Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy of electrodeposited Ni-P alloys

Abstract

Ultramicrotoming has been employed to prepare thin cross-sections of Ni-P alloys electrodeposited on to a copper substrate. The sections, as thin as 10nm or even less, can be prepared readily with negligible damage to the alloys. Subsequent examination of the ultramicrotomed sections in an analytical transmission electron microscope has revealed that Ni-P alloys of low P content consist of fine layers of different composition and crystallinity. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy of ultramicrotomed sections has also revealed the presence of ordered regions, a few nanometres in size, in the Ni₇₇P₂₃ alloy which has been thought previously to be amorphous.     

workplace deviance in japan: applying an extended model of deterrence

We test an extended deterrence model in a Japanese workplace setting. In addition to formal punishments imposed by managerial authorities, employees contemplating rule violation are assumed to take into account the certainty and severity of two other types of punishment - socially-imposed embarrassment and self-imposed shame. All three threats are proposed to be deterrents to employee noncompliance with organizational rules. Previous studies using this theory, all of which have been conducted in the United States, find that shame is a stronger deterrent to deviance than is embarrassment. Drawing on previous discussions of cultural differences between Japan and the United States, we develop a rationale for predicting that the effect of embarrassment will be stronger in a sample of Japanese than in previous samples of Americans. In fact, the results from the Japanese sample concerning the relative importance of shame and embarrassments as inhibitors of deviance are remarkably similar to previous results from American samples. Implications of this finding are considered for the debate concerning whether deviance results primarily from factors internal or external to the individual.     

Improved picture naming in chronic aphasia after TMS to part of right Broca's area: an open-protocol study

Functional imaging studies with nonfluent aphasia patients have observed "over-activation" in right (R) language homologues. This may represent a maladaptive strategy; suppression may result in language improvement. We applied slow, 1 Hz repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) to an anterior portion of R Broca's homologue daily, for 10 days in four aphasia patients who were 5-11 years poststroke. Significant improvement was observed in picture naming at 2 months post-rTMS, with lasting benefit at 8 months in three patients. This preliminary, open trial suggests that rTMS may provide a novel treatment approach for aphasia by possibly modulating the distributed, bi-hemispheric language network.     

Attitude Transference and Deviant Behavior: A Comparative Study in Japan and the United States

Attitude transference is the term that has come to be used to refer to a key process by which one's personal attitudes approving or disapproving of certain behavior reflect those of his or her primary groups and in turn affect his or her conforming or deviant behavior. Cross-cultural comparisons on this and other issues afforded by previous studies, however, have been limited primarily to examining findings that have used different samples and instructions. Drawing on previous literature on cultural variability in individualism, the present study directly tests the hypotheses that although attitude transference operates similarly across cultures, the effects of parental and peer attitudes toward deviance on one's own attitudes should be weaker and stronger, respectively, in Japan compared to the United States. The analysis of identical survey data from college students in the two societies provides mixed support for the hypotheses.     

Differences in Perceived Levels of Informal Punishments for Noncompliance and Rewards for Compliance: A Comparison of Japanese and American Workers

The current article integrates differential association/social learning theory into Grasmick's extended deterrence theory to propose that rational actors, in deciding whether or not to comply with workplace rules, should be expected to consider not only costs of noncompliance but also rewards of compliance. The cultural differences in perceived levels of informal punishment threats of shame and embarrassment for the rule violations and informal rewards of pride and praise for the rule conformity are then examined in merged samples of employees in Japanese and U.S. hospitals. Consistent with the prediction, these punishment threats and rewards are perceived to be higher and lower, respectively, among Japanese employees than among Americans.     

Faster forgetting contributes to impaired spatial memory in the PDAPP mouse: Deficit in memory retrieval associated with increased sensitivity to interference?

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the possibility of faster forgetting by PDAPP mice (a well-established model of Alzheimer's disease as reported by Games and colleagues in an earlier paper). Experiment 1, using mice aged 13-16 mo, confirmed the presence of a deficit in a spatial reference memory task in the water maze by hemizygous PDAPP mice relative to littermate controls. However, after overtraining to a criterion of equivalent navigational performance, a series of memory retention tests revealed faster forgetting in the PDAPP group. Very limited retraining was sufficient to reinstate good memory in both groups, indicating that their faster forgetting may be due to retrieval failure rather than trace decay. In Experiment 2, 6-mo-old PDAPP and controls were required to learn each of a series of spatial locations to criterion with their memory assessed 10 min after learning each location. No memory deficit was apparent in the PDAPP mice initially, but a deficit built up through the series of locations suggestive of increased sensitivity to interference. Faster forgetting and increased interference may each reflect a difficulty in accessing memory traces. This interpretation of one aspect of the cognitive deficit in human mutant APP mice has parallels to deficits observed in patients with Alzheimer's disease, further supporting the validity of transgenic models of the disease.     

Audiovisual matching of lips and non-canonical sounds in 8-month-old infants

Japanese 8-month-olds were tested to investigate the matching of particular lip movements to corresponding non-canonical sounds, namely a bilabial trill (BT) and a whistle (WL). The results showed that the infants succeeded in lip-voice matching for the bilabial trill, whereas they failed to do so for the whistle.     

Changes in Families’ Caregiving Experiences through Involvement as Participants then Facilitators in a Family Peer‐Education Program for Mental Disorders in Japan

A family peer‐education program for mental disorders was developed in Japan, similar to existing programs in the United States and Hong Kong. Families that serve as facilitators in such programs may enhance their caregiving processes and, thereby, their well‐being. This study's aim was to describe how families’ caregiving experiences change, beginning with the onset of a family member's mental illness, through their involvement in a family group or peer‐education program as participants then facilitators. Thus, this study was conducted in a family peer‐education program for mental disorders in Japan. Group interviews were conducted with 27 facilitators from seven program sites about their experiences before, during, and after becoming facilitators. Interview data were coded and categorized into five stages of caregiving processes: (1) withdrawing and suppressing negative experiences with difficulty and regret; (2) finding comfort through being listened to about negative experiences; (3) supporting participants’ sharing as facilitators; (4) understanding and affirming oneself through repeated sharing of experiences; and (5) finding value and social roles in one's experiences. The third, fourth, and fifth stages were experienced by the facilitators. The value that the facilitators placed on their caregiving experiences changed from negative to positive, which participants regarded as helpful and supportive. We conclude that serving as facilitators may improve families’ caregiving processes.     

Counteractive control over temptations: Promoting resistance through enhanced perception of conflict and goal value

The present research explored people’s everyday practice of counteractive control. Experience sampling was used to test our prediction that strong temptations would promote self-control. Participants were 237 Japanese citizens with ages ranging from 18 to 69. Results indicated that perceived temptation prompted stronger resistance and restraint of behaviors, compared to those cases where no conflict was perceived. In addition, multilevel path analysis revealed the underlying process such that (a) a strong desire toward temptation intensified perception of conflict; (b) perceived conflict bolstered the value of goals that were in disagreement with the temptation; and (c) highly valued goals promoted self-control (i.e., stronger resistance and hence less yielding to temptation).     

Survey Satisficing Biases the Estimation of Moderation Effects

Survey satisficing in online data collection biases the estimation of treatment effects in many ways. Extending the findings of a previous study, which demonstrated that satisficing biased the estimation of main treatment effects, this study also shows that satisficing distorts the estimation of moderation effects. Targeting Japanese adults’ attitudes toward food, this study tests how the effect of country of production (Japan vs. China) is moderated by preexisting ethnocentric attitudes. The results show that while nonsatisficers predictably adjust their attitude toward food based on their preexisting ethnocentric attitude, satisficers stick to their initial stereotypical response. That is, the theoretically predicted moderation effect was observed among nonsatisficers, but not among satisficers, which indicates that satisficing biases not only the estimation of a treatment effect but also that of a moderation effect.