Amorphization under fracture surface in hydrogen-charged and low- temperature tensile-tested austenitic stainless steel

ABSTRACT

The microstructure just below the fracture surface in hydrogen-charged stable austenitic SUS 316L stainless steel, which was subjected to a low strain rate tensile test at ?70°C, was studied by a combination of the focused-ion-beam method and transmission electron microscopy. An amorphous region with a chemical composition almost identical to that of the polycrystalline region was found under the lath-like structure on the fracture surface, although no deterioration of tensile properties by hydrogen appeared. In the amorphous region, band-like regions with wavy contrasts were observed, which were often accompanied by cracks at the boundaries. The presence of the amorphous region with band-like regions implies that amorphization occurred due to high-density vacancies accompanied by agglomerations of excess vacancies in the hydrogen-charged SUS 316L stainless steel that was tensile-tested at low temperatures.     

Effects of receptive listening on the congruence of speakers' response latencies in dialogues

The present study investigated the receptiveness of speakers toward conversational partners in dialogues by comparing duration of response latencies in both Compromise and Debate conditions. 12 dyads of speakers holding opposing opinions participated in a 15-min. dialogue. Six dyads in the Compromise condition reached a conclusion through discussion and consideration of the partner's opinion. The six dyads in the Debate condition imposed their opinion on the conversational partner. Analysis indicated that in compromise dialogues, the response latencies of the conversational partners become similar over the time course, while in debate diaogues, the response latency does not become similar, suggesting that speakers having a receptive attitude adjust their response latencies to match the partner's. The role of congruence of response latencies in dyadic communication was discussed.     

Locus of Control and Academic Engagement: Mediating Role of Religious Commitment

Earlier studies have shown that locus of control is related to academic processes and outcomes. However, the nature of the relationship between locus of control, religious commitment, and academic engagement is unclear. This study examined the mediating role of religious commitment in linking locus of control with academic engagement, as well as the engagement dimensions - vigour, dedication, and absorption. Four hundred and eight university students completed the Locus of Control Behaviour Scale, Religious Commitment Inventory and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale – Student version. Locus of control was found to be positively related to the outcome variables. Intrapersonal religious commitment was positively related to the outcome variables. Interpersonal religious commitment did not have a significant relationship with vigour and absorption but it was significantly related to dedication and the total scores of academic engagement. Structural equation modelling analyses indicated significant paths from locus of control to academic engagement through both intrapersonal religious commitment and interpersonal religious commitment. Locus of control and religious commitment are suggested to be relevant in programmes and interventions to enhance academic engagement.     

Stepwise variable selection in factor analysis

It is very important to choose appropriate variables to be analyzed in multivariate analysis when there are many observed variables such as those in a questionnaire. What is actually done in scale construction with factor analysis is nothing but variable selection.In this paper, we take several goodness-of-fit statistics as measures of variable selection and develop backward elimination and forward selection procedures in exploratory factor analysis. Once factor analysis is done for a certain numberp of observed variables (thep-variable model is labeled the current model), simple formulas for predicted fit measures such as chi-square, GFI, CFI, IFI and RMSEA, developed in the field of the structural equation modeling, are provided for all models obtained by adding an external variable (so that the number of variables isp + 1) and for those by deleting an internal variable (so that the number isp – 1), provided that the number of factors is held constant.A programSEFA (Stepwise variable selection in Exploratory Factor Analysis) is developed to actually obtain a list of the fit measures for all such models. The list is very useful in determining which variable should be dropped from the current model to improve the fit of the current model. It is also useful in finding a suitable variable that may be added to the current model. A model with more appropriate variables makes more stable inference in general.The criteria traditionally often used for variable selection is magnitude of communalities. This criteria gives a different choice of variables and does not improve fit of the model in most cases.The URL of the programSEFA is http://koko15.hus.osaka-u.ac.jp/~harada/factor/stepwise/.     

Social Networks as a Factor in Volunteering Among Elderly Japanese with Lower Socioeconomic Status

We investigated the effect of social networks on volunteering, which is known to be beneficial for people and society, among elderly Japanese of lower socioeconomic status. Western studies have demonstrated that social networks boost volunteering among wealthy people because of the norm that they should help the less fortunate. However, wealthy East Asians do not share this norm. Therefore, socioeconomic variables and volunteering tend not to be significantly related in Japan. We hypothesized that social networks would be more important to volunteering among the Japanese elderly, especially among people of a lower socioeconomic status. A total of 768 respondents (319 men, 432 women, 17 sex unspecified; M_age = 73.99 years, SD = 7.40 years) completed the survey. The results indicated that social networks were positively related to volunteering only among people with lower financial status. This result suggests that social networks can increase opportunities and help less advantaged elderly people to reap the benefits of volunteering.     

Does Posttraumatic Growth Buffer the Association Between Death Anxiety and Quality of Life Among People living with HIV/AIDS?

People living with HIV (PLWH) may experience death anxiety (DA), which can be detrimental to quality of life. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), however, is antithetical to DA, with its positive attributes at odds with negative psychosocial outcomes. Previous research has not examined the buffering effect of PTG on the association between DA and quality of life. Therefore, in addition to the direct effects of DA and PTG on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), we investigated the moderating role of PTG on the relationship between DA and HRQoL among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Nigeria. Using cross-sectional design and availability sampling method, we selected 201 outpatients (men, n?=?63, 31.3%, women, n?=?138, 68.7%, mean age?=?40.1, SD?=?10.5) managed for HIV/AIDS in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare institution. Death Anxiety Inventory-Revised, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form, and Patient-Reported Outcome Quality of Life-HIV were used to access DA, PTG and HRQoL, respectively. Results showed that while adjusting for socio-demographic factors (age, gender, time since diagnosis and educational status), DA was associated with physical health, mental health and social relationships domains of HRQoL as well as overall HRQoL. In contrast, PTG did not evidence significant association with HRQoL dimensions and overall HRQoL. The moderation effect of PTG on the association between DA and HRQoL was not supported. Independent of PTG, alleviating DA may be an important target in terms of therapeutic intervention towards improving quality life of PLWH.

     

A longitudinal study of the moderating effects of social capital on the relationships between changes in human capital and ikigai among Japanese older adults

Ikigai, one of the indices of well‐being, tends to decline with age because resources relating to ikigai decline. However, there are individual differences in this decline. This study tested for maintenance of ikigai among Japanese elderly, using a longitudinal study investigating the moderating role of social capital on the effects of changes in human capital on ikigai. We conducted a panel survey targeting 1,068 people (M age = 73.01 years) in 2013, and 686 people in 2017. The variables were ikigai, changes in human capital (self‐rated financial status, physical health) and social capital (social networks, trust in others), educational level, and control variables. Multiple regression analyses revealed the interaction effects of changes in physical health and changes in social networks (strong ties, weak ties) on follow‐up ikigai. Post hoc analyses indicated that declines in physical health predicted declines in ikigai among those whose social networks (strong ties and weak ties) had declined in the 4‐year study, but these relationships were not significant among those whose social networks had increased. The results suggest that older adults can weaken the adverse effect of a decline in human capital on ikigai by maintaining or increasing social networks.     

Processes of Social Influence on Sampling Behavior: The Effect of Other's Positive Attitude and Receiver's Prior Experience

Studies about attitude formation have pointed out the importance of sampling behavior. When thinking about actual social interaction scenes, it may be better to consider them as attitude-updating processes between those who have already formed attitudes based on some experience. Sixty-five participants took part in the experiment, in which the other's positive attitude and the participant's own prior experience were manipulated. After participants had been presented five types of puzzles (experience: direct vs. indirect), which had been made to improve analytic ability, their attitudes towards the puzzles were measured (“pre attitude”). They were shown the other's positive attitude (inconsistent vs. consistent), and they were given 10 min of free time before “testing on their analytic ability.” The amount of time spent on each puzzle was recorded to index sampling behavior and the attitudes towards the puzzles were measured after the free time (“post attitude”). The results of analyses showed that the other's positive attitude increased sampling behavior when the participant's attitude was positive (first-ranked) and negative (fifth-ranked), and that prior experience and sampling contributed to attitude change for the first-ranked puzzle. Those who had had direct experience and those who had spent more time sampling this puzzle tended to maintain their previous positive attitude. The potential boundary conditions of social influence on sampling behavior are discussed.     

Indigenizing counselling valuing the afterlife with the Igbo of south eastern Nigeria: a case for ino-uwa based intervention

This study examines prospects for the utilization of the concept of ino-uwa practised by the Igbo cultural-linguistic community of South Eastern Nigeria to understand and address counselling needs of a child and his family. Ino-uwa is the cultural familial scaffold that bridges the lifeworlds of ancestors and the living. In this case, a child with debilitating and unspecific general illness was cured with evocation of ino-uwa. The implications of this anecdote are important for authentic counselling practice in an African cultural heritage context.     

Test anxiety: contributions of gender,age, parent's occupation and self-esteem among secondary school students in Nigeria

Most of the previous studies on test anxiety have focused on students in higher institutions with little research on test anxiety in secondary school students. The present study examined the contributions of gender, age, parent's occupation and self-esteem on test anxiety among secondary school students. Participants were 281 students (males?=?156, females?=?125; mean age?=?17.05, SD?=?1.87) who were candidates for centralised, high-stakes examinations in two randomly selected secondary schools in Onitsha, Anambra state, Nigeria. Data were collected using questionnaires comprising the State Self-esteem Scale, the Test Anxiety Inventory and spaces for the provision of relevant socio-demographic information. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that age and gender did not significantly contribute to test anxiety. Parent's occupation explained 2% of the variance in test anxiety and self-esteem contributed 10% in explaining test anxiety. Based on the findings, personal predispositions explain test anxiety among school students more than do their demographics.