Social Conformity in Autism

Humans are extremely susceptible to social influence. Here, we examine whether this susceptibility is altered in autism, a condition characterized by social difficulties. Autistic participants (N=22) and neurotypical controls (N=22) completed a memory test of previously seen words and were then exposed to answers supposedly given by four other individuals. Autistic individuals and controls were as likely to alter their judgements to align with inaccurate responses of group members. These changes reflected both temporary judgement changes (public conformity) and long-lasting memory changes (private conformity). Both groups were more susceptible to answers believed to be from other humans than from computer algorithms. Our results suggest that autistic individuals and controls are equally susceptible to social influence when reporting their memories

BOLLOCKS!! Designing pervasive games that play with the social rules of built environments

We propose that pervasive games designed with mechanics that are specifically in opposition with, or disruptive of, social rules of the environment in which they are played, have unique potential to provide interesting, provocative experiences for players. We explore this concept through the design and evaluation of an experimental game prototype, Shhh!, inspired by the juvenile game Bollocks, and implemented on Android mobile devices, which challenges players to make loud noises in libraries. Six participants played the game before engaging in semi-structured interviews, explored through inductive thematic analysis. Results suggest that the game provoked in players a heightened awareness of social rules, as well as a complex social dilemma of whether or not to act. We conclude by presenting a model for designing games that play with the social, as well as physical, rules of the environments in which they are set

Towards a framework for validating the matching between notifications and scents in olfactory in-car interaction

Olfactory notifications have been proven to have a positive impact on drivers. This has motivated the use of scents to convey driving-relevant information. Research has proposed the use of such scents as lemon, peppermint, lavender and rose for in-car notifications. However, there is no framework to identify which scent is the most suitable for every application scenario. In this paper, we propose an approach for validating a matching between scents and driving-relevant notifications. We suggest a study in which the olfactory modality is compared with a puff of clean air, visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli while performing the same driving task. For the data analysis, we suggest recording the lane deviation, speed, time required to recover from the error, as well as the perceived liking and comfort ratings. Our approach aims to help automotive UI designers make better decisions about choosing the most suitable scent, as well as possible alternative modalities

Counterfactual Thinking and Entrepreneurial Self‐Efficacy: The Moderating Role of Self‐Esteem and Dispositional Affect

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97291/1/etap472.pd

Empathy and emotion recognition in people with autism, first-degree relatives, and controls

Empathy is the lens through which we view others' emotion expressions, and respond to them. In this study, empathy and facial emotion recognition were investigated in adults with autism spectrum conditions (ASC; N=314), parents of a child with ASC (N=297) and IQ-matched controls (N=184). Participants completed a self-report measure of empathy (the Empathy Quotient [EQ]) and a modified version of the Karolinska Directed Emotional Faces Task (KDEF) using an online test interface. Results showed that mean scores on the EQ were significantly lower in fathers (p0.05) of children with ASC compared to controls, whilst both males and females with ASC obtained significantly lower EQ scores (p0.05). Finally, results indicated significant differences between males and females with ASC for emotion recognition performance (p0.05). These findings suggest that self-reported empathy deficits in fathers of autistic probands are part of the 'broader autism phenotype'. This study also reports new findings of sex differences amongst people with ASC in emotion recognition, as well as replicating previous work demonstrating empathy difficulties in adults with ASC. The use of empathy measures as quantitative endophenotypes for ASC is discussed

The primary glucose-lowering effect of metformin resides in the gut, not the circulation: Results from short-term pharmacokinetic and 12-week dose-ranging studies

Delayed-release metformin (Met DR) is formulated to deliver the drug to the lower bowel to leverage the gut-based mechanisms of metformin action with lower plasma exposure. Met DR was assessed in two studies. Study 1 compared the bioavailability of single daily doses of Met DR to currently available immediaterelease metformin (Met IR) and extended-release metformin (Met XR) in otherwise healthy volunteers. Study 2 assessed glycemic control in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) over 12 weeks. Research Design and Methods Study 1 was a phase 1, randomized, four-period crossover study in 20 subjects. Study 2 was a 12-week, phase 2, multicenter, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study in 240 subjects with T2DM randomized to receive Met DR 600, 800, or 1,000 mg administered once daily; blinded placebo; or unblindedMet XR 1,000 or 2,000 mg (reference). Results The bioavailability of 1,000mg Met DR b.i.d. was ∼50% that of Met IR and Met XR (study 1). In study 2, 600, 800, and 1,000 mg Met DR q.d. produced statistically significant, clinically relevant, and sustained reductions in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels over 12 weeks compared with placebo, with an ∼40% increase in potency compared with Met XR. The placebo-subtracted changes from baseline in HbA1c level at 12 weeks were consistent with changes in FPG levels. All treatments were generally well tolerated, and adverse events were consistent with Glucophage/ Glucophage XR prescribing information. Conclusions Dissociation of the glycemic effect from plasma exposure with gut-restricted Met DR provides strong evidence for a predominantly lower bowel-mediated mechanism of metformin action

Influence of porosity on erosion behavior and hydrogen permeability of tungsten films

The erosion characteristics of dense and porous W-films deposited on Pd substrates were measured under impact of mirror Penning discharge nitrogen plasma. It is shown that the erosion rate of high porous tungsten films (up to 45% porosity) is similar to that for dense (1 – 3% porosity) tungsten films. At the same time hydrogen permeation through porous tungsten films essentially higher than for dense W coatings and in some cases it approaches to values as for bare Pd. The activation energies of hydrogen permeability measured for two-layer Pd-W systems with high porosity are higher than for dense W-films on Pd (15.44 kJ/mol and 12.8 kJ/mol, accordingly), but these values much lower than the ones for bulk W under gas-driven permeation experiments. The possible reasons of such erosion and permeation behavior are discussed.Зміряні ерозійні характеристики щільних і пористих плівок вольфраму на паладії при дії азотної плазми відбивних розрядів Пеннінга. Показано, що швидкість ерозії високопористих плівок вольфраму (пористість близько 45%) практично не відрізняється від такої для щільних плівок W (пористість 1 – 3%). У теж час проникнення водню крізь високопористі плівки вольфраму багато вище, ніж крізь щільні покриття W і в деяких випадках величини проникності можуть бути близькі до такої для Pd без покриття. Енергії активації водневої проникності зміряні для двошарових систем Pd-W з високою пористістю W вище, ніж для щільних W-плівок на Pd (15,44 кДж/моль і 12,8 кДж/моль, відповідно), але в обох випадках ці величини багато нижче, ніж для масивного W в умовах пронuкновения з молекулярної фази. Обговорюються можливі причини такої поведінки ерозії і водневої проникності.Измерены эрозионные характеристики плотных и пористых пленок вольфрама на палладии при воздействии азотной плазмы отражательных разрядов Пеннинга. Показано, что скорость эрозии высокопористых пленок вольфрама (пористость около 45%) практически не отличается от таковой для плотных W пленок (пористость 1 – 3%). В тоже время проникновение водорода через высокопористые пленки вольфрама много выше, чем через плотные W покрытия и в некоторых случаях величины проницаемости могут быть близки к таковой для Pd без покрытия. Энергии активации водородопроницаемости измереннные для двухслойных Pd-W систем с высокой пористостью W выше, чем для плотных W-пленок на Pd (15,44 кДж/моль и 12,8 кДж/моль, соответственно), но в обоих случаях эти величины много ниже, чем для массивного W в условиях проникновения из молекулярной фазы. Обсуждаются возможные причины такого поведения эрозии и водородопроницаемости

Donor states in modulation-doped Si/SiGe heterostructures

We present a unified approach for calculating the properties of shallow donors inside or outside heterostructure quantum wells. The method allows us to obtain not only the binding energies of all localized states of any symmetry, but also the energy width of the resonant states which may appear when a localized state becomes degenerate with the continuous quantum well subbands. The approach is non-variational, and we are therefore also able to evaluate the wave functions. This is used to calculate the optical absorption spectrum, which is strongly non-isotropic due to the selection rules. The results obtained from calculations for Si/Si$_{1-x}$Ge$_x$ quantum wells allow us to present the general behavior of the impurity states, as the donor position is varied from the center of the well to deep inside the barrier. The influence on the donor ground state from both the central-cell effect and the strain arising from the lattice mismatch is carefully considered.Comment: 17 pages, 10 figure

A terminal assessment of stages theory : introducing a dynamic states approach to entrepreneurship

Stages of Growth models were the most frequent theoretical approach to understanding entrepreneurial business growth from 1962 to 2006; they built on the growth imperative and developmental models of that time. An analysis of the universe of such models (N=104) published in the management literature shows no consensus on basic constructs of the approach, nor is there any empirical confirmations of stages theory. However, by changing two propositions of the stages models, a new dynamic states approach is derived. The dynamic states approach has far greater explanatory power than its precursor, and is compatible with leading edge research in entrepreneurship

A contingent model of network utilization in early financing of technology ventures

Most of the entrepreneurship literature has addressed the benefits and necessity of using social network ties as opposed to market methods in early venture finance, but it has largely understated the potential limitations and costs of doing so. Specifically, very sparse research has examined the factors that influence entrepreneurs' choice between using networks versus market methods. In this study, we propose a contingent model of network utilization when approaching initial investors, based on the dimensions of human capital of the entrepreneurs. We test this model with primary field survey data from 226 new high-tech ventures in Singapore and Beijing. The results show that high occupational status and relevant industrial work experience are positively associated with the entrepreneurs' propensity to utilize existing networks by enhancing the resourcefulness of their network ties (social capital); however, such influences are alleviated by entrepreneurs' marketing or managerial experience, which increases the entrepreneurs' ability to interact with strangers (an aspect of social competence)