Development and Validation of the Behavioral Tendencies Questionnaire

At a fundamental level, taxonomy of behavior and behavioral tendencies can be described in terms of approach, avoid, or equivocate (i.e., neither approach nor avoid). While there are numerous theories of personality, temperament, and character, few seem to take advantage of parsimonious taxonomy. The present study sought to implement this taxonomy by creating a questionnaire based on a categorization of behavioral temperaments/tendencies first identified in Buddhist accounts over fifteen hundred years ago. Items were developed using historical and contemporary texts of the behavioral temperaments, described as “Greedy/Faithful”, “Aversive/Discerning”, and “Deluded/Speculative”. To both maintain this categorical typology and benefit from the advantageous properties of forced-choice response format (e.g., reduction of response biases), binary pairwise preferences for items were modeled using Latent Class Analysis (LCA). One sample (n1 = 394) was used to estimate the item parameters, and the second sample (n2 = 504) was used to classify the participants using the established parameters and cross-validate the classification against multiple other measures. The cross-validated measure exhibited good nomothetic span (construct-consistent relationships with related measures) that seemed to corroborate the ideas present in the original Buddhist source documents. The final 13-block questionnaire created from the best performing items (the Behavioral Tendencies Questionnaire or BTQ) is a psychometrically valid questionnaire that is historically consistent, based in behavioral tendencies, and promises practical and clinical utility particularly in settings that teach and study meditation practices such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)

Determination of Membrane Protein Transporter Oligomerization in Native Tissue Using Spatial Fluorescence Intensity Fluctuation Analysis

Membrane transporter proteins exist in a complex dynamic equilibrium between various oligomeric states that include monomers, dimers, dimer of dimers and higher order oligomers. Given their sub-optical microscopic resolution size, the oligomerization state of membrane transporters is difficult to quantify without requiring tissue disruption and indirect biochemical methods. Here we present the application of a fluorescence measurement technique which combines fluorescence image moment analysis and spatial intensity distribution analysis (SpIDA) to determine the oligomerization state of membrane proteins in situ. As a model system we analyzed the oligomeric state(s) of the electrogenic sodium bicarbonate cotransporter NBCe1-A in cultured cells and in rat kidney. The approaches that we describe offer for the first time the ability to investigate the oligomeric state of membrane transporter proteins in their native state

Switchgrass Harvest and Storage

The feedstock characteristics of the conversion platform will influence the optimal harvest and post harvest management practices for switchgrass. However, many of the harvest management practices are tied to plant phenology and will be similar across platforms. Proper harvest and storage of switchgrass will help provide a consistent and high-quality feedstock to the biorefinery. Bioenergyspecific switchgrass strains are high-yielding and in most cases can be harvested and baled with commercially available haying equipment. Many options are available for packaging switchgrass for storage and transportation, but large round bales or large rectangular bales are the most readily available and are in use on farms. Large round bales tend to have less storage losses than large rectangular bales when stored outside, but rectangular bales tend to be easier to handle and load a truck for transport without road width restrictions. Although there is limited large-scale experience with harvesting and storing switchgrass for bioenergy, extensive research, as well as a history of harvesting hay crops for livestock in many agroecoregions, makes harvesting and preserving switchgrass for bioenergy feasible at the landscape scale

In-field measurement and sampling technologies for monitoring quality in the sugarcane industry: a review

Reliable in-field quality measurement and sampling techniques are needed in the sugarcane industry to accommodate spatial variability in crop quality during harvesting. Existing in-field monitoring systems only monitor the crop yield and do not have the ability to measure product quality. This is a serious limitation for the industry in dealing with a significant quality variation across a field. Conventional technologies for measuring sugarcane quality in a laboratory have severe limitations for field use because they require complex sample preparation procedures especially to have clarified juice samples for each measurement. This review focuses on the use of current and new emerging precision agricultural sensing technologies for measuring product quality and describes their potential application and limitation for field use in the sugarcane industry. Optical spectroscopy is among the most promising technologies for measuring sugarcane quality on a harvester. The key considerations for development of a measurement method and sampling mechanism in the field are also discussed

Student engagement and performance: A weekly diary study on the role of openness

In the present study, we used a quantitative diary design to investigate within-person fluctuations in student engagement and performance. Specifically, we analyzed the impact of weekly personal and study resources on weekly student engagement, active learning behaviors, and performance. In addition, we investigated whether students high (vs. low) in trait Openness reacted differently to their weekly resources. The sample was composed of 45 first-year psychology students who filled in a questionnaire over 3 weeks; twice per week (N = 45 9 6 = 270 occasions)—during the days they had tutorial group meetings. The tutors evaluated each student’s active learning behaviors during these meetings. Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses showed that study engagement fully mediated the relationship between personal resources and observed learning activities; study resources were indirectly positively related to learning activities through study engagement. In addition, observed learning activities were positively related to the course grade. As hypothesized, trait Openness strengthened the positive relationship between personal/study resources and study engagement. Our findings highlight the importance of fostering students’ engagement. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical implications for education and suggestions for future research