Estimating Gait Stability: Asymmetrical Loading Effects Measured Using Margin of Stability and Local Dynamic Stability

Changes to intersegmental locomotor control patterns may affect body stability. Our study aimed to (a) characterize upper body dynamic stability in response to the unilateral addition of mass to the lower extremity and (b) evaluate the efficacy of 2 different stability measures commonly used in the literature to detect resulting symmetrical step pattern modifications across the weighted segments (spatial) and between epochs of the gait cycle (temporal). Young adults walked on a treadmill while unloaded or with weights applied unilaterally to their foot, shank, or thigh. Both margin of stability and local dynamic stability (LDS) estimates detected similar trends of distal segment weighting resulting in more unstable upper body movement compared to proximal weighting; however only LDS detected anteroposterior changes in upper body stability over time.     

Philosophy Unbound: The Idea of Global Philosophy

The future of philosophy is moving towards “global philosophy.” The idea of global philosophy is the view that different philosophical approaches may engage more substantially with each other to solve philosophical problems. Most solutions attempt to use only those available resources located within one philosophical tradition. A more promising approach might be to expand the range of available resources to better assist our ability to offer more compelling solutions. This search for new horizons in order to improve our clarity about philosophical issues is at the heart of global philosophy. The idea of global philosophy encourages us to look beyond our traditions to improve our philosophical problem‐solving by our own lights. Global philosophy is a new approach whose time is coming. This essay offers the first account of this approach and an assessment of its future promise.     

The moderating role of emotional stability in the relationship between exposure to violence and anxiety and depression

This study investigated the associations among exposure to violence, emotional stability, and psychological symptoms. The moderating role of emotional stability in the relationship between exposure to violence and anxiety and depression was examined in a sample of 482 high school students in Hong Kong. Results showed that both witnessing violence and low levels of emotional stability were positively associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Low levels of emotional stability exacerbated the relation between witnessing violence and symptoms of anxiety and depression; the opposite pattern was found among adolescents with high levels of emotional stability. This study sheds light on the role of emotional stability in ameliorating the detrimental effects of witnessing violence on symptoms of anxiety and depression among adolescents. Findings of this study also have implications for the development of emotionally healthy personalities.     

Thermal stability and glass-forming ability of Se80− x Te20Ag x (x = 0, 3, 5, 7 and 9) chalcogenide glasses

The thermal stability and glass-forming ability (GFA) of Se_{80? x} Te₂₀Ag _x (x?=?0,?3,?5,?7 and 9) chalcogenide glasses have been investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The DSC runs have been taken at five different heating rates (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50?K/min) under non-isothermal condition. The thermal stability and GFA are monitored through determination of the temperature difference ΔT?=?T _c???T _g, where T _c is the onset crystallization temperature, T _g is the glass transition temperature, H ^l is the stability parameter, ΔH _c is the enthalpy released during crystallization and F _i is the fragility index. The activation energy of crystallization E _c and crystallization rate factor K have also been determined as indicators of the thermal stability of the above-mentioned samples. It is found that Se₇₁Te₂₀Ag₉ is the most stable among all the samples of the series.     

Energetic effects of dopants on the eutectoid decomposition of Nb–Si in situ composites

The influences of doping elements (Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Ta, Cr, Mo, W and Al) on the heats of formation of Nb, Nb₅Si₃ and Nb₃Si have been studied using first-principles pseudopotential plane-wave method based on density functional theory. Site preferences of dopants in Nb₅Si₃ and Nb₃Si intermetallics are first determined by comparing the heats of formation of the systems with different site occupations of the doping atoms. The partitionings of dopants between the equilibrium phases Nb and Nb₅Si₃ of Nb–Si in situ composites are then discussed and compared with experimental results. Phase partitioning behaviours of the alloying elements are found to depend strongly on the number of their valence electrons. By calculating the enthalpy of reaction regarding the eutectoid decomposition of Nb₃Si phase, we conclude that Ta is a Nb₃Si stabiliser while other dopants destabilise Nb₃Si at the investigated concentration.     

Crystal growth and defect study of BiSbTe3

BiSbTe₃ single crystals have been grown by the Bridgman technique. Microscopic observations of the as-grown crystals reveal typical features, such as striations on the top free surface, which are attributed to the effect of growth conditions. A nitric-acid-based reagent capable of revealing dislocations has been developed and tested. Etch pits are produced at the dislocation sites, but some discrepancies have been observed on matched cleavage surfaces. The structural difference between the matched cleavage surfaces is discussed.     

Individual differences in the impact of attentional bias training on cardiovascular responses to stress in women

Abstract

Experimental studies show that training people to attend to negative stimuli makes them more likely to respond with greater anxiety to stress. The present study investigated this effect in students using measures of cardiovascular responses to stress and examined whether individual differences influence the impact of attention training on stress responses. Using a standard dot probe task, 30 participants underwent negative attentional bias training and 34 participants underwent anti-negative training before completing a stressful speech task. Results indicated that, overall, participants exhibited acclimatization to the procedures (indicated by a dip in blood pressure post-training) and normal stress responding (indicated by elevated blood pressure in response to stress; p<.001). However, consideration of participants’ scores for neuroticism/emotional-stability revealed important differences in how the intervention impacted on cardiovascular profiles (p=.008). For participants with high neuroticism scores, the negative attentional bias intervention elicited more exaggerated stress responding than the anti-negative intervention. For those with low neuroticism scores (i.e., emotionally stable participants), the anti-negative intervention was associated with elevated post-intervention blood pressure and higher blood pressure reactivity to stress. These findings provide evidence of the impact of attentional bias manipulation on physiological stress reactivity and suggest the effect is highly contingent on individual temperaments.     

The moderator role of followers’ personality traits in the relations between leadership styles,two types of task performance and work result satisfaction

Authentic leadership is changing our understanding of what makes good leadership. However, few studies have explored how followers’ individual differences and the nature of the task they perform affect its relation to followers’ work outcomes. We examine the moderator role of two core task types (intellective vs. generative) and two personality traits (conscientiousness and emotional stability) in the relationship between two leadership feedback styles (authentic vs. transactional) and task performance or work result satisfaction in a two-wave experiment. The sample consisted of 228 participants enrolled in an organizational psychology course, 34% of whom had work experience. Our results show that over time the effect of an authentic feedback style on task performance became stronger for those participants who previously scored very low on intellective tasks or very high on generative tasks. Furthermore, a significant three-way interaction between these two traits and our leadership feedback styles indicates that the effect of authentic feedback conforms different patterns depending on the followers’ personality traits and the type of task they perform. Moreover, authentic feedback had a stronger effect on participants’ work result satisfaction. Participants with low levels of either conscientiousness or emotional stability displayed higher levels of satisfaction in the authentic feedback condition.     

From elementary school to midlife: Childhood personality predicts behavior during cognitive testing over four decades later

The current study uses a prospective, longitudinal design and lifespan perspective to understand how child personality relates to directly observed adult behavior during cognitive testing. Teacher assessments of child Big Five personality in elementary school were correlated with directly observed behaviors during a videotaped cognitive test four decades later. Past work suggested Openness and Conscientiousness may relate to task-relevant academic behaviors. Childhood Openness was associated with several behaviors, even after controlling for participant’s cognitive performance. Childhood Conscientiousness was also related to behavior, but not as expected. Other Big Five ratings were not reliably related to behavior. The study examined personality stability in a unique way and suggests a further examination of how Openness in children manifests in later behavior.     

Homophily in stable and unstable adolescent friendships: Similarity breeds constancy

This study examines homophily among adolescent friends. Participants were drawn from a community-based sample of Swedish youth who ranged from 11 to 18 years old. A total of 436 girls and 338 boys identified their closest friends and described their own delinquent activities, intoxication frequency, achievement motivation, and self-worth. Correlations and difference scores describe similarity between reciprocally nominated friends on each dimension. Adolescents who remained friends from one year to the next tended to be more similar than those who did not, during the friendship and, to a lesser extent, before the friendship. Comparisons with random pairs of same-age peers revealed that age-group homophily accounts for most of the similarity between unstable friends but only a fraction of the similarity between stable friends.