Spending Credit Like a Windfall Gain

We hypothesize that the term "credit" changes psychophysical representations of spending. In a series of experiments, we find that the term credit encourages people to mentally represent spending as a reduction of a gain rather than as a more subjectively painful loss

Current Outcomes Following Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Composite

Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (RTSA) is a popular treatment for patients with rotator cuff damage, glenohumeral arthritis, complex fractures, and previously failed total shoulder arthroplasty given its ability to alleviate pain and increase range of motion and function. Although RTSA significantly improves functionality, pain, and satisfaction, patients need to be given realistic expectations for when to expect improvements, peak performance, and plateaus as well as potential risks for negative outcomes. As with any surgical procedure, patients are at risk for intraoperative, perioperative, short-term, and long-term complications. Thus, the purpose of this review is to discuss the short-term and long-term complications, metrics, and length of follow-up for patients who have undergone RTSA. In addition, we provide recommendations for a cut-off point between short-term and long-term outcomes for RTSA

Molecular Systematics & Evolution of the CTENOSAURA HEMILOPHA Complex (SQUAMATA: IGUANIDAE)

Molecular variation within Ctenosaura hemilopha and among other Ctenosaura species are used to identify species boundaries, assess suitable systematic characters, identify evolutionary patterns within C. hemilopha mitochondrial DNA sequences and reconstruct species and area relationships among the various taxa. The molecular evolution of the C. hemilopha complex is analyzed using 1109 base pairs of mitochondrial DNA sequence from the cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase III genes. Samples come from 22 individuals representing each of the five allopatric populations. The results of a parsimony analysis showed a strongly supported, partially resolved set of relationships. The strict consenses tee formed in this analysis resulted in a gene tree that is comprised of two well-supported basal haploclades, A and B. The most basal haploclade (A) includes all individuals from Islas San Esteban and Cholludo (C. conspicuosa) and three of the five individuals from Isla San Pedro Nolasco (C. nolascensis). Haploclade B includes all individuals from mainland Sonora (C. macrolopha), Baja California (C. hemilopha), Isla Cerralvo (C. hemilopha (insulana)), and the remaining two samples from Isla San Pedro Nolasco. The anomalous positions of the C. nolascensissamples as well as the positions of each of other populations within the complex are discussed for their informativeness and possible relationship to the most recent hypotheses developed concerning Iguanid relationships

ESTIMATING MIXTURE FRACTION AND MAP DISTANCE IN A MIXED F\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e, BC\u3csub\u3e1\u3c/sub\u3e POPULATION

An F1 interspecific hybrid onion (Allium cepa x A. fistulosum) was backcrossed to the A. cepa parent line under field conditions. The progeny of this cross were shown by electrophoretic protein analysis to be a mixture of BC1 (the desired backcross) and F2 (A. cepa x A. fistulosum) x (A. cepa x A. fistulosum) individuals. This mixture of populations among the progeny render the usual X2 test for independent segregation of loci invalid. F2 is used to denote progeny derived from either selfing of the F1 or from sib-crosses between two F1 individuals. A model for this mixed population has been developed; from this model the mixture fraction and crossover frequencies can be estimated using maximum likelihood

The Charity Beauty Premium: Satisfying Donors’ “Want” versus “Should” Desires

Despite widespread conviction that neediness is the most important criterion for charitable allocations, we observe a “charity beauty premium” in which donors often favor beautiful, but less needy charity recipients. We propose that donors hold simultaneous, yet incongruent preferences of wanting to support beautiful recipients (who tend to be judged as less needy) yet believing they should support needy recipients instead. We additionally posit that preferences for beautiful recipients are most likely to emerge when decisions are intuitive whereas preferences for needy recipients are most likely to emerge when decisions are deliberative. We test these propositions in several ways. First, when a beautiful recipient is introduced to basic choice sets, it becomes the most popular option and increases donor satisfaction. Second, heightening deliberation steers choices away from beautiful recipients and toward needier ones. Third, donors explicitly state that they “want” to give to beautiful recipients but “should” give to less beautiful, needier ones. Taken together, these findings reconcile and extend previous and sometimes conflicting results about beauty and generosity

The Role of Choice Architecture in Promoting Saving at Tax Time: Evidence From a Large-Scale Field Experiment

This paper presents the findings of a large-scale field experiment (N = 646,16) from the Refund to Savings Initiative. The experiment tested a choice architecture and persuasive messaging intervention that increased saving among low-moderate income (LMI) consumers by approximately 50% during tax refund time. Two follow-up experiments parsed components of the intervention. The first follow-up experiment (N = 569) tested the messaging and choice architecture interventions separately, finding that each can increase savings. a final follow-up experiment (N = 554) tested individual elements of the choice architecture intervention, demonstrating that mere mention of savings within choice options was not sufficient to increase saving, however, heavy emphasis of savings and making saving “frictionless” within choice options both effectively increased saving intentions. The final experiment also demonstrated that the choice architecture effect operates similarly for both LMI and non-LMI consumers

Research Participation by Low‐Income and Racial/Ethnic Minority Groups: How Payment May Change the Balance

Minorities are underenrolled in clinical research trials, and one‐third of trials are underenrolled overall. The role of payment has not been studied at the national level as an explanation for enrollment patterns. Our objective was to examine the distribution of self‐reported previous research participation across different sociodemographic groups; to assess the public's perception of fair payment for a low‐risk medicine trial and the association between requested payment and sociodemographic characteristics; to estimate the amount of payment for a medication trial to achieve proportional representation of minorities and different socioeconomic groups. This was a cross‐sectional study with nationally representative data collected in 2011 by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. To determine the relationship between perceived fair payment and individual‐level characteristics, we used multivariable linear regression. With 60% participation rate, in a sample of 2,150 respondents 11% ( n = 221) of the sample had previously participated in medical research. Requested payment differed significantly by racial/ethnic group with Hispanics requesting more payment than non‐Hispanic whites (0.37 [95%CI 0.02, 0.72]) In contrast to payment at $49,$149, and $249, payment at$349 yielded proportional representation of racial/ethnic minority groups. Hispanics requested higher payment for research participation, suggesting a possible explanation for their underenrollment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/100336/1/cts12084.pd

The martyrdom effect : when pain and effort increase prosocial contributions

Most theories of motivation and behavior (and lay intuitions alike) consider pain and effort to be deterrents. In contrast to this widely held view, we provide evidence that the prospect of enduring pain and exerting effort for a prosocial cause can promote contributions to the cause. Specifically, we show that willingness to contribute to a charitable or collective cause increases when the contribution process is expected to be painful and effortful rather than easy and enjoyable. Across five experiments, we document this “martyrdom effect,” show that the observed patterns defy standard economic and psychological accounts, and identify a mediator and moderator of the effect. Experiment 1 showed that people are willing to donate more to charity when they anticipate having to suffer to raise money. Experiment 2 extended these findings to a non-charity laboratory context that involved real money and actual pain. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the martyrdom effect is not the result of an attribute substitution strategy (whereby people use the amount of pain and effort involved in fundraising to determine donation worthiness). Experiment 4 showed that perceptions of meaningfulness partially mediate the martyrdom effect. Finally, Experiment 5 demonstrated that the nature of the prosocial cause moderates the martyrdom effect: the effect is strongest for causes associated with human suffering. We propose that anticipated pain and effort lead people to ascribe greater meaning to their contributions and to the experience of contributing, thereby motivating higher prosocial contributions. We conclude by considering some implications of this puzzling phenomenon. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Enantioselectivity in degradation and ecological risk of the chiral pesticide ethiprole

Intensive agricultural activities have caused land degradation due to soil pollution, particularly by pesticides. However, the degradation, metabolism, and toxicity of chiral pesticides by soil microorganisms are often enantioselective. This study aimed to determine the effect of chirality on the degradation of the enantiomers of ethiprole in soil and their impact on soil microbial communities. (R)-ethiprole underwent directional chiral conversion to the (S)-enantiomer in a paddy soil microcosm, leading to elevated concentrations of (S)-ethiprole. Initially, the bacterial operational taxonomic units significantly decreased after 3 days of incubation with rac-ethiprole, (R)-ethiprole, and (S)-ethiprole but gradually increased in the later stage. Principal coordinate analysis revealed that the bacterial community structure was enantioselectively affected by the ethiprole enantiomers. Within 3 days, both rac-ethiprole and (R)-ethiprole reshaped the original stochastic microbial community into a deterministic community (variable selection). Thus, we propose that the enantioselective behavior and ecotoxicology of chiral pesticides need to be considered, especially because there are numerous chiral pesticides currently in use within agricultural management. The comprehensive understanding of the ecological risk of chiral pesticide enantiomers is vital to the process of improving sustainable production and environmental health in agricultural ecosystems

Eliciting taxpayer preferences increases tax compliance

Two experiments show that eliciting taxpayer preferences on government spending—providing taxpayer agency--increases tax compliance. We first create an income and taxation environment in a laboratory setting to test for compliance with a lab tax. Allowing a treatment group to express nonbinding preferences over tax spending priorities, leads to a 16% increase in tax compliance. A followup online study tests this treatment with a simulation of paying US federal taxes. Allowing taxpayers to signal their preferences on the distribution of government spending, results in a 15% reduction in the stated take-up rate of a questionable tax loophole. Providing taxpayer agency recouples tax payments with the public services obtained in return, reduces general anti-tax sentiment, and holds satisfaction with tax payment stable despite increased compliance with tax dues. With tax noncompliance costing the US government $385billion annually, providing taxpayer agency could have meaningful economic impact. At the same time, giving taxpayers a voice may act as a two-way "nudge," transforming tax payment from a passive experience to a channel of communication between taxpayers and government