Phase transformation of germanium by processing through high-pressure torsion: strain and temperature effects

Germanium has been processed by high-pressure torsion (HPT) under a nominal pressure of 24 GPa at room temperature and cryogenic temperature. The samples processed at room temperature were composed of a diamond-cubic Ge-I phase and a metastable tetragonal Ge-III phase. The formation of Ge-III was significantly suppressed and Ge-I and an amorphous phase, in addition to a small amount of body-centred-cubic Ge-IV, appeared in the case of cryogenic HPT processing at 100 K. The Ge-IV phase gradually disappeared at room temperature. These results indicated that shear strain and thermal energy are important for promoting the formation of Ge-III.     

New 1/1 cubic approximant phases in the Al-Cu-Ru-Si system studied by electron diffraction and high-resolution electron microscopy

Two types of new Al-Cu-Ru-Si 1/1 cubic approximant phases, both of which have cell parameters a=12.68A have been found in an as-cast Al_58.5Cu₁₈Ru_13.5Si₁₀ alloy. The two phases have sc and bcc structures respectively and are finely mixed in transmission electron microscopy observations. It is proposed that the sc structure is caused by ordering of atoms in the bcc structure.     

Tailoring of interfaces in amorphous silicon–germanium multilayers on the atomic scale by ultra-high gravity

Amorphous Si/Ge multilayers containing diffuse interfaces have been prepared, heated in an ultra-centrifuge and subsequent interface structure modifications observed by X-ray reflectivity. The thickness of the Si/Ge and Ge/Si interface zones became asymmetrical owing to various effects occurring on the different atoms parallel to the direction of gravity-induced diffusion. The technique could prove useful for tuning physical (electronic, magnetic or optical) properties of layered structures.     

Same-different reaction times studied with a flash masking technique

The reaction times (RT) needed to report whether letters were the same or different were measured using a very long exposure of the target and a very brief exposure of a flash mask. Two letters were presented simultaneously in Experiment 1. No effect of response category (same vs. different) was found, although a clear-cut luminance-dependent masking effect was present. Letter number was manipulated in Experiment 2. A three-way interaction was found among response category, number of letters, and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA). The more difficult task produced longer RTs for “different” judgments than for “same” judgments, particularly at intermediate SOAs. These data are compared with information processing models of perception.     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Japanese Version of the Elder Life Adjustment Interview Schedule for Depression

The Elder Life Adjustment Interview Schedule (ELAIS) was developed as an age- and culture-sensitive assessment device for depression and 9 environmental, behavioral, and health correlates (Schlatter et al., 1993, J. MARC Res. 1: 27–42). The psychometric adequacy of the ELAIS has been demonstrated with samples of elder Americans of Asian, Caucasian, and Native Hawaiian ancestry (Dubanoski et al., 1996, J. Clin. Gerospsychol. 2: 247–262). This study reports on the reliability and construct validity of a translated Japanese version. Participants were 55 community-dwelling elders living in the areas surrounding Maebashi, Japan. The ELAIS contains 14 scales of which 9 represent theoretical predictors of depression. The 2 Environmental Condition scales measure life events and social support. The 4 Behavioral Competency scales measure recreational activity, assertiveness, self-reinforcement, and perceived control. The 3 Health Factor scales measure perceived health, functional ability, and objective health. The 5 Other scales measure demographics, depression, life satisfaction, cognitive functioning, and response style. Results yielded acceptable internal consistency and stability reliability coefficients for all but 1 of the subscales on the ELAIS (informational social support). Construct validity support was found for the Depression scale and 6 theoretical predictors, including life events, recreational activity, assertiveness, self-reinforcement, functional ability, and objective health. Treatment and prevention implications for the cross-ethnic multivariate assessment of depression among elders are discussed.     

The Frame Constraint on Experimentally Elicited Speech Errors in Japanese

The so-called syllable position effect in speech errors has been interpreted as reflecting constraints posed by the frame structure of a given language, which is separately operating from linguistic content during speech production. The effect refers to the phenomenon that when a speech error occurs, replaced and replacing sounds tend to be in the same position within a syllable or word. Most of the evidence for the effect comes from analyses of naturally occurring speech errors in Indo-European languages, and there are few studies examining the effect in experimentally elicited speech errors and in other languages. This study examined whether experimentally elicited sound errors in Japanese exhibits the syllable position effect. In Japanese, the sub-syllabic unit known as “mora” is considered to be a basic sound unit in production. Results showed that the syllable position effect occurred in mora errors, suggesting that the frame constrains the ordering of sounds during speech production.