Intelligence Scales by Misra (2014) and Emotional Intelligence Test by Soni and Sharma (2009) were used. The SPSS software is used for the analysis of the data. Descriptive Statistic: Mean, Median, Mode, Standard Deviation, Skewness and Kurtosis are calculated to check the normal distribution of the data and inferential statistics: Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Regression Analysis are calculated to measure the relationship between the variables under study. Results: The results of the study reject the null hypothesis and reveal that spiritual intelligence has a significant positive correlation with the emotional intelligence of the students. Conclusions: The study shows that the students who are spiritually more intelligent have more stable emotions as compared to the other students.

Levers of Control and Managerial Performance: The Importance of Belief Systems

Belief systems, which are one of the four levers of control, play a vital role in an organization. This study is primarily aimed at examining the effects of belief systems on managerial performance. Since the four levers of control jointly function in management control systems, we extend our study by investigating whether the contingent-fit between strategic risk, strategic uncertainty, and the other three levers of control (i.e., boundary systems, diagnostic control, and interactive control) strengthens the association between belief systems and managerial performance. A survey questionnaire was distributed to the upper-level management of various companies or strategic business units in Indonesia during the fourth quarter of 2017, resulting in 81 respondents. Hypotheses testing were conducted using the OLS regression model. This research found that belief systems are positively associated with managerial performance, indicating that the implementation of effective belief systems leads to higher managerial performance. This study also found that the contingent-fit between strategic risk, strategic uncertainty, and the other three levers of control does not have any effect on how belief systems are positively associated with managerial performance. This finding indicates that although management does not adopt a fit combination between its level of strategic risk and strategic uncertainty and the boundary systems, diagnostic control, and interactive control, it can still achieve good performance as long as strong belief systems are implemented. These findings confirm the critical role of belief systems in the levers of control. Thus, management needs to ensure the establishment of more effective belief systems if the company or business unit wants to produce optimal performance.

Implementation of a Differentiated Instruction Initiative: Perspectives of Leaders

Differentiated Instruction (DI) is a framework that supports planning for diversity within K-12 classrooms. Research has grown steadily over the past 15 years that explores DI implementation, as well as beliefs and practices. Literature to date has focused heavily on the experiences of educators, with limited attention given to the role of leadership in implementing DI in schools. The current study explores the perspectives of 19 school and board-level administrators regarding the ways in which a differentiated instruction framework was implemented within their school board as well as facilitators and barriers to the implementation and uptake of the framework. Interviews revealed five themes: a) DI continuum, b) differentiated professional learning supports, c) making space for shared professional learning, d) align/integrate/embed, and e) multi-level leadership. Our findings reflect a strong belief system of most of the participants with respect to the foundations of DI as well as an understanding of effective approaches to professional learning and school change.

Factors for Nation’s Rise and Fall: An Analysis from Quranic Perspective

This paper explores the Qur’anic factors for nation’s rise and fall. It highlights on how the divine law, sunnatullah, is functioning in this connection. The researcher depends on the textual analysis method dealing with relevant verses of the Quran. Hence, various types of Tafsir books were consulted. The findings include as follows: according to Quran, the universe is created and regulated in a systematic way which makes it a cosmos and not a chaos. This system is called sunnatullah, the natural laws of cause and effect. The case of nation’s rise and fall is also governed by the same divine system. The Quran depicts the standards and virtues such as strong belief system, righteous deeds, justice, reformation, renewal, having knowledge and wisdom might raise a nation to the sublime position among other nations. Similarly, it refers to some factors such as luxury, injustice, religious extremism, disunity that could propel a nation from the sublime to the ridiculous. It is expected that this study would deliver a significant contribution to this subject.

Ethnobotanical knowledge of Kewrat community of Morang district, eastern Nepal

Background: Nepal is very rich in castes, ethnic groups and languages that have their own traditional and ritual practices on health care system. Among them, Kewrat is a multilingual group of people living in eastern Terai region of Nepal and its adjoining part of Bihar and West Bengal of India. Their mother tongues are either Surjapuri, Angika or Bengali. Different studies on ethnobotany have been conducted in Nepal but the study on Kewrat community has not been conducted till the date and this study was conducted among the Surjapuri speaker of Kewrat community.Methods: Ethnobotanical study using Ethnobotanical Participatory Appraisal (EPA) method was conducted at Sanbarish (Sunbarshi) municipalit of Morang district of Nepal. Interviews and group discussions were employed among Surjapuri speaking Kewrat people in Sunbarshi municipality ward number 4 (Kashijan), 5 (Ramanpur), 6 (Saranpur) and 7 (Bardanga) among 65 individuals including elderly people and traditional healers following the transect walk survey.Results: A total of 60 medicinal plant species belonging to 37 families were reported based on their religious practices and believes from study area. Among them, 29 herbs (48%), 12 shrubs (20 %), 15 tree (25%) and 4 climbers (7 %) were recorded. Kewrat people are found to be very rich in ethnobotanical knowledge. The plants resources have been used by Kewrat people in treating 35 different types of ailments along with traditional uses in different ritual and religious occasions.Conclusions: The people of Surjapuri speaker of Kewrat community have a very crucial knowledge of medicinal plants. The study has documented the baseline data for further studies in the field of ethnobotany, medicinal plants and diversity. The ethnobotanical knowledge of Kewrat people is based on strong belief system and custom. They depend mostly on plant resources for curing ailments. This study suggests that the indigenous community of Kewrat has an in-depth knowledge of use of local plant resources. eywords: Ailments, Indigenous knowledge, Kewrat community, Medicinal plant, Plant diversity, Surjapuri language, Traditional use.

Averted targeted school killings from 1900-2016

ABSTRACTMass shootings, particularly those that occur on school grounds, often generate intense political debate. Following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglass High School, questions arose on how to prevent these tragedies. Typically, the response generated from these questions revolves around mental illness, bullying prevention, and gun control. Unfortunately, the views on these topics, especially gun control, are often rooted in a strong belief system which is unwavering. Resultantly, the debate on how to avert these incidents often stops at the debate phase. This study sought to better understand how these events can be prevented by examining targeted school killings from 1900–2016 in which the suspect was stopped before the attack. The analysis revealed that the majority of attacks were prevented by other students reporting the threat of an impending attack to school and law enforcement authorities.

Cultural and Religious Perspective on the Sufi Shrines.

This paper explains the Sufi shrines which hold great importance in Pakistani society. The Shrines inhabit a vital position in the cultural and social as well as religious and culture life of rituals, Saints, traditional belief, sounds, trance, dance, music in ethnic healing, and spiritual illness/disease. It is not only a place of belief and devotion based on Sufi shrines but a place where Muslims and non-Muslim take part in happiness activities together. The design and architecture of the Sufi Shrines have local as well as worldwide influences, representative spiritual, belief systems, economic, and esthetic dimensions of Muslim social institute. Therefore, Muslims' association with the Sufi Shrines has much importance from traditional, political, social and economic perspectives. Centered on an ethnographic illustration, this research aims to highlight the use of Sufi Shrines space and Peoples' Perceptions about Visiting Sufi shrines in the ethnic perspective of rural and urban Sindh. In addition to discuss the socio spatial interactions about the Sufi shrines, this study has discovered that majority of the people and visitors have strong belief systems upon the blessings of Sufis and they visit shrines to fulfill their social, economic, physical, mental and spiritual wishes.

The effect of culture and belief systems on students’ academic buoyancy

Increasingly, learner motivation is implicated in student failure at universities. This has led to intense research into internal or external variables that might buoy resilience to failure. This research investigates the impact of strong cultural connectedness and strong belief systems on the academic buoyancy of international students studying at an Australian University. For this purpose, we surveyed 102 tertiary students at a Sydney university. Results demonstrate that, in the event of academic failure, students’ academic buoyancy remains high if they have support through strong cultural connections and from their belief systems. We further endeavored to identify if academic buoyancy was fed by intrinsic or extrinsic motivation. This research contributes to the understanding of the sources of strengths available to international students from primarily collective cultures studying overseas. There are implications for educational practice in terms of identifying students ‘at high risk’ if they are unable to draw strengths from cultural connections and belief systems.

Best Practices in Music Industry Education

This research was funded in part by a research grant from the Music & Entertainment Industry Educators Association.IntroductionAlmost a century ago, John Dewey (1859-1952) wrote his classic Experience and Education, in which he made a case for what we now call and suggested that students do when their education directly relates to the around them, and they are actively involved in the process. Many scholars have built on Dewey's work and added to the body of literature surrounding the efficacy of hands-on experiential learning. More recently and most notably, David A. Kolb's Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development underscored the importance of by doing.Dewey, Kolb, and others have written extensively about what many of us in music industry education feel we know intuitively: learning-by-doing is among the most effective teaching methods we have. We use hands-on learning1 in Music Industry Studies (MIS)2 all the time, from student-run record labels and music business journals, to student-run con- cert series and even nightclubs. Many of our undergraduate MIS programs require internships in the industry, a quintessential hands-on experience.3 Few of us would argue against the effectiveness of experiential learning, and many of us tell our students that it is one of the most important aspects of their education.Surprisingly, however, there is very little data on experiential learning's efficacy in music industry education. Indeed, my research found that we have a very strong belief system that our classes and activities are working, but little hard evidence to support it.Still, there are several studies of note. In 2005, Richard Strasser at Northeastern University conducted in-class simulations and role-playing-in other words, real world simulations-in a music marketing and promotions class. He concluded, Student evaluations indicated that the simulation had a strong impact on learning and meeting the course objectives (Strasser 2005). David Tough of Belmont University published a paper in 2012 on Robert Gagne's instructional theories, theories that were developed in perhaps the most crucial hands-on learning environment of all, fighter pilot training. Tough noted the potential for applying Gagne's ideas to teaching audio engineering, but as of that writing he had not implemented or tested their effectiveness (Tough 2012).Students believe in the effectiveness of internships, arguably the most experiential learning activity of all. Two studies, one by Claudia McCain at Western Illinois University in 2002 and the other by Stephen Marcone at William Paterson University in 2004, found that the majority of students in both programs regard internships as their most important classes.4My goal in this study was to continue this research; these are the questions I am endeavoring to answer:1. What experiential opportunities are currently in use in MIS programs?2. What are the outcomes of these experiential opportunities/classes?3. How are successful outcomes measured or defined in MIS programs?4. What are the most effective experiential learning methods in MIS education? In other words, what are the best practices in MIS education?55.On what do we base our measure of these practices' effectiveness? Is it hard data, anecdotal data, or something else?Certainly, I want to add to the findings in the aforementioned studies by Strasser, Tough, McCain, and Marcone. Finally, I will close with some recommendations of my own.MethodologyI used two approaches in the study. First, I created and conducted an online survey of MEIEA (Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association) members, the vast majority of whom are working music industry education professionals.Second, I planned a series of site visits to university programs across the United States. …

Belief systems as coping factors in traumatized refugees: A prospective study.

Belief systems have been considered to be coping factors for traumatized refugees. The authors present a prospective and extended version of a previous retrospective study reviewing the importance of different coping factors such as belief systems, previous traumatization, and social integration in the treatment of traumatized refugees. A longitudinal design was used to analyze the treatment of 49 refugees, finding that amelioration of posttraumatic symptomatology is related to social and intellectual factors, namely, education, living with a partner, a secure resident status, and the use of medication. The previous level of traumatization did not present an obstacle to the therapy. Although nonsignificant, those patients who had strong belief systems showed better improvement. The importance of sociocultural and beliefs as coping and therapeutic factors is discussed. Language: en

Myth, Magic and Mystery: Defending the Hidden Order of the Rule of Law

Abandonment of a belief in the objectivity of knowledge, along with the postmodernist assertion that language, truth and power are not only inextricably joined but malleable has left us with a sense of profound uncertainty. This pervasive doubt extends to virtually all realms, including law. The sense of uncertainty causes us to struggle over the application of indeterminate rules written in indeterminate language and applied to indeterminate contexts. At the core of our uncertainty is the fact that once our most important legal doctrines were disconnected from any belief in divine or natural sources of right and wrong, sources that existed independent of humanity but to which we are subject, nothing of consensual substance has replaced those strong belief systems. The challenge is that in relation to all issues of social consequence choices must be made even though there are no clear formulae to guide us. In law, those who purport to be able to identify certainty in interpretation, such as Justice Antonin Scalia, themselves offer only relativistic methods that are just as vulnerable to attack as vague or biased as the choices made by those they criticize. While the disconnection between law, natural law and divinity is rationally and evidentially justifiable in terms of our being unable to prove that God or an overarching system of natural law exists based on methods acceptable to our modern post-Enlightenment community, we have nothing to replace the value system represented by the magic of faith, mystery and myth other than resort to political power. Nor is it likely we can reinvent a strong consensual source for law and fundamental values. With the resulting moral vacuum this means that, since law is a primary method of power in Western society, gaining control of the institutions by which law is created, interpreted and applied is central to the strategies of competing factions. The dilemma is that the struggle to control law and legal institutions is weakening the hidden or tacit order of the Rule of Law by undermining respect for law and reducing our ability to compromise.

Thai nurses' beliefs about breastfeeding and postpartum practices.

Cultural beliefs are important determinants of health care behaviours. Nurses have an important influence on infant feeding decisions and maternal postpartum care, but little is known about the extent to which their practice is influenced by traditional beliefs and/or recent innovations driven by evidence-based research. The aim of this study was to investigate Thai nurses' traditional beliefs about breastfeeding and related postpartum care, and their impact on nursing practice. A survey of 372 nurses working in hospitals and health services in Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand was undertaken. Questionnaire items were developed from a review of the literature and exploratory interviews with Thai women. Descriptive statistics were used to represent the incidence of particular beliefs and behaviours. Chi-square analyses were conducted to determine relationships between demographic characteristics and traditional beliefs and practices. There were discrepancies between nurses' beliefs and contemporary evidence-based practices. Many nurses supported traditional Thai postpartum practices such as food restrictions and encouraging hot baths. Some traditional beliefs supported by nurses may be detrimental to women and babies such as "lying by fire", discarding of colostrum, and giving boiled water to neonates. Only half the nurses reported that they encouraged mothers to breastfeed immediately following birth. The study was undertaken in the North-East of Thailand, where the population is known to have strong belief systems. Reliability and content validity of the tool would be enhanced through replication studies and qualitative investigations of other breastfeeding issues. There is a need for professional development strategies such as peer review and mentoring to address inadequate knowledge and outdated practices of some health professionals, as well as continuity of care models to assess quality care outcomes that are culturally appropriate.

Cultural change and adaptation: A critique of four articles

These four articles represent a unique set of empirical work on Asian American children and their parents. Their focus is on the cultural context of the family and how it interfaces with socialization processes in our larger society. Specifically, the articles examine how family values and practices are congruent or in variance with socialization activities commonly found in American schools. Shared among the articles is the thesis that immigrant families, as they become socialized into American society, make adjustments in their ways of doing things regarding the education of their children. Each of the articles identifies different forms of “adjustments” that are having positive impacts on the lives of the children, juxtaposed with traditional family values that are more resistant to change. And then of course, there are those adjustments in the socialization process that have detrimental effects on children’s lives. Shoho’s article, “A Historical Comparison of Parental Involvement of Three Generations of Japanese Americans in the Education of Their Children,” examines differences in parent involvement in schools across three generations of Japanese Americans in Hawaii. Using parent oral histories and historical documents, he found that third-generation Japanese American families (i.e., Sansei), although more economically stable, are less involved in their children’s schools than second-generation (i.e., Niseis) families were. The consequences of decreased Sansei parent involvement in the education of Yonsei (fourth-generation) children is resulting in more social misbehavior and educational underachievement than previously experienced by Japanese American families. By stressing educational excellence, the strong belief systems of Asians and Asian Americans encourage East Asian students to persist through difficulties and remain committed to school. “Educational Socialization in Korean American Children: A Longitudinal Study,” by Y. Elsie Choi, Janine Bempechat and Herbert P. Ginsburg, looks at the relationship between beliefs in one’s academic abilities and personal effort. The

Re-establishment of traumatically disrupted finger flexor function: Abrief communication

Abstract Age regression during hypnosis and mental rehearsal while in trance, using a cassette tape for induction, enabled a patient, with disruption of flexor function of the fifth finger of her right hand, to restore full function, even though she did not have a strong belief system in hypnosis.

The Production of Cynical Knowledge in Organizations

The term is used to describe the understanding by members of an organization that presumably altruistic procedures or actions of that organization actually serve the purposes of maintaining the legitimacy of existing authority or preserving institutional structure. This paper explores the processes by which organization members obtain cynical knowledge. A study of the priests of a larger American archdiocese offers evidence that discrepancies in their belief systems, associated with age, can be explained successfully by an understanding of the role that cynical knowledge plays in an organization dependent upon commitment to altruistic ends. In any institution characterized by a strong belief system, authority relationships may be threatened to the degree that cynical knowledge is acquired by participants early in their careers. Such breakdowns of authority relationships may become more common with the organizational changes now occurring in many professional organizations.