Western theories suggest that self-concept consistency is important for well-being, but cultural psychologists have proposed that this relationship may be weaker in collectivistic or dialectical cultures. Hypotheses regarding the ability of self-concept (cross-role) consistency and short-term stability to predict hedonic and eudaimonic well-being across cultures were tested. College students in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, and Japan rated their traits in various roles at test and retest and completed measures of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. In all cultures, cross-role consistency and short-term stability were inversely associated with negative affect, an aspect of hedonic well-being, and positively associated with Big Five Emotional Stability. In contrast, cross-role consistency and short-term stability were related to eudaimonic well-being more reliably in individualistic cultures than in collectivistic cultures, although the results in China only partially conformed to this pattern. We concluded that cross-role variability and short-term instability of self-concepts have a significant temperamental or affective basis, and this temperamental basis is a cultural universal. In addition, cultural psychology predictions of a weaker relationship between self-concept consistency and well-being in collectivistic cultures, as compared with individualistic cultures, were largely supported for eudaimonic well-being.

Consistent with trait theory and the density distributions approach (Fleeson, 2001), the Big Five traits predicted personality and affect states across 20 days in five cultures. Perceived autonomy in everyday situations did not moderate the strength of the trait-state relationships, but individuals manifested the positive pole of the Big Five traits more in situations in which they perceived greater autonomy. Consistent with the dynamic mediation model (Wilt, Noftle, Fleeson, & Spain, 2012), the relationships between trait extraversion, agreeableness, and openness to experience and positive affect states were generally fully mediated by the associated personality states. Cultural differences in the strength of the trait-state relationships were limited and were not accounted for by cultural differences in individualism-collectivism, dialecticism, or tightness. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In this article, a new alicyclic-functionalized diamine, 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxymethylene)-1,2,2-trimethylclopentane (BAMT) was successfully synthesized starting from natural (D)-camphor through four reaction steps of oxidation to offer a dicaboxylic acid, reduction to offer a diol, nucleophilic substitution to give a dinitro compound and then reduction to give the final diamine. Two alicyclic-containing polyimides were prepared by polycondensing BAMT with 3,3,4,4-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 4,4-oxydiphthalicanhydride (ODPA), respectively. For the studies of the structure-property relationships of the polyimides, one aromatic polyimide of 4, 4-oxydianiline (ODA) polycondensed with ODPA was prepared in comparison. The alicyclic-containinig polyimides PI (BPDA-BAMT) and PI (ODPA-BAMT) maintain good thermal properties with glass transition temperatures (Tg) of 257 degrees C and 240 degrees C, and temperatures at 5% weight loss (T5) of 443 degrees C and 436 degrees C in nitrogen, respectively. The alicyclic polyimides exhibit tensile strengths of 91.9-133 MPa, Young's moduli of 2.753.24 GPa, and elongations at break of 5.6-18%. Compared with the aromatic polyimide PI (ODPA-ODA), PI (ODPA-BAMT) shows improved transparency with the UV-Vis transmittance at 500 nm over 80%. In addition, PI (ODPA-BAMT) displays better solubility than PI (ODPA-ODA), which has been confirmed by the bigger d-spacing value of PI (ODPA-BAMT) than that of PI (ODPA-ODA) calculated from the Wide-angle X-ray Diffraction spectra. This study indicates that the renewable forestry compound, such as natural (D)-camphor, could be a good origin for the structural designing and preparation of alicyclic-containing polyimides with outstanding combined features suitable for advanced microelectronic and optoelectronic applications. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

Within-individual variability in self-concepts and everyday personality states and affects was investigated in two experience sampling studies using density distribution and situation-behavior approaches. In all seven cultures sampled, within-individual variability was substantial and self-concept and personality state variability exhibited moderate convergence. Variability in personality and affect states was moderately predicted by perceived need satisfaction in the situations. The density distribution and situation-behavior approaches were moderately convergent in identifying the most variable individuals, but the pattern of cultural differences differed in the two methods. Contrary to cultural psychology perspectives, cultural differences in within-individual variability did not consistently correspond to cultural differences in individualism-collectivism, dialecticism, or tightness. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The cross-cultural generalizability of the Personality and Role Identity Structural Model (PRISM; Wood & Roberts, 2006) was tested in the United States, Mexico, Malaysia, China, and Japan. Participants rated their general and role identities, as defined by the PRISM, using Big Five trait adjectives, then rated their personality states (i.e., role experiences) in various roles in multiple daily interactions for 14 days. Structural predictions based on the PRISM were supported in all five cultures. Cultural differences were limited and did not reflect cultural differences in individualism-collectivism, dialecticism, or cultural tightness. The results supported the cross-cultural generalizability of the PRISM and the merits of contextualized trait measures in the prediction of role experiences. Implications for trait and cultural psychology are discussed. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-concept consistency and short-term stability were investigated in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, Philippines, Malaysia, China, and Japan. Evidence for substantial cross-role consistency and reliable within-individual variability in trait self-perceptions were found in each culture. Participants in all cultures exhibited short-term stability in their self-reported traits within roles and moderately stable if-then patterns of trait self-perceptions. Cultural differences, which primarily involved Japan, were partially accounted for by cultural differences in dialecticism, but not self-construals or cultural tightness. In all cultures, satisfaction of needs in various roles partially accounted for within-individual variability in self-reported traits. The results provide support for integrating trait and cultural psychology perspectives, as well as structure and process approaches, in the study of self-concepts across cultures. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

According to Self-Determination Theory (SDT), satisfaction of needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness is a universal requirement for psychological well-being. We tested this hypothesis with college students in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, and Japan. Participants rated the extent to which these needs, plus needs for self-actualization and pleasure-stimulation, were satisfied in various roles and reported their general hedonic (i.e., positive and negative affect) and eudaimonic (e.g., meaning in life, personal growth) well-being. Asian participants averaged lower than non-Asian participants in perceived satisfaction of autonomy, competence, and self-actualization needs and in most aspects of eudaimonic well-being, and these differences were partially accounted for by differences in dialecticism and independent self-construals. Nonetheless, perceived need satisfaction predicted overall well-being to a similar degree in all cultures and in most cultures provided incremental prediction beyond the Big Five traits. Perceived imbalance in the satisfaction of different needs also modestly predicted well-being, particularly negative affect. The study extended support for the universal importance of SDT need satisfaction to several new cultures.

Rosin is a kind of natural product with three-membered phenanthrene ring structure.Reaction of rosin with maleic anhydride via Diels-Alder addition offered maleopimaric acid anhydride.In the presence of p-toluene sulfonic acid as a catalyst,decarboxylation of maleopimaric acid ahydride given aliphatic dianhydride with ketone linkage,which rept the structure of three-membered phenanthrene rings and showed good solubility in conventional organic solvents,for example:ether,ethanol,THF,DMSO,acetone,chloroform.The polyamic acid(PAA) solutions with 30% solids content based on ketone-linked aliphatic dianhydride and different diamines were prepared,which were then thermally imidized to prepare the corresponding polyimide(PI) films.Differential scanning calorimeter(DSC),thermogravimetric analyzer(TGA),fourier transform infrared spectrosmeter(FTIR),1H nuclear magnetic resonance(1H-NMR) were performed to characterize the structure and thermal properties of dianhydride and polyimide films.

The present research studied the effects of page scrolling style, reading task and column on the efficiency of text reading from a monitor. The results indicated that participants could finish their reading task more quickly when the task was information search than when it was reading comprehension and that they read texts more efficiently in one-column format than in two-column format. However, concerning the page-scrolling style, participants finished information search task more quickly in scrolling-by-line style while the opposite occurred when the task was reading comprehension.