Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rules and Commitment in Communication

We investigate models of cheap talk, information disclosure, and Bayesian persuasion, in a unified experimental framework. Our umbrella design permits the analysis of models that share the same structure regarding preferences and information, but differ in two dimensions: the rules governing communication, which determine whether information is verifiable; and the sender's commitment power, which determines the extent to which she can commit to her communication strategy. Commitment is predicted to have contrasting effects on information transmission, depending on whether information is verifiable. Our design exploits these variations to explicitly test for the role of rules and commitment in communication. Our experiments provide general support for the strategic rationale behind the role of commitment and, more specifically, for the Bayesian persuasion model of Kamenica and Gentzkow (2011). At the same time, we document significant quantitative deviations. Most notably, we find that rules matter in ways that are entirely unpredicted by the theory, suggesting a novel policy role for information verifiability.
Randomised controlled trial of interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive–behavioural therapy for depression

Background Interpersonal psychotherapy and cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) are established as effective treatments for major depression. Controversy remains regarding their effectiveness for severe and melancholic depression. Aims To compare the efficacy of interpersonal psychotherapy and CBT in people receiving out-patient treatment for depression and to explore response in severe depression (Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) score above 30), and in melancholic depression. Method Randomised clinical trial of 177 patients with a principal Axis I diagnosis of major depressive disorder receiving 16 weeks of therapy comprising 8–19 sessions. Primary outcome was improvement in MADRS score from baseline to end of treatment. Results There was no difference between the two psychotherapies in the sample as a whole, but CBT was more effective than interpersonal psychotherapy in severe depression, and the response was comparable with that for mild and moder-ate depression. Melancholia did not predict poor response to either psychotherapy. Conclusions Both therapies are equally effective for depression but CBT maybe preferred in severe depression.
“Feature Detection” vs. “Predictive Coding” Models of Plant Behavior

In this article we consider the possibility that plants exhibit anticipatory behavior, a mark of intelligence. If plants are able to anticipate and respond accordingly to varying states of their surroundings, as opposed to merely responding online to environmental contingencies, then such capacity may be in principle testable, and subject to empirical scrutiny. Our main thesis is that adaptive behavior can only take place by way of a mechanism that predicts the environmental sources of sensory stimulation. We propose to test for anticipation in plants experimentally by contrasting two empirical hypotheses: “feature detection” and “predictive coding. ” We spell out what these contrasting hypotheses consist of by way of illustration from the animal literature, and consider how to transfer the rationale involved to the plant literature.
Strategic Bidding and Compensation Mechanism for a Load Aggregator With Direct Thermostat Control Capabilities

This paper proposes bidding strategies and compensation mechanisms for a load aggregator (LA) that implements the direct thermostat control (DTC) program. By joining the DTC program, residential consumers allow their house temperature to vary within pre-specified zones at pre-specified hours and be controlled by the LA. They also receive compensation from the LA. The heating/cooling (H/C) load control model is integrated into a two-stage bidding framework. Demand-price bidding curves are derived for the day-ahead market to address price uncertainties. Demand-only bids are derived for the real-time (RT) market. The flexibility of H/C loads is exploited in RT to address uncertainties in thermal-related house characteristics as well as uncertainties in weather and non-H/C load. Two compensation policies are proposed and compared. A case study verifies the proposed method.
Evaluation of LPCVD SiNx Gate Dielectric Reliability by TDDB Measurement in Si-Substrate-Based AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMT

Si-substrate-based AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility power transistors with low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) SiN<sub><italic>x</italic></sub> as gate isolation material are fabricated on a 6-in wafer by CMOS compatible process. The dielectric failure by forward-biased constant-voltage stress time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) measurements at various temperatures (from room temperature to 250 °C) and their statistical Weibull analysis are compared. Impact of gate dielectric area and multifinger on the SiN<sub><italic>x</italic></sub> TDDB characteristics is also discussed. Using thermal microscope imager, the leakage current spots have been identified. The mean time to failure decreases with the increasing finger numbers in exponential form. We also predict the device (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${W}_{G}= {0.25}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> mm) with 35-nm-thick LPCVD SiN<sub><italic>x</italic></sub> gate dielectric can survive at a positive gate voltage of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {GS}}= {15}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> V for a 10-year time-to-breakdown lifetime (100 ppm and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${T}= {25}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> °C) and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{\text {GS}}= {7.5}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> V for a 10-year time-to-breakdown lifetime (100 ppm and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${T}= {250}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> °C).
Investigating the Creep Properties of PET-Modified Asphalt Concrete

This study has investigated the creep properties of asphaltic concrete modified with different dosages of waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in two different ranges of size. Uniaxial dynamic creep test at 40°C was conducted on the cylindrical specimens of the mixtures. The load was applied in two different frequencies of 0.5 and 5Hz. Creep test results showed that the accumulated strain under dynamic loading increased with increasing PET content, with lower values for the mixtures containing finer PET particles. Moreover, it was found that the accumulated strain under the loading with higher frequency was more than that under lower frequency, with higher sensitivity to frequency for the mixtures containing finer PET. The results of dynamic creep tests were used for determination of the constants of a three stage model. The linear creep slope in the second region of the creep curve and the flow number showed that the increase of PET content and size results in decrease of permanent deformation resistance. However, the mixtures modified with 4% of fine and coarse PET particles had the highest loading cycles at the end of primary creep region, where most of the strain was recoverable.
Arms races between social parasites and their hosts: geographic patterns of manipulation and resistance

The evolutionary interactions between permanently social parasitic species and their hosts are of special interest because social parasites are not only closely dependent on, but are also closely related to, their hosts. The small European slavemaker Harpagoxenus sublaevis has evolved several characters that help manipulate its host. In this study we investigated adaptations of this social parasite to its local hosts and the geographic pattern of host resistance in two main host species from three different populations. In behavioral experiments, we examined whether host colonies from three geographically distant Leptothorax acervorum populations varied in their ability to defend the nest against social parasites. Naive colonies from the unparasitized English population killed attacking slavemakers more often than did host colonies from two parasitized populations. We also found strong interpopulation variation in the ability of the slavemaker to manipulate host behavior. H. sublaevis uses the Dufour gland secretion to induce intracolonial fights and, in general, this "propaganda" substance was most effective against local hosts. Our results suggest that the social parasite is leading the arms race in this aspect. Similar experiments uncovered differences between two populations of the second host species L. muscorum and could demonstrate that nest defense in both host species is similarly efficient. In L. acervorum, monogynous colonies were more successful in nest defense, whereas social structure had no impact in L. muscorum. Colony size did not affect the efficacy of nest defense in either host species. The caste of the slavemaker had a strong influence on the success of an attack. Copyright 2003.
Minimal cut sets in biochemical reaction networks

MOTIVATION Structural studies of metabolic networks yield deeper insight into topology, functionality and capabilities of the metabolisms of different organisms. Here, we address the analysis of potential failure modes in metabolic networks whose occurrence will render the network structurally incapable of performing certain functions. Such studies will help to identify crucial parts in the network structure and to find suitable targets for repressing undesired metabolic functions. RESULTS We introduce the concept of minimal cut sets for biochemical networks. A minimal cut set (MCS) is a minimal (irreducible) set of reactions in the network whose inactivation will definitely lead to a failure in certain network functions. We present an algorithm which enables the computation of the MCSs in a given network related to user-defined objective reactions. This algorithm operates on elementary modes. A number of potential applications are outlined, including network verifications, phenotype predictions, assessing structural robustness and fragility, metabolic flux analysis and target identification in drug discovery. Applications are illustrated by the MCSs in the central metabolism of Escherichia coli for growth on different substrates. AVAILABILITY Computation and analysis of MCSs is an additional feature of the FluxAnalyzer (freely available for academic users upon request, special contracts for industrial companies; see web page below). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION http://www.mpi-magdeburg.mpg. de/projects/fluxanalyzer
Distributed under Creative Commons Cc-by 4.0 Variation in Habitat Soundscape Characteristics Influences Settlement of a Reef-building Coral

Coral populations, and the productive reef ecosystems they support, rely on successful recruitment of reef-building species, beginning with settlement of dispersing larvae into habitat favourable to survival. Many substrate cues have been identified as contributors to coral larval habitat selection; however, the potential for ambient acoustic cues to influence coral settlement responses is unknown. Using in situ settlement chambers that excluded other habitat cues, larval settlement of a dominant Caribbean reef-building coral, Orbicella faveolata, was compared in response to three local soundscapes, with differing acoustic and habitat properties. Differences between reef sites in the number of larvae settled in chambers isolating acoustic cues corresponded to differences in sound levels and reef characteristics, with sounds at the loudest reef generating significantly higher settlement during trials compared to the quietest site (a 29.5 % increase). These results suggest that soundscapes could be an important influence on coral settlement patterns and that acoustic cues associated with reef habitat may be related to larval settlement. This study reports an effect of soundscape variation on larval settlement for a key coral species, and adds to the growing evidence that soundscapes affect marine ecosystems by influencing early life history processes of foundational species.
TbLpn, a key enzyme in lipid droplet formation and phospholipid metabolism, is essential for mitochondrial integrity and growth of Trypanosoma brucei

Mammalian phosphatidic acid phosphatases, also called lipins, show high amino acid sequence identity to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pah1p and catalyze the dephosphorylation of phosphatidic acid (PA) to diacylglycerol. Both the substrate and product of the reaction are key precursors for the synthesis of phospholipids and triacylglycerol (TAG). We now show that expression of the Trypanosoma brucei lipin homolog TbLpn is essential for parasite survival in culture. Inducible down‐regulation of TbLpn in T. brucei procyclic forms increased cellular PA content, decreased the numbers of lipid droplets, reduced TAG steady‐state levels and inhibited in vivo [3H]TAG formation after labeling trypanosomes with [3H]glycerol. In addition, fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy revealed that depletion of TbLpn caused major alterations in mitochondrial morphology and function, i.e., the appearance of distorted mitochondrial matrix, and reduced ATP production via oxidative phosphorylation. Effects of lipin depletion on mitochondrial integrity have previously not been reported. N‐ and C‐terminally tagged forms of TbLpn were localized in the cytosol.
Enhanced Fluorescent Siderophore Biosynthesis and Loss of Phenazine-1-Carboxamide in Phenotypic Variant of Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66

Pseudomonas chlororaphis HT66 is a plant-beneficial bacterium that exhibits wider antagonistic spectrum against a variety of plant pathogenic fungi due to its main secondary metabolite, i.e., phenazine-1-carboxamide (PCN). In the present study, a spontaneous phenotypic variant designated as HT66-FLUO was isolated from the fermentation process of wild-type HT66 strain. The newly isolated phenotypic variant was morphologically distinct from the wild-type strain such as larger cell size, semi-transparent, non-production of PCN (Green or yellow crystals) and enhanced fluorescence under UV light. The whole-genome, RNA-sequencing, and phenotypic assays were performed to identify the reason of phenotypic variation in HT66-FLUO as compared to the HT66. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that 1,418 genes, representing approximately 22% of the 6393 open reading frames (ORFs) had undergone substantial reprogramming of gene expression in the HT66-FLUO. The whole-genome sequence indicated no gene alteration in HT66-FLUO as compared to HT66 according to the known reference sequence. The levels of global regulatory factor gacA and gacS expression were not significantly different between HT66 and HT66-FLUO. It was observed that overexpressing gacS rather than gacA in HT66-FLUO can recover switching of the variant to HT66. The β-galactosidase (LacZ) activity and qRT-PCR results indicate the downregulated expression of rsmX, rsmY, and rsmZ in HT66-FLUO as compared to HT66. Overexpressing three small RNAs in HT66-FLUO can revert switching of colony phenotype toward wild-type HT66 up to a certain degree, restore partial PCN production and reduces the fluorescent siderophores yield. However, the origin of the spontaneous phenotypic variant was difficult to be determined. In conclusion, this study helps to understand the gene regulatory effect in the spontaneous phenotypic variant.
Effects of Carbopol® 934 proportion on nanoemulsion gel for topical and transdermal drug delivery: a skin permeation study

Nanoemulsions (NEs) are used as transdermal drug delivery systems for systematic therapeutic purposes. We hypothesized that the skin permeation profile of an NE could be modulated by incorporating it into a hydrogel containing differing proportions of thickening agent. The objectives of this study were as follows: 1) to determine the stability and skin irritability of NE gels (NGs) containing 1%, 2%, and 3% (w/w) Carbopol® 934 (CP934) (termed NG1, NG2, and NG3, respectively); 2) to compare the skin permeation profiles and drug deposition patterns of the NGs; and 3) to visualize the drug delivery routes of the NGs. Terbinafine and citral were incorporated into the NGs as model drugs. Ex vivo skin permeation tests indicated that the percutaneous flux rates of terbinafine decreased in the order NE (215 μg/cm2) > NG1 (213 μg/cm2) > NG2 (123 μg/cm2) > NG3 (74.3 μg/cm2). The flux rates of citral decreased in the order NE (1,026 μg/cm2) > NG1 (1,021 μg/cm2) > NG2 (541 μg/cm2) > NG3 (353 μg/cm2). The NGs accumulated greater amounts of the drugs in the stratum corneum and less in the epidermis/dermis than did the NE (P<0.05) over a period of 12 h. Laser scanning confocal microscopy indicated that the NGs altered the main drug delivery routes from skin appendages to intercellular paths. Histological images suggested that perturbations to the skin structure, specifically the size of the epidermal intercellular spaces and the separation distance of dermal collagen bundles, could be significantly minimized by increasing the proportion of CP934. These results suggest that adjustments of the CP934 proportions can be used to modulate the skin permeation profiles of NGs for specific therapeutic purposes.
Sensitivity to interference and response contingencies in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

BACKGROUND Current theories on ADHD suggest executive and motivational deficits, but it remains unclear whether these are separate deficits or a unitary deficit. METHOD ADHD children and matched controls performed on a hybrid disjunctive-choice reaction time task in which target stimuli could be surrounded by flankers signaling either the appropriate response, the competing response, or response inhibition. The task was performed under three conditions; reward only, reward and occasional punishment, and equal probability of reward and punishment. Heart rate and skin conductance measures were taken during task performance. RESULTS Contrary to control children, ADHD children slowed their responses when flankers cueing the appropriate response surrounded the stimulus. Flankers cueing incorrect responses further slowed ADHD children relative to control children. ADHD children also responded less accurately under the threat of punishment. Phasic heart rate did not differ between groups, but immediate reward feedback induced greater heart rate responses in control than in ADHD children. Contrary to expectations, groups did not differ in skin conductance responses. CONCLUSIONS ADHD children appear deficient in approach tendencies in the presence of imminent reward, rather than unresponsive to punishment or negative feedback. Executive inhibition and motivational inhibition seemed to exert separate effects on behavior of children with ADHD.
A Preliminary Comparison of Motor Learning Across Different Non-invasive Brain Stimulation Paradigms Shows No Consistent Modulations

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been widely explored as a way to safely modulate brain activity and alter human performance for nearly three decades. Research using NIBS has grown exponentially within the last decade with promising results across a variety of clinical and healthy populations. However, recent work has shown high inter-individual variability and a lack of reproducibility of previous results. Here, we conducted a small preliminary study to explore the effects of three of the most commonly used excitatory NIBS paradigms over the primary motor cortex (M1) on motor learning (Sequential Visuomotor Isometric Pinch Force Tracking Task) and secondarily relate changes in motor learning to changes in cortical excitability (MEP amplitude and SICI). We compared anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), paired associative stimulation (PAS25), and intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), along with a sham tDCS control condition. Stimulation was applied prior to motor learning. Participants (n = 28) were randomized into one of the four groups and were trained on a skilled motor task. Motor learning was measured immediately after training (online), 1 day after training (consolidation), and 1 week after training (retention). We did not find consistent differential effects on motor learning or cortical excitability across groups. Within the boundaries of our small sample sizes, we then assessed effect sizes across the NIBS groups that could help power future studies. These results, which require replication with larger samples, are consistent with previous reports of small and variable effect sizes of these interventions on motor learning.
Identification of a Plant Receptor for Extracellular ATP

ATP Receptor in Arabidopsis As well as its role as an intracellular energy source, extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) has diverse functions as a signaling molecule. ATP receptors have been identified in animal cells, but searches based on structural homology have not identified ATP receptors in plants. Choi et al. (p. 290) have now identified an ATP receptor in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana by tracking down the cause of mutations that leave mutant plants unresponsive to ATP signals. The receptor identified carries an intracellular kinase domain and an extracellular lectin domain. An Arabidopsis lectin receptor kinase, DORN1, is the plant receptor for extracellular adenosine triphosphate. Extracellular adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) is an essential signaling molecule that is perceived in mammals by plasma membrane P2-type purinoceptors. Similar ATP receptors do not exist in plants, although extracellular ATP has been shown to play critical roles in plant growth, development, and stress responses. Here, we identify an ATP-insensitive Arabidopsis mutant, dorn1 (Does not Respond to Nucleotides 1), defective in lectin receptor kinase I.9 (Arabidopsis Information Resource accession code At5g60300). DORN1 binds ATP with high affinity (dissociation constant of 45.7 ± 3.1 nanomolar) and is required for ATP-induced calcium response, mitogen-activated protein kinase activation, and gene expression. Ectopic expression of DORN1 increased the plant response to physical wounding. We propose that DORN1 is essential for perception of extracellular ATP and likely plays a variety of roles in plant stress resistance.