Attachment, authenticity, and honesty: Dispositional and experimentally induced security can reduce self- and other-deception.

Attachment security is hypothesized to promote authenticity and sincerity, or honesty, whereas insecurity is hypothesized to increase various forms of inauthenticity and dishonesty. The authors tested these ideas in 8 studies of dispositional and situational attachment insecurities and their influence on inauthenticity and dishonesty. The first 4 studies showed that authenticity is related to scoring low on the 2 dimensions of dispositional attachment insecurity—anxiety and avoidance—and that these 2 dimensions are associated with different aspects of inauthenticity. The first set of studies also showed that conscious and unconscious security priming increased state authenticity (compared with neutral or insecurity priming). The last 4 studies showed that attachment insecurity is related to dishonesty (lying and cheating) and that security priming reduces the tendency to lie or cheat and does so more effectively than positive mood priming. Implications for understanding the role of authenticity and inauthenticity in various relationship contexts are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Study of the Magneto-Resistivity and Dependence of Percolation in La0.75Ca0.1Sr0.15Mn1−x Ga x O3 Compounds

We present a study of the effect of Ga-doping on the physical properties of La_0.75Ca_0.1Sr_0.15Mn_1?x Ga _x O₃ (x=0.025, 0.075 and 0.1) compounds prepared by the sol-gel method. The variation of the magnetization (M) vs. temperature (T), under an applied magnetic field of 0.05 T, reveals a ferromagnetic–paramagnetic transition for all samples. The magnetization behavior and the Curie temperature T _C have shown a large dependence on the fractional composition x. In fact, the M(T) curves have revealed the presence of a long-range ferromagnetic state below T _C. The magnetotransport properties have been investigated based on the temperature dependence of the resistivity ρ(T) measurements. We have noted that these samples present an electrical transition from a paramagnetic-semiconductor state to a ferromagnetic-metallic one, when decreasing temperature. We have used the phenomenological equation for conductivity under a percolation approach, which is based upon an approach that the system consists of the phase separated ferromagnetic metallic and paramagnetic insulating regions. We have then fitted the resistivity data measured in the range of 15–300 K and found that the activation barrier decreases with the raising Ga³⁺ ion concentration.     

The role of interfacial viscoelasticity in the stabilization of an electrospun jet

Stabilization of the jet is necessary for the successful fabrication of continuous fibers from solutions via electrospinning. Although intensively studied over the past decade, the mechanisms underlying jet stabilization are still not precisely understood. The traditional explanation for jet stabilization emphasizes the role of the elastic response of the polymer coil in creating a sufficiently high extensional viscosity, which prevents the breakup of the filament under extension. However, comprehensive rheological studies of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solutions that can be electrospun into continuous fibers show an absence of any significant bulk elasticity in shear and extension that would account for the stabilization of the jet. In order to explain this discrepancy, it is proposed that a complex jet structure, composed of a liquid core surrounded by a viscoelastic interface, is formed during the spinning process, where the surface viscoelasticity is responsible for the jet stabilization. These rheological properties of the surface are experimentally verified using novel interfacial rheometry. It is also shown that the surface viscoelasticity is further enhanced by varying the protein conformation (unfolding), as well as its concentration in solution.     

Chiroptical effects in planar achiral plasmonic oriented nanohole arrays

Chiroptical effects are routinely observed in three dimensional objects lacking mirror symmetry or quasi-two-dimensional thin films lacking in-plane mirror symmetry. Here we show that symmetric plasmonic planar arrays of circular nanoholes produced strong chiroptical responses at visible wavelengths on tilting them with respect to the incident light beam due to the collective asymmetric nature of their surface plasmon excitations. This extrinsic chiroptical effect can be stronger than the local chiroptical response in arrays of intrinsically chiral nanoholes and may be useful for chiral sensing and negative refraction.     

Is there an effect of the proximity of a “free-surface” on the formation of End-Of-Range defects?

We have studied the effect of the proximity of the wafer surface on the formation of End-Of-Range defects. These experiments are aimed at elucidating the behavior, upon annealing, of the Si self-interstitial supersaturation responsible for transient enhanced diffusion of boron in pre-amorphized silicon wafers. By implanting with Ge at constant energy while carefully etching away increasing thicknesses of the amorphous layer the nucleation and growth of End-Of-Range defects have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. Clearly, no influence in the loop population can be shown even when using state-of-the-art “quantitative” electron microscopy. These results are explained by considering that the c/a interface is a diffusion barrier for the Si self-interstitial atoms during the nucleation stage, i.e., when the supersaturation is high. Only after the solid phase epitaxial regrowth, i.e., during the coalescence of the loops when the supersaturation is already low, the surface can interact with the loops. However, this interaction is not measurable through the observation of extended defects and this leads to simplifying assumptions for the simulation of Transient Enhanced or Retarded Diffusion in pre-amorphized Si wafers.     

Influence of temperature on the functional response of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), a parasitoid of Rhyzopertha dominica (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

The functional response of Anisopteromalus calandrae (Howard) parasitizing 4th-instar Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) on wheat was estimated over a range of temperatures and host densities. A functional response equation was used in which a quadratic component that included temperature was substituted for handling time. The instantaneous search rate increased with increasing temperatures. The maximum rate of parasitization was 13 larvae/24 h at 30°C and 35°C. Handling time was lowest at 30°C and highest at 20°C. The ability of A. calandrae to find and parasitize R. dominica over a broad range of temperatures makes it a good candidate for natural control of stored grain pests.