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Neural dynamics of mental state attribution to social robot faces
No full textThe interplay of mind attribution and emotional responses is considered crucial in shaping human trust and acceptance of social robots. Understanding this interplay can help us create the right conditions for successful human–robot social interaction in alignment with societal goals. Our study shows that affective information about robots describing positive, negative, or neutral behaviour leads participants (N = 90) to attribute mental states to robot faces, modulating impressions of trustworthiness, facial expression, and intentionality. Electroencephalography recordings from 30 participants revealed that affective information influenced specific processing stages in the brain associated with early face perception (N170 component) and more elaborate stimulus evaluation (late positive potential). However, a modulation of fast emotional brain responses, typically found for human faces (early posterior negativity), was not observed. These findings suggest that neural processing of robot faces alternates between being perceived as mindless machines and intentional agents: people rapidly attribute mental states during perception, literally seeing good or bad intentions in robot faces, but are emotionally less affected than when facing humans. These nuanced insights into the fundamental psychological and neural processes underlying mind attribution can enhance our understanding of human–robot social interactions and inform policies surrounding the moral responsibility of artificial agents.Peer Reviewe
Plant cold acclimation and its impact on sensitivity of carbohydrate metabolism
No full textThe article processing charge was funded by the Open Access Publication Fund of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.The ability to acclimate to changing environmental conditions is essential for the fitness and survival of plants. Not only are seasonal differences challenging for plants growing in different habitats but, facing climate change, the likelihood of encountering extreme weather events increases. Previous studies of acclimation processes of Arabidopsis thaliana to changes in temperature and light conditions have revealed a multigenic trait comprising and affecting multiple layers of molecular organization. Here, a combination of experimental and computational methods was applied to study the effects of changing light intensities during cold acclimation on the central carbohydrate metabolism of Arabidopsis thaliana leaf tissue. Mathematical modeling, simulation and sensitivity analysis suggested an important role of hexose phosphate balance for stabilization of photosynthetic CO2 fixation. Experimental validation revealed a profound effect of temperature on the sensitivity of carbohydrate metabolism.Peer Reviewe
Zebra Risk Perception in a Landscape of Fear
No full textAnimals' assessments of predation risk are influenced by a variety of external and internal factors, including predator space use. However, it remains unclear what variables mediate prey species behavior within a landscape where predation risk is heterogeneous. To address this, we employed three assays to examine zebra ( Equus quagga ) responses to varying predation risk in a multiple‐use area of northern Tanzania: (1) quantifying head‐up posture as a proxy for vigilance through direct behavioral observation in areas of high and low likelihood of lion ( Panthera leo ) presence, (2) quantifying head‐up posture as a proxy for vigilance when exposed to a lion roar playback, and (3) measuring flight initiation distances (FIDs) when approached by a person. Using generalized linear (mixed) models, we tested how lion space use and habitat type (as proxies for predation risk), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI, as proxy for primary productivity), time of the day, and zebra‐related variables (sex‐age category, zebra herd size, group size including heterospecifics, and location within the herd) influenced vigilance and flight responses. We found that (1) neither vigilance nor FID were markedly influenced by estimated lion space use, habitat type, and NDVI; (2) vigilance decreased with group size, was lower for zebras positioned centrally in the herd, and during midday; (3) FID increased with a greater number of associated heterospecifics; and (4) zebras increased vigilance when exposed to lion roar playbacks, irrespective of lion space use. These findings suggest that zebra vigilance and flight behavior are not necessarily mediated by spatial variation in apparent predation risk but instead reflect a strategy of maintaining a consistent monitoring of possible threats across the landscape. Rather than relying on spatial clues alone, zebras primarily mitigate predation risk by increasing group size and associating with other species.Erasmus programPeer Reviewe
Zwölfte Änderung der fachspezifischen Studien- und Prüfungsordnung für das Bachelor-studium im Fach Betriebswirtschaftslehre (AMB Nr. 45/2016)
No full textStorage Dynamics and Groundwater–Surface Water Interactions in a Drought Sensitive Lowland Catchment: Process‐Based Modelling as a Learning Tool
No full textGroundwater is a key strategic water resource in times of drought, yet climate and land use change are increasing threats; this means that quantitative understanding of groundwater dynamics in lowland catchments is becoming more urgent. Here, we used a spatially distributed numerical groundwater model to simulate seasonal and long‐term changes in the spatio‐temporal patterns of water storage dynamics and groundwater–surface water interactions in the 66 km 2 lowland Demnitzer Millcreek catchment (DMC) in NE Germany. DMC experienced a long period of drought following the hot, dry summer of 2018, with groundwater stores becoming depleted and stream flows increasingly intermittent. The architecture and parameterisation of the model domain were based on groundwater observations, hydrogeological mapping and geophysical surveys. Weekly simulations using a single model layer with a 50 × 50 m grid of 15 m depth were able to broadly reproduce observed shallow groundwater dynamics in glacial and post‐glacial deposits across the catchment. We showed that most groundwater flow is shallow and focused around topographic convergence zones fringing the channel network in more permeable glaciofluvial deposits. Most stream flow is generated by shallow groundwater in the catchment headwaters, which is relatively young (i.e., ~5 years old). With potential evapotranspiration rates exceeding precipitation, the groundwater balance is very sensitive to hydroclimate at DMC. The past two decades have been dominated by negative anomalies in annual rainfall, causing a general lowering of water tables and persistent storage deficits. Spatio‐temporal patterns of recharge are also strongly influenced by vegetation cover, with coniferous forests, in particular, having high evapotranspiration losses that inhibit groundwater recharge. This underlines the importance of developing integrated land and water management strategies in NE Germany where climate change is expected to further reduce rainfall, increase temperatures and decrease groundwater recharge. For an evidence base to guide policy, we need to develop more robust ways to interface groundwater models with ecohydrological models to better characterise the impacts of land use on rechange in groundwater‐dominated lowland catchments.China Scholarship Council 10.13039/501100004543Wallenberg Foundation 10.13039/501100004063Einstein Foundation Berlin 10.13039/501100006188Peer Reviewe
Studienfächer und fach- oder professionsbezogene Ergänzung - Studienanteile Allgemeine Grundschulpädagogik, Bildungswissenschaften und Sprachbildung - Überfachlicher Wahlpflichtbereich für andere Bachelorstudiengänge und –studienfächer
No full textDecoding the AlPO4 and LATP surface with a combined NMR-DFT approach†
No full textA milestone in the development of next generation high-performance lithium ion batteries is the understanding and targeted engineering of hybrid electrolytes, consisting of a polymer and a ceramic component, and in particular their interfaces. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a powerful non-destructive technique for unraveling the intricate interface structures and ion dynamics in these materials, yet data interpretation often relies on empirical rules that have been devised using data from the bulk of materials. By exploiting the synergies between advanced NMR experiments and density functional theory (DFT) simulations, AlPO4 is studied as a model for the surface of the well-known solid ion conductor Li1+xAlxTi2−x(PO4)3 with 0.3 ≤ x ≤ 0.5 (LATP), which is a promising candidate for the ceramic component of a hybrid electrolyte. By combining the multi-nuclear NMR techniques cross-polarization (CP) and transfer of populations in double resonance (TRAPDOR) on AlPO4 powder with DFT calculations of NMR observables for a variety of surface models, the surface structure of commercial AlPO4 is elucidated. It is shown that even after extended drying, the surface of AlPO4 is hydroxylated, exhibiting a TRAPDOR-estimated 1H–27Al quadrupolar coupling constant, CQ, of 5.8 ± 0.9 MHz. The joint theoretical-experimental approach also enables first insights into the bonding motifs of organic entities on functionalized AlPO4 surfaces as a model for LATP surfaces. Surface interactions and the presence of functional groups upon silanization of hydroxylated surfaces are confirmed both on AlPO4 and LATP. We demonstrate that observables, which are experimentally as well as theoretically accessible, provide information on interfacial bonding motifs, interatomic distances, and interactions, surpassing the capabilities of either NMR or DFT techniques alone.Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung 10.13039/501100002347Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft 10.13039/501100001659Peer Reviewe
How (Not) to Measure Companies' Climate Transition Risk: A Framework and Categorized Literature Review
No full textThe climate transition is increasingly acknowledged as a major risk driver for companies, financial institutions, and investors. At the same time, there is widespread confusion about how to best measure climate transition risk, since different measurements lead to significantly different risk profiles. I show empirically that, to date, the two most common proxies for climate transition risk are CO2 and E(SG) score data. I further contribute to the transition risk literature by proposing a comprehensive 10‐category framework, specifically tailored toward assessing climate transition risk proxies. I apply the framework by executing the first category‐led literature review on the quality of both CO2 data and E‐scores as proxies for climate transition risk. I find that both data types are dynamic and strong in terms of granularity as well as usability; but have shortcomings across a multitude of categories: bias, availability, comparability, the backward‐looking nature of the metrics, and transition risk specificity being the most severe issues. I urge scholars to reflect on these shortcomings as they could significantly distort results. As a minimum, scholars should test for the robustness of their results when relying solely on ESG or CO2 data to classify transition risk. Therefore, I propose both within and between transition risk metric robustness tests, which are not yet commonly used in the literature. I close by introducing and discussing alternative proxies for climate transition risk, such as EU taxonomy alignment, sector/technology classifications, or innovative combinations of risk metrics. I argue that scholars should consider these alternatives since they are potentially less biased, more specific to transition risk, comparable, and available. I thereby contribute to a better measurement of companies' transition risk, which is a key prerequisite for accurately managing and correctly pricing climate transition risk.German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 10.13039/501100006603Peer Reviewe
Dreizehnte Änderung der fachspezifischen Studien- und Prüfungsordnung für den Masterstudiengang Volkswirtschaftslehre (AMB Nr. 48/2016)
No full textBeratung zwischen Verfügbarkeit und Unverfügbarkeit
No full textOpen Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (1034)Peer Reviewe