Counterfactual comparison modulates fairness consideration in the mini‐ultimatum game: An event‐related potentials study

Existing literature on the mini‐ultimatum game indicates that counterfactual comparison between chosen and unchosen alternatives is of great importance for individual's fairness consideration. However, it is still unclear how counterfactual comparison influences the electrophysiological responses to unfair chosen offers. In conjunction with event‐related potentials’ (ERPs) technique, the current study aimed to explore the issue by employing a modified version of the mini‐ultimatum game where a fixed set of two alternatives (unfair offer vs. fair alternative, unfair vs. hyperfair alternative, unfair offer vs. hyperunfair alternative) was presented before the chosen offer. The behavioral results showed that participants were more likely to accept unfair chosen offers when the unchosen alternative was hyperunfair than when the unchosen alternative was fair or hyperfair. The ERPs results showed that the feedback‐related negativity (FRN) elicited by unfair chosen offers was insensitive to the type of unchosen alternative when correcting for possible overlap with other components. In contrast, unfair chosen offers elicited larger P300 amplitudes when the unchosen alternative was hyperunfair than when the unchosen alternative was fair or hyperfair. These findings suggest that counterfactual comparison may take effect at later stages of fairness consideration as reflected by the P300.     

Bi-Directional Relationship Between Self-Regulation and Improved Eating: Temporal Associations With Exercise,Reduced Fatigue,and Weight Loss

ABSTRACT. Severely obese men and women (body mass index ≥ 35 ≤ 55 kg/m²; M_age = 44.8 years, SD = 9.3) were randomly assigned to a 6-month physical activity support treatment paired with either nutrition education (n = 83) or cognitive-behavioral nutrition (n = 82) methods for weight loss. Both groups had significant improvements in physical activity, fatigue, self-regulation for eating, and fruit and vegetable intake. Compared to those in the nutrition education group, participants in the behavioral group demonstrated greater overall increases in fruit and vegetable intake and physical activity. These group differences were associated with changes that occurred after Month 3. Increased physical activity predicted reduced fatigue, β = ?.19, p =.01. A reciprocal relationship between the mediators of that relationship, which were changes in self-regulation and fruit and vegetable intake, was identified. There was significantly greater weight loss over six months in the behavioral nutrition group when contrasted with the nutrition education group. Self-regulation for eating and fruit and vegetable intake were significant predictors of weight loss over both three and six months. Findings enabled a better understanding of psychosocial effects on temporal aspects of weight loss and may lead to more effective behavioral treatments for weight loss.     

Sources of motivation, interpersonal conflict management styles, and leadership effectiveness: a structural model

126 leaders and 624 employees were sampled to test the relationship between sources of motivation and conflict management styles of leaders and how these variables influence effectiveness of leadership. Five sources of motivation measured by the Motivation Sources Inventory were tested-intrinsic process, instrumental, self-concept external, self-concept internal, and goal internalization. These sources of work motivation were associated with Rahim's modes of interpersonal conflict management-dominating, avoiding, obliging, complying, and integrating-and to perceived leadership effectiveness. A structural equation model tested leaders' conflict management styles and leadership effectiveness based upon different sources of work motivation. The model explained variance for obliging (65%), dominating (79%), avoiding (76%), and compromising (68%), but explained little variance for integrating (7%). The model explained only 28% of the variance in leader effectiveness.     

Understanding the object benefit in visual short-term memory: the roles of feature proximity and connectedness

Past research has identified visual objects as the units of information processing in visual short-term memory (VSTM) and has shown that two features from the same object can be remembered in VSTM as well (or almost as well) as one feature of that object and are much better remembered than the same two features from two spatially separated objects. It is not clear, however, what drives this object benefit in VSTM. Is it the shared spatial location (proximity), the connectedness among features of an object, or both? In six change detection experiments, both location/proximity and connectedness were found to be crucial in determining the magnitude of the object benefit in VSTM. Together, these results indicate that location/proximity and connectedness are essential elements in defining a coherent visual object representation in VSTM.     

The development of executive functioning and theory of mind. A comparison of Chinese and U.S. preschoolers

Preschoolers' theory-of-mind development follows a similar age trajectory across many cultures. To determine whether these similarities are related to similar underlying ontogenetic processes, we examined whether the relation between theory of mind and executive function commonly found among U.S. preschoolers is also present among Chinese preschoolers. Preschoolers from Beijing, China (N= 109), were administered theory-of-mind and executive-functioning tasks, and their performance was compared with that of a previously studied sample of U.S. preschoolers (N= 107). The Chinese preschoolers outperformed their U.S. counterparts on all measures of executive functioning, but were not similarly advanced in theory-of-mind reasoning. Nonetheless, individual differences in executive functioning predicted theory of mind for children in both cultures. Thus, the relation between executive functioning and theory of mind is robust across two disparate cultures. These findings shed light on why executive functioning is important for theory-of-mind development.     

Discontinuous precipitation initiated at interphase boundaries in a Zn-rich Zn-6.3 at.% Ag alloy

Discontinuous precipitation in a two-phase Zn-rich Zn-6.3at.%Ag alloy has been studied. It has been shown that the eta/epsilon interphase boundaries have the ability to initiate discontinuous precipitation as do the eta/eta grain boundaries. The back-polishing method is used to show the interconnection between a discontinuous precipitate colony and the eta/epsilon interphase boundary. The reaction front velocity of discontinuous precipitation initiated at the eta/eta grain boundary is 12-90% higher than that of discontinuous precipitation initiated at the eta/epsilon interphase boundary under various ageing temperatures.     

Homogeneous nucleation of dislocation loops under stress in perfect crystals

We present an analysis and results on the homogeneous nucleation of a dislocation loop under stress in a perfect crystal. By using a variational boundary integral method in the Peierls-Nabarro framework, we have determined the saddle-point configurations of embryonic dislocation loops and their associated activation energies under stress levels up to the ideal shear strength. The high-energy barriers under the usual levels of applied shear stresses, differing markedly from the ideal shear strength, confirm the widely held view that thermal motion should play no role in such nucleation. The result provides means for more definitive solutions of fundamental problems involving homogeneous nucleation of dislocation loops and has significant implications for models based on the mechanism of nucleation of dislocations from a perfect crystal.     

Application of the stagnant stage concept for monitoring Mn partitioning at the austenite-ferrite interface in the intercritical region for Fe–Mn–C alloys

The length of the stagnant stage during the new ferrite growth starting from a mixture of austenite and ferrite has been investigated for a Fe-0.17Mn-0.023C (wt%) alloy. It was found that the stagnant stage depends on the thermal path followed to create the mixture, and deduce that the tie-lines for austenite to ferrite transformation are quite different from those for ferrite to austenite transformation. The length of the stagnant stage is determined by the very local partitioning effect at the interface, and it can be used as a tool to monitor the Mn partitioning.     

Understanding scale-dependent yield stress of metals at micrometre scales

The mechanical softening behaviour of micrometre-scale metals (free-standing metal foils and wires) with decreasing either the geometrical or the microstructural scale (i.e. the smaller, the weaker) has recently been reported. Here, we present a mechanism-based model to understand the softening behaviour, which is based on competition between the effects of surface grain relaxation and the interior grain strengthening effect. The model describes well the yield stress of Cu foils with different ratios of the thickness to grain size.     

阿尔茨海默病生物学标志物研究进展

阿尔茨海默病（AD）是常见的中枢神经系统变性疾病,是痴呆最常见的病因,发病率高.病理特征为老年斑及神经元纤维缠结.AD的确诊有赖病理学,临床诊断极其耗时.由于尚无准确的早期诊断方法,常使AD患者错过早期治疗的时机,这成为制约有效防控AD的瓶颈问题.因此寻找高敏感性、特异性、无创性的生物学标志物对AD的早期诊断至关重要.本文仅将目前较为广泛研究的生物学标志物及其研究现状作一概述.分别对脑脊液、血液、尿液及唾液中的AD标志物作逐一介绍.