Identifying Social Norms Using Coordination Games: Why Does Dictator Game Sharing Vary?

We explore the influence of social norms on behavior. To do so, we introduce a method for identifying norms, based on the property that social norms reflect social consensus regarding the appropriateness of different possible behaviors. We demonstrate that the norms we elicit, along with a simple model combining concern for norm-compliance with utility for money, predict changes in behavior across several variants of the dictator game in which behavior changes substantially following the introduction of minor contextual variations. Our findings indicate that people care not just about monetary payoffs but also care about the social appropriateness of any action they take. Our work also suggests that a social norm is not always a single action that should or should not be taken, but rather a profile of varying degrees of social appropriateness for different available actions.norms, matching games, dictator games

Identifying Social Norms Using Coordination Games: Why Does Dictator Game Sharing Vary?

We introduce an incentivized elicitation method for identifying social norms that uses simple coordination games. We demonstrate that concern for the norms we elicit and for money predict changes in behavior across several variants of the dictator game, including data from a novel experiment and from prior published laboratory studies, that are unaccounted for by most current theories of social preferences. Moreover, we find that the importance of social norm compliance and of monetary considerations is fairly constant across different experiments. This consistency allows prediction of treatment effects across experiments, and implies that subjects have a generally stable willingness to sacrifice money to take behaviors that are socially appropriate.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/98296/1/jeea12006.pd

“When in Rome”: identifying social norms using coordination games

Previous research in economics, social psychology, and sociology has produced compelling evidence that social norms influence behavior. In this paper we apply the Krupka and Weber (2013) norm elicitation procedure and present U.S. and non-U.S. born subjects with two scenarios for which tipping and punctuality norms are known to vary across countries. We elicit shared beliefs by having subjects match appropriateness ratings of different actions (such as arriving late or on time) to another randomly selected participant from the same university or to a participant who is born in the same country. We also elicit personal beliefs without the matching task. We test whether the responses from the coordination task can be interpreted as social norms by comparing responses from the coordination game with actual social norms (as identified using independent materials such as tipping guides for travelers). We compare responses elicited with the matching tasks to those elicited without the matching task to test whether the coordination device itself is essential for identifying social norms. We find that appropriateness ratings for different actions vary with the reference group in the matching task. Further, the ratings obtained from the matching task vary in a manner consistent with the actual social norms of that reference group. Thus, we find that shared beliefs correspond more closely to externally validated social norms compared to personal beliefs. Second, we highlight the importance that reference groups (for the coordination task) can play

Primary Care Screening and Treatment for Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Adults: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force

Five to ten percent of individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) progress to active tuberculosis (TB) disease. Identifying and treating LTBI is a key component of the strategy for reducing the burden of TB disease. To review the evidence about targeted screening and treatment for LTBI among adults in primary care settings to support the US Preventive Services Task Force in updating its 1996 recommendation. MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and trial registries, searched through August 3, 2015; references from pertinent articles; and experts. Literature surveillance was conducted through May 31, 2016. English-language studies of LTBI screening, LTBI treatment with recommended pharmacotherapy, or accuracy of the tuberculin skin test (TST) or interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs). Studies of individuals for whom LTBI screening and treatment is part of public health surveillance or disease management were excluded. Two investigators independently reviewed abstracts and full-text articles. When at least 3 similar studies were available, random-effects meta-analysis was used to generate pooled estimates of outcomes. Sensitivity, specificity, reliability, active TB disease, mortality, hepatotoxicity, and other harms. The review included 72 studies (n = 51 711). No studies evaluated benefits and harms of screening compared with no screening. Pooled estimates for sensitivity of the TST at both 5-mm and 10-mm induration thresholds were 0.79 (5-mm: 95% CI, 0.69-0.89 [8 studies, n = 803]; 10 mm: 95% CI, 0.71-0.87 [11 studies; n = 988]), and those for IGRAs ranged from 0.77 to 0.90 (57 studies; n = 4378). Pooled estimates for specificity of the TST at the 10-mm and 15-mm thresholds and for IGRAs ranged from 0.95 to 0.99 (34 studies; n = 23 853). A randomized clinical trial (RCT) of 24 weeks of isoniazid in individuals with pulmonary fibrotic lesions and LTBI (n = 27 830) found a reduction in absolute risk of active TB at 5 years from 1.4% to 0.5% (relative risk [RR], 0.35 [95% CI, 0.24-0.52]) and an increase in absolute risk for hepatoxicity from 0.1% to 0.5% (RR, 4.59 [95% CI, 2.03-10.39]) for 24 weeks of daily isoniazid compared with placebo. An RCT (n = 6886) found that 3 months of once-weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid was noninferior to 9 months of isoniazid alone for preventing active TB. The risk difference for hepatoxicity comparing isoniazid with rifampin ranged from 3% to 7%, with a pooled RR of 3.29 (95% CI, 1.72-6.28 [3 RCTs; n = 1327]). No studies evaluated the benefits and harms of screening compared with no screening. Both the TST and IGRAs are moderately sensitive and highly specific within countries with low TB burden. Treatment reduced the risk of active TB among the populations included in this review. Isoniazid is associated with higher rates of hepatotoxicity than placebo or rifampin

Evaluation of a Longitudinal Institutional Advanced Pharmacy Practice Model

  Objective: To evaluate a longitudinal experiential training model for advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Innovation: A six-month longitudinal pilot program named the Focused Institutional Longitudinal Experience (FILE) program was developed at two academic medical centers to maximize active participation of the student and minimize the time spent orienting and onboarding students to each APPE experience.  A unique component of the FILE program is the longitudinal service project, which involved a medication use evaluation, including a review of published literature and drug policy recommendations to medical center quality committees. Analysis: Student ratings regarding the quality and value of the FILE student experience was compared to the traditional APPE model.  Nine quality measures were compared (e.g. amount of opportunity for direct patient care experience, learning, integration into healthcare team, and accountability for patient outcomes) between students from the FILE program to peers completing similar APPEs outside the FILE program. FILE students and APPE preceptors also completed surveys regarding the value of several program aspects. Key Findings: There was no difference between FILE and non-FILE student self-rated measures of APPE quality, and thus the decision to participate in a longitudinal APPE program should be based on the personal preference of the student.  Students in the FILE program agreed or strongly agreed (mean score 4.3) that they felt prepared for post-graduate training at the completion of the program. The potential value that students in a longitudinal program might bring to the site is reinforced by the general agreement by preceptors in the end of year survey  that FILE students take less of their time to orient to their service and the trend toward perception that FILE students are more likely to independently participate in patient care activities.  Next Steps: To address feedback on preceptor-mentor role and the desire for more interaction with pharmacy residents, students are now paired with a pharmacy resident, and the student and resident work together on the service project with a clinical pharmacist as an advisor.  Updated standards of practice clearly delineate the roles and responsibilities of students, residents, and the clinical pharmacist preceptor.  Annual surveys of FILE students and preceptors provide necessary feedback to continuously improve the quality of the program.     Article Type:  Not

Photosensing and Thermosensing by Phytochrome B Require Both Proximal and Distal Allosteric Features within the Dimeric Photoreceptor

Phytochromes (Phys) encompass a diverse collection of bilin-containing photoreceptors that help plants and microorganisms perceive light through photointerconversion between red light (Pr) and far-red light (Pfr)-absorbing states. In addition, Pfr reverts thermally back to Pr via a highly enthalpic process that enables temperature sensation in plants and possibly other organisms. Through domain analysis of the Arabidopsis PhyB isoform assembled recombinantly, coupled with measurements of solution size, photoconversion, and thermal reversion, we identified both proximal and distal features that influence all three metrics. Included are the downstream C-terminal histidine kinase-related domain known to promote dimerization and a conserved patch just upstream of an N-terminal Period/Arnt/Sim (PAS) domain, which upon removal dramatically accelerates thermal reversion. We also discovered that the nature of the bilin strongly influences Pfr stability. Whereas incorporation of the native bilin phytochromobilin into PhyB confers robust Pfr → Pr thermal reversion, that assembled with the cyanobacterial version phycocyanobilin, often used for optogenetics, has a dramatically stabilized Pfr state. Taken together, we conclude that Pfr acquisition and stability are impacted by a collection of opposing allosteric features that inhibit or promote photoconversion and reversion of Pfr back to Pr, thus allowing Phys to dynamically measure light, temperature, and possibly time

Human Fetal Scalp Dermal Papilla Enriched Genes and the Role of R-Spondin-1 in the Restoration of Hair Neogenesis in Adult Mouse Cells

Much remains unknown about the regulatory networks which govern the dermal papilla’s (DP) ability to induce hair follicle neogenesis, a capacity which decreases greatly with age. To further define the core genes which characterize the DP cell and to identify pathways prominent in DP cells with greater hair inductive capacity, comparative transcriptome analyses of human fetal and adult dermal follicular cells were performed. 121 genes were significantly upregulated in fetal DP cells in comparison to both fetal dermal sheath cup (DSC) cells and interfollicular dermal (IFD) populations. Comparison of the set of enriched human fetal DP genes with human adult DP, newborn mouse DP, and embryonic mouse dermal condensation (DC) cells revealed differences in the expression of Wnt/β-catenin, Shh, FGF, BMP, and Notch signaling pathways. We chose R-spondin-1, a Wnt agonist, for functional verification and show that exogenous administration restores hair follicle neogenesis from adult mouse cells in skin reconstitution assays. To explore upstream regulators of fetal DP gene expression, we identified twenty-nine transcription factors which are upregulated in human fetal DP cells compared to adult DP cells. Of these, seven transcription factor binding motifs were significantly enriched in the candidate promoter regions of genes differentially expressed between fetal and adult DP cells, suggesting a potential role in the regulatory network which confers the fetal DP phenotype and a possible relationship to the induction of follicle neogenesis

Heterogeneous N2O5 Uptake During Winter: Aircraft Measurements During the 2015 WINTER Campaign and Critical Evaluation of Current Parameterizations

Nocturnal dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) heterogeneous chemistry impacts regional air quality and the distribution and lifetime of tropospheric oxidants. Formed from the oxidation of nitrogen oxides, N2O5 is heterogeneously lost to aerosol with a highly variable reaction probability, γ(N2O5), dependent on aerosol composition and ambient conditions. Reaction products include soluble nitrate (HNO3 or NO3−) and nitryl chloride (ClNO2). We report the first‐ever derivations of γ(N2O5) from ambient wintertime aircraft measurements in the critically important nocturnal residual boundary layer. Box modeling of the 2015 Wintertime INvestigation of Transport, Emissions, and Reactivity (WINTER) campaign over the eastern United States derived 2,876 individual γ(N2O5) values with a median value of 0.0143 and range of 2 × 10−5 to 0.1751. WINTER γ(N2O5) values exhibited the strongest correlation with aerosol water content, but weak correlations with other variables, such as aerosol nitrate and organics, suggesting a complex, nonlinear dependence on multiple factors, or an additional dependence on a nonobserved factor. This factor may be related to aerosol phase, morphology (i.e., core shell), or mixing state, none of which are commonly measured during aircraft field studies. Despite general agreement with previous laboratory observations, comparison of WINTER data with 14 literature parameterizations (used to predict γ(N2O5) in chemical transport models) confirms that none of the current methods reproduce the full range of γ(N2O5) values. Nine reproduce the WINTER median within a factor of 2. Presented here is the first field‐based, empirical parameterization of γ(N2O5), fit to WINTER data, based on the functional form of previous parameterizations

Complete Genome Sequence of Geobacter sp. Strain FeAm09, a Moderately Acidophilic Soil Bacterium

A moderately acidophilic Geobacter sp. strain, FeAm09, was isolated from forest soil. The complete genome sequence is 4,099,068 bp with an average GC content of 61.1%. No plasmids were detected. The genome contains a total of 3,843 genes and 3,608 protein-coding genes, including genes supporting iron and nitrogen biogeochemical cycling

Comparative analytical performance of multiple plasma Aβ42 and Aβ40 assays and their ability to predict positron emission tomography amyloid positivity

INTRODUCTION: This report details the approach taken to providing a dataset allowing for analyses on the performance of recently developed assays of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptides in plasma and the extent to which they improve the prediction of amyloid positivity. METHODS: Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative plasma samples with corresponding amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) data were run on six plasma Aβ assays. Statistical tests were performed to determine whether the plasma Aβ measures significantly improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for predicting amyloid PET status compared to age and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. RESULTS: The age and APOE genotype model predicted amyloid status with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.75. Three assays improved AUCs to 0.81, 0.81, and 0.84 (P < .05, uncorrected for multiple comparisons). DISCUSSION: Measurement of Aβ in plasma contributes to addressing the amyloid component of the ATN (amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration) framework and could be a first step before or in place of a PET or cerebrospinal fluid screening study. HIGHLIGHTS: The Foundation of the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium evaluated six plasma amyloid beta (Aβ) assays using Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative samples. Three assays improved prediction of amyloid status over age and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype. Plasma Aβ42/40 predicted amyloid positron emission tomography status better than Aβ42 or Aβ40 alone