Individual-level loss aversion in riskless and risky choices

Loss aversion can occur in riskless and risky choices. Yet, there is no evidence whether people who are loss averse in riskless choices are also loss averse in risky choices. We measure individual-level loss aversion in riskless choices in an endowment effect experiment by eliciting both WTA and WTP from each of our 360 subjects (randomly selected customers of a car manufacturer). All subjects also participate in a simple lottery choice task which arguably measures loss aversion in risky choices. We find substantial heterogeneity in both measures of loss aversion. Loss aversion in the riskless choice task and loss aversion in the risky choice task are highly significantly and strongly positively correlated. We find that in both choice tasks loss aversion increases in age, income, and wealth, and decreases in education.Loss aversion, endowment effect, field experiments

Behavior of confined granular beds under cyclic thermal loading

We investigate the mechanical behavior of a confined granular packing of irregular polyhedral particles under repeated heating and cooling cycles by means of numerical simulations with the Non-Smooth Contact Dynamics method. Assuming a homogeneous temperature distribution as well as constant temperature rate, we study the effect of the container shape, and coefficients of thermal expansions on the pressure buildup at the confining walls and the density evolution. We observe that small changes in the opening angle of the confinement can lead to a drastic peak pressure reduction. Furthermore, the displacement fields over several thermal cycles are obtained and we discover the formation of convection cells inside the granular material having the shape of a torus. The root mean square of the vorticity is then calculated from the displacement fields and a quadratic dependency on the ratio of thermal expansion coefficients is established

Spreading of correlations in the Falicov-Kimball model

We study dynamical properties of the one- and two-dimensional Falicov-Kimball model using lattice Monte Carlo simulations. In particular, we calculate the spreading of charge correlations in the equilibrium model and after an interaction quench. The results show a reduction of the light-cone velocity with interaction strength at low temperature, while the phase velocity increases. At higher temperature, the initial spreading is determined by the Fermi velocity of the noninteracting system and the maximum range of the correlations decreases with increasing interaction strength. Charge order correlations in the disorder potential enhance the range of the correlations. We also use the numerically exact lattice Monte Carlo results to benchmark the accuracy of equilibrium and nonequilibrium dynamical cluster approximation calculations. It is shown that the bias introduced by the mapping to a periodized cluster is substantial, and that from a numerical point of view, it is more efficient to simulate the lattice model directly

Nonequilibrium dynamical cluster approximation study of the Falicov-Kimball model

We use a nonequilibrium implementation of the dynamical cluster approximation (DCA) to study the effect of short-range correlations on the dynamics of the two-dimensional Falicov-Kimball model after an interaction quench. As in the case of single-site dynamical mean-field theory, thermalization is absent in DCA simulations, and for quenches across the metal-insulator boundary, nearest-neighbor charge correlations in the nonthermal steady state are found to be larger than in the thermal state with identical energy. We investigate to what extent it is possible to define an effective temperature of the trapped state after a quench. Based on the ratio between the lesser and retarded Green's function, we conclude that a roughly thermal distribution is reached within the energy intervals corresponding to the momentum-patch dependent subbands of the spectral function. The effectively different chemical potentials of these distributions, however, lead to a very hot, or even negative, effective temperature in the energy intervals between these subbands

Orphilus aegeanus (Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Orphilinae): a new species from Greece and Turkey

The family Dermestidae Latreille 1804 contains over 1700 species worldwide (Háva 2021). The subfamily Orphilinae LeConte 1861 is small containing only two genera: Ranolus (Blair 1929) with seven species distributed across Australasia and Indonesia, and Orphilus Erichson 1846 with six species from the Palaearctic and Nearctic (Háva 2021). Of the Orphilus species, O. ater Erichson 1846 and O. subnitidus LeConte 1861 occur in North America, O. kabakovi Háva and Kadej 2014 occurs in Asia, whilst O. africanus Háva 2005, O. beali Zhantiev 2001, and O. niger (Rossi 1790) are found in Europe (Háva 2021). Orphilus species externally are very similar to each other, and this has most likely impeded the development of the taxonomy of the genus, at least in the Palaearctic. Until 2000, all individuals from the Palaearctic were believed to belong to the same species, O. niger. Since 2000, two further species have been discovered (Zhantiev 2001; Hava 2005) through dissection of male genitalia, which show substantial structural differences among species. During a survey of over 150 specimens held in the collection of one of us (AH), a further Orphilus species, O. aegeanus, was discovered. In the current study, we describe O. aegeanus and compare it to the most likely confusion species, O. africanus. All insects were floated from the mounting card and macerated in 2% acetic acid for a period of 5 days prior to dissection. Dissection was carried out under a Brunel BMSL zoom stereo LED microscope and involved detaching the abdomen from the rest of the insect using two entomological needles. The soft tergites were then peeled away from the harder ventrites to expose the genitalia. The aedeagus was pushed out between abdominal sternites IX and X using an entomological needle. The aedeagus was then detached from the sternites. Images of habitus were captured at ×20 magnification using a Canon EOS 1300D camera mounted on the BMSL microscope. The antennae were teased out and images were captured at ×100 magnification using the EOS 1300D camera mounted on a Brunel monocular SP28 microscope. Using the same set up, dorsal and ventral surfaces of the aedeagi were captured at x100 magnification, and images of the tips of the median lobe were captured at x 200 magnification. All images were fed through Helicon Focus Pro version 8 focus-stacking software. Morphometric measurements were made using DsCap.Ink Software version 3.90. Measurements taken: body length (BL): distance from anterior margin of pronotum to the apex of the elytra, and body width (BW): maximum distance across the elytra. After dissection, all body parts were mounted on card. British Natural History Museum, London (BNHM)

Neotype designation of Anthrenus goliath Saulcy in Mulsant & Rey, 1867 (Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Megatominae)

Anecdotal evidence indicates that the holotype of Anthrenus goliath Saulcy in Mulsant & Rey, 1867 was lost along with other holotypes in Mulsant’s collection through neglect and poor storage prior to transfer to Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, in 1944. Here, a (male) neotype for A. goliath is designated. The only feasible confusion species, A. corona Holloway, 2021 is considered to ensure the neotype is definitively A. goliath. Images of habitus, antenna, aedeagus, and sternite IX are illustrated. A female of the species is also shown. The only known location of A. goliath currently known is Egyp

Anthrenus (Anthrenus) muehlei, a new species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae) from Iran

A new species, Anthrenus muehlei Holloway and Herrmann (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae), from Iran is described. Images of internal and external features are presented. Only female specimens were found and described, but the bursa copulatrix contains obvious sclerites enabling easy differentiation from all other known species from the Palaearctic A. pimpinellae complex. The possible function and taxonomic implication of the sclerites is mentioned

Tunable Hydrophobicity in DNA Micelles:Design, Synthesis, and Characterization of a New Family of DNA Amphiphiles

This work describes the synthesis and characterization of a new family of DNA amphiphiles containing modified nucleobases. The hydrophobicity was imparted by the introduction of a dodec-1-yne chain at the 5-position of the uracil base, which allowed precise and simple tuning of the hydrophobic properties through solid-phase DNA synthesis. The micelles formed from these modified DNA sequences were characterized by atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These experiments revealed the role of the quantity and location of the hydrophobic units in determining the morphology and stability of the micelles. The effects of hybridization on the physical characteristics of the DNA micelles were also studied; these results showed potential for the sequence-specific noncovalent functionalization of the self-assembled aggregates

Can intermittent theta burst stimulation as add-on to psychotherapy improve nicotine abstinence? Results from a pilot study

Smoking is among the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Discontinuing smoking can increase life expectancy to the presmoking level. Unaided attempts are often ineffective, strengthening the necessity of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), nicotine replacement or pharmacotherapy. Still, relapse rates are high. Recently, a modulation of nicotine craving, which predicts relapse, through transcranial magnetic stimulation to the prefrontal cortex was shown. In a pilot study, we investigated whether 4 sessions of intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) as add-on treatment to CBT reduces nicotine craving and improves long-term abstinence (at 3, 6 and 12 months). Smokers were randomly assigned to a treatment (n = 38) or a sham group (n = 36). Although we did not find reduced craving, we could show higher abstinence rates in the treatment group at 3 months. At 6 and 12 months abstinence rates did not differ significantly. Results at 12 months, however, have to be interpreted cautiously due to significant differences in the dropout rates between the two groups at this time point. We provide first evidence for a beneficial effect of additional iTBS on intermediate nicotine abstinence; however, the low number of iTBS sessions might have prevented longer effects. More lasting effects might be achieved by iTBS maintenance sessions in analogy to the treatment of depression