1,342 research outputs found

    Editorial: Dynamic personality science: Integrating between-person stability and within-person change

    Get PDF
    Trait theorists and social-cognitive theorists have begun to integrate their respective descriptions and explanations of personality. The new framing of personality accommodates both between-person stability and within-person variability in personality. Whilst individuals differ from each other in predictable ways—differences that can sufficiently be described by broad trait constructs such as neuroticism, conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, extraversion, and core self-evaluations—they also vary systematically in the ways they respond to situations they encounter and change as a person over time. An integrated framework of personality raises many interesting questions. This Research Topic aims to move forward frontiers, both conceptually and empirically, for several of those questions. We provide new evidence in support of an integrated approach to personality, highlight currently active areas of research, and propose new directions of research into why individuals think, feel, and behave the way they do

    230Role of graft-facilitatory cells in human engraftment in the NOD-SCID mouse model

    Get PDF

    Hydropyrolysis: implications for radiocarbon pre-treatment and characterization of Black Carbon

    Get PDF
    Charcoal is the result of natural and anthropogenic burning events, when biomass is exposed to elevated temperatures under conditions of restricted oxygen. This process produces a range of materials, collectively known as pyrogenic carbon, the most inert fraction of which is known as Black Carbon (BC). BC degrades extremely slowly, and is resistant to diagenetic alteration involving the addition of exogenous carbon making it a useful target substance for radiocarbon dating particularly of more ancient samples, where contamination issues are critical. We present results of tests using a new method for the quantification and isolation of BC, known as hydropyrolysis (hypy). Results show controlled reductive removal of non-BC organic components in charcoal samples, including lignocellulosic and humic material. The process is reproducible and rapid, making hypy a promising new approach not only for isolation of purified BC for 14C measurement but also in quantification of different labile and resistant sample C fractions

    Small group learning: Do group members' implicit theories of ability make a difference?

    Get PDF
    We examined the impact of members' implicit theories of ability on group learning and the mediating role of several group process variables, such as goal-setting, effort attributions, and efficacy beliefs. Comparisons were between 15 groups with a strong incremental view on ability (high incremental theory groups), and 15 groups with a weak incremental view on ability (low incremental theory groups). Groups worked on a computer-based management simulation. The task required the groups to learn the underlying structure of the simulation to be able to control the system effectively. High incremental theory groups set more challenging group goals, attributed their performance more to effort, developed stronger group efficacy, and displayed steeper learning trajectories than low incremental theory groups. Group goals mediated the impact of group members' implicit theories on group learning. Exploratory analyses of the group communication process revealed that members of the high incremental theory groups communicated more openly about the task and maintained a stronger task focus compared with members of the low incremental theory groups. Research on group learning benefits from a stronger individual differences perspective that incooperates variables such as implicit theories of ability as determinants of emerging group processes and outcomes

    Bayesian Analysis of Individual Level Personality Dynamics

    Get PDF
    A Bayesian technique with analyses of within-person processes at the level of the individual is presented. The approach is used to examine whether the patterns of within-person responses on a 12-trial simulation task are consistent with the predictions of ITA theory (Dweck, 1999). ITA theory states that the performance of an individual with an entity theory of ability is more likely to spiral down following a failure experience than the performance of an individual with an incremental theory of ability. This is because entity theorists interpret failure experiences as evidence of a lack of ability which they believe is largely innate and therefore relatively fixed; whilst incremental theorists believe in the malleability of abilities and interpret failure experiences as evidence of more controllable factors such as poor strategy or lack of effort. The results of our analyses support ITA theory at both the within- and between-person levels of analyses and demonstrate the benefits of Bayesian techniques for the analysis of within-person processes. These include more formal specification of the theory and the ability to draw inferences about each individual, which allows for more nuanced interpretations of individuals within a personality category, such as differences in the individual probabilities of spiraling. While Bayesian techniques have many potential advantages for the analyses of processes at the level of the individual, ease of use is not one of them for psychologists trained in traditional frequentist statistical techniques

    Validation of a rapid, saliva-based, and ultra-sensitive SARS-CoV-2 screening system for pandemic-scale infection surveillance

    Get PDF
    Without any realistic prospect of comprehensive global vaccine coverage and lasting immunity, control of pandemics such as COVID-19 will require implementation of large-scale, rapid identification and isolation of infectious individuals to limit further transmission. Here, we describe an automated, high-throughput integrated screening platform, incorporating saliva-based loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology, that is designed for population-scale sensitive detection of infectious carriers of SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Central to this surveillance system is the “Sentinel” testing instrument, which is capable of reporting results within 25 min of saliva sample collection with a throughput of up to 3840 results per hour. It incorporates continuous flow loading of samples at random intervals to cost-effectively adjust for fluctuations in testing demand. Independent validation of our saliva-based RT-LAMP technology on an automated LAMP instrument coined the “Sentinel”, found 98.7% sensitivity, 97.6% specificity, and 98% accuracy against a RT-PCR comparator assay, confirming its suitability for surveillance screening. This Sentinel surveillance system offers a feasible and scalable approach to complement vaccination, to curb the spread of COVID-19 variants, and control future pandemics to save lives

    Catalytic activity of biomass-supported Pd nanoparticles : influence of the biological component in catalytic efficacy and potential application in ‘green’ synthesis of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals

    Get PDF
    AbstractFive gram negative and two gram positive bacterial strains known for their heavy metal tolerance or ability to reduce metal ions were coated with Pd(0) nanoparticles (NPs) via reduction of soluble Pd(II) ions under H2 following an initial uptake of PdCl42- without added electron donor ('biosorption'), where the gram negative strains had a ~5-fold greater capacity for Pd(II). Cupriavidis metallidurans accumulated Pd(II) exceptionally; the possibility of reduction to Pd(0) via an endogenous electron donor was not discounted. The initial rate of subsequent H2-mediated Pd(II) reduction correlated with the Pd(II) removed during biosorption (r2=0.9). TEM showed strain-specific variations of Pd-NPs. At a 1:3 loading of Pd:biomass the cell surfaces of Escherichia coli and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans showed uniform coverage with small NPs with the other strains showing larger aggregates. NPs made by the gram positive cells appeared larger than their gram negative counterparts. At a loading of 1:19 all were active catalysts in Cr(VI) reduction and in two Heck coupling reactions. BioPdE. coli and bioPdD. desulfuricans and bioPdA. oxydans were consistently the best and worst catalysts respectively. BioPdE. coli was further tested as a process catalyst according to industrial protocols in Heck and Suzuki coupling reactions. Laboratory and industrial tests (coupling of phenyl iodide and ethyl acrylate) gave 75% and 78% conversion to ethyl cinnamate, respectively. The biomaterial catalysed Heck and Suzuki reactions using bromoacetophenone and 4-bromoanisole (Heck) and 4-chloroanisole (Suzuki) but not 3-chlorotoluene. In accordance with known chemical catalysis the catalytic efficacy was related to electron-withdrawing substituents on the phenyl ring, with more than 90% conversion (Suzuki) using 4-bromobenzotrifluoride

    Extragalactic neutrino background from very young pulsars surrounded by supernova envelopes

    Full text link
    We estimate the extragalactic muon neutrino background which is produced by hadrons injected by very young pulsars at an early phase after supernova explosion. It is assumed that hadrons are accelerated in the pulsar wind zone which is filled with thermal photons captured below the expanding supernova envelope. In collisions with those thermal photons hadrons produce pions which decay into muon neutrinos. At a later time, muon neutrinos are also produced by the hadrons in collisions with matter of the expanding envelope. We show that extragalactic neutrino background predicted by such a model should be detectable by the planned 1 km2^2 neutrino detector if a significant part of pulsars is born with periods shorter than 10\sim 10 ms. Since such population of pulsars is postulated by the recent models of production of extremely high energy cosmic rays, detection of neutrinos with predicted fluxes can be used as their observational test.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, A&A style, accepted to A&A Let
    corecore