Effect of Cu and Mg addition on the mechanical and degradation properties of Zn alloy wires.

In this study, Zn-xCu (-0.1 Mg) wires with a diameter of 0.3 mm were obtained by hot extrusion and cold drawing. The microstructures, mechanical properties, and degradation behaviour were investigated to evaluate their feasibility as biodegradable metals. During the drawing process of the Zn-xCu alloys, many granular CuZn5 phases were dynamically precipitated, and the grains were significantly refined, along with a significant work softening with the tensile strength decreasing and the elongation increasing (from 161 MPa to 92 MPa and 22%-103% for Zn-0.2Cu). With the increase of Cu additions, the phenomenon of work softening was more intense and there was an opposite trend in the strength changes between the as-extruded rods (increase) and as-drawn wires (decrease). With 0.1 wt.% Mg added, the stable rod-like Mg2Zn11 phase was formed in as-extruded Zn-xCu-0.1 Mg rods, which obviously improved the strength, and inhibited the dynamic precipitation of granular CuZn5 phase and work softening phenomenon in the drawing process (from 332 MPa to 313 MPa and 11%-46% for Zn-0.2Cu-0.1 Mg). In addition, due to the micro-galvanic effect induced by the precipitates, alloying accelerated the degradation of Zn alloy wires, especially Zn-1Cu-0.1 Mg, which was related to the shape, distribution, and potential of the phases.

Culturally sensitive conceptualization of resilience: A multidimensional model of Chinese resilience.

Cultural sensitivity is missing in the widely researched construct of resilience. The assumption that resilience takes the same form in all cultures fails to acknowledge that culture shapes the interpretation and instantiation of resilience. Examining how suffering and adversity are perceived and dealt with in Chinese contexts, can identify cultural concepts related to resilience. In this paper, we examine the ways in which Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, the three main belief systems that have influenced Chinese people's perception of the nature of life, can serve as sources of strength to individuals facing adversity. We summarise three culturally inflected elements of dealing with adversities and compare them with existing, widely researched notions of resilience. Taking a socio-ecological perspective to explore resilience, this paper proposes a multidimensional model that can improve understanding of culturally embedded resilience.

Automatic thoughts as a predictor of internalizing and externalizing problems in Chinese adolescents: A test of the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis with age effects.

The main aim of the current study was to test the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis across internalizing and externalizing problems in Chinese adolescents. The participants consisted of 2,158 adolescents aged 11-19 years from three middle schools, and they completed a number of measures assessing a wide range of automatic thoughts and syndromes related to internalizing and externalizing problems. Multivariate regression analyses demonstrated that thoughts about social threats, personal failure and hostility were the strongest predictors of anxiety, depression, and externalizing problems, respectively. Age was a statistically significant, albeit modest, moderator of the relationship between automatic thoughts about social threat and anxiety. The current study provides support for the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis in internalizing and externalizing problems in a Chinese sample.

Web-based intervention improves social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma, leading to a reduction in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of web-based intervention on social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma and to examine the mediating effect of the improvement in social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma on the reduction of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. A randomized controlled trial was used, with 21 participants in a web-based intervention group and 29 participants in a wait-list control group completing a pre-test and post-test. Results showed that social acknowledgement and disclosure of trauma improved significantly after 1-month intervention, and this improvement mediated the reduction in the posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Implications and limitations of this study are discussed.

The prevalence, comorbidity and risks of prolonged grief disorder among bereaved Chinese adults.

Few epidemiological studies have investigated prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in the general population of Asian countries, including China. The aim of this study was to explore the rates and risks of PGD, and the association between PGD, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety in bereaved Chinese adults. The PG-13, PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were administered to 445 subjects. Prevalence within the general population of China was 1.8% (i.e., 8/445). Among the eight subjects who met the PGD diagnosis, 75%, 87.5% and 75% scored above the cut-off point on the PCL-C, SDS and SAS, respectively, although a portion remained free from comorbidity. ANOVA, correlation analysis and stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrated that kinship to deceased, age of the deceased, religion belief and cause of death were predictive of prolonged grief. A small proportion of bereaved persons may exhibit PGD. There is a substantial but far from complete overlap between PGD and the other three diagnoses. Bereaved parents and the widowed have high risk of PGD. These findings highlight the need for prevention, diagnosis and treatment for PGD patients.