Three doors anomaly, ‘‘should I stay, or should I go’’: an artefactual field experiment

This work aims to identify and quantify the biases behind the anomalous behavior of people when they deal with the Three Doors dilemma, which is a really simple but counterintuitive game. Carrying out an artefactual field experiment and proposing eight different treatments to isolate the anomalies, we provide new interesting experimental evidence on the reasons why subjects fail to take the optimal decision. According to the experimental results, we are able to quantify the size and the impact of three main biases that explain the anomalous behavior of participants: Bayesian updating, illusion of control and status quo bias

Investigate the energy misperception for "Next Generation" in Italy: An online experiment

The use of renewable energy sources is the main tool to solve several issues like energy request, the excessive use of no-renewable energy sources and, in general, the global environmental pollution. In the light of this, it is important to raise awareness among individuals towards this type of energies to facilitate the circular economy transition. The investigation of misperception is crucial in the modern context of bio-economy because it could lead to an over-exploitation and depletion of several natural resources. Policymakers work for a cleaner energy system, and they need to investigate on social acceptability; “Next Generation” represents those who must contribute to this dutiful energy transition because they are the future actors of society. The aim of this work is to investigate the energy misperception on different sources among the “Next Generation” group. The analysis is carried out in Italy and the data were obtained through an internet-based survey, administered via Instagram for capturing Next Generation’s perception about the national energy mix. We found the younger have more misperception and one of the possible explanations could be that are more negatively affected by media and social media, or public opinion in general. Another motivation could be that the younger generation considers sustainability important and therefore tend to over-perceive renewable energy sources

Validation and Reliability of a Novel Vagus Nerve Neurodynamic Test and Its Effects on Heart Rate in Healthy Subjects: Little Differences Between Sexes

BACKGROUND: The vagus nerve (VN), also called the pneumogastric nerve, connects the brainstem to organs contained in the chest and abdomen. Physiologically, VN stimulation can rapidly affect cardiac activity and heart rate (HR). VN neuropathy can increase the risk of arrhythmias and sudden death. Therefore, a selective test of VN function may be very useful. Since peripheral neurodynamic tests (NDT) are reliable for the assessment of neuropathies in somatic nerves, we aimed to validate a novel NDT to assess VN activity, namely, the VN-NTD. METHODS: In this cross-sectional double-blind, sex-balanced study, 30 participants (15 females) completed a checklist of autonomic dysfunction symptoms. During the VN-NDT administration, HR and symptoms (i.e., mechanical allodynia) were monitored in parallel to a real-time ultrasonography imaging (USI) and motion capture analysis of the neck. The VN-NDT impact on HR and its accuracy for autonomic symptoms reported in the last 7 days were tested. RESULTS: The VN-NDT induced a significant HR reduction of about 12 and 8 bpm in males and females [t(1, 119) = 2.425; p < 0.017; η(p)(2) = 0.047, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.93–9.18], respectively. No adverse events were observed during VN-NDT. A substantial interexaminer agreement between the evaluators in symptoms induction by VN-NDT was detected [F(1, 119) = 0.540; p = 0.464; η(p)(2) = 0.005, low effect]. Notably, mechanical allodynia accuracy for gastrointestinal dysfunctions was excellent (p < 0.05; 95% CI: 0.52–0.73; p < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.81–0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The novel VN-NDT is a valid and accurate test capable of detecting VN activation with high sensitivity. Data provided are suitable for both sexes as a hallmark of HR variation due to VN normal response. The proposed VN-NDT may be reliable as daily routine neurological examination tests for the evaluation of neuropathic signs related to neuroinflammation of the VN. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04192877

Wastewater-based epidemiology for early warning of SARS-COV-2 circulation: A pilot study conducted in Sicily, Italy

There is increasing evidence of the use of wastewater-based epidemiology to integrate conventional monitoring assessing disease symptoms and signs of viruses in a specific territory. We present the results of SARS-CoV-2 environmental surveillance activity in wastewater samples collected between September 2020 and July 2021 in 9 wastewater treatment plants (WTPs) located in central and western Sicily, serving over 570,000 residents. The presence of SARS-CoV-2, determined in 206 wastewater samples using RT-qPCR assays, was correlated with the notified and geo-referenced cases on the areas served by the WTPs in the same study period. Overall, 51% of wastewater samples were positive. Samples were correlated with 33,807 SARS-CoV-2 cases, reported in 4 epidemic waves, with a cumulative prevalence of 5.9% among Sicilian residents. The results suggest that the daily prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 active cases was statistically significant and higher in areas with SARS-CoV-2 positive wastewater samples. According to these findings, the proposed method achieves a good sensitivity profile (78.3%) in areas with moderate or high viral circulation (≥133 cases/100,000 residents) and may represent a useful tool in the management of epidemics based on an environmental approach, although it is necessary to improve the accuracy of the process

Damage Control in Hinchey III and IV Acute Diverticulitis

Acute diverticulitis is one of the most common surgical causes of admission to Emergency Departments in Western Countries. Although most of the cases can be managed conservatively or electively, a number of them will require an emergency surgical treatment. Among these patients, an even smaller number of them will present with a full-blown catastrophic septic shock. These minorities of cases have accounted for a significant part of the overall mortality and morbidity of complicated acute diverticulitis itself. The implementation of Damage Control strategies has shown to be useful also in these septic catastrophes, where a profound derangement of physiology makes unsafe a classic approach. Damage Control, as we intend it, is not a surgical “technique.” A close collaboration between different specialties brought forth a strategy of treatment. The Surgeon, the Anesthetist, and the Intensivist are the three most involved specialists in the treatment of these cases. It is paramount for them to learn how to work side by side and in harmony, since the patients will benefit from each-one’s input in their care

Individual decision-making experiment with risk and intertemporal choice: a replication study

We replicate the experiment proposed by Lisa R. Anderson and Sarah L. Stafford (2009) by conducting it through the Instagram platform. The structure of questionnaire is the same as the one of the original experiment inasmuch subjects might choose between two options that differ in resolution timing. According to the experimental results, we show that the percentage of subjects choosing later option increases as the value of the later option increases, and the percentage of subjects choosing later option is smaller the longer the temporal delay between two options. We found that risk does not make subjects less patient and there are interactions between risk and the length temporal delay