Gender Differences in Coping Styles of Chinese Military Officers Undergoing Intensive Training

This study investigated gender differences in anxiety and coping styles under the stress of intense military training. We surveyed Chinese female (n = 470) and male (n = 379) military officers who were surveyed during the third month of a 10-month intensive training program. Results indicated that state and trait anxiety were highly correlated in both women and men. In general, female officers had higher levels of anxiety, greater negative coping tendencies, and less perceived self-efficacy than their male counterparts. When compared with the norm, both women and men had significantly more positive coping strategies. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed factors that influenced male and female state anxiety. Avoidance, which was chosen by women more often than men, in general was less useful for female officers. The most common positive coping style for female officers was problem solving, whereas for men it was help seeking. We suggested that even female officers with lower mental health levels than their male counterparts made active cognitive changes to their coping styles when undergoing intense military training.     

Tensile deformation mechanisms of the hierarchical structure consisting of both twin-free grains and nanotwinned grains

A series of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the tensile properties and atomistic deformation mechanisms for the nanostructured Cu with three typical microstructures: the hierarchical structure consisting of both twin-free grains (d?=?70?nm) and grains with bundles of smaller nanotwins (d?=?70?nm, λ?=?10?nm), the fully nanograined structure and the fully nanotwinned structure. The average flow stress of the hierarchically structure is found to be higher than that calculated by rule of mixture. As compared with that of fully nanograined structure, the strength for the twin-free grains in the hierarchical structure is promoted and gives extra hardening due to the increased dislocation density and dislocation behaviours. It is also found that the nanotwin bundles are more deformable than the twin-free grains in the hierarchical structure according to the deviatoric strain invariant contour. This indicates that the fully nanograined structure cannot only be strengthened to a higher level, but also obtain better ductility by embedded with stronger bundles of smaller nanotwins. Thus, a superior strength–ductility synergy could be obtained in this kind of hierarchical structures, and this novel strategy has also been implemented in bulk austenitic steels or copper by recent experiments.     

Two different types of shear-deformation behaviour in Au–Cu multilayers

Localised shear deformation of a material is usually identified as a particular feature of deformation inhomogeneity. Here, we show two different types of shear deformation-behaviour that occurred in Au–Cu multilayers subjected to microindentation load, namely, a cooperative-layer-buckling-induced shear banding in a nanoscale multilayer and a direct localised shearing across a layer interface along a shear plane in a submicron-scale multilayer. Theoretical analysis indicates that the formation of the two different types of shear deformation in the multilayers depends on a competition between the dislocation-pile-up-induced stress concentration at the layer interface and the barrier strength of the layer interface for glissile dislocation transmission.     

Scanning electron microscopy-electron channelling contrast investigation of recrystallization during cyclic deformation of ultrafine grained copper processed by equal channel angular pressing

Cyclic deformation has been performed at ambient temperature on ultrafine-grained copper processed by equal channel angular pressing. Observations by electron channelling contrast in a scanning electron microscope revealed that pronounced recrystallization occurred and several distinct dislocation configurations such as dislocation walls and labyrinth structures were found within the recrystallized regions. A model is proposed to account for the evolution of recrystallization, emphasizing that its development results from an interaction between the cyclic deformation and the growth of recrystallized regions. The formation of recrystallized regions of different sizes is discussed.     

PbO compensation in the growth of PbWO4: Y3+ crystals

The light yield of Y³⁺-doped PbWO₄ crystals increases after low-dose-rate irradiation with?γ?rays, and the radiation hardness is sensitive to annealing temperature. In the PWO growth procedure, an excess of PbO in the starting materials is a convenient method of compensating for PbO volatility. The relationship between the excess of PbO and the abnormal radiation behaviour has been investigated. The mechanism of the normal excess of PbO in the growth of PWO: Y³⁺ is discussed.     

High-resolution electron microscopy observations of microplastic fracture in SiC under ball milling at room temperature

Nanometre-sized kinks and cracks formed in 6H SiC under ball milling (BM) at room temperature have been observed and characterized on the atomic scale using high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). Observations of the kinks show that numerous positive and negative partials are aligned at either of the kink boundaries, and the stacking sequences in the kink band are considerably different from those in the other areas. It was also observed that the (0001) lattice planes in the kink band are kinked, indicating that microplasticity occurs in the normally brittle material SiC under BM even at room temperature. HREM observations of cracks show that cracks previously observed by transmision electron microscopy are not completely open but are at the initiation stage of fracture. Inside a crack, one residual kink region can be clearly observed, which indicates a correlation between kink and crack, that is a crack evolves from a kink.     

Coaching Behaviors,Satisfaction of Needs,and Intrinsic Motivation Among Chinese University Athletes

This cross-sectional study applied self-determination theory to understand the relationship between coaching behaviors, psychological need satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation among young Chinese athletes from 2 universities in Macao, China (N = 208). In the path model with the demographics adjusted, coaching behaviors (training instruction, democratic behaviors, autocratic behaviors, social support, and positive feedback) and need satisfaction (perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness) explained 44% of the variance in intrinsic motivation. We also found indirect effects of some coaching behaviors on intrinsic motivation through satisfying the psychological needs. Furthermore, independent self-construal significantly moderated the relationship between perceived relatedness and intrinsic motivation.     

Motivation as Mediator Between National Identity and Intention to Volunteer

Although there is a large volume of research on the relationship between social identity and volunteerism, little attention was given to national identity in volunteerism research. This study examined the role of national identity in motivating people to volunteer in the Chinese culture and its role in differentiating those who showed no interest in voluntary work (i.e. non‐volunteers) from those who wanted to volunteer but did not (i.e. potential volunteers). Two hundred ninety‐nine participants (age, M = 34.14 years) filled out a questionnaire on their demographics, experience of volunteering, intention to volunteer, volunteer motivations, and national identity. Results showed that a stronger national identity was associated with greater volunteer motivations. Mediation analyses further supported the positive indirect effect of national identity on intention to volunteer through strengthening volunteer motivations. Marital status was the only significant factor that differentiated current volunteers from potential volunteers. We concluded that citizens’ volunteer motivation increases with national identity, yet concrete measures to bring potential volunteers to actual volunteering need to be further explored. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oxytocin Receptor Gene Relates to Theory of Mind and Prosocial Behavior in Children

Individual social differences have been addressed in recent studies, and the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) is the major candidate in explaining various social phenotypes. To study the association between a well-known haplotype (rs53576) of OXTR and children's prosocial behavior and its relationship with theory of mind (ToM) ability, 87 children (aged 3 to 5 years old) participated in 3 prosocial tasks and ToM performance experiments. Participants who were homozygous for the G allele (GG) exhibited more prosocial behaviors than did those with 1 or 2 copies of the A allele (AA), and GG carriers also displayed better ToM ability than did AA individuals. Further tests showed differences between genotypes in helping and comforting, albeit not in sharing. The results demonstrated that OXTR rs53576 was related to individual differences in ToM and was associated with prosocial behavior.