Depression Babies: Do Macroeconomic Experiences Affect Risk-Taking?

We investigate whether individual experiences of macroeconomic shocks affect financial risk taking, as often suggested for the generation that experienced the Great Depression. Using data from the Survey of Consumer Finances from 1960 to 2007, we find that individuals who have experienced low stock market returns throughout their lives so far report lower willingness to take financial risk, are less likely to participate in the stock market, invest a lower fraction of their liquid assets in stocks if they participate, and are more pessimistic about future stock returns. Those who have experienced low bond returns are less likely to own bonds. Results are estimated controlling for age, year effects, and household characteristics. More recent return experiences have stronger effects, particularly on younger people

Nomenclature for standardized designation of diploid genotypes in genetically modified laboratory animals

Information about the diploid genotype of a gene-modified or mutant laboratory animal is essential for breeding and experimental planning. It is also required for the exchange of animals between different research groups or for communication with professional genotyping service providers. While there are detailed, standardized rules for creating an allele name of a genome modification or mutation, the notation of the diploid genotype after biopsy and genotyping has not been standardized yet. Therefore, a uniform, generally understandable nomenclature for the diploid genotype of gene-modified laboratory animals is needed. With the here-proposed nomenclature recommendations from the Committee on Genetics and Breeding of Laboratory Animals of the German Society for Laboratory Animal Science (GV-SOLAS), we provide a practical, standardized representation of the genotype of gene-modified animals. It is intended to serve as a compact guide for animal care and scientific personnel in animal research facilities and to simplify data exchange between groups and with external service providers

The Interactive Stress Assessment in Basic Animal Science Training

In order to assess the extent to which the legally prescribed training for the acquisition of animal experimentation expertise provides scientific personnel with the necessary competence and expertise to carry out a correct harm-benefit analysis in the context of animal experimentation applications, we conducted an interactive stress assessment concerning the basic animal experimentation expertise course. First, before the practical part of the course and then, after the practical part, the participants assessed images and video material of healthy and stressed animals. The results were assessed comparatively and showed a significant increase in performance in all categories (p-value < 0.001). In addition, the results were comparatively assessed against those of scientists already experienced in animal experiments and experienced animal caretakers in research and clinics. In all groups, the vast majority of participants were able to recognise stress in laboratory animals. A significant proportion of the participants were also able to rate the level of stress correctly according to three degrees of severity: mild, moderate and severe. Nevertheless, a small number of participants were unable to distinguish between healthy and stressed animals and thus, the stress in the individual groups was assigned very differently from the different degrees of severity. The results of this study illustrate, on the one hand, the high significance that training must have in order to acquire the expertise, and, on the other hand, how strongly the assessment of stress is influenced by subjectivity