Positive Psychology Within a Cultural Context

As our capacity for communication with nations across the globe increases through the advances of technology, our interactions with others with different worldviews also become more frequent. This exposure to diversity on so many levels requires a better understanding of the multiple contexts in which people from different cultural backgrounds live and the strengths they possess that help them experience well-being. In order to define the characteristics that my be viewed as strengths in different groups, we must make efforts to remember that cultural rules and norms often dictate what can be called a strength versus a weakness. It is imperative that we are able to recognize that strengths may look very different in different contexts and that these diverse manifestations may come from a variety of worldviews. More work must be done in order to develop a better understanding of the way that cultural context plays a role in the operationalization, manifestation, and measurement of strengths in diverse groups. The following chapter provides a history of the connections between culture and positive psychology and discusses current issues regarding the link between cultural context and various personal characteristics. Examples from culturally sensitive positive psychology theory and research are also given in order to illustrate how researchers are better exploring positive psychology within a cultural context

Production and antioxidative activity of alcoholic beverages made from Thai ou yeast and black rice (Oryza sativa var. Indica cv. Shiun)

Fermentation yeast was isolated from a Thai traditional alcoholic beverage called Thai ou, which is drunk through bamboo tubes. The isolated yeast was identified as a strain of the genus Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The alcoholic beverage made with the isolated yeast designated as S. cerevisiae NP01 from black rice grains had an ethanol concentration of 12.4 to 13.1% (v/v) and a large amount of phenolic compounds. The resulting alcoholic beverages made from black rice grains were red in color, especially those made from uncooked black rice, which had a brilliant red hue similar to that of red or rosé wine. The amount of anthocyanin in the beverages made from uncooked black rice with NP01 and industrial wine yeast W-4 was 118 and 131 μg/ml, respectively. The anthocyanin content of beverages made from uncooked black rice was higher than that of the beverages made from the cooked black rice. The antioxidative activity of alcoholic beverages made from uncooked black rice was also higher than that of beverages made from cooked black rice. In the course of this study, the use of NP01 yeast produced black rice wine that was red in color and exhibited antioxidative activity.Key words: Antioxidative activity, ou, black rice, anthocyanin, alcoholic beverage

Sensibilidade a fungicidas de isolados de corynespora cassiicola provenientes do Estado de Goiás.

O fungo Corynespora cassiicola, agente causal da mancha-alvo em soja, pode, sob condições de alta temperatura e alta umidade, causar sérios danos à cultura. No Brasil, não se tem condições suficientes para um manejo adequado dessa doença, principalmente pela escassez de fungicidas foliares registrados e cultivares resistentes. Este trabalho foi realizado visando avaliar a sensibilidade in vitro de seis isolados de C. cassiicola oriundos do Estado de Goiás, aos fungicidas boscalida, carbendazim, ciproconazol, fluopyram, fluxapiroxade, protioconazol e tiofanato-metílico, utilizados nas concentrações de 0; 0,01; 0,1; 1; 10 e 100 ug mL-1 de ingrediente ativo (i.a.). Os fungicidas fluxapiroxade e fluopyram proporcionaram as maiores inibições de crescimento micelial (ICM) do patógeno in vitro, apresentando as menores doses efetivas capaz de inibir o crescimento micelial em 50% (DE50). O fungicida tiofanato-metílico foi incapaz de inibir o crescimento micelial do fungo nas concentrações avaliadas

Association of Athletic Testing Results from NBA Draft Combine to Future Performance of Players

Please view abstract in the attached PDF fil

Coffee water use in agroforestry system with rubber trees.

Water uptake and use by plants are essentially energy processes that can be largely modified by percentage of soil cover, plant type; foliage area and its distribution; phenological stage and several environmental factors. Coffee trees (Coffea arabica - cv. Obatã IAC 1669-20) in Agrforestry System (AFS) spaced 3.4x0.9m apart, were planted inside and along rows of 12- year-old rubber trees (Hevea spp.) in Piracicaba-SP, Brazil (22 42'30" S, 47 38'00" W - altitude: 546m). Sap flow of one-year-old coffee plants exposed to 35; 45; 80; 95 and 100% of total solar radiation was estimated by the heat balance technique (Dynamax Inc.). Coffee plants under shade showed greater water loss per unit of incident irradiance. On the other hand, plants in monocrop (full sun) had the least water loss per unit of incident irradiance. For the evaluated positions average water use was (gH2O.m-2Leaf area.MJ-1): 64.71; 67.75; 25.89; 33.54; 27.11 in Dec./2002 and 97.14; 72.50; 40.70; 32.78; 26.13 in Feb./2003. This fact may be attributed to the higher stomata sensitivity of the coffee plants under more illuminated conditions, thus plants under full sun presented the highest water use efficiency. Express transpiration by leaf mass can be a means to access plant adaptation to the various environments, which is inaccessible when the approach is made by leaf area