Revised NEO personality inventory normative data for catalan police officer selection: preliminary study

El Servei d'Avaluació, Seguiment i Selecció de l'ISPC han elaborat un estudi sobre el perfil de personalitat dels aspirants al Curs de Formació bàsica per policies, que es va presentar a l'International Society for the Study of Individual Differences Meeting celebrat al CosmoCaixa de Barcelona i que organitzen conjuntament l’Associació Iberoamericana per a la recerca de les diferències individuals i la Universitat de Barcelona. L’estudi, titulat Revised NEO Personality Inventory Normative Data for Catalan police officer selection: A preliminary study, té com a objectiu comparar els perfils de personalitat d’una mostra d’aspirants de l’ISPC amb els resultats d’una mostra d’aspirants a policia dels EUA, publicada en una revista científica de prestigi el mes de febrer passat. Els resultats mostren que els aspirants catalans destaquen per obtenir millors puntuacions en les dimensions de responsabilitat i amabilitat, cosa que indicaria que aquest tret es valora especialment durant el procés de selecció de la policia de Catalunya; en altres característiques de la personalitat les dues mostres obtenen resultats similars. Els trets característics del perfil del policia català seria el de persones estables emocionalment, poc impulsives, amb capacitat per gestionar l’estrés, orientades a les persones, agradables, sociables, responsables, disciplinades i cauteloses. Enllaç a: International Society for the Study of Individual Differences Meeting :http://www.issid.org/conferences/ISSID2013/ISSIDconference2013.html

Characterization of the enzyme involved in the processing of big endothelin-1 in human lung epithelial cells.

Biosynthesis of active endothelin-1 (ET-1) implies an enzymatic processing of the inactive precursor Big ET-1 (1-39) into the mature, 21 amino acid peptide. The aim of this study was to characterize in airway and alveolar epithelial cells the enzymes responsible for this activation. BEAS-2B and A549 cells, which both produce ET-1, were studied in vitro as models for bronchiolar and alveolar cells, respectively. Both cell lines were able to convert exogenously added Big ET-1 (0.1 microM) into ET-1, suggesting a cell surface or an extracellular processing. The conversion was inhibited by phosphoramidon in both cell lines with an IC50 approximately 1 microM, but not by thiorphan, a specific inhibitor of neutral endopeptidase 24.11 (NEP). The endogenous production of serum-stimulated BEAS-2B and A549 cells was not inhibited by thiorphan, and phosphoramidon showed inhibition only at high concentration (>100 microM). Western blotting following electrophoresis in reducing conditions demonstrated a protein of MR 110 corresponding to the ECE-1 monomer in both BEAS-2B and A549 cells, as well as in whole lung extracts. By RT-PCR we revealed the mRNA encoding for the ECE-1b and/or -1c subtype, but not ECE-1a, in both cell lines. We conclude that BEAS-2B and A549 cells are able to process either endogenous or exogenous Big ET-1 by ECE-1 and that isoforms 1b and 1c could be involved in this processing with no significant role of NEP.

Le développement des interactions triadiques mère-père-enfant = The development of mother-father-child triadic interactions

Cet article présente un état des lieux des recherches menées selon le paradigme de « l'alliance familiale » sur le développement des interactions triadiques mère-père-enfant lors de la transition à la parentalité. Ces recherches ont montré tout d'abord que la qualité des interactions triadiques tend à être stable au cours des deux premières années de vie de l'enfant, et qu'elle peut être anticipée durant la grossesse par l'observation d'interactions dans une simulation de jeu triadique. Ensuite, elles ont montré qu'une altération de ces interactions a une influence sur le développement de l'enfant qui se manifeste tout au long des cinq premières années, tant au niveau affectif que cognitif (par exemple : la capacité d'attention triangulaire lors des premiers mois, ou le développement de la théorie de l'esprit et les difficultés de comportements à cinq ans). Cette influence s'exerce en plus de celle d'autres variables comme la relation d'attachement mère-enfant, ou la personnalité de l'enfant lui-même évaluée selon son tempérament. La triade constitue donc un contexte de développement en soi qui doit être pris en compte dans la prise en charge et l'intervention auprès de jeunes enfants.This paper presents the main results of researches on the development of mother-father-child triadic interactions during the transition to parenthood, according to the « family alliance » model. First, these researches have shown that the quality of triadic interactions tends to be stable through the first two years, and that it can be predicted during pregnancy by observation of a simulated triadic play. Then, they have shown that disturbances in triadic interactions have an impact on several affective and cognitive developmental outcomes for the child throughout the first five years (for example, the triangular attention capacity during the first months, or the development of theory of mind and externalized behaviors at age five). This impact is specific, and triadic interactions exert an influence on the development of the child over and above other variables like the mother-child attachment relationship, or the personality of the child assessed in terms of temperament. The triad constitutes then a context of development per se which has to be taken into account when working clinically with young children.

Phosphate forms in plant and their internal buffering in five soybean cultivars

Differences among plants in their ability to support nutritional stress periods may be caused by a differential vacuole capacity of ion storage and release and may also depend on the intensity of nutrient re-translocation under such conditions. In five soybean cultivars, submitted to eight days of P deprivation, the dry matter production and the contents of three phosphorus (P) forms - inorganic (Pi), organic (Po), and acid-soluble total (Pts) of different plant organs were determined. Pi release velocity (RSPi) was estimated as the tangent to the equations obtained for Pi f(t) at the point t = 2 days (the mean point in the period of greatest Pi decrease), considering that -deltaPi/deltat expresses the rate of Pi release. The internal Pi buffering capacity (IBCPi) was calculated as the inverse of the RSPi. Cultivars' differences in size of the non-metabolic Pi pool, RSPi, and the ability to transport Pi from less to more actively metabolizing regions were evaluated. The preferential Pi source and sink compartments under limited P absorption conditions were also evaluated. The cultivar Santa Rosa showed the highest Pi storage ability when the external supply was high, and a more intensive release under low P supply conditions than IAC8 and UFV1. The cultivar Uberaba was superior to Doko in its ability to store and use Pi. In all cultivars, upper leaves and roots were the main sink of Pi stored in the middle and lower leaves. Roots and upper leaves showed larger RSPi and lower IBCPi values than middle and lower leaves.

Modelling the risk of nitrate leaching from two soils amended with five different biosolids

High N concentrations in biosolids are one of the strongest reasons for their agricultural use. However, it is essential to understand the fate of N in soils treated with biosolids for both plant nutrition and managing the environmental risk of NO3--N leaching. This work aimed at evaluating the risk of NO3--N leaching from a Spodosol and an Oxisol, each one treated with 0.5-8.0 dry Mg ha-1 of fresh tertiary sewage sludge, composted biosolids, limed biosolids, heat-dried biosolids and solar-irradiated biosolids. Results indicated that under similar application rates NO3--N accumulated up to three times more in the 20 cm topsoil of the Oxisol than the Spodosol. However, a higher water content held at field capacity in the Oxisol compensated for the greater nitrate concentrations. A 20 % NO3--N loss from the root zone in the amended Oxisol could be expected. Depending on the biosolids type, 42 to 76 % of the NO3--N accumulated in the Spodosol could be expected to leach down from the amended 20 cm topsoil. NO3--N expected to leach from the Spodosol ranged from 0.8 (composted sludge) to 3.5 times (limed sludge) the amounts leaching from the Oxisol treated alike. Nevertheless, the risk of NO3--N groundwater contamination as a result of a single biosolids land application at 0.5-8.0 dry Mg ha-1 could be considered low.

DOI: The "Big Brother" in the dissemination of scientific documentation

Rapid growth in the availability and use of digital documents has prompted the development of instruments to handle them. A most important example of these instruments are digital identifiers, which provide a codification system that allows digital items, usually up to the level of a computer file, to be singled out and located. Digital identifiers make up standardized global systems applied to specific products or areas. They are part of the very many identifiers developed to handle large numbers of items and large amounts of information for transactional purposes, which often have a global span. Digital identifiers include the ubiquitous Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), a code that unequivocally identifies trade items all around the world. The GTIN can take on several configurations depending on its application. These include: EAN-13, EAN-8, EAN-14, and UCC-12. EAN-13 is the code used for retail products in order to facilitate trade at the point of sale; its widely known symbol or graphical form is the EAN/UPC-13 bar code...

Combined report on the institutions under the control of the Iowa Department of Human Services for the five years ended June 30, 2009

Combined report on the institutions under the control of the Iowa Department of Human Services for the five years ended June 30, 2009

Combined report on the institutions under the control of the Iowa Department of Corrections for the five years ended June 30, 2009

Combined report on the institutions under the control of the Iowa Department of Corrections for the five years ended June 30, 2009

Executive Order Number Twenty-Five, August 6, 2010

July 24, 2010, the breach of the Lake Delhi dam caused flash floods and massive damage to persons and businesses and public infrastructure in Delaware and Jones counties and surrounding areas, including Jackson County, resulting in gubernatorial declarations of emergency and applications for federal disaster assistance for these areas.

Comparison of estimation methods of soil strength in five soils

In agriculture, the soil strength is used to describe the susceptibility to deformation by pressure caused by agricultural machine. The purpose of this study was to compare different methods for estimating the inherent soil strength and to identify their suitability for the evaluation of load support capacity, compaction susceptibility and root growth. The physical, chemical, mineralogical and intrinsic strength properties of seven soil samples, collected from five sampling pits at different locations in Brazil, were measured. Four clay (CS) and three sandy clay loam (SCL) soils were used. The clay soils were collected on a farm in Santo Ângelo, RS (28 º 16 ' 16 '' S; 54 º 13 ' 11 '' W 290 m); A and B horizons at the Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG (21 º 13 ' 47 '' S; 44 º 58 ' 6'' W; 918 m) and on the farm Sygenta, in Uberlandia, MG (18 º 58 ' 37 '' S; 48 º 12 ' 05 '' W 866 m). The sandy clay loam soils were collected in Aracruz, ES (19 º 47 ' 10 '' S; 40 º 16 ' 29 '' W 81 m), and on the farm Xavier, Lavras, MG (21 º 13 ' 24 '' S; 45 º 05 ' 00 '' W; 844 m). Soil strength was estimated based on measurements of: (a) a pneumatic consolidometer, (b) manual pocket (non-rotating) penetrometer; and (c) automatic (rotating) penetrometer. The results of soil strength properties were similar by the three methods. The soil structure had a significant influence on soil strength. Results of measurements with both the manual pocket and the electric penetrometer were similar, emphasizing the influence of soil texture. The data showed that, to enhance the reliability of predictions of preconsolidation pressure by penetrometers, it is better to separate the soils into the different classes, rather than analyze them jointly. It can be concluded that the consolidometer method, although expensive, is the best when evaluations of load support capacity and compaction susceptibility of soil samples are desired.

Personality and Culture Cross-Cultural Psychology at the Next Crossroads

A review of nearly three decades of cross-cultural research shows that this domain still has to address several issues regarding the biases of data collection and sampling methods, the lack of clear and consensual definitions of constructs and variables, and measurement invariance issues that seriously limit the comparability of results across cultures. Indeed, a large majority of the existing studies are still based on the anthropological model, which compares two cultures and mainly uses convenience samples of university students. This paper stresses the need to incorporate a larger variety of regions and cultures in the research designs, the necessity to theorize and identify a larger set of variables in order to describe a human environment, and the importance of overcoming methodological weaknesses to improve the comparability of measurement results. Cross-cultural psychology is at the next crossroads in it's development, and researchers can certainly make major contributions to this domain if they can address these weaknesses and challenges.