Measurement of current flow through the rat under signaled and unsignaled grid-shock conditions

The present experiment was run to test the hypothesis that, when shock was signaled, rats would develop effective coping responses so as to reduce the current flow through them. A 1-sec shock was delivered through a grid floor by a fixed impedance ac shock source. The current-flow measure was taken over the last 30 of 90 trials given over 3 days and indexed by “gross skin conductance” or GSC (shock). The rat under the signaled shock condition (n=15) showed higher GSC (shock) than did the rats under the unsignaled shock condition (n=14). Thus, the result contradicted the hypothesis. There was no indication that the rats developed any preparatory response during the 5-sec signal, in terms of either GSC (signal) or posture. The results were discussed with reference to the preparatory-response hypothesis and various other possibilities.     

Effects of shocks,presented at a fixed time of day,on appetitive and general activity of rats

Eating, drinking, locomotion, and rearing activities of rats, maintained under a 12:12-h dark:light cycle, were measured continuously over 24 h a day for 40 days in the KGbox-24. For 20 days, beginning on Day 11, the shocks were given through the grid floor of the box 1 h after the beginning of the dark phase (at 2100 h). The daily food and water intake decreased, and there was no further gain in body weight after the introduction of shocks. The 2100-h shocks had some associative effects: (1) Suppression of ingestion developed during the period of 2000–2100 h; (2) acceleration of general activity developed during the period of 2000–2012 h; (3) anticipatory suppression of eating developed toward the end of the light phase. The 2100-h shocks also had suppressive aftereffects upon eating and drinking, especially during the early stage of the 20-day shock phase. Compensatory drinking was observed during the light phase, but no such effect was found for eating. Some findings which are not usually obtained in short-session experiments remain to be explained. References to two timing systems are made.     

Determinants of demand and price for best-selling novels in paperback in Japan

This study empirically investigates the factors affecting demand for best-selling novels in paperback, including the relationship with other formats (hardcover and e-book), and the determinants of prices by estimating the demand for paperbacks and price equations. The results show that paperbacks that have hardcover versions with large sales and that are original novels made into movies or television dramas tend to be best sellers. It is also found that expected demand is not a significant determinant of paperback price, whereas the number of pages is a major factor influencing price.     

Boundaries of the unconscious, private, and public self in Japanese and Americans: a cross-cultural comparison

Since Japanese explore inner reactions less often and less thoroughly than Americans, they may be less well known to themselves than Americans (Barnlund, 1975). The present study has examined this hypothesis by comparing self-knowledge and self-disclosure by Japanese and Americans. This is the latter part of our study on self and culture, the first part having been printed already (Asai and Barnlund, 1993). Fourteen topics of self-disclosure were examined. Americans reported significantly higher levels of both self-knowledge and self-disclosure than Japanese. Americans reported having thought significantly more than Japanese about Grief, Religious feelings, Positive personal qualities, Physical attractiveness, and Death. In both cultures, levels of self-knowledge and self-disclosure were positively correlated, suggesting that cultures influence both knowledge of the inner self and disclosure to others. The limitation of our present approach is also briefly discussed.     

Demand analysis of hit music in Japan

This study constructed a music demand model with variables representing quality in order to conduct an empirical analysis of popular music in Japan. The demand function was estimated, using the data by title of CDs that appeared on the Top 100 single and album charts in 2007 and 2008. It was found that demand for both singles and albums was inelastic with respect to price. In addition, the estimation results showed that the factors affecting hits differed between singles and albums.     

Contraction and extension of Vorticella and its mechanical characterization under flow loading

We have studied the contraction and extension of Vorticella convallaria and its mechanical properties with a microfluidic loading system. Cells of V. convallaria were injected to a microfluidic channel (500 μm in width and 100 μm in height) and loaded by flow up to ∼350 mm s⁻¹. The flow produced a drag force on the order of nanonewton on a typical vorticellid cell body. We gradually increased the loading force on the same V. convallaria specimen and examined its mechanical property and stalk motion of V. convallaria. With greater drag forces, the contraction distance linearly decreased; the contracted length was close to around 90% of the stretched length. We estimated the drag force on Vorticella in the channel by calculating the force on a sphere in a linear shear flow.     

科技创新团队成员建设性冲突管理

在产品开发和技术创新过程中,科技创新团队成员的建设性冲突主要包括任务冲突和过程冲突,这两类冲突均对创新价值链上的各项创新工作具有促进效应。构建模型,阐述科技创新团队成员的建设性冲突对科技创新价值链上的技术创新、产品创新、管理模式创新的促进关系,实证科技创新团队成员的建设性冲突对组织的技术创新及其管理模式创新具有显著正向影响,对科技创新价值链也具有显著正向影响。以期为提高科技创新团队成员冲突管理水平、改进和提升科技创新团队成员创新工作提供理论参考。     

科技创新团队基于价值链的创新绩效管理

通过访谈法和问卷调查法可知,在科技创新团队创新绩效管理中,创新绩效考评往往侧重于创新结果绩效而忽略创新过程绩效,从而导致科技创新团队缺乏创新积极性.对此,从同时注重创新过程绩效与创新成果绩效的视角,分析和探讨科技创新团队基于价值链的创新绩效评价模式.在对创新价值链构成分析基础上,采用层次分析法从创新知识获取过程和创新产出过程两个维度,构建包含创新能力、创新行为、创新价值和知识转化能力、知识产出能力及其下设共20个指标的科技创新团队创新绩效评价指标体系,并通过专家打分法确定分解后的指标权重,进一步改进和完善,形成科技创新团队基于价值链的创新绩效管理体系,以期为促进科技创新团队创新绩效管理水平提高和促使科技创新团队在价值链上达到增值目的提供参考.     

Movements with greater trunk accelerations and their properties during badminton games

Abstract

This study aimed to elucidate the movements requiring greater trunk accelerations and its frequencies during badminton games, and compare the acceleration components among such movements. Trunk acceleration was measured using a triaxial accelerometer during badminton games. The moments that generated >4 G resultant acceleration were extracted, and movements consistent with the extracted moments were identified. We calculated the extracted movement ratio and frequency and compared the resultant, mediolateral, vertical and anteroposterior accelerations between the top five extracted movements. There were 1,342 movements that generated >4 G [mean, 7.72 (95% confidence interval, 7.31–8.14) cases/min]. The top five movements were lunging during underhand strokes with the dominant hand side leg, landing after overhand strokes on the dominant and non-dominant hand side leg, and cutting from a split step using the dominant and non-dominant hand side leg. Landing on the dominant hand side leg had a greater resultant acceleration than the other movements and had the greatest impact during the badminton game. Lunging during underhand strokes on the dominant hand side leg had greater mediolateral acceleration than the other movements. These results reflected the properties of badminton.