The Commonality of Loss Aversion across Procedures and Stimuli

Individuals tend to give losses approximately 2-fold the weight that they give gains. Such approximations of loss aversion (LA) are almost always measured in the stimulus domain of money, rather than objects or pictures. Recent work on preference-based decision-making with a schedule-less keypress task (relative preference theory, RPT) has provided a mathematical formulation for LA similar to that in prospect theory (PT), but makes no parametric assumptions in the computation of LA, uses a variable tied to communication theory (i.e., the Shannon entropy or information), and works readily with non-monetary stimuli. We evaluated if these distinct frameworks described similar LA in healthy subjects, and found that LA during the anticipation phase of the PT-based task correlated significantly with LA related to the RPT-based task. Given the ease with which non-monetary stimuli can be used on the Internet, or in animal studies, these findings open an extensive range of applications for the study of loss aversion. Furthermore, the emergence of methodology that can be used to measure preference for both social stimuli and money brings a common framework to the evaluation of preference in both social psychology and behavioral economics.     

Gain and loss learning differentially contribute to life financial outcomes

Emerging findings imply that distinct neurobehavioral systems process gains and losses. This study investigated whether individual differences in gain learning and loss learning might contribute to different life financial outcomes (i.e., assets versus debt). In a community sample of healthy adults (n = 75), rapid learners had smaller debt-to-asset ratios overall. More specific analyses, however, revealed that those who learned rapidly about gains had more assets, while those who learned rapidly about losses had less debt. These distinct associations remained strong even after controlling for potential cognitive (e.g., intelligence, memory, and risk preferences) and socioeconomic (e.g., age, sex, ethnicity, income, education) confounds. Self-reported measures of assets and debt were additionally validated with credit report data in a subset of subjects. These findings support the notion that different gain and loss learning systems may exert a cumulative influence on distinct life financial outcomes.     

Absolute β-catenin concentrations in Wnt pathway-stimulated and non-stimulated cells

The intracellular level of the proto-oncoprotein β-catenin is a parameter for the activity of the Wnt pathway, which has been linked to carcinogenesis. The paper introduces a novel sandwich-based ELISA for the determination of the β-catenin concentration in lysates from cells or tissues. The advantages of the method were proven by determining β-catenin levels in cell lines and in cells after activation of the Wnt pathway. Analysis revealed high β-catenin concentrations in the cell lines HeLa, KB, HT1080, MCF-7, U-87 and U-373, which had not been described before. β-Catenin concentrations were compared in HEK293 and C57MG cells after activation of the Wnt pathway. The β-catenin concentrations increased by different factors depending on whether the Wnt pathway was activated by incubation with LiCl or with Wnt-3a-conditioned medium. This finding indicated that the β-catenin level depends on the way and level of Wnt pathway activation. The quantitative analysis of β-catenin in colorectal tumours revealed high β-catenin levels in tumours with truncating mutations in the APC gene.     

A novel titanium wound chamber for the study of wound infections in pigs

In the face of emerging multidrug-resistant microbes, reliable animal models are needed to study potential new therapies in infected wounds. To this end, we implanted screw-top titanium chambers subdermally in full-thickness wounds on both flanks (n = 6 per flank) of 2 Goettinger minipigs. After 1 wk, chambers were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or vehicle only. Throughout the study, wound fluid was harvested for quantitative bacterial cultures to monitor infection. Animals were followed for 4 wk, after which tissue biopsies were taken for histologic analysis and quantitative bacterial counts. The implanted titanium chambers were well tolerated by the pigs throughout the study. After inoculation of the chambers, wound infection was established and maintained for 14 d. Despite infection, no systemic effects were noted. Cross-contamination was negligible, compared with the vehicle-only control. After tissue ingrowth, each chamber creates a closed system that allows harvest of exudate or application of substances without loss of material from the chamber. Because 12 chambers are implanted in each pig, researchers have the opportunity to compare multiple treatment options (for example, antibiotics, antimicrobial peptides, gene therapy) in the same animal, with no interindividual variation. We conclude that the use of titanium chambers in pigs provides a reliable and reproducible in vivo model to investigate wound healing, wound infection, and treatment options.     

Activity, blood temperature and brain temperature of free-ranging springbok

We used miniature data loggers to record temperature and activity in free-ranging springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) naturally exposed to severe nocturnal cold and moderate diurnal heat. The animals were active throughout the day and night, with short rests; the intensity of activity increased during daylight. Arterial blood temperature, averaged over many days, exhibited a circadian rhythm with amplitude <1 °C, but with a wide range which resulted from sporadic rapid deviations of body temperature. Peak blood temperature occurred after sunset. Environmental thermal loads had no detectable effect on blood temperature, even though globe temperature varied by >10 °C from day to day and >20 °C within a day. Brain temperature increased approximately linearly with blood temperature but with a slope <1, so that selective brain cooling tended to be activated at high body temperature, but without a precise threshold for the onset of brain cooling. Low activity attenuated selective brain cooling and high activity abolished it, even at high brain temperature. Our results support the concept that selective brain cooling serves to modulate thermoregulation rather than to protect the brain against heat injury. Accepted: 7 January 1997     

Rabies Antibodies in Vaccinated Dogs

Forty-seven healthy, owned dogs were vaccinated with Madivak and 85 with Rabisin. Geometric mean titres of 17.40 and 1.03 IU/ml were measured by the rapid immunofluorescent focus inhibition test 30–40 and 350–370 days, respectively, after a single injection. Four out of 130 (3.1%) and 18 out of 106 (17% ) dogs had a titre of less than 0.5 IU/ml in serum 30–40 and 350–370 days after vaccination. Twenty-one dogs (19.8%) had a titre of 0.5 IU/ml 350–370 days after vaccinaton. There was no significant difference in antibody levels between animals vaccinated with Rabisin or Madivak. Our results indicate that a booster is always necessary after a single injection to ensure that all dogs have a lasting antibody titre.     

O2 and CO2 concentrations in burrows of euthermic and hibernating golden hamsters

O2 and CO2 concentrations were measured in burrows of golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus, W.) simultaneously with body temperature. In sealed burrows of euthermic golden hamsters daily mean concentrations of 15.1 +/- 1.2% O2 and 5.7 +/- 1.2% CO2 were measured, the extreme values amounting to 10.0% O2 and 10.8% CO2. The gas composition showed a daily rhythm. During hibernation, the gas composition of the burrow changed significantly to 20.0 +/- 0.5% O2 and 1.8 +/- 0.8% CO2.     

Coupled population dynamics of two Neotropical marsupials driven by mesopredator's abundance

According to the mesopredator release theory, when top predators are eradicated from an area, mesopredators become overabundant. Didelphis aurita is the largest marsupial in the Atlantic Rainforest, and it occurs in higher abundances in the absence of top predators. This mesopredator has similar ecological requirements to the sympatric marsupial Metachirus nudicaudatus. Considering the similar requirements, and that D. aurita is about three times the size of M. nudicaudatus, our hypothesis is that the increase in D. aurita's abundance may negatively affect M. nudicaudatus' population. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a two-year capture-mark-recapture study in an area in the Southeast of Brazil where top predator community is depauperated. The relationship between the population dynamics of these two marsupials was analyzed by including abundance of D. aurita and environmental conditions as explanatory variables of the population parameters of M. nudicaudatus. We observed that all demographic parameters of M. nudicaudatus fluctuated over time and responded negatively to D. aurita abundance. Our conclusion is that, at least on a monthly timescale, the interspecific relationship with D. aurita seems to influence more M. nudicaudatus' population than any other environmental covariate. These findings suggest that mesopredator release can promote negative effects on population parameters of other species within the same trophic level. Considering that top predators are no longer present in most of the remaining Atlantic Rainforest fragments, the marsupial D. aurita has become a key species in this biome, with relevant consequences arising from its interspecific interactions.     

Repeated exposures to cold and the relationship between skin and core temperatures in control of metabolic rate in the goat (Capra hircus)

1. After 10-12 experiments in each of three goats, in which skin or core temperatures were lowered while the other temperatures remained sufficiently high to prevent metabolic rate from increasing, the core temperature threshold of shivering was lowered by 0.35 degrees C. 2. After 10-15 experiments, in which skin and core temperatures were simultaneously lowered to induce major increases of metabolic rate, no further change of threshold was observed, while the slope of metabolic rate over core temperature was reduced. 3. It is concluded that repeated cold exposures without manifest shivering can induce tolerance adaptation to cold.